Learning to Recognize More Than Two Boxes

Posted on 11/12/2015 by Sierra Ivy Pregosin

While I was glad to see students my age trying to shed light on gender and how we as a society see these genders, I felt the talk Break the Box on Monday evening to be less than stellar. I could see that the members of the Intergroup Dialogue Project put a lot of thought into their presentation and genuinely did want to discuss how gender norms affect our lives daily. Our group brought up different examples of how different occupations and toys are gendered (the first thing that came to my mind was that scene in Friends when Ross doesn’t want his son Ben to play with a Barbie and instead forces him to play with a GI Joe).

One of the more interesting exercises they introduced in this talk was an activity that was inspired by a Ted Talk. There were two physical boxes: A Womanbox and a Manbox. Inside each of those boxes were occupations and roles that were seen by society as respectively female and male. After picking up a card from each, I saw I got “supporter” as the female role and “director” as a male role. And this did make sense to me, as there is indeed an absence of female directors in Hollywood. Thinking further on the term “supporter,” this can mean not just supporting someone in their time of need (because I see that as a neutral construct; anyone can help someone out), but also in regards to Hollywood, there has been also much attention onto the fact that the number of strong female protagonists is dramatically fewer than the number of male protagonists. Oftentimes, females are supporting characters; especially in the case of comedies, female supporting characters tend to be one-dimensional and only serve to promote the plot of the male protagonist. So I agreed with this exercise.

However, one of the exercises beforehand threw me off. Before taking part in the discussion, the presenters had us all fill out a survey before coming to the event, asking us “What traits do you find attractive in a man or a woman?” For a man, I filled out strong, independent, and competitive, and for a woman, I put independent in addition to strong-willed and determined. To my surprise the next day, during the presentation, when they collected the results from the survey, all of those attributes fell under the title of “What IS a man or woman.” And these resulted in characteristics like “strong, aggressive, big dick,” for a man and “weak, compassionate, sensitive” for a woman. Having an attraction towards men or women and defining what a man or woman is serves two completely different purposes. I looked at the results they compiled (a majority of them not even from the surveys we filled out, but taken merely from the internet) and was in complete shock. I do not see women as weak at all. I look at my mother, who is independent and self-sufficient and can be aggressive at times, and don’t see someone who absolutely has to be weak. So I found fault with this.

Overall, I found this event to be very heteronormative and only addressed the gender binary. I took the term “break the box” to be a phrase indicative of attempting to break the box of the gender binary, acknowledging that there were only two genders, not more. They did address that gender and certain gender behaviors were social constructs, but didn’t do anything to address those who identify as gender neutral, are genderfluid, or any other form of gender identification. Because the advertisement for this event had the picture of a spectrum of the man and woman symbols, I figured it would address these issues – maybe additionally what other constructs biologically make someone a man or woman, or talk about intersex peoples as well, because intersex people do exist.

So when I think of “break the box,” I think of the boxes in the doctor’s office that you have to check off when filling out the forms. Are you either A. male, or B. female? Only two boxes are presented with no regard for what people may be feeling inside, just that you somehow have to shove yourself into one box or the other. Instead of trying to understand these boxes like the event had me do, we should be presented with more than 2 boxes, or rather, a spectrum of boxes. Because gender isn’t concrete. At all.

Benedict Cumberbatch: Versatile Britishman

Posted on 11/08/2015 by Sierra Ivy Pregosin

I had the distinct honor and privilege of being able to watch West End’s live broadcasted production of Hamlet. The production featured Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular role and Ciaran Hinds as Hamlet’s uncle, the king. As someone who had never seen Hamlet performed before (though also as someone who is a fan of Shakespeare), I fell in love with the production.

Hamlet poster via National Theatre Live

Seeing Benedict Cumberbatch outside of his iconic role of Sherlock Holmes on BBC was riveting. He really pushed himself to his limits trying to understand this character and find a way to make Hamlet his own. One of the more memorable moments was right before he delivered his famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy, he marched on the tables in slow motion in an Elizabethan soldier’s uniform. I found the mix of 20th century modern and Elizabethan dress to be a bit confusing, but at the same time fitting to Hamlet’s bursts of outrage. I took this particular scene to be simply Hamlet simply emphasizing his madness by playing around as a soldier, but I’m still trying to find if there was any particular motivation behind this combination of old and new. Perhaps having Ophelia carrying around a camera and Horatio walking around in sneakers and a backpack was to make the audience feel more relatable to the material presented in the play? I’m still not entirely sure, but it was interesting to see these classic Shakespearean characters walk around in Converse sneakers and David Bowie t-shirts.

