"Once upon a time ..."

Here's a post from Shari:

When I think of animated Disney movies, I always think of “once upon a time…” and “happily ever after.” But I have never stopped to think about the way that gender is portrayed in these movies, and what kind of messages these movies send. In the context of what we have learned about the decades, it is extremely interesting to compare the animated Disney features of each decade with the social norms of that decade.

The 1950’s was a decade centered on the importance of family. As a post-war decade, women were returning home from the workforce and men were returning to work. Women were encouraged to return to home-making as men were transitioning back into being the sole breadwinners. Traditional gender roles were apparent in the 1950’s, as little girls played with Barbies and boys played with Roy Rogers and Davy Crockett dolls. These gender roles were not only enforced through the toys that children played with but also by the movies they watched. Cinderella was released in 1950 and essentially shows Cinderella moving from house chores to being someone’s wife. Her life goes from the hell of essentially being a slave in her own home to being ecstatically married off to the prince at the end of the movie. Throughout the entire movie, Cinderella sings songs and daydreams about escaping from her home, yet not surprisingly, her escape is right into the arms of a man. In 1953, Peter Pan was released by Disney. Although the gender roles in this movie are not as blatant as in
Cinderella, there are many examples of traditional gender roles. In the
beginning of the movie, Mr. Darling is shown getting upset and scolding Wendy, not allowing Mrs. Darling to get a word in about the situation. Mrs. Darling is extremely submissive to her husband, which their daughter Wendy seems to imitate as she does not try to explain her behavior but rather, just takes his punishment. In addition, their housekeeper, albeit a dog, is a female dog. I view this as a statement that the only acceptable housekeepers are female. Throughout the movie, Wendy and her brothers learn to fly and fend for themselves, yet as expected, Peter Pan comes to their rescue when they are captured, and leads them home, reinforcing the incapability of females to fend for themselves.

The 1960’s was an era of feminism and movements for equality. This is somewhat reflected in the animated features of the decade, most notably, 101 Dalmations portrayed Perdita (the mother of the dalmations) as a strong-willed female character, who stops at nothing to rescue her puppies. She stays right alongside Pongo in the harsh weather and scary situations, showing her dedication and willpower. However, the humans in the movie, Roger and Anita, show a typical marriage, in which Anita says she wants to quit her job to have a family. In addition, Roger and Anita have a female housekeeper. I think that the portrayal of family life in 101 Dalmations shows that although there were radical movements for change in the 1960’s, the traditional family was still considered the norm. However, the portrayal of Perdita showed that women were on the verge of equality with men, and that women were not scared to take a stand.

The 1970’s saw an increase in participation in the women’s movement. There was a rising divorce rate and the end of the Vietnam War left Americans disheartened. The animated features of this decade pose an interesting conflict to what was happening in society at the time. The Aristocats from 1970 depicts a desperate mother cat trying to find her three kidnapped kittens. Although at first it shows her taking initiative and being fearless in her attempt to find them, it quickly shifts to her needing the help of a male cat to find her kittens. The movie ends with her “marrying” the male cat who reunited her with her kittens. My opinion is that this simply reinforces women’s inferiority to men, by showing the mother cat’s dependence on a male to achieve her goal. Interestingly though, The Rescuers, of 1977, portrays a male mouse and a female mouse who are essentially detectives trying to find a missing orphan. This movie shows the female mouse, Bianca, as the assertive and fearless character, while the male, Bernard, is more tame. In addition, there is a love story involved in the movie, but this love story focuses predominantly on Bernard doting over Bianca. The fact that Bianca does not get distracted by love, but instead focuses on her duty to save the orphan, mirrors the growing strength of women in the 1970’s.

The 1980’s was a decade centered on egoism and the need for individuals to care for themselves before they cared for anyone else. The Little Mermaid, released in 1989 emphasizes this idea in that Ariel selfishly puts her life in danger to satisfy her need for exploration, despite her father’s warning and worry. Although there were major milestones for women in the 1980’s, including the first woman Supreme Court Justice, the portrayal of women in animated movies featured women searching for a “happily ever after.” Ariel trades her voice for a chance to be human, all to get the attention of a man. In the end, she leaves her family behind for a man she’s known for a total of three days. The message this sends to children is horrendous. Essentially, it is saying that it is okay to change yourself and abandon your family for a relationship which I wholeheartedly disagree with.

By the time the 90’s came around, women were being portrayed more equally in the media with men, and there were many more prominent women in society than ever before. Although the 90’s were home to some classic “happily ever afters,” like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, it is more interesting to note the exceptions to this. Most notably, Mulan focuses on a female who is brave enough to join the army to protect her father. What’s conflicting is that in order to be in the army, she has to pretend that she is a man. But the fact that she has the fearlessness and the courage to join the army mirrors the strides that women have made in the recent decades. Similarly, in Toy Story 2, released in 1999, Jessie, a new friend of Woody’s is a natural leader, showing fearlessness in standing up to the Prospector and being
assertive to Woody throughout the movie. However, despite her courage, she still
ends up getting rescued by Woody and Buzz at the end of the movie.

Although over the decades, Disney animated features have somewhat shown the progress that women have made throughout the years, they have also reverted back to traditional gender roles as well. Even the movies that have made strides for women, such as Mulan and Toy Story 2, still portray women as the weaker sex. I am not sure if it is realistic to expect these animated movies to mirror the ever-changing status of gender, but one thing is certain, these movies have more of an impact of gender roles than what first meets the eye.

Continuing to Explore Gender and Popular Culture

These next entries are posted by Professor Burke's Fall 2009 students in WGS 220, "Gender and Popular Culture." Join the discussion!

Rocking Without the Girls?

Whether or not you happen to enjoy the music genre of rock (which almost any sane person does), you must by now have come to the realization that the overwhelming majority of the band members are male. In fact nearly all the major bands are all male. The female presence in Rock music is surprisingly lacking.

The gender mixed rock groups came around during the British invasion of the mid 1960’s with Jefferson Airplane, but who did not become widely recognized until the late sixties. The first all female rock band was Joan Jett’s The Runaways in 1975. As for the Runaways, interestingly they are a rather hard rock band. This may have been done to give the new raw edge of an “all girl” band in the music scene. If they are breaking into a formerly male only field, they may as well make a name for themselves. It wasn’t until the 19980’s that all female bands we able to reach the Billboard charts such as The Go-Go’s and The Bangles. At this time female bands were becoming less of a novelty and being taken more seriously as they should have been.

In the modern day there is only one all girl band that I can think of, The Donnas. There are quite a few that are of mixed gender, and just to name a few; Evanescence, No Doubt, and The White Stripes. The presence of women in rock music has been expanding, but is far below anything more than a handful. While just four named here doesn’t cover all of them, just think of all of the all male bands that are out there. Do Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Rolling Stones, or The Beatles come to mind? It appears that the all male bands are really the ones that attain lasting success. Mixed gender groups like Blondie can also have long lasting implications, but the female bands just kind of fall by the wayside for the most part.

