The Privilege of Being Pretty (and White and Skinny)

Model Cameron Russell gave an interesting TED talk on beauty, power, and privilege. The talk grabs you because of the candor and thoughtfulness with which she approaches the subject, which of course she can speak on from a unique vantage point.  “For the past few centuries we have defined beauty not just as health and youth and symmetry, (things) that we are biologically programmed to admire,  but also as tall slender figures and femininity and white skin. This is a legacy that has been built for me and it is a legacy that I have been cashing out on. “

And she is open enough to point out that her privilege is built on other people’s oppression. Although she did not go into as much detail as I would have liked (I know the point of TED talks is that they are brief) she did provide a few examples. Like New York’s shameful stop and frisk policy, which makes humiliation a daily routine for many Black and Latino residents of the city.  She explains that the whole point of stop and frisk is that it is based on image. If someone “looks” like a criminal they will be stopped. (Tell that to grandmothers and kids are being frisked. These stories and more can be found in a striking, well researched report done by the Center for Constitutional Rights.) Russell contrasts this with a story of being pulled over with a friend who had run through a red light.  “All it took was a sorry officer to get off.”

But if you think that the life of a model is all peaches and cream (excuse me, non-fat whipped topping) think again. “Models are the most physically insecure women probably on the planet.” says Russell.  How sad that even having skinny thighs and shiny hair does not insulate someone from our toxic, body hating* culture.  Russell notes that while “It was difficult to unpack the legacy of gender and racial oppression when I am one of the biggest beneficiaries.” It also felt uncomfortable to share with the audience that “winning the genetic lottery” has not made her happy.  I am grateful that she took this risk.  Just like other kinds of privilege, we need people who are benefitting from beauty privilege to acknowledge this system before it can be dismantled. What does Russell want to be the take away from her talk? “I hope we all feel more comfortable acknowledging the power of image in our perceived successes, and our perceived failures.

*A widely reported study found that 53% of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen.

Queeriosity: A First Year’s Thoughts on Coming Out

By Matthew Randolph

During my high school years, I remained in the closet, safely postponing coming to terms with my identity for a later date. Partly because, I assure you, I was still trying to understand my sexuality, but also because I held so many imagined fears about being seen as anything other than straight at my all-boys private school. There was only one openly gay person in my high school class. I did not want to have a spotlight placed on me to make me feel different from the other guys. By senior year, when I considered coming out, I decided against it, already under enough pressure dealing with college applications and a social life. Still, I knew I would come out at the beginning of my college career. I braced myself for any social consequences that would result from coming out, but I suspected being out in college would be better than spending even more of my life in the closet.

At Amherst, I was confused to find the process so stress-free and emotionally fulfilling. I know I am only a first-year college student, and one who attends a liberal arts college in New England. I still find it surprising that I have yet to personally experience one incident of homophobia at Amherst. None of the straight friends that I have made so far seem to care that much. Why did I overestimate how much attention people would pay to my sexuality? I am not denying that LGBT people experience discrimination on this campus. However, my personal experience so far as a first semester first-year has included much more stress about the general adjustment to college life than stress from being openly gay. Most other first-year students who find out about my gay identity respond with something like “Oh, you’re gay. Cool. I didn’t know that.” After that realization, the conversation turns to the typical concerns of first-year students (like the next time Val grants us buffalo chicken wraps for lunch). I think that was a serious concern I had for so long: wanting to feel like an individual and not a label. That concern kept me from being willing to tell other people that I was gay. In the closet, I believed coming out would mean labeling myself as a gay person instead of telling myself that I am someone who happens to be gay like I have learned to do now (in addition to being so many other awesome things). At Amherst, I feel like my sexual orientation is acknowledged and respected but at the same time, I feel like my individuality beyond it gets appreciated as well.
As an openly gay male student at Amherst, I have taken advantage of both Pride Alliance and Men of the Valley meetings and events for support. Men of the Valley gave me the opportunity to get to reflect on the experiences of the other gay men on campus. Interestingly, although we discuss issues facing gay men at Amherst, I have most enjoyed gleaning wisdom and advice from upperclassmen for navigating the Amherst experience in general, socially and academically.

Every sentiment of shame, anxiety or low self-worth has faded away since I arrived on this campus. Not only do I feel better about being more honest with people, but I also have gained so much more confidence in myself. Before coming out, I truly believed that my life could only be enjoyable by pretending to be straight. I remember myself welling up with shame whenever my mom initially lamented that I would not give her grandchildren or suggested that I was just too young to know I was gay. To be fair to my mother, she is merely concerned with my quality of life and truly loves me. She only wanted me to be happy. My happiness has always been a priority for her. I try my best to always remind her that my happiness and potential to impact the world should not and will not be limited by who I might want to marry one day.
Clearly, my life has been so much more enjoyable since coming out. Beyond the confidence boost after coming out, my life stayed pretty much the same. Apart from telling people I wanted to date guys, my world refused to drastically change. I immersed myself into the fall semester and soon the novelty of being out faded from my mind. Although I have only been openly gay for less than a semester, being out is already beginning to seem more natural.

