Must Do Better

Esmeralda Altmeyer in her piece, “The Re-Traumatization by Doctors that Adhere to Rape Culture”, writes upon the disappointed she experienced when receiving help from medical professionals post her rape. Altmeyer comments on how we live in a society where rape and mental illnesses are intertwined in our culture, therefore it’s imperative to have medical professionals that know how to deal with both topics in a successful manner. Unfortunately, this piece demonstrates one for the many incidents where women who are raped do not get the care they need and in return are further traumatized by the responses from the people around them. I thought this piece was critical in showing why it is important that we need to respond to rape victims in a more constructive manner. Altmeyer and many other survivors of rapped are invalidated and told to describe the details of the rape when talking to medical professionals, both reactions are inappropriate and as a society, we must do better.  

Julie Zeilinger in her work writes about an author who is tackling race issues from the roots through children’s book. I think this is an incredible idea because speaking from experience myself and many of my peers did not contemplate race and its implications till reaching higher education. Now that children are being taught what race and white privilege are from younger ages they can be more aware of the behavior and cultural dynamics that surround them. The books are written by, Anastasia Higginbotham, also teach children about their emotions and show the power of not suppressing how you feel. Whether it is discussing race, white privilege, or the arrange of emotion a person can feel, Higginbotham,, values the readers own experience and allows space for that in her books. I think educational methods like this in place for a young audience can be one of the most promising methods to improve society.

After reading a Women’s Media Center post and seeing the recent Kendall Jenner nude photoshoot, they body pressure placed on women is so intense it's palpable. The article appealed to me because it discusses how women are targets for the media to critique. The author, Precious Ozemoya, adds that women’s academic and career achievements are always in the shadow of their subjective physical attractiveness. This past week I saw the Kendall Jenner photo shoot and my peers and I were furious, being skinny is a body type as well and important not to body shame that category, however, the thinness represented in this photo is so severe that it's dangerous. If this is what young women are aspiring to look like, not only are they are going to be starving themselves to get to this weight, however they will also be permanently dissatisfied with their own appearance. The conversation Ozemoya has in her piece in addition to the Kendall Jenner photo, both attitudes are extremely unfortunate that as a culture we have not moved beyond judging women on their physical appearance and rather started caring about how women contribute to society. 

As a twenty year women who have engaged in many conversations with my male college peers, I have had my fair share of being mansplained too, which is why I was intrigued by the recent Women’s Media Center post. While I enjoy discussing topics with my male friends, there is a difference between a conversation and a dialogue battling a significant power imbalance. Alejandra Cuéllar comments on a scenario of mansplaining in her work noting characteristics of a conversation with a mansplainer. Cuéllar makes a strong point when she comments on how women who are highly educated about a topic are being silenced by a man who is babbling. Often mansplainers defend themselves saying that they are being critiqued for disagreeing with women, however, there is a way to disagree without dominating the entire dialogue. The piece concludes by emphasizing the importance of having honest conversations with people like mansplainers, who have such a privilege, to promote growth and change.