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Final project- website

https://jsalahuddin12.wixsite.com/gwsfinalproject

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Blog for April 28

Over the course of the semester I feel like my views on feminism have been fairly consistent except that I think I was able to learn to have a more intersectional outlook on things. I call myself a feminist, and I truly believe that I am, however I was a feminist that was ignorant to the many of the issues that trans women and men face. I had always had the stance that of course they should be able to use the bathroom that is most comfortable for them but in reality the issues go much deeper than that. I never even thought about the fact that receiving medical attention could potentially be a horrifying experience for them if they have a medical care provider who chooses not to acknowledge their transformation or respects the fact that they might not want to fully transition. And that's just one of the many issues the trans community faces. I think that as a cis woman of color, who believed that she was educated on the issues and found out that she was in fact not, this was a particularly hard pill to swallow. At the same time, I am proud of the fact that I learned something from this course. I think Roxanne's bad feminist is a perfect guide to look to when feeling inadequate about ones ability to be the perfect feminist. No one can know it all but I think it's important to want to learn more. I think we can sometimes get into a self righteous bubble thinking we know everything and so I think it's important that we can be humbled enough to realize that we don't know everything. When it comes to feminism and the advancement of minorities, there's always something more to learn. Not everyone shares the same experience. I've learned to count my blessings and realize where my privileges lay and where my setbacks are and how to use those to understand the struggles of others. Another important thing I've learned over the course which probably seems like a no brainer but to really listen to other people's perspectives even if they are very dissimilar to my own because they are all important and all matter just like my own. And I've learned from people sharing in class that it's not always because of a persons dislike or outright hatred/disapproval of a certain group but sometimes simply just a lack of exposure. Although this is fairly problematic, it is of no fault to that person. I think my favorite thing to look at though this semester was when we broke down the percentages of LGBTQ representation on tv via the GLAD article. I always I had it hard because I never saw little black girls with curly hair on tv like me until very recently but when shown the numbers, I realized that there is almost no representation for the community and if it is, is almost always white. That was hard because of close accurate representation is for minorities in the media.

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Blog post for 4/7

Although OITNB is revered as an inclusive show I believe that it plays into a lot of stereotypes about lesbian women. I think that at this point in OITNB I’ve noticed that there are three prominent “types” of lesbian that have been portrayed. The first is the could be bisexual or the “lesbian because I’m in prison” like Piper and Morello who have male partners on the outside wether they are real or not, but still take part in lesbian activity and maintaining that they are in fact not lesbians. It’s not surprising that they are both pretty and white. I feel as though although generally not taken seriously, bi women’s sexuality is often, for a lack of better words, sexualized. Bi sexuality is often seen as a phase or in they case of Chapman and Morello, something to take part in because without a man present, another women is the best they can do. The second type of lesbian in the OITNB is the sexy, troubled, white lower to upper middle class lesbian like Alex and Nichols. This in particular bothers me because there is a notion that women become lesbians because somewhere along the way in their normal heterosexual relationships something went wrong and now they only date women. Of course this is false, but OITNB, probably unknowingly , plays into this a little bit when we see into the pasts of Alex and Nichols. Although they come from very different socio economic standings, they both had disfunctional relationships with their mothers and what appears to be an absent male figure which in people’s mind, is how they “became” lesbian. Nichols in particular is portrayed as highly sexual and almost persuading Morello that she wants something that she actually doesn’t. I think sexualizing lesbians and prorating them as deviant is unfortunately the norm when it comes to scripted shows. Nichols is “trying to lead Morello down a path of deviant behavior that she actually doesn’t want”. And I think the same case could be made for Chapman and Alex. The final lesbian represented would the “butch” lesbian which is typically seen as hyper masculine and tough like Boo or very sexually aggressive like Suzanne and again boo. Boo in particular is seen hitting on straight women somewhat aggressively which is perpetuating stereotypes of women who chose to present themselves in a more “masculine” way. It should also be noted that the only openly gay black women so far is Suzanne “crazy eyes” which speaks volumes to how we see lesbians of color.

