Post 5: Shonda Rhimes

           

           Growing up as a child I never questioned or wondered who was behind the camera or writing aspect of the movie or program that I was watching. Sadly to say, I have grown to expect filmmakers to always be white males. Generally filmmakers were like Aaron Spelling old and white. It is sad to admit that I have grown accustom to these men always having control of what the viewers saw on television. Fast forward to today, times have surely change when it comes to the production of television. One of the creators who was responsible for helping to create that change is Shonda Rhimes.
           Shonda Rhimes has started changing the look a television production entirely she has created a new era in television production as a female, and an entire outlook as a black female behind the screen, instead to create a complete different look on the screen by making black actresses center and leading roles. More and more women have been taking center stage in the directors/screen/producer role. As a black woman I am especially proud to see that one of these individuals is Shonda Rhimes. Miss Rhimes has made a name for herself not only because she is an excellent screenwriter/director/producer, but because she has broken the mold with excellent role that has placed black actresses at the forefront. Two of the highest and most successful shows on television today which is a written, produced, and directed by Shonda Rhimes are Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder. The lead actresses in these roles are black actresses which is something that is hardly seen on television. 

     

       Growing up in Chicago Illinois Shonda was a great example from her parents who were both educated people. Her mother attended college while raising six children and earned her PhD. Her father a college professor. I guess with having such strong influences in her life give her a drive to also become educated and become something amazing and record breaking as a woman not to mention a black woman. Her susccess is still young ( she has only been doing this from 1995 to 2014) in comparison with other producers in the industry. Yet it is remarkable Ms. Rhimes is a screenwriter, director, & a producer. Rhimes is also best known as the Creator, the head writer, executive producer and show runner of the medical drama Grey's Anatomy, not to mention Shonda is named one of times magazines a hundred people who helped shape the world.
       This makes me so proud that this generation of young girls, especially young black girls has a strong representation in the media. Rhimes has created an opening for women and minority woman as a whole. She is a great example to look up to. By her being in such a hard and creative industry as television, she is shaping all the little girls out there to believe in themselves, and that they can be anything that they put their minds to. She makes the impossible look effortless.
       Shonda Rhimes career in film and media continues to grow as she keeps creating these remarkable shows. She has won countless this awards and she keeps creating high rated hit shows that keeps the audience wanting more. To me and countless other woman, she is a true inspiration, someone to look up to, to aspire to being. She is a black female. As a black woman, this makes her work and success even more profound and admirable. She makes women, especially black women realize that the dream of being on television is possible.

Post 4- Alternative Media

           The representation of women in media is tainted.  Mainstream media has impacted the way women are being portrayed.  Women are mainly seen to gain sales and to look good for a man. Women make up 51 percent of the population. Yet women are greatly disregarded and treated as second class citizens in mainstream media. Media portrays women as inadequate, they create these unrealistic levels of unattainable perfection, that can never be attained. Instead of showing women as equal to a man, women are seen as a brainless and weak creatures who need men in order to make it.
           Mainstream media today displays a rolls which women take on to make themselves relevant. They feel a sense of reliance on what media tells them, what they should see themselves as being. This is especially true for today demographic of young women in society. According to an essay titled Crooked Room in Melissa Harris Perry book Sister Citizen,"To be deemed fair, a system must offer its citizens equal opportunities for public recognition, and the groups cannot systematically suffer from miss recognition in the form of stereotype and stigma." (37) this quote clearly points to the knowledge which we all know, that women are not treated as equals in mainstream media. Women characters in movies, and various forms of media sources are displayed and stigmatized as a weak, less than smart, and hard to deal with. Generally who questioned why women would play such characters in media roles who basically substantiate the negative myths that women are not of the same making of or on equal level that a man is on. But from what I have learned and understand, these actresses take on the role because it's mainly what the writers see women as being. It's either they (the actresses) sacrifice their career by not taking on these roles which will lead them to not working entirely or passing it up where another actress will most likely not to do the same and take it up themselves. In order to solve this problem, we as women have to take a stand and stand together and "change how we see images." (6, Hooks)
          One of the problems with mainstream media among many is that it is earned and controlled primarily by white men. With that said men are the ones who decide what is put out into the world, and control how women are portrayed. Media is in control of public views of minority communities as well as views on the carpet and scope of social problems. Access to the media by the broadcast sector of society is critical in making sure diversity is presented to the general public, and that all sectors of society are accurately represented. The fact that the American media lacks diversity in ownership and has been owned and controlled by white male since the beginning of time explains why women and minorities are depicted in such a less complimentary light. mine are a tease and when I get sprayed it strictly by the way they are viewed and arm presented in and accurate, and biased way. based on these individuals points of view on how we are seen by them.

          An individual who has seen primarily as a part of a despised group loses the opportunity to experience the public recognition for which the human self strive. Further if the group itself is misunderstood then to the extent that one is seen as a part of this group, that seeing is inaccurate. Inaccurate recognition is painful not only to the psyche but also to the political self, the citizens of self. (Harris- Perry,3). This is true especially pertaining to the lack of black females in film, and various media outlets. The very little representation is stereotypical in show black females in a less than flattering light. Although in recent times women have been trying to take a stronger stand and records in patients for females and black females in particular women like Shonda Rhymes there's a creative creator and director to some of the most successful shows on television today. She wants a bowl for two successful shows which depict to black female characters in a positive and successful life. & I truly believe that this is just the start.
       I believe that an alternative media outlet wasn't help encourage younger black woman and women in general to be empowered. the media outlets that I chose is a website called girls globe .org. Girls globe is a website that touches base with global issues regarding the rights, health and empowerment of girls and women. I chose this website because it's also a people friendly website was a good message to inspire women and girls. There are many topics covered here that can be helpful to women and maturing girls. In fact some of the topics we have discussed in class in class and on the blog showed up on this website. It is simple and easy to understand and doesn't focus on one group of women they focus on women in general.finding website and alternative media outlets that focus on becoming a better you will always be better than whatever overexposed and ruining our cultures.

