Body Outlaw Project

I'm doing a free form poem for my body outlaw project

An Ode To My Body: Thankful For You

By:Maile Naone

I am thankful for the hair on my head that I can style both straight or curly

I am thankful for my long eyelashes because I don't have to use a curler

I am thankful for my eyes so that I can see the beauty of the world

I am thankful for my nose so that I can smell the April showers that bring May's flowers

I am thankful for my mouth so that I can speak my mind

I am thankful for my smile because it makes a difference in someone's world

I am thankful for my ears so that I can hear the voices of my loved ones

I am thankful for my fingers so that I can play my clarinet

I am thankful for my hands so that I can hold the hand of my future husband

I am thankful for my arms so that I can hug those around me

I am thankful for my  toes so that I can have the balance to walk

I am thankful for my feet so that I can wear the latest fashions

I am thankful for my legs so that I can march in The Pride

I am thankful for my hips that allow me to do a beautiful hula

I am thankful for my heart because it is filled with a lot of love to give

I am thankful for my compassion so that I can help people in need

I am thankful for my outgoing personality because I'm not as shy as I seem

I am thankful for my laughter so that the room is filled with joy

I am thankful for my life because I am blessed in so many ways

These are the things that make me who I am and I am thankful for who I am as a whole

Blog #9

Cosmetic surgery was initially used by men who were disabled by war or industrial accidents.  Cosmetic surgery has become centered around women because women are trying to conform to society's ideals of beauty. Women feel pressured to have a certain look and cosmetic surgery can give women that ideal look. I personally don't want to ever get plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery does sadden me because I believe that we shouldn't alter ourselves to conform to society's ideals of what it means to be beautiful. There are so many risks during surgery and of course there is going to be a lot of pain involved with cosmetic surgery. There's a lot of bruising and you do have to worry about scarring. However, cosmetic surgery can make women feel better about themselves and then they have a positive image of themselves. Cosmetic surgery can lead to confidence, but it can also lead to obsession. There are some women who will get their nose done and then they want a face life and then they start obsessing about getting a tummy tuck. Some women don't know where to draw the line and they become obsessed with cosmetic surgery and they will spend thousands and thousands of dollars for emptiness because they will never truly be happy with themselves. I don't judge people who want cosmetic surgery or who have had cosmetic surgery because each woman is different and it truly can help people become positive about themselves, but it's just not for me. Even though there are times where I truly don't like my body, at least I can say that I have a natural body. We live in a society obsessed with bettering our looks and it only causes damage to men and women physically and emotionally and we have become obsessed with cosmetic surgery. 

Blog #8

One of the benefits of men putting "tough guise" is that men are seen as the caretaker of their wives and women can feel protected and safe. Putting on this "tough guise" allows men and boys to be ready for a society that puts pressure on men to be strong and masculine. It can be dangerous though because it leads to a negative image of violence for men unfortunately. Gender issues can actually run synonymously with women's issues to an extent. When dealing with gender issues, gender roles also need to be mentioned. Men are expected to be the provider and the strong one and women are supposed to be the child bearers and women need to be soft and gentle. When looking at women's issues, our specific gender role causes gender issues because you run into women who are masculine like Ellen Degeneres and it blurs the line of gender roles and issues and the same goes for men who are more feminine like Elton John. It's a big circle when dealing with gender issues and women's issues as well as men's issues. Since men are supposed to be tough and strong, you don't take a second to think that men are affected by body image and eating disorders. When we watched the film Thin, there wasn't a male patient and majority of the male models are beefed up and muscular. I honestly have never thought about how the media can scrutinize men as well and give them this pressure to have the perfect body image. Just like with women, men can suffer from eating disorders like anorexia. Men spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on pills to beef up. It can also tear men apart and pressure them to fit the ideal body image. Men can suffer just as much as women do. Men sometimes feel pressured to use steroids and it can lead to steroid abuse and it has even cost some athletes their careers. I believe the media inspires change because you're beginning to see male actors who have some meat on them and they aren't very muscular. There are male actors stepping onto the scene who are overweight, but they are still wonderful actors. The media has complete control over the ads that are put out there and they have the control to use men and women who are real and not skinny. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwZUsZWMjwE

