As the end of the year draws to a close and graduation becomes an imminent reality and not just a thing of the future, I spend a lot of time thinking about my family. In about two weeks, both my paternal and maternal grandparents will fly across the ocean in order to attend my graduation. As much as I eagerly anticipate their visit and seeing them again, four grandparents for a week will bring about a lot of "family time."
My paternal grandparents arrive first. At my bat mitzvah several years ago, my maternal grandparents stayed at my house while the paternal grandparents were put up in a hotel. Now it is my parental grandparents' turn.
My Grandma Jackie is my dad's step-mother, but the only grandmother on that side that I have known. My dad's mother, Grandma Helen, was killed by a drunk driver when my father was two. I have her middle name, her petite stature, and her love of language. Grandma Jackie is a former fashion model, and despite the face that it seems as though she is always going to doctor's appointments and getting prescribed new medicines, she is as glamorous as ever. She and I share our passions for horseback riding and baking. I have seen photos of Grandma Jackie back from the days when she modeled. She wasn't tall enough to do runway, but did a great deal of catalogue and editorial magazine shoots. In each photo, her complexion is flawless, her hair shiny, and her waist so tiny that I don't doubt that my hands would fit around it. Even now, she carries herself with poise, in spite of her thick Brookyln accent. I remember she got my an "eyebrow brush" when I was ten years old. I didn't even know women groomed their eyebrows yet.
My Grandma Phyllis is my mom's mom. She is the mother of four children (my mother being the youngest) and her family is clearly the most important part of her life. She makes her twelve grandkids, four children, and four children-in-law her priorities. She knows when any of us have a tennis tournament, a standardized test or a dance recital. What I love about my grandma, is no matter the circumstance or how soon it will be until we see her again, she always cries when she says goodbye to my family after the end of a visit. When she was 18 she went away to attend college, however her mom died during her first year, and Grandma Phyllis moved back home and went to a nearby college to help her dad raise her two younger siblings. I've always admired that.
I love both of my grandmas, and as different as they are, they both have the ability of being able to make me laugh. I'm sure that my graduation lunch won't be an exception, and I feel blessed to have two such amazing women in my family to look up to.
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Sunday, 27 May 2012
The Vagina Monologues and the Awkward Factor
When we were told in class that we had to read the introduction and first part of The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler before the class made a decision about whether or not we would study it, I instantly saw why preparation and careful thought was needed in order to make that decision. The shock value of the book is a little bit unnerving if you aren't prepared for it, and I definitely see why some people felt uncomfortable studying it. Nonetheless, I think that itself, the fact that people did not feel comfortable discussing topics expressed by Ensler is reason enough for the class to study the play.
Class discussion surrounding this play was (in my opinion) certainly carried out with a high degree of sensitivity, but also with some degree of awkwardness. You could see people around the harkness table covering their mouths or sipping from their water bottles to mask their giggles as people said the word "vagina" freely in a classroom setting.
Nonetheless, I do feel as though I learned a great deal from reading the play and from watching clips of it performed. I liked Ensler's message that women should be proud of the fact that they are women, and that vaginas, periods, childbirth and all that comes with womanhood is something to praise and celebrate, not shy away from. She begins her piece with the phrase, "I bet you're worried. I was worried," and I found it effective that she continuously alludes to how touchy a topic she is writing about (Ensler, 3). Later, she declares, "I realize I don't know what's appropriate. I don't even know what that word means. Who decides" and then "Saying these words feels too naughty, dangerous, too direct, too specific, wrong, intense, in charge, alive," (Ensler, 117).
She talks about things that had never crossed my mind before such as dedicating a chapter of her book to women's answers to the question: "If your vagina got dressed, what would it wear?" Some of the answers are outrageous. Women responded with simple things such as "jeans" or "a silk kimono" but others said apparel such as "a large hat full of flowers" or a "costume eye mask" (Ensler, 15, 16). She also talks about more sensitive topics such as rape, genital mutilation, and sexual infidelity but makes sure to throw in funny anecdotes too such as women's stories about menstruation.