Advertising

Post # 3

Advertising is a way to get consumers to buy a product by creating images and commercials. The images that are created are there to provoke a consumer to make them think that it could be them in the images, if they buy that product. There’s a deeper meaning to these ads, there’s sexism and racism, but we are so conditioned to this society that we look past it and just see it as sexy and pleasing to look at. When we constantly see images that convey the same messages, we grow accustomed to it and try to be like the women or men in the ads.

Fragrance and cologne advertisements are good examples of the sexism. There is far more sexism towards women than men. They feature women in fragrance ads as sexual beings you want to be, revealing clothing, perfect hair and makeup. In cologne ads, that are geared toward men, the male is either dominating the woman and they look like they are about to get it on, or you just see the woman in the buff with a little bottle of cologne in the image.

What does this say to the females? Women read magazines, and they see these ads constantly. Do we have to keep up this idea of what sexy is in order to keep our man? Women are using their bodies to sell on a greater level than a man and it’s because women are there to be looked at. From the chapter Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema from Laura Mulvey she says “ Women displayed as sexual object is the leit-motiff of erotic spectacle: from pin-ups to strip-tease, from Ziegfeld to Busby Berkeley, she holds the look, plays to and signifies male desire.” Advertisers know that and they use that to continue to have women in fragrance ads for male and female because unfortunately, it sells and money makes it all go round.

Although this behavior is lucrative for companies, they don’t take in to account the younger generation that will be affected by it. Teenage girls rely on magazines for what’s trending, what to wear and  how to look. By putting these images out there of women, they will grow up thinking this is how they should be. From the Jean Killbourne chapter, Cutting Girls Down to Size she says that advertising is “one of the most potent messengers in culture that can be toxic for girls’ self-esteem”.  I remember myself as a teenager, and being influenced by others or what I see. As a teen, you don’t know any better. As a society, we should be a little more cautious as to what kind of information we feed our younger generation.

Racism is also another problem that I found when examining advertisements for fragrances. It was hard to find African Americans in the ads, unless you are Beyonce, Halle Berry, Nicki Minaj or Alicia Keys, literally. That, in itself, doesn’t represent the different types of African American women, these three women are all lighter skinned African American women. I think advertising leaves out a big population of women. They represent these women because they are already in the public eye and I rarely see other African American women in these ads.
 
Advertising images are used to sell a product but in return we’re buying into the sexism, and racism that goes with it. Advertising is a powerful force that continues to be used in the same way. We need to be aware of what is being put out there, rather than trying to make as much money as we can. If not for us, our  younger generation, where media has become a huge part of our society.

Here are just a few ads that I found:

                       Scarlett Johansson selling some Dolce and Gabbana to that man in your life

Kate Moss for Men, I mean Calvin Klein

                                              Tom Ford and the fragrance holder

                                                   Beyonce for heat

Minajesty

______________________________________________________

Works Cited

Kilbourne, Jean. "The More You Subtract, the More You Add." Deadly Persuasion: Why Women and Girls Must Fight the Addictive Power of Advertising. New York, NY: Free, 1999. N. pag. Print.

Mulvey, Laura. "III Women as Image, Man as Bearer of the Look." Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. N.p.: n.p., 1999. N. pag. Print.

Post 4: Alternative Media

CBS News anchor Julie Chen before and after plastic surgery.

Women in the mainstream media are sexualized and objectified purely as part of the phenomena that exists to please the male gaze. An example of the male gaze at work is news anchor Julie Chen. Initially told she wouldn't have a career in news because she looked "too asian", Julie Chen had to resort to plastic surgery to alter her appearance to appease the masses. This is one of many examples how we still don't live in a post-modern society, and any "triumph" for gender equality is really only allowed as long as it pleases men in some way or another. Men newscasters are allowed to wear suit and ties and remain conservative, while women are having to wear different dresses every night that is assembled by a team for every newscast. You can have the weatherman but if the gender changes, the meteorologist gets demoted to the weathergirl.

With the internet, alternative news allows the possibility of truly unbiased gender representation since anonymity is a huge factor of the internet. Blogs and tweets offer ways to deliver news without needing an attractive face to sell it. Traditional television views are dropping, and more and more people are relying solely on the internet as a medium that delivers all content.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

A year ago, I had the opportunity to attend a taping of The Daily Show. The guest that day was Malala Yousafzai. Her story was very unique and inspiring and is a excellent testament that you can only oppress for so long until eventually change will be a warcry. I remember being amazed at the fact that not only was she breaking conventions in Taliban controlled territory, she even survived being shot in the face several times. Despite all this, she still advocates for female education and her efforts were acknowledged by being rewarded with a Nobel Prize.

Post 5: Kathryn Bigelow

Director Kathryn Bigelow directs her crew.
The Hurt Locker (2008)

In trying to brainstorm what female artist or director has had some sort of presence in entertainment, Kathryn Bigelow is one of the few I can say that I thoroughly enjoy. She has made several blockbusters throughout the years like Point Break, The Hurt Locker, and Zero Dark Thirty. She also became the first woman to win Best Director for The Hurt Locker at the Academy Awards. She has also recently focused on the illegal ivory trade industry in which elephants are being slaughtered to extinction in order to sell the ivory to black market funded terrorist groups. I am focusing on The Hurt Locker film.

