Free Essay

Battered Women

In:

Submitted By sam453
Words 1622
Pages 7
Battered Women Fight Back!

Situation Analysis:

✓ Battered Women Fight Back! is a Boston, MA 501 (c) (3) agency with a goal to increase awareness that domestic violence is a direct violation of a person’s fundamental human right, Stacy Kabat is the main force driving BWFB! ✓ There are compelling statistics demonstrating the extent and gravity of domestic violence in the US, ✓ Women and children are the principal victims of domestic violence, ✓ Domestic violence is a major contributing factor to homelessness in the US, ✓ Businesses suffer significant losses because of domestic violence, ✓ Very few cases of domestic violence are reported, ✓ Children exposed to domestic violence are more likely to become “abusing” parents, ✓ Domestic violence crosses boundaries of ethnicity, educational background, income level, social class, ✓ However, domestic violence is perceived to be a “private matter for a certain population”, ✓ Academy award for best documentary given to “Defending Our Lives” gave a huge push to the issue of domestic violence making it a “national matter”, BWFB! through Stacy contributed to the making of the documentary, ✓ The murder cases of Carol Stuart and Nicole Brown Simpson have also contributed to bringing the problem of domestic violence into close public attention, ✓ Stacy Kabat wants to leverage the heightened public attention to promote BWFB! cause and expand its programs, ✓ BWFB! operates on a budget of$150,000, two-thirds of the budget come from foundations contributions, ✓ Stacy needs to develop and implement a marketing strategy to achieve BWFB! goals.

SWOT ANALYSIS:

|Strengths: |WEAKNESSES: |
|Stacy has strong expertise in the area of human rights, both |Stacy has little if any business / marketing expertise, |
|inside and outside the United States, |BWFB! operates on a limited budget of $150,000 with only 3 |
|BWFB! has enjoyed national recognition being awarded “best |full-time and 3 part-time employees and a group of volunteers,|
|documentary” academy award, |BWFB! does not offer extensive services used as intervention |
|Stacy has lived “domestic violence” in her childhood, so did |resources for battered women, |
|her mother, | |
|BWFB! is one of the best run charities in the US, | |
|BWFB! has a solid group of volunteers, | |
|Stacy has built connections with Hollywood stars following her| |
|Oscar win, | |
|BWFB! champions a compelling and worthy cause with an eloquent| |
|mission statement: “Peace in the world begins at home” | |
|OPPORTUNITIES: |THREATS: |
|Domestic Violence has recently enjoyed continuous public |Lots of existing competition for funding from “other” |
|attention making it a “national matter”, |charities local and national, |
|As a result of 1) requests for educational information and |Multitude of resources available for victims of domestic |
|materials has quadrupled, |violence, |
|Domestic Violence was selected one of 28 national pro bono |Increase for information and materials request could overwhelm|
|projects in 1994, |BWFB! limited resources, |
|Recent Hollywood connections can help and promote BWFB! in |National focus could bring more charities competing for the |
|many ways, |same funding resources as BWFB! |
|Other charities and institutions focusing on families and | |
|children could be interested in what BWFB! actions, | |
|Domestic violence has detrimental effect on the society as a | |
|whole and occurs in all social, ethnical and educational | |
|environments. | |

CURRENT BWFB! CHALLENGES / DECISIONS:

As the leader and the public face for BWFB! Stacey Kabat needs to take the appropriate decisions to address the challenge of getting information to those who needed it most. Also, she must decide whether she could frame domestic violence as a human rights violation and how to obtain additional funding for BWFB! programs in the US and possibly around the world. A marketing strategy is needed to address the challenges and make the right calls in the right place at the right time.

Stacy’s plan shall build upon the BWFB! stregnths and opportunities while mitigating inherent weaknesses and potential threats.

ALTERNATIVE STARTEGIES:

1. Leverage Stacy’s newly acquired “fame” and Hollywood connections to get one or more of these connections to endorse BWFB! to enhance its public image and increase funding, 2. Stacy can also use her fame to promote the cause of BTWF! via public speeches and mass media interviews, possible proceeds from public speeches can provide funding for BWFB! 3. Launch a web site for BWFB! where educational information and materials are made available for free, o Note: The web site alternative is suggested in the current time context (2009). Such an alternative might not have been discussed in 1994 as Internet and web sites were not widely used as they are Today! 4. Capitalize on heightened national awareness and attention to expand its network of individual and corporate donors using electronic and paper mail, 5. Start a partnership with one or more Boston charities who are involved in domestic violence prevention to optimize common / shared use of resources.