Of course, the way we studied the play is very different than watching it be performed. We don't get to see the facial expressions she uses or hear the inflection of her voice change as she speaks. We don't get to hear the tone of her voice change nor see tears well up in her eyes or angry beads of sweat form on her forehead. When watching a video clip of her perform some chapters of the play, it was more moving, and more powerful to watch how completely possessed by the work she becomes. However, in reading the play we do get to take our own interpretation away from the book, as the piece is nothing if not thought provoking. I am certainly glad that our class studied The Vagina Monologues as it definitely caused me to rethink a few things and sparked new ideas.
Class discussion surrounding this play was (in my opinion) certainly carried out with a high degree of sensitivity, but also with some degree of awkwardness. You could see people around the harkness table covering their mouths or sipping from their water bottles to mask their giggles as people said the word "vagina" freely in a classroom setting.
Nonetheless, I do feel as though I learned a great deal from reading the play and from watching clips of it performed. I liked Ensler's message that women should be proud of the fact that they are women, and that vaginas, periods, childbirth and all that comes with womanhood is something to praise and celebrate, not shy away from. She begins her piece with the phrase, "I bet you're worried. I was worried," and I found it effective that she continuously alludes to how touchy a topic she is writing about (Ensler, 3). Later, she declares, "I realize I don't know what's appropriate. I don't even know what that word means. Who decides" and then "Saying these words feels too naughty, dangerous, too direct, too specific, wrong, intense, in charge, alive," (Ensler, 117).
She talks about things that had never crossed my mind before such as dedicating a chapter of her book to women's answers to the question: "If your vagina got dressed, what would it wear?" Some of the answers are outrageous. Women responded with simple things such as "jeans" or "a silk kimono" but others said apparel such as "a large hat full of flowers" or a "costume eye mask" (Ensler, 15, 16). She also talks about more sensitive topics such as rape, genital mutilation, and sexual infidelity but makes sure to throw in funny anecdotes too such as women's stories about menstruation.
Of course, the way we studied the play is very different than watching it be performed. We don't get to see the facial expressions she uses or hear the inflection of her voice change as she speaks. We don't get to hear the tone of her voice change nor see tears well up in her eyes or angry beads of sweat form on her forehead. When watching a video clip of her perform some chapters of the play, it was more moving, and more powerful to watch how completely possessed by the work she becomes. However, in reading the play we do get to take our own interpretation away from the book, as the piece is nothing if not thought provoking. I am certainly glad that our class studied The Vagina Monologues as it definitely caused me to rethink a few things and sparked new ideas.
The Enigma of The Other Woman
Something that my girl and guy friends alike have noticed, is the inevitable competition that exists between women. When women are approached by another woman or meet a new woman for the first time, her hackles instantly go up as she sizes up this female and the possible threat she brings with her. On the other hand, when women enter a new environment, they can feel strangers' eyes bearing into them and making instant judgements about their clothes, hair, weight and shoes before they are declared a threat or not.
We have seen this theme of the impending danger of the "other woman" in several pieces of literature that we have read so far this semester, including Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth and Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women, two very different pieces.
In one court case that Wolf mentions, the case states that "attractiveness" is "a natural sex phenomenon which plays at least a subtle part in most personnel decisions," meaning that women are constantly sizing each other up as one woman's looks may cost another woman her job (Wolf, 38). Later, Wolf argues that it is the beauty myth itself that has "kept women from learning how to do something that makes all male social change possible: How to identify with the unknown woman in a way that is no personal" (Wolf, 75). According to Wolf, women will dismiss other women for being too pretty and made up, or looking too drab and dowdy. The perfect level is nearly impossible to achieve. "The unknown woman, the myth would like women to believe, is unapproachable; under suspicion before she opens her mouth because she's Another Woman, and beauty thinking urges women to approach each other as possible adversaries until they know they are friends," Wolf says (Wolf, 75).
Especially in a high school environment filled with hormonal teenage girls, Wolf's sentiments and concerns are on display perfectly. Freshmen often talk about receiving the "up down" look from older girls, and younger girls have described walking the hallways as daunting.
