Sor Juana

Sor Juana, in the letter to Sister Filotea or bishop of Pueblo, mentioned that she learned how to read when she was three and by the age of six or seven, she learned how to write and embroidery and sewing. She even boasted how she learned Latin grammar when she did not take over twenty lessons. And by expressing her intelligence, she sarcastically said that she cut her hair “four to six finger lengths of it … to punish my [Sor Juana’s] dimwittedness.” This examples shows how sarcastic Sor Juana is about apologizing to or thanking the bishop of Pueblo.

As mentioned in the letter, Sor Juana’s act of cutting her hair which is described as “since this is true about women, and even more so in the bloom of my youth, that we value so highly the natural look of our hair”, shows that it is necessary for her to throw away the most important part of her womanhood in order to learn, and this shows just how determined she is.

Sor Juana

Sor Juana is a historical figure which almost never known or talked about essentially anywhere. Despite being a women in colonel times in New Spain she was still able to get a education and become intelligent despite it being against the church. In her letter in response to the bishop of Puebla, although a bit sarcastic in tone, is a highly intellectual and well written letter. She able to explain her live story and express her views of the role of females in their society. Sor Juana was in a position were she was willing to dress and present to be a boy in order to further her education so in her letter she explained that women were suppressed into in expanding their knowledge but rather to start families. She argues that women, especially those chosen by God, are also supposed to be highly educated so they can truely understand what the bible is saying. 

Sor Juana

My entire life, however long my hair has grown has always been an accomplishment to me. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved for my hair to be long. In the Sor Juana reading, the most amazing aspect was how she cut her hair as a punishment in order to push herself to become better. Although I could never have the courage to chop off my hair as punishment, I am capable of understanding the reason behind this action. As her hair grew, if she did not accomplish her goal, she did not feel worthy to let it grow. To me, this is the most amazing idea and I believe it takes so much courage.

Sor Juana is More Than Just a Nun

After reading Sor Juana's response to the bishop of Puebla, it made my realize how this nun has very strong characteristics that defines how she is through her writing. Sor Juana is more than just a nun is an aspiration. She tends to speak out loud and what is exactly on her mind. The way she is responds to the bishop is very sarcastic. I love the fact that she talks about how there are social differences between a male and female especially through the church. After I read this it was surprising to me because I didn't expect for somebody especially someone who is from the religious group to speak about the church. Sor Juana points out how the church is sexist. I love the fact that she does this, but at the same time I question how the church accepted this? Also, if there was any consequences because of how she spoke out?

Sor Juana

Watching the movie in class really got me thinking about life as a nun. I used to think that they were all happy living a solitary life in the convent but now that doesn't seem to be the case.  Sor Juana wanted more than just religion but was not allowed due to the views of the Catholic Church. Most of her books were censored and not everyone was allowed to have books.  The nuns were also treated very differently and I did not think this was the case in the convents.  The head man didn't even want to sit at the same table with a woman and had all their personal items removed from their possession. Although the movie was a little hard to follow with the subtitles and everything, it did change my perspective.

Sor Juana's Letter

In the letter, she described that God gave her a gift and that she must use it. This caught my attention because it shows how grateful she is having that gift. What is ironic is when she decided to cut her hair as a form of punishment. It can make readers wonder if she really has a gift or if she is really forcing herself to learn. Although she is not causing physical harm to her body, it is still a form of emotional harm. As we have discussed this quarter, hair can change a lot about a person's self esteem. It can make someone feel like they have a lot of power or it can make someone feel powerless.

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was a woman with beliefs that were too ahead of her time. In her position, time, and place, she had no way to voice her thoughts other than by writing. Even the writing was frowned upon by others since she was a woman who wasn’t allowed to do what the men did. She had strong thoughts on women having the right to get educated and not only through the convent. All these ideals she hoped for weren’t recognized until many years later. After learning about Sor Juana, I’m surprised that she isn’t more well-known by others as one of the first feminists.

Strength and Hair: how we Look at Masculinity

We've talked in class about Samson, and how his God-like strength came from the sacred vow of his untouched hair. His long hair defined his masculinity. Today, for Halloween, I dressed up as Vegeta, a super saiyan from DragonBall Z, in which the pinnacle warriors of strength increase their power by transformation (during which their hair length increases dramatically and turns from black to blonde).  I did not dye my hair blonde, but I spiked my hair to make it appear larger. However, these cases of long hair and masculinity, often work opposite in today's society. It is common and recommended for bodybuilders to have buzz cuts or shave their heads completely. The short hair is meant to make the bodybuilders appear more muscular; it is aesthetically pleasing. Cutting her hair, Sor Juana is able to remind herself of her mistakes, but also hide her identity by fitting in with the social norm of short hair for men.

Analysis on Sor Juana

These past couples days we have been learning about Sor Juana I've obtained a greater insight on her background and who/what her writings were towards. However the writing that Sor Juana did towards Sor Filotea was slightly confusing but the lectures of prior times helped. I've come to understand that Sor Juana was one of the individuals during the 17th century of colonial Mexico who attempted to make a difference in the societal norms and who helped in moving women in Mexico during that era away from the domestic sphere of influence. Sor Juana herself I find relates to the class because her hair represents her inhibitor to advance within society. Because she is a woman who has long hair that inhibited her from being able to learn but she surpassed that by cutting off her hair that symbolism of her womanhood and escape from the domestic sphere and able to pursue learning.

Contrasting Concepts

This just occurred to me, just today, literally a few minutes before arriving at my friend's house as I was messing with my hair using the rearview mirror in my car. Sor Juana cuts her hair to show her strong devotion to becoming more educated and learning at the same level as the men in her society. In contrast, Samson continues to grow his hair as a sign of devotion towards his love for God. In both cases, they physically represent their devotion to their craft through representation of their hair. I just thought that that was a rather interesting concept considering how malleable we can make our hair and what it can symbolize to us and to everyone else. What do you think?

Sor Juana

Sir Juana's strategy of cutting her hair every time she made a grammatical error was convenient. Since only men were allowed to go to school the fact that she cut her hair made her look more like a man, therefore there was less chances of getting caught for going to school with the men. Sir Juana reminds many of how Mulan cut her hair to look like a man to be able to join the male army and save her unhealthy father from being drafted into the Chinese military. Sir Juana, like Mulan, are brave for doing the things they were not allowed to do as women because if they would have gotten caught by the men. The men had the power to punish the women for not following the law and stay away from school unless their husband gave them the privilege to go and study.  

Sor Juana

I'm glad that we watched the movie on Friday because it helped me better understand the reading and gave me a better view on it.  It allowed me to see just how much of an impact her writings had on society during that time period and just how liberating her writings could be for all women during that time.

Life in a Convent

The movie about Sor Juana's life was very interesting to me because I have always viewed nuns (and monks) as people who are very virtuous and constantly engaging in spiritual activity such as prayer and fasting. I have gained a new perspective on their lives. Furthermore, I also gained insight on how loved Sor Juana was. She was very humble about her intelligence, but still managed to gain a high social standing among men. The bishop of Puebla tried tearing her down by publishing her letter to him, but Sor Juana responded to it with sarcastic gratitude, offering her autobiography as well as her view on education. Overall, the movie was very informative and interesting to watch.

