Miwa Yanagi

Our small class decided to take a field trip to the Art Museum.  We saw a forum that talked about beauty, aging and Miwa Yanagi.  One of the things that most stayed on my mind was when the last panelist took the podium.  She said that our view of aging begins when we are little girls.  Take for example the Disney Princesses, they are all young and beautiful and the evil witches are all old and horrible.  So, she says we begin to look at age as a bad thing instead of embracing it.

Another things that stands out in my mind is when they presented a picture of Hilary Cinton in which her age definitely shines through.  The panelists talked about how the media has made this a big deal, perhaps because they are not used to seeing wrinkles on tv. 

 I cosider age to be a naturalprocess of life and that we should embrace it.  I believe eeryone woman is beautiful and every age.  I also believe in the choice to make yourself feel more beautiful, meaning if you would like to enhance your self with botox or a face lift, as long as yo feel good, that is a wonderful thing.  Likewise, if you choose to be natural, even more beautiful!

 NV

Miwa Yanagi’s Art & Denise Chavez’s Novel

Last week, I had the pleasure of reading through Denise Chavez’s Novel, “Loving Pedro Infante” and attending a lecture at the MFAH that discussed Miwa Yanagi’s insightful art. What a week! I was catapulted into a world of reality, where women all too often make men the center of their world (as is the case with Tere, the main character in Chavez’s novel) or try to become what society mandates, thus losing indiviuality and natural beauty.

In Miwa Yanagi’s Elevator Girls, all the girls look the same. They are all beautifully polished, and look almost fake. the image makes me think of the increased popularity of plastic surgery among women. Society is constantly praising a certain look and all the meanwhile, women are beginning to conform more and more. I wonder, will everyone look like elevator girls in a few more years?

In Denise Chavez’s novel, Tere, the main character is obssessed with Pedro Infante and old cinema. She preoccupies herself by fantasizing about novela-like romances, until she finally gets one in real life. She becomes a mistress to a man who fits the role that Pedro Infante played so many times. He is unloyal and aloof. Reading the novel made me realize that novelas, love stories, movies, all seem to dictate what a woman should look for in a romance. Similar to plastic surgery, these fantasies, for lack of a better word, have affected women’s thoughts and behaviors, deeming it unacceptable to engage in a relationship that does not resemble the ones seen on the silver screen.

It saddens me to think that this is the future women have to look forward to. Carrbon copy bodies, faces, and romances.

LG

Miwa Yanagi- The Concept of Aging

In last week’s panel discussion at MFAH, over the artwork of Miwa Yanagi, the concept of aging was touched upon quite a bit. Perhaps not the concept in itself but the contemporary view with which Miwa interpreted it. The collection, My Grandmothers, vizualizes the self-perceived notions of several young women when asked to imagine what type of woman they themselves might become fifty years later. Miwa not only portrays their dreams with emotion but also the intensity and passion these women have and their acceptance to age. The women in her pictures stand as a collaboration of the ideal elderly women in Miwa’s eyes. This series heavily contrasts with her previous work of The Elevator Girls for she gives each of these ladies a unique personality and ties that same personality to their dream and ideal aging. In an interview with Miwa, she expresses that women in Japan view goals and such much differently than we do. Age is a liberating force for these women. If one was to ask a young Japanese lady of about 20 what she would like to presently accomplish, it is likely she would not know. However, if one asked her what she would like to accomplish in 50 years, she could elaborate on the future quite nicely. Their preocupation with what others think ebbs away with age and women are freer in their last days than when they are young. Many only wish but some Japanese girls actually make their dreams reality. Conservative teens become liberal, free old women. Her portrayal of this shows a lot about the Japanese culture in general and, more importantly, shows the difference in ours. The American dream is to live fast, to live freely until you are unable to do so. Then just live out your days with your earnings, after living a complete life in previous years. The exhibitions show us that for these women, life is viewed differently. In the panel discussion, the concept of aging was touched upon. I enjoyed it tremendously. It mad me think about my life in the future. Can you picture yours in 50 years?

-Angie

for full interview, http://www.jca-online.com/yanagi.html

         