This is a video just raising awareness for eating disorders with men

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIFAoRU1veo&feature=related

This is a video that follows a male model who suffers from anorexia 

Blog #7

Body image plays a huge role during adolescence. I remember when I was younger, I was thin and always had straight hair and had a small frame. However, when I turned 12, it definitely all changed. The hawaiian part of me kicked in and my hair became curly and frizzy and I gained all this weight and my frame became larger. I remember through junior high that I hated my body and there was girl that rode my bus who was bone skinny and I hated seeing her everyday because I would've given anything to have her body. I was so jealous of the skinny girls who could wear American Eagle and they wore an XS and I wore a L or XL. I felt so ashamed picking up a shirt at the back of the pile because I felt like people were watching me and judging me because I had to get an L. I envied the girls who had perfectly straight hair and who turned heads when they walked down the hallway. So yes, I believe that body image plays a HUGE role during adolescence and a lot of girls starting at the age of 9 are already dieting and wanting the perfect body image. In Real Women Have Curves, Ana is such a strong character because she embraces her body and stands up for herself to her mom. Carmen is so obsessed with Ana's weight because she believes that no man is going to want her and she'll never be married and have kids and she's old fashion. There's a lot of tension between Ana and her mom because her mom began working at the age of 13 and she thinks that Ana is lazy and ungrateful because Ana is 18 and wants to go off to college and pursue her own dreams. I believe that Americans are obsessed with being too thin and being too fat because there's always the pressure to be thin because thin is in, but there's a lot of women who are perfectly okay with not being thin and they embrace their bodies. Ana is absolutely beautiful in the movie and I love the part when she's at her sisters work and she takes off her clothes and just dances around and really celebrates her curves. There honestly wasn't a part that I didn't like about this movie because it truly celebrated that real women do have curves and it's okay to not be thin. I believe that advertisements can be extremely negative to body images, but we can look past them and take a feminist perspective on them. We can celebrate our bodies and really love who we are inside and out. 

Blog #6

An eating disorder is when someone has a problem with either eating to much or eating not enough. Examples of eating disorders include anorexia and binge eating. The media has definitely affected our notions of beauty negatively. In ads, they always use women who look like they are anorexic and there is a pressure to look like the models in the ads. All the fashion shows use models who are a size 0 and young girls look up to these models. We see thousands and thousands of advertisements in just one day and a lot of them include companies that use models who are beautiful and have the perfect body image. I believe that a closer look at the definitions of eating disorders and treatments of these issues would bring so much awareness to people. I've always heard about people having eating disorders and people having anorexia, but I still to this day don't know if I know anyone who has had an eating disorder. It's an extremely touchy subject and it's not something that people want to talk about. If we did take a look at documentaries like Thin, we can have a better understanding of what these eating disorders do to people and can help raise awareness of these issues. I believe that dieting and having a certain appearance has become a huge part of our culture. When I hang out with my friends, it seems like there is always food involved. I constantly see Weight Watcher commercials, Nutrisystem commericals, and Bally Fitness commercials. We are constantly surrounded with this image that we need to lose weight and I feel pressured be this image because I will be honest and say that I'm doing Weight Watchers, but it's also for personal reasons. I actually suffered from binge eating and I gained over 40 pounds in a time period of about 3 months. I know that some people will look at me and think how could I eat that much and how disgusting of me to allow myself to gain 40 pounds, but until you have actually had an eating disorder, it's truly hard to understand. I was going through a major break up and also dealing with failing my classes because I was in a very deep depression and I honestly was emotionless. I ended up having to withdraw from OU in Spring 2008 and food was the only thing that seemed to comfort me. I didn't want to deal with my emotions, so I stuffed food down me and it filled a void that I had. I struggle with it everyday and I'm now doing weight watchers to try and lose the weight that I gained from my eating disorder. I believe that society believes that you need to lose weight to be beautiful and it truly sucks. I think that we have become a society obsessed with weight gain and weight loss and body image. I only hope for a better future because the pressure of society to have the perfect body image can lead to an extremely dangerous eating disorder. 

-The first picture was taken in January 2008 before my eating disorder

-The second picture was taken in May 2008 when I first started binge eating

-The third picture was taken in October 2008 and I'm over 40 pounds heavier

Blog #5

1. I chose You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift because she talks about how the guys girlfriend is the cheer captain, wears short shorts, and also wears high heels. Then, Taylor describes herself by saying that she wears t-shirts and sits in the stands and is just this down to earth girl. I just love this song because she's telling this guy that he belongs with her because she's "normal" and it promotes a good self image for girls and it kind of bashes girls who only wear heels and lives in a materialistic world.

2. Beautiful by Me'Shell Ndegeocello. I absolutely love this song because it's so beautiful and I just truly love the words. I actually got this song from So You Think You Can Dance and the dance they did was so beautiful.

3. Beautiful by Christina Aquilera. I chose this song because it's powerful and it's such a positive song for girls all over the world. It promotes self worth.

4. Single Ladies by Beyonce. This song is awesome because it's saying not to settle for anything less than good. It promotes self worth as well and it's such a good song.

5. Stupid Girls by Pink. I believe that this song is the most powerful one on my list. This song goes against all the stereotypical girl and Pink always makes awesome songs. Pink really is one of those women who just really doesn't care what other people think and she does what she wants and this song sends such a positive and powerful message to girls.

