This Whole Body Modification Freaks Me OUT!

In response to what Jodi said, I agree this whole Body Modification thing is a little creepy. I guess what it comes down to is each person does their own thing. They each create their own standard and that is why they go through with it. They come to this standard thanks to the media and the people around them. We just have to accept people for their differences and why they go to extremes like these.

It is quite creepy and scary but for some people this is their idea of normal. It is also a way for them to fit in with their surroundings. Remember, tattoos and piercings were considered wild at one point as well but now no one looks twice at them. Eventually, these new types of body modification like subdermal implants will be accepted too.

Hidden vs. On the Outside

When people get plastic surgery done they are either doing it to enhance a feature and be noticed for it or to enhance a feature ever so slightly that way you do not notice an imperfection at first glance. Then when you look at those who get holes in their ears and grow them out practically to their shoulders you figure they do not want this hidden. They are rebelling against something. The question is what are they rebelling for? They are making some kind of statement but it is not outright.

Is altering your body a type of rebellion? Why would some alter their body in a hidden way instead of doing it it on the outside for the world to see????? Altering your body can come in many forms and people do it for many different reasons... I just question their motives for doing it. It is a very interesting topic and as I mentioned before in previous posts I look forward to going deeper into the issue and learning more about why people do it and analyzing its effects.

Stars on foreheadssssss?

After discussing the whole issue of body transformation in class on Friday I cannot get over the things people will do to their body. I was in shock when I saw all of the pictures of the people with hearts on their chests, rings on their arms, and stars coming out of the temples of their foreheads. Personally, I do find it odd but after thinking about it people should be able to do it if they want to.

It is odd because it is a different form of plastic surgery we are not used to. When compared to breast implants it is basically the same thing using silicone to enhance a feature. Therefore, plastic surgeons and society and general should not be the first to jump on the gun and immediately disregard it as a whole. If people feel the need to do this then they should. Some might find it completes them then do it. Just always remember there is side effects EVERYTHING!!!!!!!

I HATE MeMe Roth

After today's class I have grown a huge amount of hate towards MeMe Roth. What gives her the position to call Jordin Sparks overweight and make that the reason as to why she should not be the next American Idol????? Who does this woman think she is? Sure someone who is overweight will be exposed to many different diseases that come along with it and that is their choice to do something about. However, it does not mean that they are not qualified enough to be a role model to the rest of America.

This MeMe woman seems to feel that she is right... anyone who is overweight should not be in a high position in society because they are not suitable and they are sending a bad message. This is disgusting and rude. I personally, feel this woman should be sued for all of the negative "advise" and "views" she has drilled into American society's heads. She has a major in PR and Marketing so what gives her the qualification to call someone overweight? I am majoring in the same thing I would never dare throw that term around unless I had some sort of medical training.

I am in shock by MeMe Roth's opinions...

Cosmetic Surgery

In response to what Jillian said about cosmetic surgery... I disagree.  People who want to get cosmetic surgery done should be able to.  It is their money or their insurance's and they can do with it as they please.  Some cases it makes sense to get it done if your back is hurting then get your breasts reduced or if you have nasal problems get your nose fixed.  Whereas, others feel that they are not comfortable with a certain part of their body so they try to fix it somehow to make it better for themselves.  Some might disagree with it but if the person wants to get it done they should be able to.  We do live in a democracy... right?

I was just thinking about how cosmetic surgery kind of gives a false hope to society.  It makes you think that whenever something is wrong it can be fixed when in reality this is not the case.  We cannot always fix something by going through surgery or redoing a body part.  Sometimes you just have to take the bad and make something good out of it or at least learn from it.

Cosmetic Surgery is a very interesting topic and I look forward to being able to go into more detail with it in the next essay!

Hair = Politics ?????

The video clips we watched today in class I found to be so interesting!  Neil Lester a professor at University at Arizona discussed his studies on hair and how he has found that they can dictate a lot about "patterns of identity constructions historically."  He is right!  We see young African American girls looking up to pop star celebrities like Jessica Simpson, Beyonce, and others.  And we see straight hair glorified.  However, for those like young African American girls they were not born with this so they will do anything in their power to achieve this look.

It is sad to me, because I feel people should be proud of their heritage and wear it all over them not change it to fit in.  As Lester talks about his daughter who wanted her hair chemically straightened he said that no longer does she have virginal hair because she has changed it.  I can only imagine how hard this was for him to go through and see how much his daughter wanted to assimilate into society.  (This is similar to Benetha in the play "A Raisin in the Sun")  She could no longer go swimming, she had to stay away from rain, and not sweat in P.E.  Why would you go to this extreme to look different?  Or to fit in?  I guess it is similar to plastic surgery...

