Unite For The Uterus

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?Love Yourself

Day in and day out we are surrounded by the media, whether it is a magazine we happen to skim our eyes over that demoralizes a celebrities appearance or an advertisement brainwashing us into believing we need to be or look a certain way. We are living in a media-filled world and the control of the message is truly out of our control. According to nationaleatingdisorders.org, “Over 80% of Americans watch television daily” (national). People of all ages engage on multiple social media outlets daily almost hourly that fuel and contribute to the definition of what is beautiful. We feel the need to fit societies expectations day in and day out. These expectations can lead to eating disorders, depression, or a constant lack of confidence or dissatisfaction with oneself. We must break away from people viewing others for how they look but for their heart and in our mind.

Our society utilizes the media to brainwash and pound the ideal body image into our brains through advertisements. Even media for young children, for example animated shows and children’s videos touch on the importance of looking attractive. Women and men are sexually objectified in commercials and print ads. Take for example the bit Carl’s Jr. pulled with models eating hamburgers in swimsuits in a sexual manner. We must not submit to these advertisements and hidden innuendos. If we give in we are allowing the media to tell our loved one’s what makes them unique an beautiful.

Tracey Spicer, an Australian journalist, gave a Ted talk in regards to how much time we put into our body care and body image to fit societies expectations. When in reality we could utilize the time spent on our productivity. In her speech she stated, for women, it works out at 3,276 hours (of grooming) over a lifetime and for men, they only devote 1,092 hours: about a third of the time spent.” As a newsroom journalist she has faced expectations and faced cruel criticism for her body image. She recommends these first steps of making a personal change for you. She says to remove the make up, wear the clothes YOU want to wear, and know you may receive backlash for it but that how any change will slowly happen.

If we spent less time giving into the media’s ideas of beauty we would maintain a higher confidence and be fulfilled with happiness of who we are as a person. Love yourself because you are a unique individual. When we love ourself we are an example to those around us who are growing up in a world where our societies expectations are skewed. Who know’s with the time you would have spent grooming yourself to fit societies expectations you could have learned a new language, explored a new hobby and shared the important message of loving yourself for who you are!

?? Sunday Spotlight: Well Known Women Redefining Beauty Standards

March 27, 2017 / kszendre / 0 Comments

Body image is one of the more difficult issues all girls will face at some point in their lifetime. The portrayal in the media has women comparing their body to the so called “perfect” body from a young age. Some girls feel like they weigh too much, others not enough. It’s like that scene from Mean Girls where they all feel compelled to point out something negative appearance. It’s not easy to get rid of negative body image thoughts but some inspiration can be helpful. The women in this Sunday Spotlight are empowering icons who have spoken about body image and how important it is to be happy with yourself, rather than comparing yourself to others.

Tyra Banks addressed tabloid magazines and paparazzi for sharing a photo of her and claiming she had gained 40 pounds. Tyra took the situation back in her control when she went on her show, displayed the picture and stood next to it while wearing the same swimsuit she was wearing in the picture. There is a video of the segment where she calls out tabloids and shames them for portraying weight gain as shameful. “It’s after the holidays…..i’m going to gain and lose weight, just like everyone else” Tyra said. She addressed the harmful comments and made sure to encourage girls that it’s 100% ok to gain weight and you shouldn’t be shamed for it.

Mindy Kaling is another icon to look at for inspiration when it comes to body positivity. She has written two books over general life scenarios. In her first book “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and other concerns)” she addresses how she grew up as the “chubby Indian girl.” She relates to young girls because she understands what the girls who aren’t stick thin go through when going through one of the hardest times in life…puberty. Her experiences shared through her writing spread the idea that it’s okay if you’re not one of the super skinny girls. Her writing makes you feel like she’s right there with you and one of your friends, making sure you’re not alone in your struggles.

