Let me preface by saying that living above three frat boys has been an experience that I will never forget, EVER! I have been enlightened, not by choice, on the many occurrences of sexual frivolity and promiscuity that they all partake in. Never did I think that men talk about women this casually and freely, not to mention how degrading their portrayal of women is. They share every little detail that one can only classify as intimately personal, beyond private—things that should never be said aloud! These guys drink excessively and bring back different girls to their rooms almost every weekend. Partaking in drunken sexual escapades, they constantly re-tell their stories to each other, and we (my roommates and I) have the pleasure of hearing everything they say. These vulgar acts should be in porn. From the “trooper” who kept at it anyway to the girl who was “slapped in the a**” then told to “do it now, bi***”, these women are treated as objects. The funny thing is, the girl in every story does what the guy wants and likes it!
What does this say about the women who are at the other end of their relationships? Not much, that’s for sure. Someone must have really low self-esteem to participate in some of the activities that these guys mention. It is absolutely disgusting and pitiful! What have college students become? I thought we were more intelligent, here at TCNJ, but I was mistaken. Let me tell you, my group of girlfriends and I would never let a guy treat us that way. I’d break up with my boyfriend if he ever tried to do any of the things the “men” below do to the girls they sleep with. It is humiliating and disgusting. When we first overheard what they were saying (they were so loud we couldn’t help it!) we thought they were making it up. But as the weeks past and they kept talking this way, we had to believe that they weren’t lying. One would assume that they “enhance” their stories to sound better to their friends, but most parts are true. We know for a fact because we hear when they drunkenly stumble back in at 5am and take the girl into the shower.
I knew that guys talk to each other about relationships and sex, but I never thought that these people we consider men talk this way. It is not only demeaning to women, but a disgusting portrayal of college-aged people. Society has this view of college student partying and drinking excessively, being carefree and stupid and these guys just support their viewpoint. Even though there are awful men out there, there is still hope—they’ll grow up eventually…I think. The scariest part is that these men will become our doctors, teachers, and future fathers in society. Yikes!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
"Mad Men"
“Mad Men” is an hour-long drama that airs on AMC Sundays at 10pm. It is not a show aimed at college students, which a viewer can tell by their main sponsor being Viagra. The show follows the life of an advertising executive at work and at home during the turbulent times of the early 1960’s. The creators of the show chose an anxious time between 1950’s conformity and the late 1960’s activism. “Mad Men” does have strong plots, and great writing but many viewers enjoy nostalgia. Like “Leave it to Beaver” reruns many baby boomers watch to recall ‘simpler times.’ These people were sadly mistaken when they witnessed the bigoted, chauvinistic, and ignorant workers of the Sterling Cooper advertising agency, where the main action takes place.
At first, a viewer may be surprised at the blatant sexual harassment towards the women in the secretarial pool. The 60’s are not a time too distant, less than half a century, and it is amazing how much has changed in the way women are treated. These women worked in a male dominated office where they are expected to do much more then keep appointments, and answer telephones. As this clip shows women were expected to play several roles. Joan, the head secretary, explains to Peggy, the new girl, how to be a great secretary. Along with playing wife, and mother these women were trained to lie to their boss's wife when they are out of the office, at their extra long lunches. These women dealt with sexual harassment on a daily basis which did affect their work, like Peggy in the second episode of season one. These are things that today would be settled in human resources, or with an out of court settlement.
These two clips are just a sampling of the accepted torture these women dealt with to receive a paycheck. They accepted their circumstance and used the little power they had to their advantage, like the telephone operators “losing” phone calls. Another comedic aspect of the show is the characters’ ignorance of a healthy lifestyle. There is an abundance of chain smoking and alcoholism. My favorite scene, includes a woman smoking, and drinking liquor (in the middle of the afternoon) and at the end of the scene she stands to present her third trimester (yes, pregnant) belly.
I was curious whether this was true or a severe exaggeration of the time. According to Bob Levinson, he is recently retired, but has spent 20 years in the media and television departments at an advertising agency in New York, starting in 1960. There is some controversy, but he insists the unhealthy lifestyle, and relationships toward women are facts (NY Times). There are comments after the article, which include a man attesting to the three-martini, all male lunches he witnessed. It is amazing that a show could stereotype, and explain a time in the United States so vividly. This show seems to exemplify gender in popular culture. We are now entertained by the ignorance of just how bad the oppression of women actually was.
The Nw York times article can be found here.
At first, a viewer may be surprised at the blatant sexual harassment towards the women in the secretarial pool. The 60’s are not a time too distant, less than half a century, and it is amazing how much has changed in the way women are treated. These women worked in a male dominated office where they are expected to do much more then keep appointments, and answer telephones. As this clip shows women were expected to play several roles. Joan, the head secretary, explains to Peggy, the new girl, how to be a great secretary. Along with playing wife, and mother these women were trained to lie to their boss's wife when they are out of the office, at their extra long lunches. These women dealt with sexual harassment on a daily basis which did affect their work, like Peggy in the second episode of season one. These are things that today would be settled in human resources, or with an out of court settlement.
These two clips are just a sampling of the accepted torture these women dealt with to receive a paycheck. They accepted their circumstance and used the little power they had to their advantage, like the telephone operators “losing” phone calls. Another comedic aspect of the show is the characters’ ignorance of a healthy lifestyle. There is an abundance of chain smoking and alcoholism. My favorite scene, includes a woman smoking, and drinking liquor (in the middle of the afternoon) and at the end of the scene she stands to present her third trimester (yes, pregnant) belly.
I was curious whether this was true or a severe exaggeration of the time. According to Bob Levinson, he is recently retired, but has spent 20 years in the media and television departments at an advertising agency in New York, starting in 1960. There is some controversy, but he insists the unhealthy lifestyle, and relationships toward women are facts (NY Times). There are comments after the article, which include a man attesting to the three-martini, all male lunches he witnessed. It is amazing that a show could stereotype, and explain a time in the United States so vividly. This show seems to exemplify gender in popular culture. We are now entertained by the ignorance of just how bad the oppression of women actually was.
