08325154

I found this weeks lecture really interesting. For an issue that is not so vastly talked about but affects so many women I think its important that we talk about these problems from past, present and future. I was really surprised and intrigued with the History of the Female reproductive system and how it used to be interpreted. Many of the statements were just down right ridiculous! For example:
 * Mental Health and Drug Alcohol Use** **Week 12**

**"And id a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness and shall uncover her nakedness, he hath discovered her fountain and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people" Leviticus 20:18** So basically women with their menses were considered a poison....But wait, it gets better! **All throughout history it was strongly believed by men who held positions in the state, in religion and in medicine that women's reproductive organs greatly influenced their brains and their thinking** **These connections were believed to make women incapable of pursuing intellectual thought, weak-willed, and prone to madness or hysteria!** So basically we are crazy and unpredictable.... I thought this picture might sum it up. DRUNKOREXIA: Is a term I had never heard of before this week. It is when a person has disordered eating and alcohol consumption. Once you reach the age of 18+ and you start going out to night clubs and parties you quickly learn first hand what the effects of excessive alcohol can do to your body, and thought process and quite often lead you to do things which you would normally not do.
 * "women are venomous during the time of their flowers [periods] and so very dangerous that they poison beasts with their glance and little children in their cots, sully and stain mirrors, and on some occasions those men who lie with them in carnal intercourse are made leprous."** //or even some statements from the bible//


 * Anxiety** is a growing problem amongst women today. Anxiety can be anything from generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorders and posttraumatic stress disorders. Women are also more likely than men to report the symptoms of anxiety disorders.


 * Suicide** is also a forever growing dangerous method of self harm for people who may have other mental health issues, suffer anxiety or depression. Suicide is the leading cause of death in Australia for women aged 18-34 years of age. Depression has said to be the main cause of suicide. We live in a society where we are constantly bombarded with images, of unrealistic people who we are told we should be like. Many women don't realise the half of what goes into making a billboard, how much make up is used or styling tools. Especially as young girls, they see pictures in dolly magazine of beautiful skinny models with boys, and if their life doesn't look like that it makes them upset and eventually depressed as they become more aware of other people and look straight past their true beauty.


 * Alcohol** is another topic that is readily growing everyday. It is misused in many cases, leading to depression, acting in unusual behaviours and death. It is also worrying that children are drinking from such young ages and those habits will be continued into their lives. I really found this particular point in the lecture important "**stress, or drugs such as alcohol can activate a gene that is linked to depression and other mental problems. The results can give rise to seizures, depression, manic-depressive episodes and a host of mental problems.**

This week I learnt a lot of new things, and also recapped some things that I already knew. I think that Social Media, Television Programmes, Movies and Games all present Drugs, Alcohol and Violence in a positive sexy authoritative way. Young Kids who grow up learning this message take it on board and end up in situations that are dangerous and harmful. I think its EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that young people are educated on not only what drugs are, but their effects and also peer pressure. Drugs are like smoking, people start because their friends encourage them to and peer pressure them and then its a lifelong habit that they are stuck with. Day by day deteriorating their health. If nothing further is done younger generations are going involve themselves in harmful risky behaviours and instead of coming home that night they may end up like this **Reflection Week 12:** ** Jane Done ** A really nice reflection and summary of the points from this weeks lecture. The term “drunkorexia” really stood out to me and it astounds me that girls and women can allow themselves to get so DRUNK that they cannot function properly. It makes me both sad and angry that women do this to their bodies to try and have a good time. It’s a shame that alcohol has become such a large part of our society and wherever we go and whatever we do (even just going to the beach) alcohol is generally involved. I too, rarely drink and when I do, it’s a social occasion where I have it in moderation and of course whilst having a meal. Which leads me to my next point – the quote from Leah Ellacott, completely enraged me! And so strongly backs up how much women are pressured to be thin, sexy and fun, even if it means a trip to the hospital at the end of the night. Addictions are a powerful thing that takes over the body and until you yourself have experienced it personally we will never fully understand how and why it controls us even when we know its’ so bad.

**References** Marian Bussey & Judith Bula Wise, (2008) [|The Recovery Paradigm in Trauma Work: Approaches to Healing Psychiatric Disability and Substance Abuse in Women's Lives]. Journal of Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation 7:3-4, pages 355-379.

Room, R., Babor, T., Rehm, J. (2005). Alcohol and public health. (365), 9458, 519 – 530. Retrieved from []

Prince, M., Patel, V., Saxena, S., Maj, M., & al, e. (2007). Global mental health 1: No health without mental health. The Lancet, 370(9590), 859-77. Retrieved from []

Carroll, J. A. (2013). PUB336 Women’s Health: Lecture 12 [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from []

To quick to Judge Week 11 //Women Who Love other Women// The word Lesbian can be defined as a sexual and romantic desire between females I found the History Section of the lecture very interesting. Mostly Because I had never really learnt about this before now.

"The word 'lesbian' is derived from the name of the Greek island of Lesbos, home to the 6th-century BCE poet Sappho. From various ancient writings, historians have gathered that a group of young women were left in Sappho's charge for their instruction or cultural edification.Not much of Sappho's poetry remains, but that which does reflects the topics she wrote about: //women's daily lives, their relationships, and rituals. She focused on the beauty of women and proclaimed her love for girls//.

I think it's fair to say that women in love with other women; being in a lesbian relationship, are treated very differently in society to a women who is in love with a man. I believe that gender should not discriminate and we should all have equal rights. Firstly Gay marriage, it is a hot topic that is constantly on the lips of many around the world. This is just one of MANY topics that are unequal for gay relationships.


 * // As homosexuals, they are unified by the discrimination and potential rejection they face from their families, friends, and others. //** Quite recently I found out that a friend from work was a Lesbian, and was in a relationship with another women. I had known her about a year, and had absolutely no idea. She had kept it a secret for a long time from friends and family whom still don't know. When I found out I think she was surprised that I didn't treat her any differently - that I accepted and embraced that she was gay. It's really sad to think that many people reframe from telling friends, family, colleagues and loved ones about their true feelings because they fear they will be rejected and treated differently. I don't like calling people in same sex relationships gay, or homosexual, I just think of it as yet another relationship. It is not fair that people in same sex relationships have to justify their relationship status whilst relationships between a man and a women don't have to....

 Straight women **NEVER** have to ‘come out’ as being heterosexual.  Straight women are **NEVER** asked if it is ‘just a phase’ they are going through.  Straight women are **assumed** not to be ‘deviant’ and therefore **unlikely** to be a social risk. Straight women are **allowed** to legally marry whomever they fall in love with. When discussing Legalising Gay marriage with people (who did not agree with it) it was always brought to my attention that people in same sex relationships have higher suicide & depression rates than those in a heterosexual relationship. This was confirmed today in the lecture:

//** Studies show that lesbian and bisexual women report higher rates of depression and anxiety than heterosexual women do. **// //  This may result from the fact that lesbian women may also face: // //  Social stigma // //  Rejection by family members // //  Abuse and violence // //  Being treated unfairly in the legal system // //  Hiding some or all aspects of one’s life or; // //  Lacking health insurance //

It's really unbelievable that many people are against women in lesbian relationships having children. The lecture raised a really good point today when the point was made that "Much like the results of earlier research, findings showed that children were developing in healthy ways and that parental sexual orientation did not seem to be affecting development. What **mattered more than parental sexual orientation for children's adjustment was the warmth and closeness of relationships with parents."** I could not agree more with this statement. I have friends with parents who are heterosexual and also friends with parents who are homosexual. They both enjoy their family very much and there is no pin point difference that I could make apart from gender. They both are loved, cared for and cherished within their families, they both have equal opportunities in life and are not withheld from anything that they want to do.

