November 2014

The Biggest Fashion Faux

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I came across another interesting article in the NY Times that struck me as odd. The title of this article is “How Women Use Fashion to Assert Their Power”, and my first reaction was that this was a joke. Fashion is something I feel very strongly towards, and I simply believe that this should be a way for a person to express themselves in a world where we are easily able to hide under a rock and watch the rest of the world pass us by. Although it does play a big role in our everyday lives today, I don’t think that women should have to use fashion to assert their power through what they wear, but rather through their qualifications and abilities just like any man. I know that the feminist movement has kicked in and women are now considered equal to men, however this article proves that we are still stuck in the past, and instead taking steps back towards where women used to be in terms of careers and stature.

 

“Clothes have the power to define a person and a position, and though they are often seen as handicapping women in positions of authority, acting as a distraction from their achievements and substance, they can also be a strategic communication tool. One that is, ironically, more accessible to women than to men, who are stuck in a never-ending generic suit loop, forced to rely on the distinguishing characteristics of hair and tie color” (Friedman).

 

This quotation taken straight from the article itself honestly shocked me. I agree with the phrase “dress to impress”, however I do not think that this should have anything to do with how someone is regarded for his or her substance or achievements. Proper presentation is a good idea, however when I kept reading I became aware of women dressing like men in order to be taken as seriously as men are in their fields. Women are still battling anti-feminist actions and situations everyday, especially in the work force, however I think that this article and its connections to the way a woman dresses with her assertion of power is absurd. This is the opposite of what we should be doing and paying attention to if we ever want to fully move into equality of both men and women. Clothing should be a form of expression and not a considerable factor for whether or not a woman is qualified for a role or position.

 

Read the article here:

Barbie and Her Bruises

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Just this morning, I was scrolling through Facebook (as usual) and came across a BuzzFeed link that caught my attention almost immediately. We come across articles that constantly mention the importance of keeping our younger generation of girls from contemplating an “ideal body type”, however little is done to make sure this is actually implemented. I find it so disheartening that our society has made it so that even young girls are conscience of their weight. We all have the “ideal” female body type as skinny and perfect, even though this may go over our heads. It is not a secret that the popular toy Barbie has also had a large role in influencing younger girls from early ages, setting ideals and expectations for themselves that should not cross their mind at these ages.

So in response to all of this criticism, Nickolay Lamm came out with a Barbie doll completely different to what they have been producing up until now. This doll is supposed to replicate a “normal” girl, coming with things like acne, stretch marks, tattoos, bruises, etc. I found this to be an amazing act of effort towards reclaiming what a “normal” girl is, and the response in the video by all the girls made it all worthwhile. The word “real” was repetitively used by these second graders and some were even able to relate these dolls to their sisters, mothers, aunts and other people they actually know. The children found them just as entertaining and loveable as dolls they have had in the past, and in fact seemed to find them more interesting because they were able to find realistic human features in them. I was touched just to hear that young second-grade girls were able to point out the fact that they were not as skinny or fake as what they are used to. However, this also proves that children’s minds are most shapeable when they are young, and therefore we should be taking advantage of this and shaping them in the proper way.

As a girl in her twenties, I can definitely speak for myself when I say that a doll like this would have changed things. Growing up in Los Angeles, there were constantly things like toys, advertisements, reality TV shows and real people that felt that there was an ideal picture of a woman to strive towards. Younger generations nowadays have even more of a possibility of being affected by these critiques with all of the new forms of media and their easy accessibility. We need to be reminding girls that there are more important things out there than being skinny and perfect, and I think that this doll is the perfect step in that direction. Watch the video here:

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonvingiano/this-normal-barbie-comes-with-cellulite-stretch-marks-acne-a?bffb

Zombies: Seek Comfort Here!

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Last week in class we talked about a topic that I never would have thought of to discuss in any academic classroom setting: zombies. I’m not a zombie-movie or show lover myself, so I didn’t really realize why people were so fascinated with these fictional characters. I simply thought they made for bad-quality cinema and poor plotlines, and didn’t realize the thought process behind these movie and TV show producers. After reading up on zombies and their entrance into pop culture, it makes more sense to me. These creatures started off as fictional characters simply made for entertainment purposes. However, with time, the significance has grown tremendously, and is surprisingly more relatable to current events and reality than ever before.

It was never my first thought to consider zombies as a sort of metaphor for ourselves. They look nothing like us, act nothing like us, and don’t take part in any activities or live in environments similar to our world. We are scared of them not because of the harm they can cause, but simply because we can’t imagine looking and acting the way they do. For us, zombies are not “normal” and are in fact far from it. However, a recent article by BBC Culture makes a good point. “It can’t be a coincidence, then, that zombies are in vogue during a period when banks are failing, when climate change is playing havoc with weather patterns, and when both terrorist bombers and global corporations seem to be beyond the reach of any country’s jurisdiction. It can’t be a coincidence, either, that the fourth season of The Walking Dead got off to its hugely successful start just weeks after the United States federal government shut down” (Barber). Anxiety of what the future holds is something nearly all humans face, whether it’s directly or unconsciously. Especially now, we are all living in times of economic and world turmoil. Zombie apocalypses and all that comes with what the end of the world may look like in these movies and TV shows reassure us not in the traditional sense, but in that they give us some sort of idea of what the end of the world may actually be like. We are comfortable when we know what is coming, and we have no way of knowing what the future holds in times like these. Having some sort of vision or idea as to what may happen counters any fear of uncertainty or unknowing that we may have. So oddly enough, zombies are in some way suppressing our fears rather than creating them.

 

Link to BBC article: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20131025-zombie-nation

 

Online Module

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This module caught my attention almost immediately, as I have very strong feelings towards abortion and pro-choice. I have always felt that abortion should be legalized and subject to the decision of the mother bearing the child. There are many reasons as to why a woman may consider abortion, ranging from financial issues, rape, and inability to properly care for a child. No one but the mother should be allowed to make that choice because know one knows her unique situation better than herself.

I remember watching Juno as a young teenager, and found the movie to be relatable not because I was in the same situation as Juno, but because I knew many girls who were. The decision that Juno made to have her baby and give it up for adoption was not one that I would assume many girls to make. The process is daunting, especially for a 16 year old. However, the many real life struggles that a girl at this age would face become real through Juno, and make her much relatable.

I think one important thing to point out is that pro-choice doesn’t only include the choice to have an abortion, but can also mean the choice to give birth to your baby, put her or she up for adoption, or keep him or her. In Juno’s case, she chose to give birth and put her baby up for adoption, which was what her personal choice was to make. I feel that most teenage women find themselves in a catch 22 situation when they are forced to make the choice between having or aborting their baby. Both are difficult choices to make, and sadly are both criticized for different reasons. Reproductive rights is something we wish for everyone to have, however it seems as though it will be difficult to shake these preconceived notions that come with either choice. It’s important to consider both sides significantly before making a choice, and its unfortunate that many people do not do so. Although I still believe that women should be able to make their own choice, I do feel as though they should be familiar with both sides of the argument before doing so.