Beauty & Brains

Kiara Jones & Marc Martinez

Professor Metzger

ENGL 1302

April 30, 2015

Beauty & Brains

Beauty pageants have been an on-going event in the United States. Even Thomas Edison himself served as a judge for the first contest in 1880; the pageant mostly centering on a bathing suit competition. During the first beauty pageants, “contestants had to be under 25 years old, at least five feet four inches tall, weigh less than 130 pounds and be unmarried. The prize for the winner was a bridal trousseau” (Issues & Controversies). It seemed as if it was almost like being a part of this activity was a sure-fire way to score yourself a husband back in those times. Perhaps for some it hasn’t changed.

Since 1880, beauty pageants have thrived. Studies have estimated that there are close to about 7000,000 pageants every year. Some of these include: Mrs. America, Miss Teen USA, Fitness America Pageant, Miss Gay America, Miss Earth, Miss Gothic Massachusetts, etc. A positive aspect of these beauty pageants is that interests of women—or even men—can be found in some sort of contest. Not to mention, many beauty pageants nowadays offer scholarships to young women and girls that win.

However, what are some of the cons to beauty pageants in America?

Some people may argue that beauty pageants objectify women and give young girls an unrealistic idea of beauty. It is also argued that these pageants promote a poor self-image. Expenses due to pageants may put financial burdens on contestants and the families, as well. Many views on beauty pageants have possibly been turned to a negative outlook due to the pageant’s attempts to improve TV ratings—which had dropped considerably after so many decades. For example, one attempt to get their ratings boosting once again was allowing the contestants to wear any sort of bathing suit, including bikinis for the first time in beauty pageant history. Eventually, “. . . in 2004, the Miss America pageant cut the talent competition—the main element that separated the pageant from other, more “skin-baring” beauty contests like Miss USA—from its television broadcast” (Issues & Controversies).

In contrast, there are still many people out there that believe beauty pageants improve participants’ self-esteem, mostly be encouraging personal and intellectual growth. These types of opinions may also be true. Beauty pageants across America may give young girls and women something to strive for, something to make them want to better themselves in not just a physical aspect, but mentally as well.

To our gender discrimination group, beauty pageants should not get as much hate as they do now. Women should of course be treated as equals and are capable of doing more things than just “looking pretty”, but when someone that may call themselves a feminist turns around to say that women who voluntarily participate in something that makes them feel better about themselves are objectifying the female population are just as worse as people who do not believe in equal rights for all. These women that are contestants in beauty pageants across America may be doing what they do because this could very well help their self-esteem and build them up personally.

So who are we to judge?

If women should be allowed to have the choice in becoming fire fighters or joining the marines, women that want to prove themselves in other ways—such as beauty pageants—should be allowed to, too.

Works Cited

“Beauty Pageants.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 18 Mar. 2005. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://proxy.nvc.alamo.edu:2693/recordurl.aspx?wid=95142&ID=1736>

Her Body—Her Choice

Marc Martinez, Kiara Jones, Sal Espinoza

Professor Metzger

ENGL 1302

April 16, 2015

            In recent years, a large controversial topic has been the subject on abortion. In 2012, an article was released discussing this on-going debate. The article was titled, “To what extent should women be allowed access to abortion in the United Sates?” Although the rates on abortion have gone down over the past few years, the argument on whether or not abortion should remain legal is still afloat. The groups of people that believe women should have the right to do what they wish with their bodies have been named “pro-choice”. In contrast, those who see abortion as murder have been labeled “pro-life”.

            Supporters of abortion argue, “If abortions were illegal, women seeking to terminate their pregnancies would be forced to resort to unsafe and dangerous underground procedures” (Issues & Controversies). This is a very plausible prediction. Abortion, if were to become illegal, could be placed on the same level as drugs such as heroine, meth, or cocaine—once it become illegal, the measures people take to get what they want become dangerous and hazardous.

