Overview

As the semester is closing and I reflected on this course, I realized how much I have learned about women globally. Each week we examined how women were affected by their location physically and socially. As a woman, it was very interesting to see a plethora of resources that were highlighting women experiences and accomplishments. This class exposed me too much more artwork, literature, and ideas that women created themselves. It helped me think much more about my role as a woman in society. Expect to learn a lot about women in many different settings, from a variety of cultures, with different backgrounds that express their oppression in a plethora of outlets. It is a class you will learn more about the truth of society than one will realize. I have learned a lot about women globally and think about it in comparison to the lives women have here.

Looking back on all of my blogs, the most common idea is how women expressed themselves from the conditions of oppression they lived through. We analyzed literature, films, and artwork that allowed women to have a voice and an outlet from being the second best to men all over the world. Each piece we looked at brought awareness to different issues women are faced with. The film Boys Don’t Cry illustrated the pain and inner conflict that transgender individual’s to find their comfortable sexual identity. Not many people treated Brandon the same when they found out he was a transgender. It also gives you an inside look of the rural working class in Nebraska.

This class brought light to the amount of power men have in most societies. We started off the course with watching the documentary, Killing Us Softly that illustrates how the entertainment world expects women to be perfect, live up to standards that are unachievable. American women have a lot of freedom but are still looked at as second fiddle to men. America’s society has an underrated male dominance within society. Not only was Frida Kahlo’s disability and the physical pain of her impairment but also being a women going through the pains of love molded her paintings. Mexican women used quilts to depict their worries of immigration and their hopes to live the American Dream. Artwork can speak for its self and tell so much simply through a picture. 

I enjoyed the fact that we had to go to a museum, the National Museum of Women’s Art in Washington, DC where you saw the artwork up close and in real life setting in comparison to on the computer and less detailed. The content of our in class lectures were always a thought provoking discussion. When we discussed the issues of the Iraqi war from the novel Baghdad Burning, we would discuss the event of 9/11 and how that one-day was like everyday in Iraq. When we were asked to replicate Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, I was brought out of my comfort zone and went with the shock value of feminism. I learned much more than expected in this class and I would take this class if I could all over again. 

Baghdad Burning

The novel Baghdad Burning is the story through the eyes of a 24-year-old blogger from Iraq who goes by the anonymous name, Riverbend. She writes blogs about everyday life occurrences, which are very different from America when there is a war going on in your backyard.  Riverbend was raised several years aboard as a child and never stop studying English when she moved back to Baghdad. Reading the novel through a woman’s perspective for this experience is very unique for this story because as a woman, you tend to notice many more details and see the different emotions others go through.  She explains in detail the trauma that Iraq goes through during the war with America. It is shocking to realize that while we were off living our lives almost forgetting about the war while people in Iraq were going through such grueling circumstances and had their world turned upside down. In Iraq, electricity was scarce forcing her family to have one generator for 5 houses, the area was going through a drought, and people were constantly living in fear. Not only were the men fighting, women and children were being dragged out of their homes where their possessions would be burnt or damaged. Many people are dragged from their home or school and are never found again; they just disappear. Others are caught in the causalities of bombs or guns because they live in a warzone. Fear is constantly present instilled in every Iraqi of the unknown. Riverbend repeatedly describes the way certain women are handling this war. She speaks of women who have lost someone to have eyes of sorrow or vague and lifeless look in her gaze. Her blogs just prove that it is more than a war to these people it is tearing apart and ending their families. A woman lost her children and husband and when Riverbend looked at her she was ¼ of a person.  Riverbend explains the holiday, Eid, which is the ending of the fast of Ramadan. The purpose of the holiday is to bring the family together which they do to celebrate but they are scared to be seen in a large group because they could be mistaken for a terrorist group.  The war was affecting family traditions

The president of America, George W. Bush apparently came to visit Iraq for approximately two hours and he made it seem as if he liberated Iraq. When Bush came to Iraq, his arrival trumped the story on how two girls were killed allegedly by American soldiers. Riverbend showed how there were two different stories the ones that Iraq believed happened and the Americans trying to prove they were not blame for this casualty. It made me question all the information we got from the news over the years about what was going on in Iraq during the war.  Most people picture the detained Iraqis to be men in 30s or 40s but there are women who get dragged off to prison as well as their children. There is this stereotype in other coutnries heads that it is just the men that are being tortured by the hostility but it is everyone. Compared to what I thought at the time of this war was not the same idea I was getting from this blog. The news was creating a different image of how the war was impacting the people of Iraq but Riverbend’s blog gives a new incite to how a person from Iraq views the circumstances and the realities of what was going on. I heard about many of the causualities but was  unaware of how taxing and large they were but there were also many that were not reported.