However, the same views were on display centuries early, when Wollstonecraft identified that women had to stop seeing each other as enemies and had to work together in their fight for equality. In her day, women who valued intelligence were often looked down on, as the traditional role of the woman was a domestic and subservient one. "The exclamations then which any advice respecting female learning commonly produces, especially from pretty women, often arise from envy," Wollstonecraft says, and believes that women and men both feel threatened by intelligent women (Wollstonecraft, 121). She also says that women are not able to achieve better progress because they "view each other with a suspicious and envious eye" and are unable to put that aside in order to work towards their common goal (Wollstonecraft, 122).
We have seen this theme of the impending danger of the "other woman" in several pieces of literature that we have read so far this semester, including Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth and Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women, two very different pieces.
In one court case that Wolf mentions, the case states that "attractiveness" is "a natural sex phenomenon which plays at least a subtle part in most personnel decisions," meaning that women are constantly sizing each other up as one woman's looks may cost another woman her job (Wolf, 38). Later, Wolf argues that it is the beauty myth itself that has "kept women from learning how to do something that makes all male social change possible: How to identify with the unknown woman in a way that is no personal" (Wolf, 75). According to Wolf, women will dismiss other women for being too pretty and made up, or looking too drab and dowdy. The perfect level is nearly impossible to achieve. "The unknown woman, the myth would like women to believe, is unapproachable; under suspicion before she opens her mouth because she's Another Woman, and beauty thinking urges women to approach each other as possible adversaries until they know they are friends," Wolf says (Wolf, 75).
Especially in a high school environment filled with hormonal teenage girls, Wolf's sentiments and concerns are on display perfectly. Freshmen often talk about receiving the "up down" look from older girls, and younger girls have described walking the hallways as daunting.
However, the same views were on display centuries early, when Wollstonecraft identified that women had to stop seeing each other as enemies and had to work together in their fight for equality. In her day, women who valued intelligence were often looked down on, as the traditional role of the woman was a domestic and subservient one. "The exclamations then which any advice respecting female learning commonly produces, especially from pretty women, often arise from envy," Wollstonecraft says, and believes that women and men both feel threatened by intelligent women (Wollstonecraft, 121). She also says that women are not able to achieve better progress because they "view each other with a suspicious and envious eye" and are unable to put that aside in order to work towards their common goal (Wollstonecraft, 122).
Friday, 4 May 2012
The Double Standard (Part III: Sex)
The double standard that women and men are held to is perhaps the most deeply entrenched when it comes to sex and relationships.
The most obvious way men and women and differ, is in terms of dominance and submission. To use these words, in my opinion, to describe what should be a loving, consensual act seems slightly off-colored. Sex should be about pleasure and feelings, not about who is dominating whom. However, men express slightly different opinions. When surveyed, it was discovered that "30 percent of college men would commit rape if they could be sure of getting away with it", and when the wording was changed to "force a woman into having sex", 58 percent said they would (Wolf 165).
The cycle is self-perpetuating, as many women have said that they actually enjoy being dominated and "more than 50 percent of boys and nearly half the girls thought it was okay for a man to rape a woman if he was sexually aroused by her" a UCLA study reported (Wolf 167). It disgusts me that any woman (let alone half of women polled) would ever condone rape.
Rape is another integral part of this power struggle. Date rape is a huge issue across college campuses. Women go to parties, often have a few drinks and can find themselves in compromising situations. Men persuade or force women into cars, bedrooms, or dark hallways and take advantage of them. However, it is the women in these situations who get blamed for dressing like "sluts". Dressed the way they are dressed, it doesn't matter if they say yes or no to a mans advances and even if they thwart a man's attempts, they often end up pressured into situations they don't feel comfortable in. Men blame the way the woman was acting or behaving. If she was drinking to get drunk or dressed in short, tight, clothing, she clearly wanted it. When polled, 83.5 percent of men thought that "some women look like they're just asking to get raped" (Wolf 165).
I remember when I first heard about the Cheryl Aruajo case. My mom told me the story while we were driving in the car one day and I was utterly shocked. Aruajo left her children at home one night and went into a local tavern to buy cigarettes where she was viciously raped on a pool table in front of onlookers. Nonetheless, two of her four attackers were acquitted and this was the start of the "blame the victim" mentality, as she was accused of dressing provocatively. A movie, The Accused, was later made about this story.
