The Sally Draper Mystique

by Kasey

The bitch is back.Spending the first portion of my summer sick in bed gave me the opportunity to do something I’d been meaning to do for sometime. I reviewed Mad Men in a condensed timeframe, watching particularly for the development of Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka). I’m drawn to Sally for various reasons. She’s a fascinating character for thinking about the depiction of girls. She reminds me of my own little sister, messy blonde hair and all. And, like her father before her*, Sally is a fine source for biting humor or blunt honesty, which is called sass if you are a girl.  (Watch Sally’s Sassiest Moments) If I had a dollar for every time I got in trouble for talking back…

A lot of analysis about Sally focuses on her coming of age and her “loss of innocence,” especially in relationship to Betty’s anger**, her parents’ divorce, and the way the show portrays her haphazard acquisition of sexual knowledge. (One of my favorite lines ever is, “I know what it is. I know the man pees inside the woman.” 4.5 “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword“) Although Shipka isn’t allowed to watch the tv show (HuffPo), Linda Stasi at the New York Post criticized the series’ portrayal of Sally “discovering” sex and reaching menarche as child exploitation (Whut?) while Time’s James Poniewozik lauded the character’s engagement with generational issues:

“Kiernan Shipka does a great job here as she has throughout the series, especially since much of her work consists of reacting to what she’s seeing. But she manages to show us so much of Sally’s disillusion and determination—and really, bravery, because what Sally has to do is try to negotiate her way into adolescence either alone or with questionable adult guidance.”

Betty-and-Sally-DraperI think there’s another dynamic at work in the development of Sally. Not to say that her awkward transition into womanhood isn’t worth the attention that it’s getting, but I think the way Sally functions on the show also says a lot about the relationship between parents, children, nostalgia, and futurity. Obviously, the child is a pretty major symbol for thinking about issues of innocence and experience or for putting a bright polish on the complicated, if not dubious, political motivations of adults. (i.e. Betty firing Carla “for the children!” Riiiight.) There’s just so much intricate detail on Mad Men, but I’m going to take a swing at this.

When the series begins, Sally functions much like a piece of set dressing. She’s the cute little blonde girl, lisp and all, as emblematic of middle-class white suburban success as the well-dressed housewife. She fixes her parents drinks (check out Sally’s drink guide), dances ballet at their dinner parties, and dutifully watches TV whenever Betty tells her to. Sally operates as a double for Betty in pretty obvious ways as Betty worries about Sally’s chubbiness and other assorted petty things, like her friendship with Glen Bishop. Sally, like Betty, is also pretty angry and her hot temper becomes one of her most enduring characteristics, linking her to her mother and to the myriad issues facing her as a girl in the sixties. That’s why I’m calling this post “The Sally Draper Mystique.” I think this anger is obviously tied to the issues forced upon Sally both symbolically and in her lived experience.

Though Sally works as a double, mirrors, in fact, are often part of the way the camera portrays Sally looking at her parents. There’s the moment of Sally and Betty pictured above, which feels like a throwaway during the episode, but also says so much. Then in 2.6 “Maidenform”, there’s a pretty significant moment between Sally and Don. The episode deals with one of the central themes of Mad Men–appearance vs reality–in a number of ways. Don visits the country club with his picture perfect family, then slinks off for his affair with Bobbie Barrett. Betty buys a yellow polka dot bikini, thinking Don will like it, and gets told she looks desperate (mean, Don). The firm pitches an ad to Maidenform that focuses on two sides of the same woman–Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy. Peggy begins her transformation from dressing “like a little girl” to playing with the boys. You get it. During his tryst with Bobbie, Don finds out that he’s developed a reputation for his sexual prowess. He’s not happy that women are gossiping about him, so, disgusted, he ties Bobbie up and leaves her. The next time we see him, he’s waking up in his suburban home. While he’s shaving, Sally comes in and sits down and smiles up at him adoringly.

sally_maidenform  don_maidenform_1   don_maidenform_end

“I won’t say anything so you don’t cut yourself,” she says. Don looks down at her and smiles. Then, as he catches a look at himself in the mirror, his face falls. He quickly grows agitated, telling Sally, gently, that she’d better leave him alone. The episode ends with Don sitting where Sally was, staring blankly ahead. The camera pulls back and we see Don reflected in a mirror again, this time from the outside of the room. Don is pretty inscrutable, so it’s hard to know for sure, but clearly in the scene Sally stands in for his conscience, for the disjuncture between who he wants to be and who he is, or for lost innocence of some kind. Or a mixture of the above. Continue reading »

