Photoshop and Bossypants

A friend of mine started an impromptu book club by asking on Facebook if any of her friends wanted to read Tina Fey's Bossypants with her.  A bunch of us all chimed in that we've been wanting to read it too and ran out and got our hands on some copies.  I'm only about two thirds of the way through, and I'm really enjoying it.  It is very funny.

But I have to admit that I was really pretty disappointed with the couple pages that she decided to devote to Photoshop.  In a chapter where she explains the craziness and the absurdity and emotional roller coaster that is being photographed for a magazine spread, she eventually gets to the issue of Photoshop . . . which she calls "America's most serious and pressing issue" (157).  Read that however you want.

Her blanket reaction to the photoshop debate is: "I feel about Photoshop the way some people feel about abortion.  It is appalling and a tragic reflection on the moral decay of our society . . . unless I need it, in which case, everybody be cool." (157)

She does say that she is worried about its excessive use and the affects "overly retouched photos" might have on women/girls' health and body image.  But she also goes on to sort of jokingly claim that only old people are really ever fooled by photoshop because "people have learned how to spot it . . . As long as we all know it's fake, it's no more dangerous to society than a radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds." (158)

But the question is: do people know it is fake?  I don't really think people are suddenly becoming experts at spotting overly retouched photos.  I struggle with trying to see the differences in finished products even when I watch time lapses of the edits.  I have definitely become better at spotting photoshop alterations but only because of (1) practice, (2) a conscious effort on my part to try to remind myself that these bodies are not real and I should not feel bad that I don't measure up and (3) the assumption I now have that almost everything has been photoshopped.  These things were taught to me and taught to me as valuable things to be conscious of.  I don't think most people have that same experience.

On page 158 she goes on to say:

Photoshop is just like makeup.  When it's done well it looks great, and when it's overdone you look like a crazy asshole.  Unfortunately, most people don't do it well.  I find, the fancier the fashion magazine is, the worse the Photoshop.  It's as if they are already so disgusted that a human has to be in the clothes, they can't stop erasing human features.

I think here she gets at the foundation of the issue.  The debate about photoshop is not that we should never alter photos to soften an oily patch of skin or remove an unflattering wrinkle that catches the light badly.  But rather the widescale rejection of the diversity of human forms and human beauties in favor of some predetermined, arbitrary, seasonal standard (that usually has very little to do with biology or evolution) that people in power have decided is better than the individual being photographed--- so much better that the individual needs to be hidden, corrected, and often rendered unrecognizable when made in the image of this secret standard that the elite have decided Society should idolize.  It is really disturbing!  In this our prejudices and bias become amplified, solidified and transmitted to others.

Fey does point out a case where Photoshop is not used in this way, when she was being photographed by feminists for Bust:

Feminists do the best Photoshop because they leave the meat on your bones.  They don't change your size or your skin color.  They leave in your disgusting knuckles, but they may take out armpit stubble. Not because they're denying it's existence, but because they understand that it's okay to make a photo look as if you were caught on your best day in the best light. (160)

Here she makes that important distinction where the artists are not "disgusted" with the human form and are not "denying it's existence," but rather making an image that could realistically be you "on your best day."  I think it is ok to ask that this tool be used in this way, and not in an oppressive way and I think Fey on some level is advocating this.  For some reason she decides not to be clear or to take a serious stand on the issue.  Perhaps because she doesn't want to lose the benefits she feels she gets from it.

But are these real benefits?  In this video some women get the opportunity to get their photos Photoshopped by professionals, but are left disenchanted and uncomfortable with the results.  This was a really powerful video for me because it really showcased how Photoshop is used a tool to judge and exterminate difference in favor of a predetermined ideal over which these women had no control.  It left them feeling rejected, unloved, and branded ugly or in possession of undesirable features and traits.  I don't think we need to take that sort of behavior or attitude lying down.

But in the end Fey concludes "Give it up.  Retouching is here to stay . . .  At least with Photoshop you don't really have to alter your body."  This again is a sad statement because it implies that women under so much pressure to modify their literal physical bodies, that alterations of their projected, disseminated media images--- the image that makes it into the collective conscious of the Society--- seems like some sort of fair compromise.