The Nw York times article can be found here.
Pornography!
Pornography is a sensitive and often uncomfortable topic, still off limits for discussion in most arenas. However, while some may blush reading this post, it is important to examine the effects that the ever-growing porn industry has on relationships and gender issues. With the advent of internet, pornography has become increasingly accessible and inexpensive. In fact, statistics from a 2003 study show that every second, 28,258 Internet users are viewing pornography. This raises the question of whether porn usage is a gendered issue. Approximately 72% of internet pornography users are male while about 28% are female, indicating the men are the main consumers of pornography. Most men and quite a few women are probably scratching their heads right now. So why does it matter?
Many experts would argue that porn is changing relationships, altering expectations about sex and body image, and threatening to reshape how young people learn about sex. An increasing number of divorces are citing pornography use as a cause. At the 2003 meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, two-thirds of the 350 divorce lawyers who attended cited online porn contributed to more than half of their divorce cases. How is it that porn can be such a problem in marriages? According to the Times online, a number of psychologists and sociologists have begun to warn society about the impact of pervasive pornography. They argue that sexuality and relationships are being changed for the worse. Experts say men who frequently view porn may "develop unrealistic expectations of a woman's appearance and behavior, have difficulty forming and sustaining relationships and feeling sexually satisfied."(Read this Times article here). Upon discovering their loved one's porn use, women are often faced with feelings of inadequacy and betrayal. As if competing with the unrealistic image of female beauty in the media isn't enough, now woman have to try to live up to the images of the porn stars their partners find so arousing. Many individuals look at porn usage as a milder form of infidelity, with women feeling as if their husbands are directing their intimacy and passion toward those women in the computer rather than to them.
No wonder pornography use is ruining marriages.
Additionally, porn usage leads to a plethora of gender issues. In 2003, Texas Christian University conducted an online study which revealed that the more pornography men watch, the more likely they are to describe women in sexualized terms. Also, the more porn a man watched, the more likely he would be to categorize women in traditional gender roles. Porn not only leads men to be unable to sustain intimate relationships, but also leads them to objectify women.
With porn so easily accessible, children are beginning to learn about sex from these often unrealistic and degrading porn videos. The average age of first internet exposure to pornography is 11 years old. The problem with this is fairly obvious.
While pornography has existed for a long time in a fairly unobtrusive manner, perhaps it is time to truly examine the negative result of such a large and accessible porn industry.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Rap Music: A Center for Misogyny
Now, more then ever, people of all ages listen to music constantly, whether it is on their way to work through their car radios or via ipods and mp3 players. Rap music, one of the most popular music forms in today's society, is increasingly becoming more demeaning towards women of all colors. It seems as though materialism and misogyny are the most common themes in rap music videos, more-so than violence or even sex. Music videos consistently show women committing more misogyny than men. TI's "Whatever You Like," a very popular song, shows a woman receiving a limitless amount of materialistic things from a man just because she is beautiful. This video shows her going from a waitress at a rundown diner to living the "good life." The materialism and misogyny portrayed in this video correlate to the similar characteristics of many rap music videos. The content of the actual songs is very demeaning because it not degrades women, but makes extremely inappropriate sexual references, most of which should not be heard by children. Music is perhaps one of the easiest ways for people to be exposed to pop culture; today's rap music, now more than ever, scrutinizes society and distorts all of the beliefs that we have, whether it is the idea of feminism or the need to stop materialism in the world.
It is very interesting though that the rappers that are most talking about as demeaning women and society's beliefs are men, such as Eminem and Snoop; however, women rappers, such as Lil Kim, who write songs about similar issues, are rarely scrutinized for their behavior. It is intersting that although both sexes are creating music that is demeaning to many women, only men get the blame, which is yet another gendered view in society.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Reading Between the Lines: Magazines' Messages of Beauty
We are exposed to messages about body image, attractiveness, and the ideal body type on a daily basis from a variety of different sources. From commercials, to television programs, to ads in popular magazines, it is nearly impossible to escape the messages conveyed to us regarding what we should strive to look like and what we should consider attractive. Perhaps the most obvious messages of attractiveness come from what we read, see, and absorb in magazines. When waiting in line to pay for my late night coffee run at 7-11, I scanned the magazines lining the shelves under the counter. Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Maxim were prominently displayed. A variety of different gossip magazines were also available for flipping through by the other impatient college students waiting in line in front of me. I picked up the latest issue of Cosmopolitan, my attention captured by the skinny image of The Hills star Lauren Conrad and one particular caption on the front cover reading “Lose Weight While You Eat.”
As I flipped through the magazine, I wasn’t a bit surprised at the various pictures of thin models, celebrities, and women depicted in advertisements. Page after page contained much of the same thing; tall, beautiful, extremely slender women encouraging the way we should dress and the products we should use to look like them. From anti-aging creams, to make-up products, I was bombarded with advertisements not-so-subtly telling me what our society considers beautiful.
With my interest piqued on how magazines influence our cultural values on appearance, I picked up a copy of Maxim magazine to see what messages were being portrayed for men. The magazine featured ads and articles with pictures of toned, muscular men as well as a large amount of young, beautiful, and of course skinny women. I think we more easily realize the unrealistic beauty standards for women, yet fail to see that similar standards are present for men as well.
Popular men’s and women’s magazines send us message not only about how we should look, but how the opposite sex should look as well. Both Maxim and Cosmopolitan contained images of the ideal for both men and women and had articles suggesting how we can go about obtaining these images. The dilemma here is that most people in our society do not fit into these standards of beauty because they are unrealistic and often unattainable. Instead of focusing on how thin or toned we should be, shouldn’t these magazines zero in on being the best you? Or at least a realistic you? The more we continue to buy and read these magazines, the more we absorb their messages for men and women of how we should look. Though at times we may not consciously pick up on these messages, they are being embedded in our minds by the skinny woman selling us lip-gloss on page ten, or the incredibly toned man persuading us to drive a certain type of car on the next page.
