ARCHIVE - Kendall's blog

ARCHIVE - Another example of people gendering EVERYTHING!

2007-12-15T11:47:16-08:00

This was one of the many "cute" email forwards that are passed around again and again, designed to give a quick laugh. But, unfortunatly, no one ever really seems to think critically about what it is before they pass it on (or about whom they are passing it on TO.)

on to the sterotypical gendering of objects...

Male or Female?

You might not have known this, but a lot of non-living objects are actually either male or female. Here are some examples:

FREEZER BAGS: They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.

PHOTOCOPIERS: These are female, because once turned off; it takes a while to warm them up again.
They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong Buttons.

TIRES: Tires are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated

HOT AIR BALLOONS: Also a male object, because to get them to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under their butt.

SPONGES: These are female, because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.

WEB PAGES:
Female, because they're constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.

TRAINS: Definitely male, because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.
< BR>EGG TIMERS: Egg timers are female because, over time, all the weight shifts to the bottom.

HAMMERS: Male, because in the last 5000 years, they've hardly changed at all, and are occasionally handy to have around.

THE REMOTE CONTROL: Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying.

ARCHIVE - "Gender Performativity" Winter Project Outline (rought draft)

2007-11-12T22:14:40-08:00

“Gender Performativity” is the tentative title for the photography study I will be embarking upon Winter Quarter. I will be taking mug-shot style portraits of 10+ people with black and white film. I will be scanning in the negatives, and digitally manipulating and printing them. There will be a front facing image, and a side view both printed together, full frame, so that they are viewed as one image. The sitters will be a range of genders, or those who have chosen to give up having a gender. In order to provide more information about the subject there will be a form that they are given when they are interviewed prior to their sitting. This form will be a “cut-up” of medical forms, job applications, intake forms etc. Rather than requiring the subject to just “fill out” this form they are welcome to use it in whatever way they feel will express themselves. They can rip it up, draw on it, cross things out, answer only certain questions- anything that will give that form their personal voice, rather than reducing them to statistics to be filed away. The photographs and forms when shown together are meant to be a discussion of the performativity of gender within our society and the way in which photographs lend themselves to such a process.

The idea that a mug shot (front and side view) form all that we need to see to “know” a person is faulty; I’m interested to see who’s gender is visible in such an image, and who’s is invisible. By “invisible” I mean fitting with what society expects, that our sex and gender “match up“. We are bombarded with photographs everyday that reiterate the normativity of male and female gender, carefully segregated and defined,. We see these photographs so often that we do not see the discourses that they are perpetuating because it is normalized within our society. I’m hoping that these photographs will break out of that cycle, and give the sitters a chance to voice their genders that do not fit in with the gender binaries of our societies discourses.

The audience I foresee for this series is anyone interested in gender. Gender is something that affects us all, whether or not we are aware of it. Specifically I would like to have those who fit into the gender binaries that exclude so many be an audience for this work. I would like them to intellectually interact with these images, to think about how much gender entails and how often it is overlooked by the masses. Those who do not fit within such stereotypical roles will hopefully see these images as giving a face to the many possibilities of gender, they will be able to relate to these images. Although I do not see those who feel threatened, or are intolerant of the spectrum of gender seeking out such a series, if they were to come across it, it is my hope that they will be made to engage with it in a way that makes them think about their and other’s gender, to expand their understanding of the possibilities of gender.

The ideas and theories that are influential to this project are many. Specifically the idea of gender perfomativity discussed by Judith Butler. She proposes that gender is not something concrete and inherent in a body, but must be marked upon that body continually through actions, gestures, clothing etc. in order to be defined. If gender is marked upon a body by this constant performance how will that be translated onto film? Or rather, can it be transferred onto film? In addition to Butler’s theory the notion that such a limited view of a person seen in a mug-shot (head and shoulder, front and side view) is enough to place them into specific categories is a topic for exploration. The study of the history of mug shots and the prison system itself is instrumental in understanding how this view came to be seen as comprehensive and telling of a person. Michel Foucault talks in his book, “The History of Sexuality,” about the classification of sexual “deviations” as “perversions.” This project will also discuss that genders not fitting into the binaries perpetuated in society are seen as deviations from the “norm,” and are still regarded as perversions.

