Tag Archives: WMNST106-SU14-Sapelly

Writing the Body, Writing Yourself

 

 

menshealth tampon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do the 2 sets of ads differ in terms of the body image presented?

In looking at the advertisements in women’s magazines versus men’s magazines, you can see that there is a large difference regarding gender roles. Women are depicted in ads with bright colors and “happy-go-lucky” attitudes, while men are typically shown as darker and more serious. The ads for men tended to lean toward supplements to help them bulk up and gain muscle, while women are encouraged to lose weight and be thinner.

 

What do the similarities and differences imply about “gender ranking” in our culture—that is, the way our culture “ranks” or values one sex and gender over another? 

I think that this really shows how men are ranked as higher than women in our country. Men are supposed to be the strong ones who take care of the family and lift weights on a regular basis, while women are supposed to stay frail and weak and stay home with the kids. In the two ads I have included, there is a clear message that men are to be playing sports, while women are to be using their creative side. This is something that has changed in the past, as women artists were hard to come by way back in the 1600’s. Now, it is almost more acceptable for women to be artists rather than men.

 

In any of these ads, do you see ad depicting any human being who is presented as gay? Trans? If so, how is that gender presented? if not, Why not, do you think? 

None of the ads that I saw were actively stating that the subject is gay, but honestly, how are you to know? Unless there are words on the ad that explicitly state something about the person being gay, I don’t think you really would be able to tell. However, as I discussed in the last question, there are obvious realms that each gender is expected to stay in. Males stay in sports and working out, females, stick to art and maintaining their weight. Advertisements that show men with diet pills or women with basketballs may be questioned by general public, but it is my opinion that they should not be. There are men who enjoy art just as much as some women enjoy lifting weights. That doesn’t mean they are gay… Or maybe they are. Who cares?

 

What is the “main message” women/girls are getting regarding body image, body health and hygiene, “body shame” in these ads, using your two selections as prime examples?

            The big picture here is that girls (young and old) are being told that if their body doesn’t look a certain way, they will not be accepted. You must be thin, acne-free, and flawless in order to be liked. In addition, many ads try to paint the picture that getting your period is the best thing ever and that you will love it. In the tampon ad that I attached, the woman is shown with bright colors and she looks very happy… Apparently this is because of the tampon brand that she used. Because other brands would probably make you sad and depressed, right? This is what each brand is trying to tell everyone. As far as the men’s deodorant ad, this is telling women that men work so much harder than females do, so they need extra strength deodorant that lasts 48 hours just to get through the day. What was wrong with regular deodorant that lasts 12 or even 24 hours?

 

Pictorial Quilt

thin

My quilt is about “the thin ideal,” a concept that implies that all girls must be size 0 in order to be beautiful. This is not the truth. Essentially, being this size is telling women and girls that they are nothing! The target audience for these messages is young girls, but this is also valid for women of any age. So many advertisements are out there trying to sell diets or exercise plans to lose weight and look “better”. Yes, it is true that a healthy diet and exercise are very important. However, this should not be an area of obsession among adolescents and young adults. It is my hope that this quilt is able to bring to life just how wrong these advertisements are, and maybe there will be someone who will realize that she does not have to obsess about her body.

As I stated before as far as audience goes, many times when campaigns try to discuss body image they target adolescents. For example, the dove commercials that urge mothers to teach their daughters about beauty before the media does. It is my belief that this is a lifelong battle for women of all ages, and everyone should fight together!

Women’s World

Scan 1

The “women’s world” that I created is a very open space. I did this because women tend to be more open and inviting, and separating rooms does not create that type of atmosphere. The bottom left shows an education center. This is extremely important because education is one of the roots of our society. As Pizan talked about, many men did not like women to be educated because they didn’t want women to be more knowledgeable than they were. In the world that I have created, women are free to read and learn as much as they would like. I also have an area for childcare. This is because I believe that it is important for not only the child to spend time with his or her mother, but also for the mother to be able to learn and grow from the child as well.

