Blog 11

This past weekend my business partner April and I opened our boutique in Auburn. I have to admit, I wasn’t entirely thrilled to rush the opening as I’ve had a business before and I feel like hasty planning can be the demise of many small business ventures.  I really wanted to wait a month and slowly get everything together since I don’t have very much free time each week after working full-time and taking a full course load online this semester.  Much to my surprise, everything ended up coming together quite nicely and I was really pleased with the end result. We started somewhat small and are still looking for local women that make interesting accessories or clothing to add to our boutique, but we’re off to a good start.  There are quite a few really neat shops in downtown Auburn and I’m hoping that we can find our own niche and fit in well with the existing businesses. Most of the shops are owned and operated by local women and I love that most of them are really quirky and whimsical. The women of the area were very supportive of our venture and many of them stopped down to help us get everything ready, sent gifts to congratulate us, and have been helping to spread the word about us. I opened my first business in Connecticut and I never received the same warm welcome from the locals of the community. There’s something to be said for small town camaraderie and how inspirational it can be to know that others are hoping for your success. I’ve heard somewhat mixed reviews in regards to the traffic most of these businesses get and feel like I have a new outlook on the importance of supporting local businesses. I’ve attached some pictures from the opening and can’t wait to see how things progress. If anyones lives in the area they are more than welcome to stop by and check it out.

P.S. If anyone knows of anyone who dabbles in handmade accessories I’d be grateful for the info.

Blog 10

This past weekend I attended a benefit and I wanted to share a little about it because it was a really neat experience. I work for a Doctors office that has three doctors on staff, one of which is a woman. Our office is just one of about fifty within the entire company. Each year we’re alloted so much money for a community fund which we use to support the community however we as an office decide is appropriate. We decided to help sponsor United Way of Dekalb Countys Annual “Power of the Purse” benefit. The benefit is devoted to raising money for United Way. The cause is very important to the female doctor I work with and I was grateful she recommended we our community fund to help the cause. “The Power of The Purse” brings together local women and centers around the idea of empowering women. The evening included a speaker who is a local resident and has traveled the world as a jazz singer. She shared her story about how she turned her love of music into very successful career. One of the coolest concepts of the evening is that the volunteers that put together the benefit collect purses from people and businesses within the community that they raffle off. The purses are all donated and must be worth a minimum of $150. The donors get really creative and fill designer purses with all kinds of neat jewelry, accessories, and gift certificates which often help support the local businesses of Auburn. Each of the purses are used as the center pieces at the tables and are raffled off throughout the evening. The dinner was a great way to meet other amazing women that are from the area and was a really motivating experience. One of the best parts is that I learned that one of my friends mothers is truly an inspiration to women. She was chosen to be a speaker during the afternoon event because she is the only female plant manager for a corporation that includes 180 plants across the United States.  On top of that she is Mexican-American and is truly self-made. She had children at a young age and through her incredible drive and perseverance has been able to move up the ranks to obtain a position most women are either unable or unwilling to achieve.

Blog 9

After reading the article “Strip Till You Drop” by Pollet and Hurwitz for this weeks summaries and reflections I thought it would be interesting to see if statistics show that there has really been an increase in teen sexual activity. Part of me wondered if this reading was factually based or was written as more of an opinion of the authors.  My thought was that if the sexual nature of retail for young girls is increasing and if the age of the target audience is decreasing than we should see an increase in statistics involving teen sex.  I found an article released by the Guttmasher institute in January of 2011 and the statistics show that there actually appears to be a decrease in unprotected sexual activity and the amount of live births from teen mothers. The research also indicates that both girls and boys are waiting longer to have sex for the first time and only 12.5% of teens are having their first sexual experience before the age of 15 compared to nearly 20% 1995.  The research also noted that the average age of intercourse is 17 and this leads me to believe that the media and retail are not influencing teens through the promotion of sex to actually have sex as much as we’d think. The article also showed young people are more likely to use protection than they were in 1985 or before and this is also a good sign.  On top of that the rate of teen pregnancy is actually declining which can also be thought of as a positive sign. The reading really made me question if young people are doomed because sexual education has been banned in many schools today.  The media can be blamed for exposing younger generations to sex more so than ever before but I think that to some degree the media can also be credited with promoting awareness of the risks associated with unprotected sex more than ever. The combination of making sexy clothing available for younger generations and decreasing the availability of reliable information for young people about sex seems like it would be a recipe for disaster but maybe this isn’t as big of an issue as the authors would like us to believe.  Maybe having so many things that were once thought of as taboo available is making sex a topic that is more likely to be discussed in a healthy way by teens and parents. 

