In “The new Hollywood racelessness,” Mary Beltran discusses
what it means to be multiracial or multicultural in films. One thing that really stuck out to me was
when she talked about the publicity for the movie Selena. The publicity mostly
revolved around JLo’s body, more specifically her behind. This reminded me of all the times people
talked about Michelle Obama’s arms or the fact that she wore a dress more than
once. In one of my classes, we discussed
that when people talk about women in power or women who have accomplished
something, people usually talk about their appearance. This is problematic because it essentially
turns these women into objects. Beltran
states “Lopez has typically maintained a lean, extremely fit (although still
curvaceous) body, which has proven to be the ultimate marketing tool” (p 146). This can relate back to Sarah Baartman
because her body was also used as a marketing tool. The main difference is that Baartman was made
fun of for her body type whereas JLo is being praised for hers. With that said, can you think of any examples
when people aren’t discussing appearance when talking about a successful
woman? At first I thought Oprah might be
an example, but people have talked about her weight in the past and probably
still do. Moreover, why is it that
society is so phased by women’s bodies more so than their accomplishments? Last, do you think it’s good or bad that JLo
used her body as a marketing tool?
I think women encourage this behavior. It's us who are constantly comparing ourselves to other women, tearing each other apart behind the other's backs. I don't think the emphasis on JLo's behind had anything to do with Selena. She's a sex symbol in our society, so it's to be expected.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Obama on the other hand is interesting. She has great arms, but why it's even a point of media discussion is questionable. Is there really nothing better in the news to discuss than her arms? To the media's credit, they have covered her campaign to combat obesity. But still, her arms don't have a whole lot to do with that.
The only example I can think of where the female's body wasn't the center of attention was Condoleezza Rice. Perhaps it's because I didn't analyze the media when she was secretary of state the way I do now. Or perhaps the media were too busy covering Bush and his antics. Regardless, it's rather quite atrocious that it's so difficult to come up with examples.