Category: Uncategorized

This is what I posted:

‼️Did you know that 5.8 billion tampons were bought in the U.S in 2018?‼️

The average female person will menstruate for 6 ½ years/2400 days of their lifetime, have an average of 396 total periods and use up to 15,000 or more of menstrual products.

That’s a lot of period and a lot of pads and tampons which are mostly made of plastic. ☹️
Most of these used products end up in landfills or the ocean and washup along beaches.

👉🏻During a beach clean up in New Jersey (in 2013) volunteers collected thousands of plastic tampon applicators washed up on the beach.

🙌🏻The solution is to use eco-friendly products. Luckily places like Target have made these products easily accessible and easy on the wallet.

Here are some links to my favorites:

🌿🌿L. Organic Pads and Tampons
✔️Organic Cotton
✔️For Every L. product purchased one is made accessible to a person who needs it
✔️Cruelty Free

Find it here>>>
https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=l

.

🌺🌺7TH Generation Pads & Tampons
✔️Biodegradable applicator
✔️Organic Cotton

👉🏻Find it here
https://www.target.com/s…

🌸🌸Kora Pads and Tampons
✔️Organic Cotton
✔️non-applicator option for tampon

👉🏻Find it here
https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=kora+pads+and+tampons

🌱🌱NatraCare Pads and Tampons
✅100% Plastic Free
Made with biodegradable carboard applicator for tampons
✅100% Organic Cotton

👉🏻Find it here
https://www.luckyvitamin.com/sb-natracare-pads-and-tampons

#plasticfreeperiod #noplasticperiod #normalizemenstruation #loveyourbody #normalizeperiod

 

Some additional reading:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/…/how-tampons-pads-bec…/…

https://www.bustle.com/p/9-unusual-period-products-that-can…

https://www.natracare.com/…/6-reasons-to-choose-organic-ta…/

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/alternative-period-supplies

https://www.natracare.com/…/how-much-plastic-in-sanitary-p…/

https://www.huffpost.com/ent…/period-cost-lifetime_n_7258780

 

 

 

Results:

There were a few likes and a few comments. In the post, I only included links to some products widely available at Target and another brand available online. Most of the people who liked my post were female and there was one male. To my surprise, someone commented that another solution could be to use cloth pads and she gave an Etsy link and mentioned that some stores sell them now too. She said she had been using cloth pads since 2014 and loved them.

Another person commented to use the diva cup. I thought these were both great because I had mentioned that I could include other options but I didn’t and people mentioned them anyway.

Another woman buys her pads at CVS or Walmart and uses the colorful packaged ones (Kotex brand) after reading that tampons weren’t that healthy to use.

Someone who had used the Diva Cup before tried it and decided it wouldn’t work for her lifestyle. She said that although you could save money because a diva cup is only $30 as opposed to buying disposable tampons and pads all the time, that it’s messy and slightly time-consuming to figure out and not easy to incorporate in her everyday busy life (she said you have to be pretty flexible to insert it which may not be for everyone).

Someone else who had mentioned the reusable washable cloth pads but that it’s time-consuming to wash, and that you would need space/ a designated area to wash it. For those living in tight quarters, a room, or a small apartment it’s not ideal because you need a soaking area and hanging/drying area. If she had the time, space, and extra cash to buy a bunch of reusable pads then she would do it because it definitely would reduce waste.

Another person said she uses the Kora brand (which was a brand I had suggested on my post), and another person said she also uses the Natrabrand (I think this brand was the best one because it’s 100% plastic-free) and the L. Pads & Tampons (another one that I suggested in my post).

 

Was it successful:

I’m not sure if it was successful. Some may not have wanted to comment because I’m not sure how many people are comfortable talking about pads/tampons on Facebook. However, I think it was successful on bringing awareness because, for example, some people knew that tampons were wasteful bad for the body to use but not how wasteful it was and what the stats were. I was surprised to find that 90% of a pad is made of plastic. Money and time seemed to be a big factor as well so having a standard product that easily available seemed like a good option.

