The official White House Christmas Tree

Every year in the White, they display a beautiful, large Christmas tree. The tree is decorated beautifully and is an icon around Christmas time. The family that resides in the White House takes a family (usually the president and first lady) picture in front of the tree, like we see in these images. These images depict a happy, American couple or family that is happy and excited for the Holidays. In all of these pictures the families are smiling and seem happy in their holiday colors. We see that they are like a "normal" American family around Christmastime.  By having these pictures made, we assume that the family celebrates Christmas. As this has not been a controversy yet, I would presume that it could become a very controversial topic and become very political. As we have taken out "Merry Christmas" on many things and changed it to "Happy Holidays" it is very interesting that the presidential family would take a photo like this one. We have become aware of leaving out Christ in Christmas and making sure we recognize every holiday for the people that do not celebrate Christmas. As for the people that are of other religions or simply do not celebrate Christmas, they are happy about this change. But, as our nation was founded on religious principles and based off of the Bible, this conversion has become very political. This is why the presidential portraits in front of the monumental Christmas tree every year, could maybe be  coming to an end.  

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

 

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. 

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.  

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.

 

Guy and Doll

Most of us are familiar with the song, "Dude looks like a lady", but are we familiar with a dude that really does look like a lady? The hottest fashion model in NY Fashion Week this season is Andrej who models for both men's and women's wear and definitely looks like lady, and a VERY pretty lady at that. He wears a women's size 2 or 4 with no alterations, is 6 ft 6 and wear's a size 10 in men's shoes. He is taking androgyny mainstream. He says that he doesn't shave and never has had to. He considers himself transgender and does not feel a need to alter his body. Since the runway is full of tall, flat-chested, giants, he is not particularly out of the norm. He says he "likes to keep his options open" when it comes to gender. In the photo he is clearly posed as a female, with his makeup, hair done and long, and his jewelry. But he isn't always like this. Andrej dresses for men's clothes just as much as women's, however, he says he is more comfortable off and on the runway in women's clothes.His gender confusion is interesting because he prefers the women's restroom to not cause any kind of confusion among other patrons but is this really acceptable? If a woman in the restroom knew that he was technically a male, she would be utterly disturbed. However, if his real identity was not exposed, any female would treat him like a normal female. He also does not know if he wants to marry a man or a woman. This issue is very political with all of the talk that goes on in today's world about transgenders, gay marriage, etc. If transgenders and drag queens and cross dressers are accepted by most people, should Andrej be accepted on the runway in both men's and women's clothing? His appearance and lifestyle may be more widely accepted int he fashion world rather than  the real world because, models are meant to be like hangers. The models that we see, are stick thin with flat chests and long legs. Andrej has all of these features and you can tell it from the image here. So, on the runway and on magazines, he is accepted as a woman and a man. Since the LGBT community is growing and is trying to get more recognition, this could help that cause. However, if he worked with a certain company or clothing line and people assumed he was a woman and then found out that he was a man, if they do not agree with this sort of dress and androgyny, this could hurt the company. It causes a lot of arguments and confusion, but it is not particularly surprising with the world that we live in today. 

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"You will be a boy, my daughter"