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html

Blog 8

In the past few weeks I’ve embarked on a new business venture. I’ve been working on opening a clothing/ consignment boutique in Auburn with two friends of mine. My friend had been kicking around the idea for a while and I didn’t really think she was serious until she called me one night to let me know that she found a location to open the business and wanted me to be a partner in the investment. I’ve owned and operated a small business in the past and swore I would never do it again, but once I saw the location and sat down to discuss her business plan, I changed my perspective.  My last business was a tanning salon; I bought it when I was only 19 and eventually sold it when I was 22.  I was very young and had very little knowledge of how to run a business, so it was more of a trial and error approach for me. I did quite well for a while, but didn’t realize the importance of putting profits back into the business in order to keep up with new competition and to replace my units due to the excessive wear and tear placed on them by heavy usage. At first I was very proud of my success and enjoyed the attention I got for being able to achieve so much at such a young age. Unfortunately, after a while I despised the stress and financial burden the business placed on me because if it didn’t do well, I would end up in serious financial trouble. I feel like I’m a risk-taker and if I don’t invest in this new business I’ll regret it if she does well with it on her own. Hopefully the risk is worth the reward and I’m trying not to think about how ninety percent of small business fail within the first year of operation or that the economy is not really in a great position to be messing with retail ventures. I felt like this related to the material that we’ve read because I’ve always felt like having your own business can reap great financial reward if you can do so successfully. It gives you the opportunity to have more control over how you run your business and you don’t haveto deal with the same politics that exist when you work for a larger company. In some cases women are lucky enough to work for someone who realizes their potential despite their gender, but in many cases many women still settle for less than they’re worth compared to their male counterparts. I’ve accepted this norm to a certain degree, so I hope to produce my own successes in world where many people still believe men should be the bread winners and the ones who achieve the most financial success.

Blog 7

Last night I watched a documentary on sex trafficking of teenagers in the United States.  The story centered around two girls, aged 12 and 14, who were offered a ride from a man and a woman while walking in the rain to a local restaurant.  The girls were brought to a normal looking house in the suburbs and forced to wear provocative clothing and dance on a stripper pole.  The girls were taken to a local truck stop where their pimp communicated with local drivers over a cb radio to solicit sex.   One girl ended up getting rescued when police were called because the girl looked way to young to be a prostitute by choice.  The other girl ended up being rescued by her parents because the local authorities were not cooperative.  After reading the material for the chapter this week, I was a little disturbed that this kind of thing happens so close to home.  When looking for more information regarding sex trafficking in the United States, I found this article that discusses how Ohio has extremely high rates of teen sex trafficking.  The article explains how nearly 1800 women are forced in lives as sex slaves or sweatshop workers every year.  The numbers may be much higher because of the underground nature of sex trafficking and that many of the women involved are illegal immigrants which makes them especially hard to track.  More so, Ohio has strict laws in regards to prostitution while the act of sex trafficking can be a somewhat grey area. In many cases authorities are not willing to resolve these types of issues because they don’t care to help women who are considered prostitutes because they are thought of as delinquents and are unwilling to investigate the possibility of a sex slave ring. In other states there are harsh penalties for those who traffic humans as slaves or for sex, however Ohio makes it somewhat easy for traffickers to operate due to legislation that doesn’t recognize sex trafficking as a stand-alone offense.  The article also explains how young girls sometimes willingly partake in prostitution because it seems daring or exciting, only to find themselves in a situation they are unable to escape.  The girls are coming from middle-class backgrounds so it’s no longer something specifically related to lower classes and those living in poverty.

