Woman and Assault Prevention

Women can reduce their risk of being assaulted by always being aware of their surroundings.  If a woman has the need to be outside, especially when it is already dark, she should always carry her cell phone, pepper spray, and inform a trusted friend or family member that she is fixing to step out. It would also be a good habit that a woman also lets a close friend or family member know when she arrives home.  This could also be applied when someone is on a first date with somebody who they do not know very well.  Also when going of first dates, women should consider going to public places that are well lighted.

Women should not post personal information on social networks like Facebook or yahoo.  Statuses that give information like “going to the store to buy fruit” can be potentially dangerous if it falls in the hands of the wrong person.  Stating information like where one lives, hangs out, or works makes a woman an easier target to assault.

If a woman is driving a vehicle, she should park as close as possible to her destination and try not park behind a vehicle bigger than hers.  Although cars may not stay parked for long periods of time, women should still try to avoid parking behind bigger vehicles because someone may be lurking nearby.   Keys should always be ready to use once a woman is fixing to go inside her vehicle again.  Vehicles should always be kept locked because in a worst case scenario, people could hide inside an unlocked vehicle and attack the woman when she is already situated inside.  A woman should also grow into the habit of locking the doors of her car as soon as she steps inside of it. People may forget that being inside a car can be just as dangerous as it may be when one is outside because others still have the accessibility to get inside and attack.  When a woman is home alone, all doors and windows should be locked and blinds should be closed.  Another method a woman can avoid being a victim of assault could be by learning some fundamentals of self-defense.  Simple techniques can prepare a woman to defend herself if she finds herself being assaulted.

As a woman, being alert at all times should always be the key to avoid any forms of assaults.  Having careful observations of surroundings and people can all help someone from finding themselves in an unsafe situation.

Blog 3

Beautiful. There are a variety of definitions to define the meaning of being beautiful. Yet, as women we work so hard to obtain an image that does not have a concrete definition. The media has done an excellent job in influencing women what the perfect body image should look like. Women are working hard to be a certain size. Women are undergoing plastic surgeries to uphold an “ideal” image. Cases of anorexia and bulimia make me realize that some women are not aiming towards to being healthy, but rather towards being thin. I think as women, sometimes we forget that our body compositions are genetically different. We should not force our bodies to look a certain way if it’s going to be harmful to our health.

Health educators can help prepare effective body image messages by teaching girls at a young age about body diversity. Being that we are exposed to media at an early age, we grow up thinking that being skinny is good and having fat is bad.  As young girls and even as adults, our role models are often celebrities and we try to emulate the way they walk, talk, and how they look. Having health educators and even school nurses educate young girls about body diversity can help girls start appreciating and loving their body shapes so that it is instilled in their minds as they grow up.

I do not think the media is making too much of an attempt to embrace more body shapes, sizes, and colors. Adele and Jennifer Hudson, for example, started their road to stardom as a curvier woman than what they are today. It seems as though it has become an expectation for celebrities to be thin.

I do realize that there have been more full-figured women like Melissa McCarthy from Identity Theft and Rebel Wilson from Bridesmaids appearing and taking lead roles in movies. However, I remember it was mentioned in the news that Rebel Wilson was being restricted from losing weight because it goes against the contract that she has with her movie producers. In this case, I think film producer restrict Rebel Wilson from dieting because she is an iconic full-figured woman who has made excellent movies in the comedy genre. Producers may feel that the audience may not find her humorous if she were to lose weight. Therefore, it is not so much that they embrace Rebel’s body, but instead they encourage her to stay heavy so that they the keep her fans and keep their ratings. That is only one example, but I still think that there needs to be more empowerment of body shapes within the media.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Blog 2

Jade, a woman in her late 30’s, wants to give her preteen daughter, Michelle, an informative talk about having sex.  Jade was originally concerned to give a sex talk because she did not want to seem as if she were encouraging her daughter to engage in sexual activity.  However, she did some of her own research and found a study that showed that sexual education programs geared towards teens have helped delay sexual activity, decrease the number of sexual partners, and an increase use of condoms and contraceptives (What the Research Tells Us, 2008).  Jade decides to have the sex conversation at a fast-food restaurant after she picks Michelle up from school.

