#Original Bieniek

[sebastianbieniek]

Sebastian Bieniek for Textartwork, "Long Love", 2014. Vanish on canvas. 120 cm. x 90 cm. From the series “Textworks”. More ➔ www.B1EN1EK.com

[tryingfeminism2019]

Beyoncé does not limit herself to represent only one movement. She has been in the public eye most of her life; and therefore, her character has been allowed to evolve as she grew up. “She has used her lyrics and her persona to become a powerful icon of black female sexuality because of the many ways in which she chooses to present herself to the world, but also because she interrogates many of the tropes of womanhood that are problematic for all women” (Trier-Bieniek 27). Beyoncé portrays not only black female struggles with womanhood and motherhood, she also highlights what white women go through, which allows her to broaden her audience. She proves intersectionality exists, and that feminism does not encompass all women equally. African American women’s battles sometimes differ from white women’s due to their race. Beyoncé has had time to evolve in the public light, which is why we are able to see multiple sides of her. By seeing multiple sides of Beyoncé, she can reclaim the black female body. The black female body has “never [been] alone it always has the male gaze following it and [is] packaged for popular consumption (Trier-Bieniek 28). Beyoncé uses the status quo of male gaze following the female body to her advantage to make money from her sexuality. In the past, the portrayal of black women as jezebel and mammy has led to the oppression of black women. Due to this history, black women in the media are constantly scrutinized for taking back their sexuality. “Many black female performers [are] forced to walk a fine line in self-presentation and to maintain the audience they needed to ensure continued vitality as performers” (Trier-Bieniek 29). They must not only please their fans which usually involves invoking patriarchy norms within their art, they also must not offend the community in which their skin color says they must reside. Beyoncé has been criticized for following respectability politics too closely and spreading colorism. Black women were sexual victims in US history and respectability politics does not address this issue. By falling into respectability politics or embracing the patriarchy to make money, Beyoncé is leaving these women without a voice which is why I struggle to say Beyoncé is an intersectional icon.

I hate to say that Beyoncé is too white to be an intersectional icon, but she is in looks and previous respectability politics. Beyoncé similarly to Lena Horne can deny their skin tone while allowing there to be a portrayal of diversity within the arts without there really being diversity. Lena Horne could pass as white, and for many people because Beyoncé originally played into what white people wanted to hear and see, she was able to pass as white too. Her light skin and blonde hair also perpetuated this image. Being able to be white when you are black is what Langston Hughes wants to end. He wants people to be themselves when he says “if white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too…. If colored people are pleased, we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn’t matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves” (Trier-Bieniek 30). The problem with Langston Hughes’ call to end respectability politics is it focuses on the self instead of the group, a post-feminist viewpoint. Many of the performers are making a career out of making music and art for people to consume. Performers must provide the fans with what they want to make a living. The second problem is if you are offending your own culture there are no steps forward. It relates back to how Beyoncé offended many people with her song "Formation," when she talked about the mixing of creole and negro heritage to make her. Beyoncé embraces the attitude of I do not care what you think of me and I am just going to be who I am in her performance of "Formation."  She is making many political statements in “Formation,” but the focus always turns back to her. Beyoncé portrays the notion of “we believe that the most profound and potentially most radical politics come directly out of our own identity, as opposed to working to end somebody else’s oppression” (Trier-Bieniek 33). Beyoncé does this by being the center of attention and recognizing others on the side. This mindset is toxic though. Only elevating yourself up does not mean equality for all. Beyoncé has started to give black sexual power back to African American women, but the focus is still on her.

Beyoncé is developing this sense of sexual empowerment because black women must purposefully develop a sense of self-worth and positive sense of sexual empowerment to overturn the historical, voracious image of the black female body as being nothing more than a temptress. The problem is we receive mixed messages from Bey. Her songs such as "If I Were a Boy" or "Irreplaceable" appear to place the agency with men, while her newer music appears to have herself as the agent. Beyoncé has grown over the years, especially since her release of Lemonade. If Beyoncé is not her own agent, whoever it is allows her to be a badass black feminist and while yes, her perfect body can bring back historical memories of mammy and jezebel representing the hypersexualized black female body, she has reclaimed it for herself and black women. She is an artist which is "free within herself" according to Langston Hughes (Trier-Bieniek 36). She has this ability because she can choose how she wishes to portray herself. If she wants to be portrayed as sexual she can, and she owns her own agency unlike how historical women did not when they were portrayed a jezebel and mammy. Beyoncé mocks past stereotypical norms while giving the black female body back to the women who embody it. Yes, she is a performer who uses her flawless body to make money, but that money and the art that is made is hers. She chooses what she does unlike in her original days when her parents helped form her image in Destiny's Child. Beyoncé is becoming intersectional and while she is not there yet, she could be the pop culture icon one day as she continues to reject the patriarchy and respectability politics.  

Original Source: Trier-Bieniek, Adrienne. The Beyoncé Effect: Essays on Sexuality, Race and Feminism (p. 27-38). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[queer-failures]

Mommy Dearest*

How did stabbing, screaming, jump scares, and liters of stage blood became political? They always were: the main premise of horror is normal/monstrous binary, and both categories are culturally constructed and negotiated (Benshoff 2020, 31). Monstrosities signal cultural anxieties “colored by racial, sexual, class, or other ideological markers” while normalcy is, in American horror movies, “represented by the white, middle-class heterosexuality of the films' heroes and heroines” (ibid). While horror movies are, usually, not considered a quality genre, a gradual shift occurred in the last 15 years or so: established slasher formula (a killer on the lose is chasing a blond girl clad in underwear for no apparent reason) and mediocre remakes (underwhelming adaptations of Romero’s zombie classics) were mostly abandoned in favor of thought-out plots, psychologically complex characters, and social critique.

Horrors are part of “paradoxical popular culture” and they have potential to reproduce stereotypes (final girl has to be a virgin, women are objectified even when dying/trying to escape death) as well as to advocate for social justice (Griffin  2015, 35). In terms of representing race, a well-know horror trope of Black characters who are usually the first victims (i.e. Black actors are rarely offered the leading roles) shows that the genre often failed to challenge racial prejudice and white supremacy. Enter actor turned screenwriter Jordan Peele. Peele makes politically relevant horrors that cleverly depict experiences of racial minorities. For example, brilliant Us (2019) contrasts normal family and their terrifying doubles who lurk in the underground. The film features excellent Lupita Nyong'o who portrays Adelaide and her clone Red – while Adelaide is exemplary and altruistic mother, Red embodies cultural anxieties surrounding female aggression. However, the ending is the cleverest part of the movie in which Peele’s talent for subtle social critique is fully displayed: Adelaide is actually born in the underground, but she managed to deceive everyone that she is an original. This twist is, I think, an anti-essentialist stance and commentary about privilege: it is not about who you are, but where you are.

Another interesting WOC character is protagonist of Ma (2019). Played by Octavia Spencer, whose character in The Help (2011)** can, according to Rachel Alicia Griffin, be described as contemporary “mammy”, veterinary assistant Sue Ann seemingly embodies servitude and care-taking. She buys alcohol for teenagers, offers them to party at her house, and takes up moniker Ma. However, her motherly concern (and mommy trope) gradually turn sinister as she seeks revenge against the teenagers and their parents who bullied her in high school. It is also revealed that she is poisoning her own daughter, a disabled young woman confined to her room. While not fully artistically successful (Ma’s motivation is not fleshed out and pacing is poorly executed), the film manages to deconstruct mommy trope and engage with prevailing discourses on women and their innate motherly instincts.

  Benshoff, Harry M. “Blaxploitation Horror Films: Generic Reappropriation or Reinscription?” Cinema Journal , Vol. 39, No. 2 (Winter, 2000): 31-50.

Griffin, Rachel Alicia. “Olivia Pope as Problematic and Paradoxical - A Black Feminist Critique of Scandal’s “Mammification.” In Feminist Theory and Pop Culture, edited by Adrienne Trier-Bieniek, 34-48. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. 2015.

*This post is partially inspired by 1981 comedy Mommie Dearest that depicts toxic mother-daughter relations, hence the title

**The Help and Ma are both directed by Tate Taylor

[mitchtalksfeminism-blog]

Feminism Today: The Power of Icons and the Struggle for Representation

Hello to my MANY, loyal followers. It has been too long and you all have been dearly missed. As we outlined in my last blog post, to properly understand any movement you need to understand where it has been. We took an extensive look into the origins of feminism, tracing its development over time to better understand the ground that the movement stands on today. Now, we are going to attempt to understand another important part of the story of feminism today, the characters. Feminism is a global movement; however, today we are going to look at some of the more prominent figures associated with the movement by looking at the impact of icons. We discussed in depth the impact that prominent members of the feminist movement, such as Sojourner Truth, had in the early days of the movement, now it is time to see how the international icons of today, like Beyoncé, are furthering the movement.

        This post, similarly to the last one, will mirror the movement of the class. We will also begin with a reflection on some of the documents from and about the modern icons of feminism. I will reflect on some of these documents and media sources in order highlight the role that icons currently play in the feminist movement.

Week 5:

        This unit is focused on the influential role that icons play for the feminist movement today. With the growing presence of media, the widespread reach of celebrities has compounded the impact that icons are able to have on culture. However, before we delve into a discussion of icons, it is first important to talk about what is an icon? What makes a celebrity different than a regular person?

        These questions are often difficult to respond to, especially with any objectivity. This however, is a discussion that Joseph Roach addresses in his article, “It.” Often when looking at celebrities in the news or on the big screen, it seems that they have something special about them that is often hard to describe. Roach attributes this special something to It. Roach notes that when referencing It, he is talking about “the easily perceived but hard-to-define quality possessed by abnormally interesting people.” Roach discusses that while It is something that you are either born with or lucky enough to have thrust upon you, it is the lone way to captivate the global audience as “no one stars without It.” While there is a lot that goes into It some of the key points hit on by Roach include physical attractiveness regardless of sex, self-confidence to the extreme, and perceived indifference. While all of these seem to make sense, the attribute associated with It that I found to be most interesting was the power to project contradictory characteristics simultaneously. Roach notes that people with It face “impossible demands for contradictory qualities, such as vulnerable strength and experienced innocence” as people see both characteristics in these individuals, holding them under a paradoxical standard of perfection and attempt to live vicariously through these “abnormally interesting people.”