I recently went to riverfire a few weeks ago and for the first time in a long time I saw many couples in same sex relationships embracing the love between each other by holding hands, hugging, or even kissing. Although I could see many people were staring at them and sometimes laughing.... I was so glad to see that finally these people can feel comfortable in their own skin, embrace their relationship and just be happy! After all, most relationships are said to be with your partner...your best friend, so why should it matter if their best friend is the same sex as them. I have really been enjoying the TED talks throughout the tutorials, so when we didn't have a tutorial for this topic I went and found a talk that suited this topic perfectly. His speech is thought provoking and his statements shocked me - things I never knew were even possible about total disregard for a persons rights. Its around 15 minutes long, and is called The Myth of the Gay Agenda. Check it out! media type="custom" key="24150210" width="130" height="130" I was really surprised when I found out that Tony Abbott's sister was Gay, and his viewpoint on this issue was still against it! If you are interested to hear an overview of the story below is a snippet of the topic being discussed on Sunrise.

media type="youtube" key="ZZRD7ywPJZ0" width="499" height="284"

Although Gay Marriage and homosexual relationships are still widely unaccepted, there is hope for the future for men and women around the world to be accepted for who they are as a person, and not defined as a gender. Its a long road ahead for people in this situation and the journey won't be easy, but with the promotion and acceptance being more vast there is certainly a brighter future for these people.



A well researched wiki entry for this week. I too, do not understand why gay marriage should not be legalized in Australia. I think if two people are in love, they should be able to make that official and show their affection for each other without being treated differently and rejected by society. I came across similar research and studies that revealed that children that were raised in a homosexual relationship did not significantly differ to those in heterosexual relationship. I think it’s important that studies like these are brought to light. What is most important for a child than parental sexual orientation is the warmth and closeness of relationships of parents. I think that if you raise a child that is happy and healthy you have done your job right and should be praised for this…not criticized.
 * Reflection Week 11:** ** N8092036 **

Trippet, S. E. (1994). Lesbians mental health concerns. //Journal of health care for women international. (15),// 4. Retrieved from [|http://www.tandfonline.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/doi/abs/10.1080/07399339409516124#.UnhSHu3ag_s]
 * References**

Gay Lesbian Society. (2011). Mental health of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth: A developmental resiliency perspective. //23// (2) 204 – 225. doi: [|10.1080/10538720.2011.561474]

Wright, S. (2010). Anti-gay culture damages health. Nursing Standard, 25(9), 26-7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/763597712?accountid=13380

Children with gay parents aren't abnormal or freaks. (2013, Sep 07). The Border Mail. Retrieved from []

Carroll, J. A. (2013). PUB336 Women’s Health: Lecture 11 [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from []

Week 10 Age is just a number

STAGES OF LIFE - HEALTHY AGEING

Well what a fantastic and insightful lecture we had this week by Professor Debra Anderson. For a lecture topic that I thought I would find really not very interesting, I was completely engaged from start to finish! I learnt so many things that I had never known before and looked at certain issues in new light. I really can't stress enough how important the company of other women are in a woman's life. I'd like to start with defining 'older women'. Now for everyone this will be completely different so I thought I'd type it into google and see what I could find. WELL! 3 out of 4 searches presented 'older women looking for younger men'! Whats going on here! Just for fun i then typed in older men and got this:

Very different searches, for an almost identical topic! Women have their search based on being a cougar! and chasing younger men! However older men are more focused on appearance, new ideas (jobs, appliances, hobbies etc) and dating sites. To me, I interpreted it as Women are not comfortable within themselves and are chasing younger men, whilst men are totally happy and content with who they are and yeah they may but their face on a dating site but they would rather go fishing or hang out in the back shed! This was a really interesting concept for me.

The world Health organisation states that "Most developed world countries have accepted the chronological age of 65 years as a definition of 'elderly' or older person." I think this seems to be an accurate assumption when talking about age. When I think of older women, I would say probably 60+ and then elderly I see as a much older age group - 80+.

There are many conditions that affect older women and it is quite worrying to hear that for many of us who live in Beautiful sunny QLD we have vitamin D deficiencies. The cancer council has done a brilliant job in getting us to protect ourselves in the sun, but have we gone to far and become to obsessed with covering up? Any Aussie who sees these pictures automatically relates it to SLIP SLOP SLAP campaign. It was one of the most successful health campaigns in Australian History, launched back in 1980. Sid the seagull, wearing board shorts, t-shirt and a hat tap danced his way across our TV screens singing a catch Jingle to remind us of three easy ways of protecting against skin cancer. In 2007, the slogan was updated to Slip, Slop Slap Seek Slide to reflect the importance of seeking shade and sliding on wrap around sunglasses to prevent sun damage.

** Slip, Slop, Slap! It sounds like a breeze when you say it like that Slip, Slop, Slap! In the sun we always say "Slip Slop Slap!" Slip, Slop, Slap! Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat, Slip, Slop, Slap! You can stop skin cancer - say: "Slip, Slop, Slap! ** media type="youtube" key="tGgn5nwYtj0" width="410" height="239" media type="youtube" key="YzYHwzSE1VY" width="392" height="219" As we all know for our bodies to be able to effectively absorb and process calcium we need vitamin D. Nowadays were to afraid to go out into the sun, even wearing sunscreen to protect us in the car, hanging out the washing, or going for an afternoon walk. It's really important that we get around 10-15 minutes of sunlight per day for our bodies to be happy and healthy. Check out the cancer councils map to see how much sunshine is recommended for your area.

I learnt a lot about the importance of diet and exercise as well in ageing women today. Professor Debra Anderson stressed the importance of floor pelvic exercises. We learnt that the main reason women move out of their own homes and into nursing homes is due to incontinence. Incontinence is a term that describes any accidental or involuntary loss of urine from the bladder or bowel motion, faeces or wind from the bowel. Follow the link [|here] for more information from the continence foundation of Australia for pelvic floor exercises. Menopause I learnt a lot today in relation to menopause. I had never before realised the 4 stages of menopause: **Peri Menopause**: The period immediately prior to menopause and the first year after menopause **Premenopausal**: The whole of the reproductive period prior to the menopause **Menopause transition**: Period of time before the FMP **Induced Menopause**: Menopause brought on by surgery, chemotherapy or radiation I was really shocked when I found out that Heart disease is responsible for women's deaths four times more then breast cancer. For me, I was blown away by this statistic. I based my website for women's health around Breast cancer and found the statistics for that very scary. So then hearing that Heart Disease is four times worse, I realised we have a much bigger problem on our hands than first anticipated.

Michelle ran a fantastic tutorial this week around ageing women. media type="youtube" key="b8_weHqlTuc" width="560" height="315" align="center"

//"Once your not fertile, you somehow don't exist", "You become invisible", "Core values: question your own self worth".// We live in a world, where society is obsessed with beauty and sex...why you might ask - because it sells! So many things happening around the time of menopause, children moving out, the death of loved ones, family, parents and friends, change in body image and a change in ones self. Bones, hair, skin everything changes. It was also brought to my attention in the tutorial the age group of women that are used in these adverts that selling "anti ageing creams". It's all young women around 20 - 40! media type="youtube" key="jtmWV9oxVwM" width="448" height="251" I think our society puts to much pressure on women to stay beautiful as they grow old. One of the ladies from the video said "I am not afraid of ageing but am worried about how people will react to my ageing". In other societies elders are looked up to and are treated with the utmost respect and importance, however amongst our society they are disregarded, abused, and more often than not neglected.

I think another area that we need to improve our views on is friendships between younger and older people. Why is it that society frowns upon a 70 year old women being friends with a 30 year old lady. A friendship or relationship should not be based upon a number but the characteristics and the enjoyment that two people get from spending time together. If we start being more acceptable of older people in our society, and allow these relationships to go forward we may just close the age gap that has separated two groups of society....for the worse. http://www.womenshealth.gov/index.html Reflection Week 10 __** n8317950 **__ A great reflection of this weeks lecture. I was astounded by the information regarding cardiovascular disease. I developed my website on breast cancer and learnt that 1 in 8 women will develop the disease by the time she is 85. To then find out in the lecture that cardiovascular disease is the largest cause of death amongst women and that it is three times more prevalent than breast cancer quite frankly blew me away. I couldn’t believe that a disease that is killing so many women has next to no advertising and warning sign advertisements on television, or through media. I found it really interesting how you raised the point that the advertisements that had been made were dominantly directed at men. Before this I had never really realised this. Your wiki reminded me of the advertisement on television promoting people to swap their inactive lifestyles for more healthy choices. When this add first went to air I thought it was incredibly effective yet so simple. I know that it would make me reconsider choices that I would make in my own life, and no doubt thousands of others.


