Critical Feedback on Final Projects

[Ava Nova]

Everyone should offer some type of useful comment for groups working on projects. In particular:

Condom Group<=========> Birth Control Group
Thong Group<==========> Tampon Group
Paper Group <===========> Envelope Group
Chewing Gum Group <=======> Ring Group

Of course, you may comment on anyone else's project that you would like!

[emma]

@birth Control Group in response to the discussion questions
2) "A Chicago physician noted in 1930...the discovery of chewing gum, hair pins, needles, candles and pencils were lodged in female patients' urinary bladders" (Tone 491). What do YOU blame this on and does it raise the question of why was it okay to RISK women's health for so many years when there were seemingly better alternatives readily available?
-I think this is a questionable subject, while it is said, the hair pins, chewing gum, needles and candles are risky, and it is also true that the “seemingly better alternatives” may have been just as risky. Like said, this is an unexplored chapter. There were and are risks to using bitch control, which I believe plays a huge role in the use of birth control. I also think that the stereotypes of birth control users play a big role in the decision to use birth control. Women of that time may not have wanted to be associated or be a part of that sort of thing, meaning recreational sexual activity that the ideas of birth control give off. I think that is something that should be explored when considering why women do not use birth control.

3) During the same time that contraceptives finally became a commodity within everyone's reach (in stores and at home in the mid 1930's) condoms were sold in pharmacies, news stands, barber shops, cigar stores and gas stations. Theorize why the issue of gender determines product availability in this case.
-In the article written by Bullough, he quotes Foote, “that its use put conception ‘entirely under the control of the wife,’” meaning that methods of birth control were the women’s responsibility, while the use of the condom was the man’s responsibility. Condoms were often said to be used as prophylactics, or something used to prevent disease and infection, not so much as a contraceptive. This would probably appeal more the single man having recreational sex with women that were not his only partner.

6) "Neither legal restrictions nor medical disapproval thwarted the industry's ascent, however. Instead they merely pushed the industry underground, beyond regulatory reach." What are some other instances in history where a product or service was made illegal and therefore pushed out of regulation? What were the outcomes of these situations?
-When I read this question I think of alcohol, alcohol was banned so its use was done is secret and used to make a large profit. That is probably true also of birth control methods or abortion methods; the products were made illegal, forcing women to go to extremes to ensure pregnancy did not happen.

[gmfreeman]

@the Ring Group
I really like the direction that you led the discussion on friday, the idea of invented traditions is a very interesting one, and definitely should be a part of your paper. the many ways a tradition is invented should also be considered, like marketing, advertisements, government, etc.

As for jewelers creating new traditions, i don't think that this is a very large ethical concern. Jewelers try to start new trends all the time, every season there seems to be a new design meant to propagate sales. However, only when the public agrees with or likes the new design does it catch on and become something new.

[foresquared]

@the Birth Control Pill Group

As we discovered in class today, the non-users of your products are the people formulating negative beliefs about the users of your products. For example, many people may classify a girl taking The Pill as a “sexually active whore,” when in reality the user may be consuming the product of a wide array of reasons, including acne, extreme periods, or for a contraceptive when in a sexual relationship with one person (not a whole slew of people). However, after doing a lot of research about the product myself, I noticed that there are several brands of the product that use different active ingredients. The active ingredient in Yasmin, Yaz, and Ocella (drospirenone), is used in the treatment of acne. However, there is currently a claim that this active ingredient also causes a greater threat for DVT (deep vein thrombosis). All birth control pills are known to increase the risk for blood clots. My main point is that, while you focus on the point of women taking all of the “responsibility,” there is always a risk when taking an alternative (in your case, especially if the woman smokes). Could this cause a decrease in the pill’s use when talking about women that smoke? Do they think that the possible cost could outweigh the benefits of taking the oral contraceptive? Also, does taking the pill increase the spread of STIs in the sense that sexually active women are less dependent on condoms as a means of birth control? Just some questions for thought.


@the Tampon Group

The risk factors of tampons are also noteworthy. Because females choose to risk the possibility of TSS to use the tampon, the benefits (or lack of knowledge, or preventability) clearly outweigh the costs of consumption.


@both The Pill and Tampon Groups

What both groups should ask themselves, is what do the users’ lack of response to risk factors say about the users’ values? How do these values relate to human nature?

[nickisonlyme]

@birth Control:
Really make it a point to mention how little some people, such as myself, may know about birth control and different contraceptives. In fact, you could even form an organizing point about the convoluted realm of birth control: There is a) the mystery of why miscellaneous products were found inside women and b) today's society and why birth control is controversial and thus not discussed often.

@chewing Gum
Try to centralize on the reason for creating chewing gum in the first place and what contemporary society expects from chewing gum. For example, is it to cure bad breath? To taste something pleasing? As a means to engage socially? The differing intentions may give insight about cultural values and perspectives.

[sdematteo]

1. If girls are taught by parents and teachers at a young age that menstruation is a normal part of a woman’s life and discussing it does not need to feel uncomfortable and awkward, then they will never feel the need to make this such a confidential topic. Young girls are very impressionable, and by seeing the adult figures in their lives acting uncomfortably regarding the topic of menstruation, they will unknowingly follow the example provided.

2. I think that tampons are associated with a private, or as some would say shameful, part of a woman’s life, unlike that of a hair clip, which leads a moderately public life. The hair clip is displayed every day, whether for added decor or useful functionality. American society has therefore been trained to accept objects such as hair clips as the norm, while tampons still remain a private, embarrassing feminine object.

3. I feel as though a male’s first encounter discussing a tampon is awkward, if only for the fact that they themselves will never have the experience of using the product. Males that are repeatedly exposed to tampons, however, become more accepting of the feminine product; because of this, married males and males with many sisters seem to become accustomed to the tampon and do not feel as much awkwardness in the discussion of it. It seems as if the only way to remove the awkwardness that comes along with discussing tampons between females and males is to expose males to the product early on to make it seem normal.

4. It is shown that women who are embarrassed of their bodies feel shame because of menstruation. This also affects other aspects of the woman’s life. She will probably not be as assertive in sexual situations because she does not see her body as having value, but instead she views herself as an object of shame. Due to her lack of assertiveness, she is putting herself at risk for contracting various STDs or even for becoming pregnant.

5. I personally do not feel any awkwardness in talking about menstruation. I have before been talking about this topic with my friends, when one of them says, “Shh. You’re talking too loud. Those people can probably hear you.” I don’t see the uncomfortableness that comes along with this type of discussion and do not care who is around when I talk about it. Menstruating is a normal, required bodily function for women, and I don’t see why we should have to feel embarrassed about it for any reason.

[sdematteo]

^ That is for the tampon group. Sorry I forgot to mention that!!