Women are their own masters; they do not inherently answer to anyone. Back in the 40s/50s, this was not the popular belief. Society deemed it indecent for a woman to act separately from her husband, the head of the household. Old commercials and shows depicted a life of complete bliss in which women always wore pretty dresses, had their hair done, and welcomed their men home with dinner ready and a drink in hand. After watching "Cooking Terms," an instructional video made in 1949, I identified with the subject Margie as she tried her best at being domestic, failing at times despite her good intentions. As I remixed this existing representation of what it means to be a successful woman, I made sure my protagonist eventually found her voice and departed conformity.
When I first came to Brigham Young University, I began to feel a strong wish to become married. When I was young, I believed that I would not get married until 27, spinster age in Mormon culture. I have never been one for conformity, and I know that a silent, submissive wife is someone I will never be. "Cooking Terms" follows a newly married woman named Margie who attempts to bake a cake for her husband. Margie is mute throughout the duration of the film and a male narrator speaks for her. As I remixed this material, I needed my protagonist to find her own voice and break away from the male narrator. My protagonist starts off talking to her roommates, seeking their approval and is not yet heard. Only when she burns the potatoes does the audience hear her speak. She hurls the ruined food at the wall in frustration, further deviating from a path society would have liked her to conform to. The narration is finally abandoned as the girl quits her cooking attempts in favor of cheap, quick Ramen. The girl savors her cup of noodles in contented satisfaction, now in full opposition of what 40s/50s culture would have had her do. She no longer has any ties to this culture of conformity; she is free.
Through a process of signification, it was emphasized that there is an importance in questioning convention. Women cannot merely go along with the status quo, they must examine traditional thinking and decide for themselves whether or not to agree. Henry Jenkins noted that one must not idly consume media and become an inactive spectator rather than a participator, "John Ellis (1982), for example, asserts that broadcasting constructs a spectator seeking only to absorb television's 'continuous variety' without being fully absorbed into a narrative, a 'bystander.'" In this same way, women must reevaluate their current station in life and break away from being a bystander. They cannot settle for soley being the referent, the object which exists in physical space from which meaning is derived. Women must become the signifier, the understanding of that object. We cannot simply be pretty faces in dresses who cook meals for our men. We must enjoy life outside of our relationships with men where we can discover our true essence and significance in the world.
"Cooking Terms" was an instructional video meant to teach women how to be domestic. I have remixed it to express a message encouraging independent thought and self-fulfillment. I drew inspiration from Nico Vega's music video "Gravity." The music video has a highly stylized vintage look, with old black and white conformity how-to videos spliced in. The lyrics are a call to action for the listener to defy gravity and act for oneself. Women have no masters, I have no master. We are our own free agents to make decisions, both good and bad. In the words of the ever epic Joan Jett, "A girl can do what she wants to do and that's what I'm gonna do."
When I first came to Brigham Young University, I began to feel a strong wish to become married. When I was young, I believed that I would not get married until 27, spinster age in Mormon culture. I have never been one for conformity, and I know that a silent, submissive wife is someone I will never be. "Cooking Terms" follows a newly married woman named Margie who attempts to bake a cake for her husband. Margie is mute throughout the duration of the film and a male narrator speaks for her. As I remixed this material, I needed my protagonist to find her own voice and break away from the male narrator. My protagonist starts off talking to her roommates, seeking their approval and is not yet heard. Only when she burns the potatoes does the audience hear her speak. She hurls the ruined food at the wall in frustration, further deviating from a path society would have liked her to conform to. The narration is finally abandoned as the girl quits her cooking attempts in favor of cheap, quick Ramen. The girl savors her cup of noodles in contented satisfaction, now in full opposition of what 40s/50s culture would have had her do. She no longer has any ties to this culture of conformity; she is free.
Through a process of signification, it was emphasized that there is an importance in questioning convention. Women cannot merely go along with the status quo, they must examine traditional thinking and decide for themselves whether or not to agree. Henry Jenkins noted that one must not idly consume media and become an inactive spectator rather than a participator, "John Ellis (1982), for example, asserts that broadcasting constructs a spectator seeking only to absorb television's 'continuous variety' without being fully absorbed into a narrative, a 'bystander.'" In this same way, women must reevaluate their current station in life and break away from being a bystander. They cannot settle for soley being the referent, the object which exists in physical space from which meaning is derived. Women must become the signifier, the understanding of that object. We cannot simply be pretty faces in dresses who cook meals for our men. We must enjoy life outside of our relationships with men where we can discover our true essence and significance in the world.
"Cooking Terms" was an instructional video meant to teach women how to be domestic. I have remixed it to express a message encouraging independent thought and self-fulfillment. I drew inspiration from Nico Vega's music video "Gravity." The music video has a highly stylized vintage look, with old black and white conformity how-to videos spliced in. The lyrics are a call to action for the listener to defy gravity and act for oneself. Women have no masters, I have no master. We are our own free agents to make decisions, both good and bad. In the words of the ever epic Joan Jett, "A girl can do what she wants to do and that's what I'm gonna do."
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