A New Princess on the Block

BY ERIN CARHART

If you’ve been keeping up with your movie media recently you’d know that Pixar released their newest trailer for a film called Brave. Now, this isn’t the typical hero tale of a toy that saves the day or about an older man who finally learns to let love in again. No, no, this movie is about a young woman, Merida.

In Pixar’s Brave, Merida plays the first female lead in their animation history. Her character is a young woman who defies the tradition of her country and instead of following suit, Merida takes a strong interest in archery. She isn’t the classical Disney princess nor is she the damsel in distress. Merida is simply asking for a chance to decide for herself. However, this narrative does seem to ring the classical fairy tale bells. A young girl defying tradition, eventually seeking help from an elder, and then forced to face the ultimate challenge…so wait, is there a happy ending?

Could it be a fairy tale that will end with a woman not happily married to a man? Though the challenge is left for Merida to face and she takes on quite a burden because of her “mistakes”, leaving some feminists to ask: Has the movie industry finally got it? Will Merida be the breaking point in which fairy tales no longer predictably end with companionship or that the female role must sacrifice for others? This movie has an opportunity to bring stronger and empowering messages to younger generations, but now we wait until opening day to see what exactly Merida’s bravery will bring to our conversation.

Pink Carriages: Peace of Mind or Unnecessary Protection?

BY KAT SMITH

Why is the urban world made to feel so perilous for women? In the half an hour it takes me to take the LRT and the KTM to my internship every morning, my mother worries, my father worries and even I worry for my safety more than any other time of the day. What frightening train-riding perverts or robbers might I incur today?! It’s frustrating to feel like I need to be escorted everywhere I go, and equally infuriating that everyone is so concerned with my safety simply because I am a woman. If I were a man, would the big bad world be so big and bad in their eyes? 



Until I was 10 (and even then, very reluctantly) I was never allowed to walk to school without my older brother by my side. When I was 15 I fought my mother for the privilege of walking the less than a mile walk to the high street where I volunteered. Mind you, I lived in a small, sleepy English town full of elderly people and school children. Hardly the cesspool it had been made out to be.



Now having gained my independence for the first time, I stretched it as far as I possibly could by going to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the summer. Everyone keeps telling me how “brave” I am to have come here “all my myself.” I’m not quite sure if I should take all this as a compliment or re-enforcement of my perceived limitations as a woman.



But I hate to admit that this constant fear mongering has gotten to me. I find myself picking up the pace when I’m alone, clutching my bag tighter and looking over my shoulder on a regular basis. Now, I know that not everyone is out to get me, but I’ve been conditioned from the point I was born until now to believe that “it only takes one time.”

However, the thing that puts me most at ease during my daily commute is knowing that in Malaysia the KTM has a section dedicated solely for women. These pink train cars, plastered with “Women Only” icons were introduced in 2010 not out of religious sensitivities as I had assumed, but as a deterrent for sexual harassment in the country. 

The segregated cars also have the added benefit of being less crowded during the intense KL rush hours. The gender segregation is not mandatory, and women are allowed to use the other cars as well, although men receive intense stare-downs if they ever unintentionally board the pink carriages. Women-only train cars also exist in Tokyo, although some men are petitioning for men-only carriages as a measure of gender equality, and to avoid false accusations of groping. 



So then what is the Feminist stance on women-only carriages? Is it a good safety measure as a deterrent of sexual harassment? Other women like me who are travelling alone at night may feel sense of security from the measure, but is it reinforcing the idea that women need to be protected and setting back gender equality at the same time? How would women in the U.S. react to the introduction of women-only cars? Is the pink necessary? Hit up the comment box or tweet at @medusamagazine to let us know your thoughts on segregated travel.

MEISA presents: Nervous but Excited and Sarah Aument

Looking for a musical way to celebrate it being Friday WITHOUT the annoyingly catchy Rebecca Black? Tonight, MEISA is presenting their third show of the semester in downtown Syracuse at the Redhouse. Michigan based Folk duo Nervous but Excited will be here with an opening performance by none other than Syracuse University’s own Sarah Aument.

