Being Feminist Enough Part One

Those who know me, know that I am not a huge fan of STEM. Mainly because it makes me, as a person feel inadequate. As an artist and an aspiring future clergy member, I feel that being a feminist and an artist is very "typical" if you will. STEM (Science, Technology,Engineering and Math) encourages women and men to have jobs in those fields, which results in more funding in those areas. But it also results in people looking down on those who go into artistic fields. yes, STEM can save lives, and change the world for the better but what about art? We (the art community including myself) are useful in many ways but when i am told that STEM gets more funding than arts because it is more practical, is annoying. At school, math and science are such big deals, and if you do not succeed in those subjects it seems to matter much more than if you do better in English or in a world language.
Feminism has grown into a giant over the last century. It seems that the more "feminist" jobs are the ones dominated by men Ex. Mathematicians, scientists, doctors, politicians. For me as an artist, it seems like it is viewed as a feminine job and it seems like women seem to not matter if they are involved in those fields.Thus, again, resulting in more funding and scholarships going towards women in STEM and other fields than women in arts.
In general we should look at what we do in schools. We should not just push all of the kids into STEM programs while they are young. It leaves a very bad message, saying that arts kids are not enough or not good enough or not smart enough. I think that arts should get more funding in schools and that school should have more of an equal amount of things so all kids can have these diverse opportunities. Women should not have a stereotypical major in college or in life and we should not be pressured to break that stereotype either.
So yeah, now you know why I really dislike STEM
To all of my friends who are into STEM, sorry...i'm an angry feminist/artist.
<3 Jennie

New Years Resolutions

What I really hate about new years is all of the really cliche Facebook posts. They all somewhat include "My new years resolution is _______ so I am going to stop doing ______ and _____". What makes them so cliche is the fact that all of the posts revolve around losing weight, reading, sleeping, eating and exercising more. There is actually nothing wrong with these resolutions, but what is annoying is when people do not fulfill what they strive to do. As a human being, we all have dealt at some point or another with disappointment. I feel like in order to reduce ourselves disappointing others we should try and reduce making commitments right away. One should think through their resolution or oath before they take on such a daunting task. A very good example is when I tried to participate in NaNoWriMo (for those not familiar with it, it is a month long challenge in November to write a whole novel in a month). Not only did I start late on the challenge but I also majorly procrastinating after I told all of my friends that I was participating in NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo is a very hard challenge but next November, I suggest everyone try it but it is so time consuming and challenging to plan, and write a full length novel in 30 days. So I suggest everyone to really think through their resolutions this year and maybe it is sleeping more or losing weight or cutting out junk food, but really try to actually do it.

Happy New Year everyone :)
<3 Jennie

My Reaction to the JOFA Conference: Family Affair

So, I went to the JOFA conference this past weekend. (If you do not know what JOFA is, I suggest you check my Asexuality Post) What I really noticed about the whole shebang was that there were a lot of mothers and daughters, and a lot of parents with their children in general present. It is not that I did not like the absence of my parents but I felt a little bit different than everyone else. Everyone else grew up with feminism in their houses, being taught these principals since they learned how to open their eyes. For me, I grew up as a conservative Jew and was taught that I should never be orthodox because of their inequality. I went to Conservative Day Schools, pluralistic summer camp, and conservative youth group. See, the reason why I have wanted to be apart of the Orthodox Feminist community was because I did not want to sit in my conservative corner and watch all of this go down. I wanted to make a difference and fight for the things I love. I do not want to be a second class citizen. I need orthodox feminism because I want to do the things I love and let it coexist with what I believe in. Believe it or not, I feel more comfortable in a liberal Orthodox setting. I am not saying that I am an Orthodox Jew, but I am saying is that is how I want to raise my children. I want to take my children to JOFA conferences and discuss informative topics about injustice and marginalization. I want my children to have what I didn't and I will live vicariously through them, without any shred of guilt.
<3 Jennie

