Author: Yokie Abera

At first, I thought “queer reading” was just reading works and pieces about members of the LGBTQ+ Community. I’ve come to understand queer reading as a way of interpreting texts that involves analyzing and questioning the ways in which gender and sexuality are represented and constructed within the text.  Queer reading also can be applied… Continue reading Reading Journal – Prompt 14

TEXT CHOSEN: I have chosen to write about bell hook’s piece “Is Paris Burning?” and how Livingston’s film Paris is Burning, displays a marginalized community. DESCRIPTION/SUMMARY: The text is meaningful to me because it is from a black feminist perspective. Furthermore, hooks actively advocates for a more critical and engaged form of spectatorship, in which… Continue reading Reading Journal – Prompt 5

In this image a young woman is in a grocery store balancing a bag of chips on her head. The woman is making the infamous “duck face” and holding a peace sign up. On top, there’s the text that reads “She’s so crazy! Love her!!!” Images and texts are both forms of communication that can… Continue reading Reading Journal – Prompt 12

Although we already read Judith Butler’s piece “Gender is Burning” and its revelations to how gender performativity can be seen through drag. I think reading something from Judith Butler’s book “Gender Trouble: would be extremely helpful. In the book, Butler introduces the entire concept of gender performativity and argues that gender is not an inherent… Continue reading Reading Journal- Prompt 11

I have chosen the keyword butch/femme. I think “butch” is meant to describe masculine-presenting individuals and femme describes feminine-presenting individuals in the queer community. I’ll be making a zine. The Riot Grrrl zines, a feminist punk rock movement that originated in the 1990s, is an illustration of this format. It was known for using zines… Continue reading Reading Journal – Prompt 10

I’m going to produce a digital zine for my capstone project. Zines (short for “magazines” or “fanzines”) are self-published, small circulation booklets or magazines that are either handcrafted or digitally generated. They are frequently connected with activist movements, countercultures, and subcultures. Zines have long been utilized by the queer community as a vehicle for self-expression… Continue reading Reading Journal – Prompt 9

For my midterm essay, I chose to write about bell hooks’ piece “Is Paris Burning” and the concept of “the spectacle.” In my argument, I cited page 150 of “Is Paris Burning?” as supporting evidence for Hook’s claim that the documentary undersells drag’s potential and capacity to challenge white supremacist ideologies. Contrary to appearances, the… Continue reading Reading Journal – Prompt 8

The activity I did was experimenting with makeup products. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the best at it but, the act allows me to take some time to focus on myself and try out different beauty looks. I don’t typically go outside in my looks (because I’m a little nervous too) however, I typically… Continue reading Reading Journal – Prompt 7

(GENRE ANALYSIS & MUSIC) “Love Drought” is a song by Beyoncè that was released on her album “Lemonade” in 2016. The song was produced by Beyonce herself, along with producers Kevin Cossom and Hit-Boy. The song is also a mid-tempo ballad that features a piano-driven instrumental and introspective lyrics that explore themes of love, relationships,… Continue reading Reading Journal- Prompt 3

Hello everyone! My name is Yokie Abera and I’m a Senior majoring in Film and Media Studies. Like many other people, growing up I was a pretty avid reader. I mainly enjoyed reading fictional stories targeted toward my age group. However, unfortunately, as I got older my attention span shortened significantly. By the time I… Continue reading Yokie Abera