Gender and Popular Culture

2011-10-10T17:48:00.001-04:00

"Once upon a time ..."

2009-10-14T18:12:00.001-04:00

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

2009-10-10T18:08:00.001-04:00

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?

2009-05-02T18:59:00.001-04:00

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

2009-05-01T12:29:00.000-04:00

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

2009-05-01T11:58:00.001-04:00

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”?

2009-04-28T17:47:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-28T13:46:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-28T11:21:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-27T23:22:00.007-04:00

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

2009-04-27T15:37:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-27T11:50:00.011-04:00

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?

2009-04-25T23:23:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-24T13:07:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-23T23:28:00.001-04:00

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 !!!

2009-04-23T23:20:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-21T20:25:00.004-04:00

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™

2009-04-21T19:55:00.005-04:00

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

2009-04-21T19:28:00.001-04:00

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.

2009-04-21T18:51:00.003-04:00

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.

The Dialogue Continues ...

2009-04-21T18:17:00.001-04:00

Students in my Spring 2009 section of "Gender and Popular Culture" will begin contributing to the discussion of gender and popular culture through their blog entries here. See what they have to say and join in the conversation by posting your comments.

Women vs. Men in the Media

2008-12-08T10:22:00.004-05:00

The media's stereotypes in society today include both men and women. Television seems to devalue the importance of women in our society. It is a fact that women out number men in our society, however men out number women on most television shows. On dramas, cartoons, and even soap operas men tend to out number women. Even though the majority of the audience are female, the women who appear on television have their lives portrayed differently then the lives of their males. In TV shows, it shows men more employed than women.

Advertising feeds into stereotypes of both men and women in society as well. For example women are much more likely to appear in an advertisement for personal hygiene products than men. In these advertisements women are usually shown as domestic housewives. Men in commercials are more likely to hold positions of power.

Advertisements featuring men are usually shown as rare when it comes to domestic situations. When a man is portrayed in a commercial performing a simple household chore like washing his clothes, it is portrayed as unnatural or almost humorist. There is a Flash multi-purpose cleaner advertisement where a man offers to take over the job of scrubbing the floor from his wife. When the wife leaves, the husband uses Flash and demonstrates how effortless cleaning can be. When the wife returns, it appears as though he has scrubbed the whole floor; the wife is very happy and she rubs her husbands back. This commercial shows that cleaning is a woman's job and that if a man decides to help out with it, he should be praised. On the other hand, when a woman is shown in a male dominated position she is usually punished not rewarded.

Women face different stereotypes than men in regards to their sexuality. On television commercials and magazines advertisements, women are often shown as objects instead of human beings. It is not uncommon to look through a magazine and see advertisements that do not even have a picture of a complete woman just a body part or a section of her. The women in most advertisements posses a body image that is impossible for the average woman to ever have unless she starves herself.

The media teaches men to be a lot different, on most television shows men are shown as confident, arrogant, immature, and only concerned with getting the girl. Shows like The Bernie Mac Show and movies like the James Bond series all show at least a few of these qualities. It is rare that you will ever see a male TV star that is not confident. Males learn that if you do not know something, act like you do so you won't show any sign of weakness. This is why society sees it as acceptable for women to cry and men to brag. With men, the media sends the message to get the girl and get as many as you can.

Pop Culture and Sexism in the Presidential Race

2008-12-02T22:48:00.001-05:00

This year’s election has been regarded as not just an election, but a social movement. Obama’s use of pop media and technology mobilized America’s voters in ways that the country has never seen before, with tools such as Facebook groups, popular art, and YouTube advertising. Obama has embraced the use of popular technology and plans to use it to make his presidency resemble his ideals for the way the office should be run, with priorities of transparency and being connected to voters. According to Newsweek, he plans on employing a senior or cabinet-level technology consultant, streaming live cabinet meetings on the Net, and utilizing Facebook for demonstrations and policy discussions.
There have also been several discussions about sexism in the presidential race, especially concerning Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. While Hillary was criticized for being too “masculine” and being “fake” when she got emotional during one of her speeches, Sarah was shielded from fully participating as a VP candidate, then criticized for her practices because she was being a “soccer mom” and a “pageant girl”. Rather than look at these women’s previous records in leadership and their responses to interviews and on the issues involved in the debate, it was easier for some to create images like these:

While these are definitely amusing, they are not the kind of focus that we need to bring to the electoral process.

The Meaning of Michelle

2008-12-02T22:10:00.000-05:00

In a recent Newsweek article, the author wrote about our new First Lady and how her character will shape the images of both President Obama and the country as a whole. At a second glance, though, this observation about Michelle Obama carries with it a strongly gendered and racial image. The Newsweek author mentioned several noteworthy points about Michelle which Americans are looking to as an example. Her Princeton and Harvard Law education, according to the author, will challenge existing stereotypes about black women and black culture, because her assertiveness and confidence can show that it’s possible to be a strong, black woman without carrying the negative stereotype of “B***hiness” that goes along with female strength. A quote from a voter in the article talked about how it was a change to see “dark” women like Michelle Obama visible and valued in the media; even the media age we live in now, “lightness” seems to be associated more with beauty (think Halle Berry and Beyoncé Knowles). It was also interesting that the author of the article pointed out the changes in Michelle over the course of the campaign. At the beginning, she was labeled as being too forward and loud, and criticized for making innocent jokes about Barack; she restrained both of these natural characteristics in order to help her husband gain support and become more visible as a presidential candidate. Recently, she was on “The View”, and her image was one of an adoring wife and mother, complete with a subdued dress and pearls, just before the election. The interpretation in the media of this change has been that she was trying to “soften” her image, making her role in her family more traditionally feminine. It is also interesting that in the case of female candidates or wives of candidates, their image is observed almost totally through their dress – colors, details, designers and choice of clothing on a female in politics send a message about what kind of administration will run the White House. How interesting that even at this defining moment in our nation’s history, the election of the first Black president, politics are still influenced by the image of the wife and family as representations of the “man of the house” himself…

Hey Slut!

2008-12-02T16:51:00.000-05:00

In today’s world of slang and informality, many women (and men) use derogatory terms as jokes or in casual conversation. Words like “slut,” “hoe,” and “bitch” are frequently used as jokes and are not given much thought otherwise. It is not uncommon to hear girls of all ages using these expressions in conversation with friends as a joke or over text messages.
But does this type of behavior transcend the surface meaning – a silly joke – and actually have deeper meaning and consequence than it appears? Males, of course, traditionally use these terms as insults to describe women. Now one can walk down the street and hear these terms in any variety of ways—from the traditional, insulting sense of the word, to the new way of using it, and perhaps the strangest way – as a friendly greeting. “What’s up hoe?” or “hey slut!” are two common ways of using these expressions.
By using such words in a casual manner, the goal is to take away the power attached to them – power that only the opposite sex could utilize before this kind of speech became common. Such is the case with the n word; some blacks use it when speaking with one another to remove the power associated with it in its negative usage. But is this really what it happening here? Or is using them, even if the purpose is to diminish their negative connotation, still just perpetrating the usage of these words to continue? Are we simply making these words more accessible and acceptable for anyone to use?
These questions continue to linger; only time will tell whether these derogatory terms will remain in our society or if they will fall by the wayside as people realize that perhaps they are only hurting the progress of society by continuing to use them.