Asexuality in the Eyes of Society

I was at the JOFA conference today, (if you don't know what JOFA is, I suggest you click right about now ) and they had a panel on Sexuality and Judaism. This post is inspired by the panel that I experienced, mainly because they were talking about sexual experiences and being the Asexual that I am, felt a tad disconnected and uncomfortable. So, here is my view on Asexuality in Judaism, and also Asexuality in society. If you have anything you want to add, feel free to post it in the comments.
As a person who lives in a very sex centric society it seems very much common knowledge that one will have sex for recreational purposes. Being someone who just does not have the desire to do so means that not only will I have to awkwardly answer "no" to "Jennie, When was your first time?", but to "why have'nt had sex? are you waiting for the right person or something?". When I simply say that I am asexual, it makes people turn their head clockwise and ask "but don't you have a boyfriend?". Well, In regarding to that question, yes I do. See, Asexuality means lack of sexual attraction,basically, those who are asexual are not very interested in the act of sex but are more interested in romantic relationships and romantic attraction. A lot of people are under educated about asexuality because its now showing up and becoming more popular. It seems like the lack of a sexual drive is such a taboo now adays, since alot of the things we see on tv are sexualized and our culture today has so many expectations to follow. I personally do not know what it exactly says in the Talmud or in the Torah about asexuality or whether it says anything about it at all. But i know that pru orvu (being fruitful and multiplying) is very stressed on my religion. I am not saying that I will have kids, because frankly I really want them. It seems that culture is very focused on premarital sex those "first time" conversations that, scary enough, I hear from freshman in high school. Our generation has become so sex positive but i wonder about Jews in this century. is Judaism for premarital sex? Is Asexuality a good thing after all as long as one has kids? Is Judaism sex positive?  All I can say to that, is yes and no. Judaism is for sex happening for the reason of having children and not so much wasting semen which could be used on a child. Life itself is a sex centric form because of the fact that that is the ultimate reproducing method. Because premarital and protected sex has been accepted now more than ever in society, it seems that asexuality could be viewed as a choice, but it is as a choice as choosing to be gay..which it isn't a choice to be gay so yeah its not a choice.
<3 Jennie

Why I Wear Tzizit

When I fist decided to wear tzizit, I thought "I dont understand why I cant wear them, I have always wanted to wear them". I have never actually thought that wearing tzizit would change me as much it has done so far. When I first starting wearing tzizit,  I have come to realize that I was a feminist but I never really could put in coherent words that I was one. I always knew that I was very pro egalitarian Judaism.
My boyfriend at the time, also wore tzizit and it was always very intriguing to me.  I asked him more about it and how to wear them etc. and he told me how to do so. so, I stole my brothers tzizit from his drawers (that he was not using) and I wore them during my youth group convention, trying to get a feel for them. At first they felt exceedingly awkward, getting in the way of things. Now, as i get older and this is my whopping second year wearing them, I have realized that this is something that makes me, me.  At first, I had to hide them from my parents because I was afraid of what they would think of me, and then they ended up finding out and they bought me my  first pair of tzizit.

My own view of women wearing tzizit, or any Jewish prayer garments for that matter, is simple; at least to me. It only specifies in the Torah what to do, excluding gender. Thus, I took it as a pathway that I thought I should take. I never thought that i would be an inspiration or that "cool girl wearing tzizit". I just personally believe that women should be able to take on the same mitzvot men can. I have gotten made fun of, and gotten a lot of strange stares and honestly that does not phase me. I just try and represent my Jewish community the way i feel is right and i do what is right for me. One common miss conception is that people think it is a fashion statement or its a way to show off one's feminism. My response is: Yes, and no. I wear them because i personally feel like i can be closer to G-D for wearing them. Everyone has their own journey, mine just includes wearing these fringes to  remind me of His/Her existence. I don't like showing off and i do not see me wearing tzizt as a way for me showing off.
So if you want to start wearing tzizit...Talk to someone about it, preferably your parents and your friends. If you feel so strongly and don't have any supporting people around you, talk to someone in the community. Feel free to comment with any questions that you have! Also, do lots of research. research is very helpful because then you can learn how to perform this mitzvah accurately.
moral of the story: Tzizit is not for everyone. do what makes you happy and what makes you feel holy. In my opinion, holy is such a subjective thing. do what makes you feel closer to G-d. that is all He/She/it asks for. But most importantly, love yourself :)         Click here to get tzitzit designed for females
<3 Jennie