All in all hair is a way to read culture, race, politics, and gender.  We also see people being judged based on their hair.  For instance Lester has dreadlocks and he says that people are always asking him if he is from Jamaica or if he is Rastafarian when in reality he is neither.  People perceive things just because the way others look and in most cases your judgement is wrong.  

Ahhh... this essay...

In response to what Matt said about this essay, I agree it is a difficult topic to go into a lot of detail about.  However, it will write itself.  I found today already that by doing the conferences with our workshop groups I have already gotten some great feedback that I can use to dive further into my essay.  It seems as if there is many other routes that I can take that I have not thought about before until my group sat down today.

I think that when other people read what you write they get a good feel as to your style and parts of the essay that need some of your elaboration on.  For Matt's essay I was able to look at it and think from his point of view where he could put in more detail and at the same time have it be effective.  He seems to really be off to a great start.  

I am grateful for my group.  Each one brings something different to the table to help out each other.  Jodie is queen of grammar she corrects it all!  While Matt looks at the paper realistically and sees if it makes sense.  Whereas Christine tells you where you can go in more detail.  With the three of them looking at my essay I feel that I am in great hands!  Thanks guys! :)

Sex & Violence & The Media Gods

My second paper that I am writing for class is all about sex, violence, and the media gods that create it. This topic is of particular interest to me because I am going into the field of the media. I do not want to be associated with sexual violence in the ads or public relations events that I produce therefore, learning about places you find sexual violence is a way for me to ensure that I stay away from these avenues in the future.

For me rap music is a huge media god for sexual violence. It is basically rappers verbalizing sex and violence. They are referring to women as objects and how you can "use them and abuse them." Just listen to some verses... "I got 99 Problems and a Bitch ain't one"... "I like big butts and I cannot lie." Those are just a couple but they go to all extremes. The problem with rap music is that all of its messages are hidden underneath the catchy beat. As a result society gets too distracted with the song's tune that they do not listen to the lyrics to actually realize what the song is saying.

We have all been there... dancing to a good rap/hip-hop song and then as we are dancing and singing along we realize what we are actually singing. And we stop for a second and go wow! that is a horrible thing to say... however, we keep going because we want to keep dancing...

Freak's Rights

After reading Christine's post about Phreeque.com it made me start to think about the "freak's rights."  As I have said before what defines a freak?  Just because you are born a certain way does not mean you should be treated inhumanely.  It is not your fault you are born with no legs, or born attached to your sister.  Therefore, why should you have to suffer.

Christine talks about how hard it was for the two twins that were attached to get married to their loved ones legally.  Why is this?  They were still two different people.  Just because no one could separate them does not mean that they should not be allowed to marry the one they love.  This is why I hate society?  People do not ever look outside of the box.  We just believe that what is normal is the way to go but who says that the ones' who are normal are not freaks.  Everyone deserves the same rights no matter what the circumstance is.  These "freaks" are people and under the constitution all people are granted equal rights.  

What is normal?

The movie Freaks makes me question what is normal?  In my opinion no one is normal everyone is different or a "freak" in their own way.  For example if you take Cleo on the outside she looks like a beautiful young woman and then when we see how she poisons Hanz we immediately see her transform into a freak.  Ultimately when she is turned into a peacock she is now a FREAK.  Also when you take Hercules he like Cleo seemed normal however, when the "freaks" rebelled on him and he was stabbed he was on the ground and brought down to their level.

The difference between the freaks the movie was originally about is that on the outside they look almost "monster-like" and they scare others away... this is why they are considered freaks.  Cleo and Hercules look normal on the outside but under their skin they are freaks because of their actions.  This proves that no one is normal... everyone has a little freak in them.

The movie proves that stereotyping is a negative thing and it hurts other's mentalities because it puts them on a much lower level then they deserve to be on.  The movie makes a great point and I found it very interesting to watch! :)

"Freaks" The Movie....

Today in class we started the movie Freaks.  The movie is quite weird.  I have not ever seen anything like it before.  For this reason I am not sure what to think of it yet.  The main characters that stand out in my mind are the two small adults... Freida and Hanz.  The two are very interesting.  I feel bad for Freida because Hanz is obsesed with Cleo and she does not like him and only uses him for his money.  Whereas Freida loves him for who he is... which is what we are supposed to love someone for righttttt?