6. If I Were A Boy by Beyonce. I could honestly listen to this song over and over again because it has such powerful lyrics. I love that Beyonce takes the song and sings it as if she were a boy and it just really shows how women feel and the music video is even more powerful.

7. Your Body Is A Wonderland by John Mayer. I believe the title says it all. This song makes me feel beautiful and I think it makes girls all over the world feel good about themselves.

Survivor by Destiny's Child. This song seriously gives women power because it's about getting over a break up and to be powerful and be the survivor. I love listening to this song when I face hard times in my life because I feel empowered as a woman.

I honestly don't think my change in music has changed throughout the years. I've always been someone who listens to all kinds of genres and I'm still that way. I do go through phases sometimes where I want to listen to country more or I want to listen to pop songs more. I can't find one type of genre that I just absolutely love over the other. I truly listen to it all and I'm sure that I will always remain this way. I also listen to songs from when I was younger sometimes.

In response to the readings this week, I don't buy into this whole barbie idea. Barbie has been around for such a long time now and I don't think that Barbie gives a good image for girls. Barbie is always thin and wearing skirts and dresses and outfits that aren't sometimes appropriate. The songs that I chose empower women and girls and invites women to look past looking like Barbie. The songs give women a chance to step out of the boundaries and to be a woman of their choice. It gives women the chance to speak, think, and look how they want and to step out of the boundaries of Barbie.

News Item Report

http://www.voxbikol.com/bikolnews/1491/beauty-pageants-and-peñafrancia

This news item report came from bikol news. The intended audience is definitely to the general public of women.  This news item is talking about how beauty pageants aren't a positive thing for women to participate in. It talks about how women flaunt their bodies on stages and getting judged for how attractive they are. The article talks about how pageants lead to beliefs that women should beat other women in their physical looks. The article also talks about a woman's intellect or their stance on a social issue hardly counts in a beauty competition. I think the significant part of this article is the part where the article talks about how women flaunt their bodies on stage and it is true that they are judged on their appearance, which then sends a very mixed message to girls of all ages and there is a emphasis on body image. 

Blog #4 Social Construction

In Revolutionary Road and Mona Lisa Smiles, women were portrayed as the good housewife. In Mona Lisa Smiles, Julia Roberts plays a woman who isn't married and wants to spend her life as a career woman teaching and she wants to show her students that there's more to a woman than just being a housewife. One of the girls decides not to go to Yale Law School because she wants to be the housewife. In Revolutionary Road, Kate Winslet plays a housewife who becomes sick of doing her role of the perfect mother and wife. She wants more than what the average housewife even dares to dream of having. At one point, she tells her husband that they can move to Paris and she will work while he relaxes and takes the time to do whatever he wants to do. In the readings, I feel like there was a huge pressure on women to be the perfect housewife and that was the perfect body image at that time. I also gathered that women have all kinds of different issues with their bodies. Some have issues with their skin color and others have issues of weight. The general idea is that there has always been an issue with body image. Advertisements today are almost sexual in a way because sex does sell. Obviously women who look like models and have beautiful bodies are going to climb father up the social ladder and I hate even admitting that I believe that is very true. Sex truly does sell and it's ridiculous that they companies use sexual attraction as the number one way to sell. 

The whole housewife thing is kind of weird to me because I was raised in a generation where women have successful careers and some women choose to be a housewife. I grew up in a generation where women are allowed to make their own decisions about their lives and destinies. I really like the concept of being a body outlaw and I truly hope that I can one day become a body outlaw. When we took our little quiz over different statistics about body image, none of the answers shocked me because there's such a high pressure to look good and I honestly say that I haven't met someone who doesn't think something is wrong with themselves. It's kind of shocking that body image has been an issue for an extremely long time because I've never thought about how far back body image has been an issue. Female beauty serves as a very big function of social control. Like I mentioned above, women who fit the "perfect" body image does tend to climb higher on the social ladder and it's something that I have seen happen. In rap videos, you don't see women who are overweight and the women are hardly wearing anything and dancing provocatively. Now, I must admit that I've always put the blame on the rappers for giving women a bad name and a negative body image. It wasn't till recently that I finally saw that these women make the choice to be in those music videos which led me to think about the models in advertisements, they all have the choice. Women can gain social status and money by using their beauty as an advantage, but they must deal with the consequences of what the media is going to say about their bodies and how sometimes that one music video or that one advertisement is going to make women in general look bad because of what the media portrays what we want to look like. In the workplace, you always hear the stereotypical woman who is beautiful will get the promotions, but then you can't help but wonder if they only got hired because of their beauty. Beauty definitely puts a limit on women's choices and lives and always will. 