Men's Role in The Fight Against HIV

2008-11-30T22:13:00.001-05:00

I have recently come across many different articles focusing on the struggle against HIV/AIDS in Africa; however, the articles I have come across have presented the situation in a different light than I had expected to see. We all know that HIV/AIDS has been an obstacle faced in Africa for decades and is still extremely prevalent today; however, did you know that many organizations and health clinics feel that the only way to win the fight against HIV/AIDS is to get the men of Africa involved? This is because organizations, such as The Project of Engender Health and many others have found that a root cause of HIV/AIDS in Africa is due to unequal gender relations. Because of the unequal gender relations, unsurprisingly it is the women who are more affected by this virus in comparison to the men.

You may ask why this is so? Well consider and analyze the present day gender roles in Africa. Women are powerless in Africa and are seen as subordinate beings to men. They have unequal access to health care resources and receive little information regarding their own health and bodies. Women have the strict roles of maintaining the household and attending to the needs of men, no matter what these needs may be, including sex. The male’s dominant and controlling role in these societies forces women to be submitted into situations such as rape (including within a marriage), sexual trafficking and incest to name a few. All of these horrific events expose females to the possibility of becoming infected by AIDS/ HIV, which is so prevalent in these societies. Women do not have the power or the tools to stand up to men and tell them to practice “safe sex” or to prevent themselves from being victims of rape or incest. Therefore, organizations feel that it is vital to involve men and boys in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Since the male gender has so much dominance over women in these societies and because they make most of the decisions within relationships due to unequal power relations, males should also take the lead role in fighting to prevent further spread of HIV/AIDS. Researchers feel that these males can use their head roles to make a change and this can be done by teaching males how to prevent the spread of HIV, teaching them how and where to get tested and by teaching them the importance of gender equality and the need for them to stand up against gender-based violence. In fact, The Project of Engender Health has begun to use the media to teach men about these different topics. For example, they have come up with DVDs that provide males with information about HIV/AIDS and encourage males to take on positive roles in preventing and eliminating the spread of the disease.

Therefore, including African men and boys in this fight against HIV/AIDS and gendered-violence may be a solution for this issue, and can be made possible through the use of the media. By providing information and encouragement through the media, males can learn new roles and most importantly positive roles in regards to preventing HIV/AIDS and gendered-violence.

Gender Stereotypes and the Food Network

2008-11-25T08:14:00.002-05:00

Although it is not directly evident, the Food Network stereotypes based on gender—it is underlying each and every show. The themes, decorations, and even kitchenware are geared toward the host’s gender. The names of most shows sound either feminine or masculine, not both. For example: Big Daddy’s House, Throwdown, Boy Meets Grill, Grill It!, Rescue Chef, Guy’s Big Bite, Guy Off the Hook, Ham on the Street, Hungry Detective, Dinner Impossible, Food Detectives…Who do you think is the host of these shows—a man or a woman? And these: The Cooking Loft, Chic and Easy, Healthy Appetite, Everyday Italian, Simply Delicioso, Home Cooking, Best Dishes, Semi-Homemade, 30 Minute Meals…Man or woman?

One can clearly figure out which are hosted by men and which are hosted by women.

Today’s society typically associates grilling with men because it is considered “manly”. Subsequently, baking is considered “motherly” or “grandmotherly”, and the quintessential housewife is pictured with an apple pie in hand. This gives an example of how these hidden gender roles are built into our everyday culture and passed down from generation to generation. This notion of the housewife baking cakes and pies is almost something of the past, for more women are in the workforce and do not have time for these kinds of activities. Some Food Network shows still depict this idea. Sandra Lee, in her show Semi-Homemade, makes desserts and cocktails galore. Her dining room table and kitchen is always decorated according to her theme (such as Harvest Time, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, etc.) with tons of flowers and candles. Rachel Ray prepares “30 Minute Meals” so that the average housewife can make dinner in less than thirty minutes too. On the other hand, a lot of men prepare dinner, but most of the time the wife is the one doing all of the cooking. Of course there are exceptions to this, and the Food Network is a good example. Most of the male chefs on the Food Network cook intricate meals, including Emeril Lagasse, whose primetime show Emeril Live ran successfully for several years.

Although there does not appear to be gender inequality within food network television shows, stereotyping is certainly present. Men and women are equally represented, but the shows do include gendered themes and topics. This will probably never change; these concepts are built into our lives and television has certainly portrayed these ideas for as long as we can remember and nothing is going to change now.

www.foodnetwork.com

Women and Film

2008-11-24T10:22:00.006-05:00

“The Women” was a movie made in 1939, which had an all female cast, 130 roles all filled by women. Based on a play of the same name, the movie’s focus is the relationships of women. The plot starts with one woman, Mary Haines, finding out her husband is cheating on her by way of a talkative manicurist. The movie follows the friendships and how they grow stronger, or fall apart, when men are the issue. For a full synopsis click here.
The movie was a successful play and was so successful at the box office it spawned a musical remake. Here is an example of a great movie that was a box office success. So why was the 2008 remake so hard to produce? In 1994, Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan were in talks and production was starting on a remake on this romantic comedy classic. The off camera and on camera names signed on would have been any movie studio’s dream. Famous names attached to the project included James L Brooks, Candice Bergen, and Marisa Tomei. Also, a writer for the then successful “Murphy Brown” sitcom had updated the screenplay.
All was going well with production until the two big stars/ co-producers (Ryan and Roberts) wanted to play the same role. Diane English retooled the script to satisfy everyone, which took time, and actresses/directors were changed in and out due to poor scheduling. Diane English decided to helm the project herself and slashed her asking budget by $10 million. Every studio rejected her with the same reason: an all female cast would bomb at the box office. English had a list of female movies including, “9 to 5,” and “First Wives Club,” which were box office hits. Studio heads refused to see a pattern and instead claimed every movie directed towards women that did well was a fluke.
English saw this movie through and developed it as an indie (another word for low budget) and pitched the whole thing to the head of Picturehouse Production, who was the only man to see the all-female cast as an asset. Romantic comedies get green lit because women are assumed to like romance. A female buddy comedy, though, is assumed to tank, even though there are examples of films of this nature doing quite well. In this age of equality and movies get cranked out like they are on an assembly line, why did this movie have to fight so hard? Is an all female cast that much of a turn off?
As of November 17,“The Women” had grossed almost $27 million dollars and had a $16 million dollar budget. The budget was small and some actresses received a much lower than normal salary to be part of this film. The budget is minimal compared to other films (Paul Rudd’s comedy “Role Models” had a reported $28million budget). Women, as filmmakers and audience members, need to be respected and appreciated. Though equality abounds everywhere else, the film industry still presents a biased atmosphere.

