The Destructive Social Construction

“If you're going to hold someone down you're going to have to hold on by the other end of the chain. You are confined by your own repression.” - Toni Morrison

When I heard the horrific news about Paris Friday night, I was on my way to a friend’s house. I got in the car to go, but I couldn’t help but to just sit for a second and cry. I cried because obviously I felt horrible for all of the victims and their families. I was trying to make sense of it all but then I thought of a quote from The Bluest Eye, “There is really nothing more to say-except why. But since why is difficult to handle, one must take refuge in how.” These actions are so disgustingly unfathomable, that the question of “why” is unanswerable.  Trying to answer this question can put yourself in such an evil mindset. This quote made me realize that asking the question “why” sometimes is bad for your own mental state.

On the other hand, part of my emotions was due to frustration. Here I am, a 16 year old, middle class, white girl. I have faced no major adversities in my life. No major financial troubles. No discrimination. No abusive stereotypes. I used to think that I will never be able to understand what it would be like to be discriminated against or a victim of terror. But, these attacks sheds light on the cold truth that nobody is safe in today's world. These victims were picked at random.

Reading this book and having these terrible acts of terrorism happen nearly simultaneously, I feel a sense of helplessness. Helplessness due to the fact that different religions and races have been discriminated against for hundreds of years, and this issue is still going on today. Not only this, but also the fact that these horrific acts are a result of society’s own -in Morrison’s own words- “social construct.” That is the most frustrating part, all of these deaths are due to a mere social construction that we, as humans, all have the ability to control.

Why is white beautiful?

While reading the novel, The Bluest Eye, I was really taken aback from the strong self-hatred Pecola, just a young girl, had for herself. Of course, most of her self hatred is a result of society’s extreme influence on our adolescents. Toni Morrison even says that that African American beauty is considered to be ugly, “ support for it leaning at [African Americans] from every billboard, every movie, every glance.” Although this book takes place in 1941, even today we consider white skin to be better when it comes to beauty.

Even celebrity idols that we look up to put on makeup to appear to have whiter skin. If these faces are constantly being thrown at us through TV screens, magazines, and billboards, what is that saying to african american people girls over the world? That they must try to appear to be as white as possible to be seen as “beautiful?” These women should be an example for younger girls and be  proud of their own genetic makeup, not try to cover up their true skin color.

Toni Morrison also said that, “Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do.” This quote really struck me because I had always thought of beauty as being something that someone could physically achieve. I always hear, “Her hair is beautiful,” but I have never heard that the way someone treats others or carries themselves as being beautiful. I agree with Morrison that beauty should not just be a physical characteristic, because somebody could be beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside. Morrison is ultimately saying that inner beauty is what truly matters.

It is vital that the people that we look up to, like Beyonce, Nicki, and many other celebrities realize that they too are playing a huge role in the typical “beauty standards” that we set for our youth. At the end of the day, white or black beauty doesn’t even matter at all because beauty is an action, not a skin color.

Negative Influences of Barbie

In Our Barbies, Ourselves, Prager suggests that no matter what Barbie does, she would never be able to please Ken. I agree with Pager but I also find this to be ironic, considering manufacturers have designed her an excessive amount of accessories and dream houses, you would think Barbie would be just fine without Ken. Instead, the makers of this doll suggest to young girls that having a boyfriend is necessary in order to obtain a happy life.

This doll’s influences have even brainwashed adults to think that she is, in fact, perfection. Valeria Lukyanova frequently makes headlines due to her never ending amount of plastic surgeries to transform herself into Barbie. Barbie’s influence creates this preconception to children that in order to be happy, you must have the cutest boyfriend, the newest car, and the biggest closet. It is truly devastating that this toy has created our society’s beauty standard. Since when has plastic become perfection?  

As if I couldn’t have gotten any more appalled through realizing that by playing with this oversexualized doll-she had basically robbed me off my innocence. But, instead, the company blames moms for their daughter’s body issues. http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/02/06/barbie-lead-designer-blames-moms-not-dolls-crazy-proportions-for-girls-body-issues/

Barbie may look like she has the perfect life. In reality, she will continue on never being enough for Ken. Barbie is just plastic from the inside out. Her fabricated smile will never portray her true feelings of loneliness- just a deceiving image of what little girls think happiness looks like.

Guilt in Maus

In Maus, Art Spiegelman has to endure many different types of guilt; survivor's guilt, the guilt of Anja’s suicide, and the guilt of never truly being able to create a novel great enough to remember all of the victims of the holocaust. He copes with this by creating his novel, keeping himself busy, but ignoring the shame only makes it worse for him. On page 44, Art Spiegelman addresses his feelings of guilt with his therapist. The therapist blames Vladek for being the source of Art’s guilt even saying that Art is the “real” survivor. Art Spiegelman draws himself getting smaller and smaller to represent how the weight of his guilt literally makes him feel like nothing. This scene clearly depicts the true feelings of guilt, from Art’s shrinking size, his posture, and the dark shading of his surroundings.