 * References**

Media & Adams (2012). Menopause: Recognizing Menopause and Perimenopause. Retrieved from []

Cabot, Sandra, (2013). Women's Health Advisory Service.//Menopause: Hormone replacement therapy and its natural alternatives//. Werombi, N.S.W: Women's Health Advisory Service. Retrieved from ** [] **

Alice, A., Young, J., Garner, D. (1994). Women and Healthy Aging. //Journal of Women and Aging, (5)//, 3-4. Retrieved from [|http://www.tandfonline.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/doi/abs/10.1300/J074v05n03_15#.UnhW8u3ag_s]

Carroll, J. A. (2013). PUB336 Women’s Health: Lecture 10 [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from []

= = =**Week 8** = =**Domestic Violence : Women are not Drums** = "Dont be the victim, be the change" Ever since I was young I have never liked any form violence. Even just in movies when I know it’s not real – I still hate seeing people hurt. So like many other people this week, I found this topic confronting and hard to listen to. I was really nervous about the lecture because I had no idea what to expect, what we would hear and what we would see. As much as I don’t like talking about domestic violence and thinking about it, I think todays lecture is really important to raise awareness for women and men about many issues surrounding domestic violence.  It is important to understand that ‘abuse’ comes in many forms, and no matter how it is delivered, it leaves its victims afraid, unable to participate in everyday life, unable to be happy, healthy or to work productively and unable to be able to care for other properly whether it may be children, family or friends. It can affect anyone in the community, regardless of gender, sexual identity, race, age, culture, ethnicity, religion, disability, economic status or location. //**"1 in 3 women say they have suffered from Domestic Violence AT LEAST ONCE in their lifetime" **// Domestic violence may start when one partner feels the need to control and dominate the other. Abusers may feel this need to control their partner because of low self-esteem, extreme jealousy, difficulties in regulating anger and other strong emotions, or when they feel inferior to the other partner in education and socioeconomic background. Some men with very traditional beliefs may think they have the right to control women, and that women aren’t equal to men. This domination then takes the form of emotional, physical or sexual abuse. Studies suggest that violent behavior often is caused by an interaction of situational and individual factors. That means that abusers learn violent behavior from their family, people in their community and other cultural influences as they grow up. They may have seen violence often or they may have been victims themselves. Children who witness or are the victims of violence may learn to believe that violence is a reasonable way to resolve conflict between people. Boys who learn that women are not to be valued or respected and who see violence directed against women are more likely to abuse women when they grow up. Girls who witness domestic violence in their families of origin are more likely to be victimized by their own husbands. Alcohol and other chemical substances may contribute to violent behavior. A drunk or high person will be less likely to control his or her violent impulses

//**"Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten." **// = media type="youtube" key="-3EVH3L_jok" width="560" height="315" = = = __//Warning Signs that you are in a Violent Relationship //__

UNKNOWN PASTS / NO RESPECT FOR WOMEN: Secretive about past relationships; refers to women with negative remarks, etc.
= = == = = 
 * "Everyday in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends." **
 * "Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually." **

All children are affected emotionally by witnessing violence. Children who witness regular acts of domestic (family) violence have greater emotional and behavioural problems than other children. Some of the immediate effects may include nightmares, anxiety, withdrawal and bedwetting.

Short-term effects of domestic violence
A child’s response to repeated domestic violence depends on a number of factors including their age, gender, personality and family role. Some of the immediate effects can include: >
 * Blaming themselves for the violence
 * Experiencing sleeping difficulties, such as nightmares
 * Regression to an earlier stage of development, such as thumb sucking and bedwetting
 * Becoming increasingly anxious or fearful
 * Displaying aggressive or destructive behaviour
 * Starting to withdraw from people and events
 * Becoming a victim or perpetrator of bullying
 * Starting to show cruelty to animals
 * Experiencing stress-related illnesses, such as headache or stomach pain
 * Displaying speech difficulties, such as stuttering
 * Misusing drugs and alcohol (in young adults).

Long-term effects of domestic violence
A child growing up in an abusive household learns to solve their problems using violence, rather than through more peaceful means. Some of the long-term effects may include copying their parental role models and behaving in similarly destructive ways in their adult relationships.

Children may learn that it is acceptable to behave in a degrading way to other people, as they have seen this occur in the violent episodes they witnessed. Appropriate support and counselling will help children to grow up learning how to relate to others with trust and respect.

Drug and alcohol dependence
Some parents who are dependent on alcohol or other drugs are unable to care for their children appropriately and may hurt or neglect their children. For some, the dependence on alcohol or drugs is so overwhelming that it takes priority over everything else, including looking after their children’s needs.

Children need consistency in their routine if they are to develop trust and a sense of security, which some parents who are dependent on alcohol or drugs may be unable to give them. Problematic parental drug and alcohol use may affect the child in the following ways:
 * Not getting all their nutritional needs met
 * Experiencing school and learning problems
 * Developing emotional problems related to anxiety or stress
 * Loss of trust in adults
 * Having an increased risk of mental illness or suicide in later life
 * Developing an increased risk of substance misuse.

media type="youtube" key="A-luJWp2_SI" width="560" height="315"

=="Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined." ==

=**Beauty and the Beast... 'A fearytale'** =

In the movie, the Beast aggressively locks Bell in a room, exclaiming that she will be locked in there without food or water until she complies with his demands. She is scared, crying at the aggressive and demanding nature of Beast, but that does not stop him from subjecting her to his dominance. Although the Beast clearly shows signs of violence and abuse (starvation is certainly a form of abuse), Bell seems to look past his deep seeded violence and insecurity, and recognizes the pure beauty and essence that encompasses his being. She begins to fall in love with the Beast, and realizes that the relationship that they once had no longer exists, as she is able to discover the true nature of his character.



While this sounds good and dandy, this relationship clearly parallels the relationship that victims of abuse face with their abusers. In many situations, victims of domestic abuse justify the abuse that they receive from their abusers by blaming themselves for the abuse or taking blame away from their abuser by blaming the abuse on a character flaw that their abuser possesses.

**Celebrity Break Downs**

[[image:abuse.jpg width="228" height="220"]][[image:rhianna.jpg width="253" height="268"]][[image:c&.jpg width="317" height="207"]]
Chris Brown physically assaulted his on and off girlfriend Rhianna in 2009. After 52 weeks of Counselling he said "I finally learned that beating a woman is wrong".

=
The singer said that he tried his best to reform himself over the years until he and Rihanna recently reconciled and that he was never sure that Rihanna would even speak to him again. He added that he was 'eternally grateful' that in the end she found it within herself to forgive him, leading to their reconciliation. 'I just tried my best to be the best man I could be over the years and just show her how remorseful and sorry I was for the incident and that time was probably the worst part of my life and being that she has and she’s a wonderful person I’m eternally grateful and thankful,' he said. ===== The singer said that he tried his best to reform himself over the years until he and Rihanna recently reconciled and that he was never sure that Rihanna would even speak to him again. He added that he was 'eternally grateful' that in the end she found it within herself to forgive him, leading to their reconciliation. 'I just tried my best to be the best man I could be over the years and just show her how remorseful and sorry I was for the incident and that time was probably the worst part of my life and being that she has and she’s a wonderful person I’m eternally grateful and thankful,' he said.


