WMST 2010 A: Feminist Analysis

2008-04-29T15:37:00.001-04:00

Evon Williams

Kristen McCauliff

WMST 2010

25 April 2008

Do you want to loose weight? Are you tired of your wrinkles? Do you need a man? “If you read “this magazine” it will provide the answers to all you problems!” These are common tag lines printed and advertised in media today. Unfortunately, that is not true. Every day women are bombarded with images of what is considered the ideal beautiful woman: this woman is thin, white, and has blonde hair. Within the black community, lighter skin is perceived as more beautiful. Even in the early 1920’s and 1930’s when African American advertisements were limited, “the photos favored lighter skin and straightened hair (Walker 77).” Still these images of women are plastered all over and are used to sell anything from toothpaste to insurance. Nonetheless, the everyday woman is attacked with images of an unattainable beauty. This paper will discuss the beauty standards and argue that the feminist critique is a more realistic approach to accepting women’s beauty.

Women are the target of many advertisements in the media. Sadly, the representation is an unrealistic one because most women are naturally larger than models. But, it is important to dissect the beauty myth by starting at the root. The purpose of the beauty industry is not to promote healthy body images, but instead to make money. The beauty industry is over a 100 billion dollar and continues to grow every year (Kilbourne). The average American will spend hours and hours watching television or reading magazines. During this extended period of time, there minds are infiltrated with altered

images of women and beauty. Thus, the media presents an unattainable body image as a means to sell beauty products. If a woman is insecure about her skin and weight then she will most likely go to the store and buy something to correct that.

In “The Face of Love” by Ellen Lambert she talks about beauty in literature, more specifically, Victorian literature. Although her topic does not directly relate to modern media, she mentions many points that are valid to the argument. She suggests that women should teach their daughters to enjoy their beauty because their daughters are expressions of them (Lambert 30). She also points out that women “see beauty in its dehumanizing aspect, because that tradition has such a long history in Western culture” (Lambert 30). This statement acknowledges that the beauty myth has been warped for many years and will not change until women acknowledge the prevalent factors. Another issue she mentions is that women to pay more attention to the “male gaze.” This term defines male attention on women, but it identifies the fact that beauty is identified through a male lens. Lambert encourages women to enjoy being looked at and caring for their bodies, but do not let the “male gaze” interfere with their acceptance of their entire female body.

Lamberts ideal supports Abra Chernik’s position in “The Body Politic” which encourages young feminist to accept their bodies unconditionally. Also, that acceptance should be at the top of their political agenda. Chernik states: “we must claim our bodies as our own to love and honor in their infinite shapes and sizes. Fat, thin, soft, hard, puckered, smooth, our bodies are our homes.” This statement is so powerful because it encompasses all types of bodies and “imperfections” that women have, but directs women to accept their “homes” which is their body.

I strongly agree with the feminist critique of beauty, but as a young woman myself I understand that it is easy to fall victim to an unrealistic perception of beauty. That is why I feel it is not only important to have a strong self appreciation of your body but, even more important to have a circle of friends who agree with your definition of beauty. These friends will serve as reinforcement for your ideals and will make it easier to stay strong when you feel like you want to give into the pressures to conform. Thus, the feminist approach to beauty should be the ultimate methodology in defining women’s beauty because it is all inclusive in acceptance. To a feminist, a woman is beautiful because she loves herself and nourishes her mind and body at the same time: this should be the definition of beauty for all.

Bibliography

Kilbourne, Jean. "Beauty...and the Beast of Advertising." Center for Media Literacy. 2007. 22 Apr. 2008 .

Lambert, Ellen Z. The Face of Love. Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon P Books, 1995. 1-236.

Walker, Susannah. Style and Status: Selling Beauty to African American Women, 1920-1975. Lexington, Kentucky: The UP of Kentucky, 2007. 1-237.

WMST Media

2008-04-29T15:23:00.003-04:00

Media Text: " I love my flaws"

Stereotyping Single-Father Homes

2008-04-28T16:52:00.002-04:00

Caleb King
WMST 2010
McCauliff
25 April 2008

Stereotyping Single-Father Homes

What are the stereotypes that are associated with single-parent homes? That is the question that has been brought to me. However, I believe that single-parents home are beginning to be stereotyped as a broken home. Today, many of the stories that cause society to stereotype single-parent homes are a result of something bad happening to the immediate family, such as divorce, unplanned pregnancy, or death. Single-parents have often been the focus of public policy debate. However, there are a number of families with a one parent homes that are run not by the assumed matriarch; fathers are the single parent. Society is uses to seeing that occur. When one sees a father in charge of a two-parent household, this is recognized as normal, however it is a little known fact that man make up a small, but steadily increasing, percentage of single parents.
I believe that a male has the ability to take care of a household just like a woman can. However, James Herbert (6) writes in Single Mother that he believes otherwise. In his article, he reflects on the question of begin a single father. He states that there are many similarities to being a single father and mother, such as financial struggles, raising children, and trying to live a normal life. However, “These similarities end there as my experience differ from those of the single mom’s in many important and surprising ways. For example, most of the community views me as an outsider. Men are baffled or maybe even a little intimidated by the traditionally feminine tasks I’ve mastered such as cooking, cleaning and doing the laundry.” The author confirms the stereotypes that single fathers are less accepted by society and that they are perceived as odd.
I think being a single parent is hard itself; conforming to a stereotype just makes it harder. Single fathers, too, come into parenthood with problems: “Fathers who attempt to rear their children alone, must do so without clear guidelines or prescription for performing that role” (Mendes 439). In essence, it is difficult for fathers to adjust to raising kids, since they do not typically take on that role.
Perceptions of male fathers are interesting when discussed by someone actually raised by one. The media text confirms that is an interesting level of awareness that people rarely consider. For the interviewee, we see that children that come from single-father homes are raised with as much love and support as they would be if they were raised by single mothers. It proves that while the task is difficult, it is not one that only mothers can do. If awareness were raised that single fathers were just as capable, there would be less trauma experienced by the interviewee. His experience would be perceived as normal.

Works Cited
Herbert, James D. “Single Dads and Moms: Alike or Not?” Single Mother. 31 Dec. 1995: 6.
Mendes, Helen A. “Single Fathers.” The Family Coordinator 25 (1976). Pp 439-444.
Risemen, Barbara. J. “Can Men “Mother”? Life as a Single Father” Family Relations 35 (1986). Pp. 95-102.

Stereotyping Single-Father Homes

2008-04-28T16:52:00.000-04:00

Family Guy: A Symbol of Feminism?

2008-04-28T09:05:00.002-04:00

We are exposed to all sorts of television figures that promote anti-feminist values. Two types of men contribute to these values. We can find the suave James Bond types who have casual sex often using women and objects, but we can also find “bumbling incompetent idiots” (Monaghan, 5). Monaghan explains that,” We like men as idiots. They make us laugh. Idiot men are funny so we fill our sitcoms with them.” These men scatter the adult cartoon landscape in shows such as South Park, The Simpsons and Family Guy. But in most of these sitcoms I will argue that we find something unexpected: a strong woman or women. In South Park we can see it in Kyle’s mom, in the Simpsons there is Marge and Lisa, and in Family Guy there is Lois. These women do not move the show forward in the way that the leading men do, but they might play the most important role: holding the show together. They are the people that keep the bumbling idiot men from ruining everything. In order to discuss feminist issues I will use the show Mind over Murder from the hit Fox series Family Guy. Lois, in the episode Mind over Murder, displays her choices about her family and her career and uses her sexuality to gain agency and empowerment. In order to set the context I will first go through the masculine themes of the series and that episode in particular, then discuss Lois in relation to gender roles and sexuality.
Most episodes of Family Guy begin with a short clip that often has nothing to do with the episode followed by the introduction theme song. This song appears before every show and is a great example of why Family Guy critics would say that it is not pro-feminism. The song states what we are lucky to have a family guy in order to bring us traditional family values that we do not have. The assumption that I made is that these values are traditional man top down values that would seek to prevent feminism. The reason that I make this assumption is based on two things. The first is that the song assumes that we need a man, the family guy, to bring us these values and that we are lucky to have him. The second is based upon the show itself. There are characters such as Lois’s father who talk down to his wife, and Glen Quagmire who is the epitome of the man who only looks for lose women and has no respect for women. This song can have a profound effect because “musical numbers can be understood to offer utopian resolution to the conflicts expressed in the narrative” (Moseley and Read, 246). The opening sets the stage for the top down, male dominated system. The Family Guy and his values are the way that we should deal with all of the conflicts that erupt in the show.
The show has many other elements of anti-feminist rhetoric. In the episode “Mind over Murder,” Peter is anything but a feminist. As Lois works all day doing housework, Peter is out on a boat drinking and when he comes home he destroys the living room. This action takes for granted the work that Lois had been doing all day and Peter often makes the assumption that because she is a woman she loves doing house work. These thoughts are examples of blatant sexism that women should and should like doing housework and that is their place. Later in the episode Peter builds a bar because he is bored in the house. At first he uses Lois as the dishwasher, but when she comes down to yell at him for being a bad father she finds her piano. To stem her anger, he asks her to play piano. This moment, when Lois gets on top of the piano and begins to sing is when we see Lois for who I believe her to be.
Family Guy is often criticized for women being passive and only their for men. Monaghan explains that in these shows “women are increasingly objectified as the objects of sexual appetites of men” (Monaghan, 5). But in that objectification, is there something feminist? In talking about Ally McBeal Moseley and Read make this argument for why it is a feminist text, “The show consistently addresses issues that have traditionally been of concern to the women’s movement, including female sexuality; the consequences for women of choosing family over career; the tyranny of feminine self-presentation.” All of these issues are at play in Mind over Murder as Lois struggles with her choice of family over career and her sexuality as she plays in her husband’s bar.
What I am about to discuss are emblematic of debates between second and third wave feminists. If Lois is a feminist it is for two reasons. The first is that she chooses to do the housework and to put her family very high on her priorities. The second reason is that she uses her talent and attractiveness in order to gain agency.
Lois has chosen to be a stay at home mother. When she responds to Peter’s comments about how she loves to do house work, by saying that she chooses to do it because she loves her family she uses a traditional third wave feminist notion. The notion that as a woman she has choice is an important ideal of third wave feminism. Women no longer have to fit the independent, man free model in order to be a feminist. The notion of choice is what sets the second and third wave apart. Some would say that Lois is not a feminist because her choice has placed her with a husband who demeans her and objectifies her. This argument is simply an indictment of Peter or the choice that Lois made; but the feminist value is that she has a choice, not that she makes a good one.
As Lois learns about what is going on in her basement, she goes downstairs to discover her older son is a bouncer, her daughter is a waitress, her baby boy is drunk, and her piano has been moved down to the bar. Quick thinking Peter tells her that he brought it down there so she could perform. In her mind she will finally be able to perform and be the mother that she has chosen to be.
Her performance hits a high note with the guys when she strips off her robe revealing little underneath. Her performance is an action of her sexual identity as a way to gain agency. As Gail Levin puts it (talking about explicit art), “the drive for free expression in art is intimately linked with women’s quest to claim their sexuality, agency and power.” Lois’ free expression through her performance is a claim to her agency as a woman. A command of agency is what feminists, especially third wave feminists, argue is necessary to combat the patriarchal system. In order for women to be able to make strides against patriarchy they first need to have control of their own self and body. This control is necessary in order to prevent a reintroduction of patriarchy through an attack on a woman’s literal body, their self-esteem, or their political agency.
Some will say that performances like these reinforce the beauty myth and place women under objectification. The beauty myth, as Naomi Wolfe explains, is a societal construct that women should look and act a particular way to be beautiful. This myth is very harmful to women because it forces them to become obsessed with the way that they look. This obsession will often lead to anorexia or other eating disorders. It also, according to Wolf, keeps the traditional patriarchal order. Men may have lost control in many areas, but they can maintain their dominance through the beauty myth. The idea of sexual empowerment and the beauty myth seem to be in opposition to each other in the abstract. Does it hold true in the situation of Lois?
I believe that there is a way out of this seeming contradiction. Lois does use her sexuality to her advantage, but she probably does not fit the model of the beauty myth. A large part of society’s current myth about beauty is slenderness. Lois is not slender, especially for a cartoon. She is an older woman, a mother of two teenagers. She does not fit the mold. Even if she does not fit the mold some would still argue that she is reinforcing the patriarchal system through her actions such as wearing skimpy outfights and singing provocative songs. But, as explained above, one way to fight the system is to gain agency over one’s body, or else patriarchy will always find a way to dominate. Lois’ use of her sexuality and identity is a great example of how these acts can fight the patriarchal system.
Patriarchy takes a face in Peter, her husband, when he becomes jealous and decides that Lois is forbidden to sing. Lois’ response is one of sexual empowerment and feminist ideology. Despite her husband she does what she wants to do. Her sexual display is a tool of her empowerment because it is an act against Peter and the patriarchal system that he is emblematic of. Even her song choice is proof. “Don’t tell me not to fly, I’ve simply gotta. If someone takes a spill, it’s me and not you. Don’t bring around a cloud to rain on my parade.” Her performance is similar of the feminist struggle overall. She is told that she cannot do something, so she responds.
Lois is a feminist, and she is often the voice of equality throughout the course of the series. These values are probably not the goal of the show so we will often see her stray a little bit from a traditional feminist role. But, it is safe to say that she is a third wave feminist because she has made the choice to put family first and she uses her sexuality as a way to gain agency in order to fight patriarchy. However, Lois’ character is not enough to say that Family Guy is a show that is oozing with feminist values. Some would say that this is very problematic, but I believe that Lois shows that feminism can be found in places that we may not expect. Do not be so quick to right off a cartoon as intellectually bankrupt and let us keep our eyes open to the possibilities that feminism has to infiltrate our cultural knowledge.

media analysis

2008-04-28T08:54:00.001-04:00

Jeremy Price
Media Analysis
Women Studies
G.I. JANE
Feminist ask why can’t women be in a male dominant world and be feminine. The movie “GI Jane” is a great example why women can be in a male dominant world. Females in a traditionally male dominated world are mistreated in many different ways. The most important and most common ways are through double bind, beauty myth, and work conditions, all of which are in the movie “GI Jane”. There are a lot of different scenes in the movie that involve all of these characteristics of women feminism. The movie is about a lady that wants to show men that she was just as strong as them mentally and physically. She had to take in all kinds of abuse from most of the men in the movie. She had to do things that she was very uncomfortable with doing like taking showers with the men not knowing if and when one of the men will try to rape her or things of that sort, but she had to do it because she had to prove to the men in the military that she was not as weak as they assumed she was. If the men saw her show any signs of weakness out of her then they had the right to kick her out of the military because according to them she wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. So she put in her mind that she was not going to show none of the men any signs of weakness. At the end of the movie she made out of the military with high honors and a lot of respect from a lot of men in the military because she made it through a lot of the hard training that they forced her to go through to prove herself to them. In this process of proving herself to these men in the military she had to go through a little bit of double bind.
She was in a very tough situation far as double bind because if she were to quit and give up on trying showing the men that she was as strong as the men then she would be looked at as being weak by all of the men in the military. If that were to happen then it would have made her hold experience and purpose pointless. On the other hand if she did better than all of the men military she had to think about dealing with women or other men that looked at her as not being feminine enough. For example if she were to finish all of her training and tone her body up to look really ripped up like a mans body would look in the military then she would get judged as being too masculine to be a woman by a lot of men and women in today’s society. Of course this is not far to her because she has to go through a lot of things while she is trying to prove herself to the men in the military but this is just how things work in the world. Either women are too feminine to work hard at something that a man can do so men automatically assume that a woman can’t handle a man job or if a woman does do a mans job as good as a man can do it then she is too masculine.
Another issue that she had to deal with while in the military was beauty myth. Beauty myth is very important in today’s society because for some strange reason some people feel like woman has to live up to the same exact standard for as beauty. In the movie she had to something that would mess up her beauty myth, but it was required to be in the military training. She had to cut all of hair completely off. She to get a buzz cut exactly like all of the men in the military. Now of course the fact that she did this made her look even more masculine than she was and this would make it harder for her in society because now not only did her body look physically fit like a man but now all of her hair is gone so she may be mistaken as a man. This totally goes against the so called “Beauty myth”. This doesn’t make it ant easier on her because now a lot of people are going to look at her as being too masculine and that is not something that was not something that she aiming for when she entered the military with the men.
One of the most important characteristics of feminism she had to deal with is the work conditions or in her situation the conditions of the training area and military base that she had to live in with the men for quite some time. She had to deal with a lot of harassment from the men at anytime of the day and night. She had to go through many nights in the cabins that they slept in with barely getting any sleep at all because the men would be calling her names all through the night and saying all kinds of vigor things to her. She was also had to worry about that fact that she might have gotten raped or sexually harassed at anytime of the night. In fact there was a very disturbing scene where she was in the shower with the men, because they didn’t have separate showers for women, and a few of the men that were in the shower with her tried to rape while she was bathing. Of course she knew that this would happen because she is a woman with woman features and she was exposing all of her features to the men but this wasn’t done on purpose because all she was doing was taking routine shower just like the men were doing. She had to go through the attempt of rapes more than one times so she figured out a way to not go through this. She started taking showers after all the men would take a shower. She felt more comfortable doing that.
At the end of the movie she made out of the military with flying colors. Something that a lot of the men in the military didn’t think she would never do. Even men and women outside of the military didn’t think it would happen. So she made a name for herself in the military and in society. She proved that women can do whatever men can do. Despite all of the double bind, the beauty myth and the work conditions she still manage to make out of the military with her head high. She also earned a lot of respect from men in the military. She earned respect from men and women outside of the military because she did the impossible.

WMST Media Analysis

2008-04-28T01:29:00.001-04:00

Brittany Carter
April 27, 2008

The movie Love and Basketball is one of the most popular movies among teenagers and young adults in the twenty-first century. Love and Basketball is about a young girl and boy who grow up together as next door neighbors and both share the same passion and love for the game of basketball. They also share love and passion for one another. As they undergo high school and college they both go through different trials and experiences that break them apart to eventually bring them back together in the end. The leading male in the movie, Quincy McCall, whose father is a professional basketball player, finds out that his father has been lying to him and his mother for years about his whereabouts. While the leading female character, Monica Wright, struggles at home with her mother thinking she is a lesbian because she “would rather wear a jersey than an apron.” Monica struggles with the idea that her mother assumes she is a lesbian just because she grew up as a “tomboy”, and as a result, she and her mother do not have a strong relationship throughout Monica’s childhood. Love and Basketball shows a spotlight onto the contrast between men's and women's basketball. While Quincy plays college ball on huge courts to cheering, sold-out crowds, Monica sweats, tears, and endures sheer physical dedication in front of tiny audiences in small gyms and second-rate auditoriums because of gender differences. Although this is a fictional movie, the issues taken place happen in real life. A lot of people make the assumption that female athletes, especially basketball players, are lesbians. All genders make this assumption and it is assumed for all races as well. This paper argues that the assumptions that are made about women who play sports or just try to advance in this world by fulfilling their dreams are lesbians or homosexuals. Although there is a great amount of women who are athletes and there are women who do not follow the “norm” in gender roles are lesbians, those assumptions are not always true.
Gender expectations and roles is what keep things being “normal” in society. People are afraid of change as well as things that are different. There is a traditional role of gender. When a baby is born, the world treats that baby a certain way according to what sex organ the baby is born with until the day that baby dies. The only way to change the way the world views you is to become a transsexual and play the gender role that is expected with being a male or female. Gender is a choice. An example of that is Lincoln May Scott who was born a hermaphrodite and was not given the chance to choose her sex. The doctors simply did what society at the time said was the right thing and made Lincoln a male. Fifty years later, Lincoln made the choice to live his life as a woman. From the beginning time gender rules where set. Men work and make the money while the women stay home to cook, clean, and watch the children. Women are supposed to wear dresses and high heels with makeup and nail polish according to gender expectations and roles. Women are to act “ladylike” which includes the crossing of legs, not speaking in a loud tone of voice, and making sure their dresses are tucked neatly under her buttocks before sitting down. Women are to act and be feminine. Traditionally the rules are for the women to submit to their men and do what they say. The gender expectations and roles for men include working the jobs, fighting the wars, bringing home the money and being “the boss”. The rules for them are that they sit with their legs wide open, act tough and macho, and most of all act and be masculine in everything they do. God forbid if a man were to cry, he would then look as though he is less of a man. These are just some of the gender roles and expectations of how men and women are supposed to act according to society.
To me, the gender roles and expectations are more like rules. Rules are made to be broken right? What happens when you break a rule? You face consequences. The same thing applies when rules are broken when dealing with gender roles and expectations. People are treated differently when others find out they are different or not “normal”. When people are different and don’t stick to the so-called system they are put through things and they are tested whether they are right or wrong. I believe that whether they are right or wrong is nonrelevant; it’s just the fact that they are testing the system (the system in this case being society). When they test the system they are putting out the possibility that the system is wrong. People then begin to look at their own lives and ask questions, and soon more people begin to think on their own. What follows next is the system falling apart and what used to be the “norm” is merely a thing of the past. I believe this because of personal experiences that do not have anything to do with gender roles and expectations but has the same reasoning, outcomes, and sadly, the same consequences. In the movie North Country, a situation dealing with gender roles was one of the main issues. When women were being mistreated, one woman stepped up and took a stand. She paid consequences for her actions but at the end more women followed her and took action as well. In this movie men did not want women to work in the mine with them. Although legally they had to allow women to work with them, they did not welcome them and make their jobs any less difficult than it already was. The women in North Country were seen as not performing a women’s job and referred to as playing a man’s role by working at the mine.
When women step out of their expected and normal gender role they are often called lesbians. What is a lesbian? According to the Radicalesbians, a lesbian is “the rage of all women condensed to the point of explosion. She is the women who, often beginning at an extremely early age, acts in accordance with her inner compulsion to be a more complete and freer human being than her society.” I have found that the word lesbian is associated very strongly with female athletes. I am a heterosexual female athlete so the assumption that all female athletes are homosexuals is not true. One reason that a lot of people think female basketball players specifically live a homosexual lifestyle is because of the resent “coming out” of WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes. Swoopes told NBC Sports that she “quit pretending” and stated “I feel like I’ve been living a lie,” in October of 2005. Because Swoopes was the face of the WNBA at one time she is very popular. I personally don’t think that it is anyone’s business that she chooses to have a relationship with. I also don’t see the point in her coming out and letting the world know that she is a lesbian.
In Love and Basketball Monica grew up differently than most girls her age. She was able to beat all the boys in the neighborhood in basketball. She hung with the guys growing up and she played rough and tough. Through it all she still remained heterosexual. She was forced to wear dresses, even though she hid them in the garage under a box of rags. She dressed comfortably in a pair of jeans and t-shirt daily and she carried a basketball wherever she went. She even made the mistake of sitting with her legs wide open while wearing a dress at the school dance in high school. Monica and her mother were total opposite, as well as her sister. Her mother and sister were really prissy and feminine. Although Monica and her mother did not get along very well, she and her sister were like best friends. Monica may not have fit the “norm” or followed all the rules on how to be a girl but she still remained heterosexual and over time fell in love with her childhood friend and neighbor, Quincy.
In conclusion, I would like to state that assumptions are not very reliable. I believe that all people should be able to pursue their dreams and be what they would like to be in life. Because time has changed more women have become more independent and stepped out of the “norm”. This doesn’t mean that all women or any of them want to be involved in a homosexual relationship. This simply means that women have talents, goals, and aspirations just like men do and would like to have the opportunity to pursue those things and not worry about being called a lesbian.

