Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month so this post is dedicated to women!

I got to attend a couple of events at Westminster celebrating the month. First was a presentation by Carolyn Jessop, former FLDS member and author of Escape, the story how she ran away from polygamy and the FLDS church's oppression with hr 8 children. Her story was incredible. I am going to borrow the book from my friend as soon as I can and recommend you read her story as well. The thing that she emphasized the most is that if something feels wrong to you, then you are probably right and should act in accordance to how you feel. 

I also went to a class as part of the open classroom project. It was an advanced French class and the students in it had prepared presentations on wonderful French women in history. They included Aliénor d'Aquitaine, Camille Claudel, Christine de Pisan, and George Sand (that is her nom de plume. Her real name is Amadine Lucille dePain.. I think). Aliénor was the most interesting I think, perhaps because the woman who prepared her presentation was the most thorough. Aliénor lived from 1122 to 1204, around 80 years which was unheard of at the time, outliving most of her children. She was married multiple times but always retained sole control over her region of France. She joined crusades and even led 300 other female warriors bare breasted into Jerusalem (I think that's the right city, someone should double check me) ha ha. She lead revolts against her former husbands and was the mother of Richard the Lionheart. Really interesting and powerful woman. 

After the Parlé en Francais, I attended a panel discussion titled "Look Like This and Be Sexy." My communication professor Kim Zarkin and two other professors, one from nutrition and one a human performance and wellness professor each presented on different but related topics. Kim discussed the roles that the media can play in women's body image. She discussed the ways that women are presented in the media and the problems that can arise if we don't talk about how they are problematic. I hope to take her class "Race, Gender, and the Media" next fall. Next was a presentation about nutrition and the interesting facts about BMI - for example, recommended BMI numbers are actually lower than they should be. She also gave some tips on eating healthy. Women she said need to make sure they get a lot of water, fiber, calcium, vitamin D, and iron (especially for menstruating women). The last woman spoke about the five pillars of wellness and how sometimes exercise addition can take the form of bulimia and anorexia. Health is an overall balance of Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, Social, and Intellectual activities. I really wish I was able to attend more of the Women's History classes and lectures.

A few books I have been reading also tie into this posts theme so I will tell you about them before signing off. First is Women in Utah History: Paradigm or Paradox?. It is a collection of scholarly articles written about women in Utah History - duh - but it compares their history to the history of women in the U.S. in general. There are some interesting similarities and differences as women's roles and rights were changing with the Western expansion of the U.S. and the Mormon settling of Utah. The essays address issues of polygamy, legal status, religion, education, employment, arts, politics, and more. I highly recommend it so far.

The second book I have read/am reading is Cunt: a declaration of independence. I also highly recommend it. I will describe it with a quote from the back of the book: "An ancient title of respect for women, the word 'cunt' long ago veered off this noble path. Inga Muscio traces the road from honor to expletive, giving women the motivation and tools to claim 'cunt' as a positive and powerful force in their lives. With humor and candor, she shares her own history as she explores the cultural forces that influence women's relationships with their bodies." This is a beautiful, funny, motivating book that has changed my view of womanhood and the responsibilities I have as a feminist. I warn my more conservative readers that she is on the liberal end of things, but you could probably guess that from her bold title. 

That ends my cunt loving post :)