Something that put the entire circumstance into perspective was when Riverbend said, “ we started the year of 2004 preparing for war while other countries were making their lists of resolutions” (180). The war changed their lives while the rest of the world was living in a fantasy that all was well in the world.  It has held them back from moving on from their life and developing into the person the strive to be. Riverbend stopped keeping track of time when the war started in March.  She started to view war as, “its not that you no longer feel rage or sadness, it just becomes a part of life and you grow to expect it like you expect rain in March and sun in June” (181). Because of this war not only was Iraq in a financial crisis; there were ideas that Iraq would be separated into several different sections based on ethnicity and religion.

The closing pages are about 9/11 and how in Iraq this occurrence happens on at least a monthly basis.  How we felt using the airports after 9/11 is how the Iraqi people felt doing anything normal.  Weddings, stores, resturants, and many everyday places were used as the target. They live in a land of no safety with a ton of fear.  

Transgender (Boys Don't Cry)

The movie Boys Don’t Cry was a film I probably won't ever forget. The movie was uncomfortable at times but at the end made me feel sympathy for Brandon Teena. The movie which was based off of a true story truly depicted the idea of reinventing one’s self. Sexual identity crisis is not a concept most people can relate too. Watching Brandon Teena grow from the beginning to the end was a very interesting development. Brandon is the self-made man; he goes from being a woman and changing his whole identity to fit the profile of a man. Brandon is portrayed as a strong, confident, male. He is seen the chivalrous stranger who had a very charismatic effect on people due to high amount of faith he had in himself. Everyone fell in love with him; he instantly sparks a friendship with John and Tim. Brandon knew how to treat women with respect. He's truly dedicated to being a male. He only gets very jittery when others question his sexuality. The element of confidence is portrayed when he fights other men and tries to get Lana sexually. He is determined to make a better life for himself as a male. He seems happier and more at peace with himself as a male Even when tested and broken down while he is raped, he still allows Lana to help him be a comfortable in his own skin even though he was not an actual boy. 

When Brandon is shot, its like hope is lost for the transgender community. Not only did Brandon suffer so much for his identity but also was brutally raped, degraded, and beaten to the small little girl he once was. They took his virginity in a brutal scene one so vulgar and violent that I will never forget watching it. It was painful to see a person who was so determined and bold to be killed in the eyes of his loved ones. Brandon lived a life many didn’t; he lived on the edge but as the person he truly wanted to be even if it did not fit in with society’s stereotypes.

The murder scene was something hard for me to watch and something I will never forget again. It made my sympathies for transgender grow even more than before. Ultimately Brandon’s desire was linked to the danger of his life and his desire to be a transgender caused him to be killed by two people he called his friends. Their hatred for transgender ultimately killed Brandon Teena; the girl and boy version of him.

The other week in sociology we were learning about people who are transgender and they are seen as a very different species compared to homosexuals. It is very hard for certain people to understand the struggles they deal with. People act very violently towards transgender.  A woman and her boyfriend were accompanied by a friend in McDonald’s, the girls thought that a girl in the facility was hitting on the boyfriend. When the girl seemed to have followed the boyfriend into the bathroom, the two other girls pounced and literally beat who they thought was a girl. This other woman in the restaurant was a transgender and she was violently beaten. Transgender people are having a very difficult time being accepted by society. This film and these articles share the story of Brandon Teena makes me get a closer look to the struggle people that are a transgender are faced with on a daily basis. I commend Brandon for the strength to set for on his own path and march to the beat of his own drum.

Art Expression

In the Houston House of Law, “Political and artistic expressions are both ancient and symbolic endeavors.” Throughout this class, I have seen through first point of view looking at the pieces of art that it is a look inside their inter most part of the mind and thoughts. Art is like the window to the soul for artists. Expression is the first thing that comes to mind when looking at art. There should be no rules to what people decided to create whether if its reflective or reactive which is similar to a mirror to society, as opposed to society itself. People are very critical of other work that is different than the stereotypical norm. Artwork creates much controversy when an artist uses it to express their view on society. The Houston House of Law, states, “art is political”. I don’t think I fully understand how powerful art could be in a political or influential essence until I went to the museum last week. Each piece has a story; the idea that a picture is worth a thousand words is a very true statement. Those who fund the art may or may not support the meaning or display of the piece. For example in The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago was funded by a group of conservative politicians and once they hear about the plan Chicago had for this display they were threatening to withdraw funding because it seemed to be more pornography and not art. This idea embodies the concept of Culture Wars that politicians and religious leaders argue that public money should not be sed to support art that is seen as offensive, pornographic, religious, and homosexual or against their religion.