CRITICAL ISSUES:

✓ Timing is of essence, the “buzz” and fame recently gained could fade with time, the same can be stated bout the heightened national awareness. Marketing strategy shall outline recommendations and solutions that can be started “ASAP”, ✓ With limited resources, BWFB! strategy shall focus on “critical few” solutions and recommendations to avoid over-stretching its capacity, ✓ BWFB! strategy should preserve its “uniqueness” among other charities involved in domestic violence by focusing on its core mission, ✓ BWFB! strategy shall maintain its reputation for financial discipline and sound management ,

ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES:

1. Endorsement from one or more Hollywood stars is a viable strategy as it leverages Stacy’s new connections, does not strain BTWF! resources while enhancing the its “unique” image. Such endorsement would also publicize the cause of BWFB! and motivate new individuals and corporate to join BWFB! donors network thus increasing BWFB! funding, 2. Public speeches and mass media interviews will provide BWFB! with outstanding opportunity to promote its prevention program “Peace in the World Begins at Home” by providing educational information and materials to a large audience. In her speeches and interviews, Stacy should make extensive use of available statistics and studies to frame domestic violence as a human rights violation with far reaching detrimental results on the society as a whole. The return of investment for this alternative is significant (no major drain on resources) while its objectives are perfectly aligned with the educational and awareness core mission of BWFB! 3. (Note: This alternative is being analyzed in the current context i.e. 2009) Launching a BWFB! Web site might require some money, however with a basic design the one-time development cost should be afforable while web hosting cost is extremely low. It is also possible that one or more BWFB! volunteers have web design knowledge and can launch a basic web site for no cost in a relatively short time. The web site will provide an additional outlet for BWFB! to deploy its information and training materials. The fact that domestic violence crosses boundaries of educational, social, economical and professional status makes the case stronger for that alternative in case some might argue that people who have access to the web don’t fit the “certain population” perception. 4. The “free ads” utilization is attractive and can help make the message reach a wider population. That alternative could require commitment from a staff member to contact the pro bono administrators and inquire about the process to follow to obtain the money. With 28 projects are sharing the $20 million, each project will be allocated about $720,000 (in average). However, the financial attractiveness of this alternative is dependent on the number of charities competing for these funds. A viable solution would be to contact pro bono to explore the potential dollar amount BWFB! can expect before committing more staff and time into that alternative. 5. A mailing (electronic and paper) campagin to attract additioanl individual and corporate donors can potentially increase BWFB! funding given the increased awareness to the problem of domestic violence. However, such a campagin could over-stretch BWFB! resources without a garantied return on investment. While the current contribution percentages for individual and corporate donors show a potential for increase, they can also be interpreted as “caps” for this category of contributions.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Based on arguments detailed in section 6: ✓ capitalizing on the heightened recent national awareness and the newly acquired fame from the Academy Award winning shall drive the actions undertaken by Stacy and BWFB! Public speeches, mass media interviews and endoresements from one or more of Stacy’s new Hollywood connections will get the information to the largest possible audience, quickly and with little burden on resources while meeting the most important goal for BWFB! Another potential benefit of this strategy could be an increase in fundings for BWFB! ✓ The web site solution will significantly contribute to dessiminate the core message of BWFB! abour domestic violence framed as a human rights violation. ✓ BWFB! should explore the possibility of obtaining free ads funds and commit dedicated resources once the financial attractiveness of this option is confirmed with pro bono administrators.

The first recommendation mainly relates to the “Promotion” component of the 4P’s marketing tools, while the second recommendation is more about the “Place”. The last recommendation ties to both “Place and Promotion”. Notes: 1. In my opinion, the “Product” component is implicitly present in all marketing recommendations. As a matter of fact, Promotion, Place and Price are strongly tied to the marketed product itself thus making it present (at various degrees) in almost every marketing recommendations. 2. Another interersting observation is the quasi irrelevance of the pricing aspect given the special nature of the product mareketed by BWFB!

