User:Blogger192AC/sandbox

Adding Further Sub-Paragraph to the "Body Positive Movement" Page under the Category "Popular #FreetheNipple..."

While social media played a crucial role in amplifying the #FreeTheNipple movement online, the movement has not made much impact on decision-making processes offline. The current onset of the Fourth Wave of Feminism redefined digital expression for feminist practice and theory. Moreover, social media platforms fostered a sense of global solidarity and made feminist conversations easily accessible through “logging in” to personalized accounts. Thus, instead of minimizing their thoughts into a single think-piece, women could now actively contribute to discussions in real-time and constructively voice their opinions in an engaging community. With this, social media instilled a sense of transnational belonging and confidence in women and young girls.

A decade before the eruption of Facebook and Twitter, it was extremely difficult to fight sexism and degradation on the female body in public spaces. On top of scarce discussions on feminism, activists for women’s rights were negatively stigmatized as “feminazis” by countless celebrities such as popstar Katy Perry, actress Shailene Woodley, and American talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Without digital platforms for organizing social movements, dispersing information, and fostering communities, only people in those cities or within the vicinity at the time could participate in feminist rallies. Social media completely transformed this complicated process and expedited what once took months of traditional pre-planning to a simple click of a button. This cleared an online platform for body positive conversations on the #FreeTheNipple movement.

Perhaps the true power of social media stems from the ability for members to share stories that oppose the silencing of women and minority groups. By speaking up in these #FreeTheNipple digital spaces, women are effectively regaining their agency and autonomy. For example, after women’s rights groups adamantly resisted Victoria’s Secret’s “perfect body” slogan through Twitter and Change.org petitions, the company adjusted its White-dominated advertising campaign and changed its slogan to avoid promoting negative body images.  Additionally, women are now pushing for greater accountability and using social media as a tool to collaborate on projects to further feminist goals.

Adding a Further Paragraph to the Wikipedia Page on "Body Positive Movement"

Offline Movement supporting Women’s Rights and Body Positivity

Hashtags, such as #FreetheNipple, were created to promote body positivity after many years of female oppressions and criticisms of the female body. Besides these online activisms, offline movements were also created. The most relevant one up to this day is the Women’s March on Washington back in January 2017. Here a large group of women, men, and LGBTQ members came together immediately following Donald Trump’s inauguration as the President of the United States. This drastic response was largely due to President Trump’s statements and stances that were regarded by many as offensive and anti-women. Noteworthy attendees who made statements in support of the Women’s March on Washington include singer Beyoncé Knowles, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, U.S Secretary of State John Kerry, and actress Scarlett Johansson.

The Women’s March on Washington rallied for the protection of various women’s rights including reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration reform, religious discrimination, healthcare reform, and equal pay. Though it started with an online post, the movement primarily utilized the Pussy Hat Project, signage, and high-profile celebrity figures to support the cause. The Pussy Hat Project aimed to hand out millions of pink hats at the march to make a unified statement and reclaim the derogatory term “pussy” in direct opposition to Trump’s 2005 assertion that women would allow him to “grab them by the pussy”. The Pussy Hat Project advocated towards female body positivity for all to resist sexist double-standards and support the  female’s body.

Begin moving your work to Wikipedia Assignment

In today’s day and age the use of hashtags has become quite prominent on social media in terms of drawing attention to specific words or topics within online posts. By using the ‘#’ symbol in front of a word or sentence, the content is turned into a hyperlink, which by clicking on it, can lead people to further online content which incorporates the same hashtag. One hashtag, empowering the positive body image of females, as well as creating an equality movement online, is the #freethenipple hashtag. This equality movement “is one of the fastest growing movements of our time.” The mission of the “Free the Nipple”movement, as stated on the movement’s main website, is to draw attention to the fact that inequality is still prevalent in today’s world.  

Actress Lina Esco, the founder of “Free the Nipple” in 2014, began the movement in an effort to spark discussions on gender inequality. While the name itself holds a comedic ring, "Free the Nipple" brings attention to more serious topics: taboo public nudity laws and sexist double-standards. The movement argues that female nudity is not only about sexualization, but also about maintaining society’s male-dominated hierarchy. “Free the Nipple” alludes to the irony in the acceptance of female nudity in pornography and other acts of public shame, and its rejection as a form of non-sexual female power. For instance, Facebook moderators rigorously remove any content related to breastfeeding, labor, childbirth, and reproductive health from their website. Moreover, it is it is completely illegal for women to appear topless in three states and otherwise socially unacceptable in the rest of the nation.

Amongst the three U.S. states that prohibit women from exposing their breasts in public are Utah, Tennessee, and Indiana. Ever since the “Free the Nipple” movement was created women across the nation have been arrested for taking to the streets topless. The TaTa-Top, a bikini top resembling women’s breast, has become a part of the “Free the Nipple” movement. With this piece of clothing women, who do not feel comfortable exposing their breasts in public, but still want to be apart of this movement, are able to appear topless without actually being topless. By wearing this statement piece, women are able to support the movement without breaking any laws. Besides supporting the “Free the Nipple” movement the TaTa-Top also supports organizations such as the “Keep A Breast” foundation, which raises awareness on breast cancer health, as well as the “Chicago Women’s Health Center” which provides healthcare to women as well as trans-people.

