womenandviolenceblog

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Final Portfolio Relflection

Final Portfolio Reflection

Going into this course, I knew I would be presented with stories of Latina women and their struggles they have faced. I chose the course because I want to educate myself on what people, women especially who come from different backgrounds experience daily. In my future career I’ll be exposed to many different types of people, and they are going to rely on me for help, so I want to start by learning about their cultures so that I can connect with them on a deeper level. 

            Some of the stories that we learned about in the course really opened my eyes to how strong and resilient women are. Frida’s story taught me to take your pain and experiences and turn them into something beautiful. Although she had a husband who was unfaithful and medical issues, she kept a smile on her face and continued to create art and with that art she told her stories. 

            The treatment that women experience daily proves that we still have more to accomplish for women’s rights and their protection. Violence against women is prevalent and the violence isn’t always physical. One of the movies I watched during the semester exposed the advertising industry and how they display women in such a negative way. Their advertisement also sends out an unhealthy message to everyone who views it. Women deserve better from the entertainment industry.

            I respect and value the material from this course. I have gained some knowledge about Latina women and the violence that they face daily. My regret is that I didn’t put more time and effort into learning more about the material that was given to me. Some of the reading material didn’t spark my interest, but I also didn’t give it a fair chance. If I had the opportunity, I would take the course again only if I had a lighter load. I can tell that there is so much thought and effort put into this course and it’s not something that anyone should take for granted. 

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Entre Nos/ Between us

Marianna’s story is the sad reality of a immigrant who is also a single mother trying to survive so that her and her kids may have a better life. Her husband abandoning his only family to live in Miami should be a crime because walking out on your children without any explanation was cruel and selfish. I applaud Marianna for hustling and keeping a positive attitude despite everything that she was going through. Marianna is a good mom and based off what I read about her children and their success, they had a great example of preserving and making the best out of any situation. I do wish that their circumstances were different, and someone would’ve stepped in to help them. The eviction, searching for food, unwanted to pregnancy is enough to drive anyone off the edge. Marianna couldn’t find work because she had her children and no one would allow them to come, but she also couldn’t leave her children attended. Her story is inspiring to keep going even when times get tough because there is always light at the 

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Dirty War

A sad heartbreaking story took place in Argentina during the year of 1974 and ended in 1983. The military known as the “Dirty War” went on a killing spree where they killed up to 30,000 citizens and several other citizens disappeared. The story is a mom’s worst nightmare, so many families were torn apart without consent and the women that were pregnant had to give birth just for their children to be taken away from them and given to military families without notifying the biological families. During the film, “The mothers of Plaza de Mayo” 1985, those mothers were begging and pleading for answers on the whereabouts of their children and grandchildren. They protested and begged the military to return their children and grandchildren to them. Some of the people responsible for this crime have been put on trial. “Eighteen people have gone on trial in Argentina on charges ranging from abduction to crime against humanity.” (Argentina dirty war: Torture and baby theft trial under way, 2020). Luckily some of them are in prison, but that still doesn’t help that fact that children, now adults have not been returned back to their families. 

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Gender-based violence and femicide, and art for human rights 

One of the pieces from the embroidery project that stuck out to me the most was “Brown Sugar is the Sweetest” by Alexis Wright. The beautiful art caught my eye, and the caption touched my heart. “Empowerment of young black women such as myself is a prime goal of this piece. They should know that they’re also recognized and appreciated and that they are some of the most beautiful creatures to ever live." -Alexis Wright. I smile every time I read it because women of color have never been deemed as the beauty standard, but this embroidery shows just how beautiful black women are. It’s nice to see a reminder of how beautiful black women are. The detail that was put into this art is immaculate. I love the natural hair, dark brown skin, and curves. It truly is a beautiful piece of art. I hope that every girl looks at this piece of art and feels empowered, recognized, and appreciated because I surely do. This makes me want to create something similar and someday I will, but for now I’m going to admire the art and message behind it. I would gladly hang this in my room if given the chance. 

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The Maribal Sisters

The Maribal Sisters story is one that I hadn’t heard of until watching the film “In the Time of the Butterflies” and it’s a story I won’t ever forget. Those women didn’t deserve what happened to them and to see them suffer with their people for so long is truly painful. My heart goes out to all the people in the Dominican Republic because they endured so much pain and suffering from their dictator. He was an awful man with too much power. It’s an honor to see that the women ae being remembered as “symbols of freedom worldwide” as their story continues to be told by the fourth Maribal sister Dede. 