CONCLUSION AND MARKETING PRINCIPLES:

✓ Timely use of marketing opportunities (public attention, fame, ..etc) is essential to the success of marketing strategy; ✓ “Celebrity” endorsements is likely to boosts the cause they endorse; ✓ Confirm return on investment before committing resources, ✓ A focused strategy with few alternatives tailored to available resources is more effective than one with a multitude of alternatives.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Battered Womens Syndrome

...Capitalism and Patriarchy’s Effect on Battered Women’s Syndrome and Abuse Introduction Domestic violence has existed for centuries and is still prevalent in present day society (Flowers, 1996: 131). Domestic violence generally involves violence towards women and children (Sev’er, 2007: 235).This generally includes physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional violence directed towards a spouse, girlfriend, wife, or partner (DeKeseredy, 2005: 234). One of the debates surrounding domestic violence is the legitimacy of battered women’s syndrome. There are arguments over whether or not battered woman’s syndrome is a justifiable defence or just an excuse (Fumento, 1996: 158). The aim of this paper is to justify the legitimacy of Battered Women’s Syndrome, or BWS for short. I will look at the history of violence to better understand the credibility of BWS as well as why it is discredited. I will analyze how the patriarchal capitalist society we live in affects the views regarding BWS and abuse. The purpose of this section is to understand how the patriarchal capitalist society attempts to protect male status by discrediting the validity of spousal abuse and BWS. Definition and History Battered women’s syndrome results from a pattern of abuse from a partner (Barnett & LaViolette, 1996: 158). Spousal abuse has had a long history, and has grown since the middle ages (Flowers, 1996: 131). Social scientist Friedrich Engels noted that spousal abuse began “with the emergence of the...

Words: 2818 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Battered Women

...There are many reasons why men abuse women. A one reason men abuse woman is because the men feel like they need to be in control all the time. Another reason is because they might have been surrounded by it as a child. Third reason is they have no respect for women. These men keep getting away with beating and harming these innocent women, and the women are not doing anything about it. “Statistics say, 71,000 episodes of domestic violence statewide in 1994, resulting in the deaths of 42 women (Battered Wives Remembered).” Men think that it is their job to be the boss in the relationship, and to take control. Men believe that they wear the “pants” in the relationship, and that they are a loud to make all the decisions, for both the women and themselves. There is a process to the men abusing these women. Stage one is Honeymoon. Honeymoon is where the men manipulate the women into thinking they are great, wonderful boyfriends, and that they are the one and only, and then they treat their partner like a princess. Once their women are all buttered up, they make promises to these women and then they slowly move into the second stage. Stage two is known as tension. Tension is the stage where the men fight, argue, push, shove, hit, kick, smack, punch, the women and break them down physically and emotionally. Once the tension builds up the couple goes into stage three. Stage three is called explosion. Explosion is when the men beat and abuse their women worse than in stage two. The cycle...

Words: 569 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Business Paper/ Battered Women Shelter

...business to succeed. Management will obtain liability insurance. Management will also determine what will be considered real, intellectual property, labor and employment issues. Management is responsible for selecting the best way to obtain the resources needed for the business. Based on previous data on battered women shelters, their survival is determined by allocating funding through donations. In order to do this, a mission statement, and plan of operation has to be completed. Management should begin fundraising projects. Letters should be mailed to request monetary donations, supplies, and volunteers for the business. Management should contact local churches, restaurants, stores and ask if they are interested in adopting this project. Another good thing for management to be would to contact women dominated business and local YWCA. These businesses are more likely to become main contributors. Social and Economic Environment The social environment includes the structure of family. It will be the company’s social responsibility to create a functional environment. To empower women and mothers, by building self-esteem, educating, and delivering independence. I am a firm believer, greatness starts from within. Management’s job is to ensure the goals and mission statement is kept, applied, and maintained. The economic environment as stated in my abstract, are for low income woman....

Words: 642 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Review of Article of Battered Women in Prison

...need for screening women within the prison system to see if they had been victims of domestic violence. The author Barbara L Zust, PhD, RN, associate professor of nursing, wanted the readers to understand how many women are incarcerated for illegal activity they were forced by their abuser to commit with the alternative of them being killed. She presented how the judicial system blamed them for not leaving and the criminal justice system has ultimately wrongfully punished them in many cases by not allowing them to even present evidence at the trial of abuse. She states how statistics are not collected on a consistent basis throughout prisons, but in 2005 a random survey was given by the Bureau of Justice finding that 50% of the women in prison had been raped or abused by their partner prior to being convicted. Anecdotal data provided by prison health care providers indicated an even higher percentage of 90-95% of women being victims of domestic violence. The author also informs the readers that the United States is the only country in the world that has male guards overseeing the women prisoners. The lack of recognition of the abuse of these women, results in lack of programs to help them. Many of the victims then begin experiencing severe PTSD due to pat downs, searches, and use of restraints by the male prison guards. The author in trying to become more aware of the needs of these women has conducted a telephone survey which is still underway to women prisons nationwide...

