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Here is my final video project for my class. To continue, I would like people to think about these questions using the hashtag #Iidentifyas

This is an open conversation and I hope that we can continue this as time goes on.

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Here’s the preview of my final project. 

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Miss Representation Review

The documentary opens with a variety of images that show the representation of women in the media. Before we get here, though, we are given the statistics of how often teens are exposed to media content. The numbers are staggering and pile upon each other, leaving the viewers wondering where teens find the time to do anything but watch TV and movies. But that isn’t the point of this documentary. The point is to show how women are portrayed in the media and the double standards that we face.

One of the scenes is a portion of a video that went viral a few years ago. The video shows a model, who is made up with all the bells and whistles. She is pretty, but apparently not pretty enough.The viewer watches as the image of the woman is distorted and changed. Her skin is lightened, her cheeks (which seemed to be just fine the way they were) are lifted and trimmed, and nothing is left the same. The purpose of the video was to show that we cannot compare ourselves to these images of models in magazines, because those are really just fabricated to please the public and create the “ideal” woman that is, ultimately, unattainable.

Margaret Cho speaks to this point and gives a fantastic viewpoint of someone inside of the problematic industry. She talks about her start in the industry as a young woman of color. She was criticized for being overweight and says that she went through a bout of anorexia. She then goes on to say that the show was cancelled and was replaced by Drew Carey, a man who, until recently, was known for being rather heavy.

The problem here is that young girls are seeing these women in the media and comparing themselves. Every woman, at one point, has been unhappy with their appearance. When we are bombarded with images of “ideal” women who do not exist, we have no choice but to compare. My nose isn’t as thin and my eyes aren’t as bright as this fictional woman. What is the point of comparing when the other party has the advantage of being enhanced.

How can we explain to our younger sisters and cousins and daughters and granddaughters that they are competing against a foe that cannot win? Some of the women featured in the documentary also struggle with this question. Even if we know the tricks of the trade and recognize that this image is doctored and “fixed”, there will always be that nagging doubt that we just aren’t good enough. I’m not quite sure how one can keep their head above the water when we are surrounded on every side by foes that make us want to shrink down. I don’t have an answer for myself, yet, and I’m not sure I have it in me to find one.

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Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry

The film opens with a shot of a cat playing with what we assume to be Ai’s latest art piece. He assure s the interviewer that the cat will not destroy the ounce, but we then cut to the cat playing with and biting the straw. Here, we see the spirit of Ai WeiWei, a man who has been known for vulgar and profane pieces. In photoshoots, he can be seen flipping off the camera playfully, encouraging a fan to do the same. However, we see him bare his soul in this documentary.

His father, Ai Qing, was a renowned poet before he was exiled by the government. Ai WeiWei has followed in his father’s footsteps, in a way, becoming a famous artist, but also finding controversy at his doorstep. As he became more involved in the political scene, Ai started to criticize the government. This led to his arrest, which is often labeled as an example that the Chinsese government made, to show that no artist is immune from their grasp. However, when he was released, Ai continued to create art and is one of the most influential artists in modern China.

In this documentary, he says that he is not so heavily involved with his works. This is different from many Western artists, who insist on being there for every part of the process. Ai says, “I prefer to have other people implement my ideas” and some of his assistants humbly say that he is the genius and they are just his “hands”. We are shown many workers who are diligently sculpting using a variety of mediums. Some work with chairs and others with clay. We see dragons and creatures and things that have yet to take form. While we await the reveal of these pieces, we move on to a touching story.  

One of his most touching exhibits so far has been the one that honored those killed by the Sichuan earthquake. A woman speaks of the blog post he made, calling for volunteers for a project. His volunteers spent time talking with the families of the victims, giving them the support that the government could not offer. He ended up collecting a list of 5,385 names, which he published, along with a series of articles. This led to his eventual arrest by the government and brought him more fame than one could have imagined.

It is almost difficult to believe that such a touching exhibition could result in imprisonment. This was an act of compassion done in an artistic way. However, the government did not view it this way. They viewed it as Ai trying to one-up them by providing what they could not for their people. Ai WeiWei, despite being imprisoned, went on to create more art and send more messages to his countrymen. His story is truly inspirational for those of us who wish to make good art with good messages.

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Tired of the beautiful river view along his route to work spoiled by mounting trash, a man decided to pick up litter on his daily commute, and made a huge difference.