            On the other end of views, opponents—those against abortion rights—argue that, “Even if a fetus was conceived by a rape, terminating a pregnancy amounts to killing an innocent child” (Issues & Controversies). Though it may be considered “murder”, is it really these peoples’ choice in the matter—or the mother’s?

            A large focal point of this constant debate is whether the fetus is to be considered an actual human being. In other words, whether or not the fetus is independent from the woman it is developing from and therefore does it deserve what people call “basic human rights”. Obviously, yes, the cells in which this fetus is developing from are living. But at what point does this fetus become its own person? At least, that is what many are arguing.

            One fact that people on the “pro-life” side we believe may be overlooking, is that the mother is a living human being and does, in fact, have rights. One of those rights should be the choice in what she does with her own body. It should not be anyone else’s opinion that matters. Especially if the woman seeking an abortion was subject to rape.

Who is society to tell her that she must now carry that child to full term?

Who is society to shun her if she is not mentally capable of delivering that child?

Who is society to judge her if she uses her right of choice?

Also, when a man decides it is his job to make sure women have no say in terminating their pregnancies . . . where does he believe he has that right? Men should hardly think they have a say in what happens in a woman’s body, especially considering they will not be the ones carrying the child or putting their life at risk to birth it.

We, as Americans, have made it very clear that our country offers the power of making our own decisions. When looking at abortion, there is hardly a black or white answer—but many shades of gray, and our gender equality group believes that that has to be taken into consideration very heavily.

It is understandable how many may view this as “cold blooded murder”, but it is also understandable on how emotionally harming carrying a product of rape inside one’s body for nine months can be as equally traumatizing. It should be up to the woman if she will muster up the strength to carry the child of her rapist to full term, or terminate it.

Another question to ask is: what if the woman is not physically healthy to carry the child? What if the birth of the child will not only kill it, but her as well? Should the mother have the choice to terminate the baby—or should America send two innocent people to their graves?

To wrap things up, our group believes that women should not be punished for having the capability of becoming pregnant. When a man forces himself on her and she has no say in whether she wants that child, we are, in a sense, punishing her for the fact she is a woman that has the correct biological parts to become pregnant and carry another human being inside of her. There also some ways to settle a part of this abortion issue, and those include: allowing a woman to receive an abortion only before so many weeks and if there is evidence of rape or life-threatening aspects of the pregnancy/birth in the foreseeable future. Regardless, those are just suggestions and once again, it is not America’s choice—especially a man’s choice—but the woman’s.  

Citations:

“Abortion.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 23 July 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.<http://proxy.nvc.alamo.edu:2693/recordurl.aspx?wid=95142&ID=2489>.

The "Weaker" Sex

Marc Martinez, Kiara Jones, Sal Espinoza

Laura Metzger

English- 1302

2 April 2015

Gender Preferences in China

In the article “A Study of Son and Daughter Preference among Chinese Only-Children from Adolescence to Adulthood” by Sung won Kim and Vanessa Fong, shares insight on gender discrimination among the Chinese and their children preference. 

During the one-child policy passed in 1979 thorough 1986, it is seen that there is a strong preference for a male child rather than a female child. This has had a large impact on those adolescences long after the policy was dropped. As the children became more aware that a male was more wanted than a female, they started to create a belief that males were the better sex. It was thought that by having a male, your legacy continues with him due to the fact his last name carried on when married, “. . . sons were expected to care for their parents, continue the family line and perform ancestor work ship along the male line, while a daughter was expected to leave her natal family after marriage to join and care for her husband’s family” (Kim 4). Males were also thought to do better in school and that they were smarter than females. However, at the time it was recorded that “girls did better on test scores in junior high schools than boys, and also eventually had a higher college attainment than males” (Kim 3). . Sadly this was not realized until the late 1990’s.