I had never really thought of what “survivor's guilt” meant before reading Maus. It was really interesting to see how the Spiegelman family all dealt differently with their traumatic past. Vladek took his anger out on his second wife, Anja took her own life, and Art wrote a graphic novel. I never  thought that writing a mere comic book could have such a great impact on one’s mental health. In a way, Maus is therapeutic to Art because he has to face his family’s past, to truly understand his own identity.

Everyone has to do endure somewhat of the same guilt that Art has to learn to deal with too. Whether a family member dies, or you tell just a small lie to your parents, your thoughts are swarmed with, “what if’s?” The guilt of your actions shouldn’t define you, but just like Art, you have to confront your past in order to move on and live your life.

What happens to peoples’ identities when they are not considered citizens in their own country?

When people aren’t considered citizens in their own country, they are looked upon by others as enemies. They are also referred to as a whole, being stripped of any individualistic qualities they have left. In the holocaust, this means they anyone with a star on their jacket was a “Jew,” as if that three letter word described everything about them. Eventually, they became just a number that was tattooed on their arm and one of the millions of striped uniforms.

On page 83 of volume one, Art Spiegelman sketched the dead mice as the main focus of the whole page. Also, he makes the Star of David really stand out in contrast to their dark uniforms. His purpose was to show that to the Nazis, their religion was all that mattered. They even referred to their deaths as “examples.” The fact that people were killed for a mere example makes my heart drop.

The same thing is happening in the US, but on a somewhat smaller scale. During Amer Zahr TED talk, he talks about how the term, “terrorist,” is used to describe someone who is Arab and how the words, “depressed,” or “mentally ill,” refer to caucasians. His talk really made me think how even our government, our news, and our leaders are degrading other races without even considering other terms. Isn’t the United States supposed to be the “melting pot?” Aren’t we as Americans supposed to embrace other cultures? Instead, we tend to think if someone isn’t necessarily white then they aren’t American. This issue will not resolve until everyone understands that no matter what, race, religion, or sexuality, we are all American. Diversity is what makes America beautiful.

Feminism in My Life

Even though “Feminism for Everybody” is over 15 years old, Belle Hooks reveals a universal truth that still hold true to today’s feminist movement, “... women could not band together to further feminism without confronting our sexist thinking. Sisterhood could not be powerful as long as women were competitively at war with one another” (Hook 3.)

I agree completely with what Bell Hooks is saying. Not only are harsh words degrading to your own reputation, but speaking out about others can affect how others think of your friends as well. It’s our obligation as females to support one another instead of putting down each other down all the time.

Just this week, I played a football game with thirty five other girls in my grade. When we were out on that field, we forgot about all the unnecessary drama and gossip that happened before the game. We played for each other. We cheered for each other. We left everything we had on the field. When we came together, the outcome was amazing. We were the first juniors in years to beat the seniors. This is the perfect example of how girls must put the past behind us to form a “sisterhood.”

While reading “Feminism for Everybody,” I never thought that her ideals could be applied to me, especially the same day as reading it. Her words and this experience taught me that you accomplish anything with the support of others. Also, that feminist values can be found in everyday life.

The Relatable Struggle That is Life

David Foster Wallace is the Taylor Swift of literature. Both of them write about situations that just about everyone can relate to.

See? Relatable.

What I’m trying to say is that Wallace’s piece, “This is Water,” was definitely my favorite that we have read so far. For example,Wallace wrote, “It is extremely difficult to stay alert and attentive instead of getting hypnotized by the constant monologue in your head” (Wallace 234.) We are all guilty of zoning out in the middle of class, or totally forgetting that you had to walk the dog before your dad gets home (yup, just happened to me.) I think that it is so interesting that Wallace can write about something so obvious, so self-evident, and still get an overwhelming reaction from his audience.

On the other hand, I think that writing these kinds of pieces may have negatively impacted Wallace’s mental health. He definitely had a different way of thinking. He was a genius, but also analyzed everyday social situations a little too deeply. Of course, I think this piece is so compelling because he wrote about the common struggle (that isn't even really a struggle.) But now I also realize that it's dangerous to always be aware of your everyday obstacles. It seems like through Wallace’s words that living from day to day is a constant battle. When, sometimes, going to the supermarket isn’t THAT bad. Even if the line to the cashier is out through the door, at least I have food to eat. I’m not saying that we should roam through life like living zombies, but we should just take a deep breath, stop overthinking everything, and just live your life. Easier said than done, of course, but I’m pretty sure Taylor Swift would agree.