Words: 516 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Response to Lived Realities and Formula Stories of "Battered Women”

...Lived Realities and Formula Stories of "Battered Women” This article talks about how there has been a formulaic story attributed to battered women’s testimonies. In the title of this piece battered women is written in parenthesis because the author, Loseke believes that women are being trapped into taking the role of the defenseless woman who was a victimized by male violence. Loseke studies the behaviors at 4 different battered women’s support shelter organizations and pays close attention to the verbiage used amongst the residence during group discussions. In these group discussions we see that the mediator will try to keep the women talking only about their physical abuse experienced. If the conversations begin to digress, the staff member will redirect the discussion to the more formulaic, socially accepted story line of the “battered women” and the “abusive man”. The formula story talked about in this article is one that points to the accepted concept of gender in society. The gender binary we have says that men hare stronger, faster, bigger, taller, and smarter. The gender binary also says that women are delicate, vulnerable, passive, and weak. Therefore these formula stories that are so popular, practically encouraged, highlight the perceived differences between the genders and dramatize the role of the defenseless woman and the powerful aggressive male. In “Vunerability and Dangerousness The Construction of Gender through Conversation about Violnce” Hollander...

Words: 600 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

My Name

...Kristen Ngan is the name. The type of girl who is very adventurous, creative, “kikay”, loves collecting girly things, fashion and colors! I can say that every object in my plate, symbolizes me or my personality. The “Pink Shoe” and the “Pearl Bracelet” represents Fashion. I've always had a 'Passion For Fashion’. Ever since I was a little girl,  I have been reading fashion and beauty magazines. I was always wondering how women could bring out the best in themselves. In fashion, my biggest inspirations are definitely Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Gabrielle Chanel. They show the difference between a woman and a lady. In my free time I like to read fashion magazines, fashion and beauty blogs. I love to surf the internet to look up all sorts of fashion online shops. Not just to see what’s new, but to get inspired as well. Being involved into “fashion” is really a big thing for me. Because in that way i help myself increase my self-esteem. My interest in fashion started at a young age. I enjoyed spending my days alone playing with my Barbies. I repurposed their clothes with a stapler and tape and gave them haircuts to match their look. The “Green Ribbon” represents how girly I am. The “Red Nail Polish”. When I became a teenager, like I said, I love colors! and so I’ve been very addicted to nail polish. Its just I’m so plain, without them. And I really take good care of my nails. Also, believed in the saying “Nails Are Like Jewels, Don't Use Them Like Tools”. The “MAC...

Words: 435 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Femimine Mystique

...woman’s hero in her time because she was all about women having equality. She spent five years researching a book dealing with what she called the “problem with no name”. This excerpt gives a general view on how she felt as a woman who took a back seat to her own life to become the “American House Wife”. She discuss how women would try to make themselves believe that being the good wife was what you had to be and living behind the shadows of a man was acceptable. In this document Friedan wants people to know exactly what occurred during the feminist movement. How women's rights came to a reality, how women believed there was only one role to have which is a typical housewife that has a husband to overpower her. Not being able to vote, or have any rights as an equal to men. This means father not mother, children of both sexes needed to learn, recognize and respect the abilities and functions of each sex. No matter what, the men were in charge. Next, Friedan discussed how women where brought up believing when they grow up, they are to marry and have children. Going to college is what is a woman had to do, but graduating wasn’t required. Being well educated is shown to be unfeminine. Men didn't enjoy a woman knowing information they knew. Men wanted women uneducated, men were supposed to be the only one educated in the household. The role of women was to find a husband to support the family that they would raise. Many women dropped out of college or never went in the first...