Sor Juana

Although the reading of Sor Juana was really hard to understand, I believe it does have a big impact on women's society back in that time period. From what I saw about the movie on Friday, I liked it because it was easier to understand the movie from the book since it would be a visual representation of the reading. Although it was weird seeing the nuns covered their faces when talking to that one guy. Overall, if I were to watch the movie I would have a much better understanding of the reading.

Sor Juana Movie Analysis

 I liked the movie because it gave me a better understanding of what life was like for Sor Juana in the convent. Before I thought the convent was very strict but after watching some of the movie it made me realize that with the exception of just a few things Sor Juana was able to do what she wanted. It also enforced just how brilliant Sor Juana was because everyone listened to her and the scene were she is talking to the men before she is gifted with the crown the men seem as if they are treating her as an equal because she is so smart.

The Bluest Eye

I can compare to Pecola’s want for blue eyes because I have two sisters with different colored eyes.  One of them has blues and the other has green.  I can compare to Pecola because people are always telling them that they have beautiful eyes and I feel left out.  Pecola believes that if she had blue eyes she wouldn’t be ugly anymore. 

Meet George Kot

 

This is a picture I found interesting. An hair stylist by the name of George Kot. He is a famous hairstylist in the Russia. He is known to have outrageous wedding hairstyles. He tend to have a lot of detail in the hairstyles that he creates. For example in the picture above it has the shape of a flower. through the presence of the flower, the hair is created in loops and is sleeked through the sides of the head to create the pedals of the flower. With this the hairstylist uses a lot of hair spray to keep it in place, but most importantly patience and creativity. George is a very interesting hairstylist that creates a lot of out of the normal wedding hairstyles. One day I hope to get the chance and opportunity to see him live in action.

High and Tight

This class has a lot of emphasis on hair so I found this to be very interesting and pertaining

to our class. In the United States Military, there is a set standard for what is seen as an 

acceptable length for your hair. Men have to keep their hair relatively short in popular buzzed

 and the high and tight haircuts. If the length of a man's hair becomes longer than 2 inches for

whatever reason, they are considered to be "out of regs" (out of regulation) and can be severely punished.The same goes for woman in the military, though it is much less strict when it comes to the length of the woman's hair. A man/woman cannot color their hair other than natural born colors

such as black, brown, blonde, and red (only for natural born redheads). It is very intriguing to

me how much importance is put on the length and color of hair in the military. I mean, is it really THAT important? I believe that the issue is more of a historical thing. Since that was the standard

from the beginning of the military, it is just a tradition that continues to this very day. The man pictured above is sporting a high and tight haircut which is basically a buzz on all side of the head and very short hair on top.

Pecola the Blue Eyed Girl

     As we finished the book and we can see an argument within Pecola about and everyone else.  There are differences in seeing and being seen. Blue eyes are used as a representation of a perfect life, she imagines that if she was blessed with blue eyes people would not want to do ugly things in front of  her or to her. her belief about her image makes her make sense of all the cruel things she experienced and saw in her life. The idea of how she looked became more clear when she was being bullied and she saw the treatment Maureen would get because of how attractive others believed she was. Although all the students and school and other characters have black skin, Pecola uses the eye as  something she wants to change. Instead of saying she want lighter skin, she wishes for blue eyes which in some way can change how she's sees the world and how others perceive her. To finally get blue eyes she has to make herself oblivious of not only the world around her but herself as well. By the end she gets her wish during her dementia and trauma of her hard life. Her connection of how she is seen and what she sees in herself is a crutch that denies her happiness in her own skin.

I found Geraldine to be an interesting character. She is very selective of the type of African Americans her son is allowed to play with. I feel her discontentment with lower class African American symbolizes how she isn't comfortable being African American herself. she loathes poor African Americans in fear of becoming one, and being seen in the public eye as one. In essence she uses low class African Americans as an outlet for her own insecurities. Her cat represents lost compassion and love. Her love and compassion for her family is lost within the cat. She only really shows affection to the cat, which explains Juniors hatred towards it.

The Sins of the Father are Felt by the Family

We've talked in class briefly on the naming of a character, especially relating to Pecola Breedlove. The fact that Pecola means sin, or stain, and the last name "Breedlove" can be interpreted as 'sin breeds love'.

However,  The Bluest Eye does not mean for this to be interpreted as the cute or dainty kind of love, but as its more sinister demeaning form: lust. Pecola could be seen as the "sin" of her father Cholly, because of the sacred bond between parent and child he breaks by having sex with her. The act and Pecola's name reminded me of the story in Paradise Lost where Satan fathers the manifestation of Sin from his head. Though in Paradise Lost Sin does not breed love but Death with Satan her own father. We are also told at the beginning of the novel that none of the marigolds grew the following year indicating, Pecola's child will die at or near birth.  This mean's Pecola--Sin, has also spawned death. A worse fate would have been the child to survive and follow the same shameful path of his father and grandfather.

Much like Satan is rejected by God who he considers his father, Cholly is spurned by his, and both are obsessed with the concept that they are "free" to do whatever they want. By blaming others such as Darlene or their parents for how they act, both have perverted what free-will stands for: you can make your own choices, but you must take responsibility for the consequences of your actions,  .

The Breedlove family also seems to be cursed much like Oedipus' family from Greek mythology. His father's rejection of him causes a rippling effect and the repercussions are felt by all members of the family and even future generations: Oedipus murders his own father, beds his mother who commits suicide, his incest-born sons slay each other, and his daughter hangs herself. Though it is cruel, their suffering and deaths are necessary to cleanse the stain of sin that they had no control over. Similarly Pecola suffers the the insults of Geraldine, Maureen, and the boys, the attack from a cat, and the guilt of accidentally killing a dog.

Did She Really Get Blue Eyes?

Okay, so after finishing the book, I have a series of questions that may or may not be answered, either here on the blog or in our next class, regardless, I hope someone can help me in shedding some light on the matter.

During the last few pages, Claudia and Pecola are conversing about her new blue eyes and how much prettier a person, and better person she will be, now that she has them. However, as we all know due to genetics, you can't simply change eye color, especially through prayer. So, is Claudia saving Pecola's feelings and making her believe she has blue eyes, or has Pecola become so traumatized with everything she's experienced that she convinced herself she has blue eyes?

Both of these are loaded questions, but it wouldn't be too far off, since the narrator describes Pecola going mad, or losing her mind, at the end of the novel. But why, or how, does she lose her mind? I feel like the book presents more questions than answers when you come to the conclusion.

What do y'all think?

Pecola

In the The Bluest Eye, we meet the a young girl named Pecola. She believes herself to be ugly as she has very dark skin, and more importantly not having blue eyes. Throughout the book she is constantly reminded of her ugliness by her classmates, her parents, and the people around her. Her desire to obtain blue eyes is a central focus of the book. It is shown through her love for Shirley Temple, who has blue eyes. Also when she goes to see Soaphead Church, she asks him for blue eyes, and is willing to do what she says. Even though she kills a dog, she is more exited by the notion that she will get blue eyes since the dog dying was a sign.

