Cocoa, Seeing the World Through Women's Eyes

Politics and Power in the Global Chocolate Chain Guest: Kristy Leissle, PhD, Lecturer of Global Studies, University of Washington Bothell, Author, "Cocoa" Here in the Western World, cocoa conjures delight, indulgence, romance, even. Not politics, power or oppression. But the researcher known as “Dr. Chocolate” writes in her new book that behind every taste of chocolate you enjoy are millions of people for whom “chocolate means a daily grind of tough labor to make a precarious living.”  In the book titled simply, “Cocoa,” University of Washington Bothell lecturer Kristy Leissle traces the power relations and politics embedded in every step of the chocolate supply chain from the cocoa farm to the foil wrapped candy bar on the grocery store shelf.  How the World Looks Different When More Women Design It Guests: Brooke Smart, Illustrator; Ann Hintze, Graphic Designer and Art Director; Trisha Zemp, Photographer and Animator The covers of the books on your shelf and illustrations in picture books. The design of the websites you surf. The photos in fashion and news magazine. There’s a strong chance those images were created or captured by a man. Illustration, photography and graphic design are all dominated by men. The majority of Caldecott Winners for best children’s book illustrations have been men. The web design industry is overwhelming male. But in a lot of design programs at universities around the country, including right here at BYU, the student body is mostly female or pretty evenly split. Why is it, then, that the world around us is curated and visualized mainly through male eyes? And how does that affect the way we see ourselves – and each other – as human beings?