Extra Credit- The Business of Being Born Vs. One Born Every Minute.

While in class we watched the Business of Being Born, and it really changed my mind about the ideas I had for when I have a child. I am pro-midwifery now, and when the time comes I would like to have a home birth. With that being said the show One Born Every Minute did not change my mind.

The only option I really knew about, prior to the movie, in regards to birthing was a hospital birth. Now knowing that there are other options there are things about the home birth that I love versus traditions/ rules about hospital births that I really dislike. I loved that the women that had home births could freely move and take off all thier clothes so that they are completely comfortable. The women on One Born Every Minute remained in a laying down stationary position. That gives me feelings of illness. I guess because when your sick you are told to lay down and not to move. Having a baby is a happy time and certainly not anything like a sickness. The women in the hospital look incredibly uncomfortable!

Something else I loved about home births are that there are no drugs involved. As a person who does not like taking medication I always hated the idea that I would have to get "drugged up" at the hospital in order to have a baby. Its refreshing to know that is NOT the case with a home birth. I want to be able to remember and feel every moment of the birth of my child. On One Born Every Minute the mother-to-be named Kristian was asked if she wanted an epidural relatively shortly after she began experiencing what looked like only uncomfortable cramps. From what we discussed in class what she was experiancing was not hard labor. She even admitted that she didn't have luck with them in the past, but she still wanted to take it anyway. That made no sense to me. It is almost like she took the epidural just because that is what was expected or "normal".

The fathers in One Born Every Minute are also less engaged and involved then that of the fathers who are involved in the home births. 
 
Another issue was that the experiences of the women of One Born Every Minute are scary. Even though they try to make the show light-hearted the experience of those women appear much more tense then those of the mothers in The Business of Being Born. Those women seem so at peace and calm. They are in pain but it is not the agony that the One Born Every Minute mothers are feeling. I was frankly always afraid of the idea of giving birth one day because all the horror stories that are shown on television and movies, but while things can happen with home deliveries they don't seem to happen as frequently.


I also did not like that Nikki, one of the One Born Every Minute mothers, was told that because she was not dilating fast enough for her doctors they might have to give her a C-section. She was really scared about that idea and I would be too, but they didn't really seem to care that much. That is terrible! She should be able to be in labor for as long as it take for the child to be born naturally. The nurse said that the baby was under stress being in labor so long, but I don't know that I believe that after watching The Business of Being Born. I say that because in that movie the doctors interviewed admit that some doctors will say anything to speed the birth along and it seemed that they are counting on an average mother's ignorance. In the hospital setting it seems that the only people who know what is "best" for the baby is the doctor and the mothers just go along with it. Whereas, with the mothers in the movie who had the home birth with the mid-wife were made comfortable enough that they could freely speak their minds and say how they feel and what they wanted to do. In those cases the power was given back to the mothers. 

I have to say ultimately I know that the option of having a mid-wife or hospital birth depends on certain factors, but I sincerely hope that I am able to have a home birth because the benefits far out way any risk in my opinion.

Service Learning Project: Blog Entry #1

Monday is our major service learning event, and I am really excited about it! We are working with VOX, and as a group we decided to do a bake sale as our project with the proceeds going back into the organization. Tonight I made a poster for our table, and over the weekend I am going to be getting the baked goods and wrapping them so they are ready for Monday. We are tabling from 10-2 on Monday, but as a group we are getting to school at 9am so we can set up. I am so happy that I have the group members that I do! They are awesome! Everyone in my group is just as committed and excited about this project as the next person, and I couldn't be happier about that. With this being my first semester at U.C.F. I was concerned about making friends, and this project has been such a great way to meet people. At first I admit that I had reservations about doing a group project because you never know if one person is going to flake and not keep up with their responsibilities but I was wrong. Not only am I pleasantly surprised about the work that everyone is doing, but I really feel like I am making good friends in the process. 

Our work with this organization relates back to the women's health issues we have been discussing the past few classes. In the text book chapter 5 is all about women's health and on page 211- 214 one of the sections I thought was very informative was the section about reproductive health specifically the different kinds of birth control that are out there for women (Kirk, Gwyn, Margo Okazawa-Rey 2010, pg 211-214). The information throughout the chapter, but specifically the about controlling fertility was very helpful. That is the kind of information that women should know and that unfortunately many do not. For that reason and organization like Planned Parenthood/ VOX is so important. Planned Parenthood provides women's health care and information to women who for whatever reason would otherwise not have access to it. VOX being the U.C.F. branch of Planned Parenthood also provides information and can refer students to plan parenthood. I also think it is interesting to be working with them now given all the controversy with Republicans trying to ban Planned Parenthood in the news over the past couple of weeks.