Jade takes one last sip of her soft drink before having one of the most important conversations she would ever have with her daughter.  Jade tries to make sure that the information she is about to share is straightforward to avoid any misunderstandings.  Michelle continues eating her French fries without any idea that her mother has something important to tell her.  Jade casually starts the conversation by asking Michelle about her day. Michelle rambles on about soccer practice, her hysterical teacher, and then about a boy named Troy she had met a couple of weeks ago. Jade ceases the moment and asks Michelle what she thought relationships were all about.  Michelle, baffled by the question, hesitates before answering Jade.  Michelle tells her mother that a relationship only happens when two people are in love.  Jade then asks her daughter about what made a relationship strong and healthy.  Michelle responds that in a relationship, as long as the two people were in love, everything should be fine.  Jade finally asks her daughter about the meaning of sex.  Although Michelle feels a little awkward discussing the topic, Jade takes initiative of the conversation before they both shy away.  Jade begins explaining to Michelle the structure of the female genitals.  Jade uses the proper terminology such as vagina and penis.  She explains to Michelle the procedure that allows the sperm to reach the egg.  Jade also explains the importance of the using a condom such as preventing unplanned pregnancies and different sexually transmitted diseases.  She explains to Michelle that there are different types of contraceptives that help prevent a pregnancy.  Jade lets Michelle know the best way to avoid a pregnancy is by not being sexually involved at all.  Jade ends the conversation by stating that having sexual intercourse may be one of the most beautiful things a human being may experience.  However, having sexual intercourse is something that should always be done responsibly because the negative consequences outweigh the positive consequences.

 

What the Research Tells Us. (2008). SIECUS. Retrieved from http://www.communityactionkit.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageId=887

Blog 1

(Pseudo names have been used to protect identity)

I interviewed three women with different ethnic backgrounds. The first woman I interviewed was Mary, a Caucasian woman in her mid 30’s. When I asked Mary what health issue most concerned her, she responded that it would be the development of breast cancer and obesity. She mentioned that she had had a family member diagnosed with breast cancer. She also mentioned that obesity was a major health issue because it could lead to other serious health complications such as diabetes and heart disease. The second woman I interviewed was a Black female in her late 40’s named Veronica. When I asked Veronica what health issue most concerned her, she responded that all cancers in general and the development of heart disease. She was in disbelief of the many cancers being diagnosed today that were not heard of as much 20 years ago. She was also concerned to develop heart disease because her grandfather had suffered from a heart attack at a young age. The third person I interviewed was a Hispanic woman in her late 40’s named Teresa. Her biggest health concern was also breast cancer because it had been diagnosed among two different women in her family. She is aware that breast cancer is hereditary therefore she checks herself regularly.

My biggest health concern would be heart disease because it is a preventable disease. I believe that devoting time to stay physically active and eating healthier foods, may lower cases of heart disease and other health issues like diabetes and prevalence of having a stroke. However, I am now even more concerned about breast cancer after interviewing these women. Quite honestly, I feel as though at times I do have the naïve mentality of “It can’t happen to me.” It was like a reality check because even though I was aware of the susceptibility for women to develop breast cancer, I did not feel so much at risk only because I do not know many women who have been diagnosed. It was shocking that out of the three women I had interviewed, two had breast cancer indirectly affect them. It made me realize the importance of speaking about any health issue outside the circle of people I am always with. Having these interviews allowed me broaden my perception of the diseases affecting people today.

My Bio!

Hello everybody,

As you all can see, my name is Liliana Garcia. I am a health studies major in high hopes to someday become an occupational therapist. I have a passion to help others because I truly believe one of our purposes in life is to look out for one another. My hobbies include listening to music, singing, spending time with my family and friends, going to church, traveling, trying new foods, shopping, and sleeping because I hardly get to do so.

I am interested in women’s health and heart disease. As a woman, I think it is important for me to be aware of the health issues geared towards women so I can prevent them from happening. I am interested in heart disease because it is a disease that may be prevented, yet it’s one of the most common diseases seen today. My expectation for this class is to gain a better understanding of what goes on in my body. I would also like to learn about diseases that affect one race more than they affect another. I find it fascinating how the composition of our genes can determine what diseases we are more susceptible to!

Finally, something unique about me…

I would say something unique about me would be my obsession with turtles. I love turtles! I’ve had 2 pet turtles, but I recently had to set one free.L However, I still have my other baby turtle; her name is Stephanie!

I look forward to meeting and working with everyone!

-Liliana Garcia