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Full-Text Articles in Gender and Sexuality
Unveiling The Gaze: Belly Dance As A Site Of Refuge, Re-Envisioning And Resistance, Angela Moe
Unveiling The Gaze: Belly Dance As A Site Of Refuge, Re-Envisioning And Resistance, Angela Moe
Angela M. Moe
Central to studies of feminist theory and pop culture is the construct of the male gaze, which highlights and challenges imagery within various forums (e.g., film, media, art) that relegate women to a stereotypically aesthetic purpose. In other words, analyses of the male gaze question why it is that women are so often portrayed in overly sexualized ways, as if they are only objects to be considered and consumed by others (namely, heterosexual men). This construct was first developed by Laura Mulvey in her influential 1975 essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”. What was unique about Mulvey’s analysis is that …
Belly Dancing Mommas: Challenging Cultural Discourses Of Maternity, Angela M. Moe
Belly Dancing Mommas: Challenging Cultural Discourses Of Maternity, Angela M. Moe
Angela M. Moe
I’m waiting backstage. The last minute checks… Shoes? I can’t bend down far enough to reach them. Hip scarf? I can’t reach across far enough across myself to adjust it. Veil? If I turn around to ensure it’s draped correctly, I’ll bump into and move the stage curtains. Warm up hip shimmy? No need. I’m always warm nowadays. My time is close, in more ways than one. The music, and the flutter in my belly, serve as reminders… I’m 26 weeks along and I’m still dancing. I’m proud of myself. I enter the stage feeling voluptuous and ripe...what as odd …