Dec 03 2009
Just Like Me
I never expected the Feminist Videos in the Brooklyn Museum to be as random as they were. I started out a little disappointed with the videos and finally found the place where I felt at home.The first video I cam across was the one with a woman standing in front of a beautiful, happy setting behind her, yet her face was full of anguish and frustration. She was annoyed by the fact that Hollywood portrays happy endings when in life there are no happy endings. I understand that women did suffer from sexism and underestimation, but for me it is those happy endings that women identify with. I always picture life with a family, a nice house, and a cute pet. Even though I do see myself working and as active as my husband, I still want that happiness, and the video was really discouraging.
I could sense that the 70s brought a new meaning to feminism in that it was not so much about “we can work as much as men,” but more like “we want to express ourselves and show what we are made of.” This is especially what I got from Klara Linden’s Paralyzed, Bodies of Society, and Ohyra.They were random and carefree, especially Paralyzed. I don’t think i would ever start dancing around in a train to express myself, but it worked for her.
I walked a few steps and discovered something “more like it.” I love to be random and poking fun at silly things; I find anything funny–a foot, a sudden explosion, slow motion running. That’s why I loved the News Report. I could see myself making one of those videos at home with my sisters. We love to laugh at anything and it is a great way to express ourselves; as I am sure that it was cathartic for Wynne Greenwood and Ms. Hardy. Everything from the abnormally large microphone, the deadly boring reporter, to the dancing watcher girl was classic. The women expressed their frustrations in a way that they could entertain themselves. They used the stereotypes used on women to deal with the situation in a funny matter. If nothing can be done, laughter seems to be the best solution. Their slogan was extremely clever: “We are always pregnant with information.”
The commercials featuring Shannon Plumb were inspirational. I am really going to use her ideas to create my own commercials. The ones I thought were the most funny and am considering recreating are the Roller Coaster ride, the weight loss drink, and the speed reader. I loved to see that women could get inspiration from men like Charlie Chaplin, and create such humorous advertisements. It was a great way to end the Video.
Allow me to begin by telling you ” I told you so”. When I was watching Commercials I thought to myself “I bet Nathaly would love to reenact these”. They are not only funny but their are very authentic. In fact, I thought it was the highlight of the exhibition since the other videos I saw were so similar and filled with pessimistic feminists. I also realized that there is a still photograph of her Corncob commercial on the subways, and from now on I’ll laugh by myself while seeing that and remembering her amazing videos.