The movie was filmed in Jordan, as close as possible to the Iraqi border in order to get as much of an authentic location for the story as possible. This is very noticeable in the movie because the environment doesn't look like a Hollywood set, it looks very middle eastern, including the extras. The movie follows a team of U.S. Army EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) technicians counting down the last days of their Iraqi deployment. After the team suffers a casualty from an IED that was detonated remotely, they receive a new arrival to the team, Sergeant First Class William James. The movie then immediately focuses on James and the tension that not only comes from his team, but from the work environment.

A lot of the movie's shots are extremely artistic and detailed. From the rising sand that is propelled from a bomb explosion, to the faces of the EOD technicians being covered in sand and insects, the movie looked like a very real Iraq war. Another huge factor of the movie was the insane amount of tension that came from the bomb scenarios. The movie begins with a bomb scenario and all the team does is constantly observe and scout the area for potential security threats. The movie doesn't let up from the tension that comes from the possibility of death at any second, and that's how I would imagine a combat deployment to Iraq would've felt like.

The movie was met with almost universal critical praise. Noted film critic Roger Ebert even listed it as #2 of the best films of the decade (2000's). The movie won six Oscars, one of which was for Best Director, and Kathryn Bigelow became the first female director to win the award. This achievement is a great proving point that will allow women to effectively state that great storytelling isn't limited to one gender. Hollywood can take great notice from this, and take more chances with women directors to tell great stories in their way.

Kathryn Bigelow creates a complex character with Sergeant James. His work ethic clashes with the conventional ways the team is used to peforming. I connected with this movie because I have had past co-workers in the Navy that were considered reckless and irresponsible like James, but they were also highly skilled individuals, and I always admired that trait that people had where they were so extremely good in their job, they were able to afford to be a little unprofessional.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

Works Cited:

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/08/entertainment/et-hurt8

http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/the-best-films-of-the-decade

http://wildaid.org/lastdays

Post 3 - Advertising - It All Comes Back to WSCP

This "accidentally racist" add from SONY shows you just how
insidious White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy is.

Most, if not all current advertising reinforces White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy. What is disturbing is how seemingly oblivious some people (including those that actually make the images) are to this very fact. We as a culture have been so shaped by this institution, and it's tactics have been so clever that unless we take the time to examine what's being thrown at us, the deep undercurrents of White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy may go unnoticed.

The purpose of these images is to sell you things that you don't need by making you think that obtaining them will make your life better. The cosmetics to make your skin look flawless (which is impossible), the clothes to make you look sophisticated and rich. But what they're also selling you is the belief that to be worth anything, you must subscribe to the beauty ideals and societal conventions that have been established by the WSCP. If you are a woman, you must be thin, fair skinned, have long hair (the lighter the better), wear makeup and know how to apply it well so that you are beautiful at all times. You must also always wear heels that "make your legs look hotter" and make sure you have the mini skirt to match, all in the effort to be sexually desirable to men.

This is all the while you're being bombarded with images of food telling you just how "sinful" and "delicious" something is. "Sin" is equated with the desire for nourishment and pleasure. And so, while Bradley Cooper can joyfully dig into a quarter pint of iced cream wearing nothing but a suit and a smile, you're forced to hid inside of the refrigerator (congratulations for being small enough to actually fit inside) and savor each of the three small scoops of iced cream that you painfully measure only to purge after the guilt has overcome you.

This is precisely why and how little girls develop unhealthy body image and self esteem after being exposed to advertisements showing them how women act around food, what they look like (impossible standards of beauty that has been augmented by makeup, tailoring and of course, photoshop) and how they dress. It makes girls and women feel less than, just by virtue of being themselves. So many fall into the trap and buy things to change aspects of themselves in a vain effort to become something unattainable to begin with. That's how capitalism wins. Degrade people and then offer them hope to sell them the products that you make. It's positively evil.

If we are going to counter this narrative we need to first call advertisers out on their transgressions and ask that women's bodies not be subject to the ridiculous manipulation that is afforded by photoshop. Makeup should also be minimal, if there is any at all. Diversity needs to be a priority, not only in terms of race but also ethnicity, body type and level of attractiveness. Being ugly is not a crime. Being average is does not make one mediocre. If we are to fight the manipulation of people through image, we need to place images of real human beings forth to show that the representations of models and movie stars that everyone is becoming used to simply do no exist in the natural world. And they sure as hell have no positive use in the world.

Works Cited:

Kilbourne, Jean, "The More You Subtract, the More You Add." Deadly Persuasion. Simon & Schuster, Inc, 1999. Kilbourne, Jean, "Beauty and the Beast of Advertising." Media & Values. Diana George & John Trimbur(Eds.), (1999) (pp. 178-184). Cortese, Anthony Joseph Paul, "Constructed Bodies, Deconstructing Ads," Provocateur: Images of Women & Minorities in Advertising. Rowman and Littlefield, 2008.

Blog post 5

I was genuinely surprised and bothered when I failed to catch my thought process after seeing the word ‘auteur.’ I correlated that word with its recognized and culturally constructed meaning, and believed that it defined a male director. I thought of Hitchcock, Scorsese, Kazan, Tarantino, etc. Throughout the film classes I’ve taken as a student, we’ve rarely ever delved into a female auteur; and as a feminist and a person intensively studying film and media, I thought it was appalling that I have never studied (in-depth) a female director/screenwriter or ‘auteur.’ Not only did I find it to be unfair that we were being deprived of knowing the contributions female auteurs have made evident in their body of work, but it bothered me that the perceived meaning of the word auteur is just another way of glorifying the work of male directors. Proof of this is located the first sentence of this paragraph.