Being Beautiful and Empowering Equals No TrueThird Wave of Feminism

2008-04-26T17:05:00.001-04:00

On September 11th, 2000 one of the most popular sitcoms debuted on UPN- Girlfriends. Thousands of women loved to sit in front of their television and watched four intelligent, African-American women go about their day and deal with daily obstacles that were thrown their way. The audience were being drawn into the feminist world of these four ladies from Los Angeles, California. Joan, the main character, was considered the unofficial “den mother” of the group; Maya - a former assistant to Joan and a housewife/author, Lynn - a needy friend that is still trying to find herself, and Toni - the materialistic and self-centered one of her girlfriends and is the self-proclaimed “cute one” of the group (2). Even though these women are different in some ways, they are all still strong, beautiful, powerful, and successful women that are not afraid of taking on masculine roles. Looking at the sitcom from a feminist perspective, it is easy to say that it is based on third wave feminism. It is clear that all the characters in Girlfriends illustrate a sense of empowerment which reflect the third wave. Even though Girlfriends has a third wave twist, it is clear that the women of this sitcom have to deal with other issues that fall in other wave periods. In our analysis, we express the issues that the women have to deal with when it comes to being successful and trying to have a perfect “tv” family. Because there was a connection made between the waves, we can argue that there is no true third wave of feminism. This paper will focus on the lives of the four women in the sitcom Girlfriends and argue how them overcoming the stereotypes of women today is tied to the second wave text, proving that there is no true third wave text.
There is a number of feminist issues that surface in this sitcom; one being the traditional issue of women being secondary to men. This was one of the most talked about issues and was addressed throughout the show through the women’s role in their workplace. Even though these women had high-power, it still wasn’t accepted by society. There is a number of ways in which this is shown in Girlfriends.
In the first season (throughout the whole show really) of Girlfriends, Joan is having a hard time finding love. No matter what she does, her relationships never last. As she goes about her life and daily routines looking for a man she realizes that the problem is her being a lawyer of a very big firm. Joan grows to understand that men become intimidated by woman who have power and make more money than they do. Joan then tries to aim for guys with high self-esteem and self-confidence. She is tired of dealing with guys who don’t understand the fight she had to put up in order to become a lawyer and make partner because she is a woman. Betty Friedan, who wrote the book The Feminine Mystique, reflects on this issue. It argues that women should be encouraged to pursue careers as well as motherhood (5). This was one of the major issues Joan had to deal with being a lawyer and wanting to form a family.
In the second season of Girlfriends, the concept of women having high-power was still an issue. But another problem that arouse was women making more money than their partner. In this season, Maya had to deal with controversy with her husband, Darnell: an auto-repair worker who wasn’t making a lot of money. Being that Maya was working as Joan’s assistant at the law firm, she was the main supplier at home. That caused major issues because Darnell felt that because he was the male, he was suppose to be the “bread winner” in their family that consists of him, Maya, and their son-Jabari. Maya was also the person that had to pay when they went out. There were times when Darnell would refuse to go to public events with Maya because he was embarrassed at the fact that he did not have the money to pay for things at the events. This goes to prove how today’s society work. In today’s society, women are expected to be nice: soft, gentle, empathetic, selfless caretakers (3). And this draws a major concern and question about our society and where we stand as feminists.
It is clear that today’s society still have the mentality of those in society during the second wave. Men in today’s society are not interested in women who have more power than they do. They still believe that women should follow and depend on them. To them, women should stay home and be caretakers; same beliefs of men during the second wave. The writers of Girlfriends make it obvious that they were trying to show African-American women who are beautiful, intelligent, and very successful with this sitcom. They also wanted to prove that women have the strength and opportunity to get high-paying and high-powering jobs that at one point in time weren’t allowed. The writers wanted to show equality with race and in the workplace. Girlfriends above all expressed the difficulty for women who have power, to find love and companionship- this being tied to the second wave.
As writers and viewers look at Girlfriends, they notice that it is not at all a third wave text but one of the second wave. That draws in some problems because the sitcom is just an overview of what women in today’s society deal with. So, how can women today be dealing with issues of the second wave? The answer to this question: we are still in the second wave. It is impossible to move on to the next wave when you haven’t solved the issues of the previous. We cannot dismiss the feminist issues from the past. Joan dominates in her powerful position of being a lawyer, but she struggles with her relationships because of it. And a show that we thought represents the third wave doesn’t because we are still living in the second wave.

Implications for Single Mothers, Social Class, and African American Women

2008-04-25T18:49:00.001-04:00

Donavon Baldwin

WMST 2010

Dr. McCauliff

4/25/08

Implications for Single Mothers, Social Class, and African American Women

Prior to this assignment I had given little thought about the role and stereotypes surrounding single mothers; but in interviewing a peer who was raised in this type of environment, I realized that “Many of these women go through inordinate struggles just to get by, working against single mother, class, and race-based stereotypes” (Sidel, 42). Even though we have only known one another since this past summer, my friend Shiri’ self-disclosed to me about her life. I feel that we knew a lot about one another, and I felt that we shared a lot in common. We were both raised in a single- parent household, which seems to be a more common, occurrence. Throughout our friendship we have talked about our childhoods and the impact that those experiences have left upon our lives. Upon receiving this assignment I decided to interview Shiri’ and ask her about her personal experiences being raised by a single African American woman; this media text, combined with feminist theory, will help to further this discussion concerning single motherhood, social class and African American women in today’s society.

Single mothers face many issues: there is the typically implied lower household income per capital, increased responsibility on the mother for raising her children and working more hours to pay for all of her children’ needs. For Shiri’, there were positive effects of her mom being a single parent: her Mom served as a positive role model for independent women. Even though she was independent, she still ran into problems generally associated with single mothers who have problems in the work force: “The devaluation of mothers’ work permeates virtually every major institution. Not only is caregiving not rewarded, it is penalized” (Crittenden 191). In other words, the role of mother and caregiver is often overpowered by the single mother’s need to provide for her family.

Social Class is always an issue with single-parent homes. Due to the lower household incomes that single parents face due to their role as the only provider, they usually fall within a lower socioeconomic status. Women have had it harder than men in terms of earning money: “Of women working full-time in 2004, 20.1% earned less than $15,000 for the year; the figure is 22.3% for African American women, 32.2% for Latinas” (Bravo et.al, 180). In addition, “Women are disproportionately represented among minimum-wage earners, accounting for more than 3/5 of all those in this category. Of these women in 2004, more than three-quarters were adults and working more than 20 hours a week; the largest share (41.6%) work full time” (Bravo et.al, 180). From these numbers we see that social class is always an issue for single mothers.

Stereotypes, such as the welfare queen, are placed upon minority single mothers and more specifically; African American mothers. According to the welfare queen stereotype, women that receive financial aid from the government are perceived to be lazy and are lower class women. These women mostly live in neighborhoods where they struggle and have a hard time raising their kids. During the interview Shiri’ mentioned that her mother, being a single parent, struggled at times and had a hard time raising her children. She also stated that there was a time when there was not enough food to supply for everyone in the household. These are the stereotypes surrounding African American women as single mothers.

According to the matrix of domination, which “interlock[s] race, class, and gender oppression [and] expands the focus of analysis from merely describing the similarities and differences distinguishing these systems of oppression and focuses greater attention on how they interconnect” (Collins 221). There is an undeniable link in the negative associations of single mother’s social class and African American women. Stereotypes impact the majority of society’s negative view, which can adversely affect people.

Media Analysis

2008-04-25T18:19:00.001-04:00

Kathleen McFadden
McCauliff
WMST 2000
25 April 2008
Finding the Perfect Balance:
Sex and the City’s Feminist Portrayal of Motherhood
Throughout the course of Women’s Studies, a key issue of discussion has been motherhood. There is a traditional debate on whether women belong at home with the children, tending to everyday housekeeping, or in the work force making a living alongside men. For a while it was unimaginable that a “good mother” could do both. From this perception, situation comedy shows emerged throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s that highlighted the feminine mystique and commitment to their families (Kutulas 15). The mothers in these shows were portrayed as loving women content with staying home to cook, clean, and tend to the children when they arrived home from school. As times have changed however, so have women’s roles. Women have gained much more power in society and with that, their roles as mothers have changed. This is portrayed clearly in the show Sex and the City by the character Miranda. Miranda depicts a working mother and the stress she experiences. In doing so, the program addresses many themes of feminism. Two characters in the cast of the show, Charlotte and Samantha, represent the social thoughts on motherhood vs. working, which was seen throughout the Second Wave Feminist Movement. In this paper, I will show that although many people say it can not be done, Miranda, over a period of time, portrays that there is such a thing as balance between the social binary of women being stay at home mothers or being successful in the workforce, and that it is a continual learning experience.
Throughout time, women have more than not been viewed as good caretakers, put on earth to bear and rear children. According to Susan J. Douglas and Meredith Michaels,
“Woman over the past years have been dealing with the stereotypical idea that, women are, by genetic composition, nurturing and maternal, love all children, and prefer motherhood to anything, especially work, so should be the main ones responsible for raising the kids” (139).

It is almost as if being a mother was idolized and put on a pedestal at one point, as something glorious, natural, and instinctive. Because of this “theory” many women chose to stay at home, believing that raising and taking care of their family was the most important task in life.
It was not until more recent times, growing most between the 1960s and 1980s that women were actually seen in the workforce on a normal basis (Witwer 184). In 2004, women made up forty-six percent of the U.S. labor force. Although women are seen in the work place more in modern times, they still struggle to maintain their jobs, and make enough money (187). According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2005, the average man with Bachelor’s Degree made around $76,462 annually, while a woman with the same degree made only $50, 483. What is even more shocking is that in 2005, a man with a Doctorates Degree brought in a total of $116,617, while a woman only earned $83,208 that same year. A problem that many working women run into while working and making enough money is a leave for pregnancy. Studies show that starting in 1981 however, the trend for pregnancy paid benefits in the work place began (Witwer 184). However, the desire to be a good mother, and the expectations of society on how to carry out this task, hold many women back from ever returning to their careers, and instead making home-keeper their new job. Because of these society norms, when a working woman gets pregnant, she often feels as though she is left with a choice, which is so clearly depicted in the HBO series, Sex and the City.
In Season Four of Sex and the City, the red-haired witty character Miranda reveals to her three best friends over lunch that she is pregnant. What shocked audiences however, was that the young woman was pregnant out of wedlock. Not only that, but she was not even dating her child’s father at the time. This alone is what much of society is against, and what some Feminists are trying to change. Conversation around the breakfast table arises about an abortion. According to an S&F online article, this conversation in Episode 59 in Season Four was a bold move for producers, seeing as that in 1992 “… Vice President Dan Quayle reprimanded the sitcom character Murphy Brown for having a child out of wedlock” (Akass 1). It was also groundbreaking for Feminists. At this point Miranda is faced with the choice. Already, she poses as the less confident, over analyzing, and somewhat pessimistic member of the quartet. To complicate her predicament even more, Miranda had a very prestigious job working as an attorney in New York City. To juggle being pregnant and having a child would not really seem appealing to someone in this situation for many reasons.
Statistics show that most women conform to the same areas of the work force including service, sales, and secretarial jobs (Witwer 181). On the other hand, only sixteen percent of law firm partners in the United States are women (“2007 Best Law…”). In a workplace that is dominated by males, Miranda had managed to become part of this elite group of women partners, and not allow her Harvard education go to waste. Because of her lifestyle (a large apartment, single friends, nights on the town, and a fabulous job), Miranda is faced with a serious choice that is constantly brought up by two of her best friends who represent both feminist views on motherhood.
The writers of the show undoubtedly knew what they were doing by putting Charlotte’s character into the group. By portraying her as a woman whose main goal in life was marriage and children and constantly talking about it, she makes Miranda’s choice that much harder when she learns of her pregnancy (Tropp 863). Charlotte some what gives Miranda an ultimatum: Either have the baby, quit work, and stay at home, or do not have it (which really was not an option in her eyes) and keep working (864). With this plot line Judy Kutulas comments:
Baby-yearning plots emphasize the implicit
Backlash threat; pursue your career at your own risk if you are female
Because the day will come when you will want children and everything
Else you have achieved will pale by comparison (26).

It is ironic that right as Miranda finds out she is pregnant, Charlotte reveals that she, on the other hand, has fertility issues, and in fact may not be able to have children of her own. This revelation makes Miranda’s decision that much harder, because unlike her best friend, she does not want to be pregnant, but is scared she may never have the chance again. Most women are well aware of the fact that after turning thirty five, if pregnant, they are considered to be in a high risk pregnancy (Wallace). Miranda is aware that her opportunities to conceive again are slimming with each day, making her really ponder over the issue.
Quite on the opposite side are the feelings of Samantha. She, unlike Charlotte, is completely content with her promiscuous ways, and in fact has no interest in children. She is dominating and comfortable in her ways. Samantha is so convinced that children are not the answer to what is missing in life that she throws herself a “I Don’t Have a Baby Shower;” dismissing the biological discourse as well as the saying of the “have-it-all” discourse (Tropp 864). She is perfectly fine with only her friends and occasional sexual partners, and does not want to give up her luxury lifestyle. According to Laura Tropp, “Samantha is the hardest for Miranda to communicate and bond with because of her thoughts on the whole situation.” (864)
These contrasting viewpoints on motherhood leave Miranda with a choice at hand. Does she keep the baby or have the abortion? Does she “give up her life” as society tells her she will have to, or keep everything the same? It is through this that the viewer sees Miranda neither fully reject motherhood, nor fully embrace it (Tropp 865). Because of the societal beliefs that a woman can not manage both a child and a job, this raises confusion in her life-changing decision. She realizes that the expectations of motherhood and of herself to be a good mother and a good attorney, would be hard for her to balance; However, because of her worries that she will never again have an opportunity to conceive, Miranda decides not to abort the child, but at the same time refuses to give up her professional career.
Her pregnancy throughout the Season is not idolized or romantic in the least, which contradicts Charlotte’s views on motherhood. The writers de-romanticize it by showing the character in real-life situations that occur during pregnancy, instead of making her glowing and happy (Tropp 867). The program is showing a “realistic view of motherhood,” which undoubtedly addresses the feminist issue of de-romanticizing motherhood. Furthermore the program attributes to theories of third-wave feminism on single parenting. Miranda refuses Steve’s first proposal, and learns to be a mother on her own. The viewer sees her grow into a good hard-working mother, who has managed some how to juggle all her worries and stresses she accumulates in the last three seasons.
According to Laura Tropp, Miranda is the balance between the two opposite viewpoints on motherhood. She states that, “Sex and the City does not assign any one feminist perspective on the subject of motherhood but uses its characters to reflect differing viewpoints.” Through out this course I have learned that feminism is about a woman making her own choice and not following what society expects of her. In the first article we read in class entitled “What is Women’s Studies?” it states, “Feminism is continually developing a more multicultural and inclusive perspective, reflecting the lives of women of all races, ethnic groups, and classes” (12). After acquiring knowledge on the Third-Wave Feminist Movement, I believe that Miranda displays many of the Third Wave qualities. She disregards society’s beliefs and expectations and tackles motherhood and her career in her own unique way. I believe that because the show Sex and the City illustrates both viewpoints of feminist and motherhood and finds the medium that so many women look for in today’s society, Miranda is a unique character that embodies Feminism to its fullest, and displays that a woman does not have to choose but can instead do it all.

Works Cited

"2007 Best Law Firms for Women." Working Mother. 2008. Working Mother Media Inc.
22 Apr. 2008 .

Akass, Kim. “Throwing the Baby Out with the Bath Water: Miranda and the Myth of Maternal Instinct on Sex and the City”. The Scholar and Feminist Online. Ed. Lisa Johnson. The Barnard Center for Research on Women. 10 November 2007. <>

Bravo, Ellen, Gloria S. Anna, and Linda Meric. "An Overview of Women and Work."
Women Images and Realities. McGraw Hill: Higher Education. 180-184.

Douglas, Susan J. and Michaels, Meredith W. The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of
Motherhood and How It Has Undermined Women. New York: Free Press, 2004.

Kutulas, Judy. ‘‘‘Do I Look Like a Chick?’: Men, Women, and
Babies on Sitcom Maternity Stories.’’ American Studies 39.2 (1998):
15, 26.

Tropp, Laura. “Faking a Sonogram : Representations of Motherhood and Sex and the City”. The Journal of Popular Culture, Vol. 39, No. 5 (2006) 861 – 877.

“Two-Thirds of Women Now Work During Their First Pregnancy; Half Return to Work
Within One Year.” M. Witwer Family Planning Perspectives. 1990. Guttmacher Institute.

Wallace, Olivia. "What is High Risk Pregnancy." Pregnancy ETC. 2005. 21 Apr. 2008
.

"What is Women's Studies?" Women Images and Realities. McGraw Hill Higher
Education. 8-13.

Ideal Women

2008-04-25T17:16:00.001-04:00

Darryl Gamble

WMST 2010

April 24, 2008

Media Analysis

An Ideal Woman

An ideal woman of the 21^st century would be about 5’7”, 127 lbs, blue eyes, and blonde hair, holding a mirror to show her all of her flaws. Women strive to be thinner and look younger; they are often dissatisfied with their bodies as a result of today’s advertising and media imagery. “Women today see themselves as less attractive than women of past generations did. A recent meta-analysis by Yale researchers Alan Feingold and Ronald Mazzella found that, prior to 1970, women were no more likely than men to voice dissatisfaction with their appearance. After 1970, however, a gender gap arose in self-perception, with women tending to rate themselves as less attractive than men rated themselves” (Anonymous). Modern media has developed an image of what a beautiful woman looks like. I believe that Dove’s Campaign For Real Women is arguably a reaction to the modern media’s portrayal of women and the effects of it on the consumer. In this analysis I will argue the definition of real beauty by pointing out how the media influences us into believing stereotypes about beauty, and how Dove’s Campaign For Real Women is trying to change the standard and propose a more improved aspect of beauty in its place.

Why are women dissatisfied with their bodies? I believe the media is responsible for this ongoing question about women’s beauty. For example, many diet product commercials have female actors that fit society’s stereotype, though they aren’t the ones who use these products. The women who actually use them are seen as unfit to be in those types of commercials such as Trim Spa. In “Teen Mags: How to get a Guy, Drop 20 Pounds, and Lose Your Self-Esteem,” Anastasia Higginbotham writes about the attack of media image that show thin models who are dissatisfied with their bodies. The constant stream of images, along with “the sophistication of modern media, which constantly exposes us to impossibly thin, computer-adjusted images, creates ever more elusive physical targets, especially for women” (Lewis). Numbers give us proof of women’s growing dissatisfaction with their bodies: “the proportion of women calling themselves ‘moderately unhappy’ with their figures has risen from 31% in 1984 to 35% in 1998. The percentage who say they are ‘very unhappy’ with their bodies has jumped even higher in this time period, from 11% to 18%” (Anonymous) and in the United Kingdom “more than 50% of women questioned – compared with less than 25% of men - said they would consider plastic surgery, according to a survey of around 25,000 people aged between 17 and 35.” (Lewis) Women seem to always find something that’s wrong with their image. For example, when a woman asks multiple questions about their size when trying on clothes like “Does this make my butt look big?” when actually the clothes fit perfectly. With all the stereotypes surround this subject; I believe Dove is making an important effort to bring the stereotypes to a halt.

The Dove Campaign is the frontrunner in portrayal of glamorized “real women.” The campaign supports the Dove mission: “to make women feel more beautiful every day by challenging today’s stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring women to take great care of themselves” (Dove). The campaign commits to real women of various ages, shapes and sizes to encourage discussion about beauty and share their views on real beauty around the world. According to The Dove Campaign, they also:

The Campaign for Real Beauty appeals to women on the national and local levels with outreach including national television and magazine advertising as well as interactive billboards, transit station signage and city bus ads. The campaign is intended to challenge women’s notions of beauty with communication in high-profile downtown locations and along high-traffic roads in major cities: Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, New York and San Francisco.

Dove also takes part in Real Women Bare Their Real Curves which consist on, “six brave women – two students, a kindergarten teacher, a manicurist, an administrative assistant and a café barista” (Dove) who all are different sized women and pass along their message to “stand firm and celebrate your curve!” (Dove), Dove not only advertises in its Campaign For Real Beauty, but they also influence the consumer’s common perceptions. When I say influence, I mean that they try to sell an image that you don’t have to be 5’7”, 127 lbs, blue eyes, and blonde hair to be beautiful.

I believe Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty’s attempt to change the standard of beauty is gradually changing for the best. Also, when it comes to body figures, teen magazines send a elaborate message: “Girls are encouraged to love their bodies, no matter what they look like, by magazines with fashion spreads featuring only stick-thin, flawless-faced white models in expensive outfits” (Higginbotham). Change should start from within; the woman needs to realize that she doesn’t have to change her appearance to become beautiful and they should feel comfortable the way they look. Other than your inner feelings about yourself, most pressure comes from your surroundings, peers, and even your culture. For example, “only 3% of Caucasian-American women rated their own beauty a 10 on a scale of 1-10, a full third of African-American women did so” (Anonymous). Thus; the common perception amongst African-American women is that “the thicker the better” or at least that’s what I hear, but as for Caucasian-American women there also is a perception that being very thin is the way to be. “Beauty is visual, but in most media images, it is the same visual – the eye popping features and stunning proportions of a few hand-picked beauty icons. When only a minority of women is satisfied with their body weight and shape in a society captivated by diet and makeover programs, it is time for a change” (Dove).

Love and basketball and "Traditional" Motherhood

2008-04-25T16:45:00.000-04:00

Agu Itebe

Women’s Studies 2010

Kristen McCauliff

25 April 2008

Love and Basketball and “Traditional” Motherhood

The movie Love and Basketball seems to tell you all you need to know, in the title about the storyline of the film, but these two topics in the name are only the surface of the critically acclaimed movie. Love and Basketball came in second in its opening weekend in the year 2000. Making more than $8 million in sales and grossing over $27 million in the box office, this movie produced by the renowned producer Spike Lee, gave thousands of movie-goers the opportunity to see a movie portraying possible feminist ideas (The Internet Movie Database). The movie, based in the 1980’s, follows the lives of two neighbors, Monica Wright and Quincy McCall, who both share an incomparable love for the sport basketball. Monica, being a female ballplayer goes through a tough time both on the court and in her own home. Her mother Camille, a stay at home mother, seems to have strong opinions on how she believes a female should behave, and her views has a direct effect on her and her daughter’s relationship. For Camille, being a stay at home mother drives her role in the movie. Because of misinterpretations and backlash, people often believe that housewives like Camille have a negative view in the feminist community. This paper will argue that although Camille acts as what people might consider a “traditional” (stay-at-home) mother in the movie, her role in the household does not make her any less of a successful woman than her talented daughter, Monica.

The role Camille Wright plays as the mother in Love and Basketball epitomizes the traditional motherhood role. She seems to fit the “perfect mother” stereotype flawlessly: she quit her job to raise her children, she cooks, she cleans, and she takes care of her working husband. In our everyday society most people have opinions on this kind of livelihood. I believe that one position looks well upon it, believing that it is an honor to just take care of one’s husband and children and another side has taken another point of view and looks negatively upon taking on this traditional job. In society a traditional mother is usually defined by what we see in such shows as “I love Lucy”, “The Simpsons”, “The Brady Bunch”, and “Seventh Heaven”. These women are stay-at-homes mothers, who alls job is to take care of their families. Due to many feminist’s ideas denouncing the forced traditional motherhood role. Many have blamed feminism for the negative stigma that sometimes now arises with the traditional stay-at-home mother position. In the movie, Camille shows us that, agreeing with most feminists, being a stay-at –home-mother does not have to take away from empowerment.

Feminists do not in fact believe that being a stay-at-home mother is negative. They actually believe that stay-at- home mothers often face the ever-oppressing double bind. They can choose to stay at home and give up what they truly want or they can decide to juggle work and motherhood and be looked down upon by society. As Susan Faludi’s piece, “Blame it on feminism”, that we read in class explains: women shouldn’t be forced to choose between public justice and private happiness. In this case, Camille chose to give up her catering career when she became pregnant with her first child, to take care of her household and kids. Because feminists speak negatively about mothers having no choice in sacrificing so much for motherhood, many interpret it as them denouncing motherhood as a whole. Many blame feminism for the negatives stereotypes placed on traditional mothering. As one opinionated author states, “Today's anatomy-obsessed feminists enjoy a stronghold on American academia that strips child-rearing of its value, separates actions from their consequences…” (Peck). Individuals who believe this have misconstrue misunderstood the feminist’s ideas. “Most of today's feminists however embrace the traditional ideal of motherhood. All we want to do is eradicate the oppressive idea associated with it which values women exclusively in terms of their childbearing functions positioning them firmly in the domestic sphere” (Ir-shai and Ross).

Camille plays an important role in her household as well as the movie. She is the stabilizer in her home and takes pride knowing that her children and husband’s lives run smoothly due to her hard work. Though she takes pride in what she does, she is still taken advantage of, and feminists would agree that this is where the work of a housewife becomes negative. Because Camille is expected to take care of the house she is often stepped over and forgotten. In a scene where Lena, Camille’s oldest daughter, is braiding Monica’s hair, Camille walks into the bedroom and tells her two daughters how tire she is, telling them that she needs to go and lie down. Nathan Wright, her husband, then comes into the room holding up two dress shirts and asking his wife which shirt he should wear the next day to work. Upon answering the question and pointing to which shirt she liked better, he proceeds to ask her to iron both of them tonight “just in case”. Camille then nods, puts a small fake smile on and takes the shirts (Love and Basketball). Through scenes like this in the movie, it is understandable as to why viewers might get a negative impression of the traditional housewife. Her role throughout the film is dedicated to her being “behind” her husband or supporting her children. It seems as though there is no real Camille. On the other hand there is Monica, her second daughter, who takes a completely different role in the house: she will not help with things such as setting the table, chores her mother thinks she should learn. Camille’s conventional way of living and Monica’s more modern style have a strong influence on their relationship.