 * What does this tell us? That we should forgive and forget abuse?**

Everyone knows something, If you suspect something is wrong in a relationship, if you see abusive behave, if you hear something that isn't right, thats abusive, hurtful, harmful or even dangerous to a person...REPORT IT. You have a choice. Doing nothing, is letting it happen. Step in and make the change. You might just save a life. media type="youtube" key="AvBKlBhfgPc" width="560" height="315" align="center"

If are in a violent or abusive relationship, or you want to talk to someone about things that are happening in your relationship please don't hesitate to call the Women's Domestic Violence Helpline on 1800 007 339 or the Mens Domestic Violence Helpline 1800 000 599 Reflection Week 8: ** n8550301 ** Wow what a tough and sensitive topic it was to write about this week but well done, and also thank you for sharing your friend’s story. I found it really helpful in understanding the various types and forms of domestic violence with your use of examples between Tom and Sally. I agree that it is an assault to people who have been in these types of relationships to say that domestic violence only appears in a physical form. As you stated it can also be sexual, verbal, economic or emotional abuse and each of these things can be as damaging as each other. I really liked the definition that you used and that was “In any of these forms, the perpetrator seek to in-still fear and intimidation in their victim through controlling and domineering behaviours”. I think its so important that people seek help if they are in an abusive relationship or if they think someone they know is being abused. There needs to be more media and advertising on the issue and the hard fact that just by raising awareness that someone is in an abusive relationship, it may just save their life.

Futures without violence. (2013). The facts on domestic, dating and sexual violence. Retrieved from **[]**
 * References**

Watkins, J. (2013). Chris brown and how he won Rhianna back after viciously beating her. Retrieved from **[]**

Department of children protection and family support. (2013). Domestic Violence helplines. Retrieved from **[]**

Carroll, J. A. (2013). PUB336 Women’s Health: Lecture 8 [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from []

A womans work is never done!
What a fantastic lecture it was this week given by Julie-Anne. I was so engaged in this lecture from beginning to end! I think its important that as women we realise that there are many barriers to us succeeding and that we must persist and work hard and make sure that we are rewarded in the same way that a man in the work place may be.

From the very beginning we are repeatedly told that boys are to do the ‘hard work’. From when were young and our mothers would go and do the weekly grocery shop and when she got home our fathers would bring in the heavy bags. Something so simple represents something so big! Men are often referred to as the breadwinners of the family, they bring home the bacon so to speak. They go to work, do the long hours and come home…exhausted….to relax in front of the television with a beer in one hand and hot cooked meal. The woman of the family generally stays at home looking after the children while they are young. **Work:** Activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result. Now you’d think that a women and a man working the same job should get paid equally but unfortunately that’s not always the case.

I found it extremely uplifting when in the lecture multiple students shared their stories about their fathers taking on household roles including cooking and cleaning and looking after the kids, giving the mothers a chance to be in the workplace. This surprised me, because the stereotypical family is the complete opposite to this. I am so happy that this could mean there is a change in society and that women are having the opportunity to become successful in the workplace while the men take a step back and take on the household roles. I feel that many more men would also followin this new moving trend however we have now created this idea that men are harmful to children which has been very damaging. For example many airlines have taken on controversial seating policies which involves men not being able to sit next to children that are unaccompanied by an adult. The airlines are failing to understand the terrible damage that is done by this system of presuming guilt in the entire male population just because of the tendencies of a tiny minority. I think its unacceptable that on multiple occasions men have been asked to move to another seat, in front of a plane load of people, causing them great embarrassment and feelings of guilt for something they have done nothing wrong by! I’d like to touch on the significant changes that have occurred over time in respect to women’s rights in the workplace. **1950’s** media type="youtube" key="DB5TOsS5EyI" width="560" height="315" **1970’s**
 * Good wives guide training video
 * Change in Feminism
 * The pill

**1980’s**
 * Sex Discrimination Act

One of my favourite parts of the lecture today was learning about affirmative action. Before today I had no idea what these words meant. It is defined as: A policy or a program that seeks to redress past discrimination through active measures to ensure equal opportunity, as in education and employment.

The tutorial today raised some really great thought provoking topics. I liked the following paragraph from the Curt Rice article The motherhood penalty: It’s not children that slow mothers down “The belief that the care of children must be a first priority combined with this idea that women are the ideal carers for children, contributes to motherhood being viewed as an end in itself. As a result, society’s stereotyping dictates that a woman’s identity is defined by the success of her job in raising her children. This once again promotes the idea that women should put themselves last and live somewhat vicariously through and for their children.” I think this really sums up the struggle that women go through after during and after having a child. In the tutorial we spoke about what makes a good or bad mother. I’ve put some of the things we came up with below: Good Mother > ‘When comparing men and women with the same personal and professional characteristics, the same academic productivity, and both with children, we see that having children affects women much more negatively: a man with children is 4 times more likely to be promoted to Full Professor than a woman with children’. This astonishes me! Yes, we are committed to our children and they are very much a part of our lives but why should we not be given the opportunity that a man is. We have obviously worked as hard as our male counterparts to get to that position so why should we be discriminated on our choice to have a child. The article continued to say ‘Mothers were judged as significantly less competent and committed than women without children… Mothers were also held to harsher performance and punctuality standards. Mothers were allowed significantly fewer times of being late to work, and they needed a significantly higher score on the management exam than non-mothers before being considered hirable. As if this weren’t enough, when they did hire mothers, the subject participants gave them a 7% lower starting salary than the non-mothers, and considered them less well-suited for future promotion. All this was determined on the basis of a paper file!’ So why is it that becoming a mother is seeming like a disqualification. As Julie Anne said in the lecture the first people to stress out when women stop having babies is the economists! Children are like assets, we raise them, nurture them, and teach them things so that they will be able to contribute to the workforce in the future. So why are we discouraging woman from having babies when they are our future!? Even scarier the results that were presented from The Drums article //Why men need to work more like women// 'While 72 per cent of men work in permanent full-time jobs, only 44 per cent of women do. While 30 per cent of women work permanent part-time, only 8 per cent of men do. A slightly higher proportion of women than men also work in casual employment, which is often part-time. Herein lies much of the source of that large overall gender pay gap. So why, in this era of workplace "flexibility", do so many women and so few men work part-time?' I was really astonished that for many women in job interviews, the employer will ask about plans for children. Really? Is that the criteria we should be marking people against? Not their capabilities and work ethics. For an employer, it is obviously easier business practice to hire a person for a position who they can reasonably assume will be around longer term, and is not likely to take six months or more away from work, or seek to work part-time or job share for extended periods. That means if you have a woman of child bearing age and a man going for the same position, and both are otherwise equally qualified, the man clearly has an edge under the current typical social arrangements for child rearing. I also really liked the point made in the lecture, that when your gender doesn’t necessary fit into the occupation you are in, your gender is titled. For example, If your female and doing nursing, you’re a nurse, if your male and doing nursing, you’re a male nurse. If you’re a woman doing medicine, you’re a lady doctor, if you’re a man, you’re just a doctor. If you’re a woman working in law you’re a lady lawyer, if you’re a man, you’re just a lawyer.
 * Having it all together
 * Ironed school uniforms
 * Well controlled children, no yelling or screaming
 * Having dinner cooking in the slow cooker all day and come home to a ready to eat meal
 * Healthy, homemade lunches
 * Looks immaculate, children always tidy and well presented



I really enjoyed this weeks lecture and tutorial as it gave a real insight into many decisions I will be faced with in the future. My number one focus at the moment is to finish my degree and start a career in Nutrition and Dietetics in the hope to open my own practice in the future. Unfortunately that will take a lot of time, and commitment to my occupation so that I can progress my way up the ladder and be really successful in what I do. I think as we start to get a bit older our views on these topics will change and we will start to think differently. Until then, I'm just enjoying the ride!


 * Reflection Week 7:** ** n7533233 **

I really liked your wiki this week. I don’t think many people realise the stresses that are associated for women returning to the workplace – especially in a similar situation to your sisters, until they are in the situation themselves or have someone close to them go through it. I think it is really important that workplaces are accepting and lenient with women as they return to the workplace – women have a lot to give and they should not be thrown away just for having a baby. Your images around a ‘working mother’ and a ‘stay at home mother’ were very interesting too and gave different perspectives on these groups.

Week 6 Having a Baby: Making the right decision



Dr Yvette Miller gave an insightful lecture this week, with a predominant focus on a women’s health perspective of childbirth and raised some very important points for discussion. It amazed me how pathologised childbirth has become. Women receive approximately 150 or more specific tests, examinations or interventions during pregnancy. This is a huge number and to some this may seem excessive, yet to others, can be seen as very necessary. The word ‘Pathologise’ is defined as “//The act of turning a normal human condition into an illness requiring medical intervention”//. I don’t know about you but this scares me, and makes me wonder how we can mix such a normal human way of life with a word that represents illness and needing medical attendance.