The experience likely differs for each LGBT person, but for me, after I overcame the psychological adjustment of being openly gay, my anxiety about my identity ceased. Now that my sexuality is no longer a source of stress or shame, my mind is fully focused on my academic goals at Amherst and building friendships with other people. I find it so interesting that in the closet, I was so much more preoccupied and insecure about myself as a result of the identity crisis. I was living two lives but deep down I knew I wanted to finally get rid of my false identity. I didn’t want to hide my true self and perform the role of someone I was not destined to be. At Amherst, I was able to forget about the (perceived) social expectations of other people. I started living according to my own philosophy. That philosophy did not include being ashamed of myself, and it definitely did not include lying to other people about who I am. Using the phrase “lying to other people” sounds like an extreme description; for me, at least, it seems like the most accurate way to explain the reality of my time before being open about my sexuality. To be honest, I think I just got tired of the work necessary to deny a part of one’s identity. The lying was not only exhausting but seemed unethical as well.

So far, I haven’t told someone about my sexual orientation unless it becomes particularly relevant. I personally do not want to start a conversation with a new friend on that topic but there were instances where I realized I should have told someone earlier. It is always hard to figure out the right moment to tell a new college friend that you are not straight. However, one friend from my dorm had heard from other people and he was waiting for me to be honest with him. My attraction to guys didn’t matter to him at all and I regretted delaying the conversation with him. I assumed that a straight guy would not be interested in learning that someone in his dorm was gay. I also definitely did not expect him to be comfortable with being someone I could rely on if I wanted to talk about LGBT issues. I definitely matured from that experience by learning not to assume the worst of people.

There are genuine, serious reasons for Amherst students to stay in the closet. It can be justified for many different and complex reasons. My experience, as someone who came out at the beginning of first-year orientation, is likely very different from a gay student who has to come out to college friends who had assumed for a while that they were straight. Furthermore, some families may not be as accepting as mine. Even if students are ready to come out within the Amherst community, they may not be ready for that information to spread to their families.

Still, I urge anyone still struggling with their sexual orientation to really consider which risks represent real consequences if they come out and which ones are imagined or irrational. Unless the consequences are truly devastating, coming out should have less to do with contemplating the consequences of the decision. For me, it had everything to do with solely considering the benefits.

This article was first published in The Amherst Student “The Independent Newspaper of Amherst College since 1868.”

Clark University Hosts Conference on Female Mentoring Programs

Clark University is hosting a day long conference called All Kinds of Girls Conference as an opportunity to bring together individuals from schools that do not have female specific mentoring programs, as well as individuals from outside organizations who work to foster the development of young girls. The conference will focus on how other schools can start impactful programs similar to AKOG*, as well as the importance of fostering the socio-emotional development of adolescent girls.

When and where: The conference will be held at Clark University on April 6th, 2013 and will be a full day program.

Who should attend: Individuals from schools who are interested in starting a program similar to AKOG or who are interested in learning how they can help positively foster adolescent girls’ development.

*All Kinds of Girls (AKOG) is an all-female mentoring program that pairs undergraduate women with 9-12 year old girls from the local community. The aim of AKOG is to help the girls develop their individual identities while promoting self-expression, confidence and mutual understanding. The program runs throughout the academic year and takes place on Saturdays. For more information, visit our website at http://www.clarku.edu/departments/womensstudies/akog.

If interested: Please go to http://akogconference2013.wufoo.com/forms/all-kinds-of-girls-spring-conference-rsvp-form/ to RSVP by Monday, December 24^th, 2012.

Students call for campus dialogue: and resources, space for marginalized groups

An image from the facebook page of the Black Student Union, one of the many cultural groups on campus.

On Wednesday members of the Amherst community gathered in the Cole Assembly Room to discuss racism, diversity, and the climate on campus. President Martin called the meeting in response to a racist incident which occurred over the weekend. An Amherst student found the “N-word” written in the snow on top of a faculty member’s car, parked near campus.  In an email to the campus she wrote, “We cannot undo what is done, but we can call racism by its name, agree that it will not be tolerated on our campus, and counter it by doing more to create a culture that honors our differences and our shared humanity.”

The group that came,  approximately fifty people, was equally represented by students (who were majority people of color) and faculty and staff (who were majority white).  After a few opening remarks by President Biddy Martin, the floor was opened up to anyone who wanted to express ideas and concerns.