The final lady in this Sunday Spotlight is bad gal RiRi herself. Rihanna has been a very prominent advocate for self love and body positivity. She shrugs off gender expectations and redefines what it means to be “ladylike.” She received a lot of criticism for wearing the sheer Swarovski crystal dress which was pretty revealing, leaving little to the imagination. Press continued asking her questions and criticizing her for “objectifying herself.” She fought back by saying “Do my tits bother you? They’re covered in Swarovski crystals girl!” She basically called out the paparazzi for shaming her for being confident with her body and how she chose to show it. Rihanna can teach us all a very important lesson in life, it’s your body and you get to choose how much of it, or how little of it you want to show to the world.

Tyra, Mindy and Rihanna can all teach us valuable lessons on how to brush off the negativity and strive for acceptance of ourselves. While it’s not easy, inspiration from these women and many other body positivity advocates, can help us through this process. In the end it’s us and how we see ourselves but it’s important to remember that: you shouldn’t compare yourself to others, body changes are okay and embracing your sexuality is okay and normal!

?Sunday Spotlight: Trans Women Making History

March 12, 2017 / mrangel5 / 0 Comments

This week we’re discussing transgender rights and the importance of intersectional feminist. Here are a few transgender women who have made an impact on the transgender community. The activist efforts of these women have empowered fellow transgenders and have redefined what it means to be a woman and the various experiences of womanhood.

Sarah Mcbride

Sarah Mcbride is the National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign and the first transgender person to speak at a national convention and work in the White House. Her voice and presence at the White House have been extremely influential to policies on LGBT rights under the Obama administration. By publicly sharing her story she has brought awareness to transgender people and provided a voice for them in politics.

Jazz Jennings

Jazz Jennings in a transgender Youtube personality who uses her online presence to advocate for LGBT rights. She has become one of the first open teen transgender figures who brings support to other trans youth and has publicly shared her story in various interviews. Jazz and her parents created the Transkids Purple Rainbow Foundation that provides supports to trans children by educating, providing financial aid to research, and transforming the negative stigma society has towards transgenders.

Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox is a transgender actress, TV star, and LGBT advocate who uses her status in Hollywood to fight for transgender rights. In addition to being a successful advocate, she is also the first transgender women to be nominated for an Emmy Award. Her position has been an effective platform that has really brought a lot of awareness of transgender rights, discrimination, and violence. She emphasizes intersectionality in her grassroots efforts because transgender women of color face are targets of violence.

March is Women’s History Month and these are just a few of the powerful women making history for our generation. Unite for the Uterus strongly stands by these amazing women that have made strides to fight for trans rights, women’s rights, and gender equality. We unite for all women who fight for our rights and promote feminist ideals that apply to all women regardless of race and identity. No uterus is required to support us and our fellow women!!

Who are you, LBGTQ+?

March 11, 2017 / nhaseeb / 0 Comments

As time goes by, our communities continue to get more and more diverse. It is such an empowering and beautiful thing. The way that people interact and respond to those differences is a great way to understand someones character. However, sometimes people don’t respond to difference in a positive way, and that is what this post is all about. We want to empower people to accept everyone as they are, regardless of their differences and to help foster that type of future. We want to talk about who the LGBTQ+ community is and how a more inclusive community could help shape a better world.

LGBTQ+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer and/or questioning individuals/identities. In the 1990’s the abbreviation replaced the concept “the gay community” in order to be more inclusive of all identities. For decades the LGBTQ+ community has struggled to fight for individual rights and freedoms. Most people in this day and age are pretty familiar with what it means to be gay, lesbian or bisexual. There is less education surrounding the transgender and queer community. A transgender person is an individual whose sense or personal identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex.

While LGBTQ individuals have fought for rights for decades, fighting against discrimination America finally took a step in the right direction in 2015. President Barack Obama legalized gay marriage on June 26th, 2015. Although the passing of the law created a large backlash of hate and discrimination throughout the country, it is now a nationwide law. The courts ruled that states cannot ban same sex marriage, it was the biggest victory for the LGBTQ community to date!

