Woman of the Week: Emma Watson

WOW: Emma Watson

Why Now?: Emma arrived at Brown this week!  Huzzah for higher education this side of the pond!

Why Should You Care?:

Power to Palin?

In her first interview since the joy of childbirth, Bristol Palin:

-used feminist terminology to defend her “choice” (having the baby) [but is it really a choice when your mother is running for VP and is staunchly anti-choice?]

-quickly reminded the world that abstinence is the best option, but that expecting teens to remain abstinent is unrealistic.  [a step in the right direction?  if one of their own says it...]

-has been brainwashed by US Weekly and celebrity moms into thinking that ‘the baby’ was just a fun new accessory for spring.  Bristol confides that motherhood is anything but glamorous!  [file that under "no shit sherlock"]

Maybe she’s about to “click”?

Pope Joan

By now, I hope you’ve had a chance to enjoy our first historical fiction addition to the book club, Pope Joan. I’m a huge fan of any historical fiction that uses strong women as the storyline’s main catalyst, so this book had me at hello.

Pope Joan, by Donna Woolfolk Cross, follows the life and death of the Vatican’s only female pope [somewhat controversially] known to us today. The author explains her interest in the topic this way:

“I learned about Joan quite by accident. I was reading a book in French and came across a reference to a pope named “Jeanne.”…[T]he next day I went to the library and checked the Catholic Encyclopedia. Sure enough, there was an entry on Joan–the woman who lived disguised as a man and rose to become Pope of the Church in the ninth century.”

College Girls: Bluestockings, Sex Kittens and Co-eds, Then and Now

College Girls: Bluestockings, Sex Kittens and Co-eds, Then & Now by Lynn Peril

Proud Daughter: “I have made 100 in algebra, 96 in Latin, 90 in Greek, 88-1/2 in mental philosophy, and 95 in history; are you not satisfied with my record?”
Father: “Yes, indeed, and if your husband happens to know anything about housekeeping, sewing and cooking, I am sure your married life will be very happy.”

I’ve been wanting to read this book for quite a while and I was definitely not disappointed. As someone who grew up in the girl-power-Lilith-fair-empowering-women nineties, I admit that I sometimes forget how far we’ve actually come. This book did well to remind me that not even 40 years ago women were not afforded the luxuries of education that we have today–or, at least, they were constantly reminded that if they chose to attend college for their B.A. they also better be seeking their MRS. (the most important thing to a woman, mind you.) College Girls did a fantastic job of following the college girl through her bluestockings stereotype of the 1860s (where educated women were suspiciously eyed and denounced as destined for spinsterhood) all the way through to the sex kitten stereotype of the 1950s (where her sweater-sets showed off her *ahem* assets as she cared more about getting pinned than getting A’s).

the “feminization” of our education

Like most people, I have a morning ritual– I drink a cup of Lady Grey tea, check my emails, and read a few online newspapers. I usually enjoy the London Times (I prefer English newspapers to American, I find them less biased) but when I came across an article entitled Don’t Teach Boys to be like Girls …well… I slightly dreaded reading it because I already knew what rhetoric the article would sprout. And, of course, it didn’t disappoint.

Boys are failing in school–they’re more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, need more assistance with reading, and are falling behing in (gasp!) even “traditional male subjects” such as math and science. And do you know what, or rather who, is to blame? Feminists, naturally.