I am Woman!

During the first week of class, my Women's Studies professor had the class take a quiz on our knowledge of women in history. I was surprised at how little my classmates and I knew about their role in history, especially when we compared that to what we knew about men's roles. So I came up with the I Am Woman award, given to women who are powerful, influential and trailblazing role models which truly exude what it means to be Phenomenally, Woman. I feel this will educate myself and others on the important roles women play in our society. And our first IAW award goes to (drumroll please).......




A Phenomenal Woman who has claimed the number one spot on the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women in the World list for not one, not two, but FOUR consecutive years in a row. She is none other than Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany. She is often compared to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher because of her political agenda, science background, and "Iron Frau" nickname. Some of her honors and achievements include being the first female German chancellor, the youngest Chancellor to serve since World War II, recipient of the Vision for Europe award, recipient of the Charlemagne Prize, and member of the Council of Women World Leaders.

My name is...

So, I'm doing my reading for my Women's Gender and Studies class and read an article on how Jewish women on college campuses are being called "Japs" - Jewish American Princesses. This derogatory term gives Jewish women the persona of being rich, spoiled, extremely materialistic, and selfish. Another version or the "Jap" is someone who is either deemed a "slut" or someone who is timid with her sexuality. While I had never heard of this term, I could easily identify with the article because of the many negative stereotypes of black women - Mammy, Jezebel, Sapphire, Welfare Queen and so on. So in dedication to women who daily refute the inaccurate stereotypes by being Phenomenally, Woman I give you Nina Simone's Four Women. Enjoy!

Ain't I a Woman?

A young 18-year old track star was recently forced to undergo gender tests because she was accused of lying about her gender. Now that the results have returned claiming she is a hermaphrodite, she is now faced with a new set of questions and dilemmas about her future career in the sport she loves. This brings up the true question: who decides what is to be deemed a "man or woman"? Is it fair for someone to be subjected to such public humiliation, especially at such a young age? Most importantly, is this sexism at work or an attempt to be "fair" to the other female competitors?