Comments on: The internet, cowgirls, and the search for authenticity http://www.historiann.com/2011/05/08/the-internet-cowgirls-and-the-search-for-authenticity/ History and sexual politics, 1492 to the present Sat, 25 May 2013 22:14:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: Historiann http://www.historiann.com/2011/05/08/the-internet-cowgirls-and-the-search-for-authenticity/comment-page-1/#comment-825684 Historiann Sun, 15 May 2011 15:17:46 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=15193#comment-825684 Sorry about the misspelling--thanks for bringing it to my attention, MM. I'll make the correction (very belatedly!) now. Sorry about the misspelling–thanks for bringing it to my attention, MM. I’ll make the correction (very belatedly!) now.

]]> By: Western Dave http://www.historiann.com/2011/05/08/the-internet-cowgirls-and-the-search-for-authenticity/comment-page-1/#comment-825177 Western Dave Fri, 13 May 2011 13:03:22 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=15193#comment-825177 Almost all of my son's whole kindergarten class can't pronounce the final r in his name. Almost all of my son’s whole kindergarten class can’t pronounce the final r in his name.

]]> By: Monocle Man http://www.historiann.com/2011/05/08/the-internet-cowgirls-and-the-search-for-authenticity/comment-page-1/#comment-824964 Monocle Man Thu, 12 May 2011 18:34:10 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=15193#comment-824964 "Why does Nietzsche challenge the pursuit of the origin (Ursprung), at least on those occasions when he is truly a genealogist? First, because it is an attempt to capture the exact essence of things, their purest possibilities, and their carefully protected identities . . . if the genealoglist refuses to extend his faith in metaphysics, if he listens to history, he finds that there is something altogether different behind things - not a timeless and essential secret, but the secret that they have no essence or that their essence was fabricated in a piecemeal fashion from alien forms." Michel Foucault - "Nietzsche, Genealogy, History" PS - It's "Ree" not Rhee" “Why does Nietzsche challenge the pursuit of the origin (Ursprung), at least on those occasions when he is truly a genealogist? First, because it is an attempt to capture the exact essence of things, their purest possibilities, and their carefully protected identities . . . if the genealoglist refuses to extend his faith in metaphysics, if he listens to history, he finds that there is something altogether different behind things – not a timeless and essential secret, but the secret that they have no essence or that their essence was fabricated in a piecemeal fashion from alien forms.”

Michel Foucault – “Nietzsche, Genealogy, History”

PS – It’s “Ree” not Rhee”

]]> By: Christine http://www.historiann.com/2011/05/08/the-internet-cowgirls-and-the-search-for-authenticity/comment-page-1/#comment-824878 Christine Thu, 12 May 2011 13:59:13 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=15193#comment-824878 *sex appeal *sex appeal

]]> By: Christine http://www.historiann.com/2011/05/08/the-internet-cowgirls-and-the-search-for-authenticity/comment-page-1/#comment-824877 Christine Thu, 12 May 2011 13:58:53 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=15193#comment-824877 I just want to add that I think one of the appeals of the Pioneer Woman that often goes unmentioned or underemphasized is the strong, yet precisely calibrated sexuality present in her writing about the entire process of courting, marrying, and settling down with "Marlboro Man" and then *retaining* that sexuality through the birth and raising of four kids on a relatively isolated ranch. I started reading her blog a couple of years ago, when I consumed the entire backlog of her soon to be printed bodice-ripper of a memoir over a weekend! It is really what hooked me, if I'm being honest, even though I'm a sort of obsessive cook and should care more about her lasagne (which is delicious, I have to tell you). I'm both taken in and skeptical about the whole deal, which is what drew me in. She's pretty! and thin! and smart! and has some taste! and seemingly slap happy; and he's buff! and deep! and they have these sweet kids and lots of land and money and a seemingly sizzling! private life. Yeah, Drummond blogs about food, redecorating, and homeschooling, but the story of her romance with M.M. is what I think attracted a lot of readers and is now about to make her the biggest of the biggest bucks. The sex was and is central to her success. I just want to add that I think one of the appeals of the Pioneer Woman that often goes unmentioned or underemphasized is the strong, yet precisely calibrated sexuality present in her writing about the entire process of courting, marrying, and settling down with “Marlboro Man” and then *retaining* that sexuality through the birth and raising of four kids on a relatively isolated ranch. I started reading her blog a couple of years ago, when I consumed the entire backlog of her soon to be printed bodice-ripper of a memoir over a weekend! It is really what hooked me, if I’m being honest, even though I’m a sort of obsessive cook and should care more about her lasagne (which is delicious, I have to tell you). I’m both taken in and skeptical about the whole deal, which is what drew me in. She’s pretty! and thin! and smart! and has some taste! and seemingly slap happy; and he’s buff! and deep! and they have these sweet kids and lots of land and money and a seemingly sizzling! private life. Yeah, Drummond blogs about food, redecorating, and homeschooling, but the story of her romance with M.M. is what I think attracted a lot of readers and is now about to make her the biggest of the biggest bucks. The sex was and is central to her success.