Sources for this article:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20219070_20219072_20222088_3,00.html
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

Adultery- how human monogamy is shaped by gender issues and culture

2008-11-23T13:35:00.007-05:00

Are humans meant to be monogamous? This issue is one which is constantly debated, though recent increases in adultery statistics seem to support the idea that the human nature is one of promiscuity. Anthropological studies have reported that 80-85% of societies allowed polygamous marriage. It is a well-known fact that the early Mormons practiced Polygamy, with men having multiple wives. This trend is true of many societies; however, most men in such cultures are not able to afford multiple wives, leading the average societal marriage to involve one man and one woman. Why was it never women who had multiple husbands? It seems gender issues shape this practice as well. For those who are religious, it is obvious that adultery is forbidden by the Seventh Commandment and was considered punishable by death (and still is in some parts of the world). However, history has shown that this rule was typically enforced only if a married woman engaging in sex with another man. If it was the man who cheated, it was rarely considered adultery and punished as such.

This raises a very interesting question When looking at America's increasing infidelity and divorce statistics, there still seems to be an issue of gender at play. According to the electronic article “Adultery: Statistics on Cheating Spouses,” published by Eagle’s Nest Publications, “60-70 percent of adultery victims are women” while “30-40 percent of adultery victims are men.” Is this truly a difference in the biology of the two sexes, or is culture partially to blame? Perhaps these vastly different statistics exist this way because it has historically been more acceptable for men to be unfaithful. Nevertheless, it is impossible to ignore the changing trends of our society. The media bombards us with stories and images of unfaithfulness, in both men and women. The gap in the statistics of cheating is quickly closing. However, though the sexes may be reaching some balance, it seems that the meaning of relationships is greatly changing. Why are monogomous relationships failing? Is it pop culture that is changing our attitudes toward cheating, or is society swinging back to the real biological tendencies of humanity?

Media's Creation of False Hopes in Young Teens

2008-11-22T19:17:00.003-05:00

Some of today's most notorious television shows, such as Gossip Girl, are geared towards young teens, some of whom gain false hopes from watching rich adolescents live extremely fabulous and flamboyant lives. Gossip Girl, a show that deals with the problems that a group of teenagers face, such as school, sex, and relationships, has been studied since its beginning. It has been shown that teens that watch this show are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Furthermore, although I have not found information on any studies being done, it seems as though people that watch this show, along with other teenage dramas, think that their lives could be just as fabulous as those of the made-up characters.

It is very difficult to separate tv from reality, especially in shows like Gossip Girl, because teens can relate so easily to the characters from the show that they think all components of the show express the truth about life. On the contrary, Gossip Girl may explore similar problems that teens face nowadays, except it amplifies them, but seeing characters like Blair and Serena live rich lives where they don't have to do any work and simply get by as a result of their wealth gives teens a false hope. Teens think that they can go to school to show off their popularity, and go out to clubs to drink and engage in explicit behavior.

It has been shown that people, especially teens, that are exposed to sexual behavior on screen are more likely to engage in similar behavior. This proves that shows like Gossip Girl, although very popular and entertaining, are affecting teens in many negative ways. The constant underage drinking, along with sexual behavior among a single group of friends and seemingly work-free life, gives teens a false hope of their future. Teens are inclined to believe what they see on tv, especially in shows like Gossip Girl that have many parallels to real life.

The Norm of Disordered Eating

2008-11-21T16:39:00.001-05:00

While out to dinner with my female housemate, I was ready to indulge myself on a full meal after a long day of work and classes. After giving my lengthy order to our server, I was stunned to silence when my friend ordered a side salad, no dressing, and water. Suddenly my soup, cheeseburger, side of fries, and the hopes of a chocolate cake dessert seemed quite excessive. After questioning her usually healthy appetite and the fact the she doesn’t even like salads, she explained she is starting a diet. From there, our mostly one-sided conversation focused on my friend’s diet plans and weight-loss goals. After an hour of listening to her “two-meal-a-day-no-snacking-no-eating-after-seven-o’clock” rules, I causally cancelled my cake order and motioned for the check.

Over the next few days after our dinner, I found myself becoming more and more aware of my friends new-found eating (or lack of) habits. Opening our refrigerator was like advocating for some new fad diet; the shelves lined with diet coke, fat free milk, and enough Lean Cuisines to last through next semester. Each day I watched as my friend had a diet pill for breakfast, cereal bar for lunch, and a salad or other small meal for dinner. Not surprisingly, a new addition made its way into our bathroom in the form of a high-tech digital scale.

As my friend continued to obsess about her progress, her pitfalls, and her love-hate relationship with food, my concern grew and I was reminded of a magazine article I had read on the topic of disordered eating. After an unsuccessful search for the article, I decided to do some research online and was directed to an article on the MSNBC website. The article, “The Disordered Next Door,” revealed that while most women are not clinically diagnosed with an eating disorder, many suffer from what is known as disordered eating. The article explained that eating habits many women see as normal, such as dieting and skipping meals, are symptoms of the disorder. Alarmingly, 65 percent of women surveyed in the article are classified as disordered eaters. While disordered eaters are not at immediate risk of the dangers of anorexia or bulimia, they display unhealthy relationships with their food and bodies that can greatly impact physical and emotional health. This article seemed to encompass much of my friend’s recent actions and behaviors surrounding food and her body.

As I reflected more on what I had read, I realized that clues and signs of disordered eating are all around. I recalled past conversations and meals with other female friends, all who ordered salads and diet drinks. On the rare occasion where one splurged and actually ordered dessert, the conversation following was declarations of overeating and what could be done to cancel out the extra calories. I was surprised by the number of conversations I have had with female friends about food and dieting. Within my own group of friends, I can recall sharing dieting advice, venting our guilt about overeating, and trash-talking the tiniest of imperfections on our bodies. I had never realized it before, but disordered eating certainly was and had been present in my own life and the lives of many other women I know.

Today, as my friend continues her diet, I can’t help but wonder what has caused so many women to develop such an unhealthy relationship with food. To most, dieting for women is not out of the ordinary; it is the norm. I am sure our waiter at dinner was not surprised when my friend ordered only a salad, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the sales person who sold my friend her diet pills didn’t give it a second thought. It seems this type of behavior has become acceptable and at times expected of most women. The lingering question, however, is what in society has us thinking that the disordered is “normal?”

Reference:

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24295957

Female Athletes

2008-11-21T03:58:00.003-05:00

Today, women in sports are working incredibly hard to gain recognition in their respective athletic endeavors. Taking away from these females’ accomplishments are the blatant objectification of female athletes by the media. Without fail, the media commits an overbearing amount of focus on the sex appeal of popular female athletes. While females can sometimes use the fact that “sex sells” to their advantage, sometimes the integrity of the sport is harmed.

It seems as though any young attractive female athlete that become competitive professionals are immediately marketed as sex symbols. Quite often, the front page of Maxim Magazine features a famous female athlete wearing a bikini. An example of this that comes to mind is Anna Kournikova. Anna Kournikova played professional tennis for seven years, never ranked in the top 15 female tennis players, yet was undoubtedly the most marketed player in the league. She has since left tennis, and focused on modeling.

