Phenomenal Woman

Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Women” is uplifting!  She writes that although she may not exactly fit the perceived definition of what is “beautiful”, she still feels beautiful.  She takes pride in herself and loves who she is.  I love that she refuses to hang her head because she is not “perfect”.  I wish more women would have the strength to say that they think they are beautiful (not in a conceited manner, but one of acknowledgement or appreciation).  Angelou writes that her beauty stems from her desire to live happily and enjoy the experiences that life has to offer.  Her beauty and strength comes from her willingness to simply be…be proud, be joyful, be alive....Angelou considers herself to be (what some might call) a “real woman”; that is, one who is natural and has an amazing aura of her own.  To read such statements is empowering!  I hope all women will think of themselves as phenomenal and say, “Phenomenal women, that’s me”.

I’m holding onto My Nose

I couldn’t help but smile while reading Lisa Miya-Jervis’ piece, Hold that Nose.  Just as she says a large nose is a physical characteristic of her Jewish heritage, the same thing goes for being Polish.  I can tell a Polish nose when I see one (in part, because I have one). They’re difficult to miss and I’m glad they’re there.  I thought the idea of having “corrective” surgery on her nose would have been a big mistake.  Although a large nose is not necessarily desirable in society’s eyes, it’s still part of who you are.  In the grand scheme of things, the size of your nose (whether it shows a degree of femininity or acceptance into the American culture) does not matter!  You have to take pride in your people and who you are.  It seems like, in America, everyone is an immigrant (meaning your ancestors came from somewhere else…no matter how many generations ago).  I also found it interesting that Lisa found humor in the stereotypes of Jews (Woody Allen movies).  I can find humor in the stereotypes created about my Polish ancestors.   I do not let them hinder my self-worth.  Sometimes, you just have to ignore all of the billboards, magazines, and TV commercials.  You are who you are, so hold your head (and of course your nose) high.

To Be Or Not To Be? ("Hot") That Is The Question.

According to Jessica Valenti’s article, “unattainable beauty standards for women aren’t a new thing.” Alright, it’s nice to have that established, but please tell me something that I don’t know.  All snide comments aside, she does bring to light an interesting topic (several in fact).  This piece’s main notion is widely known, but is often taken with a pinch of denial.  Valenti proposes that women are not the ones who define what is desirable.  She says that it’s about “being accessible-to men, in particular.  To be truly hot in this never-never land of tits and ass, we have to be constantly available- to be looked at, touched, and fucked. Sounds harsh, I know, but it’s true.” First of all, let me just say “Wow! Jessica Valenti, you are brave!” Secondly, I believe that she has a point.  This type of mentality is a harsh reality of the world today.  Some may care to disagree and that’s fine.  However, based on the vast majority of media available to the public today, I’ll support Valenti’s side of the argument.

 Sexually loaded images are streamed everywhere all the time.  These images are mostly of women.  As I see these images during my daily activities, I can’t help but wonder, “Does this woman (the one on the billboard, in the music video, or in the commercial) have a say in how she’s being portrayed to the world?” The answer: most likely not.  I will acknowledge that there are numerous dimensions to this type of situation as well, but again, who is defining what’s “hot” and how is it making others (specifically women) feel?  While exploring the subject further, my mind instantly leapt to a music video preformed by Pitbull and several scantily clad women.  Take a look for yourself.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2tMV96xULk

If Women Ran Hip Hop, I'd Be A Patron

I absolutely adore Aya de Leon’s poem, “If Women Ran Hip Hop” (pg.534).  I laughed or smiled at the end of (nearly) every line.  The points she brings up are interesting ones.  I wish that her vision was a reality.  I concur with her desire for women to take possession over their own bodies and live how they choose to.  Each of the small details she brings up is actually anything but “small”.  The world could be a better place if people truly stopped and thought before they acted.  A world without the degradation of women would be amazing!  I can picture the club she describes.  I especially love the idea of “all the young women [who are] afraid to bust… unleash[ing] their brilliance on the world.”  This kind of raw power could transform the world, but as of now, it’s just a thought of what could happen.

*Here's a link to a site that has her poem in its entirety:

http://www.ayadeleon.com/vision.html

Do we still need the f word? Why yes, yes we do…

The title of Anna Quindlen’s piece, “Still Needing the F Word” (pg. 56) made me chuckle.  At first, it brings to mind profanity. However, the statement’s actual meaning is much more powerful.  Quindlen believes that “Feminist” is a word that needs to be used more often in today’s society.  She acknowledges the point-of-view that we are in a postfeminist period of time, but both the author and I disagree with that notion.  There is still sexual inequality!  There is an idea that “being ‘cute’ trumps being smart for women in the social environment” and it is alarming.  I have witnessed behavior like this from young teens and women in their latter years.  Regardless of age, the girl or woman compromises her ideals to please her counterpart.  It is unfortunate that this myth is believed by some.  Instead, I feel that women need to stay true to themselves and fight for complete social freedom.  There is still an amazing amount of work to be done, and it is uncertain if the goal in mind will ever be reached.  However, I believe in this well known cliché “if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.”    

Difficult To Miss That 'Easy A'

          
In Patricia Hill Collin’s piece, “Toward a New Vision”, she speaks of symbolic oppression.  Her central thoughts on the subject may be characterized by a list that is placed in the bottom, right-hand corner of page 78.  The list shows qualities that are stereotypical to men and women.  This list she has holds similar ideas to those discussed in class, but that’s not the only reason her message has stayed with me.  Earlier tonight I went to see “Easy A” and these qualities were thrown onto the screen.  Without giving too much away (for those who have yet to see the film) one character was bullied for being homosexual while the movie’s main character chose to give into pressure and fulfill numerous stereotypes.  She dresses provocatively and lies about doing sexual favors for members of the opposite sex.  Olive does this in an attempt to help others and gain attention.  In other words, it’s how she supposed to behave to be a “real woman”.  She tries to harness the attention by embroidering a scarlet “A” on all of her clothing.  Olive likens her behavior to the punishment handed to Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.  In all honesty, the main similarity I can see between the two plot lines (aside from the obvious topic of adultery) is that the male characters are not held accountable for their actions.  In the novel, Arthur Dimmesdale is not forced to suffer the public humiliation of his actions.  It may be argued that his punishment is in fact harsher than Hester’s, but that is not the focus of this argument.  Arthur’s ability to keep his misdeed hidden is similar to the male characters in the movie.  They appear to benefit from the destruction of Olive’s reputation and are not thought less of by the rest of society.  It seems that their actions are acceptable, while Olive’s are not (even though they are” involved” in the same activity). 

What is the point of this random connection you may ask? Although it is a nerdy and partial representation of my personality, it shows more than that.  It shows how these ideas of what it’s like to be “masculine” and “feminine” are so ingrained into popular culture that they becomes the topic of movies and even music.  Sometimes they aren’t even recognized as oppression because it’s “simply how thing are”.  It seems like nothing can change the minds of millions, but the truth is that change is already happening.