McKinley Boden

          Growing up in an affluent suburb, it is easy to not question the world around you. At a young age, it is very simple to just say “thank you” when something is given to you, or “no, thank you” if you do not like it. This is how I was raised. I was given more than I needed and had no reason to question the conventions of the large, privileged suburb of Alpharetta, Georgia, where everyone and their dog believed and supported conservative ideals to further favor their affluence. I believed the same ideas until my freshman year of high school. I began to hear people talking about this “new” way of thought: feminism. Feminism, as I learned it as a 15-year-old girl, was about equality. Simply put, it was about men and women being equal. Immediately, I wondered why everyone was not a feminist. It seemed so right to me.

         I found out that my high school offered a club, Talk Girl Effect, for people who believed in feminism and women’s issues, and wanted to discuss all of the ideas surrounding them. I did not immediately join this club, simply because I was afraid of joining that community and being judged by my peers. My friends in high school, for the most part, did not share the same beliefs as me about many things. Later, as a junior in high school, I decided I should join. It ended up being one of the greatest decisions of my high school career. I had finally found a place I did not have to hide. My parents were very conservative and did not care to discuss feminist issues with me, much less label themselves in that way. This club was a place for me to express my thoughts and feelings about the political climate we were living in and other issues that I felt strongly about. We held discussions every week over various topics, generally accompanied by some text, documentary, or ad. I was finally learning how to articulate the thoughts I felt strongest for by using solid, reliable material. Most of my views on some of these issues opposed many of the people’s that I was surrounded by, so this was my safe space. I had finally found a home at my school after feeling like I was looked down upon for so long.

         My senior year of high school was the recent Presidential election. On January 21, 2017, the day after Donald Trump had been inaugurated, was the Women’s March on Washington, D.C. Like any other march or protest, there are always many, many signs and boards being carried around to harness and encourage a united front. My club decided to create some to post around school to go along with the March. Looking over the signs that had been made for the March, one sign in particular had a heavy impact on me. It read, “Girls just want to have fun-damental human rights.” It was a plain, white poster with those words written in bold, pink text. Hung near the cafeteria doors, almost every person in the school passed by our poster. We could only hope that this sign, with the weight of years of oppression encapsulated inside of it, would have the same effect on the rest of the student body and faculty. Signs like this are extremely popular in marches and protests. They generally contain an idea pertinent to a cause arranged in a catchy or witty phrase. Clarity is the most important element of an effective protest sign; anyone and everyone should be able to see, read, and understand the message. They are necessary to foster a sense of unity within the group during a protest. Marches like the Women’s March on Washington, D.C. must be a united front, especially in times where an entire body of people is being discounted and disregarded.

        This poster became the reason I wanted to be as involved as I could in the Talk Girl Effect club, as well as the worldwide community of feminists as I grew older. This simple quote outlined feminism in a very clear manner, which is something that does not happen frequently. People mistake feminists for “feminazis” or women who want to be superior to men. This sentence made it easy to understand: girls just want to have fundamental human rights. It made me feel like I was able to share what I believed in. It made me feel like people would finally get it. For a topic so unjustly controversial, the message was clearly spoken. I cannot speak for other people, but I hope that it would make them feel accepted, as well.

        In fact, it did. During Women’s Week, an event put on by my club, people started to understand. In past years, there has always been some aspect of Women’s Week to go awry. Boys don’t get it. Faculty doesn’t support it. This past year, the posters put up around school had a different effect on the students. No fight erupted. No one had to go talk with the Principal. Progress was being made, and we were a part of the success.

         People need to feel like they are being heard. People want to feel accepted. Human nature dictates that after the need for nourishment and shelter comes the need for love and approval. Posters and signs like the one I have described are pertinent for marches and for acceptance. It spells out clear ideas for people to read and, hopefully, support. Over the years, women have used posters just like this one to help protest what they feel strongest about. Even in the early twentieth century, protesters were using poster boards to help secure the right to vote. This community, whether it be the small club I participated in in high school or the worldwide community of feminists, hold these posters and signs to high esteem as a way to make change and help people, like myself, finally feel accepted and heard.

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Thoughts After Conference:

       Mat told me I had my draft together pretty well. He said that I could change some things if I felt like I needed to, but for the most part, my draft was okay. I can leave it alone, if I feel like it is done. I decided to not change anything. 

