Dancing Blog

Growing up as a child, my parents put me in a plethora of dance classes; ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and probably more. It was just an expected class for a little girl to sign up for. There was never a boy in my class that I can remember but if there were it would have been the weirdest news in the world. If you find a male in your dance class you assume he is gay automatically. Dance is a something found in the natural world, which women tend, join while men go with the forces of civilization and cultural advancement. Even though dancing is so simple, men still partake it but are typically seen in the background while women perform their work. In today’s society for the most part female dancers take in all of the spotlight. It is very rare to see or hear of profession male dancers. I was unaware of how much gender and sexuality influenced a dance profession in society as a whole. Society created these gender barriers and stereotypes in the work field that are difficult to be broken.

When I took dance all I cared about was getting the right position at the right part of the song, while making the movements look fluid and functional. Little did I know that I was participating in a very feminine art especially ballet. It is more than movement especially the historical dances that were before my time. Each dance tells a story and has a meaning behind each position and movement, the song selection, as well as costume choice. It is all one big presentation. After watching several of the Urban Bush Women’s videos, I realized how much depth went into these dances. Not only was their meaning behind the movement but also factoring in the costume colors, the lyrical dance moves, lyrics of the music, the beat and volume of the song, etc. Each song shared a different story some angry which the dark clothing and loud music could tell. Others dances were peaceful because of the soft music and calm lyrical motions. Batty Moves was a dance that was different than most because of the choice of a provocative costume and more sexual dance moves. The dance was made more exciting because each dancer added their personal spin on the basic design in a very elaborate taste. With African Americans growing up in the country of the United States of America, dance was a way to connect with their heritage, culture, and roots. It expresses more than a dance; dancing explains the ancestry and the history these women had mold the person they are. Dance is a much more expressive outlet that I realized. This dance group was also helpful to African Americans in order to find their niche in this new world. Dancing to these African women allows them to be unique and express themselves with a group of women who share the bond of having similar historical roots.

Sexuality Blog #8

Nature versus Nurture for homosexuality is the constant controversy that never seems to have an answer. Is it caused by genetics or experience? Sexuality is a person’s sexual orientation. Heterosexuality is the norm in society it is what has been seen for years in the world. Because gays and lesbians are different than the stereotypical norm; they are oppressed because their wishes of the life they want to live are not socially acceptable. LGBT community should be treated as equals in society because as Lady Gaga says in her song lyrics, “we are born this way”.

In the past, many people tend to hide their homosexuality because it was not accepted in society whatsoever. There was a well-known riot at the Stonewall Inn, which was a gay bar that sparked the Gay Liberation movement. When I read this in the lecture, it sparked a story my father told me. My grandfather’s brother decided to start and run his own bar but with my grandfather sharing the business. My dad’s uncle took care of the entire business without my grandfather ever-stepping foot into the bar. My dad and his brother decided they should support the business so they took their dates to their father’s bar. When they walked through the doors of the bar all they saw were men. That was how my family found out that my great uncle was gay. He was in the closet his entire life because it was socially unacceptable to be interested in the same sex. My great uncle parallels Bruce Bechdel who was the narrator/ author’s father.  They were both dealing with their sexuality in the 1970s, had a wife and kids at home, and hiding their true identity. My great uncle was luckily able to live his life without being as oppressed as Bruce was; he came out to his family and found a life long partner.

 Both men made things appear to be what they were not. My father told me that his uncle was very weird about his house just like Allison’s father was. He treated their house like a museum which was more his child than his actual children. Allison’s father was all about creating the perfect image for his family but in reality it was an allusion. Homosexuality was completely repressed at this time. Before her father allegedly commits suicide, Bruce’s true identity was revealed to his family. He treated his relationship with men like the flowers in his garden. Allison differed from her father and chose to acknowledge her homosexual feelings in public and take up a partner. To be honest I am not sure if it was a difference in time when bother Allison and her father grew up or their gender but they handled their sexuality very differently from one another.

Comparing the past and the present in the LGBT community, homosexuality is much more accepted but there is still inequality. Only nine states have passed marriage laws for homosexuals. It is taking a slow amount of time. No matter what gender you are it is hard to come out in society and be sexually different than the norm.