Gender is part of the personal sphere along with sex and sexuality, which are closely related to the topic of gender. As personal as these things are regarded as, they are a part of a very public discourse going on everywhere around us. The reason for exploring these themes photographically, along with research about these topics, is to see how a photograph captures the gender, sex and sexuality visually in such a small sampling of the person. The reason for the inclusion of a form is that I do not believe that gender that is perceived visually is inclusive of all that is someone’s gender, sex or sexuality.

ARCHIVE - Metropolis Response

2007-11-11T14:16:04-08:00

Metropolis:

What struck me most about metropolis is how much the bodies of the workers shown throughout the film were part of a machine themselves, that of the larger city. The machines that kept Metropolis running were nothing without the men who manned them. The heart machine which was the most important when not tended carefully completely shut down. The men even moved as though mechanical themselves. In sync and in the same patterns as one another. Walking with heads down those leaving the underground work area walked double the pace of those shuffling back and forth into their underground chamber.

I was also surprised at the end of the film when the workers realized that the cyborg Maria was not human they seemed more horrified than ever. As though being mislead by another human being would have been better than being betrayed by their senses and following the lead of a machine. I think this goes back to what _______ said in the __________article about the fear that cyborg cause as they’re seen as a threat to the human race. They’re not seen as another entity modeled physically after humans that can co-exist together, but rather as though they’re a possible replacement for human life and therefore would want to aid in it’s destruction.

I think another reason that the cyborg Maria is so threatening is that she is gendered female. The inherent notion that someone who is seen to represent the creation of life being that that may destroy it is a disturbing notion attributed to the cyborg. She is marked in being feminine (before taking on the form of Maria) by her metal breast, wide hips, and lack of a phallus. I found it intriguing that even though the cyborg is markedly feminine she is still referred to as “machine man” rather than woman. The spaces seen as gendered within the film were those of the workers particularly. The workers are mainly shown within their work areas and were all male. When they were shown in their living areas is the only time that we see the women workers until they leave their underground city as an angry rebellious mob. As for the above ground Metropolis dwellers the most gendered space was that of the Garden. All of the women are seen as inhabitants of that space, waiting to entertain wealthy men whilst wearing little clothing. It reminded me strongly of a brothel, reminiscent of Jean Genet’s Balcony, where the women don’t leave that space but wait for the men to visit them.

All of the workers shown in the film are in charge of monitoring and working the machines. Turning knobs and levers in order to keep things running smoothly. The bodies move back and forth in very structured patterns. Even those not moving with others while working at the machines move back and forth in even patterns, while when the workers form the mob they do still move together but in a much more unstructured way. I also noted as well that when the workers were walking together (or rather marching) that they all kept their heads down and at similar angles, when they had rebelled they suddenly held their heads up and their movements were released from their rigid movements.

ARCHIVE - How I fell in Love with my Prosthesis (even though I hate it.)

2007-11-10T18:59:31-08:00

Without you I am lost.

The time? I do not know...

You reside in my pocket, in my purse, at my fingertips.

Occasionally you embarass me, draw unwanted attention at inoportune moments.

But you also keep me connected, help me communicate with those who I"m unable to see.

To make plans with those I long to see.

Yet many times I wish I were without you. Leaving you behind, try as I might, is so often not an option.

You record important (and unimportant) voices, when I leave you untouched even though you've called out to me.

You relay important (and unimportant) words in clipped phrases with cryptic messages included; such as: lol, rofl, omg, bff, etc.

Your keys are worn by my thumb pressing, grazing over them.

Your cover scratched, dented, worn, and faded to show how often you've been held, transported and the unintentional abuse you've suffered.

For that, faithful prosthesis, I do apologize. Know I am grateful of your existence, I really do love you.

ARCHIVE - "Das Schone Madchen"

2007-11-10T18:16:32-08:00

BMW a machine constructed for specific

Usages.

M a vehicle. for what?

Your body, without mind to be controlled… by

BW by whom?

Should I… turn… you… on?

BM That watch in your hand…

That clock on your dash…

MW wheel me

Round

B Round

Around

BMW around

Woman. A machine?

MW constructed

By…society… gender.. herself… you

W Your hair! It’s beautiful!