As I flipped through the magazine, I wasn’t a bit surprised at the various pictures of thin models, celebrities, and women depicted in advertisements. Page after page contained much of the same thing; tall, beautiful, extremely slender women encouraging the way we should dress and the products we should use to look like them. From anti-aging creams, to make-up products, I was bombarded with advertisements not-so-subtly telling me what our society considers beautiful.
With my interest piqued on how magazines influence our cultural values on appearance, I picked up a copy of Maxim magazine to see what messages were being portrayed for men. The magazine featured ads and articles with pictures of toned, muscular men as well as a large amount of young, beautiful, and of course skinny women. I think we more easily realize the unrealistic beauty standards for women, yet fail to see that similar standards are present for men as well.
Popular men’s and women’s magazines send us message not only about how we should look, but how the opposite sex should look as well. Both Maxim and Cosmopolitan contained images of the ideal for both men and women and had articles suggesting how we can go about obtaining these images. The dilemma here is that most people in our society do not fit into these standards of beauty because they are unrealistic and often unattainable. Instead of focusing on how thin or toned we should be, shouldn’t these magazines zero in on being the best you? Or at least a realistic you? The more we continue to buy and read these magazines, the more we absorb their messages for men and women of how we should look. Though at times we may not consciously pick up on these messages, they are being embedded in our minds by the skinny woman selling us lip-gloss on page ten, or the incredibly toned man persuading us to drive a certain type of car on the next page.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Inequality Within Medical Texts
Within our Women and Gender Studies Class we have seen many examples of how the portrayal of gender can affect how individuals perceive their own gender as well as others’. On television, men outnumber women in almost all aspects of television appearances. We have seen firsthand how far too often, men are portrayed as protagonists while women are reduced to mere sidekicks within the film media.
A new study investigating medical textbooks reveals the gender and ethnic imbalances that exist within medical texts. The study focuses on the portrayal of the human anatomy, and the strong trend of white males being used (nearly exclusively) to exhibit anatomical features. Under such instances when a neutral body part was displayed, most often, a male figure was used to show it: “The six North American manuals studied used male bodies in 17% of cases and female ones in 5% to illustrate “neutral body parts”, while the six European ones used male images 12% of the time and female ones only 2%.”
The same inequalities can be seen in the representation of race within these textbooks. 75% of the manuals that were investigated exclusively included only Caucasians to model various body parts. For the other 25%, Caucasians were used predominantly as illustration.
The author of the study argues that not only is unequal representation evident, but that racist and sexist connotations exist. The researcher argued that because only men are used to depict the nervous system, traits such as intelligence and thought are attributed to men. Despite evidence to the contrary, many people in the medical world still believe that white-male heterosexuals are the pinnacle of human evolution. Within these texts, white-male heterosexuals are arguably portrayed as such.
Not only is this trend offensive to some, it is possibly dangerous, as explained by the researcher, “Using only one body type as a model and treating the rest as variations is dangerous for health.” Many of the texts offer treatments designed solely for white males. This would undoubtedly increase the risk of medical mistreatment for individuals who are not male and/or not Caucasian.
As we have learned this year, the portrayal of race and gender in society is very important and should not be taken lightly. In this case, an inequality in how often certain genders/ethnicities are portrayed in medical textbooks may very well lead to dangerous health effects to certain individuals who are discriminated against.
The article referenced within this post can be found here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081015132108.htm
- Jason Heckler
A new study investigating medical textbooks reveals the gender and ethnic imbalances that exist within medical texts. The study focuses on the portrayal of the human anatomy, and the strong trend of white males being used (nearly exclusively) to exhibit anatomical features. Under such instances when a neutral body part was displayed, most often, a male figure was used to show it: “The six North American manuals studied used male bodies in 17% of cases and female ones in 5% to illustrate “neutral body parts”, while the six European ones used male images 12% of the time and female ones only 2%.”
The same inequalities can be seen in the representation of race within these textbooks. 75% of the manuals that were investigated exclusively included only Caucasians to model various body parts. For the other 25%, Caucasians were used predominantly as illustration.
The author of the study argues that not only is unequal representation evident, but that racist and sexist connotations exist. The researcher argued that because only men are used to depict the nervous system, traits such as intelligence and thought are attributed to men. Despite evidence to the contrary, many people in the medical world still believe that white-male heterosexuals are the pinnacle of human evolution. Within these texts, white-male heterosexuals are arguably portrayed as such.
Not only is this trend offensive to some, it is possibly dangerous, as explained by the researcher, “Using only one body type as a model and treating the rest as variations is dangerous for health.” Many of the texts offer treatments designed solely for white males. This would undoubtedly increase the risk of medical mistreatment for individuals who are not male and/or not Caucasian.
As we have learned this year, the portrayal of race and gender in society is very important and should not be taken lightly. In this case, an inequality in how often certain genders/ethnicities are portrayed in medical textbooks may very well lead to dangerous health effects to certain individuals who are discriminated against.
The article referenced within this post can be found here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081015132108.htm
- Jason Heckler
Thursday, October 23, 2008
“Everything you always wanted to know about the opposite sex.”
“Everything you always wanted to know about the opposite sex.”
Presented by Dr. Lori Hart Ebert
http://www.campuspeak.com/speakers/hart-ebert/#sex
Last night I went to a presentation in Kendal Hall about what shapes an individual’s gendered identity and the various influences behind its construction. During this ninety minute presentation we discussed the various aspects of gender and the numerous behaviors that conform to each sex. So without any further delay here’s a list of the various characteristics and stereotypes linked to either being a man or a woman according to Dr. Ebert. (Note: Dr. Ebert’s presentation is entirely based on quantitative and qualitative research.)
Women:
1. Women are complicated. Women question everything and need to know every detail. Women take excessive amounts of time to accomplish something. Women like to do more than what is necessary and are not satisfied until every detail is fulfilled.