Could it be that rock music is not “feminine” enough to be an accepted practice for Western women to take part in the industry? Pop music and country music have quite a proliferation of female artists, and if you remember what I said Joan Jett’s The Runaways were a hard rock band, possibly it is so because the girls needed to be just like the boys or more so to fit in. I believe that this trend of rock music not being feminine is changing. If we look a The Donnas we can see that they do not have a forced image of who they are, they are women who enjoy creating and playing rock music. If anything The Donnas use their femininity as a marketing tool for themselves.

Even today I think most people feel that all girl bands are a novelty, and not taken too seriously. With the changing nature of the industry, hopefully more of these all girl bands will make it to the main stream media, as well as the continuing expansion of mixed gender bands.

Eating Disorders vs. Pop Culture

Statistics say that eating disorders affect 90-95% of females in the Western society. According to the Massachusetts Eating Disorders Association approximately 40% of female college students have an eating disorder in this country. I find this to be quite shocking statistics because I am in college and I hang out with various females, yet I’ve never come across someone suffering from such a disorder. But it’s probably not that I haven’t come across a person suffering from an eating disorder, I just haven’t encountered someone who has come open to me about their problem.

I think it’s quite unfortunate that there are so many young ladies out there that are dealing with this problem. Eating disorders seem to be very silent. Silent in the sense that sometimes you can’t judge or tell by a person’s appearance that they are dealing with an eating disorder. And even if one was to know or sense that their classmate or friend is suffering from an eating disorder, the person can easily deny the accusation and take personal offense to your thought of it.

My main question is why are eating disorders so common? Why do a majority of eating disorder cases occur among females? Why are eating disorder rates increasing? In my opinion, the chief reason lies within popular culture and societies’ norm of what is “beautiful” and not so “beautiful”. Thinness is commonly associated with health and beauty. If you are an overweight, young female, then you are not considered to be the ideal woman because you don’t fit society’s norms of beauty. Now, who wouldn’t want to be considered beautiful, especially in the eyes of male counterparts? Everyone, especially females, rely so much on their outer beauty to get what they want in life and that includes being desirable to men, attention, advantages in work places, etc. It’s no wonder why so many women feel the outward pressure of keeping the ideal thin figure, even if it means depriving oneself of food or throwing up forcefully.

In addition, one of the other reasons that lie behind the motives of those who deal with eating disorders, I think, depends on their self image. The way we perceives ourselves, greatly influence what we do in response to fixing any problem we see or enhancing ourselves. I think it would be correct to say that people, who suffer from an eating disorder, don’t have positive views about themselves and pretty much have self esteem issues. I feel this way because many times, they are not as “big” as they perceive themselves to be and they tend to seek other people’s acceptance.

As society has evolved over the years, more and more people are becoming self conscious about their image. We are constantly reminded of society’s non acceptance of people who are overweight through movies and television that make overweight people the source of humor. It’s sad to see the damage that popular culture has made around the world and now we have to deal with it until the day that everyone can be accepted the way that they are and when the definition of beauty is more than skin deep.

Body Disorder in Pop Culture

In society, body dysmorphic disorder is a continuous problem. Body dysmorphic disorder also known as dysmorphophobia is a condition in which people become deeply concerned about some imagined or minor defect in their appearance. These concerns are usually focused on things like wrinkles, spots on the skin, excessive facial hair, swelling of the face, or misshapen nose, jaw, mouth, or eyebrows.

My first thought to this definition is that many people has this disorder, especially us females because the majority of the world is concerned with their appearance. Most people that I know, including myself has had either acne, long arms, small breast, a big forehead, thin lips, unmanageable hair, or some other kind of unsatisfactory feature that we absolutely hate. But looking further into the aspects of dysmorphophobia, I realized that this disorder is more serious than I had originally thought that is was.

A person with dysmorphophobia may avoid public places and some may go to any extent to rid them of the defect that they have through procedures like plastic surgery. Interestingly, I have a friend who has undergone surgery for a breast augmentation. In her case she felt inferior to other women, especially women who were well endowed. She would always say to me, “You’re so lucky, what do you eat, I wish I had your genes”. I hated when she said these things to me, one because she constantly stared at my breasts and two, because I hated the fact that she wasn’t happy with her outward appearance and always had to compare herself to others. Because of the “defect” she believed she had, she lacked major self esteem in everything else she did. When we would get dressed and prepare for an outing, many times she would not attend. She also hated dates in fear of the guy’s first impression of her. I would always tell her that not every guy drools over women with large breast because some men rather date ladies with brains and beauty. And fortunately enough, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. My words of encouragement seemed to justice. Why is it that so many people focus so much on beauty?

Do Television Shows Such as “Gossip Girl” Promote the Concept of Being a “Mean Girl”?

In searching for ways to preserve my sanity during the school year, I have found a number of solutions. One of them consists of watching mind-numbing fluff television such as “Gossip Girl,” which airs on Monday nights on the CW. Gossip Girl’s premise centers on an anonymous Internet blogger whom posts gossip blogs about the scandalous lives of New York City’s Upper East Side teenagers. She also sends text messages to the phones of those whom subscribe to her site. At the focal point of Gossip Girl’s blogs is Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), and her wealthy socialite friends Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), and Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick). Oh, and their “poor” friends/classmates from Brooklyn, siblings Dan and Jenny Humphrey (Penn Badgley and Taylor Momsen). Now what is important to understand is how Gossip Girl receives her information: From the same people that she is posting gossip about. Gossip Girl’s site is a major source of conflict that ultimately drives the show’s plotlines forward.

But underneath the fluff of teenage high school drama, is one underlying theme. Many of the characters on this show are mean (and not just the female characters either), with few redeeming qualities to justify their cruel actions. But with this being said, would it be fair to say that television shows such as “Gossip Girl,” endorse and glamorize the idea of girls being ruthlessly nasty? Society portrays women as catty, vindictive, and manipulative. In my opinion, shows like “Gossip Girl,” only perpetuate and enforce this notion. For example, in one episode earlier this season, Blair uses Gossip Girl to falsely accuse a new teacher of having inappropriate relations with a student. Why? Blair played a trick on the teacher because she was given a bad grade, and then was subsequently given detention. So for receiving detention, Blair decides that this justifies destroying the teacher’s career, and uses Gossip Girl to do so. She knows that Gossip Girl’s site has the potential to reach a large number of people, and exploits this to her advantage. In my opinion, this type of behavior is not justified at all.