 

IDEA

Feminine menstrual products are environmentally wasteful. Changing the products that are used every month is a simple and easy way to limit waste. For example, in 2018, 5.8 billion tampons were purchased in the U.S. Many tampons that are flushed down the toilet can end up in the oceans, and although the plastic applicator on the tampon is recyclable it is not accepted at recycling plants because of sanitary reasons. From plastic wrapping being apart of packaging, to plastic adhesive or plastic wings on pads, many parts of the pads and tampons are composed of plastic. One solution is the menstrual cup or a reusable pad, there are also menstruation underwear. One could also use organic tampons and natural pads which are also better for the body doesn’t have harmful chemicals during farming which is also better for wildlife.

PLAN

Activist post on my Facebook page about the environmental waste of feminine products like pads and tampons. The first image will be a “Did You know?”. It will explain the amount of environmental waste used from feminism products as well as facts about where used products end up, that they are not recyclable, how many are purchased every year, etc. The second image will be a 3 or 5-way plan/infographic on how everyone can easily implement environmental-friendly practices during menstruation with URL’s included on where to find products and links to sources and where to buy more ecofriendly options.

 

The goal is to help people switch to more environmentally conscious feminine products. I think the plan would be effective because for those who may not know about the harmful effects of these products can learn quickly about it on Facebook with links. Some of the options are easy to implement such as just switching to organic/plastic free pads and tampons which are widely available now at large box stores like Target and for those who would like to really make a big difference can switch to the diva cup for example.

 

A lot of these readings involve both the oppression of women and the degradation of nature, as well as violence towards women who stand up for the protection of the environment. For example, in the article on The Guardian by Sam Levin, Native American women lead the protests against the Dakota Access pipeline. However, it’s not just the protests that demonstrated these inequalities. “Native tribal leaders have also repeatedly argued that oil booms in states
like North Dakota have had dire consequences for indigenous women.” Highly-paid oil workers live in “so-called man-camps”, and has lead to more “human trafficking, assault, rape and drug crimes”, toward indigenous women. Meanwhile, native American leaders argue that law enforcement has failed at prevented and prosecuting these crimes.1 This is an example of the degradation of nature. Since we know the toll/pollution on the environment from mining/fracking along with the oppression of women who are oppressed by their skin color, class, religion, gender as a community.

Another interesting environmental feminism approach is the Green Belt movement in Africa that was founded on Earth Day in 1977. The woman who started it, Wangari Maathai brings up a good point that women in these African communities are most aware of the environmental degradation from water to food because they are taking care of their children/families. From finding new water sources to growing food. The Green Belt movement taught women how to plant/grow trees and then eventually collecting seeds themselves which helped with the soil erosion, and also provided firewood. This movement was easily accessible/applicable to women to implement and they had planted more than 20 million trees in Kenya alone. This is a deeper problem as well that stems from the government and in this case a dictatorship that controlled information (created inequality in class, education etc..).

On a Facebook post I saw from the Dartmouth Guide, they reposted a photo and caption from someone on Earth Day. They went to Round Hill Beach during low tide to see if they “could find any litter” and ”clean up the beach”. To their “surprise” it was spotless. When I saw this post I had to roll my eyes because Round Hill Beach is in a privileged area.

For context, Round Hill Beach is situated in South Dartmouth (a wealthier area of Dartmouth), and between Salter’s Point and the Round Hill Beach houses/mansion, etc..). It would be like saying ‘let’s go clean up the streets of Nonquit’, another nearby privileged community. Instead, it would have made more sense to drive 5-10 minutes to Clarks Cove in New Bedford on the border of Dartmouth, or even Fort Tabor/New Bedford Harbor where the community is less privileged because of class/wealth/status and clean up the real trash along the beach! You have to ask yourself well why is Round Hill Beach Spotless but Clarks Cove/New Bedford harbor isn’t and the difference is because Round Hill Beach is surrounded by a privileged community (wealth/class/more time). I think time is also a privilege as well. If you don’t have enough time to keep up with just everyday life then why would you consider cleaning up a dirty beach or to notice that it’s dirty in the first place?