2. Women can multi-task, and they’ll disgustingly well at it. For example, a woman can watch a movie, have conversation with her boyfriend on the phone, plan out what she’s going to wear tomorrow, guess what’s going to happen next in the movie, change her mind about wearing that shirt with those pants, remember that its her mom’s birthday in three weeks so she needs to go shopping, happen to be right about the next scene in the movie, and in the midst of all this, she’ll then ask her boyfriend if he’s listening to her. This might be a little extreme, but I think the majority of the ladies in the class would agree that women can multi-task and be damn good at it.
3. Women communicate through the form of questions. Women want to know everything that is going on. Women communicate for connective purposes. Moreover, women ask questions in order to stay close with people. On average, a woman says about 20,000 words a day.
4. Women also like to tell “stories”. For example, let’s look at a conversation between a mother and her daughter, and a father and his son. Both the son and daughter have the same class schedule.
Father – Son
Father: How was class today?
Son: It was good.
Mother – Daughter
Mother: How was class today?
Daughter: It was great! I went to my first class at ten. It was a little cold outside so it was a good thing I wore my jacket. Campus looks so pretty, the leaves are really beginning to change. I went to class and as I was going to sit down that cute boy I was telling you about looked at me! Can you believe it?!?! Do you think he likes me? He seems like a nice guy. So the entire class I couldn’t stop thinking about him. And then ten minutes before class ended, the professor gave us a pop quiz to make sure we were all paying attention. I aced it!
(I think you all get my point)
5. Women don’t like being alone. If a woman gets upset about something she needs to talk about it, whether if that’s on the phone or in a group with all her best friends. A woman always needs someone to listen to her when she is upset.
Men:
1. Men are simple. Men get right to the point, doing only what is necessary. Men don’t like to be bothered by endless details.
2. Men are focused. If a man is doing something, he’ll concentrate solely on that one thing. As a result of man’s ability to “be in the zone”, he cannot multi-task. Its not that he chooses to be this way, it’s just that he really can’t multi-task that well.
3. Men communicate in the form of statements. Men don’t question every act or detail. Men say what they need to, when they need to. On average, men say about 6,000 words a day.
4. Sometimes men just want some space. If a man gets mad or upset about something, he likes to be alone. Men don’t alienate themselves from society, they just like to separate themselves from the problem, and then they’ll walk back to it.
These are just some of the key points and examples that Dr. Ebert discussed. I found it interesting that in all the examples and stories she used, the entire audience agreed. Whether this overall agreement came in the form of laughter or yells, I can firmly say that the majority of both sexes, male and female, agreed with all the stereotypes and behaviors Dr. Ebert presented. I’m not saying that every single person agreed, but the majority did.
As she wrapped up her presentation she left us with the following two quotes. I felt that these quotes summed up the night perfectly demonstrating that all people have particular characteristics and behaviors that correlate with their own sex. As a result, these gendered aspects lead to stereotypes and labels; however, we must always remember that every gendered identity is different and that stereotypes, more often than not, lead to poor representations. Furthermore, every individual has their own gendered identity of who they are. The difficult part is being able to accurately see it.
"A WOMAN is often measured by the things she cannot control. She is measured by the way her body curves or doesn't curve, by where she is flat or straight or round. She is measured by 36-24-26 and inches and ages and numbers, by all the outside things that don't ever add up to who she is on the inside. And so if a woman is to be measured, let her be measured by the things she can control, by who she is and who she is trying to become. Because every woman knows measurements are only statistics and statistics lie."
“A MAN is often measured by the things he cannot control. He is measured by the number of beers he can drink or not drink, by the kind of car he drives and whether or not he’s at the bottom, middle, or top of the corporate ladder. He is measured by each of the numbers in his six-figure paycheck, by all the outside things that don’t ever add up to who he is on the inside. And so if a man is to be measured, let him be measured by the things he can control, by who he is and who he is trying to become. Because as every man knows, measurements are only statistics and statistics lie.”
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The art of the Pickup
“You must be a ticket, cause you got fine written all over you.” “Are you a library book, cause I’m checking you out.” The statements above are two examples of pick up lines that were used by men to flirt with girls. The art of “picking up a chick” is very complex and arduous. One of the problems that some men face is the lack of self confidence or the feeling that they have no “game.” The idea of charming a lady and getting their number is a rite of passage for many young American men. The man that can charm the most ladies is considered to be a “player.” The ultimate goal of flirting with a woman is to start a relationship. While flirtation and charming a lady has been practiced for years, it has become more apparent that many men simply are not able to flirt with a girl. Examples of this inability to talk to girls can be seen in pop culture with the movie Hitch, where a “ladies man,” Will Smith, is hired to help Kevin James character start a relationship with one of his clients.
Recently, a show on VH1 shows the trials and tribulations of various men who have no game. The Pick Up Artist is a reality show in which contestants have to demonstrate their ability to pick up chicks. The creator of the show, Erik von Markovik(Mystery), is called a seduction artist and is the person who teaches the contestants the art of picking up girls. The show narrows down the ability to picking up girls to an almost exact science, showing that by following simple formula, any man can seduce a girl.
In my opinion, I feel that the show The Pick Up Artist shows objectifies women much like other reality shows. To say that there is an easy step by step guide to flirting with a woman is false. Women have different tastes and personalities and I personally believe that there is no one way to flirt with a girl. The problem with this show is that many young men that I have talked to believe that this method used by Mystery is factual. The women that are showed in this television show are usually people who are found in clubs and not an accurate representation of the female population. This show, in my opinion, is disrespectful not only by objectifying women but also show that men are only concerned with flirting and hooking up with women. The only purpose of being a “pickup artist” is to sleep with women and have fun. I have to disagree with this assessment. While some men pick up girls for this reason, others flirt and charm girls because they want to start a relationship and I feel that the Pick Up Artist does not show this side of attracting girls.
