Women's Views on News |
- Is Bjarne Melgaard’s chair racist?
- No role for in election plans for Rennard, says Clegg
- All change at auto shows?
| Is Bjarne Melgaard’s chair racist? Posted: 28 Jan 2014 07:57 AM PST
Guest post from writer, activist and feminist Louise Pennington. This is the question currently doing the rounds on social media and in countless columns and articles. There is only one answer to this question: Yes. There really is no other way to answer this question, not if you have even a cursory knowledge of history and the legacy of misogyny, colonialism, colonisation and racism. Bjarne Melgaard's piece, which features the white editor-in-chief of [bi-annual art and fashion magazine] ‘Garage’, Dasha Zhukova, sitting fully clothed on the body of a Black mannequin, is being defended as "art". Apparently, it was created as a criticism of gender and racism. Unfortunately, this is not how criticism of gender and racist tropes functions. Criticism requires more than replicating images which are common in mainstream pornography. Using the body of a woman to create an object is neither shocking nor thought-provoking art. Melgaard's piece is based on an earlier 'chair' by Allen Jones, which featured a white woman in bondage. This piece was itself misogynistic. 'Art' using the bodies of women as objects isn't new; nor is it shocking. It is nothing more than the continual replication of patriarchal constructs of women as not-human. Women's bodies have always been sites of objectification and sexualisation for centuries. Our bodies have continually been used to debase and dehumanise us. Bjarne Melgaard's chair does nothing to invert or question this construction. But, as Karen Ingala Smith makes clear: “the objectification of white and black women is not the same. Black and white women are rarely treated the same in pornography, depictions of black women are rarely free of racial stereotypes.” In using a Black mannequin as an object, Melgaard has reproduced racialised stereotypes of hyper-sexualised Black women as seen in pornography, advertising, music videos and the media. Racism is endemic in our culture. In many ways, though, pornography is the only industry in which racism is actively encouraged. This isn't to suggest that racism doesn't exist in other industries but that mainstream pornography creates and maintains racism in a way that other industries are legally prohibited from doing. Without knowing anything about Melgaard, the image is distressing and shocking. Not because it questions our constructions of gender and racism but because it so clearly replicates them without question. What is even more distressing is the defence of Melgaard's sculpture from within the art community. Leigh Silver at Complex Art and Design suggests the chair only became racist when a "Russian socialite sat on it", a stance which simply ignores the history of racism. Melgaard, himself, says this: “Race and sex are intertwined. I think racism is a form of sexuality. It is all about a sexual jealousy and a sexual threat.” This statement ignores the reality of misogyny and racism in women's lives. Reducing racism to sexuality ignores the Black women raped for the crime of being born Black. It ignores the babies who died on the slave plantations when their mothers were prevented from caring for them. It ignores the children sold into domestic and sexual slavery now because they are not seen as human. Suggesting race is a form of sexuality erases Black women from their own lives. Gavin Brown, Melgaard's New York gallerist, goes one step further and silences the Black women speaking out by suggesting they should focus on something else; a tactic all women know too well: These Bjarne Melgaard sculptures, based on the Allen Jones originals, exist to destabilize and unhinge our hardened and crusty notions of race and sex and power. These sculptures, made by a self professed 'homosexual', expose the latent and residual self hatred in a culture where the inhuman and overpowering presence of violence and catastrophe is imminent. Our tragedy is so evident in our daily experience that Melgaard has nothing left to portray but society in its utter decay. We see this photograph to be extraordinary. We see this debate to be a distraction from the true challenges that face us. We applaud both the sitter and the seated. To fault the sitter, now in the age of the Anthropocene, in the midst of enormous and REAL obscenities that threaten our actual existence, reflects a civilization that is not dying but already dead. Turn your outrage upside down. The irony of a white man silencing women criticises a racist, sexist sculpture which features a Black mannequin wearing a gag has gone unnoticed by Silver, Melgaard and Brown. A Black body in a sexualised position common in mainstream pornography isn't questioning the treatment of Black women in our culture. It's maintaining the same racialised sexism which harms Black women. On a side note, referring to Dasha Zhukova as "Roman Abromovich's girlfriend" then you aren't criticising the misogyny properly. A woman is never a possession of a man, even when they are in a relationship with a billionaire. The image was part of a publicity article for Zhukova's magazine Garage. She is a business woman who has participated in a photo shoot which is both racist and misogynistic. That should be the focus of the story, not Zhukova's personal relationships. It is deeply ironic that in the rush to condemn this image as misogynistic, journalists are replicating the same construction of woman as object that they are claiming to challenge. There is only one answer to the question: Is Bjarne Melgaard 's chair racist? And that is yes.  |
| No role for in election plans for Rennard, says Clegg Posted: 28 Jan 2014 04:03 AM PST