One female auteur filmmaker that I admire immensely is Sofia Coppola. In every respect, Sofia Coppola has established herself as a director with a consistent visual style and formula, both in the aesthetics and in the narratives of her filmography. For example, I notice that most of her films are very heavily focused on the image rather than the dialogue. She creates stylistically coherent films. “…..Feminist theory is extensive and reflective, receptive of all those nuances of framing, inflection, and particularly authorial viewpoint which intensively concern critics of women’s films…” (92). Her films are associated with a particular genre that most consider to be ‘arthouse’ or indie films. You know, the kinds that you could send into Sundance, Tribeca, or Cannes. I’ve noticed that they each have a particular style contained in both the mise-en-scène, as well as the themes and issues her narratives bring to life on-screen. Three films that in my opinion serve as a shining example of her being an auteur, are The Virgin Suicides (1999), Lost in Translation (2003) and Marie Antoinette (2006). All three films collectively have been created within her personalized vision and contain specific traits. How they are stylistically implemented in those three works are all consistent and any viewer would be able to identify that. Out of all the three, my favorite is Lost in Translation, which is in fact her biggest hit to date, grossing $120 million worldwide and cost only $4 million to make.

Critics have similarly picked up on Coppola’s “recognizable visual approach” and the “self-conscious beauty of her films” (Rogers).

What drives Coppola’s work, beyond ambition and the vagaries of moody youth? Look closely at her movies and a surprising answer emerges: From The Virgin Suicides to Somewhere, Coppola’s films are striking for their steadfast, targeted attack on the culture of Hollywood. And although this common thread at first looks incidental to her project, it runs to the heart of her divisive reputation. Coppola’s insider criticism of Hollywood, her disdain for the industry that her own career relies on, leads her into a strange territory between hypocrisy and candor, privileged lament and fearless protest. This indeterminacy gives her work the back-and-forth flicker—and intrigue—of a lure in water. But it also leads her to a site of unusual cultural tension. As both a beneficiary of creative privilege and a critic of it, Coppola has become a lightning rod for authenticity questions more broadly haunting American culture since the last boom era. Her problematic attack on Hollywood is the reason why these quiet and parochially minded movies stick so sharply in the nervous system of their time.

Her films often involve women who come of age throughout the course of the narrative. I’ve noticed that despite a plot, her narrative arcs do not contain an ending or a ‘conclusion.’ Continuity in terms of strong, well-developed story arcs aren’t what she aims to achieve, and her films can often transition in many different directions. This is certainly not a bad thing! In my opinion, life throws a number of curveballs (as awfully cliché as that sounds), and nobody ever has it fully figured out. There are events over the course of one’s life that are never planned out and, stylistically, I think her films certainly reflect off of that idea. Because the protagonists in her films are unformed characters who are facing a moment of transition or life-crisis. Her characters feel lost (i.e. Lost In Translation), alienated, or overwhelmed by the situation, in a world which they feel like they have no control over.

In the three aforementioned films, the female protagonists develop in a coming-of-age theme, where they become self-actualized and realize that they have the agency to change some aspect of their lives they are not satisfied with, despite being in marginalized situations and facing restrictions in their personal lives. Her protagonists are almost all teenagers or young adults. Her scenes often contend with the use of a handheld camera and ambient sounds that allow the viewer to get into the subject’s personal space; for example, there is a scene in Lost In Translation where Scarlett Johansson is sitting in the window ledge in looking out over Tokyo. As a viewer, in that single moment, somehow the scene resonated with me more than any really meaningful paragraph of dialogue could ever convey. Being able to connect with a character in a visual prose speaks volumes to me.

From the start, all of Coppola’s films have been image rather than dialogue‑intensive. “I don’t want my movies to feel like movies,” she says. “I want them to feel like life.” If there’s less smart talk than small talk in her films, it’s because she believes that’s how life is. “People don’t really express themselves that articulately in real life.”

With the ever-increasing number of female auteurs in Hollywood these past years as well as their works acclaimed and recognized (but not abundantly) in nominations, awards, critic’s reviews, etc, it’s time to change the word auteur being synonymous with only the male director. This is going to be a steady change in Hollywood, hopefully. She is indeed a shining example of an auteur.

Bibliography: http://sensesofcinema.com/2007/great-directors/sofia-coppola/ http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/assessment/2010/12/sofia_coppola.html Redding, Judith M., and Victoria A. Brownworth. “Film Fatales.” 24 Nov. 1997. Web.

“Feminist Manhood”, by Bell Hooks, an inclusive solution

My final project is on Feminist Manhood. This is the title that Bell Hooks gave to one of the readings we had in class. I have decided to work on this subject because I see it as an inclusive solution to some of the problems of oppression in our society. This solution uncovers one dominator, patriarchy. As Bell Hooks says, “… men were not the problem, the problem was patriarchy, sexism, and male domination” (109).

This affirmation, as I see it, is an invitation. Most men, we are expected to hold on to very defined and strict role in society outline by patriarchy. One of these definitions of manhood asks men to oppress women. As men, we are expected to delimit and control women’s life so that we, men, can control most of the resources. In other words, it seems as though we have the need to reduce the competition for this resources. Furthermore, patriarchy extends this power of control and divides men into race, thus only a determined race group may have access to resources and benefit from them.