             We believe that the idea of gender preference is absurd, because Chinese beliefs contribute to the ongoing gender discrimination epidemic continuing on around the world. Studies show that even now, in present time, Chinese adults still prefer male children because of thoughts that their parents led them to believe. As the rate of gender preference of children is slowly decreasing in China, there is still gender discrimination against the adults brought up to believe that males were the better sex. Women are seen as fragile and weak in the Chinese communities, but in reality they just don’t know what they are capable of because of the ideas that older Chinese generations have implemented for so long in society. 

            Women have always had the same ability to succeed as men, but it's the judgmental outlook of the community that deprive women from obtaining the recognition and credibility that they deserve. Not only is it unfair to judge a person on how well they will succeed on there gender, but when you start discriminating on a sex before it is even born is foolish. The sooner people realize that men and women are equals the sooner we will be able to have a stronger community and fair relationships with one another. 

Women in Pant Suits

Marc Martinez Kiara Jones Sal Espinoza

Laura Metzger

English-1302-099

19 March 2015

Women in Pant Suits

            Women are being paid unequally and are being treated in an unfair manner. The government has tried to solve this problem in numerous occasions. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was passed. This act was supposed to help companies evaluate their employees based on anything except a person’s sex. Unfortunately, the rules of this act provided were disobeyed and unsuccessful. Some of the reasons this act was unsuccessful were because it was only made to be followed by certain people in the workforce. “Initially, the EPA did not apply to executive employees or others who were exempt from FLSA’s overtime provisions” (Zackin 1). The government has passed multiple laws to prohibit sexual or gender discrimination, but none of the laws succeeded to fulfill the government’s goal of equal rights.

            So far, what the government is trying to enforce is resulting in an unsuccessful outcome for equal gender pay. The government is trying everything they can to prohibit this inequality. Maybe the problem is not the government, instead the problem might be the people. But then again maybe the problem is within our government. The Pay Check Fairness Act, was supposed to help balance out men, women, and minorities regarding their pay. The problem resided in our government’s senate. The senate voted on whether or not to pass the act. The vote was unsuccessful and the act was repelled.

            In 2012, H.R. 3791, was another attempt to balance out equality. The act was going to require companies to create a rating bracket for their employees. This bracket would show which employees are getting paid the least, and which employees are getting paid the most. If this act is passed it will help in providing important information on gender equality. Many people in the government believe that this bill is unlikely to be passed. This might be showing that there may be gender discrimination in congress.

            Women workers are pictured to be dressed in skirts, tight shirts, and blazers. Why do women feel the need to wear pant suits? Is it because they feel the need to give a sort of masculinity in the workforce, in hopes to make themselves equally to their male co-workers?  It can’t possibly be purely for the fashion or the appropriate attire for their job. Women should be able to feel accepted for being their selves, even if that means they choose to wear a skirt instead of pants.

The Lady in Red

Marc Martinez, Sal Espinoza, Kiara Jones

Laura Metzger

English-1302-099

26 February 2015

The Lady in Red

            In the article, “Orland firefighter alleges sex discrimination”, by Ashley Rueff, a veteran firefighter, Lt. Terri Simone-Lorenz, filed a law suit against the Orland Fire Protection District, due to sexual discrimination. Several other firefighters in her district, including the Battalion Chief, sexually discriminated Lorenz by “unfairly being singled out by her superiors on training drills, and that her superiors shunned and ostracized her while encouraging others to do the same” (Reuff).

            As children we are taught from a young age that firefighting is a man’s job. Young boys from all ages say again and again that they would like to become firefighters when they are older. But what about the girls? Is it so taboo that a girl might want to become a firefighter, as well? We see this type of discrimination in Lorenz’s story due to her gender as a female in her specific workplace. Just because she is a female working as a firefighter, this does not mean she should automatically be subjected to sexism.