        While much of this article, as you can probably imagine, was fairly subjective making it hard to wrap your head around at times, I felt that there was still a lot of good to be taken from Roach here. One of the biggest takeaways that I found to be ever interesting was the paradoxical ideas that are central to It. The most lasting on myself was the idea that while almost everyone would want It at any price, few have It and “It is rare and expensive to own.” I think that Roach touches on something important here. Owning It is not all glory but actually comes with the weight of an ever-watching audience holding you to perfection. This is a weight that we have seen many celebrities crumble under (like Lindsay Lohan when she went off the wall); however, being an icon in these days calls for a responsibility to employ your It factor to make a change for the better in the world. We are now going to look at some of those strong figures attempting to do just that in the feminist movement today.

        After having this discussion of what it takes to be an extraordinarily interesting person and the weight that those people carry, our discussion moved into some of the most prominent figures of the feminist movement. This discussion of figures (and I put and emphasis on figure rather than person) began with an exploration into Rosie the Riveter. We discussed the impact that Rosie had from her first time being “pictured” (an image created by Norman Rockwell) on the cover of a magazine in 1943 all the way up to an honorary memorial being created for her in California in 2000. Relative to the billions of people that have ever existed, very few ever receive a memorial, and that number gets even smaller for fictional characters in the real world. This show the impact that Rosie was able to have. She was created in the wake of WWII, as a calling card for the women that the country needed to support the war effort by filling the factory jobs (typically held by men) that had been left open by men off to fight.

For more information on Rosie, be sure to check out:

http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/rosie-the-riveter-1941-1945/

        While Rosie may not have been a real person, she certainly had a real impact on women in the wake of WWII that still ripples today. I think the very fact that I, a millennial, still know about her in the year 2018 shows her persistence. Rosie set the precedent for the impact that a fictional icon could have. As simply an image, she had no backstory or flaws to detract from her perfect symbolism of female empowerment. I believe that she was important at the time as a symbol for the strength of women working beyond the home, but also an important for showing the weight that can be carried by fictional icons with the same It factor previously discussed. The presence of media in our current culture means that it will always be at our fingertips to influence us. It is on the plate of those icons, fictional or not, to aim their impact at the right causes.    

        Finally, we closed out the week with a brief introduction to the icon that is Beyoncé, because you cannot have a discussion about icons of the feminist movement today without Queen Bey. While manufactured icons like Rosie the Riveter had tangible impact on the feminist movement, I believe that people will be ever more inclined to pay attention to something that real. This is where Beyoncé comes in. Adrienne Trier-Bieniek reflects on this impact in the introduction of her collections, “The Beyoncé Effect,” when she notes that while Beyoncé may have her methods questioned by even feminists, “she has introduced feminism to new generations of young women and given feminists the world over an opportunity to rally behind a woman who is perhaps the world’s biggest pop star.” I don’t think that the impact the having positive role models like Beyoncé for the next generation can be underestimated. By having someone like Beyoncé talk you through the struggles of being a woman and the power of feminism, these young women are going to listen. If Beyoncé calls for you to get in formation, you do it. If you don’t believe me, just check out the link below to see the people that have taken to Beyoncé’s call in celebration of her birthday.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4851850/Michelle-Obama-recreates-Beyonc-s-Formation-video-pose.html

Week 6:

        Week 5 gave us the opportunity to look into the impact carried by media and, more specifically, by icons in the feminist movement. Our readings for week 6 look to further the brief discussion on these topics that have been opened by looking at impactful feminist media and icons (with a premier focus on Madonna).

        As mentioned with the influence of media, this week’s discussion began with an examination of the first magazine to be published by women. Spearheaded by Gloria Steinem a group of feminist women to publish Ms. Magazine in 1971, a time when “women had trouble getting a credit card without a man’s signature” according to Abigail Pogrebin in her article, “How Do You Spell Ms.,” recounting the teams time creating the magazine. The importance in the details of how the publication came to be were fascinating, no more to myself than when Pogrebin reflects that at the time, nothing happened without men. This was a difficult reality of the time that Steinem and her team were exceptionally able to overcome. The biggest thing that I took away from this was the important precedent the Ms. set as a form of media that women could consume that was actually created by women. It is important to understand where media comes from before you allow yourself to be influenced by it. This served as one of the premier times in which women were able to have their voices be heard, and create media that could be consumed and, ultimately, influence culture. Culture shift is ultimately what needs to occur to instill new values and this is able to occur in large part due to influence of media and, more specifically, icons.

        One of those icons that has been so publicized about in the modern day is that of Madonna. A character that carries such weight she unmistakably recognized around the globe with just one word, Madonna. She is such an important icon to the movement that we took the class time to discuss a multitude of articles relating to her and her presence. A few of these upon which I will reflect include: “The Evolution of Madonna’s Feminist Message” by All That’s Interesting, and “Is She or Isn’t She?: Madonna and the Erotics of Appropriation” by Amy Robinson. First, I will be reflecting on the latter of the two as I felt that Robinson’s piece did a great job of explaining the importance of Madonna to someone that did not know very much about her. In this article, Robinson opens the discussion with a reflection on a Madonna chorus that said that “it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, a boy, or a girl.” This goes a long way towards explaining the appeal that Madonna carries as an icon, she champions equality for regardless of background that so aligns with the feminist movement. Another important discussion that Robinson brings to light is the ideals of “private” vs. “public.” While the identity categories mentioned earlier in the article (black, white, boy, girl) are often seen as pieces of property, Robinson poses “Madonna’s proliferation of a series of “public” images as a challenge to an enabling rhetoric for privacy.” Madonna has fought this for some time, her hallmark being the “sincerity of her manifold presentation. She is able present herself in many different forms that leave the audiences wondering where she does indeed fit in. One final take that Robinson does leave off with is a questioning into the genuine nature of this all-encompassing “realness” of Madonna who, as we continue to question her “accumulates millions at the expense of our continued fascination. 

        This discussion of identification and proliferation ties perfectly into the main idea of “The Evolution of Madonna’s Feminist Message.” This article is able to delve more in-depth into the ability of Madonna the present herself in different ways, tracing her development from using her appeal to high school girls and her “Marilyn Monroe caricature” to make money, to being called “the true feminist” for the way that “she exposes the puritanism and suffocating ideology of American feminism.” This development is traced through the material presented in her lyrics and powerful videos, the capstone of the discussion being Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” video (watch it below). One thing that I wish this thread would have addressed in greater depth was the conflict that she must have faced with her erotic feminism within the feminist movement and how that impacted her feminist image over time.

        This divide is at the very heart of the final article “Fractured Femmes: Madonna And Nicki Minaj Man Up” by Ann Powers of NPR. Powers reflects on the fact that women are still forced to take on the “garb” of a man to be taken serious in pop culture. This is something that is separating women from their identities and proves to be a problem that stunts the growth of the feminist movement. Powers reflects on this identity crisis of pop culture when noting that “in film, television and fiction, as in pop, our favorite heroines don masculine garb to get things done, and then face inner crises when circumstances force them to go femme.” As icons, women like Nicki Minaj and Madonna, are called to be tough. Powers finally reflects that while we may be moving towards equality in our society, “they're not necessarily doing so in community with each other or with a clearly articulated politics to support the changes they're going through.” These are some of the problems faced by the icons of the feminist movement today as the struggle to maintain their feminist identity in a culture that stifles their rise to celebrity despite their apparent talent. As we move toward equality, it is on us as a society to support our icons and to promote a culture that celebrates identity.

Week 7:

        Week 6 gave us the opportunity to look further into the struggles faced by icons in the feminist movement, particular in media, through an examination of Madonna. The reading of week 7 mimics this format as we look into the media representation of members of the LGBTQ community through a heavy focus on icon, Ellen DeGeneres.

        The primary article that we discussed was “Ellen: Making Queer Television History” by Anna McCarthy. This article goes into an in-depth discussion of queer representation in the media with a distinct focus on the history made when Ellen came out on national television. Ellen had starred as a comedian and in her own sitcom prior to the “event” and this article goes into the important impact that she had on history of queer representation in media and how the “event” impacted her own personal career. One key point that McCarthy touches on is how Ellen’s show “became an arena in which questions about the representational forms and durationality of queerness-- in the sitcom and in prime-time television in general-- were staged.” This gave an opportunity for LGBTQ members of the media to be featured in shows rather than a token character. This durationality was key. McCarthy expounds open this idea when she states that “queer TV, in short, could make history as event television but not as what we might call ‘uneventful’ television.” While there was some queer representation in the media, it was typically seen as a singular “event” rather than anything that could be lasting. For any real impact to come of queer representation in the media, it has to be seen a normal. Until it is “uneventful” enough to be considered a regular part of media, queer representation will always be seen as a token and fleeting part of our culture. As we move toward this goal, I recommend that you visit (http://www.afterellen.com/) to learn more about the impact that Ellen made as well as queer representation in the media in general.

        Another important development that has come about in LGBTQ media is greater inclusion of LGBTQ performers in the creation of mainstream media. Perhaps no piece of media exemplifies this today as Netflix show, “Orange is the New Black.” While I have never watched the show personally, I am aware enough of pop culture (sometimes) to have noticed the immense popularity that the show has carried since its release. This has been a great step for both queer representation in media as well as feminist representation in the media. No, the two are not necessarily mutual exclusive (Hurray for Intersectionality!). These successes are the topic of Francesca Lewis’s article, “3 Reasons Why Orange Is The New Black Is The Most Queer Feminist Thing Ever.” Here, Lewis celebrates the show for being created by and dominated by women, being an ultimate example of diversity, as well as for being willing and able to talk about tough topics left off of network TV. I, again, need to actually watch the show before I comment on it in any depth; however, OITNB serves as a clear example that what queer (and more importantly, intersectional) representation can still prove to be just as successful as traditional shows.

        This unit did a lot of work to discuss the importance of icons in our culture and, more specifically, within the context of the feminist movement. This video is a short clip from Good Morning America in which they discuss the recent decision of the UN to name the fictional, superhero of Wonder Woman as the Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls. This decision, however, was met with quite a bit of flack as women and young girls around the world were disappointed that they have to look up to a fictional character as someone that can be a symbol of empowerment. This led to the formation of a petition for a new ~person~ to be appointed to the position. The petition is cited in the video for being created out of the ideal that “having strong (living, breathing) female role models is a critical aspect of the goal of empowerment of women and girls.”