I agree that behind the material deprivations/cultural losses of the marginalized and poor lie the deeper issues of disempowerment and/or environmental degradation, for example, an article on Vice.com shows children in Recife swimming in a garbage-filled canal picking cans to sell. Which also highlights not just the issue of environmental pollution but also poverty.

 

 

1. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/04/dakota-access-pipeline-protest-standing-rock-women-police-abuse
2. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kwpwja/the-brazilian-slum-children-who-are-literally-swimming-in-garbage-0000197-v21n1
3. http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/wangari-maathai/key-speeches-and-articles/speak-truth-to-power

A person’s identity is made of multiple categories such as white, female, female, skin color, class, attractiveness, speaking English as a first language, speaking English as a second language, to name a few. Intersectionality looks at these different parts that make up someone’s identity and view the ways that they are oppressed or privileged within each category. For example, someone may be light-skinned (privileged) but also be a poor woman ( oppressed by class status and gender). Someone could have multiple aspects of their identity that are oppressed or multiple ways that they are privileged or a combination of both,

The ecofeminist interconnected ”Web” perspective takes this idea of identity/intersectionality and applies to ecofeminism (the environment and feminism). For example, someone who may be female (oppressed) may be privileged because of whiteness, class, education, etc may have greater accessibility, support and perspective regarding abortion than a woman who is oppressed not only by being female but also by being poor (limited access to healthcare) and being uneducated (unaware of the options, unaware of the larger toll on the planet of having multiple children).

Another example could be access to quality, organic/all-natural, cruelty-free products. There is a huge difference between beauty products available at Target vs. Walmart. Target has more options for all-natural, healthy products than Walmart. An investment advising/news website, Business Insider mentions that “Walmart has always been the home of the cost-conscious low-to middle-income consumer, but Placer-ai found that Target sees 18% more of its customers earning $100,000 a year or more than Walmart does.” In this perspective of class oppression, Walmart which has lower-income consumers don’t have readily available access to many higher quality beauty products that may be,  1 – better for the environment and 2 – better for the body. One example of a product is organic or all-natural pads or tampons. Target offers three or four healthier brands while Walmart does not offer any in-store. We know that pads and tampon waste are detrimental to the environment, (oppression) and that because Walmart’s customer generally makes less money, their customers do not have access to the same quality of feminine hygiene products that Target does because of their class oppression or education about the products available. Also according to a business insider the majority of people who shop at both Walmart and Target are white, however, more Black people shop at Walmart than Target and more Hispanic people shop at Target than Walmart at both Retail stores 75% of the shoppers are women. With that said, having these products NOT available at places like Walmart is a clear result of gender, class, and racial oppression. According to the blog Black Feminist Thought 2016, black women are at the “front lines” of environmental degradation.

 

Bibliography:

1. Stats on race, gender, age, and the income of shoppers at Target and Walmart. https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-shopper-demographics-2016-10

2. Average shoppers that go to Target vs. Walmart. https://reviews.cheapism.com/target-vs-walmart/

Norgaard and York’s main point is that if more women were involved in the policies of the government that there would be greater environmental enforcement in place. Research suggests that women “have different values than men” and are more likely to be more concerned about the environment than men are.1

• Women have been socialized to be caregivers
• Women have been socialized to be nurturing
• Women have different views on what is considered hazardous
• Women are involved in more environmental movements

However, they also maintain that even though the research might prove that women are more concerned with the environment – the above is not a complete list of factors.

Furthermore, states/governments with less environmental protection policy also have a connection with gender discrimination and oppression of women. Likewise there is a correlation with increased representation of women within government and increased environmental protection policies.

The two Countries this article looks further into for examples are Sweden and Indonesia which are both modernized countries with high standards of living. Indonesia has limited women representation in government whereas in Sweden there is gender equality,and  higher women representation. One result of this correlation is that Sweden is ranked highest and Singapoor has one of the poorest environmental scores.

