Battle of the sexes

 

When people hear " Battle of the Sexes," they often think of something different, but it actually refers to a famous tennis match that was between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, both leading tennis players. Billie Jean was 24, and Bobby was in his 50s. Many people thought the match was uneven because of their age difference, but Bobby Riggs was a known hustler and experienced player. Bobby Riggs was sponsored by Sugar Daddy, a popular candy brand at the time. Bobby Riggs wore a sweatsuit with the Sugar Daddy logo during the match. He took the game very casually, and his outfit sponsored by Sugar Daddy suggests that he is similar to Sugar Daddy and that, in this situation, Billie Jean King is just a “dumb girl”. Billie Jean King won the match, which was very controversial for the sports world. Back then, women's sports were not very popular, so having a female defeat a man was huge and upset many people.

Even though the battle of the sexes happened a long time ago, there are still many situations to this day that have been very similar. One example is the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, where debates around media coverage, respect, and equal pay for female athletes echoed the fight for equality that Billie Jean King had stood for during the battle of the sexes. Just like the battle King once fought, where she challenged gender stereotypes. Recently, many female soccer players have begun to push back against discrimination and demand fair treatment both on and off the field. This goes for all sports as well, not just for soccer or tennis.

Joe DiMella Tennis Match

 We have heard all types of controversy on platforms, TV, and the telephone. Anything ranging from a sports battle like a tennis match of Serena Williams vs some superpower, or a presidential election.. And speaking of a tennis match, there was one that stands out much more than the rest. What I learned and am going to talk about is Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. You are probably thinking a tennis match is gonna be a fair and well-watched match that takes place on the biggest stage. However, there's a twist, it's going to be a woman vs a man. And scientifically speaking, the male will beat the female most of the time, and that's what Bobby riggs believed what would happen. And Bobby was proven not correct, instead he lost fair and square to a great female tennis player who put women's sports on the map. 

Bobby Riggs is a macho man, someone who probably drinks beers and loves women. He is a typical male of the generation he grew up in, and I think his persona came back to bite him in his behind. Bobby was being sexist, ahead of himself, and jokingly taking the game that would take place between the two of them. Billie Jean King was preparing like the weight of the world was on her shoulders; she even said something similar along the lines of her preparation and pressure is on. Bobby King and his walkout to the game had money, pride, and future steaks on the line. And if you watch him walk out, you see him wearing a comical yellow suit with sugar daddy written on it. This screams sexism and Billie Jean King was out for vengeance, and history in this turn favored the lady and gave her all the credit she deserved.

Billie Jean and her attractive self went out there and beat a male disrespecting her, her fellow friends, her sport, and the pride that comes along with her. After she won, she was treated as she should have been, this story to me is interesting and entertaining. I grew up with males and playing sports, and if one of my companions had lost a game to a female, we would have gone crazy. Crazy in the manner of jumping up and down, yelling, and talking some smack to whoever or whatever just happened. I wouldn't be sexist and make fun of the person who had lost just because she is female, but I would have sheer amazement and joy. My mother loves sports, and I like them as well and I am going to tell her about this tennis match. She probably knows, but would enjoy this just as much as any other female enthusiast. Learning about this brought amusement to me as Billie Jean King will forever be remembered as an attractive, successful female, but an even better female putting on for the females who play sports and take part in out of the norm events. Shoutout to Billy King, and I'll leave this blog spot with my statement that this is the best thing I have learned so far in this class!

Domestic Violence

     Domestic Violence is prevalent in a majority of people, whether they recognize it or not, which can be quite dangerous. Domestic violence or Intimate Partner violence is not just physical, which I didn't really realize, it could be verbal, or even financial. Obviously, some men experience domestic violence; however, consistently, 1 out of 4 women experience some level of domestic violence in their lives that ranges from mental abuse to serious physical abuse. As women try to break out of their old societal roles of being a caregiver and staying home, it can intimidate men. Is it insecurity? Does that make men uncomfortable? Whatever factor it may be doesn't ever make it a justifiable argument and something that should be done, especially with someone that you care about. 

    IPV, as mentioned before, is most likely occurring to a woman, and whether that leads to prosecution or not varies for a few reasons. One reason may be that someone doesn't want to see their partner get prosecuted and put in jail, and there aren't many other alternatives to this solution. It's a hard thing to swallow, but if you are in significant danger and need to reach law enforcement, things have gotten out of hand; whoever is doing this should face the law. Another reason that prosecution may occur is because of the classic "he said she said" debate. When the court doesn't have the ability to determine who is telling the truth and who is fabricating stories, it can become tough to come to a verdict without wrongful prosecution. Only about 2% of reported DV or IPV cases lead to a verdict and someone being prosecuted, which is a pretty low number, somewhat eye-opening. 

