#essay2

[karazyr]

the essay is at the very bottom sorry about that ! 

[karazyr]

Essay #2

A great video I found on Youtube talking about when gay ships become borderline fetishism. Gives great examples of shipping celebrities! 

[karazyr]

Essay #2

Anime adaptation of the popular boys’ love manga Sekaiichi hatsukoi

An example of sexualization of gay relationships in boys’ love manga. (and this is even one of the tamer images I found)

[karazyr]

Essay #2: Gay Men and Fetishism

Typically, when we think about LGBTQ+ representation along with the word fetishism, we tend to think about lesbians and the fetishism from men they receive. We rarely ever think of gay men and the fetishism they experience from women. In this essay, I will be discussing the connection between the corporeal representation of boys’ love manga and the incorporeal representation of sexuality in modern Asia, the pattern of exclusion as a result of these representations and how I am implicated in this representation. 

How does the corporeal representation of gay men in boys’ love manga connect with the incorporeal representation of sexuality in modern Asia? First of all, the corporeal representation in boys’ love/yaoi manga (see fig.1) creates the 

Fig. 1 IMDB. Sekaiichi hatsukoi. (2011). Digital. 709px by 1000px

incorporeal representation which is the idealization of the sexualities and experiences of gay men. In the article, “Lilies of the Margin: Beautiful Boys and Queer Female Identities in Japan,” Welker talks about how magazines were created to accommodate the “growing fixation on ‘beautiful boys’” (Welker 49) by women. The articles written in the magazine would be “sympathetic in tone” (Welker 49) but were actually putting themselves in a position of viewing these boys as objects of the female gaze. This could lead to the fetishism and sexualization of gay men and their romantic relationships. This is a problem because it misrepresents the experiences of gay men in Japan by assuming that their lives are exactly like those depicted in boys’ love or yaoi manga. This can be damaging to men when they are still exploring their sexuality and understanding who they are. A cycle of fetishism is created when people aren’t able to differentiate from fictional lives of gay men in boys’ love and the real lives of gay men in everyday Japan. The idealized representation of gay men from the perspective of women occurred because the boys’ love genre was largely contributed by women authors who “interested themselves in male homosexuality” and they “did so in the context of highly romantic stories of beautiful youths” (McLelland 460). They were “unconcerned with social realism,” (McLelland 460) which establishes the idea that they did not really understand or care to understand the experiences and struggles of being a gay man in Japan. They created this representation not for gay men of Japan but for other women. So, what is the big issue with women being interested in stories about gay men, their sexual relationships and their experiences? What is the point at which it becomes fetishism? When do the agencies of gay men get taken over by the narratives of women? It is a fine line that these women walk. Are these women excited and screaming over “an absolutely adorable couple that could make anyone’s eyes turn into pink hearts” or were they just “losing their minds over the simple idea of two men being in love?” (Santen) The question that we need to ask here is whether or not under the same circumstance, would these women react by screaming and getting overly excited if it was two women or a man and a woman instead of two men. If the answer is no, then the line has been crossed. 

Patterns of exclusion occur as a result of boys’ love as gay representation in modern Asia, specifically Japan and how it relates to the misrepresentation of gay men in their own representation. The agency of gay men is being disregarded in favour of what women have to say about the gay male experience in their writing or other forms of media they create. Women can “take ownership of the gay male experience by writing about it and reading each other’s writing” and in doing so, their voices are being heard over the voices of gay men. This emphasizes the patterns of exclusion within this mainstream media of boys’ love in Japan. This exclusion of gay men in their own representation further alienates them and puts pressure on them to act or dress a certain way in order to fit into the stereotypes and assumptions of how gay men are like that women created in the boys’ love genre. Women “attempted to co-opt the gay male experience” or they would “even elevate allies over actual gay men” in western representations. Even though it is the context of western representation of gay men, it is still relevant to gay men in Japan because if it happens on one side of the world, it is bound to happen on the other side of the world. This erases the struggles of being a gay man in Japan (or anywhere in the world for that matter), and paints this idealized, romanticized and sexualized experience of gay men which is inaccurate and harmful. 