The CW markets its programming to a predominantly young female audience in their teens and twenties. Blackmail and deception are recurrent themes that run throughout this show. While older audience members may realize how completely unacceptable this behavior is, younger audiences may not. And while it is just a television show, consumers may be influenced nonetheless. “Gossip Girl” has caught a lot heat from its racy commercial and print ads to the very topic I am discussing right now. America Ferrera, Blake Lively’s co-star in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie series and star of ABC’s “Ugly Betty,”, gave an interview last fall in which she stated that she felt that shows such as “Gossip Girl,” condition girls to be mean. If you even watch only a single episode of this show, you could understand her point of view.

This show also perfectly demonstrates the exclusivity aspect of cliques common amongst girls, especially high school girls. Cliques are used to create a sense of empowerment and worth. If you are not in the clique deemed to be cool, somehow that makes you less worthy. For example, for most of the first season, Jenny tries desperately to fit in with Blair and the rest of her mean girl clones. Labeled as “poor” by Blair and her friends for being simply from Brooklyn, this obviously means that Jenny is beneath them, giving them free reign to exclude her and treat her like dirt. These girls seek out ways to embarrass Jenny, utilizing Gossip Girl’s website in order to do so. Later on, Jenny replaces Blair at the top of the social ladder, and not surprisingly begins to behave just as nastily to others as she herself was once treated. Is behavior like this really necessary? Does the media really need to continuously perpetuate the idea that this type of behavior is commonplace and therefore acceptable amongst the female gender?

That brings me to another point. The world we live in today is very different from the world that existed before the boom of the Internet, cell phones, instant messaging and social networking websites. Today, girls can be just as mean, if not meaner, through the use of technology than they can be in person. Many schools now include “cyber bullying” as a component of its harassment policy. I remember seeing an Oprah Winfrey episode back in high school that explored the ways that girls bully one another. One incident was highlighted in this episode about a girl whom was being bullied through instant messaging. A as result of this ruthless behavior, the girl eventually hung herself. And this Oprah episode aired way before “Gossip Girl,” began airing on television. “Gossip Girl” without a doubt showcases how girls can use technology in order to humiliate and harass their peers. Whenever something even remotely embarrassing occurs, someone will pull out their phone and send a text or picture to Gossip Girl’s site so that everyone will find out about it, regardless of the subject content.

In my opinion, there are enough problems with “girl on girl crime” that exist within real life without its glamorization by the pretty faced stars of “Gossip Girl,” and other television shows. Yes, it may only be for entertainment value, but its message that it sends to girls is negative, with possible detrimental consequences.

The Pick-Up Artist

I found this VH1 show hilarious to watch because there is this guy, Mystery, and his 2 wingmen who are all supposed "world class pick-up gurus". The show revolves around 8 guys who are lacking in the women department and are longing for social acceptance by overcoming their fear of talking to and meeting women.

I guess this show would be interesting for teens that are clueless about what to say to women, because this guy teaches "how-to" techniques for meeting women to "geeks without game". His goal is to raise the confidence and "game" of each of these men and to see who is most capable of picking up the most women at the end of the season. Each week they have different missions to go hit on girls in various settings, such as a bookstore, supermarket, bar, nightclub, etc. There is a hidden camera everywhere the men go so that the "gurus" can give the men tips and tell them what they are doing wrong.

I found this show ridiculous because they are basically portraying women as prey to these "players" in the making. On the other hand, if there are men out there that are really this clueless when it comes to talking to women, this show might help them slightly. I just wonder what our world is coming to when recent television shows have become overrun with these stupid, mindless reality shows.

It's not easy being green, Pilgrim

And it sure isn't easy being an Asian American female, either. If you Google "Asian women", the first few results are Asian women fetish sites or "How to date, romance or marry an Asian Woman. Must-have knowledge for any non-Asian man". It's good to know that we're sex toys that need to be manipulated and tricked into a non-Asian man's bed, at least based on Google's results.

Search for "Asian-American women" on the other hand and the results are vastly different. The third result is a CNN article about how Asian-American women are prone to suicide and depression because of the pressure of being the "model minority" and an Asian woman. Asian-American women are painted as torn between cultural tradition and capitalistic pressure. These women suffer low self-esteem and identity crises at an early age. While this picture isn't far from the truth, I feel like it is slightly extreme. If the ending were any different, I would imagine CNN would be telling the world how Asian American women are frail and need to be saved. Throwing in the last few lines about how most Asian American women have overcome is positive, but I don't think it's fully explored.

Now I see a couple problems with this. 1) The "model-minority" usually applies to Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Filipino Asians. Vietnam, Laos, India, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand are just a "small" sampling of Asian countries that are ignored for those stereotypes. Some justify this by saying that India doesn't count because India was a British colony and Indians don't look "Asian" enough (translation: they're not pale skinned with tiny eyes). As for the other countries, they aren't "model"-esque. Many Asians are not middle/high class doctors, lawyers, and accountants with Ivy League degrees. However, those that aren't are simply overlooked and ignored. That or they own a restaurant or a laundromat. The dirt poor Asians suffering are simply a shame to their Asian culture and should pull themselves up, just as the model-minority Asians did. The poor are seen as faulty or flawed instead of victims to bad luck or a different wide variety of circumstances.

Now add all of these pressures together: academic success, corporate success, behavioral success, shame, and tradition and you have a pretty cocktail for a messed up group identity. Both American and Asian cultures emphasize success and respect. How the cultures cope and go about attaining this success, though, is drastically different. Maybe Asian Americans need to find a balance between the pros of both cultures. If we could learn to love ourselves more and remove the shame, some of the pressure could very easilly be relieved.

Murses

I know for the most part there always seems to be a lot more focus on careers that are less likely to welcome women. But as a nursing major, i am part of a career that has not done a good job at recruiting men at all. However, it has gotten better, but i still think it's something worth mentioning to get a different side where men are not as welcomed into this career. I can admit that when I started nursing school I was a bit shocked to see men in my classes. Not because I didn’t think men could become nurses, I just didn’t think men would ever want to be nurses. For the most part, at TCNJ School Of Nursing, there is always about 2 or 3 men in each graduating class which I think shows that males working as nurses has become a bit more acceptable. However, there are still some stereotypes and prejudice ideas that come along with male nurses.

I have been in clinical rotations for 3 years now, and I have had a male in every clinical rotation so far. I have always felt that my male classmates always were questioned about their abilities as a nurse more so than my female classmates. Some patients did not want male nursing students at the bedside because they didnt think they were caring enough as oppose to a female. During one of my rotations on a labor and delivery floor, my male classmate was told (by the womans husband) that he could not observe his wife’s delivery, but a female nursing student could. I have seen nursing instructors give male students only male patients. And more commonly, I have seen male classmates get confused for Doctors.