These are incredibly important services because women's health issues if not addressed can be deadly and a women needs to regular check for prevention.

Work Cited (MLA style):

Kirk, Gwyn and Margo Okazawa- Rey. "Women's Bodies, Women's Health." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives.  Kirk, Gwyn and Margot Okazawa- Rey. McGraw Hill, 2010. 211-214.

Analysis of an Advertisement project: Diesel- "Be Stupid" Campaign

The ads seen above are just two from Diesel's current campaign called "Be Stupid". They are found both online and in certain magazines. 


What appeals to me?: 
These ads appeal to me negatively because they are exploiting women as sexual objects, and the company is making no effort at all to hide that intention. The name of the campaign, "Be Stupid" and the women in these pictures are being portrayed as sexually promiscuous and dumb. These ads are not concerned with showing anything personal about them or listening to anything they have to say, because they are no longer thoughtful women. This ad takes that away from them. These women now are objects and objects don't have thoughts or feelings. 


What mood or tone does it set with its images?
The tone of the ads are meant to be fun and uninhibited. I understand that. However, it does not take away from the fact that they are being reckless. This is telling any young girl that in order to be perceived as "fun" you have to take off your clothes and loose any sense of self preservation. 


What are the explicit/ implicit meanings of the slogan or text?
Explicit meaning- Don't think. Don't use your brain because then you will miss out of the fun of life. In these cases what is "fun" is being an exhibitionist, and if you stop to think about what you are doing for too long you will realize it is a bad idea and not do it. 
Implicit meaning- Being cool means being dumb. If you want to be sexy and popular and desired then you should be as vapid as possible. Don't think and if you do keep it to yourself. If you are a young women and impressionable then the underlying meaning of this campaign is telling you that the only way you are worth anything is if you are throwing your inhibitions to the wind and doing what looks like fun regardless of the consequences. 


What is the ad trying to sell?
The ad is selling clothing. Diesel is a men and women's clothing company aimed at young people. In the top ad it appears they are specifically showing a bathing suit and in the bottom ad I am unsure if they are selling the jeans, the shoes, or both. 


What does the ad assume?
This ad assumes that the audience will enjoy the images and laugh at them, which you almost have to do if you are a free thinking and intelligent person. I know I laughed when I first saw these advertisements, but not for the reasons that they want you to laugh. I did not laugh because I thought the ads were particularly clever or because they were legitimately funny. I laughed because I could not believe the gall of this company to put out such an overtly offensive ad. I should not have been surprised though from the company that only a couple of seasons ago brought the world the "Sex Sells" ad campaign. Compared to that gem the "Be Stupid" campaign sounds like Rhodes Scholars came up with it. 


These ads are outright offensive. They are degrading towards women and should be boycotted. Any young women who sees these ads in a magazine will see that in the eyes of this company women are mindless and sexually impulsive vessels, and that is not true. "The aim is to promote insecurity, self hatred, and distorted perceptions of size, appetite, and attractiveness so that we will consume the countless products, diet plans, and cosmetic surgeries marketed to remedy our alleged deficiencies"(Kirk/ Okazawa-Rey, 208). Women are all beautiful, thoughtful, and have great amounts of potential, but this collection of ads in Diesel's "Be Stupid" campaign does not touch on any of those things. These ads feature images of models that provide unrealistic body image expectations for girls. In the article Women's Bodies, Women's Health there is an entire section dedicated to these issues and it states "advertising images can severely undermine girls' self-confidence and sense of agency" (Kirk/ Okazawa-Rey, 208). 




Work Cited
1.) Gwyn Kirk & Margo Okazawa-Rey, "Women's Bodies, Women's Health," in Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspective (New York: McGraw- Hill, 2010), 208.

Service Learning Proposal

Service Learning Proposal For VOX Organization

By: Natalie Rodriguez, Tiffany Quick, Abigail Ruiz, Shirley Scholtz, Taylor Sulouff.

