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Creating Their Own Vampire-Free Destiny

November 30, 2009, by AAUWguest

It’s vampire romance time. Unlike the Harry Potter book and film series, which have audiences of all ages and genders, the Twilight books and movies have a much narrower target: teenage girls and women. On November 20, 2009, New Moon, the sequel to the first film, Twilight, was finally released. My 14-year-old cousin bought the presale tickets two weeks before the release date. New Moon raked in $72.7 million on its opening day, claiming the record for the biggest one-day gross, which included $26.2 million from midnight shows. We can say that this was the box office highlight of November and that, for fangirls, it was more exciting than Thanksgiving.

Twilight author Stephanie Meyer created characters like Bella, a pretty teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire, Edward, a vampire who is the epitome of the perfect guy, and Jacob, a werewolf who is Bella’s best friend. The characters play their gender roles: Bella makes dinner for her dad, Charlie, has slumber parties with Alice, Edward’s sister, and gives the impression of being weak throughout the series — until she becomes a vampire, of course.

But the stereotypes get much worse. Edward worries that Bella is a magnet for danger, so he and Jacob constantly rescue her from her near-death experiences. Bella describes herself as “helpless and delicious” in the third book. I even saw a T-shirt the other day that said, “Edward can bite my pillows, break my headboard, and bruise my body any day.” Alarmingly, this statement has more than a hint of violence.

Since we were young, we have been told that girls are capable of doing the same things and dreaming of the same goals as boys — that we are equal in every way. These books, however, have so many conservative gender stereotypes that can influence young readers. Meyer wrote the series from Bella’s perspective, so it is natural for teenage girls to imagine themselves as Bella. But do these girls believe that they will have to be saved by an Edward or a Jacob instead of creating their own destiny?

I know that teen girls are very receptive to being influenced by media and the entertainment culture. Even though we may love Edward (or Jacob), teenage girls and young women must remember that vampire love stories are not true. I am a Twilight fan, and I dream about meeting an Edward on campus everyday. I act like Bella sometimes, just for the fun of it, but I also know that “Bella” is fiction, and I do not let her influence my own aspirations.

Jane Kim is a member of the 2009–10 Student Advisory Council.

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AAUW Gives Thanks 2009

November 25, 2009, by administrator

Last year we began a tradition by reflecting upon what we had to be grateful for in 2008. While we take a short break for the Thanksgiving holiday, we hope you enjoy this year’s edition.

We’re thankful for all the individuals and organizations fighting — or even just raising awareness about — sexual and gender-based violence across the globe. By working together, we can change the quality of life for women and girls everywhere.

We’re thankful for individuals in the United States and globally who recognize the need to keep women’s issues in the forefront and who are taking action!

After 10 years in the making, we’re thankful for the passage of hate crimes legislation that strengthens a federal law and covers sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability.

We’re thankful for the leadership of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), who championed many of AAUW’s issues — including pay equity, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the minimum wage increase, education, and civil rights — throughout his 47 years of service in the Senate.

We’re thankful that a woman’s place is not only in the House but in the Senate, the governor’s mansion, and state legislatures.

We’re thankful for Lilly Ledbetter.

We’re thankful for women breaking through the glass, brass, and stained glass ceilings and those who are breaking through barriers so that other women will have a chance.

We’re thankful that we’re closer than ever to meaningful health care reform.  It will be such a relief when, if you get sick, you only need to worry about getting better, not how you are going to pay for treatment.

We’re thankful for being employed.

We’re thankful that AAUW is building the pipeline for future female political leaders.

We’re thankful for the AAUW National Student Advisory Council and all the good work they’re doing on their campuses.

We’re thankful for the amazing college and university administrators and AAUW member leaders who attended our first-annual college/university luncheon!

We’re thankful for the generous contributions of AAUW members and donors who made it possible to award more than $3 million in fellowships and grants to advance educational and professional opportunities for women.

