Very Young Girls Reminder: TOMORROW!

Very Young Girls Movie Screening - RSVP via Facebook

Location:Kimmel 909

Time:7:00PM Wednesday, November 18th

"National Organization for Women at NYU invites you to join us for a screening of Very Young Girls, an expose of human trafficking that follows thirteen and fourteen year old American girls as they are seduced, abused, and sold on New York’s streets by pimps, and treated as adult criminals by police. The film follows the barely-adolescent girls in real time, using vérité and intimate interviews with them as they are first lured on to the streets and the dire events which follow. The film also uses startling footage shot by the brazen pimps themselves giving a rare glimpse into how the cycle of street life begins for many women. The film identifies hope for these girls in the organization GEMS (Girls Education and Mentoring Services), a recovery center founded and run by Rachel Lloyd, herself a survivor of sexual exploitation. Although this event is free, donation will be accepted and greatly appreciated. All donations go directly to the GEMS and the Girls Are Not For Sale campaign! Snacks will be provided! Learn more at http://www.gems-girls.org/girlsarenotforsale.html#Synopsis

November 11th, 2009 Meeting Recap

Hi ladies,

Today we discussed negative and positive media portrayals of women by bringing in images and video clips that revealed/reinforced sexualizing images as well as empowering ones. If you were not able to attend the meeting, or wish to reevaluate them, you can download the pictures here. Just enter the verification code shown. Some of the discussion points raised were:

• In sexualizing images, how can we distinguish between a woman who is taking control of her sexuality versus a woman who is being rendered a sexual object?
  
• Has categorization/objectification of women also been applied to men by powerful female artists? If so, what effect does this have in both reinforcing inequality and also being a reflective tool in "turning the tables" in society?
  
• How has the idea of "real" beauty emerged in popular culture in campaigns like the Dove campaign or in the efforts of plus-size models? Do these efforts have any setbacks? (Dove campaign and airbrushing).
  
• Does rap/hip hop culture degrade women, or does it just reveal the lifestyle of musical artists realistically? (Example: Snoop Dog and the women surrounding him. Are they trophies, or are they the facts of such a lifestyle?)
  
• How has the terminology of rap culture been translated to empower rather than to degrade women? Have women successfully taken "bitch" back or should these terms be avoided altogether?
  
• How does this terminology affect the way women perceive each other and themselves? Are we still "feminist" if we enjoy the music this culture yields?
  
• Are women who surround the powerful rappers in music videos empowering themselves, or are they mere objects on a screen?
  
• Sex trafficking portrayal of the "JOURNEY" art exhibit held on campus.
  

REMINDER: Next week we will probably be doing the "Very Young Girls" fundraising event. Room and other details TBA.

Please join us next week again & remember there is no meeting on the day before Thanksgiving.

Thanks again for an insightful discussion :)

--Shahida

November 4th Meeting Recap!

Hey ladies,

This evening we discussed plans for next week as well as the tragedy that happened yesterday at NYU, the suicide of a NYU student at Bobst library.

On behalf of everyone at NOW-NYU, we encourage our members to consider our meetings as an open forum where suicidal thoughts or issues of any kind of self-harm can be expressed freely without censure, at any time and place to any one of our officers or the club as a whole. Though President Sexton has expressed that the community of NYU will embrace you with open arms, we are apprehensive about this elusive definition of a "close-knit" community. Instead, we'd like to emphasize existing communities instead of relying on an abstract idea of an entire NYU community. The truth is, we are more separated at NYU than we'd like to think, both by the busy city life and the disconnectedness between neighboring schools. It is the smaller communities, like dorm communities, the commuter community or clubs like this one that bring us together in an interactive and meaningful way. Issues like suicide must be addressed in a VALIDATING and supportive environment which consider suicide in a holistic manner. So please bring any thoughts, ideas or initiatives you have about this at ANY meeting.

It is our number one priority as NOW members and NYU students to support each other in any way that we possibly can and CHALLENGE the stigma of suicide by creating a running dialogue that encourages people to reach out for help when they need it.

If you would like to discuss the recent suicide, please attend the Open Forum Event hosted by the Icarus Project, tomorrow, November 5th at 6:00 PM, 9th Floor Lobby. The discussion is not restricted and is a chance for NYU students to share their thoughts freely on this powerful subject.

NOW-NYU and other Upcoming Events:


Next NOW-NYU meeting - We will be discussing degrading media portrayals of women with the help of the NOW's Hall of Shame. If you wish to contribute, please bring depictions or images which you find offensive to women.

November 18th - Very Young Girls fundraising event. Join us for this provacative documentary about the victims of sex trafficking and donate money to help these young women.

Phi Delta Epsilon will be holding their yearly ANAD (Aneroxia and Associative Disorder) Vigil on November 20th, Friday night in Washington Square Park. Come and show your support for survivors and victims of eating disorders.

Women's Herstory Month in March - The committee for Women's Herstory Month is looking for NOW-NYU recruits to help out once every two weeks, to evaluate the events held for the month. We already have many volunteers but more can't hurt. If interested, contact Julie.

