Not a Luxury

"For women, poetry is not a luxury."

This quote is featured in the epigraph of the chapter, written by Audre Lorde. I found it powerful because I think that women express their emotions as a form of poetry. The chapter discusses the impact of women in the workplace and home. As homemakers, some women experienced "redomestication" during the war. Afterwards, imagery of Rosie the Riveter showed up for awhile until society tried to turn her back into a domesticated housewife.

I felt it was important to embrace the spoken word and I see that resonance today. At times, I feel like there is a hazy line when it comes to feminism. I used to think that feminism was a special group of people fighting for women's rights but it seems that it's just to find equality between the sexes.

It seems as though some look down at the movement because of the differences in opinion when it comes to reproductive rights and demanding protection from violence.

Shirin Neshat discusses universal truths and objects surrounding Iranians around the world. I thought the information was interesting to provide a viewpoint for Americans. She said she did not want to make cliche work but I'm still wondering if she has. By using imagery of women in veils in a natural environment like a desert, her videos seem a bit expected. I think her diversity is interesting and it's great that her work has reached the attention of the Whitney but again with these artists, I expect more.

With the Art of Protest, feminists were focused on the spoken word and these silent films tried expression without speech. It's an interesting concept but I think it portrays Muslim women as being oppressed in their native societies. If you ask women there or here, you'll get a variety of opinions. Yes, women must cover themselves as part of the religion but also Islam provides many rights to them as well. Islam has provided many documents for fairness especially when it comes to prenuptial agreements, marriage contracts and wills. Certain cultures restrict women more but people have to realize not everything they hear is part of the religion. I felt like Neshat has a good approach, but not necessarily a different one.