In 1999 the percentage of gender equality in government was 42.7% and ranked top 1 in the world with Denmark, Norway and The Netherlands close behind.

Interestingly enough – the article points out that modernization lead to more environmental policies but also that modernization leads to environmental degradation which they label as an “ironic situation”. They advise that although there might be a country/state/government with environmental protections in place that it is also environmentally responsible.

 

 

 

 

Website #1

https://www.eli.org/vibrant-environment-blog/leadership-women-environmental-movement

The first website that further illustrates the connection between women and environmental policies is an article from the Environmental Law Institute.

• Women in major environmental policies in history
• Environmentalism began during the early 1800s, as a result of the industrial revolution which due to the factories the air and water were becoming extremely polluted. (This is an interesting observation in relation to Norgaard and York’s point about how this is an ironic situation. Where more industrialization, globalization leads to more pollution and more pollution while globalization and industrialization also create more environmental policies.)

 

• Groups were formed in response most notably with women in the forefront although denied political positions of power.
• A few women of the environmental movement include:
  • Lady Bird Johnson who helped advocate for the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, The Wilderness Act of 1964, and The Land and Water Conservation Fund.
  • Mollie Beattie who added wildlife refuges.
  • Carol Martha Browner who was the second female Administrator of the EPA from 1993 -2001. She was also the director of the White House’s Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy from 2009-2011.
  • Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970.
  • Christine Todd Whitman was the third female Administrator of the EPA from 2001 to 2003.
  • Hilda Lucia Solis promoting environmental justice in regard to health care, economic development, and education within communities.
• History shows there is a clear connection between women and the progress of environmental policies, protections, and groups.

 

 

Website #2

https://truthout.org/articles/why-we-need-more-women-involved-in-creating-environmental-policy/

The second website that further illustrates the connection of women in environmental policies is an article on Truthout.org titled, “Why We Need More Women Involved in Creating Environmental Policy”.

This article also coincides with Norgaard and York statement that women are more prone to support environmental policies than men. “In 2014, researchers from the University of Melbourne found a significant link between gender and environmental identity, showing that women are more likely to strive for environmental protection.”

They also bring up another interesting perspective on gender. Since gender is not as cut and dry as just male/female because most studies have been conducted on the two most dominant male/female genders it would be interesting to see what the results of transgender or genderqueer people would entail. “Perhaps future studies will give us a deeper understanding of the full impact of gender and sexual orientation on policy development.”

This article mentions some statistics of women in politics with Europe ranking at 29-37% representation while in the US a mere 20% of women representation, a notable clear lag in the gender gap.

On a more hopeful note: “The direction of change is slow, but there is a movement toward democratization and including women in the policy process. There clearly needs to be more awareness and emphasis on the importance of including women and other disenfranchised groups in the policy process, and even the research aspect of it”.

 

Statistic: The US is rated 75/193 countries worldwide for female representation in government as of March 5th, 2019.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/04/the-us-ranks-75th-in-womens-representation-in-government.html

 

Abortion

I agree with Hawkins’ argument for pro-choice and further agree that pro-choice is the “pro-life” choice.

Overpopulation

At the time Ronnie Zoe Hawkins wrote the article, “Reproductive Choices: The Ecological Dimension” in 1993, the world population was between 5 and 6 billion people. Today, in 2020, the world population reaches between 7.7 billion. According to World O Meter, the percentage of births are 58% higher than deaths. The environmental perspective is that the planet’s resources cannot support a large human population. There is also a strong link between overpopulation and increasing factors of environmental damage.

I think this article gives a nice overview of the environmental effects of overpopulation. Below are some of the environmental impacts of overpopulation.