Here’s an Earth Day themed article about one man’s quest to make the world a better place. 

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"Scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy ... is neither medically nor ethically appropriate," the statement reads

Here, Obama is pushing for the movement that will benefit all trans!individuals. 

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When Mimi and Joe Lemay’s baby was born in 2010, they heard the three words every parent waits to hear: “It’s a girl.” But by age two, their child was...

There have been a lot of incidents this year about parents being unaccepting of their trans!children. Here is one instance where the parents have gone above and ignored the stigma associated with letting their child transition. 

The Lemays will probably get a lot of flack for this decision, but they know that they have their child’s best interests at heart. 

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Rebekah Gregory was among those injured during the 2013 bombings....

A touching story of recovery and perseverance. We remember the tragedy that was the Boston Marathon Bombing and watch as individuals overcome their hardships. 

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Sometimes, life is a bed of roses. In the video above, a woman is selling roses on the New York City subway for $1 a pop or $11 per dozen, when a man offers to pay $140 for the entire bunch. But he doesn’t take the flowers with him after giv...

Some of you may have seen this video around Facebook, but I wanted to highlight it here. Here is a beautiful story of a stranger doing something to spread happiness with no intention of getting anything in return. 

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Here are my street art photos. 

My favorite one is the last one, because I love the detail and the colors. It’s actually very high up on a building and I appreciate how beautiful it is despite the dangers of going up to create it.

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Make Good Art

The story of the struggling artist is one that is well known in pop culture. Jokes are often made about Art Majors working at Starbucks or McDonalds after receiving their degrees. Many of us dream about reaching a point where we can live off of our art, but many think of these dreams as impossible. And so, many give up on their dreams, pushing them to the side in order to find a different way to make end's meet. However, Neil Gaiman takes a different look at things in his book, Make Good Art, where he encourages artists to stick to their guns and continue to create. Every page is hand crafted and filled with encouraging information that is sure to inspire. 

Gaiman details parts of his life as a struggling artist as well as his rise to fame. He speaks of his first book, which he says he only wrote "for the money". The book didn't sell well, but he walked away from the situation, vowing to stop writing books for that reason. He says that he now writes something because he wants to write it and is excited about its creation. He says that the books that he has written for his own enjoyment have always sold well, an important insight for young artists. 

All too often, we create because we have to fulfill an assignment or because we can make a quick buck by doing so. At some point, we stop creating because we want to make art, doing it instead because we have to. Gaiman warns against this, citing his peers, who live month by month to get by, unable to do what they really want to do in life. He talks about how happy he is when he is writing and how he makes more time to do so by doing simple things like answering less emails and devoting that time to his craft. From here, he moves on to the central issue of his book: making good art. 

Gaiman encourages his readers to create despite whatever circumstances may be holding them back. If your significant other has left you, your friends don't quite understand you anymore, or you can't find the energy to do anything but lie in bed, Gaiman encourages you to make good art. He stresses that even in happier times, we should continue to create and make good art. He tells us to keep creating and working our way up in the world to get where we want to be. We will make it if we keep trying. In this way, Gaiman simultaneously grounds us in reality and inspires us to keep dreaming. 

Neil Gaiman has achieved every artist's dream: making a living off of his art. He tells us that we, too, can make it to his level of success, but warns us not to lose ourselves on the way up. He advises that we create art that we are excited to put out into the world. He tells us to love what we do and that our work will succeed because of the love we put into it. Everyone needs a push in the right direction at some point in their lives. Sometimes, we want to just give up and stop creating, but Make Good Art serves as both a reminder and an inspiration for growing artists to persevere. Everyone could benefit from giving it a read-through. I'm sure Neil would be proud to now that he has inspired at least one of us to make good art. 