Personally, I am not implicated in this representation because I have never read boys’ love manga nor am I a gay man. Therefore, I can only speak from the perspective of an outsider who has experienced similar situations. As as Asian lesbian,  I have had experiences where once men find out my sexuality, they start making comments that are fetish-y and uncomfortable. The fetishism of lesbians by straight men largely comes from porn because a lot of the comments that are said tend to be sexual in nature. Obviously, this experience is not exactly the same as the fetishism that gay men experience, but I can stand in solidarity with them and try to bring awareness and make people question their attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community. 

All in all, women who consume boys’ love media and other media similar to it (whether that be in Asia or outside of Asia), should ask themselves whether or not the representation they are creating is positive of harmful. They should also ask themselves whether or not their attitudes towards gay men in real life are crossing the line of fetishism and if they would act the same way in real life if they saw two women or a woman and a man together in public instead of two men. At the end of the day, we are all just people and everyone deserves to hvae accurate representation in the media. Misrepresentation for the LGBTQ+ community is a big problem and we can all take steps to create a space for better representation regardless if you are an ally or a member of the LGBTQ+. 

Work Cited

IMDB. Sekaiichi hatsukoi. 2011. IMDB. Web. 27 October 2019.

McLelland, Mark. “Is There a Japanese ‘Gay Identity’?” Culture, Health & Sexuality, vol. 2, no. 4, 2000, pp. 459-472. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3986702.

Santen, Kiri Van, et al. “On The Fetishisation of Gay Men By Women In The Slash Community.” The Festishisation of Gay Men By Women In The Slash Community | The Mary sue, 17 Jan. 2015, https://www.themarysue.com/fetishizing-slash/. 

Welker, James. “Lilies of the Margin: Beautiful Boys and Queer Female Identities in Japan” AsiaPacifiQueer: Rethinking Genders and Sexualities, edited by Fran Martin and Larissa Heinrich. 2006. pp. 46-66. 

[baadbognerlisa]

The Poetics of Advertising

In chapter 3 “The Poetics of Advertising” Andrew McStay (2013) investigates the relationship between advertising, arts and crafts and whether the first belongs to either one or the other of those categories. By trying to squish advertising into only one field does not seem very reasonable. It could even be argued, that it belongs to neither, but rather is its very own category, made from bits and pieces collected from the world and reassembled into something new, art with a purpose: mutual advantage.

According to him, the poetics of advertising lie in the way it is assembled from many different sources to create something which will affect people in a specific desired way.

He further argues that advertising, arts, crafts and other similar practices have been robbing each other of techniques, outlooks, etc. without caring for original intentions regarding style. Why does it need to be defined as any guild’s intellectual property, when it can just be seen as everyone’s to take, transform and create with? In the end everyone strives for something better or at least different, because with adapting a “foreign” style comes seeing the problem from a different angle and finding new, elegant solutions for problems by combining former individual practices.

One thing that came out of this was the poster. First more of an art form that sought to please aesthetically, then a way to destabilise tradition and play with the unconscious as Dada did. This also included a new honesty in purposefully exaggerating the fake nature of it to reinterpret advertising and fight the dullness of convention. Not much later it went through another transition, during which it became more about shining a new light on something deemed ordinary and uninteresting, which lead to the addition of a second way in which advertising can be poetic: the reforming of what the world has to offer into something new and interesting. It is public, yet has the potential to be incredibly intimate. A poster ad needs to deliver the necessary information with minimum means. Its power therefore comes from the distillation of the desired message to its essence in a new and captivating way, which is another way in which McStay defines the poetics of advertising.