]]> By: Leslie http://www.historiann.com/2011/05/08/the-internet-cowgirls-and-the-search-for-authenticity/comment-page-1/#comment-824752 Leslie Thu, 12 May 2011 02:49:15 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=15193#comment-824752 @wini I get your point about authenticity, and like the way you frame it. With a tip of the hat to internet acquaintances, I think I'll use that in my class tomorrow. We've been talking how personal/cultural identity is expressed in music today, from the standpoint of composers in the classical tradition. So it encompasses everything from Daugherty's riff's on Elvis and Superman to the various strategies Peter Sculthorpe uses to evoke the Australian landscape in his music. @wini I get your point about authenticity, and like the way you frame it. With a tip of the hat to internet acquaintances, I think I’ll use that in my class tomorrow. We’ve been talking how personal/cultural identity is expressed in music today, from the standpoint of composers in the classical tradition. So it encompasses everything from Daugherty’s riff’s on Elvis and Superman to the various strategies Peter Sculthorpe uses to evoke the Australian landscape in his music.

]]> By: Historiann http://www.historiann.com/2011/05/08/the-internet-cowgirls-and-the-search-for-authenticity/comment-page-1/#comment-824631 Historiann Wed, 11 May 2011 19:32:18 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=15193#comment-824631 How many kids can't say the letter "r" clearly at age 6? Like, at least 5 million of them! I don't know a lot of kids, but some speech idiosyncracies are clearly linked to age and fine muscle control, so they overwhelmingly age out of them. Big deal! IIRC, the article says that she went to USC to study broadcast journalism. (Even more damning--she's just a phony from LA who studied mass comm!) How many kids can’t say the letter “r” clearly at age 6? Like, at least 5 million of them!

I don’t know a lot of kids, but some speech idiosyncracies are clearly linked to age and fine muscle control, so they overwhelmingly age out of them. Big deal!

IIRC, the article says that she went to USC to study broadcast journalism. (Even more damning–she’s just a phony from LA who studied mass comm!)

]]> By: loyal reader http://www.historiann.com/2011/05/08/the-internet-cowgirls-and-the-search-for-authenticity/comment-page-1/#comment-824630 loyal reader Wed, 11 May 2011 19:25:16 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=15193#comment-824630 I thought the article was nasty. It was pointing out that Drummond basically was full of shit. It also had some interesting things about fame and how it destroys people -- her blog has become about her being on a book tour, not about her being on the ranch. Similar to "Bethenny". I was dismayed that one of her home-schooled sons has a pretty bad speech impediment ("her son is unable to say the letter r" -- it was said so casually, but this is a serious deficit!) -- know what? I bet ya they got speech therapists out there on the prairie, yall! He needs to get to one and fix that lisp. Perhaps most snotty in my opinion was early in her bio, it mentioned that Drummond had gone to a community college in Virginia to study restaurant management. but one of her professors said "what the hell are you DOING here!" -- so she went to the U of T @ Austin. Like, how HORRIBLE that she went to a CC! Good grief! New Yorker readers must have been appalled! Anyway I am late to the party. Thanks for reading. I thought the article was nasty. It was pointing out that Drummond basically was full of shit. It also had some interesting things about fame and how it destroys people — her blog has become about her being on a book tour, not about her being on the ranch. Similar to “Bethenny”. I was dismayed that one of her home-schooled sons has a pretty bad speech impediment (“her son is unable to say the letter r” — it was said so casually, but this is a serious deficit!) — know what? I bet ya they got speech therapists out there on the prairie, yall! He needs to get to one and fix that lisp. Perhaps most snotty in my opinion was early in her bio, it mentioned that Drummond had gone to a community college in Virginia to study restaurant management. but one of her professors said “what the hell are you DOING here!” — so she went to the U of T @ Austin. Like, how HORRIBLE that she went to a CC! Good grief! New Yorker readers must have been appalled! Anyway I am late to the party. Thanks for reading.