Another double standard in the bedroom is when it comes to climaxing. Women will fake orgasms to "please their husbands" but I have never heard of men "faking it" to please their wives (Wolf 147). Wolf argues that in development, "sexual giving emerges as generosity rather than submissiveness" but women continue to take on the role of the victim or the woman being dominated when it comes to the bedroom (Wolf 155).
Above all, what I took out of this chapter is that women should not be blamed for men's insecurities (sexual or otherwise) nor should they be blamed for their own assaults.
The most obvious way men and women and differ, is in terms of dominance and submission. To use these words, in my opinion, to describe what should be a loving, consensual act seems slightly off-colored. Sex should be about pleasure and feelings, not about who is dominating whom. However, men express slightly different opinions. When surveyed, it was discovered that "30 percent of college men would commit rape if they could be sure of getting away with it", and when the wording was changed to "force a woman into having sex", 58 percent said they would (Wolf 165).
The cycle is self-perpetuating, as many women have said that they actually enjoy being dominated and "more than 50 percent of boys and nearly half the girls thought it was okay for a man to rape a woman if he was sexually aroused by her" a UCLA study reported (Wolf 167). It disgusts me that any woman (let alone half of women polled) would ever condone rape.
Rape is another integral part of this power struggle. Date rape is a huge issue across college campuses. Women go to parties, often have a few drinks and can find themselves in compromising situations. Men persuade or force women into cars, bedrooms, or dark hallways and take advantage of them. However, it is the women in these situations who get blamed for dressing like "sluts". Dressed the way they are dressed, it doesn't matter if they say yes or no to a mans advances and even if they thwart a man's attempts, they often end up pressured into situations they don't feel comfortable in. Men blame the way the woman was acting or behaving. If she was drinking to get drunk or dressed in short, tight, clothing, she clearly wanted it. When polled, 83.5 percent of men thought that "some women look like they're just asking to get raped" (Wolf 165).
I remember when I first heard about the Cheryl Aruajo case. My mom told me the story while we were driving in the car one day and I was utterly shocked. Aruajo left her children at home one night and went into a local tavern to buy cigarettes where she was viciously raped on a pool table in front of onlookers. Nonetheless, two of her four attackers were acquitted and this was the start of the "blame the victim" mentality, as she was accused of dressing provocatively. A movie, The Accused, was later made about this story.
Another double standard in the bedroom is when it comes to climaxing. Women will fake orgasms to "please their husbands" but I have never heard of men "faking it" to please their wives (Wolf 147). Wolf argues that in development, "sexual giving emerges as generosity rather than submissiveness" but women continue to take on the role of the victim or the woman being dominated when it comes to the bedroom (Wolf 155).
Above all, what I took out of this chapter is that women should not be blamed for men's insecurities (sexual or otherwise) nor should they be blamed for their own assaults.
Monday, 23 April 2012
Promarama Dramarama
Prom is still nearly a month away and I feel as though the "prom drama" is already in full swing. It's hard to walk three steps without hearing some discussion of prom, and I know the "real" drama (however "real" any issues concerning prom can actually be) hasn't even kicked in yet. People are gloating about the cute way their dates asked them, lamenting that they haven't been asked yet, beginning diets and cleanses, hastily scouring stores for a unique yet stunning dress, planning their limo group and fighting about who is going to be left out, and of course probing other girls to find out what gossip they've missed out on. You'd think that the Oscars were rapidly approaching within our community given the amount of discussion prom is receiving.
Cattiness is slowly growing, as it always seems to do around this time of year. I'm not sure why that happens around big events, but girls seem nearly incapable of human tactfulness once a certain day hits. "So-and-so is going to be left without a date," I've head girls whisper about others, with an evil yet sickeningly pleased glimmer in their eye.
