The Representation Of A Woman s Identity - 1196 Words

Idealized as the symbolic figure for obedience and domesticity, the power of society’s gender expectations has dictated a woman’s identity. A dominate belief held throughout American history, these traditional femininity norms were and still are reinforced by immigrant communities today. Nonetheless, what often goes unacknowledged are the stories of those female immigrant youths, Pachuca’s or female gang members, who have rejected societies beliefs to construct new identities centered around hyper-masculine subcultures. Alienated and labeled as hypersexualized or masculine, both Catherine Ramirez’s novel The Women In The Zoot Suit and T.W. Wards ethnographic study â€Å"Gangsters Without Borders† explores the erasure and double standards present for young immigrant women in a matriarchal world (2009, 2013). Moreover, the authors highlight how immigrant female youth’s identities are used as a form of oppression in both the public and private s pheres. Whether women conform to being obedient housewives or decide to break gender and racial boundaries, the Pachuca’s and female gangsters consciously chose to make a critique of American gender expectations. During the 1940’s the Zoot Suit Riots of Los Angeles, California constructed an entirely new youth subculture centered around the emergence of a new rhizomic identity, the Pachuco and Pachuca (Ramirez, 2009). Characterized by the zoot suit style of drapes and a form of slang called Calà ³, this subculture was a symbol a resistanceShow MoreRelatedPortrayal Of African American Women1538 Words   |  7 Pages Women have long been negatively stereotyped in American society, usually portrayed as submissive and passive while at the same time seen as disobedient and pushy. These contradictory representations are doubly imposed upon Black women. For example, there are common stereotypes ascribed particularly to African American women, such as the â€Å"promiscuous jezebel†. This stereotype, which evolved during slavery, continues to exist and still contributes to the harassment of African American women todayRead MoreA Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams1422 Words   |  6 Pagesthe female gender has become more respected and important in the workplace, with as much women as men achieving successful, admirable lives. But this was not always the case. During the early 20th century, women were severely oppressed, with their identity confined to the likes of a housewife. In wartime, the role of the female gender expanded slightly, with more women being employed into jobs that wer e previously considered masculine while the men were at war. However, after the war was over and thenRead MoreGender Is The Definition Of Gender1345 Words   |  6 Pageshistorically accepted version of the definition of gender is the state of being either male or female, masculine or feminine, or simply a man or woman. Historically we have lived in a world that only had binary gender, meaning that a person was solely either a man or a woman. While that is the general definition that has been accepted as a baseline representation of what gender is, in today’s society, it is actually much more difficult to classify. In the past, it was extremely simple; men hunted whileRead MoreM. Butterfly : Gender Roles And Power Essay1237 Words   |  5 PagesGallimard assumes the cultural stereotypes of this inferior culture and expects Song to fulfill this role while still also being devoted to him. The last scene of this play and movie changed the overall feeling of the two main chara cters and their other identities. The film and play address the intentions behind Song’s mission differently, in the book Song seems more calculating and comes across as teasing Gallimard and less desperate than in the film. 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Works that pass the test are considered to have a rudimentary level of female agency and independence. Ernest Hemingway s hyper masculine novel, A Farewell to Arms, does not pass the Bechdel test. The novel, published in 1929, is set in Italy duringRead MoreFeminist Theory : A Philosophical Fiction872 Words   |  4 PagesJudith Butler`s piece â€Å"Subjects of Sex/Gender/Desire† which describes her account of gender. Butler believes that gender behavior is not natural but that of a performance. She distinguishes her model of theory from expressive model of of gender by explaining that we often associate gender by the idea of femininity and masculinity. â€Å"Representation is the normative function of a language which is either said either to reveal or distort what is assumed† (Cudd, 14 5). Butler defines representation like thisRead More The Role of Female African American Sculptors in the Harlem Renaissance1689 Words   |  7 Pages Even though African American art was more accepted during the Harlem Renaissance, these artists still faced the effects of being of this descent: discrimination, segregation, etc. The Harlem Renaissance began in the 1910’s and lasted until the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. This movement of hope was strategically placed: Harlem was the largest black community in the country and New York was the center of the arts and also America’s top publishing center. The Harlem Renaissance was a moment ofRead MoreAustralian Film Red Dog Analusis Essay1233 Words   |  5 PagesNathanial Brown In the 2011 Australian film ‘Red Dog’ directed by Kriv Stenders many issues relating to Australian identity are addressed including the stereotypical Australian values such as conflict with authority and mateship. Stenders uses skilful camera and visual techniques to portray a realistic 1970’s context throughout the movie. Throughout the movie it is evident that Stenders portrays his values and attitudes such as rebellion against authority that abuses power and independence. Read MoreRepresentation Of The Female Body Image And The Mass Media1586 Words   |  7 PagesREPRESENTATION OF HOW WOMEN PROMOTE EXCERSISE IN NEW ZEALAND MEDIA AND HOW IT AFFECTS FEMALES Female Body Image and the Mass Media: Perspectives on How Women Internalize the Ideal Beauty Standard Representation of women in the media can change the way that the people of New Zealander’s think of themselves. Media has a powerful ability to reach many people and to influence and direct attitudes of our country’s behaviours and knowledge. - Magazines (the representation of kiwi identity they create)