This class has opened my eyes to a variety of issues that need to be addressed on campus. I have always been passionate about reproductive health, and ever since coming to college, I realize that there is a very small number of people on this campus who truly understand reproductive health and how important it is. Also, when I think of reproductive health, I am also thinking of sexual health education, more commonly known as Sex. Ed. I think that students need better access to reproductive health and sexual health education resources. 

I think that incoming college students do not understand the importance of reproductive and sexual health education in college. Many people view “hook-up culture” as an important part of their college experiences. To be able to safely participate in “hook-up culture,” students need to have a good understanding of sexual and reproductive health.

Incoming students to Davidson have to complete a Sexual Health and Sexual Misconduct course for orientation. However, this course only touches a certain parts of sexual health, and focuses on it through a very cis-gender, heteronormative lens. Davidson has a strong population of LGBTQ+ identifying students. Davidson claims to have and support a “number of student-led organizations that promote advocacy and acceptance of its students, faculty, and staff as well as members of the greater community.” All of these organizations, such as Queer and Allies, provide a great support system for LGBTQ+ students on campus, but the college is still lacking support in the area of sexual health for LGBTQ+ students. 

Most Davidson students also come in with little sexual health education. I went to a very progressive high school and still only recieved a week of sex ed. freshman year. It promoted abstinence by saying that “the only way to truly prevent pregnancy is by not having sex.” To create a sexually healthier population, people need to acknowledge that college students have sex and create resources that make sure they are practicing safe sex and understanding reproductive health. 

Davidson has the health advisors program which focuses on sexual health, while also teaching students about mental health and safe drinking culture. This program is an amazing resource. However, I think that Davidson needs a specific program for sexual education. It could be a subprogram of the Planned Parenthood Generation Action (PPGA) club on campus, or a completely separate organization. It would be called Davidson Sex Ed (DSE) and would be comprised of students who are passionate about sexual and reproductive health who would work, in collabortion with administrators, to put together an inclusive and informative sexual health education program. DSE would then go into PCC organizations (it would count as an EDU credit) and educate members on sexual health. These conversations would include how to practice safe sex, forms of birth control, support systems on campus, and where to find STD testing. Students would be able to request topics to learn about and DSE would make an anonymous form where students could submit questions related to sexual health and reproductive health. DSE can also redo the orientation sex. ed program to make it more informative and inclusive.

Once the program gets up and running on campus, it could possibly be expanded to local middle and high schools, so these students head off into the “real world” with a strong sexual education. 

I think that having a strong sexual health education program on campus will make our campus a more comfortable and healthier place!

Sources:

https://www.davidson.edu/offices-and-services/student-activities/student-organizations/gender-and-sexuality

https://www.davidson.edu/offices-and-services/student-health-and-well-being/health-education/health-advisers

I have attended the Chelsea Manning event that I looked forward to since I contributed to hosting her as a co-president of Amnesty International. She began by sharing her childhood story and then her journey as a whistleblower and transgender. In search of a sense of belonging that she could not feel in her hometown or the UK, she moved back to the U.S. at the age of eighteen and continued to be lost until she joined the American Military as an intelligence analyst. Her job was to work with simple algorithms and machine learning related to Iraq and Afghanistan war around 2010 when she found out that civilian apps and technology can be easily militarized. She realized the ethical dilemmas of the technology, that time and the interest of the people are used as data for commodities and the military. The released classified documents not only contributed to such information but also included USA Military war crimes and direct evidence of the killing of Iraqi and Afghan citizens. When she spent a significant amount of time in solitary confinement, she lost connection with the world and people. This led her to wish to finalize her journey and improve her life, coming out as queer. After that, she spent four years focusing on improving her life, advocating for queer rights, and getting hormone therapy. She faced general human rights violations in prison including queer rights and prisoner rights, such as not allowing her to grow her hair or no access to hygiene products. She fought back against the violations by building community and speaking up, where she realized building community is the most important part of advocating for human rights. Her story was very inspirational and informative because it addresses the multiple fault lines in U.S society with her narrative. 

I did the no product day not on the designated day of the challenge, but I did it Sunday (April 24th), and then actually again yesterday (April 27th) because I felt guilty. I am on the track team at Davidson, and I initially chose Sunday because that’s the day I take off each week from running, and I didn’t want to run without deodorant. Sunday went very smoothly, I woke up and went to the library pretty much the whole day, and other than the library I was inside, in air conditioning, so I really didn’t sweat, and there was no real effect to using no products. I don’t wear makeup on the regular, or put product in my hair routinely except for the shower so I honestly noticed no difference on Sunday. But when I was about to write this reflection, I was like that’s really not the point of the activity, the point of it, in my eyes respectfully, was to go about your typical day, not a day you edited so that the no products wouldn’t affect you. After thinking more about it, I decided to give it another shot (yesterday) and just not worry about smelling bad after the run, because we’re running! Why should we care? Sweat is a good natural thing, to cool ourselves down when we’re doing strenuous activities, such as running in the heat of the day. I went through my two classes yesterday, ran, rinsed off with water, and went to dinner, and I don’t think anyone even noticed. I really enjoyed the experience, it just made me step back and reflect, like why do I care so much about wearing deodorant on one run? It’s not a big deal! And it really wasn’t. I honestly want to start implementing this no product day challenge into my schedule a bit more, because I think it’s really important to take a step back and not get caught up in all of these materials advertisements have convinced us we need. Because at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter.