Heads Up: The Bridge on FX

by Kasey

Monday night I saw this ad on TV:

the_bridge_fxFirst of all, it is super creepy, but it also uses the now iconic image of the pink crosses honoring the dead and missing in the Juárez, Mexico feminicide. My interest was piqued, not from an entertainment standpoint, but because I just did an analysis of literary accounts of the murders. There have been detective dramas produced about the killings in literature (Desert Blood and 2666) and film (the abysmal Bordertown). The team behind this new series, The Bridge, is lauding it as the first tv series set on the U.S.-Mexico border, like that is some kind of prize. For example, John Landgraf, president of FX says:

“For years networks having been trying develop a drama series set on the U.S.-Mexican border without any success. I’m thrilled to say that Meredith Stiehm and Elwood Reid have become the first to crack that creative code and they have done so magnificently…There have been great films set in that world – No Country for Old Men and Lone Star come to mind – but never a great TV series.  This one is special.  The setting, the writing, the direction, and the way it is brought to life by Demián Bichir, Diane Kruger and the rest of the cast makes for truly riveting drama.” (source)

Sure, there are great stories to be told about the border. At the Roundtable of Latina Feminisms I saw presentations on stunning artwork centered on border issues (i.e. Ester Hernandez) and Latin@ writers, artists, and filmmakers have been working with these issues for generations. A TV series could do great work raising awareness in a more mainstream market, but will/can it do so without reinforcing narratives of U.S. bias?

According to EW, “Based on the Scandinavian series ‘Bron,’ ‘The Bridge’ is about a body found on the border of Texas and Mexico and the investigation that ensues.” The series stars Diane Kruger and Academy Award Nominee Demián Bichir. FX’s website elaborates, “Set on the border between El Paso and Juarez, The Bridge centers on two detectives, one from the United States and one from Mexico, who must work together to hunt down a serial killer operating on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border.” Their overview discusses chaos, corrupt police, Diane Kruger’s character’s undiagnosed autism, but not a word about the mass killing of young women on the border. It’s highly suspect.

The ads for the show, however, play right into the sexualization of women on the border, both in the media and in the economy of Juarez. You can view the four short TV spots here at The Hollywood Reporter. The spot I’ve embedded below is particularly disturbing because, like the one above, it clearly draws on imagery of the murders, but does so in a way that reproduces a narrative that revictimizes women by making violence against them titillating or glamorous. The murders are horrifying. I think that’s why crime dramas seem like a natural fit to talk about them, but the problem is that in entertainment we take pleasure from being shocked or scared. It seems disrespectful given the actual horror these cases entail.

We’ll see what the show does, however, when it comes out July 10th. You better believe I’ll keep you posted.

Summer! Cough Cough

by Kasey

Small Wonder ftw

Almost immediately after turning in my last seminar paper of the semester I got sick. I feel like I have a combination of a cold and a battery malfunction. So, I am very excited about some blogging ideas and my own research, but I’m slow getting started because I’ve mostly been in bed watching old seasons of Mad Men and hugging the dog and coughing.

This summer I’m working on my rationale, writing an essay with my friend Megan about Veronica Mars, editing my paper about girlhood in literature about Juarez, and heavily revising a paper about Nancy Drew. I’m very excited about all these things. Plus, it will be nice to do so while also establishing great habits of writing daily, doing yoga, and regaining some balance. I have a hard time self-motivating without the pressure, but I’m hoping to overcome that this summer. What are your plans for the sunny season?

Anyway, tomorrow I’m going to a minor league baseball game which is as good a reason as any to get out of bed and get to work. So coming soon is a post about conferences, thoughts about Pinterest, Sally Draper, and many book reviews. I have a bunch of memoirs by women from the Middle East to read in addition to my comps reading list. Currently, I’m really enjoying Mad Girl’s Love Song about Sylvia Plath. Do you have any book recommendations for the summer? What’s on your summer reading list?

