October 12th-16th was Military Rape Awareness Week, and several organizations were on board for the implementation of activities. Data was put out to the media including: 1 in 3 women in the military have been raped or assaulted; 37 percent of victims are raped multiple times; 14 percent are gang raped.
Prominently featured in Fatal Promises is actress and activist Emma Thompson. In addition to making powerful public service announcements, Thompson is the co-curator (with Elena, a trafficking survivor), of the interactive art installation Journey. The work puts the viewer directly into the experience of a sexually trafficked woman.
I met Amy Ferris at The Women’s Media Center in 2005. We were part of the start-up team for a new venture founded by Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, and Robin Morgan.
With First Lady Michelle Obama leading the charge to put the struggle for work/life balance front and center, the issue is finally getting top-level attention.
Everyday young girls and women are being bombarded with images that set the standards for what constitutes visual attractiveness in our culture. Margaret Cho knows about these strictures first hand, and addresses them in her standup comedy special on Showtime entitled “Beautiful.”
I spoke with Judy Norsigian, Executive Director of Our Bodies Ourselves by telephone, “We see this film as one of the best tools for understanding both the known and unknown consequences of implants for a woman’s health,” she said. The film is an eye opener.
At the beginning of the evening, Rose appealed to the audience to “accept and listen to thoughts and ideas” they may disagree with. He had little more success with his two guests, who frequently spoke over each other, making parts of their conversation inaudible.
Ullman scrutinized how stewardesses from the Middle East and Singapore still have the “I Dream of Jeanie” outfits, reflecting the male corporate ideal. Ullman morphed into an American aviation executive when she exclaimed, “Goddamn it! We lost control of how we make the girls look.”
Art movements, like their political siblings, are messy. People don’t agree, groups splinter, and history is up for grabs.
The film interweaves the stories of three women who are each transforming the world through individual actions. One is changing the way that people think. The other two are building understanding and relationships, impelled by the pain of their personal experiences.
"The Jump Rope Line" by Marcia G. Yerman is included in the Seal Press anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom.
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