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Full Review of Yes, Please

Anyone who has watched at least one episode of Parks and Recreation will agree that Amy Poehler writes exactly as she speaks. In her novel, Yes, Please, she jumps from memory to memory, sometimes losing herself in the pages. Some times, she manages to find her way back to her main point just fine. Other times, she only gets back to the point long after the audience has lost sight of it. However, no matter where Amy takes us, she keeps us entertained. She talks about some of the greatest moments of her life, many of which are worthy of writing about here. But one of the most outstanding moments is one of the darker ones. In fact, I believe this moment defines Amy as a “celebrity do-gooder”. In the midst of happy memories about Amy’s time at Saturday Night Live, she recalls one of her most mortifying moments: a segment of The Dakota Fanning Talk Show where Amy poked fun at a real disabled girl. Pages 67-69 recount the night of the incident, with the fallout coming after. Amy speaks of a letter she received from Marianne Leone and Chris Cooper, where they shamed her for her jokes, telling her that she should know about the girl’s story before she passes judgement. And Amy is very ashamed- she peppers her retelling of the night with asides that show how uncomfortable she was with the whole thing. She says, “As [the doll] was put into my hands, I remember feeling my stomach tighten” (68). However, she pushed through the feelings because the show had to go on. From here, Amy moves on to distract her readers, talking about how difficult it is for anyone to apologize. This section isn’t so much about making excuses as it is about helping us understand why she took so long to apologize. When you get down to the nitty, gritty details, Amy is correct: apologies are difficult. You are burdened by anger and shame and an unwillingness to admit your wrongdoing. Eventually, she tells us about her apology email to Leone and Cooper, asking them to forward the apology to Anastasia (the aforementioned disabled woman), if they saw fit to do so. In the response from Anastasia, she mentions Amy’s donation to her fundraiser, which would help her “cover the cost of [her] caretakers in [her] 2nd year at LSE” (77). These details stand out to me, as Amy writes these things in a humbled manner, showing us her unadulterated humility. Amy could have written this in a different way. She could have said, “I accidentally made an offensive joke, but I apologized. I even donated to the offended girl’s fundraiser. Everything is okay!” Because, really, that was very generous of her, but she kept this experience classy. She admits that she took a very long time to work up the courage to apologize. She even included Anastasia’s biography, giving her the recognition that she should have received before. Amy owns up to her faults and revels in her accomplishments, as she is allowed to do. (She’s only human, after all.) Any celebrity can talk for hours about the wonders they have accomplished. They can talk about their volunteer missions in impoverished countries or speeches they have made against cruelty. But to acknowledge something as huge as making a joke at the expense of a disabled individual takes a lot of guts. And it takes even more to admit how long it took her to take action to remedy the situation. I could have talked about Amy always being their for her friends and fans, or about her motherly sage-advice that she sprinkles throughout the book. Instead, I chose this instance because it shows how real she is. Amy Poehler is a “celebrity do-gooder” because she stands up for the right causes. True, she may not always make great decisions in her personal life, but she owns up to that. Amy is a do-gooder in my eyes because she inspires people to do good things and learn from her mistakes.

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Yes, Please!

Amy Poehler’s novel, Yes, Please, is the love child of a motivational speech and a memoir, in the best possible way. Poehler jumps from memory to memory, pausing to give her readers some insight into the hectic events of her life. As she moves through the phases of her career, we are right there with her, laughing, crying, and shaking our heads at her shenanigans. From stories about drug induced births to brawls with her friend’s sisters, Poehler keeps us charmed and excited about each sentence.

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Amy Poehler

I first heard about Amy Poehler on Parks and Recreation, where she plays Leslie Knope, Pawnee's nrewest City Councilwoman. Her character is the definition of a "do-gooder" as she fights for the rights of the citizens of her town, down to a junior swimming league's desire to keep pools open longer during the year. I was curious about what kind of person Poehler could be because there could never be a character as noble as Leslie Knope.

It turns out, however, that Amy Poehler is perfect for the role of Leslie, as she is an vocal activist, feminist, and an all around do-gooder. In this article, she comments on the ridiculousness of shunning the word "feminist", using this analogy: "That's like someone being like, 'I don't really believe in cars, but I drive one every day and I love that it gets me places and makes life so much easier and faster and I don't know what I would do without it.'" 

It's easy to shy away from something and support it in spirit, but, for me, it takes real guts to bite the bullet and proclaim, "Yes I do support this cause. I am labeling myself as a supporter despite the backlash I may receive." And, really, there has been a lot of backlash for "coming out" as a feminist. (Need I remind anyone of the backlash that Beyoncé received after her performance at the VMA's?)

 My point is that Poehler is brace and very worthy of the title of "do-gooder" and I believe that she deserves to be recognized as one.

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GIFs that loop perfectly are so calming to me. I could probably watch this for an hour.

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I really love Miyazaki's animation style. 

The Forest Spirit, god of life and death

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Maxine Baby