As Hooks says, “patriarchal culture continues to control the hearts of men precisely because it socializes males to believe that without their role as patriarchs they will have no reason for being. Dominator culture teaches all of us that the core of our identity is defined by the will to dominate and control others … In the dominator model the pursuit of external power, the ability to manipulate and control others, is what matters most. When culture is based on a dominator model, not only will it be violent but it will frame all relationships as power struggles” (115).

The author also explains that, “patriarchal masculinity teaches men that their selfhood has meaning only in relation to the pursuit of external power; such masculinity is a subtext of the dominator model … before the realities of men can be transformed, the dominator model has to be eliminated as the under laying ideology on which we base our culture … Clearly, ending patriarchy is necessary for men to have collective liberation. It is the only resolution to the masculinity crisis that most men are experiencing” (116).

Therefore, men have set expectations in a patriarchal society. Men are hurt when we refused to comply with oppressive roles. We, men, are also hurt if we don’t fit in the racial parameters defined by patriarchy. We, men, need to think outside patriarchy and work in partnership we women so that we can have the opportunity to discover our true self and have a fair chance to success.

Flyer: cover and last page

Flyer: inside pages

The following is a like to an article about male celebrities that are thinking outside patriarchy:

9 male feminists of 2013

Work cited:

• Hooks, Bell. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. New York: Atria Books, 2004. Print.

Women in Rock Music

Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, and Courtney Love are some of the many successful female rock musicians that have had a pivotal role in shaping the rock music genre.

Part of my presentation is on women in rock and the petition I created to urge Gibson Guitar Corporation to feature more women in their advertisements. Before I present the petition, I wanted to play this video I made highlighting the women in rock music. Women in rock music have had a pivotal role in the genre by not only redefining gender stereotypes in society, but also influencing a large amount of listeners and musicians and adding diversity to the music as well.  One of rock’s early female success stories was Janis Joplin, who helped pave the way for future female singers. The 60’s era had a plethora of experimental and influential bands challenging and breaking down barriers, which would strongly influence future music.

In a post-modern society, all male dominated industries must be reassessed to encourage participation from all genders. In the music industry, women rock musicians have been critical in the development of the genre and have impacted and influenced other musicians and listeners to further progress the genre. Because the music industry is dwindling in size and profit, it is extremely critical for companies that manufacture musical instruments to advertise their products to appeal to as big of an audience as possible, to keep creating an interest for the next generation of music makers and keep the genre alive. By getting Gibson's attention to the petition, a possible change to feature more women with their products would result in more sales from women, and more music being created from a more diverse customer pool, renewing and invigorating the music industry which will result in a renewed and reinvigorated music scene.

I created the petition on change.org because it is a popular platform that enables anyone, anywhere to start a petition, mobilize support, and win change in anything from local concerns to global issues. I also created a facebook page to promote the petition and hopefully support other calls to action in this subject matter. I hope that by at least raising awareness, I can convince others to see how important it is to keep an interest in music alive and influence the music industry's decisions in broadening their appeal to a bigger audience.

Movie link:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/y0n6gl7larvx990/Women.mov
Link to Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GuitarWomenPetition

Link to petition: https://www.change.org/p/gibson-guitar-corporation-more-women-guitar-advertisements

Blog 4 - Alternative Media - Gertrude Press

It goes without saying that the media is consistently bombarding women with images of what they should look like, how they should act, how they should feel, and most importantly in capitalist society, what they should buy. Mainstream media has found spaces for women to operate within easily placed constraints, such as the news outlets which are notorious for not allowing women to anchor certain shows due to lack of “gravitas.” Pay inequity is a given.

In creative media, women are systematically discriminated against both behind the scenes and in the limelight. While certain authors like Suzanne Collins and J.K Rowling have had great success that contradicts long established discriminatory trends in publishing there are still vast inequities. One of the biggest is seen in the LGTBQA community.

The creation of alternative media to uplift the voices of marginalized people is a crucial part of community building, education, and a staging ground for practicing craft. And an organization that I recently learned of does just that for creatively inclined LGTBQA peoples. Gertrude Press is a non-profit organization established to showcase and developing the creative talents of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer-identified, and allied individuals. The organization publishes a journal twice a year called the Gertrude Journal, in addition to annual fiction and poetry chapbooks that allow LGBTQA people to share stories, poetry, and art "without limitation on subject matter or background."

Taken from their press kit: The journal maintains a contemporary focus that is encompasses all areas of life—from the mundane to the exotic.

Named after the prolific writer Gertrude Stein, the press was created in 1998 by writer Eric Deheloy to fill the void in providing publishing opportunities for queer writers and artists. Apparently, it's also one of the only journals to feature all identities and genders in the same issue. Activism is at the core of it's identity and it is actually been used as required reading in some college curriculum.

As a collector of chapbooks (another form of alternative media akin to zines), I had learned about the Press at the CUNY Chapbook Festival and it instantly became enamored by the books they put out.

I highly recommend that anyone interested in art and writing support this organization by buying something from them.


Works Cited:
"Connie on Katie and 'Gravitas': 'It's a Chauvinistic Word'" New York Observer. N.p., 02 Apr. 2006. Web. 20 Dec. 2014. Crum, Maddie.
"Are Book Publishers To Blame For Gender Discrimination?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2014.
"The Status of Women in the U. S. Media 2014." Women's Media Center. Women's Media Center. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. . Perry, Melissa V. "Crooked Room." Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America. New Haven: Yale UP, 2011. Print. Hooks, Bell. Reel to Real: Race, Sex, and Class at the Movies. New York, NY: Routledge, 1996. Print.

