Pinning Happiness

Pinterest users are both consumers and creators of popular culture. It is a social networking and bulletin board that plays a pivotal role in reinforcing societal norms, hegemony, gender roles, ideologies and social inequalities. I have been an avid pinner for some time now and have always viewed Pinterest as a site that had something for everyone, due to the extensive amounts of categories one can peruse. While writing this post, I decided to dig a little bit deeper. No matter what category I searched, (categories such as beauty, hair, fashion, fitness, weddings) there was a predominantly reoccurring theme: white, thin, middle-upper class, heterosexual individuals.

Pinterest is a top grossing social media site that we have not yet discussed in class. Until looking into the site to write this post, I failed to see what it really promoted. Unfortunately, I believe this can be atoned to the fact that my intersectionality goes neck in neck with the primary target audience that Pinterest seems to target. These are just a few reasons as to why I believe this is a worthy class discussion.

When I scrolled through the category of “hair,” I came across endless hair styling tips as well as various hairstyles that were all photos containing and targeting white women. When I did come across a woman of color, they were all captioned with the hashtag #naturalhair. So now this social media site is dividing race simply by hashtags.

When I searched the “weddings” category, the site seemed to feature only heterosexual, white couples. Everything I found also seemed to be of decently high class which makes me believe that it is targeted at the middle or upperclass, heterosexual, white community.

When exploring “beauty” and “fashion,” once again the site promoted white women. This produces the idea that social media is just another outlet people can use to reinforce hegemony and beauty ideals. I did not see one picture of women fashioning sweats. This depicts a hegemonic idea that in order to be beautiful, women must always “dress to impress”.

No matter what I would search, white women seemed to be prominently featured. When searching the word “beautiful women” and “sexy women,” white women were the results. Even the broadest categories such as “popular” and “everything” seemed to showcase white women. “Health and fitness” failed to represent colored women. I also don’t believe that any of the white women shown were over 135 lbs. The only time that they were, was when they were displaying “before and after” fitness photographs.

Another aspect of Pinterest that should be a topic of discussion when talking about it in class is that it is targeted to “moms” and promoting women in a “domestic lifestyle”. It reinforces pre-modern domestic gender roles, as though women did not win the fight into the workforce in the 60’s. Pinterest reinforces gender ideologies portraying a good mom on the site as crafty and always cooking. Pinterest has been described as “a way to literally pin happiness,” but the “happiness” on Pinterest seems to portray the domesticity of women and fails to portray women finding career success. It does not seem to promote finding happiness on their own, but rather finding happiness through a man, a family and traditional female domesticity. Pinterest glamourizes the domestic work of women.

“You wear a costume one night, I wear the stigma for life”

I got about 200 words into my blog post when I found a video that made me question what believed was to be a firmly held position on cultural appropriation. I have come to the realization that cultural appropriation is on a gray scale, rather than black and white. After previous class discussions, I had began to see cultural appropriation as a much bigger problem because of its hegemonic impact, creating the ideology that it is normal in society to take bits and pieces of other peoples cultures because of this “melting pot” American claims to be. It has become so “normal” that many people do not notice it or fail to see it as a problem at all.

To have a better understanding, I looked to expand on the definition of cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is the taking or adoption of objects of a minority or oppressed cultural group by a dominant cultural group for personal benefit. This “appropriation” often occurs without any real understanding of why the original culture took part in these activities or the meanings behind these activities. This often results in converting culturally significant objects, practices or beliefs into somewhat “meaningless” popular culture. It can also result in changing the significance of that cultural object that would deviate from the culture of its origin.

I then found this video that presented an interesting perspective on the matter: 

“The Janitor” made what I found to be a very valid point, “We live in an increasingly diverse world and we’re at a point where almost everything you participate in borrows aspects from other cultures,” especially considering the fact that we aspire to be a nation that merges various cultures and eventually doesn’t see race as a true issue at all. He also makes the valid point that we are allowed to like something or be fascinated or inspired by other cultures. And it should be acceptable to borrow pieces of other culture that you think are cool if you do it in a “copying is a form of flattery” type of way, instead of using the cultural object in a cruel, mockery, and derogatory way.