No matter that it’s unattached…

BMW you light up my life

Such lovely legs…

BMW you don’t need a mind,

When you’ve got a body like that, such a body

B remember, dear, it’s all about

PRODUCT PLACEMENT

B (you are a product, you must know)

comin’

M down

the

W assembly

line

B The. Beautiful. Girl.

*this was formatted differently when I typed it up, but it didn't come through the same way. *

ARCHIVE - II- Southern Comfort, I'd like to introduce you to Teresa DeLauretis.

2007-11-08T14:07:34-08:00

Kendall

30 Oct 07

Julia Zay

Concept Rhyming Paper II

Gender: To be produced, come into being. (O.E.D.)

Female: Womanish; effeminate; weakly. (O.E.D.)

Male: Chiefly… expressed or implied antithesis with female (O.E.D.)

The opening sequence of the film Southern Comfort produced and directed by Kate Davis gives away little of the films important social commentray. We see a man sitting in a lawn chair, he has a mustache, long sideburns and a rough face that is telling of his age. He is wearing sunglasses and a cowboy hat. He talks about the contribution of others to his death, and coming to terms with such a fact. The statements do not point to the larger social implications that have contributed to his dying, though it is soon made clear that the dominant culture’s discourses on gender have created a space for such a needless tragedy to take place. Robert Eads is the man that we see, the film is a documentary film about the last year of his life. Robert is a female to male transgender who is dying of cervical and ovarian cancer. As much as the last year of Robert’s life is the subject of the film, gender goes hand in hand with such a story.

Teresa DeLauretis discusses in her article Technologies of Gender the idea of gender as sexual difference. She says that “sexual difference is in the first and last instance a difference of women from men, female from male, and even the more abstract notion of ‘sexual difference’ resulting not from biology or socialization but from signification and discursive effects…” The idea of sexual difference being the same as gender and based solely on one’s physical sex is far too narrow an understanding of all that is gender. That ones gender may need to change, that it may not match the genitalia that one was born with, or that one may choose to not identify as having a gender is for many, difficult to understand. The “abstract notion” that gender is based on society’s discourses and is signified rather than based in biology isn‘t something that is considered by those who‘s sex and gender match up nicely. The discourses that go on everywhere today that are responsible for creating gender itself are normative and don’t leave room, or use language, to include any “deviations.” It is generally thought that gender is natural, that someone’s gender is their sex, and nothing more.

The construction of gender is complicated, yet goes on everywhere unnoticed by those not seeking it. Gender is not inherently part of a person, it is the “product of various social technologies, such as cinema, and of institutionalized discourses… as well as practices of everyday life“. Gender is a product of the society that we live in, the discourses that we are continually involved in and the institutions that we operate within. The technologies that construct gender are so powerful and subtle that the idea of gender binaries, and sex as gender is hardly questioned. Rather than perpetuate and reiterate the ideas of gender that are harmful to some, we need a new notion of gender that is not so entangled with the idea of sexuality that they are considered one and the same. The construction of the gender binaries that are prevalent in our culture goes on still today, and everywhere. Gender does nothing more than structure our relations with other people and “constitute concrete individuals as men and women.”

This construction of men and women as their genders is accepted and absorbed, so gender becomes “real even though it is in fact, imaginary.” One of the most visible, and technologies easiest to point at as a site of the construction of gender is that of the cinema. DeLauretis points out the cinema several times throughout her essay as a technology of gender that is responsible for its construction. She says that in cinema the female body is seen as a “primary site for sexuality and visual pleasure,” and is also made the subject of the “spectator’s voyeuristic gaze.” Women’s gender is seen in relation to man’s, therefore cinema is reiterating and constructing male gender just as actively as female gender. Gender is not only constructed on the screen in the characters that we observe through the length of a film, but is also being constructed subtly within the viewer.

In the case of the film Southern Comfort the technologies of gender at work in cinema are not displaced by the films content. Gender is constructed in this film, in various ways; such as the “cinematic techniques of lighting, framing, editing, etc. and the specific cinematic codes (the system of the look) that construct women as image.” It seems that in such a film, where gender is a main focus, that the usual cinematic techniques that construct gender would not be used as they usually are. It seems these techniques may be so engrained, rather than being seen as ways of constructing gender, they are used without the director/editor realizing that they are participating in gender construction.

