Web Essay

I have chosen to do a sort of timeline of beauty over the last 600 years. I will be showing pictures of one woman of each time period that was considered to be especially beautiful. It is my hopes that we can see how "beauty" has changed over the years and that beauty is subjective. I have already started working on my webpage using wix.com. It is so easy to use and I love all of the things that you can do with it.

Her Identity as an Extraterrestrial

"Don't bother looking for my belly button, boys-

You won't find it."

"At this very moment, little girls are whispering their woes

into my hollow solar plexus."

"planning an Earth girl's emancipation."

My favorite poem in Kinky is called: Barbie, Her Identity As An Extraterrestrial Finally Suspected, Bravely Battles the Interrogation Of The Pentagon Task Force Who's Captured Her. (VERY Long title, I know) This poem caught my attention because all throughout the quarter, as we read about Barbie, not often is she referred to as an extraterrestrial. It was definitely a unique outlook on Barbie and her effect on us. It was a fresh and funny approach, that in my opinion, holds a lot of truths.

"By some accounts, Barbie has strange and unnatural powers. Like an alien from another planet, she enters the home of unsuspecting victims and turns them into aliens too."

The passage in Barbie's Queer Accessories, Sister From Another Planet, also refers to Barbie as an extraterrestrial being. However, in BQA, Barbie is dealt with more negatively where she is possessing women and children. But in Kinky she is emancipating "Earth girls". Two completely different ideas involving alien Barbie. Possessing or Emancipating? Which is it? They have opposite meanings and therefore she cannot be both. Right?

France has began the dismantling of Islam

On CNN: French Burqa Ban Clears Last Legal Obstacle...

Oct. 7th 2010

Reading this article was quite a trip for me. I found myself both aggravated and confused. Normally, I am against Governments infringing the right's of individuals and specific groups for the "betterment" of the public. But I found myself agreeing with the logic behind this ban. I still haven't figured it out, which still pisses me off that I cannot make up my mind as to what my opinion is regarding this. While I like to believe that everyone deserves to dress and worship in the way that they feel is right for them, this freedom may endanger the general public. As much as I hated it when she said this, my mom used to always tell me when I did something wrong: "Once you abuse a freedom, you will have it taken away." When I got upset at a teacher for punishing the whole class she responded: "Sorry hun, the few bad ones will spoil it for you all." It is sad that French-Muslim Women will not be able to perform their beliefs regarding the burqa. However, it is also sad that Radical Muslims have used the burqas as masks during their cruel terror acts.

Thank you Greece.

Probably the coolest thing about me is that I am utterly obsessed with turtles. Sea Turtles mostly, but I love just about anything turtle-esque. I spent a summer in southern Greece, in the beautiful Mediterranean heat, volunteering for a Sea Turtle Conservation Project. Originally, I had signed up for this project to enhance my resume. Plus, who wouldn't want to spend a summer on a beach in Greece. It was actually a lot of work. We had to spend hours tracking for nests, then digthem up in the over 100 degree weather, count and replace the eggs. This is what I did over and over. But then I got to hold a hatchling! It was tiny, adorable and made all the work worth it. It made all of the hassles and bundled up nerves involved in traveling alone, to a foreign country, make a lot of sense. I am now addicted to traveling and in love with turtles. Thank you Greece!

The Barbie Murders:

"Cover yourself," the barbie said, with a pained look. "You're flaunting your differentness..."

I thought it was interesting how the author created this future where the word barbie no longer refers to a child's toy, but rather a member of a separate, standardist society. In "The Barbie Murders" members have undergone multiple surgeries to look like a Barbie doll. In this "ideal" town of theirs, everyone looks the same, dresses the same and abandons everything that makes them different from everyone else. They have began to talk not of their own thoughts but thoughts of the group. No one uses the word "I" only "we". This quote really sums up the general feeling of this essay. This society of "barbies" is suppressing anything that they consider standard, pure and ideal. Sound familiar anyone?

Barbie-Q:

"On the outside you and me skipping and humming but inside we are doing loopity-loops and pirouetting."

I really liked this quote. It shows just how excited these girl's were about their barbies. They knew that they did not have what other girls had, but they were so excited about the small luxuries they did receive. It is amazing how happy a barbie and her accessories can make a little girl.

Strip!

"If you ever want power: strip."

Of course, I chose the first sentence in the essay. It definitely caught my attention.

"I hated that fear and I hated the bathroom where my transsexuality and my disability conspired to make me vulnerable."

This essay really shows the suffering the author went through and how stripping helped her gain acceptance. She accepted her own difference. She had gone through a point in time that she couldn't even carry on with everyday life without feeling scrutinized for simpling being herself. This really put thing into perspective for me to realize what people go through when "being themselves" means going against the norm to the point that others consider them "freaks". I have nothing but love and respect for people that are strong enough in themselves to fight the codes that have defined their lives for so long.

"The Barbie Murders" and "Strip!" are similar in that both show fear in things that are different. They both also show some negative consequences that come with the fight against who we truly are, just to fit into a society.

Talking about Barbies always makes my own experiences. While most people talk about all of the accessories they bought for thier Barbies... I think, my Barbies WERE the accessories. You see, I always loved my toy horses better, and the only reason I had Barbies was because someone needed to sit in the saddle and brush my wonderful ponies. I wish this online game would have been around when I was a kid! I used to put glitter on my real horses hooves.... poor Libby.... Cali Girl Horse ADVENTURE! :)

Hello classmates!

Hey! My name is Courtney Ginther. I am taking "Women and Writing" to fulfill my Junior composition requirement. Out of all of the Junior composition classes, by far, this one sounded the most interesting to. I am a third year Biology major so writing is difficult for me. Creativity does not come easily to me. Ask me to write a dry, boring and technical science journal article, no problem! But when it comes to being entertaining, creative and colorful..... uhm.... I will try my best. So as you read my posts on my blog, please be merciful!

As for the title of my blog, I chose "More than just a doll" because Barbie is far, far more than just a doll. She has been an influence on all of us (good or bad) and is a marketing sensation. She has more accessories than a girl can ever ask for, has held multiple careers, has many hobbies and looks great doing it all.

How do I feel about Barbie? Well, she definitely holds a special place in my heart and I have shared many childhood memories with my Barbie dolls. However, as a women, I do not agree with the completely unattainable standards that Barbie sets. I mean, her boobs are just outrageous and her legs look like they are twice the length of her torso. Is she teaching girls at a young age that women are supposed to look like that? or is Barbie just an embodiment of our society's warped idea of beauty? It's one of those questions like which came first, the Chicken or the Egg? At this point, I am really not sure which came first. But as this quarter progresses I will come closer and closer to understanding Barbie and her role in our society.

Signing off,

Courtney Ginther