        Immediately upon watching the video it’s hard not to think back to the many connections to the class material which we have covered previously in this post. Notably, the connection back to the most memorable, fictional icon of the feminist movement, Rosie the Riveter. The thing that struck me most is that while it was clear at the time Rosie was first employed in the wake of WWII that she was a great success amongst feminists that rallied around the character, the same sentiment for following the lead of a fictional character is not shared today. This could be for any number of reasons as we consume infinitely more media than was consumed in Rosie’s day and now women are calling for real women that they can look up to. Why should they have to settle for fictional character when they want to see an example of an empowered woman? Seeing this empowerment embodied by a real woman makes this empowerment more real and obtainable for the average women and children interacting with the media. 

In order to make the tangible moves toward equality that our society desperately needs to make, we need a shift in culture. This shift needs to happen in a number of ways. We need real, living icons that can serve as the embodiment of empowered women for the girls of the world. We need a more inclusive representation in the media across intersectional gridlines. Most importantly, we need to make these things normal. In order for any constructive change to occur, we need to make it normal to be yourself and give you equal opportunity to succeed regardless of what identity category you may fall into.

Graphic URLs: http://entertainment.time.com/2014/01/31/theres-now-a-college-course-about-beyonce-at-rutgers-university/

https://www.theroot.com/sojourner-truth-was-enslaved-by-family-of-rutgers-1st-1790857881

http://coffeegraphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ROSIE-THE-RIVITER-Norman-Rockwell-6X8.jpg

[queerfilmfestival-blog]

Orpheus’ Song

Written by Ishira

Orpheus’ Song consists of two friends, Philip and Enis, based in Berlin, who embark on a trip to Greece where they ultimately discover a deeper connection between each other and the island. Leading a relatively simple life in Berlin, the two are seen frequently at the gym, where Philip is shown to especially prioritize bulking up his body and Enis is often preoccupied with school and his girlfriend. Philip is shown entering a competition to win a free trip to Greece, cynical of the validity and his chances of winning this competition. Shortly after, at the gym of course, Philip receives word of his winning the trip to Greece for two, which he convinces Enis to join him on. Greece proves to be a relaxing trip, consisting of drinks, swimming and tanning on the beach, till the two friends decide to take a hike into the mountains. Implications of mythical creatures and magical phenomena are not confirmed till the pair meet a man named Hercules in the midst of their aimless hike while getting lost on the island. Hercules perpetuates the already ignited sexual tension between Philip and Enis, formulated throughout the story by prolonged gazes and physical innuendos, such as cheek kisses and excessive touching, mainly on Philip’s part. Hercules offers the pair a drink that essentially drugs them into an erotic and sensual dream of sorts, to which they wake up to have found that Hercules robbed them. While Hercules robbed them of their money, he gifted them the opportunity to discover their deeper feelings for each other, as depicted in a subsequent scene, where Philip and Enis drink the remainder of Hercules’ drink, allowing them to finally explore their connection as more than friends though a passionate beach scene. The audience is then met with the difficult - will they or won’t they - plot sequence, where Enis is seen struggling to come to terms with his revealed feelings and sexuality and how this affects the routine and structured elements of his life back home. Eventually, Philip and Enis are seen leaving back to Greece together, shown contently walking to the airport with each other accompanied with the underlying notion of their newfound connection. 

While this movie portrayed a variety of topics relevant to course content, this movie very much possessed the framework of intersectionality - where differing degrees of privileges and oppression are possessed by different characters. 

The story of two friends discovering their homosexuality or bisexuality with each other was arguably overshadowed by the strong white, male dominant cast. It is interesting to denote that this movie may have been made under the notion of dislodging the white, male, German stereotypes of a heterosexual, strong-bodied nature that may dominate much of that culture. However, in attempting to accurately represent one oppressed group, numerous others are continuously further oppressed throughout the movie, contributing to the intersectionality framework mentioned. 

The absence of female characters playing a strong role - something more than a supportive side element or a woman harassed by a man -  is strongly potent in this movie. “As Seen on TV” addresses a similar gender binary seen in media, where men were portrayed as dominant and women as subordinate [1]. While this article maintains that the “heteronormative domestic” ideal was continuously portrayed in the media, the range of sexuality portrayed in Orpheus’ Song does not compensate for the gender binary portrayed by weak female characters that were either cast aside or objectified in any scene they were included in. This projection of the lack of strong female characters contributes to the “male gaze” concept, where women are portrayed as objects, usually of lesser value - as manifested through lack of portrayal and lack of dominant behaviors - for the perspective of a heterosexual male viewer [3]. The oppression through malportrayal of strong female characters in a movie centered around inclusive sexuality is evident and further perpetuates the intersectionality this movie possessed. 

Secondly, either location of the movie - Berlin or Greece - lacked the presence of a person of color in almost every scene. Hall denotes this as “ambivalence”, where the double vision of white eyes through which content is seen drives the stereotypical “entertainer” or “clown” roles that people of color play, among others [2]. Hall essentially brings light to the inequality of roles that people of color are given, as seen through the arguably condescending or demeaning lens of the “white eyes” concept [2]. It can be argued that the lack of any person of color in this movie only perpetuates this ambivalent notion, giving no credibility, awareness and essentially existence to a person of color. This lack of color representation in a movie based around shedding light on certain oppressed sexualities contributes to the oppression that people of color face both in media and real life. 

While certain oppressed groups were not portrayed equally in this movie, queer representation in the form of homosexuality/bisexual characters evoked a memorable and emotional insight into this world that is very rarely cast on the big screen. Additionally, while unaware this film was in German, the language barrier proved to be minimized by the English subtitles and ability to interpret the emotion and importance of certain scenes. This perspective inspires me to broaden my scope of art created with the limitation to one language - English - to that of worldwide art created by very talented individuals. 

The limitations one faces as a North American viewer, mainly exposed to Westernized art, movies and TV shows, may contribute to the stigma surrounding oppressed groups that further perpetuate alienation, prejudice and discrimination against them. Festivals such as Kingston’s ReelOut festival not only bring awareness to certain groups rarely portrayed in mass media but also remind viewers of the beauty and innate equality that all types of art possess, regardless of their origins in certain oppressed groups. 

Word count: 979

References:

1. Trier-Bieniek, Adrienne M. Gender and Pop Culture: a Text-Reader. Brill Sense, 2019.

2. Dines, Gail, et al. Gender, Race, and Class in Media: a Critical Reader. SAGE Publications, Inc., 2018.

3. “Male Gaze”, Week 4 Terms

[cocodyt-blog]

TRICK ON CAMERA - experiment2

The three photos are from Germanic Artist Sebastian Bieniek's artwork - Doublefaced: using makeup to create another face beside the model's original face.

B612Camera discerned the drawn eye, nose and mouth, discerning a fake face, so the fun stickers appear.

Reference: https://www.yellowtrace.com.au/doublefaced-by-sebastian-bieniek/

[b1en1ek]

Sebstian Bieniek (B1EN1EK), “Doublefaced No. 3”, 2013. Face-Paint photography. From the series “Doublefaced 2013”. New website ➔ www.B1EN1EK.com

[catconcerns]

Man Burst Into Tears When He Found His 20-year-old Beloved Deaf Cat…

It was an emotional reunion when Raymond McNamara found his 20-year-old deaf and blind cat, Lily, who went missing more than two months ago in Florida.

Raymond McNamara/7News

Raymond was traveling across the country with his beloved feline earlier this year when one day Lily wandered off in South Florida.

He was completely devastated looking everywhere for the Himalayan cat, knocking on doors, contacting animal control and police officers. He refused to give up until he found the whereabouts of his cat.

Saving Sage Animal Rescue (in Miami) learned about his missing cat and organized a search party to help find her, but she was nowhere to be found, and Raymond was left heart broken.

“Two months later I got a message on Facebook that a lady found a cat at the construction site where she was lost. We pieced it together… that was definitely his cat,” Kathy Bieniek of Saving Sage Animal Rescue told ABCNews.

Jessika Luzi

The super senior cat spent two months on her own weathering the heat and rain. The shelter staff immediately gave her the medical attention she needed and nursed her back to health. They cared for her until Raymond made his way to the shelter for their reunion.

“She’s never going to get away from me again” Raymond said, fighting back tears.

Kathy Bieniek of Saving Sage Animal Rescue

The sweet senior cat remembered her human dad and went in to give him a headbump.

“He broke down in tears and is never going to let her out of his sight again. She is his world” Kathy said.

Kathy Bieniek of Saving Sage Animal Rescue

Lily is back in the arms of her forever human.

It was the best feeling for Raymond to have his best friend back. “He’s got her. He’s excited.”

Kathy Bieniek of Saving Sage Animal Rescue

Watch the emotional reunion in this video:

Share this story with your friends. If you would like to support their rescue efforts, click here to see how you can help. Follow Saving Sage Animal Rescue on Facebook.

Originally posted on LoveMeow.com

You can read the original article here.

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[sebastianbieniek]

Sebastian Bieniek (B1EN1EK) for Textartwork. “Both Is The Same".  2018. Oil on backside of the canvas.  90 cm. x 120 cm. From the “Definitions” series. New website ➔ ‪www.B1EN1EK.com‬  

[reeloutfilmbass-blog]

Ashton’s Film Review: ‘Changing the Game’

Changing the Game: Critical Film Review

GNDS 125: Gender, Race and Popular Culture

By: Ashton Yau (20150498)

The documentary ‘Changing the Game’ directed by Michael Barnet is an inspiring narrative that follows three immensely talented transgender high school athletes as they battle societal biases in order to compete in the sport they love. It depicts the struggles transgender athletes face daily that the majority of the population is unaware of and raises awareness about a strongly controversial topic.