But with the internet and technology becoming increasingly integrated into day to day lives there was another flux, from read-only to read-write media and with that the mutual participation in conversation between brands and consumers like never before. Where before advertising always tried to interrupt and demand attention, without caring much about relevance and to gain without giving back, this strategy is not working in modern society anymore. The 21st century consumer demands the truth, dedication and engagement from brands, which those, seeking to sell, are increasingly trying to fulfil. This is currently done by first getting the audience’s attention and then keeping it by offering interesting and interactive ways to involve that brand into a person’s life step by step, building a loyal customer base that then has the potential to keep growing more and more, almost more so through personal recommendations than through what is traditionally seen as advertising.

It is and endless process of finding new ways to get heard in a world that is getting ever noisier. Therefore, advertising still offers endless exciting possibilities of content creation, unexplored mediums, unthought of ways to engage directly with the consumer, even more effectively than we do now and it is highly encouraged to go out and seek them. It is spreading into every aspect of day to day life, through games, apps, social media, etc. and there is no way of stopping it.

Refinery29 for example found a brilliant way of integrating a campaign into everyday life, by hosting yearly interactive museums showing art pieces that the audience can engage with and experience. This includes things like VR painting, a silent disco with touch-sensitive floors and walls, mirroring installations and much more. (Refinery29. (2016))

Another campaign that has proven to be successful is the McDonalds App in Austria. It allows to collect points per purchase called “M”s that can be traded for specific products along with competitions, prize drawings, games and seasonal features like an advent calendar, all underlined with outdoor, print, TV and digital ads.

In conclusion, there is no use in complaining about advertising invading personal and public space, but instead it should be seen as a means of lots of exciting new opportunities to find the poetics in advertising.

References:

ANDREW McStay. (2013) Creativity and Advertising: Affect, Events and Process. Chapter 3: The Poetics of Advertising.

WILLIAM M. O’Barr. (2005) What Is Advertising? (Volume 6, Issue 3) [Online] Available from: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/193867 [Accessed: 12 December 2018]

WILLIAM M. O’Barr. (2007) What Is Advertising? (Volume 8, Issue 4) [Online] Available from: https://muse-jhu-edu.ezproxy.falmouth.ac.uk/article/227198 [Accessed: 12 December 2018]

Refinery29. (2016) Exploring 29Rooms with Lucie Fink. [Online Video] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=125&v=R9x82ZMJnuM [Accessed: 12 December 2018]

Photo Sources: 

McDonald’s Austria App. [Accessed: 12 December 2018]

[noodlesortoodles-blog]

Field Guide to Human-centered Design: A 3 Step Process

IDEO’s Field Guide to Human-centered Design has set the difficulty, time, and what you would need to go through these steps. Take your time with these things, it’s not always that simple to come up with a good concept on the spot. Make sure you understand that whatever process you decide to go through you will need to have some sense of inspiration, you’ll idealize it and then implement your design into the real world.

The Field Guide to Human-centered Design by IDEO is heavily armed with the tools needed to be a great designer. By having the right mindset, a good 3 step process, and the help of your peers you’ll be able to get there in no time. After you have established a positive mindset an you feel as if you are creatively confident to tackle ideas, you can start with this 3 step process. No matter what the design challenge might be you’ll go through 3 main phases: Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation. By going through this 3 step process, you’ll be able to produce  empathy with the individuals you’re designing with and for. You’ll figure out how to turn what you’ve learned from your peers, professor, client etc. into a chance to design a new idea; and you’ll build and test your ideas before presenting them to the world. Take things slow and do whatever you feel comfortable with and this process will set you on the right track. IDEO has many steps within these phases and I’m going to touch on what I think is most important for designers without being too lengthy, feel free to review all the steps.