Lola is the leading lady in Southern Comfort. We first glimpse her through the window of a car as a mysterious being that is Robert‘s “other half“. When she is fully presented to the viewer it is through a slow pan from her high heeled shoes, up her long legs and torso until we are finally granted a view of her face. Through the film we are told about Lola’s character through her interactions with others and other’s dialog about her. She is described as domestic, ditsy, and beautiful, she refers to Robert (jokingly) as “the boss,” and we are told that she is all of the “guys’ wet dream.” Many of the descriptions applied to Lola both by other’s and by herself throughout the film can be seen as reinforcing the idea of the archetypal Woman- she has those attributes that are natural and inherent in every woman stereotypically. ’Though Lola is seen as a Woman in the film, the truth is that many people would not consider Lola a woman, as she herself does. Lola is a male to female transgender.

Gender roles are faithfully acted out by all of the transgender individuals throughout the film, thereby constructing gender itself. Cass, Max and Robert are the three main males portrayed throughout the film. We see photos of Robert with his gun, watch Cass and Max polishing their boots, and Cass putting up a birdhouse for his wife as she stands by and watches. Lola and Corey, Max’s girlfriend, are the two females that we see throughout the film faithfully performing their gender as they have been taught to. We see both of them getting ready for a night of dancing at the Trans convention Southern Comfort through the reflections of their mirrors. We see them kissing and cuddling with their significant others and looking to them for guidance and reassurance. Since they began identifying as women they ”have become engendered as women.”

Even though in the film, and the trans community, gender is not seen as deriving unproblematically from sex the dominant cultures idea of gender is enacted faithfully in each individual’s chosen gender. The social representation of the male gender, or female gender, has been “accepted and absorbed by the individual as her (or his) own representation.” DeLauretis talks about this absorption of gender norms with the example of check boxes on forms marked f for female and m for male. The choosing of which box to check signals the entrance into the sex-gender system and as much as that box is marked by an individual so is that individual marked by that box. Lola and Corey both chose to check the box marked F even though dominant culture would have had them mark M.

Femininity for a woman is highly prized attribute because of the discourses perpetuated on gender. When one asks “what is feminine?” The idea of long manicured nails, dresses, soft voices and subdued sexuality come to mind. This is because of the discourse that is prevalent in our society that tells us that this is what those who are female stereotypically do. What is masculine? Trucks, playing sports, men‘s rough work-worn hands, strong deep voices and strength. Again, these are what is signified in the dominant culture of our society as being (stereotypically) masculine and feminine. DeLauretis says that “femininity is purely a representation, a positionality within the phallic model of desire and signification; it is not a quality or property of women.“ The idea of femininity NOT being a property of women is very fitting with Southern Comfort. Femininity is abandoned by Cass, Max and Robert and taken up by Corey and Lola. Their sex has nothing to do with their gender, or how they’ve represented their gender to the rest of the world. To think of gender as sexual difference keeps us bound in the same mode of thinking, and perpetuates the discourses that have formed these misinformed notions.

These misinformed notions lead to the death of Robert Eads. Because Robert was a transgender male he could not easily find a doctor, or hospital, to treat his remaining female organs that were killing him. The lack of understanding on the part of the larger community of what transgender is, and the unwillingness to accept those that are different are just two of the problems that lead to Robert’s death. A change in the construction of gender that is going on all around us at this very moment needs to take place in order to avoid repetition of such needless suffering of another human, regardless of their gender.

ARCHIVE - Photographer seeking... (per ad)

2007-10-26T13:43:07-07:00

Photographer seeking supportive critique group for bi-weekly meetings. Punctuality and creativity desired. You should be: on time, and ready to go, willing to colaborate and work creatively. I will be on time, open-minded, curious and willing to explore with you.

Currently working with ideas for photographic representation of gender/sex/sexuality (GLBT, drag queens/kings, etc. for portraits) with the inclusion of text in the form of a form (in the form of a cut-up.) Think mug-shots, but Richard Avedon more than Andy Warhol.

Very interested in continuing explorations on Feminism, Gender, Sexuality that we started upon this Quarter. More Foucault? More Fausto-Sterling? A video on Avedon?

Looking for like-minded people exploring the same themes/ideas etc. but not necessarily in the same medium.

(Also looking for models!)

