Listening with your Eyes: Deafness is a Culture, Not a Disability

By Raven Heroux, Editorial Intern
Photo by Cindie Andrie

When you think of culture, what do you think of? Do you think of exotic meals, holiday traditions, and foreign languages? Most people may not know this, but Deaf people have a culture all their own! They are a community of people celebrating their diversity in the same way other people celebrate their cultural diversity.

Lowercase “d” in “deaf” is reserved for the medical condition, or the ability or inability to hear on the wide spectrum of hearing. Capital “D” in Deaf is used for those individuals who are immersed within the culture; their primary language is sign language; and they communicate, live, and celebrate their deafness with other Deaf individuals.

“One of the biggest misconceptions about Deaf people is that we all sign and don’t speak, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” explained Sarah Honigfeld, a Deaf senior at Northeastern University (NEU). “Some sign only; some sign and speak; and some are bilingual—they know more than just ASL (American Sign Language) and English. It is important to ask Deaf persons how they prefer to communicate, rather than making assumptions.”

Monique DuBois, a hearing junior at NEU majoring in interpreting, explained how some people see deafness as a disability, and why she disagrees:  “Disability implies you’re unable to do something. Deaf people are a minority, with a language and lifestyle.”

DuBois’ classmate, Nicolette Hagman, said, “Deaf people can do everything except hear. It’s not hindering you in anyway.”

I met both DuBois and Hagman at NEU’s ASL program event, Deaf Deaf World. “Deaf Deaf World provides opportunities for hearing ASL students to not only practice their ability to sign, but also to experience what it feels like to be a minority in a completely Deaf world,” Honigfeld explained. “We set up scenarios similar to what a Deaf person would experience in the hearing world, such as trying to understand important announcements done in sign, or trying to communicate with different people who use a language different from their own.”

Honigfeld grew up deaf and has been immersing herself in the Deaf community in recent years. “Often, people are shocked to find out that I am Deaf when they first meet me, since I can speak well and can understand people well by lip reading,” Honigfeld said. “I have to educate my peers and co-workers about what it means to be Deaf and how to interact with Deaf people, even though we are not all the same. I have to remind people to speak a little more slowly and face me when they talk, so I can see their lips.”

Their advice for teens?

“Get uncomfortable!” DuBois said.

Hagman added, “Approach people outside of your culture. In the long run, you’ll benefit.”

Honigfeld advised teen girls to: “just be yourself and to be confident in the choices you make. So many people doubted me and my abilities because I am Deaf, but I ignored their comments and went with my gut. The most important thing was that I was confident in myself and put my best work into each task that I did, each class I took, and each job I worked.”

Whether or not you know sign language, you can attend many different types of Deaf events. Northeastern’s American Sign Language program is a great resource for students in the Boston area. There are many websites around the world that can help you out, including the Online Deaf Web Directory, Deaf Linx, and DeafSpot .

If you are Deaf, and/or looking to become an interpreter, here are some great resources:

• Deaf Women of Massachusetts: http://dwmass.blogspot.com/
• Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf: http://www.rid.org/
• American Sign Language Teachers Association: http://www.aslta.org/

Know of any Deaf events in your area? Share them with us, in the comments section below!

Maura Kelly: Heavy People Shouldn’t Kiss on TV

By editorial intern Lauren Castner

On October 25, Marie Claire posted an entry from blogger Maura Kelly about finding overweight people on TV “aesthetically displeasing.”  Kelly spends a large portion of her post railing on overweight people featured on shows like the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly.  In her mind, heavy people should not be intimate with each other on television.

The blog post has caused such a stir that not only has Kelly updated it to add an apology for the tone, but Marie Claire has started a series of response posts from other editors and bloggers discussing the issue.  One of the responses comes from Fatshionista, a blogger independent from Marie Claire.  The responses bring up many valid points about the lack of full-figured television characters that look like the rest of us.

Many websites and blogs are weighing in too, including Jezebel and the Huffington Post.  The integrity of the editors who allowed the post to be published has been called in to question – people want to know who thought the post was a good idea to publish in the first place.  While I was reading the original post, at least 35 more comments were posted about it on Marie Claire’s site.  Many women have publicly declared that they are cancelling their subscriptions and are calling for others to join them in doing so.

Body image and self-esteem issues run rampant, and fashion magazines such as Marie Claire play a role in perpetuating these issues.  Instead of appreciating our bodies and all that they can do for us, we focus on being too fat or too thin.  Let’s praise the fact that there is some diversity of size and shape on TV, not shove it into a corner. Being healthy, no matter what your size, is much more important than being thin.

What do you think about Maura Kelly’s post?  Does it change the way you think about Marie Claire? Tell us what you think!

Depression and Anxiety: How to Cope

By guest blogger Alexandra Comeau, 19

Depression. Anxiety. Mental illness. Words that make some people back away, some people judgmental, and a lot of people confused.

By seventh grade I knew that what was going on in my head was different than my friends. Depression came first for me. It caused exhaustion, sadness, zero motivation. Anxiety arrived a few years later; racing heart, fear of so many things, panic all the time.

Although my depression and anxiety are individual illnesses, I found them feeding off of each other. Finding out that each disorder was caused by similar things in my life and feelings that I had, taught me that I could also use the same coping skills (or ways to deal) for both. Being hospitalized and in outpatient treatment programs with other teens struggling with depression and anxiety helped me to work out which coping skills helped me to get well and stay well. I discovered really simple things that helped me to feel better, and I also found new things I was passionate about, like poetry, which helped me the most by allowing me a place to express what I was feeling.