1. Depletion of natural resources

2. Habitat destruction

3. Climate change and global warming

4. Loss of biodiversity

5. Pollution

6. Pandemics and epidemics

That last point is intriguing considering the recent spread of COVID-19/Coronavirus. This article that was published in BBC News at the end of January 2020,  explains how outbreaks of new diseases will become “more of a problem in the future as climate change and globalism alter the way animals and humans interact”. Although it assures that “humans have always caught diseases from animals”, that changes in the environment are speeding up the process and can spread more quickly. The more that humans change the environment, disrupt ecosystems, the more opportunities for infectious diseases to grow.

People might see wildfires on the other side of the country, or the world, or think of coral reefs as far off problems but here we are, every single one of us, and every system in the world has been affected by COVID-19. If we take into consideration that every other point listed like polluted water or global warming could harm us all we would pro

How Abortion Can help Population Control

Hawkin’s suggests that “many people will agree that some form of human population limitation is needed”, though people in developed countries think that it’s a 3^rd world problem and that abortions are “not an “acceptable method” of birth control”. However, in consideration of the larger picture as mentioned above… abortion is the most logical option and one part of the issue at hand regarding overpopulation.

In my opinion, this relates to the trolley problem. The scenario is that there is a trolley, brakes gone and nearing toward a split in the tracks.  On one side of the tracks there is one person standing in the middle of the tracks and the other side there are five, also on the tracks. You have the option to pull a hand lever that will either turn the train right or left which in effect would either save five people or only save one person. The second scenario is you have the option to push someone onto the track who would stop the train from hitting the many others.

One scenario you would be involuntarily letting someone die while the second scenario you have the choice to actively kill one person to save five.

“The trolley problem”, is a moral paradox first proposed by Philippa Foot in her 1967 paper, “Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect,” and later expanded by Judith Jarvis Thomson. Which brings to question human morality and consequentialism.

These types of philosophical questions “have real-world implications for how people behave in society, governments, science, law and even war.”

We have seen this unfold in Italy where Doctors are deciding who will be receiving healthcare in relation to COVID-19. However, these same principles are taken into consideration when thinking about abortion and environmental effects.

 

So Now What?

Women should have the agency over their own body to make the decision, not through coercion, violence, or laws, to make the following decisions:

1. To have an abortion
2. To not have an abortion
3. To decide when and how far apart they want children
4. Access to safe abortions
5. Free will over their own body

 

This can only be helped with safe access to abortions and access to reproductive healthcare. According to The World Health Organization, the percentage of unsafe abortions are very high in undeveloped countries in comparison to wealthier nations. Unsafe abortions also cost healthcare systems is overwhelming and has created a “global burden”.

1.https://www.eartheclipse.com/environment/problems-of-overpopulation.html

List of environmental effects of overpopulation.

2. https://www.eartheclipse.com/environment/problems-of-overpopulation.html

Article published by a professor about overpopulation and spreading diseases.

3. https://people.howstuffworks.com/trolley-problem.htm

Explanation of the Trolley Problem.

4. https://people.howstuffworks.com/trolley-problem.htm

Further reading about the double doctrine effect – an argument used by Catholics on abortion.

5.https://spot.colorado.edu/~heathwoo/Phil160,Fall02/thomson.htm

The philosophy regarding abortion – discusses the violinist moral question.

6. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1253282/coronavirus-italy-latest-update-young-prioritised-old-people-at-risk-hospital-beds-icu-cri

An example of today about how overpopulation is directly resulting in real deadly environmental changes. It also relates to the moral question of the Trolley Problem. Real-life example.

This photograph is of the famous rapper, ludacris. He has a plate of chicken wings/thighs in front of home, with hot sauce and beer. In the upper right hand corner of the image is a female chicken with womanly features such as large breasts, arms, etc..

 

The text around the chicken says “chicken, beer’. In the center of the image we see ludacris about to take “a bite” out of an actual woman’s leg and is pouring salt on it with his mouth wide open and hand grasping her ankle. 

 

As if to imply that biting a woman’s leg is no different than eating chicken wings.