The Bluest eyes

     In the book, "The Bluest Eyes", a little girl that goes by the name Pecola seems to always feel like she is less of a person compared to everyone else. I get this impression because of a one specific event, although there are more than one events where this impression is made.  The one that stood out to me the most was when she goes to buy candy from Mr. Yacobowski's store, she takes note of his blue eyes. She also seems to feel as if he is not really looking at her, as if he just glances over her because of the color of her skin and the lack of her colored eyes.  She describes him as not needing to waist the effort of a glance on her.

Pecola: "My life is ugly because I'm ugly."

In "The Bluest Eye", Pecola is a troubled child who grew up with parents who are not the best example to live up to be. Pecola gets thrown into a world where her father is an alcoholic and her mother loves to bring attention to herself in ways that make her seem like she does everything in the household. Pecola dread life in the house. She hates it completely. She gets swallowed up in her own thoughts of why she couldn't be born in a different way. She wished her parents would stop fighting and hoping that if she was prettier, then life wouldn't be so ugly. She was ugly and she knew it. It wasn't like her parents were the supportive type and tried to dissuade her that she was ugly. She believed that since she was ugly, her life was ugly.

People see her as one thing, ugly. People don't see her as a person but more of what she is on the outside. She yearns for blue eyes. Why does she want those blue eyes? Will blue eyes make her pretty since all the blue eyed girls she seen turn out to be pretty? Is it because it is a shade of color in her eyes that could change how her life is? I believe that Pecola yearns for blue eyes because she truly believes that having blue eyes will make her pretty and in turn, create a life different than the one she has now. Maybe, a set of blue eyes would have her parents notice her more and love her more. Maybe, a set of blue eyes could make her stop wanting to think of dying. Maybe, a set of blue eyes will have people like her more as a person and no one would bully her.

Pecola as a Character

             Pecola's character is described as a girl who seeks love and attention. She seeks to be hopeful in life and seeks to strive to be "beautiful" in her own way. Compared to the other girls in the book, Claudia and Frida, Pecola seems to be lacking love compared to the other two  characters. Pecola's parents lack on showing love towards her and communication, unlike the other girls. The other little girls in the book have more of a stabled home compared to Pecola. Pecola has two parents who fight in front of her and Sammy. Her father is an alcoholic and her mother seems to always stir up the pot with her husband. Pecola seems to cooperate with the fighting by seeking hope and praying to God that she would have her blue eyes, whereas her brother seems to always run away from the situation. He doesn't like to be around them fighting. I think that because of the environment she is at home, it also leads to her not having a lot of self confidence. Also, through out the book there is a lot of racism happening throughout the book. Pecola is portrayed as an ugly girl compared to other girls in the book because of the fact that she is a little bit darker than others. After reading all these events and the comments some of the other characters say to Pecola, I think it's bizarre because of the fact that these characters are young and they are already effected through racism.  

the bluest eyes

i dont know what to put but im putting something random from the book, the title give me a feeling of everyone want to be blonde, and i am thinking of what is so good to be blonde, just being yourself is the best

Pecola

In the Bluest Eyes, Pecola is a black skinned girl that craves for lighter skin and blue eyes. In one of the events that happened in the book, a new girl came to school and she was black. But she had light skin and a lot of people liked her. Even in class, when the teachers asked people to sit with the new girl, they wouldn't mind. But Pecola always sat on her own. Just because the girl had lighter skin, she started calling Pecola and her other friends ugly and dark. This showed us how back then, lighter skin people thought they had more power than darker skin blacks.

Pecola Character Analysis

I found that Pecola is a character who just continues to go downward a negative spiral throughout her young life. She lacks any parental figure to guide her and love her. And because of this, this has caused her to be devoid from understanding what human affection is. Her downward spiral continues to grow as the people around her have a sense of violence or hatred towards her. I find her downward spiral important as a reader because this displays the struggle as an individual to be accepted within society when other individuals within society are having the exact same struggle. Ultimately the lack of care for Pecola within the book is caused by other characters who struggle with their own pain and therefore use her as a way to alleviate this pain that they have.

Love & Beauty

In the Bluest Eye, we are introduced to a very troubled character named Pecola. 

Since the beginning of the novel, unlike the other girls, Pecola is already self-conscious about her appearance. She envies girls with blonde hair and blue eyes, like the famous Shirley Temple. All Pecola has ever known is rejection, her desire for beauty is fixated on the beauty of white, she genuinely believes that if she had that kind of beauty the fortune in her life would be entirely different. In the chapter where Cholly and Mrs. Breedlove are fighting in front of Pecola and her brother, Pecola imagines herself vanishing but the only part of her that does not disappear are her eyes. She wonders why no one ever sees her, she wonders why no one ever remembers anything about her and she convinces herself that it is because of her "ugliness". 

Towards the end of the novel, the narrator makes a statement on love and physical beauty that describes the rejection Pecola feels:

"Along with the idea of romantic love, she was introduced to another-physical beauty. Probably the most destructive ideas in the history of human thought."

Pecola's longing desire for romantic love and physical beauty is caused by a life filled with pain and rejection, however, the superficial meaning of physical beauty she believes in brings her further pain. 

Protagonist of "The Bluest Eye"

The protagonist of The bluest eye, Pecola Breedlove, is a young black girl whose appearance are only described as ugly. The point of view of this book is usually third person, or narrated by the first person point of view of Claudia MacTeer, causing Pecola to be portrayed as a mysterious young ugly girl because her inner thoughts were never expressed. Though throughout her action and speech, it was evident that she contains some sort of self-hatred that runs through the Breedlove family. In the book, this notion of self-hatred is described as ugliness. This book thoroughly expressed women's pursuit of beauty, and the dominance some colors over others. This can be seen by the description of how Pecola longs for blue eyes, and how Maureen Peal, a young girl who has sloe green eyes screamed at them "I am cute! And you ugly!" Pecola, being the fragile young protagonist she is, hates what she was born with, and deliberately took the passive role to escape from reality. This escape route will eventually drive her to insanity like a one way trip.

The Bluest Eye

"The Bluest Eye" made me realize, no matter what age or race you are everyone has their insecurities and it all starts with problems at home. Pecola has always thought she was ugly, as well as her family. From her insecurities and issues at home she seek for beauty to help solve everything. She always pray to God to have blue eyes like the white people in her community who were always rude and never acknowledged her. Then I wonder if she lived in an all African American community would she still want blue eyes? If she didn't have family issues would Pecola still want blue eyes? Or if there was no racism would she still want blue eyes?

Pecola's Character

             Pecola's character has a sense of emptiness, but she's not lost in the hopelessness life has given her. Compared to the other girls, like Claudia and Frida, Pecola has always felt alone with a lack affection that no one ever showed her. She has two parents who fight in front of her all the time and distances herself from them by calling them by their names not "mama" or "papa." Even her brother is gone all the time. All human contact she's ever had has shown her disinterest, violence, or distaste. Examples like Junior throwing the cat in her face with the purpose of hurting her, the white owner from the shop giving her a face full of contempt towards her after only taking a glance at her, and the way almost everyone always ignores her since she is seen alone all the time. Also, the manner in which her father rapes her. All these set of events aren't sane for anyone especially a girl of that age.