La Miel Y Hiel De Los Amores Prohibidos

Es curioso ver la excitación, la pasión y a veces hasta el morbo que despierta en los humanos el “amor a lo prohibido”.  Aunque está en nuestra naturaleza la capacidad de ser seres espirituales (y es aquí en nuestro espíritu en donde los sentimientos de culpa luchan en contra de nuestras desviaciones) habrá que de igual manera reconocer que también somos por instinto seres carnales (y es en la carne que reside nuestra parte mas vulnerable, la mala consejera, la cómplice de nuestros actos impíos) El ejemplo de un clásico y casi hasta cómico amor prohibido está ilustrado en los personajes de La Tere y Lucio Valadez en el libro de Denise Chávez  titulado “Por el Amor de Pedro Infante” o su versión en inglés “Loving Pedro Infante”. Tere, una mujer que se desborda de amor y pasión, en cuerpo y alma, encuentra de pronto al “Pedro Infante de sus sueños” en un hombre llamado Lucio que, por desgracia para Tere, resulta estar súper casado, en una sola palabra, prohibido. Y así comienzan a desarrollarse en Tere, al igual que en muchas amantes de hombres casados, una serie de sentimientos amargos tales como la rivalidad hacia las esposas, la culpabilidad hacia los pequeños afectados, los hijos inocentes. Y que diríamos de la rebeldía hacia la sociedad que las señala con el dedo, y finalmente lo más duro, el temor a un Dios que se opone y mira estas relaciones con ojos de pecado.Pero ya entrando a lo que aquí en nuestro blog llamamos “negociando deseo” tendíamos que analizar por que estas mujeres están dispuestas a pagar un precio tan alto por una relación tan incierta en vez de buscar relaciones mas sanas y estables con un hombre que las quiera bien.Yo creo que las amantes viven conformándose con los pocos ratos dulces en los que sienten que han triunfado sobre las familias de las que los hombres se ausentan para estar con ellas. No obstante, su felicidad nunca es completa porque casi siempre esta fantasía solo dura unas cuantas horas y viven con el miedo y la frustración de que el hombre tarde o temprano va a recapacitar y va a volver al lugar que le corresponde, a su hogar, con su familia. Existen un sin número de mujeres que han vivido su relación prohibida a escondidas del mundo, sin embargo, hay muchas otras que han convertido en escándalo público su lucha por tratar de que “su” hombre se separe por completo de la esposa para unirse a ellas. Algunas lo han logrado, muchas otras no. Por ejemplo, Camila, amante desde la juventud del Príncipe Carlos de Inglaterra logró que este se separara de la Princesa Diana. Angelina Jolie logro que Brad Pitt se separara de Jennifer Aniston. Jennifer López logró que Marc Anthony se separara de su esposa Dianara Torres. Ejemplos sin éxito: Mónica Lewinsky no logró que Bill y Hillary Clinton se separaran. Verónica Castro no logró que “El Loco” Valdez se separara de su esposa ni siquiera por el hecho de estar ella embarazada (estrategia que muchas amantes creen que será determinante para lograr su cometido). Y por ultimo, nuestro personaje ficticio de “La Tere” que no logró que Lucio se separara de Dio.

En fin, hay que ser un poco masoquista para estar dispuesta a correr el riesgo de amar y no saber si al final ese amor será correspondido con MIEL O HIEL.

Angie.

  

 

 

 

Accepting or negotiating time?

When we address the diverse issues of feminine beauty, wow are we in for a long haul… On the Monday night panel, discussion over the art of Miwa Yanagi 3 different photograph series was overall very interesting. Each panelist was interpreting and adding their own views about her art and women beauty. Everyone seemed to love the series of ‘my grandmothers’ and with great reason; each photograph presents a different issue of life to all women. To ask your subjects, to imagine their life in the future, wow! The strong one that is memorable: Yuka. She is a very adventurous old lady, she rides with her way younger man, her red hair in the wind, and have just a blast! Who would think of an old lady, a grandmother to be this active and full of life and control?

We need to really wake up and get past the young and thin beauty that Hollywood and the media keep pronouncing every day. From the image of the commercialize feminine beauty the great majority of women idolize being young, being thin, and just you typical flirty ‘kind of gal’. It is true what the one panelist said, that by conforming to the proverbial image of perfection of beauty, then society will praise the effort and accomplishment in being ‘beautiful’.

The one concept that really caught my attention, not only because it was the last presentation, but because it was about Japanese not conforming to what society expects of all women. Japanese women are to be mothers, produce more beings to keep the economy going. But instead they are ‘Parasites’ who are single women who choose not to marry or have kids. These single women do splurge on whatever they want for themselves, so in turn they are considered ‘selfish’. Being selfish is not a very bad term; they can accept who they are for themselves. Does not sound like a bad philosophy at all to me. Maybe someday we will have more minds for women to be selfish and not conform to what society desires. Aging is a natural process for all humans, but for women is a process that most will dread. But someday, with hope some may embrace and enjoy the wisdom of life that comes with aging.

-RA

La Nueva Mestiza en los U.S. of A

Just a few thoughts on the writing of Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands, la Frontera- the New Mestiza:

When first reading, I could sense the strength and passion of the writer. There was one repetative image that struck me, and I learned about was el Cuatlicue, a goddess; lady of the serpent. She explains the meaning of the goddess is the creator, the mother of the earth, responsible for fertility and the beautiful days. The goddess helps her identify the importance of knowing ones culture, and the beginnings of her blood, her family. By reading the book With her machete in her hand by Catriona Rueda Esquibel, I learned that Gloria was a Chicana lesbian writer. Just knowing some more detail information about Anzaldua, it made think even more about being a woman in the U.S. Gloria does not only live in a world where being brown is looked down on, but being a woman and a lesbian that just adds more prejudices.