On a regular weekday, I don’t use many products. I don’t typically wear makeup or hair products (aside from dry shampoo if my hair is looking greasy), and only really use deodorant, face wash, and moisturizer to make my face feel nice and fresh and clean and hydrated. These products help to make me feel like I’m taking care of myself and presenting a good version of myself. I was proud of myself for going without all of my usual products for this challenge, as I wanted to get the full effect, and I figured that if the worst-case scenario is that I feel a bit insecure for 12 hours then that is something that I could deal with. Deodorant was definitely the most difficult product to go without, as I am a sweaty person and I knew that I would begin to smell like body odor as the day went on.

I didn’t expect to see a dramatic difference in the appearance of my classmates the day of the challenge, just maybe noticing that people look a little less put-together and possibly smelling some body odor due to a lack of deodorant. However, there was no noticeable difference at all to me. If I had not known that the challenge was happening that day, I would not have thought anything was different. Similarly, no one made any indication throughout the day that they noticed something different about me or my appearance.

My main takeaway from this challenge was a reinforcement in the idea that a lot of the enhancing, beautifying products that we buy and use every day are not necessary for us to feel good about ourselves. There is nothing wrong with having greasy hair or sweaty armpits or un-concealed acne, and that’s something that I try to remind myself, but it can be difficult to not fall into the traps set by our society that tells us that we need to look a certain way in order to be considered attractive. However, I also think that if using products makes you feel good about yourself and is a positive aspect of your daily routine, it’s up to the individual to do what makes them feel good and confident, as long as they realize that they are just as worthy without any of those products.

<Token assignment>

Growing up in South Korea, a homogeneous country where more than fifty percent of the population believes homosexuality is not justifiable (World Values Survey 2017-2020), I am unfamiliar with the history and significance of drag shows. So, after I received an email from Dr. Gonzalez about Q&A Drag Show, I searched about its history and development. It was interesting to find out that the first instances of drag were during the Victorian period when English actresses impersonated men in theater, after the long history of theater and stages excluding female participation. The impersonation of the opposite sex was popular until 1933 when Hollywood’s production code banned the culture. After that, drag balls, what we know now as a drag show, mainly featured homosexuals and people of color impersonating the other sex that provided space for marginalized people in society.

Going to the event was a new and interesting experience for me, both the performances and the audiences (students). Each performer impersonated a character with a story and message they want to deliver to the audience, for instance, the first performer was a pop star, and the last performer portrayed body positivity and self-love. Each stage was more than just impersonating the other gender, it was also about expressing themselves through dance, music, and engaging with the audience. Students, including me, were excited and attentive. I loved the confidence performers had and the energy I could feel from the crowd that everyone was enjoying and appreciating the moment.

For an openly queer woman on this campus, I sure do spend a lot of time in closets. 

Over the years, I’ve come to realize that clothing and fashion are creative outlets for me. I enjoy trying out different styles, mixing and matching, and dressing according to my mood. It’s astounding how quickly a cute outfit and makeup can flip a bad day into a great one. 

When I decided to do the No-Product Day Challenge, I knew what was expected of me, and was excited for the test. In a way, this was nothing but trying out a different look. I couldn’t have been more wrong. From the very start of the day, not being able to moisturize and perform my morning ‘self-care routine’ threw me off my rhythm. I didn’t realize that I’d associated ‘me-time’ with rubbing my soothing lavender scented lotion down my skin, applying my favorite raspberry chapstick on my lips and repeatedly stabbing my eye in an attempt to perfect my eyeliner. By skipping all these items on my morning checklist, I didn’t care that I looked any different, but I definitely felt different. 

I view my products the way writers view their pens and singers use their voices: they’re my medium of expression. That day, I kept thinking about how my brown eyeshadow would’ve worked perfectly with my brown top and my dark lipstick would’ve provided the perfect contrast to my white pants. It wasn’t that I didn’t feel beautiful without them- they just would’ve added to the look. I can eat my cereal without milk. I would just prefer not to, given the choice.

I have gone days without using any products. I know I don’t need them, but the idea that they’re inherently unnecessary or that humans should learn to live without materialistic possessions is archaic. The products I use reaffirm my identity and are a part of who I am. The loss of them for a day definitely made me feel like I was losing a crucial creative outlet.