Art is where people tend to test the boundaries while they express themselves The term struggling artist is a very popular concept for describing the occupation of these people. Because art is so political, the people who fund the piece hold the power of what will be popular. Art is not as free as people think it is there funders of each piece hold all of the to what is displayed in galleries and what is appropriate to be seen. The mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, attacked the funding of the Brooklyn Museum because it held the pieces The Dinner Party as well as The Holy Virgin Mary (1996) by Chris Ofili. The people in higher-class society are trying to censor the artwork that the general public will see. We live in a society where we preach how we have so much freedom but in reality artwork is constantly being censored and politics are controlling the way things are being viewed. Artwork is where genuine ideas can be displayed and right now the art we see is a very distorted view of society and expression. Even though The Dinner Party project made me uncomfortable, Judy Chicago should still be able to express her ideas and let them be seen.

National Museum of Women Art's

When I was walking towards the museum, I was very unsure what to expect. The museum itself was a beautiful building with very tasteful decorations that were not over powering the pieces of art. The contrast between the beige walls and the pieces allowed the artwork to shine and be the focal points of the exhibit. The context of these pieces of art had lights beaming on the art to highlight the colors and depth of the artwork.

I first walked two the temporary exhibit was “A World Apart”, one of U.S. exhibition that focused on Anna Ancher and her exploration and role as the only professional woman artist within the Danish colony. This exhibit reminds me of the idea of Amish country that was mixed with the Victorian Era clothing. The colors used in majority of the art were light pastels in fields, very much in setting with nature. There were a few darker pieces in the exhibit, which were on a darker wall; using more blacks and browns. Looking through the exhibit, I chose the painting “Wait for Me” painted by PS Kroyer which is used in this painting of two little children running into the water naked. PS Kroyer uses some of Anna Ancher’s elements such as the aspects of lighting and color the work in the museum. The concepts are used in this painting of two little children running into the water naked. It illustrates Anchers influence of natural and realism on Kroyer’s work. It portrays the idea of innocence, easily achieved bliss, as well as enjoyment of life. It is a very light, simple painting which is a technique that Ancher loved to use. It also portrays the innocence in light with sexuality through this subtle childish expression.

The permanent exhibition was definitely the area I enjoyed more. It was many random, exotic pieces that encompassed a lot of creativity with its structure and presentation. The piece in the permanent exhibit I found very unique and eye-catching piece called Untitled #781 by Petah Coyne.  It is this structure of a classical dress that has a ballerina feel for it but with an edgy, rare material formation made of wax, plastic, cloth, and steel. Its femininity is very observable but it has a funky effect with clumps of wax creating a greater three-dimensional concept. The description does not really add much to the display of this but the lighting highlights the unique texture and dimensions of the dress. On the museum website I read that this piece, “it reflects how Coyne imagined womanhood as a girl: beautiful and extravagantly festive, like ‘floating on air’”. This Rocco style piece really was inspiring to step out of the box of the standard perceptions of feminism.

For the third piece, I chose the one when I walked into the exhibit it stuck out to me. It was a very light photograph called “Michelle Jacuzzi” by Daniela Rossell that was found in the permanent exhibit. The picture was pretty much all white and had a background of a city skyline in the background with a girl who looked like Emily Van Camp sitting in the middle of it all from a view up top.  It was comparing the social classes of Mexico through photography by the subtlest contrasts.  It was very different to the piece in the A World Apart exhibit; “Wait for Me”. Although it compared the idea of light, that is the two pieces of art’s only similarity.  Kroyer’s piece has an idea of fun, happiness, and life while the photo, “Michelle Jacuzzi” describes in a very subtle way the huge gap between the rich and poor social class in Mexico. It displays the very small minority in Mexico the ultra rich. “Michelle Jacuzzi” describes in a very subtle way the huge gap between the rich and poor social class in Mexico. It seems like a simple piece of photography displaying the foreground and background in a very dramatic sense but there was much more depth to. It displays the very small minority in Mexico the ultra rich but honestly by looking at this picture I didn’t even think anything about social class, as well economic status. It has the idea of a landscape picture of Mexico City. If I never read the plaque, I would not have grasped the context of the picture. 

Going to the museum, I was able to understand and see many more paintings in a completely different way. There was many more things to consider while looking at it in person such as presentation, the description next to it, the lighting, its surrounding paintings. It was a very enjoyable experience and I was pleasantly surprised that I was very intrigued by the pieces of art and the stories behind them.  You can see more of the details in real life than on the power point. There was more freedom and choice in the museum while in the classroom it is much more structured.