December 9th, last meeting - We will be doing movie night. Movie night is all about watching a kickass feminist film that makes you feel empowered, so if you have any suggestions, bring them to the next meeting!

No meeting before the week of Thanksgiving.

Take care of yourselves, and continue to be thoughtful about what has happened. Remember that you have the power to continue/change/shape the dialogue about the important issue of suicide. You also have the power to reach out for help to any NOW members.

Thanks guys!

--Shahida

NOW-NYU Love Your Body Day Recap!

Hi ladies,

We had an AWESOME time mindfully meditating, sharing personal struggles with body image, pledging and handing out 300 condoms near the West 4th Station!!! Issues explored in body struggles were: weight, height, skin color, unhealthy diets and self-harm. If you couldn't participate, make sure you pledge to do something to benefit your body this year. It could be as small as getting more exercise, drinking more water, or something even more valuable like abolishing self-destructive eating habits. A simple pledge everyone should make: look in the mirror everyday and tell yourself you're beautiful.

As for meditation, there are plenty of resources online, including NYU's own Student Health Center website on Mindfulness Resources located here. This website includes weekly relaxation classes, meditation mp3s and advice for mindfulness. Even if you don't have time to do an hour-long meditation every day, just taking ten minutes to focus on your breath and body daily literally changes the way your brain reacts to stress. Mindful meditation relieves stress levels over time so you're not constantly overflowing your cup of stress over fight-or-flight responses to obstacles. Remember - mindful meditation is NOT about emptying the mind - quite the contrary. It is about taking the focus back to the present moment by noticing bodily sensations and/or breath. The best thing about mindfulness is that it helps you ENJOY life as it happens, and not dwell on the past or worry about the future.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: THIS SATURDAY from 8 AM-12 PM is your last chance to participate in the PRO-CHOICE MOVEMENT at Dr. Emily's Health Clinic for Women in the South Bronx. More info on location and times can be found here. There are already signs and chants ready for you when you get there :) Julie and other NOW members will be attending, so e-mail them for any other details. Take the 6 train to 149th St and the clinic is right there!

Happy Love Your Body Day -- REMEMBER TO LOVE IT THE RIGHT WAY by being safe and mindful :)

--Shahida

Love Your Body Day TOMORROW!

Hi ladies,

Just a reminder that we will be having our LOVE YOUR BODY DAY celebration tomorrow. A change in plans has also occurred - we will not be doing self-defense lessons. Instead, we will start out the meeting with a ten minute meditation and discussion of how we pledge to love our bodies this year, followed with condom distribution to the public! Meditation helps unite body and mind, lowers stress and helps us become mindful in daily activities. Even if you are a beginner, we will use a meditation guide that can be used by anyone - beginners and experts alike. As you know, engaging in safe sex practices is also another one of the main components of loving our bodies, so we will be spreading the love right after our pledges. :)

Healthy snacks will be served. As usual, Wednesday, 7 PM, Kimmel 909...don't be late and feel free to bring a guest.

:)

--Shahida

October 21st Meeting Recap

Hey pretty babes,

Thanks to Alicia Keyes, this meeting was a small gathering, but still an awesome one. We discussed the success of our fundraising for the Breast Cancer Walk, totaling to an amazing amount of over $1500!! Pat yourself on the back, ladies! The Breast Cancer Walk was, as you know, cancelled due to the low turnout of the feministas that showed up as well as the unappealing rain. However, though we weren't present at the walk, we've raised big bucks for the cause, so there :) We also discussed the wonderful Sabrina Chap who will be making a follow-up workshop with us next semester! Thanks Sabrina -- you rock :)

Some upcoming events:

Love Your Body Day, next Wednesday 7 pm Kimmel 909 - We are planning to do self-defense lessons next meeting. We will also be making pledges on how we plan to love our body this year. Please come and feel free to bring a guest :)

40 Days of Choice still has 2 weeks left to go. This is a counter-movement to the pro-life movement which intimidates clients outside of Dr. Emily's Health Clinic for women in South Bronx. This Saturday, from 8 AM-12 PM, just take the 6 train to 149th St. and the clinic is right there. More info on location and times can be found here. Julie will be attending so be sure to let her know if you are going. There are already signs and chants ready for you when you get there :)

Health Care Reform Teach-In at Columbia University. 7-9 PM. Doors open at 6:30 P.M. 722 Rosenfield building. Main entrance #1 at Mallow School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th St. Demistify the debate about health care reform and educate yourself about how it affects women.

Greenwich Hotel Movie Night October 23rd, 8 PM. LL 636 Greenwich St. Join us for snacks and a screening of Hairspray!

“Women Who Kill Their Batterers.” Panel discussion. Thursday, October 29th, 4:30-6:00 PM. Fordham University.

Tantric Sex Workshop 8:00 - 9:30 pm, Kimmel 602
Students will engage in a hands-on workshop on Urban Tantra as well as examine the history of Tantric sexual practices.