Camille and Monica have two very different outlooks on the way they view themselves as woman. As discussed earlier, Camille tends to stick to the conservative, matronly way while Monica takes a dive into the non-traditional role of a basketball playing “tomboy”. Because they have such different perspectives on womanhood they look at each other in different lenses. It is clear that Monica has no respect for her mother as a housewife, and many individuals believe feminists do not have. When Monica’s father asks Camille to iron the two shirts, Monica looks away when her mother takes the shirts, cringing, as if her mother accepting to iron both shirts hurt her physically. Camille looks down upon her daughter for a different reason. Her daughter, Monica, is not the daughter she wished/ expected her to be. In a scene where Camille and Lena are setting the dining room table as the father sits and watches and Monica sits and complains about her basketball game, Camille comments to Monica, “I wish you would grow out of this tomboy phase” as she also adds in that Monica should do something with her hair. Both these women have strong opinions on what they believe should represent women and in their eyes the other does not. In an ending scene, Monica learns to respect her mother for her role in the household. Close to the end, Monica confronts her Mother about how she feels about what her mother does. She tells her mother that she always looked down upon her for letting her husband step all over her as a housewife. In turn Camille replies, “Is that really all you think of me”? Camille explains to her naïve daughter how she ended up in the position she is. She got pregnant, and chose to stay at home to raise her kids. She is glad she did it and adores the job that she does. Monica finds a new respect for the woman who has raised her all of her life, sees the success of her hard work: two grown, intelligent, strong-willed women, her and her sister.

The ending scene of the movie shows Monica, who has now made it into the WNBA, and Quincy, her husband with their baby daughter. Monica is now a mother, and though she has chosen to not take the traditional role of the stay-at-home housewife, it is clear that her mother’s role in her life has had an impact on the mother she will be. Camille, who chose to be a housewife, was no less successful than her daughter who got drafted into the WNBA. They chose different routes in their life, but both ended up successful in what they wanted to do. Feminists believe that it is the women’s choice to choose what she wants to do, which was showcased in the movie. Feminists again do not denounce motherhood as a whole. “Common to all feminists is the conviction that motherhood is not the only means for realizing womanly potential” (Ir-shai and Ross).

Princes, Princesses, and Revolution: Gender Roles in Revolutionary Girl Utena

2008-04-25T16:14:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time, a young princess was all alone, mourning the deaths of her parents. Along came a noble prince on a white horse who rescued the princess from her despair and comforted her. The prince urged the little princess to never lose her innate nobility and inner strength, and, giving her a rose signet ring, promised that they would one day meet again. However, the princess was so impressed by the prince and his manner that she vowed to one day become a prince herself and also rescue girls in need. Flash-forward several years, and now Utena Tenjou, a middle school student at the prestigious Ohtori Academy, is pursuing her princely ideals while searching for the mysterious prince from her childhood. While defending a friend’s honor, Utena is drawn into a mysterious series of duels against the Student Council for the hand of Anthy Himemiya, a strange girl known as the “Rose Bride” who holds the key to revolutionizing the world.
Thus begins Revolutionary Girl Utena, a manga and anime series from the early 1990’s about growing up and carving out one’s place in the world no matter what society may say. The series is rife with symbolism and allegory, to the point where a viewer is almost sure to be confused the first time she watches the story unfold. One of the most prevalent and obvious themes, however, and the one that this essay will focus on, is the system of gender roles present in the world, and the third-wave feminist attitude of breaking them in the name of individual freedom. Perhaps the best example of this theme is the title character herself, a girl who wears a modified boys’ uniform to school and dreams not of marrying a prince, but of becoming one herself. Utena’s journey to attain such a noble nature is contrasted by her “fiancée” Anthy, who embodies feminine passivity, and Anthy’s older brother Akio, who represents masculinity in a patriarchal society. It is by these two that Utena’s character is tested and her identity is shaped throughout the series.
A central theme of the world of Ohtori Academy is that “all girls are princesses.” However, this is far more sinister than the gentle, heartwarming message of A Little Princess, where all girls are special and deserve to be loved. This is a law set down by the series’ world of old: women are passive and submissive, and must wait for a male prince to come to their rescue. Any girl who should defy this law would be branded a witch, and, like all fairy-tale witches, suffer for her crimes. “These were the two categories into which girls were separated, and there was no in-between” (Lundy). From the beginning, Utena defies this creed, dressing like a boy, participating in sports, and dueling for Anthy’s freedom. These actions immediately draw the attention of her teachers, who scold her for breaking the spirit, but not the law, of the dress code, her female classmates, who idolize Utena for behaving so “princely,” and her male classmates, particularly Touga, the Student Council President, who see her as something to pursue and claim as their own, so they can make a “proper woman” out of her.
Despite her aspirations to break the status quo, during the first season, Utena herself is guilty of enforcing the school’s patriarchal regime through her relationship with Anthy, whose free will is subsumed by that of whoever she is currently engaged to. When she loses Anthy to Touga, he tells her that whatever friendship the girls shared was all a lie. Anthy may have acted more like a “normal” person than usual during her time with Utena, but only because that was what Utena had wanted Anthy to be. In doing so, Utena had unwittingly perpetuated the notion that a girl should be told how to behave around others. However, Utena learns from the mistake, and after winning Anthy back, allows her to act as is normal for her, rather than what is normal to Utena.
During the third season, Utena’s behavior shifts toward the other end of the gender spectrum under Akio’s influence. The Chairman, a mature, elegant, and charming adult, reminds Utena of the prince she idolized since childhood. As she begins to spend more and more time with Akio, eventually becoming his lover, Utena starts to take on more traditionally feminine traits, letting her goal of Revolution and winning Anthy’s freedom slip as a priority. This fall from grace is exactly what Akio wants. As a bitter shell of Dios, the ideal Prince in the world of Revolutionary Girl Utena, Akio possesses all of the traits expected of a man in a patriarchal society: he is sexually aggressive, powerful, and in control of the women in his life. By controlling Anthy, the Rose Bride, he controls the key to unlocking the power to revolutionize the world. And by controlling Utena, the favorite to win that power in the duels, he can easily take it for himself. He believes that a girl cannot possibly control that kind of power because she is innately a princess, someone who by definition cannot be an agent of change. This attitude, conceited and sexist as it is, stems from Akio’s noble past; he was the Prince who did nothing but rescue Princesses. Thus, it is his duty to “rescue” Utena from her path, before she is struck down as a witch for her hubris. Anthy, who sealed the Prince away from the rest of the world and took on its hatred in the form of a million stabbing swords in his stead, is already damned to be the Rose Bride forever, but Utena can still become a Princess, if only Akio can stop her. While it may seem that Akio has good, if warped, intentions at heart, however, he is actually “more that of a spoilt child than an actual adult, claiming his own maturity where there is not yet any” (Harpy). He manipulates Anthy and Utena’s emotions, using sex and their love for him as tools to keep them in his thrall. Once Akio has taken what he wants from Utena, the sword that will break down the door to Revolution, he “hacks at the door with his sword, aware that every time he strikes the door it wounds Utena. She staggers towards him as the sword breaks and he informs her that the seal can never be broken now. He can always start over. The Rose Bride will be his forever” (Satan). These are hardly the words and deeds of a noble prince, even one with outdated views of how the world works. “Where Dios comforted and healed the sick, Akio feeds on weakness and insecurity, nurturing only his lust for absolute power” (Ohtori). It is this callous nature that allows Utena to see Akio for what he really is, and break away from him to return to her original goal of becoming a genuine prince for Anthy’s sake.
In the end, Utena finally reclaims her nobility and acts as a true prince, seeking to rescue Anthy from her pain and bring her back into the living world, just as her prince had done for her. “The ‘prince’ is anyone who is noble, selfless, truthful. […] Thus in the world of Utena, it is possible for a man or a woman to become a prince, and in so doing, our heroine breaks through the mold of the two limited roles to which women had been assigned up until the Revolution. Not a princess, or a witch, but a true prince” (Lundy). Unexpectedly, though, something goes wrong. Anthy falls into the darkness, and Utena disappears amidst the Swords of Hate and the crumbling ruins of the dueling arena. Utena’s strength gained her the power of revolution, but in doing so, she lost her place as either a princess or a witch. Without a place for her, the world thus ejected her from it.
Despite Utena’s apparent failure, the series ends on a triumphant note. After so many years of letting herself live a false life trapped in the role of the Rose Bride, Anthy packs up and leaves to search for Utena in the world outside of Ohtori Academy, leaving her brother and his control behind her forever. When Utena became a true prince who sacrificed herself to rescue Anthy from her pain, Anthy decided that it was time to rescue herself. “She no longer had to be the Rose Bride, she was no longer under Akio's control. And she was the only one who realized it. So she left” (Satan). “This time, it’s my turn to go. No matter where you are, I swear I’ll find you,” she promises an absent Utena before she picks up her suitcase and walks through the campus gates and into the world outside of the school, the “real” world. The school bells that had formerly rung to signify the end of a duel and Anthy’s continued servitude peal once again, this time in celebration of Anthy’s freedom.
Many anime series reinforce traditional gender roles, implying that while a girl can easily be capable of fighting monsters and performing “many brave deeds and [becoming] a strong character, […] in the end, she still must end up with a prince” (Lundy). While love is a beautiful thing and should involve supporting one’s partner through whatever challenges life may throw at him or her, Utena herself raises an interesting point when the subject of jumping through hoops in order to find a romantic match is brought up: “what’s wrong with not getting married?” Revolutionary Girl Utena defies expectations by having Utena and Anthy both decide that they do not need a prince to protect them, and can make their own way in the world. This attitude usually coincides with second wave feminism, but the way it is brought about, by defying traditional gender roles and breaking free of the “princess/witch” binary that had chained them for so long, marks Revolutionary Girl Utena as a third wave work. It is a tale fraught with pain and mistakes, but Utena and Anthy are both growing up, have “tasted adulthood only through pain, [are] able to recognise the end of the 'game' and leave the garden” (Harpy) that is Ohtori Academy, and enter the real world. By questioning and discarding the expectations placed on them as girls, Anthy and Utena have become mature, independent adults.

"Desperate" to be the Perfect Mother

2008-04-25T15:42:00.001-04:00

When the weekend begins winding down and the time to gear up for another week of work or school is approaching, Sunday nights offer woman, as well as men, the opportunity to indulge in the guilty pleasure of viewing the outrageous lives of four women living in an upscale suburban neighborhood on ABC’s Desperate Housewives. Desperate Housewives, created by Marc Cherry, has captured millions of weekly viewers, causing the television show to receive praise and awards in return. Desperate Housewives “is a balanced mixture of drama, comedy, soap opera and mystery, giving rise to conversations on topics such as love, marriage, surface appearances, human interaction, gender roles and the dark underbelly of suburbia” (Di Gregorio 63). Mary Alice Young, once a friend and neighbor on Wisteria Lane to the woman until her suicide, now narrates the lives of her friends; Susan Mayer- a clumsy, yet attractive single mother, Lynette Scavo- a tough, fearless mother, Bree Van De Kamp- a prim and proper, dedicated homemaker, and Gabrielle Solis- an adulterous, ex-model. The show focuses a great deal on the importance of beauty and appearance, but also displays the struggles with being a housewife and a mother. I plan to focus on the role of motherhood for Lynette Scavo and the obstacles she faces when trying to balance raising her children, a career, and her marriage while dealing with oppression and the need to conform to traditional gender roles.
Motherhood is a complex subject and is debated often by the mainstream media and feminists on what constitutes the best “role” of a mother. Whether mothers choose to stay home or have no choice but to stay home, work full-time or have a part-time job, and whether their married or single are all aspects that affect motherhood. The way an individual was raised can influence one’s particular views on motherhood as well. Someone who had a mother stay home to raise them is probably more acceptable of the idea of a “stay-at-home mom” rather than someone who had a mother that was always working, but not in every case. Time magazine states these particular people may be dedicated to their work, but many of them experienced having parents work long hours and prefer to give their own children more attention than they received (Time). Today, “our culture insists that to be a remotely decent mother, a woman has to devote her entire physical, psychological, emotional, and intellectual being “24/7” to her children” (Time). The unattainable expectation can therefore be accredited to such debate on motherhood.
Whatever the case, the role of motherhood is controversial and challenging, as we see in Desperate Housewives. The show “represents the oppression of upper-middle class, suburban life and the difficulties which these women encounter in their roles of housewife and mother” (Richardson 158). Studies have found evidence that such television shows shape young female’s views and expectations on family and gender roles, particularly in regards to marriage and motherhood (Carine T. G. M. et all, 955). The young females believe these television shows portray an accurate way of society and do not realize the show is a form of entertainment which strays from that of real life. Also, these type shows have typically stereotyped woman as dependant on men, causing them to receive less recognition and respect. Though finally, shows are starting to have mother characters not solely as homemakers, but holding professional jobs outside of the home. (Carine T. G. M. et all, 956). In doing so, more families are able to relate to the motherhood role in the show.
Lynette faces the issue of dealing with motherhood and a career. She has always been the ideal career woman; very dedicated and successful in her executive position with an advertising company. She truly enjoys being in the workforce. Lynette and Tom then decide to have children and soon enough they have a son, two twin boys, and a daughter. To make matters worse, the twins suffer from ADHD, making having four kids even more of a handful. As a result, she is forced to leave work to be a full-time mother and is constantly stressed while doing so. Desperate Housewives “is one of the first series to actively critique the cult of “New Momism”; a deluge of cultural images representing contemporary super-women who unite demanding professional jobs with selfless childrearing (Richardson 158). Lynette “claims that people expect only one answer when they ask her whether she likes being a full-time mother: “It’s the best job in the world!” (Di Gregorio 64). Lynette struggles with the fear of being a bad mother more so than she struggles in any corporate job, making her secret regret of leaving work somewhat understandable (Metro Magazine 145). The show “demonstrates that being a superhuman “new mom” is not quite as easy as contemporary media would suggest” (Richardson 158). Though she tries to use the same positive attitude and successful strategies in her role as mother as she did in the office, she does not get the same appeasing results in return.
While struggling with her job as a mother, Lynette has flashbacks to when she found out she was pregnant with the twins and Tom insisting she stay at home because he believes children are raised better when they have a stay-at-home mother. Quitting her job “is very much one oppression in which Lynette is constrained by gender traditions and, as a result, now finds herself trapped in a role which she finds difficult and even traumatic” (Richardson 161). Lynette found comfort when finally admitting to her friends the struggles she was experiencing with motherhood and learning they also find motherhood difficult.
Motherhood also takes a toll on Lynette’s marriage. When her husband insisted she quit her job and stay at home, he is unaware of the struggles she faces while being a full-time mom. In return, there is a great deal of tension in the relationship and constant arguing. Therefore, Lynette experiences another form of female oppression while being “bullied” by her husband. In scenes with Lynette, as well as Gabrielle experiencing female oppression, “the sequence sets up a dichotomy between the husbands as monsters and the wives as victims. The dominant impression is one of powerlessness in which these women are trapped in marriages and under their husbands’ control” (Richardson 161). Her husband is just another example of some described in The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World Is Still the Least Valued. People, such as Tom, take for granted the job of a mother and do not give them the respect they deserve, and rather just assume the mothers do “nothing” all day (Crittenden 48). To appease Lynette, Tom is willing to hire a nanny for Lynette. The move backfires when the nanny is too attractive, causing trouble for the marriage once again. Until the traditional gender roles were reversed and Tom became a stay-at-home dad while Lynette returned to work did Tom realize the degree of stress Lynette has been facing. In one scene during the show, Lynette came home from work to find Tom asleep on the couch, exhausted from his role as “mother” that day.
Lynette had actually experienced anxiety when deciding to return to work or not, a far cry from her start as a full-time mother. Lynette only wanted the best for her family, but that often meant straying from the traditional gender roles which society has a hard time accepting. The housewives are infatuated with their neighbor’s opinions, therefore, the show “does not represent people being whatever they want to be—but instead shows “desperate” people obsessed with conforming to appropriate social roles” (Richardson 169). Consequently, this is prime reasoning why Lynette struggles with career and marriage issues on top of her role as mother. The controversial issues surrounding appropriate motherhood just make matters worse for her character. Television needs to continue trying not to stereotype motherhood a certain way. Woman should be able to raise their children however they like, while receiving a little respect in return.

The Simpsons Do Feminism

2008-04-25T15:12:00.001-04:00

When you think of feminism in mainstream media, I’m guessing The Simpsons is not the first show that comes to mind and that’s ok! Much to my mother’s displeasure, my brother and I have been watching The Simpsons since the tender of age of five years old, and while some people disapprove, I think it has served me well (especially in terms of this assignment). Because I have watched almost every episode at least seven times at varying stages in my life, I have witnessed first hand my own growing awareness of the messages the show presents to the audience. Matt Groening’s often used quote is that “The Simpsons is a show that rewards you for paying attention” (qtd. in Irwin and Lombardo 81). Both my brother and I have noticed how, as we got older and learned more, we began to pick up more on the social satire and of course, the almost overwhelming number of references, ranging from pop culture to poetry to literature. Simone Knox asserts that since it’s start, “the series has become accepted as a vital part of both US and global culture” (Knox 73), winning 23 Emmys, a Peabody Award for “providing exceptional animation and stinging social satire, both commodities which are in extremely short supply in television today” in 1996, and being named “Best TV Show” of the century by Time magazine in 1999 (qtd. in Knox 73). Currently, it is the longest running American sitcom ever, with over 400 episodes and counting.

Matthew Henry writes, “The Simpsons is above all a sophisticated satire on American culture…offering scathing critiques of America’s numerous faults and flaws. Among other things, The Simpsons mercilessly exposes the hypocrisy and ineptitude of pop psychology, corporate greed, commercialism, consumerism, and modern child-rearing, as well as the potential dangers of fundamental religion, homophobia, racism, and sexism” (273). Each episode questions the universality and normativity of-so called “traditional family values” and satirizes America’s own exclusionary practices of “minorities” in American culture, whose status, which Henry points out, is based on religion, race, age, sex and gender (273). This essay specifically explores how the show presents feminist ideas and feminist struggles through Marge, but in the end falls back on traditional gender norms.

Due to the changes in women’s lives and a shift in theoretical perspective since the height of second wave feminism, many women struggle with what it is to be a feminist, and as Henry notes, “their lives are marked by ambivalence and ambiguity, complexity and contradiction” (274). In Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media, Susan Douglas states, “American women today are a bundle of contradictions” (9). Douglas demonstrates that much of the confusion about women’s “proper place” and roles in culture are present in mainstream mass media, causing many women to be in a conflicted state, torn between traditional and stereotypical ideas of who and what they ought to be and progressive and liberating concepts of who and what they can be. Douglas writes, “The war that has been raging in the media is not a simplistic war against women but a complex struggle between feminism and antifeminism that has reflected, reinforced, and exaggerated our culture’s ambivalence about women’s roles for over thirty-five years” (12-13).

One issue that feminism has had an on-going discussion of is that of the stay-at-home mother. In season three, the episode “Homer Alone” (#8F14) attempts to address the same issue. Opening on a stressed Marge, it shows a sped-up version of her daily routine. Like a perfect storm, the combination of practical jokers on the radio, heavy traffic, a rude tailgater and Maggie, who spills her bottle of milk all over Marge and the car, lead to her breaking point. Stopping her car in the middle of a bridge and creating gridlocked traffic in both directions, local newsman Kent Brockman shows up to report on the situation. It is at this point that the gender issues discussed in Ann Crittenden’s “The Price of Motherhood” are brought to light as Brockman states, “An overworked and under-appreciated housewife has snapped and parked her car on a bridge.” Eventually, Homer arrives at the scene and pleads with Marge to come home, promising to help out more. Marge agrees, but insists on having a vacation for herself.

While vacationing at Rancho Relaxo, Homer struggles with tending to the children and the home. In some shows, Marge would be called back early to help restore “proper” order to the house, but instead, Marge finishes her vacation. Homer desperately tries to put the house together so it would appear that things were fine in her absence. Instead, the image of perfection at home that Homer wants to recreate is contrasted with the “real”, when Marge holds up a photo of her family (one in which everyone is well groomed) and lowers it to reveal the unkempt group waiting for her. The episode ends with Marge stating that she expects more help from everyone around the house to lessen her own stress level, and everyone agrees to pitch in. However, it seems that while the show highlighted the labor involved with taking care of the home, which has long been devalued or unacknowledged, the show seems to fall back upon the well-established gender norms for a resolution.

In season six, women’s roles outside the home are addressed in the episode “The Springfield Connection” (#2F21). In this episode, Marge has a knife pulled on her by the petty thief Snake, and during a rush of adrenaline, she successfully defends herself. After her exciting brush with danger, Marge struggles to find thrills in her life as a homemaker. Eventually, Marge goes down to the police station and announces that she wants to join the police force. Later that evening when Marge shares her news with Homer, it is obvious that Homer subscribes to the idea of polarized gender roles. He states, “Marge, you being a cop makes you the man, which makes me the woman, and I have no interest in that.” Marge quickly reassures Homer that there is no need for him to feel threatened, an acknowledgment of the idea that the feminism is a threat patriarchy.

Marge successfully completes training and becomes one of the best cops on the force, but she finds that her success comes at a price. Outcast by the town, it is Homer who finally voices his complaint: “You’ve become such a cop. Not that long ago, you were so much more to me. You were a cleaner of pots, a sewer of buttons, an unplugger of hairy clogs.” Marge replies, “I’m still all those things, only now I’m cleaning up the city, sewing together the social fabric, and unplugging the clogs of our legal system.” Homer, locked into the binary gender roles, asks “You’re cooking what for dinner?” Later, Marge writes a ticket for Homer’s car parked across three handicapped spots, but Homer simply claims that she is not a real cop, taking her police hat off and verbally mocking her. Embarrassed in front of the crowd that has gathered, Marge demonstrates the realness of her job by arresting Homer. Now fighting, it is only when Homer discovers that a counterfeit jeans operation is being run out of his garage that he realizes the role Marge plays as a cop. Following a dramatic chase scene, Marge successfully captures the criminal. But just like in “Homer Alone” this progressive ending is undone when after seeing all of the other cops trying on the illegal denim, she says “There’s too much corruption on this force,” and quits, returning the characters to their status quo.

Despite this “return to normalcy” at the conclusion of these episodes, I find it inspiring that these issues are receiving greater exposure in mass media. While we have established how enormously successful the show has been, I think it is important to consider what this means for episodes like those discussed here. Many of the viewers will not have taken a women’s studies class where they would be exposed to feminist ideas like undervalued motherhood and the rigidity of gender norms in marital relationships, but these episodes are able to reach a wide audience and hopefully, will inspire a discourse of some sort. The Simpsons continues to air today and even in the most recent episodes, they have managed to slip in quite a few references to feminist ideas (most recently Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex and the idea of women as the objects of men). Matt Groening himself has stated that he sees the show continuing for many more years, and for me, that means more opportunities to reach those unfamiliar with the ideas of feminism and maybe change some minds.

The Right Woman for the Job

2008-04-25T14:59:00.001-04:00

Is America ready to have a female leader? There are many people who believe that the feminist movement is over, however, there is a woman who actively displays the continuance of this movement. Many people do not realize that her attempt to become the first female president will narrow the gap of respect between male and female. Contemplate the fact that a woman might win the presidency. This will help end the misconception that women are subservient to men. When Hillary Clinton declared her candidacy, sexism in America revealed itself prominently. This began the notion that the feminist movement continues. Hillary’s success in the presidential race will be gauged on how well she portrays herself as an individual. Hillary’s success will be portrayed through her ideals as a third- wave feminist, influences growing up in the second- wave, and her impact on the fourth-wave.

Third- wave feminism exists due to apparent failures and backlash against initiatives and movements created by the second-wave. Susan Faludi wrote a book, Backlash, which discusses the spread of negative stereotypes against career-minded women. Faludi states that people who believe that “a woman’s place is in the home, looking after the kids” are hypocrites because they are exactly like the women they condemn. Hillary is chastised for being a woman of power, and her struggle for success is being diminished by ignorant people. While campaigning in New Hampshire two men shouted, “Iron my shirts!” from the large crown. She responded, “Ah, the remnants of sexism,” then stated, “alive and well (Fortini).” Hillary prides herself in her individualism. Because she is career-oriented and has had quick success throughout her political career, people feel threatened of her. For a woman who has been a successful attorney, served 7 years as one of New York’s Senators, and currently coming off a victory in the Pennsylvania primaries, she is enjoying the fruits of her labor. Faludi has stated she is, “a joy of female independence (Chaudry).” It seems the more people neglect and criticize her success the more she strives for it.

In Jennifer Baumgardner’s and Amy Richards’, Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future, Hillary exemplifies certain parts of the Manifesta. The 11^th part of the Manifesta discusses how equalizing pay for jobs with worth, and how the workplace should be responsive to individual’s wants, needs and talents (Baumgardner & Richards, 628). The Manifesta is a call to action in a sense, and she takes advantage of the opportunities that were presented to her. Another aspect that relates to Hillary is in the 12 part of the Manifesta. It states that women share the same goal of equality, and support other women in order to gain power so they are able to make their own choices. This is relative to Hillary because she repeatedly denied Bill Clinton’s marriage proposal because she wanted to assume a career in Washington D.C. Though she eventually moved with him to Arkansas, she resumed her career in law (Fortini). Consequently, Hillary’s characteristics of a third- wave feminist are contributed by second-wave influences.