    On average, roughly 60% of all couples experience some sort of abuse in the relationship, which is huge. How do you fix that, or help others? The one challenge in this process is that people do not want to come across as nosy and get into other people's business, which is reasonable. It is hard to recognize when people are experiencing abuse because it's not just when someone becomes distant or closes out potentially. Some people just experience the "honeymoon phase," where they distance themselves without even knowing, because they just get wrapped up in a new relationship. The best way to help your friends is to be available and approachable as a friend. Do not close yourself off because if a friend in a relationship becomes distant, it may not be their choice. 

Domestic Violence and Women

     Domestic violence can be many different types of behavior. Although it is often thought of as physical violence, it is just as much emotional abuse. One of the biggest dangers when it comes to domestic violence is not being able to recognize it. Emotional abuse can be well disguised, and victims can be conditioned to think it's normal. This causes the victim to be unable to leave whoever is abusing them, and even if they are aware causes fear to leave. Statistically, the most dangerous time in an abusive relationship is after separation. In homeless women, it's estimated 22-57% are without a home due to domestic violence.

    A shocking 85% of domestic violence victims are women. This is 1 in 3 women who face abuse compared to the 1 in 5 men. As teenagers, 1 in 5 victims are women and 1 in 10 are men. Domestic violence is, unfortunately, not uncommon in many relationships worldwide. Women face more challenges with domestic violence due to traditional gender and power norms. However, men are also impacted mentally and physically by domestic violence. It is possible that many male cases go unreported because of embarrassment and fear. 

    It's important to recognize that anybody can be affected by domestic violence. Checking in with people who could be struggling may be the relief they are waiting for. There are many organizations dedicated to helping those who need help, and there is no shame in reaching out.

Domestic Violence

     Domestic violence is when you receive violent or aggressive behavior within your home, usually involving a spouse or a partner. Many people typically don't realize they are in an abusive or violent situation, which is what makes domestic violence such an issue. Domestic violence can happen in many different ways, ranging from physical to psychological abuse. Women are far more affected by domestic abuse than men are, but men still face many issues as well.

    Around 35% of women face domestic abuse, which is also 1 in every 3 women. Domestic abuse often involves patterns of control, fear and physical and physiological harm within intimate relationships. Many women suffer in silence due to fear of retaliation, or lack of support systems. Breaking this cycle of abuse requires not only empowering more victims to speak out more but to also strengthen legal protections and to raise awareness.

    Domestic abuse against men is a situation that is typically overlooked. Even though domestic abuse is more associated with female victims, many men experience different forms of abuse as well. This can consist of physical, emotional, and also physiological abuse. Many men feel the same way as women as victims and typically feel ashamed and are afraid to seek help. Because of this silence many men face mental health struggles and have issues with isolation and continued harm. It is very important to recognize abuse as it can affect anyone, regardless of their gender. It is also very important to ensure support systems and resources that are available nad acessible to all victims and survivors. 

Women and Domestic Violence

Even though domestic violence is a difficult and often avoided topic in everyday conversations, I believe this week’s discussion is incredibly important and deeply connected to our women’s studies course. Domestic violence is often thought of as a private issue, something that happens quietly behind closed doors. But the reality is that it affects millions of women (sometimes children and other family members) across the world.

According to some of the data from class, 1 in 4 women in the United States will experience severe intimate partner physical violence in their lifetime. About 1 in 3 women have also experienced either physical or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. And these numbers are likely underestimates due to underreporting, fear, and stigma. Domestic violence doesn’t always leave visible bruises. It can be emotional, psychological, and financial, through controlling access to money, monitoring phone usage, or isolating someone from friends and family. These forms of abuse are often harder to spot but just as damaging.

Women are disproportionately affected by domestic violence due to historical and cultural gender power dynamics. The normalization of control, jealousy, and dominance in some relationships creates an environment where abuse can thrive. Victims may stay silent out of fear, shame, or lack of resources; sometimes victims do not get their justice and see their abusers getting the punishment they deserve since many cases regarding domestic violence lack concrete evidence. Although we only discussed domestic violence statistics among women in the United States, I probably expect the stats to be worse or just as bad as they are for women globally. 

