Prince Tribute Part 2

Beyonce, would sing "Pussy Control" for obvious reasons. I would love to hear her do the song mixed with "Check On It." My second choice for this song would be Missy Elliot.

Pussy Control

Lauryn Hill, would sing "Seven" because I want to respect her Jesus. And this will give us a chance to hear her sing. My hope is that she would re-think the melody and do it with a live band. I love to see her with her guitar.

Fantasia, would sing "Money Doesn't Matter Tonight" because she would do the song justice.

Prince - 7 - with lyrics

Prince - Money Don't Matter 2 Night

Fantasia Barrino - Summertime

Hope you like it Prince!

Technorati Tags: music, Pop Icon, BET, Prince

Jessica Simpson and Tyra Have it all Wrong: The Beauty Myth Updated

I miss the old Tyra; yes the one that told American beauty standards to kiss her fat ass.

Now, she is on a diet and extolling the virtues of not eating pasta for the last two months. What happened to her? On her talk show, she says that she realized that she was getting too big/fat. Then she started doing a workout regime while watching DVDs of "Sex in the City." The symbolism is hard to deny. Tyra who was attempting to do some good work around opening up beauty standards, succumbed to the Beauty Myth once again. The Beauty Myth is the title of a book by Naomi Wolf that was published in 1991. In this book, Wolf outlines that "The Beauty Myth" is a form of political backlash against the gains that women have made since the 1960s. Wolf writes, "this counterforce is operating to checkmate the inheritance of feminism on every level in the lives of Western women."  So the more political, social and economic power that we gain, the more heavily society weighs on us to be beautiful. She writes that after "the sexual revolution promoted the discovery of female sexuality; "beauty pornography" which..links a commodified  'beauty' directly and explicitly to sexuality--invaded mainstream to undermine women's new and vulnerable sense of self-worth."

On a micro-level, but played out in front of thousands of viewers, Tyra succumbed to "The Beauty Myth." The papparazzi called her fat, she went off on them, then she went on a diet. When she went off on the papparazzi and the print media that carried the photographs I was proud of her. Women and girls all over the country were proud of her owning her body, cellulite and all, telling the world to kiss her ass. Tyra was more than a budding feminist that day. Today, you turn to her show and she a shadow of her former self. Small, hollow-eyed, non-existent. Some might say that I should not have hoped to find feminism in a former-supermodel, but I hoped that she could stand up with other women and for young women, who dare to say that they are more than their measurements. She could have continued to create a space where women are thought of as people who have something to contribute to society and are deserving of respect no matter how they look. Well, that did not happen.

Jessica Simpson has had a rough couple of years. A divorce, the mom jeans incident, and John Mayer. Now she has a new show entitled "The Price of Beauty." She claims that the premise of the show is autobiographically motivated because she has been critiqued for being "fat." So now, Jessica is going on a search to find 'beauty' all around the world and to colonize practices of people from non-Western countries. I hate the whole idea of the show. The first reason I don't like the show is because she is taking her hairdresser and friend, who has had more plastic in his face than Barbie. The second reason is that instead of critiquing the idea of beauty, Jessica goes out to colonize beauty practices of non-Westerners. Basically, she is going on a colonizing mission to find out how the 'natives' live. Bad idea. Third, Jessica Simpson should be telling the media to kiss her fat ass like Tyra did. Jessica has a beautiful voice and is a talented singer. Now, I will admit that because she is not the smartest person in the world her music is not great because their is little feeling or intelligence behind her words. But there is a market for pop princesses like her, so why is she doing reality television? She should be focused on sharing her voice with the world. But, I digress.

As Naomi Wolf argues, beauty is tool used by a patriarchal society to discipline women by making them feel personally inadequate. She writes, "The beauty myth tells a story: The quality called "beauty" objectively and universally exists. Women must want to embody it and men must want to possess women who embody it. This embodiment is an imperative for women and not for men....None of this is true. "Beauty" is a currency system...Like any economy, it is determined by politics, and in the modern age in the West it is the last, best belief system that keeps male dominance intact." This system leaves women "to unnaturally compete for the resources that men have appropriated for themselves."

What this boils down to, is that Jessica and Tyra are sadly misguided because it is not that beauty standards need to be more accepting, in actuality, women should refute and rebuke beauty as a standard by which to measure a person's worth in the beginning. The focus should be on what young girls add to our society in terms of politics, social relations, and community, rather than making them feel beautiful. Beauty should be one of the last things a girl worries about in the US because we face a crumbling economy, rampant acts of violence directed against women, and an eco-system that will expire if we continue to consume at this rate. How is beauty going to solve any of these problems. Moreover, how does beauty enable a woman to get the skills that she needs to survive in this world? As a a black woman, I would love to re-write the black female body as beautiful in this racist society, I would rather go to bed knowing that all black children in the US are going to bed with a full stomach and a warm place to lay their heads.