The film begins with the story of Mack Beggs, the two-time Texas State Champion of Girl’s Wrestling; followed by Sarah, a nordic skier and a strong advocate for transgender athletes and; finally Andraya, an impressive track star from the state of Connecticut. This film is both informative and awe-inspiring and works hard to educate the reader about the many setbacks that a transgender athlete may face. Foremost, the policies and regulations that an athlete must coincide with concerning gender are specific for each state. In the state of Texas, this means individuals are required to compete with and against the gender assigned at birth. For Beggs, this means that the criticism he faces mostly stems from parents who are upset their daughters are competing against an individual taking testosterone; but as Mack says in the documentary no one wins here - it is not fair for him to compete against the opposite sex, and it is not fair for the opposite sex to be competing against him. For Andraya from the state of Connecticut, the policies there are different. Connecticut is proud to allow athletes to compete with or against the gender in which they choose to identify, no questions asked. Both Texas and Connecticut have juxtaposing policies, yet the denunciation that transgender athletes face in both and all states is the same. For Andraya, she faces backlash from individuals who feel she has an advantage because of her biological background.

What was incredibly difficult to watch was the hate speech spewed from adults that these young athletes were forced to endure. It was hard not to flinch when adults, who are supposed to take on the role of mentors and supporters, made repeatedly transphobic comments, berating both boys and girls for simply playing a sport they love. Moreover; at one point in the film, Mack is training to take his second title of Texas State Champion of Girl’s Wrestling. The scene shows parents and adults furious that Mack is competing, then cuts to his main competitor. She goes on to say that it doesn’t matter what gender Mack is, that she will simply train hard enough to beat him. For me, she is an astounding example of how the world should be. Focus on yourself, improve yourself. What use is it to you to bring down others, especially as an adult yelling transphobic insults at an adolescent. At any age of adolescents, individuals are struggling with finding themselves and who they are; when people, moreover adults, are telling you that who you are is wrong - that you simply being yourself is wrong - this struggle becomes incredibly more difficult.

While both transgender athletes and the transgender community as a whole often face backlash in person, in today’s world a majority of transphobic comments are made through the media. “Media culture is one of the major agents of socialization through which we learn the norms and values of our society. It is not surprising that our socially constructed ideas about gender often originate in, and are reinforced by, dominant narratives in the popular culture” (Trier-Bieniek & Leavy, 2014, pg. 13). Barnet does an excellent job as showing the severe damage that media can have on an individual as he includes a clip of a tv broadcaster debasing transgender individuals in athletics. It’s a shame as now this negative and harmful opinion is now in the media, for a great number of the population to consume and employ.

The documentary mainly focuses on the athletes and their sports but still gives the audience a peek into their lives at home. It is clear that the three athletes this documentary focuses on are fortunate to grow up in homes that try their best to be accepting of the teenager's identities. For Mack Beggs, although his conservative grandparents support Mack and the transgender community as a whole, it was interesting to watch as both his grandmother and grandfather oftentimes had trouble remembering to use the correct pronouns. A quote from the NBD Campaign which helps to spread awareness and “show people around you that using someone’s pronoun is no big deal’ (The No Big Deal Campaign & Lee Airton, 2016) demonstrates how important the use of the correct pronoun is. “The purpose of the NBD Campaign is to help people show their support for transgender people, because asking for and using someone’s pronoun are just like other ways in which we make a little extra effort for people in our lives who are different from us” (The No Big Deal Campaign & Lee Airton, 2016). While Mack’s grandparents disregard their incorrect use of his pronoun, he continuously corrects them and asks them to use the correct pronoun because while it may not be a big deal to them, it is for him, so it should be for them.

Michael Barnet created a tear-jerkingly beautiful film that paved the way for more discussion, inclusion, and support for not only transgender athletes but as well the transgender community as a whole. ‘Changing the Game’ is a must-see documentary for all that challenges controversy and creates an acceptance that is even more crucial in today's world, with the film ending by including some of the policies enacted by Trump’s Administration, demonstrating that the conversation is far from over.

Word Count:938

References:

Brandt J. (2014) “As Seen on TV”. In: Trier-Bieniek A., Leavy P. (eds) Gender & Pop Culture. Teaching Gender. SensePublishers, Rotterdam

https://link-springer-com.proxy.queensu.ca/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-94-6209-575-5.pdf

2016—2018 The No Big Deal Campaign & Lee Airton.

https://www.nbdcampaign.ca/contact/

[dmyear3]

Annotated contexts & current bibliography

Metal and Flesh – In this book, Olivier Dyens references texts such as Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto in order to describe the collision between technological and organic within communicative cultural networks, and the implications of this cyborg condition on the physicality of the body. He uses parables such as that of the Island of Doctor Moreau to analyse the plastic and continuously morphing qualities of the “cultural body” within the hybridised social connectivity of the digital era.

Self/Image – Amelia Jones investigates here the duality between selfhood and representation within a contemporary art context. She looks into the personal and political machinations behind depictions of the self, and contextualises the implications of the gaze within the fragmented ground between subject and object that comes with self-representation of the artist as an observed image.

Experimentation and Tradition – This article describes the ambitions and methodology of post-war Japanese avant-garde artist group Jikken Kōbō. The 14 members of the group included painters, a composer, a pianist, a photographer and an engineer – and together they created stage productions and exhibitions which crossed and combined the various corners of art disciplines in order to produce contemporary revitalisations of traditional performing art narratives. Their work acted as abstracted Japanese Noh performances, a new iteration of an old culture, while also incorporating elements of European theatre and an aesthetic influenced by Western Modernist art movements. Jikken Kōbō worked with culture as a medium for cross-disciplinary experimentation and an opportunity to create nonlinear narratives which were at once traditional and deconstructed.

Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis – This documentary looks at the history of the butoh dance form, from the wild and subversive first post-war butoh performances by Tatusmi Kijikata to more reserved and intentional contemporary artists and groups such as Sankai Juku. Numerous butoh performers give insight into their practice over footage of their performances, each describing the subconscious and symbolic gestures used to express the often abject beauty in the body’s everyday movements and distress. Many references are made to the theme of birth: the turmoil and tension in the performance like being in the womb as a prelude to expression, the metamorphosis between unconscious and conscious, the act of creating life through physicality. The body is seen by these artists as like a compositional device for drawing out an emotional response from the viewer, the end result of their actions often unknown and discovered by working through raw bodily expressions of deeply personal experiences.

Bibliography:

Dyens, O 2001, Metal and Flesh, MIT Press, Cambridge.

Jones, A 2006, Self/Image, Routledge, London.

Tezuka, M 2011, Experimentation and Tradition: The Avant-Garde Play Pierrot Lunaire by Jikken Kōbō and Takechi Tetsuji, Art Journal Open, < http://artjournal.collegeart.org/?p=2349>

Blackwood, M 1990, Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis, video, Michael Blackwood Productions, < https://rmit.kanopy.com/video/butoh-body-edge-crisis>.

Lee, P 2003, annotation by Phil Lee: ‘The Split between the Eye and the Gaze’, University of Chicago, <http://csmt.uchicago.edu/annotations/lacansplit.htm>.

Cruz, A 1997, ‘Movies, Monstrosities, and Masks’, in Cindy Sherman, Thames & Hudson, New York.

Exhibitions/artworks:

Halprin, A & Stubblefield, E 2003, Returning Home, video, Open Eye Pictures, < https://rmit.kanopy.com/video/returning-home>.

Nicola L 2017, Works, 1968 to the Present, retrospective exhibition, SculptureCenter, New York.

Bourgeois, L 2017, An Unfolding Portrait, retrospective exhibition, MOMA, New York.

Smith, D 2017, Origins & Innovations, retrospective exhibition, Hauser and Wirth, New York.

Lambe, C 2017, Mother Holding Something Horrific, exhibition, ACCA, Melbourne.

Franko B 2003, I Miss You, performance art piece, Tate Modern, London.

Artists:

Jikken Kōbō

Louise Bourgeois

Cindy Sherman

Claire Lambe

Franko B

Tacita Dean

Ah Xian

Christopher Kane

Anna Halprin

Adam Darius

Iasonas Kampanis

Gabriela Friðriksdóttir

Mariko Mori

Alexandra Bircken

Berlinde De Bruyckere

Huma Bhaba

David Noonan

Sebastian Bieniek

Olivier de Sagazan

Antony Gormley

Georgina Cue

Matthew Barney

[tryingfeminism2019]

Beyoncé’s feminism comes from her actions and her lyrics. “She is a part of a long lineage of Black women who use their voices to describe their feelings about being Black women and, through this process, give other Black women power from their messages” (Trier-Bieniek 124). By Beyoncé empowering other women through her lyrics, I believe she is a feminist.  Due to her embrace of feminism, Beyoncé begins to assimilate feminism. She opens the idea to feminism including more than just white women who are man haters. Beyoncé is married and therefore cannot be a man hater and she shows us that anyone can be feminist. One does not have to be in academia to claim to be part of the feminist movement. She has taken the word: FEMINIST and changed its negative connotation. She made it powerful, beautiful, and trendy, just as she changes the meaning of other words in her lyrics.

Beyoncé allows her lyrics to spark conversation and show insight into her views of “societal values, including soul music that is an expression of Black culture and descriptive of listeners’ experiences” (Trier-Bieniek 125-126). Beyoncé’s constant contradictions allows all to listen and be okay with her music because there are a variety of narratives within her songs, most of which conform to white standards or the standards of hip-hop. As her brand ages, she can embrace other meaning and become her own agent. Hip-hop has now become a “site of expression for Black girls and women [to be] used to develop a critique of “gender politics within communities of color” (Trier-Bieniek 129). Beyoncé and her predecessors have made it possible to explore gender politics through music and retake over the hypersexuality of the African American female body. According to a study done to look at the lyrics of Beyoncé’s first five albums, 38% of her music was labeled empowering meaning she portrayed women as being “treated properly in a relationship, preferably as an equal partner" (Trier-Bieniek 132). She also portrayed financial freedom from her lover when she glorified the power of being able to afford one’s own materialistic items. Beyoncé’s music has many mixed messages which is what makes studying her lyrics a challenge in identify who she is.