 

With this imagery in mind we can analyze it with a few of Carol Adams’ 9 points. First, is that meat eating is a sign of male identity. In this image the male is in control of the female’s body. One of Adams’ other points is that both animals and females are connected in an objectified, fragmented, and consumed way in patriarchal culture. Visual jokes are created to substitute one for the other. This image is telling us women are chicken and that chicken are also women and both are for eating with beer. 

This next image is of a pig standing on two legs, holding down a blowing white dress. This advertisement uses iconography to make a pig “sexy”. This is referencing Maryln Monroes’ famous image of her standing on a subway vent when the air blows her dress up. This image becomes iconic, recognizable and also an object of the male gaze. Meanwhile, here we see an iconic image of the standard of beauty, the male gaze, sexuality, the fantasy of innocence, transformed from the human form into pig form. This brings us back to women being animalized and animals being sexualized, as what is happening in this image. 

The third image is equally as dynamic as the first two. This image is of three guys, who are part of a “meat club” as we can see on the banner behind them. One of them is holding grilling tongs, and each of them are wearing a white shirt. The white shirt reads, “got meat?” and there is an image of the female body posing in a sexual way with the head of a cow on top. 

First, “got meat” is reference to the once popular, and retired slogan, “got milk”. “Got milk” has its fair share of sexualized ads. However, “got milk” is telling us indirectly that if we do not have milk we should get milk and we should drink it. With this thought process, “got meat” is telling us if you don’t have meat, you should get some and when you do have meat you should eat the meat. 

 

The image on the shirts, as already described, are of a naked woman’s body and a cow’s head. So, with the caption “got meat” are they suggesting to eat Minotaurs? Are they saying we should be eating women, eating female cows, or both?! Either way the blend between the live human female body and the cow’s head is overall disturbing. It would have at least made more sense to have the meat product on the shirt instead. This is as Adams’ described as “pornographic rendering of women as meat” aka, anthropornography. 

 

 

The image I chose was of Lady Gaga wearing a meat bathing suit on the cover of Vogue magazine. Adam’s mentions the art show displaying raw meat tacked up. She also describes that “Another 21st century enaction of the sexual politics of meat is the resurgence of the raw as “real”. Which she says is part of some fantasy of consuming flesh and women.

I’ve also included the YouTube clip here>>> of Carl Jr’s 2015 Super Bowl Commercial. Adams’ mentions his name and after googling it I realized I have seen these ads before. It is of a naked woman walking through a farmers market and ends up eating a burger…

An article from lady clever magazine, in response to the ad, says “Apparently, you think that superimposing tomatoes over Charlotte McKinney’s butt and two melons (come on – actual melons?!) over her breasts will sell, too. Ugh. Excuse us as we barf. I think we just caught a whiff of your burgers bullsh*t.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4USya4T9is

 

https://ladyclever.com/food/can-we-stop-with-the-sexist-and-sexualized-food-ads/

This article is a review of Carl Jr’s ad from the 2015 Super Bowl describing the ad and discussing sexualizing women and meat.

 

 

The image chosen is a presumably male figure wearing a chef hat. The figure is “carving” slices of ham with a knife. The knife and ham in proportion to the figure are huge! If that were a real person slicing that ham on the wood chopping block it would look ridiculous! I think the ratio of proportions was intentional to reflect the articles that were read in part of the chapter. 

Two examples of gendered foods/practices are that salads are perceived to be womanly and feminine food while steaks should be eaten by men. A lot of factors contribute to this gendered food stereotype such as the perpetuation of traditional gendered stereotypes as well as the media, advertising, and culture.  

In Gaards article, it explains that pets, exotic pets, factory-farmed animals, and animals that are consumed essentially have no control over their own lives. From pets having no control of reproduction, who to play with what to do and to conform to human practices while being denied their own wild instincts and sometimes denied their own basic comforts. If this were between the same species such as human it would be called slavery. Another good point is that the animals we consume also have no control over their own lives and are often living or suffering in inhumane conditions in factory farms that are exploited for human consumption.

Gaard identifies other geographical contexts in relation to the consumption of animals and recognizes some cultures that ritualize animal consumption to bring awareness to the violence of one animal for the survival of another. Gaard’s takeaway is to reduce animal suffering all around.

