Body Modification II

Today we continued the discussion on the "Visibly Queer: Body Technologies and Sexual Politics" article. There are many types and each type holds a different meaning for the person. Body modification can range from braces to tattoos to cosmetic surgery. The man who I read about for the assigned group was Bob. He cut himself. The irony is that he works in a mental health hospital. And yet he would scar his skin just to feel different. It really caused him trouble when he was published in a newspaper and his boss saw this. Any normal person would think there's something wrong. A man who works in a mental hospital would be doing this. Eventually he lost his job and now runs a gay sex bar. I think that so many of these "body modifications" are too extreme but ultimately it is that person's own decision. I cannot tell them what they can or cannot do. I can only voice my opinion.

Body Modification

Last week in class we saw the types of body modification in which people install stars and hearts and rings into their skin. I personally think this is weird. In my opinion, I just can't understand why people would do something like this. I guess if someone disagreed with me, they can say the same goes for tattoos. There are a couple of reasons why I am not against tattoos as I am with this. Tattoos can be removable and doesn't involve anything internally. Also I think it's because our generation has grown up seeing tattoos from the media and in our lives. But do people actually find stars bulging out of one's forehead attractive? I understand it has to do with self-expression and all. Up until the reading, I had no idea people actually did that. Again, I think people can do this if they choose to because it's their own body. If people protest and ban this, they should do the same for cosmetic surgery as well. 

Weight Issues

Today in class we viewed an episode of "The Critic" and a clip of MeMe Roth talking about weight issues. The episode of "The Critic" was mainly talking about weight and popularity. The boy was chubby and was an outsider. But once he lost weight, he quickly rose in popularity. The YouTube clip we viewed was more controversial. MeMe Roth started off saying Jordin Sparks was obese and overweight. She also said that when she sees Jordin Sparks, she sees diabetes. I think this is totally outrageous. Who gives her the authority to just accuse Jordin Sparks as being obese? Thin girls can be just as unhealthy has bigger ones. Jordin Sparks was only seventeen at the time and this is when teens are most self-conscious about their bodies. If girls her age sees this, they might be driven to develop eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. I understand her saying that overweight people leads to health problems, but her tone and way of approaching problems gets me angry. Instead of trying to come up with possible solutions, she makes accusations. Same with the Redbook Magazine issue, she bashes on the magazine and tells people to boycott it. This is not a way to solve problems. 

I think she needs to carefully re-evaluate the way she approaches problems so people would actually take her seriously.

Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic surgery is no longer a huge deal compared to, say, ten years ago. I am not for cosmetic surgery and yet I am not against it. I guess it is a person's own choice. I am sick of celebrities getting nose jobs and saying they needed it for a "deviated septum." This most recently happened with Ashley Tisdale. I guess one reason it annoys me is because I don't like her. Some people get it for medical reasons and others get it for personal reasons. I guess if a person has really low self-esteem and is really uncomfortable with his/her body, it's acceptable. But there is a point where it gets out of hand. Some people start off with a nose job and then it's the lips, botox, and cheeks and etcetc. An example of this is a woman nicknamed "catwoman." I don't know her name but I've seen her on entertainment news once in a while. Sometimes one little thing can really make a person more confident and if plastic surgery is the answer then okay. I don't really have a side to take when it comes to this issue.

Response to Danielle's Entry

In Danielle's entry, she talked about how people should be proud of their heritage and I agree. People should not be desperate to change themselves in order to fit in. In class, we watched video clips of Neil Lester, who spoke about his daughter chemically straightening her hair and how it was different with his son. He used the term "virginal hair" to describe his daughter's hair before she straightened it. I also agree with Danielle how this is similar to plastic surgery. Everyone is trying to "fit in" and normalize themselves. If you think about it, this is America, where everyone is different. So what are they trying to "normalize?" There are people of different races, culture, ethnic background. Each person brings something new to the table. I mean I agree that some people want change, like curly haired people would want straight hair and vice versa. But it shouldn't be because of one's culture. Lester also spoke about how Beyonce was like a "Barbie" doll. In her lipstick ad, she was airbrushed to look more like a "tanned white person."