Her lyrics begin to reflect the different stage of her life and it is interesting to see this comparison in the study. For instance, her most empowering songs came from her B'Day album, which came out when she was starting Beyond Productions LLC to make her fashion line and increase her fame. Within this album Beyoncé is solely a business woman and has 10 out of 11 of the songs portray solely male traits. This album is her most empowering one, and it is sad she must take on a male narrative to be empowering. This relates back to post-feminism and how modern-day feminist are conforming to patriarchy norms and calling it feminism. The comparison of Beyoncé’s life and her lyrics was the most well executed part of the study, because the rest of it came up with no conclusion about how Beyoncé represents herself in lyrics. First off, Beyoncé is more than her lyrics and her songs also are more than just lyrics. She releases poignant music videos, which cause a lot of turmoil that her lyrics alone cannot. Beyoncé is queen Bey, but I would not say her lyrics are cultural artifacts which is what this study was planning to look at. Also, this study was flawed because in Beyoncé's lyrics she is often mocking how women are portrayed in hip-hop with the utilization of similar verbiage in a satirical way. Beyoncé's music has evolved throughout her career to reflect how she has grown up since her days in Destiny's Child, became a wife, and became a mom. She has changed and so has her music. For example, “Beyoncé’s fifth album, heralded by many as her most feminist, returned to having more songs categorized with male traits than female traits at 13–12, respectively. Yet, the album had the most couplings of male-female traits at nine songs, perhaps neutralizing the impression" (Trier-Bieniek 137). As Beyoncé grows she realizes there needs to be a mixing of female and male traits instead of one dominating to be feminist. While her music has evolved, "love, relationships and sex were the most dominant themes, with love being the most prominent" throughout all her albums (Trier-Bieniek 131). While the themes remain the same the context of love changes. Also, these themes remain the same because everyone can relate to them or wants them.  

Beyoncé must start somewhere as a solo artist which why her first album plays into the stereotypes of African American women within Hip-Hop. In the album, she defines herself as freak, earth mother, gangsta bitch, Black lady, diva, hood rat, and angry Black woman in 12 of the 15 songs on the album. She plays up these stereotypes because she and her agency think that is what people want to hear and she must get her name out there and be what her fans want. As time passes with the release of her next three albums only 14 songs on the next three albums include herself representation of hip-hop stereotypes. She changes her ways and can be who she wants to be, which differs from past female hip-hop artists. Not only does she break down female stereotypes in hip-hop, she also breaks down feminist stereotypes. She talks about women liking sex to break down the stereotypical man hating lesbian feminist. Also, Beyoncé sings about the power of sisterhood and the resistance of gender roles plays into the power dynamics between men and women. She makes many feminist and non-feminist statements in her lyrics, which is why this study concludes with no conclusion of her lyrics pointing to her as a feminist or not.

Beyoncé is unafraid to go against the status quo in “Listen”, she refuses to allow her dreams to be sidelines by her lovers, which is different than the typical behavior of destruction “to Black females emotions and self-esteem” (Trier-Bieniek 135). Unfortunately, while she breaks down the patriarchy she utilizes a man’s narrative and the master’s tools; however, she is in control.  But she portrays her control through gender role reversals, which enforces the notion that men have the power and it takes a woman acting like a man to be perceived as powerful. Beyoncé has male traits in 50% of her songs, which is why Queen Bey is accepted as forceful. "When Beyoncé’s lyrics were solely exhibiting female traits, she was overwhelmingly portrayed as dependent followed by dependent-submissive” (Trier-Bieniek 136). By portraying herself as dependent when in feministic tones, she perpetuates the stereotype of women relying on men for success. While she perpetuates a stereotype, she breaks down another barrier. "Beyoncé’s ability to be in this metaphorical space within pop culture is a powerful expression to the world" because typically the metaphorical space is only for white men to invade. (Trier-Bieniek 138).  Beyoncé opens yet another door in her lyrics for African American women by being able to be metaphorical. It is important to be able to enter the metaphorical space because to be metaphorical you must be able to define what the metaphor is. Beyoncé allows women to define themselves.

“Not everyone is feminist, not everything is feminist, not every comment or decision that a woman makes or takes is a feminist comment or a feminist choice.” In the case of Beyoncé, she self-identifies as a feminist" (Trier-Bieniek 139).  Not everyone can accept her personal self-labeling as a feminist due to the contradictions in her lyrics. While contradictions exist, they are mostly due to her growing into her role as a popstar. She relied on playing into what people wanted and the status quo of what an African American woman was supposed to be in hip-hop music, but she continues to evolve into a feminist mother as she ages. Her current music still has some hip-hop stereotypes in it but most of them are presented in a mocking way that feminists can pick up on and sexists can blissfully enjoy. Bell Hooks and other critiques would argue that because she labels herself as a feminist she needs to more blatantly reject the respectability politics, but I say let her appeal to whoever she wants, because she is empowering more women to see themselves as feminists.

Original Source: Trier-Bieniek, Adrienne. The Beyoncé Effect: Essays on Sexuality, Race and Feminism (p. 124-139). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[mitchtalksfeminism-blog]

Capitalism is to Feminism as Oil is to Water?

Hello again, it’s me. We live in a wonderful world where you could literally be reading Shakespeare’s original text for free, yet you somehow ended up here. For those of you that are new, thanks for stopping by. I hope you stay for a while. For the returners, your endless support and comments on the Blog inspire me every day. I do this for y’all (and the sponsorships). But enough with the sappy stuff, let’s get into it.

This blog has been taking a step by step approach to understanding the story that is Feminism today, so let’s retrace our steps a bit to understand where we are headed today. In week one, we concluded that to properly understand any movement you need to understand where it has been. Thus, we traced the origins of feminism to understand the foundation that the movement stands upon today. Secondly, we determined that you can’t tell a story without characters. This took us to last week’s post which was an in-depth examination of some of the biggest “characters” associates with feminism, the icons of the movement.

The blog up to this point has given the backstory to feminism as well as an introduction to some of the most important characters. This week we are going to cover another aspect of any good narrative, conflict. This unit was titled “Feminism and the Problem of Capitalism,” which specifically focused the conflict that occurs between the two ideologies. We will examine how the mismatching opinions on capitalism have fragmented the feminism movement, turning some of the most prominent feminist leaders against one another. 

This post, similarly to the last one, will mirror the movement of the class. We will also begin with a reflection on some of the documents from and about the modern icons of feminism and how their image and message is impacted by capitalism. I will reflect on some of these documents and media sources in order highlight the impact that capitalism has on the feminist movement today.

Week 8:

The readings this week serve as the introduction to where feminism is at today with a special focus on some of the problems that divide the movement today, namely capitalism. In this section, I’m going to discuss three of the four articles that we read, the fourth will be discussed a bit later. The articles include: “The Combahee River Collective Statement” from the Combahee River Collective, “Wannabe Feminist” by Amy Richards, and “The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House” by Audre Lorde.

I will start with the first two articles because I believe that they do a good job of explaining where feminism is at as a whole movement as well as the modern day black feminist movement. Richard’s uses her article to reflect on the great progress that many feminists of the of the past, that we have reflected on previously, have made before moving into what’s next for the feminists of the day. One section that I found to be worth sharing comes when Richards reflects that “Meghan Trainor’s catchy song “No,” Beyoncé quoting Chimamanda Adichie, Transparent awakening America to trans people, and Charlize Theron demanding pay equity could only happen as a consequence of an increasingly feminist-infused world. More people identify as feminist today than ever before, and more people have found ways to challenge what we have otherwise been told was inevitable” (209). She celebrates the great progress that we have made as a society to have some of these great feminist pieces of media and the difference that it has made. One clear change that has been made is that more people are willing to identify as a feminist, marking the ability of some to overcome the feminist paradox that we talked about during week one. This aspect of representation of feminist figures was something that Richards reflected upon heavily when she noted the importance of “owning one’s sense of self hasn’t yet been in great abundance. Women in other generations frequently lamented that you can’t be what you can’t see; seeing (and singing) it—in all its clumsiness—can lead to being it” (210). It is important to think about who your role models are and the media that you allow yourself to consume in this media-driven day may change your possible future outcomes.

A large portion of this unit focuses on feminism and the problems that it faces today and the “Combahee River Collective Statement” helps contextualize these problems with an intersectional focus. The Combahee River Collective is a group of black, female feminists that are out to fight for equality for all regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation; however, the coalition never forgets its roots as black feminists when they add how they “see Black feminism as the logical political movement to combat the manifold and simultaneous oppressions that all women of color face” (1). There is much to be taken from their powerful statement; however, I’m going to reflect on a couple of key lines that refer to capitalism in the theme of the week. The collective made a definitive statement that they “realize that the liberation of all oppressed peoples necessitates the destruction of the political-economic systems of capitalism and imperialism as well as patriarchy” (5). Thus, they fall into the radical feminist category of Bell Hooks in which the belief is held that we cannot have any equality until we defeat establishment. I did find it interesting that they clearly think that a revolution needs to occur, they understand that it needs to be done correctly as they noted that they “are not convinced, however, that a socialist revolution that is not also a feminist and anti-racist revolution will guarantee our liberation” (5).  

In the final article, Lorde goes into the struggle that woman face today. She reflects on the impact is felt by marginalized women, women “who stand outside the circle of this society's definition of acceptable women; those of us who have been forged in the crucibles of difference -- those of us who are poor, who are lesbians, who are Black, who are older” (2). These are the people and, more specifically the women that are left out and marginalized by society as seen by Lorde and she wants to make a difference. She has seen the nature of society and calls for feminists to be radical rather than fitting in as a product of society. In this call, she notes that “the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change” (2). Thus, Lorde calls for women to stop playing within the “master’s” game but rather to step out and fight for the equality that the feminist movement has always desired.

Week 10:

During week 8, we did a couple of things, but the biggest of which was gain insights into why many feminists in particular believe that it impossible to further the ideas of the movement while playing the game of capitalism. This week we look more specifically at how divisive of an issue capitalism can be with an examination of Queen Bey. We read and listened to some of the most influential, academic feminists of the day speaking on one of the most recognizable icons of our generation and (Spoiler alert) not all of them are as big of fans of her as you are.

The discussion this week began with readings from Adrienne Trier-Bieniek’s book, The Beyoncé Effect, in which Trier-Bieniek has collected some of the top essays written about Bey in order to organize the widespread academic discussion the pop icon. The first of these essays that we took a look into was “Feminists Debate Beyoncé” by Janell Hobson. In this article, Hobson outlines the opposing groups of thought that divide the feminist movement on the ~issue~ of Beyoncé. According to Hobson, there are “some [that] consider her too aligned with accepted patriarchal and white supremacist standards of beauty and femininity,” while “some see her as too commercial and part of a neoliberal corporate structure that undermines feminist agendas” (11). While Beyoncé has clearly become one of the most visible feminist icons of the day, many within the movement wonder if she will actually be able to bring the changes that the movement hopes for or if she is in too deep using the “masters tool” to ever actually bring change.