Another example is Danica Patrick. Danica Patrick is a groundbreaking female Indy Car driver, and recently became the first woman driver to win an Indy Car race. Since then, she has been one of the most covered drivers in all of her races. She is now marketing her sex appeal by appearing in several magazines, including the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Maxim Magazine released an article about the “20 Hottest Female Athletes.” Many of the 20 females posed for a Maxim wearing bikinis or lingerie . I do not see such a thing occurring in male sports. I do not see male athletes ever sold for their sex appeal in such a way. It will be interesting to see, as women’s sports gain in popularity, to what extent this trend will occur.

The Lottery No One Wants to Win

2008-11-18T11:34:00.000-05:00

This posting is authored by Scott (a.k.a. The Reinman):

Since the institution of the Selective Service System, women dodged the bullet (pun intended) of signing away your freedom. Yes, we haven’t had the draft active since the Vietnam war, and yes there is no major reason to assume a draft will be necessary even in this time of war, but signing that little card on your eighteenth birthday is never as simple as it seems. Being forced to sign that paper, even though Gillette makes you feel manly with a nice razor as a birthday gift, is being forced to put your name into the lottery no one wants to win. There have been several attempts at bills being passed through congress to amend this legislation, but they have never come close to passing. A case brought on by four males made it all the way to the Supreme Court in Rostker v. Goldberg where it was ruled that registering only men was not a violation of the constitution. In 1994, Clinton had the department of justice review this issue and they determined the following: since the purpose of the draft is to acquire individuals as direct support infantry troops and women are not allowed in front line combat positions, registering women for the draft would serve no purpose as they couldn’t fill the roles. Knowing that thousands of men have involuntarily given up their lives through this program, I think there are a few ways to analyze this situation.

I think there is no doubt, that this part of history has forever impacted the view of women in the military. While men are viewed as courageous for putting their lives on the line in every war in history, women have played the behind the scenes roles. The only woman I can think of from my history classes is Molly Pitcher (I know several of you just remembered that third grade story as well). While these positions were important for sustaining our economy and directly supported the war, they were not the ones coming back home in wooden boxes. This reaffirmed the military as a ‘man’s world.’ Since the all-volunteer status was reinstated, women have nearly tripled their presence in the armed forces. Except for the marines, they have the freedoms to assume nearly every position that isn’t front line combat. By keeping this old and inactive legislation the way it is, women are still cast in a negative light. Even if I don’t go to war or face the threat of a draft selection, I am still reminded of the years when my grandfather and many others were snatched from their homes. Even though the numbers aren’t proportional, the women that do enlist and serve our country are willing and able to defend our nation, and I think this cuts down the respect they deserve.

Yoko Hate

2008-11-17T20:26:00.003-05:00

Yoko Ono is a Japanese woman born in Tokyo in February, 1933. She is known for being an avant garde artist and musician, but is famous for being the widow of the Beatles’ John Lennon. She was very important in John’s life: collaborating in many of his songs, starting their own band (the Plastic Ono Band), and playing on stage with him.

She was a strong feminist, political activist (for peace and human rights), philanthropist, and has constructed/maintained memorials.

Despite this, she is a hated woman by many. She is accused of breaking up the Beatles because of her involvement with John Lennon. It is said that she pulled him away from the other band members, and started arguments that eventually lead to their departure. This seems to be an oversimplification of the situation (that is not entirely known) and is based on sexism and scapegoating. It always seems to be the woman’s fault if a man decides to make a decision that is not favored (most often leaving to be with the woman), and not the man’s fault for making it. The problem lies with assuming things that we cannot. Whatever happened between them is their personal business, and should not be so harshly judged. I’ve read claims such as: “she destroyed John Lennon and stole his money”, “her best idea was the Beatles worst idea”, and “part witch, part bi***”. Do you think that this hate is justified or that it stems from something larger?

Sexy Politics

2008-11-17T18:35:00.001-05:00

When it comes to sex and the political world, it usually has to do with a politician admitting to the nation that he had relations with either an intern or a high priced prostitute. Ever since Bill Clinton famously stated that he “did not have relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky,” sex has become an integral part of the politics in America and abroad. When most people today think of sex and politics, they think of such examples stated above. However, the Australian Parliament’s new political party, the Sex Party. According to Breitbart, this new political party is “describing itself as "serious about sex" the party sees itself as a political response to the sexual needs of Australians in the face of moral campaigners and prudish politicians.” Although the primary reason that this particular political organization came to power was due to the mandatory internet filter that has been debated in the Australian Parliament, the idea of a political party forming on the basis of reproduction is a cause for debate.

While there are many special interest groups dedicated to many different industries, the issue of sex has been taboo in the political realm and should not be ignored. In fact, I believe that this party created in Australia will have a positive affect for many different nations. With the infusion of sex into not only the political world but also in pop culture, this issue must be addressed by the government. Many television networks such as CBS, ABC and NBC have used sex in every new television shows. Recently a sociological study showed that teens that watch shows such as Sex and the City have been showed to increase sexual behavior in teens. With this trend expected to increase over the coming years, I feel that this issue must be addressed by the government. Now, I’m not suggesting that we begin to censor any current aspects of pop culture just yet. Instead, I feel that the government must take a stance in order to avoid any confusion that the American people might have regarding sex. I don’t foresee a new national party forming like the one in Australia but rather, I see some bill being introduced that may bring up the same debate in Australia.

Sex Change Hospital

2008-11-14T12:07:00.005-05:00

There is a new show on the WE network called Sex Change Hospital. I came across this show when I was watch Amazing Wedding Cakes and a commercial popped up for this show. I became curious about the show (obviously I knew what it was about), and I went on the website to gain more information about the show. I decided that since I have not seen the show, I should read the blogs that the people in each show wrote. A lot of the blogs are meant to help those who are going to have a sex change operation cope and adjust to their new life. For instance, one person was a male and became a female. While a man, she was married to a woman and had a son. Her one blog described how her son is handling the transition. She hopes that this can help those people who have children and want a sex change.

Then I read some of the comments. On her first blog (and on others' first blogs) a person commented that she is "the worst kind of person out there." After deciphering the horrible grammar, I came to the conclusion that this person is a closed-minded person who does not accept people who are "different." I think that since this show is on the air, it may give transgenders the ability to be heard and accepted. The show is intended to show others that people who have a sex change operation are "interesting, normal, productive people who happen to be transgender. Their stories are real, and it really comes forward. They're just looking for acceptance and continuity between their spirits and their bodies." (1)

Hopefully, people can see that others struggle with their gender identities and that it does cause stress on their lives. Although Gender Identity Disorder is a classification in the DSM-IV, those who undergo surgery (and those who do not) feel as though it is not a psychological condition, rather it is written into their DNA. Whichever view people may have- psychological disorder or not- they should be accepting of transgenders. After all, they are people just like you and me.

Reference:
(1) http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tvguide/387306_tvgif11.html

Women Portrayed in James Bond Films

2008-11-13T17:29:00.003-05:00

The media plays a huge role in portraying women in movies. The media has shaped our way of thinking and ways we should portray women. In the beginning of the semester in our discussion about the decades, we focused on how women are seen on TV and in movies. TV shows such as the Brady Bunch and Green Acres has shown women as housewives or background characters while the main focus is on the male and his experiences at home, at work, and hanging out with friends. In movies, the women also are in housewife positions or the beautiful but vulnerable damsel- in- distress waiting for the strong male character to come rescue her.

