Reproductive Rights

Post 4

            Women’s body has always been a subject of objectification and held to high standards. In media the only women that are portrayed are young thin and usually white women. The reason why is because this is what a lot of people seem to feel that is the ideal woman. Women get oversexualized in media to no extend. Like John Berger puts it “She has to survey everything she is and everything she does because how she appears to others, and ultimately how she appears to men, is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as the success of her life” (Berger, 46). This is a very negative way to believe that just because you look good for others that equal success in your life. In all honestly it sad to see women put up in this pedestal that if they are simply not good looking to what society deems as beautiful then she basically isn't worth anything nor successful. It is sad that people put this pressure on women and then people are surprised when a lot of girls have these eating disorders or depression or low self esteem when they are not considered pretty enough or skinny enough. This is not surprising and shouldn't surprise anyone in the least because they should be able to see that the reason they feel this way and end up acting this way is because we still as a society put this pressure on women.

            Not only have women always been looked as object of admiration and nothing more but even to this day our own advertisements still perpetuate the idea of what beauty is and dictates who is considered worthy enough to be on their ads. Jean Kilbourne says it best, “Advertising images do not cause these problems, but they contribute to them by creating a climate in which the marketing of women’s bodies – the sexual sell and dismemberment, distorted boy image ideal and children as sex objects is seen as acceptable. This is the real tragedy, that many women internalize these stereotypes and learn their “limitations” thus establishing a self-fulfilling prophecy” (Kilbourne, 125). These advertisements in where females are just seen as objects and selling sex is okay is really bad and can create negative impact on children into their adult life. Not only do these advertisements make women feel bad for not looking like the models in the ads but also makes seem okay for men to treat women like they are just objects to be looked at and nothing more than a pretty face. Unfortunately we must see that we live in a place where we have a freedom of speech and a freedom to post whatever we want on a billboard as long as we have enough money to pay for it. So it would be hard to try to regulate every single advertisements and in doing so we also lose a sense a freedom. People will always try to sell sex because unfortunately in this society sex sells, to be honest this shows a lack of creativity of having to think of good concepts for a good commercial to sell products. We should focus on teaching girls about self esteem and self respect and also telling them how everyone is beautiful in their own way and not to let these advertisements get to them because all that shit is a load of bs. Most of the models are photoshopped to such intense levels that it would be impossible to look like they portray the perfect woman to be.

            Not only are women overly sexualized but as soon as a woman get older or as soon as women have children or are pregnant they aren't seen in advertisements all you see is young women and girls and mostly of these older women disappear because they aren't seen beautiful anymore because they had a kid and that’s all they were good for and now aren't worth anything. This is a terrible representation. Women go through shit for trying to fit in this idea of beauty and once they do and the get pregnant it’s all over with. Now to think that the problem women have with trying to fit in ends by being pregnant is another understatement. Women also have problem with their right to their body. This in my honest opinion is one of the most stupid things I have ever heard of. The golden rule to me in life is don’t do things to others you wouldn't want done to you. With this simple rule so many problems could be stopped but it isn't. Politicians and legislatures in America think its okay to try to have control over women’s reproductive rights. Whether it is to have an abortion or keep a child or have good medical care and right to easily access contraceptives. But it isn't easy for women, there is such a hassle to get contraceptives. This video helps show how annoying and evasive it is when women try to get contraceptives. This isn't a problem for men which is a good thing but if isn't a problem for men then it shouldn't be a problem for women either. Men can easily access condoms at almost any drug store or deli but women must go through such ordeals just to obtain birth control. It’s insane that governments think they have the right to a woman’s body when they shouldn't that is clearly oppressive. Any form of control on any human whether it’s male or female is wrong and oppressive. These legislatures are also mainly run by men who probably have no understanding of what women face through and the obstacles they must overcome because of the bullshit society we have. If a person wants to kill themselves that is entirely up to them. If women want to have an abortion that is entirely up to them no one else can make that decision for them because it’s their body.        

            The sad thing is that women had to fight for the right to do what they want for their body but I have never seen any man have to fight for the right to do what they will to their body. “By the early 1980s, a decade after Roe v. Wade, American feminists had fundamentally reshaped notions of fertility control. After achieving legal abortion, they had transformed the movement for the legalization of abortion into a movement for reproductive rights to address the broad health care needs of all women, and particularly the need of women of color and poor women to be free from reproductive abuses” (Nelson, 16-17) It’s crazy to see that this fight has occurred for so long and that even to this day a women gets ostracized for considering getting an abortion. They are always given a bad look and given shit for wanting an abortion. But in reality fuck anyone that is going to give you shit if you want an abortion or if you have a religious family that is against abortion because in the end no one is going to be raising that child if you choose to have it, only yourself. I feel at times even religion gets in the way of women rights because in many religions they always give women shit for not doing things a certain way. But people have to realize that having a child is a big responsibility probably one of the biggest in the world. Not only that but to have a child one should be financially stable as well. Why bring a child into the world when one can’t at times take care of themselves not only are you setting up a bad upbringing for that child but a life of hardships for you and your child. Also there could also be many reasons why women may want an abortion, she could’ve been raped and not want to have a child by a man that raped her. I mean honestly who wants that? Who thinks that fair? If men could get pregnant I’m pretty sure reproductive rights would have never been a topic to fight about it.

            Even though women have supposedly had the right to their reproductive rights, they clearly don’t, our government tries anything to make sure that women try not to abort any fetuses by making several things mandatory which in my opinion are quite fucked up. “Waiting periods, counseling, ultrasounds, transvaginal ultrasounds, sonogram storytelling—all of these legislative moves are invasive, insulting, and condescending because they are deeply misguided attempts to pressure women into changing their minds, to pressure women into not terminating their pregnancies, as if women are so easily swayed that such petty and cruel stall tactics will work” (Gay, 272). This is just terrible honestly, why does our government try so hard to pressure women not to have an abortion. Like fuck out of here like who do they think they are trying to impose this, America is known as the land of the free so women should be free to do whatever the fuck they want with their body. Sorry for the bad language but I am honestly outraged, I thought that this fight for reproductive rights was over but apparently it isn’t which outrages me because it’s freaking 2015 like come on people seriously? It shouldn’t be anyone business why someone wants to terminate a pregnancy we do have the right to privacy but this doesn’t make it seem so. I honestly hope this shit ends soon enough because men don’t have to deal with this and women shouldn’t have to either end of story.

Helpful link

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/abortion

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting, 1973. Print

Gay, Roxane. Bad Feminist: Essays. New York: Harper Perennial, 2014. Print.

Kilbourne, Jean. Beauty… And the Beast of Advertising.

Nelson, Jennifer. Women of Color and the Reproductive Rights Movement. New York: New York UP, 2003. Print