So, Jessica and Tyra both miss the mark. Some will say, Miss Lady, why are you going in on two women about a beauty culture that is patriarchal in nature. Isn't that just another form of bashing women? To that I say, Tyra and Jessica have an opportunity at the big microphone (mainstream popular culture), to actually reach millions of women, and instead of offering something revolutionary they just recycle and sell the beauty myth from a new angle and call it empowerment. Furthermore, in this day and age it seems that they would have some contact with feminist critiques of beauty--don't they research these topics. They must have one intern that is capable of doing a google search on feminism and beauty. Basically, there is no excuse for them to be manipulating young women into thinking that they are just one-step away from achieving beauty.

For now, I will just turn-off the television, catch a break from the beauty industry, and continue to work for social justice.

Brittany Murphy: A Meditation on Women, Weight and Disability

I've been thinking about the death of Brittany Murphy. I am tired of the media's coverage of her death. Most of the 'news' outlets have been trying to make her death one of individual pathology, missing the issue of the pressure for women to adhere to "The Beauty Myth." Naomi Wolf wrote about "The Beauty Myth" saying that

“Most urgently, women's identity must be premised upon our "beauty" so that we will remain vulnerable to outside approval, carrying the vital sensitive organ of self-esteem exposed to the air.....No matter what a woman's appearance may be, it will be used to undermine what she is saying and taken to individualize - as her personal problem - observations she makes about the beauty myth in society.”

Brittany Murphy was a woman who was trying to fit into harmful standards of beauty. The drastic weightloss and plastic surgery were tell-tale signs of a woman who was trying to alter her body for cultural standards and career advancement. But the media says that she fell victim to inner demons, instead of calling out cultural standards that push women to believe that they are inadequate. Some people will say that this only happened because she was an actress; to that I say, look around. I read facebook status updates where women detail their disordered eating everyday. These updates include people not eating, missing meals, surviving on diet coke. Although we commonly think of the Anorexic body as one that is stick figure thin, we have to remember that there are women starving at every size. While there is no 'normal' when it comes to eating, I would like to see the US move to more realistic beauty ideals that allow women freedom from the tyranny of the size zero. Some women are dying to get to a size zero, while others are eating down the shame that they will never be a size zero.



Images: Clueless; Skinny Brittany Murphy

Although the anorexia angle is important to understanding Murphy's death, there is yet another, the disability angle. TMZ, released information gleaned from police documents. According to TMZ,

"A check of the nightstands revealed large amounts of prescription medication in the decedent's name. Also noted were numerous empty prescription medication bottles in the decedent's husband's name, the decedent's mother's name and unidentified third party names. According to the notes, the medications included Topamax (anti-seizure meds also to prevent migraines), Methylprednisolone (anti-inflammatory), Fluoxetine (depression med), Klonopin (anxiety med), Carbamazepine (treats Diabetic symptoms and is also a bipolar med), Ativan (anxiety med), Vicoprofen (pain reliever), Propranolol (hypertension, used to prevent heart attacks), Biaxin (antibiotic), Hydrocodone (pain med) and miscellaneous vitamins."

Brittany Murphy was a Type 1 diabetic, who had a heart murmur. And from the looks of the medication list, she was also suffering from anxiety and depression. Each of these conditions are commonly known to the general public, but if not taken seriously, each could lead to your demise. Each of these conditions is chronic; and any condition that is chronic is depressing. Type 1 diabetics have to administer themselves insulin every time they eat a meal. Their pancreases do not produce insulin which processes sugars needed for energy.

For many "normates" this is unfathomable because you are used to just putting things in your mouth without thinking. Type 1 diabetics have to think about the amount of carbohydrates in every food item because their bodies do not produce the insulin needed to process sugar, however they need carbohydrates to produce the energy that they need to live--ah, theres the rub. And any miscalculation of the amount of insulin needed to process the food or misinformation about the amount of carbs in the food eaten, can send their bodies into a tailspin. They have to constantly monitor their bloodsugar by poking their fingers and using a meter that tells them the exact level. Anything between 80-120 is normal, but if it is above that it is a high blood sugar, which means that they need to give themselves more insulin, if it is below that they need to eat more carbs. Any miscalculations could lead to spacey behavior, passing out, or coma. In a society where people are encouraged to throw food into their mouths without thinking, there are people for whom that behavior is never an option. So if you are a food 'normate' and throw food into your mouth, just remember that there are people that cannot.

Constantly measuring the level of your blood sugar, and watching what you eat, is more than a chronic condition in this society, it can be like a prison sentence because in this post-modern America manufacturers are constantly lying to the general public, being a successful Type 1 diabetic means being a junior chemist and a food detective. And then there is the pain of being a diabetic. Many diabetics suffer with chronic achey-ness, headaches, and restless leg syndrome (which is a real condition). The combination of these physical pains, the constant measuring of food and insulin, in a post-modern world that promotes reckless eating and locates disease as an individual problem rather than a community experience, can lead to depression. Some people will say that the insulin pump will solve this problem, but there have been numerous deaths associated with the pump, therefore it is not a viable option for all diabetics, furthermore it does not relieve the physical pain associated with diabetes.