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Blog post for 3/21

After reading all of the findings from GLAAD, it really put into perspective for me how underrepresented the LBGTQ community is. When put into numbers and charts it really shows that even though it feels like lots of progress has been made, we are still far from having at least adequate representation. I think that the most troubling thing that I read was how even within this marginalized group of people, the LGBTQ community, there is still a disparity when it comes to representation of women and minorities on TV. With the exception of the streaming networks, the majority of the characters that are recognized as being part of the LGBTQ community are gay males and across the board with primetime, broadcast and streaming, the majority of those represented were white. I found it interesting what a small percentage of characters were bisexual men. Which leads me to believe that we haven’t come as far as I once thought. We as an audience are still very rigid in what we will accept on TV. A funny gay best friend is always entertaining, but we are slightly less comfortable with that character when they are a gay person of color. Then we add that their sexuality may be slightly more complicated than strictly homosexual, that really throws us for a loop. I think that also plays into the very harmful and damaging stereotypes that we as a society have placed on that community. The fact that we are fine watching a bitchy gay best friend talk trash with the hetero female lead, but are comfortable enough to have them be the main character speaks volumes to how we still view the LGBTQ community. To have a Gay or bisexual or trans character be the main character, to have their story explored in depth instead of a short part filled with stereotypes to entertain, could help open up a whole world for better, more fair and equal representation in the community.

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Blog post for 2/15/17

I believe that so many young white artists use cultural appropriation because it’s an easy way to make lots of money and a cop out to actually come up with their own branding/ideas. It’s much easier to steal the creative ideas of cultures less in power then work to come up with their own. Symbols of less dominant cultures have stolen throughout history and presently, it’s no different just in different forms, i.e. The music industry. I think we should also look at how when these symbols of a certain culture are stolen, they aren’t presented in an artful, respectful manner, they’re presented in a costume-y way. It’s used as a prop, seen as silly or proactive. When Miley Cyrus or Katy Perry or Taylor swift are up on stage sporting traditionally black hairstyles like corn rolls, which in the black community is a protective hairstyle meant to keep the ends of hair from breaking off, they aren’t promoting awareness are accepting they’re making money off of America’s love of minorities’ cultures and our hatred for the people themselves. On a personal level I have witnessed cultural appropriation on numerous occasions. One time I had gone to a concert and within the time that I was there, I saw a girl in a traditionally Native American headdress along with many girls who were sporting the Bindi on their foreheads. I think the worst though is on Halloween, I think we all tend to hold our breath to see what offensive costumes people are going to be that year. I’ve seen children in Native American costumes, with the title, Little Indian Chief. I myself have even participated. When I was seven after much begging, my mom let me be a Geisha for Halloween. Despite the false claim that they were prostitutes, she let me wear my little kimono and painted my face white. At the time I had no idea because my parents didn’t see anything wrong with making a costume out a profession that was and has been a major keystone in Japanese history.

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Option 4

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Option 3

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Option 2

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Option 1

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Blog 2/10

Although I truly do like the show orange is the new black, problem that I have with show isn’t so much about character representation although that is also flawed but more in the actual structure of the show. We all know that Piper Chapman is the main character or protagonist in the show and given her socioeconomic background, probably the most relatable to us as viewers. She’s a nice, young, pretty white girl from a good family. She experimented with gay sex, which she says is just a phase, makes her slightly edgier, but in essence, Piper Chapman is supposed to be every white, upper class, educated white woman. That is how they got people to care about the show. The real Piper was able to write her books after she was released from jail and made a hit show with Jenji Kohen, another white woman. Throughout the first season we see Piper flounder, struggling to adjust to prison life. We are constantly reminded that she’s not supposed to be there, she’s the good one, and that’s how we view the show. Even though she is a bit unlikeable, we often times start to feel bad for her, the poor white girl who doesn’t belong in prison. Piper is juxtaposed to a lot of “not nice” characters, many of whom are of color. It’s no secret that an alarming number of people, men and women, are of color are incarcerated at substantially higher numbers than white people. POC tend to get harsher sentencing and more time behind bars. While many groups of women are represented in the show, I can’t help but feel as though many are just aggressive props used to sell us even more on Piper. She’s the one we feel bad for even though she has by all means committed a crime, albeit nonviolent, and in the grand scheme of things, petty crime. It makes the viewers view the rest of the women as though they’re meant to be in prison because that’s where minorities belong. Its Takes a young white woman for people to really get a look into and care about prison life when women of color have long been struggling with incarceration.

