In this blog post I will be discussing something that hits very close to home with me when it comes to gendered and sexualized healthcare. This topic is ADHD and ADD diagnosis in women and girls. This past summer at the age of 19 I was diagnosed with ADHD after years of silently struggling. I […]
Read More My Silent Struggles With ADHD as a Woman.You may be hip to the notorious Tiktok trend, “Tell me you have pretty privilege…without telling me you have pretty privilege.” To which the prompt is stitched with a pretty face who boastfully tells a tale to a camera about how their attractiveness benefited them in a particular circumstance. I angrily reacted to how this […]
Read More Pretty Privilege vs. Beauty PenaltyIn the upcoming week of April 18-24, there was a lot of stir and discussion within the TikTok community within the United States. For the US, April is sexual assault awareness month, where there is a lot of discussion to aid those who have been impacted by any form of SA and bring awareness to […]
Read More April 24thHave young women today inherited a rape culture that is still ingrained? When will we as a society come to reject this legacy and what will it take? Glistening luxury pools and fountains, hand carved sculptures (not to call out any cover models), polished marble floors, chandeliers hanging from tall ceilings that cost more than […]
Read More Playboy Bunnies and the Chamber of SecretsThroughout this semester, the ShoutOut! cohort has discussed a multitude of topics; ranging from gun violence to sexual assault to white patriarchy and racism in feminist circles. When I first joined the ShoutOut cohort, I didn’t know what to expect. My first assumptions were “A feminism class? At a PWI (Predominately White Institution)? It’s giving […]
Read More Reflections of a Born-Again FeministLocal In Harrisonburg this past week, a virtual conference was held to promote the growing concern of gun violence in the country. The presenters in the conference are people whose lives have been directly impacted by gun violence. One of the main takeaways of this conference is encouraging people to speak up and voice their concerns […]
Read More Newsroom Roundup!Disclaimer: I am a current tour guide here at JMU. I have spent the past two years trying to make our training more inclusive for our guides after reflecting on the centrality of privileged identities in our tours. But even after an overhaul, there is still work to be done. It’s a sunny afternoon, the […]
Read More A Campus Tour Through a Queer LensI think a lot of us are guilty of shopping on fast-fashion sites, and if we aren’t, I’m sure some of our friends are. Sites like Boohoo, Romwe, Zaful, Fashion Nova, etc, operate on business models that offer insanely cheap trendy items, and turn over new items extremely fast. Fashion Nova has said they offer […]
Read More FAST FASHION: A FEMINIST ISSUEJust last week I ran into a problem that was a first for me. I was driving down the street in Harrisonburg and my “check engine” light came on which could mean anything! Nobody enjoys a trip to the mechanic, but it is especially hard for women. The thing is, this minor car issue […]
Read More One Second… Let Me Call My DadMental health is something that we all struggle with, and it is something that, as a society, we need to discuss. Particularly, we need to discuss mental health disparities among minorities. Racial/ethnic, sexual, and gender minorities often suffer from poor mental health outcomes due to many reasons, including, discrimination, harmful stigmas, and overall lack of […]
Read More Mental Health DisparitiesThe medical community knows that women are living in constant pain. Women are more prone to having serious complications in their health that men sometimes do not have to face. There are ten chronic pain conditions that predominantly affect women, all having remarkably similar symptoms. Once a person has one, they are more likely to […]
Read More Imagine not being able to wear a tamponThis Wednesday the JMU’s D.E.E.P Impact organization gave an informative presentation to educate on the history of oppression and violence Indigenous people in the United States have faced and still face today. The presentation covered many different topics including the history of Indigenous people in the U.S and the oppression and barriers they still face today. […]
Read More The ongoing battle for Indigenous peopleI have always been a little suspicious of religion, specifically Christianity/Catholicism. Not that I don’t respect those who follow religion (as long as they don’t use it to hurt others). In fact, I was raised Catholic, attend church occasionally, and live with three women who define themselves by their faith. As a member of the […]
Read More Can You Be a Faithful Feminist?Abolition is a movement to end systemic violence, including the interpersonal vulnerability and displacements that keep the system going…the goal is to change how we interact with each other and the planet by putting people over profits, welfare over warfare, and life over death. – Ruth Wilson Gilmore
Read More Abolish the PoliceOne in four women are victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence can include physical, sexual, social, emotional, verbal, spiritual, and economic abuse where one partner tries to exert power and/or control over the other. Domestic violence can take many forms, including stalking, physical violence, sexual violence, and emotional abuse. To put this into perspective, nearly […]
Read More America’s Domestic Violence CrisisThis week has been incredibly busy when it comes to how the police handle traffic stops with African American men. This week alone two major incidents have been brought to the attention of the media and the people of the United States and let me just say, the people are not pleased; so let’s get […]
Read More This Week in: A Country Rooted in RacismAfter ordering graduation announcements a few days ago, my mom hops on a call with me and exclaims, “you think these cards were made out of gold!” This got me thinking – to participate in graduation, a student must shovel out even more cash to the university to engage in ‘graduation culture.’ Let’s take a […]
Read More The Pitfalls of Graduation CultureWith the current climate of racism today, and the recent deaths of Daunte Wright and George Floyd, it’s great to see our favorite sports teams stand in solidarity with us to fight against racism and police brutality. Whether it’s wearing a new game day uniform with “Black Lives Matter” stitched on the back or writing […]
Read More Racism Within Our Favorite Sports TeamsThroughout my journey through feminism, I have heard about many different countries and how feminist in that country are handling the situations that have been thrown at them. However, interestingly enough, I have never (to the best of my memory) heard about feminism in Sudan. My best friend is from Sudan so the fact that […]
Read More Justice for Sudanese WomenLet us talk about the wide spectrum regarding marginalized health care in the United States. I feel like most people can find their gynecologist a comforting, sacred place in which they can confide most of their personal physical and emotional pains with. The first time I visited my gynecologist, the same lady who birthed me, made […]
Read More Not all Gynos Can Be TrustedThe 3 letter word no one wants to talk about but everyone wants to be good…SEX. Why is it important to have better sex ed?…For better sex of course!