            Eventually, the article states, “When she (Lorenz) objected to the work conditions, her superiors began looking for reasons to fire her” (Reuff). Not only that, but according to the article, one of Lorenz’s superiors, Roche, expresses that she gets the same benefits as all the other firefighters do and is therefore treated the same. However, Lorenz was victim to numerous rumors of pornography “left in the women’s bathroom” (Reuff). This allegation was investigated poorly and still remains indifferent. Likewise, Lorenze made an “obscene” gesture to a coworker while off duty and received a two day suspension. Though, how likely is it that a man would receive the same outcome for that same offense? Though she filed a charge of discrimination, nothing was done about it.

            Women have often been mistreated when working in a male dominated workplace. Personally, we do not see this to be fair. Just because she is a woman, does not mean that she deserves the treatment she was awarded. This sort of discrimination does not only happen in the firefighting community, but also in other workforces such as the police force, medical field, military, etc. This should not be tolerated.

            What makes males so much better at these jobs than women? Why is it that so many people have the expectation that because someone is a firefighter or cop that they should automatically be male? It is fairly plausible that the answer to this question dates back to our history. Since jobs such as these have arisen, it was seen as a man’s duty. However, when women were allowed to join the workforce, things began to change. Regardless, society has still not been able to shake this label of men being the protectors and doing the hard labor, while women are expected to be the caregivers and stay-at-home wives.

            In conclusion, there should be equality in the workforce—no matter what the job.

           

           

 

Work Cited

Rueff, Ashley. "Orland Firefighter Files Gender Discrimination Complaint against Department."

Orland Firefighter Alleges Sex Discrimination. Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Women's Pay Versus Men's Pay

Marc Martinez, Kiara Jones, Sal Espinoza

Laura Metzger

English-1302

10 February 2015

Women’s Pay Versus Men’s Pay

            The premise of the article “Hacking Tech’s Diversity Problem” by Joan C. Williams, was reflecting on women’s pay checks in the workforce, and how they differ from men’s paychecks. Ever since women first got involved in the workface their pay has miraculously lower considering what men had been paid throughout the decades. Many would describe this as unfair. It is seen throughout many careers that women can hold their own just as much as men. However, many women are not able to receive the same amount of pay as men because they have maternal needs. For example, women will give birth, therefore they will need to be let off of work to take care of their child.

            Considering the information regarding women taking a maternal leave from work, we believe that this should not have an effect on their pay. Likewise, men should also be capable of taking the same leave of absence from work, to care for their newborn if they please. It takes two to make a child so both parents should have equal rights or make decisions on how to care for their child.

            Our view is that both male and female should have equal pay. Regardless if a women should take time off to care for her child, or if a man should want to do the same. They could have the option to divide a pay of absence to take care of their child.

            Nowadays, it is often common to come across a single father, not just a single mom. So why should a father not have the option to take off of work to care for their child? It is not just gender discrimination against women. This is also an issue regarding fathers and the rights they are entitles to.

            Statistically, it is shown that a mother is “79% less likely to be hired” (Williams 98). This is not fair for women, specifically mothers. If mothers want to apply for a job, having kids should not decrease their chances of getting the job. Mothers with children should be treated the same as a single father with a child.

            Men in the workforce are said to, “have families to support” and supposedly, “mothers do not want stretch assignments” (Williams page 99). This stereotype is damaging the wages of women in the workforce. Single mothers who do not have a man in their family have a family to support. Why should they not be treated equally?

Once again, women have shown that they are capable of doing the same work that men do. Therefore, women should be able to have the same wages as men, but they do not. Women are, “offered an average of $11,000 less in salary, and are held to higher performance standards” (Williams 98).

Women in the workforce are being mistreated, just because they might have to take a maternity leave. Women are doing the same work as men, and are expected to have a higher performance than a man. This is wrong and unfair to women in the workforce, and is a problem that needs to be highly addressed, and solved.

 

 

 

Works Cited

Williams, Joan C. "Hacking Tech's Diversity Problem." Harvard Business Review 92.10 (2014): 94-100. Business Source Complete. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.