The need to redesign ourselves, to feel like we’re someone
different for the day.
Today’s question might not be completely feminist based -
rather, I’d like to think it relates to human nature in general.
Specifically, I’m talking about the disturbing trend of the
doll girls; most famously, Valeria Lukyanova, the Russian real-life Barbie doll
(or so she has dubbed herself), although there are other young women who have
developed a following for their baby doll look - Venus Angelic and Dakota Rose
for example.
Each of these girls has created a persona, one in which they
mimic the unattainable and nonexistent, and one for which there are numerous
concerns. For instance, the disturbing image of adult women and teenagers
dressing up like sexualized baby dolls, the unrealistic physical expectations
that they place upon themselves and other young women (and which must have been
placed upon them at some point), and the fact that this persona cannot be
maintained forever: what will these girls do once the crux of their public
image (their physical features) have faded?
Now, I’m trying not to judge these ladies too harshly. I too like to reinvent myself and have been known to slip into a leather
jacket, motorcycle boots and spike my short hair into a Mohawk to feel a little
more rock n’ roll for the day. Or, after watching the old John Wayne movie Hatari, dress like I’m about to go on
safari. But I’d like to think that those days are just underrepresented facets
of my personality bursting forth.
However, if I judge these girls by the way that they look,
am I not as bad as the rest of the superficial world that pushed them into this
uber-plasticized world?
What do you think? Are we capable of fairly judging others' physical representations, or are we doomed to an eternity of shallow behavior based on looks?
Game of Thrones is the buzzword for
this seasons TV community: the backbiting, the plotting, the violence, the sex
(of which, everyone is discussing). What horrific plot twist will the
Lannisters think of next, we wonder out loud?
So I won’t really talk about those
things, because to my mind, those aspects of the show have been reviewed by
dozens of worthy reviewers, the New Yorker, the New York Times, The Mary Sue
and Bitch Flicks, just to name a few. (If you’re not really sure of the plot or
premise of the movie, you should definitely Wikipedia it, as I’m not really
going to talk about that here, considering that so many other reviewers and
websites have already provided a synopsis for it.)
One of the aspects that struck me in
the show though, is the portrayal of motherhood. Far from being absent or swept
to the side, the film’s mothers play a driving force in the plot development
and are some of the most multi-dimensional of the series, (credit has to be
given to the actresses who play them).
There are thee instances of
motherhood being portrayed here: Cercei and Lady Arryn’s obsessive, spoiling,
“my child is a god” kind of motherhood, Lady Stark’s “good mom” style, and
lastly, the Dothraki queen Daenerys Targaryen’s pregnancy where she is
worshipped by her people.
Lady Arryn is crazy, we can see
that; Hell, the other characters can see that and are sending concerned glances
to each other whenever she speaks and this outlandish behavior is most noticeable
in regards to her son. Her child is a picture perfect example (almost a
caricature) of the spoiled child—the kind of spoiled child who still nurses at
the age of ten (which, no matter what you say, is always weird). Her kind of
motherhood, the indulgent, nothing-is-wrong-with my child is interesting in
that it also coincides with her isolation, as her castle is one that is almost
completely cut-off from the world.
It’s a common trope, the mother who
does everything for her son, so much so that we never see outside of the role
of mother. She appears to have nothing else in her life and so instead showers
him with inappropriate attention.
There is another example of spoiling
a child, one in which the child is in the later stages of his aberrant and
spoiled behavior. Lady Cersei though is a different kind of mother from the
unstable and isolated Lady Arryn. Cersei is the mother to a prince, and then
later, to a king and her kind of mothering seems to revolve around the
difficult lifestyle of maintaining power for her son, and therefore for her.
It’s a selfish sort of spoiling, one in which the son is used as a way to
protect the mothers status, a situation she is able to maintain by creating an
“Us vs. Them” mentality in the cruel Joffrey.
In both instances, their treatment
of their children is one way that the case for their “evilness” is created; it
appears that the road to creating an evil female character is to highlight the
way that she uses her children, in that here, the children become a mirror for the
mother. It’s a common trope, motherhood being the most unselfish of occupations
and perhaps the most revered, therefore in order for a woman to be truly evil,
she must also be a bad mother.
So two examples of bad motherhood,
one completely consumed by her child, the other only consumed by her child
because of the power and status it offers her, both characters however revealed
by their relationship to their children (something I find a little frustrating,
personally).
Then there is the nice mother; there
always has to be a nice mom. Someone who legitimately cares for her children
and does her best to offer them a stable and happy home, free from a “take
whatever you want” kind of attitude, and while that is how the lovely Lady
Stark begins (every time someone says Stark in the show though, I totally think
of Iron Man and subsequently, Robert Downey Jr.; it’s a happy thought), she
ends up being a very different kind of mother.
