Internet Comics!

So I was browsing my favorite webcomics, and I came across this and I wanted to share…

http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=245

 

 

Coco Chanel

Gabrielle “Coco” Bonheur Chanel was born in 1883 to a poor traveling salesman. For most of her early life, she struggled against the neglect of her father and was sent to live in a convent. During this time, she learned to sew, and when she eventually moved to Paris, she opened her own hat shop. Eventually, she founded her own clothing brand that emphasized both simplicity and practicality, comfort over the restricting corset that was popular in her time. Her career blossomed, as her clothing became more and more popular with both the elite and lower classes (though her designs were far too expensive for many poorer women).

Although Chanel never referred to herself as a feminist, she was never one for “traditional values,” and often broke many social taboos of the time, such as drinking, smoking, and having several lovers, both married and unmarried. Chanel’s designs were based off of men’s clothing, which allowed women more freedom of movement, and encouraged many to leave behind traditional ideas of a woman’s role. She used her power in the fashion industry to completely alter the perception of the female form, and attempted to make fashion more about comfort and sophistication than presenting women simply as objects to be admired, encouraging a more “boyish look” for women, instead of the tight, constricting clothing that was in style at the time. Chanel lived in a time where being a woman meant that she should work in the home and not question her place in life. Despite this, she fought back, using her skill and talents to transform fashion and help all women have confidence in themselves as people instead of objects of fashion.

Sischy, Ingrid. “The Designer Coco Chanel.” Time. 08 Jun 1998: n. page. Web. 18 Jul. 2012. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988494,00.html&gt;.

” Coco Chanel.” 2012. Biography.com 18 Jul 2012, 11:37 http://www.biography.com/people/coco-chanel-9244165

Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany. As the leader of Germany, the state with the most powerful economy in Europe and one of the most powerful in the world, she is responsible for leading over 80 million people. As the first woman as Chancellor, she has had to earn the respect of many people, while helping to build the economy of Germany into what it is today. Professionally a physicist, Merkel entered politics just prior to German reunification in 1990, serving as the Minister for Women and Youth, and as the Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety. During her time as Chancellor, Merkel has become a key figure in European politics, playing an important role in the ongoing resolution of the European debt crisis, as well as for taking on issues such as women’s rights and alternative sources of energy. Despite the political fracturing of Europe, Angela Merkel has become one of the most powerful women in the world, having been called “the de facto leader of the EU.”

Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/profile/angela-merkel

” Angela Merkel.” 2012. Biography.com 19 Jul 2012, 03:28 http://www.biography.com/people/angela-merkel-9406424

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton is an American politician who has served as a U.S. Senator for New York and is currently serving as the U.S. Secretary of State. She graduated from Yale Law School, and worked for several years in different positions in local and state government. After marrying Bill Clinton, she became the First Lady and took on several causes, eventually becoming a prominent figure in the political landscape in her own right. During her time as First Lady, she became a prominent supporter of health care and worked on behalf of issues relating to children and families. As a supporter of human rights, she once said in a speech in Beijing that “”human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.”

Mrs. Clinton then went on to become the current Secretary of State. In the male-dominated arena of global politics, Mrs. Clinton has had to work very hard to gain the respect and prominence that she now has. She has also had to navigate contentious and controversial issues, such as the recent wave of revolutions in the Middle East, human rights atrocities around the world, and many other problems, all while trying to represent the United States in the best possible light to the rest of the world. As a Senator, and later the Secretary of State, Mrs. Clinton has become a powerful advocate for social change, and has worked tirelessly on issues related to women’s and human rights around the world.

United States. Department of State. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Web. <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/115321.htm&gt;.

Marie Curie

Marie Curie was a physicist and chemist, famous for pioneering research on radioactivity, among other scientific advancements. Born in 1867 in Russian-dominated Poland, Curie eventually traveled to France to study Physics and Mathematics. In Paris in 1894, she met Pierre Curie, and the couple soon married. Together, they worked tirelessly to investigate the recently discovered phenomenon of radioactivity, and for their efforts, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903. Mrs. Curie was one of the most respected figures in physics, and even after her husband died in 1906, she continued to work tirelessly to investigate and control radioactivity, with her efforts earning her a second Nobel Prize in 1911.

Despite the fact that she was initially looked down on by her male peers, Mrs. Curie rose to become one of the most respected and admired figures in physics, and paved the way for further scientific exploration in many different fields, thanks to her many discoveries. Although she died in 1934, most likely from radiation poisoning, Marie Curie became an inspiration for aspiring female scientists everywhere.