Also, time for summer work, meaning odd jobs, mostly reading portfolios.  As I worked on this blog, my 9 year old sister donated $2 to me. I’m not even joking. I’m going back to my sick bed now.

image

Lindsay Lohan on Letterman

by Kasey

On a much-earned writing break, I clicked over the CNN and saw an interview Lindsay Lohan did with Piers Morgan. Down the rabbit hole I went and ended up watching the interview she did with David Letterman last month (below). I’m just a few months younger than Lohan and, like many girls in the ’90s, became a big fan of hers after The Parent Trap. As her legal troubles and career mishaps became stranger and more complicated, I developed a fascination that I feel somewhat ashamed of. On one hand, I feel like I’m taking part in a toxic and voyeuristic pastime that centers on the troubled lives of child stars. Hollywood often sets young actresses up for trouble and then exploits their problems to sell magazines. (Recently, I’ve been really bothered by Jezebel’s coverage of whatever it is that’s going on with Amanda Bynes. It’s pretty low for a feminist website to shamelessly mock her while also shaming those who try to exploit the buzz.) On the other hand, I really do want to see Lindsay Lohan make a comeback. I’m rooting for her. I actually enjoyed Liz and Dick (though the big glass of vino didn’t hurt).

Anyway, kudos to Lindsay for the class, maturity, and self-awareness she demonstrates in this interview as David Letterman alternates between bullying her and patronizing her. As I sit around in my Free Lindsay t-shirt (yes), sometimes I can picture Lindsay actually pulling out of her troubles and making a legit comeback. I wonder, though, will the media really let her do that?

Thanks for wasting time with me. Back to term papers I go.

Noteworthy:

1) She can make fun of herself. She’s laughing a lot off and trying to take control of the situation even as it gets increasingly uncomfortable.

2) She’s showing discretion and staying on-point while repeatedly trying to get back to promoting her work. Even if that work is Scary Movie 5.

3) She sounds pretty darned committed to moving on, but Dave won’t hear it and continues to give her pretty condescending advice. Ugh.

End of the Semester Truth

by Kasey

For me, grad school is just a big roller-coaster. Sometimes I feel like I’m doing great work and sometimes I feel like my head is full of mud. I think that means I’m learning. I hope so. After I’m done with my term papers and grading, I’ll update on how conferences went, summer research, and the good things on my plate. Here’s what I’m working on in the meantime.

I’ve spent a lot of my student-time this semester researching transnational and transracial adoption. There is a truck load of research on the topic and it is fascinating. A lot of this research focuses on kinship and belonging in adoptive families and communities of adoptees. Since there’s already a huge, thorough body of work on adoption, I spent a while wondering where I could even enter into the discussion. If I could even enter. But my prof. recommended I read Happy Family by Wendy Lee. The novel was enjoyable as a light read but perplexing as a novel to read critically. The adoptee in the novel is a toddler, so getting into her psyche isn’t exactly a possibility. But she’s used as a really interesting figure for thinking about immigration, identity, and relationships between America, China, and Asian Americans. She also serves as a symbol for some complicated thoughts about maternity and futurity. So my paper is not about the mass of critical work about adoptees, but instead about how the transnationality of adopted children can be used as a symbolic site for thinking about other transnational and/or feminist issues.

My other paper is for a WGS class and I was tasked with analyzing a media image of a woman of color and think about how the portrayal hits on the issues of diaspora, transnational feminism, etc. that we’ve discussed this semester. I’m writing about redfacing in the fashion and beauty industry, focusing on an image of Michelle Williams in AnOther magazine and connecting it to the history of redface in Hollywood as well as to other contemporary instances of redface (i.e. Johnny Depp as Tonto, the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, a No Doubt video). Reservation Reelism has been a fantastic source for me (more).

How I feel while completing the assigned reading for our financial markets course.

My brain kind of thinks it’s summer already. My desk chair needs a seatbelt, because I keep getting up to clean, rotate my wardrobe, sort out my files, and do things I generally do at the beginning of the summer. I think in part this could be because I feel like I’m in a good position with both of these papers. I’ve thought them through, read the research, and started both. I just need to put the words on the page. If I don’t let myself get too distracted, I might actually have a low-stress finals week. Excusez-moi?

Sara Bareilles: Brave

by Kasey

Sara Bareilles is easily one of my favorite working musicians today. I particularly enjoy the way her music swings between really sad songs like “Gravity” and poppy, anthemic songs like “Brave” above. “Uncharted” was my jam when I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my life a couple years ago.  I’ve seen her live a couple of times and she’s genuinely amazing in concert. I’m hoping her next tour brings her my way again.