Attached is a link to the article “Study: Ohio at the Center of Child Sex Trade”

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/11/national/main6196454.shtml

Blog 6

I watch Teen Mom on MTV pretty religiously, even though I’m not a teenager and I wasn’t a teen mom. I’m not sure what the appeal is for watching these girls who have added endless chaos and upheaval into their already drama filled highschool years by adding a child in the mix. Now the teen pregnancy rate has been on the rise and the critics argue that the media continues to glamorize the idea of teen pregnancy while primetime television is showing more and more teen moms. I personally think the media does glamorize the idea a little, but more so it shows acceptance of teen girls having babies to a certain degree. I get that 16 and Pregnant and now Teen Mom are supposed to show the struggles of having babies at such a young age and for the most part none of the girls have navigated through the perils of balancing the responsibilities of motherhood on top of the responsibilities of becoming an adult all that well. Unfortunately, the girls have achieved the same celebrity status of other reality show stars and are often the focus of weekly gossip magazines. I’ve also read that the girls on Teen Mom get paid around $60,000 per season. I honestly would be thrilled to make $65,000 at 19 years old and the perks of being on TV are kind of cool too. A woman I work with told me that she read somewhere that girls are purposely getting pregnant in hopes of being featured on the show. I unfortunately couldn’t find any statistics or evidence to back up these claims, but I did find quite a few articles like the YouTube link I attached that bring up these allegations. The show is kind of like a train wreck and although you don’t really wanna look, you can’t look away either. I’ve grown quite fond of some of the girls, who are now kind of like characters on TV and not actually real people. I think I’d be a little disappointed if they dropped the show after this season because of the controversy, but I also feel like maybe some topics should be left taboo instead of being thrust into the media spotlight. There’s no way to know for sure why teen pregnancy rates are climbing but it doesn’t look good when they start going up right around the time 16 and Pregnant makes its debut. I don’t think teen girls should be expected to be sent to a convent to have an illegitimate child, but maybe being sent to Hollywood is not the best idea either.

BLOG 5

I spent today at my plastic surgeons office and figured I’d share my experiences since they’re pertinent to the material we’re covering this week.  I grew up in Connecticut where plastic surgery seems much more common than out here in Indiana.  I wanted breast implants since I was a teenager and finally decided to go through with the procedure about a year ago.  My family was totally on board with me and I was really excited about it.  I’ve heard lots of horror stories about plastic surgery gone awry so I tried to be selective when finding a surgeon, but never really considered that something might actually go wrong.  After the procedure I ended up having complications relating to the surgery including nerve damage and persistent pain, but my surgeon reassured me that everything was normal.  I finally decided that everything wasn’t normal as it’s been almost a year and decided I needed to get him to look into my concerns more.  When I visited him today I found out that the muscle beneath the implant is damaged to the point where it is unable to hold the implant, so it’s becoming displaced.  I can’t stand the fact that it’s uncomfortable to the point where I can’t use my arm in any way that requires my chest muscles to move, but it’s also going to most likely become increasingly more disfigured. The only way to correct the problem is to go through with revision surgery.  My surgeon was willing to accept some responsibility for surgical error and is not charging me for the procedure but I’m still left paying quite a bit for surgical fees unrelated to his time.  I guess I should be happy that’s he’s willing to try to fix it, but I’m terrified about going through all the pain again with no real reassurance that the problems won’t persist and require other revisions.  The procedure is more invasive this time and I’m scared that I opened a can of worms by having breast augmentation in the first place.  After reading all the material about body image this week I feel like maybe I should have left my body alone.  I caused damage to myself when I was beautiful to begin with and should have been more secure with my appearance.  Insurance won’t cover revisions relating to cosmetic surgery complications and malpractice cases rarely go anywhere.  I can get them removed but the damage has already been done.  Hopefully my experiences will deter others from doing the same thing or at least make them think harder about why they want plastic surgery to begin with.  My surgeon told me this is the first time in all his years of practicing surgery that he’s ever seen this kind of thing happen and was apologetic, but for some reason I believe it happens much more frequently.