The two philosophies of birth also surprised me greatly. Before this lecture I had no idea there were such distinct categories. Firstly the Non medical, organic approach and secondly the Medical Model, a mechanical approach. The non-medical approach focuses on a normal birth, with the assumption that a good birth will lead to a happy and healthy mother and baby. This philosophy also strongly believes that medical intervention is only necessary in a small minority of cases and that midwives should be the primary care providers. Looking at the other end of the spectrum with the medical model, it focuses greatly on birth as pathological – too have a live mother and baby at the end. It also has strong beliefs that medical intervention and technology are important and necessary in most births. Doctors are seen as primary care givers in this group as they believe that during pregnancy anything could go wrong at any second and a doctor is best suited to deal and treat the situation. // 61% of women felt all the medical procedures they underwent during labour and birth were necessary. // As an adult at the age of 20 with no children, I feel like I have some major decisions ahead of me and at the moment I know I’m not ready. I feel blessed to be able to have the information available to me to make an educated decision that is best suited to my situation. At the moment I feel that I would like to have the majority of my pregnancy non medical based, however I know the risk of things going wrong and I think I would still like to have the option to be able to have medical treatment if it was needed.


 * Reflection Week 6:** ** N6874037 **

A great reflection of this weeks lecture and tutorial. Until I read through your wiki I never thought that Medical Intervention was a GOOD thing in childbirth – of course I realised that the intervention was important if necessary but I always thought that a birth should be kept as natural as possible. Your statement “I believe the medicalization of birth gives more power to women, as it highlights pregnancy as a dangerous, tough and painful thing”. This quote was so strong and really stood out. You followed on to say that when birth was left ‘natural’ there were high rates of dying during labour and infant mortality. We are so lucky to live in a world where medical technology is available to us 24/7, and I think we need to start to embrace that. I myself do not have children, however when the time comes these are the decisions I will be faced with and I can only hope that I will make the right choice.

= =

Continuation From Week 5 (Miley Cyrus)
Overnight, Miley Cyrus has made news headlines for her racy, 'twerking' performance with Robyn Thicke to his song Blurred Lines. I just wanted to bring up these photos to follow on from my thoughts from last weeks wiki. I mentioned how celebrities change and this is exactly what Miley has done. Some say she's just gone to far, and that she's trying to erase her good girl look and show everyone that she's grown up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ9_3Ak9uq4 (Sunrise)

On sunrise panel the ladies were saying they watched the VMA awards with their young daughters and were shocked with Miley Cyrus performance. The video left mothers and daughters asking the question...what was she thinking? 'Twerk' has now been added to Oxford Dictionary and is defined as "to dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movement and a low, squatting stance."

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<span style="color: #e50606; font-size: 1.033em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**NOTE**: I'd just like to point out to readers of my WIKI, the reason I use a lot of photos and video clips is because I believe that a picture speaks louder than words, and quite often the clips or videos i use have strong messages behind them. Please do take a look at each of them because they are all important in some way and help us to understand the issue. =====

Wiki Week 5 Self Image, Self Perception, and Reality **Body Image:** //“The subjective concept of one's physical appearance based on self-observation and the reactions of others.”// media type="youtube" key="lvRnaIkIjvc" width="560" height="315"

Gok Wan hosts a show called ‘How to look good naked’. Basically he shows women that the person they see in the mirror is generally a lot BIGGER than their actual size. He helps women to become comfortable in their own skin and show their inner beauty. I really like this show because it doesn’t pressure women to be stick thin. It encourages them to love their bodies, which leaves them happier in themselves and conceptualises a better body image. His down to earth, relatable personality brings the show together and I highly recommend you take a look at the episode above… After all, we can all relate to this in some way! Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental illness. People who have this illness constantly worry about the way they look. They may think something that isn't there, or that others don't notice, is a serious defect. Treatment includes cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and antidepressant drugs. So many women around the world are constantly worried about their appearance and how they look. It worries me greatly that women have such low perceptions of their body, and such high expectations for what they should look like. Gok raises a fantastic point above when he asks “So how did we become such a nation of tummy phobics? -- Lets be honest when your bombarded with images of super toned celebrities it can do anything but boost your self esteem. Keeping a six pack is like having a full time job!" What makes me even more distressed is that women are automatically given antidepressant drugs to make them ‘happy’ again. Its just like saying pop this pill and all your problems will be gone! What is that telling young girls?

With **4% of Australians** suffering from an eating disorder, there is a real need now more than ever before for awareness campaigns and programmes to be put in place, particularly for schooling and university students. Another problem is that women have this misconception about what men want in a women. Men like curves! They don’t like women that are bony and skinny. The majority prefer girls with a little more love handles but are still fit and healthy. It astounds me why we change and put so much pressure on ourselves and our bodies to impress and please society. media type="youtube" key="94c43AlwLKo" width="482" height="274" Self-degrading thoughts about what we perceive as "flaws" are created completely out of a false reality. Negative perceptions take a hold of the mind and ego does everything it can to prevent us from seeing the truth about ourselves. Seeing ourselves as beautiful, holy, and worthy of love is far from our thought system. Like anything in life, if repeated enough will become learned and habituated only to perpetuate a losing battle of self destruction. It is only when we begin to let go of the need to control that our thoughts may begin to shift. I really liked the following quote and I think It has a powerful message behind it. "Deep within you is everything that is perfect, ready to radiate through you and out into the world. It will cure all sorrow and pain and loss because it will heal the mind that thought these things were real, and suffered out of its allegiance to them. We all carry the "cure" for our disease deep within us. This brought me back to the video shown in our tute from Eve Ensler. I found it insightful and amazing! She speaks such truth through her talk on 'Suddenly, My Body'. If anyone missed this in the tute, please do yourself a favour and watch it! Definitely worth it! I'm so glad I've been able to see this. The powerful, and important message behind this is wonderful and should be shared. //If you'd like to see it again, I've added it to the bottom of my wiki - take a look!// media type="youtube" key="Ei6JvK0W60I" width="494" height="281"

As children we often 'grow up' with famous teenagers. Through magazines like total girl when were quite young, moving towards Dolly, Girlfriend and Madison as we get older. I remember through my years growing up Britney spears was a big influence for me. My friends and I would sing and dance all day to her songs and make up our own performances following her moves. We looked up to her and just thought she was so amazing. We wanted her clothes, shoes, and hairstyles! We wanted to be just like her! As she started to age so did we. Her music began to move from innocent to more provocative, she started to wear less and less clothing and become more present in the media. She then had her mental breakdown when she shaved her head back in 2007. From this point on girls my age were left thinking…is this normal? I think discussions with family and friends have a lot of influence on how we see these events and they can often explain how this can happen to people with such an exclusive lifestyle. More recently Miley Cirus who starred as Hannah Montanta who began as an innocent country girl has been among sex scandals, and leaked naked photos. As well becoming more provocative in her dance moves and clothing. To me, I just think this is such a bad image to be modelling to young ladies and it is so important that there is knowledge and awareness around celebrities. As parents, guardians, family and even friends of young children we do not often realise the subtle yet harsh affects media and advertising is having on young children until we see something like the clip above and it hits us SMACK! in the face. I must admit before taking this subject I just saw these adverts as yet another advertising plot...Now I see so much more, I see the young girl watching these images, putting herself out for boys, wearing clothes that make her look like she doesn't care about herself and growing up in this sexualised, male dominant society! And I just think WOW. Below I've gathered some photos of Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus throughout their careers. I'd also like to point out some of the lyrics from recent songs that have been on the radio.

