by who we are, and who we want to be.
Linda Scott's Fresh Lipstick: Rethinking Images of Women in Advertising struck a cord with me. I find myself analyzing most commercials these days; asking questions like "who really is this for?" "what are they trying to prove?"... I must admit that sometimes the question arises and then is quickly forgotten.
What I can tell you though is that I was a girl that was an early bloomer. Consequently, I battled with weight issues. I remember looking at Kate Moss and thought she was too thin, disgustingly thin, actually. My idol back then was Nikki Taylor. I thought she had a beautiful face and did not resemble the other emaciated looking models. She was the CoverGirl. You know, the makeup that didn't look like you were wearing makeup.
The Body Politic by Abra Fortune Chernick brought back many memories. When I was in high school (at the pinnacle of my weight issues) I had a friend who's mother was from Colombia, South America. Every time she saw me, she would tell me I was too skinny and that no man would want to marry me without meat on my bones. What she didn't understand was that by calling me skinny, she actually made me feel good. Duh. I wanted to be skinny. But what I didn't want was too look gross. I wanted to be skinny and toned, not skinny and wasting away. Unfortunately, that was the look that won--all the way through senior year.
What I don't remember is why I felt that way. I've already made mention that it started because of being an early bloomer, but what was it that kept me wanting to stay so thin? Was it because of magazines? I don't think so. Like I said, I thought Kate Moss looked disgusting; I wanted to be a Nikki Taylor. So I just now, after all these years, did a google search on her images. Wow. The memory what I thought she looked like in the 90's is not at all what the pictures show she looked like. She was uber skinny, ribs showing and all. Am I going to blame it all on media and magazines? No. Like Abra, I loved the control.
I would say that I am a feminist of sorts. The makeup wearing kind. I believe that to look good, you must first feel good. And it to feel good, you need to wear makeup, who are we to judge? It does not change your intelligence, nor diminish your political views, and you can still be a good feminist. I guess Susan Brownmiller and I will have to agree to disagree on this one...
Selling Hot Pussy by bell hooks really made me open my eyes...not necessarily because of Tina Turner, or Aretha Franklin, but because my mind wondered to Beyonce. She is someone who is undeniably beautiful, but after reading the article, I started really thinking about her; everything from her hair: the color, styles, length; to her weight loss; to the outfits she wears in her videos. Could you draw a comparison from Tina Turner to her? In some aspects, yes. bell hooks did a great job of evoking me to see how, not just African American women, but women in general, are objectified through sexuality and culture.
I could probably go on for hours more about this... but I will draw it to a close now. I found these readings to be interesting and look forward to discussing them further in class...
No comments:
Post a Comment