Madeline Jane Ford, Author at Arkansas Strong https://arstrong.org Mon, 28 Mar 2022 16:58:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://i0.wp.com/arstrong.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-ar-strong-icon.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Madeline Jane Ford, Author at Arkansas Strong https://arstrong.org 32 32 178261342 Girl Crush https://arstrong.org/girl-crush-feminism/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=girl-crush-feminism Mon, 07 Feb 2022 18:38:33 +0000 https://arstrong.org/?p=1699 Feminism / noun: belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes (The Merriam-Webster.Com Dictionary). It has been suggested that feminism is an unnecessary distinction:...

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Feminism / noun: belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes (The Merriam-Webster.Com Dictionary).

It has been suggested that feminism is an unnecessary distinction: women should not be singled out, what is important is that we focus on equal rights for all. This may sound good, even unifying on the surface, but such talk is a divisive ploy to distract from the movement, much like saying “All Lives Matter” in response to “Black Lives Matter.” Such rhetoric seeks to deny that there is a specific group hurting or in need of immediate attention. It generalizes collective experience, as if progress for all happens at the same pace or as if all groups are equally oppressed, and that is certainly not the case. The topic of feminism is so complex that it is split up into four types—all of which share the same basic ideas but go about their advocacy in differing ways. A sad truth is that there is a definition of feminism that consists of a strong bias against females. And the worst part is that close to 90 percent of the world’s population falls under that definition. It is vital to humanity for feminism to thrive.

One common feminist misconception:

“I’m not a feminist because I don’t hate men.” (Brown)

In order to change the way the world views women, then we have to change what the world thinks of women first.

From one study done in the article titled, What is Feminism? College Students’ Definition and Correlates, college men and women were asked to define the term in their own words. The women’s definitions focused on male/ female similarities and equal rights. On the other hand, the men described a from of feminists hate all men. Over the course of the entire study, under half of all participants said that they identify as feminist.

Although under half identified with the term, most identified with humanism. The humanist ideas include that all humans deserve equal rights. When asked “Are you a feminist?” one answer was, “As a man, I am a feminist because I am a humanist. A feminist is a humanist.” 

Humanists and feminists are the same except in one way: feminists focus on gender mistreatment, how we are equal and deserve equal rights and treatment regardless of gender. Humanists argue that, yes, women have had unfair treatment, but so have African Americans, immigrants and the LGBTQ community. Humanists argue we focus on all inequity and say, “equal rights for EVERYONE.” 

Although most have heard of feminism, it means different things to different people. In the same article, celebrities interviewed has different definitions. Miley Cyrus says, “because I tell women not to be scared of anything.” Emma Watson says that she is a feminist because she believes that “men and women should have equal rights.” Both have the same idea for the most part, but they are also very different. While Miley says that she does not want women to be scared of anything, being treated unfairly would be included in that list. And Emma states that she believes women and men should have equal rights. As one can see, a man is never scared of being greeted, “good morning ladies” in front of other professionals of the opposite gender.

Women are our mothers, wives, sisters, partners, friends, co- workers, lovers, cousins, and grandmothers, just to name a few. Women are vital to our society for life to continue; it is time for the world to wake up and realize that women require higher esteem based on gender equality. Who else can literally give birth, come on now.

However, Bryan Robinson from Forbes Magazine wrote an article about a young female doctor with this very dilemma.  According to Robinson, a young female surgeon was standing over a patient alongside three male surgeons when the lead surgeon walked in. The leader then greeted the group with the phrase,

“Good morning, gentlemen.”

After that, the female greeted the lead surgeon in hopes that he would recognize her as a woman, or even as a person, but he paid her no mind. (Robinson) He completely ignored her, leaving her disrespected and humiliated in her own place of work. This took place in 2021. 

Misogynistic/ adjective: strongly prejudiced against women (The Merriam-Webster.Com Dictionary).

A study done in 2020 that found nearly 90 percent of the world population is biased against women. Such bias can range from just the idea that men are stronger than women to the belief that men are all around more superior. One common assumption is that men are better politicians and business leaders than women.  If this does not make society understand that males and females are not equally oppressed, what will? Obviously only close to 10 percent of the whole world thinks that women and men should be treated and thought of as equal, but yeah, humanism is the better option. In what world? Is it the world everyone wished we lived in? News flash: the world will not change if all anyone does is hide behind their fear of change with the humanism idea.

In an article titled, “Feminist Theory: A Summary for A-Level Sociology” Karl Thomson explains that there are four types of feminism: radical, Marxist, liberal, and difference. Radical feminism is more of the active feminism. This type is generally the one that is actively involved and sets up refuges for women that have been victim to male violence. On the topic of Marxist feminism, the idea that in order for there to be peace, men and women need to work alongside each other, and that the male and female emotional levels balance each other out perfectly. Marxist feminism is built on the belief that the world is set up for success, the world just chooses to deny the fact that we need each other. Liberal feminism takes a more peaceful approach; for example, creating children’s books that educate the younger population about the importance of feminism. They often have “probably had the most impact on women’s lives.” (Thomson)

The next type in Thompson’s article is difference feminists. This idea is based off the beliefs that the whole feminist theory is criticized for being essentialist. They feed off of the world’s beliefs that a set of ideas or characteristics are true if they are just thought of as true. That is not the case. Feminism IS needed, and just because some want it to be does not mean it will just magically be enforced or widely believed.

So, why would we need feminism and humanism to be two separate sets of ideas? Why would we need feminism if we have humanism already?

It is simple: feminists believe that in order to change the way the world views women, then we have to change what the world thinks of women first. Women are our mothers, wives, sisters, partners, friends, co- workers, lovers, cousins, and grandmothers, just to name a few. Women are vital to our society for life to continue; it is time for the world to wake up and realize that women require higher esteem based on gender equality. Who else can literally give birth, come on now.