            The article “Dominican Colorism” hit close to home because I tried to prove my worth to people by shielding who I am. It isn’t easy growing up around people who don’t understand you or your culture and it’s even harder when they make assumptions that are far from the truthful. People are cruel, that’s no secret to anyone, but for this individual in particular, I feel for them because to constantly be taunted by ignorant people is exhausting and hateful. The sentence “Growing up, my “Dominicaness” was questioned…” stuck out to me because I always felt the same way. People always questioned why I spoke a certain way or wore certain clothes. For a long time, I never understood why People said, “you don’t act black” or “You don’t talk like your black.” It made me feel like I was doing something wrong, or I didn’t belong.

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Race and gender in Latin America 

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz started writing poetry at the age of eight years old. She was very smart for her age because she taught Latin to other children when she was only thirteen. Her story reminds me of how I take having an education for granted. During her time, girls were not allowed to go to university, so she hoped that disguising herself as a boy would allow her to attend, but her family would not give her permission to do so. Eventually she did start to get attention from her beauty and intelligence. She wrote poems, plays, and music. Someone published Juana’s letter, criticizing a well-known Jesuit sermon without permission. People were upset at the fact that her work was non-religious. Juana was then forced to sell her work. 

Alfonsina Storni was a writer who started out traveling for a theater company and then continued studying to become a primary teacher. She started publishing her work in 1916 which then led Storni to work for Caras y Caretas magazine. She started meeting other writers and began to travel. Alfonsina’s work was describe as having a “strong feminist theme.” She ended up leaving her job as a teacher because of her health and then she was faced with breast cancer and mourning her friend who committed suicide. Unfortunately, Alfonsia sent her last poem “I’m going to sleep” to a newspaper and then was found washed up on a beach a few days later. 

Victoria Santa Cruz was an artist who founded the first black theater company in Peru with her brother. She created musical plays that highlighted black history in Peru. “Her lifelong aim was to awaken black consciousness and pride in Peru. She became a well-known artist by performing in different places like Mexico City and France. I enjoyed watching her performance “They yelled at me black woman.” She sings about how she’s always questioned on if she’s black and how she tried to change her look by straightening her hair or putting powder on her face just so people would stop.

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Killing Us Softly-4 advertising images of women. 

The beauty standard is no secret to women. Girls are exposed to what the world considers the “beauty standard” at such a young age because companies advertise it for everyone to see. For several years, the only way to promote a product was to get a young, skinny, girl with big breasts and white skin to do it. Companies figured that was the look they needed to draw attention to whatever product they were selling, and it is heartbreaking and disgusting. It ruins women’s self-esteem and causes people to become sick or die trying to achieve a look that is close to impossible. I was not surprised about anything that I learned while watching the film because those images of women that were being displayed is something that I was also exposed to growing up. I often compared myself and tried to change my appearance so that I’d be desired or considered beautiful to my peers, but unlike many women like me, I’m at a disadvantage because I’m a woman of color. Women already have a hard time getting brands to be inclusive and represent them in ways that makes them feel authentic and comfortable, but for women who look like me, this can be difficult because we are far from looking like the beauty standard. It’s painful to be the opposite of what everyone considers beauty and that’s why women have starved themselves or mentally destroyed who they are trying to seek validation from society. There has been improvement on advertisement displaying women of all colors and sizes, but I hope to see more, so that the future generation does not grow up thinking that they are less than because of what they see online.

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Frida is full of fire and spunk. Her personality shines because she isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind or act on whatever she’s feeling. The film “Frida” was an entertaining, but also informative description on her life and artwork. Although she did have a set back after her accident, she never allowed her disability to enable her from the world and all that it has to offer. One thing that I noticed was that Frida loved her own body. She carried herself well and her confidence shined in any room that she walked in. The scenes from the film showed the beauty of Mexican culture. The paintings, clothing/accessories, and music surrounding the area gives me a taste of what it’s like to be in Mexico. With Frida in the picture, I’m sure it was a good time. I have mixed feelings about Diego, Frida’s husband. He’s an older man who has a history of being unfaithful to the women in his life. I personally feel like Frida should’ve left him the first time he cheater on her, especially because of his response “It was just a f**k.” Who would even think to cheat on someone as beautiful as Frida. I guess it was true love between the two of them since she married him not one, but twice. 

            Frida’s painting “A Few Small Snips” portrays the pain that she felt by her husband. His affairs inspired her to create beautiful art that many people enjoy. I’m inspired because she was able to use her pain to create something good that came from something bad.