To be fair to Fey, as she herself says: "I can't be expected to lead the charge on everything.  Let me have my Photoshop."  I do think it is fair to cut Fey some slack because she is doing so much other feminist work.  I don't think she needs to be fighting every battle and it's ok for her not to have the answer to every feminist problem.  But I think it still says a lot that a women as smart, respected, successful and fearless as Fey (she's not afraid to stand up to Taylor Swift and her hoards) still struggles with how she feels about this issue and how she articulates that.


P.S.  Although the stakes are much higher, this remind me a lot of this account of Olivia Munn trying to stand up for her contractual agreement when she agreed to do a shoot for Playboy.  Even though the woman feels confused and upset, she attempts to make light of the situation to help herself (and others) make peace with the experience.

The Danger of a Single Story

Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story

Ted Talk

Her talk is 20 minutes well spent.  Not only is she eloquent and funny, but her message is clear and powerful.  Below are a few excerpts from her discussion about the "danger of a single story" in case you find yourself without time to watch it.


She first details some of her experiences growing up in an average family in Nigeria and encountering those less fortunate than her.

All I had head about them was how poor they were, so it had become impossible for me to see them as anything else but poor.  That poverty was my one story about them.

Later when she came to the United States, her American roommate was confused that she spoke English so well and shared many of the same cultural traits. Her roommate had a "patronizing, well meaning pity... There was no possibility of feelings more complex than pity."

This one was too funny not to share: 

A student told me that it was such a shame that Nigerian men were physical abusers like the character in my novel.  I had told him that I had just read a novel called American Psycho and it was such a shame that young Americans were serial murderers.

She explains that as she had heard many stories about young Americans, it did not occur to her that this one story could encompass an entire group of  peoples.  She finishes by highlighting the dangers of having a single story (excerpts from various parts of the talk):

So that is how to create a single story, show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become...The consequence of the single story is this: it robs people of dignity... It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar... When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.

This concept is so simple that it is quite astounding to hear it said out loud.  An earlier post here by HC mentions stereotypes: 

 Ultimately, the stereotype allows someone to not spend time meeting another person, but instead makes them feel an immediate familiarity with everyone they encounter. In essence stereotyping allows for each individual to construct their own reality that does not truly mirror the actual world they inhabit. 

I think Adichie's talk brings more depth to this point . We enter new situations with an already preconceived notion of what to expect, automatically drawing upon the "one story" we have heard over and over again.  As she mentions about her family friends "it had become impossible for me to see them as anything else but poor."

Ultimately, recognizing this narrowing of focus can have huge applications on any walk of life.  Once children start hearing that mothers can be firefighters, scientists, or businesswomen, they will no longer have the expectation that all moms are homemakers.  One particular example comes to mind which appeared on the internet in January.  A picture surfaced showing a black male carrying a baby and doing the hair of his daughter, resulting in some racist and insulting backlash:

'He probably rented those kids. They don't even look like him,' 'Look at this Uncle Tom. No chance he would be doing this if his kids were black.' 'I would bet anything that you're a deadbeat,' and  'Cute picture. Now why don't you hand the children back to their mom so you can go back to selling drugs or your bootleg rap CDs?'

Clearly, these individuals have heard a singular story regarding male black fathers. If this hard working father (an Idris Elba-like man may I add?)  is already pigeonholed by a cultural "one story", what is the world like for equivalent, hard-working women?

I know I have definitely fallen victim to the dangers of the single story (from within and without).  What about you?

Let's use Idris Elba as an unwilling platform to complain about our ungrateful girlfriends

I clicked on this article because of the funny Anglophenia blog post headline: Idris Elba Creates a Global Man Panic.  I was expecting it to be a satirical celebration of the many talents and admirable qualities of Idris Elba in traditional Fraser McAlpine fashion (I am a big fan or Fraser McAlpine's posts) perhaps in something of the light-hearted Busy Benedict style (Example 1, 2, 3, 4 . . . I hope you find them as amusing as I do).

But instead of some witty amusement, it seems like all I got was tirade of men complaining about their ungrateful, unappreciative women who have had the audacity to express admiration for a global movie star and multi-talented man named Idris Elba--- EVEN after their men have performed small acts of kindness and love that most of us probably just accept as the acts of kindness and love one gives in a healthy relationship without really expecting direct compensation.  But these men seem to have somehow linked these things with their girlfriends wanting to cheat on them when Idris Elba inevitably shows up on their doorstep to have sex with them?