Also, the whole performance took place on a stationary stage, keeping the same background of the interior of a mansion. The whole stage was neat and pristine, adding staircases and side doors for different scenes that may have taken place in different locations entirely within the original play. I also loved the use of trap doors at the bottom of the stage, serving as a disappearance for Hamlet’s father’s ghost and Ophelia’s gravesite. By the beginning of the second act, the whole stage was covered in rubble — this addition definitely added to the dark atmosphere the original play wanted to create.

Anastasia Hille and Benedict Cumberbatch on stage at the Barbican Theatre.

One thing that bothered me throughout viewing this production was the use of guns instead of swords. My ongoing fear with guns in any play, TV show, or movie is that they can be fired at any time. Luckily with this production, any time guns were used, they were for display or for threatening purposes. I get the need to use guns in a modern sense of defense, but Shakespeare most often used swords in his works. What was the use of having guns if the fight scene in the finale between Hamlet and Ophelia’s brother would still use swords? If the guns had been obliterated entirely, it would have been a much better production. There are other ways to include modern elements in a story, such as through the music and clothing.

Overall, seeing this production was an experience I’ll never forget. Watching one of my favorite stars take on such a demanding role was fantastic, and I can’t wait to see what else he has in store (hint: I’ll surely be watching his performance as Marvel’s Doctor Strange next year). And while Hamlet proved to be a great experience, my favorite Shakespearean play remains to be Othello.

The Most Precious Undersea Gifts

Posted on 11/03/2015 by Sierra Ivy Pregosin

This was my first time attending a Becker-Rose Cafe, and I was surely not disappointed. I got the opportunity to see Drew Harvell, a Cornell professor who works in conservation oceanography, and her new film, Fragile Legacy. The film details the legacy that the Blaschka family has left behind with their glass renditions of undersea life.

The Blaschka models acutely represent the species and organisms of marine ecosystems, serving as time capsules to measure times of today against that of the 1870s. These models have encouraged scientists to preserve marine life for the sake of keeping these organisms the same. The collection of glass replicas were held for the most part in the National Museum of Ireland. In 1885, Cornell’s first president Andrew Dickson White purchased 500 glass figures from the collection to use in Cornell for the study and teaching of marine biology. These collections have long since been forgotten until the 1960s however, when the collection was subsequently moved to the Corning Glass Museum. Dr. Harvell has worked for 25 years on moving the Blaschka models back to Cornell’s campus and restoring the models back to their original states in order to be studied.

During her talk, she addressed that even some of the most basic organisms, like the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) was difficult to reassemble and restore; many of these glass pieces are very, very fragile and the paints are very easy to remove with even slightly sweaty hands. One must take extreme care when handling these models. I found learning about these models to be quite fascinating, especially considering the fact that some of the models can be viewed on the bottom floor of Corson Mudd Hall on campus. I was also really fascinated to learn about the fragility of not just the models, but of the undersea life as well. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have become a necessity in underwater excavations in order to protect the life in those habitats and their biodiversity. As an example, Harvell addressed a current ongoing epidemic involving starfish. Starfish in Australia and China have been exposed to a disease that is currently wiping out the starfish in those areas; unfortunately a cure has not been developed yet.

Though I’m not a marine science (or any kind of science) major, I would love to look more into Harvell’s work. More information regarding her work and her film can be found at Fragilelegacy.info.

Newark Democrats Duke it Out in 2002 Elections

Posted on 10/26/2015 by Sierra Ivy Pregosin

Last Tuesday when I saw the film Street Fight by Marshall Curry, I had no idea what to expect. As a New York City girl who was 6 years old at the time, I had no recollection of the national importance the mayor election between Sharpe James and Cory Booker had on the people of Newark, let alone the nation. Marshall Curry depicts the story of the corruption, emotion, and raw details surrounding the election in his first documentary.

