I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read it. No indictment? No charges? Part of me wasn’t surprised, but the other part of me, the optimistic part, was crushed. Continue reading
body politics
Transformative Selfies
Last night, I took a loooot of selfies. I got home, undressed, freed myself of my bra and my jeans and threw on a tank top. I walked up to the bathroom mirror, examining myself as I usually do, making faces and posing and all that good stuff.
I think because of how closely I follow plus-sized fatshionistas who seem to perform femininity perfectly I often feel like I’m not feminine enough because I don’t dress impeccably or wear makeup very often. And to be really honest, that has left me feeling not at all attractive or sexy.
Tall women with high heels
A lot of my friends are tall, around 5’8-6 feet and they all love to wear high heels. But whenever they wear high heels, the response most of the time is “you are already tall why do you need to wear high heels?”
Now I’m an Amputee G*d D*mn You
Our class discussion from the other day has me thinking. How do we talk about the US’s responsibility in producing disabilities through wars abroad (both in our own veterans and in residents of the countries that serve as the battlegrounds) without implying that disabled people are undesirable or useless?
Confidence Boost
Why do we have to be so concerned with our hair!? As a black woman this is a symbol of my power and at times my weakness. Continue reading
Renee Zellweger’s Face: The Media’s Brutality & Sexist Hollywood
Last week, the Internet exploded with people commenting on actress Renee Zellweger’s face. She appeared at an event in Hollywood, and it was reportedly her first red carpet appearance in years. Zellweger has not appeared in film for the past five years and she has not been spotted by the media since she turned 40. When she appeared at the event in Hollywood last week, people were talking about how dramatically different she looked since the last time she appeared in the public eye. Many people noted that five years out of the limelight in Hollywood is really long time, especially for a renowned and popular actress such as Zellweger.
Zellweger’s reemergence has sparked a conversation about women aging in Hollywood. Hollywood and the entertainment industry in general is notorious for being brutal towards women as they age. We as a society in general are too focused and judgmental towards women and their bodies especially as they age. People on the Internet and the media immediately jumped to the conclusion that Zellweger had gotten some kind of plastic surgery. The following day after the hysteria surrounding her new appearance, Zellweger responded by making a statement to People Magazine and said, “I’m glad folks think I look different! I’m living a different, happy, more fulfilling life, and I’m thrilled that perhaps it shows.”
Zellwegger discussed that her hectic schedule had a negative impact on her health and that she suffered greatly from exhaustion. She noted that living a happier, more slow-paced lifestyle, and being in a happy relationship with her boyfriend helped her tremendously. Zellweger also said, “People don’t know me in my 40’s, people dont know me as healthy for a while,” “Perhaps I look different. Who doesn’t as they get older!? Ha. But I am different. I am happy.” Did Zellweger get plastic surgery? Did she change her appearance so that she could get more acting roles in Hollywood due to the pressures that exist? Is Zellweger’s new look just a result of aging? I’m not really sure. I personally think that hectic schedules and fast-paced lifestyles can take a toll on the body. I think that if a person makes certain changes to their lifestyle that their appearance can change.
After looking at some photos of her from a few years ago, I do think that she somewhat looks different but I can’t say for sure that she got plastic surgery. It amazed me how the media blew this up and how long people kept talking about it. I think its funny how Hollywood is harshly criticized by conservatives for being “feminist” when clearly it isn’t. Women in Hollywood are constantly being judged by their appearances. Hollywood is in fact a culture that is dominated by primarily men and repeatedly puts women down.
The last cigarette.
January 20, 2014. One week before the spring semester started. One day after I got home from visiting my cousin Sam in Florida for a week. Go figure, the week I visited was the week after she and her boyfriend quit smoking. The funny thing was, I thought I’d quit the week after visiting, so being around them smoking wouldn’t make it more difficult for me! Anyway. I smoked a pack a day for 10 years. Continue reading
Thinness at the Expense of Health and the Biggest Loser
In our society thin bodies are usually seen as the “best” bodies to have and the most “glamorous” even if getting these bodies results in health problems. This can especially be seen in the diet industry or in the fad diets which can be incredibly unhealthy. Continue reading
Body Acceptance
“The image that concerns most people is the reflection they see in other people’s minds.”
― Edward De Bono
How do we really succeed full confidence in our bodies with society’s specific vision? This is a question I have recently been asking myself. It is more recent because before I had never thought that I had a choice of the way my body should look. This is because growing up I had always been told what it is to be a lady and how my body should look in order to be accepted. I have always been super self conscience when it comes to my weight because in my household weight seemed to be a revisited topic. For me because I was always an “overweight” child. I usually got compared to my fit and muscular brother. He passionately played football so I was also expected to passionately play a sport. I was always strongly pushed to play a sport because of my thicker figure, with hopes I would loose weight or not gain any. I was constantly compared to my brother and what my parents and society told me was the ideal shape.
Having society’s ideal and “normal” weight always shown and told to me, it is the hardest thing to really except being different from that expectation. I have many days where I love and embrace my thick and curvier shape. Other days I constantly dwell on how I look compared to those of the more ideal weight. Even when someone is thicker, there always is an appearance expectation. The fashion always is supposed to be kept up rather than the expectations from someone who is already at ideal shape. It is a struggle in which I still look to accept how I feel about my body rather then persuaded by society’s perception. Is there really a full and complete way to accept our personal own body type? Even when we are up against what a body should be and look like concerning doctors, health,and society. I always wonder will there be a body type acceptance for all.
Shallowness, Not Happiness
Throughout my twenty two years on this planet, weight and food has been a majority fixture and topic of social life. There are so many diet ads that promise the key to a happy and healthy life. They insinuate that when you lose weight, you will become a totally different person.
During my eighth grade year of middle school, I lost a lot of my baby fat and experienced just how true this insinuation was. I find it sad and shallow, that it’s true. The majority of societies really do treat you differently once you look different, in their opinion, “a good way”. As soon as I went through this transformation, everyone at my school suddenly wanted to be my friend. I do not exaggerate that over the duration of two days, half my school started adding me on xanga and tagged ( social media sites that were popular in 2005 , especially for young people). It seemed as if I had become a different person or something, because I was not only accepted into the “cool crowd”, but wanted! And I could never feel very comfortable with myself, because I could not forget the fact that my personality had not changed, only my body. Each new “friendship” that was beginning always had a sense of fakeness; the pressure to be a certain way and act a certain way. Which just made it harder to find and create genuine connections.
I don’t feel that having a desirable body is the key to happiness, but I do believe society’s shallow behavior and actions do support and shore up the social and class roles regarding fat and beauty/happiness. Unfortunately I am quite aware that with the career path I have chosen, I will be forced to come across these ideas and views constantly. As an actor, you are required to be fit (not just for scenes, but also for the strenuous exercises and movement involved).