The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye is about a young girl named Pecola who thinks she is ugly. In fact, her entire family thinks they are ugly. The novel gives a short biography on both of Pecola's parents' lives, which helps readers see how their "ugliness" came around. However, Pecola believes that if she were just to have blue eyes, she wouldn't be so ugly, and her parents wouldn't fight around her as much.

Looking Into Pecola's Character

Pecola is the main character of The Bluest Eye. Pecola is a fragile and delicate child when the novel begins, and by the novel’s close, she has been obliterated by violence. One of the main things that Pecola wants to have is blue eyes because back when the novel was written having blue eyes was the standard of beauty. In the novel, to Pecola, blue eyes symbolize the beauty and happiness that she associates with the white, middle-class world. Having the title be the "Bluest Eye" is something in the novel that stood out to me because instead of using the "Bluest Eyes" in plural the author uses the "Bluest Eye" in singular. Having that title is interesting because "Bluest Eye" is a pun for "I" which is used to show the sad isolation of poor Pecola's life. Pecola prays for blue eyes, thinking if she had different colored eyes she’d see a different reality. Even if Pecola were to get the blue eyes that she wants she still would not be seen by society as beautiful because the standard of beauty was to have white skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. Without the blond hair and white skin Pecola would still be ignored by society and would not be able to see any reality just by having blue eyes. 

Character Analysis: Pecola

Pecola is the main character in the book she makes the reader feel sorry for her because she is always being deceived and mistreated by others. One example where Pecola is mistreated or abused is when Maureen Peal pretends to be nice to Pecola and buys her ice cream but ends up just being mean to her and calling her mean names. Another example is when Junior invites her into his house and tells her he has kittens but he really only has a cat and throws it at her face and also blames her for hurting the cat. Throughout the story Pecola is also mistreated by her parents and also by her peers. Pecolas character revolves around the fact that she is always being deceived and mistreated because she is an innocent little girl who can never catch a break with anything and is always put into bad decisions that she has little to no control over. Although Pecola wants blue eyes she really deep down just wants to be accepted and for people to be nice to her and by having blue eyes she thinks that will be the solution.

Pecola

Pecola, the daughter of Ms. Breedlove, is the most accurate decription of ugly. Why is this though? To understand why she is/feels ugly we have to go to her roots. Ms. Breedlove is no shining beacon on perfection, in fact is herself is also ugly. When Ms. Breedlove was young she had some life changing accidents; one included her getting a nail impaled into the bottom of her foot, thus acquiring a slight limp; at this point by her definition of beauty, she was "ugly". Pecola is born and the ugliness is pasted on to her, so to speak. Ms. Breedlove even considered her own daughter to be ugly so in Pecolas mind she was ugly. This feeling was intensified when she sees the images of Mary Jane, a white girl who she idolizes. Since she cannot achieve that form of beauty she, in her mind, would always be ugly.

The Bluest Eye: Pecola's Character

In “The Bluest Eye,” Pecola is facing problems that a lot of young children and teens face even today. In the novel, Pecola Breedlove has always been the victim. She is constantly reminded that she is ugly and believes it is mainly because of the color of her skin and eyes. Girls today watch TV and read magazines that make them want to change the way they look. They start idolizing people and trying to become them.  Pecola does this with Shirley Temple. She drinks lots of milk only because she wants to use the Shirley Temple cup. Children and teens also get bullied a lot in school. Pecola gets picked on at school by the colored boys because of the way she looks. It does not relate to her personality. She is also treated poorly by her family. Pecola believes that her parents won’t fight as much if she is prettier. This is also what a girl her age might think when her parents are fighting, that everything is her fault.  A lot of girls today are struggling to accept the way they look because there is always someone that looks better than them. In the novel, Maureen Peal is that girl. Toni Morrison does an excellent job building up Pecola’s character to truly express the struggles some girls her age are experiencing even today.  

Blog #3 The Bluest Eye Main Standpoint

Throughout the reading of The Bluest eye the main standpoint the stood out for me was Pecola’s desire for "Blue Eyes". Pecola feels that the harshness of her life and the cruelty she is experiences is connected to how her image is portrayed. Having Blue Eyes is thought of to be different, unique and beautiful. Pecola thinks that people would not want to do bad things in front of her if she had a Blue Eyes. Throughout the novel, Pecola and her family are mistreated because of their African American culture.  By wishing for blue eyes rather than lighter skin, Pecola indicates that she wishes to see things differently so she can be portrayed as a unique person. By having Blue eyes only then is Pecola able to see herself as beautiful the beautiful girl she was born to be. The question is that by wanting Blue Eyes it could cost of her the ability to see accurately both herself and the world around her. In conclusion, I feel that having Blue Eyes is the main motif behind this story. I believe the author uses "Blue Eyes" as a symbolic figure to portray Pecola's desire for a sense of equality and acceptance which is what I think is the main standpoint behind this story. 

Week 3 Blog

So far from the book, “The Bluest Eye,” I can infer that Pecola is a troubled black girl that is poor.  She is considered “ugly” by everyone in her life, even friends and family.  This rough life that she has makes her constantly fantasize about becoming more beautiful and that if she were her life would improve vastly.  She has a jealous side when it comes to others because she wishes she had what they have, more specifically their looks.    

Week #3 Blog

From this week's lesson on the book, "The Bluest Eyes," by Toni Morrison, I have learned that Pecola has a two-faced personality. What I mean by two-faced personality is that throughout Pecola's life, she has never felt wanted or loved. Since she is always feeling alone, she shows signs of anger, frustration, annoyance and etc. When a person feels so much frustration for always being alone, they tend to only have darkness surrounding them, as shown with Pecola. Pecola's desperate needs for finding people to pay attention to her brings the dark part of her personality. For example, Pecola shows the dark side of her personality when she always gives nicknames to people she likes or admires in the inside but outside she hates because she can't have what they have. An example, Maureen Peal is a person she admires because she has perfect everything (hair, skin, clothes and etc.), but Pecola ends up calling her "Meringue Pie". Therefore, Pecola's darkness from the outside and sweetness from the inside shows that she has a two-faced personality.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Lorelei is portrayed as a dumb blonde. Everyone in class agreed that Lorelei is not a dumb blonde. Reasons for why she is not a dumb blonde is because she uses her astonishing looks to get men to give her amazing gifts, like diamonds. Like the book and the song say, "Diamonds are a women's best friend", this is a true statement because a best friend makes a woman happy, which also means if a woman has a diamond be her best friend then she must be happy to have that object. The book overall was very interesting because of the way she had so many men giving her gifts and paying so much attention to her, while for Dorothy not many men paid attention to her.  