Sources have rejected suggestions by Lord Rennard that he could resume his roles in the Liberal Democrat party after being cleared of sexual harassment. Lord Rennard, the Liberal Democrats Chief Executive from 2003 to 2009, during which time he was in overall charge of the party’s election campaigns and organisation, was suspended from the party after four female party members accused him of sexual harassment. An independent party review, which was undertaken in response to the allegations, has cleared Lord Rennard of sexual harassment and no further disciplinary action will be taken in this regard. The review did, however, find "credible" evidence that the peer had "violated" the personal space of four women over a number of years. Alastair Webster QC, who conducted the review, said Rennard “ought to reflect upon the effect that his behaviour has had and the distress which it caused”, and that “an apology would be appropriate, as would a commitment to change his behaviour in future”. But Webster concluded: "It is unlikely that it could be established beyond reasonable doubt that Lord Rennard had intended to act in an indecent or sexually inappropriate way." Rennard welcomed Webster's findings and said he looked forward to resuming his "roles within the Liberal Democrats", enraging many in the party. Party president Tim Farron said: "While this process has not found to a criminal standard of proof that Lord Rennard acted with indecent intent, it is clear that he did not behave in the way that a chief executive should behave. "Lord Rennard must reflect on his actions and apologise to the women involved." Despite numerous prompts to apologise, Rennard, who has always denied the allegations, has refused to do so, fearing such an acknowledgement would leave him vulnerable to legal action by one or more of the women. The leader of the Liberal Democrat party, Nick Clegg, has said that Rennard will now be subjected to a further investigation into whether or not his failure to apologise has brought the party in disrepute. If Rennard were found guilty of the disrepute charge he would almost certainly be expelled from the party. Some party sources have suggested that if Rennard could issue an acceptable qualified apology, without threat of legal action from any of the women, this could make the separate inquiry unnecessary. David Steel, former leader of the party, has urged Clegg to try mediation rather than a further inquiry, as the ongoing saga is putting the party up for public ridicule and removing focus from recent successes, such as Clegg's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Clegg's team, however, remain determined to initiate a further inquiry. In a recent statement, Clegg said: "People in positions of authority should never subject anyone to behaviour which is offensive or inappropriate. It is as simple as that. "I want everyone to be treated with respect in the Liberal Democrats. "That is why it is right that Chris Rennard has been asked in the report to apologise, to reflect on his behaviour and why he won't be playing any role in my general election plans for the campaign in 2015."  |
| Posted: 28 Jan 2014 01:09 AM PST
General Motors’ new CEO Mary Barra hopes her engineering background and position as the first woman to lead the top U.S. automaker will encourage young people to pursue careers in science. Barra was selected in December to succeed Dan Akerson this month. Her experience as a global product director may be a sign that vehicle development will become a priority for the company, reported the Associated Press. And, as she told AP, with her technical background - she is an electrical engineer – she could maybe motivate young women or young men to pursue a career in science. Although Barra, 52, is a General Motors (GM) “lifer” – her father worked at the company and Barra has been there for the whole of her 33-year working career – her appointment is unusual for a reason other than her gender; financial executives, whom investors have criticised for lacking product experience, have long held the seat Barra will take over. Looking to refocus the company’s direction, one of the reasons General Motors may have chosen Barra could be for her experience in manufacturing, engineering and human resources. Akerson has called Barra a “car gal” for her vehicle expertise and has praised her for having “brought order to chaos” in the global product development process. GM’s share price reflects investors’ caution to laud the new pick, however. The stock closed at USD40.02 after the announcement, a .9 per cent drop since the announcement of Barra’s appointment; the stock hasn’t fluctuated much in the same time frame. “Akerson’s tenure is too short and will be measured on whether or not he has chosen the best successor,” independent auto analyst Maryann Keller said to Reuters. “She is an excellent choice, but you won’t know that until she actually starts the job and appoints the people she wants to help her finish a job that is only partly done.” Barra will be GM’s fifth CEO since the company filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Although she is the first woman to take this role, other women join Barra in the top ranks of the company. GM has four female board members and several women executives in senior management. GM is probably the most complex automaker to manage. So, what are Barra's executive assets that are going to make the difference? To begin with, most analysts focus on the fact that major difficulties in top companies are often caused when they shift away from customer focus. And in an industry lead by men, women make the majority of car buying decisions. So, this can mean that GM is getting closer to its customers. But for those of us not so worried about the actual cars: At media previews for this year’s Detroit auto show, ‘General Motors’ CEO Mary Barra, the first female head of a major automaker, walked the floor in a conservative black suit past Corvette models in skimpy dresses and leather jackets, past young women in towering heels and sporting plunging necklines handing out breath mints…’ But as women gain more income and buying power automakers may have to rethink how they grab the would-be purchaser's attention. Ford no longer uses scantily clad female models like it did 15 years ago. The company’s data shows that women buy 41 to 42 per cent of new cars each year, up from 20 per cent in 1980. Among buyers 30 years old and younger, women account for 56 per cent of new car purchases. Ford had set up a sample assembly line in its exhibit, which was staffed by both men and women. Ford’s chief operating officer, Mark Fields, said women and younger buyers in particular, come to auto shows to get educated. Some automakers have already done away with models altogether. At Honda’s stand in Detroit, the focus was on the brand’s new Fit subcompact and a futuristic fuel-cell car called the FCEV. The company says it tries to appeal to the broadest range of customers at its show stands. And while we have to laud this year’s changes – why did it a) ever start and b) take so long to start going away?  |
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