She had to look into her history and herself to find that strong individual. Her history begins many centuries ago, miles and miles away, but nonetheless it is her history as well as of other Chicana women that are living in the U.S. today. By one not denying who they are, one can be complete- instead of becoming what the white man has tried to conditioned most people to be according to their race. We have to gain knowledge, find value, and become whole and strong. The languages are important, because she had to know English and Spanish well. In reality accents matter to everyone in either language. Being raised speaking Spanish and learning English can be confusing to most. People will criticize, meaning that one has to be perfect in either language.

Dealing with different cultures is a constant living for most mestizos in the U.S. Knowing how to balance each world, or each culture, or just simply represent yourself no matter where you are at then well that is accepting and teaching the world at the same time. This is where most Chicanos loose themselves; loose their history, their culture. Choosing the white culture, and not the mestizo or the Mexican culture well then you just lost you.

-RA

Madres e hijas latinas!

 

In today’s views of relationships, by now seems that we all know they take effort. A specific relationship that I am referring to is the mother-daughter in the Latino culture. From personal experience, my mother has shaped some or maybe even most of my views of life. It does not always happen that the mother shapes any of the ways of their daughter’s life. When I talked to my professor about the writing for the Latino Sexuality project, our conversation went over some issues that Latina women can face living in the U.S.

There are special bonds in life, and one that I can truly relate is the bond that I have with my mother. From the conversation we discussed how a mother can be matriarch of the house for better or for worse of the family. We talked about one situation of a family where the mother was single with two girls. The two girls grew up to be completely different. One daughter very conservative and reserved covered up with her clothing and the other very flirty and well she became a stripper. How different the two young women from the same house, the one that became the stripper was closer to her mother, the other that was very reserve was not. The single mother did bring different guys to her house. So one conservative girl seemed that she had be what her mother was not.

A lot of the writing that I will do, could be in comparison to my own experience and learning to what is perceive about Latina women when it comes to dealing with control over their daughters. There in the end I have narrowed my project to exploring the saying or thoughts that happen in Latino homes, ‘if you’re not home you’re having sex.’ This thoughts or sayings go back to a young Latina living at home with her parents, and what issues can arise if she is not at home. Being at home to most parents deals with control and knowing how she is doing. In this project, I can explore the influence of the bond of the mother-daughter relationship and how the daughter will react to the control from her home.

 

-RA

Amor, solo para Pedro… y para otros “como” Él.

Each individual, each person, each woman, etc.. has their own way of dealing with love situations. Or so we want to think. We can surely generalize what can or could happen in a given situation. For Tere, in “Loving Pedro Infante” by Denise Chávez, being in love was everything in her life. She had her own ideals and dreams for her life. Her dream of a happy life was to have ‘her’ man, her kids, and her jacalito. Quite simple dream but at how far she could just settle to be close enough to her happy life. Her thoughts with her comadre Irma, were of an independent mujer Mejicana. But then when she was with her lover Lucio, she pretty much throw out her ideals and morals out the window. ‘Una Mujer Mejicana’ usually to most is the exotic strong woman who drinks tequila and well has a curvaceous body. Tere sure did not only considered her self one, but was one to Lucio and other men. Tere brought up other issues of life she had to deal with in her town. In the end she matured enough to understand most of what Irma and her talked about. And to let her lover live his life instead of trying to force herself in his.

-RA

La Chingada

As I read Sons of Malinche, one of the most popular chapters in Octavio Paz’s The Labyrinth of Solitude, I began to think to myself “Ok, so this is why he got a nobel prize…”. He may be sexist, but I can admit it, he’s a great writer. I couldn’t wait till Igot to the part where he talks about the mother figure as “la chingada”. I wanted to read it for myself.

Then I got to it…

This is what he wrote:

“What is the Chingada?’ The Chingada is the Mother forcibly opened, violated or deceived. The hijo de la Chingada is the offspring of violation, abduction or deceit. “

I can’t say that I’m offended. Historically speaking, the  woman (not just Mexican women, but all women) has endured oppression, has been violated, has been deceived.

On another note, he wrote something I really loved…”In almost every culture the goddesses of creation are also the goddesses of destruction”. I LOVE IT! This phrase pertains to the duality of a woman. Our ability to create and destroy. Women are a symbol “of the strangeness of the universe.

-LG

“Loving Pedro Infante” By Denise Chavez

This book can really be controversial as far as the protagonist’s way of speaking.  She says a lot of things that can be very scandoloous.  For example, she says “The las time we made love I was just starting my period and stained the sheets.  Rey se puso bien weird.”  I mean WOW!!!!  As soon as I read more and more from the novel and saw lines like this it really kept my attention.  This book is about two women, Tere and Irma, they are the bestest of friends and trully love each other.  They are in their thirties, single and ready to mingle.  They dream of finding their perfect lover except they are stuck in the small town of Cabritoville where the most action you see is a run down small bar named “La Tempestad.”  The book is full of all the adventures these two women go through all while being the number one fans of Pedro Infante.

 

Picture of Pedro Infante