Anyways the movie is very dark and I am very unsure what the point of it is.  It is evident that they treat women like dirt in the film.  We see this with the twins.  One of their husband's is always yelling at them and telling her that she cannot tell him what to do.  This is upsetting but what many women go through.  In my opinion men act this way because they see it in the media in cases like this movie showing it.  Therefore, men feel it is okay to take part in.

The media controls us.  It is all around us... we are forced to see it, hear it, and be part of it.  Our society will never be the same since the media is always forcing us to change our views... it is quite sad.

Is there really a cure?

After today's discussion in class in regards to the story "Welcome to Cancerland" by: Barbara Ehrenreich, about if drug companies really do know cures of diseases such as Cancer and AIDS but they just do not disclose them because they would lose money.  I have always wondered this.  Especially living so close to Phizer, many of my friend's parents work on developing Cancer drugs and we always wonder that if they did find a cure how many of their parents would be out of work.  We always question... with all of the time they spend trying to develop new drugs they must have found a cure by now right????? 

Some people might think this is a ridiculous thing to think but I would not put it past big drug companies like Phizer.  Who would control them enough to tell them to not disclose their findings?  No one is above them and companies like them are so rich they will do anything to make more money... not lose it.  It makes me really question the ethics and morals they have.  This topic really interests me and I would consider doing more research on it in the future.

Also in regards to the story I do agree with Ms. Ehrenreich all of the products made for Breast Cancer research are really just a distraction from the whole issue at heart.  It is such a publicity scan that it is sickening.

Is being redundant bad????

After reading Kit's post about Jean Kilbourne's essay "Two Way a Woman Can Get Hurt," she made me question if her essay was too redundant?  Kit claims that she thinks Kilbourne talks way too much about the same thing and that it would have been much more effective if she would have just said it in a more concise way.  However, I feel this was the most effective way Kilbourne could get her point across.  She repeated so much, so her ideas would be ingrained in your mind.  Sure, at some points it sounded like a complete rant but this is how she is.  She is a very one-minded being.  However, she is open to other opinions.

Last semester, in my Mass Media class we watched a video of her talking about the same topic.  She is actually extremely hilarious.  I feel that just reading this piece gave many people in the class a negative view of her because she seems very one-minded and repeats herself too much.  But to me I think she is just being herself.  She wants to prove a point and she feels this is the best way to do it.  I believe she is right and now going into the advertising, public relations field myself I feel I must look at this situation and consider how I can change it.  Especially since I am a woman myself.  I do not want women to be perceived as a "thing" in the media for the rest of my life (like women are viewed now) ... this is why I am going to do something to change it.

Women in Advertising...

After reading Jean Kilbourne's essay "Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt," I am unable to look at an advertisement the same way.  The essay in particular interested me because I am going into that field of advertising.  It is neat to look at someone's perspective into this world of marketing and give their take on the negatives.  I never really thought about it before; women really are perceived as a thing in advertising.  This is unfortunate because for this reason it gives advertising such a bad reputation.  

Our discussion in class today made me realize that for women these ads are negative but for a man to view them they do not find them to be bad.  They do not look at them the same way.  I find this to be very interesting.  Is it because us women can associate with each other and know what each other is going through?  Is it our maternal nature that bonds us?  Or is it something else?  Sure, in some cases Kilbourne might be going to the extreme for example the girl with the cherry dress advertisement; but I do think she has a point.  Women are viewed negatively due to the media, what are we going to do to change that? 

Gun Use?

Like Ellen, I completely agree that in the piece "In the Combat Zone" by: Leslie Marmon Silko, gun use is perceived wrong.  In my opinion no one should be able to have a gun.  To me guns are scary, inappropriate, and completely dangerous if in the wrong hands.  

Silko defends the idea that it is okay for people to carry around guns.  Especially in a woman's case because if they know how to use them right they can get back at their attacker.  Nevertheless, I question... is this morally right?  Guns should not be used in this way of getting even... they are the one thing like Ellen puts it perfectly ..."that equalizes all."  She is right... someone who has a gun in their hands has a lot better of a chance of winning the battle than the person on the other side who does not have one.  With one shot you can kill.  How would Silko know that the man following her wanted to tell her something important about her car and instead she perceived it as him being out to hurt her?  I think Silko needs to think outside of the box a little more.  I mean there ARE some good men out in the world...