Self-care is one of the most important coping skills I developed. In response to both depression and anxiety, I stopped taking care of myself physically. This lowered my self-esteem more, leading to deeper depression. In a treatment program, someone suggested I do something nice, like take a hot bath, to take care of myself.  I discovered that those simple things could really make a difference. Now if I notice I’m feeling bad and slipping, I paint my nails, do my hair, and try out new make-up to feel more positive and ready to participate in life.

A healthy amount of exercise is also a great way to cope. I chose walking as my exercise because it got me out of the house, and once I get back from a walk I feel great and motivated.

During my sophomore year of high school, I had an English teacher who absolutely loved poetry and had us spend a lot of class time on it. Up until this time, I thought I hated poetry, but it turns out I just hadn’t learned enough about it yet. I found free verse poetry that I loved and I started to write. I wrote every day — poems about how I was feeling, about how I wanted to feel, about anything. I shared my poetry with my teacher and he helped me to improve it and I later went on to put together a poetry book for my senior year project.

This experience with poetry brought me two helpful ways of coping.  I found a way to express myself and release my feelings positively, and I also found support at school.  Part of my support was a teacher I was comfortable with — someone I could go to when I needed help.

Positive coping skills are the most important tool for dealing with depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses, because the disorders often come with very negative ways of coping. Finding good coping skills for myself allowed me to get to a much healthier place mentally, so that I can now work towards the goals I want to accomplish in my life.

A poem I wrote while dealing with my depression:

Teenage Years

Stepping through the puddling rain,

Hoping to kill the degrading shame.

Lies that swallow, dreams that die,

Hope once lied in teenage eyes.

Do you know what it is you want?

Do you have faith in what you’ve got?

A silver lining to what’s left.

Hold together, collapsing girl.

Not everyone has the ability to feel.

The Case for Unaltered Celebrity Photos

By Sarah Binning
As unaltered photographs of Jennifer Aniston hit the Internet, airbrushing has again made headlines. The original photo shows Aniston’s freckled, lined face, while the magazine cover of Australia Madison indicates perfect skin sans freckles and wrinkles.
Most of the viewing public knows media images are edited. A recent study by the Good Surgeon Guide, indicates that nearly 90 percent of teen girls are aware celebrity images are edited. This leads us to an important question: If people know that these photos are unrealistic, why do is there so much interest in Photoshopped images?
Do you think celebrities would be less famous if media portrayed the “unedited” versions of them? The Merrriam-Webster definition of “celebrity” is the “state of being celebrated.”So what are we actually celebrating? Their talents? Accomplishments? Looks? It’s easy to focus on “celebrating” so much that we forget they are human. We all age, get wrinkles, and sport the occasional dreaded pimple!
Maybe if we all saw more unedited photos of these celebs, we could recognize them as “normal” and create a newer, more positive standard of beauty. And isn’t it possible that their flaws would make them more likable to us, not less?
Teens may understand that media images are unrealistic, but that doesn’t mean the images don’t affect their self-esteem. This summer, Teen Voices’ teen editors spent an entire week discussing and analyzing media representations of women. The teen editors also uncovered the types of females who are represented in film and TV, and, more importantly, which types are left out. Our girls discussed how easy it is to feel your self-esteem lowered, and to feel like a failure when you can’t reach impossible beauty. These standards might be unrealistic, but they can still deeply impact the way teens view themselves.
We’re always happy to see groups taking steps toward combating false representations of women. OneStopPlus.com, a top plus-sized retailer, will showcase only plus-sized models during their show at New York Fashion Week. The retailer is taking a lot of heat for participating in Fashion Week – but we’re looking forward to seeing these curvy women in the show!

San Francisco Museum Highlights Women as Agents of Change

photo by Ariko Inaoka now on display at the IMOW

by editorial intern Kimya Kavehkar

It’s important to recognize women who are doing admirable things in the world – especially when they’re taking action that isn’t highly publicized. San Francisco’s International Museum of Women is doing just that with Picturing Power and Potential, a new exhibit showcasing women from around the world who are effecting change. Featuring work from 50 different artists, the large-scale photographs spotlight women who participate in their local economy – in both ordinary and extraordinary ways.

Photographer Anne Hamersky shows us a group of American women called Cultivating Change, who grow plants, fruit, and herbs to make fresh and healthy food available to their families and neighbors. One member of this group is a teenage girl who plants a crop of tomatoes to sell at a nearby farmers’ market.

Another incredible story comes from Gujarat, India. Photographer Ariko Inaoka shows a young girl dressed in the colorful and ornate clothing typical of her lower caste. The beautiful detailing of her outfit juxtaposes the often brutal working life of women in her caste. According to the IMOW website, “More than ninety percent are self-employed, with few labor laws to protect them from exploitation. However, since the early 1970s, the state of Gujarat has set up the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) to protect women from usurious lenders, corrupt police, and an indifferent justice system.”

With 48 more inspirational stories left to read and more stirring photographs to view, it is definitely worth the trip to the museum to check out this free exhibit. And luckily for those of us not in the San Francisco area, the photographs and stories can be seen on the museum’s website.