(no subject)
Last night the U of O's finest met up to discuss such matters of great importance as why people who drive "RV"s and go "camping" in Wal-Mart parking lots are everything that is wrong with the world, "gaybies", and our FEM3105 photo essays! I got to take our baby home for safekeeping and was quickly reminded by certain of you that a long, long time ago I promised to post the project in it's entirety. And never did. Until now!
By Emily, Janet, and Pamela! Please excuse the poor quality of the second generation photos (metaphotos?), and don't be too harsh! We're mere feminist academics trying to make our way in the cruel world of politically-informed visual art! Just keep in mind themes of assumptions, especially as they operate through performativity.
i. The oppressed "minority".
A couple years ago, even the most progressive of feminist communities would have unequivocally equated the burqa with oppression. Today, there is still a commonly held belief that women who cover themselves are disenfranchised or oppressed. And while this may be the case in certain instances, it is often difficult for us to accept the possibility that a woman would choose to wear a burqa or even embrace it. These assumptions are, more often than not, borne of ethnocentric attitudes and cultural stereotypes
ii. The grandma.
Knowing it will not always be a "performance" I can walk away from, passing as elderly was an intensely bizarre experience. Rather than external scrutiny, I experience the self-scrutiny and discomfort of an appearance that misrepresented my identity. While I felt this disconnect rendered my performance unconvincing, many close friends remarked "your grandmother has aged well!" upon seeing this photo
iii. The teen mom.
Public scorn. Pity. Disgust. The status quo regularly feels entitled to weigh in on the issue of teen motherhood. However, we rarely ask questions before we pass judgment. All too often, young mothers are perceived as irresponsible. But who is framing these notions of responsible and irresponsible behavior?
iv. The beggar.
Assumptions can also operate within feminist methodology, as we learned through this image. Trying to choose whether to stage the photo (as we did) or to ask a stranger to participate forced us to confront many of our own prejudices about what homeless people looked like, what feelings/actions/responses we might elicit... to even approach someone, we would have to label them on appearances
v. The homo.
Clothes make the man". This adage is often accepted as gospel by our fashion- and money- conscious society. There is much truth to the idea that our appearance dictates how we are perceived. No one wearing a pink shirt with an ascot, drinking a fruity, umbrella-adorned cocktail (pinky finger erect) would ever be perceived as heterosexual.
vi. The lady of the night.
I bet most of the guys who screamed, "whore!" out their windows as they drove by would have never guess that I was a feminist, a student, or really anything beyond what my clothes said. I also think that few people would imagine a feminist would already own all of these clothes, which I did.
vii. The blonde.
We asked our model if she had any trashy magazines around and she quickly produced two copies of Cosmo. To our great amusement, when she opened up the pages it revealed margins littered with Post-It notes and analytical commentary. Our blonde is a Communications major. The magazines were purchased for a school project.
viii. The mechanic.
Wearing my sexuality on my sleeve... perplexing. Stepping out of my usual identity... uncomfortable. Having my girlfriend say that she was no longer attracted to me... priceless.
ix. The boy next door.
I'm certain that most white twentysomething men would be surprised to know that I often perceive them as predators. I'm also fairly certain that most young women I know would not be so surprised. Socially-constructed or statistical reality, the perceived threat of sexual assault is enough to make me quicken my pace when walking alone across campus after dark.
On the health front: have I mentioned how hilarious the temporary "tummy, feel better!" diet my doctor put me on is? I eat white bread and more white bread, cookies, potatoes, fruit and pasta all day. If I were seven years old, I would be in heaven right now. Though I exist in a permanent state of starch-induced delirium, my stomach pains are mostly gone- until I cheat and eat something green or, you know, remotely nutritious.
Anyway. On the recommendation of the aforementioned doctor, yesterday I went to see a therapist of sorts. Ostensibly the purpose of this visit was to have a discussion about how stress can exacerbate my tummy problems. During our chat, he covertly assessed me for anxiety using confusing incongruent but overlapping scales. The main one went from zero to twenty five. "Under five is normal. Thirteen is where we would start to get worried. See here? This is you".
He pointed to a 24, emphatically encircled with red ink!
