Culture: "Unpretty"

Culture: “Unpretty”

            Society is “unpretty”. Society is cruel and full of faults. Society and culture are inherent aspects of one another. In society we have the culture that forms the societal norms. In culture, we have societies acting out the cultural ideas. Culture is a set of ideas and presuppositions society sees as normal. One may say we cannot change culture; we can only be of the culture formed by the beliefs of groups. There is a never-ending cycle of groups shaping society and society shaping man through ideas and beliefs. From social norms, ways of life are created. Our world is full of pain and hurt brought onto ourselves either by others or by the self. Sometimes we fall to an idea, convinced of its “rightness” of life and we fail to see the hurt and pain behind its thought. The unprettiness of culture is a scale of hurt and harm inflicted on one another. I feel the word “unpretty” is a clear way to represent certain aspects of our culture where pain is inflicted upon human beings.

 Leon Levinstien, Street Scene: Woman in Blond Wig and Tight Dress, 1960s. Gelatin Silver Print. (14 x 11 in). Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Levinstein was a street photographer, who preferred to stay anonymous while taking pictures of humans in New York. By being an anonymous figure, that tended to fit in with the subjects he was photographing, he was able to catch raw moments of humanity. This photograph is able to show a common part of life; judgment. The older woman in the foreground, who may be dressed inappropriately for her age, seems to have walked through a group of friends in their neighborhood. The expression of the dominant woman along with those in the group behind her, seem to express the idea that the dominant woman just had a remark yelled at her. With the stern expression in the blonde woman’s eye, one can almost hear “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” Society has formed an ideal set of “norms” for people to follow and when someone, such as the blonde woman, breaks societal norms she is judged for stepping outside of the cultural norms.

Henry Raleigh, We read the papers, we heard of horrors, but we hadn’t realized that there was a war, 1917, Drawings and Watercolors. The Library of Congress

            Not only was and is war a part of our culture that hurts and hinders people, but deception is also. Often, propaganda is used to create a romanticized image of an event, most commonly wars. Propaganda was used extensively in the World Wars to recruit men into the army and to advocate for nationalism from the citizens. Deceit is often found in government and can lead to corruption of the state which leads to “unpretty” ideas and morals in society.

Stanley Nelson, Jonestown: The life and death of People’s Temple, 2006. Film. Detroit Institute of Arts.

            I have a small knowledge of cults, just information learned from tv shows and documentaries, but I feel like the formation of certain cults has had a huge impact on society.  Jonestown is an example of a group of people who are trying to change cultural norms and form their own society, apart from the world. A cult is an unpretty aspect that happens in the world. Humans are brainwashed to believe absurd ideas and in the case of Jonestown follow these ideas to the death.

Unknown, (Forbidden photo): Three-inch Golden Lotus Shoes, 937 A.D., Wuzhen Foot-Binding Museum.

            The technique of foot-binding was instituted by the ancient Chinese and carried out for thousands of years. The process began at the age of five, the girl’s feet were broken at the arches, and their toes fractured and forced to fold over to meet the toes to heels. The final goal was to bind these broken feet so tightly into a foot that is 3 inches, the shape and size most males admired. Chinese foot-binding is a definition of “un-pretty”. Girls so young were forced into pain brought on by women in their family, never their mothers, in hopes of finding a man who found their hobbled gait sexual.

Dorothea Lange, Young Woman Plowing Field near Eutaw, Alabama, 1936, Gelatin Silver Print, (7 ½ x 7 5/8 in). Metropolitan Museum of Art

            Slavery was a practice that took place around the world. Instituted by the wealthy, those deemed “unworthy” were forced into working menial jobs with no pay. Slavery was a major factor in shaping America. With the colonization came the need for economy. America’s economy happened to be fueled by the production of tobacco on large plantations that were serviced by either tenant farmers or slaves brought from Africa. The use of slavery brought on the racial division between Caucasian and African American. This division created hundreds of years ago still plays a part in America’s culture in certain areas of the country. The idea of one race being above another is an “unpretty” ideal our world inhabits.

Workshop of Francisco de Zurbarán, The Crucifixion, 1598 – 1664, Oil on Canvas, (112 x 75 7/8 in). Metropolitan Museum of Arts.

           

            Even though our society is filled with “unpretty” elements many artists remember to draw the crucifixion. With Christ’s death came a renewal for our culture. We are able to have a faith that renews our sinfulness and allows forgiveness for the horrible actions of society. Christ’s life and purpose on earth was at first glance the thesis of society; he was mocked, ridiculed, rejected, and crucified. Yet, we find his sole purpose was to give us grace; he was actually the antithesis of culture. Christ’s life was “unpretty” to make life pretty for us.

By: Emily Hartshorn