I find it interesting that she
decides to join her oldest son Robb on the battlefield and become his most
valuable diplomat and negotiator, scoring him alliances and armies at every
turn. It’s possibly the most unique portrayal of motherhood in the show, in
that it morphs from kindly lady sitting by the fire, watching her sick child to
wartime confidant and advisor. The Lady Stark pounds around on her white horse,
offering counsel to her son, but also taking his commands as she rushes into
hostile camps and offers a truce here and a daughter there in exchange for a
few more soldiers. It’s a very different kind of motherhood, one that is
loving, but ultimately becomes a bit harder when she begins to bargain off her
children (giving Arya to one of Lord Frey’s sons and Robb to one of his
daughters) in order to keep them safe, and even to get what she wants: a little
revenge for her husbands death.
I suppose you can therefore read it
two ways, Lady Stark is merely caught between a rock and a hard place and is
doing what she must in order to protect them, or she, like the other mothers, is
willing to use her children in order to fulfill her own selfish ends. I’ll let
you decide in her case.
The last instance of motherhood is
rather short-lived and consists mostly of pregnancy; I’m referring to the
delicate-turned-fiery (literally) Daenerys Targaryen and her unborn son.
Daenerys is queen (by marriage) of the Dothraki, a war-like, horse-loving
people of nomads and once she gets pregnant with a son (it’s always a son) she
becomes an object of worship for her people. Her ability to become impregnated
elevates and causes an outpouring of love for her amongst her people, a
circumstance that I see repeated often in films and even in our society.
The worship of fertility has a huge
place in our history: fertility gods, fertility idols, fertility rites are
everywhere as a symbol of the divine power inherent in childbirth. Now, I am
not a mother, I’ve never had children, but I see it even today, the belief that
the pregnant lady can do no wrong (believe me friends, she can); I’m not trying
to belittle this situation, or even criticize it, merely pointing out it’s
prevalence in our society.
In a specific scene, Daenerys is
kneeling on a dais, surrounded by people cheering her name, while she eats a
raw horse heart as a power ritual designed to give her son strength. Daenerys
is in positioned above everyone else as she takes on the divine mother role;
she is to be the deliverer of a mighty new son and ruler, a vessel of the
future.
However, I find this problematic
sometimes, as it seems to suggest that Daenerys’ worth is directly tied to her
ability to be used by something else (in this case, her child). Though perhaps
that analogy doesn’t work in this situation as she ends up sacrificing her own
son’s life in order to save her husband. So again, in this series, the child
becomes something to be used in order to achieve her own ends.
On a depressing note, I guess what
I’m saying is, the mothers in Game of
Thrones are not very nice mothers.
It has been a very busy few weeks around my house, most notably because I've started a new job and my partner's schedule has changed. We're both adjusting well, but it also means that many of the links I'm sharing today have been scavenged from Facebook and not news sites. With that said...
First up is an article summarizing a meta-analysis of studies on the relationship between (assigned) sex equality and economic and social well-being. Anyone who read "Three Cups of Tea" probably won't be surprised, in spite of recent controversy, because it makes common sense. If approximately 50% of a culture's population is consistently held back, it will hold the culture back. If the culture has sex-based roles and one sex is assigned the task of childrearing, it will hold the culture back if that sex doesn't have access to information. Just saying!
Next is an astoundingly embarrassing piece that somehow made it through HuffPo's editing process and wound up on its UK Politics page. It's a classic example of how oblivion, imperialism, and "one priority at a time" mentalities can lead to incredibly discriminatory material being published. There are so many critiques to be brought in here that my head is on the verge of exploding! Why, oh why, couldn't the article have been a nuanced and respectful bit of dialogue?
Thankfully, Jezebel has come to the rescue with a publication on "hipster" racism, aka racism. In case you had any doubt about what made the last article truly offensive, read this and tell me if it makes more sense.
Check out, too, this wonderful article from the Atlantic Wire that slams the journalism industry for creating the women's niche market. I don't mean that in the sense of alternative menstrual products or other possible meaningful topics- I mean the "How to Ensure You Look Good AND Professional At the Same Time!" crap that gets sold to us as being important. Confused? Read the article.
In a piece of actual news, that idiotic "Don't Say Gay" bill from Tennessee has finally been defeated. One word: HUZZAH!
And finally, because I think sites like this need more love: the Transgender Couchsurfer, which is like the original couchsurfer but very specifically trans-friendly. I highly recommend putting yourself on there if you're trans- or queer-friendly, but I'd also recommend passing it along to friends and family who could also help make the low-budget travel options safe for everyone.
