Land is sacred, especially when you understand your innate connection with it. It wasnât until I spent time in the mountains of Italy, where my famiglia has its roots, that I realized how indebted I was to the land. My grandparents have always talked about a life of constant partnership with the animals, the trees, the water, the fields, as though within each of them was their relationship with god; their constant source of life. In going back to Calabria, I came to understand what that meant for me. I discovered my responsibility to foster relationships with the land that went beyond simply having ownership of it. I witnessed the way the locals live in tandem with the chestnut trees, the ever-flowing fresh water, and the abundant fruits, veggies, and herbs that grow on every corner. It is as if they structure their social doings around these extensions of the land rather than forcing unnatural infrastructures that inevitably demolish the rare beauty that naturally exists in this world. To me this image of Calabria represents a humble version of how humans are living alongside the earth, tucked inside the pockets of the mountains but never taking over. I canât help but smile every time I see it because it is home and I feel at home when I am wandering around, humming songs that remind me of my grandparents. #lovetheland #decolonize #earthday #earthdayeveryday #calabria
Shooting film has been a fun and creative endeavour, and one that I think suits my curious and observant nature. These photos are not perfect, nor are they attempting to be. I just shoot with what skills I have and wait patiently for the results, eager to see what comes of the therapeutic process! Shout out to my buddy, William Lalonde, for inspiring me to roam the streets.
Here are some of the shots I took wandering downtown Ottawa.
"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know." â Diane Arbus
Writing an op-ed on the #nomakeupselfie -- I believe it takes courage to expose oneself raw, regardless of any complex counter argument. It is up to ourselves to decide what we consider exposed and it is up to others to decide if they want to embrace that exposure, or not. We are all strong individuals moving through life's currents, and it's neither narcissistic nor is it ordinary to: pause... look at yourself, acknowledge what's before you, and capture its essence.. breath. I sure did capture myself after a long day of classes, appointments, meetings, assignments, an opening night, and now this all-nighter. Believe me when I say that this photo is raw. Excuse me while I #hashtag #nomakeup #nofilter #cancerawareness #beatcancersooner -- **I will donate a dollar for every like.** đ
This beautiful individual gives every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday to teach yoga and meditation, and always selflessly offers forward a vegetarian meal to his guests (or as he calls us, his brothers and sisters). He shares his philosophy of practicing humility void of ego and trusting in spirituality to achieve a life of supreme consciousness... I live in the Western world and am, thus, slowly and curiously trying to understand my place on this earth from a more universal perspective, through unlearning customs and embracing detachment. With Dada's help, I move closer to achieving #universallove. I am #blessed and #humbled to have him as a part of my life and post this to share the power of what universal love has on the world. Namaskar đž
The first time I saw Heâs Just Not That Into You (HJNTIY), I left the theatre thoroughly satisfied with what Hollywood had packaged up and handed me. I was pleased with the overall esthetic and feel to the movie; how the colour green was brilliantly placed on the walls of every indoor space and in the charactersâ well accessorized outfits, all to discretely match the ânotâ in the title of the opening credits. I was comforted with how each character had their own perfectly autonomous lifestyles, secure careers and beautifully furnished homes. Above all, through much reflection, I now realize how subconsciously happy I was with how my own life remained unchallenged and unchanged as I walked back to my car, drove out of the well paved plaza, and headed to my warm and equally beautifully furnished home.
Hollywood had done its job. It had given me, the viewer, a well cohesive piece of conservative âartâ, along with a high that lasted the appropriate 24 hours. It ever so generously offered me characters that my white, cisgender self could relate to, and not once did I have to confront my own privilege (or in the case of others, acknowledge my own oppressions) because Hollywood was on my side; it was there to keep me feeling secure and enriched with the life I led and the often ignorant choices I made⊠and all for only $9.99.
I saw Heâs Just Not That Into You when I was 17.
Fast forward five years later.
Since then, I have seen the movie a handful of times. I even took it upon myself to buy a copy during the hype of the filmâs success. I have mindlessly viewed it with friends, family, and even alone with a fuzzy blanket and a bag of corn syrup drizzled popcorn. Each time I have exhaled a sigh of relief as the end credits rolled, because, without fail, it gave me the high any desensitized, young female would experience. I was their target audience and, yes, I was sold.
Since these guiltless HJNTIY re-occurrences, I have come out of the darkness and into the light. I have learned to question my own place in relation to movies like HJNTIY, and with the help from such feminist foresisters as bell hooks, and cultural theorists such as Stuart Hall, Theodor Adorno, and Max Horkheimer, I have learned to distance myself from the exposure of film (television, magazines, music, etc.) and use my power to confront and critically analyze the industrialization of popular culture.
So⊠why is it that we are completely consenting with Hollywood? Why do we allow them to plaster false representations of who âweâ are on the big screen and make a killing from it? Why are we continuing to remain passive at the mercy of the film industry?
