Men's Role in The Fight Against HIV

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

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

“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

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

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

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

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.