Final Project: Destructive Plasticity and Gender in Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain

https://destructiveplasticity.wordpress.com

Metal Gear Solid is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time. Helmed by director Hideo Kojima, the series focuses on what it’s coined as “tactical espionage action” against the backdrop of an ever changing militarized world. While the series has featured male protagonists exclusively, it has played with gender in interesting ways and contains a host of female characters that play pivotal roles in the plot of each and every game.

For my final project I created a web site that explores controversy surrounding a character Quiet that will debut in the next upcoming installment of the series, Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain which comes out in 2015. The initial controversy started in September of 2003 when director Hideo Kojima wrote on his English Twitter account:

“I’ve been ordering to Yoji [Shinkawa, the game’s art director] to make the character more erotic, and he did it well” [Source]

After saying this, he provided more context, explaining that the aim to to make people want to cosplay as the characters and to sell figurines. He then revealed an image of the character Quiet’s rear end, which can be seen on the right.

This stirred up a firestorm of outrage from both fans and critics alike. Many explained that Kojima was being exploitative in his actions. And while he attempted to clarify that the word “erotic” may have been a term that was misused in translation, many still cried foul.

And for obvious reasons. The commodification of women’s bodied is still a huge issue worldwide and many felt that Kojima’s choice to have a female character so scantily clad for the purpose of making her more “erotic” was simply a ploy to make more money. Kojima’s reaction to the backlash was interesting. He in a flurry of tweets he says:

“I know there’s people concerning about ‘Quiet’ but don’t worry. I created her character as an antithesis to the women characters…” [Source]
“appeared in the past fighting game who are excessively exposed. “Quiet” who doesn’t have a word will be teased in the story as well.” [Source]
“But once you recognise the secret reason for her exposure, you will feel ashamed of your words & deeds. [Source]

Now, this is where the theorizing starts. What could possibly be so damning that would prompt Kojima to say that the secret reason for the character’s appearance will make people feel ashamed of their “words & deeds?” This really stuck in my mind for some reason. And after playing Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes I came to the conclusion that what Hideo is referencing is that the character Quiet is, in fact the same person who used to be Chico. Here's the link to the website where I discuss how and why:

https://destructiveplasticity.wordpress.com

Final Project: Portrayal of Black Women

                     Young girls in today society are given false representation of what black females are supposed to behave and expected to be seen as. The display of black females by media is never represented in a positive light. Young black females are given images that are mostly negative and typically stereotypical. Black females on screen, and in the media in general are displayed as maids, thieves, unattractive, and people who are always no good. I decided to do a video interview featuring my daughter and three other girls of different ages (preteen or teens) to see their point of views of the world around them and their view on the media.

                      In the video interview that I conducted, the four girls were asked questions about the world around them and how they think that black females are viewed in the media. From what I've gathered from the interviews regardless of the age differences they felt comfortable in their own skin. Although some may not have always felt that way, they mentioned that as they matured they became more confident. It is easy for anyone to relate to someone on television, because we are all in fact human, however, it's hard to say you fit in when you do not see anyone around that looks like you. The people that they viewed as role models or people that others look up to today were among the likes of Obama, Beyonce, and even Nicki Minaj. Hearing them talk about how they think these people affect the future, had me filled with questions.  My question came soley from the fact that the names were repeated by each girl, and seeing that it was these people in particular, it made me realize even more just how few and far between it is to find a black role model. Because young black girls are more likely to be exposed to the extremes, they often look to media more to find cues that can hep them stand out among other; their self definition is not fully developed so they often get cues from others.

                       Upon this realization, I thought about the families that my daughter has encountered while hanging out with friends.  Unlike her, she told me that her friends have very little confidence in the way they look and are mostly unsure of what type of girl they want to be.  Her story consisted of her friends mother buying bleaching cream for herself and for her daughter.  Now this wasn't the first time I've heard of black women bleaching their skin, however, this being so close to home was truly sad because my daughter was exposed to it.  There are so many people trying to erase who they are, trying to fit in because the world doesn't except them for who they are.  It is sad to watch women buying bleaching cream to make themselves paler.  From the research I have done and what I have encountered, it is not just black women trying to change the color of their skin either.  These products may be disguised with the name brighter, or anti darkening.  A Real brand, such as Fashion Fair have products that change the color of your skin, and they say it is to even out your skin tone.  However, the results of products like this result in the skin looking much lighter, red, irritated and burnt.  My point is, how can the future black women stand tall and appreciate themselves if the biggest and best role models they have are trying to change who they are and conform to the media they have been exposed to.

                       After the interview I realized that in order to further help young black women we need to use modern forms of communication, infiltrate their places they get ideas, to reach them and create a place where they can get inspiration to continue pushing on and continue to love themselves as they grow up. I created a tumblr called New Age Black Women. It's going to be a place of inspiration, and a place where they can get ideas on how we can better their lives and also boost their confidence. Other plans that I have for this sites are also she maybe suggest a movie each week/month for them to watch or suggest a book that they should read . I'd like  to have discussions about this in a forum created especially for the site. It will all start with this first article.

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/newageblackwomen

Work Cited:

Why the presence of black women in media is important for everyone

Essence: Black women still poorly depicted in media

Ellie the Superhero

Ellie the Superhero PDF I am in the process of getting my work published through Queens Library, but if you would like to read my story online, this is the link.

