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Critical Feminist Studies 2013
![Anne Dalke's picture Anne Dalke's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-39.jpg)
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Welcome to the on-line conversation for Critical Feminist Studies, an introductory-level course offered in the English Department and Gender and Sexuality Program @ Bryn Mawr College in Fall 2013. |
Who are you writing for? Primarily for yourself, and for others in our course. But also for the world. This is a "public" forum, so people anywhere on the web might look in. You're writing for yourself, for others in the class, AND for others you might or might not know. So, your thoughts in progress can contribute to the thoughts in progress of LOTS of people. The web is giving increasing reality to the idea that there can actually evolve a world community, and you're part of helping to bring that about. We're glad to have you along, and hope you come to both enjoy and value our shared explorations. Feel free to comment on any post below, or to POST YOUR THOUGHTS HERE.
![MargaretRachelRose's picture MargaretRachelRose's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1316.jpg)
The Comfy Couch Perspective
On Thursday my gender was represented as my partner Kalina's drawing of a couch. She told me that she chose a couch because they are comforting. Within the first five minutes of knowing me, she could discern that I’m completely accepting of all genders on the spectrum. And she’s completely right. When you’re around me, just do you. As long as I’m aware of your personal pronoun preference, I won’t hesitate to support you. It’s who you are. And I don’t care what society says, you’re normal to me. I believe gender is a personal spectrum set in a societal binary. It can fluctuate day-to-day. One of my best friends is genderfluid, and she’s told me that – on most days – she feels more comfortable in a more masculine style of clothing but on other days she’ll sport a dress. On both occasions she is being herself, and that’s what’s important. Society has tried to make gender a binary, but honestly the definition of gender depends on the person because it’s how they indentify themselves and how they feel comfortable presenting themselves to others. The definition of gender is expanding and evolving – and I believe for future generations, gender will be seen on personal and societal spectrum.
![nia.pike's picture nia.pike's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1311.jpg)
Breaking Down Boxes
I come from a conservative household in the South, where the discussions we are having in class and the readings we do for class would never be spoken about. These topics are taboo where I come from. Even though I'm from a large city, which is culturally very different than the rural south, there are still so many stigmas associated with not conforming to "norms." If one does not fit into a certain predetermined box, they are pushed to the edges of society, from which it is hard (but not impossible) to return from. During our exercise on Thursday, Ester drew a picture of me breaking out a box. That's a pretty accurate description of me. I do not think metaporphical, pre-determined boxes should have any part in society, in fact they hinder society. However, I honestly grew up in a box. It was a box with walls of expectations. I was never comfortable in that box. Yet it was not until I was old enough to think for and make significant decisions by myself that I began to question and tear apart my box. I wish I had begun this process earlier because I know now how much of an impact those walls had on me as a person. Our childhood molds us, but it does not make us who we are. I'm still discovering who I am, and am excited to have this class be a part of that journey.
![Maya's picture Maya's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1304.jpg)
Seeing Gender
Our discussion yesterday about Kathy Acker's "Seeing Gender" opened my mind to all of the different possibilities that the word gender can hold. We questioned whether gender or sex was binary or had a spectrum. I believe that gender is definitely not binary. It does not matter if somebody else "chooses" your sex for you. It only truly becomes who you are when you decide for yourself whether that gender fits you or not. Thinking about gender, our culture sees two distinct genders that cannot have a spectrum between them. We put so much space between the two genders that when people fit somewhere in the middle, others do not accept it. If the differences between the binary genders becomes smaller, it could be easier for people in the middle. As for a person's sex, I believe that, that could be slightly more binary, however that is not always the case. Because we think of sex as the biological part that makes up who we are, people usually assume that we can be either male or female. One interesting aspect of this is that if someone is born intersexual, the doctor and parents decide which sex they believe is stronger. This means that if the person grows up believing that they truly should be the other sex, they become stigmatized because the doctor chose the other sex for them and so they do not fit into the "correct" box that society loves to put people in.
![Anne Dalke's picture Anne Dalke's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-39.jpg)
Curiouser and curiouser....
These are the images that we produced, to "figure" one another's gender presentations. Do we understand what we are seeing? (Ask about the ones that puzzle....) And then: what larger patterns do we perceive here? What does gender "look like" in our classroom? Represented on our boards?