? Sunday Spotlight: The Susan G. Komen Organization

March 6, 2017 / kszendre / 0 Comments

The Susan G. Komen foundation, also known as simply “Komen” is the most widely known Breast Cancer research organization worldwide. After it’s beginning in 1982, it has spent 1.5 billion on breast cancer research, educational programming, advocacy and health support services. The foundation is named after Susan Goodman, who later became Susan Goodman Komen, who passed away in 1980 from breast cancer. Her sister believed she could have survived if doctors had known more about the disease, thus putting in gear the making of an organization who is dedicated to ending breast cancer.

Throughout the years of advocacy and support for the breast cancer community, the Komen foundation has made a lasting impact in several ways. One of the impressions they have left on the world is the iconic pink ribbon, as well as the color pink itself. The pink ribbon is the symbol of breast cancer awareness and was made known by the Susan G. Komen foundation. The color is strategically chosen to be pink and represent femininity. The hope behind this representation was to also represent traditional feminine characteristics such as caring for and love for one another. Every October is recognized as national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The color pink is incorporated into uniforms and worn proudly by several sports teams during games. In many stadiums, a pink ribbon has been painted onto the playing field, for even more representation and awareness for Breast Cancer. Through the pink ribbon, the Susan G. Komen foundation has created a iconic symbol that allows for others to recognize and be aware of breast cancer and it’s affects on women and a small percentage of men across the globe.

The second impact the Susan G. Komen foundation has made is the 3 Day, race for the cure. The 3 Day is a 60 mile walk over the course of 3 days. Each day participants walk 20 miles as they are cheered on by supporters on the path. The 3 Day occurs yearly sometime between August and November. The cities that have hosted the 3 Day include: Dallas/ Fort. Worth, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle and the Twin Cities. In order to participate a walker must raise $2,300. Many participants reach out to family members/ friends/ coworkers, etc. in order to reach the goal. Because of this several others are able to be involved in the 3 Day, even if they are not walking. Many of the walkers in the past have walked for their mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, friends or other relatives who were affected by breast cancer. 75% of the proceeds from the 3 Day go to Komen’s national priorities which include: research, community health and advocacy and global partnerships. The other 25 % of the profits stay within the local community to fund screenings, diagnosis programs and education. In order to find more information about the Komen 3 Day and register for the race, you can visit their website. The fight to end breast cancer isn’t over, but dedicated people and organizations like the Susan G. Komen foundation are making big steps toward finding the cure.

March 5, 2017

It’s that time of the month again ladies, the monthly breast exam has called your name. According to John Hopkins Medical center, “Forty percent of diagnosed breast cancers are detected by women who feel a lump, so establishing a regular breast self-exam is very important.” Most women who perform these monthly breast exams a become familiar with their breasts, and b, are so familiar that when and if they feel a lump they can contact their healthcare professional right away. If you are wondering, how in the hell do I give myself a breast exam, have no fear we’ve got you covered. There are three recommended ways.

1.) In the Shower

Take the pads of your fingertips and move them around your entire boob in the motion of a circle from the outside to the center. Don’t forget about your armpit area! Check each month for any lumps, thickening or hardened knots.

2.) In Front of a Mirror

Look at your boobs with your arms down at your side. Then raise your arms high above your head. Look to see for a changing in the contour, if there is any swelling, dimpling of the skin, or changes in the nipples. Lastly, rest your palms on our hips and press firmly to flex your chest muscles. Each boob will not look exactly the same so again look for any dimpling, puckering or changes to either side.

3.) Lying Down

When you lay down your breast tissue spreads evenly out along your chest. Put a pillow under your left shoulder and your left arm behind your head. Use your right hand to move the pads of your fingertips around your left boob in those small circular motions again covering the entire boob area and armpit. Repeat this step on right side. Lastly, squeeze your nipple to check for discharge and lumps.

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer can vary from person to person. As a disclaimer, these signs and symptoms I am about to share with you do not automatically mean you have breast cancer! If you notice a change in how your breast or nipple feels. Nipple tenderness or a lump or thickening in or near the breast or underarm may be a sign. If you notice a change in the skin texture or that the pores on the skin on your boob are larger. Some say it may feel the like an orange peel’s texture. Another sign is a change in the breast or nipple appearance meaning there is an unexplained change in size or shape or a nipple that is inward or inverted. Lastly, any nipple discharge that is clear of blood.

