Assault

A woman can reduce the risk of assault by never traveling without a buddy. It would also be important to not be caught alone in places that are sketchy or "the wrong part of town." The way a woman dresses can influence the way assailants look at a woman. If she is dressed skimpy, attackers would be more likely to attack. Taking classes that address the issue is another way to be prepared and learn about defensive and preventative tactics. Overall, it is never a woman's fault she is assaulted, but there are ways to reduce the temptation and take a safer approach to avoid the conflict.

Mental Illness

The stigma surrounding mental illness can be curbed by a change in the way we view the disease itself. Many people have misconceptions or beliefs that mental illness is a punishment from God or a demon who has possessed a person. This is simply a fact of nature that people are born with. Sometimes it only develops later in life, but cannot be seen as anything more abnormal that someone born with a cleft lip, for example. There are sever cases in which people cannot reach a level of sanity in order to interact with daily life, however, many people are able to live happy and fulfilling lives with the help of counseling, special care, and/or medications. People need to see that a person still exists behind the illness and we must move past our own insecurities to be more accepting.

Our Future in Mind?

Would we live differently with our future in mind? I am kind of split on this topic. I think it is easy to say yes, we definitely would change our behaviors. We could see the negative effects our choices have made on our bodies and the life we would end up with as we age. I think people would be motivated to maintain a healthier lifestyle in regard to diet, behaviors(smoking etc.), and life choices(like safety). However, these ideas are easily tossed aside in order to indulge in the pleasures of the "here and now." It is difficult to not live in the moment, especially when consequences can be years down the road.

Disease Prevention

Most disease prevention comes down to maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle. Academic institutions can provide the information on what constitutes a healthy lifestyle and list resources that people can use to achieve this goal. However, this does not do much to motivate people in my experience. I think the biggest motivator for masses of people is to show the consequences of their choices. This could include the side effects as well as the pain and suffering that comes with many diseases. Speakers could visit campuses and tell of their mistakes and the trials they have been through due to their poor choices. This makes the issue more personal and a plausible reality for the audience. Many people have the mindset that they are invincible or "it won't happen to me." I think if we move from textual information to personable experiences, we will have a more positive outcome.

Body Image in the Media

The media definitely plays a huge role in how women view their personal bodies. Celebrities such as Megan Fox are always depicted wearing tiny bikinis and lingerie and that is what we are told is sexy. I actually googled Megan and the only pictures I could find, were ones such as the pictures below.

 The picture of Megan on the right is from a recent film she starred in called Jonah Hex. In the movie, the director instructed her to get her waist as small as possible in the corset. She managed to make her waist a minuscule 18 inches. For those of you who don't know, that is EXTREMELY small. You can see from the picture it looks unnatural. I don't think the media has embraced more diversity in body image. There are a few who stand out such as Tyra Banks and the DOVE commercials, however, most people are taught smaller is better.

I found some startling statistics online:

• —51% of 9 and 10 year old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet
• —42% of elementary school students between the 1st and 3rd grades want to be thinner
• —1 out of 4 college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control—including
  —Fasting
  —Skipping meals
  —Excessive exercise
  —Laxative abuse
  —Self-induced vomiting

I thought this was disturbing how young girls are concerned with their weight and appearance. Most have not even reached puberty yet.

Health educators need to enforce the idea that what girls see in magazines and on TV are not necessarily real. Many photos are photo-shopped and the few girls do not need photo shopping are 1 in a million.  We need to promote more positive role models for our children and steer away from the typical Britney Spears idol. I think if we focused on teaching our children to make positive and challenging goals for themselves instead of using their bodies, their self-confidence and self-worth would be on the rise.


This video is by Pink, and basically she is making fun of what and who we idolize today, and more importantly, what our children are looking up to. It's really funny but makes a point!

—http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR4yQFZK9YM

Menopause

Menopause is not a "disease" that needs to be treated. I know there are a lot of downfalls while enduring the experience, however it does not define the woman.

Many women seem to feel like the exaggerated image to the left. They feel as though going through menopause makes them frumpy, unsexy, and old. This should not be the case. Women have been the caretakers and the center of family for many centuries. It is not right for them to feel abandoned and tossed to the side after they start to endure menopause. Some women find their purpose in bearing and raising children. Keeping that in mind, losing the ability to bear children might be a particularly painful experience. However, we need to change the way we view elderly women and their journey through menopause.  We need to shift the focus from the fact that they cannot bring anymore children into the world to the fact that this can be a time for them to be free and maybe even a little bit selfish. A woman can spend her whole time raising children and taking care of a husband, but not have time for herself. I think we can change this negative view and turn it into positive experience. This time in a woman's life should be focused on reaching goals and doing the things she has always wanted in life. Maybe this is a time to travel and not worry about whether she'll be on her period and whether she should go swimming or not! I believe women should be cherished for the amazing sacrifices and the enduring love they emit through their life, not for what their body can or cannot do anymore.

Is Sharing Always Caring?

 If I had a friend who thought she might be in danger of having an STD, I would definitely encourage her to visit the doctor and get tested as soon as possible. Although it might be scary to have an STD, it is much scarier to find out after much damage has occurred. Infertility, cancers, and all sorts of health risks can follow the contraction of an STD.  The most dangerous of all would definitely be HIV. Fatality can occur swiftly if preventative medicine is not applied. Of course, it is not curable, but many advances have been made in modern medicine that allows people to live a full life outside of a hospital bed. Many STDs do not show obvious signs in women, so damage can be occurring without any knowledge to the infected host. Also, if my friend is not sure whether she has an STD or not, she could possibly pass it on to another partner or loved one. I would sit her down and tell her I understand it is definitely a scary situation, but the risks are too tremendous to ignore. Also, I would have her picture a life without children. For a lot of women, this is enough to motivate, because it is not all about her, it is also about whether or not she may or may not be able to have children and a family.