There are rumors circulating that Murphy was using cocaine. I am not sure that they are true, but we must consider that people with Type 1 diabetes have moments where they are "out of it" and experience short-term memory loss because of their blood sugar levels. The rumors also suggest that Murphy was fired from an acting job because of erratic behavior. From what I have described you can see that her behavior could have been a result of her diabetes and the higher ups reactions might have been due to ignorance of her condition. They may have rushed to the conclusion that she was a drug addict because they did not understand Type 1 diabetes.

Moreover, because they have to be so controlling of what goes in their mouths they cannot engage in the reckless eating that seems to be Americans' number one daily thrill, so some of them turn to substances. The use of illegal substances may also be a way to alleviate some of the pain associated with the condition.

Finally, the pressures to appear thin, be an object of beauty, chronic illness, and depression came together in Brittany Murphy's life to leave her so physically weak that she suffered a full-heart attack. We, as a society, should be broken-hearted that the pressures on women's bodies can lead them to endanger their lives. Moreover, we should press society to accept and accommadate difference instead of asking those that are different to act as if they are 'normates.' Brittany Murphy's death is not the result of her struggle with inner demons, it is the result of her struggle with societal beauty standards, and societal ignorance about chronic illness.





Technorati Tags: celebrity, Brittany Murphy, anorexia, Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth, chronic illness, diabetes,

The Woods Saga and DV

The fallout over the SNL skit illustrates my problem with the coverage of the Tiger Woods drama. My problems are multiple, but the first is that people are making light of the situation when Tiger was allegedly sporting scratch marks on his face. Additionally, Tiger says that his wife was trying to save him, but two plus two makes four all day long. That woman (allegedly) scratched his face, and was chasing him out of the house with a golf club, which probably why he crashed his truck into a tree and fire hydrant at 2:30 in the morning. Despite his statement that she was trying to liberate him from the car, it seems as though the more plausible explanation, especially after the surfacing of multiple mistresses, is that she was angry with him over his infidelity.

My second problem with the story is Tiger's attempt to cover up the truth. I understand that he is embarrassed, but the truth will set you free. His evasion of the police by refusing to talk to them, just gives credence to the rumor that his wife scratched up his face. If the police saw this they would have to file a report, whether he pressed charges or not, because they have a duty to protect citizens from violence (not that they always do). Furthermore, Tiger's justification for not talking to police, angers me because he is authorizing domestic violence through the right to privacy. By that I mean, that his statement that he should be able to handle this as a private matter authorizes the ability of those in power to cover up unlawful and violent activity because of their status in society. Basically, he called on his celebrity and masculinity to enable privacy in a situation where people were harmed. See if the police let you, average joe citizen, tell them when they can or cannot do their job and you will probably wind up in handcuffs. This is ironic because women had to work very hard to get domestic violence to be seen as more than a private matter by getting law enforcement and law-makers to understand that violence within a marriage is violence against citizens. This took a lot of work because women/wives were seen as property of their husbands and as property law goes in this country, you can do whatever you want to your private property. In 1976, Nebraska made marital rape illegal which helped to change the discourse on women as property. Although women's groups had been working on the issue of domestic violence for many years before this change, it represents a major change in the law and public policy towards women. In 1977,

Washington State Supreme Court makes a landmark decision in State v. Wanrow declaring that a woman defendant's right to equal protection under the law in a murder trial was violated by instructions that require a woman's conduct be measured against that of a reasonable man finding himself in the same circumstances. The use of commensurate force and the perception of an imminent danger might be different for a woman, who is entitled to have the jury consider her actions in that light. Thus the reasonable woman standard. This is the beginning of the battered women's syndrome defense. (from http://www.mincava.umn.edu/documents/herstory/herstory.html)

The decision by the Washington State Supreme Court decision is important because it allows women to be judged by the reasonable standard of someone in their position, rather than being judged against the actions of men, who are privileged in US society. Furthermore, it introduces battered woman syndrome to the court to enable lawyers to argue that women sometimes go back to situations that are dangerous because they percieve that there is no other option. Tiger might just have battered person's syndrome.


The third problem I have with this situation is that the media and Tiger are making light of the violence that Elin dealt to Tiger. Just because she is a thin blond woman does not mean that what she did was right. Tiger could have died in that car crash. And if she did scratch his face, think about what might have happened if she was attacking him with a golf club.

Although I understand her rage at Tiger, scratching his face and chasing him with a golf club are unacceptable. With my last partner, I had moments where my partner purposely did things to keep me feeling jealous and insecure. I would get so mad I felt like I could have exploded. One time I did explode and I shoved her during an argument. But instead of making that a permenant mode of interaction, I talked it out with friends, my therapist, and family members. And eventually, I realized that this person could not meet my needs, so I ended it.

My wish is that Elin gets her self-esteem in order and decides what is best based on her self-worth, not Tiger's public image.