Lorelei and Dorothy's friendship

Lorelei is characterized as a shrewd character who on the surface wants to get educated. Throughout the whole book, it feels as if she has her way around men, but not women, resulting in that the only female characters we meet are only her best friend, Dorothy, her maid, and the antagonist of some sort, Madam Beekman. The lack of female friends might be one reason that Lorelei have Dorothy as her best friend, but I think there is something more than that. Lorelei's relationship with Dorothy is mutually beneficial, for example Lorelei's relationship provided Dorothy with the opportunity to travel to Europe, and Lorelei can always count on Dorothy to have her back. A good example would be when Lorelei met Madam Beekman, Dorothy stood up for her and got more angry than Lorelei did. Also at the end of the novel, Dorothy was trying to dump Henry, Lorelei helped her by going to her apartment to talk to Henry and to bad mouth Lorelei to destroy the engagement. In the book, Dorothy just goes for anyone who gives her the eye, is a little bit more handsome, and is out for love, while Lorelei goes for anyone who have money. Dorothy watch out for Lorelei, in fear of her landing herself in a marriage of only money and is loveless, while Lorelei watch out for Dorothy, in fear of her only looking for true love and end up marrying someone penniless.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Lorelei travels quite a lot in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and while some people enjoy traveling to experience new cultures and tour important landmarks, Lorelei had other interests. There were some passages where Lorelei showed disinterest in London and France culturally. For example, the main part of their trips were spent in the Ritz hotel meeting gentlemen. Whenever they arrived to their destination she usually spoke very little about the available sights and more about the Ritz and of the gentlemen there that she could get something out of. In London, she described the men there not willing to spend as much on a girl as the gentlemen in New York would, and in France she said they were very romantic there but she only cared about gifts.

Gentlemen prefer blondes

In Gentelmen Prefer Blondes Lorelie is depicted as a dumb blonde, but she is so much more than that. I think she knows how she is perceived and therefore uses it to her advantage to manipulate men into giving her what she wants. She uses her good looks and clever mouth to trick men into buying her expensive things like the tiara from piggie who started off not liking her so much and ended up loving her. She is a character it's impossible not to admire because of how easily she accomplishes what she sets out for.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

While it is true that Gentlemen Prefer Blondes depicts Lorelei as a gold digger, she is not a dumb blonde. In fact she fools multiple educated men into getting what she wants. She gets money out of both Robber and Louis with her fake diamond tiara, and befriends Henry's parents with her words. Although she doesn't know how to spell words, she certainly knows how to use them. The book made me think about Legally Blonde and how there is a stereotype that blonde-haired women can't succeed. In the movie, Reese Witherspoon plays a blonde sorority girl, Elle Woods, who has a natural talent as a lawyer. She even graduates at the top of her class, at Harvard no less, despite the prejudice she faces throughout her time there. 

Lorelei

When you really think about it, is Lorelei really a "dumb" blonde? In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, they portray Lorelei as unintelligent  from the misspelling in her diary, for example instead of Eiffel tower she spells as Eyefull, and how she uses men to get "educated" while they give her books to read and she does not end up reading them. Although she is unintelligent, I do not think she is a dumb blonde, she is more of a gold digger. I think Lorelei knows she is not educated enough to make it on her own yet knows she is a beautiful blonde that can score any man she wants. She then goes on a quest to find the perfect sugar daddy, starting with Mr. Eisman to the innocent European men to Henry H. Spoffard. Lorelei knows she will never read a book and has succeeded with that excuse to end up receiving expensive gifts from the gentlemen that fall for her plan to "educate" her. So who is really the dumb one, the men falling for Lorelei's beauty or the beautiful blonde Lorelei that can get away with murder?

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: Representation of the Seven Sins

Anita Loos, author of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, does an excellent job in helping in making this class understand the deeper and underlying messages when it comes to hair. She does this through her the main character/narrator Lorelei. She creates a character named Lorelei who represents a unique character who can be judged in several ways. For example one can say that Lorelei is just a dumb blonde, while other say she's a slut, and others can say she uses her wits to find a brilliant way to have a lavish lifestyle. However my approach on Lorelei is that she represents something more than that. I would like to argue that because of her "hair" she actually embodies the seven deadly sins.

Lust - Lorelei represents the sin of lust because it is assumed that she goes to bed with a plethora of men. But she also has an insatiable desire for money as well going to ends meet in order to get it (doing this by going to bed with many men).

Gluttony - Lorelei represents the sin of gluttony because on her trip to Europe one of the main things she notices is that she believes the portions Europeans eat is way smaller than the U.S. This can be inferred that she prefers to eat the bigger portions made from the U.S. Another reason why Lorelei represents gluttony is because she is only in for her self-interest and forsaking anyone else's feelings.

Greed - Lorelei clearly represents the sin of greed because she goes on dates with a bunch of men only because she wants to get gifts or money from them.

Sloth - Lorelei represents the sin of sloth because she does not work in order to make a living but instead she uses men in order for her to live a lavish lifestyle.

Wrath - Lorelei represents the sin of wrath because if any of her many men talk about other people/women she would get jealous and take their attention away from said person they are talking about. She plans and schemes this in order to have those men right in the palm of her hand.

Envy - Lorelei represents the sin of envy because she believes that Dorothy is smarter than her just by her looks.

Pride - Lorelei represents the sin of pride because she believes to hold herself better than others. She does this by believing she is prettier than others and also believing she holds some merit of intelligence.

I think the novel Gentlemen prefer blondes is an accurate representation and gives a timeline how women use their looks to exploit men in order to get ahead in life. Some Women of today's modern society use their looks to advance in life. Media, and television display this behavior quite frequently. The movie Pretty woman is a reference to how women use their looks to use men. I thought it was interesting that the book showed that this behavior isn't something that recently popped up, but has been happening for decades, and generations of women.

Smarts or Looks?

Lorelei is depicted as an ambitious blonde who is constantly striving to become smarter. However, this is an unreliable description, since Lorelei is the narrator. She wants people to see her as interested in books and improving her mind rather than materialistic possessions. The stories she tells suggests otherwise. She is manipulative, using various strategies to get what she wants. She even went as far as paying a bell hop, Henry, to get her flowers while she is with Sir Francis Beekman in order to trick him into sending her flowers everyday after that. She does this in order to open Beekman up to buying her more things such as jewelry, and eventually the diamond tiara. She does not show interest in books as much as she says she likes to read. Whenever she gets books as a gift, she either gets bored of them or she gives them away. It is quite apparent that she relies on her looks and "charm" to get by, as well as occasional wit.

Lorelei isn't the only one manipulating

In the novel Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the focus of manipulation is on Lorelei. Now it is obvious that she uses her physical attributes to con men into giving her what she wants which is material items. What I noticed in analyzing the book is that the men are trying to manipulate Lorelei themselves. The men in the novel are so attracted to Lorelei that they spend money on her. Men buying expensive items for women, that are in the financial position to do so, are using their abilities to manipulate Lorelei to get what they want. In my eyes, stereotypically, women want materials and men want sex. Women use their sex appeal to brainwash men to getting them material things. Men use their financial success to buy materials for women to get sex. In reality neither one of the genders takes the time to mentally or emotionally connect with an individual to get what they want. Both genders manipulate with physical properties rather than using the ability of persuasion over mind. Even though Lorelei was more successful in manipulating in the book I believe it still displays how deceitful and selfish both men and women are.

