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Can Women Have It All?: Hesitant Feminism In American Women's Popular Writing, Anne Aramand

Graduate Masters Theses

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins are two of the bestselling series of our generation. These series are meeting widespread popularity just as the contemporary feminist debate of: "Can women have it all?" is occurring around the country. Although Twilight and The Hunger Games are not considered overtly feminist texts, they have emerged in a time when women are reexamining the possibility of empowering themselves both in the public and the domestic sphere. Meyer and Collins have introduced female protagonists that deal with precisely this issue.

First, I will be outlining why cultural studies are …

Toni Morrison’S Depiction Of Beauty Standards In Relation To Class, Politics Of Respectability, And Consumerism In Song Of Solomon, Karen Jensen

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In Song of Solomon, published during a transitional moment in the history of U.S. feminism, Toni Morrison portrays the destructive forces of hegemonic female beauty standards, materialism, and consumerism in a Midwestern African-American community from the 1930s to the 1960s. She reveals a hierarchy in which men define standards of beauty and respectability that enforce white bourgeois ideals. Focusing on five female characters, this thesis examines this hierarchy; the agents who maintain it; and the ways in which it affects female characters who accept and/or reject it. While one of the characters, Hagar, perishes in her attempt to live …

Nísia Floresta: Setting A Foundation For Feminist Literature In Brazil, Rachel Davidson Skinner

Theses and Dissertations

Many historians and literary critics recognize the nineteenth-century Brazilian author, Nísia Floresta, as the first feminist in Brazil. "Nísia Floresta é considerada a precursora dos ideais feministas no Brasil. Desde o início de sua carreira literária, a defesa dos direitos femininos foi o tema mais recorrente em sua obra"(Castro 250). Her works, published in Brazil and also in France and Italy, influenced women across borders. This thesis will address the discourse on maternity and education found in her works Opúsculo humanitário, Direitos das mulheres e injustiças dos homens, A mulher, and Conselhos à minha filha. Focusing on gender equality and …

Feminist And Non-Feminist Views On Milton's Interpretations Of Paradise Lost And Samson Agonistes: Comparing The Female Characters, Eve And Dalila, Carmen Thorley

Student Works

After the Bible, the most popular source for the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden would have to be Milton's Paradise Lost. The popularity of this classic epic has brought forth countless interpretations of the story as it was freshly illustrated with the fictional freedom that Milton took. It is likely---and widely believed---that Milton's own views on marriage and women have found their way into his writing, not only with Paradise Lost but with the tragedy Samson Agonistes as well. This paper will point out the effect this lens had on Milton's interpretation of his two …

Under The Queen’S Throne: Analysis Of The Lily Of Life, Seung Yeon Lana Lee

4710 English Undergraduate Research: Children’s Literature

This essay explores one of the older fairy tales that is not widely known by many people. The Lily of Life, published in 1913 and written by Queen Marie of Romania, touches on several topics that are still in effect in today’s society. The fairy tale is about a royal family with beautiful twin sisters and happily married queen and king; however, a brave young prince challenges the happiness. The adventure one of the sisters takes to save the prince reveals the hidden meanings, morals, and values of the story. The further research of author Seth Lerer has been …

Voices Raised, Issue 42, University Of Dayton. Women's Center

Women’s Center Newsletter

Included in this issue: The Adventure of a Lifetime; Follow Your Heart; It’s a Bird. It’s a Plane. No, it’s Mentor Woman; It would have killed you; Raise Your Awareness of Endometrial Cancer; Love Your Body Month; International Friendship Family.

