my gender portfolio

I watched "Dirty Girls" a couple months ago. As a 90s music and Riot Grrrl enthusiast, I love seeing teenage girls exploring feminism and hating the patriarchy. This group of Los Angeles young girls do exactly that and share zines and projects of their creativity on why they are feminists and how the patriarchy has hurt them.

There is so much hate toward these young girls (only about 13 or so years old) and it saddens me. Ideas about feminism have changed a lot in the past 30 years, and that is very noticable while watching this video. It was a lot more judged and questioned in the 90s, as it went against the cultural norms/hegemony. Now, bullying is still very much a thing, especially toward people who do not fit the norm. Or, it is hidden as appreciation, when it is mockery. Otherwise, videos like this and riot grrrl feminism make me question the norm/hegemony. Why is it "common sense"? Who does it help? Who does it hurt?

Satrapi wears the veil, in compliance with Islamic modesty, at school. Throughout Persepolis, Satrapi shares her complicated feelings with the veil, as she has more and more complicated feelings about God. In Persepolis, the veil is worn out of choice before the Islamic regime takes over Iran. After the Shah is overthrown, the veil and modesty compliance become mandatory. Thus, with Satrapi being a rebellious and avant-garde kid, she faces backlash for her choice of clothing that does not comply with the regime.

I have been binging “Hacks” for a month or two now. It is (in brief) about a young writer (Ava) who ends up working for a groundbreaking older female comedian (Deborah) in a career slump. It is witty, heartwarming, and absolutely addicting.

I could talk for hours about Jean Smart and the differences in feminism and female experiences between generations, but I had a “lightbulb” moment when watching this after a class discussion on work. Ava puts aside everything for her job; her relationships revolve around work, her living situation revolves around work, her and Deborah revolve around work. It is a very complicated relationship between Deborah and Ava, especially as they are the “same” toxic people.

The relationship between women and work in “Hacks” is complicated, too. As Deborah had to fight so hard to get where she is in the comedy world (no matter what it took), her life revolves around work in the same way. Her relationships with everyone can be toppled if it means a better career. Deborah is addicted to the fame and thrill. Ava is addicted to work. Ava is wholeheartedly emotionally involved with people surrounding work, conflating the two, rather than addicted to working.

I want to be able to grow old. I want my wife to grow my hair out and braid it. I want to celebrate my love. I want to talk about it; just be able to talk about my experiences in life.

Although it is so heavily contested nowadays, representation truly matters. In multiple gender studies classes that I have taken, we have discussed the importance of representation and just acknowledging and celebrating identities, especially intersectional identities. Celebration of love, life, and queerness can be life changing for people. There is importance in using language and communication (whether verbal or nonverbal) to affirm and support the variety of human condition, sexuality, and gender. When histories and identities are hidden, people who share these identities may not feel safe to speak or show it. This is why community is so important, especially vocality in the queer community. I believe that intersectionality within queerness should be emphasized, especially. In my geographies and sexualities class, I have had the pleasure of researching lesbian bars/the lack of lesbian bars, and safe spaces. From this research, along with knowledge I have gained on communication, the importance of spaces for community and representation has become more obvious to me. Community can thrive anywhere, but to have physical spaces free of shame that celebrate and encourage communication is essential. It also acts as a tool of resistance against oppression that does not support representation of diversity. I believe that community and language through gathering can be language of resistance.

I found this video while on my usual weekly binge of random YouTube videos. This struck me as relevant to communication, as the way that people conceptualize and monetize women affects how women may act. As a fem person, concepts like this make me analyze my behavior more and understand why (some) men behave a certain way toward me. Am I perpetuating this trope by playing into innocence for my own protection?

“Instead of blaming Abby for embodying a sexist trope, 30 Rock explores how women are often forced to conform to those roles as a form of social and professional survival.”

A portion of this video analyzes the use of the “sexy baby” trope as a form of protection in the show “30 Rock”. There is also analysis of the main character accusing the “sexy baby” character of holding back feminism. So, I think this specific portion of the video ties well into the use of gendered tropes and the male gaze.