In this piece, Hobson brings to light a couple of important questions that I think deserve to be asked again, the most important of which is: “Is there a space for commercially mass-marketed feminism that could co-exist alongside radical feminism?” (21). While it is clear to see that Beyoncé may fit some of the societal standards that put her on the path to success, it is important to understand the impact that Beyoncé has had rather than just totally discount her. Beyoncé has done a lot for feminism, and more specifically black feminist around the world. By taking on the title of Feminist rather than Womanist or Black Feminist as many before her had done, Beyoncé has been a leader in pushing the ideals of creating an intersectional identity for modern feminism. Hobson reflects on this when she notes that “Beyoncé’s Ms. cover provides the necessary ‘facelift’ for a multiracial feminism” (24).  This article sets the tone for the rest of the day by outlining the debate that surrounds Beyoncé: is she actually an impactful feminist icon or is she merely good at playing the master’s game?

The next two articles also continue the discussion of Beyoncé, covering the important topics of (audience) gaze and (celebrity) agency. The first of which was “Policing Beyoncé’s Body: Whose Body is This Anyway?” by Noel Siqi Duan. This is the article in which Duan discussed the manner in which Beyoncé is able to control the gaze of the audience. This idea is ever more important as critics attack Beyoncé for the hyper-sexual nature of her performances. This idea is perhaps best captured when Duan reflects on Beyonce’s Super Bowl Performance and notes that “it was a ‘sexy’ performance by any traditional definition of the word: the clothes were tight and the dancing was provocative. But it was self-fashion sexualization that she commanded with her own body” (59). Duan continues the discussion by contrasting this performance with the often sexualized commercials used during the same Super Bowl in which the women who were commodified for the commercial gain of a corporation held no control of the gaze. This is an important power the Beyoncé brings to the table that many feminist critics either overlook or downplay when critiquing Beyonce’s performances. “Beyoncé reverses the panoptic vision of the male gaze… she is commanding your attention” (58). This quote was one that really just stuck out to me whilst reading the essay and I feel like you needed to read to best get an understand of this concept of Beyoncé controlling the gaze of the audience.

The idea of agency discussed by Kristin Lieb in her essay, “I’m Not Myself Lately: The Erosion of the Beyoncé Brand,” has been one of the key ideas that I have really been struggling with trying to come to grips with. Agency is essentially the ability of a person to act in a situation. This article applies the concept of agency to Beyoncé in order to get a better understanding of if Beyoncé is successful because of the person that she is, or if she is a product of the society that we live in today. This question was an interesting one to me and was highlighted by Lieb when she noted that sure some of Queen Bey’s endless power comes from “the swagger of her songs and performances, her powerful physique, etc.” however, Lieb follows this up by saying that Bey is “relentlessly conformist, a clear product of patriarchy and what it celebrates” (90). While we often think that people rise to their position because of their hard work or special abilities, it is impossible to overlook some of the “prerequisites” that some people carry on the path to success. Lieb ascribes to the ideas of Bell Hooks (whom we will talk about in just a moment, don’t you worry) by noting that at least a portion of Beyonce’s agency falls on society as she has simply been good at “playing the game” that is the music industry today. While she is black, she is light-skinned and blonde-ized to the point where many people even forgot that she was black (Click on the video below to watch the live reaction of some people finding out that Beyoncé is black). These as well as some other attributes fit her into the standards of the music industry and our stardom and have led feminists to ask if she will ever to be impactful while she is so stuck using the master’s tools.

Now I am going to spend some time reflecting on the words of Bell Hooks and what she has to say on the matters of Beyoncé as she is one of the most vocal feminist critics of her. I will be referring to a couple specific parts of a panel discussion that I have pasted a video of below that you can skip around within to see what part I am talking about.

The first moment I am going to want you to see occurs at around the 47:35 mark in the video, and is perhaps what Bell Hooks is most notorious for. This is the moment on the panel in which Bell Hooks calls Beyoncé a terrorist. While she may have been being a touch provocative in this moment for the sake of creating better discussion, I believe that this is the best introduction that you can get into Hooks. She does not really care if Beyoncé, or anyone for that matter, is half-way in on feminism. She believes that to be totally in on the cause you have to be radical and antiestablishment because there will never be any changes made as long as they are playing with the master’s tools. I could talk about this more but I have a feeling that I’m going to be reflecting on Hooks in some regard a bit later in the blog as well so stay tuned. One final part of the discussion that I think is worth sharing occurs from 10:06-12:10. Here Hooks discusses the box that society often tries to put people in and that there will never be any real changes unless to are able to escape this box. This is partially why hooks does not see Beyoncé as someone that will be able to make change for the movement. Below is an actual image of what Hooks thinks about when she hears the word Beyoncé.

Week 11:

In week 10, we led an introduction into the problem that many feminists in particular have with Beyoncé in regard to her capitalistic nature. Many believe that she is a product of strict conformity to capitalist and patriarchal values that have impacted her rise to success, making her a ~terrorist~ to any real progress the feminist movement may want to make. This, while a very provocative view, was a view that strongly divided opinions surrounding Queen Bey. However, people change as they mature and it would be interesting to see how these opinions may or may not have changed after Beyoncé released some of her most recent music, namely her album “Lemonade.” So, this week we took an in-depth examination into Beyonce’s work to modernize the discussion that we had last week.

To start of the discussion this week, we looked at a modern take on this issue at hand concerning Beyoncé as a feminist in the form “Beyoncé, A feminist or a Capitalist?” by L. Ashley. This post was written in response to “Lemonade” and attempts to address the central question that we have been juggling with of is it possible to be a capitalist and a feminist? While Ashley admits to always looking up to Beyoncé as a respectable and powerful woman, she does not let the analysis go another line before giving her definitive answer of NO. Ashley cites the responses of Bell Hooks as her guiding light, believing that “Beyoncé’s performance does not solve any of the core issues Feminism wishes to resolve such as: issues of domination or changing the patriarchal structure of society.” Rather than solving any problems, Ashley actually exposes Beyoncé for creating imaging that plays into the angry black woman stereotype in an emotional reaction to Jay-Z cheating on her. While this is power to be consumed by the general public, it simply builds hype and generates revenue for Beyoncé rather than truly helping the feminist cause. This is certainly something that Beyoncé would contend and we will examine further as we discuss the other sources looked at for this week.

As part of the media we had to consume for this week we had the assignment (and the pleasure) of watching video Lemonade that Beyoncé produced. After watching the trailer, I was a bit creeped out but the imaging is powerful and I highly recommend that you overcome the feeling of watching the trailer to watch the whole hour and five-minute video. It is something that I think most everyone can enjoy, even you Bell Hooks, as we follow the emotions felt by Beyoncé as she delivers the story behind the album. This was an extremely powerful and more radical (your welcome bell hooks) album delivered by Beyoncé that inspired the SNL clip that we included earlier in the blog. I unfortunately could not find a link to the whole video to share for y’all but I 10/10 recommend that you sign up for a free trial of Tidal to watch it. Just don’t forget to cancel your subscription. While there is certainly a lot to cover in the video, we are going to spend this entry following the pattern of the other readings, but I will leave you with the last line that Beyoncé says in the video: “…the best revenge is your paper.” (*insert mic drop here*) It is clear that Beyoncé disagrees with Ashley and Bell Hooks, calling women to aspire for the freedom, power, and independence that comes with money.

The final two sources that we had to have read delve even more specifically into Queen Bey’s “Lemonade” by focusing on the final and, arguably, the most powerful song on the album, “Formation.” I have left the music video below for your viewing pleasure so that you may better understand the points made by authors following.

While I think both of the authors we read would believe that Beyoncé deserves to be celebrated for “Formation,” they certainly have varying opinions on the piece. The first article on “Formation” was “Cultural References & Critique Of Beyonce’s Formation” by Jouelzy. In this piece, Jouelzy speaks from the point of view of an educated black woman and believes wholeheartedly the Beyoncé should be celebrated as an icon of feminists and especially of black women. She notes that while radical feminists get on Bey for not doing enough for the movement, Beyoncé is just doing things differently. Jouelzy states that “Beyoncé has no responsibility in carrying your hand and directly educating you. That’s not her function as a musician and entertainer. But she used her music to spark an important conversation.” While she may not be as radical and non-conformist as Bell Hooks would always like, it is clear that Beyoncé stepped out to make a statement for women and black women specifically that sparked conversation of a widespread scale that few could match. For this reason, Jouelzy leaves the final reflection that “Formation is 4 minutes and 52 seconds of glorious Black womaness…I was overjoyed, happy, elated and revitalized to see all that imagery of free Black women. From the artwork in the house, the fro’d out and Gucci’d down dancers. I teared up and bellowed with pride. What a time to be black, woman and alive. Now catch my fly and my cocky fresh!”

The final article that we read was “The strange contradiction in Beyoncé’s new song ‘Formation’” by Jeff Guo. In this article, Guo similarly believes that Beyoncé should be celebrated for Formation; however, Guo goes a step further in order to actually question the message and motives of Bey in the song. Guo challenges the assertion made by Beyoncé that she can be a black Bill Gates on the grounds that growing up middle class and white is infinitely different than growing up black in America. Beyoncé pushes the message that you have to work hard and then you will make money and achieve your dreams; however, this is a message that does not always apply to black people in America. Guo once again reflection on the marginalization and suppression brought on by our capitalistic society. One final point that Guo brings to the table that I think is worth reflecting on is the consideration of Beyonce’s motives. Guo notes that Beyoncé “waited until black politics was so undeniably commercial that she could make a market out of it.” While Beyoncé made this song as a symbol for black power, you have to question the timing of the release, was it simply a genius economic capitalization on a societal trend by a “relentless conformist?” Or was this actually Beyoncé trying to forward the movement? Something to consider.

Pop Culture Application:

We have spent a lot of time talking about Beyoncé this week; however, it is important to recognize that she is no longer the only black, feminist icon that has a large following on the music scene today. Just as Beyoncé followed on the efforts of Etta James and Queen Latifah, new black artists have been able to expand upon the ground that has been gained by Beyoncé in society today. One of the most prominent of those black artists today is Nicki Minaj. So, in this section we are going to examine Nicki Minaj and her brand of feminism with a particular interest on her video “Anaconda.” During this examination, we will look at the development of Minaj’s brand and criticism of said brand from academics such as… Bell Hooks.