FADE OUT: blog webpage.
BEGIN CREDIT SEQUENCE:
âIs it possible that itâs because weâre too scared and its too hard to say the one obvious truth thatâs staring everyone in the face?â
âHeâs Just Not That Into You is not the exception but the rule to the Hollywood filmmaking â.
FADE OUT CREDIT SEQUIENCE
CUT TO: blog webpage.
If I have to get clever and use film tactics to prove our cultureâs warped sense of receiving information, than so be it. However, that clever ploy is really only to grab your attention and get down to business, because: Heâs Just Not That Into You is not the exception, but the rule to Hollywood filmmaking, and Iâm very ready to talk about why this is so, and what we can do as active participants in the process.
Perhaps by this point you are thinking, âwhatâs so wrong with a light hearted rom-com that is only trying to bring joy into the lives of North Americans?â I see this point, and sympathize with this point, however, these âlight heartedâ messages go further than what meets the eye. It goes deeper. It affects the history of our culture. It teaches us lessons and reminds us that the system in which we live works for us, and is in âourâ favour⊠when itâs not. Because âourâ is really only a âfewâ, and the âfewâ who live comfortably in this rom-com world also live comfortably in the Western world.
HJNTIY centres around a group of white, cisgender, twenty and thirty-somethings who are either looking for love, trying to keep the love they have strong, or fight for the love they desire. Each character is respectively successful in their careers and spends the majority of their time consuming, being social, and obsessing about what they donât have. Their issues are material. They can afford beautiful homes, art, cloths, and enjoy expensive dates and yoga classes. They live within a system where jobs are accessible, the economy works in their favour, and above all they are attractive, and at the end of the day will always get what they want.
Is this reality? Does this actually exist for the majority of people in the Western world? No, it doesnât. Because, as Douglas Kellner points out, we must understand on a fundamental level that the media âprovide[s] symbols, myths, and resources through which we constitute a common culture and through the appropriation of which we insert ourselves into this culture.â This culture is one that has been showcased in everything from books and the news, finally to the media dominated world of film, music, television, internet, and so on. If we can take the time to look at the hidden messages, only fed through the unconscious mind, we can understand how systems of oppression are reinforced in Hollywood rom-coms just like HJNTIY.
I am a white, cisgender, straight female that comes from an economically stable background, has a university education, and am able-boded. Iâd like to take this opportunity now to check my privilege in relation to HJNTIY, in order to understand and expose the tactics used behind Hollywood to drive capitalist, racist, sexist and other discriminatory notions into Western culture.
If I watch this film, I am not affected by the sexist portrayal of queers in the context of Maryâs (Drew Barrymoore) work environment, or Conorâs (Kevin Connolly) real estate business affairs, or in the context that this film is only targeted towards straight people (because âgay signals are differentâ). I am also not misrepresented by the lack of coloured people, ethnic diversity, or body types in the profiles of the lead female characters. I can learn from the messages Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) receives from Alex (Justin Long) because I am straight, and the dating advice could potentially advance me in my pursuits towards a successful, career-oriented man in a heteronormative context. I am represented in that the activities each character takes part in (i.e. yoga class) are accessible to me because I am able-bodied. I see myself relating to characters like Gigi, Mary, Beth (Jennifer Aniston) and Janine (Jennifer Connelly) because they are educated women, stable in their careers. Finally, I am able to relate to this film because the social settings of these characters involve a middle to high-class lifestyle, and one that caters to the consumer needs of individuals who can afford pleasures like happy hours, renovations, pedicures and shopping.
I have listed a number of reasons why this film relates to someone like me, however, in doing so have also pointed out how this film would not relate to a long list of people dissimilar to me.HJNTIY reminds us that there exists this world of the âotherâ: those who are not conventionally the initial concept being considered. It focuses on the lives of the young, able-bodied, white, middle/upper-class, attractive folk who show up in almost every other Hollywood rom-com to be in existence, and forgets to represent the rest of the American population. As Stuart Hall explains: âat the broader level of how âdifferenceâ and âothernessâ is being represented in a particular culture at any one moment, we can see similar representational practices and figures being repeatedâŠâ In other words, we take witness to one rendition of the same kind of film: a story about a group that is accounted for, taken care of, and celebrated, while âotheringâ the rest and forgetting about them.
Another highly problematic issue with this film is that it chalks the whole premise up to the, quote, challenges of reading or misreading human behavior, unquote. How is the male gaze and male rule-dating phenomenon a âhuman behaviorâ? In other words, what this really means is that straight menâs privilege is all the more strengthened because they just canât help it with their mixed signals. The straight menâs journey ends with zero accountability for their actions, and the reinforcement of patriarchy is solidified. So, women, if youâre into men, then you better learn their game fast, figure out how to spot the men who have made you their rule, and do so quickly. There isnât much time to waste if you want to settle down before the age of 30!