Words: 622 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Company

...Top companies of India that use diversity as one of their strengths: 1. Infosys The diversity team at Infosys focuses on propagating and promoting diversity and inclusivity among employees through ACTION which stands for: * Audit inclusivity and diversity levels * Create change agents * Train the managers * Initiate and implement alternate work models * Organize and assist affinity groups * Network with external bodies to benchmark practices Infosys Women Inclusivity Network (IWIN) promotes a gender-sensitive work environment. IWIN recognizes the unique aspirations and needs of women. It provides avenues for vocational, personal and psychological counsel to enable professional and personal development. Infosys won the first NASSCOM-India Today corporate award for excellence in gender inclusivity in 2007. Infosys actively seeks to hire and train persons with disabilities. In 2006 and 2007,Infosys BPO received the Helen Keller award for the best employer from the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP).Infosys announced an intake of 300 graduates from universities in the US in 2006 and about 25 from universities in the UK in 2007 as part of itscommitment to create a diversified workforce. The new employees will develop their engineering skills at Infosys Development Centers across India for six months before returning to Infosys offices in the US. 2. Google India Diversity is an essential component of the culture...

Words: 710 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

British Short Story

...seemed to ignore her because they all were “Londoners”, or so she thought. There was only one person in the hall left – it was a young woman by the name of Laylor. “Do you have change?” (P1, Line 12) she asked. The woman seemed to turn round slowly. In some way they both start to communicate and the woman finds out that the girl is not from London, because of her accent. Unfortunately the girl a refugee is from Uzbekistan. She has the most spectacular eyebrows and her hair is black. Laylor is very young, maybe a student and she has a younger brother, but their parents aren’t with them. The parents were arrested in Uzbekistan (they were journalists). Friends of their parents acquired passports for them and put them on a plane to England. The women don’t know anything about people in Laylor’s situation and she speculates on why the girl doesn’t search for some help. Laylor tells to the woman that she’s afraid of that she will not see her mother again. The woman starts to think and her head is full of so many sensible thoughts, she starts to imagine how it will be, if Laylor get the help she really needs. In the end the woman decide to get away from...

Words: 338 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Romeo and Juliet

...------------------------------------------------- Top of Form Search Bottom of Form Women are not easy to understand. Famous authors and poets have extensively written about 'woman.' Yet, no one can claim to fully fathom her mind. Get to know some feminine quirks with these funny quotes about women. Read witty wisecracks about a woman's nature. These quotes would make most women exclaim, 'What's all the fuss about?' But men would say, 'How true, how true!' Nancy Reagan, Political Activist A woman is like a tea bag. She only knows her strength when put in hot water. Aristotle, Philosopher If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning. James Thurber, American Humorist I hate women because they always know where things are. Malcolm de Chazal, Mauritian Writer A woman knows how to keep quiet when she is in the right, whereas a man, when he is in the right, will keep on talking. Jules Michelet, French Historian Woman is a miracle of divine contradictions. Freya Stark, Author The great and almost only comfort about being a woman is that one can always pretend to be more stupid than one is and no one is surprised. Gloria Steinem, American Feminist Someone once asked me why women don't gamble as much as men do and I gave the commonsensical reply that we don't have as much money. That was a true but incomplete answer. In fact, women's total instinct for gambling is satisfied by...

Words: 251 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Ladies and Gentleman

...Running head: LADIES & GENTLEMAN Ladies & Gentleman Linda Crisp Strayer University World Culture 1 100 Dr. Marco Robinson August 30, 2014 Ladies & Gentleman Ladies and Gentlemen or should I say women vs. men in today society. Well rounded, what does this really mean to people? Some people believed the woman are more well rounded and men and vise versa. There is different definition for people being well rounded. I believe the well rounded people are well planned, work hard, balanced, set goals and are skilled and capable of doing more than one thing. They are the jack of all trades. There will be a discussion on the comments people made about what they think well rounded people are and the book of the Courtier by Baldassare and what they feel well rounded people were consider to be. Show a different in studies done on men vs. women in all aspects in being consisted well rounded. In the book of Courtier by Baldassare described the perfect well rounded man or woman, whose education and deportment is best, fashioned to serve the prince. The first two books debate the qualities of ideal gentlemen. The goal was to be a completely well-rounded person. The ideal person must be a solider not only mastering the martial arts but demonstrating absolute bravery and loyalty. Must be liberal education including Latin and Greek French and Spanish. The well rounded person must be able to draw, appreciate the arts and excel in dance and music. Over the...