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Blog #3

I think what Singerman means by reading a film Is that as a viewer, you must pick up on the “language” of the film as you would do if you were reading a book. You have to sort through the various images and strategies used while filming to figure out the meaning of the scenes and in turn the meaning of the film. While reading a book, one can infer the mood or setting or even the background of a character from the text. But while watching a film, unless there is a voice over, the viewer must come up with story that isn’t seen on his or her own. In order for there to be opportunities for the viewers to come to these conclusions on their own and find their own meaning and interpretations, the film must mimic reality. Different techniques used can help the viewer “read” the film or sequence shot they’re seeing. For instance, a longer shot length can add importance to a character and his or her dialogue at the moment. The longer shot can help the viewer focus in on the character and give a better understanding of the films language. Or if they weren’t speaking, the particular soundtrack used during that scene could make the audience feel a certain way. A more upbeat soundtrack would give the audience the impression of a positive moment in the character’s life where as a more dramatic soundtrack could indicate some sort of impending doom. The Liberation, or movement of the camera can help us see through the characters which is good for relating to the character and getting a better understanding or reading of the scene. Singerman also talks about deep focus, saying that it can be easier for the viewer to decipher what’s happening on screen on their own with anything being implicitly implied.

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Blog #2

Social injustice and privilege are related in the fact that people with privilege have a responsibility to correct social injustice when they see it happen. Not everyone in the world has privilege, there are deciding factors that constitute privilege such as holding a higher socioeconomic standing. One can also be privileged in the what that they look like. No one can choose how they look or who their parents are but some hit the genetic jackpot and are born Caucasian, sometimes even Caucasian male. The very lucky are born white, male, and straight. If someone is born and fits into these three categories, there Is no guarantee that their life will be perfect or even good but they can be sure that they won’t be followed around a store in fear they might steal because the color of their skin. They can be sure that they are getting paid the same as their business partner who holds the same position them because they are male. And they probably don’t have to keep the fact they’re straight a secret so they are fired or harassed. Those are all issues that POC, women and the LGBTQ community have to deal with. These are social injustices. And anytime there is social injustice it is the responsibility of those more privileged to step up to the plate and speak out about it. The thing is, it’s not just straight, white, men that are the privileged ones, I’m writing this as a biracial woman and I understand that I hold privilege in this world over a woman of color who has darker skin than I. I know that if I were to interview for a job against a darker skinned woman with all the same qualifications, I would be chosen over her. My lighter brown skin is less “threatening”. But I will use my privilege and speak out for the women of color who suffer from those prejudices every day. I will use my privilege to change social injustice.

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Blog #1

To me, Feminism means equality of the sexes. I also think Feminism should be for the advancement and equality of all women, not just an elite group of certain women. According to Roxanne Gay, a “bad Feminist” is a name she has given herself and others to make sense of the complexities of feminism and the feminist movement. I think a lot of women and men who feel that they identify with feminism can be conflicted by certain ideas and feelings, and can become frustrated with themselves and the movement. People aren’t perfect and there is no such thing as a “perfect Feminist”, however, there is this projected image of what someone who calls themselves feminist should act like. For example, walking down the street being catcalled makes you feel objectified and uncomfortable. I think I safe to say that no one enjoys having obscenities yelled at them while out but there is still that desire most have deep down, to be viewed as attractive to other people. That shouldn’t mean they are less of a feminist. Liking the color pink and having crushes shouldn’t keep women from identifying with the movement. I think this can become extremely harmful and why so many don’t want the “label” of feminist. After reading the different definitions of feminism, I would say that I agreed with a lot of them. A lot of them touched on the idea that feminism isn’t just for certain women, or even just women. Women of color have always had to fight that much harder for their equal rights, not only are they women but they’re women of color. I think it’s also important to know that feminism doesn’t just benefit women, it also makes for less restricting gender roles, allowing men to be free of the projected idea of what it means to be masculine.