Category: Uncategorized

One environmental ecofeminism topic that resonates with me is the use of food and how it can be used for the degradation of women. This is a more general level as many food companies and advertising use women to teach people with food. Education is a key factor in this action to prevent companies from using women’s bodies as advertising.

The plan that I would move forward with is creating a law or a regulation regarding what companies can and cannot use. If a company uses a degrading image, I think that there should be punishment and or banning the company from using any images or ideologies regarding this. I also believe that education is a big factor in fixing this issue. I think it would be very important to shed more light on this issue as it is not taken seriously. Nobody wants to see a cow in the shape of a female assigned to get people to come and get ice cream. It’s not appealing and it is degrading towards all women. Starting with just your town and moving to your state to ban these images regularly, what companies can use what images are  the steps that I would take to decrease this issue.

Sources-

Shkolnikova, S. (2017). Dairy Air Ice Cream’s controversial “sexy” cow logo to be altered. Retrieved from https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/essex/montclair/2017/12/15/dairy-air-ice-creams-controversial-sexy-cow-logo-altered/956103001/

The oppression of women coincides with the oppression of nature. In the article by  Maathai, she related to her own experience as an activist in Kenya. She confronted government policies that harmed the environment and oppressed citizens, especially women. The title of her article is all about confronting people with any power. Not only does Maathai do large speeches and create movements, she also starts to create action. She is not all about talking but also is positive and makes a change. “Moi’s ruling party parliamentarians threatened to mutilate her genitals in order to force Maathai to behave “like women should.

 “But Wangari Maathai was more determined than ever, and today continues her work for environmental protection, women’s rights, and democratic reform. From one seedling, an organisation for empowerment and political participation has grown many strong branches”. This little piece from Maathai’s reading shows her empowerment and struggles along the way. It is disgusting to think that she had to live this life but she is always making moves forward.

Behind the material deprivations and cultural losses of marginalized and poor communities, there are often deeper issues of disempowerment and environmental degradation. 

Environmental degradation plays a significant role in deepening poverty and marginalization. When natural resources such as land, water, or forests are depleted or polluted, it disproportionately affects the poor, who often rely directly on these resources for their livelihoods. In many cases, these communities are powerless to stop or reverse the environmental harm being done to their land, homes, and local ecosystems.

Citations-

Joshi, Deepak Raj. “Oppression of Women.” SpotlightNepal, New Spotlight Magazine, 18 Jan. 2021, www.spotlightnepal.com/2021/01/18/oppression-women/.

The echo feminist, interconnected perspective. It’s a concept with an ecofeminism that focuses on the complex and interrelated systems of oppression, explosion, and domination of both women in nature. This is often symbolized as an image of a web to show the interconnectedness of all things, human and non-human social and ecological. This can mean many things, but it can show environmental depression and inequality.

The web itself is a perspective image to show the complex relationships that coincide with ecofeminism. This incorporates the interconnective perspective which shows the environment is intertwined in rooted as well as being complex. It also can emphasize the benefits of ecofeminism from an intersectional approach. 

From the reading , Intersectionality and the Changing Face of Ecofeminism,  “Mari J. Matsuda described the potentially simple methodology of recognising the interconnection of all discrimination, as one which required an openness to ‘asking the other question.’” Mary J Matsuda goes into depth regarding all discrimination and the relationship and connectivity they have with one another. 

Not only is this approach necessary, but Ecofeminism emphasizes the importance of addressing social inequalities as a necessary step towards achieving environmental sustainability. All of this together integrate with each other. 

A.E. Kings. “Intersectionality and the changing face of Ecofeminism.” Ethics and the Environment, vol. 22, no. 1, 2017, p. 63, https://doi.org/10.2979/ethicsenviro.22.1.04. 

Thomas, Leah. “The Difference between Ecofeminism & Intersectional Environmentalism.” The Good Trade, 29 Nov. 2023, www.thegoodtrade.com/features/ecofeminism-intersectional-environmentalism-difference/. 

Jmattey. “Intersectional Ecofeminism – an Interconnected Web of Experience.” Ecofeminism, 26 Mar. 2023, jasminemattey.sites.umassd.edu/2023/03/26/intersectional-ecofeminism-an-interconnected-web-of-experience/.

The piece by Kari Norgaard and Richard York simply states that all individuals, regardless of gender, should have equal rights, opportunities, and access to resources.The way that women and men, or other gender groups, engage with and are impacted by environmental issues can differ, which makes gender an important consideration when analyzing state environmentalism. A piece of the article states “  Greater gender equality may have a simple numerical impact: If women tend to be more environmentally progressive, the inclusion of women as equal members of society—as voters, citizens, policy makers, and social movement participants—should positively influence state behavior. Furthermore, from the interlocking systems perspective, nation-states with greater gender equality on the whole are expected to take environmentally progressive stands due to the influence of gender on all state processes.” This is saying that the more women are involved, the better the impact of state  behavior we will receive. 