Read More Let’s Talk About Sex BabySince the 2016 election, there has been this narrative constructed that Black women “save” elections and therefore “save” our country from tyranny and ruin. Even though the Democratic nominee did not win in the 2016 presidential election, we saw Black women turn-out in record numbers with over 90% of us voting for the Democratic candidate. […]
Read More Why Black Women Can’t Always Save You: The Dangers of Georgia’s Voter Suppression LawsLocal news: For local news Staunton is the first in the state of Virginia to have the latest 911 technology. With a faster and more efficient system, its the extra seconds that could save a person’s life. The system is called next gen 911, they traded in their outdated system for a quicker,high tech system […]
Read More Newsroom roundupAfter last week’s discussion in class about white conservative feminists and how they use their power in politics to protect the patriarchy, I wanted to talk more about how this has affected the civic engagement of women of color and other marginalized groups. To further explain the point I am trying to make; I want […]
Read More The Current fight for equal Voting rightsDuring Trumps time in office, there were some rules put in place that banned transgender people from serving in the Military. As of recent, the Pentagon announced a new policy to undo the rules under the Trump administration. The new policies will now provide service members a process in which they may transition gender while […]
Read More New Policies Granting the Transgender community to serve in the MilitaryIf you find yourself at James Madison University, and happen by some chance to come across the Sociology Department, you may have the chance to meet Professor Matthew Ezzell. The Professor started his education at UNC-Chapel Hill and acquired his BA in Women’s Studies, continued as UNC-Chapel Hill and attained his Master’s and PhD in […]
Read More Finding an ally: Dr. Matthew EzzellBeing someone who has always identified as a woman I was raised to be hyper-aware of my surroundings when going out, especially at night and once I got my driver’s license. Constantly looking behind my back as I am walking to and from my car, looking under my car as I walk up to it […]
Read More Women’s Safety in Public, Why it’s an Issue.Menstruation is a biological process that has been stigmatized for centuries. A taboo in most cultures, periods are something people prefer not to talk about, and are encouraged to keep quiet about. My mother had her period, hell, I’m on mine now, and I’m sure my grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother had her period too. Almost all […]
Read More TALKIN BOUT TAMPONSIt really grinds my gears when people say “why is everything made so political” or “I don’t care about politics” when it comes to laws being passed that affect groups of marginalized people. Maybe people will “be less political” once there aren’t laws that affect others based on their bodies and identities. Back in 2019, […]
Read More When Will Republicans Stop Targeting Trans People?Taking on a new viewpoint when exploring the topic of pro-life and anti-abortion.