Not only are the negative ideas in the workplace holding men back from going into the nursing field but the minimal portrayal of male nurses in the media are just as negative. In most cases, nurses in the media are females and doctors are males. Even the models wearing the skimpy nurses Halloween costumes are females. In the beginning of the semester we watched the movie Meet The Fockers, and we saw how the male lead character was constantly put down for being a nurse. In Greys Anatomy, all the males in the show are Doctors; the same goes for other medical shows such as ER, and House. Even in a show like Scrubs where there are some male nurses, they make fun of the female doctor for displaying an interest in the male nurse. In some cases, most male nurses are questioned about their sexuality and are often seen as gay or a little on the "softer side" for picking nursing as a career path.

I really do hope that this trend of more men coming into the field of nursing continues to increase because it will really help out the nursing shortage we currently have. However, i do think that we first need to try and get rid of certain prejudice beliefs about male nurses. There are alot of campaigns out there like the Johnson & Johnson Be A Nurse Campaign that is recruiting both men and women to become nurses. But i still think like we should start encouraging men to come into the field in nursing schools by maybe having more male professors teach nursing courses instead of just the fundamental sciences like anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, and microbiology that way these male students have other men who are already in a field to talk to for encouragement and help them deal with the stereotypes of male nurses.

Beauty and the Media

I want to focus on how the media affects people's self-esteem, females in particular. The media has created this idea that women are not beautiful unless they are a size 2, wear make-up, and wear the most up to date clothes. This idea has been molded by media forms such as the fashion industry, magazines, and hollywood. It is a shame that a person's looks essentially determines their success in life. I'm not saying that you can not be successful if you are not good-looking by any means, however I am pointing out that the world is very superficial.

I have always been amazed about how skinny models are. Models have become the norm for what a woman should look like. The unfortunate part is that many teenage girls stress over whether or not they are skinny or pretty enought. Most models are severely underweight and suffer from health issues, as well as eating disorders. Did you know that Marilyn Monroe was a size 14! She was be considered obese by todays standards, however she was gorgeous and sexy and very much considered beautiful. Where did we take the turn for the worst and subject women to eating disorders and poor self-esteem all in the name of "beauty"?

I wrote a research paper my freshman year on how the media affects teenagers self-image. I sent questionnaires around several local high schools asking the students what they would change about their appearance if they could, if any of them ever considered plastic surgery, and why they felt they needed to change. A shocking amount of students, male and female, wrote back that they were unhappy about the way they looked, that they were on diets, and would definitey consider plastic surgery. Many of the students said that they got their ideas of beauty from tv and magazines. Some of them even told me certain celebrities they wanted to look like.

I just want to know where this idea of "beauty" came from? And why people, women especially, will harm themselves or pay loads of money to change themselves. Everyone is beautiful. The media needs to focus on all body types and appearances. The thing that makes us all beautiful is that we are all different. And that should be celebrated, not discouraged.

Dating Violence

With in this past semester Chris Brown and Rihanna have been all over the news and tabloids. The first media outburst was when the reports of Chris Brown assaulting Rihanna broke out around the time of the Grammy’s. Their break up and the charges against Chris Brown were all over the media. Shortly after this, reports stated that Rihanna had gone back to Chris Brown. Rihanna’s decision to go back to Chis caused many positive and negative effects.

In class we discussed how Revlon hired a huge polling company to see if Rihanna was hurting Cover Girl, their competitor. We also discussed how role models are sometimes held to higher standards and are made an example for other people, even during tough situations. Additionally, we discussed our views on celebrity sponsorships and more directly Cover Girl sponsoring Rihanna. Although Rihanna’s decision may be viewed negatively in this situation, positive things did come from her decision.

On March 13, 2009, Tyra Banks was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah thought that since dating violence had been brought to the attention of the nation, she would take the opportunity to discuss and educate others about it. Tyra and Oprah discussed dating violence experiences of other guests on the show as well as Chris Brown assaulting Rihanna. The main message of the show was that abuse often a repeated cycle and most times the victim goes back to the abuser. Tyra referred to episodes of her show where Chris Brown and Rihanna shared times in their life where they each saw abuse growing up. Tyra also shared how her ex-boyfriend emotionally abused her and how hard it was for her to leave him for good. Another important message was that abuse is all around us, not just in Hollywood. I think that Oprah and Tyra did a great job of showing this by having non-celebrities share their experiences as well as Tyra sharing her own.

The points that I would like to make are as follows. Throughout the show, Tyra made it a point to say that we should not judge Rihanna because after all she is just a human being. I feel that people were and still are judging her. I believe that Rihanna is considered a role model for many people and because of that she is got criticized more than the average female would have. I do however believe that Rihanna should not have gotten back with Chris after such a short period. I honestly do not think that Chris Brown could have possibly learned from his mistakes that quickly. I think that the couple should have taken more time to work through their problems before getting back together.

The situation between Chris Brown and Rihanna is an example of how hard it is to let go of an abuser and how abuse is often a repeated cycle. Although I say now that I would not have gone back to Chris Brown if I was Rihanna, I have not been in her shoes and do not know what I would have done if I was really in her situation.

The questions that I pose to the class are these: What are your thoughts on Rihanna’s decision? Would you think any more or less of her is she had waited a longer period before getting back with Chris Brown? Do you think that because Rihanna is considered a role model she should be criticized so harshly?

References:
Article From The Oprah Winfrey Show A Special Report: Tyra Banks and Dating Violence
Photos taken from Oprah.com: AP/Matt Sayles

What Would Your Mother Think?

Ok, so I will begin by saying that I have a strange fondness for VH1 reality shows. I'm not quite sure what it is that draws me to these shows, such as "Rock of Love" and "Tool Academy", but there is just something about them that makes them impossible for me to not watch. When people question me on how I can watch such terrible television my response is usually that watching these shows is like seeing a car wreck-you can't not stop to look. Watching the variable casts of characters (and let me say some of these people are true characters) will always make me feel better because at the end of the day, no matter how bad my day may have been, I am not any of them.

While I do find these shows to be humorous and I stand by the fact that watching them makes me feel better about myself, I can't help but feel bad-not for the participants on these shows, but for their families. Throughout this semester we have discussed the idea of the media being our representation of families, whether it be in the traditional sense of the word or in a more modern sense, such as a group of friends. While these shows are not "family" shows, it often seems like the people that go on these shows have no respect or regard for their families at all. The people on these shows are often promiscuous, borderline alcoholic, and seems to haves mouths that would make a sailor blush, and the worst part is that they seem to not care that there is a camera crew following them around and documenting every little thing. While watching these shows I can't help but think "Oh my God, what would your mother think?" You can never fully know someones family situation, especially not someone that you are only seeing via a television series, but I can't fathom that any of their families would be very proud of them. Maybe it's just me and the way I was raised but I could never imagine going on one of these shows, acting like a drunken slutty mess and then going back home to my parents and grandparents expecting them to still have respect for me. It may be one thing to not have respect for yourself, but the way that these people act shows that they clearly have no respect for their families and that is sad.

