For my final post I wanted to talk about the NFL draft, for many this is the moment these players have waited for their entire life. Its the essentially their dream coming true and you get to see when a star is born. However for some draft day can be a living nightmare of your past being exposed to try and lower your draft stuck. A recent example was Laremy Tunsil who was victim of a extortion from his own extended family member. When he didn't pay, he ended up paying in the draft as he was widely considered the #1 pick and fell all the way to 12 when there was a video of him hitting a gas mask bong.
This draft something similar happened with another high profile player, the newly drafted Bills quarterback Josh Allen has old tweets exposed from high-school that contained crude and racist language. This was reportedly leaked by a general manager looking to lower his stock so he could draft him, as teams knew about these tweets for awhile. Allen defends himself by stating many of these tweets were taken out of context as they were quoting famous songs. However it doesn't stop the fact that the language is racist and offensive and the league is primarily black. It will be interesting to see how teammates react to him, as he already is under a microscope with his new team. Its also alarming how the NFL is okay with his behavior, but still blackballs Colin Kaepernick
Friday, April 27, 2018
Core Post #4 - Michael Luisi
The Study of Aubrey Hepburn is an interesting one from my perspective as a guy growing up in the new millennium I had no real understanding of her significance. Sure I understood she was an attractive movie star who was famous for her beauty, talent and of course elongated cigarette holder. However I had no idea her influence was so great that it helped steal the spotlight from other actresses in Hollywood in the 1950's and that she would help mold film in Europe as well.
For a starting point I had no idea that she wasn't from America, upon reading this article is when I discovered that she is born in the Netherlands when its was controlled by Hitlers regime. The fact that she helped the Netherland's rebellion and witnessed a battle first hand as only a child is crazy. It was also a pleasant surprise for me when I discovered from the article that she was also a failed ballerina before she eventually made the transition to becoming an actress.
Going back to my first realization, its reassuring that Brown states that Hepburn's identity in her early movies is notoriously ambiguous saying that many audiences upon seeing her movies would label her as one of their own. This makes sense as she fits many different ethnic molds as she isn't distinctly American or European. However what confuses me is the way that people reacted her as being described as "boyish or a tom boy". I'd never once thought of her in that aspect, in-fact quite the opposite. To me she has always struck me as a symbol of femininity and sexuality, maybe that before this my usual reference point is her in the iconic black dress she wore.
This black dress and her other iconic styles would end up being one her most significant contributions during her time period. Her style would end up attracting many different followers that would try and replicate her style. Brown reinforces this idea stating that "Hepburns persona brought high fashion down to earth and made it accessible for the middle class women."
For a starting point I had no idea that she wasn't from America, upon reading this article is when I discovered that she is born in the Netherlands when its was controlled by Hitlers regime. The fact that she helped the Netherland's rebellion and witnessed a battle first hand as only a child is crazy. It was also a pleasant surprise for me when I discovered from the article that she was also a failed ballerina before she eventually made the transition to becoming an actress.
Going back to my first realization, its reassuring that Brown states that Hepburn's identity in her early movies is notoriously ambiguous saying that many audiences upon seeing her movies would label her as one of their own. This makes sense as she fits many different ethnic molds as she isn't distinctly American or European. However what confuses me is the way that people reacted her as being described as "boyish or a tom boy". I'd never once thought of her in that aspect, in-fact quite the opposite. To me she has always struck me as a symbol of femininity and sexuality, maybe that before this my usual reference point is her in the iconic black dress she wore.
This black dress and her other iconic styles would end up being one her most significant contributions during her time period. Her style would end up attracting many different followers that would try and replicate her style. Brown reinforces this idea stating that "Hepburns persona brought high fashion down to earth and made it accessible for the middle class women."