However, the most common snide comment that I hear is about the dresses. One senior girl started a Facebook group for all upperclassmen to post photos of their dresses so that nobody buys the same dress as another girl. I've seen similar groups with other schools and my friends in different cities, yet I still think there's something a little bit pointless about it. I've yet to hear a positive comment about a single dress posted in the group. Girls don't point out when other girls have selected a gorgeous gown, but are quick to point out the tacky dresses and the ones that are going to be unflattering. Wolf states that this could be because "beauty thinking urges women to approach one another as possible adversaries until they know they are friends" (Wolf 75).
Another thing that comes with prom is incessant spending of money. Girls put down hundreds of dollars on dresses yet it's still a lose-lose situation. Girls are looked down upon if they don't spend enough on a dress ("It's cheap, tacky, classless") but are also ridiculed for overspending ("what a snob, it's not even that pretty"). Also, prom preparation is costly. Although it's unclear who they are trying to impress, the girls, the boys, or their audience of Facebook stalkers, girls spend hours primping and pay to get their hair and nails (and sometimes even makeup) professionally done. The ticket itself is the equivalent of about 150 dollars too.
"Somehow, somewhere, someone must have figured out that they will buy more things if they are kept in the self-hating, ever-failing, hungry, and sexually insecure state of being aspiring beauties" Wolf says, however what she doesn't mention is that it isn't just advertisers and men who are causing this mindset, but other women, and even high school girls are just as guilty (Wolf 66).
Cattiness is slowly growing, as it always seems to do around this time of year. I'm not sure why that happens around big events, but girls seem nearly incapable of human tactfulness once a certain day hits. "So-and-so is going to be left without a date," I've head girls whisper about others, with an evil yet sickeningly pleased glimmer in their eye.
However, the most common snide comment that I hear is about the dresses. One senior girl started a Facebook group for all upperclassmen to post photos of their dresses so that nobody buys the same dress as another girl. I've seen similar groups with other schools and my friends in different cities, yet I still think there's something a little bit pointless about it. I've yet to hear a positive comment about a single dress posted in the group. Girls don't point out when other girls have selected a gorgeous gown, but are quick to point out the tacky dresses and the ones that are going to be unflattering. Wolf states that this could be because "beauty thinking urges women to approach one another as possible adversaries until they know they are friends" (Wolf 75).
Another thing that comes with prom is incessant spending of money. Girls put down hundreds of dollars on dresses yet it's still a lose-lose situation. Girls are looked down upon if they don't spend enough on a dress ("It's cheap, tacky, classless") but are also ridiculed for overspending ("what a snob, it's not even that pretty"). Also, prom preparation is costly. Although it's unclear who they are trying to impress, the girls, the boys, or their audience of Facebook stalkers, girls spend hours primping and pay to get their hair and nails (and sometimes even makeup) professionally done. The ticket itself is the equivalent of about 150 dollars too.
"Somehow, somewhere, someone must have figured out that they will buy more things if they are kept in the self-hating, ever-failing, hungry, and sexually insecure state of being aspiring beauties" Wolf says, however what she doesn't mention is that it isn't just advertisers and men who are causing this mindset, but other women, and even high school girls are just as guilty (Wolf 66).
The Role of the Homemaker
The stereotype of the housewife is something we overlook rather often, yet the homemaker is one of the most fixed roles in our society.
To start, women's culture, whether through literature or media, is almost always regarded as more trivial than male culture, feeding into the common ignorant viewpoint that the house is the proper place for women to work. Women's magazines began in the Victorian ages and were "catered to a female sex virtually in domestic bondage" (Wolf 62). They were an outlet for women in otherwise rather dull and demeaning everyday lives.
Wolf also argues that religion has taken on a similar role in the Victorian times. She mentions female piety and says, "From a male-dominated society's point of view, it kept educated, leisured middle-class female energies harmlessly, even usefully, diverted from rebellion..." (Wolf 92).
Culture today caters towards stay-at-home women. Being a working mother is getting increasingly difficult, and many women are choosing (or being forced, depending on how you look at it) to stay home and raise children after giving birth. If this is a choice, I find it at admirable one, as being a mother is perhaps one of the hardest and most noble professions. However, if women are being forced into this role either for economic or social reasons, this is despicable.
Advertisers and media executives feed into this cycle and Wolf points out, "Newspapers relegate women's issues to the 'women's page'; TV programming consigns 'women's stories' to the daytime" (Wolf 71).