I am in no way saying I am an angel. Like many other college kids I have probably done a thing or two that would probably make my parents cringe if they ever knew, but I am not out there, on national television behaving in such a disrespectful manner. I am also not saying that every cast member on these shows is a train wreck but for the most part that seems to be typical protocol for casting these shows, and I think that says a lot about the diminishing sense of family values and overall respect in our society.

Gender and Reality TV Dating Shows

It all started with one simple premise: 20 men or women put into a house in order to find love with one specific person. This person ranged from nobodies, such as the men and women of "The Bachelor" and the "Bachelorette", to washedup celebrities, such as Flavor Flav and Bret Michaels. This type of dating show has spawned countless spin-offs ranging from competition shows such as "I Love Money" on VH1 and even spin-off dating shows that feature one of the men or women who lost the chance at love on their original show.

An example of this is Tiffany "New York" Pollard. She first appeared on the first season of, arguably VH1's most popular show, "Flavor of Love". She made it down to the final two and was not chosen. She was brought back for the second season half way through to "help" Flav decide which one was for him. She did not believe any of them were good enough, and Flav decided to reinstate her into the competition. She, once again, made it to the final two and Flav, once again, did not choose her. This spawned her own dating reality show entitled "I Love New York".

Now when one thinks of these reality shows, it is believed that these women and men are exploiting themselves just for the sake of TV exposure or for money. The questionable behavior creates a distorted stereotype. All of the girls that are on these shows seem to be the same, and almost create a gold-digging stereotype. No matter the intentions of the girl, there is always a question of whether she is really there for the person or is there for alternate reasons. All of the guys come across as thoughtless jerks, and the same applies to the men; the question always arises as to whether the man is there for the person or for money or exposure. The issue of gender is ever-present in these shows, and whether they create a bad light or a good light is up to the opinion of the viewer. No matter how far the boundaries are crossed, there will always be viewers of these shows and whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is questionable.

I admit I am a fan of these dating shows, which some people are embarrassed to admit. I enjoy the craziness that ensues. Many of the people on the shows are characters, at least when it comes to VH1 "reality". I don't see these people as real and genuine, I see them as characters.

I always wanted to know what other gender-related issues people think reality tv shows create, dating shows specifically.

Roe vs. Wade: Has it Been Overturned as a Matter of Fact

In its 1973 landmark decision in Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court articulated for the first time that a woman’s right to an abortion was protected by the U.S. Constitution. While women throughout the Nation rejoiced in the fact that the Court had decided to place individual rights on a pedestal, Roe subsequently set off a massive backlash, during which conservative interest groups mobilized in order to persuade the Court to reconsider its ruling. Although the Court initially took pride in safeguarding Roe’s expansive protections, the more conservative Court of recent years has issued several rulings designed to limit the right to abortion. For example, in the 1989 case of Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services, the Supreme Court upheld Missouri’s decision to prohibit the expenditure of public funds or the use of public facilities for the purpose of performing an abortion. In addition, in the 1991 case of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania vs. Casey, the Court upheld several restrictions of a woman’s right to an abortion, including a 24 hour waiting period, requiring a child to obtain the consent of a parent or judge, and an informed consent provision. Although these decisions, coupled with a number of other abortion decisions issued by the Court beginning in the 1980s, severely limited the ability of many women to undergo abortion procedures, the media nevertheless held that in general Roe’s central tenets were still intact and thriving. You would be hard pressed today to find a well known political or legal analyst who believes that Roe has been overturned as a matter of fact. However, in order to determine whether or not Roe still stands as originally decided, it is necessary to answer two questions:
· What constitutes the core of the Court’s decision in Roe?
· Have any of the Court’s recent decisions significantly curtailed Roe’s core?
The central holding of Roe essentially consists of two parts. First, that a woman has the right to choose to terminate her pregnancy before viability and to do so without undue interference from the State. The period of viability has been scientifically defined to occur at the end of the second trimester, or around the 27th or 28th week of pregnancy (McBride 2). In other words, a woman’s right to undergo an abortion procedure can never be denied by the State prior to the 27th or 28th week of pregnancy. Second, the State does retain the authority to ban abortion after the period of viability, except if the procedure is necessary in order to preserve the life or health of the mother (Henry 8). Writing for the Roe majority, Justice Blackmun attempted to devise a system of standards for determining under what circumstances a State had a compelling interest in restricting a woman’s right to an abortion, which has since become known as the trimester framework. The framework consisted of the following guidelines:
· Prior to the end of the first trimester, a woman is free to undergo an abortion without any form of interference or restriction on behalf of the State.
· During the second trimester, the State may regulate abortion from this point forward by adopting measures reasonably designed to safeguard the health of the mother.
· During the third trimester (post-viability), the State could choose to proscribe abortion, except when necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.
By approving restrictions on the ability of a woman to obtain an abortion, the Court has invalidated much of the trimester framework. However, it does not follow from this fact alone that Roe is dead for all practical purposes. Although it served as a useful method by which to initially formulate the abortion timeline, Justice Blackmun’s trimester framework is not an essential part of this holding. While the framework precludes the states from enacting any restrictions whatsoever during the first trimester, this peripheral protection is not necessary in order to ensure that a woman’s right to an abortion is safeguarded prior to viability. For example, while the enactment of a 24 hour waiting period measure may inconvenience a woman seeking an abortion, it ultimately would not restrict her right to actually undergo the procedure. Despite the fact that the peripheral protections inherent in the framework are greatly beneficial to women, their demise would not alter Roe’s core holding. Thus, in order to substantially impair Roe’s core, a Supreme Court decision would have to either restrict the right to abortion prior to viability, or approve the ability of the State to restrict late term abortions when the life or health of the mother is in jeopardy. At least until 2007, the Supreme Court was unable to do either.
However, in the 2007 case of Gonzales vs. Carhart, the Supreme Court struck a significant blow to Roe’s core holding for the first time. The Carhart dispute involved the legality of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. The act proscribed the method of intact dilation and extraction from being used by a medical doctor in order to end a fetal life (Grossman and McClain 1). While the law contains an exception for when the mother’s life is in danger, it lacks a health exception. In its 5-4 ruling, the Court upheld the act, and in turn limited the ability of many women to procure an abortion even prior to the period of viability. As a result of Carhart, a woman planning on using the intact dilation and extraction method can be prohibited from having an abortion as early as the 12th week of pregnancy. According to Justice Blackmun, while the states could impose restrictions on a woman seeking an abortion prior to the period of fetal viability, they were not allowed to proscribe abortion. Due to the fact that Blackmun did not create any exceptions to this rule within his opinion, we can infer that Roe prohibits the states from proscribing a particular method of abortion as well, prior to fetal viability. This decision is the first time since 1973 that the Court has upheld the ban of an abortion procedure before the period of fetal viability.
Anti-abortion activists would counter this argument by stating that a woman is not precluded from having a second trimester abortion: she is only prohibited from using one particular method. However, the reason intact dilation and extraction is used instead of other methods is because a woman has the least probability of experiencing permanent injury to her uterus when this technique is used (Lithwick 2). Prohibiting dilation and extraction will not cut back on second trimester abortions: it will simply cause more women to be injured in the process. As a result of the Carhart ruling, some women with heart disease will thus be unable to undergo abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy, due to the fact that any other method of abortion besides dilation and extraction may be detrimental to their health. At least for this specific disadvantaged class of women, the right to procure an abortion at any time prior to the period of fetal viability no longer exists. Justice Blackmun’s opinion in Roe did not only guarantee the right to undergo a pre-viability abortion to the majority of women: rather, Blackmun established the principle that this right could not be denied to even a single woman. Thus, while Carhart did not overturn Roe directly and place the abortion decision entirely into the hands of the State, it did significantly curtail Roe’s core by limiting the opportunity for at least some women to undergo second trimester abortions.
The media’s inadequate coverage of the implications of the 2007 Carhart decision exemplifies that when deliberating controversial and multifaceted issues such as abortion, it is not always prudent to take the media at its word. Instead, in order to gain a true understanding of the complexities of the issue, it is necessary to dig deeper and explore below the surface of the issue. As a result of the media’s lack of in-depth analysis, for many people it has become almost second nature to conclude that Roe is safe and will continue to be considered the controlling principle in the foreseeable future. However, as shown by the recent Carhart decision, this is not necessarily the case. The elevation of only one more conservative justice to the Supreme Court could ultimately result in the overturning of Roe altogether, and a return to the dangerous days of back alley abortions.