Blog 4

I think I’ve hit a rut.  The semester is in full swing and my job is seriously stressing me out.  I work at a doctor’s office that is made up of all females except for two of the doctors, who probably shouldn’t count since they spend most of their time hiding from us.  Most days I really enjoy my coworkers and can honestly say that I really like everyone I work with, but there are some days that I wish there was a little more testosterone in the office.  I think there’s a certain dynamic that comes from having a healthy ratio of women and men in a work environment.  I have often found that I like the way men are more logical in their reasoning, while women are more emotional.  I think the differences can help bring different perspectives to the table when issues may arise.  I would like to think that women are capable of working together successfully since men often pride themselves on this ability. However, sometimes I question if women are even wired to be supportive of each other while working in an environment that promotes healthy competition.  I wish I could be a fly on the wall in an office that is made up entirely of men.  I wonder if their daily activities can be as drama-filled as ours are or if they can distance themselves from personal relationships in a way that allows them to truly focus on the task at hand with little interference.  I’ve always found that my best bosses were men and part of me thought this was because I respected the way they were able to be objective about an issue or concern without truly being personally upset about it.  I mean it’s only business right?  On most days, I really admire my boss for her patience and positive leadership abilities… on other days I think it might be nice to have a guy in her position.  I hate that I think this because I would love to be in her position one day and it’s contradictory to think a man would be a better fit in a role I would like to play.  I keep thinking back to a communication course I took years ago that spent most of the semester discussing communication differences between men and women based on the book “Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus.”   Despite the material I’ve read so far this semester I’m still not sold on whether or not we are able to overcome these differences without completing rearranging our core attitudes… are we?

Blog 3

The material we reviewed this week has made me think about a friend of mine that has been struggling with transgender issues for a number of years now.  I’ve been friends with him for the past ten years and over the course of time he has gone from being a semi-masculine guy, to a guy that would prefer to live his life as a woman.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t feel completely comfortable with his preferences so instead he lives a double life of sorts. He’s always been a really nice guy and a good friend, but the conversations we have cause me to avoid him more often than I talk to him.  I’m open to the idea of living your life as you choose, but I often find myself uncomfortable with the things he tells me.  He lives back in Connecticut so most of the conversations are online and I think this adds an element of anonymity that often makes people more comfortable saying things that they otherwise would probably refrain from in person.  Part of me wonders if the internet and texting strengthens relationships or if being so open and blunt because you don’t need to show your face as you make comments, can strain otherwise healthy relationships.  I say this not only because of my friend but because I see this with other people I talk to predominantly online.  When your interaction lacks social cues that can allow you to gauge the discomfort or reaction of the other person, it makes it difficult to know when you’re crossing the line.  I guess I can’t stand when he details his escapades to me in a way that makes me squirm, but I try to be as supportive as possible because I want him to be comfortable in his decision.  My approach often backfires as it’s literally the only thing we ever talk about and it gets really tiring.  I’m not sure if he feels like he has nobody else that he can talk to about it or if he merely tells everyone about it.  Part of me felt bad after the topics we covered this week for not being as supportive as I probably could be, but it’s difficult to be supportive of something that you don’t fully grasp.

Blog 2

This week I sent an old friend of mine a message after completing the weekly readings to thank him for sparking my curiosity enough about Women’s Studies to push me to sign up for this class.  He’s currently a professor back in Connecticut and when I was looking at his profile a while back I saw that he had a double major that included Women’s Studies.  I found this quite amusing as I’ve never come across a male with a Women’s Studies Degree and made a few jokes about his major choice being because of the overwhelming ratio of girls to guys in his classes.  My comments were made in good fun yet he did not find my comments cute or funny and proceeded to give me a pretty serious tongue-lashing in regards to the importance of women’s rights and the gender inequalities that still exist.  As much as I tried to calm him down because I obviously offended him, I realized that he was extremely passionate about the topic.  He went on about how my attitude was a big part of the problem and the fact that I was so comfortable with the way things are actually prevents change.  I guess my thoughts were if I wasn’t concerned and chose to stay out of it, I was not promoting or preventing change.  I never considered the idea that stagnancy is caused in part because women are willing to accept the way things are and actually feel like it’s fair because of a variety of reasons that may justify inequality in our heads.  I take the same stance on voting, as in I won’t vote unless I am knowledgeable about the candidates because I don’t want my vote to mess up the outcome.  I guess I felt like I needed to become knowledgeable about women’s studies if I’m going to mess up the vote by standing back and saying or doing nothing.