History Of The Birth Control Pill and The Dangers of It

History of the Birth Control Pill and The Dangers of It

by Pratiksha Singh

Originally the birth control pill was used for severe menstrual pain and not to be used as a contraceptive. The birth control pill was first approved in the late 1950’s by the FDA and in the 1960’s was approved to be used as a form of contraceptive. During the early 1960’s the birth control pill was a hit and many people started using it even though there were still 8 states that hadn’t approved it yet. It was found in the late 1960’s, that the birth control pill can cause blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, depression and weight gain. After this discovery, a lot of people turned away from the use of birth control which is completely understandable. Even in commercials today for different birth control pills such as Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella which have been used in recent lawsuit commercials stating that they cause blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, and even sudden death.[1] It is common knowledge that all medications have side affects but when you hear sudden death that’s a lot more concerning!

            While taking the pill, there may be mild side affects such as weight gain, increased acne, mood swings, breast tenderness and some nausea. Most people think that these side affects come with just being a woman and they are bound to happen when you have your period anyways. Most women don’t mind these side affects and this doesn’t stop them from taking the pill. However, in more serious cases, it is said that birth control can cause yeast infections because the pill destroys the beneficial bacteria that is created in your intestines which then makes yeast grow even more. [2]

            In some studies its said that oral contraceptives might be linked to certain types of cancer. Although studies show that oral contraceptives might help reduce the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers, it is said that when using them for 5+ years, it might increase the risk of getting cervical cancer. [3]

            Before the term birth control was even invented by Margret Sanger in the early 1900’s, people used natural methods of birth control.1  Some of these methods were ingesting herbs or certain fruits like papaya (like the Native Americans) to help control your cycle. [4]Some people today still prefer these methods over the birth control pill or patch, the nuva  ring, or the depo shot.

            In my opinion, birth control is not a horrible thing as long as you are aware of the risks that it may have and you have researched your different options and talked to your doctor about it. Some people choose to not use birth control because they feel like its too risky (sudden death is pretty scary) and they would rather use more natural ways to control their cycle. Everyone has their own opinion and have the right to make their own decisions on if they want to use birth control or not.

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[1] Nikolchev, Alexandra. PBS, "Need To Know." Last modified May 7, 2010. Accessed April 25, 2014. http://whttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/a-brief-history-of-the-birth-control-pill/480/ww.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/oral-contraceptives. (Nikolchev May 7, 2010)

2 Body Ecology Inc., "Body Ecology." Last modified May 29, 2008. Accessed April 27, 2014. http://bodyecology.com/articles/dangers_birth_control_pill.php (“Body Ecology” May 29, 2008)

[3] National Institutes of Health, "National Cancer Institute." Last modified March 21, 2012. Accessed April 26, 2014. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/oral-contraceptives. ("National Cancer Institute" March 21, 2012)

[4] Moore, Crystal. "Native America Sexuality, Sexual Violation in the Conquest of the Americas." Acsessed April 28, 2014. Class Lecture, from Crystal Moore, Charlotte, January 1, 2014.

Utopian Societies: The Nashoba Community

Utopian Societies: The Nashoba Community

By: Dina Pobudanovic

                In today’s world, when we think of Utopian societies we usually think of books such as 1984 by George Orwell. We think of a society that has perfect ideals because by definition a utopia is, “an imaginary place in which the government, laws, and social conditions are perfect.”[i] However, Utopian societies aren't imaginary and a few different types of Utopian societies were present in Victorian America. These communities “embodied American quest for perfection” and the people that started these societies had a “longing to recreate small-scale homogeneous communities in a time of rapid growth.”[ii] Overall, these people joined these societies because they wanted structure and a government to keep their values at heart, while the world around them because more industrialized.

                The society that I would have liked to be a part of is the Nashoba Community. These people were known as the “Free Lovers” and they “embraced the idea of individualism and elevated love and desire as the basis for the sexual union.”[iii] These people that lived in this society had always been taught that sex was for procreation and women didn’t have the same rights as men. Due to this conservative backlash, people wanted to break free from the cultural norms that they were used to. A woman by the name of Francis Wright formed the community known as Nashoba. She formed her own type of utopia that she believed people wanted to live in and they did. They were founded on the basis of love without marriage and they everyone should have equal rights. And for a while the people of Nashoba lived peacefully.

                The society’s downfall came due to sickness and conflict in the community. Wright had gone off to Europe in 1827 “to raise funds for the venture, but by the time she returned, she found her idealistic dream of a community of equals was gone.”[iv] She knew her Utopian community was coming to its end but she still offered to purchase freedom for the slaves that were still in her community. This really goes to show Wright’s true character. Even though her dreams were crumbling in front of her, she still had the heart to care about what happened to th

e remaining people in her community. This, along with many other reasons, is why I would chose to live in the Nashoba community. Most Utopian leaders, as I've known them, have always been communist-like and Wright wasn't. She actually cared about her people and she wanted to give them a society that didn’t force people to do something they didn’t want to do. She focused on love rather than marriage and equality for all, and that is why I would have chosen this society to live in, in Victorian America.

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[i] Merriam-Webster. "utopia." Merriam-Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utopia (accessed April 28, 2014).

[ii] Moore, Crystal. "Utopian Communities in Victorian America." Class lecture, History of Sexuality in America from UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, March 18, 2014.

[iii] Moore, Crystal. "Utopian Communities in Victorian America." Class lecture, History of Sexuality in America from UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, March 18, 2014.

