Museum & Chap. 9 Reflection

I actually did not like the WACK exhibit very much. I found much of its content offensive and felt very uncomfortable for the majority of the time I spent there. I had a feeling before viewing the exhibit that I would encounter some things that I did not agree with, but I had no idea it would be that graphic. I really don't understand the power associated with nudity. I felt, after viewing the exhibit, if nudity does in fact exude power, it was all lost as so much of it was present, that it became unoriginal and unimaginative. The statement made about 'being disturbed when viewing female body parts, when we are constantly bombarded by men's and not bothered by it' does not apply to me either. I have always had strong feelings against nudity, no matter who is presenting it in art or the world.

As for the book, as a whole, I didn't really appreciate the text. There were many things that I disagreed with and felt that many issues were presented from a biased point of view. BUT, I actually liked chapter 9. It was the most helpful and inspirational of all the chapters, I think. Instead of lamenting about the plight of women, advice was given to those who want to work towards change. I especially liked the quote on p. 162

"Ascribe to what First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt says: "Do something to scare yourself today." In other words, take a risk, try something new, move out of your comfort zone and feel the exhilaration of power when you succeed and embrace the learning when you don't."

-Teresa L. Cavanagh, senior vice president and director, Women Entrepreneurs' Connection, Fleet Bank

Lastly, one thing really bothered me in the afterward when it talked about the 2008 election and the possibility of a woman running and maybe even winning. I got the feeling that the author would rather have a woman in office than someone who is qualified for the job. Now, I'm not going to discuss my political opinions here, but I think it is more important to have an individual, whether male or female, who is qualified for the position. Not once was this mentioned in the afterward. It really upsets me to think that anyone might think that getting a woman in office is more important than getting the right president in office. I hope I am wrong about my feeling, though. I would like to think that the author is a bigger person than that.