R. Beja Julie Walters doesn’t want surgery

Julie Walters ‘a Hollywood freak’ for not having plastic surgery

     In the current culture of movies and television, it is clear that there is a certain formula that is almost inherent to a film or television program’s success. That is the image of the ideal view of women and men together on screen. The male characters range from a variety of stereotypes and backgrounds but typically share many qualities with their female counterparts. In that they are in the sense generally young and have an athletic build. This is especially true when looking at film studios in other countries. The whole world is striving for what their culture views as the ideal man or woman. The fact of the matter is that it is impossible to continue to be the vision of the ideal because people age. The article sheds light into British actress Julie Walters, and her views on the cosmetic surgery industry that has largely taken over places like Hollywood in America as well as film studios overseas.

     Walters explains the pay scale for female actresses tends to peak around the age of thirty-four while male actors top off usually at the age of fifty-one. She explains that generally Hollywood does not have endearing or memorable roles for older female actors in general, which is why many women in Hollywood feel pressured into getting cosmetic surgery treatments. Walters believes that it is unnecessary, and while she does feel like she is unusual for not wanting to get surgery. She feels it is unnecessary and feels comfortable in her own skin. This article mostly asks the age old question, “What does it take to feel comfortable in your own skin?”

     The quest for the ideal image is on going and will never end because in all honesty, it is unattainable. People get older and the stars you grew up with in your youth are either aging out and getting replaced or it has already happened. It is a fact of life when you are dealing with a visual medium of art and entertainment. Actors and actresses tend to try and hold onto their image as long as possible because it is how they make a living. The sad fact is that actors in general who do not get some type of facial surgery to lessen the visible signs of aging then they will find themselves replaced and unless they diversify into production, clothing, ads, or anything like that they will become less and less prominent in society and in show business you are either what someone wants or you are not. There really is not a middle ground as mentioned in this article.

     This article showcases the problem that all actors face at some point during their career. That is time will age them out of work. Some actors choose to hold onto their crafted image, a few much like Julie Walters believes that if they are happy with the way they look, then society should accept them as well. This article is a good example of how young female actresses especially are objectified for their looks and only given work in some cases as long as they can maintain that image against a truly unbeatable foe, time.

For more information, please visit the BBC for the full article located here: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37350032

R.Beja: Pilipino Government Assassins

This article from the BBC involves the current Drug War in the Philippines. In this article women are being recruited, trained, and contracted by the government to kill drug dealers, pushers, and suppliers. This is part of the Pilipino government’s war on drugs. When one looks at the measures that the government is willing to take to send a message to those involved in the narcotics trade this is not just a war that involves arrests, seizing money and drugs, this is about shutting down the network and logistics through covert assassination. This is a full on war where the soldiers are not only police but civilians given briefings on their targets and then carry out government sanctioned killings.

The fact that President Duterte is even quoted as saying as a threat to drug dealers, “Do not destroy my country, because I will kill you.” It is clear that the president took those words very seriously with the inaction of this new policy. The problem however, as the President Duterte later reveals is that the problem is that the government is involved in the drug trade including the police and even some judiciary officials. It is easy to see that the assassination teams will most likely never target anyone high on the organizational chart of these drug lords. It seems almost as if this is just being used as a form of scare tactic against the drug traffickers.

It is clear that there is some similarities between the drug based corruption in the Philippines and countries like Mexico and other South American countries. The biggest difference in this story however, is that this is treated as a paid government contract. It is almost as if these groups of mostly women who are being used are being singled out due to certain characteristics, and then transformed into covert operatives meant to strike fear into the hearts of other drug dealers. When it is very possible that they are simply removing rival dealers from the local kingpin’s territory.

The women who are recruited are usually from rural, poor areas of the Philippines, and lack a formal education. These women to be honest are used based on their ability to blend into a crowd. They tend to not arose as much suspicion when getting near a drug dealer or someone in the drug trade as a male would. While they maybe women that does not mean that they are any less deadly than a male. A bullet can kill you regardless of who pulls the trigger of the weapon. The issue with this program is that in a way these women are being taken advantage of.