Please remember if you discover a lump or any of these signs or symptoms to contact your healthcare provider, but also know it may not be breast cancer. It is better to have a doctor look at it than self-diagnose yourself because it is most often the symptoms are not cancerous. I’ll leave you with this video from BuzzFeedYellow’s Ladylike bit. Watch these four ladies learn everything you need to know about breast exams from Dr. Sherry Ross, MD.

?United We Pay

February 22, 2017 / nhaseeb / 0 Comments

“Today, women make up half of the U.S. workforce, but the average working woman earns only 77 percent of what the average working man makes. But unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change.” – Beyoncé

The wage gap is a real thing people. For some reason it seems to continuously get less and less attention because it does seem to be decreasing for white women. Women overall lose out on more than $400,000 over the course of their careers, but most women of color are shorted more than double that. Right now the rate is teetering at about 20%. Which means that for every dollar that a man makes, a woman makes about 80 cents. This is a completely generalized statement that does not consider race, geography or immigration status. However, it isn’t all completely bad news, femme forward bad asses are paving the way for the gap to slowly disappear and much like women suffrage, LGBTQI rights and the civil rights movement, all good things take time. Here at Unite for the Uterus we believe in unity. We would like to give a shout out to a few of the women that have helped to make our paychecks a little fatter and our hearts much more full!

Viola Davis explains why equal pay just makes sense.

An advocate for equal pay in Hollywood, Viola Davis is not using the spotlight to merely accept her Emmy’s and move on. Instead, Ms. Davis is advocating for human rights all across the globe, including equal pay. As an actress of color she isn’t even concerned about men and making the same amount as they are yet, she feels like she should be making just as much as white women in her industry. Davis is a hero in this realm because she does not just use her stardom for stardom’s sake, but instead uses it as a platform to promote ideas such as equal pay for all, health and medication activism for people living poverty, and total equality for people of all races and genders. “I always feel like I’m motivated by the child in me that lived in poverty,” Davis tells a reporter from Mashable. Using the experiences of her youth Davis is a part of the movement to help all people receive equal pay for equal work.

Rosa DeLauro on Kennedy’s equal pay legislation

Rosa DeLauro has fought for issues such as equal pay, paid family leave and affordable child care her entire career. Her dream is to live in a country (and a world) where the monetary value of the women is equal to the value of men. DeLauro argues that conservatives in government may have their heads buried in the sand, but the gender wage gap is not a myth. Study after study from economists, experts and the Government Accountability Office have demonstrated that women are being paid less than their male colleagues for the same work across age, occupation and education level. The 23-cent gap between men’s and women’s earnings can be only partially explained away by occupational choices; differences in the number of hours that men or women work or other such factors. For example, men out-earned women in 19 of the 20 most common occupations for women, according to a 2012 analysis of occupation and wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as 19 of the 29 most common occupations for men.

Emma Watson on a person’s position not impacting the wage gap.

As rough as it is to come to terms with, in our digital age Hollywood stars seem to get most of the attention. While politics are center stage during election time, Hollywood is never off camera and these stars are constantly setting examples for young women all across the country. A heroine example of activism for women’s rights in that community is Emma Watson. The young actress was disgusted at how women were being portrayed around the world that she had to take a one year sabbatical to broadcast her ideas about feminism and make a real difference. She took this year to go on many shows and do interviews expressing her views about how corrupt the system is and how it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, or what your occupation may be, no one is being paid equally and it needs to change.

Hillary Clinton on equal pay and human rights.

Arguably one of the most influential women in Washington, Hillary Clinton has fought for the rights for women for decades. She has built a career on proving that women can do anything and has served as a role model for young girls around the world. Regardless of her result in the most recent presidential race she presented a concession speech that brought many around the world to tears. Empowering young girls to not look at this as a defeat of their character but to believe that they can accomplish anything they set their mind too. In regards to her thoughts on the wage gap, Clinton has pointed out several parts of the wage gap that mirror the glass ceiling ideology. As men get older promotions increase, as women get older they are left behind. A proud supporter of the Paycheck Fairness Act, Clinton believes that workers who discuss their pay can’t be fired or retaliated against for learning about their co-workers’ salaries. Clinton said equal pay was just one part of her larger agenda of economic equality plan for women workers. Her activism throughout her life makes her a hero for little girls and working women everywhere.