Works Cited
Roe vs. Wade, 410 US 113 (1973)
Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services, 492 US 490 (1989)
Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania vs. Casey, 510 US 1309 (1992)
Gonzales vs. Carhart, 127 US 1610 (2007)
Henry, Kelly Sue. “Planned Parenthood of Southeaster Pennsylvania vs. Casey: The
Reaffirmation of Roe or the Beginning of the End.” University of Louisville Journal of Family Law. Winter 1993.
McBride, Alex. “Landmark Cases: Roe vs. Wade.” PBS: The Supreme Court. 2007. 23 April
2009.
<http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_roe.html>
Grossman, Joanna and McClain, Linda. “Gonzales vs. Carhart: How the Supreme Court’s
Validation of the Federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act Affects Women’s Constitutional Liberty and Equality.” Findlaw Legal News. May 2007. 23 April 2009.
<http://writ.corporate.findlaw.com/commentary/20070507_mcclain.html>
Lithwick, Dahlia. “Father Knows Best: Dr. Kennedy’s Magic Prescription for Indecisive
Women.” Slate. April 2007. 23 April 2009.
<http://www.slate.com/id/2164512/entry/2164020>

ViCTORiA'S SECRET !!!

As an employee of Victoria's Secret I have a lot of insight into the brand and it's marketing concepts. In the future, I even want to be a graphic designer for the company and participate in the marketing and advertising aspects as well. Although, I am a huge fan of Victoria's Secret, I feel as if at times it negatively impacts females instead of actually making them feel "sexy".


Even within the past year I have noticed that VS has altered its products and it’s marketing away from the "sexy" and "sultry" to a more vintage, classic femininity. For instance, VS has come out with an organic skin care line that is very clean and simple and is all about being natural and exuding your beauty. Furthermore, many of the bras and panties have been toned down and are more neutral in color patterns and the brand is reverting back to its more sophisticated roots. It is even getting rid of the Very Sexy make up line and bringing better quality makeup with a more elegant packaging onto the market. Furthermore, it has launched new perfumes that are very modern, clean and elegant in design.


Basically, as much as I support the more wholesome take the VS brand is taking, it still has to revamp a few other things. Many of the bras only go up to a 40DD(no special orders) and I have met so many women who are disappointed that they cannot purchase anything. Even the clothing line is rather small in size. This leaves girls and women to feel that they do in fact need to look like Giselle and Heidi to wear Victoria's Secret products. This probably may even lead some girls to lower their self-esteem and perhaps influence eating disorders.


In general, I think VS needs to realize that women come in all different shapes and sizes that are all beautiful and should all have the ability to wear something feminine from Victoria's Secret. Additionally, although VS mainly targets females, I feel that it would be a strong advance if it expanded its male market. It should not limit itself. At this point it reaches out to younger girls with the PINK line and women of all ages with the rest of its products. Males are the only target audience missing.


We may not all be VS Angels but we can certainly feel like one!


I am always curious to hear other people’s thoughts about the company and especially whether the sexy theme is in fact better, or is this vintage line a step in the right direction?

Gender and Computers: An Observation

So, this is a situation that has been bothering me for at least the past year, if not past two years. I've done a lot of observation regarding this bizarre phenomenon, and I don't have a satisfactory answer.

Basically, what I've seen is that, as a stereotype, most females and non-straight males do not get along well with computers. DISCLAIMER: I am assuming that non-straight males fall under the same category as females throughout my mini-rant. This is merely to simplify the text both for me and for you. Now, onto my... dissertation into insanity!

Why do women and non-straight men not get along well with computers? What is it about computers that only pull in geeky guys, most of whom are straight? Of course, I fit that stereotype perfectly myself. I'm a geeky Computer Science/Interactive Multimedia major. I spend over 40 hours a week coding, staring, surfing the Internet, and playing games, all with my computer. In fact, as I write this blog post, I'm in Holman Hall, working on building an Artificial Intelligence that will hopefully be able to semi-intelligently play the game of Checkers.

But honestly, who cares about me in this case? I fit the stereotype, and no one thinks differently. About me, at least. That's an entirely different rant, and totally not related to this class at all.

One study I've read (I think it was a study? Long time ago) stated that women shy away from Math, Computers, etc... "the Sciences"... because they assume that those fields take too much time, and many women, as per the study, want to take the time to have a family. Obviously, having a job in one of those fields will take time away from said family, keeping women from working in "the Sciences."

Now, that's a funny observation from that study. I know for a fact that our class has a female Physics Ed major and a female Chemistry major. Clearly, the study isn't all-inclusive.

Another article I've read states that computers are "too technical" for women. The amount of effort necessary to truly understand an operate a computer is much more than they are willing to expend that effort to be a part of the industry. Well, let's be honest. Most straight males are in the same boat, so I can't imagine that there can't be a certain percentage of women who are into computers.

It's true, there are female Computer Science majors. There's one in my graduating class, two or three in the successive graduating class... and that's where I no longer have any idea about the numbers. Percentage-wise, that does NOT get anywhere CLOSE to the sex distribution of TCNJ.