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Project 1 Draft 2: 

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         Growing up in an affluent suburb, it is easy to not question the world around you. At a young age, it is very simple to just say “thank you” when something is given to you, or “no, thank you” if you do not like it. This is how I was raised. I was given more than I needed and had no reason to question the conventions of the large, privileged suburb of Alpharetta, Georgia, where everyone and their dog believed and supported conservative ideals to further favor their affluence. I believed the same ideas until my freshman year of high school. I began to hear people talking about this “new” way of thought: feminism. Feminism, as I learned it as a 15-year-old girl, was about equality. Simply put, it was about men and women being equal. Immediately, I wondered why everyone was not a feminist. It seemed so right to me.

        I found out that my high school offered a club, Talk Girl Effect, for people who believed in feminism and women’s issues, and wanted to discuss all of the ideas surrounding them. I did not immediately join this club, simply because I was afraid of joining that community and being judged by my peers. My friends in high school, for the most part, did not share the same beliefs as me about many things. Later, as a junior in high school, I decided I should join. It ended up being one of the greatest decisions of my high school career. I had finally found a place I did not have to hide. My parents were very conservative and did not care to discuss feminist issues with me, much less label themselves in that way. This club was a place for me to express my thoughts and feelings about the political climate we were living in and other issues that I felt strongly about. We held discussions every week over various topics, generally accompanied by some text, documentary, or ad. I was finally learning how to articulate the thoughts I felt strongest for by using solid, reliable material. Most of my views on some of these issues opposed many of the people’s that I was surrounded by, so this was my safe space. I had finally found a home at my school after feeling like I was looked down upon for so long.

         My senior year of high school was the recent Presidential election. On January 21, 2017, the day after Donald Trump had been inaugurated, was the Women’s March on Washington, D.C. Like any other march or protest, there are always many, many signs and boards being carried around to harness and encourage a united front. My club decided to create some to post around school to go along with the March. Looking over the signs that had been made for the March, one sign in particular had a heavy impact on me. It read, “Girls just want to have fun-damental human rights.” It was a plain, white poster with those words written in bold, pink text. Hung near the cafeteria doors, almost every person in the school passed by our poster. We could only hope that this sign, with the weight of years of oppression encapsulated inside of it, would have the same effect on the rest of the student body and faculty. Signs like this are extremely popular in marches and protests. They generally contain an idea pertinent to a cause arranged in a catchy or witty phrase. Clarity is the most important element of an effective protest sign; anyone and everyone should be able to see, read, and understand the message. They are necessary to foster a sense of unity within the group during a protest. Marches like the Women’s March on Washington, D.C. must be a united front, especially in times where an entire body of people is being discounted and disregarded.

        This poster became the reason I wanted to be as involved as I could in the Talk Girl Effect club, as well as the worldwide community of feminists as I grew older. This simple quote outlined feminism in a very clear manner, which is something that does not happen frequently. People mistake feminists for “feminazis” or women who want to be superior to men. This sentence made it easy to understand: girls just want to have fundamental human rights. It made me feel like I was able to share what I believed in. It made me feel like people would finally get it. For a topic so unjustly controversial, the message was clearly spoken. I cannot speak for other people, but I hope that it would make them feel accepted, as well.

In fact, it did. During Women’s Week, an event put on by my club, people started to understand. In past years, there has always been some aspect of Women’s Week to go awry. Boys don’t get it. Faculty doesn’t support it. This past year, the posters put up around school had a different effect on the students. No fight erupted. No one had to go talk with the Principal. Progress was being made, and we were a part of the success.

        People need to feel like they are being heard. People want to feel accepted. Human nature dictates that after the need for nourishment and shelter comes the need for love and approval. Posters and signs like the one I have described are pertinent for marches and for acceptance. It spells out clear ideas for people to read and, hopefully, support. Over the years, women have used posters just like this one to help protest what they feel strongest about. Even in the early twentieth century, protesters were using poster boards to help secure the right to vote. This community, whether it be the small club I participated in in high school or the worldwide community of feminists, hold these posters and signs to high esteem as a way to make change and help people, like myself, finally feel accepted and heard.

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Project 1 Final (drafts have been left alone as Mat has advised not to change anything)

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Reflections after Grade:

I receive an 85% on my Project 1. I have listened to Mat's notes and decided to revise my paper. I am revising some ambiguous parts and making them more specific. I would like to get as high of a grade as possible. Some parts I changed made other parts unnecessary to edit. I am finding that the more specific I am, the easier it is to understand for my reader. 

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Project 1 Revised Final: 

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