Lilly Ledbetter on the wage gaps effects over time

Lilly Ledbetter is THE PIONEER of equal pay for women in the United States. Her bill the Fair Pay Act of 2009, was the first bill signed into law by president Barack Obama (also an intense activist for equal pay for the sexes). Lilly Ledbetter, now 78, worked for Goodyear Tire and Rubber for 19 years. By 1997 she was the only woman working as an area manager at a plant in Gadsden, Alabama. She was also, as she was to find out, the lowest-paid. Ledbetter earned $3,727 per month, but her male colleagues were being paid much more for the exact same job—the lowest-paid male area manager made $4,286 a month, and the highest-paid made $5,236. Frustrated and disgusted by this unfair treatment, Ledbetter stood up for herself and spoke out. Her complaint became an employment discrimination suit that was eventually settled by the Supreme Court in 2007. But she didn’t stop there, when Ledbetter received a large settlement for the discrimination she experienced she continued her fight to make sure no other woman would be subject to that discrimination. It is because of Ms. Ledbetter that a law now exists prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination between men and women in the same establishment who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort, and responsibility under similar working conditions.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the queens of our progress.

?Gender Wage Gap: Doesn’t Make Cents

February 21, 2017 / mrangel5 / 0 Comments

Equal pay for equal work seems totally reasonable, right? Well, unfortunately, it’s just not that simple a key issue that the women’s movement is undertaking is the gender wage gap. The wage gap is the difference between a man and a woman’s average income salary. When looking into this issue there is one common statistic that is stated which is that women make 79¢ to every dollar a man makes but this fact doesn’t really reveal much about the matter because not every man and women have the same job. This statistic mainly applies to college educated individuals working full-time jobs but pay can vary for many reasons beyond sex like education, race, disability status, age, socioeconomic status, and experience (AAUW).

The 21% difference in pay primarily applies to white woman which are a small portion of all women, therefore neglecting to represent the various experiences of other women in the working field. The difference in pay is far more drastic for women of color with Hispanic and latina women with the lowest pay and biggest difference when compared to the pay of a white male (AAUW). Age is another big contributor to the wage gap even though many workers (male and female) will get an increase in pay as they get older and get more expertise the gap also becomes considerably larger. The disparities in salaries are prevalent in almost every field even the sports sector making women who pay the same sports as men make considerably less and by doing this the industry is encouraging gender inequality and discrimination towards women.

In order to tackle the gender wage gap, these additional findings need to be known more than just the 79¢ statistic for any substantial progress to occur. We need to obtain gender equality that applies to all women but what can we do to pave the way and abolish the wage gap? Here are a few tips that I came up with.

Advocate for equal pay and promotions for yourself and your lady friends
Talk to your employers about the Equal Pay Act
Tell Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act
If you are business owner make a commitment to provide equal pay for equal work
Educate others to bring awareness to the issue
Document any events that may suggest that you are being paid unfairly
File a complaint if you have been discriminated against
And most importantly is Know Your Worth!

?Sunday Spotlight: Margaret Sanger

February 20, 2017 / kszendre / 0 Comments

Born in 1879 in Corning, New York Margaret Sanger came out of the womb headstrong. Technically, literally and figuratively because she would eventually become known as the founder of Planned Parenthood as well as an iconic advocate for women’s reproductive health. Keep in mind that the impact she made happened 100 years ago and women who took a stance and spoke up about anything were considered “stubborn” or “emotional.” Even though Sanger was the start of the movement that is still so important for women today, there are some beliefs and connections she had that Planned Parenthood realizes but denounces today. Every heroes story is a very complex and interesting account with flaws, because even though we look to them as inspirations, all of our heroes are also humans.