And quickly, to point out why I lumped non-straight males into the "female" category for this rant, I will simply say this. After mentally reviewing all of the class lists of my previous and current CS courses, I can honestly say that I highly doubt any of the males in the classes (some classes were solely male) identified as anything but straight. Weirdly enough (to kill another stereotype), most had steady girlfriends. Go figure.

Really, what it comes down to is the fact that I have NO idea why this phenomenon exists. And throughout it all, I can't ignore the fact that the CS Faculty ratio is approximately 60:40, females:males. Just like TCNJ averages.

So, I leave it to you. What are your thoughts on this?

In Defense of The Octomom™

Everywhere you look these days(Entertainment TV, Magazines, and in the Blogosphere) everyone seems fascinated with Octomom. What is it about Nadya Suleman and her 14 children that draws such a negative and hate filled response? To be completely clear – I do believe that Octomom is probably mentally disturbed AND attempting to make a profit off of her children. While I do not condone that behavior, I am more concerned by the sensational and judgmental response she has elicited from society.

I wonder if there are more layers explaining the response in the media to Octomom. Why is she SO hated? Could it be that the idea of a single mother proactively choosing to have multiple children without the benefit of a husband is SO contrary to the traditional norm that OCTOMOM has touched a nerve and sent us into a frenzy? Power, in any form, that cannot be controlled is a scary reality for any society. Perhaps the power appropriated by single women in America, as represented by Nadya Suleman, has caused a moral crisis in society by upsetting the apple cart. If she had a husband, would she be adored and hailed as the next Jon & Kate + 8 media darling?

I think the idea of the “Single Girl” has posed quite a problem for American society for some time. I remember an episode of Sex and The City that dealt with the idea of how single girls pose a problem since other people just can’t figure them out. Single working women in the 1930’s became known as “heartless women” who devalued the man and undermined the traditional feminine mystique. Similarly “Sex and the Single Girl” by Helen Gurley Brown, gives interesting insight into this conflict during the 1960’s. Written as a self help guide, the book intends to advise women on how to improve themselves to attract men. However, it can also be analyzed for historical significance as it isolates a snapshot of time during which many argue roles for modern women were just starting to change.

While most of the advice in the book doesn’t hold up (“Don’t spend a cent on anything you don’t need. You need iridescent gold eye shadow…”) it gives insight into the mind of the “modern women” at the time. Gurley Brown advises women do whatever it takes to get a man – even a married one. While it isn’t exactly a feminist’s handbook, it provides insight into the way that single girls have been perceived over time. In short, they have been perceived as a problem.

Perhaps people like Nadya Suleman, Carrie Bradshaw and Helen Gurley Brown challenge the status quo in similar ways that threaten social norms. Is the firestorm being thrust upon Octomom a veiled attempt to send a message and impose fear upon single girls of today? After all - good girls are supposed to know better. But maybe the concept of a “good girl” is really just a socialized construction to keep women in collectively desirable roles. Girls who don’t follow normal gendered rules, such as teenage mothers or female criminals, are viewed harshly – even more so than their male counterparts.

The manufactured archetype of a good girl is used to draw a line in the sand that establishes the ideological binary of right and wrong. Those on the right side of the line are intimidated by fear - altering their lives to meet the standard in an attempt to avoid victimization or judgment. On the opposite side of the line live the “bad girls” who encourage ridicule by their actions or who become scapegoats and are considered the source of the problem(ala Nadya Suleman).

The Difference Between Men and Women Coaches in Women's Basketball

I recently went to Saint Louis, MO to see the NCAA women’s division I championship game. I was not a huge fan of either team left in the championship game – Uconn & Louisville. I was actually pretty upset that I didn’t get a chance to meet some of the more successful female college coaches like Pat Summit or Vivian Stringer. It seemed like something was missing from the atmosphere in that women’s championship game, perhaps a head female coach leading the pack. No offense to Gino Aureimma, he is obviously a very successful coach, but I will argue that he can relax more on the job than any female coach I have ever seen. I think that Gino gets away with more, maybe because of his high status as such a successful coach, but I would argue that people would talk a lot differently about Pat Summit if she won the national title and stuck her head and then her body through the rim after cutting down the nets – which is exactly what Gino did. Pat Summit is not seen as the most personable coach, she does not seem incredibly approachable, but she does seem very professional. If she had put her head through the rim along with her body I’m sure the media would be all over how cocky the gesture seemed and how unprofessional that would make her. I guess since Gino is a guy, the terms cocky, brash, and arrogant are more easily acceptable and his unsportsmanlike actions can be brushed off.

It’s funny how sports figures like Pat Summit and Gino Auriemma are analogous to political leaders like Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush. I hear and see a lot of similarities among Hillary and Pat. For example, I believe the words “shrew,” “bitch,” and “power-crazy” have been thrown around during the political debates last year when Hillary was running for office. A strong, professional, hard-working presidential candidate is defaced because she is a woman. Although Pat Summit is praised in the basketball world I have heard people who do not follow basketball so closely comment about how cold she is, how she could relax a little bit more, and doesn’t need to be such a bitch all the time. Perhaps if Hillary Clinton started cracking jokes about chucking wood or maybe if Pat Summit put her body through a basketball rim they’d be viewed as more human. Something tells me that if either woman acted that way they’re professionalism would be questioned, and then they wouldn’t be fit for the job. When we only see women as either Hillary Clintons or Sarah Palins it’s easy to see why we are dichotomized into two extremes. I can only hope we find the middle ground.

X: A Fabulous Child’s Story

By: Lois Gould(Abridged Version)

Characters

Narrator 1
Narrator 2
Mr. and Mrs. JonesRelative #1
Relative #2
Clerk
Other Child #1
Other Child #2
Psychiatrist


Narrator 1: Once upon a time, a baby named X was born. This baby was named X so that nobody could tell whether it was a boy or a girl. Its parents could tell, of course, but they couldn’t tell anybody else. They couldn’t even tell Baby X, at first. It was all part of a very importance Secret Xperimet, known as Project Baby X. The smartest scientists were paid to write the Official Instruction Manual for Baby X’s parents, and most importance of all, to find the right parents to bring up Baby X. Fortunately, the scientists found the Joneses, who really wanted to raise an X more than any other kind of baby. Mr. and Mrs. Jones had to promise they would take equal turns caring for X, feed it, and sing it lullabies.

Narrator 2: The day the Joneses brought their baby home, friends and relatives came over to see it. None of them knew about the Secret Xperiment... So the first thing they asked was what kind of a baby X was.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones: “It’s an X!”

Narrator 2: Well, nobody knew what to say. But, of course the Joneses were not joking.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones: “It’s an X!”

Narrator 2: And that’s absolutely all they would say, which made the relatives and friends very angry. They felt embarrassed about having an X in the family.