Women, Feminism, And Aging In Appalachia, Sherry Kaye Ms.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aging has become a problem for men and women in Western societies where youth is touted and revered as a standard of success by which individual value is measured and esteemed. Older women in particular find that as they age they face discrimination in the form of ageism and social diminution. The purpose of the study is to remedy a lack of scholarship on aging in Appalachia and to establish a precedent for future studies. A liberal, feminist approach is used to analyze the results of recorded interviews and to interpret transcripts of relevant data. The results of the analysis …

Creating Female Space: The Feminine Sublime In The Awakening And The House Of Mirth, Emily F. Faison

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis examines the Edna Pontellier and Lily Bart, the respective protagonists of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth, integrating the theoretical concept of the sublime, particularly engaging Barbara Freemans’s idea of a feminine sublime, as discussed in her book, The Feminine Sublime: Gender and Excess in Women’s Fiction. In three chapters, the thesis provides an overview and brief history of the theory of the sublime, contextualizing Freeman’s argument, and measures the success of both Edna’s and Lily’s attempts to engage the sublime as they each struggle to find their place as women …

True Feminism: Identifying The Real Threats To Women, Cynthia Noland Dunbar

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Building Women’S Solidarity To Advance Women’S Rights In Bolivia, Luzdary Hammad

Master's Theses

This paper takes a historical look at the deep-seated ethnic and class divisions between women in Bolivia. It also examines the cultural challenges that help explain the status of women in Bolivia and the obstacles women face to become politically active. It provides the theories of decolonization and depatriachalization as practical ways Bolivia can move past their colonial and patriarchal history. It also looks into what feminism means overall in Latin America and what strategies Latin American women have used to make change for women. It then provides a political history of Bolivia from 1994 to the present giving the …

Performative Gender And Pop Fiction Females: "Emancipating" Byronic Heroines Through A Feminist Education, Joy Smith

Masters Theses

"I can be a regular bitch. Just try me." With this phrase emblazoned across her t-shirt, Lisbeth Salander, pierced, tattooed, and bedecked in leather, waltzes from the pages of Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This woman who subverts authority, maliciously tattoos and sodomizes a man, and intentionally distances herself from close relationships of any kind has somehow managed to capture both the attention and admiration of the American audience. This disheartening phenomenon stems from a renewed interest in the Byronic heroine, a female possessing those traits traditionally assigned to Byronic heroes and men, and the rise of …

Feminism And Child Custody Under Chapter Two Of The American Law Institute's Principles Of The Law Of Family Dissolution, Margaret F. Brinig

Margaret F Brinig

No abstract provided.

“Their Image Of Me”: A Phenomenological Study Of Professional Dress Choices Of Female Professors, Laura Abbasi

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

In recent years, scholarly attention to professional dress as a form of nonverbal communication has faded into the background. However, I believe professional dress is an important area of study, considering the changing conditions in the world of work. Therefore, I decided to conduct this phenomenological study of the dress choices of female professors at a small, liberal arts college to discover what professional dress did for them internally and professionally. The analysis of the data suggests that these women try to use dress to represent themselves as who they are internally, without losing sight of their image as a …

La Feminidad Como Objeto Artístico. Un Apunte Sobre Clayton Cubitt Y Su “Hysterical Literature”, Mariado Hinojosa

Mariado Hinojosa

No abstract provided.

Sisyphus Rolls On: Reframing Women's Ways Of “Making It” In Rhetoric And Composition, Kristin Bivens, Martha Mckay Canter, Kirsti Cole, Violet Dutcher, Morgan Gresham, Luisa Rodriguez-Connal, Eileen Schell

Harlot: A Revealing Look at the Arts of Persuasion

This is a multi-vocal, multi-institutional piece that examines ways women "make it" in rhetoric and composition. It is in the spirit of being more inclusive that we present our ideas about women's ways of making it in rhetoric and composition. This inclusiveness includes a written transcript of our audio narratives. Humbly, we present our work in this piece after four years of writing and revising in the work spaces we all know so well and offer several glimpses of the work women do as writing teachers. We honor all of the women who teach writing -- those who have made …

Voices Raised, Issue 41, University Of Dayton. Women's Center

Women’s Center Newsletter

Included in this issue: Career Services Adds New Talent and Experience; Be A Better You: Love Your Body Month; A Letter on Behalf of the “Kettering Labs Cat”; Migraine Headaches; Let Go of Waiting for a Different Weight: Good Health Can Exist at Every Size; Rays of Sunshine Through the Women’s Center; Successfully Balancing Life and Work.