Growing up in the second- wave molded Hillary in to the person she is today.

Hillary was born in the baby boom generation. That particular generation grew up being told to stay at home with their children and instead of venturing into the workplace. This caused a rebellion of traditional thought. Those who thought for themselves were thought to be rebels of sort. They continued to question the “choice” they made. This led to boomer women constantly questioning the choices they were making, thus leading to more and more women thinking about filling a void in their lives. This void caused women to become more educated, more career driven, and especially more successful. Second-wave feminists claim that the efforts that helped revolutionize America and promote women's status declined as the political and social climate became stagnant (Friedlin). However, Hillary has distanced herself from the norms society has placed on her by working hard. It may seem that the movement is stagnant, but there are many women like her who have distinguished themselves like Condoleezza Rice and Nancy Pelosi. In response to the “stagnant” movement Jennifer Baumgardner indicated the third-wave movement is the response of the failures in the second- wave. Evidently, ideas like this assert the fact that women, such as Hillary, are continuing to make a difference not only for themselves but also for future generations.

Patricia Ireland of the National Organization for Women, states Hillary Clinton, has made most of the money in her family, and she knows what she is doing. Also she exemplifies woman who in a way symbolizes the mature understanding of all '60s activists (Mundy, 7). Ireland states “The feminist movement has always been about women’s ability to make their own choices.” Clearly, Hillary has made her own choices and has made an everlasting impact on society. This impact on society has led to her possible mark on the incipient stages of the fourth- wave of feminism.

The fourth-wave of feminism can be seen as the final and most important push for equality. Having a woman in the White House would steer our society as a whole in that direction. With the possibility of a woman leading the most powerful nation in the world, it is not absurd to think that there will be an even keel for men and women. Hillary’s possible presidency will cause a chain reaction for women in all parts of the world. Women will try to succeed in all ways that they can, and they will feel that there are no impediments that will obstruct their path to success. Women have commented on a possible fourth- wave. One woman stated that there will be defined in many ways and not just one. A woman and man can finds ways to coexist rather than find separate vices in one another (Maria). With Hillary’s impact this far into the election, women all over the world are beginning to believe that societal norms are beginning to dwindle. Younger generations understand that sex is not a justifiable way to judge leadership. However, there are problems seen with the third- wave, motioning the fact that there will be a fourth-wave.

One common issue raised by critics is that there is no single cause for third-wave feminism. The first-wave fought for the women’s right to vote. The second-wave obtained the right for women to have equal opportunity in the workforce and ended legal sex discrimination (Fortini). However, the third-wave of feminism lacks a unified goal, and it is often seen as a branch of the second-wave. The problem is also seen in that third-wave feminism does not have a clear distinction from second-wave feminism. The biggest goal for third-wave feminists is to try to unify all feminists towards one common goal. This is quite difficult, which has led to the subsequent waves. Hillary has done this successfully. She has found a way to create an unusual alliance that belies the pre- and post-boomer generational divide propounded by the media (Fortini). If Hillary wins the presidency, the post-Hillary shift in consciousness, can be dubbed the Hillary-movement because of its impact. This will give solutions to the problems the third-wave has generated, and possibly augment the third- wave or start a fourth-wave. There has been pressure towards Clinton to compose a speech on gender similar to that of Obama’s race speech. However, she felt she needed to go in another direction. Clinton confronts the malevolence of sexism and speaks out against the societal qualms that affect women. She denounces the unfair criteria by which women are unjustly judged by. A political strategy that would possibly increase her chances of winning may include the compromises she has made regarding her struggles as a woman succeeding in American politics. Fourth-wave feminism can be seen as a positive thing for all women and men because it will allow society to progress because ignorant, traditional thoughts will be see as a thing of the past. Hillary has made her mark in the political field and academia, but she has the opportunity to cement her name in feminist lore.

People say that Hillary is running for office for selfish reasons. They have a point in a sense, if they are looking at one side of the spectrum. With everything against her, Hillary has found a way to quell negativity and achieve great things in her life. Getting married did not stop her, having a child did not stop her, and attempting to become the first female president in U.S. history will not stop her from achieving the greatest honor of all, recognition. At this point in her life, Hillary has achieved so much and probably more so than anyone would imagine. Her success is a tribute to her hard work, principles, and most importantly her desire to be different. If Hillary decides to quit campaigning for whatever reason, she not only hurts herself, but she jeopardizes every possible female candidate in the future. She realizes she must put forth more effort than Obama to win the nomination, thus making her that much of a formidable candidate. Her ideals have separated her from other women, thus she has achieved more than most other women. Mundy states it best, “In other words, we can continue to see Hillary Clinton not only as a feminist but as symbolic of the contemporary women's movement itself (Mundy, 7).” Therefore; women can achieve anything a man can. 100 years ago men said a woman did not deserve to be in office, and now 100 years later there is a strong possibility of a woman sitting in the Oval Office, how times have changed and so will this world.

Hobbling the Masses: Oprah's Role in Assisting Patriarchy

2008-04-25T14:48:00.000-04:00

For millions of American women, Oprah Winfrey is the go-to source for advice on everything from literature to fashion to spirituality. In fact, “live your best life” is her mantra and her mission. Oprah transmits her message from nearly every possible form of public media--television, books, magazines, radio, and the internet. According to her mission statement, the goal of O Magazine, for example, is “to speak and connect to women in a way no other publication ever has. To help women see every experience and challenge as an opportunity to grow and discover their best self. To convince women that the real goal is becoming more of who they really are. To embrace their life” (Oprah.com). There is no doubt that Oprah has been a positive influence in the lives of many women, but I will argue that her stated goals are sometimes inconsistent with the image she portrays to the public. Specifically, her treatment of fashionable footwear, which in contemporary times applies almost exclusively to high heels, is paradoxical at best. Oprah is celebrated for her very real struggles with living up to an unrealistic standard of beauty, but by wearing high heels in nearly every public setting--shoes she freely admits to being unable to walk in--she is indirectly supporting the same patriarchal notions of beauty and femininity that have been used against women in the past. As someone regarded as the preeminent role model for young girls today, Oprah’s endorsement of high heels is harmful to both individual females and to the feminist movement at large.

Although Oprah is now omnipresent in the media, she initially found her success as a talk show host in the 1980s. According to Elayne Rapping, positions of power have been more accessible to women in the television industry than in film. She says, “the lower on the ladder of artistic respectability a cultural form is deemed, the more open it is likely to be to women, racial minorities, and gays” (20). In her article she argues that television programming, including talk shows and soap operas, has always been first to present gender issues in an enlightened way, but since the 1970s we have seen a disturbing reversal of the trend. Shows with a feminist spin like Roseanne and Murphy Brown have been replaced with sentimental nostalgia in Judging Amy and Providence (Rapping 21). “We can’t overlook,” Rapping writes, “the bizarre transformation of Oprah Winfrey, who once led the pack in treating serious issues of race, class and gender in a relatively progressive way, but has suddenly transformed herself into an almost equally sappy purveyor of fashion make-overs” (21). Postfeminism and backlash are at least partially to blame for this transition; the consensus that the feminist struggle has already been won and the demonization of the f-word have given many young females the impression that the prevalence of beauty fluff in the media is simply the nature of the culture in which we live. Obsession with hair, clothes, makeup, shoes? “That’s what you have to do to be successful,” one of Rapping’s students said (21).

Few would allege that Oprah is not a feminist. Although I find no record of her explicitly identifying herself as such, her mission statement, the political candidates she endorses, the causes she supports, and the image she exudes all seem to imply that she is a confident self-sufficient female activist who champions women’s rights. However, Oprah also prompts many questions about beauty and appearance. The widely-publicized issues with her weight have motivated many women to reconsider their fitness and their self esteem; in all media outlets, Oprah stresses the importance of loving one’s body. Rarely, however, does she discuss the role of artificiality in this exercise. She says she wants to promote the ability of women become more of who they really are, but for herself that includes Spanx, hours of hair and makeup before each television appearance, and high heels. If we are to follow Oprah’s example, self esteem can only be achieved by meeting the conventional standards of attractiveness in our society, standards that I contend exist for the pleasure of the males who occupy most positions of power.

So when did fashion triumph over function? Bipedality is arguably the most important adaptation in the history of human evolution; walking on two feet preceded the enormous brain growth we enjoy today, and our feet now contain one-third of the bones in our bodies (Smith 251). From all the evidence, it seems clear that mobility was vital for our ancestors. The first shoe, crude sandals, did not appear until about nine thousand years ago, but the need for specialized footwear increased as humans migrated into more hostile climates (Smith 253). Without going too in-depth in the history of high heels, it is estimated that they were invented by the Greek tragedian Aeschylus for his hero actors and were later popularized by male members of the French aristocracy (253-255). Soon, however, men would leave the fashion to the ladies and return to more sensible footwear.

In his article, “High Heels and Evolution,” E. O. Smith describes in detail the harmful effects of high heels on a woman’s body. I will note here that the information he provides is reinforced by podiatrists and can be easily obtained on the internet, including Oprah’s website. Besides the pain and discomfort caused by forcing the foot into an unnatural position, high heels can cause fractures, bunions, back and neck pain, postural changes, reduced mobility, increased energetic demands, a shortened Achilles tendon, and a reduced arch that, over time, will prevent one from ever wearing flats again (Smith 257-266). Smith says that high heels, in the classic Darwinian sense, can be considered detrimental to survival because of the problems they cause. Indeed, there is a case in which two young women, both wearing high heels, were killed in a freak train accident, possibly because their shoes prevented them from moving away from the car on a gravel surface (“Train Accident”). On the other hand, Smith admits there are long-term evolutionary benefits to wearing high heels; in the great tradition of sexual selection, high heels are an example of a cultural adaptation designed to make the wearer more attractive to the opposite sex, not dissimilar from the plumes of peacocks or the use of non-essential decorative nesting materials in other birds (247-248). What Smith does not emphasize is that these flamboyant displays typically appear only in males (outside the human species) as adaptations to meet the demands of choosy females rather than the other way around.

According to Sheila Jeffreys, the unnatural position caused by wearing high heels, with buttocks thrust outward, the back arched, and the full weight of the woman’s body resting on the ball of the foot, creates the illusion of a longer leg (and to many men, a sexier image). In her book, Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural Practices in the West, Jeffreys devotes an entire chapter to men’s shoe fetishism and persuasively argues for an end to cultural traditions that are based on controlling female sexuality. Isn’t that allegation a little extreme for shoes? Judging from the message boards on Oprah’s website, that is exactly what many women seem to think. Although there are a few ardent fans of stability, most regard heels as a necessary evil, refusing to sacrifice style or allure in favor of comfort. Several attest to wearing heels until they are out of sight and can slip them off with great relief. Overall, however, I was struck by how flippant most of the remarks were; one individual wrote, “indeed its[sic] a disciplin[sic]...some women are more willing to put up with the torture than others. I on occasion have suffered my poor feet in the name of looking good lol” (Oprah.com).

For such people, Oprah has conveniently archived information on how to avoid high heel-related pain, including preventative tips and calf exercises. Oprah herself certainly has no plans to fight the trend, even though when discussing her footwear she says, “I have to tell you, no exaggeration. I complain about it every day” (Oprah.com). She has gone to great lengths to advertise the Cole Haan Nike Air line of “comfortable” three and four-inch pumps on television and online as well as in her magazine. Designed by a former architect, Gordon Thompson, the shoes contain an “air bag” that cushions the foot in the shoe, but they fail to address the problems with bending the foot into the extreme position that high heels demand in the first place. “Today is a new day,” raved Oprah as she interviewed Thompson on her show, “this is life changing!”

Jeffreys would probably have a different interpretation. Accommodating such a harmful cultural practice is hardly a revolution. According to Jeffreys, there are several ways in which high heels fulfill the dictates of patriarchy: heels clarify gendered difference, evidence female fragility by providing a contrast to sturdy male shoes, and create a visual symbol of what is attractive or feminine as determined by males in power (128). Although American women may believe they are making a choice when they strap on the stilettos, the positive feedback they receive is merely the male approval awarded for complying with systemic standards of gendered beauty already in place. The system of rewards and punishments is not confined to the American subconscious alone, though. For example, a 2001 court ruling upheld the legality of a newly-implemented Harrah’s Casino policy that requires female employees to wear makeup and heels while on the job. Darlene Jesperson, a loyal employee of over twenty years, was fired because she refused to comply with the new “Personal Best” policy (Grams). Those in power are officially mandating misogyny.

The prevalence of high heels in fashion indicates that many women do feel as though the shoes are an enhancement, that they do bring out something of one’s personal best. Women claim that they feel more attractive and confident when wearing heels, but few stop to consider how this display is received. In addition to addressing the unnatural posture caused by wearing high heels, Jeffreys discusses the accompanying gait that men seem to find so attractive. When walking in heels, it is nearly impossible to run, jump, or do anything other than taking short steps--this, like the effect of wearing a tight skirt, creates a “mincing gait” that is appealing to many men (140). Foot fetishist William Rossi says that this sort of step evokes the historic concept of female bondage, which suggests, as Jeffreys remarks with grim profundity, that “men get excited, then, at seeing women walking like slaves in shackles” (140). As if this were not distressing enough, patriarchal society employs “womanblaming” as a tactic to obscure the male sense of accountability; that is, high heels could be said to be a tradition passed down from mother to daughter rather than a demand directly imposed by a male authority figure (145-144). Within this context, Oprah is not responsible for the physical and metaphorical crippling of millions of American women, but her approval of high heels reduces her to a tool in the hands of our male-dominated society.

At least some of Jeffreys’ motivation for writing the book must stem from our lack of cultural objectivity, and she draws some alarming parallels to Chinese footbinding in her chapter about foot fetishism. The original purpose of the practice was to prevent young women from running away from home before they could be married off, and thus existed as a method of controlling female sexuality (146). Like heels, footbinding “creates stereotyped roles for men and women, it emerges from the subordination of women and is for the benefit of men, it is justified by tradition, and it clearly harms the health of women and girl children” (147-148). Jeffreys goes on to cite some who argue that the practice can only only be understood within its cultural context; despite its misogynistic origins, footbinding lies at the center of a rich array of rituals that celebrate female skill and identity. One could, of course, make the same argument for daughters playing dress-up with Mom’s makeup and shoes. Many western men also believe that wearing high heels somehow stimulates a woman’s genital area and increases her libido, which resembles the Chinese foot fetishist assumption that footbinding creates layers in the vagina that make intercourse more exciting (Jeffreys 140). Such beliefs have had no merit in the past, though recent research done by Italian urologist Dr. Maria Cerruto suggests that wearing high heels of greater than two inches strengthens the pelvic floor muscles, which can assist in sexual performance and satisfaction (“Improve Sex Life”). Few podiatrists would agree, however, that the potential benefits of wearing high heels outweigh the physical damage that they cause.

The comparison to footbinding may seem dramatic, but the similarities between the two cultural practices make it clear that patriarchy is relatively uniform no matter how surprising its manifestations might be. It is important to remember how thoroughly we are conditioned by our culture and its traditions. High heels do not seem strange to Americans because they have been integral to female fashion for as long as anyone can remember; the trend is reinforced by celebrities like Oprah who desire or feel a responsibility to project a specific image that has been developed over the years. It is also very possible that Oprah has considered all of these issues and has other reasons for perpetuating the high heel standard. We are, however, still living in a time where physical appearance is valued over quality and substance, and that is the education we provide to each successive generation. Even with a relatively trivial thing like footwear, Oprah has a tremendous opportunity to counter the beauty standard currently in place. Just as she forced the public to accept her body no matter how much her weight fluctuated, she has the power to demand that women be accepted in their natural state without being hobbled for the sake of fashion. Oprah is already an excellent role model, but consider what she could get done if she could only walk around.

Being wives or being successful? You Choose.

2008-04-25T14:31:00.003-04:00

In 1972 Ira Levin wrote a novel which in my mind is one of the most anti-feminist pieces ever written. His book spawned two movies, and although slightly different than the book, they still showcase women in a very demeaning manner. It is the epitome of what feminists are trying to stop. Although I have never had the chance to read the novel, I have seen both of the movies that are based on the book. They both make me wonder: Are gender roles still so prominent after so many decades of feminist progress? And why do successful women think that they have to give up their careers to please their husbands? I believe that the answer to this question lies in the social beliefs that women should be second to men. Men should work and “bring home the bacon” and women should stay at home, raise the kids, and keep the house clean. The prevalence of gender roles within the marriages in this movie is very patriarchal; the men are in charge. The most recent movie had many successful independent actresses in today’s society playing many of the “obedient” women of the movie, which I believe is ironic because they seem to be very independent women, not relying on anyone but themselves. In this paper I will argue how The Stepford Wives is a step back in the eyes of feminists, with regards to erasing gender roles in today society.
The movie begins with the introduction Joanna, played by Nicole Kidman, a very successful television producer. However she is fired and has a nervous breakdown. She then moves to the quiet town of Stepford, Connecticut with her husband and two kids. In Stepford all the men are “nerds” but yet are married to beautiful young blondes, whom she refers to as “Barbie’s”, who serve their husbands hand and foot. Their only job is to cook, clean, and have sex with their husbands. She soon realizes that all the women seem to be non-human when she notices sparks coming from the neck of one of the wives after overdoing a dance. The wives are perky and happy all the time, living only to please their husbands. Another woman, sarcastic writer Bobbie Markowitz, played by Bette Midler, arrives and she too is skeptical of the women in the town. Joanna and Bobbie do some detective work and sneak into the Stepford Men’s Club. Although no hard evidence is found, the men’s club only entices the women to continue questioning everyone in the town. They are both very disbelieving of the whole situation and they find that they are really the only two “normal” women in the town. Joanna’s skepticism is confirmed when Bobbie is suddenly one of the blissful wives of Stepford. She is turned from a sarcastic writer to a blonde, knitting, cooking, cleaning wife. We come to find out that all the women have been turned into robots that live only to perform meaningless domestic tasks and be seduced by their husbands when they come home. In the end we find that Joanna’s husband likes her just as she is and can’t make himself turn her into a robot. They uncover the mystery behind Stepford when everyone, including the men, realizes that the mastermind behind the whole town and the whole “perfect” woman is a woman.
My criticism of this movie is that we find that the founder of this “cult” is in fact a successful business woman who felt that she wasn’t good enough because she wasn’t following the society’s norms. According to China Daily the media “continue[s] to propagate the traditional stereotypes of male superiority and women’s dependence on men.” Stepford Wives is a classic example of this, the women are very submissive and dependent on the men to do everything other than cook, clean, and raise kids. These women are much more successful than their husbands, but they feel as though their husbands should be the ones in charge and making more money. Because of social stereotypes, some women feel that they should be inferior to men. The China Daily goes onto say that “the media have a responsibility to help change traditional stereotypes, advocate gender equality and promote progress.” This piece of media does not do that. It does the opposite, it encourages submissiveness. Women have had the idea that they are supposed to be submissive ingrained into her mind from a very young age. Submissiveness has been encouraged towards women for as long as the patriarchal society has been in place. According to the article, Getting to the Source: Hints for Wives… and Husbands, Martha Wright responded to an article saying , “that ‘obedience is a very small part of conjugal duty’ and to please her husband much more was required, including ‘unremitting kindness’ and ‘a cheerful smile’.” These words are what have shaped the way women in society think they should be and it is seen in the Stepford Wives movie by how this woman, the creator of Stepford, felt that she wasn’t doing her “job” so she created a world where every woman fulfilled their wifely duties.
The idea that a woman created this community of blissful and obedient women is not new. The nation of India is similar to the Stepford community in the idea that it is run by women, yet women are still discriminated against in both cases. This shows that discrimination by women of themselves is not just in movies but in reality. Joanna’s quest to show that women can be accepted as they are proves that it is not only men, but women as well who must work to change the gender roles and the stereotypes and accept women as they are.
The Stepford Wives movie has been leaked into today’s society. In an article written by the National Ledger, they talk about how actresses become submissive, “Stepford Wives,” when they get married to these powerful actors or other famous people. They use the example of Katie Holmes. When interviewed they said she was “dazed, passive and vacant. She never stopped smiling." Since she has married Tom cruise she is rarely seen without him or their daughter. She is always doing her wifely duties, and no matter what she is always dressed to perfection with a smile on her face. This is just one example of how this movie has affected society in an anti-feminist way.
Although this movie is mostly anti-feminist, it does have its moments where you see the progress that the feminist movement has achieved. In the end the fact that Joanna’s husband liked her how she is, shows that some of the feminist ideals have seeped into men’s brains. Anita Chandrasekaran said that “Marriage is a partnership between equals…Now women can live independently and be successful,” and I believe that this is shown in this part of the Stepford Wives. Joanna has accepted it and so has her husband. It is no longer necessary to try and be the “perfect” woman.
Stepford Wives, in my mind, is a very controversial piece of anti-feminist media. It has changed women back to the point where they only live to serve their husbands. The progress towards erasing gender roles in society, by feminists, is completely gone in this film. The wives of Stepford, Connecticut are the epitome of what feminist are trying to stop. Women shouldn’t be confined to just the kitchen, but should be able to do as they want and be successful business women. They should be able to be more successful than their husbands without the stereotypical gender roles telling them that they aren’t “real” women because they are successful. Being confined by traditional gender roles is not a way of life.

By Megan Looby

L. Jayne: Real Women Have Curves: An Illustration of Third Wave Feminist Agenda

2008-04-25T14:27:00.011-04:00

America Ferrera may be recognized by many for her role in the prime-time sitcom Ugly Betty, however, before this debut that led her to television stardom, Ferrera stared in the movie Real Women Have Curves. Ferrera portrayed the character of Ana, a teenager who struggles to establish and maintain her own independence and self image as a Latina-American growing up in East Los Angeles. Ana struggles with typical teenage issues in her last summer before college, however, her struggles are compiled by her individual struggle as a young woman with feminist ideals in a culture rooted with patriarchal tradition. Through a feminist Third-Wave perspective, Real Women Have Curves illuminates the struggles often faced by young Latina-American women in the United States; illustrating the conflict among the family when pursuing higher education, the pressure to be married, familial and societal tensions about relationships and sexual activity, and the dominant ever-present issue of body image.

Pursuing education is a reoccurring theme in the film. Ana is a self motivated and determined student. She takes a combination of city buses to get to school everyday. Her high school is known for it's high quality education and is very selective. Throughout the film, Ana's neighborhood is portrayed to be populated with people of lower socioeconomic status. It is never clearly stated in the film that the local school districts are inadequate, but one must assume this in order to understand the measures which Ana takes to arrive at school each day.

In addition to her strong motivation for doing well in high school, Ana was motivated to pursue a college education. With the mentoring and motivation of her instructor, Ana completes her college applications and is accepted to Columbia University on a full scholarship. One assumes that to many parents this would be a dream come true, however Ana does not receive this same approval from her own parents. The film portrays the parents to be aloof and relatively unconcerned with their daughter's education. Ana's mother is convinced that she can teach her daughter all she needs to know in order to have a successful life, more specifically a satisfied husband and family. Ana's father is proud of his daughter's ability, but does not want to see his family separated by the distance between Los Angeles and New York. These concerns and expectations that Ana's parents hold for their daughter are not uncommon within the Latino community. They also should not be confused with disinterest in their child's education. Researchers and scholars urge that in order to have a more educated and diverse society, there must be an understanding to the cultural logic of the parent's decision making (Auerbach, p 1).

“The cultural schema of educacion has a powerful impact on how Latino immigrant parents participate in their children's education. This broad term encompasses moral training, based in the home, as well as academic training, based in the school, with the former a condition for the latter. (The) Parents' role is to provide the strong moral foundation, without which school learning is seen as impossible or irrelevant. A child who is bien educado/a (well-educated/well-mannered) is a good person with correct behavior and a respectful manner (respeto) who follows the beun camino (right path) in life, including doing well in school. With this schema, it is not surprising that many immigrant parents see their role primarily as educational motivators and encouragers (sic) (Auerbach, p 4).

Ana's mother attempts to use her family as leverage to keep Ana at home, and educate Ana in a tradition that, in her mother's eyes, is completely satisfactory. Ana's internal conflict with this decision, the conflict with her parents, and her ultimate decision to attend Columbia University exemplify the amazing weight and importance that education has as a Third Wave agenda for the feminist community.

