Colleen S. Kenny

Twenty-first Century Motherhood: Experience, Identity, Policy, Agency

barbara — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Motherhood is often a topic of confusion or contention among feminists. The process of birthing demonstrates just how awesome and powerful women’s bodies are. However, the institution of motherhood is constructed in ways that oppress women and privilege certain classes, races, and sexualities. In Of Woman Born Adrienne Rich writes, “We do not think of the power stolen from us and the power withheld from us in the name of the institution of motherhood.”

Taking their cue from Rich, writers of the new volume Twenty-first Century Motherhood: Experience, Identity, Policy, Agency look to reclaim some of this stolen and withheld power. This volume, which explores current issues in the burgeoning field of motherhood studies, shows how women have begun deconstructing motherhood through the practice of “empowered mothering” that has transformed this institution. Editor Andrea O’Reilly’s introduction to the volume gives readers a clear and succinct foundation of feminist theories surrounding motherhood studies including Sara Ruddick’s revolutionary idea that mothering is a practice and therefore a verb as opposed to a noun.

While O’Reilly’s introduction is much needed for motherhood studies amateurs such as myself, the essays in Twenty-first Century Motherhood range much further than a mere introduction to this exciting field. This volume, true to its title, explores how recent changes have altered forever the experience of mothering for women everywhere. The essays are divided into four sections— experience, identity, policy, and agency—and cover a huge range of topics which seem to particularly affect mothers in the Global North. The articles range, quite incredibly, from Chicana mothering and GBLTQ parenting to the role that the internet and biotechnology play in familial relations.

I was pleasantly caught off guard by Ana Villalobos’ thought-provoking essay, “Mothering in Fear: How Living in an Insecure-Feeling World Affects Parenting.” Villalobos does an excellent job exploring the question: what mothering strategies do parents use in reaction to today’s perceived fear and risk-abundant environment? Villalobos shows that while some mothers have become overly protective, others have developed inoculating parenting behaviors—exposing their children to the risks of the world. While these parents have often been criticized as lacking an intense love and care for their children, Villalobos shows that just the opposite is true. These inoculating parents believe that by exposing their children to moderate, but manageable, risks they are better caring for their children by allowing them to learn how to navigate such a complex and dangerous world.

In “Brown Bodies, White Eggs,” Harrison touches on some very pertinent issues surrounding race and labor in matters of cross-racial gestational surrogacy, when the surrogate female giving birth is of a different race than the child she is carrying. In her essay, Harrison proposes that while the inter-relations of people of different races in this process of birthing may seem to efface racialized gender hierarchies they actually do much more to enforce them.

Lastly, I was quite impressed with Rachel Epstien’s essay, “Queer Parenting in the New Millennium.” Toward the end of her essay, Epstien poignantly comes to the difficult question: how do queer parents obtain both the public recognition they desire as lovers and parents while at the same time persist in resisting the norm and questioning that which society sees as recognizable? In answer to this question, Epstien writes, “let our children learn that “sexuality and gender are varied, fluid, complex, messy, exciting, scary, fun and always changing.” Epstien here makes an excellent point. At the end of Twenty-first Century Motherhood however, it is easy to see that along with sexuality and gender, motherhood should also be taught as “varied, fluid, complex, messy, exciting, scary, fun, and always changing.”

Written by: Colleen S. Kenny, January 30th 2011

Leopard Throw Pillow

beth — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Sin in Linen

I was surprised to hear a shriek of delight from my house guest as she entered my messy apartment. I had forgotten that in a last minute effort to spruce up the place I had carelessly tossed my leopard Sin in Linen throw pillow on my living room couch. However, I was instantly made aware of its presence when my house guest followed her shriek with “I want that pillow!” As my personal anecdote demonstrates, if you are an alternative stylish individual and wish to express this through your linens, clearly, Sin in Linen is the place for you.

With unusual 1940s and 1950s inspired designs, Sin in Linen is perfect for all young/edgy/rockabilly types. Browsing the Sin in Linen website will give you plenty of gift ideas for all your alternative loved ones. Think about that edgy niece of yours who is going off to college and would love to impress her dorm mate with leopard print dorm bedding. Or, how about the adorable zebra print baby bedding which would be the perfect gift for that hip unmarried couple you know who are planning on a little one. Particularly appealing to me is the red sugar skull bedding collection inspired by Mexican Day of the Dead ceremonies.

But even if retro, alternative designs aren’t quite your thing, supporting Sin in Linen owner Sandy Glaze is reason enough for feminists to jump at the chance to meet their various bathroom, kitchen, and bedding needs through Sin in Linen. Those of you Seattlelites like me may recognize Sandy Glaze as former Rat City Rollergirl Ann Munition #357. For the past two decades, Glaze has been a huge supporter of the alternative art communities up and down the coast. She sees her company Sin in Linen as an extension of her passion to encourage and enable everyone to express themselves in every way possible.

Written by: Colleen S. Kenny, September 28th 2010

Storm

beth — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Directed by Hans-Christian Schmid

Film Movement

Winner of the Amnesty International Film Prize at the Berlin Film Festival in 2009, Storm is the story of prosecutor Hannah Maynard’s (Kerry Fox) and key witness Mira Arendt’s (Anamaria Marinca) struggle to obtain justice through the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague. This docudrama directed by Hans-Christian Schmid derives from the real life story of international criminal prosecutor Hildegard Uertz. Uertz is quite famous for her dedication to international justice and for conducting the first international lawsuit in which rape was accepted as a war crime.

It is no stretch of the imagination to believe that Storm was largely inspired by true events. Unlike most other court room dramas which show justice swiftly served, Storm is more interested in showing the long arduous process behind all court cases. The film introduces viewers to a wide range of problems plaguing the Hague court: funding, lack of resources, and security to name a few. While the film in opening viewers’ eyes to a huge range of issues surrounding the court is extremely thought provoking, it also seems to weigh the movie down. Instead of an in-depth look at one problem or aspect of the court, viewers are instead asked to be satisfied with a wide sampling of conflicts. While in some ways this makes Storm refreshingly unique, it also places viewers at a distance; we don’t know enough about any one problem to feel properly invested in the characters or the story.

The film is brilliantly acted by leads Fox and Marinca. Filmgoers may recognize Fox from Jane Campion’s 2009 John Keats biopic Bright Star and Marinca from her unforgettable performance in the groundbreaking 2007 Romanian film 4 months 3 Weeks 2 Days.

Reflecting on the film, I can’t help but think that Storm would have made a brilliant mini-series. Without the time constraints of an hour and forty three minute film, Storm could have taken the time necessary to explore properly all the complex and diversified problems that the film so fascinatingly introduces. With a mini-series akin to The Wire, Storm, rather than simply calling attention to the many intricate issues surrounding the International Criminal Court could adequately explore the interconnected complexities that plague justice systems all over the world.

Written by: Colleen S. Kenny, September 25th 2010