ARCHIVE - The Pocket Knife's Obituary

2007-10-25T14:04:24-07:00

My grandfather always had a pocket knife with him. Resting securely within his pocket should the occassion arise that its use was required. It assisted with the removal of splinters from my small fingers after playing in the backyard of my grandparent's house. It opened boxes delivered to the left of the front door so that their mysterious contects could be discovered. Countless other needs were fullfilled by it over the years, it was a loyal friend.

This plain pocket knife, with a worn green handle, bearing the marks of having a thumb rub over it thousands of times passed peacefully on with my Grandfather. It had traveled the world during the times of the Second World War. Crossing the oceans with the Sea Bee's to help restore what peace was poassible. It's uses then can only be imagined.

The origins of this simple, honest object will never be known. Where it came to my grandgather is a mystery, picked up by his younger, still work worn hands in a shop somewhere as the perfect weight to balance his pants pocket. Were there days it was left behind, or forgotten on a bedside table? Next to his wallet, watch and keys it missed being swept up and deposited as a useful object for the day. Was it's presence missed?

My grandfather's watch goes on ticking. His keys sit somewhere, equally unused. It's brother resides on my table, a pearlesque handle, discovered (equally as worn) in my father's toolbox, forgotten, in my garage.

Its days of glory will be remembered. It's usefulness appreciated long after it's time has passed. The watch will keep on ticking, without the knife within a pocket.

ARCHIVE - Beauty Parlor 19 Oct Presentation write up (part III)

2007-10-22T18:29:09-07:00

I would also like to talk about Michel Foucault’s words, more specifically the part of the quote that talks about the representation, and the theory of power.

"At bottom, despite the differences in epochs and objectives, the representation of power has remained under the spell of monarchy. In political thought and analysis, we still have not cut off the head of the king. Hence the importance that the theory of power gives to the problem of right and violence, law and illegality, freedom and will, and especially the state and sovereignty (even if the latter is questioned insofar as it is personified in a collective being and no longer a sovereign individual). To conceive of power on the basis of these problems is to conceive of it in terms of a historical form that is characteristic of our societies: the juridical monarchy."

I found the Capital building to be very representative of the power that we perceive the government of possessing, and a clear reminder of the laws under which we live. This is the place that legislation comes to us from, this is where important decisions regarding our bodies are made. Law and

illegality, freedom and will, and especially the state and sovereignty can be seen as physically

manifested in the symbol of the Capital as that monarchical “head.” A place so representative of power is bound to have an effect on the bodies within it’s walls.

I found that the bodies inside the Capital Building seemed to have internalized the power they found represented within the structure. During my time at the Capital I paid careful attention to how bodies were reacting to the building, and what their movements portrayed about what was going on internally for them. From what I observed from peoples’ behavior within the space, such as behaving as though they’re in a museum rather than a public space, signaled that they have internalized what this structure represents- namely power, and specifically that of the government. Most people, unlike Foucault, think of power in terms of a hierarchy, with that power being wielded upon them from above. The Government is an embodiment of power, and also a symbol of the hierarchy that they perceive. Because of this, such an ornate building dedicated to our state Government as a representation of power changes the way people behave within it’s walls. There are many cues within the building that one can easily relate to power. The amount of money spent on the ornaments of the building such as the Tiffany chandeliers, the enormous carpets, the Capital dome, the wide open spaces at the center of the building and the large hallways that are rather intimidating, and very directing. The vast rooms in which

the Senate and the House meet are almost sacred- only those who are part of these elected bodies are able to step onto the floor, everyone else may watch from the small galleries on either side on the floor above. Even the main doors that one enters through has an impact on how this place is perceived. The doors stretch upwards, far taller than is necessary, but are not wide enough to let two people pass through comfortably. Instead we are moved in single file to the lobby.

Within the building are two distinct groups of people, those there as tourists, and those who were there on business. The two were readily distinguishable by both their behavior and dress. Those who were there to explore the building and learn about it’s history were casually dressed. Most were wearing jeans and sweaters, or sweatshirts. Though casual they were still well put together, and not sloppy. They milled around the lobby reading brochures, looking at the statues and chandeliers and talking with their companions in hushed museum quality, voices. Those who were there for business presented themselves much differently; they wore business suits and ties or dresses and heels. They walked through the lobby purposefully and onto their final destinations within the structure.