Response to Josh's Entry

So I'm glad that the rough draft for the second essay is done and over with. I don't have to think much about it until I get it back. This essay wasn't entirely too difficult but it was hard focusing on one topic when they all seem to relate to one another. I agree with Josh when he said that he never really thought about what was considered normal. Everyone has a different perception of what is normal and everyones' responses vary. Many people strive to look like the people they see in commercials or advertisements. But for what? Since when are those people labeled normal? 

Media: Ads and Billboards

The media heavily influences the way people perceive themselves. For a Media Literacy project I am working on, my group decided to take pictures of billboards and advertisements that we are exposed to on an everyday basis. We separated it into the Ithaca area and the New York City area. Coming from New York City, there are a lot of advertisements and billboards. I guess I never really noticed it THAT much until I had to take pictures of them. There are ads on payphone booths and construction sites. I took pictures of ads from Verizon and Cingular and Gap. It was actually an interesting experience because I felt like a tourist in a place I go to so much. I also had to take pictures of sale signs on store windows and people actually stopped to see what I was taking pictures of. I never realized there were so many clothing ads. There's even a huge PSP near Broadway. 

Essay 2

Three more days until the rough draft for the second essay is due and I'm stuck. I feel like I don't have enough to say for a specific topic and yet I have a bit to say for each. This essay is going to be harder for me than the first one because I've never done an MLA or APA type essay before. I enjoyed the first essay although it took me a while to figure out what I was going to write about. But after that, it was pretty easy. So for this essay, I'm leaning more towards Option 3 which is about being normal. I think I'll do body image since that should be a bit easier? For the past week we've watched the movie "Freaks" and talked about the concept of "normal." I don't like the fact that the word "freaks" are used to categorize people because in the end, who is to judge who's a freak? The physically disabled people in the movie weren't the freaks, instead Cleo and Hercules were. In the movie, they united in order to help their friend, Hanz, get revenge against the villains. There also isn't a definition for normal because this word is different for everyone.

Response to Danielle's Entry

I was reading Danielle's entry titled "What is normal?" and I have to say that I agree with her. There really is not a definition for the word normal. We only consider things to be normal when they are within our comfort zones. Like Danielle said, everyone is a "freak" in their own way. The movie "Freaks" twisted the idea of NORMAL as conjoined twins, dwarfs, the torso man, a man that walks with his arms, etc. Ironically, Cleopatra, the beautiful woman, is portrayed as the odd one out. What we consider normal are the freaks in this movie. Cleopatra and Hercules are the villains and evil enough to try to poison Hans. Instead the "freaks" (what a terrible word) unite and bring down Cleo and Hercules. In the very end, Cleo gets a taste of her own medicine when she is some duck-hen-peacock looking thing. She was always laughing at others who weren't like her. I don't really watch black and white films but I actually enjoyed this one. I wonder what the reaction was like when people saw this in the 1930s.

Freaks

Today in class we started watching Freaks and the first thing I wondered was if it was special effects or actually real people that looked like that. If it was special effects, I was surprised that they had that back in black and white films. But apparently, the people actually looked like that. I know about dwarfs but I've never actually seen the people with the tiny heads. At first I was a bit confused why this movie would be considered horror. I sympathize for Frieda because she knows that Cleopatra only likes Hans for his wealth and he would not believe it. How can Hans move on from Frieda so fast when he is still engaged to her? In addition, Cleopatra is involved with another guy. How is Hans so blinded? This love triangle is showing how "beautiful" women use this fact to manipulate guys. There are some parts I don't get in the movie but maybe I'll catch on later. I find it hard to understand some of the dialogue though. 

Welcome to Cancerland

The title of this story itself captured my attention. When you hear the word "welcome," you normally wouldn't associate it with cancer. I think this story was very powerful. I liked how she wrote in first person because it makes the reader feel a part of it. Instead of just focusing on her personal experience, she talks about the "commercial" part. She talks about the pink ribbons, gift packages, jewelry and walks. Instead of promoting awareness, she'd rather more time be spent on the cause. I just never really thought about it that way. I found this story especially interesting because about a year ago, my mom had a breast cancer scare. Luckily, it was only a scare. My mom got called back for an additional screening because the doctors thought they found something in her mammogram. The details are fuzzy but thankfully after the biopsy, she's alright. I don't think I've ever been so worried in my life. Reading the beginning of Ehenreich's story enabled me to feel what she was going through. I loved how she made it seem like she had to prove them wrong and it seemed like she was on trial.