In the eyes of Ana's mother, a college education is not the top priority and she is determined to make this clear to her daughter. Throughout the film, Ana's mother is displayed as a character that fits the stereotype that Americans hold of Latina women. She is uneducated, prideful, and stubborn. She holds a true concern for the well being of her children, though this may be misunderstood as controlling and overbearing behavior. Ana's mother has a strong desire to see both of her daughter's married for several reasons. With her own experience, she feels this is the best situation for her children. Her culture is deeply rooted in a patriarchal tradition. Women are meant to care for the home and family, her concern for her daughters is an expression of her fulfilling her expected role as a woman and a mother. Mother's are expected to raise good daughters that will make good wives. A college education is secondary, and not necessary to the mindset of Ana's mother. Ana's mother has grave concern for her daughter's desire to become educated. Her mother has developed an opinion, from her own life experience, that educated women struggle to find husbands. These ideas are only reinforced by the novellas (soap operas) avidly viewed by the family. If a woman desires to marry, she must be a virgin, uneducated, fit the beauty standard, and most importantly, listen to the words of her mother. However, Ana's mother's opinions also serve to reflect the tension in blending first generation immigrant culture with that of American society and expectations of American Third-Wave feminists. Research shows that, “as the days of households headed by a single breadwinner have faded into the past, a potential spouse's education and earning potential have become more attractive”(Rabovsky, p 11). Ana embodies this American Third-Wave mindset despite the fact that it is in a staunchly clear contrast to the advice and lessons of her mother. Many times her mother's advice only serves to promote the continuance of the established system of patriarchy and discrimination that Ana desperately desires to escape.

If Ana's mother did not have enough objections to the trends of American society and their influence on her daughter, sexual liberation is yet another to add to the list. Sex and the pressure to be sexually active has become a daily presence in American pop culture. Media and pop culture display sexual images and sexual stereotypes whenever given the opportunity, mainly as a way to create profit. However the media must realize with the benefit of monetary profit comes the responsibility of accepting and understanding that they are partially responsible for a sexually confused American youth. Images of teenagers engaging in sexual activity can be found anywhere, from television to clothing adds. Parents, doctors, and schools stress attempt to express opposing messages. With schools now encouraging abstinence rather than education, parents and public health officials are left with a heavier burden of educating sexually active young people about the risks and consequences that can arise from sexual activity. Some may see Ana's first sexual experiences as a reflection of this confused culture. However, a third wave feminist perspective may see that Ana's decision to become sexually active is a symbol of reclaiming her own power. Ana's family situation, gender and age constantly pin her in
situations where she is told what to do. To become sexually active is her own choice, and is an act of reclaiming her sexual freedom in a positive light. In her cultural traditions, she has committed a horrible taboo, she lost her virginity before her wedding night. However, Ana shows no sign of regretting her decision, rather she finds the courage to stand up to her mother. Ana's actions reiterate the opinion among some Third-Wave feminists that, “younger women insisted that...liberating themselves sexually was their generation's way of resisting patriarchal culture” (Siegel, p 148).

Several times throughout the film Ana is confronted by her mother with damaging and self limiting phrases of “If you just lost some weight...”, or “You're so pretty but...”(Caroso). For girls, their teenage years are formative in constructing their self image. With the pressures of media and pop culture, unrealistic body images are continually reinforced to the point that they become destructive to a girl's developing attitude. This effect is only complicated when a young girl is attempting to process two conflicting cultures with two conflicting attitudes of beauty. “Although cross-cultural comparisons of body image outcomes are limited in their ability to illuminate the mechanisms of Latina body image development, this literature clearly indicates that body image is a real concern for Latina adolescents” (Schooler, p 134). Studies have shown that Latina girls struggle with an added bi-cultural element of conflict for their body image.

“Contextualizing Latina girls' body image development requires an appreciation of these two sets of values and an understanding of the process by which Latina girls traverse the borders between them. Girls who are more acculturated into mainstream American culture may be more likely to endorse the dominant thin ideal; because this ideal is unattainable to nearly all girls, regardless of ethnicity, these girls may feel worse about their own bodies than girls who are less acculturated and who endorse a Latino/a body ideal” (Schooler, p 136).

While the scope of this class focused on the White ideal of beauty, studies have demonstrated that Latina girls stand at a crossroads of beauty: the White standard of beauty, and the more flexible Black standards of beauty. “Frequent viewing of mainstream television was associated with decreases in body image across adolescence. Frequent viewing of Black-oriented television was associated with greater body satisfaction...” ( Schooler, p 133).

Body image and satisfaction typically are huge factors in the mindset and attitudes of many female teenagers. A negative body image can hinder a young woman's progress in life. Ana embraces Third Wave thinking and overcomes any qualms she may have with her body image and encourages her friends to do the same.

Ana's character is unique because she continually rises to meet every challenge she faces within a patriarchal Latino and American society. The fact that Ana rises to face every challenge gives her character a sense of omnipotent depth. Ana seems almost super-human in her ability to shake off the influences of patriarchy from her everyday life. Ana's character, as a result of these abilities, takes on a stronger influence as a symbol of Third Wave feminist ideology. Despite the many challenges she faces, she creates her own options; which results in her working for and creating her own equality. The movie, Real Women Have Curves, serves as a consciousness raising effort for Third Wave feminist agenda as well as a motivator for young girls that face some, if not all, of Ana's challenges to aspire for equality and opportunity.

Works Cited

Auerbach, Susan. “'If the Student is Good, Let Him Fly'; Moral Support for College Among Latino Immigrant Parents.” Journal of Latinos and Education (2006) 275-292.

Ferrera, America, perf. Real Women Have Curves. Dir. Patricia Caroso. HBO Films, 2002.

NEA Today, "Smarties Get Hitched." National Education Association March 2005 11. 20 April 2008.

Peterson, Rachel D., Grippo, Karen P., Stacey, Tantleff-Dunn. "Empowerment and Powerlessness: A Closer Look at the Relationship Between Feminism, Body Image and Eating Disturbance." Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 10 January 2008 639-649. 20 April 2008.

Schooler, Deborah. "Real Women Have Curves: A Longitudinal Investigation of TV and the Body Image Development of Latina Adolescents." Journal of Adolescent Research (2008) 132-154. 20 April 2008 <http://jar.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/23/2/132>.

Siegel, Deborah. “Sisterhood, Interrupted From Radical Women to Grrls Gone Wild”. Palgrave Macmillan. 140-148.

Adams: Life Can't Wait

2008-04-25T13:49:00.004-04:00

Many Americans extra time today consists of sitting in front of a television and entertaining themselves with public media that society deems as an enjoyable past time. The mass media – including televisions, commercials, and printed material – today is giving women a false sense of what beauty should be. Many times the mass media portrays women in a way that seems unreachable by many. Sunsilk Shampoo came out with a new advertisement campaign that challenges women and those who use the shampoo with the slogan that “Life Can’t Wait!” The commercial presents famous female icons including Marilyn Monroe, Shakira, and Madonna all singing their individual songs while the advertisement pops in the little saying of “Life Can’t Wait.” Sunsilk also had a contest running along with this advertisement for women who have taken charge of their life and done something about it, whether it is a single mom raising children to unintentionally fighting breast cancer. Through this commercial and contest, Sunsilk has encouraged women to question and realize the typical beauty persona of today in order to better their own lives and also encourage women to do something for themselves because “Life Can’t Wait.” In this paper I will discuss what the “ideal” beauty image of a woman is, what women can do to go against the norm, and how this Sunsilk ad has helped open women’s eyes to the above and also maybe how they also contributed to the “ideal women” image.
The ideal women, who is she? As much of the mainstream media puts it she is tall, skinny, and beautiful. According to Hitchon, Park, and Yun in You Can Never Be too Thin – or Can You? today’s standards are starting to say that “notions of beauty involve beauty shape, skin color, and even the length of legs.” The same article also stated that with the preoccupation of unrealistic expectations of women’s weight, researchers also saw an increasing change in eating disorders. The idea of “merely being a woman in society means feeling too fat” (Hitchon, Park, and Yun). Sunsilk’s use of women typically known as common sex symbols plays into the ideal woman for society and that they need to change in order to become successful like these women. As many know though, in advertising and publications of women, many times the image is digitally enhanced to “beautify” women. This used to only be used when the woman in the photo was too large and flaws, now days it sometimes seems to be used to give a healthier appearance to those in the image. This is a step in a positive direction in trying to change the ideal woman’s image. Feministing.com has had posts on the topic of “photo-shopping up” and how many of today’s famous role models have “spoken about the concept that the media essentially commits ‘visual violence against women’ by often airbrushing against an actress’s will.” Some feminist and I will agree that the use of Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, and Shakira in the Sunsilk advertisement helps to promote the ideal woman image. Because all of these women were and are known for their beauty and sex appeal, Sunsilk is falling back on the social norm of beauty sells. The societal norm of enhancing images and using “sex symbols” makes it hard for feminists to express the positive message of being yourself without trying to change your image really is the true beautiful woman.
“Life Can’t Wait,” the slogan of the current campaign, to me means to take life by the horns and do something that does not conform to the social norm. Upon reading the Sunsilk’s MySpace page and the stories of the women that contributed to the contest they were holding, I came across one excerpt that caught my eye. There was a post by a thirty-seven year old woman who has had a family history involving breast cancer. This woman decided to take control of her life because of her history and have a preventive double mastectomy. She was not fazed by the societal norm of beauty. She was more inspired by the chance of living a longer and healthier life even if it meant altering her image in the opposite way than the normal. This woman actually had breast cancer, and unknowingly her decision that life can’t wait and not worrying about how she would look in society’s eye saved her life. According to Mathieson in her article Women with cancer and the meaning of body talk, “any inter change with the social world we inhabit can remind us that being ill carries a certain stigma and that body image seems to have been cast as a woman's issue,” which is problematic. I think that the contest that Sunsilk held helped women all over either share their stories of overcoming issues and also helped many to be inspired by the stories shared. The idea of women being proud of whom they are and the idea to take charge of their life with the slogan “Life Can’t Wait,” I feel was the main goal in the Sunsilk campaign.
As Naomi Wolf states in an excerpt of The Beauty Myth, “’Beauty’ is a currency system. Like any economy, it is determined by politics and is a belief system that keeps male dominance intact.” Wolf does a very good job in summing up the beauty problem we have today. If we keep portraying women the same way we have been without a significant change, then all the hard work that women and feminist up until this period in time is a waste. If numerous amounts of women come together to try and change something it is easier than fighting the battle solo. That is why even though Sunsilk has fallen back on the typical beauty image featured in their advertisement, they are at least trying and take a stand and get people motivated to make a change. “Life Can’t Wait,” stated by beautiful and successful women, gives other women hope that one day they feel the urge that they need to take control of their life and make a change.
Here is one of the advertisment:http://youtube.com/watch?v=0bvSQRTN8HY&feature=related
Here is a second one: http://youtube.com/watch?v=IHyaM7g8Ld4
And Here is Sunsilk's MySpace page address: http://www.myspace.com/lifecantwait

Baggio: Media Analysis

2008-04-25T12:39:00.001-04:00

The film Erin Brockovich has made over 125 million dollars in the US and is based on a true story of a woman struggling through life as a mother and a workingwoman (Wikipedia.com). Erin is a single mother, raising three children while trying to maintain a successful career as a secretary. Reviewing this movie through a feminist perspective, I argue that it contains ideas from both the second and third waves of feminism. It focuses on the issues from the second wave of motherhood and careers, but it also touches on issues of sexual empowerment from the third wave.
Erin is a strong, attractive woman in her early 40’s, trying to raise a family and gain a position of respect within the workplace, as well as try to discover her destiny. According to Elaine Roth, there are “many moral questions circulating in the USA at the turn of the millennium, such as whether mothers should work and whether corporations are corrupt”(CinemaSense.com). This film touches on these questions and provides evidence that women can indeed be excellent mothers while maintaining a successful career. Women can have relationships without feeling as though they have to fall into the traditional male and female roles. And women can use their sexual features to gain necessities, acknowledgment and an advantage over men.
First, there are issues from the second wave presented in which Erin challenges the traditional roles of males and females in relationships. Although she has been married and divorced twice, she now knows that she has the capability to care for herself and her children without the support of a man. True, she lets her male neighbor who she is having a relationship with baby-sit her children while she is working, but she refuses his offer for her to quit working. He wanted to be the one to provide for her and the children, and while this is a noble act, Erin decides she has to prove to herself and everyone else that she can care for them on her own. Giving in to the “traditional” relationship, in which a man provides for a woman, Erin would be devaluing herself and her abilities.
Another issue from the second wave of feminism that the film touches on is motherhood and the workforce. It was and still is a well-known fact that supposedly women cannot raise healthy and respectful children if she is working. “Erin must find the place to love them [her children] and still achieve her glory”(CinemaSense.com). The fight for the right to raise children and have a career has been around for decades, although it has not been as predominant as movement for sexual empowerment. But this movie reintroduces the audience the fact that equality within the workforce is far from being achieved and that we must continue fighting for what we deserve. Women have every right and all the capacity to instill good manners and morals within their children while making a profit within the workforce. Erin practically begs for the secretarial job, and in the beginning she struggles in preserving her relationships with her children, but in the end she learns to balance her career and the raising of her children.An issue raised in this film from the third wave of feminism is sexual empowerment. Erin Brockovich understands the power of her body and the effect that it has on men. She uses her sexual prowess to manipulate her male counterparts to complete tasks for her that they wouldn’t usually complete. Towards the middle of the movie, Erin needs to acquire some records that a young man is not allowed to release to her. After she unbuttons her shirt to reveal more of her chest and hikes up her skirt to reveal more of her legs, the young man allows her to have all of the records she would like. Women hold a spell over men in which they can attain almost anything they desire through their sexual attributes. Erin acknowledges these advantages and makes them worth her while. “The film heralds her as a good mother, primarily for her traditional ability to empathize, her scrappy resilience, and her work ethic”(Roth).
The film Erin Brockovich brings forth ideas from both important feminist eras. It doesn’t only center on sexual empowerment, a movement of the third and current wave of feminism, but it brings forward the issues of the second-wave as well. The film presents Erin as a strong-willed, determined woman, who will fight for her right to work while raising her children. This film is evidence that while it may seem that some issues have been forgotten in the modern fight for feminism, the issues never disappear.

Helveston: Media Analysis

2008-04-25T12:09:00.003-04:00

Happily Ever After: The Ending that is Damaging for Young Girls

Disney Movies, in particular animated movies, portray woman in very specific roles. All the leading females are beautiful and of royalty. Disney creates a little girls fantasy on the big screen, princesses living their lives and falling for prince charming. Even in college, girls like to watch these movies and dream of prince charming, white horses, and beautiful castles. For most part, these movies are merely entertainment that allows for an escape from reality and the possibility of a perfect fantasy. Most Disney movies with a leading female character have the same plot: girl meets boy, girls falls for boy, and they live happily ever after. Some movies with happily ever after endings include: Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, and Mulan. However, many feminists argue that Disney movies are anti–feminist and teach young girls to forfeit their values and assets for romance. The Little Mermaid and Mulan are two such movies where the girls compromise their characters and values for love; however, this is against feminist ideas, suggesting that women give up their true characters for men and a harsh society.
The Little Mermaid is a movie where the lead character Ariel gives up her life in order to love Prince Eric. Feminist Kathy Maio says, “Ariel will do anything to make the prince fall in love with her.” She gives up her voice to become a human, venture onto dry land, and find Eric. However, in the process of giving up her voice she is compromising her character all in the name of love. All that remains is the outer shell of beauty. A woman in this world should be appreciated for more than beauty. Frederica Mathewes –Green says, “the Disney women, ageless, still meet covertly in a private club overlooking the Pacific. The waves crash on the rocks below and they lift toasts in their little three-fingered hands. To us. We taught a million little girls what womanhood is like. Too bad none of them could make it. Then they snicker.” Ariel teaches little girls that beauty and sacrifice are all that are needed for women to have a successful life, win the men of their dreams. This concept outrages feminists because the girls leave the movie thinking that if they are beautiful and able to change their character enough, then finding and keeping their prince charming should not be difficult. In reality, this concept makes no sense: not every woman can seduce a man by looks alone. Most of the time, personality plays a large role in relationships and The Little Mermaid, along with other Disney movies, tells girls that their personality does not matter, and only the beauty on the outside is sufficient.
Females in Disney movies are always changing to live by society’s dictates. In Mulan, she cuts her beautiful hair and try’s to become a man. Society in ancient China did not allow for women to participate in wars. Eventually, even after changing her appearance, her true identity is revealed and Mulan’s life is left to the whim of a man. According to Kathy Maio, “Men still have power over them (Shang quite literally decides whether Mulan will live or die); and the best thing that can happen to them is to marry the hero and live "happily ever after."” Feminists disagree with this idea about living happily ever after because it gives girls a false hope that there is such thing as a prince charming. Girls are often drawn into the fantasy that accompanies these movies. In regards to Mulan, even after lying to her family, the imperial army, and her country, she is not killed and still retains her honor in the end. In Disney movies, “sexism has been a consistent phenomenon” (Bengtsson). Women are able to get away with lying or being weak, and in the end are fine, while the men are strong, rescue the women, and have a personality to be admired. Young girls learn that they can have a weak character and many flaws and still come out on top. Mulan is masquerading as someone else to fight for the honor of her family and this kind of deception is not an acceptable value young girl’s should learn from Disney movies. Yet, her lies lead to a happy life and her winning the heart of the man she loves. In the real world, this “happily ever after” does not occur so often. Girls need Disney female characters on the silver screen to be strong role models that teach positive character and a strong sense of self. In many cases these strong willed individuals in the films are the men, giving little girls no true animated role model. After watching a movie a young girl should want to be all that she can be, instead of wanting to be a “damsel in distress,” with her only hope of a fulfilling life being the love of a man.
Disney is an avid supporter of the weakness of females in society. In the Article Too Few Animated Women Break the Mold, Susan Riley says that Disney movies continue to exhibit insulting stereotypes that are essentially limiting. In The Little Mermaid and Mulan, the Disney writers exploited the female characters Mulan and Ariel, showing them to be weak and emotional; making decisions with their hearts not their heads. Feminists are believers of women thinking for themselves and living independent lives. Disney movies crush this feminist ideal and encourage girls to live in perfect fantasy worlds. How are young girls going to grow up to be strong willed individual when there favorite Disney characters are weak and emotional? Disney movies need to empower female characters, giving the little girl audience a stronger feeling of independence and self worth when leaving the theater. The Little Mermaid and Mulan are two such movies in which a woman gives up her true character for love. This is against feminist beliefs; no girl or woman should have to hide her true character for a man or society.

Clark Media Analysis

2008-04-25T11:52:00.002-04:00

Barbie

A look at the beauty standard, advertising, and publicity statements

Although she was born in 1959, Mattel’s Barbie is still recognized as the most successful doll ever created. Each week, 1.5 million dolls are sold. Currently, over a half a billion Barbies have been sold in 140 countries, and 90% of American girls have owned at least one Barbie doll in the last 40 years. A website, which has also created a book, of the 100 most influential people that never lived has listed Barbie as #43. One of the main reasons for the doll’s fame and popularity can be attributed to the heaving, not to mention creative, marketing strategies that Mattel Inc. has employed. For years the company has kept up on the most innovative ways to sell their product that has been controversial from the very beginning. Of the many criticisms that the doll faces, perhaps the most common is that the doll endorses a very unrealistic body image that is damaging, both physically and emotionally to teenagers and young girls. However, a factor that is just as alarming but often goes un-noticed is the sly marketing strategy and play on words that Mattel uses to market this doll in a “positive” and “user-friendly” way.
The media and others in society advance the notion that there is one standard of beauty. Although this is not true, this ideology is reinforced by Barbie’s perfection. As those millions of children all over the world play with a Barbie doll, they are subjected to society’s beauty standard at a very young age. What about the children that don’t live in the United States and have never seen someone with blonde hair before? When that mold of perfection is placed in their hand, their ideas of beauty are in some way affected.
Naomi Wolf, in her book The Beauty Myth, concludes that beauty is socially constructed and that the beauty myth only feeds society’s high beauty standard. The beauty standard in turn is used to establish heteronormativity, meaning that it’s deemed “normal” for a woman to try and make herself more beautiful in order to get a man. Wolf uses the term “iron maiden” as the unattainable standard that is used to punish women physically and psychologically for their failures to achieve this beauty standard, and Barbie promotes the beauty standard. Whether or not doll manufactures are willing to admit it, their product has a great effect on society, and even though there may be a positive spin on a toy, that toy still affects the self-image of every child who comes in contact with it.
With the advancement of technology, and new advertising techniques, more and more children are subjected to the beauty standard in the most innovative ways. I’m sure at least all of us at one point or another have seen a Barbie commercial or have been subjected to some form of advertisement by Mattel. It is no secret Mattel stays on top of the newest and unsurpassed ways to keep Barbie alive as competition among toys has increased. Thus, leading to the creation of their newest project; barbie.com where children can play Barbie games, shop in virtual malls, create their very own virtual Barbie characters, and even watch Barbie commercials…how convenient. Mattel has seemingly thought of everything as the website has it all from virtual dolls to real children’s testimonials. The site even has a “just for parents” section in addition to a place where parents can blog their opinions, but not so fast, also included is a happy section filled with Barbie’s positive and uplifting beliefs.
My knowledge of the controversy surrounding Barbie and the image she creates for young children first sparked my idea of doing a media analysis on Barbie. As a child, Barbie was my favorite toy. I owned practically every doll, article of clothing, and accessory ever made throughout my childhood. Now that I am older, more knowledgeable, and have had experience with feminist text, the thought of analyzing of my once favorite toy was intriguing. All it took was one visit to Barbie.com where I was able to view Barbie’s mission statement. I was taken aback at how different their mission statement is from some of the products they produce, and felt like it was an issue that I have heard little about therefore my film was created in hopes of raising awareness.
In my short media critique, my film is composed so that it will show the irony of Barbie’s beliefs in comparison with the products that Mattel sells. I began by using a short clip from a famous song “Barbie Girl” to create a bright and comical opening. Also included, are a couple random, but relevant facts. You will hear the audio from Barbie’s 1959 debut which emphasizes the fact that Barbie was originally created as a role model, and this role model embodies an unattainable perfection. Following is a sequence of clips combined with Barbie’s beliefs that are designed to be a stark contrast. I also included images from the Mac makeup line’s new Barbie campaign as well as a real life Barbie look-a-like to show the standard and skewed image Barbie creates. My intentions were for the film to be light and funny but at the same time, send a strong message revealing the unfeasible beauty standard and exposing the ironic advertising methods and statements made by Mattel. My favorite part of the film is actually in the beginning when the song lyrics say “life is your creation” as a clip of girls dressed as Barbie comes up. I hope that you will find this film both informative and enjoyable.

The Pregnant Man: How society cannot accept Beatie’s theory of “Different is Normal”

2008-04-25T11:01:00.001-04:00

By, Amber Alexander

Falling in love, getting married, starting a family; that is the plan most people today strive for. One couple from Oregon found just that, however it might not be exactly what you expect. Thomas Beatie and his wife Nancy are expecting a healthy baby girl. What’s weird about that you ask? Well instead of Nancy being the expecting mother, Thomas is the expecting father. Now I know you might be thinking that is not possible but let me explain. Thomas was born a female named Tracy Lagondino but decided to become a man. At one time he was the runner up for Miss Teen Hawaii but always considered himself more as a tomboy (Siddique). Thomas did not have a full sex change operation because he had a dream he would someday have a family. So instead he kept his female organs and decided to just have chest reconstructive surgery and take bimonthly doses of testosterone (Pregnant). Thomas is legally a man and is also pregnant; this is where all the controversy begins. In this paper I am examining how Oprah was not completely unbiased in her special with the Beaties, about how hard society has made it for this couple to get as far as they have come with the pregnancy, and how society cannot get around their idea of normal and stop focusing on unimportant questions.

Just recently Oprah brought the Beatie couple onto her show to share their story with the world. I commend her for trying to educate people about the transgender culture however I believe she is still stuck in the attitude of the social norm just like her viewers. She dedicated a portion of the section on what exactly Thomas’ genitalia look like and just seemed not to be able to move on from that question. They had to know what it looked like in order to really understand. But this in fact goes against the whole point Thomas Beatie is trying to get across. He is trying to get people to see it does not matter what organs or genitalia he has in order to determine his sex. Mr. Beatie has the organs that are associated with females, however not only does he consider himself a man but legally he is a male (Siddique). Another problem I had with Oprah was yes she might be a social icon and has interviewed almost everyone, but what gives her the right to question someone about something so personal? Why can she ask Thomas what he has between his legs and how his wife and him perform sexually in the bed? If she were to ask those same questions to a straight person, that would be considered unacceptable and almost unethical. So why with a transsexual does all the respect and privacy just get thrown out of the window? Oprah is seen as a public figure that does not judge and shows no bias towards others; however with this story I believe she has fallen short of her expectations.