Today, those characteristics are still shown in hero movies such as Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man.

I read an article on Yahoo's entertainment website that discussed the huge debate over the new female role in the James Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace". The character Camille has played the opposite role of a typical "Bond Woman", one that is "tough, independent, and modern."
In the movie, she has a dangerous mission, in which typically the dangerous missions are all focused on Bond, and this time unlike all the other Bond girls doesn't sleep with Bond. On the other hand, critics are demanding for more sex and commented that majority of the women in the other Bond movies contributed little to the popularity of the movie itself. A feminist writer even said "These films were attempts by men to keep women in their place and to ensure they still ironed their shirts".

I think that this film is great example of breaking down the women stereotype of the past and showing its audience that women to can do dangerous stunts and be independent (for a film series that is 46 years old). Especially in a movie such as a James Bond movie, where the only purpose a woman has is to be beautiful, seductive, and sleep with James Bond. This can also connect with our discussion comparing the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Sex In The City. They all focus on independent women and their lives outside of the boring household. They heavily contribute to the gender change in society today by eliminating male dominance and promoting power for women.

Greetings

2008-11-11T16:57:00.005-05:00

A phenomenon between genders that has been around for a while and still exists today is the way that genders greet each other. These greetings further enforce the gender roles and stereotypes that our society is based on. When men greet one another they typically pound fists, firmly shake hands, or give aggressive hugs that seem to affirm their masculinity. When women greet each other they kiss on the cheek or lightly hug to keep in line with their girly appearance. If two men were to kiss each other on the cheek when they greeted each other, some may think that was "gay" or if two women hugged each other accompanied by a firm pat on the back they may be stereotyped as acting "butch".
When men and women greet each other there are different rules for different situations. If it is a business situation or they are meeting for the first time, only a handshake is appropriate. If they have met before or are old friends then a hug and/or kiss can be appropriate. These seem like simple guidelines to follow but if a situation arises that is out of the norm it can seem very odd. For example, if while meeting for someone for the first time they give you a big hug and kiss it would be impolite and maybe even construed as rude. These guidelines differ across different societies and if unknown problems could arise. Pop culture tends to enforce these guidelines and ways of behaving and keeps them in our society.

Gender Exploitation in Alcohol Ads

2008-11-10T10:17:00.007-05:00

As we know, the media has a big influence on society and our pop culture. Essentially, media provides us with actual models of behavior and creates ideas or “norms” for society through social constructs. These messages or models which media sends out can also reinforce a person’s or society’s existing beliefs and attitudes about something, which brings up the question talked about in class “does the media shape us or do we shape the media?” I believe it has to do with both. I feel that a big contribution to the way media shapes us is through advertising. I have noticed that alcohol advertisements have underlying attitudes and messages which communicate cultural values, which in turn, shape the way we think and interact within society.

There has been a noticeable increase in the use of sexual appeals in alcohol advertisements. According to a study by S.C. Jones from the University of Wollongong called “Beer, Boats, and Breasts: Responses to a controversial alcohol advertising campaign” the increasing portrayals of sexuality in advertising began in the 1980s and has continued through the 90s to today. Women are found to be partially dressed or even nude in advertisements, especially those of alcohol. Ultimately, the advertisements have become degrading and demeaning to women.

In alcohol advertisements, women are being used as objects. Their bodies are being used to sell products, ultimately for the pleasure of the opposite gender. Advertisers use techniques such as objectification, which displays someone as a service rather than a person, and dismemberment, which focuses an ad solely on sexualized body parts. The alcohol ads are only focused on a woman’s sex appeal which can insinuate to society that females are only worthy of their sexuality, thus possibly also expressing that females are less intelligent than males. These techniques and ads convey to society that women are not complete human beings. They are being objectified to sell a product (alcohol) which is aimed mainly towards the opposite gender.

Not only are these ads demeaning and inappropriate portrayals of women, but they are also shaping the females of our present popular culture. The majority of female models in alcohol advertisements are thin, young, and very attractive, which realistically, is a small percentage of women in society. According to the study I read, women feel like they are “constantly exhorted to emulate this ideal, to feel ashamed and guilty if they fail, and to feel that their desirability and lovability are contingent upon physical perfection” (Kilbourne, 1995).

There are also many female stereotypes represented through alcohol ads that girls are seeing and imitating in today’s society. For example, some stereotypes include the “bimbo” who tends to be the sexualized girl, always flirting and giggly, the “party girl” who always looks stylish, is fun, outgoing, confident, and the life of the party, and the “man eater” who tends to be a bit older and gets what she wants from men by using her sexuality. Girls in society look at these advertisements and feel that they have to dress “scantily clad” or act sexy in order to get attention, attract men, or look “cool”.

Alcohol ads are just an example of how social constructs of media can affect society, but ultimately, I think that through these alcohol advertisements it is clearly shown that the media plays a huge role in shaping our lives.

http://tissuebank.co.za/UserFiles/T.Nowosenetz(1).pdf
http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1074&context=hbspapers

Women & Football Games

2008-11-10T00:37:00.003-05:00

I recently attended a Philadelphia Eagles football game and began to notice the role females played in the sports event to be various and intriguing. It is not generally noticed, but there are many types of women spectating and involved in the production of the show that is an NFL football game.

I couldn't help but notice the young woman sitting in front of me at the game. She was wearing expensive cowboy boots, jeans, and a pea-coat. She had fake nails, long straightened hair, and metallic blue eyeliner on and did not cheer once during the entire game. I wondered why she, or her male friend, would spend a couple hundred dollars (which they did because they were asked by the people to their right) on a ticket to watch a game she clearly did not want to attend. The seats had be occupied during the previous game by two young women wearing the smallest McNabb jerseys I've ever seen with bleach blonde hair.. again not even slightly interested in the game.

I guess this is the stereotypical role when play when concerning sports. Many guys, and girls alike, assume girls don't want to watch football and drink beer but instead get their nails done or go shopping. This role, although supported by many of the women I've witnessed attending football games, is also more often than not contradicted. The woman sitting right next to came out to watch her Eagles play even though she was significantly pregnant and kept having to run to the bathroom. The same woman attends a few games a season and cheers her heart out for her team. Another older woman proudly wearing her new Samuel jersey was screaming the Eagles fight song at the top of her lung, an obvious long time, die hard fan of her team.

Although women like these show that women can be just as into their team and cheer for them perhaps even harder than their male counter-parts, the NFL does its job at supporting the bleach blonde, football ignorant image many people hold. One of the cheerleaders for the Eagles attended my high school and she is not allowed to leave her house without looking her best, she's not allowed to color or cut her hair in whatever way she wants, and she's not even allowed to wear her hair in a pony tail in public. The same girl, and all her fellow cheerleaders, annually poses naked for the Eagles cheerleader calendar (a page of which is even hanging on the door of a student is Norsworthy). I wonder if you asked any of these girls what pass interference or encroachment was if they even know that they were football terms. These girls obviously just mold women into the beauty pageant, sports illiterate mold the true female fans are trying to fight. I mean, these cheerleaders aren't at all necessary, just ask the Steelers.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition

2008-11-08T17:11:00.002-05:00

Here is the link in which I am basing my analysis on.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2008_swimsuit/summer/

When you first open the link the main picture is of a young woman lacking a bathing suit; despite this being the swimsuit edition.