I do think Idris Elba gives us a great opportunity to discuss modern masculinity, and I do think it could have been done in a funny, light, and amusing way, but this conversation just seems disappointing, unoriginal, and a little frighteningly backwards.

I'm particularly disturbed the original 'poem' that started the trend, which strikes me as rather hostile (and not 'in good fun') and veering dangerously close for expecting sex(respect) for money(food, functional home/utilities).  These men also seem to want to deny their women the same physical/sexual responses we are traditionally expected to shrug off as natural in men (replace Kate Upton, Victoria's Secret models, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Sofia Vegara, other women in bikinis at the beach, or porn with Idris Elba; how well do you think that conversation would go?)  Furthermore, it follows the age-old practice of blaming women for the issues of men:  if Idris Elba's fame and popularity somehow threaten regular men's masculinity, that is something that can certainly be examined, but women have very little responsibility for the problem nor power to remedy the situation.

This kind of discussion could escalate very easily (especially because it is online) and I honestly don't think Idris Elba would find that amusing or be proud that his 'masculinity'/confidence/charisma/talent/fame/handsomeness would be used a platform for that kind of misogyny.

McAlpine does his best with the material he has but in the end, I'm still left feeling a little uncomfortable.

Is this just me?

P.S. When I typed some of the above-mentioned celebrities' names into google to check spelling nearly all of them had an auto fill of "Actress Name Hot." 

Post-Operative Obstacles

            This year, I celebrated New Year’s Eve at my local hospital. Why? I was having my second knee surgery in a little over a year. Suffice it to say that it was an intense, invasive procedure. During my recovery, I found myself thinking about a few different issues. This post might just be the beginning of these musings, with more to come as my recovery progresses.

            I’ve been on crutches since New Year’s Eve, and I will be on crutches for the foreseeable future. This is largely due to the nature of the surgery I had, and so far, it has been an exercise in frustration. The most frustrating part, at least for me, is when I interact with people while I am out and about. As I go to the grocery store, or get in the elevator at work, I find myself being treated like a complete invalid. At one point, a woman got into the elevator with me, and as I went to push the button to go to my floor, she all but knocked me over in order to “help” me push it. For the record, it was six inches from my hand. While walking into my office from the parking lot, I’ve had at least three men offer to help me, despite the fact that I was making my way to the door just fine. This got me thinking. If I were a man, would so many people be scrambling to help me? It is impossible for me to separate out my gendered experiences from my experiences on crutches, but it’s still something I think about as I hobble from one place to another. I can’t think of an instance where I witnessed a relatively young man receive help due to a temporary injury.

            Throughout my post-op experience, I’ve also found myself struggling with thoughts concerning my appearance. Since my surgery, I’ve lost weight and gained a very, very large scar. I’m a naturally thin person so the weight loss only concerns me when I have to go to work, as I have that slightly pinched, unhealthy look of someone who has recently been very ill. I counter this with my baggiest work clothes, and go on with my day. The biggest problem I’m dealing with is my surgical scar. I know that in time, it will fade, but there are days where I look at it, and have a breakdown. While I’m not normally a person who is overly concerned with my appearance, society has still taught me to reject that which is abnormal, different, or ugly. Try as I might, I care about having a large, ugly purple scar on my leg, and find myself being horribly self-conscious about it.  I know it’s ridiculous to be so worried about it, because it’s not something that could be prevented, yet I find myself wanting to keep it covered at all times, even when no one else is around. In time, I’m sure that my attitude will shift and become one of indifference, but until then, I’ll be stuck in my own mind, wondering why I let societal expectations get to me.

More Work for Mother: Part 3

In Part 3 of our More Work for Mother series we’ll consider alternative approaches for housework.  As with Part 1 and Part 2, this post is based on Ruth Schwartz Cowan’s book More Work For Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave.  Cowan discusses three alternative approaches to housework that never succeeded in the U.S.: 1) domestic servants; 2) cooperative institutions; and 3) commercial businesses.

In other cultures housewives commonly hired outside help for cleaning, cooking, laundering, and watching children.  However, given the country's wealth of economic opportunities, ranging from frontier homesteading to factory work, an American servant class never developed.  Young women whose mothers may have toiled long hours scrubbing floors or laundering welcomed opportunities to marry and move west, or to work set schedules in a factory.  As a result, qualified help has typically been too expensive for most American families to afford.