Having a baby may not be as easy as the stork leaving a baby on your doorstep, however conceiving a child through what we know as the “normal” means (sexual intercourse between a man and woman) for most is not that difficult. This was not the case for the Beaties. Since they could not conceive a child through “normal” intercourse, they decided to inseminate Thomas and he would be the surrogate. The process of insemination through medical professionals is a long and expensive one, but even that was not even close to what the Beaties underwent (Siddique). According to The Advocate, a gay magazine who Beatie gave the first interview to, the couple was turned down by several doctors who refused to be a part of or aid in Thomas carrying a child. One doctor charged a $300 fee for a single consultation and then took the case to his hospital’s board of ethics. After treating Thomas for several months and taking thousands of dollars from the couple the doctor decided to cease treatment because he did not feel comfortable working with “someone like him” (Beatie). That right there shows how ignorant many people are today. This especially outrages me because the doctor gave an oath to treat those who need to be treated to the best of his ability. The doctor simply turns his back on his patient because he does not share the same views, but to me the doctor should not have that right. That is plain and simple discrimination. The Beaties went through 9 different doctors just trying to get inseminated (Beatie). Mr. Beatie was getting hit at from every angle, professionals disrespecting him left and right. Examples of how he was being disrespected were refusing to treat him unless he would shave his facial hair or refusing to refer to him with a male pronoun. The couple finally gave up and turned to home insemination. It took over a year for the sperm banks to let the couple purchase donated sperm and when they received it Nancy used a syringe and inseminated her husband herself. This show that this couple will go to any lengths to have the family they want and deserve. Their first attempt was unsuccessful but this time around the doctors say the baby girl so far is perfectly healthy (Beatie). Doctors and mothers alike express that this is not natural; doctors have refused service and mothers are protesting. However the irony I see is that women who are infertile and cannot have children turn to science for help, well that certainly is not natural so why is that accepted but not this?

Since society has this idea of set norms, it is very hard for many to grasp what Mr. Beatie is and why this family would take this route to having a baby. Transgender life is a big mystery for many people. Many times transgender and homosexuality are lumped together but that is not the case. One’s ignorance is a dangerous weapon. People refuse to try to understand this different lifestyle or even to attempt to see it as a husband and wife trying to have a baby. They get stuck on the unimportant questions like what do your genitals look like to determine male or female instead of the person’s identity they have chosen. One big idea today’s society has is that non nuclear families are unfit to have and raise children. That somehow their sexual identity or sexual preference makes or breaks a parent. This idea to me is ludicrous. This couple is a perfect example, they have jumped through so many hoops, spent thousands of dollars, and countless time just trying to conceive a child. To go through so much proves that there is nothing the Beaties want more than to be good parents and raise a child of their own. It is incredible to me that our government will let children sit in orphanages and group homes instead of letting same sex couples and other non heterosexual couples have a chance to give these children kind, loving homes and family that they long for. People keep asking questions like, what are you going to tell your daughter when she grows up? How is she going to be able to live a normal life knowing how she was brought into this world? With today’s society we would probably put her on a reality show and try to see how different she is. What the Beaties want people to know is that they will tell their daughter everything when she is old enough. They want people to understand that she will have a loving family and grow up just like any other child.

The biggest problem I see with today’s society is that we refuse to accept the “different” or “not normal”. The problem with that is what is “normal”? Who decides what is or is not “normal”? We think that with taboo people and things that we can throw respect, courtesy, and privacy out of the window, that somehow they are less human. We cannot let this continue. Like with Oprah, I do not think she acted as she did on purpose, it is just that our roots of the accepted social norms are deep and we must make a conscious and continuous effort to uproot them and develop open minds. Thomas plans to still be his daughter’s father and Nancy will be her mother, the only difference is the way she was brought into this world. Mr. Beatie tries to explain it like this, "our daughter is beating these incredible odds to get here--physical obstacles, social obstacles, everything, and in my dreams I dream the world will see her just the way we do. As this amazing gift to us. As a miracle" (Tresniowski).

Bibliography

¨ Journal Article:

o Tresniowski, Alex. "He's Having a Baby!" People (2008). Academic Search Complete. 22 Apr. 2008.

¨ Other Sources:

o Beatie, Thomas. "Labor of Love." The Advocate 26 Mar. 2008. 22 Apr. 2008 .

o "Pregnant ‘Man’ Tells Oprah: ‘It’s a Miracle’." MSNBC. 3 Apr. 2008. 22 Apr. 2008 .

o Siddique, Haroon. "'Pregnant Man' Goes on Oprah Winfrey Show." Guardian. 4 Apr. 2008. 22 Apr. 2008 .

Holloway: Media Analysis

2008-04-25T10:02:00.000-04:00

Memorializing a Woman is Not Evidence
Throughout the long years of fighting for women’s rights, there has consistently been a quieter voice questioning society’s norms from the opposite side—What about the men? Some issues men (and women are sometimes in agreement too) claim to experience discrimination with include certain occupations, the military, the justice system, and even, at times, politics. My media analysis focuses on one particular essay, authored by a man, which argues that men have historically been valued less in society than women. The piece was written by a sociologist named David Loewen in his book Lies Across America. The book examines the historical background of a large number of monuments/memorials located across the United States. The essay I found most interesting was one entitled “Killing a Man is Not News.” It is the story of a marker found in Downieville, California that commemorates the unlawful lynching of a woman there in the mid-1800s. Loewen states that the existence of this monument, along with other observations of his own, supports his claim that men’s lives are valued less in our society than women’s. His reasoning, when inspected through a feminist lens, seems very flawed. Here I will discuss why Loewen’s ideas of gender differences in the United States, based on assessments of occupation and crime, are ungrounded, illogical, and quite simply erroneous.
A more detailed description of the background information in “Killing a Man is Not News” is certainly in order before I really begin. The woman who was lynched in 1851 was a Mexican immigrant named Juanita. She was, by many accounts, a very attractive female who lived with her lover in a house in Downieville. After the Independence Day celebration of 1851, some drunken revelers were making their way through the town. One man, Jack Cannon, apparently stopped at Juanita’s house and broke down the door. He allegedly made some inappropriate comments about Juanita and her lover; they yelled at him and he left. The next events of the story are somewhat ambiguous. Cannon returned to Juanita’s house at some point hours later and tried to speak with them. It is unknown whether he went back to try to make amends or continue his harassment. At any rate, the conversation again became heated and Juanita stabbed Cannon in the heart, swiftly killing him. When the townspeople realized this, there were immediate cries to lynch Juanita. She was dragged to the town square, given a “trial,” and almost immediately condemned to death. As the story goes, Juanita then put the rope around her own neck and declared she would have done nothing different. The townspeople then hung her off the bridge in Downieville. The historical marker was put in place in 1996. The marker gives a brief description of the events of that day in 1851 and showcases Juanita’s bravery.
Loewen’s main argument centers around the fact that the very existence of this marker shows how much more society cares about women than men—he states that there have been a much larger number of men lynched than women in our history. The fact that this woman, Juanita, had a whole marker dedicated to her while thousands of lynched men have not been given this honor is evidence to Loewen that women’s lives are more valued by society. One point I think Loewen is grossly overlooking here is the fact that Juanita was lynched because she killed a man. Certainly a society that holds such less value for a man’s life than a woman’s would not react so violently and hatefully towards a woman who was defending herself from assault. The very title of the piece shows the contradiction here: if ‘killing a man is not news,’ then why is everyone so outraged? Granted, murder in any form is hardly glorified in a society. However, I think this detail is a very significant part of the story to remember. Loewen’s complete omission of this relevant piece of information weakens his argument severely.
Loewen cites many other reasons for his view that men are valued less in society than women. One point he focuses on as a disadvantage for men is the greater risk for men to be killed in their jobs than women. Loewen attributes this to the fact that men are the ones who perform the more dangerous types of work—truck driving, telephone lineman, etc. I would agree that statistics do support this statement. Loewen argues that the reason men are performing the more dangerous jobs is because society gives these types of occupations the masculine ‘seal of approval.’ Again, I would agree that this is true. However, is this because society does not want women to be at risk in the workplace, because their lives are felt to be so valuable? Loewen thinks so—I disagree. Women have always been taught that their place is in the home. As Betty Friedan discusses in her chapter of The Feminine Mystique, “The Problem That Has No Name,” it was always assumed that women would not enter the workforce after they were married and began having children. She notes that:
“A number of educators suggested seriously that women no longer be admitted to the four-year colleges and universities: in the growing college crisis, the education which girls could not use as housewives was more urgently needed than ever by boys to do the work of the atomic age.”
This excerpt highlights problems with Loewen’s logic. If women’s lives are so vital to society, why does society want to shut them away indoors and only have men doing the important work of our time? Why does society not consider it ‘worth it’ to educate women? These are the questions that came to my mind as I read Loewen’s essay. To me, these ideas cannot coexist, and I think the constant battling of feminists is direct testament to the fact that women have historically been undervalued.
Another topic that Loewen harps on for much of his essay is violent crime. Loewen offers the statistic that men are four times more likely to be murdered than women. Again, he argues that this is because men’s lives are less sacred, and again, I feel that Loewen is omitting some major facts about these murders. Although I do not have actual numbers on this issue, I would postulate that the overwhelming majority of murders involve a man killing a man. Yes, women kill too—this essay would obviously have never been written if that were not true. However, I am confident that just as the murder of a man is almost always performed by another man, the murder of a woman is almost always performed by a man as well. Here, I feel as though Loewen is “grabbing at straws.” I do not believe he has much of an argument on this point. If the overwhelming majority of “man-killers” were women, and they were still not given as much press coverage as when females were murdered, then I would suppose that Loewen could argue his point. As it stands though, if men are killing men—and women—then how does this show that their lives are valued less than women’s? If anything, I would say that this point only reinforces another problem with gender—the idea that to be masculine means to be aggressive and often violent if so provoked.
As ungrounded as Loewen’s argument about violent crime appears to be, he is not alone in feeling this way. As stated before, there has always been a quiet but constant flow of male assertions of disadvantage. The vulnerability of men to violent crime is one facet that has drawn much criticism. In 1990, Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware introduced federal legislation designed to “combat violent crime against women” (Ryan). There was no such legislation to help protect men from violent crime. Loewen would most likely interpret this, as did the author of this particular article, as evidence that women are more valued and thus more earnestly protected from harm. His entire text of “Killing a Man is Not News” supports that feeling, even though the initial outrage is because of violence towards a man. Another article, by Jeff Seeman, deals with this issue as well. A direct quote from his piece, “Why I’m Still Not a Feminist,” follows:
“Men comprise over eighty percent of the victims of violent crime, and the rates of spousal murder are roughly equal between men and women. Yet the press is much more likely to cover a story if the victim is a woman; violence against men is therefore frequently invisible.”
Seeman’s use of the word ‘invisible’ to describe the impact of crime against men in the United States is very similar to how Loewen describes murders of men in his essay—as “common and more morally acceptable.” As a whole, this country is relatively unfazed when it comes to murder. This can be attributed to the carelessness with which Hollywood portrays the loss of life, the accessibility to violent video games, and any number of other issues. Here I state that while this ubiquitous indifference towards violence is a serious matter in this nation, it is in no way gender-biased against men.
Overall, Loewen’s essay serves two purposes well: It brings attention to the heartbreaking story of Juanita and lauds the state of California for erecting a marker in her honor. Unfortunately, Loewen then commences to take this symbol of a state’s regret for a terrible injustice and turn it into a shaky and ill-supported assertion of male disadvantage—in a patriarchal society no less. I do agree that the whole idea of masculinity is harmful to men and women alike, although as a whole I do not believe it can ever be successfully argued that women are more valued than men in this society. I challenge anyone who happens upon any rhetoric of this nature to always be critical when discerning its meaning.

Sexposé Exposé

2008-04-25T05:01:00.001-04:00

As evident in my video montage, a recurrent constituent of many popular women’s magazines is the sexual advice and bedroom “how-to’s” provided for target female readers. Although some of this material offers suggestions for how a woman can make sex more enjoyable for herself and therefore seems to encourage female sexuality, the majority of these “Sexposés” actually explain methods of increasing the experience of the man during sex and therefore despite the female sexual liberation facade, this prevalent discourse still ultimately depicts women as responsible for fulfilling the sexual desires of men. The sexually instructive articles in women’s magazines may at first appear to be empowering for women because of the supposed reign over men a “sex-goddess” can experience. However, after further examination, such power is exposed as short-lived, achieved only by performing sexual acts, and contingent upon male approval. Furthermore, these popular magazines dare women to be adventurous and assertive in the bedroom however such audacity is limited to male desire and any instruction must be done in such a way as not to bruise the male ego. My video montage showed only the covers of certain women’s magazines yet the ideas mentioned previously still manifest themselves within the titles of such articles. I argue that although these types of articles in women’s magazines openly discuss female sexuality and may consequently seem to be liberating and working to break the sexual double-standard, female sexuality in this context is still defined in terms of male sexual desire and therefore this form of media works more towards reinforcing traditional gender roles pertaining to sex instead of breaking them.

The amount of sexual content in women’s magazines has significantly increased from 30.2% in 1974 to 52.6% in 1994 (Carpenter 158). Even with the increase in sexual content, these magazines still focus primarily on male sexual needs. As Farvid and Braun state in their discussion of women’s magazines, “[they] could be described as being ‘obsessed’ with male sexuality…So although these magazines are ostensibly ‘women-centered,’ male sexuality is prioritized” (300). Even amidst the focus on male sexuality, it may seem as if a woman could gain power over men through her own sexuality. Eye-catching headlines on the covers, such as those seen in the video montage, vest this power in women by positioning them as the subjects and making men the recipients of the action: “Turn Him On,” “Blow His Mind,” “Heat Him up,” “Thrill His Body,” “Give Him,” “Make Him, “Keep Him,” “Send Him to the Moon!” In these examples, it appears as if women are in control however, upon further examination it is evident that their agency is tied to their sexuality and their ability to seduce men (Machin and Thornborrow 463). One must then question how much value power derived from sexual acts can really have. As Machin and Thornborrow state, “it hardly requires an act of perseverance or creative tenacity for a woman to have sex with a man” (465). Additionally, although women are now able to express themselves sexually, they are encouraged to do so only when such expression will align with men’s sexual wishes as shown in the titles of the articles. Consequently, this liberation through sexual expression is limited. Feminists such as Ariel Levy who are skeptical of female sexual expression being a part of the new feminism may therefore have a valid point in these instances because despite proclaimed women’s liberation, patriarchy still seems to be at work in maintaining traditional gender roles by reinforcing the idea that women are sexual objects for men and must work to sexually satisfy them. I argue that although this type of female sexual expression may seem to grant women power over men, women must rely on the reaction of men for this power which in turn keeps men in control and therefore these messages presented in women’s magazines do not actually empower women.

Ideally, sexually instructive articles in magazines that are catered to women such as Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Glamour would primarily concentrate on methods of increasing female pleasure during sex but as seen in my video montage which featured a random selection of women’s magazine covers, such articles seem to appear much less frequently than those emphasizing male preferences during sex and those that do discuss female sexual needs almost always incorporate male desire as well. This is due to the fact that women’s sexual satisfaction is always justified and connected to male satisfaction (Machin and Thornborrow 464). This connection is evident in article titles such as “The Blended Orgasm” (Cosmopolitan, September 2005) and “Climax Together” (Cosmopolitan, May 2007) seen in my video montage. From these examples, it is more obvious that female sexuality exists only in relation to male sexuality (Farvid and Braun 300). Third-wave feminism ideas of women’s liberation through sexual expression are limited in these instances because although methods for achieving women’s sexual pleasure are featured, the idea of women’s pleasure can not stand alone and must always be connected to male pleasure.

Some of the articles containing sex advice in women’s magazines dare women to take control in the bedroom and be sexually adventurous and they therefore seem to be in line with third wave feminist ideas of promoting new sexual bravado as discussed by Deborah Siegel in “Sisterhood Interrupted.” These articles seem to have the potential to tear down the oppressive double-bind by instructing women to express their sexual desires. When glancing at one of these covers, on the right month of course because the majority of the time the articles are focused on men, it appears as if women can use men for sex without facing judgment in the same way men use women for sex. However, this is not the case because although women are often encouraged in these types of articles to express their sexual desires to man, they are instructed to do so in a very subtle manner so as not to “bruise his manhood” (Farvid and Braun 306). “Women who desire a change in a man’s sexual technique are typically encouraged to communicate it with caution” (Farvid and Braun 306). Caution must be taken because making too many sexual requests would undermine a man’s expertise and the notion of being in control of the sexual situation (Farvid and Braun 305). Consequently, women cannot experience liberation through sexual expression in these instances because their expression is limited by the confines of men’s comfort levels. Therefore, despite the permission from these texts for women to be more demanding when it comes to their sexual desires, they still depict the male as the dominate partner in heterosexual sex and therefore ultimately continue to promote the idea of traditional feminine sexual passivity and male dominance.

In conclusion, much of the content of women’s magazines is primarily concerned with satisfying male sexual desire and although these articles may appear to empower women by granting them power over men in the bedroom, these articles do not encourage any type of sexual expression that does not take in to account men’s sexual needs. Consequently, instead of empowering women, they work to reinforce the traditional gender roles that position women as sexual objects for men. Furthermore, I believe that if women wish to use sexual expression as a means to liberate themselves and work to break down the sexual double-standard, they should ensure that the primary goal of their actions is not to please men and receive male approval. Sexual expression can ultimately lead to liberation for women as long as the main focus is on the woman and such expression is not limited by the desires and comfort levels of men. However, at this time, women’s magazines are failing to encourage appropriate ideas of liberation through sexual expression because of their focus on male sexual desire which results in an inability to take away the objectiveness of sex and therefore the sexual messages presented in these magazines do not align with ideas of sex-positive feminism.

2008-04-25T03:45:00.001-04:00

Distortion of Beauty in Girl World

As Cady walks into the school cafeteria for her first day of real school, she is immediately drawn into the world of cliques. Each table designates a different culture and set of rules. For instance, you have the preps, J.V. jocks, Asian nerds, Cool Asians, Varsity jocks, Unfriendly black hotties, Girls who eat their feelings, Girls who don't eat anything, Desperate wannabes, Burnouts, Sexually active band geeks etc. In the center of all this madness is the table where the Plastics sit, the popular girls. Gretchen, the best friend to queen bee Regina explains, “being with the plastics was like being famous... people looked at you all the time and everybody just knew stuff about you.” The movie centers on adolescent world, better known as “Girl World”. Mainly, the movie addresses what it is like for young women to face challenges such as upholding the beauty standards of society, while balancing the pressures of their sexuality. This paper will analyze how the movie, Mean Girls, fails to send a feminist message that digs deeper than the surface. The main characters I will be focusing on, Cady and Regina, sport small cut clothing and reiterate the need to perfect their bodies constantly; the young women strive for impossible beauty standards and send the message that if a woman can accomplish the impossible, they will be able to control their sexuality’s impact on men like Aaron, the perfect male and boy-crush of the movie. Although the movie does end with the young women learning a lesson and can be seen as a light-hearted comedy, this paper will center on the film’s failure, like many films targeting teenagers, to address third-wave issues farther than skip deep (literally) and therefore, lack of fuel in tackling the complexity of feminist issues.

Magazines and films have shown to be some of the most influential in targeting young adolescents. With every new beauty trend on every page, it is not hard to see how difficult the pressure to be thin and beautiful has become on every woman. What exactly is the ideal girl? Well according to Seventeen she is, “white, usually blond, and invariably skinny”, and that is exactly what we see as we watch the three young women who are known as the “plastics” rule the school. Cady comes into the picture with her red locks, and although she does not fit the norm, the other young women are very eager to teach her the ropes of what is and what is not acceptable. When Cady is invited to sit with the plastics at lunch, they give her a list of rules that she will need to follow in order to stay a part of their group. For example, Gretchen tells Cady that pink shirts must be worn at least once a week, and while Cady may think she likes a skirt, she could be wrong unless she receives the whole group’s seal of approval. By becoming one of them, Cady must adapt to their way of thinking in terms of beauty and coincide to a twenty billon dollar cosmetic industry. Cady learns quickly from the Plastics how to dress seductively with low skirts and low tank tops, as well as put on plenty of lip gloss. Cady’s character meets a guy named Aaron, an older more mature senior, who happens to be Regina’s ex-boyfriend. As a warning, Gretchen tells Cady, “Ex-boyfriends are just off limits to friends. I mean that's just like the rules of feminism.” Yet, what exactly does Gretchen mean by the rules of feminism? It can clearly not be defined by that one sentence in this movie. The film’s use of the rules of feminism is again, only hitting the surface. Feminism is not easily defined and covers a multitude of different beliefs. Rebecca Walker believes, “To be a feminist is to integrate an ideology of equality and female empowerment into the very fiber of my life.” Insulting and criticizing each others’ bodies and outfits throughout the movie, the plastics draw far from what feminists see as empowering women and send the wrong message. Young women need to see more affirmative role models in books and movies. Nancy Drew for instance, used to be such a positive role model for young women. In Nancy Drew and the case of the disappearing feminist, Jana Siciliano questions the lack of teenager role models we have today. She reminds us, “From the 1930s through the 1970s, Nancy Drew remained bold, brave, and independent. Unfortunately, today's Nancy is more concerned with being hip and sexy, a fact made obvious by the covers of the more recent books. On them, Nancy is dressed in skimpy, revealing clothing and often running around in bathing suits, like some ditzy remnant of last season's Baywatch.”

Throughout Mean Girls, the subject of many conversations between Regina and Cady involves their obsession with perfecting their bodies and outfits. Cady learns that if she can buy the best products, she will quickly rise to the top of the plastics. The movie fails to address the pressures young women face in high school. For example, Cady gives Regina nutrition bars to help her lose weight, but when Regina gains the weight and goes to a one, three, five size store, she cannot fit into the dresses. The scene illustrates the beauty standards society sets for us. Rather than allow the viewers to see Regina accept or embrace her new figure, she becomes upset, and as we see at the end of the movie, Regina does end up wearing a dress from that store. The film is unsuccessful in showing anything but the normalization of thinness. From a feminist view, women like Naomi Wolf explain that beauty is in the inside and that today, women are suffering from the beauty myth. The idea that “women must want to embody it and men must want to possess women who embody it…the contemporary ravages of the beauty backlash are destroying women physically and depleting us psychologically.” Wolf believes that by subjecting to these beauty standards, we as women are only allowing ourselves to undo what has made us stronger women and progress throughout the years. Cady’s character realizes at an early age her incredible talent at math, yet she fails her tests in order to get closer to her crush. Her character undermines the advancement women today have made in our ability to access high-paying jobs. Instead, the film brings to light how the young women subject themselves to their insecurities that fluster through competition and unrealistic body proportions. Continuously, the film fails to address the pressures and problems of the beauty standard. As I’ve mentioned, Cady’s overall goal to be perfect is shaped by the Plastics’ view of perfection. In one scene, the young women are looking in the mirror and mentioning a part of their body that they see as an imperfection. Cady being new to America, is unfamiliar with this procedure. Through my feminist glass, I see the film allowing this process to teach young women that in America, it is necessary to point out flaws with your friends. As the Plastics list their flaws, Cady thinks to herself, “I used to think there was just fat and skinny. But apparently there are lots of things that can be wrong on your body.” The film could have used this time to devalue the flaws, but only brings up the issue and leaves it untouched. In Feminism and the Politics of Appearance, Amy Winters explains how a feminist views this issue, “Feminism values women as the subjects of our own lives, not objects to attract and hold another's gaze. It values cooperation between women, not the competition and comparison fostered by presenting us with image after image of women we'll never look like-women who, in fact, don't exist, given the extensive and now-infamous use of airbrushing and retouching in fashion photography.”

Sexuality is very much linked with beauty in the teenage world. Instead of allowing the social group of the Plastics to be a positive role in addressing the issues of these pressures, it allows the power of the social group to reinforce young womens’ struggle in using their sexuality to dismiss the beauty standards of society. In one scene, Cady gradually begins to lose her individualistic thinking and adapts to the mind set of the Plastics. She mentions that she learned to control everything around her, and with her new-found sexuality; Cady begins to attract the attention of every male in school. In particular, she sets her eyes again on Regina’s ex-boyfriend, who has recently gotten back together with Regina and broke up with her for the second time. Cady tells Aaron that she loves the shirt he is wearing, and he better be at her party or else! With a demanding and seductive tone Cady compliments him and believes she has conquered his desire for her. She even reiterates that unlike earlier in the movie where she wore a zombie-bride costume, she will not make the same mistake again and will sport a much sexier outfit. After all, Cady now knows “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” From a third wave feminist lens, female empowerment would not be allowing young women to act like complete sluts and sex themselves up all in the name of a holiday.

Last, the film’s role models are examined in their portrayal of sexuality and beauty. When Cady visits Regina’s home for the first time, she is greeted by her mother whose boob job is described as hard as a rock. Focusing on her body and wearing a stylish Juicy sweat suit, Regina’s mother embodies a role model most feminists would disagree with. Brenda Boudreau., author of Feminist Collections, discusses Groeschell’s study in the development of body image in young women. Boudreau discusses how Groeschell’s study on many young women who do pilates and sit ups with their mothers with sit to get in shape and be able to wear their bathing suits in Hawaii. To Boudreau., Grochell may have overlooked the “{problematic} content of this quote, which, read differently, might suggest that a certain obsessiveness with the body and thinness seems to be the focus of this mother-daughter connection.” In the film, the mother’s obsession with plastic sugery, dressing young, and serving the young women non-alcoholic martinis, but offering the alcohol separately could influence how Regina’s character grows up with an obsession for perfecting herself. For feminism, this raises the issues of how to tackle the advancement of women when the mothers of young women instill these beauty standards at such a young age.