Repunctuated Feminism: Marketing Menstrual Suppression Through The Rhetoric Of Choice, Carly S. Woods

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This essay examines the rhetoric of choice as it is used by direct-to-consumer campaigns to persuade women to limit menstruation through the consumption of oral contraceptives. Using the tools of feminist rhetorical criticism, I trace how choice is rhetorically constructed to suggest that menstrual suppression is a path to individual empowerment while co-opting second and post-second-wave rhetorics. Finally, I explore the meaning of these constructions of choice and suggest broader implications for ongoing feminist movements.

Talking Nonsense: Spiritual Mediums And Female Subjectivity In Victorian And Edwardian Canada, Claudie Massicotte

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study traces the development of mediumship in Canada in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Especially popular among women, this practice offered them an important space of expression. Concealing their own identities under spiritual possession, mediums ubiquitously invoked well-known historical figures in séances to transmit their opinions on current issues. As such, they were able to promote new ideas to interested audiences without claiming responsibility for their potentially controversial words.

While many studies have been conducted in the United States, Britain, and France regarding the significant role of mediumship in the emergence of women on the political scene, …

The Affective Economy Of Marriage: Or, No Spouse Left Behind, Brooke M. Beloso

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

True to form, Dean Spade & Craig Willse deliver a fierce critique of the liberal politics surrounding same-sex marriage from the left of left in their recent "Marriage Will Never Set Us Free." Following suit on a spate of similar such critiques from such collectives as Against Equality, Beyond Marriage, and their own I Still Think Marriage is the Wrong Goal, Spade & Willse eloquently and incisively lament the way in which "same-sex marriage advocacy... has made being anti-homophobic synonymous with being pro-marriage," and, in the process, cast "Left political projects of racial and economic justice, decolonization, and feminist liberation" …

The Legacy Of Jane Larson: The Politics Of Practicality And Surprise, Martha Ertman

Martha M. Ertman

Jane Larson's work and life enriched my own and others. Her intellectual framework - applying legal economic ideas of consent to feminist theory, backed up by legal history - suggest surprising practical solutions to problems ranging from the injuries of adultery and prostitution to housing in border towns.

Feminist Values And Pornography Consumption Amongst Women And Its Relationship To Sexual Self-Esteem And Body Esteem, Laura E. Burnham

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between women's pornography consumption, degree of feminist identification, and sexual and body self-esteem. Until recently, the literature on pornography use has maintained a heteronormative bias, largely focused on the male experience. The researchers conducting this study wished to better understand women's self-motivated pornography consumption and its possible impacts on various aspects of experience. Participants in this study were 109 women over the age of 18 years of age, living in the United States, who had willingly viewed pornography online within the past year. These participants completed an online survey. This sample group …

For Nontraditional Names' Sake: A Call To Reform The Name-Change Process For Marrying Couples, Meegan Brooks

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

In a large number of states, women are encouraged to take their husbands’ surnames at marriage by being offered an expedited name-change process that is shorter, less expensive, and less invasive than the statutory process that men must complete. If a couple instead decides to take an altogether-new name at marriage, the vast majority of states require that each spouse complete the longer statutory process. This name-change system emerged from a long history of naming as a way for men to dominate women. This Note emphasizes the need for name-change reform, arguing that the current system perpetuates antiquated patriarchal values …

Jamming The Machine: The Personal-Political In Annabel Nicolson’S Reel Time, K Parker

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.