But when I continued researching cultural appropriation I found these images that really struck me.

I think a big problem people have in understanding this large problem is because of privilege and a double standard that is seldomly discussed. Cultural or not, if something is significant and has great meaning to you, and someone takes it as their own, you would most likely get offended. It makes what was special to you a little less special. Even more so if they are making fun of it.

People fail to see cultural appropriation through the eyes of the people of that culture. They tend to fail to fully embrace the significant meaning behind it, which is what makes this such a problem. With my research I found these incredibly powerful images.

Cultural objects play an important role in the identity of the people in that culture. It is who they are, and that is not something that others can simply adopt for personal reasons. However, if we claim to be a melting pot that works to intertwine all cultures, is cultural appropriation really something that we can formally judge someone for?

 

 

 

“Are you a cool Asian, or a School Asian?” #Awkward.

Although MTV’s Awkward. is one of my favorite comedies to tune into, one episode takes racism too far. In the episode entitles “Sex, Lies and the Sanctuary,” Asians are the centerfold of the sitcom. The high school finds out that there has been a security camera outside of the schools Sanctuary (their version of “behind the bleachers”) that has been compiling everyone’s secrets and is about to be exposed. Jenna, the main character of the show, believes that there may be footage of her and her ex-love interest Matty, which would threaten her relationship with her current boyfriend Jake. Who else would Jenna turn to in order to obtain the tape containing her deep dark secrets? None other than the schools Asians, AKA the “Asian Mafia”.

This episode throws racial Asian stereotypes out left and right. Within the first two minutes of the episode, Jenna is talking to her two best friends about her fear of being on the tape and her Asian friend Ming chimes in by saying, “I wont be on that tape. Kinda hard to get in trouble when you’re uber boring and have no secrets. It’s a good day to be Asian”.

They continue their conversation about the tape later at lunch when Jenna, Tamara, and Ming who would have information or would be able to get their hands on the tape. Jenna knew instantly, “If there was anyone at PH who knew what was going on before anyone else it was the Asians.” Tamara and Jenna proceed to try and convince Ming to go talk to the Asians and seek their help. Ming states, “I’m not eating lunch with those people.” Which receives a response that reinforces what our first race and ethnicity reading talked about: “Ming, you’re Chinese, they’re your people.” The reading talked about how the term “Asian” is incorrectly used in the United States. The term “Asian” is not a race because it means “someone from Asia,” which includes people from India, Israel, Saudi Arabia and parts of Russia.

They stereotype that “The Asians” know everything about everything, before it even happens. They also refer to the Asians as magic and say that they have control over everything. The episode throws out so many racists jokes that they seem to be natural and tend to not faze the audience.

Qualitatively, the show produces a representation of Asians that portrays them in a distorted, negative way, which over exaggerates stereotypes that are generally associated with Asians.

Eventually, Jenna and Tamara convince Ming to go talk to “The Asians”. She approaches the Asians, who all sit together at their own table at lunch. This portrays the racial stereotype that Asian Americans are seen as foreigners who cannot be assimilated.

When Ming arrives at the table, Becca, the head of the “Asian Mafia” addresses Ming by her full name before she is even able to say hello. Becca also rattled off a list of facts about Ming’s family, as though she had just done a background check on her. Becca explained that she believes it is her job to know everything about the Asian population at the school. The only information she lacked was whether or not Ming was a “cool Asian” or a “school Asian”. With a PSAT score of 120, Ming was not a school Asian, and lacking ever having spring-breaked in Cabo, dealt Adderall, or had an affair with the lead singer of an indie rock band, Ming was not a cool Asian either. This left Ming confused, asking Becca, “So what am I?” Becca replied, “You’re white”. Becca and the rest of the “Asian Mafia” exclude Ming from their racial label. Even though Ming’s physical characteristics determine her race, the “Race and Ethnicity” video made a prominent point about taking into consideration ones subjective identity, or who people think they are. Subjectively, Ming is viewed as white.