The issues of beauty and sexuality stemming from mainstream media and the ideology of “woman as consumers” (Wolf) continues to be a constant strife in the progression of third-wave feminism. If films like Mean Girls can learn to balance the comedy genre and dig deeper into the complexity of addressing the dangers of the influences on today’s youth, growth for all of feminism can be made. However, as long as magazines like Seventeen and films with the Plastics continue to only scrape the surface and tell young women that thinness is mandatory in the acceptance of social groups, we will continue to have to fight for what we strive to achieve.

Third-Wave Feminism and Pretty Woman

2008-04-25T02:45:00.002-04:00

Kate Gaskill

Pretty Woman staring Julia Roberts is a classic film that is the modern day Cinderella story where the poor girl’s life changes and becomes the beautiful rich young lady. Pretty Woman portrays several themes that are similar to those of third-wave feminists. In the film, Julia Roberts plays the prostitute Vivian Ward. Vivian is bought for a week by a rich business man, Edward Lewis, for everything but the usual, sex. Third wave feminist interpret gender and sexuality as a central subject to their ideology. This paper will illustrate that Julia Roberts’ character is a portrait of a third-wave feminism ideology.

Feminism can be defined as a social movement with political and cultural aims that focus on the equality and empowerment of women. More specifically, third-wave feminism focuses on encouraging young women to assert and empower themselves. According to an article by Kevin Merriman, which analyzes and summarizes the article The Women’s Movement Today: An Encyclopedia of Third-Wave Feminism, third-wave feminism is a more recent, and broad look into the inequalities of today’s social network, as well as the injustices found pertaining to sex and gender. Sex and sexuality are staple themes of the third-wave. Third wavers still hold values that compare with those of earlier feminists; they understand that even though they may have slightly different views the main goal stays the same. They still strive for the goal, as the article Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future, “equality, and of supporting one another in [the] efforts to gain the power to make our own choices.” However, third-wave feminists approach feminism as a much looser and individualistic term. As Carolyn Bronstein states in her book Representing the Third-Wave: Mainstream Print Media, “Third-Wave feminists see themselves as more inclusive and flexible in their approach to race, class, sexual orientation, and ideology.”

Third-Wave feminism holds that women can simply have sex for pleasure. They understand that it is not necessarily accepted in today’s society and time that sex is simply an activity of pleasure and that many women and young ladies are looked down upon for their decision to take part in sexual activities without the idea or reproduction. This wave of feminism also seeks to rid society of its violence towards women, regardless of class, race, status, or occupation. Another aspect of third-wave feminism is to free women and adolescent girls from verbal abuse. This abuse ranges from demeaning name calling and terms, sexual harassment, and sexual bashing. Third-wave feminism stands on the idea that all women have the freedom to make any priorities they so wish and to control themselves, their lives, and their bodies in any manner they see fit.

In the movie, Pretty Woman, Roberts’ character faces many situations and scenarios that would upset and go against third-wave feminists. Many ways in which Roberts’ character, Vivian, responds to these situations shows a very third-wave view on women’s equality, sexual activity, and empowerment.

In the film, the lawyer, Philip Stuckey, exemplified how men demean women. In a particular scene he tried to sleep with Vivian just because he previously realized that she was a prostitute and thought it was okay to try to sleep with her simply due to her occupation and the negative view he as well as many in his circle viewed prostitutes. Even though Vivian was a prostitute, this did not give Philip Stuckey power over her. Vivian did not allow Phillip to have any power or superiority in this situation. She refused to give in and allow him to take advantage of her sexually. When Phillip was not allowed to get his way or control over Vivian he began to get violent. This is when Edward Lewis, played by Richard Gere, came in to the room and situation. He fought for Vivian, forcing the lawyer out of the room. By doing this Edward is standing up for Roberts’ character. He is giving Vivian’s stance validation and support. By supporting and encouraging her position and refusal to sleep with Stuckley he is enabling Roberts to continue to control her own life and body.

Another scene in which Julia Roberts’ character empowers herself is when she goes to the club to visit her friend, and fellow prostitute. In this scenario she is entering a very racy district even though she has found an economic and financial boom through Richard Gere’s character she is still going to visit a friend, regardless of her friend’s occupation or financial status. In this scene, Roberts’ character is stepping into a situation where her friend’s occupation, Roberts’ old occupation, is looked down upon. Most women in the new circle Vivian has been thrown into would demean and dehumanize the status and occupation of her friend. However, even though she was currently living amongst the wealthier woman who would never associate with people of that lower status, Roberts’ character was breaking the mold and visiting her friend no matter what her occupation or status may have been.

A final situation in which the ideology of feminism in the third-wave is shown is close to the end of the movie when Gere’s character is talking about leaving and the end of the week. He is stating that he would like to see her again, and that next time he gets a chance, he will call her, and he will spend time with her, when he has the time. Instead of Vivian having the power to determine when or if they spend future time, weeks, or evenings together he is taking the control out of her hands and making the decisions for her. Without using his words he is telling her that her opinion in the situation has no importance and even though he enjoyed the past days and evenings he is now going to decide the fun is over and he will let her know if he is interested in any more fun in the future. Gere’s character makes the statement that he has never treated Vivan like a prostitute. As he walks away she states “you just did”. Without even realizing what he was doing he dehumanized her because she is a woman, because she was a prostitute, and because he wanted the control of the situation. In his eyes he had not hit her or verbally abused her or purposely reminded her of her occupation or status, however, by subtle gestures and implications he made her feel cheap and disposable in the decision making process of her own body and future engagements.

Julia Roberts’ character, Vivian Ward, in the film Pretty Woman shows ideologies of third-wave feminism through her life as a prostitute. Through the eyes of the people in the wealthy circle she was a prostitute who was of less importance and had less power then them. With the help of Richard Gere’s character, Edward Lewis, she grew as a woman and showed that women have the power and control of their own body and actions. Vivian got to see both sides’ views on people of different statuses and learned from them to grow into an even stronger woman who respects her self and does not allow any one to disrespect her or her body. Roberts’ character and the movie Pretty Woman are good representations of third-wave feminism ideology.

Downey: Media Analysis

2008-04-25T01:53:00.002-04:00

How to Look Good Feminist

On January 4th 2008, Lifetime Television launched its first episode of “How to Look Good Naked.” The show features Carson Kressley from “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” teaching women how to love their bodies and destroy negative self images. Episode after episode, women of different shapes and sizes come to Carson seeking his advice on self image and, what is more important, fashion. Carson initially asks his participants about their bodies; about their likes and dislikes (although, naturally, it is mainly their dislikes), and then he shows each woman how to dress her body so that she can eliminate her “problem areas.” At the end of the show he photographs their newly found self confidence while they are, you guessed it, nude! “How to Look Good Naked” steps out of the standards of beauty and tries to teach women self love, but the show comes equipped with some standard reality TV issues.
In the very first episode Carson is mentoring, a 32 year old, woman named Layla. Layla is your typical woman who has been plagued with the intense feeling of being disgusting and fat. She tells Carson she feels that she needs to “loose 40 pounds in order to feel beautiful.” After confessing that she had no full length mirrors in her entire house, Carson plants Layla, dressed only in her underwear, in a room filled with full length mirrors. Immediately the tears start rolling down her face. Her biggest fear, looking at her own body, is coming true. She begins describing her body starting with her “disgusting arms,” all they way down to her “nasty hips.” She points out one of her biggest problem areas as her stomach. Layla tells Carson “obviously my stomach isn’t flat which is not what is perceived as beautiful.” After her inaccurate self report, Carson leads her to her next task. In front of Layla are six women standing in a line from biggest to smallest waist sizes (none of them being super skinny). The goal of the exercise is to show the participant how delusional their self image is by asking them to place themselves in the line-up where they feel they fit. Layla placed her self four spaces higher than where she should have been, adding six inches to her waist. Of course she was shocked that she belonged on the lower end of the line-up. Carson, then, plasters the under-garmented body of his participant on the side of a building and questions random people to comment on the body being projected. The video of their comments is then shown to the woman to show them what other people are really saying about their bodies. Unable to believe that people were saying such nice things about her, Layla, was skeptical and embarrassed. People were reporting on her “great rack” and “shapely legs.” One woman even called her a “real woman” (if that even exists). As for this first segment of the show, Carson is a charming and convincing self love teacher, but it is after the first commercial break that the show starts to take an uneventful twist.
And now back to “How to Cover up Your Body,” this is the part where Carson shows the lady how to dress her body so that she can hide the parts that she hates. First, he takes Layla to “the bra whisperer,” where a woman teaches her how to choose the right bra so that she can eliminate her back rolls, caused by all that “extra skin.” The only uplifting thing about watching this is that Layla finally admits that she feels sexy wearing a lacy number, and she is even liberated enough to run out of the dressing room in her underwear! Lucky for Layla, Carson gives her all his fashion secrets and tips as they continue shopping, such as wearing patterns that the eye can not focus on. Again, the clothes finally make her realize that she feels sexy. After a long day of shopping therapy, a spa day and makeover is much needed. The pair goes to a spa where Layla gets the works, including a new hairstyle and a makeover. Of course she feels even prettier with a pound of makeup on and a new fabulous hairstyle. She is all gussied up for her (and this is the part where Carson drops the bomb) nude photo shoot! After some coaxing, Layla confidently takes the tasteful nude photo, where it is projected on the same building from the beginning.
The women on this show may appear to be outrageous and delusional, but the fact is that they represent the majority of American women. Debra Gimlin, in her book Body Work, Beauty and Self-Image in American Culture, stated that “in a recent survey in the United States, a majority of women claimed that they fear dying less than they fear getting fat” (Gimlin, 4). This survey demonstrates the pressures that women feel to be thin and fit, and it doesn’t just stop at self hate, it also breaks into the bank. Media and advertisements attempt to convince you that products will fix you by “focusing on the body as a site needing constant improvement, actively and deliberately creating anxiety around issues of women’s appearance and capitalizing on that anxiety with an array of products that promise perfection” (Kelly, 200). Constantly products that fill your wrinkles, smooth your skin, make your hair shiny, help you loose weight faster, and help you get that flat belly you have always wanted, are being forced into the faces of women by way of the media. The media is constantly forcing women to “match unattainable conceptualizations of beauty” (Gimlin, 4). “How to Look Good Naked,” not only defies these unattainable standards but it celebrates the parts of the body that the media capitalizes on, including the curvy parts. The New York Times points out that “Mr. Kressley does not direct anyone toward steamed broccoli or a spin class,” which shows that the television show stays away from the stigma associated with being fat (Bellafante). The show does not assume that heavier people are less healthy than a person who is thin. “How to Look Good Naked” helps these women, and its viewers, to be accepting of their own bodies and “invest in size diversity” (Wann, 24). In Finding the F Word for It, Marilyn Wann points out that our society has drawn a line between fat people and thin people, and I think Wann would be pleased to see “How to Look Good Naked” beginning to erase that line.
If “How to Look Good Naked” was merely about helping women love their bodies, then feminists across the board would have been so proud. But as the show turns into another typical reality TV makeover show, the feminist self love concepts are thrown out of the window. Makeovers are based on the assumption that you are doing something wrong and that you look bad, and the only ways to improve or change “always involves spending money, lots of money” (Ensler, xi). When Carson so desperately tried to convince Layla that she was not as disgusting as she portrayed herself, the audience was let down to see that she hesitantly accepted the “lies” (as she saw them) he was feeding to her. But only after a few days of shopping for expensive outfits, getting facials, and getting a haircut and makeup done, Layla was finally able to see her “true” self. If only the women on “How to Look Good Naked” are able to “analyze the mechanisms of [their] imprisonment, so that [they] could be consumed by the sorrow of the world rather than consuming to avoid that sorrow and suffering” then those women could give the media and those stick thin models the proper finger they deserve (Ensler, xiv).
So Lifetime screwed this one up pretty bad right? I would say wrong. Although the show does not break free entirely from the consumerism that preys on women’s terrible self-images, it does, at least, attempt to do so. The show acknowledges that “repeated images of youthful, slender and beautiful bodies in advertising represent an impossible ideal” that women are constantly holding themselves to (Shields). Instead of taking the usual outraging approaches to fixing bodily flaws, “How to Look Good Naked” teaches women basic tricks that may help facilitate a new way of thinking about their bodies. Plastic surgery, exercise, and diets are disgraced openly on this show and not one woman was accused of being fat or unhealthy. By the end of the episode, Carson Kressley has convinced Layla that she actually is beautiful, and it is uplifting to see how happy she feels. The fact that the picture at the end of the show is a nude photo, brings us back to a feminist perspective, you should not need all those fancy clothes to feel good about your body because our bodies are beautiful. Quoting Carson Kressley himself America needs to “turn body loathing into body loving.”

Family Guy or Sexist? (Media Analysis)

2008-04-25T01:51:00.001-04:00

Over the past few years, “Family Guy,” has become an extremely popular and controversial cartoon. However, due to its popularity, “Family Guy” has passively adopted a role in portraying sexism through television. Most would agree that the cartoon is derogatory to many significant issues such as sexism, racism, etc. Some people would also agree that the crudeness the show presents is considered acceptable because it’s presented in a humorous way. There have been a number of sexist episodes such as “Stewie, the Untold Story,” “Chick Cancer,” and probably the most chauvinist, “I am Peter, hear me roar” (familyguy.com). This paper argues that the display of sexism on the show is wrong even if it is considered comical. The sexist behavior should be immensely reduced or there should be an equal amount of insults and jokes about both men and women.

In “I am Pater, hear me roar,” the entire episode is awfully sexist towards women. Each scene has a number of “jokes” that attempt to make sexism within the episode seem acceptable. It begins with Peter (Father) telling jokes to some of his co-workers who all happen to be men. However the jokes that Peter shares are explicitly sexist. He starts off saying “How many women does it take to screw in a light bulb? Two, one woman to screw in the light bulb and one to take her clothes off!” As Peter continues to amuse all of the guys, Linda, a female co-worker comes by and asks to hear a joke, but she has no idea about what kind of jokes he is telling. With Peter being somewhat unintelligent, he agrees to tell another joke. He is completely unaware of the harm that is about to take place. He says “Why do women have boobs? So you can have something to look at when you talk to them.” Peter’s co-worker is appalled and immediately reports him to the supervisor. As he goes in to meet with the boss, he finds out that Linda has hired a lawyer to sue the company for sexual harassment on behalf of Peter. Linda’s lawyer, Ms. Ironbox, is a strong, stout, and independent woman dressed in a suit and because of this, Peter asks her if she is a lesbian. This implies the double standard which creates the oppression of women. Just because a woman dresses in business attire and does not try to boast her beauty even in the workplace, she is considered a lesbian among society. This particular stereotype is completely inaccurate and unjust.

Sexism is thought of as mistreatment, or discrimination based on an individual’s sex. Sexism can refer to the belief that one sex is inferior, hatred towards another sex, distrust or opposition, or even different attitudes (wikipedia.org). A person can be sexist even to their own sex. Sexism is a major contributor to the “standard” of specific behaviors in regards to gender (Lecture-McCauliff). This particular standard creates and intensifies the oppression of sex, and gender. Male chauvinism is the specific view of sexism that female sex is inferior to the male sex. “Family Guy” presents a numerous amount of sexism that is most prominent with male chauvinism (Ruether).

Later in the episode, Peter’s boss forces him to attend a sexual harassment course and women’s retreat in order to prevent the company from being sued. Peter first attends the sexual harassment course in which he doesn’t really show any signs of altering his chauvinistic ways. Afterwards, Peter and his wife Lois attend the company banquet where Peter introduces Lois to Ms. Ironbox. As they are converse, Ms. Ironbox asks Lois about her job, in which Lois admits that she is a stay-at-home mom. Ironbox frowns upon Lois’s decision saying, “I fought hard for people like you to be free of that bondage.” Ironbox’s could be considered a First Wave Feminist. However, she only presents a small argument in that the idea of feminism is based on individualism, choice, and equality. At the end of the episode Peter still never manages to learn his lesson. Before going to bed, Peter asks his Lois to make him a sandwich. She agrees to make it and then begins a conversation with Peter where he interrupts her exclaiming, “Lois…less talky, more walky” (familyguy.com). Throughout the episode, there are many sexist comments, jokes, which are not considered offensive to most just because the message is delivered in a humorous way.

“Family Guy” is not always explicit or blatant in the display of sexism through television. The show has many minor scenes in which sexist or degrading behavior may not be deliberately shown, but truthfully, it is still a problem. For example, in many of the past episodes the youngest character “Stewie,” who is a toddler, celebrates his accomplishments with what he calls “Sexy Parties.” In these particular parties Stewie runs around the room with a dozen half-naked female strippers.

The reason that the sexist behaviors presented in “Family Guy” are so unjust is because the behaviors promote sexism and encourage society’s belief that it is okay to be a participant. Furthermore, most of the sexist jokes and scenes in the show are kind of one sided in that there are very few insults or jokes in regards to men. The so called “humorous” derogatory is directed towards women more. With this fact, if the sexist jokes are to continue, they should have an equal balance between both men and women. Sexist and chauvinistic behavior is exposed through all types of media each and everyday. The media is an extremely powerful tool that can both fix, and damage society. The best way to help is to do everything possible to help fix the issues that keep all people oppressed. Male masculinity is the key factor involved in the portrayal of sexism through the media, and society in general. In contrast to the negative effect of masculinity, society as a whole must encourage both liberal and Sex-positive feminism. Sex-positive feminism is the concept of women reclaiming their sexuality, and having the same sexual freedom as men. Liberal feminism sets everything equal, with more practical and considerable ideas (Lecture-McCauliff). Both views promote equality and individualism which are the key ingredients to the recipe of feminism and a free world.

Media Analysis

2008-04-25T01:46:00.011-04:00

Sex Sells: Constrictive Femininity in Guitar Hero III

Since the release of the very first Guitar Hero console game back in 2005, gamers all over the United States have been drunk with the taste of rock stardom. The game’s relatively simple rhythm-based objective and revolutionizing guitar controller spawned a whirlwind of popularity, resulting in several sequels as the years passed. A colorful cast of playable characters sweetened the pot of Guitar Hero’s appeal, each representing a genre of rock. The characters remained fairly stable through the Guitar Hero games, although some were exchanged for others as the years passed. The women of Guitar Hero emerged in the women’s gaming community as veritable bastions of badassery, dominating the screen with their deafening riffs and intimidating expertise rivaling any male counterpart. As sales for Guitar Hero II skyrocketed, a deal was being made: in 2006, MTV purchased the rights for Guitar Hero’s developer Harmonix for $175 million (Martin). With this change in owner came dramatic changes for Guitar Hero III, including distinct physical alterations of the guitarists. In this paper, I will explain the physical changes of guitarists Judy Nails and Casey Lynch from Guitar Hero II to Guitar Hero III. I will then explain the implications that stem from these significant changes, including femininity and apologetic behavior.

In Guitar Hero II, Judy Nails practically bubbles off the screen with alternative rock spunk. Signature red hair hanging in her face, she rocks out comfortably in baggy white pants, skull t-shirt under a red button-down, and sneakers. Judy is also shown to have an affinity for trendy fashions, as noted in the description for her alternate costume: “The queen of alternative rock … Judy is always seen in the latest styles. Keep her on the cutting edge with this cute get-up.” Judy’s style centers on the trendy while remaining comfortable and wearable.

Casey Lynch was introduced as the third female character in Guitar Hero II. The epitome of grunge, she is described as “a veteran of the tour circuit, Casey’s dirty, low-end growl and ultra-heavy riffs have influenced budding shredders from Maine to Alaska. She’s tough, she’s brash, and she’ll break your heart faster than an E-string.” She chooses to play in only a pair of jeans and black bra. Her excessive skin likens to a punk rocker with his shirt off—the bra itself is basic black, neither skimpy nor frilly, displaying the prominent tattoos inked over her torso. Casey’s alternate outfit description reinforces her functional sense of style: “Casey’s look is designed for backbreaking life on the road; if she can’t pass out in the van wearing it, she’s not interested.” All of this evidence combined evokes a brash, tough, and decidedly un-frilly image of one Ms. Casey Lynch.

The clothing and physical depictions of both Judy and Casey depict very different women: while Judy loves new styles, Casey sticks with the basics. In-game descriptions of the guitarists unveil more of their unique personalities. Judy participates in roller derbies, and Casey tours religiously. Judy collects vinyls, while Casey breaks hearts. It is a shame that all of the women in Guitar Hero II are the same race and body type, but their faceted, varied personalities help to brand each woman with a refreshingly unique character. However, when Guitar Hero III was released in winter of 2007, the women of Guitar Hero endured a dramatic revamp.

Judy Nails left the baggy pants and ironic button-downs for something a bit more provocative in Guitar Hero III: she retained her skull-and-crossbones in the form of a torn-apart shirt barely hanging onto her frame. She’s also managed to squeeze into skin-tight pants with holes running down each side. The shirt fails at performing its main function, exposing most of her torso and bright pink bra. Her alternate costume features a sexy punk schoolgirl uniform, complete with a short plaid skirt and stockings.

Casey Lynch experienced an even more dramatic makeover than her fellow female guitarist. Gone are the days of grit and grunge—in their place is a surprisingly more feminine Casey. Suited up in a skimpier, sexier black bra, Casey wears her skin-tight black leather pants low enough to show off her string-bikini panties. Her alternate costume, the aptly-named “Mo’ Leather,” is not much different, replacing the black bra with a suffocatingly-tight leather corset and adding thigh-high leather boots into the mix. The game congratulates her decision to “finally [embrace] her feminine appeal,” apparently indicating her shift from the functional to the sexually feminine. However, Casey hasn’t left her grunge attitude behind; when asked by a reporter if she had sold out because of this change, she “replied with a roundhouse to the face,” adding that she would pay for his medical bill.

Femininity arises as a strong theme in Judy and Casey’s physical changes. In Guitar Hero II, both women displayed characteristics that society traditionally deems masculine: Judy’s baggy clothes and Casey’s grungy style, for example. As Wendy A. Burns-Ardolino notes, “spatiality, comportment, and motility are gendered particularly in the feminine,” in that constriction is typical in femininity (44). Judy and Casey trade their comfortable, functional clothing for tight, provocative costumes in Guitar Hero III, effectively femininizing them. But Judy and Casey aren’t just wearing tight clothing; specifically, their new clothes are centered on women’s foundation garments, such as the prevalence of Judy’s bra and Casey’s corset. These rough women of rock have been hooked and bound into garments that “work on the feminine body … to shape, mould, sculpt, and decorate” (Burns-Ardolino, 49). These garments shape Judy and Casey into the ideal feminine body, serving as a stark reminder of their womanhood.

It remains to be explained why Judy and Casey have been so dramatically feminized in Guitar Hero III; to discover this explanation, it is necessary to refer to MTV’s reasons for purchasing the developers of the Guitar Hero series. Their intention was to “[connect] with target audiences by creating immersive, multi-platform environments that extend to every device they use” (Martin). In other words, MTV wished to reach their target demographic (that of music-lovers) through the video game industry as well. In order to gain a larger fan base, MTV chose to feminize the female characters of Guitar Hero in order to make them more acceptable and sexually appealing to general society. I base this theory on incidences of similar events that occur in the sports world—the idea that women who have more “masculine” occupations should apologize for them by becoming more feminine in their life and dress. In Playing Nice: Politics and Apologies in Women’s Sports, author Mary Jo Festle describes the attempts at apologetic behavior in women’s amateur basketball teams:

Apologetic behavior became a necessity. Some of the more successful

and visible teams employed hair stylists, selected attractive uniforms,

highlighted male sexual companionship, and required on-and-off-court

behaviors that would reinforce femininity … uniforms which were designed

more to please certain spectators than to help the athletes feel comfortable …” (35)

All of these attempts at appearing more feminine stemmed from the public disapproval over the women’s unfeminine behavior—that of playing basketball. Team managers even chose uniforms based on their visual appeal rather than for the benefit and comfort of the women who would be wearing them. I see evidence of this apologetic behavior in Judy and Casey’s dress: their status as skilled guitarists, traditionally masculine roles, must be softened with emphasized and obvious femininity.

But why is feminization the key to acceptable apologetic behavior? As we’ve explored, a main tenant of femininity is constriction; impairing the freedom to move renders the subject vulnerable. As Riki Anne Wilchins explains in Read my Lips: Sexual Subversion and the End of Gender, “masculine displays indicate power and dominance, while feminine displays indicate submission and vulnerability” (132). As guitarists, Judy and Casey both evoke masculine displays of power and dominance; in order to combat these displays, they must be viewed as submissive and vulnerable in some way. Restrictive feminine clothing is the key to tacking the two women with femininity, thus rounding their edges and rendering them harmless in the eyes of society. The blatant sexualization of their femininity accents submission with sexual desirability. In other words, these women may play guitar, but they’re sexually attainable as well.