![Anne Dalke's picture Anne Dalke's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-39.jpg)
What books did we "run into," en route to "seeing gender"...?
These are the books we said have been important to us, in understanding gender (our own, and the way the world divvies up this category). What patterns can we see, taking our books (and our gender role models?), as a whole?
![Polly's picture Polly's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1319.jpg)
Role model and Art
A very influential and incredible friend gave me the name Polly when I was 12, so I chose it as my username. This person was the first friend I had who allowed me to be myself. Because of her openness and understanding, I changed a lot in the three years I knew her. She astounded me with just how smart she was about life, emotions, and relationships. She was empowering and brutally honest at the same time. Even though she is only a few months older than me, I looked up to her as a role model.
My avatar is a painting that my dad and I created together. I love working with colors and abstract shapes to try and make finish products that I find visually appealing. While making art with my dad, we don't have any rules other than trying to make something we like. Personally, I am trying to change how I think about gender and sexuality from what I learned from society growing up: rigid "boxes." I think that the fluidity of art is similar to the reality of gender and sexuality, and I am keen to learn more.
![pipermartz's picture pipermartz's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1296.jpg)
Visual Distortion
It can be quite surprising to step back for a moment and think- not once, not twice, but many times- about which visual should represent your internet presence. It seems silly to hesistate over such a simple task, but it is difficult to find one image with those implied "1,000 words" that will be the right words you want people to associate you with. How I precieve my avatar will be different than how anyone else interprets my avatar, so maybe my self-satisfaction is the priority in this decision. I can't be sure.
I ultimately landed upon a very physically distorted, black and white film photograph of a nude woman standing beside the decrepit walls of a presumably run-down building. Our eyes follow the light coming from an unknown source to her left, which bring her body to full attention. But there is a huge, bulbus burn mark on the photograph that completely obscurs her face, her most identifiable feature. She becomes a pair of legs.
As a photographer, I love returning to this photo and finding comfort and frustration in it. The subject's identity is lost in the photo because of a perfectly placed physical distortion. That's how I feel about choosing an avatar because so many aspects of my life, my identity, and myself as a being become invsisible the moment I actively single out one image to represent me in a way that I hope others will precieve me. This selection process dilberatly manipulates, distorts, and limits how the public views us.
![](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/imagecache/featured_450px/404734_4712444368361_1205746128_n.jpg)
![kwilkinson's picture kwilkinson's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1318.jpg)
Sister in a Struggle
Hi Everyone! My name is Kelly, I wasn't in class with you all on Thursday.
I guess because I haven't met you all it took me a while to figure out which picture I wanted to use. Although I relatively enjoy taking pictures, I wasn't sure what picture would adequately represent me. Then I thought to myself why I want to take this class in the first place... I selected my avatar not because this is was a great book necessarily, but because I struggle with being fully comfortable with feminism. As a Black-American woman, find myself in a love-hate relationship with feminism. Of course I believe in not only equality, but also empowerment, for women (AND ALL MARGINALIZED PEOPLES), but I find myself always asking, "What type of woman are we talking about here? Who is this movement really for?" Historically in many social movements, Black women have been involved but never able to share their narratives and full unencumbered selves, due to a lack of understanding of their intersectionality as Black women. Understanding that these two identities constantly impact one another, I struggle to fully align myself as a feminist because I feel that I would have to alienate my blackness in a sense, therefore my specific needs and wants as a black women. I hope that in this course I am able to evolve in my thoughts from our discussion and course work. See you all tomorrow!
![samuel.terry's picture samuel.terry's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1317.jpg)
My Avatar
When contemplating the image I wanted for my avatar the first thing I knew beyond a doubt was that it was not going to be a picture of myself. I hate pictures, in fact I resist them at all costs. If by some misfortune I find myself the subject of one I never know what to do, do I smile? teeth or no teeth? Is my hair alright? where do my hands go? should I stand closer to this person next to me? Do I look sufficiently happy? Do I pass as male? I have discovered, especially in college, that in an age obsessed with capturing "moments" my aversion to pictures is not always practical. I mean it didn't happen if you can't see it on facebook, right? But I digress. The image I chose instead I did so because it reminds me of a quote I have forever captured on my body: luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. For me, this avatar and the tatoo it accompanies are a constant reminder that our bodies--the physical matter-- are just vessels for the light that is inherent in us all. It is through this idea that I have come to terms with a lot of internal and external revulsion-- and the violence that can accompany such revulsion--that has been associated with my body and bodies like mine.