Identity

"I remember the very day I became colored." (167) said Zora Neale Hurston in her autobiographical story "How It feels to Be Colored Me".  This quote says so much about a person and society at that.  What is she saying?  Well, she never used to think her color was strange.  Everyone around her in her hometown Eatonville, Florida was African American.  It was only when she went to Jacksonville, Florida that it sunk in that she was different.  However, was she really that different?  All it was, was that she had a different color skin.  In Eatonville, Zora was known for who she was as a person.  When she walked into the world of Jacksonville her identity change to being the little "colored girl."  What gave them the authority to do this to her?  Her identity was forced to be change because she was "different."  She was defined this way, yet she does not even define herself in this way.  How is it then fair?

Compared to From "The Black Notebooks" by Toi Derricotte who was a very fair skinned African American she did not know who to identify herself with.  She looked white and was treated like a white but she was African American.  She never knew when to confess this to people in fear they may disregard her.  She felt a sense of disconnect in a public situation, this forced her to constantly negotiate this border.  

Identity is always forced on each individual... you are always perceived one way instead of the other...

Inner-Rebellion

I have rebelled against my high school principal.  My senior year I was captain of the tennis team.  We had found these shirts in a magazine that said on the back "In tennis love means that you have not scored yet."  We thought they were hilarious and so did our coaches, so we invested in them.  

It is known throughout our school that when a team has a game or a match they will wear the same outfit to school.  This way everyone can see who is on the team and advertise for the competition they have that day.  When our "clever shirts" finally arrived we decided to wear out tennis skirts and our shirts to school with flip flops.  The girls were all for it.  However, we only made it through first period until my best-friend Kim and I (co-captains of the team together) were called down to the office.  Our assistant principal had the athletic director and our two coaches there.  We sat down with them listening to a speech telling us how inappropriate our shirts were.  

We fought back against our stickler of an assistant principal by wearing our shirts under our tennis hoodies every match after that.  We did this so we were united as a team.  Everyone knew we had them on underneath in spite of her.  It was a bond we all shared.  This is an example of an inner-rebellion.  This happened in the story "The Socks" by Marjane Satrapi.  In the story the women had to be covered in public so they could not reveal their "shape."  However, in private they would remove their burkhas and  be able to show their true selves.  No one should have to hide themselves from the world... 

Why are we in such a rush?

After reading Nora Ephron's piece "A Few Words About Breasts,"  it never really hit me until now...but...why are we in such a rush to grown up.  Life is so short why not enjoy the moment we are in.  In the story Nora at the time is extremely frustrated that she has not developed as much as her friends.  However, I understand that at the time this may have been such a big deal to her.  Nevertheless, in all reality how big is it?  Everyday I look around and am just in complete and utter shock that I am in college.  How did time fly by so fast?  Why do we want to rush the good times?  

Yesterday, I learned some horrible news.  One of my friend's father died.  How can you ever replace a father?  I remember all last year just saying how much I wanted to be done with high school and get away from my parents... but then yesterday it hit me... why do we want to get away from our parents and not be under their control anymore.  Why do we want to rush it?  My friend was in tears all day just frustrated with the fact that her relationship with her father was over and she wished she could have said so much more.  I spent my whole night comforting her and I came to the conclusion that we should not want life to pass by so fast.  It is so short that we need to make the best of it.  I realize that this is quite cliche but it finally all clicked in for me last night.  

That is why you should not want things to go by fast or want to be over with a certain part of your life immediately enjoy it...it won't last that long...

Self-Conscious

After reading Jodi's blog. She discusses what it was like for her to go through life being self-conscious of her nose. This relates to me in regards to my legs. Simply put my legs are short...therefore, I am short. For me this sucks! Being short makes me always feel that people are looking at me and wondering why I am this way. Not only that but I hate having the feeling that I am missing out on the opportunity of what being tall has to offer. Like Jodi I am writing my Body Collage about the one part of my body I am bothered with the most...my legs! It is not my physical legs that bother me it is the fact that they make me short. I will not go into detail about my legs now since that is what my paper is for. However, a few things that I face day to day related to my height that affect me are going to parties and not being to see over people's heads, having to wear painful heels, and being forced to buy clothes in the kid's section. Hopefully writing these essays will help people like Jodi and I along with the rest of the class come to terms with the parts of our bodies we despise most. I guess it all comes down to being happy that we are healthy and not worried about how we look or being self-conscious. But in reality is this possible?