“I’m Sick of Labels”

Oprah recently interviewed Raven Symoné for a “Where Are They Now” special on her show. The interview began with inquisitions about a tweet Raven posted on August 2^nd, 2013 stating: “I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you.” The tweet was a response to the Supreme Courts ruling the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. What started as a conversation about Raven coming out, quickly turned into a discussion about labels, race, ethnicity, intersectionality and identity.

Raven expressed to Oprah that she is sick of labels and does not want to be labeled “gay” but rather wants to be labeled a “human who loves humans.”

The controversy behind this interview was not a result of discussing sexual orientation, it came from remarks Raven made involving race.

Raven talks about how she is tired of being labeled all together by stating, “I’m an American, I’m not an African American, I’m an American… And that’s a colorless person because we are all people.” This statement in itself upset many people as they expressed via social media. What furthered this statement into a topic worthy of my cultural study however, was that Raven added to this statement by saying:

“I have lots of things running through my veins. I don’t label myself. What I mean by that is I’m an American. I have darker skin. I have a nice, interesting grade of hair. I connect with Caucasian, I connect with Asian, I connect with Black, I connect with Indian. I connect with each culture… Aren’t we all (a melting pot in one body)? Isn’t that what America is supposed to be? That’s what it’s supposed to be. I personally feel that way.”

So Raven does not want to be labeled by race, yet she labels other racial groups and identifies with them, yet does not identify at all with African Americans. Raven attempts to give herself a racial label of “American.” The only thing she fails to acknowledge is that American is her ethnicity, not her race. In part 2 of the Race VS. Ethnicity reading we were assigned for class, John Cheng emphasizes that one cannot simply become a member of a race, you either are or you aren’t. However, ethnicity is a question of choice.

Another major contributing factor that comes into this cultural critique is that Raven is incredibly privileged. She is a former child star who has had a successful television career for the majority of her life. Historically, Raven has worked on shows that were structured around upper-middle class black families such as That’s So Raven and The Cosby Show. These shows produced a limited view of the truth behind black oppression, because she was never exposed to any of that. By claiming that she is “colorless,” she is explaining that in her world, one that is blinded by privilege from stardom, she didn’t have to face the hardships and realities that came with the system of oppression that the color of her skin came with.

A “Manly Mistake”

In this Summers Eve commercial, the husband made a “Manly Mistake,” as the commercial is titled, when he accidentally used his wife’s “V wash,” instantly taking away his man card. In order too restore the balance in the universe; he had to reclaim his masculinity by completing many manly activities. He chops wood, drinks raw eggs, rocks out on the drums, pummels a punching bag, does a belly flop into a pool, karate chops through five pieces of wood, pulls a car with his teeth, welds a Spartan helmet, mows his lawn and then finishes with putting his feet up on the coffee table, chugging a beer and preceding to crush the can. After completing these tasks his wife sarcastically proclaims, “That was close,” giving viewers the inclination that he had reclaimed his masculinity. All of these acts are portrayed as “heteronormativity.”

This commercial suggests that if a man uses a soap that is designed for a women’s “V,” that he in turn must spend the rest of the day proving that he does not have one. This commercial confirms Katz’ first theme of masculinity, the angry, aggressive, white working-class male as anti-authority rebel. The actor in this commercial represents a white working-class male. In addition, for the duration of his campaign of manly activities, heavy metal music is playing that consists of angry rock instrumentals, screaming and lyrics such as, “release the tiger” and “you’re out of control,” reinforcing this “rebellious” masculinity. The actor also expresses a lot of aggression while completing his manly acts.

We also see Katz’s second theme: Violence as genetically programmed male behavior. This theme is present due to the violent acts he performs such as boxing the punching back and karate chopping wood in order to seek validation for his “manliness.” The commercial portrays these evens as though they simply are “what makes a man manly,” and like they come as second nature to all men.