Supplemental Post #7 Cailin O'Brien
I am sad to be writing
my last post for this class, as it has been one of the most enjoyable and most
comfortable classroom I have had the pleasure of being a part of during my time
at USC. I am happy to be writing about Janelle Monae however as my last
commentary. I had heard a couple of her songs played around by friends and while
out at bars but was not truly introduced to her jaw dropping artistry until
class this past week. Since that class I have spent (maybe a few too many)
hours listening to her new album and watching her videos over and over again. I
don’t get attached to stars, but she is an absolute queen in my books. There
are so many things I could say at this point, from her “Pynk” video of
flourishing female self-empowerment to her video for “Q.U.E.E.N” with Badulla
Oblongata (Erkyah Badu) where she declares no need to take backlash from any
outsider on who she is and how she chooses to be. The main connection I want to
talk about is the ambiguity of her sexuality. I have scrolled through countless
articles online with titles not only questioning Monae’s sexuality, but
seemingly criticizing her for not being straightforward and “honest with
herself” about whatever sexuality she is. Many of her songs and videos point
towards the tension between being attracted to members of both sexes. These
videos seem to produce imagery of a natural flow of movements between her and
both men and women. So if it is obvious to us all that she is interested in
both why does it matter what label she proclaims? Does it really matter whether
we know Monae is pansexual or bisexual? And if anyone has actually been
listening to her music and picked up on her message, these labels are what need
to be gone. She is about owning who you are regardless of label. I personally
have struggled with my sexuality in the sense that I like both men and women
but it’s not split down the middle. I may like women more one day and the next
year be more attracted to men, while at the same time probably being attracted
to both simultaneously to different significant or unnoticeable degrees. She
lets us know it is okay to like a man at one moment and want to be with a woman
across the room the next. Sexuality is fluid and there doesn’t need to be rules
to define it. Many people seem to portray a clear-cut answer. They’re either “gay
gay gay” or they may be just pretending for the fame. Janelle Monae has given
rise to an “in-between” more gray area of sexuality that myself, and I’m sure
many other “bisexual” individuals, have been waiting to see represented and stood
up for in the mainstream.
Core Post 5 - Tucker Rayl
After our discussion on Wednesday about embodiment and the trendiness of the big booty, I researched a bit about the procedures that some people undergo to fit the mould of what is an attractive figure. In terms of butt procedures, I found that the most common procedure as of now is fat injections. Doctors take fat from a patients body and inject it into their butt. Less common nowadays are silicone implants.
One thing I also found was a story of a woman who pretended to be a doctor in order to give injections to other women. This fake doctor made mixtures of cement, silicone, oils, and other chemicals and injected it into women's butts, faces, and breasts. She was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison because everyone she worked on was harmed by the chemicals, and one woman died because of it. Below is a picture of one of her victims.
I think this fake doctor story points to the power that images of celebrity bodies have over beauty ideals. Big butts and butt enhancing procedures have become so popular because of J. Lo, the Kardashians, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B, that everyone seems to want a big butt. I don't think it's wrong to undergo procedures to change one's body. It can be dangerous, certainly. But I think it's important to know where those impulses to get an operation come from.
Body diversity is a good thing. All sorts of butts and bodies should be seen and represented. I think it gets really tricky when certain looks come to be seen as more attractive than others. That's where shame and dysmorphia come in to play.
One thing I also found was a story of a woman who pretended to be a doctor in order to give injections to other women. This fake doctor made mixtures of cement, silicone, oils, and other chemicals and injected it into women's butts, faces, and breasts. She was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison because everyone she worked on was harmed by the chemicals, and one woman died because of it. Below is a picture of one of her victims.
I think this fake doctor story points to the power that images of celebrity bodies have over beauty ideals. Big butts and butt enhancing procedures have become so popular because of J. Lo, the Kardashians, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B, that everyone seems to want a big butt. I don't think it's wrong to undergo procedures to change one's body. It can be dangerous, certainly. But I think it's important to know where those impulses to get an operation come from.
Body diversity is a good thing. All sorts of butts and bodies should be seen and represented. I think it gets really tricky when certain looks come to be seen as more attractive than others. That's where shame and dysmorphia come in to play.
Supplement Post #7- Madeline Virga
Last Friday, Ariana Grande released her new single "No Tears Left to Cry." Leading up to the release I began to see half images, and a countdown clock captioned with the title of the song upside-down on Instagram.