Sports Illustrated is known for having a sexy model on the cover for their swimsuit editions.

In men’s magazines can women only be looked at as sex objects?

Looking through the supermodel’s galleries most of the photos have the models in sexy poses, some of which are extremely suggestive, with barely there bathing suits that flatter their busts and tiny waists. Along with the main picture there are smaller pictures on the main page that endorse this idea. At the bottom of the webpage Sports Illustrated teamed up with AskMen.com and had AskMen.com rank the models. I also noticed this on other websites. Maxim for instance, has the “Top 15 Bond Babes: James Bond’s hottest accessories.” When you search for Maxim, the subtitle that comes up it is “Guy’s Ultimate Guide.” Maxim and FHM are other men magazines that show women as sex symbols. I have found these sites barely used the words beautiful and pretty. Instead they used foxy, sexy, and hot. It is clear that sex sells in these magazines.

Have these magazines always been this way?

In most ways yes but on the link above they have the best of 1960’s swimsuits as well as other decades. Going through those photo galleries some of those photos were almost the same as they are today. I did notice though that many of the women were not as thin as they are today, and many actually had on bathing suits. A good amount of the bathing suits were one piece and some of the poses were not as suggestive as they are today. Playboy has been around since the mid 1950’s and their message has stayed the same but today their magazine is wrapped in black plastic because their cover photos are too racy. I guess the overall messages of these magazines have remained the same since their establishment but how they sell it and portray women has definitely changed.

What does this say about men and women?

It is pretty obvious that men like to look at women. These magazines are one way of showing gender roles. Men have to this show their masculinity. These photos are showing that women are looked at in these sexual ways. These men magazines only show the sexual sides of both sexes and forget about the other qualities we have to offer. Many of us believe women and men are equal but these magazines definitely show some inequalities that still exist.

References

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2008_swimsuit/summer/

Gauntlett, David. “ Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction.” Routledge. New York and London. 2008

Title IX

2008-11-07T17:07:00.003-05:00

In the United States there is a law that states "No person in the United States shall on the basis of sex, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." This is known as Title IX. It was originally made for high school and collegiate athletics stating that a female can play on a team of males or a males can play on a team full of females. For example, if a high school wanted to she could go ahead and tryout for her teams high school football team and no be denied. Although, this has only happened once (to the best of my knowledge) and that girl went on to be a place kicker.

What I am trying to get at is, in America we have this Title IX but there has only been one noteable instance in which a person of the a different sex has played with a team full of the opposite sex. This can be due to many things. First of all, some girls may not be able to take the punishing hits that occur in the average football game, especially at a high level of play. That is why most females that attempt to play football tend to be on the special teams unit which only gets a very limited amount of playing time and almost no contact. On the other hand, there has only been one male in the United States to play on a high school field hockey team and he was from Europe where males dominate the sport, unlike in the states. Maybe males don't play field hockey because of the stress on the lower back and they can not handle that stress during a 40 minute time period.

Next, males will not be swayed to play female sports because of the way pop culture portrays high school football players in such movies as, "Friday Night Lights" and "Varsity Blues". In these movies the players are idolized for their aggressiveness and desire to do anything to win. Same goes with females. In these movies the females are always depicted as cheerleaders or girls trying to sleep with the star athletes who plan on continuing their athletic career in college. Furthermore, pop culture has a huge influence on how males and females display theirselves beacuse they want to "fit in" just like everyone else.

Finally, I can understand Title IX for job applications, credit scores, and even loans or buying houses, but was it originally designed for athletic sports in high school and college and I can only think of two instances in which Title IX was used. In the end, pop culture and the meida have a huge impact on the decisions made by young people everywhere, even if it stops them from going out for a sport that isn't traditionally dominated by their sex.

Girls' Halloween Costumes: An Excuse to Reveal as Much Skin as Possible?

2008-11-04T23:55:00.009-05:00

I was looking at everyone’s pictures from halloween this past weekend on facebook and thought a lot of people would have a lot to say about this topic:

Once every year, on October 31st, kids and adults of all ages dress up in scary costumes, have parties, and/or go trick or treating – it is a tradition here in America. Since when we were all little kids, it was a day everyone waited for to arrive. We couldn’t wait to get a stomach ache from eating too much candy and couldn’t wait to wear our frightening/funny costumes. These costumes most likely resembled Disney characters, like princesses, or things like animals, or funny masks. But once little kids mature into young adults and so fourth, a social phenomenon occurs.

Halloween has evolved from a night where scary costumes were the only ones accepted, to a night that gives girls and even women a reason to dress up to reveal as much skin as they are comfortable with. (Not every woman decides to reveal as much skin as possible, but in general). As Cady said in Mean Girls, “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” It is interesting to see the revelation halloween went through. While walking through a halloween store, it is rare to find a halloween costume for women that actually resembles the actual thing, whether it be a monster, profession, or Disney character. Almost every costume is modified to reveal as much skin as possible, allowing females to portray themselves as ‘sluts’. Although, being ‘slutty’ is not looked upon as being positive, it seems to be the norm on the day of halloween – it is as though it is the dresscode for halloween parties.

The most interesting point is that this ‘change’ has only effected women. It is true that it is not necessary for men to be scary or funny, but if guys do not wear revealing costumes it is not percieved to be weird as the case seems to be so when girls decide to wear something that covers their stomaches, butts, and breasts. Today, people are very judgmental and sometimes it seems that some girls buy and wear their revealing costumes to fit in with the rest, no matter how uncomfortable they feel. Nobody wants to be that “ugly girl” on halloween when all of her friends are dressing up as sexy pirates, or cute and revealing Disney princesses, etc.

The sad part is that the age where girls are beginning to dress so inappropriately keeps dropping. It is beinginning to become more and more common to see girls as young as twelve and thirteen wearing costumes that reveal way too much skin. These twelve and thirteen year old girls feel as though wearing costumes that reveal as much skin as possible is the cool way to dress on halloween. They think it is cool because that is how their female peers dress up for halloween and that is how female celebrities are seen to dress for halloween in magazines, on TV, and on the internet. Therefore, these young girls think it is okay. Sadly, in a world where women are striving for complete equality with men (even on a subconcious level), the night of a halloween is detrimental to their cause.

Black man before Woman?

2008-11-04T23:33:00.003-05:00

Even with the change of having a black president of the united states, there is one thing that is still apparent. The country is still ruled by men. A woman could have potentially become vice president, but the main role is still left into the hands of a man. African Americans in the US were segregated from whites not even 50 years ago, and a lot of people haven't realized that. It is interesting that even though women have had rights longer, a black man is still president before a woman. Does that say something about the USA and our perceptions of a woman?