[iv] Egerton, John. "Nashoba." Welcome to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=963 (accessed April 28, 2014).

Changes in Dating throughout the Decades by Brandon Russell

There is no doubt that times have change and will continue to change. It has been proven time and time again throughout history. However, I found it interesting how much dating has changed since the 60s. There are many influences such as media and government regulations that affect peoples’ relationships, which support causing the dating culture to change. Between the 1920s and 1940s, was an interesting time of relationships because this was when sex became a little more liberated than what it once was. Flappers, a term for a girl who was free and had fun, were starting to take a hold[1]. The dating idea was “petting and paying”, people would go out on dates with a lot of people (not at one time of course) and would have sex expected at the end of the night[2]. This is certainly different from today. It appears that people were fighting for more equal rights, during this time. However, it appears that it did not take off into a commercialized atmosphere until the 1960s. This could possibly be because men were starting to get intimidated by this new free and independent sense of mind women were having. It is said this is exclaimed by demeaning terms that began coming around from the 1920s. There were many terms such as, flappers, gold diggers, Dumb Dora, heavy date, Non-skid, and more[3]. These terms maybe have started up from movies that seemed to have begun changing the culture. In about 1940s to 1950s there was another big change considering homosexuals. Kinsey was writing his research books about how many people were homosexual[4]. The first homosexual bar was founded. Although, it was not fully accepted and it was still seen as taboo, it was a change. Mattachine Society began and they were there to stand up for issues and unfairness toward the homosexual community[5]. 

Maybe it was because it was after the war or maybe Hugh Hefner was just that good, but there was another change in dating in the 1950s to 1960s when he commercialized sexuality. Society had been told before their roles as husband the bread fetcher and women the home caretaker. Hefner had ignored these and made a new view of things. Apparently, Americans were behind him because it continued on and he became very successful. This is around the time where the New Singles Culture, came into play. Life was more about going to party and clubs than going on dates[6]. 

Today, it seems like dating can be taken a little more seriously. For example, when people begin to date they attempt to take it monogamous for the most part. Now, it is more like you take one girl out to eat and possibly make it something steady.But it also seems like there are many people today, that cannot nor want to take dating seriously. But, our society today is very complex. There is not just one way people see each other anymore. Sometimes it is like the 1960s, where people meet at bars and clubs. The changes are amazing.

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[1] "Love and romance in the 1920s." Love and romance in the 1920s. http://davies-linguistics.byu.edu/elang495/samples/lexical_decade.asp (accessed April 28, 2014).

[2] Moore, Crystal. "Beyond Reproduction." Lecture,, Charlotte, April 15, 2014.

[3] "Love and romance in the 1920s." Love and romance in the 1920s. http://davies-linguistics.byu.edu/elang495/samples/lexical_decade.asp (accessed April 28, 2014).

[4] Moore, Crystal. "Beyond Reproduction." Lecture,, Charlotte, April 15, 2014.

[5] Robinson, B.A.. "The gay liberation movement during the 1950s." The gay liberation movement in the 1950s. http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_agen50.htm (accessed April 28, 2014).

[6] Moore, Crystal. "The Sexualized Society The 1960's and 1970's in America." Lecture,, Charlotte, April 24, 2014.

Jayshawn Pickett Sex trafficking in the U.S

Jayshawn Pickett

Professor Moore

History of sexuality

31, March 31, 2014

                                                                                Sex Trafficking in the U.S

When we hear the phrase “sex trafficking”, as citizens of the U.S we automatically think of women and even kids overseas who are being forced into the sex trade or are brought here to be sexually molested. Those who think this are wrong, sex trafficking is taking place everywhere and it could be taking place right on your street corner. Seeing young women on the streets in skin tight dresses and extremely tall heels should be an implication that its taking place. We often look away when we should be trying to help these young girls. We only face this harsh reality when we hear about child abuse that takes place physically and mentally. To understand the aspects of sex trafficking in the States, we all have to think outside of what we have seen or heard. We have to open our eyes to the mind altering control that these pimps have and exercise on these young women and children. There have been cases of girls as young as 9 years old that are being sold on the streets for sex. The average age of a person entering the prostitution field is twelve to fourteen years old. It all begins with these teens trying to find themselves. Many of them are abused at a young age which pushes them to find comfort on the streets. They are comforted by their pimp and often fall in love quickly. They are often asked “why don’t you just leave?” or “Can’t you get out?”. We don’t understand that they are practically kidnapped and would be tortured or even killed if they tried to tell anyone. On television, we often see pimps being uplifted and glamorized which is a great marketing tool for the streets. Tv shows, music videos and movies often portray the lives of pimps and make it seem like being a pimp is the way to go and the right thing to do. Us young people even use the term “pimp” in our conversations with our peers, when we really don’t understand the true reality of this term. Pimps often lurk in the shadows looking for young girls and women who have a weakness. They then exploit this weakness  and manipulate that person like a puppet. Once the pimp gets inside the womans head, she will do whatever he wants and when he wants her to do it. The same with children, but maybe a little easier. “Sex trafficking has been found in a wide variety of venues of the overall sex industry, including residential brothels, hostess clubs, online escort services, fake massage businesses, strip clubs, and street parties” ⁽¹⁾

Polaris Project, "Sex trafficking in the U.S." Accessed March 31, 2014. (1)http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/sex-trafficking-in-the-us.