Blog #3 The Housewife Dilemma

As a woman, I do feel a great deal of pressure to be a good wife and good homemaker because I grew up watching my mom be a good wife and homemaker. In our society, there is still a great deal of pressure for women to be a good housewife and homemaker because that's what our society sees as our gender role and I feel like that I must fulfill that role. Even though there is that pressure, it's also something that I want to personally accomplish and I have had this idea in my head since I was little that I was going to be the best wife, mother, and homemaker that I can be. I also feel that there is more pressure for me to be a career woman as well. Through the waves of feminism, women have been to work and have their own careers and not solely count on a man. In today's society, women are able to support themselves and some don't even get married and have successful careers as doctors, lawyers, engineers, and astronauts. These days, I believe that there is greater pressure on being a great career woman because women have fought so hard to get equal rights and I personally feel pressured that we need to continue on with women being great career women. I feel that they pressure to become a great housewife and homemaker has gone down a lot since the 1950s. I have asked my mother about her choices that she made in her younger life and she thought that getting married at the age of 24 and having me at the age of 25 was a mistake because she wanted the dream of being married and having kids right away. I believe that society doesn't have high expectations for lower-class women and so we don't expect much from them to be a good wife and a good mother because then you have images of DHS. I personally believe that every woman has the potential to be a successful housewife and career woman, but some just need that extra encouragement to reach that point. I think that men can feel both angered and relieved at women changing from housewives to career women. In Revolutionary Road, the women had no careers and they stayed home all day and took care of the kids. When the Wheelers told their neighbors that they were going to Paris and the wife was going to work while the man was going to relax, they thought that they were insane and crazy. Now, it's not uncommon to see a man taking care of the children while women are working. I think that men probably in the 1950s had a hard time with the transition of women having careers, but I also feel like there may have been a feeling of relief to these men eventually because the pressure to be the only provider of the family disappeared. I do believe that women should still embrace their domestic role because we are the caregivers and have those qualities to be a good wife and mother, but I also believe that women should have the career of their dreams and be able to achieve it. Friedan writes about "the problem that has no name" and the problem is that women were becoming bored of being that housewife all the time and they were beginning to become depressed about not having anything to do other than cleaning all day and taking the children to all their practices and having dinner on the table before their husbands got home. I would call this problem the housewife dilemma and I know it's not very creative, but that's truly what I would call it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e90xev4g1vk&feature=related

This video is a funny spoof of housewives from the 1950s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxzRthDEg4c&feature=related

This is a video talking about women working in the 1950s

Blog #2 Body Outlaws

Body image is one's self portrayal of their appearance and how they believe others see them and it also refers to how we see other people. It's important to study body image because it's becoming a very pressing issue. We really need to see what reality is and not buy into what the media portrays as the perfect body image. Each individual needs their own set definition of what body image means to them and a body image class will lie down the fundamentals to make an assessment. The third wave of feminism focuses on body image and feminists are fighting for equal status. The standards of beauty of changed drastically over the centuries. There has always been a pressure for women to fit in with what women are supposed to look like, but each decade and century has its own expectations and looks. 

According to Ophira Edut, a body outlaw is a rebel with a cause,willing to step outside of their comfort zone to expose people to a body type that had practically disappeared from the cultural imagination. My number one pick for a body outlaw is definitely Oprah because she has always had problems with her weight, but she doesn't care what other people say and she's okay with what she looks like. I believe another body outlaw is Jennifer Hudson because she is such a beautiful woman and she very curvy and it seems she doesn't buy into the media's portrayal of a model who is a size zero. I think that another one is Tori Spelling and the only reason why I choose her is because the media constantly is criticizing her for being to small and she always just comes back with saying that she thinks she's healthy and she doesn't care what the media says. There are more women who I think are body outlaws, but those are the three that I'm going to mention for now. 

Men and women are portrayed in a sexual way when it comes to the media. When it comes to advertising, sex sells and we always buy into it. We see girls with clothing that barely covers their bodies and men who are shirtless with six packs and huge biceps. The girls are always beautifully tan and look like they are a size double zero and men always have that athletic build. I believe the our ideal of thinness comes directly from the media. I know that I watch a lot of television and I sometimes wish that I could look like the women that I see on the tv. Men and women sometimes take this pressure to another level and begin purging and becoming anorexic. I have a friend who is skinny and she constantly complains about how fat she is and I honestly sometimes want to just slap her, but I don't know what she sees when she looks at herself in the mirror. I can't be mad when she does complain because she probably sees herself as extremely overweight when she's not at all. 

Going back to how the standards of beauty has changed, I believe that gender roles play a huge part in this. Men are supposed to be strong and tough and their roles are to be the protector and the supporter of the family. Women are supposed to be gentle and nurturing and their roles are to be the housewife and to take care of the children and cook dinner and clean the house. When women tend to dress more masculine, we don't see them as women anymore and we want to stereotype them and say they are a lesbian or a tomboy. When a male tends to dress more feminine, we label him as gay and feminine. Gender roles definitely play a big part in body image and it's an issue that should always be talked about.