First off is Inspiration. This one’s tough and takes time. IDEO states that “the inspiration phase is about learning to fly, opening yourself up to creative possibilities, and trusting that as long as you remain grounded in desires of the communities you’re engaging, your ideas will evolve into the right solutions.” The first step within this phase is framing your design. This step is critical to your success. IDEO suggests that you should take a stab at writing and refining your ideas, and ask questions from there. I’ve learned that the best way of doing this is to go on Pinterest and gather photos and ideas. You can also do this by writing a list of ideas, and with these two things you’ll be able to refine from there. Next is coming up with a plan. IDEO states that “even though they’re bound to change as things progress, you’ll be in much better shape if you can plan for what’s ahead.” This is exactly the same scenario when a professor or client would tell you to go ahead and write your statement of intent. Sure it is bound to change but go ahead and start jotting down what you intend to do. Next is building a team if you’re able to, but when you’re working alone its best to just get feedback from other individuals as you go. IDEO talks a lot about analogous inspiration, where you would initially try to get a new perspective on your research and shift your focus to a new context. After you get some feedback gather secondary research if needed, re-draw, back-step as much as you need to get yourself on the right track.

Next up is Ideation. IDEO states that within this phase “you’ll share what you’ve learned with your team, make sense of a vast amount of data, and identify opportunities for design. You’ll generate lots of ideas, some of which you’ll keep, and others which you’ll discard. You’ll get tangible by building rough prototypes of your ideas, then you’ll share them with the people from whom you’ve learned and get their feedback. You’ll keep iterating, refining, and building until you’re ready to get your solution out into the world.” Develop some thumbnails and then take everything you’ve learned, research and the feedback you were given and start refining your ideas into roughs. IDEO calls this the “Top Five.” Take your 5 best roughs and gather your peers and review again. IDEO suggests that you should do this exercise often, so refine your 5 into another 5, make as many iterations as you can and you’ll find some solution within it. Ask yourself some questions: Is there a theme? Is there a hierarchy? Etc. Develop the best possible concept.

Last but not least, Implementation. This is the phase where you’ll bring your ideas to life. For us, that’s gathering your research and ideas and bringing your roughs, photos, etc. into photoshop, illustrator or whatever program preferred, and start developing your concept. Keep iterating from there, IDEO says that “testing, getting feedback, and iterating will help you get a great solution to market and let you know where to push it when you do.” Evaluate what you’ve got and then it’s all about rolling with the punches. You’ll need to be able to accept criticism when given so that whenever you present your work you know what you can do to make things better.

IDEO’s Field Guide to Human-centered Design has set the difficulty, time, and what you would need to go through these steps. Take your time with these things, it’s not always that simple to come up with a good concept on the spot. Make sure you understand that whatever process you decide to go through you will need to have some sense of inspiration, you’ll idealize it and then implement your design into the real world.

[theunderrated-world]

A new place: Plaza las América’s Photo Gallery

           A photo gallery can be a perfect place to contemplate our surroundings and dive in an environment of appreciation. A place like this, fills our body with many feelings, emotions, memories and passion for the art that mother nature and society hold. A photo gallery captures a divine moment, that makes us reflect on the way we see the world, humanity and even abstract concepts. It’s the art of seeing through the photographer’s perspective and reinventing a whole new world. Whether the photo contains a utopian or dystopian concept, natural or social environments, political or non-political issues, every emotion depends of the mind that sees the art through the human eye.

           A photo is a sentimental souvenir of our previous moments, precious memories or even a part of history that we want to forget. A photo can contain all the meanings of the world for a person or mean nothing to others at the same time. Behind the many purposes that motivate people to go to a photo gallery and appreciate a glimpse of life through a picture, the main reason is to create unity between the artist and everyone seeing the art created through one simple captured moment. The purpose of a place like this, is to enhance those emotions that live deep inside ourselves and inspire people to create a new reality or form of art with those feelings that haunts our mind. A photo can represent any emotion: anger, joy, loneliness, sadness, melancholy etc. Depending of the way the eye perceives the art, the judge will use that lingering energy to produce a new perspective of the image facing him.