Relative 1: “People will think there’s something wrong with it.”

Relative 2: “There is something wrong with it!”

Narrator 2: Clearly, nothing was wrong. Nevertheless, none of the relatives felt comfortable about buying a present for Baby X. But the Official Instruction Manuel had warned the new parents that this would happen, so they didn’t fret about it.

Narrator 1: Mr. and Mrs. Jones had to be Xtra careful about how they palyed with little X. They knew if they kept saying how strong and active it was, they’d be treating it more like a boy than an X. But, if all they did was kiss and tell how sweet it was, they’d be treating it more like a girl than an X. The Manual advised plenty of bouncing and cuddling, both since X need to be strong and sweet.

Narrator 2: Meanwhile, the Joneses were worrying about other problems- toys and clothes. On his first shopping trip Mr. Jones went to the store.

Mr. Jones: “I need some clothes for my new baby.”

Clerk: “Is it a boy or a girl?”

Mr. Jones: “It’s an X.”

Narrator 2: Now, all over the store there were sections marked Boys or Girls. There were Boy pajamas and Girls underwear, Boys fire engines and Girls housekeeping sets. The Official Instruction Manuel advised plenty of everything, so the Joneses bought all kinds of toys. The boy doll cried, “Popa.” The girl doll said “I am President of General Motors.” The Manual advised that X should never be made to feel embarrassed or ashamed about what it wanted to play with. Likewise, if X fell down and cried, the Joneses were never to say “Brave little Xes don’t cry.”

Narrator 1: Then, it was time for X to start school. The Joneses were really worried, because the school was even more full of rules for boys and girls. There would be boy games and girl games, boy secrets and girl secrets, boy lines and girl lines. There would even be a bathroom marked Boys and another marked Girls. What would happen to poor Baby X?

Narrator 2: In preparation the Joneses asked X’s teacher if the class could line up alphabetically. And they asked if X could use the principal’s bathroom, because all it would say was “Bathroom.” X’s teacher promised to help. But nobody could help X with the biggest problem- the other children. Some of the children tried to find out by asking X tricky questions. When X said its favorite toy was a doll, everyone decided X must be a girl. But then X said that the doll was really a robot, and that X had computerized it and told it to bake brownies and clean up the kitchen. After X said that, the other children knew they wanted to see Xs doll! But, the other children continued to make faces and giggle behinds X’s back.

Narrator 1: That night X confessed school was a terrible place for an X. Once more the Joneses reached for their Instruction Manual. They read that other children have to obey all the silly boy-girl rules because that’s what their parents taught them. Lucky X didn’t have to stick to the rules. X could just be itself. “P.S. We’re not saying it’ll be easy.” The next morning they all felt better and X went back to school. That day there was a seven letter world spelling bee, a seven lap relay race, and a seven layer cake bake contest. X almost won them all except that it forgot to light the oven. This only proves that nobody’s perfect. One of the other children noticed something else, too.

Other Child #1: “Winning or losing doesn’t seem to count to X. X seems to have fun being good with both boy and girl skills.”

Other Child #2: “Come to think of it, maybe X is having twice as much fun as we are.”

Narrator 2: From then on, really funny things began to happen. Susie suddenly refused to wear a pink dress and insisting on overalls like X’s in order to climb monkey bars. Jim, the class football nut, started wheeling a doll carriage containing his football uniform around the field and singing Rockabye Baby to it. He told his family X did the same thing… and X was now the team’s star quarterback.

Narrator 1: Their parents weren’t one bit pleased. Susie and Jim were forbidden to play with X anymore. But, it was too late. The other children stayed mixed up and happy and free and refused to go back to the way they’d been before X.

Narrator 2: Finally, the parents called an emergency meeting of the Parents’ Association. They sent a report to the principal stating that X was a “disruptive influence.” If the Joneses refused to tell whether X was a boy or girl, then X must take an Xamination given by the school psychiatrist. If the test showed X a boy, it would have to obey boy rules. If it proved X was a girl, it would have to obey girl rules. And, if X turned out to be some kind of misfit, then X would have to be expelled from school. The principal reluctantly notified X’s parents.

Narrator 1: At Xactly 9 the next day, X reported for the test. The principal along with Parent’s Association Committee, X’s teacher, X’s classmates, and the Joneses waited in the hall. You could hear the psychiatrist’s low voice, asking hundreds of questions, and X’s higher voice, answering hundreds of answers.

Narrator 2: At last, the door opened. The psychiatrist looked terrible. He looked as if he were crying.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones (sighing): “Oh dear!”

Narrator 1: Wiping his eyes, the psychiatrist began, in a hoarse whisper.

Psychiatrist (whispering through tears): “In my opinion… in my opinion… young X here… is just about… just about the least mixed-up child I have ever Xamined.”

Narrator 1: The Parents Committee was angry and bewildered. How could X have passed the Xam?

Narrator 2: Didn’t X have an identity problem?

Narrator 1: Wasn’t X a misfit?

Narrator 2: Why was the psychiatrist crying?

Psychiatrist: “Don’t you see? I’m crying because it’s wonderful! X has absolutely no identity problem! It’s not mixed up. It’s not a misfit. X knows perfectly well what it is! Don’t worry; you’ll all know one of these days. And you won’t need me to tell you.

Narrator 1: With that the doctor began to push trhough the crowd. He hugged X’s parents.

Psychiatrist: “If I ever have an X of my own I sure hope you’ll lend me your instruction manual.”

Narrator 2: Later that day X’s friends found X in the back yard playing with a very tiny baby that none of them had ever seen before.

Other Child #1: “It got cute dimples.”

Other Child #2: “It has got husky biceps. So, what kind of baby is it?”

Narrator 1: X broke into a grin.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones (exclaiming proudly): “It’s a Y!”


The story of baby X raises gender identity issues that we do not customarily address or realize. The parents in the story are the idolized representation of ideal parents. When their baby was born, all that mattered to them was that their baby be happy and healthy. This mentality allowed their child to express itself and be whatever it wanted to be, regardless of the pressures society places on it to conform to gender role expectations. Baby X’s parents continuously encountered people in various settings questioning their baby’s sex. When the people did not receive the expected answer, girl or boy, they became confused and frustrated, for they could not fit the baby into a preconceived mold. The environment created for baby X enabled it to become a more well-rounded and unique individual, free from the stereotypical norms expected of girls and boys during childhood.
The story made me more aware of the social construction of gender and the tremendous impact it has on how we raise our children. The child rearing practice adhered to by baby X’s parents is quite noteworthy, and a healthy way to raise one’s child. It permits the child to find their own form of expression and be comfortable and confident with the person that they are. This story can be correlated with issues surrounding gay marriage. Society could not accept baby X for who it was, just as many people are unable to acknowledge or accept the union of two females or two males.