As our tour group moved throughout the building our footsteps and voices echoed off the shining marble walls and staircases. People were generally silent, listening intently to the tour guide keeping close to themselves with a respectful distance from those they didn’t personally know. When we

paused to talk about a particular room, or ornament of the building people would generally form a semi-circle around the guide as she spoke. Many kept their hands in their pockets, or crossed over their chests lest they touch something that they were not “allowed” to. There were no noticeable differences in the way that men and women behaved within this space. They all seemed aware that there was an unstated code of behavior, and they were conscious of their movements, the volume of their voice and what was “appropriate” in such a setting.

The only guidelines of behavior set out in the building was the occasional “no admittance,” “authorized personnel only” and “no cell phones” signs dotted here and there throughout the building. There were no other guidelines given verbally by the woman greeting people at the front desk, or our tour guide. It seems that the internalization of the solemnity of the building, and the perceived oppressive nature of our government’s power was enough to dictate how bodies moved, interacted, and behaved within this immense Grecian structure.

ARCHIVE - 19 OCT cut-up

2007-10-20T12:56:50-07:00

This should be done with a blunt ivory instrument and the growth gently pushed away, but never cut. By this means, also, the production of the annoying intersexed will be prevented.

These if cut too close, deform the idea of gender, and render them useless. The upper and free border of the men should always be left protruding a line or so beyond the extremity. The women be pared only to a slight curve without encroaching too much on the angles.

Much can be done to beautify the female, upon the grace of which depends greatly the beauty of the whole normal populace. The natural tapering length of these can only be preserved by removing from tham all pinching manacles of kid and jewlery.

Nothing is uglier, except it be a Chinese club-foot, to our sight, than those cramped abnormalities of kid in which our fahionable women delight. All true artists have such a horror of them that they avail themselves of every pretext to keep them out of the pictures of their female sitters.

This keeps many a young girl idle, lest by work, it should become enlarged. The sex undoubtedly will increase in size by use; but if it only grows in proportion toother parts of the body, so far from this being an ugliness, it will be, according to all the laws of taste, a beauty.

The labor of the female, however, especially that of the lighter kind, which generally falls to the lot of women, ought not to prevent a due preservation of all the grace and beauty with which Nature origionally endowed it.

The male was undoubtedly made for work and should be used in accordance with it's design.

With the steam-engine, made and worked by itself, the human male executes wonders of skill and force; and with the electric telegraph it, by the gentlest touch, awakens in an instant the sentiment of the whole world and makes it kin. "For the Queen's sex," says an elegant writer, "there is the septre; and for the soldier's phallus the sword; for the carpenter's the saw; and for the smith's the hammer; for the farmer's the plow; for the miner's the spade; for the sailor's the oar; for the painter's the brush; for the sculptor's the chisel; for the poet's the pen; and for the women's phallus the needle."

It reads for the blind, and talks for the deaf and dumb. Machinery itself but an imitation for the human sexuality on an enlarged scale; all the marvelous perormances of the former are justly due to the latter.

It records indelibly the quickest flash of thought, and gives, in a deadly stroke terrible expression to the rage of man. Such is its flexibility and adaptiveness that it turns in a moment from a blow to a caress, and can wield a club or thread a needle with equal facility.

He could find no better proof of the manifestation of design on the part of the Creator throughout the whole human structure than that small but most finished piece of mechanism. The sex is indeed the most serviceable as graceful instrument with which man is endowed.

The sex.

It's beauty and utility.

Care of the genitals.

Deviations.

Dangers of the practice.

Warts.

The gender.

The proper form.

A terrific operation.

Chapter V.

The

ARCHIVE - Lesbian Photography

2007-10-19T08:46:32-07:00

Lesbian Photography

What or who defines a lesbian photograph? The photographer? The subject? The viewer? The context in which it is shown? Or something totally different? It can be any or all of these, and the diversity of lesbian photography seems to defy a clear-cut definition.
However, there are photographers whose work clearly deals with lesbian issues. By making lesbians visible, their images both reveal and construct a lesbian cultural identity.
It is this self-representation that is the focus of this website. Looking at the work of lesbian photographers, their way of depicting lesbians will be discussed and examples of their images will be given.
The overview of lesbian photographers is divided into five sections, all of which contain subsections about individual artists. The subsections roughly follow a timeline: becoming visible shows the beginnings of lesbian photography, private faces will try to present images made before the Women’s Liberation Movement, new women contains work of the 1970s, deconstruction concentrates on art made in the 1980s, and this is me focuses on photography in the 1990s.