It’s finals and I’m still getting caught up on work after the amazing experience that was the Roundtable of Latina Feminisms, but I thought I’d share this video. I like the song, and think the video is cute because it shows girls being silly and collaborative, creating music and imitating pop stars without doing so in an oversexed sort of way. In other words, the girls look and act their age and the song’s message pairs well. Enjoy! (Of course, it could be better still if there was more diversity. i.e. more than just one token black girl.)

Latina Feminisms: Violence, Borderlands, and Constructions of Girlhood

by Kasey
pink crosses

“Every pink cross serves as remembrance that these young women will not be forgotten and that the citizens will not rest until responsibility is taken. Many of these crosses can be seen with the words “Ni una mas” (not one more).”

Tomorrow, bright and early, I’m headed to Cleveland for the Latina Feminisms Roundtable with my classmate Rachel and our professor Julie. It is going to be an intense, informative, and exciting experience. Each paper is given 40 minutes, 25 for reading and 15 for questions, so it’s a longer format and more focused attention on my work than what I’m used to. I’m passionate about my paper so, nerves aside, I’m looking forward to presenting. And then for hearing all the other papers!

In my paper, “Girlhood, Violence, and Class on the Border: Desert Blood, If I Die in Juárez, and ‘Women of Juárez’,” I’m analyzing the construction of the victims of the murders in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico in literary and popular media accounts. I specifically analyze articles from Ms. and Texas Monthly, the novels Desert Blood by Alicia Gaspar de Alba and If I Die In Juárez by Stella Pope Duarte, and the spoken word poem, “Women of Juárez” by Amalia Ortiz. The crux of my argument is that literary accounts of the murders and investigations construct the victims as innocents in a way that privileges a middle-class United States ideal of girlhood. In doing so, the authors, clearly writing for a U.S.-based audience, reproduce classist systems and usurp the voice of the women.

There’s been a lot written about the complicated relationship between scholar-activists and other activists, including the mothers of the dead or missing, but in this space, I am also arguing that the way these accounts construct the girlhood of the victims creates an obstacle to fighting the systems that make women disposable. Though the victims of the murders are mostly young (teens to early-twenties), poor, and thin, some of them are young mothers or acting as adult workers in the maquiladoras to support their families. The depictions forefront the youth of the victims in a way that portrays them as naive, I think, to counter the popular government/police argument that they were prostitutes or somehow complicit in their abduction. This construct is problematic, however, not only because it leaves room for excusing violence against women who do not fit the mold of innocence, but also because it represents them in terms of a class privilege and security to which they very well may not have access. I think in this way the productions re-victimize the young women (a la Volk and Schlotterbeck) as they are portrayed as naive and powerless victims of a system beyond their control. Worse still, Desert Blood privileges the safety of the middle-class U.S. citizen over an anonymous 15 year-old maquiladora worker and If I Die in Juárez depicts the internalization of violence in such a way that a central character, Evita, is victimized by herself too. In my long paper, I examine the way that young women are produced as workers in a postnational manufacturing system; the relationship between gender, class, and citizenship on the U.S.-Mexico border; and provide a literary analysis of these dynamics in the texts above.

As I conclude, I compare the literary accounts to the testimonios collected by Claudia Cervantes-Soon in a high school in the most marginalized colonia in Juarez. These narratives from real-life teenagers in the community show that twenty-years into the femicide, many young women are aware of the gendered and classed oppressions, violence, and exploitation that structure the life of many residents of Juárez. They are not naive or passive about their place in the community and the heavy burdens of their positionally. In this space, the testimonios counter narratives such as Desert Blood and If I Die in Juárez, demonstrating how essentializing their portrayals are in their failure to give the subaltern a voice for anything but an inarticulate scream for help. These narratives construct the girls as undereducated or uncritical objects rather than critical subjects because of their poverty and, maybe, their race or nationality. As Cervantes-Soon calls the testimonios “a politicized discourse that situated the girls’ experiences in the context of power dimensions and systematic oppression” (386), she argues for the impact they can have: “In a space where women’s bodies are positioned as docile objects and abused by patriarchy and voracious capitalism, young women’s reclamation of voice and knowledge requires…epistemological tools that take students’ everyday life and suffering seriously” (387). I think critical education like this is so amazing and powerful.

I’m presenting a shorter cut of this paper in November at the National Women’s Studies Association Conference and hoping to publish, so I’m excited for the feedback and the opportunity to hone my argument that presenting offers.

If you’re interested in learning more about any of the issues above, here’s a selected bibliography: Continue reading »