Women in media are often expected to be subservient, sexy, and like accessories to the male protagonists. I feel that the sexy baby trope plays into this, as these “sexy baby” female characters are just used as funny, sexy eye-candy. They are too “innocent” or “immature” to be able to provide substantial plot depth, so they are just used for viewing and comedic pleasure for (primarily) male audiences. So, the male gaze is fully realized through this trope. Although some women may use “sexy baby” as a shield, it is because men will be looking nonetheless, so to appeal to them is “safer”.

I also think that this trope shows the broader societal hierarchies of the patriarchy that we see in media. Women are infantilized and have their agency and maturity stripped away in order to be appealing on the screen. This, to me, is about power and the fact that these “sexy baby” women do not have the power of knowledge and maturity to speak up against men; they are there to serve men and their desires. Having an adult, mature, sexually liberated woman is not sexy under the male gaze; having a pawn is.

The creator makes a great statement regarding societal implications of this trope:

“The trope's persistence in the media reflects broader societal discomfort with fully realized autonomous women, Instead favoring those women who remain young, naive, and easily controlled.”

Tradwives (and the hatred of them) are all over my TikTok feed. That, along with modest fashion being on the rise, hate of “BBL culture”, and dismissal of influencers being Trump supporters, seems to correlate with a rise in Gen-Z conservatism. As Gen-Z further supports the gendered ideas of “alpha male” and “girly girl” and “I'm just a girl”, we will fall further and further into the clenches of conservatism and authoritarianism.

Ben-Ghiat utilizes the Vice article listed above when discussing tradwives. When reading this article, what stuck out to me was:

“She herself admits that she’s romanticising the 1950s aesthetic, but says “there’s both positive and negative things about the 50s housewife idea,” saying that she recognises some could absolutely identify issues with the way women were treated back then.”

It is hard for me to put so many thoughts into words, but I will try.

Lesbianism is diverse and historical. That is why I like that these lesbian bars are inclusive toward all. Inclusivity and listening to the stories of others, especially of other queer people, is so important. Even if someone passes as cisgender or heterosexual, you do not know their whole story, and it is a wonderful thing to be able to listen to another person's story, no matte their background. Lesbian bars create space for this.

"When thinking about why we need to preserve lesbian spaces it really is about recognizing that a lesbian exists and there's the really great pride in lesbian identity"

With the younger lesbian community being mostly forced to connect via The Internet and social media, lesbian and queer spaces are disappearing more. (This is also caused by gentrification, gay bars being inclusive to all and not just lesbian-centered, and COVID-19).

Inclusivity is essential, and that can exist within the lesbian communities and lesbian bars. Both lesbian history and culture and inclusivity can coexist and thrive off of one another, especially as lesbian gender identity often exists outside of the gender binary. Without gender being rooted in patriarchal ideals, gender exists outside of these boundaries. That is, at least, how I experience my gender: outside of the boundaries of the patriarchy.

I first heard this piece from Audre Lorde in my Intro to Gender Studies class my first semester of college (Fall of 2023). Through this piece and my wonderful professor, I learned about intersectionality. Now, I recognize intersectionality everywhere. When one person (or group) is affected, we are all affected and connected. So, for Audre Lorde, she experiences life as a person who has membership with various identities. I, too, have membership with various identities. Our identities make us whole, they do not battle another. Under an oppressive system, we may be told that one identity must be more prominent than another, but our experiences and these portions of ourselves make us whole. To me, they bounce off each other and weave a large web. Oppression comes from the same source: the patriarchy/kyriarchy. Someone may embrace one identity more vocally than another, but under an oppressive system, these identities are equal. Thus, people who share these identities with us are equal, we are seen as one and the same under the patriarchy/kyriarchy (and, to me, under humanity). Patriarchal hegemonic control places all oppressed peoples under a shared struggle. Through the lens of resistance of oppression, I think that intersectionality is very prevalent. We are all in this fight together.