I also believe that the men did not actually believe that Lorelei was intellectual but told her that as a form of manipulation in them getting her to like them. If she felt better about herself she would like them. The fact is whether this be the past of present this has not changed. It is present in media and our realities. Women expect gifts and men expect sex. It is a tradeoff that goes unsaid but is one that is a mutual obligation between mates. Lorelei received gifts from men after a short amount of time of knowing them. This simply tells me as a reader that these men are looking for a quick and easy way to her heart that is so cold. I say easy because these men she was after were more than financially stable, therefore the gifts she got from them probably did not affect them very much. Ultimately, the gifts were not genuine but a form of manipulation to get what they want. Both ways are thinking, "if i give what they want I'll get what I want". Which is just a display of everyone's individual mentality of selfishness. Men and females are both guilty of this. The novel doesn't only point out gold diggers for women but men that try to block their insecurities socially in relationships with money.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

In the novel, Lorelei manipulates men in order to receive nice things. She does this by always having a plan. For example she orders Harry to buy her flowers to trick Piggie into buying her nice things. She also tricks Louie and Robber when she not only tries to sell them a fake tiara but to both of them. She also used her clever ways to get a secret out of Mr. Bartlett. Although these men feel that they can take advantage of her because she falls into the stereotype of a "dumb blonde" she is actually taking far more advantage of them. She is very clever while these men spend a large amount of money and also risking their marriages at the same time.

Being Blonde Means Being Strong.

There are countless films and shows that portray their strong and independent main character as a person with blonde hair. Why is it that a female character who knows their strength is preferred with blonde hair? Does being blonde have some sort of dominating aspect that gives a character their will and power? Does being blonde give you strength or does having strength only apply to blondes?

As we have read in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", Lorelei is a woman who finds strength in who she is through her looks and charm. Contributing to her appearance is her blonde hair. Through out the book, she uses her appearance as a way to get the things she wants. By this I mean that if all it takes to manipulate a man is by bashing her eyelashes and twirling her hair, she definitely will use that to her advantage because she knows that her looks is her strength.

 In the film adaption of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", Lorelei is played by Marilyn Monroe. At that time period when the film came out, Marilyn Monroe was already famously known for her acting career with the help of her gorgeous blonde hair. She is also known as an actress who believed in her beauty and showed strength in the way she presented herself to the world.

The Bluest Eye

My overall feelings about both of books is that they both go hand on hand. I really enjoy the book The Bluest Eye so far because of the time period that it is in. I enjoy the fact that the three girls have different personalities. All of the young ladies have personalities that help influence once another. The character that I can relate to the most is Claudia. Claudia is a strong individual and knows the inside and outs of her mom. Claudia knows the reactions of her mom and I truly believe that I can relate to her because I also know a lot about my mom and how reactions are. As of now she is my favorite, we shall see if she stays to be my favorite at the end of the book.

That one blonde

Blondes have always been seen as dumb or stupid, even when they are extensively smart and are in top corporate positions. Regardless, everyday the term "dumb blonde" is used somewhere. Everyone is guilty of going to the beach, seeing that young blonde in a new sporty convertible and thinking that she is a gold digger. Whether she is or not. Lorelei is considered a golddigging dumb blonde by most of today's audience. This is because she can't spell and uses her looks to get what she wants. However looking deeper into Lorelei's behavior she is actually more intelligent than we credit her for. Although she is a golddigging blonde she cleverly manipulates her victims into buying her things. An example is Sir Francis Beekman, he was not interested in Lorelei but her clever thinking brought her to persist in pushing Beekman to eventually buy her the diamond tiara. Her method of doing so included constantly complementing him and making him feel comfortable with his nickname "piggie". To seal the deal Lorelei had effectively made Beekman fall in love with her, to which she utilizes by promising him that she will stay in London if he bought the tiara for her, which he happily does. 

How Beauty Is Defined.

     After reading the beginning of Toni Morrison's the Bluest Eyes , what stood out the most was Claudia's and Pecola's thoughts on beauty.These girls are not teenagers yet and have felt numerous times the way others look at them with distaste. Claudia has seen magazines, shops, newspapers, and  other people illustrate on what everyone agrees beauty is. Also, that a beautiful person should have blue eyes, blonde hair, and light skin. Pecola's wish to have blue eyes supports Claudia's observations on beauty. Similar to the kind of society that is portrayed in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Lorelei is depicted as the very definition of beauty which is an attribute she uses to her advantage.  Something these two girls will never get to experience in the society they live in.

gentlemen prefer blondes

In the book, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the main character can be perceived-at least in my opinion- as a "dumb blonde".  Now I don't mean to offend anyone when I use the term "dumb blonde", but lets face it, Lorelei fits the the stereotype of being a dumb blonde.  Also "dumb blonde" was used in the group assignment prompt so i don't really feel bad about using it. (not that I would feel bad if someone was offended by this term but that's beside the point)  First of all, the main character in this book is, to put it lightly, stupid.  I mean, her spelling and grammar is so bad, it made it a challenge to read the book without grabbing a pen and correcting every single misspelled word that a twelve year old would be able to spell.  Don't even get me started on the way she perceives herself.  Can she honestly believe that she is an educated woman with all the bs she pulls? Just because she can manipulate a man into doing what she wants doesn't make her an educated or classy woman, which she constantly claims to be.

Bluest Eyes Compared to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Society

My impression so far on Bluest Eyes:  I like Bluest Eyes so far. I like it at a lot because it is very interesting and I have sympathy for the characters and they seem realistic. I am excited for what will come next and I especially liked the part where the mom started beating the girls because she thought they were doing nasty things but she just misunderstood what was happening and I think that the message it is trying to convey is that parents need to believe their children and understand them before they react because they may believe one thing when its something completely different.

I believe that Pecola and Lorelei have very similar features because they both desire something that they can not have and although the two things are different it is the same concept. Pecola for instance wants blue eyes while Lorelei wants men to buy her endless expensive (gifts which is quite shallow).  The similarity of the two books is that they both want something that they simply can not  have. The reason that the characters have this similarity  is because they both have flaws that makes them want to be what society believes is correct in their respective time settings of their stories

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes "The Perfect Wife"

In the book Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the author, Anita Loo does an outstanding job conveying the aspect of hair and how it has an effect on a woman's image. Throughout the novel Lorelei is described as a female of desire. With all these men coming into her life you can infer how her personality along with her 'blonde" hair color has a huge effect on her life. When you showed us part of the movie with Marilyn Monroe I was able to get a clear image of the differences between Lorelei and Dorothy. Lorelei fits that sexy, rich, and needy stereotype that comes along with being blonde. The main aspect behind this book is the difference between being Blonde and Brunette. Although Dorothy and Lorelei may be friends you can clearly distinguish personality differences and lifestyle choices between the too. Because of this you can infer to the types of people blonde and brunette are and understand why men seem to want blonde girls as the "Perfect Wife".

Different Types of Smart

There are so many things that can be said for and against Lorelei and her behavior in the novel Gentleman Prefer Blondes. One of the discussions in class was determining whether or not she personifies the stereotypes that characterize women with blonde hair, or if she is in fact much smarter than she leads us to believe.

Personally, I would like to think that, yes, she is in fact not too bright, and many passages within the novel would suggest just that. With her many grammar and language errors all throughout the story, you can definitely make the assumption that she is not book smart. She even goes as far as to admit her shortcomings in certain aspects of her own personal education, despite saying that she wants to be an educated woman. I don't think that she is 100%, full-fledged blonde status, but she doesn't do much of anything to help change your opinion.