February 10, 2011

Professor Meredith Tweed

WST 3015.1

Contact Information:

Community Partner: Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Address: 726 South Tampa Avenue, Orlando, FL 32805

Contact: 321.235.5513

VOX Contact: Rachel Anne, rachelannecollins@gmail.com

Community Partner Profile:

Community Partner Mission Statement: A Reason for Being

Planned Parenthood believes in the fundamental right of each individual, throughout the world, to manage his or her fertility, regardless of the individual's income, marital status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or residence. We believe that respect and value for diversity in all aspects of our organization are essential to our well-being. We believe that reproductive self-determination must be voluntary and preserve the individual's right to privacy. We further believe that such self-determination will contribute to an enhancement of the quality of life and strong family relationships.

Based on these beliefs, and reflecting the diverse communities within which we operate, the mission of Planned Parenthood is to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services in settings which preserve and protect the essential privacy and rights of each individual to advocate public policies which guarantee these rights and ensure access to such services to provide educational programs which enhance understanding of individual and societal implications of human sexuality to promote research and the advancement of technology in reproductive health care and encourage understanding of their inherent bioethical, behavioral, and social implications

The Proposal:

After meetings with the president of the VOX organization, Rachel Anne, we have been made aware that they are in need for both volunteers and funding. The organization has a set number of members, but they need new, committed volunteers in order to help with future events. This organization is also in need for funding not only for the services they provide on campus, but to continue to be an organization.  

Plan Proposal:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since 2004 the sexually transmitted diseases Chlamydia and Congenital Syphilis are increasing among women in the United States and are highest in the South. Additionally, the Medical Director at UCF, Michael Deichen explains that as of April 2009, 6% of the student body in infected with Chlamydia and up to 50% may have HPV. Based on these statistics, a great need for awareness of reproductive health and rights along with pro-choice activism is vital to the UCF campus. The VOX group strives to do just this along with protecting the health of women overall by making options available to do so. Therefore, volunteers and donations are necessary to educate the women at the University of Central Florida about choices they can make to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. In order to help VOX thrive and assist as many women at UCF as possible, my group of volunteers will attend their Thursday night meetings to help plan their tentative events. We will also help promote VOX/Planned Parenthood by tabling with them on Tuesdays, which entails passing out free condoms and pamphlets with sexual health information around campus. The main project we are planning together is a “bake sale/ tabling session” in front of the Student Union on a weekday at the end of February. In order to do this, we will be accepting condom donations to add to the VOX’s condom selection to give out during tabling. While we are giving away free condoms, we will be offering a variety of fresh baked goods (that my group of volunteers will make) for sale to gain monetary donations for the organization. Further promoting VOX on campus by obtaining condom and monetary donations will help them grow and reach out to women on a larger and more effective scale.

Rationale for Women’s Studies:

I anticipate VOX/ Planned Parenthood making an excellent community partner, because they are an organization that is committed to the wellbeing and enlightenment of women and girls. VOX provides the community with an invaluable service. They are educating women and girls with information that without VOX they may not know. Like the women of the 2^nd Wave of feminism who fought for access VOX is making the information available to these individuals. Access has been granted.

VOX/ Planned Parenthood provide education, advocacy, and health care to women and girls throughout the country. I am looking forward to being able to work with them, and in even a small way help to make a woman or girl’s life better. This kind of organization, in my opinion, is what Women’s Studies are about. There was a time when the subject matter that this organization deals with would have been illegal, but the mothers of the women’s movement fought so that we could all have the knowledge needed to properly take care of ourselves.

Action:

Our group decided to table and advertise for VOX outside of the Student Union.  We will be baking cookies, cakes, and other various yummy treats and selling them to students as they walk to their next class.  We are also going to be handing out condoms and information about VOX with every purchase.  The group has decided that Shirley, Natalie, Abigail, and Taylor will be in charge of baking and bringing something for the table.  Tiffany will be responsible for supplying the condoms and information.  The money we collect will go towards VOX and Planed Parenthood.

We have a date set for February 28, from 8:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon.  Tiffany is going to email SGA, which are the people in charge of organizing the tabling in front of the Student Union, we shall be hearing from them soon.  The meeting for VOX is on Thursdays from 5:30 to about 7:00, so during that time we will be able to run our idea of a “VOX Bake Sale” by them.  In addition to planning and running our VOX Bake Sale, we will also be attending meetings regularly with VOX as well as each other.

Timeline:

Our group will go through with our bake sale on February 28, 2010. This date is subject to change however according to any other activities that might present themselves later on this semester. Also take note that Table Sponsoring and Weekly Meetings will precede weekly throughout the remainder of the semester and that new projects may be developed.

1.      Weekly Meeting February 3

2.      Table Sponsoring February 9

3.      VOX Bake Sale February 28