Katz’s third theme is also present in this commercial: The use of military and sports symbols to enhance the masculine identification and appeal of products. This symbolism is seen when the husband welds his own Spartan helmet to wear. This helmet is a universal symbol for warrior and in turn, fearlessness. Two characteristics that reinforce the idea of “mask-ulinity.” There are also more obvious representations of this theme in the commercial such as boxing and karate.

The first three themes help to reinforce the prominence of Katz’s fourth theme. This theme is the association of muscularity with ideal masculinity. The male in this commercial is quite muscular as you can see in the opening scene when he is in the shower. He represents the “buff alpha male” stereotype. It also implies his strength when he drinks raw eggs and pulls a car with his teeth. All of these ridiculous acts that the husband performs are what he believes he needs to do in order to reclaim his masculinity. These are what the commercial portrays as “manly acts.” A majority of these acts could not be performed by a weaker, skinny man who my mother would describe as “skin and bones,” which implies that one needs muscularity is the key to masculinity.

When analyzing this commercial from a popular culture perspective, the first thing that comes to my mind is gender roles and the double standard. If I were to examine the cultural object itself I would question the audience reception to the commercial if the gender roles were reversed in this commercial. A woman accidentally washed with a man’s body wash and then needed to reclaim her femininity. She furiously cleaned the house, baked a cake, sewed a dress, went shopping, curled her hair, read 50 Shades of Grey, and drank a sex on the beach with her girlfriends at happy hour. How would the audience feel about this commercial then? If it expressed the “heteronormativity of femininity” in the same light as it did for masculinity?

Course reflection short link

Course Reflection

Gender, Identity and Intersectionality

Popular culture greatly influences our identity and intersectionality, more than many people realize. Our media creates and distributes dominant ideologies that greatly impact the cultural norms our society lives by. It is important to distinguish the difference between sex and gender. Sex is biological, whereas gender is constructed socially. It consists of how we relate masculine and feminine, based on socialization or the process in which we learn the cultural norms and values of our society. We are taught gender norms primarily through popular culture, because popular culture is the cultural texts and objects that we are exposed to. Adriene Trier-Bieniek and Patricia Leavy explained that media culture is a major agent of gender socialization. Looking back to all of the popular culture I was exposed to growing up, I can only recall heteronormativity.

The first time I was greatly exposed to questions about gender identity and sexual orientation because of the media was when I was 11 years old. My cousin Richie Stringini, was a member of an multinational pop boy band back in 2005-2008. The band was called US5 and was managed by Lou Pearlman who also managed the Backstreet Boys and ‘N sync before US5. The band was primarily famous in Europe and collapsed before making its way to the United States when Pearlman was arrested for conspiracy and money laundering.

I was very invested in following my cousin’s career. When I was in middle school I would follow all of the media online that covered my cousin. In 2007 rumors that my cousin was gay were all over the web. People began to judge my cousin because of the way he talked, dressed, his hair styles and his “pretty boy charm.”

One night I asked my mom about the stories I was reading and remember her telling me “I don’t know if your cousin is gay or not, but no matter what we love and support him all the same.” At my age reading all of the backlash on my cousin simply based on the assumption that he might be gay gave me a reality check about how greatly people can be oppressed and judged based on their intersectionality. Although this did not directly influence my own gender identity, it was the biggest impact I had on my understanding and acceptance of intersectionality.

The greatest impact on my personal gender identity I would have to say was the Harry Potter novels, particularly the character of Hermoine Granger. She broke the previous cultural roles of female roles in popular culture. She was the hero who did not need a male to save her, but in turn saved Harry and Ron with her intelligence. The character was a true feminist and inspired me. This impact on my gender identity continues through Emma Watson as well. I first began to admire her as a result of her role as Hermoine. However, she has continued to be a spokeswomen for gender identity, gender equality and feminism today.

Emma Watson “Feminist doesn’t make me man-hating” speech link.