The Modernism Movement and Commercialism

Freedom and progression of the mind was finally perpetuated with the Modernism Movement. Before the Modernism Movement, art was based on realism and was almost always fine. Writing didn't have the emotion it had had previously. This movement was a substantial one, one that brought on the greatest bookmark and work of art at that age: The Great Gatsby. Along with F. Scott Fitzgerald's work came Ernest Hemingway's and William Faulkner's, ushering in a deeper look into what actually occurred during that movement and age. The Jazz Age also was a part of the Modernism Movement, something that worked to break a cultural divide and share the meaningfulness of the black culture. This was a time to break free of previous restrains and to be more independent, which was especially for females and people of color. 

The introduction of the flapper ideal for women brought upon a sense of independence and boldness for the young and newly sexual woman. Women were encouraged to embrace their new elegant and commodity hungry selves through the ever prominent and increasing commercialism of the age. Just by looking at the ads of the 1920's, the gap between the beginning of the Modernism Movement and the end of it is a significant one. Commercialism started targeting to the woman, and encouraging her improvement, as her independent actions depended on her perceived perfection. Sadly, the Modernism Movement sparked the beginning of the self hatred inducing commercialism that we see today. Ads continue to bombard us with lewd photographs and repulsive imagery and connotations, all pointing back to our worthlessness. 

The potpourri of Art Deco and Surrealism brought on the freedom and independence of art, but eventually it all came too fast and too strong as women sought to find their independence through perfection. While the Modernism Movement is acclaimed for its freeing of thought, it really just entrapped the mind into a worse idea of commercialism through objectification.

The R Word

I felt as if no one else but me "got it" and comprehended the horrifying significance of that passage we read about Pecola and her father. Overall, it was seemed to have been taken lightly by many of my peers. This was easily dismissible with a slight look of disgust and a shake of the head. This was something to read fifteen minutes before class with SparkNotes and to overlook. Not many appeared to sit down and take the time to read this, to think about it. Had anyone bawled their eyes out like I had? Had anyone actually thought of this beyond the words on the page? I expected for my peers to say how they'd cried the night before like I had, and that they related to it like I did, but, that didn't happen. I don't know if that didn't happen because not many related to the topic, or because everyone was too scared to talk about what they read.

I think that this passage made many uncomfortable, as it is about something misunderstood and rarely discussed. I know, even as I blog, I feel odd if I say the word rape. Talking to a friend earlier that day, I was saying how I was very uncomfortable with our discussing rape in class and he said that it needed to be discussed because we need to bring awareness to and to personalize this issue. I knew this, but emotion had drown out all reason.

Toni Morrison's discussion of childhood rape was surprisingly controversial. During a class discussion, a peer and I were talking about how Morrison personalizes the rapists in her book, such as Cholly and Soaphead. By going into the background and story of these characters, I felt that Morrison was making light of rape and was giving a face to people who didn't deserve it because of their grave offenses. My peer pointed out that rapists are people too, and that a back story brings to light how often assault occurs. Disagreement caused our conversation to become quite heated, it later caused me to reevaluate my stance on seeing a rapist as a person; but my original hatred for rapists will never be overlooked.

Morrison concludes her book with "We had dropped out seeds in our own little plot of black dirt just as Pecola's father had dropped his seeds in his own plot of black dirt. Our innocence and faith were no more productive than his lust or despair." Morrison does a good job in her book of discussing rape without normalizing it. Rape culture is our societies normalization of rape, as we do not talk about it, we don't think about it, but it happens right under our noses. So many children are raped and harmed, and yet its taboo to even think about it. I know that personally, I can never talk about my experiences because of this taboo and everyone else's misconceptions of what I have suffered. This book was created to give a voice to that R word we are afraid to talk about and won't give the time of day for.

These past two weeks have turned my mental state into absolute trash; any of my friends will tell you how much of a mess this books has made me. This issue is a triggering one, and when I hear other kids making rape jokes and even just lightly talking about it, I have so much trouble handling myself. I never actually expected to write this, or post this, or even think about this. I didn't really want everyone knowing what I thought about. But, I felt that I needed to highlight something that stood out to be, that was bothering me. It is hard to talk about such a triggering topic when it needs to be talked about. This balance is a difficult one. I hope that this book made everyone more sympathetic to these horrors, and that they never had to go through what I went through or what Pecola's character went through. Pecola is a spokesperson for childhood assault and for rape, and the idea that this voice is trying to be extinguished by banning is almost as horrific as the deed of rape itself. Embrace the horrors life and use it to bring awareness and to bring comfort to those who Pecola is representing.