However, it can be argued that she is people, or street, smart. In contrast to her lack of education in terms of books and grammar, she knows how to manipulate the situation so that she gets the desired result. Lorelei, with her many male companions, is able to convince these men, through her charm and personal wit, to give her items, of material worth, to maintain a mutual relationship between them. In this regard, she is able to read and manipulate people and has educated herself in knowing just what to say and how to say it to ultimately get what she wants.

There are all types of being smart out there. Even though someone may be blonde, if they are in fact a bit short in traditional education and "smarts", they are more than capable of compensating that for "smarts" in another category. But what do you guys think? Let's discuss this in the comments.

Lorelei Lei: My Hero

I find Lorelei Lei quite an inspiring character. Growing up, I've always admired women. Ever since I watched Charlie's Angels starring Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, and Drew Barrymore I've always thought of women as capable of being heroic and strong with a touch of femininity. Lorelei Lei isn't like the Charlie's Angels however, she doesn't kick ass and fight the patriarchy with her fists and kung-fu moves, instead she uses her wits and social skills to get exactly what she wants. During the discussions in class I overheard students calling Lorelei a "dumb broad" and a gold-digger. The latter, which may be true, shouldn't come with a bad connotation. Why is it bad to be a gold-digger? Why is it bad for a woman to get what she wants? After all, the men in the novel could have easily have said no to the expensive gifts that she requested. Lorelei only used her charm to win their hearts and in return they used their wallets to show their affection. Lorelei is inspiring due to the fact that she doesn't need "book smarts" to get through life, all she ever needed was her blonde ambition.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Post

In the book "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" Lorelei manipulates men and uses them to get what she wants.  We have discussed in class how Lorelei represents the stereotypes of being a gold digger and presented specific examples supporting this statements.  One example is the fact that she made the jury feel sorry for her and persuaded the judge so that she got off her charges and didn't have to go to jail.  This is only one of the many examples of how she manipulates men so that she gets what she wants. 

Gentleman prefer Blondes

This novel "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" were basically talking about different stereotypes of gold diggers. In the novel, Lorelei used all the guys that he met to make benefit out of them. She will find all the ways to persuade the male to buy her gifts. For example, she will flirt with Mr. Eisman with calling him "Daddy". She is pretending as a innocent little girl that know nothing. However she had a well plan out that how to trick the guys for gifts which make me kind of mad when I read along the book.

Does hair matter that much?

i will say yes, hair does matter, specially to guys, few days ago, i had seen a video on youtube, it was about picking up hot girls, bald vs hair guys. it ends up the guy with hair do pick up more hot girls than the guy with no hair.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eH7d8ZybFE  here is the link to the youtube video.

In the book "Gentleman Prefer Blondes", written by Anita Loos talks about a blonde named Lorelei and uses first person to write about her everyday life. In the book, Lorelei is a blonde that got away with everything in the early 1900s. The book mentioned how she killed someone and she got away with it just because the judges liked her. It also talks about how she gets men to buy her expensive stuff such as tiaras and diamond rings. Blondes seem to get a lot of attention in the early 1900s and this is what Lorelei used to get what she wanted. On the opposite side, her friend Dorothy is not so lucky to be born with blonde hair, and the men that Dorothy dates, according to Lorelei, are all middle class and "not good enough" for her. Lorelei only cared about the benefit she could get out of guys. But I do agree that hair color does define a person's standing in society.

This weeks post is going to be about the book, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," by Anita Loos. After reading the book, I can start to understand why our English professor decided to start the class with the topic of hair. Throughout Lorelei's adventures in the book, she seems to be able to get whatever she wants, not only because she has blonde hair but because she has the looks and brains to manipulate all the gentlemen she meets. Therefore her hair color gives her the opportunity to control her actions, as opposed to Dorothy, she has no control over men because she is not a blonde. Unfortunately, I do believe that the hair color a person has defines your social status in society.

           As we talked about the topic of hair it brought many interesting ideas to mind. At first I was like, "Thats weird the whole quarter will be about hair." It wasn't until we started to talk about the significance of hair that I understood that it wasn't about the judgment of how everyone's hair looked.  A person's hair was like a door to the character and personality of the person.

         I never really paid any attention to my hair, although it has changed with me. I grew up with curly hair and after my first hair cut the once curly tips where now straight. It was gone, all the curls were gone and my hair was replaced with layers of straight strands. Starting from that day my hair was cut in layers time after time and no shorter than shoulder length. I decided to never dye my hair unless I started getting gray hairs and I have held my word ever since. People might say I have what they call "virgin hair", but I love the natural shade that grows when swim season starts and the straightness that allows me to not worry when it rains. My hair is what makes me... me! It's the only part of your body that can change with you and the only part you can change without making a drastic change in your appearance.

 

            From growing up as an infant to becoming an adult, in society the main feature we use is to define each other is hair. Everyone one in my family had different types of hair, in different textures, colors and shapes no two had matching hair.  Whether it is short or long hair it is commonly a headache, especially when you have hair that gives you problems because of the climate. Some people have it curly, straight, wavy, or even frizzy, but when the weather changes hair changes. When your individual mood changes your hair also changes. Through out your age and time hair changes, and the meaning behind hair also changes.

For example, when I was toddler, my mom and grandma had control over my hair. I had the same look for five years, the “Dora hair cut”. After my toddler years I officially had some control of my hair. I had medium hair length. I would do braids and pony tails on myself, but when I hit middle school everything changed. My hair was now longer. This was the first time I got layers on my hair. The haircut gave my hair a different shape. Since I have thick hair, the layers defined my hair and it even made my hair look slimmer. I loved the layers. I got the chance to finally curl it, straightened, pin it, and even got the chance to dye it when I turned 19. After I got into my teens I felt that I had more liberty and more of a wide range of how I can express myself through my hair. At times, you can tell whether I had a good or bad day, especially when I would wake up early or late. There were some days when I became “lazy” and just pulled up my hair in a bun. My hair has gone through the best and worst times in my life. Throughout the years my hair and myself have matured and have had different personalities.

Red vs. White

During our first class meeting, the topic on hair color was brought up and how hair color and style can symbolize many different things. We discussed how in a variety of Disney movies, the hair styles of Disney princesses are typically different from the hair styles of the antagonists of these movies (i.e. Repunzel's beautiful blonde hair and her evil "mother's" curly black and gray hair). 

In the recent Alice in Wonderland movie, I noticed how the Red Queen and the White Queen both had very interesting hair styles.

The Red Queen is portrayed as an evil, selfish, and extremely feisty queen who takes control of her kingdom with fear. The Red Queen's hair is short, wavy and red like fire. 

On the other hand, we have the White Queen who is portrayed as sweet, kind, and gentle. She rules her kingdom with kindness. In the movie, her hair is long, curly, and is the color white. Her white hair could be a symbol of pureness.