Women in Horror Movies
Since Halloween is creeping closer, my friends and I have been watching a good deal of
horror movies. I soon realized that the portrayal of women in this genre is an interesting topic to look into. Most theorists label the horror genre as male-driven or male-centered, but is this really the case?
For those of us who have seen a few horror movies, you have probably noticed at least one common theme. There is always a female sex object in the movies who is running without a bra or just naked in a shower. I assume that this lust and fear combination is targeted towards our basic primal drives. When trying to search for “women in horror films” in google, many of the results had to do with “top 10 hottest women in horror” and “horror women babes”.
However, it is uncanny how often only a woman survives. This may not seem that important, but it forces the viewer to identify with the last character alive and root for his/her survival. I looked at the top 100 horror movies of all time and randomly chose 20 to see who the survivor was. Of the 20 popular movies, 16 had women only survivors. Some of these include Halloween, Scream, Alien, and Silence of the Lambs. From the ones I have seen, the women survivors tend to make good quick decisions and are brave in doing what they have to do.
In the movies where the main character is a male, a female partner also tends to survive. She usually helps the male in some way, and it is in their partnership that allows them to pull through. This all raises the question if women are offended by horror movies and if the surviving women are an attempt at making the genre less sexist. It seems to just be a matter of opinion.
References
http://www.horschamp.qc.ca/new_offscreen/final_girl.html
http://www.best-horror-movies.com/100-greatest-horror-movies.html
Monday, October 20, 2008
Are You Ready For Some Football?
A very interesting trend that occurred over the past decade was the emergence and recently the disappearance of the female sideline reporter for NFL games. Women have been making cameos as sideline reporters since the late 90’s, and few have lasted more than a year in the position. The importance of a sideline reporter is trivial at best, and the questions that these women ask normally serve as comic relief to the seriousness of the game.
Considering Monday Night Football (MNF) have consistently high ratings, the focus on having quality commentators for the game is a very big deal to most fans. Some MNF commentators will be remembered for years simply for doing so well at their job. “Faultless Frank” Gifford and Howard Cosell were major pop culture contributors in the early 70’s. After his coaching career, John Madden was a commentator for 21 years, and then came to MNF in 2000. His distinguishable voice and knowledge for the game carried him through many seasons as a commentator, even though all of America made fun of him for making the most obvious comments in television history, “You know if they take the ball, then get it in the end zone, they’ll get six points, and that will help them win the game…” In 1997 Lesley Visser became the first, and only, female commentator for MNF. Her presence was overshadowed by her famous male counterparts, Dan Dierdorf and “Boomer” Esiason. She left after the season and women only managed to make it to MNF sidelines from that point forward. These women, including Melissa Stark and Lisa Guerrero were immediately criticized as ‘eye-candy’ and unnecessary to the broadcast. Guerrero claims she was told she was to have a much bigger role than her pointless comments from the sideline. Since 1998, there has been a major push by some groups that another woman deserves the role of a MNF commentator.
The claims are always the same: “You think girls don’t know about sports?” “I’ve been watching football my entire life!” “She’s a communication major from Syracuse, she deserves it.” But I feel there are clear reasons why a woman shouldn’t and won’t receive a commentator position for Monday Night Football. There are two types of commentators that make it to MNF: Football legends and long time commentators. Obviously, the first category is out, as no women have ever played in the NFL. While these women may be the most eloquent, thought provoking commentators, they will never achieve the status of a John Madden or Tony Kornheiser. It’s pure demographics; MNF is overwhelmingly dominated by male viewers, and men don’t associate with women talking about football. No matter how much she may have watched football with her dad growing up, and then followed it through college into her current career, it just jumps of the page that it’s a girl, someone who has never played the game. Like I said, she can care about the game and its stats all she wants, and so could my uncle Mike who can’t start a conversation without two ridiculous and unrelated football statistics, but I’d rather hear Troy Aikman stumble through his comments about the game (and I HATE the cowboys). On the sideline, women end up looking like fools with the commentary they provide. I promise that with a group of guys watching the big game, every time a female sideline reporter cuts into the conversation about how the quarterback has a superstition of not washing his socks before the game or something else pointless, it only furthers stereotypes about women and sports. So please end this nonsensical trend, for the good of women and the good of the game.
Websites Referenced:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday_Night_Football
Posting authored by S.R.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Media Influence on Eating Disorders
In class we have discussed how the media is the lens through which we view gender in pop culture. However, we have recently brought up the controversial issue of whether the media influences society, or whether society influences the media. There is no true answer to this question; however, shockingly, or maybe not so shockingly many professionals and researchers believe that the media plays a major role in influencing eating disorders among teenage girls. You may be wondering how this is so, and many different explanations have been researched; however I found the massive amounts of “attractiveness messages and images” and gender stereotypes of femininity to be the most intriguing. The media is the primary producer of “attractiveness messages” and is prominent in millions of teenage girl’s lives, because this is where they turn to for the latest news, trends and gossip. A recent study analyzed by the National Eating Disorders Association shows that for girls, “the media is main source of information about women’s health issues” and that an average of 3 to 4 hours of television is watched daily (“The Media, Body Image”). This suggests that the bulk of information which creates a teenager’s perspective of what it means to be “a woman” comes from the media. Furthermore, other studies also reveal that that “1 out of every 3.8 commercials send some sort of “attractiveness message,” telling viewers what is or is not attractive,” and it has been estimated that “the average adolescent sees over 5,260 “attractiveness messages” per year” (“The Media, Body Image”). These statistics clearly convey that not only is the media a prominent resource for teenage girls but the media also puts extreme emphasis on appearance, attractiveness, thinness and beauty.
Personally, I feel that the media does play a role in influencing eating disorders, mostly by strongly correlating and portraying the female gender in relation to beauty and thinness. This can be absolutely detrimental to our youth and media corporations need to take a stand in portraying more realistic images of females and of beauty.