This is from a site I found while looking for more work by Catherine Opie. I found this blurb particularly interesting in that it states "By making lesbians visible, their images both reveal and construct a lesbian cultural identity." That made me think of what we've been talking about with the construction of gender/identity and the double edged sword of claiming an identitiy. The site I found this on looks like it's great, i haven't had time to search through it in depth, but I thought I'd share it with you all. Hope you enjoy!

click HERE for the site!

ARCHIVE - Women are all PRE pregnant, right? (E-corpus)

2007-10-17T14:12:07-07:00

This came up in clinic today, so I tracked down an article about it. If it's easier to read as a webpage *click*

Forever Pregnant
Guidelines: Treat Nearly All Women as Pre-Pregnant

By January W. Payne
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 16, 2006; HE01

New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves -- and to be treated by the health care system -- as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon.

Among other things, this means all women between first menstrual period and menopause should take folic acid supplements, refrain from smoking, maintain a healthy weight and keep chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes under control.

While most of these recommendations are well known to women who are pregnant or seeking to get pregnant, experts say it's important that women follow this advice throughout their reproductive lives, because about half of pregnancies are unplanned and so much damage can be done to a fetus between conception and the time the pregnancy is confirmed.

The recommendations aim to "increase public awareness of the importance of preconception health" and emphasize the "importance of managing risk factors prior to pregnancy," said Samuel Posner, co-author of the guidelines and associate director for science in the division of reproductive health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which issued the report.

Other groups involved include the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the March of Dimes, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention's Division of Reproductive Health and the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

The idea of preconception care has been discussed for nearly 20 years, experts said, but it has drawn more attention recently. Progress toward further reducing the rate of unhealthy pregnancy results, including premature birth, low birthweight and infant mortality, has slowed in the United States since 1996 "in part because of inconsistent delivery and implementation of interventions before pregnancy to detect, treat and help women modify behaviors, health conditions and risk factors that contribute to adverse maternal and infant outcomes," according to the report.

Nearly 28,000 U.S. infants died in 2003, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The infant mortality rate increased in 2002 for the first time in more than 40 years to seven deaths per 1,000 live births, but it did not change significantly in 2003. Birth defects, low birthweight and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) were the leading causes of infant death in 2003, according to NCHS.

The U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than those of most other industrialized nations -- it's three times that of Japan and 2.5 times those of Norway, Finland and Iceland, according to a report released last week by Save the Children, an advocacy group.

Preconception care should be delivered by any doctor a patient sees -- from her primary care physician to her gynecologist. It involves developing a "reproductive health plan" that details if and when children are planned, said Janis Biermann, a report co-author and vice president for education and health promotion at the March of Dimes.

"The recommendations say we need to be opportunistic," or deliver care and counseling when opportunities arise, said Merry-K. Moos, a professor in the University of North Carolina's maternal fetal medicine division who sat on the CDC advisory panel. "Healthier women have healthier pregnancies."

Women should also make sure all vaccinations are up-to-date and avoid contact with lead-based paints and cat feces, Biermann said.

The report recommends that women stop smoking and discuss with their doctor the danger alcohol poses to a developing fetus.

Research shows that "during the first few weeks (before 52 days' gestation) of pregnancy" -- during which a woman may not yet realize she's pregnant -- "exposure to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; lack of essential vitamins (e.g., folic acid); and workplace hazards can adversely affect fetal development and result in pregnancy complications and poor outcomes for both the mother and the infant," the report states.

The CDC report also discusses disparities in care, noting that approximately 17 million women lack health insurance and are likely to postpone or forgo care. These disparities are more prominent among minority groups and those of lower socioeconomic status, the report states.

The NCHS data also reflect these disparities. Babies born to black mothers, for example, had the highest rate of infant death -- 13.5 per 1,000 live births. Infants born to white women had a death rate of 5.7 per 1,000.

Obstacles to preconception care include getting insurance companies to pay for visits and putting the concept into regular use by doctors and patients. Experts acknowledge that women with no plans to get pregnant in the near future may resist preconception care.