While Curtin views that although meat is controlled by men, and is considered manly to eat meat, which is the suffering of another animal, it is instead talked about as something positive such as phrases like “That’s a meaty question”. A common phrase is “couch potato” which is a negative connotation of plant-based food. An example Curtin provides is “don’t watch so much tv! You’ll turn into a vegetable”. However, we could also hear this term vegetable in other negative contexts as well.  Women are also subjected to being controlled by men are also represented as meat.

Resources

1. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/meat-heads-new-study-focuses_b_8964048

Diet and Masculinity

Plant Based foods such as salads are for the female diet while a steak, or meat represents male/macho. A lot of factors contribute to this such as gender sterotype perceptions and the media, advertising, and culture. 

1. https://www.academia.edu/2489929/Ecofeminism_on_the_Wing_Perspectives_on_Human-Animal_Relations Gaard

Pets – Have no control over their own lives. Their pet owners are in control, If this were of the same species it would be called slavery. They are made to conform to human practices and denied basic urges. 

Exotic Pets- the 

Animals that we consume – also have no control over their own lives and are often in inhumane conditions that are exploited for human consumption.

“Self identity that is constructed in terms of our relationship to others”

“Feminists who act in solidarity with other animal species achieve not a moral destination but a moral direction; we can take significant actions that move us in the direction of reducing sufereing suffering. We can treat all animals with the same kindness and respect we offer out most cherished human companies. Many people in the first world n ations can choose healthy vegetarian diets, therby reducing the suffering of other animal specis confined in a factort farming operations and reducing our own sufering of ill health as well” We can limit or forego relationships with other species as pets and live instead with the longing for wild animal companions.”

Attention to suffering makes us ethically responsible.

3.http://www.animal-rights-library.com/texts-m/curtin01.htm

The feminist perspective about Plato- the body is a moral agent – the body being separate from the mind.

Women – and vegetable based foods or the power of control women being represented as “meat ready to be carved up” 

Men- meat – In culture phrases such as “thats a meaty question” gives meat positive conotions. While phrases like “dont watch so much tv! Youll turn into a vegetable” created negative conotion about vegetables.

Factory farms are responsible for most of the meat and dairy products. 

Geographical contexts – Violence against animals for food is ritualized.

 

 

Gooseberry Island is a place I have visited at many different points in my life. If we’re looking for a landscape that informs who we are, and that carries my history then this is just one image of many. The everyday image that informs my daily life would look much different. Filled with people, cars, traffic and a lot of ugly buildings. 

This image is the point of Gooseberry Island. There is a walking path through the center, that leads to the towers, but if you go past that it will lead to the farthest point which is here. The other way to get here is to walk along the beach. The long way. Which brings you through different beachscapes until you come to this. I would often take a long way, spending most of my day walking around the island. Sitting to eat or looking out into the ocean. 

The geographical history of Gooseberry Island was that in the past, it was used as a military base during WW2 to spot U ships. Before that, it was a vacation island with cottages that were taken out during the big hurricane during the 1930s. If you walk the middle path you can still see foundation remnants. Before that, there was no causeway. Instead, there was a sandbar that you could cross over when the tide was low. Now, the area is used for recreation, beaching, fishing, boating and one of the only beaches in the area you can bring your dog to swim during the summer season.

I think that the environment does play a role in society. Geographical location does affect how people live day today. If you are by the equator, if you’re in the cold, if the sun shines straight through half the year, if you’re by the water (at sea level), if you’re in the mountains, if you’re in a populated area, if you’re in the country or if you live in the desert, like Terry Tempest Williams.

In Williams’ “Home Work”, we learn that Williams lives in the desert. Although I live in New England and experience summer – I have heard it is not like the summer in the desert. He says that summer reduces “you to a lizard state of mind, no thought, and very little action. You sleep more and you dream” (page 5). This is pretty much what I do when we have cold winters.