So anyway dudes, what's going on this long weekend? Is anyone up for dates (particularly of the food, swimming/sporting, or sleepovering persuasion), or do I need to skip town to find some fun?
By Emily, Janet, and Pamela! Please excuse the poor quality of the second generation photos (metaphotos?), and don't be too harsh! We're mere feminist academics trying to make our way in the cruel world of politically-informed visual art! Just keep in mind themes of assumptions, especially as they operate through performativity.
i. The oppressed "minority".
A couple years ago, even the most progressive of feminist communities would have unequivocally equated the burqa with oppression. Today, there is still a commonly held belief that women who cover themselves are disenfranchised or oppressed. And while this may be the case in certain instances, it is often difficult for us to accept the possibility that a woman would choose to wear a burqa or even embrace it. These assumptions are, more often than not, borne of ethnocentric attitudes and cultural stereotypes
ii. The grandma.
Knowing it will not always be a "performance" I can walk away from, passing as elderly was an intensely bizarre experience. Rather than external scrutiny, I experience the self-scrutiny and discomfort of an appearance that misrepresented my identity. While I felt this disconnect rendered my performance unconvincing, many close friends remarked "your grandmother has aged well!" upon seeing this photo
iii. The teen mom.
Public scorn. Pity. Disgust. The status quo regularly feels entitled to weigh in on the issue of teen motherhood. However, we rarely ask questions before we pass judgment. All too often, young mothers are perceived as irresponsible. But who is framing these notions of responsible and irresponsible behavior?
iv. The beggar.
Assumptions can also operate within feminist methodology, as we learned through this image. Trying to choose whether to stage the photo (as we did) or to ask a stranger to participate forced us to confront many of our own prejudices about what homeless people looked like, what feelings/actions/responses we might elicit... to even approach someone, we would have to label them on appearances
v. The homo.
Clothes make the man". This adage is often accepted as gospel by our fashion- and money- conscious society. There is much truth to the idea that our appearance dictates how we are perceived. No one wearing a pink shirt with an ascot, drinking a fruity, umbrella-adorned cocktail (pinky finger erect) would ever be perceived as heterosexual.
vi. The lady of the night.
I bet most of the guys who screamed, "whore!" out their windows as they drove by would have never guess that I was a feminist, a student, or really anything beyond what my clothes said. I also think that few people would imagine a feminist would already own all of these clothes, which I did.
vii. The blonde.
We asked our model if she had any trashy magazines around and she quickly produced two copies of Cosmo. To our great amusement, when she opened up the pages it revealed margins littered with Post-It notes and analytical commentary. Our blonde is a Communications major. The magazines were purchased for a school project.
viii. The mechanic.
Wearing my sexuality on my sleeve... perplexing. Stepping out of my usual identity... uncomfortable. Having my girlfriend say that she was no longer attracted to me... priceless.
ix. The boy next door.
I'm certain that most white twentysomething men would be surprised to know that I often perceive them as predators. I'm also fairly certain that most young women I know would not be so surprised. Socially-constructed or statistical reality, the perceived threat of sexual assault is enough to make me quicken my pace when walking alone across campus after dark.
On the health front: have I mentioned how hilarious the temporary "tummy, feel better!" diet my doctor put me on is? I eat white bread and more white bread, cookies, potatoes, fruit and pasta all day. If I were seven years old, I would be in heaven right now. Though I exist in a permanent state of starch-induced delirium, my stomach pains are mostly gone- until I cheat and eat something green or, you know, remotely nutritious.
Anyway. On the recommendation of the aforementioned doctor, yesterday I went to see a therapist of sorts. Ostensibly the purpose of this visit was to have a discussion about how stress can exacerbate my tummy problems. During our chat, he covertly assessed me for anxiety using confusing incongruent but overlapping scales. The main one went from zero to twenty five. "Under five is normal. Thirteen is where we would start to get worried. See here? This is you".
He pointed to a 24, emphatically encircled with red ink!
So anyway dudes, what's going on this long weekend? Is anyone up for dates (particularly of the food, swimming/sporting, or sleepovering persuasion), or do I need to skip town to find some fun?