An Autoethnographical Tapestry Of Feminist Reflection On My Journey Of A Fitness Model Physique, Stephanie A. Paplinskie

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Weight training and fitness competitions are increasingly popular activities for many women seeking an aesthetically fit body. This thesis entails a critical reflection of the various factors surrounding my personal decision to partake in body sculpting, examining how these factors parallel the experience of other women in the fitness industry. Using a feminist theoretical framework and autoethnography, a history of feminist theory is incorporated to demonstrate some of the various perspectives surrounding women bodies. Two challenges for women are discussed in this paper: i) the fear of fat, and how it is connected to a woman’s initial decision to attend …

Addressing Early Marriage: Culturally Competent Practices And Romanian Roma (“Gypsy”) Communities, Judith Hale Reed

Judith A Hale Reed

Early marriage affects many communities around the world. Examples of commonly practiced early marriage can be found today in the U.S., India, Syria, and many other places. Although most countries have instituted minimum age laws for marriage, so that legal marriage can only occur after an age set by law, early marriage is still practiced for tradition, control, security, and other reasons. This article explores the harms of early marriage and the international instruments meant to defend against these harms in Part II. Part III reviews theoretical perspectives from legal anthropology and presents a case study of early marriage in …

Mina Loy And The Electric Body, Debra Elizabeth Cardell

Masters Theses

Abstract Mina Loy, modernist poet and artist, experimented with theories of feminism and class within her own artwork. This creates a complex point of interpretation for the reader because of overlap and contradiction. The concept of ekphrasis, when manipulated for Loy’s context, opens possibilities of understanding Loy’s many contradictions. Since the body and material world play a central role in Loy’s art, ekphrasis is a lens through which we can begin to see the relationship between Loy’s art and writing along with her feminism.

A Feminist Action Research Project: Creating A Practical Support Program For The Georgia Reproductive Justice Access Network, Melinda Mckew

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses

The purpose of this feminist action research project was to produce a practical support volunteer training and manual for the Georgia Reproductive Justice Access Network (GRJAN). Founded in 2011, GRJAN is a grassroots, reproductive justice abortion fund that provides abortion funding and until 2012, practical support (lodging, transportation, and childcare) to low-income individuals seeking abortion services in Atlanta, GA. The resultant thesis is a reflective essay upon the project, documenting and analyzing the successes and failures of the project as well as discussing the limitations of pursuing feminist activist work within the academy.

Local Media Representations Of The Colombian Women’S Peace Movement La Ruta Pacífica De Las Mujeres, Elizabeth Anna Kersjes

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to analyze how the media in Colombia covers the events and campaigns of the pacifist women’s movement La Ruta Pacífica de las Mujeres. The movement was formed in 1996 to draw attention to violence against women and to call for a negotiated end to Colombia’s internal armed conflict through peaceful demonstrations. The study uses a series of semi-structured interviews with members of the movement and a content analysis of major print media stories about the movement to analyze press coverage and forms of representation. The analysis finds that large, powerful media outlets based …

The Invasive Kind, Christina Hjelm

Theatre & Dance ETDs

This essay will explore the representation of the Latin American female identity in Dramatic Narratives. It analyzes the sexualized Latina stereotype frequently portrayed in the media and discusses how I, as a Cuban American playwright, approach creating more authentic portrayals of the contemporary Hispanic American woman. Consequently, this paper contributes to research in the fields of performance studies, specifically identity politics and the politics of representation with further implications in dramatic theory and women's studies. The failing state of Latina representation on U.S. television must be addressed as English-language networks are presently striving to provide relatable programming to the growing …

Feminism And The Nation-State In Japan, Vera C. Mackie

Vera Mackie

The first Japanese edition of the book appeared at the height of debates about the interpretation of the Asia-Pacific War, debates which were also linked to conflicts about how the past should be represented in school textbooks.2 Much of this controversy revolved around the issue of enforced military prostitution/military sexual slavery.3 In 1991 Kim Hak-Sun (1924–1997) was one of the few women to come out in public in her own name to narrate her experiences in the enforced military prostitution system and demand an apology and compensation from the Japanese government. She was soon joined by survivors from Korea and …