Self Expression Blog 7

Self expression and creativity help define the person you are. As a woman in certain countries, time periods, cultures, race and social class, we cannot express ourselves in the same way. The quilts were a way for women in Mexico to unite them and use their creativity in something productive. Living in a patriarchal society in Mexico, the women needed outlets for their creative oppression. They poured their energies and frustrations into these quilts. To these women it was a necessity to allow their creativity to shine through just like it was necessary for the patchwork to arise. The quilts also expressed the concept of the American Dream consistently on most of the quilts. These women were not satisfied with the lives they were living and wanted more opportunities. Living the American Dream would provide those luxuries of opportunity. Many of the quilts emphasize crossing the border and starting a new life in America. Mexicans were being oppressed and they were not the only ones black women were unable to do much in their social status. Self-expression was maybe the last thing they were allowed to do. They used their gardening to be imaginative through the floral choice and arrangement. This oppression is something that never entered my mind. Not being allowed to express myself would be one of the greatest hardships. My expression is a part that makes me unique and who I am.

Photography has allowed me to find beauty in the most unexpected places; it doesn’t have to be a breathtaking view to be a spectacular picture. My pictures are an expression of my most introspective thoughts. I am my pictures; modest and unpretentious to the casual observer but filled with depth and compassion on closer examination. My lens is the extension of my soul; it transfers my vantage point of the world into a photo. Perfection and precision goes out the window when it comes to photography; taking chances and stepping out of the box are techniques that I embrace. What I visualize through the lens is my primary inspiration without any outside influence.

Photography unifies people from different cultures and languages without speaking a word. My photos are my voice; they represent an untold story waiting to be heard.  They capture memories, portray messages as well as allow my thoughts and emotions to become a visual reality. A picture freezes a moment in time and the emotion that goes with it. Experimenting with shadows, lighting, contrasts, and angles create distinctive images out of ordinary objects; the colors reflect my moods.

With the advancement of technology, photography serves as a source of meditation and relaxation that allows me to put the everyday stress of school and life in proper perspective. It enables me to step back from the fast pace of society and enjoy the simplistic aspects, to commune with nature, and focus on my inner-self. What started out as a couple of snap shots on family vacations has evolved into an integral part of whom I am and the way I view the world.

            I am lucky that unlike these women I am not oppressed in my society and I am able to express myself with whatever way I choose. Mexicans and black women were not that lucky. They were confined and had to conform to society lowest position on the totem pole. Photography is not the only thing I can use to express myself and show my creativity and personality. I can with clothes, music, and much more. There is much more freedom. I have the opportunities that these women were lacking. I take for granted that I am living the American Dream.

Response 4 to Jaimee Schuster

Jaimee brings up two different points that I think they are both great add ons to the conversation we had today in class. The dolls every little girl owns/owned was Barbie. She has the perfect dimensions and is the ideal stereotype for a young girl. Like Jaimee said her proportions are off. Her head is bigger than her waist line. Obviously Barbie had her soul mate because she could not survive without a man, Ken. This idea of a partner to survive is not unique to this situation. People with disabilities tend to seem very needy and dependent. Women and people with disabilities are seen as the lower men on the totem pole.

Blog 4 Disabilities and Gender

The connection between the essay “Integrating Disability” by Rosemary Garland Thompson and the film Frida has the sole concept of disability. In the beginning of the movie, Frida Kahlo is in a bus accident leaving her with the chance she could never walk again. Even though she was able to walk, she had to live with the disabilities the accident left her for the rest of her life. In the essay, it describes women with disabilities as unfit to reproduce, overly dependent, and unattractive. Frida had a lot of hardship in her life. She miscarried her child early in her pregnancy. Bother her and her husband had affairs but the one that threw Frida over the edge was the affair Diego had with her sister. She was unhappy when they were living in the city because there was no family around them. Frida had a unibrow making her unpleasant to look at. With Frida’s disability, she is able to push through the pain and walk but in the end her disability creates an infection in her body resulting in death. Many of Frida’s traits mirror what Garland Thompson believes people with disabilities are seen as which is comparatively similar to women.

Gender or disability is a way of signifying relationships of power. It is inherently seen by society that women and people with disabilities are weaker than men. The essay states “Sickness is gendered feminism” (Garland Thompson 81). Women are always the ones who are seen suffering and going through difficulty. When men go through the hurdles with disability or other problems, there identities are tested and come out stronger then they were before. They are more powerful and stronger which enables them to overcome their disability as an obstacle.