Britney spears : //__If you Seek Amy__// ....the hidden message behind those four simple words... and Miley Cyrus featured in WIll.I.Am new song : fall down, with lyrics including __//You can be my lollipop, let me let me lick you up//__ __//On the bottom, on the top, baby, let me flip you up//__ __//You could be my soda pop, Coca Cola, sip it up//__ __//Whip cream, whip it up, strip, unzip it up//__ __//I could be your chip, you my dip, let me dip it up//__ We can't physically stop our children from hearing and seeing these things, but we can provide them with knowledge. Before vs. 5 years later

We now have this huge obsession with our bodies and being beautiful. Instead of having a good old Tupperware party were now holding BOTOX PARTIES! And cruise ships and holidays packages that are dedicated to cosmetic surgery! Pain is Beauty as they say, and women will go to extremes to have that little bit extra. I thought it was really interesting in the lecture when Dr Angela Dwyer made the point of the huge amount of satisfaction we get out of 'beautifying ourselves'. Her example used was when we pluck our eyebrows and we get that perfect line with no hairs out of place - this is the same satisfaction women get when they have cosmetic procedures done. Plucking our eyebrows is harmless fun, however, when we start having repeated visits to cosmetic surgeons with multiple procedures being done this is where our addiction now becomes unhealthy, and just like smoking we need to break that habit. It is important that women realise the copious amounts of makeup and modifications that go into a photo in a magazine or advert before it is published. These women look just like us when we wake up in the morning and go down to the shop. I admire Sunrise's presenters Sam and Nat for going makeup free for the last hour of the programme last week. On live television they took all their makeup off, exposing EVERYTHING to the public eye. Makeup is a Woman's comfort blanket. It makes us feel secure, and helps us to hide any unwanted blemishes that we may have. It was an empowering moment for these two ladies to be confident enough to do this 'extreme movement' to prove that there is so much that goes in to live television and magazines. Below is a video clip, that shows the lengthy process that goes on between choosing the model and publishing the billboard. media type="youtube" key="hibyAJOSW8U" width="560" height="315"

**"Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been."** -Mark Twain. Although a beautiful truth, this quote is a vision not easily embraced by our society today. Wrinkles and fat are seen as adorable on a newborn baby or even a shar-pei puppy. However, the mind begins to interpret things differently as we grow and the signs of aging become evident. It is no longer "cute" to have visible lines and wrinkles on our forehead, and excess fat on our legs, for example. Our perceptions of what is "beautiful" changes drastically in our minds because the world has taught us and defined beauty for us instead of allowing us to define it for ourselves. Loving thoughts about the body are rare in a society of men and women with a distorted, negative self-image. It is no longer about the health of our bodies, but rather extreme expectations we have brought upon ourselves as to what we "should" look like and what beauty has come to be in our minds.I do believe a healthy mind and body go hand in hand. However, when taken to an extreme can be toxic. Body image obsessions often lead to anorexia and bulimia. Both devastating on not only the body, but the mind as well. What we need is to shift our perceptions. media type="youtube" key="bHLgTUV0XWI" width="482" height="278" Congratulations on your wiki. There are many well-researched topics as well as very relevant questions being raised and questioned. I LOVE the quote you included “Girls don’t simply decide to hate their bodies, we teach them to” and this is so very true – isn’t it? As a society and throughout the media we portray these ‘beautiful bodies’, which frankly are unrealistic beauty standards! The video you posted of interviews with women from ‘Natural Models’ and ‘Healthy is the new skinny’ was really great. It was so interesting that there is no ‘happy medium’ – It’s just extreme to extreme both ends of the scale resulting in possible serious health issues! The women in this video were real. They were not fat, not skinny. Just fit and healthy and they were glowing. I believe that this is what young women should be looking at and be shown that whatever shape you are your beautiful. I really liked the point one lady made in the video, which was that some women are born a size 6, or even a 14. They may be fit, healthy and have normal eating regimes. This is just their body type and we shouldn’t criticize these women for being natural the way they are. There really needs to be workshops throughout schools and local communities to raise awareness - and to be honest, not just for girls but for boys too, but that’s a whole other can of worms!
 * Wiki Reflection Week 5 : N6796125 **


 * References**

Rice, D. (2013). Body Dysmorphia. Retrieved from
 * [] **

Carroll, J. A. (2013). PUB336 Women’s Health: Lecture 5 [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from []

Week 4 Wiki Childbearing. When is the right time?

This weeks lecture was both interesting and thought provoking. As I sat in and listened to Julie Annes insightful lecture I really wondered what I would write about this week. For a topic that for myself, doesn't directly impact me or is even on the cards at the moment, I struggled to choose something to talk about. I began to think about age and child bearing, and how the media has often criticised womens decisions in this area - too young, too old, too many, too little - never just right!!

There is no 'right' time that a women should have a baby. Many people say when your physically, mentally and financially ready and stable you'll know its the right time but for a lot of women and their partners these aspects don't always match up at the same time. "By the time a woman reaches 35, it takes her twice as long to conceive as a women who is 30 or younger, and by the time she reaches 40, it takes her four times as long as a woman who is 30 or younger," says Dr Tremellen. "It's a rapid drop off. The average couple under 30 will conceive in around three to four months. When you get to 40, it's more like nine or more months."

Things I'd recently seen in the news and on a current affair shows all started to play on my mind. 16 and Pregnant is where I'd like to start my writing today. It's a popular American reality television series that debuted in 2009 on MTV. It follows the stories of pregnant teenage girls in high school dealing with the hardships of teenage pregnancy. For most, this show can be quite addictive and a real eye opener for others its a publicity stunt and is seen as 'glamorising teen pregnancy'.

(CNN) -- MTV's "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom" have been called one of the best public service campaigns to prevent teen pregnancy.

These documentary series tell the honest, unpleasant truth of teen pregnancy in America -- the whole truth. It's not a fairy tale where every girl ends up with the American dream - a loving husband, a white picket fence and the career they've always hoped for. These young women struggle to make ends meet. They make mistakes as they try to navigate an adult life too soon. Relationships with their partners, parents and friends often crumble, and the pressure of raising a child is often too much to bear.

"We believe that our audience is smart enough to view 'Teen Mom' and '16 and Pregnant' as the shows were intended -- as cautionary tales about the consequences of unprotected sex, and the reality of becoming a parent too early. In fact, research by the National Campaign found that among teens who watch "16 and Pregnant," 82 percent believe the show helps teens better understand the challenges of teen pregnancy and parenthood and how to avoid it.

media type="youtube" key="oebk3fFV0AA" width="560" height="315" align="center"

When I was in my first year of University I became friends with a great group of girls who I grew very close to. The following year one of them announced she was pregnant! I had such mixed emotions about this. At first I was worried for her about her life, education and job, and most of all for her mental health. Despite my own worries I wished her congratulations and she followed through with the pregnancy, and now has a beautiful one year old daughter. I'm not saying life wasn't hard for her the past Year and a half -- it was anything but easy, but she has shown me that she has taken on the role of mother hood and is NAILING IT! For the girls that are on 16 and pregnant or teen mom, they are being heavily criticised for having a baby too young. This then opened a whole new can of worms for me! ABORTION. Another highly controversial topic that to was discussed in the lecture, and brought light that everyone has very strong personal opinions on this area. But what does this leave us to think. Everyone has their own childhood, feelings, opinions, beliefs and thoughts on everything! On one side were criticised for having a baby and bringing it into the world AND GIVING IT LIFE yet on the other hand we are told we're TOO YOUNG AND IMMATURE and we SHOULDN'T HAVE CHILDREN YET WE GET AN ABORTION AND WERE RIDICULED AND CRITICISED YET AGAIN FOR DOING WHAT SOCIETY TELLS US AND TERMINATING THE PREGNANCY!!! = The other extreme: Baby at 51, 56 or __SIXTY SIX__! = These woman are highly criticised for being selfish for becoming a mother when others their age are becoming grandparents! IVF treatment is now allowing older women to have babies at a later stage in life. Critiques argue that "Just because its medically possible doesn't make it right!"

But how many years will these older mums have with their children. A women overseas gave birth to twins at the age of 66, and died two and a half years later. This is indeed an extreme and tragic case especially for the family and children involved. Some argue that you can die when your 30 or 40, you could walk outside and be hit by a car, however your a lot closer to that age when your 65.

The mothers of these children find it hard accepting that they may not be around to see their kids get married, have children, go to university and find a career etc,-- and for this reason they wish they had done it younger so they could be there for their children.

