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Depiction of Rural Appalachian Women (Presence in Visual Culture…

- - - - Most famous for her photographs of Appalachians , idea of preserving way of life and traditions
        
        Sought to capture people who fit the mountaineer stereotype because "she believed they were a disappearing species in modern, 20th century America" (Murrey, 2015).
        
        Would ask her sitters to change into 'old-timey' clothes
    - - After Johnson's 1964 declaration of the war on poverty was defined by images of people living in the Appalachian Mountians
        
        These images became a visual definition of Appalachia
      - This project, 50 years after the War on poverty, through the regions current photographers
        
        These images highlight the diversity and culture of Appalachia from the eyes of its inhabitants.
        
        Interview with Roger May about Looking at Appalachia Project
        
        Submissions are accepted every January
    - - Hashtags and social media are now offering diverse images and stories from the area.
      - "While the images are certainly rooted in elements of truth, they often fail to represent residents of Appalachia as people from differing racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds with a full spectrum of emotions and experiences" (Murrey, 2015).
    - - The pictures feature up-close portraits, signature to Gilden's style
        
        Many pictures depict participation at religious events or community gatherings
        
        Gilden (2015) describes Appalachia as being like, "God is everywhere, that is to say, you encounter religiosity everywhere, not just because of the population's devotion but because that devotion has nowhere to go."
    - - Portraits and Dreams: Photographs and Stories by Children of the Appalachians 1976-1981
        
        Taught photography in 3 rural schools, gave students cameras and prompted them to photograph themselves and their world
      - Appalachia, A Self Portrait 1975
        
        A group calling themselves the Mountain Photography Workshop compiled images they have taken and published this book.
  - - - These shows are "usually produced by outsiders who are not a part of the culture, such shows typically fail to embody the richness of the cultural norms and instead use stereotypes to produce humor" (Cooke-Jackson & Hansen, 2008, p.184)
      - Appalachian Outlaws, 2014-15
        
        Some shows try to profit off continuous characters that do illegal activities, projecting the idea that Appalachia promotes backwood illegal trades. These shows rarely mention women. #
      - In 2002 CBS tries to launch reality television show The Real Beverly Hillbillies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joh5LWr9Chs # #
      - Moonshiners, 2011-Present https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuUciIKohWE
      - My Big Redneck Wedding, 2008-2011
      - Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, 2012-2014
    - - Much like the rural seen in picture books, Rural depictions can also be divided into Idyllic vs Deficient #
        
        Deficient
        
        Beverly Hillbillies 1962-1971 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwzaxUF0k18
        
        Hee Haw, 1969-1971
        
        Deliverance, 1972 film impacts Georgia to this day todayhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5GVvXt7E34
        
        The birth of tourism in the southern Appalachian region
        
        Perpetuates stereotype to new level of brutality including among others rape and intellectual disabilities. (Harkins, 2004)
        
        Introduced Georgia to filmmaking
        
        Idyllic
        
        Dukes of Hazard, 1979-1982 "Just the good ole' boys, wouldn't change if they could" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67gig0f4HLo
        
        Little House on the Prairie , 1973-1983
        
        Common with idyllic depictions of rural this encourages nostalgia and a simpler time for Americans. Though rural America is not trapped in a simpler time and faces many of the same struggles urban areas face. (Wlodarczyk, 2018).
        
        The Walton's , 1972-1980
        
        Not only does Deficient and Idyllic work to categorize many media representations of rural, it can also be used to categorize how rural women have been portrayed
        
        Idealized # # #
        
        Elly May Clampett from Beverly Hillbillies portrayed as a young beautiful girl , tomboy as an attractive category, and loves animals with "virginal charm" (Massey, 2007, p.132).
        
        Though her character was not overly sexualized in its actions it was instead based off her tight clothing and body she has been visually objectified her and made into a subject of spectatorship (Massey, 2007).
        
        Degenerant #
        
        Mama June from here comes Honey Boo Boo
    - - 1965 Documentary film Christmas in Appalachia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaKeIJ3-zt0
        
        The documentary highlights isolation and poverty the issues Johnson was 'fighting.'
      - Hidden America: Children of the Mountains, a 20/20 special with Diane Sawyer, 2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOo2uETKuFs
      - How can we critically reflecton the view of Appalachia these reporters show?
    - - Fragments in these shapes are questions I am forming for myself and society though this map.
  - - - Twenty-five books were analyzed, they depict rural as "a fixed category geographically and socioculturally" (Eppley, 2018,p. 94).
        