I WISH I WAS... tallerthinnerpalercuter

Nothing breaks my heart more than when I hear the two young girls who I babysit and who were adopted from Haiti bash their dark skin and "coarse" hair. The only thing they wish to achieve is to look like a barbie; they wish to have hair like mine and eyes like my sisters'. Whenever I go to their house I see white dollies lined up against every wall. Posters of Barbies and "prettier" girls are plastered on their walls and they wish they were paler, taller, and thinner; they want to be like their friends who have both parents and blonde hair and cell phones.

As a child I was obsessed with my appearance. My self confidence plummeted as my mom forced me into hideous clothing and family members constantly compared me to my taller, thinner, and blue-eyed younger sister. I have always been a media girl. Clinging to the magazines and social media introduced me on how to reach for perfection. I gobbled up YouTube videos on how to lose weight and recipe books on veganism. The tall skinny beauty ideal has always influenced the 5 foot me, to a point of absolute dissatisfaction with myself and my body. I was lead to self harm, eating difficulties, exercising in the Summer for 6 hours daily, and an ever wracked up bill at Sephora.

We literally consume the beauty ideals and self hatred we are promoted since birth to feel. We are fading from the inside out because of how we are affected, withering like the delicate flowers us girls are made out to be. When Morrison in The Bluest Eye talks about Pauline and her sickening yet horrifyingly normal self hatred and focus on societal ideals it reminds me of the trouble every woman faces "I 'member one time I went to see .... Jean Harlow. I fixed my hair up like hers I'd seen in a magazine. A part on the side, with one little curl on my forehead. It looked just like her. Well, almost just like." We long for what we cannot have, and to be perfect. Media is what causes us to see this desirable idea and become consumed. We are just reminded how we don't look perfect, how we aren't perfect, and how we cannot ever be perfect. No matter how hard we work, this perfection is unattainable.

 

This experimental 2D mixed media piece is one I made last year while at art school to illuminate a call to action to Challenge Beauty Standards. Created with beauty products: foundation, lipstick, diet pills, eyeliner, razors, etc; I used these materials to create lettering and illuminate how beauty is based on a standard for perfection.

It is important to recognize where these beauty ideals come from (advertisements and commercialism) and strive to focus on acceptance and challenging the beauty standards that hurts so many.

followyourdreamsfollowyourdreamsfollowyourdreamsfollowfollowfollow

Poverty: The state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount.

Your life's destiny is made or broken by one simple thing, a thing that is your birthright; how you walk on this earth and how you are treated, it is all based on the wealth that is so valued by our society.

I admire no man more than I admire the street artist Banksy. This anonymous figure so valiantly creeps through city after city, bringing his work to speak of things so often ignored, and that so often control so many aspects of life. (Banksy Official Site)

The piece above, created in Boston, shows an older low class worker with darker skin. Banksy prepared to stencil by whitewashing the wall, and also chose a location frequented by the upper class. The man, because of his economic status, cannot live his dreams, and therefore is showing that others like him cannot live theirs as well. A common cliche is to "follow your dreams", but this statement is exclusive to those who can afford it. Banksy is saying that our world is very whitewashed and exclusive, that opportunities are not equal, and that we rationalize this with the rare stories of poverty stricken people who eventually make it 'big' in life. We don't follow our dreams because we are unable to follow them.

Having found a book on Shepard Fairey at the bookstore yesterday, it sparked a conversation about street artists and their significance with a friend. Commercialism, opportunity and race was our topic of discussion, reminding me of The Bluest Eye and it's intriguing prologue. Pecola and the people in her town are unable to follow the dreams they dreamt of as young children because of their place in life, their poverty, and being insufficient across the board. 

"If we planted the seeds, and said the right words over them, they would blossom, and everything would be all right."

"A little examination and much less melancoly would have proved to us that our seeds were not the only ones that did not sprout; nobody's did."

But not everything can be all right when you cannot take control over the birthright of poverty, of opportunity... or lack of it. The seeds in The Bluest Eye are a metaphor for life and the potential of it. These quotes show how these people's lives are cut short by poverty, and how they forgoe their dreams not because of incapibility, but because of uncontrollable circumstances in life.

Our world is whitewashed by those who refuse to understand and accept that not all are equal. We need to look outside of our priviliged lives and be thankful for the opportunities that we have, and try to bring the same opportunities to those who cannot experience the same as us because of poverty.

Banksy

This movie is the best one I have ever seen, featuring and directed by Banksy, it's on Netflix and I HIGHLY recommend for everyone to check out this beautiful work of art: Exit Through The Giftshop