Pretty in Politics
Monday, December 2, 2013
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Black Hairstyles in the Workplace and Why This is not Ordinary
Along with the Visual Culture in Politics class, I am also currently enrolled in a Dress and Culture course. In this class we often discuss why certain dress seems to appear out of the ordinary to us and not to everyone. Recently, we had a guest speaker come discuss natural hair for the African American race and its history. She discussed with us that not everyone has accepted natural hair and that for a long time, people were identified by whether they wore their hair "natural" or not. She shared with us this blog post that takes caucasian business women and styles their hair how some African American women might wear their hair. It discusses the issue of how, when we see these hairstyles in the workplace, we do not see them as professional or "appropriate" for the workplace. But why? In this particular image, is it the attire that makes it look different? Is it the look on this woman's face? Why do we not consider braids or "afro" hairstyles professional? Many African Americans are offended by the fact that their look is not accepted by everyone. There have been many women that have been told to straighten their hair or get weaves, to fit the "norm" that society has created. Especially women that have professions where they are highly respected or looked up to. For example, news anchors have been wearing hair that is not theirs for many years and some are starting to shave their heads and rock their "natural" hair. One other reason that women have also been trying to love the hair they were born with is to set examples for kids. Many young girls feel like they do not fit in and will continue to feel this way if they do not look the same as everyone else and conform. Like this woman in the image, we see this as abnormal, so if a young girl wants to get a good job someday, she will feel like she needs to change herself, and this is not how it should be. I think that these pictures could change the way we view natural hair in the workforce. Braids, twist, and afros could become more widely accepted if we start to show things like these and if we stop considering it as outside of the norm.
http://www.balleralert.com/profiles/blogs/black-hair-styles-in-the-work-place
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Jackie-O
Jackie Kennedy has been a fashion icon since the day President Kennedy was elected president. Whether you know much about President Kennedy of any of his family, you have seen images of Jackie or know that she is a major face of style. For every event, in and out of the White House, Jackie presented herself with poise and grace. Even through the assassination of her husband, President Kennedy, she was always very elegant and put together. From her big black sunglasses, to her pink Chanel suit and pillbox hat, women have admired her chic fashion for decades. In these images, we can see how simply beautiful Jackie Kennedy was. In all three pictures, she is not dressed extremely glamorous, but still pulls off each look
as if it cost more than we can afford. One of the main reasons that so many people looked up to her style is because she made it look so easy. She never looked like she wore a lot of makeup or had a lot of hairspray in her hair, she just looked effortlessly beautiful. Jackie always had a way of relating to the people. In these images, we see how what she wears is so modern for that time and what any at that time could afford and would want to wear. It is crazy how many people looked up to Jackie just by how beautiful and put together she always looked. Jackie was definitely one to admire with her poise, grace, and class that she carried wherever she went.
as if it cost more than we can afford. One of the main reasons that so many people looked up to her style is because she made it look so easy. She never looked like she wore a lot of makeup or had a lot of hairspray in her hair, she just looked effortlessly beautiful. Jackie always had a way of relating to the people. In these images, we see how what she wears is so modern for that time and what any at that time could afford and would want to wear. It is crazy how many people looked up to Jackie just by how beautiful and put together she always looked. Jackie was definitely one to admire with her poise, grace, and class that she carried wherever she went.
Flag Fashion
The American flag is iconic in general. However, celebrities have been making this icon even more popular by wearing it and incorporating it into their fashion. In the image above, we have many celebrities that are showing off their patriotism with their clothing. Jessica Simpson is rocking the flag bikini while giving a peace sign, which could also be conveyed as patriotic. Katy Perry is flaunting a flag printed top with some blue, sparkly high-waisted shorts. All of these styles are current among younger girls and many people would see these images and immediately want to purchase these items. By seeing top Hollywood icons support our country through their actions, and through something as relevant as fashion, it makes us (the viewing population, or the people that admire such stars) want to be just as patriotic. We immediately want to start wearing the flag or flag printed items. They make it look cute and political at the same time. They show us that representing our country can be as easy as buying a shirt with a flag printed on it.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Why Politicians Wear the Flag Lapel Pin
As we see politicians debate and run campaigns, we generally see them wearing the flag pin on their lapel. In this image below, we see President Obama wearing his lapel pin while visiting a plant in Michigan. Many people argue that it is a disgrace against our country and that one is not patriotic if they are not wearing the flag pin. Before becoming president, Obama did not wear a flag lapel pin. When asked about it, he said that he would rather confess his beliefs and that that would be a testimony of his patriotism, but this stirred up a lot of controversy. When Obama was scrutinized from not wearing a pin, he then decided to wear one every single day. The pin is the easiest and quickest way for people to identify one's patriotism and what one stands for. It dates back to the beginning of our country and is a symbol of conflict but also peace and independence. As we see in this image, the flag sticks out, our eyes are drawn to it. We immediately identify that he supports our country and represents our country. Even though he is somewhere unfamiliar or somewhere that may not be considered "patriotic" we know that he is patriotic and is always thinking about our country from the lapel pin. Some people may say "either you're with us or against us" and by wearing a flag pin, we will automatically know who is "with us".
EXTRA Kate Middleton: Post Birth Body
Kate Middleton is viewed and idolized all of the world not just in England. She is a style icon and has made the best dressed list many many times. As Kate went through childbirth, many people were scared that she may not keep her perfect figure that she has always had. This image, shows the family the day after giving birth to their new son. Will and Kate are glowing as they show off their baby boy. We can clearly see that she is still just as beautiful as always. The world waited anxiously for the reveal of the baby boy but also for the reveal of Kate and her still fabulous body. They are very colorful and very bright and dressed in blue, since they brought a new boy into the world. She shows her baby bump in this dress, and I think her and Will did this to show that they are a "real" couple and a modern "Royal Family". By showing her baby bump, she is saying that she is not perfect but that she is a woman. Will and Kate are very young and very modern and they are trying to tell the world that they can be normal just like the rest of us and don't need to be considered royalty all of the time. The clothes they are wearing are casual and what anybody would wear. They are not glamorous but still portray their elegance through this dress and their appearance. This is a crazy thing to think about as to why we view Kate as such a strong image of beauty. Not only does she embody royalty, but she shows her beauty through her actions and her smile every time she is seen. In almost every photograph, like the one above, she is smiling. A smile is a simple way to convey love and beauty at the same time. So, as we see, Kate Middleton did not disappoint, even a day after child birth.
Women vs. Men
In our culture, we all know that women are extremely hard on how they look. With the models in the magazines, on the billboards, on TV, in every aspect of pop culture, beautiful women have to all be tall and extremely thin. With men, they have to all be chiseled and handsome. In this photo, we see the different aspect of how men and women see themselves when they look in the mirror. In the top picture, it shows the woman in black and white, who is very thin, with her bones showing, but in the mirror she sees an overweight version of herself. In the bottom picture, we have the man portrayed in color, who is not that muscular, but in the mirror he sees himself as a buff, ladies man. This depiction is very interesting because the black and white tells us that she is sort of depressed about how she isn't the "perfect" size even though she clearly is too skinny with her bones showing. The man is in color because he is happy about the way he looks because he sees himself as a catch and as a handsome man that ladies would want. This image clearly shows how society makes us view ourselves and makes us think that we are never perfect and cannot be okay with ourselves.
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