Before we watch “Anaconda” and get into an examination and discussion of Minaj, it is important to first give an introduction into the Minaj brand of feminism. In order to do this, we will take a look at “Nicki Minaj and the Changing Politics of Hip-Hop: Real Blackness, Real Bodies, Real Feminism?” by Margaret Hunter and Alhelí Cuenca. This most important and impressive aspect of what Minaj has been able to achieve in her career is described by the authors as able to fill the role of both the rapper and the “video vixen.” Minaj has built her brand on the hyper-femininity and hyper-sexualization to sarcastically capitalize on the male gaze of her audience while maintaining her agency. This idea of “selling” her body as product to be gazed upon by her consumers was reflected upon, the authors noting that “Minaj trafficks in her own images, inviting viewers to consume her body in ways previously unimagined. Minaj also “brands” her own feminism, forcing us to re-examine the intersection of black sexuality, mass-marketing, and liberation” (42). While she is sexualizing her body and her brand, it is important to understand who is in control and who is ultimately winning in this situation. This is clearly something the Minaj and Beyoncé hold over us.

One final thing to note from the article was the development of Minaj’s feminism today. The authors state that:

“Minaj is able to offer a digestible amount of feminism through some lines in her rap, and then cloak it in a princess framework that obscures what she is actually saying. This formula has made her enormously successful because she appeals to fans of all types who can consume her lyrics and images and take the pieces that are consistent with their own gender norms.” (42)

Is this Minaj brand of feminism any better than Beyoncé in the eyes of Bell Hooks?

Lets Explore…

Admittedly, before taking this class I would have never thought of Nicki Minaj as a prominent feminist. I still struggled with the idea of that even as we began class discussion on Minaj. I have always struggled with the idea of this: just because you do something sarcastically does not mean that you didn’t do it. (see the example of this below) Just because Mark Wahlberg learned how to dance with a sarcastic motivation, he still knows how to dance.

What I mean by this is that while we, as ~woke~ individuals may have an understanding of the high-level sarcasm that Minaj is working with, more members of the general public may get stuck on the surface level imaging that features hyper-sexualization and hyper-femininity of the Minaj brand. Does this too take away from her ability as a feminist just as it impacts Beyoncé? In the eyes of Bell Hooks, yes.

The radical feminist, Hooks, reacted to the “Anaconda” video that we just watched in an article, “Feminist bell hooks Critiques Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’” by Diana Veiga (The link to the article is here: http://clutchmagonline.com/2014/10/feminist-bell-hooks-critiques-beyonce-nicki-minajs-anaconda/). In this article, Veiga includes Hooks reaction to Minaj in which she is once again disgusted with the actions of the black, pop icons of the day. Hooks groups Minaj with Beyoncé.

Hooks criticizes Minaj for the sexualization of her body once again; however, I found the distinction of the butt as an interesting topic. Minaj’s focus on the butt is more of a “PG-13” thing that the audience can see, but it is also something that is always on show and tougher to control the gaze of the audience. Finally, just as you may have near the end of the video, Hooks closes her analysis by reacting with: “I was like, this shit is boring. What does it mean? Is there something that I’m missing that’s happening here?”

Just as there seems to be a break between Bell Hooks and the modern pop, feminists of the day, there is a clear misunderstanding of what it means to be a feminist today. Feminism is built of the idea of empowerment and being able to carry yourself in the way that you want, with the primary drive of equality for all people at the heart of it. This seems to be something that is lost today as many within the feminist movement seem to be turning against each other about how to be the best feminist rather than continuing to move toward the equality and empowerment that they all believe in.

Veiga had a good statement on this in which she reflected on what IS important to remember when looking at the feminism of Minaj and Beyoncé, summarizing that:

“What does matter is not necessarily that every woman conduct themselves the same, view sexuality and pleasure the same, but that we have the option to be different and define our individual power. There will always be a male wanting to gaze and we should create for ourselves the opportunities and freedom to give a thousand different views of womanhood, femininity, and feminism so he can have no opinion, no say so on how things should be.”

[jordannamatlon]

In 1994, Ann duCille proclaimed that black feminism occupies a precarious status within the academy, due, in part, to its lack of a disciplinary home and the pervasive denigration of black feminist intellectual and affective labor. More than two decades later, black feminism’s status is equally, if not more, precarious, particularly as it has been relegated to the bastion of identity politics, a designation every rigorous critic now regards as passé. At the same time, amidst growing concerns around the ontological status of black life, the neoliberal rollback of civil rights gains, and persistent theorizations of post-911 conditions, activists, scholars, and cultural critics alike are reaching back for and stretching out toward black feminist analytics, methods, and politics. They have lauded the import of black feminism’s theorization(s) of historical and current conditions, asserting that black feminism cultivates inroads to freedom. Toward this end, critics have attempted to harness and actualize black feminist futures, as suggested by the various activist projects, special journal issues and articles, and performance workshops that have brandished some iteration of the appellation “black feminist future(s).”

*This is a list of of books–published in 2016–that were compiled for the Black Feminist Futures Symposium at Northwestern University. The Black Feminist Futures Symposium, organized by Shoniqua Roach, Chelsea M. Frazier, and Brittnay Proctor, took place on Friday, May 20th-Saturday, May 21st, 2016 at the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art (Northwestern University, Evanston Campus). The symposium invested in generating a radically interdisciplinary conversation that engages questions around black feminist futurity. Participants surveyed interdisciplinary discourses within and beyond the field of black feminist theory to investigate the conditions of possibility for black feminist futurity within the academy. Speakers included Kara Keeling, Omise’eke Tinsley, Kai M. Green, Vanessa Agard-Jones, Jayna Brown, Nicole Fleetwood, C. Riley Snorton, Zakiyyah Jackson, Tina Campt, Jafari Allen, Matt Richardson, Cathy Cohen, Treva Lindsey, Roderick Ferguson, Monica Miller, and Aliyyah Abdur-Rahman.

*This list originally appeared in BCALA Newsletter (Spring 2017) and has been reprinted with permission. 

Adams, Betty L. Black Women’s Christian Activism: Seeking Social Justice in a Northern Suburb. NY: New York University Press, 2016.

Adeniji-Neill, Dolapo, and Anne M. N. Mungai. Written in Her Own Voice: Ethno-educational Autobiographies of Women in Education.  NY: Peter Lang, 2016.

Alexander, Danny. Real Love, No Drama: The Music of Mary J. Blige. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2016.

Barnes, Riché J. D. Raising the Race: Black Career Women Redefine Marriage, Motherhood, and Community. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2016.

Berger, Iris. Women in Twentieth-Century Africa. NY: Cambridge University Press, 2016.

Black Women’s Portrayals on Reality Television: The New Sapphire, edited by Donnetrice Allison. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2016.

Barcella, Laura and Pierre Summer. Fight Like a Girl: 50 Feminists Who Changed the World. San Francisco, CA: Zest Books, 2016.

Baszile, Denise T. Race, Gender, and Curriculum Theorizing: Working in Womanish Ways. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2016.

Bell-Scott, Patricia. The Firebrand and the First Lady: Portrait of a Friendship: Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice. NY: Alfred A Knopf, 2016.

Brier, Jennifer, Jim Downs, and Jennifer L. Morgan. Connexions: Histories of Race and Sex in North America. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2016.

Bryant-Davis, Thema, and Lillian Comas-Díaz. Womanist and Mujerista Psychologies: Voices of Fire, Acts of Courage. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2016.

Buckner, Jocelyn L. A Critical Companion to Lynn Nottage. London: Routledge, 2016.

Callahan, Vicki, and Virginia Kuhn. Future Texts: Subversive Performance and Feminist Bodies. Anderson, SC: Parlor Press, 2016.

Carastathis, Anna. Intersectionality: Origins, Contestations, Horizons. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2016.

Carey, Tamika L. Rhetorical Healing: The Reeducation of Contemporary Black Womanhood. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2016.

Clark. Jawanza Eric, editor. Albert B. Cleage Jr. and the Legacy of the Black Madonna and Child. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.

Cooper, Brittney, Morris, Susana M., and Boylorn, Robin M. The Crunk Feminist Collection. NY: Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 2017. [Kindle ed. Dec. 2016]

Courtney, Jarrett. Not Your Momma’s Feminism: Introduction to Women’s Gender Studies. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt, 2016.

Crowder, Stephanie R. Buckhanon. When Momma Speaks: The Bible and Motherhood from a Womanist Perspective. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2016.

Cruz, Ariane. The Color of Kink: Black Women, BDSM, and Pornography. NY: New York University Press, 2016.

David, Marlo D. Mama’s Gun: Black Maternal Figures and the Politics of Transgression. Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 2016.

David, Miriam E. Reclaiming Feminism: Challenging Everyday Misogyny. Bristol: Policy Press, 2016.

Davis, Angela Y. and Frank Barat. Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2016.

Day, Keri. Religious Resistance to Neoliberalism: Womanist and Black Feminist Perspectives.  Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.

DuRocher, Kristina. Ida B. Wells: Social Reformer and Activist. NY: Routledge, 2016.

Edwin, Shirin. Privately Empowered: Expressing Feminism in Islam in Northern Nigerian Fiction. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 2016.

Ennaji, Moha, Fatima Sadiqi, and Karen Vintges. Moroccan Feminisms: New Perspectives. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2016.

Feminist Perspectives on Orange Is the New Black: Thirteen Critical Essays, edited by April Kalogeropoulos Householder and Adrienne Trier-Bieniek. Jefferson, NC: Mcfarland, 2016.

Gammage, Marquita M. Representations of Black Women in the Media: The Damnation of Black Womanhood. NY: Routledge, 2016.

Etienne, Jan. Learning in Womanist Ways: Narratives of First Generation African Caribbean Women. London: Trentham Books, 2016.

Falcón, Sylvanna M. Power Interrupted: Antiracist and Feminist Activism Inside the United Nations. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2016.

Fordham, Signithia. Downed by Friendly Fire: Black Girls, White Girls, and Suburban Schooling. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2016.

