[Vwoolf] staging female author suicides

Wed Jun 19 14:56:35 EDT 2013

Greg, I think a lot of those of us who teach, study, and write about Woolf's
work are "bothered by" the fact that Woolf's suicide is so often cited and
capitalized upon.  In fact, many have written about this unfortunate
phenomenon.  I saw that exhibit at the NYPL as well, and I was definitely
bothered by the fact that the curators found it necessary to link the
walking stick to her suicide.  Not surprised, since it's such a common
gambit, but definitely bothered by.  It's a library; how about a note
mentioning the long walks on the Sussex downs she'd take with this stick
while conceptualizing a novel?  The result is that many students come into
our classes knowing only that one fact about Woolf, just as they know that
one detail about Plath.  And yes, many of us are also bothered by the
opening of The Hours, which capitalizes on Woolf's suicide and aetheticizes
it.  I've seen the VICE spread, and it certainly was a (misguided, at the
least) attempt to market fashion.  (Were there captions running under Marlon
Brando in Apocalypse Now informing viewers who made his clothing?  Do we see
that anywhere except when the clothing is being publicized as fashion?  This
fashion spread--as somebody on the list already said, I believe--was suicide
porn.)

Have you ever seen someone after they've committed suicide?  It isn't
pretty.  They're not nicely arranged on the pavement in fashionable clothing
unmarred by blood or dirt, as if they'd suddenly decided to lay down gently
and take a nap.  Woolf was nearly unrecognizable after several days under
water.  The VICE spread fetishizes and aestheticizes the suicide of female
intellectuals.  It also implies that intellectual gifts and artistic talents
in women somehow lead to suicide, which has the obvious effect of
discouraging women from pursuing their own gifts and talents.  Further, it
encourages people who suffer from psychological problems accompanied by
thoughts of suicide to understand themselves as potential geniuses rather
than to understand themselves as needing professional help.  There is no way
to recuperate any of that.

Brenda Helt

From: vwoolf-bounces at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
[mailto:vwoolf-bounces at lists.service.ohio-state.edu] On Behalf Of Gregory
Jordan Dekter
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 11:23 AM
To: vwoolf at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Re: [Vwoolf] staging female author suicides

Perhaps some of you were able to see the photographs on the VICE website
before they were taken down. I had only been able to find a few out of
context (without captions), and so reserved my response until I could get a
copy of the print edition, which I have now done. I think I am somewhat
informed now to discuss it. 

Purely aesthetically, I would like to say that these are beautifully
arranged and photographed images. They are dramatic, and evocative. They do
not seem to me exploitative, or at least not in a way that is inconsistent
with any other contemporary art. 

Most importantly they are depictions of tragic events, with any narrative
enforced only by the small caption stating the subject and a brief line
about their death. For example, for Woolf the caption reads:

VIRGINIA WOOLF, 59
Born: January 25, 1882
(London, England)
Died: March 28, 1941
(Lewes, England)
Cause of death: drowning

Kimberly, you had said the spread is being used to sell fashion. This is
really not the case. Although this series is indexed in the magazine under
"Fashion", I think that is an incredibly subjective term, and the general
intention of the magazine needs to be considered. This is not a commercial
fashion magazine. The entire tone of VICE is artistic and/or experimental (I
don't know of many other free national publications that devote entire
issues to contemporary fiction). It should not be considered along side
Cosmo and the like. 

It seems the primary reason this spread bothers most of you is that the
clothing designers are specifically credited for the examples of their work
that appear in each photograph. Let me clear up that these credits are
minimal, and provide no information on how or where to buy this clothing. It
is no more an advert than any other credit is an advert of the contributor.
Clothing design is a valid medium of artistic expression, and it seems to me
these designers were credited as artists, just as the models, stylist, and
photographer were. There is nothing explicitly for sale in these
photographs. 