The inclusion of gendered perspectives is often overlooked. This can lead to policies that fail to address the needs of women, particularly in rural or marginalized communities. To achieve true environmental sustainability, Norgaard and York  argue that both gender equality and state environmentalism must work hand in hand. They also make a point to ​​ show both ecological and social justice, emphasizing that gender equality must be a key component of effective and fair environmental governance.

“ The pattern of gender differences in environmental values and beliefs appears to hold cross-nationally, at least in those nations where studies have been conducted.” There was an experiment conducted to see the gender differences in environmental values and beliefs that hold cross-nationality. This is not just an issue in the US, this is an issue world wide and this experiment was the showcase of it. Girls are more likely to join environmental cause clubs and debates and are willing to do more work in the long run. Not to say that men aren’t willing to do such, but it is more prevalent in females. 

Citations- 

Norgaard, Kari, and Richard York. “Gender equality and state environmentalism.” Gender & Society, vol. 19, no. 4, Aug. 2005, pp. 506–522, https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243204273612.

 Let’s talk about What the heck is happening in this photo. This picture was found from Carol J. Adams blog about the sexual politics of food and women. This photo screams one thing to me and that is Indulgence.  by promoting this ice cream brand with this photo it is expressing an indulgence in the products while using an attractive yet curvy model that is a cow. It’s always women that are used in advertisements like this to learn in clientele. You almost never see a man as the face of a brand. They simply do not market well.  to mention that this is also just kind of gross to look at. I don’t want to go get an ice cream with a cow’s butt in my face as the promotion. There is a logical sense to these images and it’s just disturbing and gross. This does not make me want to go get ice cream from this establishment.

 I genuinely don’t know where to begin with this photo. This is another great example of how companies use female bodies in female sexuality to market their product. This is obviously a small chicken that has been cooked. The legs are tether together and this shows a sexualized image of a woman laying down with her legs tied together. Some people genuinely think that this is funny and not a big deal but nobody wants to look at this. It’s just kind of gross and unsettling. This is a great example of something Carol J Adams wrote about in her novel “The Pornography of Meat”. Adams argues that the exploitation of women and animals is rooted in similar cultural narratives. Women are often objectified, commodified, and reduced to their bodies, just as animals are treated as commodities for human consumption.In this context, meat is often sexualized in a way that mirrors the objectification of women in pornography.

Another photo from Carol J. Adams shows a cow that is obviously a female who is super thin and has a measuring tape around her waist to indicate that she is dieting or thin. This is a complete message to women and their bodies and body images. In essence, the “pornography of meat” is about how the culture surrounding meat consumption is often deeply intertwined with the objectification of women, reinforcing patriarchal structures that commodify and control both women and animals.

This photo is one that I found on my own. This to me, describes everything that Carol Adams said in a nutshell. It shows the different names of a piece of meat that they also describe as a woman. This is such an old and disturbing image, it shows that women’s suffrage has always been an issue if not worse before today. So before you go buy  ice cream from that skinny sexy looking cow or stop in at the meat market, remember these photos and how this is reality. 

Citations- 

Sayers, Daniel O. “The Most Wretched of Beings in the Cage of Capitalism – International Journal of Historical Archaeology.” SpringerLink, Springer US, 15 June 2014, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10761-014-0268-z. 

“Examples of the Sexual Politics of Meat.” Carol J. Adams, caroljadams.com/examples-of-spom/. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025. 

The Politics of Meat, static1.squarespace.com/static/54792ff7e4b0674c74cb719d/t/55dc8dace4b0ad76d7277cb7/1440517548517/ANTENNAE+ISSUE+14.pdf. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025. 

1. I believe that the photo was picked based on many reasons. The person in the photo is much smaller than the meat itself. To me, this shows how the animal industry and animals in general are much larger than the human percentile. Also, to my eye, it looks like a male is cutting the food because it is a big piece of meat and not something like a salad. This shows a gender role towards the meat. 
2. Gendered food is putting food into two divisions. These divisions include Masculine and Feminine gender roles. A great example of this practice is that a large meaty steak covered in Ajoue is considered Masculine and a basic green salad is considered Feminine. This goes with saying there are certain reasons why there are gendered foods. This can be because of beliefs or religion, personal choice, and society norms. A great example for this could also be how meat is considered masculine based on men consuming meat back when they hunted meals. Over time these gender roles progressed into social norms of what we should eat.   A Lot of menus back in the day had food for women that had no meat and mostly vegetables. Consumption of meat was like a reward and therefore the man would always eat meat products. 
3. Greta Gaard examines how the dynamics between what we eat and what we are supposed to eat by social norms is similar to and stems from Racism and classism. Goes on with the statement that are dynamics between human dietary practices, the environment and Systems of social oppression.  The relationship based on Gaard states that “racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, and naturism” (p. 119) align with ecofeminism thought. 