![juliah's picture juliah's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1312.jpg)
Arizona: Can't Live With It, Can't Live Without It.
As my friends love to point out, I talk about my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, well, a lot. It was especially intense when I first arrived at Bryn Mawr as a frosh last year, but I was honestly taken aback when this was first pointed out. You see, I spent most of my time in high school working with the express purpose of getting out of "this place", so the idea that I might actually miss it catapulted me into a sort of mini-identity crisis (no matter how melodramatic that sounds). I had never felt at home in Arizona, differing greatly from the majority of my friends on ideological issues, and I thought of going to a liberal-minded college as my ticket out of what sometimes seems like the breeding ground for unstable racist bigots. Once I realized this foreign longing, however, I began to see my state in a new light. I had held so much resentment toward what are merely ideas, and now I am starting to realize that I can love Arizona for its parts, not necessarily as a whole. This picture highlights that idea: I care deeply for and about components of Arizona, and am trying to focus on them. I don’t mean to suggest that I am ignoring the pieces that infuriate me (which is still a good chunk), but this newfound acceptance actually motivates me to fight back for my state, instead of running away.
![MargaretRachelRose's picture MargaretRachelRose's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1316.jpg)
My Avatar: The Enchanted Rose
Hi everyone! The image I've chosen to be my Avatar is the rose from The Beauty and the Beast. Originally I meant this to illustrate the 'Rose' in my username, and what better image to use then one from my favorite Disney movie? When I was little I used to look up to Belle because, to me, she was the most relatable Disney princess. I admired her because she is intelligent, kind-hearted, loves reading, and had such a close, loving relationship with her father. And she doesn't let her first impression of Beast overshadow their relationship; with an open mind she takes the time to see him for who is truly is. These traits are a part of the person am I today thanks to a feminine hero of my past.
![Elizabeth's picture Elizabeth's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1108.jpg)
Grandmother and Pie
Neither of my grandmothers bakes. Instead, one takes me to see paintings of pies. When I visit her in California, we often see the painting that I've made into my avatar, and, when we're apart, she sends me letters on stationary with it printed on the front. Neither of us really understands this painting, but we still look at it. We talk about food and family, and who won last night's dominoes game, but not, of course, the piece of art right in front of us. The conversation swirls on because of the painting but not about it, both in person and on paper, just as I inherited my grandmother's handwriting by explicitly copying it, but also, silently, the idea of what my role in society is.
![Amoylan's picture Amoylan's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1300.jpg)
My Avatar
The picture I chose is one single brick that reads "Be Extraordinary" from a walkway full of memorials and inspirational messages at a camp I volunteer at. It is called Camp Sunshine and it is a place for terminally ill childrean and their families to come. Working at this camp was the first time I ever fully realized that there was so much more in this world than the near fantasy I grew up in. I was so humbled and grateful to have the experience of it and Bryn Mawr has only furthered these feelings in my life. Being here makes me want to learn so much about all kinds of people's life experiences, I feel so honored to be a part of such a special place, just as I feel about Camp Sunshine. In both of these places people are filled with so much generosity and light and knowledge, there is so much hope and gratitude for the world around us and that is something that I can only hope to embody and pay forward in the future.
![carolyn.j's picture carolyn.j's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1314.jpg)
Avatar
Choosing my avatar took me slightly longer than I anticipated, for considering all the misrepresentation a single, stand alone image can present. What I ultimately came up with is a picture my friend and I took while studying abroad last fall. I have unquestionably learned a tremendous amount during my time at Bryn Mawr, from a combination of courses, people, and experiences. I often look back on study abroad, though, as the first time I really began to build a more concrete concept of how I wanted to play out my academic interests in the world. In addition, my distance from Bryn Mawr and the people I knew there gave me a new perspective to consider the nature of the assumptions and knowledge I held - both of myself and the world around me. My time away was in many ways transformative, even if that process and its results are not always obvious.
![Serendip Visitor's picture Serendip Visitor's picture](/exchange//files/images/SerendipStudioAvatar.png)
My Avatar: Pictures are worth a million (assumed) words.