Response to Danielle's Entry

I agree with Danielle's post that women are perceived as a "thing" in advertising. I've never really thought about it but after reading Two Ways A Woman Can Get Hurt, I look at advertising differently. Women are basically objects pasted onto a billboard. Guys may look at it as no big deal but women are portrayed negatively. As for me, I think Kilbourne looked too deeply into the ad with two girls in cherry dresses. However, I think she is pretty accurate when it came to the ad that says "If your date won't listen to reason, try a velvet hammer." It seems to neglect reasoning. Although I get Kilbourne's point, she never really tried to be on the other side. She only talks about how women are portrayed as things. In every advertisement that she talks about, it relates to sex.

Response to Ali's Entry

I agree with Ali that a customer usually depends on the packaging to decide whether or not to buy a product. It would be gross if underwear is returned, so the best way is to look at the model in the front. So I guess people go like, "Maybe I can look like that too if I buy it." Women's lingerie have been advertised sexually for a long time and now it's the mens turn. Like we discussed in class, I think it is unnecessary to make briefs or boxers with a waistband condom pocket. This is just to grab people's attention. It would be cool to be ABLE to spend $150 on just a pair of undergarments, but that's not really necessary.

Response to Jillian's Entry

I agree with Jillian about her post on the story In the Combat Zone. Marmon Silko does a good job in describing how women are the targets of crime. I can particularly relate to the first two paragraphs of the story because I am actually quite scared to go out alone at night. I am more relieved when I have my friends with me. I'm lucky because my best friend lives across the street from me, so we usually walk home together. Like Marmon Silko said, "women have to be aware of persons walking on the sidewalk behind us..." Coming from New York City, I am usually paranoid when I am out really late. I was a bit surprised to read that she had a habit of carrying a gun around her at all times. However I think it was cute when her father said, "My girls can do anything your boys can do, and my girls can do it better." Like Jillian, I would probably be too scared to take the risk. I think women should carry around pepper spray and take self defense classes as well. 

From the Black Notebooks

In the story From the Black Notebooks, Toi Derricotte speaks about being a rather light-skinned African American. This causes her trouble because she feels as if she doesn't fit in both communities. Although she is treated as a white, deep down she knows she isn't. When she goes into the real estate agents' offices, she "puts on a mask." She needs to be white in order to buy a house in a white neighborhood. She also talks about the time she took her car to the shop and the mechanic said, "You don't have to worry about stealing as long as the niggers don't move in." She was able to control her temper knowing that she might need his help in the future. But if it were me, I probably wouldn't be able to stay calm. She is afraid that if she tells people that she's African American, they will disdain her.

The Socks

For the reading due Wednesday, I particularly found The Socks very interesting. First off, I liked that it was in a comic-type form and not a long ten page story. This sounds cliche, but sometimes a picture does speak louder than words. The beginning takes place in an anatomy class in which the women are suppose to draw the model. But the model was covered up that not a single part of her body was seen. That was pretty ironic. I would be so angry if I was the girl running and police said what they said to her. I'm glad they decided to rebel and party. I especially liked the line, "Our behavior in public and our behavior in private were polar opposites." the pictures show them all dressed the same with their heads covered with veils. Then the bottom drawing shows the girls with different outfits and hairstyles. I also liked the line that says, "that day, half the class turned on me... happily, there was still the other half." She lost some and gained some. 

Body Collage

It took me a while to figure out what I was going to write about for this essay. At first I wanted to write about my legs because I had always been a bit self-conscious about my height. I'm 5'0" and sometimes I wish that I was taller. The worst part is going to concerts and the people there are so much taller. Bummer. Eventually I ended up writing about my eyes. I didn't really focus on the physical aspect but more on my poor eyesight. I think I'm practically blind without my glasses and it sucks under certain circumstances. I have to find a place for them when I go on roller coasters. I hated glasses at first because I thought they looked nerdy. But that was a long time ago and I've come to accept it. I actually like picking out new glasses and trying them on. It's kind of like picking out a new bracelet or necklace. I consider it shopping. My most memorable experience with my glasses was when I kicked them into a pond. I'm still surprised at how I managed to kick it as soon as it fell off the collar of my shirt. They were actually a birthday gift from my parents since they were so expensive and I feel sorta bad. 