Read More A different perspective on the pro-life movementEver since I was little, the “perfect” body type was everywhere. Whether you are walking around the mall or watching TV at home, Victoria Secret ads were unavoidable, flaunting these beautiful (size double 0, I might add) models in our faces. To add insult to injury, once a year we were subjected to the over-the-top […]
Read More Body Shaming is so Last SeasonAlthough National Women’s history month has come to an end, we must not forget or neglect the present’s strong women. In today’s blog post, I would like to call to attention the pandemic’s lasting effects and how it has disproportionately affected women. This March marks an entire year since the start of the full-fledged quarantine, […]
Read More Covid-19 and Women’s Mental HealthIt’s strange to think about how things can affect other things. Something you’ve probably never thought of- climate affecting feminism. Strange concept, but it’s actually a thing. Loosely referred to as climate feminism. What is climate feminism? Easiest way to explain it is through an example. So back in the fall of 2020, between October […]
Read More What is Climate Feminism and How to Tackle ItThe first and second waves of feminism both wave reached their ends before the beginning of the 21st century. And there has actually been much argument in feminist circles about whether or not there is a third, or even a fourth, wave. So, lets delve into what each of the waves represented and achieved. The […]
Read More Waves of FeminismLet’s discuss what it means to be a feminist today, and yes, it means you can still wear make-up and be girly. Today, I will be introducing a feminist named Deborah Frances-White. Not only is she a well-known feminist, she is also a well-known comdedian, owning her own podcast, The Guilty Feminist. This is one […]
Read More Why it’s Time for Women to be Noisy and AnnoyingIn Our Backyard (Local): The Rockingham County Board (RCB) started and expanded the “Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow” program. The Rockingham County Board is continuing this semester-long program for the high schoolers, but with a twist . This will now offer mentorships in addition to learning about how to be an effective teacher. This means that […]
Read More Newsroom Roundup!Today, March 31, 2021 is international Transgender Day of Visibility. All around the world, transgender and nonbinary people will be recognized today and it is our job as allies and advocates to show up and show them support. Today is an extremely important day, so let’s talk about it! With such an important day, it […]
Read More Transgender Day of VisibilityA peek into the life of local business owner Grace Mayer, and how she started her own business.
Read More Interview with local business owner Grace Mayer of The Hidden GEM companyOne show that has all the fixings for a great but silly story…BUT, there’s a big elephant in the room we need to talk about.
Read More Bridgerton, Great Show…But ProblematicWhen the United States Women’s Soccer team won the world cup in 2019, well-known soccer player Megan Rapinoe proclaimed, “I’m not going to the f*cking White House” when asked if excited about going. This occurred during the Trump administration and Rapinoe has made it very clear that she is no fan of him. However, how […]
Read More Is Joe doing his part for the feminist community?Her face flushed with a look of concern in her eyes, my roommate walked into my apartment a few days ago after seeing the local OB-GYN. “How did it go?” I asked her hesitantly. “It wasn’t my normal woman.” She replied with defeat. “She had a male student check me out instead. He had no […]
Read More Yeast Infections, The Least of Our WorriesLocal: Digna Barhona, along with local Harrisonburg residents and immigrants Kamilo Rivera and Crimson Solano, will be taking their turn on the D.C hunger strike between April 15th and 17th. They will be joining fellow immigrants on the lawns of D.C to work towards immigration reform to bring attention to the shortcomings of the TPS […]
Read More Newsroom Roundup!I usually never watch the Bachelor, and to be honest, I don’t entertain reality TV shows at all. But once I heard that this season of the Bachelor would be a black man, (bi-racial; but would mainly identify as black) along with Ryan Claytor a JMU alumna being one of his perspective love interest, I […]
Read More The Bachelor is Harmful to Women’s Mental HealthRecently, in the United States, there have been many acts of violence, and especially violence against those in the Asian community. These actions and events are not new to those within the Asian community or those who are POC (people of color), but ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the term “Asian […]
Read More Atlanta: Gunned downWhen you think of nurses, you probably think of intelligent, brave, and selfless people who are on the frontline risking their lives to save others. Even though more men are entering the nursing profession, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 89% of nurses are female. But what if I told you that these […]
Read More Our Heroes are VictimsI walk into work and clock in at 4:00pm, and although It hadn’t been the first time a man has argued with me over whether “women have it easier than men” or not, I wasn’t expecting it to come from my coworker. Why is it up to women to explain to men that we live […]
Read More How To Explain Patriarchy To A Man, *cough* Boy 101A brief look at the history of mental health institutions and what sort of treatments were provided.
Read More Mental Health. How far we have come, and how far we still have to go.This past week in news: Local: On Thursday, Mary Baldwin University (MBU) responded to claims that one of their women’s basketball players used racial slurs during a January 30th game against William Peace University. In the MBU statement, ““During the investigation we carried out in conjunction with colleagues at WPU, our administrators carefully reviewed video […]
Read More Newsroom RoundupWe’ve all pretty much grown up with the idea of the gender binary. You know, the idea that there are simply two genders and whatever gender you are lies within your chromosomes or whatevers in your pants. Then, once you’ve been assigned that gender, you have roles and expectations that you must fulfil. Honestly, this […]
Read More America and the history of gender binariesJames Madison has been honoring the celebratory month with a series of virtual events throughout March. The first event on March 2nd, titled “Latina Leadership Experience” consisted of a women’s panel conversing on silencing gender, age, ethnicity, and cultural biases in leadership positions. “D.E.E.P. Dialogue: Human Trafficking” followed the next day, where Impact Diversity Educators […]
Read More Happy Women’s History Month from yours truly, JMU