We saw with Hilary Clinton, that being a woman is a disadvantage. Women are generally seen as weaker, more emotional, and more likely to change their mind. When Hilary cried on national TV, it was a turning point in her campaign. To some people, she was seen as week and emotional just for that, and everything she had tried to accomplish in her campaign was blown away. The gender stereotypes are still in America, even if people would like to say that they aren't and society is perfectly fair and equal.

On a side note: it looked as if Sarah Palin was crying during McCain's speech tonight. McCain seemed stalwart, even after losing the biggest contest in the USA. Once again, the woman is seen as weak and emotional and the man is seen as strong and stalwart.

Virgin vs. Whore

2008-11-03T16:24:00.003-05:00

In Women's Center two weeks ago we talked about the whore/virgin dichotomy and there was some very interesting discussion that came out of it. This is what I've summarized.

In today's society, women are not supposed to be sexual or comfortable with sexuality in general. Society views a woman who is open about her sexuality as a whore and a woman that is not open about sexuality is labeled a virgin. And a virgin is a woman who has no or completely ignores any of her sexual urges. There seems to be no middle ground. Also, it seems like guys like to hook up with girls who they see as "whores" but when looking for a relationship, they tend to look for a "virgin." Why is the "whore," the girl who is open about sexuality, not seen to be fit as girlfriend material? And when push comes to shove in a screaming match with women, what are the first insults to be shouted? Slut or whore. It is easy to attack another woman's sexuality even though you may not know her because you know it's something that will deeply wound her.
There are TV shows that are trying to break the dichotomy's barriers and show that women can be sexual and still worthy of a committed relationship. Shows like Sex and the City show that women can be powerful, intelligent, and sexy, all at the same time. However, the dichotomy still exists and women today are still held to these standards of conduct and expression of sexuality as a part of their existence in society. Will there be a day in the future when the expression of sexuality of a woman no longer matters?

Brenda

Project Runway

2008-11-02T18:45:00.004-05:00

Television shows showcase gender roles and norms directly and indirectly; on Project Runway, outdated stereotypes are both destroyed and built up simultaneously.
For those unfamiliar with the program, Project Runway is a competitive reality-show in which sixteen contestants compete for a chance to show their collections at fashion week; three finalists are chosen for this honor. The final winner receives $100,000 to start their own line.
The show targets young people, mostly women, interested in the world of fashion and its creative aspects. The show generally has a very equal amount of women and men contestants. Most of the men are gay. This makes it an unusual program; usually television programs (with the exception of Showtime's groundbreaking program, The L Word), whether or not they are reality show, do not prominently feature more than one or two gay characters. This makes for quite an interesting interaction between people and judges.
This diverse group of people of all different ages, sexes, and sexual orientations, helps diminish gender stereotypes and norms our society places on people. There have been a few gay black men, and this season one contestant was a gay Mormon man. Some have talked about their identity struggles. This openness is promising -- thousands tune in to Project Runway and hear these candid expressions.
On the other hand, the show does reinforce some gender roles. The models, of course, are the most obvious source of gender stereotypes. The modeling industry continues to stand by the fact that tall, thin women are the best way to showcase clothing, but it cannot be denied that models present an unrealistic ideal for women to look up to.
The show incorporates designing for "real" people, as well however; in past seasons, designers made garments for women who had recently reached lower, healthier weights. This season, designers made over-the-top outfits for drag queens. This were women (biologically male) who were not only destroying stereotypes regarding gender and sex, but also regarding ideal looks.
Project Runway presents a host of different gender issues to examine.

The "Apparent" Sex Lives of Frat Boys

2008-10-28T16:46:00.002-04:00

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!

"Mad Men"

2008-10-27T23:08:00.008-04:00

“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.

Pornography!

2008-10-27T17:10:00.009-04:00

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.

Rap Music: A Center for Misogyny

2008-10-26T21:06:00.003-04:00

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.

Reading Between the Lines: Magazines' Messages of Beauty

2008-10-25T18:08:00.002-04:00

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.

Inequality Within Medical Texts

2008-10-24T19:08:00.001-04:00

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

“Everything you always wanted to know about the opposite sex.”

2008-10-23T12:13:00.005-04:00

“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.”

The art of the Pickup

2008-10-21T20:58:00.003-04:00

“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

2008-10-21T11:32:00.003-04:00

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

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2008-10-20T18:26:00.000-04:00

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.

Media Influence on Eating Disorders

2008-10-19T14:50:00.004-04:00

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.

However, the most detrimental aspect is not only the amount of “attractiveness messages that are portrayed” but also the way in which they are shown and related to American sociocultural values. Messages and images of appearance which are portrayed in the media cause teens to view thinness as a route to success and achievement. Think back to television shows, movies and sitcoms. Who were the most popular girls? Who were the girls most likely to catch the attention of boys? Who were the girls that were in the spotlight and who always got the job of their dreams? I highly doubt that you are thinking to yourself the unattractive, full-figured girl in the corner. No, the media presents a successful, powerful and accepted female as being thin and pretty. This portrayal linking success and acceptance with beauty and thinness causes teenage girls to perceive attractiveness as the most valued aspect of a person’s character.

In addition to linking thinness and beauty with success, the stereotype of femininity that pervades the media also influences teenage girls to strive to be thin. For many years, the media has portrayed femininity with a beautiful, slim, frail, but sexy female. However, these images are getting thinner and thinner as time goes on and many of the models portrayed on television, in magazines and in ads look as if they are anorexic or bulimic. Meanwhile, these models and actresses also seem to be radiant, loveable and glowing. Deanne Jade of “The National Center for Eating Disorders believes that this “idyllic” picture causes teenage girls to “compare their actual or perceived actual shape against the socially represented ideal,” and turn to eating disorders as a way to meet these physical expectations of “feminism” (Jade). However, obtaining a body type similar to the women seen in the media is a totally unrealistic and unattainable goal, because study and research show that “the average model female has a weight that is approximately twenty to twenty five percent less than her ideal body weight” and “their BMI is on the borders of what a clinician would regard as anorexic” (Herman). (SEE PICTURE ABOVE)

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.

Lilith Fair

2008-10-18T11:30:00.003-04:00

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

The Hills

2008-10-15T17:04:00.002-04:00

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.

Change of Gender Roles Seen Through Music

2008-10-14T14:01:00.003-04:00

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

Drug Dealing Soccer Mom

2008-10-12T23:05:00.007-04:00

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

2008-10-12T09:53:00.000-04:00

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 18^th 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 27^th 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

Bear Market?

2008-10-09T14:34:00.002-04:00

Whilst watching the most viewed videos of today on youtube, I came across this little gem:

Apparently the fourth most viewed video today ( a response to a Sarah Palin video I might add ) was this video. Possibly a parody of the stock market, and possibly a way to get hits to a video by using breasts.

I find it interesting that when faced with an economic crisis like we are in, a video like this comes along and gets almost as many views as the second presidential debate. The video starts off as a man in a bear suit parodying the bear state of the markets walking along wall street making jokes. He holds up copies of the wall street journal and starts laughing, all while people are filming him. Seemingly randomly, that same bear is standing by a water fountain grinding up with two attractive women in bikinis.