Wolf quotes Betty Friedan as saying, "Why is it never said that the really crucial function... that women serve as housewives is to buy more things for the house?" (Wolf 66).
Even on some of my favorite television shows, women are portrayed as housewives and homemakers, and although their responsibilities are often highlighted, I think that as a society we often overlook equally the hardships of a housewife, but also the obstacles that working mothers and wives face.
Another (very timely) example of the Beauty Myth being put into practice in religion and politics, is with some stances by the Republican party in the build up to the 2012 election. Republican candidate Mitt Romney stated that he listens to his wife's advice when it comes to making his policies, however she "has never worked a day in her life" and therefore is in no way qualified to make decisions representing the American female public. On the other hand, Romney's opposition, Rick Santorum, has his own views when it comes to women. Although I would define my political beliefs as rather moderate leaning towards liberal (but in no way completely left-wing) I find Santorum to be a terrifying individual. Not only has he spoken out about opposing abortion and wishing to ban it, but he has openly expressed his views that the workplace is not the proper place for a woman and that women should be homemakers, as that is their true calling. The fact that a man, and a politician and presidential hopeful no less, could be this misogynistic and ignorant makes my blood boil.
To start, women's culture, whether through literature or media, is almost always regarded as more trivial than male culture, feeding into the common ignorant viewpoint that the house is the proper place for women to work. Women's magazines began in the Victorian ages and were "catered to a female sex virtually in domestic bondage" (Wolf 62). They were an outlet for women in otherwise rather dull and demeaning everyday lives.
Wolf also argues that religion has taken on a similar role in the Victorian times. She mentions female piety and says, "From a male-dominated society's point of view, it kept educated, leisured middle-class female energies harmlessly, even usefully, diverted from rebellion..." (Wolf 92).
Culture today caters towards stay-at-home women. Being a working mother is getting increasingly difficult, and many women are choosing (or being forced, depending on how you look at it) to stay home and raise children after giving birth. If this is a choice, I find it at admirable one, as being a mother is perhaps one of the hardest and most noble professions. However, if women are being forced into this role either for economic or social reasons, this is despicable.
Advertisers and media executives feed into this cycle and Wolf points out, "Newspapers relegate women's issues to the 'women's page'; TV programming consigns 'women's stories' to the daytime" (Wolf 71).
Wolf quotes Betty Friedan as saying, "Why is it never said that the really crucial function... that women serve as housewives is to buy more things for the house?" (Wolf 66).
Even on some of my favorite television shows, women are portrayed as housewives and homemakers, and although their responsibilities are often highlighted, I think that as a society we often overlook equally the hardships of a housewife, but also the obstacles that working mothers and wives face.
Another (very timely) example of the Beauty Myth being put into practice in religion and politics, is with some stances by the Republican party in the build up to the 2012 election. Republican candidate Mitt Romney stated that he listens to his wife's advice when it comes to making his policies, however she "has never worked a day in her life" and therefore is in no way qualified to make decisions representing the American female public. On the other hand, Romney's opposition, Rick Santorum, has his own views when it comes to women. Although I would define my political beliefs as rather moderate leaning towards liberal (but in no way completely left-wing) I find Santorum to be a terrifying individual. Not only has he spoken out about opposing abortion and wishing to ban it, but he has openly expressed his views that the workplace is not the proper place for a woman and that women should be homemakers, as that is their true calling. The fact that a man, and a politician and presidential hopeful no less, could be this misogynistic and ignorant makes my blood boil.
"The Beauty Myth" and its Presence in Movies
This weekend I found myself at the movie theater with one of my best friends on a rainy Saturday afternoon. We decided to see The Hunger Games, not because either of us had read any of the books or had an obsession with the franchise (as many girls our age seem to), but rather because it was rainy, we were bored, and the movie was playing.
I knew close to nothing about the plot and the movie in general as we entered the theatre, armed with a bucket of large popcorn and monstrous Diet Cokes. However, what I was shocked to witness was that the Beauty Myth, as Naomi Wolf describes it, actually manifests itself in movies quite glaringly.