Since the movement that began in 2013, the “free the nipple” campaign has impacted the world in many ways. Many celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Chelsea Handler, and Chrissy Teigen have joined the movement and taken a stand against this double standard. Hundreds of thousands of people across the United States have come together to end the negative connotation of a female nipple. Demi Moore and Bruce Willis’s daughter, Scout Willis also took action on the movement by posting a topless photo of herself on Instagram. Shortly after, her Instagram account was suspended due to the nudity. Another issue that is parallel to the campaign is the criticism of breastfeeding women. The issue arising is that it is inappropriate for women to breastfeed in public. There is a sexualization surrounding the breast of women, and the act of breastfeeding.

While the “Free the Nipple” movement aims to fight social media censorship and uncover double-standards in male and female body perceptions, critics argue that #FreeTheNipple has not gained significant traction in regards to new legislation. In over three years, 3-million Instagram entries, and one documentary later, the hashtags have merely become a digital fad. LGBTQ campaigners and feminist groups argue that the movement caters to the select few white, skinny, CIS, and able-bodied women who already fall into the physical ideals constructed by society. Opponents argue that disabled, mutilated, and transgender women who digress from typical female bodies are not liberated when they expose their breasts. Instead, because their breasts are deemed not femme enough to censor, they are subject to countless criticisms facilitated online - further reinforcing oppressive gender constructs in the community. Moreover, the official merchandise for #FreeTheNipple portrays perky B-cup breasts, excluding other varieties of breast shapes prevalent throughout the nation. This stands to provide a platform only for exclusive women encompassing these preferred traits.

Group Work

Group Members: Blogger192AC, Calstudent123, and Melinda.an

Group Sandbox: Blogger192AC

Group Topic: Women's Rights

Chosen Article to Improve: Body Positive Movement

Reviewed 3 Different Articles All in All:

The first Wikipedia page we reviewed was on "Women's Rights In Iran." This page however already had a lot of information and our group was not able to add any further valid information to it.

The second Wikipedia page, our group looked at, was on the "Gender Pay Gap." This page also had a lot of information and we agreed that we wanted to add new information to a page that did not already have so much content.

The third Wikipedia page, which we ended up decided to use for this assignment, was on the "Body Positive Movement." When looking over this site, we were able to find areas where we wanted to add to the article; specifically under the "In the Media" section. We were thinking of adding information about feminism and address different movements that tie in directly with feminism and body positive movements in the media, such as the hashtag movement #freethenipple.

Group Work Entry: Popular "Free the Nipple" Hashtags Used Within The Media

Self-written and photographed hashtag of the 'freethenipple' hashtag depicted in four different colors (black, purple, green, and blue).

(Blogger192AC): In today’s day and age the use of hashtags has become quite prominent on social media in terms of drawing attention to specific words or topics within online posts. By using the ‘#’ symbol in front of a word or sentence, the content is turned into a hyperlink, which by clicking on it, can lead people to further online content which incorporates the same hashtag. One hashtag, empowering the positive body image of females, as well as creating an equality movement online, is the #freethenipple hashtag. This equality movement “is one of the fastest growing movements of our time.” The mission of the “Free the Nipple”movement, as stated on the movement’s main website, is to draw attention to the fact that inequality is still prevalent in today’s world.  

(Melinda.an): Actress Lina Esco, the founder of “Free the Nipple” in 2014, began the movement in an effort to spark discussions on gender inequality. While the name itself holds a comedic ring, “Free the Nipple” brings attention to more serious topics: taboo public nudity laws and sexist double-standards. The movement argues that female nudity is not only about sexualization, but also about maintaining society’s male-dominated hierarchy. “Free the Nipple” alludes to the irony in the acceptance of female nudity in pornography and other acts of public shame, and its rejection as a form of non-sexual female power. For instance, Facebook moderators rigorously remove any content related to breastfeeding, labor, childbirth, and reproductive health from their website. Moreover, it is it is completely illegal for women to appear topless in three states and otherwise socially unacceptable in the rest of the nation.

(Blogger192AC): Amongst the three U.S. states that prohibit women from exposing their breasts in public are Utah, Tennessee, and Indiana. Ever since the “Free the Nipple” movement was created women across the nation have been arrested for taking to the streets topless. The TaTa-Top, a bikini top resembling women’s breast, has become a part of the “Free the Nipple” movement. With this piece of clothing women, who do not feel comfortable exposing their breasts in public, but still want to be apart of this movement, are able to appear topless without actually being topless. By wearing this statement piece, women are able to support the movement without breaking any laws. Besides supporting the “Free the Nipple” movement the TaTa-Top also supports organizations such as the “Keep A Breast” foundation, which raises awareness on breast cancer health, as well as the “Chicago Women’s Health Center” which provides healthcare to women as well as trans-people.