I didn’t put an extreme amount of thought into choosing my avatar. Not because I don’t care, but because I don’t believe that a picture can fully capture a person. A picture can only show what is on the exterior of the body and the emotions at the specific time the photo is taken. For example, my avatar is a picture that was taken in high school for the local newspaper. The photo only shows a cute puppy and a dorky smile, it does not show that I was grumpy prior to the photo or that Lane, my dog, was parched from playing fetch. I also just really love my dog and like showing her off. From the photo you can assume a lot of things such as my gender, sexual orientation, age or that I like dogs. Those are only assumptions based on predisposed theories of what gender, sexual orientation and age look like. This photo only allows people on the internet to assume who I am by my appearance and by the props that are in the photo. I could have easily dressed up as a ballet dancer and based on the picture no one would be able to accurately assume that I am not anything but a ballet dancer.
![Taylor11's picture Taylor11's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1301.jpg)
My Avatar
I am from a small town on Long Isalnd called Sayville. One of my favorite parts of my town is the bay and the docks. It is my place to go to think and relax. Home and family are very important in my life and this picture reminds me of where I am from and my family. I also believe that home and family play a very important role in shaping how you think and who you are. I know personally that my family and my town have played a role in shaping how I view gender and sexuality. This is why I choose this picture to represent me.
![ccassidy's picture ccassidy's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1298.jpg)
My Avatar
My avatar is a picture of Paris that I took from the top of the Eiffel Tower about two years ago when my family took a trip to Europe. Since the moment that I decided I would become an art history major, there was this powerful draw to visit Europe. As overdramatic as it sounds, it felt like my heart ached for to see the historic cities that housed world-renowned Renaissances paintings and Greek Hellenistic sculptures. Stepping of the train in Paris was like coming alive in a place that somehow managed to balance the modernity of a big city with the beauty of historic tradition. It was during my first visit to Paris, those first few moments after stepping off of the Eurostar train, that I realized how many places in the world that I wanted to travel to.
I chose this picture of the Paris cityscape because it represents everything that I want to do after I graduate from Bryn Mawr. As a sophomore about to declare herself an art history major, there are a lot of anxieties about making the right decision but every time I look at this picture of Paris I know that I am confident in my choice. I have to go back to Paris some day (hopefully to work in the Louvre and be a curator for some of my favorite pieces). After visiting Europe and working in a museum this past summer, I have gotten a taste of what I can do with my life some day. This photo is just a reminder of what I want.
![Maya's picture Maya's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1304.jpg)
My Avatar
I chose this picture of a sunrise over water because I believe that, as a frosh, I am able to begin again. In college, we can re-write who we want to be and start again, just like a sunrise beginning again every day. When I was little, we would go visit my grandmother in Maine in the summer time. I would always get up early, come up the stairs, and find my grandmother sitting in her living room, or on the deck with a cup of tea for me, watching the sunrise. She watches the sunrise every morning with her tea and this sunrise reminds me how she takes her time in the morning to slow down and enjoy the beginning of each day. The sun and the water in this picture both play a part in calming down life for me. I love sitting on the rocks in Maine and watching the waves crash around me. The ocean is a powerful force, but it can also be very calming, reminding me how small I really am in the world, and yet, how big an impact I can make if I really try.
![nia.pike's picture nia.pike's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-1311.jpg)
My Avatar - The Sweetest One in the Class
As you can see my avatar is a pan full of dessert. But not just any dessert, they are monster magic cookie bars! I'm very proud of these, they are one of my most successful and most delicious baking adventure products of the summer. It's a joke amongst my friends that before last spring break I did not know what boiling water was. And like most rumors, there is some element of truth to that statement. I grew up in a single-parent household where my mum did everything she could so my sister and I could have a number of opportunities. As a result when she came home from work she did not cook a meal from scratch, even though she knew how; she simply did not have the time after working all day to pay the bills, then dedicating the evening to our education. Thus, I never learned how to cook. But this summer that all changed. I spent the summer at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center(SERC) on a research base in rural Maryland, where there was no dining hall, no parents feeding me, I had to provide for myself. So with the help of my housemates and the internet (of course), I learned how to cook and bake a large variety of items ranging from delicious desserts of every shape and size to more savory options like calzones, steak, rice pilaf, and cultural dishes from Nepal, Columbia, and my home state of Texas, just to name a few. And I must have learned something great because not only did I survive the summer, but now I have a newly ignited passion for cooking and baking!