-KB
"The Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders." National Eating Disorders Association. 2006. NEDA. 30 Mar. 2008 file_ID=41166>. Herman, Mike. "The Media's Influences on Eating Disorders." 4 Health Concerns. 2008. 1 Apr.2008 influence-on-eating-disorders.htm?maxi>.Jade, Deanne. "Eating Disorders and the Media." National Center for Eating Disorders. 2002. The British Medical Association. 30 Mar. 2008. Saturday, October 18, 2008
Lilith Fair
The other day as I was driving home from school, Sarah McLachlan's new song came on the radio. I started to wonder, what ever happened to Lilith Fair?
Sarah McLachlan founded the three year tour, mainly because she "became frustrated with concert promoters and radio stations that refused to feature two female musicians in a row." (Wikipedia) It consisted of all female musical artists of all genres- Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole, Monica, Mya, Dixie Chicks, and Nelly Furtado just to name a few. Because of its all-female line-up, the tour has been called things like "Breast-fest", "Girlapalooza", and "Lesbopalooza" (Wikipedia) by many critics.
One critic even went as far as writing a journal article, apparently warning parents about the 'demonic legend' of a mythical figure named Lilith, from which the tour gained its name. Apparently, "Lilith is a figure from ancient Hebrew mythology who takes on a variety of forms. According to various mythologies, she has been called Adam's first wife, a fiery, female spirit and a wild-haired, winged seductress who tempts men in their sleep. Some see her as the first feminist because of her independent ways." (rslevison) Maybe this is why Sarah McLachlan picked the name Lilith, to symbolize that women can be independent.
For me, this tour gave women more power in music. I think that the tour really gave women in general the ability to be themselves. It broke the gender barrier of many concert line-ups, including Ozzfest. Although Sharon gets all the artists together, I could not find a band on the line-up that had a female in it until 2000 when Kittie was on the list. (I may be wrong, though, so I apologize if I am!) Was this because of Lilith Fair, giving female bands the power to become noticed?
I wonder, what music would be like today for females if this tour had never happened? Today we have rock bands that are led by females (or all female band members) played on any radio station. Such bands include Paramore, In This Moment, and Evanescence. We also have tons of female soloists- Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Pink. Would these females be as popular? Granted, they would be popular amongst teenagers and college students, but would they be played on the radio back to back like they are now? Is it because of Lilith Fair that these females are popular, or is it the ever changing opinion of women in popular culture? Did our opinions of females in music change because of Lilith Fair? Should there be another Lilith Fair-type tour that celebrates women in music?
Websites used:
http://www.lilithfair.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith_Fair
http://www.rslevinson.com/gaylesissues/features/collect/religiousreich/blreich008.htm
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Hills
Reality shows have become such a phenomenon in our culture that they exist for almost any situation imaginable. Whether it is an arranged living environment like The Real World, following around a celebrity like Being Bobby Brown, a competition or game of some sort such as Project Runway or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, a dating show like The Bachelor/Bachelorette, or a self improvement show such as The Biggest Loser, these categories continue to become more refined and more and more shows spring up with new twists on these ideas. However, the more that producers strive towards representing real life situations the more risk there is for it to become scripted and not like real life at all.
A few years ago on MTV, a show aired called Laguna Beach. It followed around a group of high school seniors and documented their daily lives and all of the drama that went with it. One of the cast members on the show, Lauren Conrad (L.C.) received her own show when she graduated high school and moved to L.A. called The Hills. It showed the drama in her life regarding her roommate, her job, school, dating, and life in the fashion world. The show gained a lot of popularity and is now in its fourth season. It has been criticized for being scripted and not a reality t.v. show at all which, if you watch the show, is totally believable. Certain situations seem very unreal, such as when Lauren's enemy Heidi happens to show up at the same party as her and confront her on issues, which of course makes for good television.
From a pop culture perspective the show has had a large influence on teen culture in regards to trends such as clothing, hair styles, and phrases. Because Lauren worked for Teen Vogue and now works for people's revolution, she is looked up to by others for style tips since she is a fashion student and has worked with major designers in her career. Her looks can be constantly seen on MTV, gossip magazines, entertainment shows and in real life when teens borrow her ideas. For example, this season Lauren has been noted for wearing her hair in a braid on the side of her head and i have definitely seen a good number of girls on campus sporting the same hairstyle in the same way. (see photo above). It is not necessarily a bad thing that girls copy her trends but interesting that in certain aspects of popular culture she is the epitome of certain roles.
From a gendered point of view this show does not do much for the image of women. The girls in the show can be described by the typical "valley girl" stereotype. They are attractive, wealthy, shop constantly, and have ditzy personalities. They do not fit the traditional mold of women portrayed on t.v. as housewives who take care of their husbands because they are still in their early twenties and not married yet. They do represent the more modern view of women as independent, working, and taking care of themselves. However this image is compromised by what seems to be their lack of knowledge on anything else besides clothing. They show a very stereotyped image of girls who gossip, talk about guys, each other, and are very girly.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Change of Gender Roles Seen Through Music
Women’s roles throughout history have been constantly changing. This was seen in our “through the decades” activity in class. Starting with the 1940s it seemed that women’s rights and roles in society would take a progressive step forward one decade while taking a regressive step back in the following decade. I noticed that the change in female roles in society for each decade could be seen in music and its lyrics. I came across songs from two totally different decades that show the change in women’s ideal roles from gender movements throughout history.
The songs I chose to analyze are “Ev’ry Day Of My Life" by the McGuire Sisters released in 1956 and “Independent Women” by Destiny’s Child released in 2001. The McGuire Sisters and Destiny’s Child are two groups, both consisting of three female artists. The lyrics of these two songs represent the decade from which they were released in and what was thought to be normal in society for females as well as the emerging gender roles for women in society.
