I Knew It!

I have really enjoyed the articles for this week.  The reading just keep getting better and better!  My favorites so far: Judith Butler's Beside Oneself and The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm by Koedt.  When I first saw the title of Koedt's article, I yelled out, "I knew it!"  :)  I have long wondered about the idea of 2 types of female orgasms and why one was so elusive.  I would go back and forth between feeling sexually inferior to my female counterparts who claimed to experience them (what was wrong with me?) and later convinced they were lying to cover their own feelings of inadequacy.  After reading this article and doing further research on the matter this week, I'm convinced it's a myth - and a bullshit one at that!

Judith Butler's article, although not an easy read, was very thought provoking.  Her idea that people are not solely autonomous but in our interactions with others we "become" for and of the other.  I plan to explore this further and probably re-read this article to fully comprehend her theory.

I watched Miss Representation this week and loved it!  (It can be viewed on our website temporarily http://www.usu.edu/womenandgender/)  What an amazing documentary.  This is something that I have been aware of and angry about for sometime and it's nice to see that there is a movement to end it, although it seems like an uphill and long battle.  I'm happy to say that I'm making an effort - I don't purchase magazines or tabloids and TV is not allowed at our house.  I talk to my son about these issues when they arise (at a 1st grade level) but I recognize that I'm fighting our entire society and culture in these discussions.