We’re thankful that AAUW is using Twitter to highlight women in history, since so many didn’t/don’t receive recognition.

We’re thankful that AAUW is using its presence online to get the word out about issues affecting women and children.

And last, but certainly not least, we’re thankful for you, our readers.

Happy holidays and see you next week!

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Learning to Sail My Ship

November 23, 2009, by AAUWguest

In the United States, women have made great strides toward equality. Novelist and Little Women author, Louisa May Alcott, once said, “I am not afraid of the storms, for I am learning to sail my ship.” Increasingly, women have weathered the storms and stood up for the issues that impact their lives and the lives of their children. They have worked hard to open doors for themselves and for the generation of female leaders who will come after them.

We learn best from each other, so I hope to start a conversation among women of different ages and interests about their experiences as leaders creating change. I will begin this conversation by sharing how I learned to “sail my ship” for the betterment of women.

On college campuses, women leaders have the opportunity and responsibility to create change.  It only takes one person to get the ball rolling. During my years as an undergraduate student at the University of Central Oklahoma, I was extremely active as the president of Women of Many Ethnic Nationalities, a women’s organization. I implemented programs I thought were most useful to the campus, and I began to pull in other women to participate. My county had one of the highest rates of new HIV infections among women in Oklahoma, so I implemented These Steps Could Save Your Life, a program from which students could receive free and confidential HIV testing and sexual health counseling from trained professionals. The program proved to be a great success and continued for many years. It brought attention to the issue of STDs and HIV on campus, and many women and men were reminded of the importance of protecting their bodies.

When we learn to sail our ship, we make an impact that may be felt by many or may be felt by few, but it is felt. I invite you to share the ways you have learned to “sail your ship” for the betterment of women, including your ideas for campus events that you are currently planning or that you have already implemented.

Kendra L. Smith is a member of the 2009–10 AAUW Student Advisory Council.

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Supporting Caregivers for National Family Caregivers Month

November 20, 2009, by lindahallman

November is National Family Caregivers Month. In honor of these selfless individuals, I have written a blog for More.com, “Caregivers Deserve Year-Round Applause,” which focuses on the wide range of challenges facing the nation’s estimated 50 million caregivers. I share statistics, talk about AAUW’s policy recommendations, and close with a quote from Rosalyn Carter, who once said

There are only four kinds of people in the world — those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.

This point has not been lost on my family. Fortunately, although my widowed

Marion D. Hallman

My mother, Marion D. Hallman

mother lives independently, she has planned ahead for the assistance she may need in the future. I am pleased to have an opportunity to bring attention to this important issue on More.com, the online companion to More, a popular women’s magazine. Links to my previous posts are available on my More.com profile page.

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AAUW Alumnae Exchange: Connecting Alumnae One Click at a Time

November 20, 2009, by mandytoomey

Since I started working with the AAUW alumnae initiative in 2008, I have had the pleasure of telling the stories of more than 50 fellowships and grants alumnae who have been doing amazing work since their fellowship year. The exciting part is that, because AAUW has funded more than 10,000 women since the first fellowship in 1888, there are so many more stories yet to be told.

In researching stories, I have called everywhere from Pakistan to Brazil and met women from Moldova to Zimbabwe. I have chatted with a NASA scientist and a United Nations volunteer coordinator. I have heard the stories of women who have surmounted unbelievable hardships to reach their dreams, and I have collected invaluable advice about how they did it. A common theme among the alumnae is that they are looking for ways to give back and to help those who are following in their footsteps.

AAUW Alumnae ExchangeAAUW is proud to present the newest tool for connecting these incredible women: a social networking community called AAUW Alumnae Exchange. This online community is a place for fellowships and grants alumnae to exchange ideas, stories, resources, and more. To stay up to date with AAUW’s fellowships and grant alumnae, stay tuned to www.aauw.org/alumnae.

Posted in Fellowships, Grants and Awards, The AAUW Community | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment »