The Ultimate Shame

The shame a person with bulimia has is something that I have personally experienced. The pressures of society weigh down to create a dreamworld of ideals for men and women and we as consumers of these images suffer completely for it. Not only is this pressure what can lead to extremes like bulimia or anorexia, it also leads to the ultimate shame of knowing that something that felt so right at one moment can turn into such a painful reality.

The truth of eating disorders is unfortunately unknown for many and they see them as something that can easily be fixed. 

Media's Portrayal of the Lesbian Identity Compared to Reality

A common misconception and stereotype surrounding the physical appearance of lesbians is that they are predominantly masculine, with a more butch body type and embody principally masculine mannerisms and characteristics. Granted, there are still numerous other variations in the physical appearance of lesbians, however the strong association between masculinity and lesbians still resides. But, somehow this widely accepted and typecast idea of their identity is solely prevalent only when discussed on a minuscule scale, while the images popular culture exemplifies display a polar opposite illustration of the lesbian sexuality, appearance, and identity. But in the end, said conflicting images are disappointingly never shown together in mass media. Thus, this separation of identities presents a vital issue and conflict because the only “normal” and “accepted” idea of what it means to be a lesbian, shown to the general public, propagates their identities as overwhelmingly and crucially feminine. In reality though, both of these principal lesbian identities work together, and this partnership should be exposed, accepted, and normalized giving every differing type of lesbian the equal merit they deserve. 

Seesaw Couples

This picture challenges the stereotype that in heterosexual marriages, women are the main caregivers of the children and men are the breadwinners. According to Hanna Rosin's book, "The End of Men", many professional couples are becoming “seesaw couples,” in which each spouse alters their role in response to family circumstances. These new forms of couples now try to make more practical decisions about who gets to be the wage earner at any given time. This effectively means that the term “breadwinner” will no longer be exclusively associated with the “man.” The most beneficial part of this arrangement is that theoretically, no one feels forced to stay in one role. Men don't feel trapped as breadwinners and women don’t feel trapped as homemakers.

How do you define beauty?

In the majority of advertisements the models are picked for “perfection.”  Their traits mirror those of “idealized beauty”:  blonde, sexy, tall, thin, white, and etc.  Embodying this “idealized beauty” is impossible, yet the pressures from society lead us to try.  We spend so much time striving to reach that point and no time appreciating ourselves and what makes us unique.

The photos I took are meant to challenge the idealized definition of beauty that we are presented with.  Why is blonde better than black? Why is tall better than short?  Why is thin better than curvy?  The answers are simple, one is not better than the other.  This is the mentality we need to move toward.  By tearing apart the image of “idealized beauty” we are able to see the distinctive characteristics of those that are hidden behind it.

Conforming

In today’s society we are led to believe that if you want to be a popular girl, you have to act like a popular girl. The typically popular girls are represented as pretty, confident, dumb and usually white and blonde. They mainly associate themselves with people that are like them (the popular crowd). Many young teenage girls feel pressured to be popular so they can fit in and be with the “cool kids.” To be popular you have to conform to the stereo type; which means not being who you really are and changing yourself.

Women At Work

This is a photo of my mother working and fixing my car; yes i said my mother. I know exactly what your thinking; why is your mom working on your car. This is a stereotypical image of women because the automotive field is typically dominated by men. Men definatley have hegemony over women in the mechanical field. If women work on cars there considered a lesbian or a tomboy; but my mother is neither. The automotive field defines masculinity and women are often not masculine, but feminine. I choose this picture because I am interested in cars and when I walk into a machanic shop all the mechanics are men. I also choose this because it breaks the norm and I have only heard of a couple instances throughout my life were women work on their own cars or have knowledege about cars. I want to know if women just don't have interest the automotive field or if they choose not to becuase they will get made fun of or criticized.

Basic Human Rights

   So I think of marriage as a basic human right that anyone should be able to engage in, unfortunately this is not the case.  Most people always focus on the couple but the truth is that it is not just the couple that is affected by the choice of marriage, this became a reality to me just recently.  This cartoon is a reenactment of something that just took place in my life, and if it wasn't for my parnters two kids being so vocal about their thoughts and feelings, I wouldn't have realized how our lack of right to marry affects them (MY KIDS).  The choice to Vote NO this fall wasn't just about marrying the love of my life but showing the kids that I acknowledge their love and support for our FAMILY.

I Love the Skin I'm In!

Colorism has become an issue in the music industry, modeling, and job opportunities. Colorism is a practice of discrimination by which those with lighter skin are treated more favorably than those with darker skin. We face this problem everyday but rarely talk about it. Colorism has become a norm that we have learn to except. More and more  of the superstars we see are getting lighter skin and we don’t think nothing of it. It is common in the “movie” world to bleach your skin. We have grown in a society thinking that one group/ race is dominant. The closer you get to that skin type the more you are praised, this picture illustrates the shades of black woman. We come in all different shades but we are beautiful in the skin we're in.

Don't Believe Everything You See

One stereotype that has always bothered me in a sense is that African American men need to put off an aggressive and "hard" persona.  However, my experience hanging out with a diverse group of friends the last two years at Minnesota State University has proved otherwise. In fact, one of my roommates was very hesitant when I suggested having some of my African American male friends over.  She stated that she grew up in a small town and hadn't been exposed to other races of people other than what she had witnessed in various media outlets.  These media outlets showed African American men as being violent, loud and dangerous.  However, after hanging out with some of my friends, I believe that I have altered her misconception at least a fair amount.  My picture represents a side of African American men that is often neglected in popular media. The picture on the far left is my friend helping me carry my groceries, and the right is him ironing and croceting. I think it's easy for people to forget that there are many facets to people and also that it's important not to judge a person by a stereotype but rather by the character of an individual.

Beauty is a Luxury

Society today tells women that, in order to be beautiful, we need this tool and that product, this brand and these colors. We primp, we prime, we dab, and we smooth. Why? We're criticized no matter how much (or lack of) makeup we apply, how we style our hair, and how we look on a daily basis. Yet, we spend all this money on makeup, hair products and tools, teeth whitening agents, skin clearing, firming, and de-aging serums, nail polish, and numerous other beauty maintaining junk. It gets very expensive, and if you don't have the time, energy, and most importantly, the bank account, you're SOL. Anyone can be beautiful, but at what cost? In this society, being (stereotypically) beautiful is a luxury.

When Is Enough Finally Enough?

 

This image is supposed to represent the thought of women and materialism that is commonly brought along with them. As you can see, the female in this photo has her arms full of merchandise and still is looking through the windows of a store, wishing that she could get more. The store is named "Vanity" which easily portrays the superficial aspect of her wanting more. The common definition of vanity is the excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance. The subject of the photo is left wondering if her appearance is "good enough" for the social standards. This photo is meant to be connected to the reading "Inventing The Cosmo Girl," as the writer states, "Expenditures on clothing, cosmetics, and accessories were presented as necessary investments in the construction of a desirable (and thus saleable) self...Other articles...stressed the fluidity of female subjectivity, encouraging reaaders to make themselves over and even construct multiple selves, often to meet the demands and opportunities of prolonged courtship." (Pg. 225) Will society always tell us to focus on our appearance and our materials? When do women get to decide for themselves what is good enough?

Not all anorexics are just looking for attention

There is a stereotype about anorexia that claims that girls with anorexia or bulimia are just looking for attention. In society women are to be perfect and ideal. There are so many standards of beauty for women. You have to be thin, tall, big lush lips, narrow hips and shoulders and the list goes on. It's no wonder that it has so many negative effects it on many young girls. The importance of looking good has been embedded into young women's minds since they were very young. There are more girls out there that are dissatisfied with their bodies, than girls that aren't. A lot of times people don't see the harmful effects that society and the media has on these girls. There are billions of girls out there that have or know someone who has had an eating disorder. Girls that are perfectly beautiful the way they are. Girls that still want more. There are even parents out there who criticize their daughter's weight. So is it really fair to say that all these girls want is attention?

Does this make me smart?

We all judge and stereotype the people we are surrounded by everyday and it is something that we may think we are not doing but it may occur without any thought being put into it. There are many different stereotypes when it comes to all of the races in our society and that list can probably be forever long. In the photo I have captured I chose an Asian stereotype that we all probably know, which is “all Asians are smart.” Does this make him smart because he is Asian and studying/doing homework while others are not? 

Love Should Constitute Marraige; not people nor government.

The world we live in is becoming diverse by the seconds and we are growing at such a rapid rate. Today is not the 60's, 70's, 80's, nor 90's. Ragardless of race, religion or sexual orientation giving authority to human beings to dictate any other human life is not only classism, but takes away idividualism that in which human beings cannot express their love in the "Highest Honor". Existentialism is what every human being are doing without even thinking about it. I believe that we love who we love and somehow the world has a way of revolving back to ways in which we fought before. Now it is our Human Rights to stick and fight together in that which I like to call the Human Love War.

The Damage of Designs

            Recently designer babies have become a more naturalized way of creating a person's child. Parents are allowed to decide which characteristics their child will have. They can pick a variety of traits including hair color, eye color, intelligence, athletic ability, and height. The best gene is then picked for each characteristic in order to build the perfect child to be conceived. After writing a speech on this topic I have become interested in the ethics behind creating a designer baby and my interest was the inspiration for this project. 
            This method of creating a child is detrimental in several ways. My picture challenges the issues that creating a designer baby brings about. Creating a designer baby is very similar to creating a video game character. Parents pick the traits they want in order to give their child, or "character", the best advantage. In society parents often pick the traits that are seen as the most desired, such as being white, blonde, smart, and athletic. This is destructive because it allows society to enforce what is perceived to be perfection. Designer babies are also damaging because of the social class aspect. Only the upper class can afford to create these children because they cost thousands of dollars. This allows only those with the monetary advantage to be able to purchase "perfection". In my image the woman wears a wedding ring. This represents the issue in society with the thought process that only married couples are capable of raising children. Designer babies are harmful to society in multiple ways, harming the concepts of individuality and does not allow for blending of class. 

Women in the Workforce

 

In our culture there are different jobs we typically think to be "manlier or more feminine type jobs". Some examples of characteristically thought manlier jobs would be: some sort of active role in the military, police officer, cowboy, and referee. Some examples of characteristically thought more feminine jobs would be: home economics teacher, a tailor, nurse, etc. But why do we see these jobs in gender played roles? Both genders are well capable of doing each of the jobs i mentioned above. Each gender can bring something to the table when it comes to a career. Rather than looking at jobs as something that a man or women should do we should be looking at jobs saying what can this person contribute to the workforce.So let us not stereotype but applaud those who go outside of the norms and perform these "gender role jobs".