I found the documentary very interesting to watch and felt myself rooting for Cory along with Curry and the rest of his campaign. Even though Booker lost the election to incumbent Mayor James, I was surprised to see how much faith he still kept for himself and for Newark — the man really wanted to see a better Newark rise out of their local government. Booker himself grew up on the streets of Newark and knew the neighborhood well. I loved his genuine commitment to try to make Newark a better city for those who were economically struggling and his will to convince people on the streets why he should become the next mayor of Newark.

One of the moments that struck me the most during this film was during the slander surrounding Booker by his opponent Sharpe James. Booker was accused of being a correspondent with the KKK, that Jews were giving him his money, a lot of really ridiculous accusations in order to keep Sharpe the mayor for the next 4 years. Representatives for James ridiculed Booker for being Stanford and Yale-educated and even went to say he wasn’t part of the true black community because of his light skin. One of Booker’s representatives openly spoke about Booker’s character and believed in him as a good man, as well as his platform. “Don’t hate him because he’s educated, we should be wanting the same for our kids to be like him.”

I loved hearing about what Marshall Curry had to say about his film and what followed after the end of the documentary. Booker eventually went on to become mayor of Newark in 2006 and subsequently the Senator of New Jersey. A lot of people, himself included, were surprised at the success the film has had — it went on to receive an Academy Award nomination — especially since a large part of the work was Curry himself filming the streets of Newark alongside the candidates. I myself am proud to see how far this film has some and can’t wait to see what other works Curry has in store.

The Secrets of West Campus

Posted on 10/11/2015 by Sierra Ivy Pregosin

On October 3rd, instead of staying in all day and watching Mean Girls, I went to take a tour with the rest of the Rose Scholars around West Campus. I was originally intrigued by this event because I had no idea there were any secret tunnels around Cornell (spare for the one that connects Olin and Uris libraries…) and really wanted to know where they were.

Professor Blalock gathered us in the Rose Common Room and took us to Noyes. Originally, I didn’t think there was anything too secretive about Noyes — I went to the gym there a few times this year and I’ve seen the rock wall before, but I was pretty surprised to see the basketball and volleyball court right below me. In addition, the staff there let us know that every other Tuesday, Noyes has a spa night, where students can get free manicures, massages, and food! Did I mention it was all free? I might have to take a stop there one night.

After Noyes, we all gathered around Baker Flagpole, where Garrick told us about the history of the West Campus Housing System. In addition to the other Gothic buildings at the base of the slope, there are the two War Memorials — Lyon Hall for the army and McFaddin Hall for the navy — built by the Quill and Dagger Society, commemorated to those who lost their lives in World War I. These War Memorials used to be open to the public but are now kept under lock and key, preserved by the Cornell ROTC program.

Inscription inside the War Memorial of Lyon Hall

(I also learned some insights about the Quill and Dagger Society, Cornell’s secret society. I was really intrigued to learn that the society meets at the top of Lyon Hall, which I could easily access through my dorm. But unless I don’t want to be eligible for the tapping class for my senior year, I can’t go up and visit the meeting room without having an escort. Still, it makes it not so secretive to know a little bit more.)

Finally, before Garrick took us through the tunnel that connects Rose House and Becker House, he told us a little more about the history of the West Campus housing system. Originally, when west campus dormitories were being built, there were plans to have Gothic buildings all over the area, but then the builders ran out of money. So instead, around the 1950s, mobile buildings were used as temporary student living, which I’ll bet didn’t really blend with the Gothic architecture at the base of the slope. It was only around ten years ago when the housing system was initiated to bring the communities closer together through integrated houses — Flora Rose being the youngest house and Alice Cook being the oldest. Garrick also told us how strange it was to have the houses named after Cornell professors instead of donors or famous presidents, something I haven’t realized before. I found this to be interesting as well, since I try to look at the inscriptions of the professors along the sides of the houses regularly.

I was glad to see that there was more than meets the eye to West Campus. This tour made me even more glad that I was able to move into such a finely woven, intricate community.

What Do You Mean I Can’t Wear A Gold Dress?

Posted on 10/04/2015 by Sierra Ivy Pregosin

Last week, I took a tour of the Heavy Metal: The Malleability of Fashion exhibit in the Human Ecology Building. The curator Samantha Stern received the Charlotte A. Jirousek Undergraduate Research Fellowship from the college in order to fund her collection. Stern wanted to look into the variabilities of metal within the world of fashion — the way metal was used as both a method to achieve an ideal shape and style, as well as a fashion choice.

