Kelly's GRSJ 307 Blog

Chen’s Intro to Animating Animacy was a fascinating read, but I did find it difficult to wrap my head around. I appreciated the acknowledgement that the theoretical concepts are intentionally and even necessarily ‘slippery’ to students and experts alike. The strange moment of awareness and wakefulness (of both oneself and the processes governing how people think about bodies) while in a state of illness is one that is incredibly relatable for me as someone living with chronic and invisible illnesses. Chen speaks to the marking of ‘unproductive’, disabled, raced, and…read more

While reading Erica Chito Child’s article about the gendered and racial aspects, assumptions, and stereotypes surrounding interracial dating, the most salient example of this topic in popular culture that sprung easily to mind for me was Viola Davis’ portrayal of Annalise Keating in Shonda Rhimes’ How To Get Away With Murder (HTGAWM). Annalise wears her confidence, intelligence, and immaculate makeup and clothing as armor both in the classroom and in the courtroom. The much talked about scene in season 1 where she methodically removes her wig, fake eyelashes, and make…read more

I started watching Aziz Ansari’s Netflix show ‘Master of None’ at the same time as I was reading the Gopinath article this week. Ansari’s show has been lauded for it’s frank and often awkward portrayal of millennial dating as well as it’s poignant coverage of second generation Asian-American immigrant experiences. As a writer, producer, star, and occasional director of the show, Ansari inserts himself into popular culture while speaking overtly about sexism, feminism, racism, and ‘minority’ (lack of) representation in media and popular culture. In the episode ‘Parents’, Aziz and…read more

Judith Halberstam’s writing in “Drag Kings” was an enlightening read for me both in the detailing of the history of modern drag, which I had not fully known or appreciated, and in the ways it sought to expose the performativity of many diverse types of gender expression. The notion that cis female androgyny or simply not being hyper feminine is read as masculinity – or in other words the idea that norm and baseline gender is inherently masculine has frustrated and confused me for some time. Halberstam’s point that mainstream male…read more

The Toffoletti readings prompted me to unearth and reflect on my own experiences with Barbie. In my nuclear family, Barbies were seen as a very American, unnecessarily expensive, and non functional ‘thing’. They were a point of fascination and curiosity, but also a sort of forbidden, strange object. My mom, a public health nurse, was quite openly critical about Barbie as an ‘evil’ unrealistic ‘thing’ that was not a healthy part of raising girls. My dad is in marketing, so discussions of packaging and advertising were always circulating. I guess…read more

The Toffoletti readings this week were very thought provoking so I found them enjoyable to read. However, I struggled to grapple with how the theories discussed look beyond the context of an insular academic discussion. In seeking to understand Barbie as a transformative site of the posthuman, I wish Toffoletti had put more emphasis on how Barbie is a jumping off point for complicating ideas of the self. I wonder if the polarizing cultural narratives of desire and repulsion surrounding Barbie are so dominant that it almost obscures the ability…read more

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