They are forced to split their pay between the team after a mission is complete and when the pay for a contract which is 20,000 Philippines pesos which amounts to around $430 per target. So each member only gets around $143.33 or less per target, for people who have very little, this is a lot. However, when the math is all said and done, it really does beg the question that is a human life really worth that, even if he or she is a criminal? The worst part is that much like the sex trade, it is very difficult to get out of this program mostly due to intimidation; as well as fear of reprisal from the families of the victims of the assassins. It is difficult to not view the assassins as victims themselves. They are basically trained to become predators, given very little in terms of financial support, and are required to live in certain areas. Even if they saw the money offered as a way to improve their lives and themselves, the only thing they ended up doing was to become contract killers on the payroll of their own government. The assassins had little choice but to go from contract to contract, and sooner or later they will realize they gave up part of their souls to be judge, jury, and executioner for a compromised government trying to fight a secret civil war within itself and calling it a war on drugs.

To find out more information on this article please visit the BBC for the full story: Philippines drugs war: The woman who kills dealers for a living

A Cooley: gender roles

A biopic about singer Nina Simone has faced criticism over its film trailer that is starring Zoe Saldana. The criticism started back in 2012 when Simone’s daughter suggested that they find another lead actress.

The lead actress is facing criticism simply because she is not African American. Saldana is of Dominican and Puerto Rican decent. the movie received a lot of controversy because critics felt she was not the right person to play the role of an African American world famous jazz singer, and civil rights activist.

With race being an very important role in the biopic, many fans believed an African American actress would be more suitable.

If the movie was an biopic about an African American man,would the movie be facing the same criticism?

It was easy to pick on Saldana because she is a women and women are usually looked at as inferior and weak. Women are known to stay quiet when criticized through media outlets, while men are known as people with authority who command respect. If it was a man playing the role instead of a women there would not be as much commotion.

Due to the way society is conditioned its more accepted to target women and comment on the things they do. They are targets mainly because women are not considered strong and able to defend themselves.

men are seen as tough, fearless and commanding. The media leads their audience to think that man can only be strong as long as women remain weak.

L. Singleton-Get to Know Before You Label

Today,  Vice released an article about Pamela Anderson and her career that has lasted for a very long time .The title of this particular article was ” Inside the Surreal Self Invented World of Pamela Anderson” and it was written by a woman. Before reading the article, I took offense because I thought this was the author suggesting that women have a skewed vision of reality.

To my mistake, it was actually an uplifting and informative article about Ms. Anderson . The main point that it hits on is that one should not label an individual-especially women-before you actually know them.

Everyone should be familiar with Pamela Anderson. She has had a very ling career but the only thing people seem to remember about her is that she was a playboy bunny . When you google photos of her she usually has smudged eyeliner and not so well groomed hair. From that people have placed a negative label on her.

A stereotype that was obser

Photo by Luke Gilford

ved not only in the article but also in through Ms. Anderson’s career is that “Playboy bunnies are stupid,
and are desperate.” What do you think audience? If an individual thinks that this is true; this article will arouse a sense of thought that would make them reconsider.

“I always say I went to university at Playboy.” says Pamela Anderson. She explains that she met a lot of well educated people and activist. Hefner was surprised that she was the only woman that could identify with the elaborate artwork in the house.

Besides being educated, Anderson is also an author, environmentalist, and producer. She says that managers often gave up on her, but that didn’t stop her. In her career, she just kind of “Got in where she fit in” and that has brought her a long way.

The irony of the article is that in the beginning all of the negative images of her were brought up (subliminally of course) and towards the middle the article does a turn around and shows how much of a strong and well-knowledge woman she can be viewed as.

In conclusion, do you feel as if playboy bunnies lack knowledge? DO you believe women can stand strong in an industry like that? How do yo view Pamela Anderson. Before you begin to answer these questions remember:

 

Get to Know Before You Label 😉