For my project, I wrote a children’s book,  Ellie the Superhero. In the story, a little girl named  Ellie  plays with toy swords, dinosaurs and  superheroes. Her imagination makes her feel like a superhero, which is typically not “girly”. I wanted to write a book that would open conversation within children about traditional gender roles. From a young age, we are conditioned to act like a male or female based on our sex, when really we should just do what we like and what makes us feel like an  individual. As we get older, it’s harder to shake the social conditioning of gender roles. When we try to break away and do something that is not considered the norm, it feels challenging because it may not be perceived well.  My goal for the book is to make children feel comfortable with themselves and express their individuality.


My inspiration for the book was the Understanding Patriarchy chapter from Bell Hooks, when she talked about getting in trouble for playing with marbles because boys played with marbles. That led into my thoughts about growing up as the only girl in my family with two older brothers. I can’t remember a specific moment where I have gotten into trouble for “acting like a boy”, but I remember my mom saying “girls don’t play with those toys”, referring to my brother’s toys. When I was young, I never understood why she would say that, I just listened to her and played with my toys.

After reading books like Jacob’s New Dress and Ronald Humphrey is Wearing a What?, I wanted to write this book for my daughter,Ellie, also the inspiration for the book, and all the little girls and little boys out there like her. I want her to know it’s ok to express yourself, without the fear of not being accepted. Even if children reading this book have the idea that girls should be this way and boys should be that way, I would like for them to read this and have them question what they think, and to get the parents into the conversation as well. I have published my book through Queens Library, although they are in the process of reviewing my book. I have linked my PDF file at the top of the page.

____________________________________________

Jacob loves playing dress-up, when he can be anything he wants to be. Some kids at school say he can't wear "girl" clothes, but Jacob wants to wear a dress to school. Can he convince his parents to let him wear what he wants? This heartwarming story speaks to the unique challenges faced by boys who don't identify with traditional gender roles.

Roland Humphrey is Wearing a What? tells the story of a little boy who just happens to love pinks and purples and loves wearing barrettes in his hair as well as other stereotypically “girlie” things.  When he shows up to school one day wearing a pink-striped shirt, his friends, Ella and Lucy, teach Roland all about the “color rules” – – which colors are acceptable for boys and which colors (and patterns and accessories) are not allowed.  Roland struggles between following these rules and being true to himself until he finally decides that he should be able to wear what he wants.

ABC News- Shopping for Halloween Costumes
In an ABC News segment, a mother brings her daughter to the mall to go costume shopping and the girl picks out a Spiderman costume. Other customers notice the mom and daughter and give their opinion on the subject.

NY Times article- Turn your 8 year old into a feminist
This article is about alternative ways to think about a fairy tale and getting an 8 year old to think like a feminist without them even knowing.

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Works Cited

Eileen, Kiernan-Johnson, and Katrina Revenaugh. Roland Humphrey Is Wearing a What? Boulder, CO: Huntley Rahara, 2012. Print.

Hoffman, Sarah, Ian Hoffman, and Chris Case. Jacob's New Dress. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Hooks, Bell. "Understanding Patriarchy." The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. New York: Washington Square, 2004. N. pag. Print.

"You Can't Be a Princess" ABC, n.d.

Post 4 Girl vs. Woman

I have always tried to defend Katie Couric—she’s not stupid, she’s not goofy—but there is something about her that is just not to be taken seriously.  The variations between Couric and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC are innumerable, but I will keep it simple.

In a 2011 New York Times phone interview, Couric said, “But I’m sort of a serious working girl, so I’ll be happy when I figure out my next move.”  After being given such a coveted position in media—hosting the evening news is the most serious piece of work in her entire career—doesn’t the word “girl” totally negate “serious?”  She continues in the interview, expressing how she feels about her position as the first female anchor in nightly news, “ I’m disappointed I couldn’t help with the ratings more.  I’ve been No. 1 and I’ve been No. 3.  It’s more fun to be No.1.”

This is the second time, since I’ve been following broadcasting, that I have witnessed a network try to name a woman as the culprit for their failed ratings—Ann Curry in 2013 was dragged through the news circuits as NBC and Today Show executives blamed her for their slip to no.2 in morning television.  A teary Curry publicly took the blame.  This is one of the reasons I believe describing yourself as a “girl” when you’re a woman is problematic language. How are men supposed to treat us if we are not as earnest about ourselves and careers as we should be (or as our male counterparts)?  Can you imaging Rachael Maddow referring to herself as a girl?  What about publicly crying on television because MSNBC held her liable for falling ratings?  

For those who may feel that I am being petty, I looked up the phrase “working girl,” and found something interesting.  The term has two meanings—1. Euphemistic term for prostitute; 2. A young woman who is employed—Couric was neither one at the time she referred to herself as a “working girl.”  She comes from the world of soft news and she carried that persona into the evening news, which perhaps led to her demise.  Rachael Maddow counteracted that, which is why she is greatly needed in the media.

Maddow is wildly popular on MSNBC—one of the most successful shows the network has.  Is she successful because it doesn’t take many viewers to make a cable show a hit or is Maddow taking a raw, dourly political and feministic approach to reporting the news that the public is thirsty for?  Admitting to both would not be unfair to Maddow, for she has surpassed merely being competent.  Maddow, like Couric, injects humor into her show, but it isn’t a soft humor.  After watching The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, I turn the station feeling a little more smarter.  It’s a humor that makes other women smart and feel good about being a woman. 