           In a photo gallery, the environment is quiet and peaceful, leaving space for others to wander through the different meanings of a piece. In the photo gallery of Plaza las Américas, an exhibition about the post-María tragedy took place, leaving a feeling of grief in the air. Everybody seemed to agree, that those were some moments that nobody wants to repeat. The faces of the people near me presented feelings of sadness, terror, paranoia and other emotions that affect us in a negative way. Everybody walked in silence, contemplating those painful memories that wander in our minds. Connecting this environment through the eyes of Dean MacCannell, it showed how a very vivid and recent memory of a tragic past, attracts a big crowd with the purpose of contemplating the pain we felt at that time. “At painful memorials there is always a trade-off between what is at the site and what the tourists bring to it” (MacCannell, 2011, p. 171). This quote explains how the environment of a painful site is also affected by the people who visit it and bond over it, becoming a vital part of the ongoing pain it holds for the community around. The people that seek a place to admire the hardships of others, help keep alive the memory of it, also being a way of coping and accepting a part of history that shaped their entities become who they are now.

           “The strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico in 89 years, Hurricane Maria battered the island with tornado force winds. Massive rains brought catastrophic flooding, washing out bridges and inundating entire neighborhoods. The island’s infrastructure, already shaky after years of neglect, was devastated” Months after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico still struggling (Brindley, 2018). National Geographic published this report stating and enhancing the drastic devastation Maria left behind in the island, along with the many victims that lost their lives in the event. A year after this natural disaster, the island still suffers from many altercations, most of them can’t be fixed or replaced. Memories of this tragedy still haunt our minds and reality, creating paranoia and anxiety as the possibilities of other events like this happening increase throughout time. One method of coping with this weigh that never fades is the representation of our memories in a more concrete way, being pictures the main example.

           Putting our emotions and pain in a picture helps relieve the weigh that history and us humans carry on our shoulders, like the purpose of possessing a diary to lock away our emotions outside our body. Taking away that tension, helps us heal and ease the process of living with that part of history for eternity, that’s why this exhibition in the photo gallery of Plaza las Americas is so important for the Puerto Rican race. People that contemplated the same art as me, a type of art that was made by the product of destruction, realized the progress made by our community, despite the never-ending hardships that we still battle with. Comparing ourselves with the ones we saw in those pictures, helped us see how we became the stronger version of ourselves, a more united family. Keeping this painful memory alive through one simple picture, helps us remember in a more artistic and subtle way that nothing is impossible to overcome, no matter how devastating it can be at the beginning.

           “Each painful event involved conflict when it occurred and even if the issues shift the event itself can continue to engender conflicting passions down to the present” (MacCannell, 2011, p. 172).  The acceptance of our previous past can be troubling and impossible for the ones that endured more hardships than others. The conflicts that we endured such as loss of property, loss of a loved one, limited amounts of food and water, loss of jobs etc. scarred many civilians that remain troubled and scared in the present and will be until the near future. Finding a method to cure and simplify those emotions that our society can’t seem to vanish by themselves is of great demand and importance. The scary feeling that something like this can repeat itself is already terrifying, that’s why we need the reminders that this photo gallery provides, constant reassurance that everything can go back to how it was.

           This opportunity I had to reflect with others about our common past made me realized that some things our bound to happen to make us stronger. No matter how destructive some circumstances can be, we will always know how to battle our enemies. This experience helped us connect with one another through a shared perspective, a perspective capture by a simple picture.

Bibliography

1.      MacCannell D. (2011), The Ethics of Sightseeing, California: University of California Press.

2.      https://www.nationalgeographic.com, “Months after hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico still struggling”, David Brindley, August 30, 2018.

[gracemaller-blog]

Excerpt from the book 'The art of The Box Trolls' by Philip Brotherton. On page 8 in Anthony Stacchi's foreword where he talks about what made him fall in love with developing Alan Snow's 'Here be Monsters' into The Box trolls. This is a quote from Snow's book.