Sources of Power in My Daily Life

Sources of power in my Daily life:

Privilege

Visual Culture

Parents

Career Goals

The Media

• Privilege

As a white woman who lives in the United States, I obviously don't have as much power as a white man, but I have a lot more power over what I can and cannot do in life than for example my sister (she's black) or someone in another country. I am able to go to college, get a quality education, and get a job in whatever field I choose, which is not an option for many women in other cultures. I also have the privilege to marry whoever I want, even though many states, including PA, don't have any job protection laws in place so I could be fired for my sexual orientation but in comparison to other countries where same-sex couples get death sentences, I have it pretty good. My privilege plays a powerful role in determining how I live life and how others view and interact with me.

• Visual Culture

Visual culture surrounds everyone at all times during the day. It plays a huge part in how people perceive themselves and what we wear, how we style our hair. We even talk about things in visual culture. I didn't watch the VMA's but now I feel left out whenever all my friends talk about it. I'm very curious how visual culture can intersect with the art classroom and can talk about real issues in visual culture such as police brutality and racism and sexual orientation. I also would like to explore what is/isn't appropriate topics to discuss in the classroom with certain age groups, how one might determine that, and how to get all parents on board when discussing certain topics.

• Parents

My Mom has power over my daily life even when I don't realize it because everything I've ever learned how to do, like brushing my teeth, or getting dressed, whether or not to bring an umbrella when the weather is calling for rain, was all taught to me by my mom. I might not notice on a daily basis that she has power over my life, but if I had a different mother, I probably would go about my days and life quite differently than I currently do.

• My Career goals

My goal is to be a teacher so, that means I can't get a bunch of facial piercings and tattoos. I also am motivated by goals, so I might choose to skip the party to do my homework.

• The Media

The media plays a very powerful role in many people's lives and how they perceive themselves. I look to the media to inform me about many things including my body image