“ It is one thing to inflict pain on animals when geography offers no other choice. But in the case of killing animals for human consumption where there is a choice, this practice inflicts pain that is completely unnecessary and avoidable.(Curtin) This is one piece of what Deane Curtain has to say about the relations between animals and ecofeminists. In this part of Curtins essay, he talks about how there is a moral aspect to vegetarianism.This is the injunction to care. It is one thing to have to kill another animal to be able to feed yourself or your family but it is another to harm an animal in an inhumane way to add more food to your table that is not needed. There lies a distinctive line on what is moral and what is not according to Curtin. I believe that both of these authors have the credits and the knowledge to explain how women are similar to animals and their treatments are also the same in aspects. 

Citations- 

Curtin, Deane. “Toward an Ecological Ethic of Care.” Hypatia, vol. 6, no. 1, Mar. 1991, pp. 60–74, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1527-2001.1991.tb00209.x. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.

animal clock. “2019 U.S. Animal Kill Clock.” Animal Clock, 2019, animalclock.org/.

Gaard, Greta. Ecofeminism. Temple University Press, 3 Sept. 2010.

What is the meaning of Ecofeminism

Ecofeminism originated from the 1970s when feminism and environmental movements started to become one. Both contribute to the degradation of each subject and intersect with each other. In 1974 a book was published called Le Féminisme ou la More by Francoise d’eaubonne. The title translates to feminism or death. This was the first push of Environmental theories and feminism combined as one. As stated in Ecofeminasm Hobgod-oster, “Ecofeminsm asserts that all forms of oppression are connected and that structures of oppression must be addressed in their totality”. This is stating that All forms of struggle or control are all connected and must be addressed in total instead of separate occasions. 

How do concepts of nature and concepts or women align within each other? Are there similarities between the both?  The first thing that comes to mind when I think about the connection between women and nature is reproduction and the instinct to nurture. Women are able to bring new life into this world the same way the earth allows trees to grow and gives environments to animals . 

 you may ask yourself how women and the planet share similarities regarding ecofeminism in a general aspect. There is not just one but multiple factors that lead into the idea that women and the Earth share similar traits. What an ecofeminist does is create an opportunity in life for everything on this planet. We want equality and justice for all living things on this planet. 

The Chipko movement is a non- violent social movement in rural villages.  Bird Chipco means to hug or grab.  This is prevalent as the meaning is much deeper and can be used for many instances. An example from the article “Ecofeminism: Women and Nature” by Ridona Berisha is to hug trees instead of chopping them down for our own use.  movement was started in India in the 70s when the government wanted to cut down over two thousand trees near the small villages in india.  The term Tree huggers come from this movement as women would hug the trees in the small villages to prevent them from being cut down by the government. This individual movement went on overnight making it impossible to cut the trees down. Later on, the government sided and agreed with the women protecting these trees and the damage it could cause. What movement brought many together and allowed women to come together to promote not only what is right for the environment and the land but what is right for our rights as well.

 The Green Belt movement came into place to protect the environment by women and to protect their own lives. When you think of Ecofeminism , it is much more than feminists or Ecology, it is the power of supporting and protecting the environment and what it creates for us which is concordant to women. 

Works Cited- 

Pikepamja. “Ecofeminism: Women and Nature.” PIKEPAMJA, 23 Sept. 2022, pikepamja.net/en/ecofeminism-women-and-nature/#:~:text=Given%20that%20we%20live%20in,exploitation%20of%20women%20and%20nature. 

Hobgood-Oster, Laura. Ecofeminism: Historic and International Evolution , 18 Aug. 2008.

Hello! My name is Katie Anderson and I am a Health and society major, returning student.  I live in New Bedford , MA with my sister and my two cats. I currently am a manager at the APCSM in Brockton, MA and love my job!

One feminist blog that i was driven to was Feminist Current. One post that i would like to touch upon  is “Lets put woman back in International woman’s day this year.  A specific topic in this  blog was about how During international woman’s day  in 2023, The Canadian prime minister went onto twitter talking about how Trans woman are still woman and how this is taking away the purpose of this day. Trans talk is a big subject in todays society. This topic could model as my own work by portraying the hardships of being a woman and being compared to trans woman. A way that this could not be my work is that the post is talking about Canada and how it is affected. There is a fear of woman being erased and i believe that is important to talk about.

Practical ethics is a great Blog regarding up to date posts about todays ethical issues. One issue that stands out to me in assisted suicide and talking about the logistics and facts about assisted suicide in todays society. In 2018,  the influential. supreme court decided to not involve the court in every case. Although they are not required, they can certainly be referred to.

Citations-

Wilkinson, Dominic. “Assisted Dying: What We Might Learn from Experience of Other Controversial Decisions in Medicine: Practical Ethics.” Practical Ethics |, 13 Dec. 2024, blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2024/12/assisted-dying-what-we-might-learn-from-experience-of-other-controversial-decisions-in-medicine/.