To start, I think that to any viewer, regardless of their gender and whether or not they are familiar with The Hunger Games, will agree that Jennifer Lawrence, the actress playing the starring role Katniss is stunningly beautiful. The cast as a whole is comprised of handsome, muscular male characters and gorgeous females. This isn't unusual of a movie geared towards a teenage audience, yet viewers are still complaining. One major complaint that people have is the producer's choice to have Lawrence star as Katniss, lamenting that she is "too fat" to play someone coming from a province that is supposed to be in a state of poverty, constantly starving. This is horrendous. Not only is Lawrence far from overweight, she is thin. In one scene in the movie, she is wearing a sort of leather jumpsuit and her waist is so tiny that it appears as though you could fit two hands around it. People complain about models being too skinny, yet when a healthy, slender girl is selected for a movie, people are still not satisfied.
This brought me back to an argument that Wolf makes in the Work chapter, where she mentions the Professional Beauty Qualification. Wolf defines the Professional Beauty Qualification (PBQ) as "a parody of the [bona fide occupational qualification]" and says that "beauty is being categorized, in professions and trades further and further afield from the original display professions..." (Wolf 27).
The double standard that women are held to also applies to this situation. Wolf puts it quite eloquently:
Additionally, the film mocks the influence that advertisers have on our lives. Katniss, although a tough and far from "girly" girl, must go through a serious of female tortures such as waxing in order to be camera-ready and get sponsors for her appearance in the Hunger Games, which is not a beauty contest but rather a fight to the death. "Women are kept "beauties" in men's culture so that culture can be kept male," Wolf says, and this certainly holds true in The Hunger Games, as the boy's preparation focuses solely on their strength, tactics and skill, not their physical appearance (Wolf 59).
I knew close to nothing about the plot and the movie in general as we entered the theatre, armed with a bucket of large popcorn and monstrous Diet Cokes. However, what I was shocked to witness was that the Beauty Myth, as Naomi Wolf describes it, actually manifests itself in movies quite glaringly.
To start, I think that to any viewer, regardless of their gender and whether or not they are familiar with The Hunger Games, will agree that Jennifer Lawrence, the actress playing the starring role Katniss is stunningly beautiful. The cast as a whole is comprised of handsome, muscular male characters and gorgeous females. This isn't unusual of a movie geared towards a teenage audience, yet viewers are still complaining. One major complaint that people have is the producer's choice to have Lawrence star as Katniss, lamenting that she is "too fat" to play someone coming from a province that is supposed to be in a state of poverty, constantly starving. This is horrendous. Not only is Lawrence far from overweight, she is thin. In one scene in the movie, she is wearing a sort of leather jumpsuit and her waist is so tiny that it appears as though you could fit two hands around it. People complain about models being too skinny, yet when a healthy, slender girl is selected for a movie, people are still not satisfied.
This brought me back to an argument that Wolf makes in the Work chapter, where she mentions the Professional Beauty Qualification. Wolf defines the Professional Beauty Qualification (PBQ) as "a parody of the [bona fide occupational qualification]" and says that "beauty is being categorized, in professions and trades further and further afield from the original display professions..." (Wolf 27).
The double standard that women are held to also applies to this situation. Wolf puts it quite eloquently:
"The most emblematic women working in the West could be visible if they were "beautiful," even if they were bad at their work; they could be good at their work and "beautiful" and therefore visible, but get no credit or merit; or they could be good and "unbeautiful" and therefore invisible, so their merit did them no good" (Wolf 35).This is what we see with Lawrence and her critics that she is too plump for Katniss - probably from the same people criticizing models for being too thin for the runway.
Additionally, the film mocks the influence that advertisers have on our lives. Katniss, although a tough and far from "girly" girl, must go through a serious of female tortures such as waxing in order to be camera-ready and get sponsors for her appearance in the Hunger Games, which is not a beauty contest but rather a fight to the death. "Women are kept "beauties" in men's culture so that culture can be kept male," Wolf says, and this certainly holds true in The Hunger Games, as the boy's preparation focuses solely on their strength, tactics and skill, not their physical appearance (Wolf 59).
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