Let me put it another way. The clothing we wear, often overlooked, is an
essential part of our existence. Every shirt, dress, or pair of pants you
put on was designed and made by someone. Should a designer of something not
rightfully be credited for their work if the thing they designed is for
sale? Or do you all consider "fashion" too flippant a form to be taken
seriously? Or, conversely, should no one involved in a particularly heavy
subject be credited at the risk of distracting from, or devaluing their own
work? (The film "Apocalypse Now" was originally shown without opening or
closing credits for this reason--but it is a rare instance).

If the distaste is that the images use the theme of suicide as a point of
interest, I am reminded of a recent experience I had. Last year I attended
an exhibit at the New York Public Library that included some Woolf
artifacts. One item was a diary. Another was her walking stick.
Interestingly, the exhibit made particular note that the walking stick
displayed was the one Woolf had with her when she walked into the River Ouse
the day she killed herself. I wonder what additional enticement the curator
felt describing the item by its final use would create. Was the simple fact
that the walking stick was owned by Virginia Woolf not enough? Was some
additional allure manifest in its passive connection to her suicide? I don't
know the answer to this, but I also do not remember anyone being bothered by
it. 

Greg

On 18 June 2013 19:55, Jean Mallinson <annaj at telus.net> wrote:

I'm glad it was taken down but the apology  shows a failure to grasp jut how
deeply offensive the whole scheme was. It is a kind of suicide porn and
suggests a very depraved taste. It made me feel sad and angry.
Jean 

On 6/18/2013 1:24 PM, Melanie White wrote:

Apart from VW, the characters in The Hours were fictional, and VW's death
was decades ago, whereas Iris Chang's family and loved ones probably are
still very much processing their grief over her suicide. The image of her
was breathtakingly insensitive and offensive to me for that reason. 

From: vwoolf-bounces at lists.service.ohio-state.edu
[mailto:vwoolf-bounces at lists.service.ohio-state.edu] On Behalf Of Kimberly
Coates

Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 12:27 PM
To: Gregory Jordan Dekter; Anne Margaret Daniel

Cc: vwoolf at lists.service.ohio-state.edu

Subject: Re: [Vwoolf] staging female author suicides

Greg:

There is no comparison. The VICE spread is using suicide to sell fashion and
in doing so it glamorizes and aestheticizes female bodies in pain. It also
takes our attention far away from the amazing work all of these women
accomplished. You would think that in an issue announcing itself as covering
Women's Fiction that the work would be their concern. Whatever you want to
say about Michael Cunningham and/or the film version of his novel The Hours,
he isn't guilty of promoting suicide to sell shoes and vintage attire!

Kim

Kimberly Coates, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of English

Affiliate Faculty Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies/American Culture
Studies

Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH 43403

Office Phone: 419-372-9189

From: Gregory Jordan Dekter <jdekter at gmail.com>
Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 3:08 PM
To: Anne Margaret Daniel <daniela at newschool.edu>
Cc: "vwoolf at lists.service.ohio-state.edu"
<vwoolf at lists.service.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vwoolf] staging female author suicides

I'm just wondering of those who oppose this, are you equally offended by the
portrayal of the same event in "The Hours"?

On 18 June 2013 15:03, Anne Margaret Daniel <daniela at newschool.edu> wrote:

VICE has removed the online photos, not apologizing very much ("to anyone
who was hurt or offended") and stating, defensively, that their "main goal
is to create artful images, with the fashion message following, rather than
leading."  Taken down online, but still in print.    

Here is the Vice statement:
http://www.vice.com/read/last-words-000741-v20n6

And here, still online at Inquisitr, is the photo of the model portraying
Woolf, standing in water and holding a large stone.  No words for it,
really.

http://www.inquisitr.com/793059/vices-suicide-fashion-apology/

On Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 1:59 PM, Melanie White <melanie.white at comcast.net>
wrote:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/18/193014174/book-news-vice-draw
s-ire-by-staging-female-author-suicides?utm_source
<http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/18/193014174/book-news-vice-dra
ws-ire-by-staging-female-author-suicides?utm_source&utm_medium=facebook&utm_
campaign=20130617> &utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20130617

Someone said this has been taken down now. 

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-- 

Best,

AMDaniel

www.annemargaretdaniel.com

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