Author Archive

Last week I finally got around to seeing “The Social Network” which my campus was screening at no cost to students. I sat down, one of two people in the small room, excited to be alone and seeing a movie I had been excited about for so long. Midway through I started to be irked by what I was seeing. Trying to brush it aside I focused on what was going on. But the more I tried to ignore the representation of women in the movie the more the problem rose to the surface. Why wasn’t I seeing a single positive portrayal? According to the movie women are strange, on the sideline, and/or psycho. Many scenes showcased the “stupid slut” archetype sometimes combining it with underage. Others showed females in a more positive light, if you consider barely present and barely paid attention to positive.

continue

Hello, my name is Natalie Gratkowski and I am senior at the College of Staten Island, majoring in English Literature and minoring in Italian. My interests lie in women’s empowerment and leadership, social work, and education. In my spare time I enjoy reading, writing, crocheting, yoga, being outdoors, and traveling. After going on a retreat during my junior year I knew that I wanted to become involved in the fantastic work that Woodhull was doing by becoming an intern and by spreading the word about this great organization on my campus.