Christine de Pizan was a highly educated woman who lived during the 13-1400s. Her education may have been the reason that she felt so strongly about other women receiving the education that they deserved. She began writing as a way to provide for her family, and wrote The City of Ladies in 1405. My favorite part of the excerpt we read was at the end, where she talked about all of the good things that women have done for our world. This includes Queen Ceres, who brought in barbarians to live under the law of the village, and Minerva, who clothed her people as well as provided them with carts and armor for war. Without those women, life may be different today.

Thomas Cahill spoke a lot about the religious side of art, including hidden symbolism, including the use of a unicorn. The unicorn signified purifying water with his horn.. and it represents Christ. There was also a pelican that represented Christ, due to the self harm that the pelican inflicted in order to provide for others. In addition to these symbols, Cahill talked a lot about the Virgin Mary, and how she became the center of the church. I believe that in my woman’s world, the woman is the center of the home and has resources available to her in order to be well respected and educated.

In our Guerrilla Girls reading this week, we talked about how women artists were expected to only paint still life and portraits. History painting was left for the men. There were few women who stood up for their rights and continued to paint whatever they desired. In my depiction of a women’s world, the education room and sunroom may be used as a sort of art studio, if desired. Here, the women are free to create whatever type of art they desire, history included.

Using all of this information helped me to create what I view as a woman’s world. I believe that creativity and openness are at the core of our being, and should be built in to our lifestyle. Women play an integral part in society, and should be treated as such. As a final comment – I have included a “privacy room” in my floor plan. I chose this because to me it is very important to be able to have time alone where you can do whatever you wish. This may be reading a book, drawing, or writing. Anything that you want to do. Everyone needs alone time to recharge, whether it be a little or a lot!

 

Sappho Translation

SAPPHO TRANSLATION

 

He behaves as though a god,

The kind who will listen to the words,

Listen to the heart.

 

Laughter causes both to gleam,

While fear fills the chest of you,

Bubbling to the edge.

 

If caught off guard,

Speaking will not come easily,

The tongue will be caught.

 

The senses overload,

Limbs on fire and eyes are blind,

Ears full of static.

 

The sweat trickles out,

Skin is pale,

To lie down is imperative.

 

I am dead.

 

The big thing about studying individuals and their work from previous time periods is that it is an extraordinary task. As stated in the lesson, Sappho has been researched and learned about from just a few scraps of poetry left behind. The researchers propelled themselves into finding as much as they could out of such a little amount of evidence. At one point, it was mentioned that some of Sappho’s work was recovered after being recycled as mummification materials. Through all of this, a lot of the details about Sappho’s life are left to the imaginations of people with minimal facts. Most of what we know is based on the interpretation of those researchers, leaving us unsure of much of the life lived by Sappho.

Looking at sexuality in general, times are ever changing. In Sappho’s time, it didn’t seem as though there was an issue with same sex relations, as it was occurring regularly. It wasn’t until years after Sappho’s death that homosexuality became taboo and she began to be regarded in a lower light for taking part in such activities. Fast forward a couple hundred years, and once again there isn’t as big of a problem. It is all in the time period.

Judy Chicago created a piece entitled The Dinner Party. This payed homage to many artists who were disregarded in the world of art. Because Sappho was shunned for the content of her work and her sexuality, it was only fitting that she was a part of this.

I chose to look at two versions, actually. They were both from 1958, one by William Carlos Williams, and the other by Mary Barnard. The reason I chose two was because reading them one after the other added to my understanding and really put the pieces together for me. The most influential line for me was “my eyes are blinded and my ears thunder” by William Carlos Williams. I think that these words accurately portray the feelings that come from the moment when you realize that you don’t really know someone as well as you thought you did. Your eyes cloud over and your senses seem to all stop at once while thoughts run rampant through your head.

Through the reading I noticed that women in Rome and Greece at this time did not have very many options on how to live their life. Most decisions were made for them, and they practically lived as though they were eternally indebted to their husbands and other male figures. Because of this, women artists were not regarded as well as male artists, and I believe that this may be what gave Sappho the drive to continue writing. Many people, when told not to do something, choose to rebel against the force. So Sappho continued to write, kept her content, and lived out her preferences (both sexual and otherwise) without giving a second thought to anyone who told her no. Essentially, she is a hero to the women of today.