In the image, you can see the ocean. There is a little strip of beach, random debris that has washed up on shore, logs, so many rocks, a variety of ocean life and then finally the ocean. Within this intertidal zone is a variety of species. Snails, clams, mussels,  algae, horseshoe crabs. There’s an entire ecosystem living in just this area. They survive the tide and long periods of drought and sun, the heat and the freezing cold. Throughout a tidal cycle, these critters are experiencing so much change.

Looking at this image as a whole, you can also see the many visual layers. Ocean, rocks, tidal pools, sand, beach wood, grass, dunes, sky. It’s a visual clutter. There are rocks in the ocean, rocks in the sand. Water in the rocks. Unlike Williams’ description of the desert as minimal. Which is also a statement on capitalism and consumerism.

Unlike the West, our area is mostly privately owned. A small number of beaches are available to the public. Many beaches must be accessed through the town you live in and the rest are private and generally inaccessible to much of the public.

There are many different angles to approach Ecofeminism with. In “Ecofeminism: Historic and International Evolution”, Laura Hobgood-Oster, from Southwestern University in Texas, outlines these positions and some critiques of the movement. Ecofeminism looks at globalization, religion, spirituality, science or societal structures, to name a few, with regard to patriarchial hierarchies and the relationship of female and nature. 

I think looking at art history is another way to view the ecofeminist perspective. Throughout the centuries the female nude has been painted time and again with the male gaze in mind. The female nude/s has historically been accompanied by fruit, nature, plants or water for example. Many paintings depict the female nude form in fields, oceans, bathing. Looking at ecofemnist with an art historical perspective in mind, I can see the relationship between female and nature.

https://www.manet.org/a-bar-at-the-folies-bergere.jsp

With this in mind, I will analyze the painting “A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, 1882 by Edouard Manet”. This painting was at the turn of the 19th century and an example of modernity. The viewer can see the crowded room but only in the reflection of the mirror behind the woman who is looking off in the distance, unengaged. It is obvious that the woman here is the object of the male gaze. In the reflection, the woman’s back is toward the viewer and we can see a man looking at her, not talking. It would appear that the woman is ignoring the man, or is inaccessible which could be another aspect of the male fantasy. 

 

One of Karen J. Warren’s first of eight woman nature connections is “historical, typically causal connections which focus on cultural and scientific changes throughout history that has created a “ “mechanistic world view of modern science,” which sanctioned the exploitation of nature, unchecked commercial and industrial expansion, and the subordination of women.” (Warren, https://thereitis.org/warrens-introduction-to-ecofeminism/)

Other elements, such as the ‘v’ shape at the bottom of the dress is suggestive of the vagina, the length of her sleeves and cut of her dress is suggestive that she might also be a prostitute.

In addition, even though this painting was at the height of modernity and industrialization there is still reference to classical paintings of the past and the persistence of the link between women and nature. In the forefront, is a bowl of oranges/fruit which is often a symbol of sexuality or fertility. Other elements ars roses in a glass, and flowers tucked in front and center of her chest. 

With this is mind and Warren’s historical connection a further analysis could be that this painting is a reflection that nature and the woman is the object of the male gaze.

One could also suggest there is a level of dualism within the painting another aspect that perpetuates the patriarchial hierarchy. There is male and female, crowd and one person and sense of other. 

 

https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0geK.ALUzZeuZIAhgZXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0N2Noc21lBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNwaXZz?p=ana+Silueta+series&fr2=piv-web&fr=mcafee#id=24&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthebluesuitcase.files.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F08%2Fmendieta-1.jpg&action=click

The performance artist Ana Mendieta(from the 70’s) embodies ecofeminsm. In her Siloetta series she creates “earth-body” art. She leaves imprints of her body in the soil  and decorates the absent body form with flowers, fire, sticks. Sometimes her body is present though covered in flowers. Mendieta reclaims the nature and female connection and creates references to the symbols of the goddess, spirituality, identify and ultimately suggests that her body and the earth are one. Personally, I think the connection she makes with nature is empowering.