I am currently taking a class called Dress and Culture. In this class, we learn about how people express themselves through dress and how they convey their cultures, religious beliefs, gender, personality and many other things through the way they dress. The latest video that we watched in this course was called "You will be my son, my daughter". http://www.javafilms.fr/spip.php?article862 This link is a segment from the video, but is not the video in its entirety. This film is on the Iraqi tradition of Bacha Posh. Bacha Posh is when a family, makes a daughter dress like a boy at a young age so that she can work for the family and have the same rights as other boys. This process is very interesting. Young girl put a cap on their head to cover their hair and wear clothes similar to that of a male so that when a girl goes to work, to provide for the family, she is not perceived as a girl. This is very political because in Iraq, if a girl is caught lying about her identity she will be taken away and not get to stay with her family. Government officials search for people like this, which causes families to hide their daughters if they are disguised as a boy. In the film, one particular girl decided to stay a boy as she grew older. She did not want to turn back because she had the freedoms that males have such as working, education and normal every day activities. In cases like these, it is very controversial because she is not legally supposed to be a male and this causes her to live in fear of being exposed of her true identity. This situation is also confusing because she could be perceived as a lesbian. Would this tradition be accepted if it were brought over to the United States? I believe that this tradition would be rejected by our culture and very looked down upon. In the United States, we have many freedoms and are able to express ourselves in different ways. We are able to chose what we want to do, what career we want, where we want to go to school, how we want to dress and many other things. This concept is so foreign to us that we would not be able to adapt to something like this. Where women and men have to same rights here in America, we wouldn't need to have the women disguise themselves as men. If we were already accustomed to these practices, we would not know anything else, therefore it would not be out of the ordinary. It would be a huge political issue in the United States, whereas in Iraq, it is normal. However, the issues that come along with it like women lying about their identity and not having the same rights as men, is very political.
 This image shows how the two girls who dress like young girls and would be identified as young girls. The girl that is dressed as a Bacha Posh, is standing and doing the same expression as the girls as if she wants to be like these girls. Many of the young girls that have to work for the family would rather be doing things that normal girls do. they feel left out and out of the norm, like this image shows. This image also shows that, with the girls standing, it represents how they do not have to work and how they can have fun or relax while the Bacha Posh has responsibilities and is not able to rest like the girls. This is also depicted by the bright colors that they are wearing. The boy is standing and wearing all white because he has to work and be taken seriously by adults and by his family. The white also maybe makes him fit in so that people won't question his gender or sexuality. With the girls wearing the fun, bright colors, we know that they are young girls. This issue is just very strange and very different from what we're used to as Americans.

Americans Call First Indian American Miss America Winner a Terrorist


On Sunday, September 15, 2013, America crowned Miss New York, the first Indian American, the winner of the Miss America pageant. The social media world had a time with this news. Many teens and active Twitter users, began making racial slurs toward Miss New York saying that she was a terrorist, a member of Al-Qaeda, behind 9/11, etc. One tweet even went as far as saying, "Miss America's talent... Building a bomb in 15 seconds!" These comments were terrible. But, as a society, how surprised were we by these terrible attacks at the newly crowned winner? These comments were not something out of the ordinary. When we see women in pageants like this that are not white and blonde and the "normal" American woman, we start to question why she is able to compete or how could she make a good Miss America. Just because Miss New York is Indian American and has dark skin and dark hair, does not mean that she has any less right to be competing for such a title as a blonde, Caucasian and does not mean that she cannot fulfill the duties of the title just as well as any other woman.

We see attacks like this all of the time, just look at Obama's campaign while running for office. We immediately attacked him for not being a white male like every President that had come before him. Society also made attacks at him for being a "terrorist" and even the anti-Christ. Why did we think that he was not as capable as holding office just because of his background or skin color?

I think that a lot of times in society, and especially in the social media world, we start to make what we think are jokes about topics like these, and kind of go along with what everyone else is saying because it may come across as comical. We may not realize that these comments are very hurtful to other people and are also very important political issues.

Politics

pol·i·tics

The word "politics" is defined as the activities associated with the governance of a country or another area. I think the term "politics" can be defined differently by everyone. When we think of politics, we probably generally think of our main politicians, political parties, and different current events that are discussed daily in the News. But, in a more general sense, I think that politics are anything that affects the way we interact and live together in our country and the world. When you think about it, we elect our politicians based on how they will best help us and how they will contribute to a better way of life. We all want a leader who is going to help us improve and help our lives in the long run. Everyone has their own opinions and own preferences, so with that being said, I think that politics are anything that we as citizens can argue or debate about. We will never all agree as a whole, but with politics, we can all have our voices heard and feel like we have a say in what goes on in the world around us.

I chose this image to go along with this post because to me, it represents the concept that we are trying to acquire peace in our world through politics. None of us will ever totally agree on everything but with political debates, we can argue and become one step closer to obtaining peace in our world through what we believe is right and morally correct.