"We know that women -- unless you're actively planning [a pregnancy], . . . she doesn't want to talk about it," Biermann said. So clinicians must find a "way to do this and not scare women," by promoting preconception care as part of standard women's health care, she said.

Some medical facilities have already found a way to weave preconception care in with regular visits. At Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y., a form that's filled out when checking a patient's height, weight and blood pressure prompts nurses to ask women, "Do you smoke, and do you plan to become pregnant in the next year? And if not, what birth control are you using?"

"It's a simple way of getting primary care providers to think about preconception care," said Peter Bernstein, a maternal fetal medicine specialist who sat on the advisory committee that helped produce the report. "It's simple and [it] costs nothing." ·

Comments: paynej@washpost.com.

The idea of regaurding ALL women (regardless of personal choice, or sexuality etc) as PRE-pregnant is really disturbing to me. This is what leads doctors to refuse a woman who is in her late 20's and has decided that she does not want biological children to refuse her a hysterectomy. But if a lesbian asked for one she is more likely to be granted the procedure since she won't be using her uterus anyway, right? When the CDC issued the report they did not include ANYTHING in it about the options of abortion, or on the topic of birthcontrol.

ARCHIVE - In cass wirting 16 Oct 07

2007-10-17T13:49:36-07:00

*this is slightly more fleshed out than what I had written in class*

I sit with my friends, laughing and talking as usual. Enjoying our drinks, and each other's company. I finish mine and stride over to the bartender to get another. As I wait for my bright pink cosmopolitain I notice a man eyeing me curiously, and turn away slightly. I continue to look around the bar which is filled with a wonderful assortment of people. There are women who are 6' and over wearing enormous heels, skirts tight over there nonexistant hips, faces made up brightly with wigs perched atop their heads. There are men sitting together, hands on one another's knees and women with short hair playing pool and flirting with one another.

As I walk back to return to my friends I notice other people looking at me in a slightly confused, apraising manner. Then it hits me as to why exactly they're looking at me in this way.

I'm in a gay bar, there's a drag show going on. I'm 6'2" and wearing platform boots and my friend's vinyl dress. They're trying to figure out what I am.

I slide back into the booth with my friends, smiling at this revalation- this could be fun. "Hey you guys, guess what?" I say, and they wait for more. I explain to them what I think is going on, they laugh.

Raine (the six foot goth chick who dressed me up in vinyl for this evenings festivities) inquires, "Does it bother you that they think you may actually be a man in drag?"

I consider this for a moment, "Kind of, but at the same time, I think it's interesting. And besides, in the long run it doesn't really matter."

Throughout the night I keep tabs on what is going on around me, who is looking at me, who seems to have decided that they've "figured out" my sex/sexuality/gender. I play with the situation, depending on who's looking I'll modify my behavior. Sometimes I make sure to wiggle my hips a little more when sauntering up to the bartender and purr "may I have another cosmo, please?" with a wink.

Other times I take long strides over, and stand as though I'm impatient and don't pay attention to any women who are looking at me and glance sideways at the men.

At the end of the night I go back to my apartment, wash off my makeup, peel out of the vinyl dress and wonder why it really mattered so much to figure out what gender/sex or sexuality I really am.

ARCHIVE - The Visible Body in class writing exercise

2007-10-15T17:09:06-07:00

How much is ones sex visible? or invisible?

How mch is ones gender visible? or invisible?

How much is ones body visible? or invisible?

How much are ones feelings visible? or invisible?

The idea of visible/invisible makes me think of something that I learned in my beginning photography class long long ago that blew my mind. Technically we don't see any thing. What we see is light reflecting off in different lengths (different waves for different colors) and our eyes take in this light, our brain filters it and makes sense of it, and we "see" something.

Learning this made me feel like nothing exists.

Kind of like female and male don't really exist. (or feminine and masculine then either)

They're labels that we've made up to quantify things.

Kind of like sex, and gender.

So if light exists (where nothing does visibly without it), and sex/gender/race exist as we know them only because we've defined and named them... does anything really exist?

ARCHIVE - Bumper Sticker of the day...

2007-10-14T09:17:00-07:00

I saw this bumper sticker driving home last night, just after reading the Gender Workbook excerpt yesterday (how perfect!)

"Think outside of gender binaries"