A lot of her personal background is what fueled her passion for access to reproductive healthcare for women, especially those in poverty. Growing up she was born into a family who wasn’t able to support the number of kids they had brought into the world. She would go to school and be made fun of by her peers for wearing old clothes. She wanted to stop living a life of poverty, which is one of the inspirations to help others get out from under the poverty line. She eventually went on to private school which was funded through the help of her older sisters and later graduated as a practical nurse from Whites Plains Hospital in 1902. (Planned Parenthood 2) This upbringing and background is recognized as what she drew from to form her passions for the care of those in poverty and women’s reproductive health.

Six years before she was born the United States Congress implemented a law that “made it illegal to to publish and distribute information across state lines about sex, reproduction, or birth control anywhere in the U.S. on the grounds that they were obscene.” (Planned Parenthood 2) After serving women as a nurse for several years, Sanger wanted to find other ways to help women in need. She began publishing a series of articles entitled “What Every Girl Should Know.” Her articles were later censored even though she had went around using language about contraception. Sanger didn’t back down, instead she decided to write her own paper, appropriately titled “The Women Rebel.” The paper included any and all information about birth control. She was told to stop publishing but kept doing what she did best, defying the wishes of those wanting to censor her mission for women’s reproductive health. She continued publishing and sending out copies through the mail. Even through tireless efforts, Sanger was arrested.

Instead of writing a plea for her defense, she began writing a book all about birth control entitled “Family Limitation.” It sold for 25 cents and women all over were beginning to hear about it. It was translated into 13 languages and over 10 million copies were sold. It essentially was the “Bible” of the birth control movement. This was just the beginning of Sanger’s impact. She later went on to become the founder of Planned Parenthood and is considered one of the most important Americans in the 20th century. The history of Planned Parenthood and Margaret Sanger’s foundations will be covered more in our next blog entitled: Human Rights are Reproductive Rights.

?Human Rights are Reproductive Rights

February 20, 2017 / slonge / 0 Comments

Planned Parenthood celebrated its 100^th anniversary last year and is stronger than ever. Throughout history this organization has fought and pushed to grant education, healthcare, medical services, and promoted research for all people regardless of his or her fertility, of the individual’s income, marital status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or residence. Planned Parenthood has granted the human right to reproductive rights for everyone.

It all began with three women, Margaret Sanger, Ethel Byrne, and Fania Mindell, who opened a clinic to provide birth control information and advice to women.

After the opening it was shut down just 9 days later by the police and the women were charged with crimes. Margaret Sanger in particular refused to pay the fine and spent 30 days in jail.

After 14 years of advocating, the New York Urban leagues endorsed a new clinic for black women who were denied access to health and social services.

In 1943 The National Clergyman Advisory Council launched to become the precursor to the Planned Parenthood Clergy Advisory Board. Many religious leaders have played a critical role in advocating for reproductive health.

In 1951, Planned Parenthood granted funds to researchers to develop the first birth control pill and in 1956 the first human trail took place in Puerto Rico.

In 1965 contraceptives were legalized for married couples in the Griswold v. Connecticut case. Researchers found that one out of four married women under the age of 45 had utilized the pill.

In 1967, 19 Protestant ministers, and two rabbis created an underground community of about 1,400 clergy members to assist women who were at the time seeking out abortions.

About 11, 000 abortions were performed by this underground group until 1973 when Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion nationwide.

In the case of Eisenstadt v. Baird, the U.S. Supreme Court disbanded the Massachusetts statute, which banned contraceptives from unmarried couples.

Following the legalization of contraceptive usage and abortion came the launch of national sex education programs, and a safe place for women to seek help with family planning, referrals or medical services. While there were and are many success of Planned Parenthood that does on deter from the acts of violence that have occurred, and the numerous set backs from government officials. This is and will continue to be an ongoing battle. It is the fundamental right to every person to say what they choose to do with their fertility. We must respect everyone and value their opinion. Planned Parenthood has created and maintained a safe and nonjudgemental ground where all people can seek information in a private and safe space. It is our obligation to fight and advocate for the equality of all humans reproductive rights. We must continue to do so as our President begins to ban funding to those who support abortions.