Stern was attracted to the metal culture of the 1980s because of its animalistic tendencies. Metal as a music genre was meant to be a rebellion in and of itself; not only was the word “metal” representative of the material metal, but it reflected a hardcore attitude during the Cold War era.

One of the first pieces that we were shown was the dress she designed as part of the Barbara L. Kuhlman Scholars’ showcase. Her piece, called “Malevolent Empowerment,” was based on fashion from the 1920s “Flapper Era” made entirely out of metal. Stern described the dress as made to be stylish and easy to look at, but completely unwearable; the piece inevitably traps the wearer within its weight. “The weight of the garment itself is intrinsic to the struggle that I am trying to represent. The aged effect is as bright gold slowly becomes darker illustrates the many years of struggle that women have faced.”

“Malevolent Empowerment”

Stern also showed us a display titled “Invisible Metal,” showcasing many underwire bras, girdles, corsets, and other ways in which women have used metal throughout the 1860s and 1930s to achieve the perfect body shape. Throughout history, a perfect body was one that was considered to have an “S” shape — large in the front and large in the back. One of the pieces that caught my eye was what Stern called a maternity girdle. In the 1860s, pregnant women would use girdles to keep their ideal shape while they were pregnant. Stern highlighted through this case that even today, with the underwire bra, women still go to lengths to achieve their perfect body shape through clothing.

Examples of underwire bras and girdles used in the 1860s-1930s.

Another case I particularly found interesting was the Couture Case, where more ethnic and time period-sensitive dress made of metal were displayed. Stern explained that in the early 1900s, some of the more expensive and lavish dresses for the nobility were entirely made of gold — there were no means of making synthetic material for dresses, so designers would cut metal into fine, thin strips to make them malleable for dresses, which then felt like silk. Stern went into great lengths to describe each piece and its history, such as the Paul Poiret coat, insured for $60,000. There was also a metal-sequined bikini within this case. The bikini originally belonged to a Las Vegas showgirl who happened to be one of Frank Sinatra’s mistresses.

Metal bikini next to a Romanian wedding dress – the sequins for both were all metal and hand cut. For The wedding dress was considered to ward off evil spirits and show family’s wealth.

More gold dresses, featuring the Paul Poiret coat, center left.

Overall, I found this exhibit to be quite fascinating. I loved seeing how many different uses metal has had in the fashion industry and I especially liked seeing Stern’s enthusiasm for her work. Wishing her many successes for the future!

An Apple a Day Keeps The Cornellian Coming Back

Posted on 09/20/2015 by Sierra Ivy Pregosin

So it’s (almost) that time of year again! If the Ithaca weather permits, fall is just around the corner and pretty soon, the apple cider will be hitting the dining halls again. I had the pleasure of taking a tour of the Cornell Orchards last Friday afternoon with some of the other Rose residents and had a great time learning more about the science of apple planting.

In between the rows of snap dragon apple trees.

During the course of the tour, I learned more about the system of growing an orchard. The Cornell Orchards uses a modern tall spindle growing system for a lot of their apples. The trees are planted three feet by twelve feet apart from each other in rows. Because of this, the trees will always stay relatively small in stature because of their competing root systems underneath the soil. New to my knowledge, apple trees can’t simply be grown by planting a seed; a limb of an already existing tree has to be spliced onto another tree in order to grow that fruit. Because of this, the apples don’t necessarily stay true to their type – breeding apples with this method always creates another cross breed. Our guide also showed us Cornell’s two newest breeds – the Snap Dragon and Ruby Frost apples, the former of which is very tart, but delicious, almost like a watermelon.

Our guide also gave us some insight into the apple cider making process. The Orchards uses a cold press to grind unbruised and fresh apples through the machine. The apples are made into an applesauce-like mash and eventually gets pasteurized and bottled before it’s sold. This season, it’s expected that the Orchards will make 1500 gallons of apple cider; get ready to see some cider in the dining halls in the next week or so!

Rose Scholars Blog Fall 2015

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Author Archives: Sierra Ivy Pregosin