In the television show, Friday Night Lights, star quarterback of the Dillon Panthers football Jason Street, was hit the wrong way during the opening game for the team. From that day on Jason was paralyzed; he went from being the town idol to the cripple. He was an attractive young man with a disability and life alteration. His parents want to sue the football team for not teaching Jason the successful tools to block a hit. He does not want to get money that way; he wants to be self-sufficient. He spends a week feeling sorry for himself and starts his physical therapy, which leads to his come back into sports. He joins handicap teams to allow him to be competitive, stay active, and reconnect with athletic person he was before the accident. An aspect of a disability is the relationship between the body and the surrounding environment. When Jason was still learning the changes in his body, he had a huge support system. Not only did he have his family, but he also had his coaches, ex girlfriend, football team, and the town of Dillon, Texas helping him adjust to his new life. People still respect Jason even with his disability and he becomes very independent trying to get a job. Even though his chances of conceiving a child were one in a million, it happened. He allowed his disability not to define him.

I find that even in three very different sources the ideas of disability and gender are quite similar across the board. Women are viewed as the weaker of the two genders and with disabilities it puts them at a greater disadvantage. 

Response 3 Alexis Levy

Alexis brings up the concept of the underserving poor vs the deserving poor which was something I was unfamiliar with before reading the lecture. It is ridiculous because these two categories were used to judge poor women only not men. The deserving poor were those who had no blame for their misfortune. The undeserving poor were those who lack good work ethic and morals to bring in the cash for their families. The example for the underserving poor was a woman who had a child out of wedlock. To me this is very critical solely against women, these two categories can easily apply to men. Homeless men are the first thing that came to mine mind for present day poverty. The deserving poor are those men who were fired from their job because of the economy or some unfortunate reason. They have lost everything because could not keep their money in order. The undeserving poor are the homeless who just didn't care about their job are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Their families cut them off because they were too deep in their addiction and refused help. They are the ones who are holding up sign need money for alcohol or drugs.  Their addiction makes them feel alive and that is the only reason they need money.

Blog Post #3

Poverty is hard to ignore; it is a consistent problem. We try and act like it is not a huge chunk of our population. We can’t pretend that our country has a classless society and does not have oppression or privilege it is inevitable. America has the highest income inequality. There is a lot of unemployment are our shaky economy today. Money makes a lot of possibilities and creates a lot of privileges. After reading through the power point and Peyton Place, SATs were the first thing that popped into my head. In my town the tutor you chose for studying for the SATs was the key to success. The tutors were all getting booked up well into the summer before our junior year some started the tutoring the middle of sophomore year. People would easily drop a couple of thousands on tutoring to make sure there child got into the best college. Money would bring the tutors and the tutors would teach you the tricks to receive high SAT scores. These good scores meant you would go to a good college, which meant a successful career. For my last SAT, I was taking the test in this town called Spring Valley where I legitimately knew no one. My parents would not let me drive to this school by myself because it was in an unsafe area. As I walked through the school, it was run down, had very old computers in the classroom, the system for taking the test was completely unorganized compared to my high school. Sitting down and waiting over an hour for the test I decided to people watch, I was listening to conversations around me. The kids in my classroom only had one shot to take the test and had no tutors. I realized they were at a huge disadvantage. Due to the lack of money, they were not offered the tutoring to succeed on the SATs. This test creates a larger gap in between the classes because when poor people have lower SAT scores they do not get into high caliber with a great education.

Social classes are not a new aspect to American lifestyle. In Peyton’s Place, which took Place during the Great Depression, the different characters were in different social. Selena lived in the shacks, which was the poor area. She had been abused by her father, became pregnant, and got an abortion. Problems like the ones Selena faced seem to happen to those who are in the lower social class. This is like a typical stereotype for the lower class but in actuality these situations do not only happen to this social class. Many wealthy women have gotten raped but the way books and movies make the illusion that the troubled lower classes typically have these issues because they are less civilized and more chaotic. Poverty and the stereotypes that come with it are hard to be ignored. There needs to be a change with the way society treats and views the poor.