Response to Kate's Entry

In response to Kate's entry on "A Few Words About Breasts," I couldn't agree more that Nora Ephron's writing is incredible. I really liked how she adds a bit of humor. She is honest and she expresses herself in a way that many people can relate to. As Kate said, it was comical how her breast size is a more difficult experience than her period. Nora backs this up by explaining that you can lie about your period but others can see your breasts. I really enjoyed this story because many girls can relate to this. Whether its breasts or not, many people have their own insecurities about themselves. I liked how she separated each memory like the story by Alice Walker. I loved how she is so honest. Especially since this is the 1950s I wouldn't expect her to be so open about her breasts. I am very surprised she was able to remain so calm after what her boyfriend's mother said to her. His mother was basically insulting her small breasts. I would have probably had a different reaction.

At War With My Skin

In the short story At War With My Skin, the protagonist speaks up about his "situation" with psoriasis. Right in the beginning, he informs the reader that "disease is a strong word." Instead he refers to it as a condition that is not contagious. In this story, John Updike uses lots of imagery. For happier memories, he talks about "fuzzy sun-warmed towels." This makes me want summer to come when the sun is out and I don't need to have my jacket wherever I go. He also describes his skin as "silvery scales" and "red spots." I like how he related this condition to a war and that it invaded his skin in the winter. It shows that he is optimistic because he knows when summer comes, he is healed for the time being. My favorite part of the story is that the protagonist is honest about his actions. He isn't hesitant to about why he was a writer. Because of his skin, he didn't want a job that required him to present himself. He also addressed why he married so young. This was because he found someone who looked past his skin, so he didn't want to risk it and find another girl. 

Free Union by Andre Breton

In the poem "Free Union", Andre Breton uses unusual characteristics to describe his wife. He focuses on particular body parts more than others. He goes from top to bottom and back to the top again. That is, he starts with images of her hair and then to her sex and finally back up to her eyes. In this poem, Andre only uses metaphors and not similes. This technique makes it much more specific. For example, by saying his "wife whose hair is a brush fire", the images are pretty vivid that his wife has wild, fiery hair. Some metaphors are easier to picture than others. An example of this is "whose waist is an hourglass." This is pretty implied. But when he says, "whose waist is the waist of an otter caught in the teeth of a tiger", this is something one would think about when referring to the waist. Andre Breton also describes body parts that are less obvious like the fingers, armpits, tongue and eyebrows. My favorite line is "My wife with eyes that are the equal of water and air and earth and fire." This is my favorite line because it is basically summing up the entire poem into that one line. To me, it means that his wife is and has everything. By referring to her eyes has having the four elements, it makes his wife sound complete. He might have saved the eyes for last because it is what he notices the most or that his wife's eyes basically tell the whole story. In the poem he does include the 4 elements by using the words fire, matches, landlocked sea, forests and steam. 

Response to Christine's Entry

In response to Christine's entry, I agree with her in feeling more sympathy for the character. In the beginning, she was a carefree girl whose only worry is to get her dad to take her to the fair. The little girl in the beginning is a confident, excited child. She even says with assurance, "I'm the prettiest," to her dad. Like Christine said, there is a difference in her tone as she goes from being confident to insecure. However in the end, the character finally accepts her eye and is even proud of it. What sets this story apart from others is that it focuses on outer beauty. Most stories would have chose the path to talk about how much inner beauty is more important. Alice Walker was honest when she talks about how she didn't raise her head up for years. She admits that she resented her eye. Even though one's personality does matter, in reality physical appearance matters a lot to one's self as well. I also agree that the story was made more interesting because it was written more from memory and in fragments. It felt like a journal entry so the reader got a taste of what the character was feeling.

Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self

In "Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self", Alice Walker narrates her own childhood. In the beginning, she is a carefree, "cute", confident and intelligent girl. As time goes by and she is eight years old, her life changes dramatically. She becomes the girl who neither raises her head nor stare at anyone. She becomes self-concious after getting shot in the eye by a BB gun. This causes her to become nervous when people are staring at her eye.

My favorite part of the story is the beginning. That's when Alice is just a 2 year old. The only thing she thinks about is going to the county fair and having fun. She also mentions that her father has beautiful eyes. This is foreshadowing that the story has something to do with eyes. Alice uses a lot of colors in her story. She talks about her "biscuit-polished patent leather shoes and lavender socks".