Reflections from Wonderland: A Newfound Feminist’s Journey

If you didn’t know, the semester is wrapping up for the year.

When I look back on this semester I can only see a blur. It may not have been the toughest, but it certainly hasn’t been the greatest. Of the few real memories I can conjure up, I can distinctly remember every time I wrote for ShoutOut. Between long periods of writer’s block, cursing myself for again waiting until last minute and hollowly swearing I’ll start earlier the next week, I was actually doing something I was proud to be a part of.

Accurate, to say the least

This past semester I was introduced to another world. Unlike Alice’s journey into Wonderland or Dorothy’s to Oz, I couldn’t snap myself back to reality as I had unknowingly stepped into it. In this new environment I felt the patriarchy that held so many people back and created unrealistic expectations for all participants. I heard the language that was casually thrown around as if it didn’t sting like knives. I saw the pain in people’s eyes as they recounted events when they were affected by misogyny. The kicker though was the shame I felt realizing I played an active role in all of this like a chump.

Thanks to ShoutOut’s amazing writers and readers, I’ve begun changing my lifestyle. Taking small steps to turn my life around and lead it in an open-minded way, I’ve seen the positive it could do for the people around me. It’s been liberating to say the least, however I’ve recently felt like there was still something missing; a weight in my heart I couldn’t shack.

No Damsel In Distress Here: Anita Sarkeesian and Her Kickstarter Story

I’m a gamer and damn proud.

You won’t catch me toting a DS waiting to update my Animal Crossing town or feed my Nintendogs. I won’t spend hours in front of my tv wasting the brilliance that is the outdoors. And I will never pass up time with friends, to finish that last level of Bioshock Infinite or play one more round of Zombies. However, I will keep up with the industry’s latest and greatest. I do long for that occasional heartwarming nostalgia that comes with replaying an old N64 favorite. And I will always look forward to the occasional follow-up or reimagining of a series like Zelda or Tomb Raider. Gaming has been ingrained within me since as far as I can remember, but it wasn’t until recently that I stumbled upon a daring vlogger who prompted me to reanalyze these pieces of my past with a new feminist perspective.

A month from yesterday will mark the one year anniversary of a bold concept that would later rock the gaming community forever. After being invited to speak to video game development company BUNGiE, vlogger and creator of Feminist Frequency Anita Sarkeesian felt satisfied with her involvement, but realized there was a lot left to be said for the industry as a whole. She decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign to fund a series of videos that would analyze the history of video games from a feminist lens and illuminate the iconic portrayals of women in these games. Little did she know the tidal wave of backlash, harassment, and vandalism that would follow her from arguably the most proverbial of boy’s clubs.

Take Back the Night

Last night, survivors and allies of sexual assault gathered at James Madison University to “take back the night.”  Throughout the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the annual event takes place in communities and campuses around the world. The goal is to draw awareness to the prevalence of sexual assault, de-stigmatize it, and provide a safe place where survivors can share their stories and find support.

And I really did not want to go.

Quick Hit: 1913 Suffrage Parade

If you’re on the West Coast and it’s still March 3rd, celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Parade!

If you’re like me and like sweet vintage photography (I’m talkin’ hi-res, restored black and whites people!), or if you like bad-ass women of American history, check out The Atlantic’s collection in commemoration of National Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day this Friday, March 8th!

Saturday Special – Guest Blogger!

Meet Alana Simpson, my first guest blogger ever! I email interviewed her at work for a press release a few weeks ago and have been excited to share her story ever since. On Tuesday, January 23, Alana traveled to Richmond with thirty-five other JMU Social Work students to spend a day advocating for social justice at the General Assembly. Her story is an awesome example of a woman taking a stand in politics – and what could be better than that?!

Mini Bio – Alana Simpson is a social work student from Crozet, Virginia. She is working towards a career in emergency room social work and/or PICU social work. She is currently Mrs. Rockingham County and will be competing in the Mrs. Virginia pageant in April. She is promoting her love for social work with her platform “Each One Reach One” which focuses on working with vulnerable populations and giving them the dignity they deserve.

Everything that follows is in Alana’s own words:

Call of Duty: Women in Combat

In the weeks following the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s decision to lift a near 20 year ban prohibiting women from serving in combat, a wide gap has formed between those for and against this this equal opportunity measure. While many arguments have been brought up and counter argued from both positions, I’d like to highlight some of the prominent ones that continue to reoccur in the discussion.

Links Round-Up

This week:

Visionsofourfuture recommends this powerful video put together by Project Unspoken at Emory University asks both men and women what they do in their daily lives to avoid sexual assault and harassment.

Following the re-election of President Obama, this article argues that our country is not the “traditional America anymore” — and good riddance.

Jgrand50 and eszenyme wants you to check out this website that tracks the use of homophobic language on Twitter. It also shows the posts in real time in an attempt to get people to realize the implications of their word choice.

A great opinion piece about the failure of GOP voter suppression legislation. This election showed that no matter what, minority groups will express their rights at the polls.

Gratitude.

Last night, my faith in humanity was restored.

After feeling like I couldn’t even call myself a feminist anymore, after questioning all of the beliefs I have held dear since childhood, and after feeling like humanity was nothing but a bunch of assholes, I was proven wrong.

Last night, so many of my friends, professors, and readers, came out to Stand Against Sexual Violence. They came out in the cold, despite the late hour and short notice.

Signal Boost: Stand Against Sexual Violence TONIGHT!

Just a quick reminder for all of our readers in the Harrisonburg/JMU community:

Tonight at 8 PM on the Commons, we will be holding a vigil along with other student organizations and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program in response to the many sexual assaults against JMU students this semester.

To get more information, check out the facebook event page, or email Femistorian at meyersem@dukes.jmu.edu

Links Round-Up

This week at ShoutOut!,

Visionsofourfuture has some celeb news to share! First, this collaborative cover of “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore, reminds women of the power of their voice and the importance of their vote. Chris Brown is causing a stir in the media again — this time after dressing up as a terrorist for Halloween wearing a turban and fake beard, with bullet casings wrapped around his robe and holding an assault rifle.

Classifiedsarcastic wants you to check out this awesome new article about this journalists experiences with Gloria Steinem and how Ms. Steinem’s struggles have oftentimes intertwined with those of African American women. She also asks readers, is being funny the new way to forward the feminist movement? Should we all be like Tina Fey? This article argues that laughter is not only the new way to really reach the younger generation, but it’s also a good way to normalize feminism. Agree?