No Shave November

So a while while back I wrote a piece on this blog about body hair. Mainly because it was really late at night and I was angry and not tired. Anyways, since it being november, there are two things that usually go on around this time: 1: NaNoWriMo: a month long challenge where you write a whole novel in a month (and I am participating this year!! WAHOOOO!!!) and 2: No shave November!
See, at my school we have what is called no shave November and what happens is that men don't shave their faces for a month in order to raise awareness for prostate cancer. I personally don't have a problem with this at all but the fact that they are making this a contest and discriminating against men who don't have to shave and women. Also, on my schools announcements, a girl made a joke about not shaving her legs for no shave November and the guy said "No, ladies please shave your legs."
I have many problems with this. Mainly because A, Women should do whatever they want, B, They should have the right to participate in No shave November by not shaving their legs if they want to and C, they should not be seen as gross for not shaving during November. Women are not items, they do not have to be obligated to shave just because their "Man" (Or woman, depending on preference) tells them to do so/wants them too. Body hair is a natural thing, so is belching and farting. they are social taboos and it seems like women in particular are not supposed to be seen doing these natural body things such as pooping, Farting, growing natural body hair etc. But as people, we should not be afraid of these things because they are just apart of how our bodies work. we should feel relieved and happy that our bodies are functioning properly and not just petrified because a female can grow sick leg hair.
so yeah, for these reasons, I, Jennie Paige Rubin, Am participating in no shave November....Please comment and share if you are a girl and do this too. Don't be shy!!!
<3 Jennie
PS: please do not think any less of me

Lets do something fun shall we?

So today, while waiting for my laundry to launder...I am going to try something fun today. So I am going to participate in the favourite things tag (yes, I LOVE BRITISH SPELLING!!!!).
1. What is your favourite food? Well...I really dont have one. My favourite Fruit is a pomegranate and my favorite ice cream is Chocolate chip cookie dough. I have to say...grilled cheese. 
2. What is your favourite movie? This is very very hard. I'll have to say Star wars, A New Hope because its the first movie of the star wars trilogy and its the best one by far. 
3. Who is your favourite actor and actress? I'd have to say Harrison Ford and Morgan Friedman are my favourite actors, and Its a tie between Emma Watson and Anne Hathaway for the Jennie Award for best actress. For musical theatre: Male: Joel Grey, Allan Cummings, Tim Curry Female: Angela Lansbery, Sutton Foster,Bernadette Peters 
4. What is your favourite color? Purple and green
5. What is your favourite nail polish color? Black and plum for winter, pastel mint green for summer
6. What is your favourite brand of makeup? I dont wear much makeup...but My favourite brand is Lush...if that counts
7. What is your favorite song? Right now, its a tie between flaws by Bastille and I'll Follow you Into the Dark by Death Cab For Cutie
8. What is your favourite TV show? Avatar. (Airbender and Kora!!!)
9. What is your favourite book? Series: Harry Potter, Book: Looking for Alaska By John Green
10. Where is your favourite place that you've been to? Tzfat, Israel.
11. Where do you want to go? All over the world. I want to be like the scientist from Around the world in 80 days and travel in a hot air baloon around the world.
12. What is your favourite board game? card game: Magic the gathering or apples to apples. Board game: CLUE!!!!!!!!!!!! and life
13. What is your favourite shopping store? Urban Outfitters, Lush, Anthropologie and thrift stores/savers. I love vintagy artsy clothing. I suck at dressing myself but i can dress others. I also cannot match...at all.
14. What is your favourite thing to do? Too much. I like to do alot of things...blogging/writing, singing, drawing, swimming, reading, doing outdorsy things..and more...like i said...too much. 
15. What is your favourite application on your phone/iPad/iPod?FRUIT NINJAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( i am a ninja of fruits!)
16. What is your favourite animal? Real: Beluga Whales Real, but only to me: Unicorns
17. Do you have any pets? If so, how many, what are their names, and what kind of animal are they? A pet rock named Sergio
18. Who is your favourite YouTuber? This is a very hard thing to say. I have an obsession with Zoella, even though i cannot do makeup or dress myself for my life. I really wish for her to read my blog, but i am not sure if she is into feminism. I also am in love with: Jim Chapman, Alfie Deyes, John Green, Hank Green and all of the channels that hank produces.
19. What is your favourite video game? Sims and Oregon trail. 
20. What is your favourite subject in school/college? My costume design Independant study. I have my Dramaturgy Independant study right before and sewing has been a very effective stress reliever. 
21. What are your life aspirations? To....Make a difference in some way, become a costume designer/writer/dramaturg/maharat/activist/unicorn/sociologist/blogger/youtuber/spoken word poet
22. Who is your favourite Harry Potter character? TONKS!!!!!! she is completly amazing and i want to be like her. yeah...this is my life

So yeah, that is me...comment on what you like!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!! now you have more knowledge...
<3 Jennie