The study of gender politics and issues has been central to my education for as long as I can remember. I was a bit of a gender bender, traditionally speaking, in elementary and middle school. I always had very short hair and was a bit boyish, though not in the least bit athletic, and I didn't mind at all the corresponding ostracism that it always seemed to bring me. I was preternaturally self-assured, which I credit to my mother's need to stress the incredible importance of self acceptance from a very early age. In high school and college, all of my papers relating to "issues" usually linked themselves to my abhorrence for homophobia and gender inequity. I read Susan Brownmiller, Margaret Atwood, Susan Sontag, Inga Muscio, on and on, and I was obsessed. Though I was planning to major in English Literature, I knew, on a personal level, that gender politics would always come before my love of Walt Whitman, T.S. Eliot, Kant, Goethe, and the like, so here we are.
I had been aware of my peers trying to push me into constructed gender roles, but I was privileged enough to have progressive parents who did just the opposite, letting me dig around in the dirt wearing overalls practically from the time I could walk. The idea that other people weren't afforded this opportunity, to live outside of culturally constructed gender roles, was extremely bothersome to me, although I didn't really consider the consequences concerning deviation from traditional masculine gender roles until I met my boyfriend. His influence, as he is frankly often more sensitive than I am and has suffered the consequences from his peers not being receptive to this perceived "softness," has led me to view gender-based social constructs as detrimental by both tokens.
At this point in my life, I view a lot of my choices concerning my gender and sexuality to be progressive on a very personal level. My comfort zone has become much more traditionally feminine (i.e. I will always prefer wearing a dress over pants, and I have become incredibly domestic, to the point where I plan to procure a second bachelor's in Culinary Arts after I finish at UCF), and I feel incredibly privileged to be able to make these choices on my own, rather than being forced into a compulsory domestic situation. I know I owe that to feminism. Additionally, I don't view any of my opinions as defined by or tied to my gender, and I think I can credit that to the advances of the women's movement as well. I am a (cis) woman, but unlike Simone de Beavoir and the women of her age, I believe I am offered the luxury not to be defined by this, although perhaps saying so is youthful idealism.
As for what I want to learn about Women's Studies, I hope to be a sponge in all of my classes (I'm taking Intro, Third Wave Feminisms, Theories of Masculinity, and Professor Tweed's Research in Women and Gender, and I'm sure there will be a lot of overlap). Because I've already read a lot of theory on my own time (currently reading The Feminine Mystique to brush up on my second wave history/theory) and know the history pretty well, I expect to learn more in the service learning component of this class, as I'm a bit lazy and activism is a challenging idea for me, truthfully. I guess time will tell, but I couldn't be more excited.
Here's a bit of my life in pictures. As I mentioned, I cook, so I think it would be apropos to include photo documentation.
Mascarpone-filled cake with sherried berries for my dad's birthday.
Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Thai coconut sauce, jasmine rice, and Thai cucumber salad.
Pavlova with lemon curd and mixed berries.
And since I directly mentioned him, here's a picture of my boyfriend and me. He's my best friend and probably my greatest personal influence, so pardon me if I reference him often, or if I'm unintentionally quite verbose.
Oh, and I have read, understood, and agreed to the terms of the course syllabus and the blogging protocols.
Regards,
Patricia