(Calstudent123): Since the movement that began in 2013, the “free the nipple” campaign has impacted the world in many ways. Many celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Chelsea Handler, and Chrissy Teigen have joined the movement and taken a stand against this double standard. Hundreds of thousands of people across the United States have come together to end the negative connotation of a female nipple. Demi Moore Bruce Willis’s daughter, Scout Willis also took action on the movement by posting a topless photo of herself on Instagram. Shortly after, her instagram account was suspended due to the nudity. However, she continued to fight for the right for women to be able to show their nipple without being criticized. Another issue that is parallel to the campaign is the critization of breastfeeding women. The issue arising is that it is inappropriate for women to breastfeed in public. The sexualization of breast has been abused to the point that women are being told not to breastfeed their children. Breastfeeding is a naturally occurring act in order to feed a baby. Scout Willis feels that this issue should be taken more seriously by the general public. Women should be able to feed their children in public without being disgraced in the act.

(Melinda.an): While the “Free the Nipple” movement aims to fight social media censorship and uncover double-standards in male and female body perceptions, critiques argue that #FreeTheNipple has not gained significant traction in regards to new legislations. In over three years, 3-million Instagram entries, and one documentary later, the hashtags have merely become a digital fad. LGBTQ campaigners and feminist groups argue that the movement caters to the select few white, skinny, CIS, and able-bodied women who already fall into the physical ideals constructed by society. Opponents argue that disabled, mutilated, and transgender women who digress from typical female bodies are not liberated when they expose their breasts. Instead, because their breasts are deemed not femme enough to censor, they are subject to countless criticisms facilitated online - further reinforcing oppressive gender constructs in the community. Further, the official merchandise for #FreeTheNipple portrays perky B-cup breasts, excluding other varieties of breast shapes prevalent throughout the nation. This stands to provide a platform only for exclusive women encompassing these preferred traits.

List of Possible Relevant Sources:

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/2015-03-08/best-practices-why-and-how-use-hashtags-social-media

http://freethenipple.com/our-story/

http://time.com/collection-post/4029632/lina-esco-should-we-freethenipple/

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/female-nudity-isnt-obscen_b_5186495.html

https://mic.com/articles/124146/here-s-what-the-free-the-nipple-movement-has-really-accomplished#.zfPLHm4gz

Peer Review (Sofia Rivas)

I really enjoy your decision to focus on "Free the Nipple" seeing as that it is a huge aspect of women's rights, especially more recently. I like how you mention the potential that activists could be breaking the law by participating in certain aspects of the movement, but also how they were able to overcome this obstacle. Lastly, I like how you allude to different organizations that were also involved in the movement such as breast cancer awareness. Your courses are credible, the only thing I would say is that you mention the phrase "critiques argue" a few times. Maybe you can back up these arguments with some statistics or maybe references to other articles. You also mention a critique of the movement at the very end. It would be interesting to delve a little bit deeper into the lack of variation in merchandise and feelings that women have expressed about it.

Article Evaluation

(For this assignment I evaluated the Wikipedia page on Tania Bruguera: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tania_Bruguera)

Observations

1) The overall structure is not as organized as it could be. While all content categories are portrayed in bold and written in the same font size, the content category “Activism” is the only one which does not match this formatting. On the original Tania Bruguera Wikipedia site this category is shown as a subcategory under “Work.” Since activism plays a very large and important role in Tania Bruguera’s work this category is strong enough to stand by itself. Therefore this category should also be depicted in bold lettering and in the same font size as the other content categories.

Another structural change could be implemented under the “Biography” category. Here it is unclear whether the “Controversy” paragraph is supposed to be a separate category since it is written in bold. The font size is smaller than that of the “Activism” subcategory, so it is unclear what its exact purpose is. On top of this, the word choice of this heading implies bias. The suggestion here would be to tie this part of information into the paragraph above in a neutral way and maybe even offer a non-controversial viewpoint on this piece of information. The content should be portrayed as neutral as possible.

2) The writing style is very choppy; there is no flow especially in the first paragraph when introducing Tania Bruguera. It does not allow an enjoyable read.

3) Under the “Biography” category the last entry listing Tania Bruguera’s work and projects is a project back in 2013. An update as to what Tania Bruguera has been up to in the past 4 years would be relevant at this point.

4) Under the “Work” category there is no introduction or information as to why these specific pieces of Tania Bruguera’s work were chosen to be written about. This brings up the question if the pieces of work mentioned on this Wikipedia site were randomly chosen to write about or if they are part of her most influential work? This could definitely be stated more clearly in the paragraph.

5) Last but not least, the “Exhibitions” and “Awards” categories do not have any citations. This brings up questions such as is this information true and if so where was it retrieved from?

Learnings

1) A well formulated sentence structure as well as a topic structure are important in order for the text to be understandable, as well as supplying the reader with an enjoyable read.

2) The outline should represent a clear and correct picture of the main categories (and subcategories if relevant). This is an important factor because it provides the potential reader with a brief overview of the contents and helps simplify the act of looking for specific information. If the table of content is incorrect or unstructured the reader may not want to read this particular Wikipedia page. Clarity and consistency are key!

3)The links, tried out, are valid.

4) The article is of interest to a few WikiProjects and was rated as 'Start class' by the WikiProject Biography, WikiProject Cuba, WikiProject Visual Arts, and WikiProject artist.