Students led the way, commenting on their experience at Amherst, and changes they hope for, while staff mostly listened and took notes.  Many students echoed the sentiment that the incident this weekend was part of a larger culture of racism. As one young woman put it “This did not prove to us that racism exists on campus, we already know it exists because we face it every day.” They warned against focusing on the specifics of this crime instead of analyzing the system as a whole.

Many students expressed disappointment over what they perceived as apathy on the part of their peers. One young woman noted that when issues of marginalization and equity arise on campus, there is always a small core group of people who participate in events such as this meeting. She thought that others may hold back out of fear of saying something un-politically correct, and urged for understanding during dialogue. Another student urged for more discussions and trainings that are mandatory for everyone. He noted that we are all in different phases of learning about power and oppression; and although some people may stay silent or appear to resist social justice rhetoric, these conversations can spark a small change.  Faculty shared that they are considering creating a mandatory course on these issues. Student life is looking at extending freshman orientation, or adding orientations for sophomores or juniors which deal with social justice.

A student shared her belief that conversations and workshops are not effective if we are not serious about punishing offenders. She expressed feeling unsafe when “we see things happening again and again with no consequence.” She explained that there are people walking around campus who feel entitled to, say, rape and assault others, and they will feel entitled until they are faced with real penalties.

The discussion moved to the issue of space for student organizations and affinity groups on campus, in particular the Multicultural Resource Center and the Women’s Center.  Currently these are housed in the basement of Keefe. Biddy Martin encouraged students to “dream big” and imagine what they would like to see. This meeting proved to me that with the sharp analysis and vision of students, and implementation and resources from administration, Amherst can become an inclusive space where diversity is celebrated and supported.

“Don’t Be That Guy” campaign targets perpetrators of sexual assault

A bold poster campaign, which targets the perpetrators of sexual assault instead of victims, has been re-launched in the city of Edmonton, after a successful run in 2010 which turned global.  The campaign was initiated by a group called Sexual Assault Voices of Edmonton, or SAVE, which includes partners as diverse as the local police department, Red Cross Canada, and the University of Alberta Women’s Studies department.

The poster’s core message is that “…sexual contact without ongoing and active consent is sexual assault,” explains Lise Gotell, chairwoman of Women’s Studies at the University of Alberta. This message comes across loud and clear through simple wording and striking images.

The first campaign focused on alcohol-related sexual assaults. In the relaunch SAVE decided to include posters on more diverse types of sexual assault. For example, one of the posters features two men.  “We wanted to expand this beyond the heterosexual audience. Sexual assault is also a problem in terms of same-sex sexual assault,” Gotell said.

You would think that the strategy of establishing a cultural norm of consent and reinforcing that anything else is assault would be more widely used. But unfortunately, most sexual assault prevention campaigns teach potential victims to restrict their behavior to avoid rape. The SAVE website notes, unsurprisingly, that research shows this strategy to be ineffective, and contributes to self-blame in survivors. Gotell mentions that “Our campaign places responsibility where it belongs — on the perpetrators.” How refreshing.

John McCain urges Republicans to Back Off Abortion

On Sunday John McCain came onto Fox news and urged Republicans to leave abortion discussions “alone.”  He stated that the Republican party needs to ‘have a bigger tent’ remarking: “There is no doubt whatsoever that the demographics are not on our side.” This was proved this election when extreme pro-life candidates like Todd Akin of Missouri and Richard Mourdock of Indiana, both of whom made offensive remarks when discussing rape exemptions, were defeated by Democrats.  When Fox host Chris Wallace asked McCain if that meant he would support “freedom of choice” he stated that “As far as young women are concerned, absolutely, I don’t think anybody like me — I can state my position on abortion but, other than that, leave the issue alone…”

Blackness and Utopia offered at UMass Spring Semester

Great looking course which will touch on genealogies of black feminism, as well as science fiction, fantasy, and Afrofuturism!

AfroAm 690E: Blackness and Utopia
Spring 2013, Afro-American Studies, UMass
Tuesdays, 2:30-5:00
New Africa House 302

Instructor: Britt Rusert

This course explores the vibrant history of utopian thought in Black Studies and African American literature and culture. It considers how the black radical tradition poses particular challenges to Western utopian thought as well as how the question of utopia might contribute to, or help to re-configure, the future(s) of Black Studies. Topics of discussion will include Afrofuturism, black science and speculative fiction, utopia and the black radical tradition, and blackness and metaphysics.

We will read fiction by Samuel Delany, Octavia Butler, Terry Bisson, W.E.B. Du Bois and Pauline Hopkins, as well as readings on utopia and utopianism in the black feminist and black radical tradition. We will also discuss the art and work of Adrian Piper, Kara Walker, Josephine Baker, Sun Ra, P-Funk, Grace Jones, and others.

If you are interested in registering for the course, please contact Britt Rusert at brusert@afroam.umass.edu