Nervous but Excited, comprised of singer/songwriters Kate Peterson & Sarah Cleaver, has been described as a “pleasantly aggressive folk duo”, and has shared the stage with artists such as Ani DiFranco, Catie Curtis, and Iron and Wine. Their arsenal of instruments includes guitars, a mandolin, a violin, a ukulele, harmonicas, dead-on harmonies that will shake your insides, some dancing, lots of laughter and a glockenspiel in a performance that provides both a sound and an experience that will resonate with audiences long after they’re gone. Their songwriting varies from intelligent, introspective narratives to tactfully political…interspersed with songs of love and loss that will undoubtedly tug on your heart. You might cry, you’ll definitely laugh, and their hope is that you’ll leave feeling your heart has grown just a little bigger than it was before you arrived.

And of course, it’s hard to be a music fan on the Syracuse campus without having come across Sarah Aument. A singer-songwriter based right here in Syracuse, her style is best described as Folk-Rock but her imaginative songwriting crosses over to multiple genres. Her debut album entitled "Vertical Lines" was released in Sept. 2010, and anyone who has been to one of her many shows on and around campus knows that she brings a wonderful energy and sweet sincerity to every one of her performances. Aument is currently touring the Northeast with her band, and has made a promising start to her early music career, already having shared the stage with the likes of Dawes, Erin McCarley, The Spring Standards, Sharon Van Etten and Ari Heist.

So come on out Medusa readers, and show your support for these wonderful and talented women! It’s going to be a great night of incredible music presented by three fantastic performers. I promise, you don’t want to miss it.

Is Rape Funny? (Don't Worry, the Answer is No)

BY LAUREN STEFANIAK

It's come to a time where political correctness has everybody watching what they say, except for one group of people- comedians. Yet why should they be exempt from the same standards everyone else abides by when some things just aren't funny? Luckily we're not the only ones who think serious matters such as rape aren't a laughing matter. Check out this website and share it with your friends so that next time someone tries to make a joke about rape, you can kindly direct them here and tell them to shove off: http://www.israpefunny.com

Spoken Like a True Feminist...Continued!

Like what you saw in Medusa? Want to check out more of these incredible writers work? Check out these links. And if you don't recognize the names, well then you'll just have to check out the most recent issue of Medusa first now won't you!

Check out Olson's work here: http://alixolson.com

Check out Gibson's poems "I Do" and "For Eli" here: http://www.andreagibson.org

MEDUSA ISSUE #4

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I love you very much,
Sammy

Gender by Andrea Stopa

Red stains in my underwear,

I woke up to a mess.

I cry to my mother

who gives me a pad and tells me everything will be ok,

that that's life.

But I don't really believe her.

Because she doesn't really believe herself.

Once a month

I will bleed for my gender

I will bleed to be a woman

I will bleed for my baby-making purpose

So that man can recreate

And what about that?

Squeezing a cranium the size of a melon past my pelvis out into the world?

I will stretch and tear to let life out of me,

But I am the weaker sex.

I am the one who is here to serve.

To make dinner after a long day at work.

To give comfort to the kiddies and give pleasure to my hubbie to give nothing to myself because

like that giving tree,

I give give give,

that's just how it is is is.

Wear pink, play with dolls, kiss a boy, hold his hand,

Wear mascara, blush your cheeks, don't say fuck, find a man

Cross your legs, lose some weight, buy a bra, get a date

Raise your hand, wait your turn, be a lady, let him win

No means yes, lead him on, give a kiss, let him in

Tone your arms, stand up straight, lift your ass, shrink your waist

But make sure all this stress never creases your face!

Get a house with a fence, and a man that gets paid

Get a mother-in-law, have some babies to raise

But don't lose your career! Just juggle and fake it

And blame PMS when you're starting to hate it.

Tears in her eyes,

I woke up to a mess.

She cries on my shoulder

I tell her I will kill that bastard, that it wasn't her fault.

That everything will be okay.

But I know she doesn't really believe me,

I don't really believe me.

He robbed her

Of her freedom

Of her innocence

her smile.

She bled because she was a woman

She bled because TV makes violence the norm

And she won't cry out because chances are her story won't hold up in court.

She will live her life running form ghosts, from the monsters in the night

Because he had an urge

That she couldn't fight.

But she is the weaker sex,

The one who's not worth as much pay in the boardroom but has to pay everyday for a choice

she didn't make.

What will it take?

What will it take.