]]> By: wini http://www.historiann.com/2011/05/08/the-internet-cowgirls-and-the-search-for-authenticity/comment-page-1/#comment-824498 wini Wed, 11 May 2011 13:46:35 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=15193#comment-824498 As someone who actually has to teach about authenticity, I'm going to try my hand at this. Authenticity, at least in music, is always relational. Authenticity is a concept that works within genres, and while it is a characteristic that is bestowed by others those working within the genres strive for authenticity. I'm going to make the same assumption about Drummond's self representation. There is a really good book about country music and authenticity by Peterson. So, within the genre of "cowgirl," what is authentic? Being a music scholar, I would go back to some of the original cowgirl singers, let's say Patsy Montana or Girls of the Golden West. In much of their music, they express the desire to be, well, a cowboy. So within that frame is Drummond "authentic"? [It's important to note the audience for country and western music at the time, but suffice it to say it was not New Yorkers unless you're looking at recent refugees from the dust bowl.] Can anyone aspire to be a cowboy's wife? My guess is no, that a cowboy's wife was not a well off woman living in comfort. Scholars of the west probably have a lot more to say about that. So, she aspires to be a ranch hand's wife? Seems to me that ranchers are largely hard working and wealthy. Within that frame, the frame she herself places herself in, both she and her husband are "authentically" hard working and wealthy. I love "pie near woman" because it parodies exactly what I find to be "Everything wrong with blogging," namely the staged, photo shopped beautiful pictures. As someone who actually has to teach about authenticity, I’m going to try my hand at this. Authenticity, at least in music, is always relational. Authenticity is a concept that works within genres, and while it is a characteristic that is bestowed by others those working within the genres strive for authenticity. I’m going to make the same assumption about Drummond’s self representation.

There is a really good book about country music and authenticity by Peterson.

So, within the genre of “cowgirl,” what is authentic? Being a music scholar, I would go back to some of the original cowgirl singers, let’s say Patsy Montana or Girls of the Golden West. In much of their music, they express the desire to be, well, a cowboy. So within that frame is Drummond “authentic”? [It's important to note the audience for country and western music at the time, but suffice it to say it was not New Yorkers unless you're looking at recent refugees from the dust bowl.]

Can anyone aspire to be a cowboy’s wife? My guess is no, that a cowboy’s wife was not a well off woman living in comfort. Scholars of the west probably have a lot more to say about that.

So, she aspires to be a ranch hand’s wife? Seems to me that ranchers are largely hard working and wealthy. Within that frame, the frame she herself places herself in, both she and her husband are “authentically” hard working and wealthy.

I love “pie near woman” because it parodies exactly what I find to be “Everything wrong with blogging,” namely the staged, photo shopped beautiful pictures.

]]> By: Leslie http://www.historiann.com/2011/05/08/the-internet-cowgirls-and-the-search-for-authenticity/comment-page-1/#comment-824281 Leslie Tue, 10 May 2011 21:58:45 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=15193#comment-824281 "The author suggests that it’s somehow unseemly that Drummond has a comfortable modern home, an expensive camera, that she’s very businesslike about her blogging, that she has published a cookbook and a memoir, and that she was on a publicity tour for her memoir this winter. Because cowgirls in Oklahoma shouldn’t have college degrees? They shouldn’t make bank on a humble blog? They shouldn’t go on book tours? (Does this seem condescending to the rest of you yet?) " Speaking as a native Oklahoman, yeah it's condescending and also par for the course. "Authentic is more of a compliment for others to bestow (largely meaningless, perhaps) or more importantly, it’s something to withhold from another. And that’s what I think was going on in that article–an accusation of inauthenticity when I don’t get the impression that authenticity was really on the table." The whole concept of "authenticity" seems to suggest that there's just one way of being. I can think of all kinds of ways of being a cowgirl, let alone anything else. “The author suggests that it’s somehow unseemly that Drummond has a comfortable modern home, an expensive camera, that she’s very businesslike about her blogging, that she has published a cookbook and a memoir, and that she was on a publicity tour for her memoir this winter. Because cowgirls in Oklahoma shouldn’t have college degrees? They shouldn’t make bank on a humble blog? They shouldn’t go on book tours? (Does this seem condescending to the rest of you yet?) ”

Speaking as a native Oklahoman, yeah it’s condescending and also par for the course.

“Authentic is more of a compliment for others to bestow (largely meaningless, perhaps) or more importantly, it’s something to withhold from another. And that’s what I think was going on in that article–an accusation of inauthenticity when I don’t get the impression that authenticity was really on the table.”

The whole concept of “authenticity” seems to suggest that there’s just one way of being. I can think of all kinds of ways of being a cowgirl, let alone anything else.

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