Because of feminism, women are supposed to have risen above being objectified. Women have worked to become neutral with men, and become more than just objects of male lust. However, we have two women dancing in bikinis, and an entire crowd (not just only men) gathers around and starts to film it. Most of the women seem to be laughing at first, but by the end of the video there is mostly men, all sneering at and filming these two women, and they are loving every second of it.

This video raises a few questions. One of which is if the gender neutrality that has been spawned since the feminist movement is really only a cover. Especially in the corporate world, where women are sexed as women, but are gendered neutral. However, the average corporate male is seen in a youtube video taping two girls dancing in bikinis. All of the laws of the corporate world seemed to be thrown out of the window pretty easily.

I'm sure that most men would like to say that they don't objectify women and they see women as their equals, and most women would like to say that they are seen as equals. But it seems that the average guy is still hypnotized by a set of bouncing boobs. Does that mean that things haven't changed? No I don't think so, but no matter what people say or do about gender and stereotyping, the instincts and hormones are still there.

One woman at the end of the video said "I dont get it. I don't see what it's for" (in regard to the women dancing.) I don't really get it either, but I watched the video twice.

How the Media Portrays Females

2008-10-09T00:06:00.003-04:00

Britney Spears, once known as “the princess of pop,” has been in the public eye ever since her first single “...Baby One More Time” topped the charts in late 1998. It is clear that the media portrays woman, such as Spears, as sexual objects and men as sexual agents. Men clearly own and pursue their sexuality, unlike women. For most of Britney Spears’ career she was an over sexualized figure in pop culture, appearing half naked and in need of a man in almost all of her music videos. However, it is known that social norms do not allow women to be agents of their own sexuality, so in the late 1990’s Britney Spears publically spoke out against sex before marriage, claiming she would stay a virgin until she found true love. This ideology was contradicting however since Britney was quickly molded into a public sex icon adored my teenage girls and fantasized by many men, making her virginal beliefs seem unlikely.

As many people had expected, it was not long till the day Britney shed her virginity. A couple of years later, in 2004, Spears met Kevin Federline, and soon after married him and eventually had children. Immediately, the media/pop culture created a new “face” for Britney Spears- that of a struggling mother. For example, Spears inspired multiple covers of magazines after she drove with her son, Sean Preston, on her lap while trying to escape the paparazzi. Within hours the one photo of Sean Preston sitting on Britney’s lap while she was driving got onto the computer, it was everywhere. Headlines on the TV, in magazines, etc. read things such as: “Mother of the Year? No,” “Britney Spears Latest Parenting Mishap,” or “Bad Moments in Celebrity Parenting,” among plenty of others.

It is funny, however, because when Dennis Quaid’s children accidentally over-dosed on medication during their infancy it inspired no critiques of his parenting skills or cover stories for that matter. But, if this incident happened to Britney Spears, the media would somehow make it seem as though Ms. Spears doesn’t know how to raise children and this story would most definitely be all over the news within a couple of hours. An excellent example of this situation was presented in an article in The New York times, “When Owen Wilson was hospitalized in August after an apparent suicide attempt, his plight was the subject of a single US Weekly cover story. Not so Britney Spears, recently confined in a psychiatric ward, who has inspired six cover stories for the magazine during the same time span.” This example indicates that when women engage in similar activities or are placed in similar situations as men, they are more prone to negativity and shame from the public eye.

In early 2007, Britney Spears went “crazy” and shaved her head. Around the same time, Spears was photographed attacking paparazzi with an umbrella. Why were these two actions such a huge deal? Why did magazines spend tons of money getting these awful pictures of Britney? It is a socialized cultural norm that women appear submissive, innocent, and beautiful. Spears went from the epitome of female sexuality and beauty to a rebellion of it. Clearly, she over-stepped the boundaries of how the ways a woman should look and act.

I remember reading somewhere that approximately 70% of People magazines' readership is women. Likewise, the consumption of celebrity gossip is higher amongst women. Magazines repackage sexism as simply appealing to their demographic. For celebrities like Britney Spears, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, etc. - their public interests get turned into life battles that are played out for maximum entertainment. Their media persona outshines their talent. It seems like celebrity women are exploited when ever a misfortunate situation occurs, and gender seems to be the underlying issue.

References

Williams, Alex. "Boys Will Be Boys, Girls Will Be Hounded by the Media."

New York Times. 17 Feb. 2008. 6 Oct. 2008 .

America's Next Top Model

2008-10-07T14:46:00.004-04:00

Here's the article I'm basing my analysis on:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Story?id=5629177&page=1

What do you think of when you hear the title of the TV show America's Next Top Model? Tyra Banks, high quality fashion, tall and skinny models, contest, photo shoots. But most of all, who are these models? Biological females.

But not all are this cycle.

During a photo shoot at a homeless shelter last cycle, Tyra noticed there was someone who always stood out. This was Isis, a transgendered individual, still biologically male but tall and lean and knew what she was doing. According to the article "Tyra wanted to know who she was. It was clear she really had a passion for modeling. So when it came to casting this season, we said, 'Why don't we find that girl?'"

The modeling world, I feel, is very demanding and stressful and could potentially be hard on someone that doesn't quite fit the bill. I don't particularly watch the show, but I remember a few cycles back there was one girl who was a little heavier and was always criticized about her size and her balance. Modeling is a harsh world. And if Isis can handle it, great for her.

Breaking the gender norms is so hard for the world to accept, so I think it's wonderful that the modeling world is willing to allow such gender bending and breaking of the gender the barriers. The article also states "And if there's any place where gender is categorically an illusion, it's the fashion world. Every other season, designers and magazine editors demand women raid the closets of their boyfriends, husbands and fathers for pinstripe vests, suit pants and fedoras."

However, the article then goes on to discuss diversity and that although it is a good thing for America to open their minds to new experiences and different kinds of people, the industry is still unsure of where they are going with this. "There have always been trannies on the periphery of fashion. But using transgender people to market things involves a certain amount of risk because there's a lot of people out there who do have prejudices and preconceived ideas," said Simon Doonan, creative director of Barney's and author of "Eccentric Glamour."

I feel that transgendered people are gaining more attention nationwide but we're still experiencing mixed feelings as to how to react to these kinds of people. Just because they don't fit the stereotype for their sex. Because their gender identity is not consistent with their sex. And sometimes even because they can pass so well under their gender identity that people are frightened away when they find out what's underneath the person's clothes. Why does anything that doesn't conform to our norms make us afraid? It shouldn't bother us. There are too many differences in people to let this one be any different than others. But we use gender expression as a way to categorize people in a split second. When you realize you can't categorize someone, or that when you get to know the person and you are forced to change what category you put them in, it makes people very uncomfortable.

Trans-people are still people too, and we have to learn to respect that. I'm glad that the fashion world is taking a step forward in that department.

Welcome!

2008-09-30T20:22:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the weblog of WGS 220-05, "Gender and Popular Culture."

Each day from October 6, 2008 through December 1, 2008 students will post a critical commentary on a topic of their own choosing, sharing their analytical insights into a subject relating to our study of "gender" and "popular culture." We invite you to join in the conversation by posting a comment to the blog and look forward to hearing your insights on a broad range of selected topics.