Pursuing Justice

If not for Elizabeth Cady Stanton's courage and conviction (and the many other women and men that supported the women's rights movement), progress regarding women's rights and equality for ALL might have come even later than it did.  With that said, I think the timeless nature of Stanton's "The Costume" speaks to the fact that not too much has changed in terms of cultural norms and gender expectations since the mid-late 1800s.  While laws have been enacted to ensure the equality on the basis of race and sex, it is abundently clear that depite this, in reality how much change do we really see?  I realize that this is somewhat of a dramatic statement, but I think it is important to look at the broader picture in terms of geography, and see how different the laws and norms are in various parts of the U.S. These geographic differences shape the attitudes and beliefs of people which can be both beneficial and detrimental. Due to the diverse nature of our country, the consistency of practicing and upholding eqaulity is a challenge. As a sociology teacher, I am excited to use "The Costume" as part of our gender socialization unit.  Again, the flexible nature of this document provides a great way to make the connection between the past and the present.  I ask my students to look at several magazines and, using a guiding worksheet, analyze the images within the magazines.  As they view the advertisements and articles, they are asked to determine what types of values, norms, and expectations are apparent in the images and how do these differ for men and women.  "The Costume" is a great entry piont to this exercise, as EC Stanton comes out of the gates with such anger and frustration that many students can relate to, especially as high school teenagers who are in the process of figuring out their identity.

Seeing as the women's rights movement grew out of the abolitionist movement, The Declaration of Sentiments clearly conveys the relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed, analogous to the slave and the master.  As this document serves as a way to clearly contest many of the injustices women face it also has a timeless nature to it.  How can we ensure that there is justice?  Even though laws have been changed how does one change the mindset that stunts further progress in regard to the implementation of these laws and everyday societal norms?  In my opinion, this is the greatest challenge- to change the beliefs of those individuals, who for a variety of reasons, reject the notion of an equal just society.  NOW (Natl.Org. for Women) has comprised their own modern version of the Decl. of Sentiments to echo the ideas putforth at the Seneca Falls convention and reaffirm the dedication to creating a society where all men and women are eqaul.  Their delcaration states the importance of, "commitment to the power of grassroots activism, to a multi-issue, multi-tactical strategy" as way to sucessfully achieve their goals.  Another example of where we can see the issue of equality taking the backseat is in the repeated failure of the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) which originated to echo the ideas of the suffragists that we discussed yesterday.  

---

Erin Eriksen
9th Grade World History
12th Grade Sociology
Natick High School

I quick note, as a teacher of sociology could you is it possible to oversimplify the role of religion and custom as it relates to fashion? I am reminded in the Costume of the many Muslims I have come to know. Many speak of the full berkas as absurd, and otehrs see the absessive covering of women as a particuarly Saudi custom. Other still see the Koran's insistant of modesty (a woman must not let her hair down in public) to be very acceptable. The variations seem to run the gamit, and that is just the Muslims that I know from places in Northern MA. could teh same be applied to the women during the 1800's (even into the 1950's excluding of course the 1920's).

In other words were these women fighting an array of social/religious/ customs that have been transplanted from eons of European customs? Stanton, as I understand, gave up on this fight. A good number of the Muslim women I know and have met are still greatly embarrassed to not wear a headscarf and are wholly comfortable wearing it. Others, due to the living in the US, have abandon the head scarf and still hold themsleves as true followers of Islam.

Perhaps Stanton, without any digress from the movement, felt fine in the "shackles" of the 19th Century corsetts.

---

Zachary Simmons

Walsh's lecture was absorbing. I was always a little confused about the origin of "bloomers," but in the context of the "reform dress" it makes sense. Dress is certainly, among the students I've had, an effort at reform, though the nature of that reform seems unclear in spots, to me.

I liked her idea of having students choose a sentiment from the Declaration and reflect on it. This could make a good introductory activity to a novel like "Bread Givers," which explores the role of young girl who grows into womanhood as the first American in her Jewish immigrant family.

Another highlight was her question about questions: "What conversations does this document make possible?" The question itself is a great way to reframe a class discussion, and could be asked of any piece of writing that opposes a current of its time.

Another excellent framing device, that I can imagine applying to any number of class activities: "prefigurative politics," which demonstrates a willingness to "model a new kind of life even though it didn't cause transformative change." (Walsh)

In Winchester I frequently railed against the plague of sweatpants, workbooks and Red Sox hats that seemed to define, and in my opinion limit, a specific social role. Students might reflect on their dress in political terms. In what sense is student dress "prefigurative?"

Awesome greusome graphic of the organ-displacing corset! Gurgh!

---

Chris Miller
English and Journalism Teacher
Winchester High School