Saturday, 19 March 2011
Day 6 - Imini yesithandathu
Today I knew I would cheat. It's a Saturday and it is EXTREMELY hot. Usually Saturday's are my days to relax and cool down after a hectic week. I can't exactly put my feet up comfortably wearing a long heavy skirt. So I wore track suit pants all day. I feel terrible but I had to. Luckly I stayed at res all day. Strangely the people I live with noticed and started asking me where my head wrap and skirt is. Why am I not wearing them. That made me happy in that I now know that people are behind what I'm doing and they understand the importance of what I am doing. That made me smile.
Friday, 18 March 2011
Traditional xhosa singing by women in a Khayelitsha household
What I've come to notice about the black people of South Africa, no matter where they go or are placed be it in the city, in townships etc, they take what ever rituals, singing and beliefs they have, with them. That I believe is extremely special and interesting. It's interesting to see how rituals and customs are taken from rural homelands and made to work and adapt in urbanised settings.
This is a video on You Tube of traditionally dressed women singing traditional songs in a home in Khayelitsha. Songs are usually sang for any occasion, whether it be just a large gathering of people or traditional ceremonies like weddings, initiation ceremonies etc. It's visible in the video that all the women have their head's covered and are not wearing clothes that are revealing.
This is a video on You Tube of traditionally dressed women singing traditional songs in a home in Khayelitsha. Songs are usually sang for any occasion, whether it be just a large gathering of people or traditional ceremonies like weddings, initiation ceremonies etc. It's visible in the video that all the women have their head's covered and are not wearing clothes that are revealing.
Day 5- Imini yesihlanu
Today I woke up longing for the me I knew, the me who gets up in the morning and puts together something I've never seen before, and so that's what I did. With the skirt I lent I put together something I'd wear even if I was not currently in the process of an intervention. I could count that as cheating because that certainly does'nt make me feel as uncomfortable as I should be feeling. So I tackled the day lightly and with ease and slowly started to get used to the new me. I'm starting to get used to it and it's freaking me out. I'm starting to think of how I could have possibly worn such short shorts just a few days ago, what was I thinking?
But then I snapped back to reality and realised I am born of another time, another mindset, that does'nt see anything wrong with wearing short shorts when it's hot. That's just it, it is hot, why on earth would one wear anything but short shorts? I think I know the answer to that. Oppression, power and control. In the reading Gender Rouble by Judith Butler, Butler can be quoted as saying : "The notion of a universal patriarchy has been widely criticized in recent years for its failure to account for the workings of gender oppression in the concrete cultural contexts in which it exists. Where those various contexts have been consulted within such theories, it has been to find "examples" or "illustrations" of a universal principle that is asumed from the start. That form of feminist theorizing has come under criticism for its efforts to colonize and appropriate non-Western cultures to support highly Western notions of oppression". This part of the reading is directly related to the intervention as a whole. Should African cultures and customs now change because of Western notions of oppression. When African cultures practice customs such as ukuhlonipha, I do not necessarilly believe it was done with the intention to oppress women. By having women covered up and humble, I do however believe that it helped keep man at ease about the thoughts going through another men's heads whether he were around or not.
We went for drinks at Neighbourhood today and I got a few comments on the way I was dressed. Most people I saw told me how I had the ability to wear anything and still make it look good. When will my intervention step away from being a fashion choice! Neighbourhood was great, it's a pretty up-beat contemporary watering hole, so I think it was a great place to observe peoples reactions to me. If they could see me.
But then I snapped back to reality and realised I am born of another time, another mindset, that does'nt see anything wrong with wearing short shorts when it's hot. That's just it, it is hot, why on earth would one wear anything but short shorts? I think I know the answer to that. Oppression, power and control. In the reading Gender Rouble by Judith Butler, Butler can be quoted as saying : "The notion of a universal patriarchy has been widely criticized in recent years for its failure to account for the workings of gender oppression in the concrete cultural contexts in which it exists. Where those various contexts have been consulted within such theories, it has been to find "examples" or "illustrations" of a universal principle that is asumed from the start. That form of feminist theorizing has come under criticism for its efforts to colonize and appropriate non-Western cultures to support highly Western notions of oppression". This part of the reading is directly related to the intervention as a whole. Should African cultures and customs now change because of Western notions of oppression. When African cultures practice customs such as ukuhlonipha, I do not necessarilly believe it was done with the intention to oppress women. By having women covered up and humble, I do however believe that it helped keep man at ease about the thoughts going through another men's heads whether he were around or not.