Garvey, Amy J, and Louis J. Parascandola. Amy Jacques Garvey: Selected Writings from the Negro World, 1923-1928. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 2016.

Gentles-Peart, Kamille. Romance with Voluptuousness: Caribbean Women and Thick Bodies in the United States. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2016.

Goett, Jennifer. Black Autonomy: Race, Gender, and Afro-Nicaraguan Activism. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2016.

Gumbs, Alexis P. Spill: Scenes of Black Feminist Fugitivity. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.

Gumbs, Alexis P, China Martens, and Mai’a Williams. Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines. Oakland, CA: PM Press, 2016.

Haley, Sarah. No Mercy Here: Gender, Punishment, and the Making of Jim Crow Modernity. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2016.

Harris, LaShawn. Sex Workers, Psychics, and Numbers Runners: Black Women in New York City’s Underground Economy. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2016.

Harwell, Osizwe R. This Woman’s Work: The Writing and Activism of Bebe Moore Campbell. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2016.

Hayes, Diana L. No Crystal Stair: Womanist Spirituality. Maryknoll: Orbis Bks, 2016.

Hinton, Laura. Jayne Cortez, Adrienne Rich, and the Feminist Superhero: Voice, Vision, Politics, and Performance in U.S. Contemporary Women’s Poetics. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2016.

Hobson, Janell, editor.  Are All the Women Still White?: Rethinking Race, Expanding Feminisms. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2016.

Hogan, Kristen. The Feminist Bookstore Movement: Lesbian Antiracism and Feminist Accountability. Durham: Duke University Press, 2016.

Hosein, Gabrielle, and Parpart, Jane. Negotiating Gender, Policy and Politics in the Caribbean: Feminist Strategies, Masculinist Resistance and Transformational Possibilities. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc., 2016.

Hossein, Caroline Shenaz. Politicized Microfinance: Money, Power, and Violence in the Black Americas. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2016.

Joseph, Gloria I. The Wind Is Spirit: The Life, Love and Legacy of Audre Lorde. [n.p.]: Villarosa Media, 2016.

Juanita, Judy. De Facto Feminism: Essays Straight Outta Oakland. Oakland, CA: EquiDistance Press, 2016.

Kovalova, Karla, Black Feminist Literary Criticism: Past and Present. NY: Peter Lang, 2016.

Lee, Shetterly M. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race. NY: William Morrow, 2016.

Macagnan, Clea B. Council Women and Corporate Performance in the Brazilian Capital Market. NY: Nova Science Publishers, 2016.

Marshall, Melinda M, and Tai Wingfield. Ambition in Black + White: The Feminist Narrative Revised. Los Angeles: Rare Bird Books, 2016.

McKinnon, Sara L. Gendered Asylum: Race and Violence in U.S. Law and Politics. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2016.

Mitchell, Michael, and David Covin. Broadening the Contours in the Study of Black Politics. Political Development and Black Women. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction, 2016.

Mocombe, Paul C, Carol Tomlin, and Victoria Showunmi. Jesus and the Streets: The Loci of Causality for the Intra-Racial Gender Academic Achievement Gap in Black Urban America and the United Kingdom. Lanham: University Press of America, Inc., 2016.

Morris, Monique W. Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools. NY: The New Press, 2016.

Nnaemeka, Obioma, and Jennifer T. Springer. Unraveling Gender, Race & Diaspora. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2016.

Noble, Safiya U, and Brendesha M. Tynes. The Intersectional Internet: Race, Sex, Class and Culture Online. NY: Peter Lang, 2016.

Otovo, Okezi T. Progressive Mothers, Better Babies: Race, Public Health, and the State in Brazil, 1850-1945. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2016.

Porter, Kathey, and Andrea Hoffman. 50 Billion Dollar Boss: African American Women Sharing Stories of Success in Entrepreneurship and Leadership. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.

Robinson, Phoebe. You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain. NY: Plume Book, 2016.

Romeo, Sharon. Gender and the Jubilee: Black Freedom and the Reconstruction of Citizenship in Civil War Missouri. Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 2016.

Sanders, Crystal. A Chance for Change: Head Start and Mississippi’s Black Freedom Struggle. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2016.

Scanlon, Jennifer. Until There Is Justice: The Life of Anna Arnold Hedgeman. NY: Oxford University Press, 2016.

Short, Ellen L, and Leo Wilton. Talking About Structural Inequalities in Everyday Life: New Politics of Race in Groups, Organizations, and Social Systems. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc., 2016.

Sinha, Manisha. The Slave’s Cause: A History of Abolition. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2016.

Staples, Jeanine M. The Revelations of Asher: Toward Supreme Love in Self: (This Is an Endarkened, Feminist, New Literacies Event). NY: Peter Lang, 2016.

Thomlinson, Natalie. Race, Ethnicity and the Women’s Movement in England, 1968-1993. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.

Threadcraft, Shatema. Intimate Justice: The Black Female Body and the Body Politic. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016.

Trier-Bieniek, Adrienne. The Beyonce Effect: Essays on Sexuality, Race and Feminism. Jefferson, NC: McFarland Publishing, 2016.

Vaccaro, Annemarie, and Melissa Camba-Kelsay. Centering Women of Color in Academic Counterspaces: A Critical Race Analysis of Teaching, Learning, and Classroom Dynamics. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2016.

Wagner-Martin, Linda. Maya Angelou: Adventurous Spirit: from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970) to Rainbow in the Cloud, the Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou (2014). NY: Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., 2016.

Walker-McWilliams, Marcia. Reverend Addie Wyatt: Faith and the Fight for Labor, Gender, and Racial Equality. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2016.

Ward, Stephen M. In Love and Struggle: The Revolutionary Lives of James and Grace Lee Boggs. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2016.

Whaley, Deborah E. Black Women in Sequence: Re-inking Comics, Graphic Novels, and Anime. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2016.

Williamson, Terrion L. Scandalize My Name: Black Feminist Practice and the Making of Black Social Life. Bronx, NY: Fordham University Press, 2016.

Winters, Lisa Z. The Mulatta Concubine: Terror, Intimacy, Freedom, and Desire in the Black Transatlantic. Athens The University of Georgia Press, 2016.

Wright, Nazera Sadiq. Black Girlhood in the Nineteenth Century. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2016.

[cocodyt-blog]

Statement of Assessment2

My chosen research topic is about rebellious acts and creative rebellion. My Assessment2 is based on an extension of Assessment1 to explore rebellion on the monitor - TRICK ON CAMERA. (As for my Assessment1, I started from my own life experience and focused on monitoring cultural to explore the relationship between the surveillance and human’s privacy, responding to rebellion on the camera with the inspiration by Adam Harvey’s artwork, “Stealth Wear” which enables the wearer to avert overhead thermal surveillance.) Nowadays the monitoring culture becomes a main current and actually most people already accept the life style full of the authoritarian surveillance. However, I wanna challenge this kind of obedience. Besides “Stealth Wear”, “CV Dazzle” is another one of Adam Harvey’s artworks which also challenges authoritarian surveillance technologies. “Computer Vision Dazzle” is a kind of camouflage which uses the character of the camera - capturing; it uses bold patterning to break apart the expected features targeted by computer vision algorithms. During year2010 to around 2013, at that time the face detection was based on some key visual features of human’s face; CV Dazzle works by altering the expected dark and light areas of a face according to the vulnerabilities of a specific computer vision algorithm; this means that CV Dazzle alters the features by makeup to lead the unsuccessful face detection and then causes the recognition of human face to fail. While the technology staff were busy with developing the technology of face recognition, Adam Harvey bended himself to artwork which was anti to it. I also want to create artwork that is anti to the technology of camera to reveal rebellion on camera, to explore resistance to authoritarian surveillance in life. My final work is called “Trick On Camera”, in form of a set of four photos; its  idea is similar with CV Dazzle. The camera always contain the function of facial recognition/face detection; even some camera Apps develop this function and achieve that when the camera detects human face, some funny interesting stickers will appear on face to bring the joy while taking photos. My work aims to interfere the facial recognition of the camera, to cause the failure of the face detection so that my work is called “Trick On Camera”. In my final work, I use three different ways; for the four photos, one is original figure, and the other three are figures with some processes on face. ·Covering on face: Hair and silvery paper cover key visual features on face ·Disorganising facial sense organs: More three paper eyes, two paper noses and two paper mouths are in disrupted order on face ·Blearing the key visual features: Colourful paintings blear eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth and cheeks These three ways alter my visual features on face then disturb the camera detecting my face. As I use B612Camera for which once human face is detected the funny sticker appears, I create three photos without funny stickers. That means these three ways help me hide from face recognition successfully. In the current society people always seek for developed technology, however, people’s normal life is under monitoring for where the technology is developed. People in city get used to this life style and ignore the problem that their privacy is violated “reasonably”. Adam Harvey bended himself to artworks to escape from government’s authoritarian surveillance, exploring a kind of rebellion based on creative art. As for my Assessment2, I also explore the rebellion to a part of the surveillance - the function of facial recognition. Although the developed technology for monitoring brings benefits to human living, to some degree it also limits people’s life. The rebellion to facial recognition shown as a trick on camera exposes my challenge to the surveillance in life which already became a normality.

Reference List:

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/10/5-ways-to-hide-from-common-surveillance-tech/

https://cvdazzle.com

https://www.yellowtrace.com.au/doublefaced-by-sebastian-bieniek/

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/07/makeup/374929/

https://ahprojects.com/projects/cv-dazzle/

http://www.jianshu.com/p/222322eae68f（in Chinese）

http://dismagazine.com/dystopia/evolved-lifestyles/8115/anti-surveillance-how-to-hide-from-machines/

https://qz.com/878820/new-camouflage-promises-to-make-you-unrecognizable-to-facial-recognition-technology/

http://www.i-programmer.info/news/81-web-general/2838-cv-dazzle-how-to-hide-from-face-recognition-.html

·D H Flaherty, Protecting Privacy in Surveillance Societies, 1989

·Brunton, Finn, and He len Nissenbaum.  Obfuscation: A User's Guide for Privacy and Protest. Mit Press, 2015

[b1en1ek]

Sebstian Bieniek (B1EN1EK),“Doublefaced No. 2”, 2013. Face-Paint photography. From the series “Doublefaced 2013”. New website ➔ www.B1EN1EK.com