Words: 699 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Power of Women

...The Power of Women In “The Company of Wolves”, by Angela Carter, women posses a quality that no one can compete with. This quality is her sexuality and beauty. According to Carter, men are simple and powerless when it comes to women’s beauty. Their carnal desires and passions come out and weaken them which turns them into something animalistic giving the woman the upper hand as the human. Women can then use this and control their desirability yielding it against men to defeat them in times of danger or need. In the beginning of “The Company of Wolves”, Carter centers on the male’s similarity to wolves. Carter paints an image for her readers by using phrases such as “starveling ribs, slavering jaws, and lolling tongue” (625, Carter). These phrases are all used to stress the starvation or more the desperation of wolves hunting for prey. When the “slavering jaws” (625), “lolling tongue” (625), starveling ribs are put together a beast is created in that every ounce of their being is concentrated to finding something that will satisfy their hunger. Every detail including the wolf’s grizzly features is meant to help the reader picture the sometimes excessive masculinity the beast inside men. However even this masculinity, which is usually related to power and dominance is be easily undertaken by the feminine nature of a beautiful, young woman. Throughout the story the young girl begins to transition to womanhood. And this womanhood enables her to bed the beast of a man who...

Words: 854 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Picasso

...what failing. As men the power we should be aware of is feminine power over us. Any man who loves a woman is under her power; in most cases he is not aware of it. In this art work which was done by Picasso, I see the power of women over men. As men we think we stronger than women. We can do lot things that women cannot do. In fact, they have the power to make us do what they want us to do. Demoiselle is oil on canvas painting done by Picasso. In this art work, I see Picasso painting five ladies. The painting is for young ladies. Picasso painted the ladies in cubic form which was the modern way to pain at that time. By looking at the painting, you see that all the figures inside have almost the same face but different size of the body. In my opinion, the women body is what put pressure on the man. Most of strippers in clubs have a nice, beautiful body; men are attracted to the body more that the soul. If the woman has a nice body, she more likely to have the man does what she wants in order for him to have a piece of the cake. In the painting, Picasso had drawn the women body parts in different ways. This indicates the different parts of the body that man likes in general. Some man likes the legs, others like the boobs. At the end, the women body is what allowing her to control man. One element that attracted me the most is why Picasso painted all the figures with eyes looking straight at the person who’s looking at the painting. These shows how confident the woman...

Words: 472 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Woman Worth

...Women will always find themselves chasing an elusive identity and dream unless they embrace who God made them to be according to the Bible.                Women must come to accept their femininity. God has made them different purposefully. Physically, they are different, being generally weaker and crafted to bear and nurse children, and they have different emotional needs as well. Peter exhorts husbands to treat their wives in an understanding way because they are different, being women, and men need to understand this (1 Peter 3:7).              Women must come to define womanhood based not on the culture or even what well-meaning Christians might assert but on the Word of God. The Bible says that a woman does well if she bears children (Psalm 128), and it doesn’t condemn a woman as inferior if she remains unmarried, does not have children, or cannot have children (Matthew 19:12). The Bible says that women should be workers at home (Titus 2:5), but it also allows for them to do profitable business ventures (Proverbs 31:16). The Biblical ideal is for men to provide for their families and for women to stay at home to raise the children. Unfortunately, this will not always work out perfectly, and both men and women need to be willing to adapt and be flexible and understanding. If it is possible for a mother to be with her children and raise them, then there is no Biblical reason to excuse her from not doing so. Though a stay at home mother might feel at times like she is...

Words: 1082 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Lca of Beeswax

...example, women of the 19th century were primarily expected to marry and serve their husbands’ wishes, not receive an education, go out with friends, or find new forms of amusement. Instead, women were required to be at home and loyally obey their husbands. But how long can one go without exploring the inner intricacies of oneself? In her critical essay “Laugh of the Medusa”, Hélène Cixous looks upon the woman who “allows herself to be threatened by the big dick” (347) with contempt and scorn. Still, this intimidation that men have instilled in women is not easily overcome. Colette (1873-1954) and Jean Stubbs (1926- ) expose the risks that come with the discovery of a woman’s true desires in their short stories, “The Secret Woman” and “Cousin Lewis”. When the false woman is revealed, she suffers and is tormented by ridicule or shame even more than when she was in hiding. Cixous wants women to stand out and be who they are by embracing their bodies and being proud of their femininity. Women need to stop being reduced to “the servant of the militant male, his shadow” (338). “Laugh of the Medusa”, is a proclamation to women writers to “write about women and bring women to writing” (334) and to stop hating themselves and hating other women for being women- celebrate each other’s femininity and set free the body! Cixous wants women to make the world fear them though their identity and femininity; not fear the world because they are insignificant servants of the male. Women should not...

Words: 1121 - Pages: 5