Just dance

[dolorosa_12]

Day 23: Your opinions on Lady Gaga.
I have lots of thoughts about Lady Gaga, but rather than write an essay, I thought I'd point you to this post of Sady Doyle's, which says it all with an eloquence I don't think I could manage.

In the past, Doyle had written of Lady Gaga 'Like, basically I think she is an undercover performance artist attempting to decode the whole "sexy pop star" thing and its implications re: gender and sexuality and also sort of taking the piss with the whole sexy pop star thing whilst wearing corsets with exploding breast cups and disco ball dresses and what-have-you and singing songs about the disco sticks and the bluffing of muffins and I love her. Embarrassing, but true!'

In a later post, she had changed her tune slightly.

Gaga’s controversies used to be more interesting than this. They used to bring up stuff like, say, trans prison issues, or the politics of depicting human trafficking, or whether femininity and female sexuality were a means by which women were oppressed, or a means of empowerment (answer: Both, provided you can shoot fire out of your nipples). [...]

Next time, come up with something that’s actually offensive. Or, at least, cool-looking. Give me something to talk about. You are the Internet; our fate is in your hands.

Which is basically my thinking too. And her songs are good to dance to.


Day 24: Tell us about the last movie you saw in the cinema.
Day 25: Tell us about the last book you read (for leisure or for school).
Day 26: Name one place you would love to visit one day.
Day 27: List your three favorite girl names, three favorite boy names, and your three favorite names for a pet.
Day 28: Your first celebrity crush.
Day 29: Your opinions on the television show Glee.
Day 30: Take a picture of yourself right now and post it, or post the most recent picture you can find.

As you may have noticed, I've been away from the internet for a little while, so I'm behind on this meme. I will remedy that by posting three times today!

Comments

[queen-isa.livejournal.com]

Hi!!

I was wondering if i could ask you a question: I have just accepted to go to the American University of Paris for their Masters in Cultural Translation. It would be 2 years in Paris. I do not know whether to go or to apply to Monash, which is a Double Degree, and 1 year in Lyon.
I'm just unsure if Translation is a 'viable' career or wether doing a post grad degree like this is amply restrictive. (I just graduated with a BA in French and History).
Sorry, i thought you might have some advice/pearls of wisdom as you're on your PhD to Cambridge no less! (I'm so jealous! Congratulations on that and Germany!).

:-)

[dolorosa-12.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on finishing your BA and getting accepted for the Masters! I can give you some advice, but understand that it's just an opinion and I don't know much about the career prospects after doing a degree like that.

The subject I study is very specialised and there aren't many opportunities to work in the field outside of academia. While some people I know have managed to get successful careers in the academic world, not all of them have, and some of them took years after finishing their PhDs to find a good job. Going to Cambridge is no guarantee that you'll get a job afterwards. That said, I don't feel restricted. I've worked in lots of other fields (journalism, editing, libraries, tutoring, childcare, hospitality) and I'm sure that I'll be able to get some kind of job after. Also, the skills I learnt while doing my PhD can be applied in lots of other fields, not just academia, even if this isn't immediately obvious. So I would never advise someone not to do postgrad study just because they might not get a job after it.

That said, you need to consider some other stuff. Do you think it will work for you to come out of undergrad and go straight into postgrad study? Are you someone who finds new experiences fun, or do you struggle with change? How prepared are you for life in Paris? (I assume your French is very good, so I'm asking more about living there, rather than being able to speak the language.) How do the actual degrees compare? Which one seems more interesting to you?

I certainly don't think that translation is too restrictive a field. I know someone else on LJ who did a translation degree (I think she's Dutch) and now has a job in that field. I also have a friend in Cambridge who is doing a PhD on Old Norse literature but supports herself by doing freelance translation of Modern Icelandic literature into English. So it's definitely possible to get translation jobs.

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

[queen-isa.livejournal.com]

Hey! :)

Thanks so much for your speedy reply!

I have lived in Paris before (in 2009-2010) and was on exchange to Brittany for 3 months when I was at school. I also come from a French speaking background - my mother in Mauritian. That said, I can understand everything and make myself understood but I still have problems with grammar. (I moved around a lot as a child so my skills are all over the place!). So I know Paris well, and have family and friends there.

Wow. Old Norse and Icelandic literature - that's so cool! I'm such a nerd and i like academia.
I'm still mulling it over really - I didn't expect to be accepted!

Thanks so much for your advice! :)