We went for drinks at Neighbourhood today and I got a few comments on the way I was dressed. Most people I saw told me how I had the ability to wear anything and still make it look good. When will my intervention step away from being a fashion choice! Neighbourhood was great, it's a pretty up-beat contemporary watering hole, so I think it was a great place to observe peoples reactions to me. If they could see me.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Day 4 continued
It's funny how I did not feel as "beautiful" as usual during the intervetion. It may be because my perception of my own beauty is not how I am looking right now. Feelings of unattractiveness have surfaced within me. The "beauty myth" (Naomi Wolf 1990), which is found in the reading "The Body in Consumer Culture" by Alexandra Howson, is described as the institutionalisation of the male gaze. Wolf states that the myth has three consequnces on women, the first being the constant monitoring and repairing required by the pursuit of beauty diverts women's energy and saps their confidence. The second being, the pursuit of beauty becomes a currency for women and increases competition between them. Moreover, visual apprearances that confrom to ideals and norms of beauty provide access to public life, and women seen to avoid or fail to achieve beauty standards exprience overt and covert froms of discrimination. Thirdly, the current emphasis on beauty is a form of backlash against women's economic and political gains in the post-war period.
I found the Beauty Myth extremely relevant to how I have been feeling. Because I do not get the usual whistles and the male gaze I used to get when I dressed normally, I do not feel beautiful anymore. I constantly monitir the way I am looking lately because I know that it can not possibly be good enough simply because I do not feel as though I am myself anymore.
I found the Beauty Myth extremely relevant to how I have been feeling. Because I do not get the usual whistles and the male gaze I used to get when I dressed normally, I do not feel beautiful anymore. I constantly monitir the way I am looking lately because I know that it can not possibly be good enough simply because I do not feel as though I am myself anymore.
Found a very interesting blog, Maundering mutterer. Extremely relevant to what this intervention is largely about.
Visit http://maunderingmutterer.blogspot.com/2011/01/clothes-and-xhosa.html
Visit http://maunderingmutterer.blogspot.com/2011/01/clothes-and-xhosa.html
Day 4 - Imini yesine
After an interesting day yesterday, I hope all the days to follow will be as interesting. Today a friend kindly lent me two beautiful long skirts that I think I can work around. Had she not done that, I don't know what I wouldve done. Today I don't have class, but I would've had Creative Development. We were told to use the time to dwell in our intervention. Today is going to be weird. A special someone is coming to visit today. He knows about the project, I needed his motivation! I hope he does'nt think I look like a mhamha! hahaha, but he's extremely open-minded and open to social experiments like this one. He actually said he would'nt talk to me when he got here, if I was'nt wearing my head wrap and long skirt (hahaha, what a trooper!)
I love the skirt, it's so beauitiful and oriental!
I love the skirt, it's so beauitiful and oriental!
Day 3 - Imini yesithathu
Today I wore what I wore on the first day. I think I'll have to chop and change like that. I woke up feeling unmotivated to get dressed and head to the outside world. This got me thinking as to how greatful we as the children of another time, to have been born into a different mindset. Remember, the society in which you occupy determines the way in which your mind thinks and processes what it belives to be normal and abnormal. I'm so greatful to have been born and brought up with that different mindset and being given the opportunity to express myself in which ever way I wish. Whether it be through clothing, music, writing, whichever. I'm just feeling really greatful today.
It's funny how everyday is so different. Everyday I feel different. Every day I make a new realisation and conclusion. Today I feel better. My skirt and head wrap seem to be working well together. I leave res with much more confidence in me. I'm starting to look at myself as someone's wife. What if I was? What if I married into a family that took the practice of ukuhlonipha( giving respect to your in-laws and husband) very seriously? Would I not marry him because of that? These are very difficult questions to answer and predict, but they are realistic questions that I might have to answer one day.
As I navigate throught the city through Greenpoint, I keep noticing more and more women dressed in this manner. I see an older woman dressed in a black skirt, jersey, head wrap and stockings. Her case is different. When a woman is dressed in all black like that, she is indicating that she is a widow and she is in her mourning period (which lasts about 6 months to a year, imagine!). In the past, older woman were usually seen dressed in this particular manner simiply because in the past, people didnt die as young as they do now. So I guess things have changed.