In my opinion, it is interesting to see how the difference between the hair styles of both these queens fit in with how their characters appear in the film. :)

Long hair DO care

Females have the choice of having short, medium, or long hair length. As annoying as it can be in the hot, humid, sticky long So Cal summers I love my long hair. From what I can remember I have only had two major hair cuts and the rest of the times I have been to the hair salons I only get trims. I remember in preschool and Kindergarten my father use to always do my hair in the mornings before school... yes, my father! He use to get a hand full of gel, rub his hands together, and slick my hair in the tightest and highest ponytail you can imagine. I remember always sitting "Indian style" on the rainbow carpet and even with my hair in the high ponytail, my hair would still reach the carpet. Then in first grade I got my first official "hair cut" and had it cut to my shoulders. I don't remember how I felt about it since I was so young but I do remember my second hair cut in eighth grade going into high school. My hair was at about medium length and I cut it "short" and HATED IT!!! At the age of 14, I thought having short hair would have been cute since everyone else was doing it. But, it made me insecure about myself and made me think it didn't go with me since I was told I have a round face. So I guess that traumatized me in a way and since then I have never got a hair cut and have stuck to trimming. Now that I am 21, I have only dyed my hair 4 times, received 2 hair cuts and get a trim about twice a year. Every now and then I do get the urge to cut my hair shoulder length but every time I get a trim and think my hair stylist trimmed it "too much" my heart breaks and I feel like its too short even though my hair still reaches my waist. I guess I can admit I am a little obsess with my hair but there is nothing wrong with that. I wish I had access to images to show my hair length at different ages but here is an exaggerated video of how I feel I react when I am on my way for a trim. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA6NmJoYU6c

Just how much does hair mean to you

I am a guy who, for my whole life, I have never actually specified to the barber how I want to do my hair, until earlier this year (January). I thought I didn't care about my hair, I thought no one would, and I shaved my head bald. I went from 5 inch long hair to nothing. It was a new experience, it was awkward and I kept my cap on most of the time. I felt conscious about my bald head and quite a lot of times I do get stares. From this experience, I understood that the hairstyle of not having hair does not suite me, and how important it is to have a hairstyle that suites you.

Below is a link that shows girlfriends cutting boy friends hair, and to me it feels like hair is something that expresses your feelings and your personality, and allowing someone unprofessional do it must mean that that person must really mean a lot to you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erzXeFu7I_0

Hair: Yours and Mine

 I'd like to give my personal experience with hair and how it affects my lifestyle and character. It's amazing how fast hair grows back. Every summer the guys in my family shave their heads completely, in a sort of cleansing ritual. I wasn't thinking so far ahead this summer, and ended up shaving it off just a week before my freshman orientation! I felt shy the entire time. I found it a little difficult making friends during those few days because people thought it was weird for a teenager to not have hair. Many of them thought I was trying to join the military. Quite a first impression. Not only did my girlfriend wholeheartedly disapproved of me shaving my head, but so did many of her friends, which goes to show there are gender-norms in place for guys as well when it comes to hair. On the right is how I look today. I act more confident now that my hair has grown back, and I also find that I gain confidence from not just the hair, but from wearing contact lenses too. Anyways I just wanted to show how much different I look with glasses on and no hair vs hair and contact lenses.

Break-up with love and with your hair

One of the many things that girls universally understand is that when dealing with a break-up, the best way to cope and start anew is to chop off your hair. It's something that society has influenced upon girls. They grow up learning from shows and movies that the main character cuts her hair to deal with a broken heart. Why is this? Why do girls tend to majorly change their hair when they leave a relationship? What does it even mean for them to cut their hair?

These answers can be perceived in many different ways, but here are a few reasons why.

To Become a New Person: 

Hair is often used as symbolism in movies and in shows. The moment those shears snip away at strands of hair is when the girl becomes a new person. For example, Mulan cuts her hair in a dramatic scene where she runs away to impersonate her father in the army. This act is what made the distressed Mulan into the awkward man she made up to be Ping. The change in hair gives off the feeling of turning the page and starting a new chapter.

Increase Ones Confidence:

Hair is easily associated to ones pride. After a relationship that ends badly, a girls confidence can be wavering. In order to gain that back, what do we girls do? We make it our mission to look better then we were at the start of the relationship. 

In Order to Finally Let Go:

In a way, hair can also be used as a metaphor. At times, in order to be able to let go of an old relationship, girls cut their hair. Cutting what a girl is so used to having is something that can be therapeutic in a way. It gives the sense of letting go, accepting change, and being able to say "Hey, I can survive without you" to our hair and to a significant other.

Long, Beautiful Hair.

Many people seem to have the same ideology of having long hair. It is viewed as beautiful and worth preserving (for females).Similar to Tangled's view of keeping long, beautiful hair, David Beckham shares a relating opinion. When talking about his daughter's long, brunette hair, he commented his refusal of letting his wife cut it. He states that they have not cut it since she was born which he wants to continue doing. Beckham says that his daughter's hair is "just so good" and takes full credit
of it.


http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-beauty/news/david-beckham-never-wants-to-cut-daughter-harpers-hair-2015289

"Masculine" hair

Big muscle men are typically known for the intense masculinity they give off. What do they all have in common aside from the muscles? Their hair; a huge majority share small simple hair or in extreme cases no hair. Why is this? According to a study at the University of Pennsylvania states that men who have no hair are perceived to be more dominant and masculine in mature. A good example would be Dewayne Johnson. Short hair is also more associated with masculine professions such as the military, police and firefighting.  

A Whole New Look?

Today, more young women have begun dyeing their hair various unconventional colors. One new interesting style that I have been noticing lately in salons and on social media is the "granny hair" trend, or purposefully coloring your hair to be grey/silver. Although some people love this style, others do not feel the same way. I've experienced this because not too long ago I considered altering my hairstyle to silver. I was bored of my ordinary hair and wanted something really different and unique. I've had black hair all my life and wanted to step out of my comfort zone. Also I really loved the color, because come on.. whats not to love?

However, my traditional parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents obviously did not feel the same way. They couldn't find any sense in what I wanted to do. My dad laughed and offered me some of the grey hairs off his head. My mom looked at me like I was out of my mind. My grandma thought it was a joke that was directed towards her.

 "You're so young, why would you want to look so old?!"

"Grey? People actually pay to get grey hairs?"

While silver locks were beautiful in my eyes, I began to imagine what people would think about me upon first glace, before they even knew me... and what kind of person they would envision me to be. I thought about the jokes my family would make. The things my friends and coworkers would say. Above everything else, I thought about what my bosses at work would think, and if they'd make me change it back because it could be potentially considered unprofessional.

Ultimately, I guess I wasn't ready for this big of a change. All of the worrying was enough to make me back out and settle with my safe, "normal" hair. But who knows, maybe I'll have the courage some other day.

This image shows a stereotype that brunettes are the most trustworthy, implying that hair color and trustworthiness have a connection. However, I find faulty logic in that. What does hair color have to do with being able to keep a secret? I believe this stereotype arises from another stereotype, "blondes are dumb" - therefore blondes cannot keep things to themselves. Brunettes and blondes are constantly contrasted, so if blondes are dumb and unable to be trusted, then brunettes would be smarter and more trustworthy. What does this imply about other hair colors, such as red hair?