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Victory Vines https://arstrong.org/victory-vines/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=victory-vines Mon, 04 Oct 2021 19:19:22 +0000 https://arstrong.org/?p=1083 The post Victory Vines appeared first on Arkansas Strong.

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There I was, a sobbing mess thrown across my bed.  My head was in my hands, and my fingernails were all different shades of pink; they blended in well with my splotchy wet face as I questioned if I even mattered at all. My hands were shaking as I moved the small pieces of hair around my face that had fallen out of a ponytail.  Whimpers were jumbled up with the thought of how numb my last four months had been. My mind had been on a never-ending loop of thoughts no human should have to think about themselves, over and over, again and again.

“Are you really going to eat that, Madeline?”… “If you take a bite, you have to count to 30 before you take another one.”…“You are so unbelievably ugly, just don’t even try to tell yourself that you are or ever will be anything else.”

I brought myself to sit up, then out of the corner of my tear- soaked eye, I saw my Bible  sitting on my bed. I did not remember why it was there in the first place, but I knew I needed to pick it up. My heavy hands touched the cloth cover that was blanketed with vines of blue leaves. The vines were tangled together, overlapping each other to create a solace pattern. As I lifted the book and placed it in my lap, an unfamiliar feeling covered me, a feeling of comfort, warmth, and help. I did not know what I was doing, or why I was doing it, but I opened the vine-covered book. I flipped to a random page of coincidence, and there it was. Staring right at my broken soul. I could feel my heart, soul, and mind being mended back together by the warmth that covered me, slowly, as I read the words on the stray page my heart had flipped to.

“…Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body is more than clothing.” (Luke 12: 22- 23)

Wow. As I was staring at the page, my tears instantly turned from sad and confused to happy and understood. All the days that felt like years. All the sleepless nights. All the stuffy nosed school days. All the times I lied,

“Yes, I’m fine.”

All my silent screams for help were recognized. Finally.

“Mom! Come here fast!”

My voice was shaky with a confused reassurance. I was wiping my tears, still flowing down my face, as she ran in my room. The vines that were hung up on my wall blew in the wind that her throwing the door open created.

“What is it?”

I could barely form the words, I mumbled the only ones that could escape my lips that were apple red and two times bigger than usual. That happens every time I cry, good cheap girl lip fillers I guess.

“Read…

 … this.”

She rushed over to my bed. She was wearing black yoga pants and one of her favorite shirts. It is red and has a picture of Poe that reads, “I put the Lit in Literature”. She thinks it’s funny… Her dark brown hair was pulled up into a low bun, her caramel highlights barely visible under the low light of my room. She reached her hand out as I set the vine book in her perfectly manicured fingers.

My mom: she is my safe place. Out of everyone in the world, she is the only person I told about my fear of eating and self hatred. She knew it all, and as she read the words on the magic page, her bright green eyes lit up with a mixture of excitement and relief. I could see colossal tears forming in her eyes. Her soft face looked into my ocean eyes as she swiftly embraced me. I crumbled into her arms, my tears staining her shirt, leaving a puddle of brokenness, making her shoulder a darker shade of red. Her hands that had held my heart together for so long were brushing through my hair, still tangled from going on a run earlier that day.

“He is here, Madeline. He has always been here.”

Mom was not the only one I could feel holding me that night. I felt a soft warm hug as my brokenness was carefully put back together like a puzzle. Mom moved from my hair to my cheeks, holding my face in her hands. Her eyes looked into mine,

“I am so proud of how strong you are.”

She hugged me again then left the room, leaving me alone with all my tangled thoughts. Even though there wasn’t anyone else in my room with me, I felt like there was. There was. My mind shifted to all the things I love, making a mental list: sunsets, flowers, books, plants, pasta, shoes, rings, Jesus.

My face was nearly dry now; my cheeks were slowly becoming a lighter shade of pink. Everything suddenly made sense. Sunsets and flowers are both beautiful, yet they look nothing alike. I love shoes, but if they don’t fit, I don’t hate my feet for it. Why was my opinion of myself solely dependent on others opinion of me?

I walked to the bathroom and started the bath. The faucet hissed as the water started to come out. The mirror was right in front of me, and as I slowly lifted my heavy head I prepared myself for the thoughts to come. In my mind the mirror was my enemy. The mirror reminded me of how I did not measure up to what I wanted to be. It had also been a part of an unhealthy routine. Right when I woke up, I would take a video of myself in the mirror. I would turn, exposing all angles of my body that I hated the most, and I would save it until I took another one before my shower at the end of the day. I would lay down in bed and compare myself to myself. I would compare morning Madeline to bedtime Madeline. I hated bedtime Madeline the most.

My eyes met my stomach first: one of my least favorite parts about all of me. But this time, my train of thought took a nice detour. My stomach, that holds all my organs, keeps me healthy. My legs allow me to dance, to cheer, and to run. My arms let me hug my favorite people. My eyes will watch my dreams come true. My mind allows me to dream. My body. My body holds me up and lets me sit at my favorite rock and watch the sunset. My body gives me enough air in my lungs to sing my favorite songs in the car with all the windows down. My smile, my ears, my toes, my nose. My body.

I am at school right now. I am wearing a yellow shirt and jeans with butterflies on them. On my left hand, there is a ring that weighs my pointer finger down a little more than the others. The ring reads

“Luke 12:22”

On my left hand there is a constant reminder of how far I have come since that night. I still get tangled up sometimes, but I am at school right now, looking at my victory ring, and the only thing I am is proud of myself.

 

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