SEX AND RESISTANCE @GC AND ON FILM
About Body
WOMEN GOING PLACES
Diana: In Her Own Words -Netflix 2017 (SY)
Diana: In Her Own Words is a documentary on Netflix based on the life of the beautiful Princess Diana of Whales. Although she is now deceased, her memory will live on forever. Diana Spencer was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Whales and mother of Prince Harry and Prince William. As a young girl, she knew she was destined for big things; at just 19 years old, Diana married Prince Charles and had no idea how great of an impact the royal life would have on her. Diana saw her position as a determination to survive yet showed courage and dignity throughout her entire rule as Princess.
Sex and Resistance has impacted me in a way that makes me see the world differently now. As I was watching this film, I was astounded by the amount of disrespect that members of the royal family had towards Diana. She was a young woman who had an enormous role yet they expected her to immediately be perfect and to never show or tell anyone when she was struggling. Diana showed complete strength through her suffering, even when she felt there was no was no way out of the darkness.
This film taught me that you truly never know what somebody is going through. The world looked at Princess Diana as a perfect woman who had a perfect life, but that was not the case at all. Everyone has their demons and you should never assume that someone is happy just because they have a smile on their face.
Extremely Wicked Shockingly Evil and Vile -Netflix 2019 (SY)
Extremely Wicked Shockingly Evil and Vile is a movie on Netflix that portrays the true story of a serial killer named Ted Bundy. Bundy was a handsome, normal looking man which played a huge part in his trials; people trusted him more because he was charming and easy on the eyes. He murdered and raped women without any remorse until he was sentenced to death.
Sex and Resistance has made me especially realize how commonly women are taken advantage of. Bundy was actively involved in two women's lives, one with a child and one he impregnated in jail, while he was raping and murdering numbers of other women. His partner, Liz, blames herself for all of the women that Bundy murdered because she had a feeling about him but did not say something soon enough.
The main point that I took from this film was that people can come off a certain way at first, but many times you can get taken advantage of if you are not careful. It is important to always look out for your well being first. Obviously, the women that Ted Bundy murdered did not have a choice in the matter, but staying alert in relationships such as the ones he had with those two women is something to be aware of.
"MISS AMERICANA" DS
Taylor Swift Film
The Taylor Swift documentary was touching. she speaks on her life growing up and how her fans impacted her and her decisions, but got blamed for other things. She decided to start doing her life her own way, and speaking out for what she wanted and believed in.
My response to this documentary really impacted me. I loved Taylor Swift as a little girl, growing up to her music while I was in middle school and high school, I thought she was the most loved female artist out there, and she was. Everyone either hated her or loved her. Watching this documentary made me sit back and think that she is right. Women in our society get pushed down, we get thrown into a category that most people and male figures do not like or even associate with. Taylor spoke up and made her voice heard, when she stated in her film, she was sorry for all the people out there that spoke up but was never believed, because typically women or a female will not get to be heard. I loved Taylor years ago, and felt her pain on being silent during some tragic times in her life, but I was proud of her for speaking out. Taylor wants to be the best, she works hard and she believed in herself, just like every woman should. This is the definition and action of feminism. People in the world today should have open hearts and show love because that is what it is all about, but some will just have the evil heart and turn the other cheek because they do not and will never agree. Taylor even says that these are not the “Christian views”, and she is completely right. We are here to love and show others happiness and love, so open your heart, but when it is time to speak…speak out, and do not be afraid.
"SIMPLY COMPLICATED" DS
In the Demi Lovato documentary, it spoke on her life growing up and how her life was difficult to even witness. Demi had a hard lifestyle growing up, she started doing drugs and drinking at a very young age. She made friends with the wrong people. Demi had and still has an incredible voice and Disney channel wanted her to become a star, but it got to the point to where Demi did not care about herself and her body anymore. She became dark and scary, to the point where people were worried that she would kill herself. She had a turn around in her life and she was admitted into a sober center to get treated properly. She turned her life around, and has been sober for a long time. Demi is a very talented girl that a lot of people look up to especially her story. Demi has a great story and others want to know more, so she made a documentary to show others what it was like living in her shoes. She abused drugs and wanted attention. I have seen in the world around me that this is a topic that is very relevant now, since women feel depressed and never get their voices heard. We have to look out for each other and make sure we do not go down these evil paths, to get stranded and having no help.
THE ART OF POSITIVITY-RM
March 6, 2020 Art of Positivity at the Georgia College Women’s Conference
Deb Wallace a State Inspector General and the Deputy Inspector General Jenna Wiese discussed their personal struggles in a workplace dominated by men and how to face these issues head on with a positive mindset. They also discussed how to become a strong female leader in whatever career path you choose and what to do to make yourself stand out as well as identifying your own self-worth and how to remain confident in intimidating work environments. Wallace and Wiese performed their presentation by discussing inspirational quotes on yogurt lids such as “Stand out from the herd”, “When the herd zigs, zag”, and “Milk life for all it’s worth”.
The course “Sex and Resistance” helped me better understand this event as I was more aware of the gender inequality in the workplace that is still very prevalent. Before this course I did not really think about how gender can affect someone’s recognition, consideration, and whether they are taken as seriously in their career. I am much more educated on gender inequality in the workforce now and have even discovered that some of my female family members have faced gender discrimination in their male dominated careers such as engineering.
The primary tactic in the “Art of Positivity” that I took away would have to be how to make yourself stand out in the workplace. As women we sometimes have to do more in order to be recognized and this event taught me how crucial it is to be fearless and confident in your career path. It is important to recognize that you are in whatever career path you chose for a reason and that you are bringing something unique to the table, so you should always express your ideas to your coworkers and superiors even in intimidating situations.
CREATIVE INSURGENCY-RM
March 6, 2020 Learning Everyday Activism from Global Resistance Movements: Female Artists, Writers, and Bloggers at the Georgia College Women’s Conference
In Dr. Sevcik’s presentation she explained what creative insurgency is and how it is used for resistance movements all over the globe. Creative insurgency is defined as a mixture of activism and artistry characteristics of revolutionary expression; human body as tool, medium, symbol, and metaphor. The two different forms of creative insurgency were also defined as radical in which the body engages in deadly political feats and as gradual in which creative insurgency draws symbolism from the body. In this presentation several different examples of gradual creative insurgency were discussed such as “Blue Bra Lady” graffiti and the Guerrilla Girls.
The course “Sex and Resistance” allowed me to better understand this event as I had already learned about the meaning of resistance and why it is important in fighting for the equality for all people. I also had a better understanding of what resistance could look like, as we had already discussed countless events of resistance created through protests, speaking out about unjust acts, and resistance through writing throughout the course. We had also recently watched the music video for the song “This is America” by Childish Gambino in “Sex and Resistance” which is a perfect example of creative insurgency as he addresses the violence against African Americans through dance, song and the use of props.
Through this event I learned that resisting does not always have to include life altering political acts, but rather can be done through the use of art, music, and other forms of creative expression. I also learned the magnitude in which this was happening around the globe and it was really inspiring how many people were coming together to resist the unjust acts present in their country. Most importantly this event taught me that I could partake in creative insurgency with my own hobbies such as drawing and painting and could stand to make a difference by doing so.