Kissing My Dreams Goodbye

So I decided that my last topic was going to cause me more stress than actual interest, and in thought, figuring out what people's dreams are and why they do not follow them is interesting and cool, but  almost unpractical when put into motion. I could not figure out what to do with my research or how I would research the topic outside of just asking people what their dreams are. So, since we have not really done anything with this project yet, I have decided to change my topic.

But to what? One thing other I love other than unanswerable questions is social change. The idea that society can start a revolution and change their culture is fascinating. The one "social revolution" going on today is feminism. It is bringing women's rights and women's inequalities into the spotlight of mainstream culture. But is it working? Is our culture really turning in favor of the feminist ideals?

Every six minutes a woman in the United States is raped, yet one of the first questions we ask is how much was she drinking or what was she wearing. Because a woman is more likely to be raped because she was "asking for it" rather than their being a problem with the education and morals the man had received his entire life. When a woman leaves a long-term abusive relationship, people ask why she stayed instead of why he would hit her. These are just two examples of why the world needs feminism.    

I want to research this more because I believe that every woman needs feminism. We live in a culture where we believe that everyone is equal, but, in reality, we have just been raised to ignore the differences in the lifestyles of a man and a woman. Turning our heads has been a way of life. However, this feminist movement is changing the game.

I plan to research for the real definition of feminism and being a feminist, then the history feminism influence in world culture (women's rights, suffrage). I want to look into the differences in the lifestyles and careers of men and women. Why can men go out at night without blinking an eye, but women are stricken with fear? Why do women still get paid only $0.77 for every dollar a man earns? Then I want to look at it through the media. How is the movement spreading? Why do so many people still think it is an anti-men movement? Looking into the leaders of it is something I want to do too. Stars like Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and Emma Watson are all self-proclaimed or media-proclaimed feminists, but what are they doing to promote it? And lastly I plan to look at the counteractants. Recently things like 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight have swept the media, but go against the ideal of women being independent and strong. Why does our culture love these things so much when they go against everything we are fighting for? As for people I can interview and have as mentors, I looked into professors at Pitt and Duquesne. I can talk to gender women's studies professors to get a professional opinion on today's culture shock and movement. Finally, as for what I'm going to do with this information, I do not really know yet. I want to bring a light to this issue, but I think I will figure something out eventually.