#homework package 5

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Women are constantly pressured to reach for this unattainable idea of beauty. I picked the above article as my example of Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth in the media. 

Scarlett Johansson has been referred to as one of the sexiest women alive many times. She is gorgeous and bad ass, never afraid to speak her mind and kick ass as the Black Widow. So when she goes to the beach and has the confidence to wear a bikini in a world where he every move is documented by the paparazzi, people take notice. This article claims that Scarlett looked "like hell" in her swimsuit and implied that her boyfriend was a saint for going out with her, even though her body is unattractive.

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Hilton Als (part 3)

"stupid Americans define their epoch and defend their privilege through one or two words"

I think these words could be "brave" and "free". Everyone always likes to claim that America is the land of the free and home of the brave; however, this country is riddled with many problems. People are looked down upon if they are different and do not conform to society's ideas of beauty. Members of the LGBTQ community feel that they are not free to be who they truly are. Women live in fear of being harassed and men are told to not show any weakness.

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Response to Hitlon Als (part 2)

Sometimes I feel left out by language when I hang out with new people that have been friends for a really long time. It is common for entire conversations to take place that mainly focus on inside jokes and frequently used phrases between the friends. So while I can comprehend what they are saying on a basic level, I do not understand the back story and am left feeling completely lost in the conversation.

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Response to Hilton Als

"Language, no matter how stupid, always leaves someone out. That is because an idea belongs first to an individual and not a public."

I agree with this statement to an extent. I do believe that a thought belongs originally to the person who first thought it. Once that thought is shared, the public is free to do with it as they please; it is no longer the original person's thought. It reminds me of a statement Taylor Swift has on the inside of her newest album, 1989: These songs were once about my life. They are now about yours. She is acknowledging that she wrote the songs on her album about specific events in her life. Now that she has released them, they are no longer just about her life. Everyone that listens to them may relate for a completely different reason.

I also agree with the idea that language has a tendency to leave someone out. For example, if someone that struggles in school is surrounded by people talking about complicated theories with advanced vocabulary, they will most likely feel left out and alienated.