One lady admits life with a small child has impacted and cost her relationship with her husband. She's only started to realise the implications of an older mother when her husband and her broke up and realised she was a single mother at 61. Interestingly, she now believes IVF shouldn't be available to women of her age. 50 should be the cut off point.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that these children are loved and cherished, but what happens when they turn 18 or 21, when they finish university and want to be free and travel the world, they may well have to give up those dreams and act as a career for their single mothers who are no longer able to care or fend for themselves.



SO, what age do you think should be the cut off point for IVF treatment? And then theres women who are Childless by Choice, Selfish? This category of women are happy and content with their lives as they are. Although they enjoy the company of children they do not want that in their own lives. Why is it okay to impose on women sole responsibility for population growth, to label a childfree woman “selfish,” and then to insist that she just doesn’t know what she’s talking about and will eventually come around to a more rational line of thinking? "As a woman of a certain age — and really ever since I hit puberty and my baby-making parts were suddenly subject to public debate — I’ve been told over and over again that I will “change my mind” about not wanting kids. I have been told this by friends and by random strangers at comedy clubs after they just paid good money to laugh at my stand-up routine where I say, I can’t have another person running around the house who is more helpless than me.” Says Jen Kirkman She continues to say, "I understand the pressure from parents who want to become grandparents, but from another woman, it’s bullying, plain and simple. Asking questions about why I don’t want kids is really none of your business, but at least it’s a dialogue. Telling me straight up that I will 'change my mind' because you are so sure that I will suddenly realize one day that my decision is the wrong one — that’s not only rude, it’s an attack. And think about how painful that kind of statement might be to a woman who can’t have kids." "You can see this bullying in the media coverage of those who are “childfree by choice”. A recent story about the declining birthrate in the U.S. stated that “many of those opting for childlessness have legitimate, if perhaps selfish, reasons for their decision,” and used the headline: “What makes sense for the individual may spell disaster for the country as a whole.” Disaster? Really???"  The way I see it, its a personal choice. For the majority of us who are able to have children its our choice whether we do or not. It is unfair that women should feel judged and be criticised for terminating a pregnancy or choosing not to have a child. For the women who do fall pregnant and have their baby, I believe they should be praised and we should embrace childhood for them, but not compare them to others. Everyone has different circumstances, beliefs, families and most importantly relationships. It's OUR BODY and we, no one else, SHOULD have the RIGHT to tell us what we can or can't do with it!   **Reflection N6796125**   “Motherhood is like getting a tattoo…on your face, you have to be really sure you want it.” What a great quote to kick off a controversial topic for this week. ‘When is the right time’ is a question that many people ask, but we never truly know the correct answer. I think it’s unfair that as women were expected to follow this fairy tail lifestyle where all the big choices in life have already been made for us. To get married, settle down, buy the house with the white picket fence and have children…lots of them! However where is the career where is striving your own path in life? They have not left the ‘OTHER’ option box to pick. I think its great that you didn’t want all these normal things when you were younger, however I think its ridiculous that people would tell you that you’d change your mind…as if it’s a bad thing. Every person does not lead the same life, they have different families, morals, lives and most importantly they make different decisions because their different people – It’s what makes us unique and we should be embracing this, instead were criticising and ridiculing women that don’t comply with the social norms.

**References** Kirkman, J. (2013). Stop telling me I’ll “change my mind” about wanting kids. Retrieved from []

Carroll, J. A. (2013). PUB336 Women’s Health: Lecture 4 [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from []

Week 3 Modelling & Advertising: What is the camera really trying to say? The Lecture this week was REALLY GOOD! I enjoyed everything from start to finish! I wanted to share firstly a few of the topics that really stood out to me from the lecture. Firstly in the first part of the lecture we spoke about adam and eve. I went to a christian school my whole life from pre school to year 12. Although I'm not a fully devoted christian that prays every night, and attends church every sunday, I do believe in Christian beliefs and their understanding of God and Jesus. I did however create a whole new view when we spoke about Eve and how her actions have represented the fundamental character and identity of all women today. Eve was said to have created the mistrust, disobedience, guileless, weak-willed, prone to temptation and evil, disloyal, untrustworthy, deceitful, destructive, and motivation in a woman's thoughts and behaviour purely by self-interest. The message of the bible gives strong reason to man not to trust women, and for women not to trust other women for they are dangerous.

So what kind of wife do you think your are, or would like to be? [|What Kind of Wife Are You? - Woman's Day] The Nurturer, The Mothering Wife, The “Little Girl” Wife, The Bossy Wife, The Superwife, The Husband-Centered Wife or The Kid-Centered Wife The woman's day magazine released an article that featured different 'types' of wives. I really don't think you can label a women, it seems ridiculous and untrue, and yet they still post this sort of thing.

Studies show that each day we are exposed to a massive 5,000 adverts, as apposed to the 1970's when it was estimated around only 500 per day. "It seems like the goal of most marketers and advertisers nowadays is to cover every blank space with some kind of brand logo or a promotion or an advertisement," Walker-Smith. With this is mind here is just a few advertisements that you may see in your everyday life: BUS SHELTERS, TELEVISION, MAGAZINES AND EVEN ON THE SIDE OF BUILDINGS AND ON THE BACK OF TOILET DOORS & BATHROOMS!

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In a sense we could say that advertising influences us on a minute to minute basis, every day of our lives. Whether we want it there or not, subconsciously things we see stay in our minds and we may not even be aware of it! Generally when advertising companies sell things they use beautiful models with the 'so called' perfect body, hair, skin, eyes etc. =====

Americas next top Model is a forever growing show with millions of people tuning into the program each week. Basically a group of girls work their way through different shoots and activities, whilst being judged on every aspect of their body. For their main audience (young girls) this show can look exciting and can have a huge influence on their own self esteem and self image. Seeing women strut around in different outfits, starving themselves so they will stay their perfect size 6 body shape and being bitchy and backstabbing to each other really isn't what we want our future women to be influenced by.

So what happens when in Week 4, when the show gets their models to recreate 'crime scene victims'?.....This is what happens....



We are exposed to two women who look like they have been the victims of domestic violence and another who is a murder victim. For the majority of these young girls watching the show -- they wouldn't understand or know the truth and reasoning behind a lot of these issues! Meanwhile the television show critiques these photographs by saying the following statements:


 * Twiggy:** You've got a beautiful heart-shaped jaw, which shows wonderfully. This is my favorite photograph. And she just jumps out of that line for me. I love her. I think she's great.


 * Miss J:** What's great about this is that you can also look beautiful in death.


 * Tyra:** Today, when she came up, her face and just her whole thing was working.


 * Nigel:** You look incredible in front of me here. You look beautiful in this picture. This is a full package right now.

They are making this massive, real life issue sexualised and 'okay' and saying how beautiful a model can be on her death bed....is that OKAY? How can the hurt, sadness, distress, deceit, lies and the shame all factors of domestic violence be this so called beautiful incredible thing!!!! For me personally I found these photo quite disturbing. Anyone who has ever been in an abusive relationship, I think too, could find these photographs confronting and disrespectful.

=  = = ^^^ SO, IS THIS OKAY TOO? =

Modelling has changed over the years, its no longer about improving self esteem or doing it for a bit of fun. Its now a highly competitive business where girls will fit and change themselves to the requirements of agencies just to make them feel a little more important in the world, and to become more like the 'beautiful' people we see in magazines. Something so innocent has turned into an adults business.

//**16 -> 18+ yrs**// (ABOVE: Miranda Kerr, started on the cover of dolly magazine and now is modelling for victoria's secret)

"The typical age is 16-21. Models can be younger than this, but many agencies will require models to be at least 16. Likewise, models can be older but agencies and clients tend to like their models looking younger and more youthful. Height is typically between 5’9″-6″, bust is between 32″-36″, waist is between 22″-26″, and hips should be between 33″-35″.

