Punk for a month

After reading the text we had to answer some questions:

1. Is Julie fair to her old friends in the change she makes? How might she have handled the change differently so as not to alienate her friends?

I think she takes a personal decision that doesn't really affect her friends, so she didn't have to ask for permission. Actually, her friends are the ones who don't accept her and alienate her.

Although, Julie should have tried to convince her friends about accepting her.

2. Julie makes new friends once she changes her appearance. What problems can you predict with these new friends?

These new friends might only like her because she is punk, but once she becomes "normal" again they might betray her and leave her alone.

3. Does Julie change internally as a result of changing externally? Can simply dressing differently influence a person's character? Why, or why not?
She changed, of course, and became a much happier person who's accepted and taken into consideration. By changing externally, she also started accepting herself and took another perspective about life. By changing the way you dress, you are able to change your personality, but only if you want to.

4. What does appearance indicate about a person? In what ways may appearances be misleading? When is it appropriate to judge people based on appearances? When is it inappropriate?
Appearance might lead to prejudices which, in most cases, is misleading. In my opinion, it is never good to judge people based on appearances because, according to my experience, appearance never shows what a person is really inside.

We also had to relate the story of this girl Julie to a movie, so I chose "Legally Blonde" as in both stories the main character transforms from being "no one" to a recognizable or popular person. Here is the trailer of the movie: 

Personal Response

“The Akanksha clinic is at the forefront of India’s booming trade in so-called reproductive tourism — foreigners coming to the country for infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization. The clinic’s main draw, however, is its success using local women to have foreigners’ babies. Surrogacy costs about $12,000 in India, including all medical expenses and the surrogate’s fee. In the U.S., the same procedure can cost up to $70,000.”

There are many congenital diseases known to affect fertility and make women unable to get pregnant. Throughout the years, developments in medicine and genetics have helped these women to have a child. Nowadays, it is possible for people to “rent” a uterus so that the surrogate mother gets an in vitro fertilization and carries the baby for another woman during gestation. Once the time has passed, the surrogate mother gives the baby to the “real mother”. These techniques are also used for women who are too busy to have a child, so that they can have one without being pregnant.

In this text, something that might be considered as a problem for many people is presented. Women in need of money "rent their wombs" so that other women, who are unable to get pregnant because of the problems mentioned before, can have a child. The main focus of the fragment is that these procedures are six times cheaper in India than in the United States, which makes people do the "reproductive tourism". According to many people, this might be a problem because of unregulated procedures, possible exploitation of surrogates or surrogates not really taking care of their selves during pregnancy.

I think this is a good alternative for women to have a child, because of the price and in the end it is a mutual benefit both for the mother and for the surrogate, and it depends on each one of us to consider this possibility as a good one or not. I think if someone is able to pay and wants to take this option, then she's able to do so with complete freedom.

Surrogate Mothers: Womb for Rent

After reading this interesting article, answer the following questions:


1. What does “reproductive tourism” mean?
It refers to people who travel to another country in order to get infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization.
2. What issues might cause an American woman to seek an Indian surrogate?
It seems that in India it is much cheaper and they speak English too.
3. What risks and benefits exist for the surrogate mothers in India?
Some risks are that surrogates may be exploited due to the lack of regulation or may become attached and don't give the baby. Some benefits are that people get money and may have a chance to get a better life and support their family.
4. What risks and benefits exist for the women who hire a surrogate?
People don't know if the surrogate actually takes care during her pregnancy or the living conditions she has. On the other hand, women get a baby without actually having one.(being pregnant)
5. Do you agree with the people who believe that the Indian women are being exploited? Why or why not?

I don't think they are being exploited because women choose to do it or not.