The Stress of Disease

In Dan's Blog he discusses the stresses that disease puts on one's family. As illustrated in the story disease impacted Updike and the people around him to the extreme. He was forced to not be himself. He had to do things on the spur of the moment just so he could appreciate his chance to be able to do them. For example when he got married and had children young.

Everyday people are getting diagnosed with diseases. They get worried because they know how much the disease will impact their family and the ones they care about. It is unfair but also comes with the territory.

Disease is not an enjoyable thing; it is heartbreaking to watch someone you know and love break apart piece by piece as the disease keeps attacking. My grandfather had Parkinson's and Cancer and whenever I would see him over a period of time he would get worse. It was very emotional to watch him break down. It took a huge toll on my Dad who was spending as much time with him as possible near the end. I saw the look my dad had on his face when he would come home from the hospital after visiting his father. The look he was giving me indicated that my grandfather would keep getting more and more sick. You could tell how much it was affecting my Dad. I could only imagine what it felt like for my Dad to see his Dad in such a horrible state. I do not know how he did it. Disease hurts the people who are diagnosed and even more it hurts your loved ones.

At War with My Skin

In class today we discussed Updike's autobiographical piece called "At War with My Skin." Updike's story is about his everyday struggle with his skin disease psoriasis.  He takes us through many times in his life when the disease has halted him from being able to take part in things that other people can (who do not have the disease).  Right at the beginning he tells his audience that disease is a STRONG WORD (299).  His point is that a disease in its self is one thing but when put into context it is a terrifying experience for one to be put through.  Updike uses the example, "red spots, ripening into silvery scabs, that invaded our skins..." (299).  This vivid image shows what this disease did to him.  It invaded his body and took over his mind.  It got to the point that he feared if he did not marry his wife he would never find another woman to love him for himself instead of his disease scaring them away.  Updike always feared being out in public because he knew people would always be observing his skin and its differences. Updike became a writer so he would not have to be in the public eye; instead he could write and people would know him for who he truly was not for his case of psoriasis.    

It is society and the media's fault...

In Walker's story she believed that she was no longer that cute little girl that she used to be.   I think that if I was in her shoes I would have done the same thing.  I would have wanted to mask my eye from everyone in fear of not being accepted.  It makes you wonder why do the marks and blemishes make us want to hide from society?  Why can't we all be happy with what we have?  

We always want to have that perfect body and that new surgery to enhance our figures.  Her story is just an example of what society and the media have portrayed on  us.  Even though her incident took place many years ago it was still pressure from her surroundings that made her feel uncomfortable with herself and her eye.  If people would have accepted the fact that she had gotten in an accident then maybe she would not have felt as embarrassed.  

If this happened in todays world, in my opinion it would have been worse.  The media just puts so much pressure on us to look flawless when in reality this is not at all possible.  We see all of these celebrities on the cover of magazines and on television shows all fixed up to look this perfect way but it is not real.  "Normal people" do not have this ability to be made up this way so why should it be accepted?

Alice Walker's story proves that just because you have a noticeable mark on your body or in this case your eye does not mean that life stops.  You need to go out and be proud of your mark and just let it be another thing that sets you apart from the rest of society.  In the end what the media and society portray is very negative and in the long run only hurts people detrimentally.

Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self by: Alice Walker

I really enjoyed this story because I admire the way Walker writes. She is extremely descriptive and always takes the reader under her wing to go into lots of detail so you get the full picture. This is also exemplified in her epic novel The Color Purple. You see that in this story the question of beauty comes up. What defines true beauty? Walker is shot in the eye with a BB gun by one of her brothers. Automatically, it is evident that she is the victim. However, Walker now must face the world no longer the cute girl but the girl with the bloody eye. This is very traumatic for her seeing how she has always been admired in the past. It is a challenge for her to accept this change of people always staring at her.

When she gets older and has a daughter she worries that her daughter will be embarrassed by her for her eye being different. Nevertheless, to Walker's surprise her daughter notices this difference as being a mark of her mother's beauty and individuality. She tells her, "Mommy, there's a world in your eye" (310). This line makes Walker finally realize she can live with this mark in her eye it is a mark of survival. In the end we see that she realizes that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. (No pun intended.) She really needs to take this mark as an enhancement to her beauty and her character. We see this transformation by her realization of this fact when she says, "The other dancer has obviously come through all right, as I have done. She is beautiful, whole, and free. And she is also me" (310). She is able to see that beauty is not perfection and that everything that we perceive to be wrong at first glance is actually a lesson to be learned.