Would you know anyone that would fit these descriptions?
However, I don't want to leave you with a foul taste in your mouth for modelling because theres another side, where some amazing and beautiful things come together, and I believe its important to recognise this. For example 'The Scar Project' or 'The dove Beauty Campaign'. Both of these show women, as themselves, in their true bodies without the sexualisation, excessive makeup, costumes, editing etc. To me these photos are truly beautiful and inspiring. It shows that no matter what you look like on the outside, your beautiful. If we were all the same we would be clones! and life wouldn't be exciting. We are a diverse society and we need things that make us different, because its those things that define us for who WE ARE.

Nowadays clothing stores are slowly beginning to bring in plus size manicans as opposed to the generic skinny, size 8 models, which only lead consumers to disappointment and bad self image when a clothing piece does not look the same on them as it does on the tiny model.



So to finish off I'd like to pose a question to each and every one of you...Which would you prefer. The so called glamourous lifestyle which we all know is not so glamourous, pushing yourself to the limits, leading to a lifestyle of eating disorders, anorexia, bad self image, criticism, never feeling good enough and having this negative persona towards others who you are competing against and being in a 'bitchy' environment Having a few curves and being happy and comfortable in your own skin. Still indulging in the occasional piece of chocolate cake, but being fit, healthy and happy.
 * OR**

First of all I'd like to congratulate you on a terrific wiki entry. This particular story that was raised in the Lecture alarmed me and I straight away went home and searched the full story online. It astounded me that the mother is being trialed for murder whilst the father was just charged with manslaughter. I completely agree with you that it should be equal responsibility between the mother and father to look after their children. From what I heard on the news they were no longer in a relationship, just living together for financial reasons. Like you said though they had put in place agreements to ensure the safety and wellbeing of these children before the pregnancy actually occurred! I really think your statement -"
 * Week 3 Reflection (N6874037)**
 * //I think that the perfect mother image that is constantly portrayed on the media made this woman feel inadequate as a mother and contributed to her mental health problems//**." was absolutely spot on. In a majority, if not all baby adverts there is a happy, smiling, beautifully presented mother with her laughing and giggling baby. This is not a real depiction of motherhood, and there really needs to be ways of letting new mothers know this, to avoid more tragic incidents like this from occurring.

Carroll, J. A. (2013). PUB336 Women’s Health: Lecture 3 [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from []
 * References**

Jio, S. (2013). What kind of wife are you?. Retrieved from []

Taylor, J. L. (2012). Height, Age and Measurement requirements of modelling. Retrieved from **[]**

Jay, D. (2011). The Scar Project: Breast cancer is not a pink ribbon. Retrieved from **[]**

Striegel-Moore, R. H & Bulik, Cynthia, M. (2013). Risk factors for eating disorders. // American Psychologist //, //62//(3), 181-198. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.62.3.181

//__ Week 2 Wiki Entry __//  **// “Person or Possession” //** This Weeks lecture on Women’s Amazing bodies was both inspiring and eye opening. Topics, as simple as children being designated to a gender through certain toys and colours by marketing in a toy store for example – these things I had seen but never really thought to much about. I started to think about slowly growing up, what magazines we read, our behaviours and then how these factors all influence us to what we become as young adults. As I was searching through articles I came across this picture below captioned “Left or right? But you’ve got to tell us how you came to that decision” When I saw the picture I was instantly infuriated by the demeaning nature of the photograph. Posted on a social media website by a popular men’s magazine readily available for viewing by anyone in public. Within an hour the picture had received 80 ‘likes’ and over 50 comments – it was spreading quickly. As I scrolled down the page I came across three comments that stood out from the rest. Words like opinion and train it really screamed out, and were being used in a disrespectful manner. **// Some of the comments included: //**
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">//Left cause **it** can still make a sandwhich//
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">//Right, cause// ** it **// doesn’t have the ability to have its own F*%*ing //**__ opinion __**
 * <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">** //Right, you could// ** __ train it __**// to open beers with its feet //**

<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">**The advertising Standards Bureau posted the following statement in regards to the photo:**

“The image, <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">** disturbing nature ** of having a disembodied woman and the ** offensive **, clearly sexist and even ** abusive nature ** of some responses on a page being used to advertise this product should not be allowed. Both the pictures, the questions that are posed and the responses are regularly ** demeaning ** and **unacceptable** to women **. Women are objectified and ** ** sexualised .” **

<span style="font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Zoo magazine publisher argued that men’s choice of zoo magazine is for a purpose - to engage with content that doesn’t require much thought

__Below I have compiled some images between what people expect and the reality__


 * 1. What people think a stay at home mum is vs. reality **




 * 2. What men expect when they get home from work....vs. what they get!**




 * 3. How people think dinner is prepared vs what really happens -- after all dinner can't be perfect every night!**




 * Meanwhile.....**

The whole idea of women being an object to men really came to light when I was scrolling through the above pictures. I decided to compare what people think women are doing compared to what happens in reality. The images on the left create a false sense of belief that we are just here to be at the beckoned call of our male counterparts, and if we don't please them and make them happy, we are not fulfilling our role as a woman.

On one side were being told WE MUST BE LADIES! We are to always put others first, be polite, use our manners, cross our legs, curtsy, have immaculate presentation, and be the stereotypical housewife. Basically, to always stand on the sideline and let our male counterparts take the lead and excel and bring home the bacon so to speak!
 * So what is society trying to tell us? **

But why should we fall under these categories like the girls in the pictures and always be the ones to make the sandwich and not have an opinion? Why is it that women are criticised for wanting to become a plumber or mechanic when numerous males are employed as nurses or teachers?

We need to stand up for ourselves and create our own opportunities in our lives, we need to yell and be loud, sing, voice our opinion, pursue careers in pathways that generally only would be seen as a ‘male’ job, and most of all feel comfortable in our own skin. We need to move from being a possession to a person. From a young age girls should be aware of the media and how it can portray women as can be seen from the pictures above, are not accurate and realise that it doesn’t have to be like this, because after all we are what we choose to be.

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I really enjoyed watching this clip from the lecture this week in a sense that it just shows how women have really developed and changed throughout time. "Its hard to imagine a world where idealised female imagery is not plastered everywhere, but our current situation is a relatively new phenomenon". Photography came around in 1839 and it was only at this time that people really began to see real life pictures of faces and bodies of other people. Before then there was no concrete standard for beauty other than what was seen in our own communities. I found the point in the lecture about most of these people not even owning mirrors very thought provoking. What would that be like? How would you feel about yourself? Were these people really content with their bodies because there was no social pressure on them to become extremely beautiful within their time. Its one fact that we will never know.

Recapping on my previous comment above I'd like to point out the gender roles that children are specifically exposed to. Its obvious when you walk into a toy store where the specific gender toys are. Girls head for PINK whilst the boys go for the BLUE areas. Within each section lies different toys and play equipment both unique to a child's gender. It was interesting to see that boys toys were more about reality, with aisles full of trucks, cars, bikes, mechanical hands on tools with police and fireman gear. However as one walks down a girls aisles its full of glitter and pink princess dresses, wands and kitchen sets, all sorts of colouring books, fairies and unicorns. Not only are these things not real they are bringing the girls up in a fairytale land away from reality. But does this really impact a child's future? You can be the judge for yourself...



“Toying with Kids Futures” 08606978 I’d firstly like to say I really enjoyed reading your wiki, it was well written and brought light on a topic that needs to be discussed. I too found this topic really interesting and before the tutorial had never really thought about the social influence a toy store for example can have on a child’s decision for themselves. I agree with you that traditional gender roles are still so evident in todays society. Children really don’t have a chance to choose what gender they feel most comfortable with as advertising and social pressures are pushing them in a particular direction. The effects that this can have on a child can be detrimental all through their childhood years, and one assume that this may lead to bullying in the school yard environment and further on in the workplace. It is evident that a change needs to be made, but is it realistic? How do you think people would react to this, and most importantly what could be some measures for applying these changes?
 * //__ Week 2 Reflection __//**

Chirkup. (2013). Evolution of the female image through the centuries. Retrieved from []
 * References**

Matt Curry. (2012). “Demeaning” Facebook image banned. Retrieved from []

Carroll, J. A. (2013). PUB336 Women’s Health: Lecture 2 [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from []