I arrive at school feeling the way I have been feeling when I've been at school during this intervention, comfortable, and fogeting that I'm not looking the way I normally do. Today is really a much better day. At the end of the day, I go back home and just before supper I bump into a friend of mine and she shouts "X! what's up with you looking like a nanny lately?!". Knowing her,I know she does'nt mean it in any disrespectful way, but I act like I'm hurt by her remark on my new way of dress. She then realises that this is a bit more serious than she thought. She asks me why I've been dressing the way I am, then I hestitantly tell her, after she begged me to tell her, that I am getting married off. She was hysterical! She didn't believe me at first but started to believe me because I looked her straight in the eyes and told her that I'm getting married off!
As the evening progressed, she kept asking me if I'm joking, I kept telling her I was'nt. Then she asked me why my parents were doing this to me, why would they invest in my education, send me to varsity, provide me with a comfortable life and then just one day decide to marry me off? It was soo much fun watching her get so worked up! I told her that my parents had to do it because it was a good tie of families. His family and my family would be lucrative for one another. Hahahahaha! You should have seen her face! She then asked me when I'm getting married, and I told her Easter weekend and then she asked how I'm going to study in Cape Town and still be married to some man? Then I could'nt watch her loose her cool so much, so I started laughing, then she realised I was lying! I told I was dressed the way I was cause my aunt was getting married in April, not me. Hahahaha, that was fun though. And to think she believed me. Shame! She kept saying, are'nt your parents modernised? I thought that only happened to people who lived in the townships? Hahahaah..
(After supper today, I saw the kitchen safe at our res, she shouted to me, "wow! you look like a Makoti! " which means you look like someone's daughter in-law) hahahah.. what a day. Turned out to be very interesting!
It's funny how everyday is so different. Everyday I feel different. Every day I make a new realisation and conclusion. Today I feel better. My skirt and head wrap seem to be working well together. I leave res with much more confidence in me. I'm starting to look at myself as someone's wife. What if I was? What if I married into a family that took the practice of ukuhlonipha( giving respect to your in-laws and husband) very seriously? Would I not marry him because of that? These are very difficult questions to answer and predict, but they are realistic questions that I might have to answer one day.
As I navigate throught the city through Greenpoint, I keep noticing more and more women dressed in this manner. I see an older woman dressed in a black skirt, jersey, head wrap and stockings. Her case is different. When a woman is dressed in all black like that, she is indicating that she is a widow and she is in her mourning period (which lasts about 6 months to a year, imagine!). In the past, older woman were usually seen dressed in this particular manner simiply because in the past, people didnt die as young as they do now. So I guess things have changed.
I arrive at school feeling the way I have been feeling when I've been at school during this intervention, comfortable, and fogeting that I'm not looking the way I normally do. Today is really a much better day. At the end of the day, I go back home and just before supper I bump into a friend of mine and she shouts "X! what's up with you looking like a nanny lately?!". Knowing her,I know she does'nt mean it in any disrespectful way, but I act like I'm hurt by her remark on my new way of dress. She then realises that this is a bit more serious than she thought. She asks me why I've been dressing the way I am, then I hestitantly tell her, after she begged me to tell her, that I am getting married off. She was hysterical! She didn't believe me at first but started to believe me because I looked her straight in the eyes and told her that I'm getting married off!
As the evening progressed, she kept asking me if I'm joking, I kept telling her I was'nt. Then she asked me why my parents were doing this to me, why would they invest in my education, send me to varsity, provide me with a comfortable life and then just one day decide to marry me off? It was soo much fun watching her get so worked up! I told her that my parents had to do it because it was a good tie of families. His family and my family would be lucrative for one another. Hahahahaha! You should have seen her face! She then asked me when I'm getting married, and I told her Easter weekend and then she asked how I'm going to study in Cape Town and still be married to some man? Then I could'nt watch her loose her cool so much, so I started laughing, then she realised I was lying! I told I was dressed the way I was cause my aunt was getting married in April, not me. Hahahaha, that was fun though. And to think she believed me. Shame! She kept saying, are'nt your parents modernised? I thought that only happened to people who lived in the townships? Hahahaah..
(After supper today, I saw the kitchen safe at our res, she shouted to me, "wow! you look like a Makoti! " which means you look like someone's daughter in-law) hahahah.. what a day. Turned out to be very interesting!
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