Archives for September 2007

Elizabeth Clark has translated her interest in gender identity into academic historical studies—but that doesn’t mean it’s not vital and relevant today.

This Michigan native studied history at Central Michigan University, but it wasn’t until she studied abroad for a year at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow that she fixed her point of passion: World War II norms of British masculinity. With a love of Scotland, it didn’t take Elizabeth long before she decided to enroll in the Master’s program at the Centre for Second World War Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

Today, breathless after the intense research, investigation, and training, she’s less then two months away from graduation. And she’s ready to share what’s she learned to everyone she can, because, she believes, just as gender assumptions shaped the lives of British men during wartime, so do they affect the lives of all of us today. History, after all, is a living animal.

Besides all her other impressive accomplishments, Elizabeth is also my little sister. (I mean, younger sister. She’s 24! She’s not little anymore! Funny how these things sneak up on you.)

Here’s Elizabeth:

Continue reading "Elizabeth Clark on Masculinity in a Time of War" »

Posted by Anna at 02:42 PM
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Jaclyn alerted me to this gutsy new video from Ciara, entitled “Like A Boy.” My initial reaction (Whoa! Ciara knows whats up!) has given way to deeper thoughts, many still inconclusive:

First, is this video radically questioning gender roles or actually just reinforcing them? Ciara dawns the stereotypical trappings of gender, such as baby-doll dress, man’s suit, male “thug” attire, and she does so with a powerful attitude. Her aggressive crotch grabs reinforce the message - what if a woman acted this way: masculine, careless, unapologetic?

But let’s not forget, even in the baggiest jeans, even staring down the camera with her legs unapologetically spread, Ciara’s also lookin’ like a hot lady. She’s sporting glossy lips. Her long, sleek hair is blowing in the wind, and her bellybutton peeks out from her trim waist. Of course, this video wouldn’t sell in pop culture otherwise… but that’s exactly why “Like A Boy” remains important and troublesome - isn’t now the time to break down the stereotypes in real ways? Ciara herself opens the video with a call to action: “2007 - Ladies, I think it’s time to switch roles.”

Now, what do we make of these lyrics?

If I act like you,
Walk a mile in your shoes,
Mess with your head again,
A dose of your own medicine

If I played you, would you like that?
Have friends, would you like that?
If I call, would you like that?
No, no, you wouldn’t like that, no.

What, you mad? Can’t handle that?
What if I had a thing on the side,
Would you like that?
Made you cry, would you like that?
Would the rules change up or would they still apply?

What if I played you like a toy,
Sometimes I wish I could act like a boy.
What, you mad? Can’t handle that?

Her words obviously point to male power in relationships. Ciara blatantly - refreshingly - says that men treat women like objects (“What if I played you like a toy”). But there’s also an affirmation of female strength, as Ciara insinuates that, in a role reversal, men “Can’t handle that” - so, yes, we might be considered the weaker sex, but we are stronger, fellas, than you know. You’d only know it from living our life for a second or two (after all, navigating a life under oppression and control breads a different kind of brawn). And, of course, there’s the idea of the “healthy” relationship: a “good” relationship wouldn’t need role reversal… right?

Another interesting piece of the Ciara puzzle: near the close of the video, there is an odd dance interlude, during which Ciara balances backward in an gravity-defying backbend, and stares down the camera. Seems to me that this bit is meant to play at the flexibility of gender and roles in society; the video overall encompasses that idea - the changeability of women, our keen sense of adaptation under the male influence (for better and for worse).

Nonetheless, the ending leaves me confused: a final clip of Ciara, quite literally standing behind her man, who is seated in a comfy leather chair (very throne-esque). She leans over him, arms around his shoulders, and kisses his cheek. Hmmm. Is Ciara saying that change is possible (gender-bending interlude) but that women choose their roles (end kiss) or that we, simply, can be all in one - carelessly grabbing our crotches like men and tenderly kissing cheeks like women?

Maybe she’s getting at something else entirely?

Help me out… what’s your interpretation of this thought-provoking video?

Posted by Alex at 06:01 PM
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Flipping through morning news on Friday, The Today Show introduced me to Beverly Bond, a teacher at Scratch DJ Academy, former model and founder of Black Girls Rock! You should meet her, too, and here’s why: her mission is to “provide balance in the images of women in color in the media.” Bond organized BGR because, too often today, the media portrays only one type of image of a black woman in a glamourized way. She told Ann Curry, “We want to show [young women] that there’s more to being empowered than just taking off your clothes.” Black Women Rock! does exactly that by offering women young black women the chance to scratch, mix and produce at the Scratch DJ Academy.

Beverly Bond also believes a movement is underway. Through music and the arts, she told Ann, “I believe women are starting to get together on this issue.” A fundraiser, the Black Girls Rock! awards, will be held at the Lincoln Center October 6th, honoring positive female role models in music and the arts. Art, music, and female empowerment - rock on!

Check out more here.

Posted by Alex at 05:55 PM
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Carmen Van Kerkhove is the co-founder and president of New Demographic, an anti-racism training company that “goes beyond diversity buzzwords to tackle the real issues behind race and racism.” Carmen facilitates anti-racism workshops that put the generic workplace ‘diversity training’ to shame. And she’s established herself as a go-to resource on the strange-but-true manifestations of race and racism in our country along the way.

Building off the same beliefs that feed New Demographic’s workshops, Carmen hosts Addicted to Race, a popular podcast that digs into cultural representations (and non-respresentations) of race via conversations with a guest co-hosts. Carmen also edits a network of blogs, ultimately serving up an in-depth wide-ranging perspective on race and racism. Racialicious spotlights race in pop culture; Anti-Racist Parent supports those who want to raise children from an actively inclusive perspective; and Race in the Workplace focuses on “how diversity, multiculturalism, race and racism influence our working lives.”

The latest offering from New Demographic is the Anti-Racist Action Group, a 13-week course that will take advantage of group phone sessions, rading and writing assignments, and the active discussion among 12 participants to take race analysis to up a notch.

Altogether? Carmen is at the forefront of buiiding an anti-racist movement; one that embraces new media and points to the intersections of culture, politics, and our personal lives. Via New Demographic’s workshops, web prescence, podcasting, and activism, it’s built a strong, engaged community of people who are deepening their vision for a society where racism is dead.

Carmen was kind enough to find some spare time (!) to share her thoughts on her work, the prize she has her eye on, and how her anti-racist work conflates with feminism.

Here’s Carmen:

Continue reading "Carmen Van Kerkhove: On the Tech-Savvy, Culture-Hip Anti-Racism Revolution" »

Posted by Anna at 09:18 PM
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