“Marie Curie – Biography”. Nobelprize.org. 19 Jul 2012 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1911/marie-curie.html

Aung San Suu Kyi

This is the first in a series of posts about powerful women from around the world that I personally find inspiring. Although most of them will be about women currently working in politics and human rights, there will be several women from other time periods working in different fields. The one thing that unites them, in my mind, is how they struggled against adversity and overcame incredibly difficult challenges to help improve the world for both women and men.

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Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese activist and politician who is known most for her campaigns for freedom and democracy against a military council that has ruled Burma (also known as Myanmar) since 1988. She was born in 1945 to two prominent public figures, General Aung San, who helped to free Burma from British rule and was known as the father of modern-day Burma, and Khin Kyi, a prominent public figure involved in politics and social welfare. Both of her parents had dedicated their lives to the country of Burma, and Aung San Suu Kyi chose to do the same.

Suu Kyi was born in Burma, but spent most of her life up to 1988 elsewhere, as she attended Oxford University and met and married her husband, Michael Aris. In 1988, though, her mother fell ill and Suu Kyi returned home to help care for her. During this time, she became involved in the massive anti-government protests sweeping the country  despite the brutal suppression enforced by the Myanmar government. On August 26, she gave her first public speech outside of the Shwedagon Pagoda, calling for a democratic government, and on September 24, formed the National League for Democracy and began campaigning for office against the ruling party. The NLD promoted nonviolent tactics such as civil disobedience, and gained much support for its cause, establishing Suu Kyi as a champion for human rights and peaceful protest.

In 1989, though, Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest, where she would remain for approximately 15 of the next 21 years. During this time, she used her plight to gain the international community’s attention for her cause. In 1991, Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for her efforts, though she still faced harassment and threats from the Myanmar government. Despite the separation from her family, she continued to campaign for freedom in her country, and in 2010, was released from house arrest and has subsequently run and been elected to the Burmese parliament. Although the military is still in command of the country, and corruption is still a massive problem in her country, Aung San Suu Kyi has become a symbol for democracy and civil disobedience for people all over the world.

“Aung San Suu Kyi – Biography”. Nobelprize.org. 17 Jul 2012 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1991/kyi.html

Body and the Machine

Over this past month, I’ve found this course to be very enjoyable. I feel like the topics covered were usually interesting, and the people in class with me were thoughtful with interesting viewpoints. Although I had already known about most of the topics covered in class, being able to discuss them with others who were also familiar with the situations was very useful in expanding my own knowledge and opinions. I really enjoyed many of the movies we watched, especially Miss Representation. If I could change anything, though, I would encourage more structure, or focus on certain topics, especially on international issues. Overall, though, I thought it was a really great class.

Alternative Media Sources

Salon is an online news source that provides articles on many different topics. Just by looking at its front page, you can see news on everything from Breaking Bad to the Olympics to tuberculosis in Florida. It seems to mostly consist of editorials or opinion pieces, written as personal stories by people familiar with the topic. Just by looking through some of the titles of the articles on the site, it’s easy to see that many of them are written passionately for or against an issue. Most of the articles do seem to be fairly liberal, although many are just anti-conservative. Overall, though, I personally feel like most of the articles are well-written and make valid points, without really pushing one party’s agenda, which to me is incredibly important.

Sexist Ads

I find this ad in particular to be insulting to women because, even though it’s not directly showing a woman, it’s still implying that women are shallow and uncaring. It’s implying that women only care about wealth and status, not the man as a person.

Women in the Media

It is commonly accepted that in various types of media, women are generally depicted differently than men, and are usually trapped in one of several stereotypes. One place where this is particularly present, and where it does more damage to women than elsewhere, is in the cable news networks. Many times, I have seen examples of when female anchors on places like CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News, have been portrayed a certain way. Women wear low-cut shirts, lots of heavy makeup (which, admittedly, is typical for both men and women on television, and generally aren’t as well represented as men. This is a problem, because as women are portrayed less as serious newscasters, it harms both the perception by the public of both women, and the importance of the news being delivered. Even Katie Couric, a strong, well known female newscaster faces criticism more for her wardrobe choices than her ability as an anchor on NBC. Journalism and broadcast news play such an important role in our society, and forcing women to be scrutinized and marginalized in this way just makes a mockery of them, which should be unacceptable.