In one of her post, she talked about how it was hard for her to take a break from social media and the public eye. This was shocking to me as I didn't even notice that she was gone from all social media platforms. One friend even pointed that she began to delete pictures from her Instagram anticipating that something was coming. I believe this speaks to the level of recognition and fame that nobody knew that she had disappeared and still paid close attention to her social media platforms even though she wasn't present on them. What I have been pondering since this realization is, what makes Ariana the celebrity that is ever present in people mind? Is it the fact that she constantly interacts with her fans? But then wouldn't someone notice her absence? Or did we not notice because the horrific attacks that took place at her concert had yet to leave our minds?
What I do know is that her new song is a hit, and I will be listening to it on repeat all summer.
Core Post #5 - Giuliana Petrocelli
Just tonight, I saw Avengers: Infinity War. This was for class, in Film Symposium, so it was not a film I chose to watch myself. Therefore, I found myself critiquing it and thought of several tie-ins to what we have studied so far in Stars and Celebrity. As my final core post, I wanted to weave together some themes and ideas from multiple weeks and readings to describe what was happening in the movie, and therefore our own society.
One of the main things that I noticed about the movie was that the female characters struck me as particularly weak and tied to male characters. We have studied female stars that struggle to manage their image in relation to sexuality and categorization. Monroe was an example of a female star that both was defined by her sexuality but also put into a box because of her persona. At the time, she combined her sexuality with innocence to create a persona that she was unable to break. In the interview we watched with her in class, she reclined on a sofa and told the viewers that she wished she could do more serious roles. But as we know, Monroe was never able to find that for herself and felt enormous pressure and entrapment which may have lead to her early death. Carmen Miranda, that we read about in the Roberts piece for the lecture of this week, had created an image for herself that was unique and not extremely sexualized. But in becoming "The Lady in the Tutti Fruity Hat," she limited herself and the roles she could be assigned in Hollywood. Recently, stars like Lopez and even Amy Schumer (as I wrote about regarding I Feel Pretty) have stared to be allowed the freedom to be accepted as who they are in Hollywood. Lopez's unconventional body type (unconventional for Hollywood when she began) has become popular, and Schumer is respected for her comedic talent regardless of looks. However, when I saw the female characters in Avengers: Infinity War, I was disappointed that they were so limited. Women, including the superheroes in the film, were first introduced as "the girlfriend" character. They represented an emotional connection that the men often had to struggle with. Gamora was Thanos's daughter and Star-Lord's girlfriend and Scarlet Witch, although apparently one of the strongest superheroes in the movie, struggled with the emotional decision to kill her boyfriend to save the planet for the entire film (although two male characters quickly decided to kill those they loved). Even characters that had been strongly represented in other films, like the women in Wakanda, were barely given any screen time or story arcs. Rather, they all dressed similarly and had similar roles in relation to the male characters, from what I saw. I was not inspired by them and found them unrelatable. To me, it seemed like they were getting stuck back in a box of femininity and sexuality.
However, I challenged myself to think about how the male characters were being portrayed as well. Perhaps both genders were simplified and generalized in the film. And truly, I feel that is the case. Each of the male super heroes are just that, super-human and strong. After reviewing our readings from the week on masculinity, I thought about the quote from Springer that "cyborg figures 'perpetuate, and even exaggerate, the anachronistic industrial-age metaphor of externally forceful masculine machinery, expressing a nostalgia for a time of masculine superiority'" (Bukatman). Almost all the male characters (and interestingly, none of the female characters) had technological additions to their bodies. Just like the traditions that started in films like Aliens and the Terminator movies, Iron Man, Thanos, Star-Lord, Vision, Bucky Barnes, Black Panther, and even The Hulk used technological and robotic additions to their bodies or body suits. These enhanced their strength, although it didn't mean they would particularly win their battles. The elements of machinery in the movie definitely create a masculine association, and reinforces the idea that the ultimate male is a strong figure who can save the world. I would be interested in seeing a male superhero who is not such a "regular guy," so that we can expand our definitions of manhood.
Action films are made to be fun and enjoyable, and sewn into the genre are ideas about masculinity, femininity, and strength. In today's day and age, I would challenge filmmakers to create less conventional characters and storylines in order to move it to a more interesting and inclusive place for both men and women.