Not all straight women deal with the same issues when it comes to dating straight men. This âchallengeâ is not universal, and writing in Anna (Scarlett Johanson) and Conorâs relationship power-struggle was an insignificant way to say: âthis happens to men, too.â If the filmâs effort was to relay this message, why is the movie called âHeâs Just Not That Into Youâ, as opposed to âTheyâre Just Not That Into Youâ? I would assume it is because the heteronormative communityHJNTIY exudes is male dominated. The men approach the women at happy hour, decide whether or not to make the phone call for the next date, and take women out at their convenience. Now that I think about it, I donât know if âTheyâre Just Not That Into You,â let alone âSheâs Just Not That Into You,â would have brought Hollywood a box-office hit. The title, âHeâs Just Not That Into Youâ, asserts masculine power in an attempt to ignore the womenâs right to self-governing; it supports that womenâs only chance of success with a man is if he wants her first. This boring, predictable, and SEXIST perception of dating, void of spontaneity, eliminates our cultureâs potential to see desirability as a subjective myriad of possibilities. HJNTIY neglects the beauty of attraction, seduction, play and sexuality only to re-assert structure and control in the straight womanâs journey to achieving romance.
The only real challenge HJNTIY demonstrates is what remains a constant and fervent battle for my fellow sisters, and for all the resilient femmes, dykes, gays, crips, trans*, queers, aboriginals, people of colour, and anyone else this film âotheredâ, who experience ongoing marginalization and discrimination at the hands of Hollywood in an average, money-making film. In fact, HJNTIYwas produced and directed by men, and written in favor for the man. It sends the message that women need to understand the ârulesâ men play so that they donât have to waste their time when it comes to finding love. It is up to the women to socially construct an illusory mind game so as to make the right choices the first time. Instead of presenting a film that challenges the current dating narrative to be more inclusive and fluid, it keeps the gays in their place, the women distracted with their emotions, and the men high on their pedestal of privilege; perpetuating gender stereotypes time and time again.
I am tired, annoyed and angry with the options Hollywood has left us to deal with. But thankfully we are welcoming a new age where information is at our disposal, and itâs time we start to use it! Letâs say no to the system and reclaim our right to the truth. Let us call to demand more from the professionals who own our various media outlets, such as Viacom, Disney, New Line Cinema, and Warner Bros. (the producers of HJNTIY). I have yet to set up this alternate system that will abolish these conglomerates, just like Russell Brand has yet to plot a new form of government for the world to function harmoniously on, however, the incentive is there and what I am ready to do is encourage people to awaken themselves to the possibilities, know the facts, and demand more.
We are lucky to have the luxury to analyze films such as HJNTIY. Regardless of a rom-comâs release date, we noticeably see the striking resemblance to most⊠sorry, ALL rom-coms. In fact, it allows us to reaffirm the notion that the film industry strives to represent an average and often embellished life for the sole purpose of distracting the viewer and luring âitâ into the cycle of the capital and economical needs of society. The film industry is doing exactly what sells, and then what turns into capital for them to revel in. Cultural theorists, Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, have once strongly stated that the consumer results in â⊠the circle of manipulation and retroactive need in which the unity of the system grows even stronger.â Although this was written over 50 years ago, it is quite telling to know that the system has only been made stronger by the uprise of media, and the pull from popular cultureâs unscrupulous control over the Western world.
Even though a big time movie production company releases the latest and greatest film does not mean that we are reduced to the passive and immediate acceptance of what it stands for. Now, we all know that there is a business that has been made from critics, online media, and film journalism. One would assume, then, that these professionals are working hard at de-layering the products and exposing truth to its entirety. I hate to be the killjoy here, but that is exactly the opposite of what they are being paid to do. Instead, these professionals have set up a false world where they write reviews, or âinterviewâ directors, producers and actors, only to reinstate the authority of the industry. If you go online and search for reviews of HJNTIY you will find wasted space from critics who quaintly summarize the film without any deep analysis of its impact in the world it sells itself to.
I have a feeling that the industry is not working in favour of keeping us informed, in control, or educated. What they really want is for us to become passive, non-participative, and satisfied.
Yuck.
I encourage all of us to create a mind space where we can live free from the media-saturated world. Where reality can exist beyond the currently imposed limitations, and where the over-dominating power of white Western culture can make space for the currently marginalized, misrepresented and oppressed. Rom-coms just like HJNTIY will continue to be pushed out of the Hollywood conveyer belt, but our views of them can change. So, if itâs been a while since youâve seen HJNTIY, go ahead and treat yourself to a good olâ rom-com like this one. Take it all in for what itâs worth and then reject it for all that it isnât. We do not need to become passive viewers if we choose to see the deeper meaning. Instead, what we can strive to do is take the narrow-minded packaging theyâve created and make our own exceptions to their rules.
amelia galizia @athleteofthesoul - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