        Only five out of twenty-five show women engaging with community members outside of the home.
        
        Overlying message of children's book is importance of women and girls responsibility to maintain the greater good
      - Rural is either seen as idyllic or deficient, not understood as relevant and living. (Eppley, 2018)
- - - - How long the webpage has existed
        
        Does this promote hegemony? Of groups in power? Of internet moguls?
        
        (Jackewiz, 2019).
      - The number of other webpages that link to this webpage (Strickland)
      - The amount of and location of keywords on the webpage
    - - When searching 'Hillbilly Woman' the first 3 recommended search enhancements are: Barefoot, Pregnant, and Old
      - Image results for 'hillbilly woman' results in stock images (professional photographs) which can be used freely by the public for the creating of more media #
      - Searching 'Appalachian Woman' features the top 8 images which were all taken at least 50-75 years ago, the ninth image result shows the contemporary work of artist Wendy Ewald. #
- - - - The constant stereotyping in the media has normalized the stereotyping of Appalachians so greatly that they often are not seen as stereotypes rather they are realities to outsiders. #
      - "Stereotypes that circulate in visual culture link entertainment, literature, visual arts, and social identity together promoting the case that all Appalachians are the same race, class, and deviance" (Massey, 2007, p.135).
      - Inspiration for Appalachian Stereotypes
        
        Moonshiners
        
        Began with the prohibition movement in the 1880's
        
        Extreme loyalty to family 'clan'
        
        Clan feuds developed mostly after the civil war a result of being trapped in the middle of the north and south, lack of law enforcement after the civil war
- - - - First modern day depiction of hillbilly in 1926 movie, Rainbow Riley
        
        A shift in acceptance began with the election of Jimmy Carter, mountain people become more proud of their heritage. Though never really accepting the term 'hillbilly' some do identify as 'redneck' proudly.
    - - On top of this struggle, is the portrayal of Appalachian women in the media which is degrading in its display of obesity, lack of education, and desexualization (Massey, 2007).
        
        Has America been so saturated with these depictions of Appalachian women that we are not disgusted by this portrayal?
        
        https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/appalachian-emergency-room/2860917
        
        Every woman in this 2005 SNL skit, Appalachian Emergency Room, has been sexualized and stupefied.
        
        "The social world of low-status Appalachian women is bounded by stereotyped images of Appalachians and prejudices toward low-status individuals, just like their economic world is bounded by limited opportunities and resources" (Fiene, 1993, p.4).
      - Or the opposite of this which sexualizes characters while generating body and behavior expectations, such as Daisy Duke in Dukes of Hazard. Daisy also displays the household work as a sexualized act. # #
      - Eating Disorders
  - - - 1880's- Railroad opens up Appalachia for its mining and forestry resources
        
        1900- land grabs were coaxing the rights to land from the farmers to create large industry coal mines.
        
        Appalachian people employed by the mines when substinence farming was no longer a sustainable American lifestyle
        
        1933- Creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority designed to help the region particularly affected by the great depression.
        
        1950 - Mechanization in mines, leads to unemployment
        
        1964- President Johnson launches War on Poverty #
- - - - Asserts that traits associated with the poor such as weak egos, laziness, lack of impulse control lead to the continuation of their poverty
        
        "These dysfunctional behavior patterns are said to be perpetuated through families and thus doom future generations to continued poverty" (Fiene, 1993, p.18)
        
        Images of the poor in Appalachia are often tied implicitly to the belief that the lifestyles of the poor are responsible for their continued impoverishment
        
        The idea that poor people are fundamentally different than others
        
        Dislodged by the idea that the poor's behaviors are not the sole determining factors of their poverty and that traits cannot be applied to entire subcultures (Fiene, 1993).
  - - - Seen in Appalachia through the often multigenerational households and the strong mother-adult daughter bond.
        
        Double standard of Appalachian Women
        
        Matriarchs, dominating the family power over men
        
        Portrayed as victims of male violence, abused, over-worked, and self-sacrificial
  - - - Suggested that persons brought up in this reflective mindset are unprepared to adapt and change, creating a lack of cultural tools.
- - - - These blogs call on nostalgic traits of Appalachia and how they are present and live on today through traditions and stories