Wednesday, August 23, 2006
"I am an Asian American woman. It was important for me to be here." - Yellow Rage
During my daily myspace session, a bulletin featuring the following letter caught my eyes and my heart. But not my ears. Most likely, not your ears either:
To Apl.de.Ap, Patricio Ginelsa/KidHeroes, and Xylophone
Films:
We, the undersigned, would like to register our deep
disappointment at the portrayal of Filipinas and other women in the new music videos for the Black Eyed Peas song, Bebot. We want to make it clear that we appreciate your efforts to bring Filipina/o Americans into the mainstream and applaudyour support of the Little Manila of Stockton. However, as Filipina/o and Filipina/o American artists, academics, and community activists, we are utterly dismayed by the portrayal of hypersexualized Filipina hoochie-mama dancers, specifically in the Generation 2 version, the type of representation of women so unfortunately prevalent in todays hip-hop and rap music videos. The depiction of the 1930s dime dancers was also cast in an unproblematized light, as these women seem to exist solely for the sexual pleasure of the manongs.
In general, we value Apl.de.Ap's willingness to be so openly and richly Filipino, especially when there are other Filipina/o Americans in positions of visibility who do not do the same, and we appreciate the work that he has done with the folks at Xylophone Films; we like their previous video for The Apl Song, and we even like the fact that the Generation 1 version of Bebot attempts to provide a history lesson about some Filipino men in the 1930s. However, the Generation 2 version truly misses the mark on accurateFilipina/o representation, for the following reasons:....
After reading this letter, I can't help but agree with the points of these women. Not only do I agree, I really feel that this letter is something that I could not have ever written better by myself. The points made in this letter are the points of those who are pinayists, those pinays who speak, believe, emit and honor the stories of their sisters and mothers who have been silenced. I'm sick of watching females willingly portray themselves as sexual objects. I'm tired of this American standard of beauty and the heights and dumps women put themselves through in order to achieve them. More importantly, I'm tired of women passively taking a backseat to a man.
I don't put much weight behind the word "overanalyze." This is the main argument behind those supporting the Bebot videos. These scholars aren't just sitting around criticizing every potential event, music video or inanimate object. A majority of the letter's undersigned were female. What does that tell you? Simply dismissing their words/their arguments would be horrid. Yes, the song is called "Bebot" but there are no words in the Tagalog language used to demean females. There aren't even words for 'prostitute' or 'prostitution'. These are all labels of ideas that did not stem from Filipino culture yet are given a strong, social meaning in the Filipino American culture. "Bebot" the video is heavily portraying Filipino females as 'hot chicks', but "Bebot" the word is conveniently becoming synonomous with the words 'bitch' or 'hoe.' What is also disturbing is the fact that many pinays do not know that they are being hypersexualized or exploited. But just because members of the Filipin@ community finally step up and make a video that has anything to do with being Filipino, does not mean that its entire community must follow suit and automatically support its efforts. If we want to send a message/music video/word from the Filipin@ American community, we must send the right one. And it cannot be a message that perpetuates the silence of community women nor can it be a message of straight up ignorance.
I can't explain it. Silence is not quiet. It is not quietness in a room and it is not awkward silence. Silence is not telling someone to shut up, but almost shutting one's self up. And this is not only done because of fear, insecurity, sadness or pain, but it is an external and internal force that limits, perhaps ceases, the ability to speak. It's not that one doesn't speak up because they hold themselves back, and that needs to be understood. It's social. What is it about a particular setting that silences someone? I don't know. But it damn sure hurts. It's the feeling I get most times when I could have said something but didn't. It didn't feel right. And 1 out of every 100 times someone will stop to notice. It's not that one isn't opinionated or bold enough. It's immeasurable and substantial.
Ask yourself: why are you here?
x_magsalita
To Apl.de.Ap, Patricio Ginelsa/KidHeroes, and Xylophone
Films:
We, the undersigned, would like to register our deep
disappointment at the portrayal of Filipinas and other women in the new music videos for the Black Eyed Peas song, Bebot. We want to make it clear that we appreciate your efforts to bring Filipina/o Americans into the mainstream and applaudyour support of the Little Manila of Stockton. However, as Filipina/o and Filipina/o American artists, academics, and community activists, we are utterly dismayed by the portrayal of hypersexualized Filipina hoochie-mama dancers, specifically in the Generation 2 version, the type of representation of women so unfortunately prevalent in todays hip-hop and rap music videos. The depiction of the 1930s dime dancers was also cast in an unproblematized light, as these women seem to exist solely for the sexual pleasure of the manongs.
In general, we value Apl.de.Ap's willingness to be so openly and richly Filipino, especially when there are other Filipina/o Americans in positions of visibility who do not do the same, and we appreciate the work that he has done with the folks at Xylophone Films; we like their previous video for The Apl Song, and we even like the fact that the Generation 1 version of Bebot attempts to provide a history lesson about some Filipino men in the 1930s. However, the Generation 2 version truly misses the mark on accurateFilipina/o representation, for the following reasons:....
After reading this letter, I can't help but agree with the points of these women. Not only do I agree, I really feel that this letter is something that I could not have ever written better by myself. The points made in this letter are the points of those who are pinayists, those pinays who speak, believe, emit and honor the stories of their sisters and mothers who have been silenced. I'm sick of watching females willingly portray themselves as sexual objects. I'm tired of this American standard of beauty and the heights and dumps women put themselves through in order to achieve them. More importantly, I'm tired of women passively taking a backseat to a man.
I don't put much weight behind the word "overanalyze." This is the main argument behind those supporting the Bebot videos. These scholars aren't just sitting around criticizing every potential event, music video or inanimate object. A majority of the letter's undersigned were female. What does that tell you? Simply dismissing their words/their arguments would be horrid. Yes, the song is called "Bebot" but there are no words in the Tagalog language used to demean females. There aren't even words for 'prostitute' or 'prostitution'. These are all labels of ideas that did not stem from Filipino culture yet are given a strong, social meaning in the Filipino American culture. "Bebot" the video is heavily portraying Filipino females as 'hot chicks', but "Bebot" the word is conveniently becoming synonomous with the words 'bitch' or 'hoe.' What is also disturbing is the fact that many pinays do not know that they are being hypersexualized or exploited. But just because members of the Filipin@ community finally step up and make a video that has anything to do with being Filipino, does not mean that its entire community must follow suit and automatically support its efforts. If we want to send a message/music video/word from the Filipin@ American community, we must send the right one. And it cannot be a message that perpetuates the silence of community women nor can it be a message of straight up ignorance.
I can't explain it. Silence is not quiet. It is not quietness in a room and it is not awkward silence. Silence is not telling someone to shut up, but almost shutting one's self up. And this is not only done because of fear, insecurity, sadness or pain, but it is an external and internal force that limits, perhaps ceases, the ability to speak. It's not that one doesn't speak up because they hold themselves back, and that needs to be understood. It's social. What is it about a particular setting that silences someone? I don't know. But it damn sure hurts. It's the feeling I get most times when I could have said something but didn't. It didn't feel right. And 1 out of every 100 times someone will stop to notice. It's not that one isn't opinionated or bold enough. It's immeasurable and substantial.
Ask yourself: why are you here?
x_magsalita
// posted by Janice @ 1:59 AM 
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