Here is Katie Couric interview Lil’ Wayne, a man who makes the bulk of his money calling black women bitches and ho’s:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntL7HjQsqUg

Rachel Maddow spends none of her time introducing her audience to artists who are at the root of disenfranchisement of a race and debasement of an entire gender.  She keeps her foot on the neck of republicans and continues to correct the untruths of her network and political rival, FOX News:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWMqwOOxJL4

Works Cited:

Lawton, Heather, http://www.examiner.com/article/curry-may-receive-10-million-and-feeling-not-good-enough-after-leaving-today

Collins, Gail, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/opinion/21collins.html

Urbandictionary.com

Thefreedictionary.com

#4 The Lack of Alternative Dutch Media Sources

 Major corporations own the biggest part of the mainstream media sources, which means they are all driven by the will to make money. Most of the people in higher functions making decisions about these media  are men and you can see how this manifests itself in the media. You see images of women or other minorities as second rate citizens and white straight men always have the upper hand. As Catherine Saalfield said in her interview in the article Art & Activism  "The real problem is not how do we get more women working in Hollywood, but how do we get films that represent women's visions out." If there are no women making media products or can make the decisions about these images the representation of women won't be like the authentic experiences of women. Luckily there are alternative media sources in the world, but I think in the Netherlands there are just a few of these media sources which are very hard to find.

The alternative media source I would like to discuss is the alternative media platform Vrije Wereld (translation: free world), a Dutch media platform that is one of the first hits on Google if you try to look for alternative media. They claim to be a sovereign futuristic think tank and describes its main goal as follows: "There is only one truth, but there are many perspectives. Who has the most complete view about everything? Vrije Wereld tries to provide this view from many perspectives to the Dutch audience"(translated from www.vrijewereld.org).

On their site a disclaimer that not every opinion on their site is necessarily truthful, because there's wrong information everywhere in the world and that it is your own responsibility to know what you want to believe and what not. So it is pretty amazing to see how they at the same time claim to be objective and strive for a representation of the truth, their views are incredibly biased. An example is the article about Gloria Steinem and feminism, which start with this picture:

Which has the caption: feminist Gloria Steinem makes an illuminati gesture and promotes murder. Then it goes on to say that "feminism did not free women, but made them into slaves (because now you have more tax paying citizens). Cheaper slaves."(translated from http://www.vrijewereld.org/2014/11/02/feminisme-is-een-nwo-ideologie/) This is obviously not what you want if you think of an alternative media platform and it's a shame that you have something like this as an alternative for the mainstream media.

Another alternative news site that comes up if you do a little bit of digging is xandernieuws.punt.nl. This source has a lot of articles about 'forgotten' foreign news, but if you see how the articles are written they are just as bad as the former source. You can  find headlines like "President Hillary Clinton starts war against Russia" claiming that if Hillary Clinton becomes president she'll definitely start a war with Russia. Another one is Barack Obama who is claiming to rule as an emperor, with the following picture:

All the articles are posted under the name Xander and there's no links to extern sources to find. This is also by no means a reliable news source and this one of the easier to find alternative news sources.

These are only two examples of online Dutch alternative sources, but most of them are comparable in their views and the way of expressing them in articles. There are 'news sites' who use satire and parodies to make the readers think about the credibility of news sources (like for example www.speld.nl), but they don't try to offer this themselves. It is amazing to see that for Dutch news sources the mainstream sources are still the newspapers that existed when the country was still segregated in different religious communities. Although there's of course the separation of religion and state and there has been a very strong decline in the amount of people practicing religion, the power structure where they are led by white males is still standing strong. Luckily with the access to the internet it is possible to find alternative media sources from abroad.  

Sources:

Catherine Saalfield Art & Activism

www.speld.nl

www.vrijewereld.nl

www.xandernieuws.punt.nl

Post 5: The Art of Eiko Ishioka

Eiko Ishioka is one of my biggest inspirations as both a visual artist and media maker. What's interesting is that while she is not known by name, she's made a distinct mark in the world of advertising, music, film and theater as a production designer.

Arguably her most recognizable work is Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula (for which she won an Oscar for best costume design in 1992), but her distinct visual style was also apparent and some may say, a main draw for those who went to see the Tarsem Singh film The Cell in the year 2000 and the music video for Bjork's song Cocoon. While she is not usually in the directorial role, I believe that her work as a production designer is distinct enough to put her into the category of auteur due to it’s being instantly recognizable and essential to each film.

Eiko had her start in advertising, which some may say attributes to her bold and controlled graphic sensibility. Only four years after joining the advertising division of the cosmetics giant Shiseido, she has already won Japan’s most prestigious advertising award. So it goes without saying that her work has been met with great praise. 

Her work can be characterized by her carefully controlled pallets and use of distinct geometries that produce fantastic images that have a surreal atmosphere which transcends traditional conventions. In Dracula, she combines historic research of period costume but infuses each with an animal quality. Lizard skin becomes a lace print and snakes become appliqués on a ballroom gown. Dracula's armor itself is inspired by an armadillo . To her, research is simply a starting point for her to be able to freely invent upon.

As far as criticism, there has been very little with he exception of the controversy surrounding the music video for Bjork’s song “Cocoon” because in which the singer is depicted seemingly naked and painted white as red threads burst from her nipples and slowly form a cocoon around her. Given the content of the video it was actually pulled from MTV and banned from being shown (http://tinyurl.com/kffbsqj). 

Works Cited:

Dracula. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. 1992. Film
Bjork. "Cocoon" 2002. Music Video
"The genius of Eiko Ishioka". HT Mint. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 22 February2013.
Ishioka, Eiko. Eiko by Eiko: Eiko Ishioka, Japan's Ultimate Designer. San Francisco CA: Chronicle in Association with Callaway, 1990. Print.