Pick A Shelf, Any Shelf: Collections In Context & Construction
11.06.06 By Deanna DahlsadThis is but one shelf in my home.
This shelf is filled with Gene and other dolls, risqué pinup collectibles, and other icons of femininity. My love of (obsession with) Marilyn Monroe, led to a love of classic films, bombshells and pinups, and items connected to these images. In turn, I gathered more than just films, photographs, dolls, and entertainment memorabilia, but books. While these items obviously sit on other shelves (and in other display and storage devices), they are related to this shelf, this collection.
At first I viewed only the books on films and stars as part of this collection but soon I realized my library encompassed more than moviestar bios and entertainment books. It was even more than vintage magazines and pulp novels. There was a large focus on women in general: feminist works; historical books on etiquette, ‘health’ and grooming; erotic literature and the study thereof; anthropological works on gender and culture etc. These were as much a part of my shelf of ‘girly’ items as the pinups and dolls.
While my books may seem lofty and intellectual whereas the items on this shelf seem pretty girly, I eventually saw that they are not just related but all part of the same collection.
If the objects on this shelf seem sexist, exploitative; as if I am falling for the bunk the books denounced, I’m not. At least not in my mind. Looking at stereotypes on my shelf (the dumb blonde, the voluptuous vixen, the evil jealous woman, the sinner vs. the saint) allows me to put into context what I have read. It’s a reminder of what exists, of the indoctrination, of what it means to be female. At least from my point of view.
Once I made the connection between this shelf and my bookshelves I saw the connections with my other collections. My political collectibles, history of courting, vintage lingerie and beauty items, and quite a few other sub-categories/shelves here at home all fit together too. I may not know exactly what my collection is saying, but I know what it is asking: What does being female mean?
Once I realized what it is that I am really collecting, the focus of my collection didn’t change per se — it sharpened.
Defining what I was doing helped me refine my actions. Not only does this help me in the formation and organization of my collection, but the motivation and context help me articulate to others what I am looking for. I not only search more effectively on the internet, but network with other collectors better. This ought to help me get closer to answering the question my collection is asking. And that’s what it’s all about, yes?
(If you are one of these collectors — if your collection is asking the same question — feel free to contact me!)
---
Article Tags: collection, display, organization, shelf================
Gotta Collect? Then You Gotta Connect - Join our Collectors’ Community!
November 13th, 2006 at 4:26 am
[...] Sunday, thanks to the Internet and good-old-Google, I found a few more interesting things about Marian Anderson; a woman worthy of belonging to my “What it means to be female” collection. [...]
November 13th, 2006 at 10:11 am
I guess that my Marvel Legends shelves are a testament to ‘What it means to be secretly 12 years old at the age of 25′.
November 14th, 2006 at 8:01 pm
Collin, most men are perpetually 8-12 years old *wink*
December 28th, 2006 at 5:45 am
[...] Don’t get me wrong, I completely appreciate the intentions in preserving the vanishing Americna history — and interest in the black experience. (I do the same in the name of feminism.) But if you’re white and have a black lawn jockey, don’t expect anyone else to know you believe in Jocko or that you’re a history buff. Don’t expect them to visit you to find out what your reason is. [...]
October 11th, 2007 at 6:00 am
[...] I have a modest number of old etiquette books. They began as a part of my “women’s issues” or “female history” collection, but since their number grows, well over three, the proper thing to do is to admit they are now their own collection. [...]
January 10th, 2008 at 5:48 am
[...] On Becoming A Woman, “A frank, modern discussion of everything a teen-age girl wants and needs to know,” by Mary McGee Williams & Irene Kane, with an introduction by Louise Bates Ames of the Gesell Institute; copyright 1958, 1959, 1969, Dell Publishing Co., Inc. The binding’s not even cracked on this one… Gee, I wonder why? But I had to snap it up for my what does it mean to be female collection (to be called my ‘female collection, for short). [...]
March 10th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
[...] collect things because together the seemingly unrelated objects tell a story — even if that story is hard to define. (Maybe the story is not complete yet? Or maybe I am just rationalizing my passion for stuff… [...]