Education, support networks, and legal protections are essential to preventing domestic violence, but it is also important to be empathetic and aware of the relationships going on around us. As I prepare to go to college, I know this awareness and the pledge I made will help me show support for my friends and other survivors. 

Domestic Violence Joe DiMella

     Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior in a relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate relationship. Domestic Violence is forbidden in America, and especially Forbidden in my house. My mom has always told me that if a male were to put their hands on a female in the wrong way, I must take action. I believe this is a common phenomenon throughout the United States because everyone knows it is beyond unacceptable.

The thought of it being unacceptable leads to these factual statistics. 1 in 3 women will experience intimate partner violence. 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys experience physical or sexual violence. 85% of Domestic violence victims are women.  And lastly, how many times does an abuser leave the abuser before leaving for good? The answer to this question was 7. Think about 7 abuses or about a week going on and not having the mental fortitude to leave, these abuses aren't counting a fair and normal verbal altercation over an agreement.

Facts write a lot of stories and set them in stone, and in my world, there's one thing that doesn't sit right with me, and that is relating to famous people's abuses. Famous people in our world are cherished, and some of them get to live their dreams even when they have done something that should strip their stardom away. I'm not saying a made up fight should do the trick but countless guys like chris brown, joe budden, bobby brown, ray rice, adrian Peterson, and Mike tyson have hit the opposing gender and some of them walk away with all the consequences in the world, while others gets brushed under the rug. This entertains me, and I can't fathom why these famous people have messed up this harshly.

Power and Control are huge when it comes to detecting domestic violence. The methods like using intimidation, using emotional Abuse, using isolation, denying and blaming, using children, using male privilege, and using threats are all things to watch out for. Having two brothers where we fight is more free than I bet than having sisters, the reason being is that more stuff flies when things are happening,  I would like to believe if we had a sister, she would be treated with every ounce of respect and she would have to not worry about these things. However, with two brothers, we are more hostile than having a sister. I think it's the reality of the world andI would like to know if more families are like this as compared to having a sister or not.

My last thought on domestic violence is that Women are way more likely to be abused, however, males are still domestically abused, and I have the belief that a typical male could stand up for themselves more than a female. Also, males have more opportunities to dominate and take charge as opposed to a typical female who is less aggressive.

Women and social Media

 We read a blog post stating that Women are more prone to reap the unhealthy benefits of social media for several reasons as opposed to men. Without reading about this post I bet I could have predicted which gender is more likely to be affected by social media. Its not because I have mind reading controls, but it is based off of logic, perception, and personal experiences while dealing with woman as thehy would be my choice out of the two genders. I would like to add we were asked a question by Ms Davey stating“We were asked what emotions you are allowed to express based on how you identify. What first came to mind is that men are more likely to hide their emotions while females are more likely to express them, this is obvious. 

With that being said I abide by my own rules as a 19-year-old with my mind set on a couple of things. I would say if I were to have a son or daughter, I would like them to be tough to some extent in some cases like taking friendly banter in the best of all ways. Im not saying I want my son to be a Navy Seal but it would be nice to have them be in the right mindset to ahcieve many things. I'm talking about this because I can't believe people feel bad over social media when in my reality and knowledge it shouldn't bother a thing. My reasons for this;1) Live in the real world. 2) Who cares,3) why are you stressing out over something thats on the screen. 

With those three things stated in my previous paragraphs, I understand that you need social media to communicate or get your name out there, but im very fixed on the idea that social media matters to you if it fits your needs of this world, but if it doesn't and it does cause stress even though it shouldn't then to get over it. I know there's some people out in the world that don't even have a phone, they don't even watch TV, or they don't find anything with technology interesting. I have a reason to believe these people are more likely to enjoy the little things in life because their dopamine is physically head over heels higher, and on top of that they can sit down and fish for bass in a pond with nothing lingering over their mind, Versus a brainwashed and habit filled life of looking and using different platforms that are feeding them junk,

After hearing and learning about some female tikTok trends, they all seem to result in depression, stress, and overthinking, and these all fall under mental health issues. Im hoping that If i were to have a daughter someday, she would have the youthful and great mindset to do whatever she chooses to do. This would most definitely be combatted by any social media platform. I know my future daughter is 100% gonna get an iPhone, and its sad that we live in a world where we need one to begin with. Im hoping she's not gonna be soft and care what people think about her, but im hoping she has a very high-achieving and ambitious mindset while all the distractions go on in her life. If i have a daughter i have confidence social media wont interfere with her everyday life unlike the whole entire population who uses these platforms.