One of the main things that I noticed about the movie was that the female characters struck me as particularly weak and tied to male characters. We have studied female stars that struggle to manage their image in relation to sexuality and categorization. Monroe was an example of a female star that both was defined by her sexuality but also put into a box because of her persona. At the time, she combined her sexuality with innocence to create a persona that she was unable to break. In the interview we watched with her in class, she reclined on a sofa and told the viewers that she wished she could do more serious roles. But as we know, Monroe was never able to find that for herself and felt enormous pressure and entrapment which may have lead to her early death. Carmen Miranda, that we read about in the Roberts piece for the lecture of this week, had created an image for herself that was unique and not extremely sexualized. But in becoming "The Lady in the Tutti Fruity Hat," she limited herself and the roles she could be assigned in Hollywood. Recently, stars like Lopez and even Amy Schumer (as I wrote about regarding I Feel Pretty) have stared to be allowed the freedom to be accepted as who they are in Hollywood. Lopez's unconventional body type (unconventional for Hollywood when she began) has become popular, and Schumer is respected for her comedic talent regardless of looks. However, when I saw the female characters in Avengers: Infinity War, I was disappointed that they were so limited. Women, including the superheroes in the film, were first introduced as "the girlfriend" character. They represented an emotional connection that the men often had to struggle with. Gamora was Thanos's daughter and Star-Lord's girlfriend and Scarlet Witch, although apparently one of the strongest superheroes in the movie, struggled with the emotional decision to kill her boyfriend to save the planet for the entire film (although two male characters quickly decided to kill those they loved). Even characters that had been strongly represented in other films, like the women in Wakanda, were barely given any screen time or story arcs. Rather, they all dressed similarly and had similar roles in relation to the male characters, from what I saw. I was not inspired by them and found them unrelatable. To me, it seemed like they were getting stuck back in a box of femininity and sexuality.
However, I challenged myself to think about how the male characters were being portrayed as well. Perhaps both genders were simplified and generalized in the film. And truly, I feel that is the case. Each of the male super heroes are just that, super-human and strong. After reviewing our readings from the week on masculinity, I thought about the quote from Springer that "cyborg figures 'perpetuate, and even exaggerate, the anachronistic industrial-age metaphor of externally forceful masculine machinery, expressing a nostalgia for a time of masculine superiority'" (Bukatman). Almost all the male characters (and interestingly, none of the female characters) had technological additions to their bodies. Just like the traditions that started in films like Aliens and the Terminator movies, Iron Man, Thanos, Star-Lord, Vision, Bucky Barnes, Black Panther, and even The Hulk used technological and robotic additions to their bodies or body suits. These enhanced their strength, although it didn't mean they would particularly win their battles. The elements of machinery in the movie definitely create a masculine association, and reinforces the idea that the ultimate male is a strong figure who can save the world. I would be interested in seeing a male superhero who is not such a "regular guy," so that we can expand our definitions of manhood.
Action films are made to be fun and enjoyable, and sewn into the genre are ideas about masculinity, femininity, and strength. In today's day and age, I would challenge filmmakers to create less conventional characters and storylines in order to move it to a more interesting and inclusive place for both men and women.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Supplemental Post 7
So we're gonna verge a little too far on the personal edge for this post, but it's a blog and I'm actually geeking out on this. Skins UK raised me growing up. Like that was my show. I've watched it all the way through probably 5 times. And of Skins UK, my favorite character has always been and will be Cook. James fucking Cook. (Sorry for the cursing but if you watch the show you'll get the reference). Cook was my childhood crush, he was my everything. There are so many things I watch now just because the actor, Jack O'Connell, is in them. Anyway, so I met Jack O'Connell about a week ago and we've been texting. I saw him at the Standard as I was walking out and after recognizing him I completely fangirled like I would do for no other celebrity and ran up telling him all about how in love I was with his work. Then awkwardly left because I felt weird for professing my love to a stranger. As we continued to walk out I just realized I had to go full force so I turned back around and asked for his number. Since then we've been texting a good amount yet I've unfortunately had to decline all plans to get drinks, go surfing, etc. I know, a bummer. But now I'm realizing I will literally be so disappointed once we do hang out because the thing is, he is not James fucking Cook... he's Jack O'Connell. What made Cook wasn't his looks, which really aren't that present, it was his personality. And his personality was all pretend. It's so hard not to blur the line between star and character, which I'm feeling way too hard this week.
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