Cooperative approaches also failed.  Several communities attempted to establish communal kitchens, but these collapsed from lack of interest and poor management.  Early hygiene fanatics undermined boarding houses and apartment hotels never caught on.  Commercial approaches also faltered. As of the book’s writing, stigma had undermined commercial childcare establishments and commercial laundries were in steep decline.  People don’t like to air their dirty laundry in public apparently.

This is where Cowan's book, written in the early 1980's, leaves us.  Jumping forward 30 years, I think today's picture looks somewhat different.  Child-care services are in high demand, commercial lawn-care service is common, and in-home cleaning services are profitable.   What has changed over the last three decades?  Here are my unsubstantiated theories.  If anyone has data or knows more about these trends, please comment!

• Perhaps the recent growth in low-skilled and undocumented immigration has developed a new (probably temporary) class of people willing to work in domestic service for sufficiently low wages.
• Perhaps working families, can no longer keep up with their professional, child-care, and housekeeping requirements without relying on outside services.
• Perhaps high-profile families can afford to outsource their housekeeping and childcare, making the hiring of staff fashionable or at least more socially acceptable.
• Perhaps the growing elderly population has turned to outside help for household tasks they can no longer manage on their own.

A combination of these factors probably drives the growing housework-service industry.  Will these changes improve life for women in the U.S.?  I'm not sure.  Our country prides itself on the "American Dream" and a permanent class of domestic service workers would run counter to that ideal (except when they are housewives apparently).  Similarly, do we want people paying for services because our social and economic institutions have left them with no other choice?   Come back for Part 4 of our series for a few more thoughts on our current circumstances.

Eco-Feminism - Just scratching the surface

L encouraged me to write about the environment and how it relates to women, specifically about female environmentalists that I may have known from living in Ghana or from my current work.
This came as an interesting topic so I began exploring "eco-feminism" which is apparently a thing, but more importantly, something that my office (I work for a sustainability office at a major university) has been discussing just this past week.

To begin, I dug up this article about eco-feminism which I think addresses a few areas of environmentalism and how it intersects with gender and socio-economics. I have never actually heard the term "eco-feminist" before, which is not to say that I had not made the connection between gender and the environment.

Environmental issues affect us all in different ways. Living in a small rural farming village in the Eastern Region of Ghana, West Africa I experienced what life is like when you truly depend on your environment for everything. Fetching your water from a well, gathering or chopping wood for fire, growing your own food to either eat or sell for money to buy other things - this is what daily life is like for women (and men) in developing nations. But as I said before, women are the backbone of their families and communities in these countries. This article refers to these woman as the "natural resource managers" and "as resources become scarcer with decline in the environment’s health, girls are attending less and less school to be able to dedicate more time to finding water, or simply because school fees are no longer available as crop cycles become less predictable." Unfortunately, this is true. Girls' futures are stopped short when money is scarce and within a patriarchal society, women are not a priority. That is not to say that these women, the "natural resource managers" are not capable or intelligent. I spoke with many female farmers about climate change. Maybe we didn't use that exact phrase, but the knowledge was there. During this time, Ghana was experiencing drastic changes in climate which resulted in unpredictable crop cycles. The farmers did not know when to plant their crops. The rains stopped coming. One family lost an entire year's income because their plot did not survive. All three wells in my town dried up or broke and we were without water for about two weeks. And through it all, the women I knew managed to provide what food they could to their families. They helped this tiny white girl find clean sources of water to drink, even if it meant taking time away from their own chores. The cycle of poverty that women in developing countries face is a real tragedy, and one that stems from the reliance on what has now become an unreliable environment.

When L asked me to write this article she told me to name my top ten female environmentalists. I said that might be hard. You see, the sustainability movement is currently monopolized by men. Men hold more leadership positions in this field, even though the movement is largely fueled by women. Why is that? This is something that my office has been exploring in an effort to motivate our female students who are already involved to become leaders in sustainability efforts. This of course is another issue entirely, the lack of women in leadership roles. I'm not saying there aren't great women active in environmentalism - to the contrary there are many. Acknowledging that there is a link between the environment and female empowerment is a start to this, I think. I know I barely scratched the surface with this topic, but I am interested in seeing where it goes from here.

Please comment with your thoughts!

-Lisa