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.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, December 8, 2008
Women vs. Men in the Media
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Pop Culture and Sexism in the Presidential Race
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.
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
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
Hey Slut!
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.
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.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
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
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
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