Intimate Partner Violence Conference. November 12th and 13th, 4 pm registration until 9 pm at Kimmel. Join educators in a holistic view of domestic violence. Click here for more information. Here is the agenda: http://www.nyu.edu/cvr/conference/agenda.html. Student rates are discounted to $25.

For the rest of the semester:

• Discussion of media portrayals of women with offensive/empowering ads
• Rage Through Page Follow-up Workshop with Sabrina
• Movie screening of Very Young Girls -- Fundraising event, all donations go to GEMS.
• No rally before Take Back the Night.
• REMINDER: No meeting on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving!

For next semester:

• Sex Toy Workshop -- An exciting event which will go through the variety of sex toys avaliable for your pleasure.
• Take Back the Night -- Empower yourselves with a march/rally that celebrates survivors of sexual abuse.
• American Cancer Society's Relay for Life -- Join the largest fundraising event to end cancer.
  
  See you all next week for Love Your Body Day!!!
  
  --Shahida

Icarus Presentation - October 14th, 2009 Meeting

Hey ladies,

We had our Icarus Presentation by the awesome Sabrina Chapadijev, who discussed the struggles of authors and artists from her book, Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction and how these struggles embodied the link between self-destruction and creativity. From provacative performance artists like Annie Sprinkle to insightful playwrghts like Carolyn Gage, Sabrina explored how self-destruction should not be labelled black-and-white "bad" - instead, it should be seen as a mechanism of coping. However, she also reiterates that the same amount of energy used in self-destruction can be converted to creative energy.

Important themes/discussion points:

• Isolation - There is solitude in self-destruction, like cutting. But there is also a positive isolation like writing in your room, what Sabrina calls "rage through the page." Putting your pen to the page can be cathartic and less harmful than choosing to hurt yourself.
• Political Consciousness - Tired of how the media is selling papers by the tragedies happening to women all over the world? So is HotHead Paisan. Express your rage at all the injustice against women, and you may just become a homicidal lesbian terrorist, too.
• Shame - We are often taught to feel ashamed about our bodies or who we are. Those who don't fit the superskinny model stereotype, those who are born as men who want to be women, those who defy gender stereotypes are discriminated and criticized on a daily basis, constantly preventing them from pursuing what they want to do. Shame creates self-destruction, and self-destruction creates shame.
• Myth of the Suicidal Female Poet - What do you do when all your feminist heroes all kill themselves? Sabrina discussed how there is a "gang mentality" in self-destruction, in which different self-destructive groups (the alchoholics, the smokers, the cutters) form cliques that cultivate the character of the tragic artist -- as Sabrina put it, "We want to show people that, 'Yeah, I hurt that much.'"
• Power and Control - Yet with that self-destruction comes a sense of power. As Sabrina said, men and women in general react differently to stress: "Guys say 'fuck you,' women say, 'fuck me!'" Males express themselves aggressively, straightforwardly, while females are forced to keep it all within. The pain that women feel thus comes out in self-destructive behaviors such as cutting, which provides a map that provides a physical manifestation of how much they hurt, and also establishes a control they feel they cannot achieve otherwise in life. They feel control over their bodies, they are now the only ones who can hurt themselves.
• Choice - We have a choice. To feel power through self-destruction or through creativity. To kill ourselves or to invent ourselves. To medicate genius or to abolish it completely. The choice, of course, is much more nuanced and complicated than these dichotomies suggest. Do we keep our madness? Do we use it? Each person must make that choice on their own, while being aware that they can replace their self-destruction with their own creation.
• Formation - What is formation? Using our emotional pain as nourishment for our creativity. Formation is the stage in which previous invalidation and pain becomes a pathway to salvation, reflection and modes of expression. As Sabrina puts it, "It's harnessing your rage, realizing it's yours, and finding a way to annunciate it is what saves you." So save yourself. Start today. Instead of cutting, write. Instead of drinking, draw. Instead of dying, live through this.

For more on Sabrina and her book, as well as the authors/artists involved, please visit the websites below:

http://www.sabrinachap.com/LTT - Official website for Sabrina's book.
http://www.myspace.com/livethroughthis2008 - Sabrina's personal blog.

You can also e-mail Sabrina with questions or comments at livethroughthis2008@yahoo.com.

THERE WILL BE A RAGE-TO-PAGE WORKSHOP FRIDAY MAY 2ND! This is an actual workshop which will be interactive. "Nobody wants to talk about it in a real way- why women actually cut, starve or drug themselves, what it feels like, and why it is so socially acceptable to self-destruct. Based on the essays of her newest collection, "Live Through This: The Art of Self-Destruction", Editor/Playwright Sabrina Chapadjiev will be leading a workshop on the themes that surround self-destruction: shame, power, and control, as well as ways to channel self-destructive behaviors into creative ones." More information here.

*Breast Cancer Walk was cancelled.

See you next week and thanks to those who attended this special event!

--Shahida