In the 1950’s the ideal gender roles of women were mainly housekeeping, taking care of the children, and making sure that the husband of the family was happy. Women were passive, reticent, and under the authority of men. It was not common for women to work outside of the household because the male was the provider and worker in society. In “Ev’ry Day Of My Life” the lyrics talk about a woman who promises to love her husband everyday of her life and to “always try to do what pleases you [the husband]”. This sentence within the lyrics of the song would represent the women doing whatever she can for her husband, for example, making sure dinner is ready on the table when he gets home from work, which was a social norm of women and their roles in the 1950s, or taking care of the children while the husband was at work. A wife was considered to be a “good” wife if she followed the orders of her husband and did everything she could to please him. Another part of the song says “ev’ry day of my life, I’ll need you close to me, and if I have my way, that’s where you’ll always be”. This phrase of the song represents the fact that women in the 1950s needed men in their life. It was a social and stereotypical gender role for women to find love, marry young, and provide for their husband. Divorce was uncommon, thus, for the most part, husband and wife were together for life after pronouncing “I do”.
Women’s roles and views on life in the decade of the 90s and on was the complete opposite of the 1950s. There was a big change from the old views of femininity and women starting moving away from characteristics such as passivity, reticence, and assuming that men are the authority. A woman in power and in the workforce was now an emerging social norm. Feminism was continuing from decades before and the idea of “girl power” was seen continuously in the media. Women doing things independently and taking care of themselves was more common. The need for a husband, like in the 1950s, was not top on a female’s priority list anymore. These gender roles and change in roles and views of women is perfectly outlined in Destiny’s Child’s 2001 hit, “Independent Women”. This song portrays women being independent, working to get necessities and material things in life, and control over oneself (not being controlled by a man or husband). These gendered themes are shown in the phrases: “I worked hard and sacrificed to get what I get, ladies it ain’t easy being independent”, “the shoes on my feet, I’ve bought it, the clothes I’m wearing, I’ve bought it, the rock I’m rocking, I’ve bought it, ‘cause I depend on me”, and “tell me how you feel about this, try to control me, boy you’ll get dismissed”. Women in the 90s and on were relying more on themselves, mainly because of the independence females were gaining in society. Equal rights of men and women were improving and women were now getting out of the house and putting themselves and their roles higher up on the priority list.
I think it is so interesting how gender roles and social norms of different times in history are represented and seen within music and its lyrics. These two songs are just examples of how these different decades had such a radical change in gender roles, especially those of women.
-JL
References
http://www.mtv.com/lyrics/mcguire_sisters/ev_ry_day_of_my_life/13540610/lyrics.jhtml
http://www.lyrics007.com/Destiny's%20Child%20Lyrics/Independent%20Women%20Lyrics.html
The songs I chose to analyze are “Ev’ry Day Of My Life" by the McGuire Sisters released in 1956 and “Independent Women” by Destiny’s Child released in 2001. The McGuire Sisters and Destiny’s Child are two groups, both consisting of three female artists. The lyrics of these two songs represent the decade from which they were released in and what was thought to be normal in society for females as well as the emerging gender roles for women in society.
In the 1950’s the ideal gender roles of women were mainly housekeeping, taking care of the children, and making sure that the husband of the family was happy. Women were passive, reticent, and under the authority of men. It was not common for women to work outside of the household because the male was the provider and worker in society. In “Ev’ry Day Of My Life” the lyrics talk about a woman who promises to love her husband everyday of her life and to “always try to do what pleases you [the husband]”. This sentence within the lyrics of the song would represent the women doing whatever she can for her husband, for example, making sure dinner is ready on the table when he gets home from work, which was a social norm of women and their roles in the 1950s, or taking care of the children while the husband was at work. A wife was considered to be a “good” wife if she followed the orders of her husband and did everything she could to please him. Another part of the song says “ev’ry day of my life, I’ll need you close to me, and if I have my way, that’s where you’ll always be”. This phrase of the song represents the fact that women in the 1950s needed men in their life. It was a social and stereotypical gender role for women to find love, marry young, and provide for their husband. Divorce was uncommon, thus, for the most part, husband and wife were together for life after pronouncing “I do”.
Women’s roles and views on life in the decade of the 90s and on was the complete opposite of the 1950s. There was a big change from the old views of femininity and women starting moving away from characteristics such as passivity, reticence, and assuming that men are the authority. A woman in power and in the workforce was now an emerging social norm. Feminism was continuing from decades before and the idea of “girl power” was seen continuously in the media. Women doing things independently and taking care of themselves was more common. The need for a husband, like in the 1950s, was not top on a female’s priority list anymore. These gender roles and change in roles and views of women is perfectly outlined in Destiny’s Child’s 2001 hit, “Independent Women”. This song portrays women being independent, working to get necessities and material things in life, and control over oneself (not being controlled by a man or husband). These gendered themes are shown in the phrases: “I worked hard and sacrificed to get what I get, ladies it ain’t easy being independent”, “the shoes on my feet, I’ve bought it, the clothes I’m wearing, I’ve bought it, the rock I’m rocking, I’ve bought it, ‘cause I depend on me”, and “tell me how you feel about this, try to control me, boy you’ll get dismissed”. Women in the 90s and on were relying more on themselves, mainly because of the independence females were gaining in society. Equal rights of men and women were improving and women were now getting out of the house and putting themselves and their roles higher up on the priority list.
I think it is so interesting how gender roles and social norms of different times in history are represented and seen within music and its lyrics. These two songs are just examples of how these different decades had such a radical change in gender roles, especially those of women.
-JL
References
http://www.mtv.com/lyrics/mcguire_sisters/ev_ry_day_of_my_life/13540610/lyrics.jhtml
http://www.lyrics007.com/Destiny's%20Child%20Lyrics/Independent%20Women%20Lyrics.html
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Drug Dealing Soccer Mom
Nancy Botwin was your typical stay home soccer mom. She had two sons and a husband who she loved dearly. She never finished college or entered the workforce, instead opting to stay home and take care of the kids while her husband worked. This stereotypical role is assigned to many other women on TV, Debra on Everybody Loves Raymond, Amy Matthews on Boy Meets World, Peggy Bundy on Married With Children, and so on. This role though suddenly changed for Nancy when her husband suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack and she had to support her family.
This scenario familiar? That’s because it’s the plot of Showtime’s hit show Weeds. We’ve all heard stories of strong single mothers going out and working her hardest for her family to barely get by, but Nancy’s case is different. She decides that instead of getting a “real job”, she’s going to sell weed to support herself and her two sons. The occupation of professional drug dealer in the media, and also if you think about it in real life, is associated almost, if not always with the male gender. Weeds is especially interesting in this sense when examining the role of gender. It not only portrays a very strong woman going out and doing what she has to do to support her family, but it also puts her in a very stereotypical male profession.
Her gender throughout the show plays a major role. If drug dealer moves into another’s territory henceforth eliminating business from the latter, one would think there would be dire physical consequences for the new-comer. Not for a rich suburban soccer mom drug dealer. Nancy’s gender is used by those above her as well to do many illegal things that the authorities would never expect this poor widow to be doing (i.e. smuggle drugs across the Mexican border). In other cases, her female sexuality also is often used to her advantage to help her avoid many potentially dangerous situations, a feat I don’t think many male drug dealers could accomplish.
While this ground breaking new series in many ways challenges the role of gender in the modern American society, ranging from a wealthy suburban community to the drug dealing, crime ridden streets, it in many ways feeds into the many stereotypes women have been fighting for decades. Would it have portrayed women in a better light had a strong, smart woman such as Nancy gone out into the job world and work her way up from the bottom to make an honest living on which to support her family? Of Course. But then how do you work in sex, nudity, drugs, and profanity… the things people really want to see in their television shows.
Teen Pregnancy Epidemic
Channel surfing a few days ago I came across an interesting topic on the Tyra Banks show. Here are some links that I am basing my analysis on…
http://tyrashow.warnerbros.com/TyraMediaPlayer/#topofpage
(scroll down to Teenage Pregnancy Epidemic September 18th 2008, underneath the video)
http://tyrashow.warnerbros.com/2008/09/word_on_the_street_why_do_so_m.php
(a reaction to the show, First link)
Tyra had a panel of teenage girls on her show; their ages are ranged from 13 to about 17 years old. She opens up the debate by asking on girl who is 16 years old why she wants a baby. She goes on to explain how Jamie Lynn Spears had a baby at 16 and that she feels that it will bring her and her ex-boyfriend closer. Tyra reacts quickly to the teenager’s response and tries and shows this young girl the flaws in her thought process. Another 16 year old girl explains that she met a boy (15 years old) who she wants to have a baby with and that that boy will stay with her. Her ex -boyfriend also promised the same things as well- Tyra points out that just because her boyfriend says something, doesn’t mean he’ll do it. After talking to some girls who want to be a teenage mother, Tyra talks to two girls who are already pregnant. One girl is 13 and the other is 16 or 17. The older of the two explains how it is not easy and that she regrets her decision. After watching the show this topic raises questions in pop culture and its relationship with gender.
Most people associate teenage pregnancies as unplanned pregnancies but now hearing that some young girls are planning their pregnancy is a scary thought.
Some facts about teen pregnancies:
750,000 teen girls from ages 15-19 become pregnant every year.
Many of these girls decide to keep their child and are single moms raising their baby.
Has pop culture glamorized pregnancies?
The coverage of Jamie Lynn Spears is staggering. She was on the cover of People magazine as well as others talking about her pregnancy. The media has been following her every move before and after the birth of her daughter. The magazines talk about motherhood and her engagement to the baby’s father.
A few months ago, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Richie, Angelina Jolie, Christina Aguilera and Katie Holmes were all pregnant at one time or another. Paparazzi were crazy about these moms to be. Magazines had stories and pictures following these young women and their baby bump along the way. When their babies are born they have the cover showing how the happy family is doing and the nursery they have prepared. It has a fairytale feel to it.
Even the Oscar winning Juno is debated as glamorizing teen pregnancies. Juno’s character is very relatable to. In the movie, we see a 16 year old girl become pregnant and decide that after she gives birth she will give the baby up for adoption to a family she found. Her boyfriend is also around during and after the pregnancy. It is glorified in the sense that Juno has a support system throughout the entire pregnancy. Her support system includes her mother and father, her friends and her boyfriend. Some argue the fact that she gave her baby up for adoption is also misleading due to the fact that many teen moms keep their child.
Does this lifestyle appeal to teenagers?
Maybe so, Jamie Lynn’s boyfriend is staying with her and they are even engaged. Many of the girls on the Tyra show are betting everything that their boyfriends are going to stay and even will bring them closer. They see these Hollywood families being happy and having it all together. They see a simplified no-flawed version of motherhood. Looking at the pictures in the tabloids we see these celebrities shopping for cute baby supplies. Maybe, these young moms see this as fun and forget that it really is an expense and a chore.
The teens on the Tyra show do not talk about school or wanting to find a good career. They could possibly not want to go to school and see becoming a mom as an alternative. Teenagers could be becoming pregnant to gain attention and find undying love.
Tyra made an interesting point when talking to the first girl. (It can be found on the video clip) She was telling the 16 year old that men do not stay simply because a baby is on the way. She went on to say that “fathers do not have the same responsibilities as the mother.”
Do we still live in a stereotypical society?
I believe we have come a long way from where we were in the 1950’s but some stereotypes are hard to break. I think women will always be looked at as nurtures and the one to attend all the families’ needs. Although it may not always be true, women are expected to put the family first and her career second. The women’s career is put at risk when she decides to have a baby.
This issue will always have a debate around it because there is a large grey area, there is no black and white.
References
Jayson, Sharon. “Does ‘Juno’ show strength or glorify teen pregnancy?” USA Today. May 27th 2008. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-03-09-juno-pregnancy-main_N.htm?POE=click-refer
“U.S Teenage Pregnancy Statistics National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity.” Guttmacher Institute. New York, New York. Updated 2006.
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/09/12/USTPstats.pdf
By E.P
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