Perhaps some fail to see the issue I have with this feminization; granted, Judy and Casey still play guitar as well as they always have throughout the series. Since this is the case, should their clothing really matter? Their physical appearance may not seem important to many, but there is a strong social implication with making them more palatable to society through feminization—one that Pierre Bourdieu explains eloquently: “the seemingly most insignificant details of dress, bearing, physical and verbal manners" contain the content of culture—in this case, that of the prevalence of femininity as apologetic behavior (94). The constant emphasis of femininity in our culture serves to reinforce its existence as the only acceptable representation of woman.

Judy Nails and Casey Lynch experienced a dramatic and severe physical feminization between Guitar Heroes II and III to earn a larger fan base. Because society views women acting in masculine ways as unacceptable, Judy and Casey were made more vulnerable and sexually provocative through constrictive feminine clothing based on women’s foundation garments. All of the women feminized in this manner serves to perpetuate the idea that the overtly feminine is the ideal woman The creators of Guitar Hero send out the message that women can be skilled guitarists—but only if they’re sexy.

Boedeker: Media Analysis

2008-04-25T01:18:00.000-04:00

Hannah Montana: The Best of Both Worlds!

More-so than ever, Disney influences young females at their most impressionable ages. The “tween” age group, six-fourteen, is highly sought after by marketers. More importantly, Disney marketers seek to create a “mom approved” product that six-fourteen year-old girls demand. That product comes in the form of Hannah Montana aka Miley Cyrus: a pop star sensation who is really just an easy-going, identifiable, average girl. Recently, however, the “mom-approved” brand image of Hannah Montana plummeted after racy photos of Miley Cyrus surfaced on the web. So, ironically, is Miley Cyrus becoming another Lindsay Lohan? Is she paradoxically aligned with her public image? Perhaps, however, this paper will focus the effect that Disney has on girls when they are most impressionable, how Disney creates and manipulates a perception of beauty to these girls, how the show “Hannah Montana” profits off this new brand of beauty perception, and how Hannah Montana aka Miley Cyrus transmits positive feminist messages to young girls-even if she is making billions off of them.

The “tween” demographic is the age when females are most impressionable. As a result, these young girls are naïve. The six to fourteen years are when females construct their sense of self as well as the world around them: “Tweens and teens are undergoing an identity formation process -- they are still developing who they are, what they believe, and what they will become (salon.com).” According to The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf, “We are in the midst of a violent backlash against feminism that uses images of female beauty as a political weapon against women’s advancement”(Wolf 120). With that being said the female image is important to feminist because it is one thing that women have control of to develop their own self-image. Knowing how impressionable this demographic is we must understand, from a feminist lens, how Hannah Montana, a girl whose concert movie, “debuted as the No. 1 film in the country (salon.com),” impacts the mindsets of these impressionable six-fourteen year-old girls.

Economically speaking, the impact is astronomical: “‘Hannah Montana 2’ album that debuted at the apex of the Billboard chart last summer still maintains a vise-like grip on the top 10, a few slots down from the new ‘Hannah Montana 2 Non-Stop Dance Party’ (Williams).” And that’s just cd sales. In Naomi Wolf’s, The Beauty Myth she states, “Beauty: is a currency system like a gold standard. Like any economy, it is determined by politics….”(Wolf 121). Yes it is true that beauty is highly impacted by the media and its’ consumers, however; Hannah Montana is positively empowering young women to self-identify even though she is economically benefiting. In Becoming the Third Wave, Rebecca Walker says, “To be a feminist is to integrate an ideology of equality and female empowerment into the very fiber of my life” (Walker 601). Miley Cyrus I think promotes this female empowerment in her show by encouraging individuality in young women. This is third wave text because even though she may not intentionally be a feminist she is still empowering herself and others. Hannah Montana is not merely a television personality or a musician. Hannah Montana, according to the director of Disney Consumer Products, is a new breed of marketed material: “It's not just about creating a show. We develop movies behind them. Records. We put them in our theme parks for major appearances. And we can also create consumer-product lifestyle brands around them (Advertising Age).” Knowing this, it is apparent that Hannah Montana is big business in the fashion industry. Her ability to produce direct sales is staggering, “helping fuel a $23 billion consumer-products business-$2.2 billion of it made up of health and beauty items (Advertising Age).” These figures show that entertainment, not fashion magazines, are today’s source of ideal beauty and trends: “Sheila Ullery, director of Disney Consumer Products and a former L'Oréal executive, said she used to look at fashion magazines or cosmetics from other countries to tap trends. But she now believes the entertainment industry is by far the biggest trendsetter (Advertising Age).”

So, from a feminist lens, it is reasonable to conclude that a huge amount of young girls watch Miley Cyrus, listen to Hannah Montana, dress like Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus, and want to be a mixture of Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus. The dualism of Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus allows “tweens” to dress and act in a fantastical world while preserving their realistic sense of self. On one hand, they try to attain glamour when they’re outside the house while, on the other, they maintain their at-home personality:

“girls long to escape the confines of their ordinary, sometimes difficult lives, and dream of a hidden identity -- something far beyond the imaginations and limitations of their very normal lives. Almost every girl wants just that -- the best of both worlds -- people to love them for who they are and people to love them for their celebrity. But in the end, girls just want to be valued and loved -- no matter which world they live in (salon.com)”

So, is this duality bad from a feminist perspective? No. Hannah Montana represents a strong, powerful young woman that doesn’t have to dress and act like a nympho to achieve the cliché Britney, Christina Aguilera pop-icon status: “Just when you thought each new pop tart would be sexier and more brazen than the last, Hannah breaks the downward spiral. She, like Miss Cyrus, dresses conservatively, wears only a little makeup and smiles more often than she pouts (The Economist).” She can be a star while being herself. It’s not a catch-22. In fact, there’s no catch. The message: be a star, be yourself without being sexually exploited and without forgetting who you really are. It’s inspiring to see that the pop star doesn’t have to be the typical cheerleader rooting on the team and having sex with them after the game. I think that many third wave feminists would also agree; one point in Baumgardner and Richards agenda of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future would also relate to Hannah Montana’s ideology. “10. To liberate adolescents from slut-bashing, listless educators….and the silence that hangs over adolescents’ heads, often keeping them isolated, lonely and indifferent to the world”(Baumgardner & Richards 628). In one show, Miley Cyrus actually fails to make the cheerleading squad (imdb). I hope that in the future there will be more influential people that help accomplish more of the manifesta agenda’s points.

Hannah Montana aka Miley Cyrus is freed from the societal demands of her pop-star character by holding onto who she really is on the inside. In a song titled, Nobody’s Perfect, she tells girls that perfection is impossible, and that everyone, especially her, makes mistakes: “Nobody's Perfect! You live and you learn it! And if I mess it up sometimes...Nobody's Perfect (imdb).” Perhaps even more important is Hannah’s focus on self-actualization and female sense of power in dealing with the struggles of everyday life in I’ve Got Nerve: “I know where I stand. I know who I am. I would never run away when life gets bad, it's Everything I see. Every part of me. Gonna get what I deserve. I got nerve (imdb).”

Given her power as a positive role model for young girls, Hannah Montana embodies female stereotypes. In one episode, Hannah reinforces the stereotype that girls are materialistic, especially when it comes to shoes:
Miley: I just have to have the shoes!!

Oliver: Why?

Miley: I’m a girl, they’re shoes, do the math. (imdb)

From a marketing standpoint, it makes sense to re-iterate these cliché stereotypes, but it is a negative stereotype from a feminist perspective because shoes to not make up a women’s identity. Furthermore, Miley speaks out against superficial judgments even though she knows that she embodies the ideal surface:

Miley: Looks don’t matter.

Lilly: Easy for you to say. You’re the poster child for perfect skin.

Miley: This isn’t about me. Or my perfect skin. (imdb).

In this case, Miley acknowledges that she is perfect while it’s alright to be imperfect.

So what? Every tween and their mom in middle America loves Hannah Montana. As such, it makes sense Wal-Mart is installing “Hannah Montana shops in 750 stores (brandweek.com).” She makes money. She produces self-esteem. She shows little girls that it’s ok to be themselves no matter who they are. This isn’t so much of an identity crisis as it is a pragmatic way of dealing with the imaginations of young girls. It makes sense to big business, it makes sense to moms, it makes sense to young girls, and it makes sense to me-from a feminist lens. It’s called having your cake and eating it too or as Hannah Montana says in her theme song: “the best of both worlds! (imdb).”

Pickens: Media Analysis

2008-04-25T01:16:00.003-04:00

Rampant Sexism in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary

I have taken our Media Analysis as the opportunity to step into the sphere of the political pundit and do a little analysis of my own on the still raging 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary. This primary is the first of it’s kind. The two remaining candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination are an African-American man and a woman. These kinds of changes tend to make people shaky and they then fall back on things they believe and trust. Often stereotypes play a role in this comfort and the pundits in most mainstream media have fallen back on these stereotypes in their coverage of the race. In my video I will specifically discuss the sexism running through nearly all mainstream coverage of Hillary Clinton’s bid for the White House.

The sexism surrounding Senator Clinton’s campaign is not unique to her as a candidate, but represents what would happen to any serious female contender for the Commander in Chief’s job. The Senator’s reputation and relationship with her husband just makes things more obvious. Robert Watson states clearly in his article, “Madam President, Progress, Problems, and Prospects for 2008” that “A key challenge…is for the voting public to begin assessing candidates for office–and especially the White House–as individuals rather than through the prism of sex and gender. This is easier said than done and campaigning without drawing attention to one’s gender is inescapable given the way the media focuses on the personalities of candidates.” (Watson, 6). Watson explains very clearly that the major hurdle for the voting public to begin viewing Presidential Candidates in an issue based manner is the way races are covered by the media. When nearly all mainstream media of every type including print, television, radio, and blogs place a thick layer of sexism on all their analysis it hinders the public’s ability to view a female candidate as anything but that, a female candidate. This sexism affects not only the types of coverage a candidate gets, but also the amount.

Here too, I agree with Watson. “When women do receive media coverage, it is often through a feminine lens. For example, the media focuses more on her clothing, hair style, family, and other “soft” matters for female candidates than for male candidates” (Watson, 8). The media has covered every sexist base with Senator Clinton. They’ve discussed her clothing choices, from colors to styles. I have even seen blatant discussion of Senator Clinton’s cleavage. None of this has any bearing on her ability to perform the duties of the President and it seems to be the only thing that the media cares about with respect to her campaign. This makes it all the more difficult for the Senator to openly discuss her platform, answer questions, and appear to have a grasp of the issues. It makes her seem shallow as a candidate and can have a very real (and usually negative) effect on how she is perceived by the public. This would be the case for any serious female contender.

As my video will show through selected media works and my analysis of them, sexist coverage of the Presidential race doesn’t just happen where you’d expect it coming
from conservative pundits and men. Women, like Katie Couric and talking heads from more liberal media outlets like MSNBC are no more immune to it than Bill O’Reilly and the Washington Post. This is a serious problem that must be addressed within American Culture because now that the bubble has been burst, more minorities both in race and gender will be taking a serious shot at our nation’s highest office.

Holloway: Media Analysis

2008-04-25T00:59:00.000-04:00

Holloway: Media Analysis

2008-04-25T00:57:00.001-04:00

Waltz: Media Analysis

2008-04-25T00:43:00.002-04:00

Single Motherhood through the Eyes of a Gilmore

The WB television show Gilmore Girls is centered around two females: Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory. Lorelai was born into a conservative, upper-class family and was raised by her parents, Richard and Emily Gilmore. As parents the Gilmores had high expectations for their daughter and her future so when Lorelai got pregnant at the age of sixteen they were far from pleased. After Rory was born, Lorelai ran away in order to cut ties from her parents and become independent, raising her daughter as she wanted, on her own. Lorelai ends up in Stars Hollow, a charming small New England town. Mia, the owner of the Independence Inn, takes in the Gilmore girls and allows them to stay in a little house on the inn’s property, in exchange for Lorelai working as a maid in the inn. Over the years, Lorelai and Rory are able to move into their own home in Stars Hollow. Lorelai diligently works up to a management position and begins to run the Independence Inn. After working for several years in various positions at the Independence Inn, Lorelai eventually ends up opening and co-owning The Dragonfly Inn. As feminists approach the topic of motherhood, they traditionally want society to rethink all of the stereotypical assumptions of this topic, while specifically reexamining the issues when it comes to single mothers and the difficulties they face. In this paper I will explore how accurately Gilmore Girls depicts the role of single mothers and teenage pregnancy compared to these roles in America today, while also exploring how these characteristics affect women’s employment opportunities and financial stability.

In episode thirteen of the third season, viewers see a flashback of the night when Lorelai and Christopher Haden, Rory’s father, tell their parents about their pregnancy. The scene opens with both sets of parents arguing about what solution would be the best choice. Emily Gilmore worries as to what all their friends will say when they hear the news. Richard Gilmore then firmly suggests that Christopher and Lorelai will marry and Christopher will go to work in Richard’s company. Lorelai and Christopher will also move in with the Gilmores because Richard does not think they can handle the situation or the responsibility of raising a child on their own. In Joanna Gregson Higginson’s article, she acknowledges the fact that teenage parents have received “a tremendous amount of negative press regarding their ability to parent effectively.” In addition a number of studies have been done highlighting some of the negative impacts that are made on children of teen parents. “These children are more likely than other children to die as infants, grow up in poverty, get into trouble at school, drop out of school, become criminals if they are boys, and become adolescent parents themselves if they are girls” (Higginson).

One of the goals of feminists is to de-romanticize motherhood and marriage. Emily Gilmore believes that all their problems will be solved and they will live happily ever after once Lorelai and Christopher are married. Christopher even assumes he and Lorelai will get married after the baby is born even though the marriage would be for all the wrong reasons. Lorelai rejects this idea even with the knowledge that the odds, society, and statistics are against her. “In 1994, the median income for a two-parent household was $45,041. In contrast, the median income for a single-parent household led by a woman was $19,872” (Ventura). Lorelai knows that single mothers face a number of setbacks and that on average women earn less than men do even though they are employed in the same profession. “In 2003, 28 percent of single-mother families were below the poverty line” (Albelda). All of these statistics show that the issues single mothers face are not so “romantic” in the scheme of things. Even with this knowledge, Lorelai does not want to rely on her parents’ help nor does she want to conform to how society thinks a pregnant teenager should act so she chooses what some would call a feminist stance. She decides to keep the baby and support it herself even though an abortion was suggested. The independent Lorelai breaks societies’ traditional view of needing a man to support you and to make you happy, an idea feminists passionately refute. I commend Gilmore Girls and agree with Lorelai’s decision to support herself and her child, even though no one else was on her side. Lorelai ends up becoming one of the women who Valerie Mannis describes as “financially independent women who are single mothers by choice.” Society does tend to believe that single mother families “result from the breakdown of a stable family or death of the father,” which is not always the case (Mannis). I think the writers of the television show did display an accurate account of how society reacts when faced with issues of teen pregnancy.

As much as Lorelai’s decisions toward her teen pregnancy and single parenthood were realistic, I also want to examine the practicality of her employment and immediate housing opportunities. A sad reality in America today is that often employers are hesitant towards hiring women who are pregnant or may become pregnant because they fear women may leave the company to become mothers raising their children at home. In her piece, Ann Crittenden writes about how “inflexible workplaces guarantee that many women will have to cut back on, if not quit, their employment once they have children.” The show made the dilemma of running away from home and looking for a job to support a teenager and her child seem somewhat easy. In reality a large percentage of single mothers do end up living in poverty or with the support of welfare. The fact that Lorelai did have the immediate opportunity to move into the place where she is working and the option for good childcare for Rory is a rare occurrence.

In the fourth episode of the third season of Gilmore Girls, Lorelai gets invited to come speak at the Stars Hollow High School’s career day. She is there to speak about her managerial position at the Independence Inn, but the students she is speaking to are more interested in and constantly interrupting her with questions about her teen pregnancy. They wanted to know if she regrets what had happened. Lorelai tries to answer honestly but there are other mothers there who give her judgmental glances. The situation displayed in this episode is an adequate representation of some of the aftermath that could very possibly occur from having a child as a teenager. It is only natural for teenagers to be interested in this topic and raise these questions, but through this episode the show sheds light on many parents interest in shielding their children from these issues.

Lorelai overcomes several assumptions and obstacles of motherhood including single, teenage parenthood, even becoming a successful business woman. Her character is not a made-up version of a superhero mom, but rather another example of the millions of less recognized single mothers in today’s world. There are a few instances where the show reveals unrealistic occurrences, but throughout the seasons of the show it portrays real difficulties single mothers like Lorelai face and the struggles they overcome. Gilmore Girls is a text supporting feminist ideals exemplified in the way that Lorelai fights the stereotypical assumptions of a single working mother and the status quo of a teenage mom.

Pornography and Jenna Jameson; Can Either be Feminism?

2008-04-24T22:59:00.001-04:00

Pornography is hot—well, that’s debatable but the topic of Pornography has been a hot political issue for the feminist community and everyone else for that matter. The pornography debate has even caused a distinctive split within the feminist community. World-renowned stripper, producer, business-mogul, and most of all porn star Jenna Jameson has been dubbed the “Queen of Porn.” Jenna Jameson has been scrutinized by academic, political, and most prominently, feminist scholars. As many feminists say that sexual liberation and women’s equality go hand-in-hand, the other side claims that sexual violence, objectification, and harassment coincide with the rise of the pornography industry. Though Jameson has said that the liberation of her sexuality to control men has been empowering, many argue against the porn industries’ “pro-feministic” claims by pointing out the objectification and mutilation that women in the industry face. In her autobiography, “How to Make Love like a Porn Star”, she does not deny that the industry is cruel to women but separates herself like all women in the work force to demand what she wants and above all, respect. Jameson’s life, though tumultuous, is an example of how the exploitation of women is in the eye of the beholder, that the double-bind is still something she does not buy into, and that ultimately this is a religious war masked in politics.

In her E! True Hollywood Story, Jenna says she is constantly approached by women saying that “…she should be ashamed” at what she is allowing to happen to her and, as a result, America. Political hothead Bill O’Reilly has even done as far as to call her a modern-day “Quasi Prostitute” on his show The O’Reilly Factor. Her response is always the same, she even reminisces about her first strip job at the Crazy Horse Too in Las Vegas, as “empowering.” In an E! interview with her brother, John Massoli, he questions who really is the target of exploitation as Jenna “would use her intelligence and her boobs to clean out men’s wallets.” Author of The Case Against Pornography, Donald E, Wildmon writes “…nearly all pornography is created by males for a primarily male audience…”(Wildmon 45). Though it’s obvious that men do hold the largest target audience of pornography, recent statistics taken by familysafemedia.com, show that seventy percent of women keep their pornography a secret and that one in three visitors of porn sites are women. Even Jameson proves an anomaly as Club Jenna and Vivid Videos, her own production company, is run by women and controlled, in all aspects, by her. In her E! Story, Jameson goes on to talk about how ironic it is that in a capitalist society where money means power, people overlook her success in the business “…I have a 401K, I’m invested in several mutual funds,” she states. Although no one can deny that pornography caters directly more to men, Jameson along with recent statistics taken, show that this perhaps this very 3^rd wave view on women’s empowerment through sexuality may be catching on.

Of course it would be unrealistic to say Jameson has not suffered from the same double-bind that “normal” women have been for centuries. A double bind according to Marilyn Frye’s piece titled “ Oppression,” is a connection to real oppression; where any choice or lifestyles that a woman chooses produces negative results, especially when it comes to their sex lives (Frye 2). It is no coincidence that women are hardly praised or labeled in a positive light for being a “player” like men are and we hardly hear porn actors being bashed for their sexuality. It is hard to understand that what Jameson does to pay her rent is simply a “business” transaction to her. In her interview with Bill O’Reilly, Reilly even spins his questions to align Jameson’s career with that of a prostitute. When attacked by O’Reilly, Jameson replies that the difference between her and a prostitute is that she caters to the viewer; she doesn’t have sex with them. Many assume that because Jameson lives such a sexual life on-screen for a living that this must transcend into her personal life thus many label her as a “slut” or a “whore.” In her E! interview, Jameson expresses the personal detachment from the characters she portrays in her films. She defends herself by saying when she is in “ a committed relationship, (she is) completely devoted and monogamous and (does not) want to have sex with any other man.” Just as society reduces a “sexually free” woman’s identity with who she sleeps with, Jameson has been reduced to others by only her on-screen persona. Precisely because Jameson does not buy into societal views on a sexually liberated woman, she is condemned for her lifestyle.

In her book Defending Pornography, Nadine Strossen says that the “war on sexual expression is, at bottom, a war on sex itself…any expression about sex is now seen as especially dangerous…” Strossen’s argument is that society’s wariness about sex is shown as violence is highly accepted in comparism “…a man fondles a woman’s breast and it is Rated R, a man cuts off a limb with a chainsaw, it’s PG-13” (Strossen 21). Jameson’s sexual suppression is evident in that the Oxford Union’s website, a group at Oxford University where Jameson won a prestigious debate for Pornography, does not showcase Jenna Jameson’s name anywhere in the past history or famous debaters on their website. Even when typed into a search engine, several fan sites and news sites claim Jenna’s victory but the most credible source, the Oxford Union’s website, does not. Strossen also sheds light on the contradiction that feminists who are anti-pornography are reluctant to admit. She says that “women’s sexual suppression coincides with women’s equality” (Strossen 30). Though women all over the world are constantly fighting to change the double bind, we also continue to chip away and try to censor extreme showcasing of sexual liberality.

Her recently released autobiography, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star, has since, only complicated the debate about whether pornography detriments or frees women of sexual binds. Surprisingly candid, Jameson recounts her life as a crash dieting, drug-abusing little girl who wanted nothing more than to control her life around her. To say that she was suffered through adversity as a woman in the industry would be an understatement. One theme evident throughout her book is that she defines her life in stages with men who were extremely bad for her until she enters a relationship with fellow stripper Nikki Tylor. Reminiscent of the Radicalesbians, who claim that a heterosexual relationship can never be equitable for the woman, Jameson is bewildered at how different a relationship with a woman is and even to this day claims herself as a bi-sexual. The book not only shows her dependency on men and substance, but how she fought her way to abstain from both in order to actualize her career aspirations. As the “Queen of Porn,” Jameson is truly an independent woman. Near the end of her book, Jameson expresses her deep desire to become a mother and as Bill O’Reilly questions what she thinks about young women who view her as a role model, she has never claimed to be a “role model” and that, in this day and age, she holds that sort of responsibility to the parents and how well they watch over the content that they are exposed to. Many other scholars on her E! True Hollywood Story questions Jameson’s decision to retire from the porn industry once she has children. One woman, questions whether or not Jameson is really proud of what she has done in her life and if she truly was, doesn’t her retirement from the porn industry simply mean that she is, in fact, “ashamed?” It may be hard to comprehend the choices that Jameson makes but what is most fascinating is the media’s inability to leave it alone. Jameson has stated that she isn’t ashamed but she does not want to make “growing up, hard…” for her child but America seems unable to get away from separating sexually divergent people from other aspects of their personal lives.

In the last segment of her E! Interview, an unlikely subject is brought to attention; will Jenna Jameson go to heaven or hell? This is intentional. Several of her friends and co-workers vouch for Jameson as heaven-bound because she has a “big heart” and is “a good person.” The camera then pans to an elderly man who is asked whether Jenna Jameson will go to heaven or hell, he strongly replies “…Jenna Jameson is an evil person—she has refused to understand, what our civilization is built upon—built upon a premise that we are all God’s creatures.” The interesting thing is that this show was aired in 2003, amidst all the political banter about keeping religion and state separate, America continues to backtrack to the fact that America was founded on Christian ideals though it is an outdated and unpopular argument. At the heart of the pornography debate, is a debate about religion. It is the old versus the new standards of sexual expression and what it means to be a “real woman” or, in the end, a “good person”. In her defense, Jameson’s says, “There are people out there that feel what I’m doing is morally wrong and the way I look at it is, what is most important, is that I am happy and it’s something I have chosen to do, it’s not something that I push on anyone else. So, for them to impose their beliefs on me is ridiculous.”

If there is one theme that is hardest to understand about feminism, it is the concept of choice. Feminism, in large part, is about choosing what niche of the world we want to inhabit whether it is against or with what society, traditions, or customs deems “normal.” Most people will not want to argue that pornography has more merits than negative effects on society, but feminism has always been about identity through objective choices. In Pornography, by Alan Soble, Soble takes on a literal defense of pornography by quoting Andrea Dworkin’s piece entitled Woman Hating. She says pornography “ has made positive contributions. Sucking is approached in a good way. Sucking cock, sucking cunt, how to, how good. Sperm tastes good, so does cunt. In particular, the emphasis on sucking cunt serves to demystify cunt in a spectacular way—cunt is not dirty, not terrifying, not smelly and foul; it is a source of pleasure, a beautiful part of female physiology, to be seen, touched, tasted” (Soble 151).
Jameson may not be a role model for young women and certainly does not claim to be but to attack personal choices that women make for themselves is not what feminism has claimed to be. In the end, it is a religious war but more importantly what can be learned from Jameson, is that people cannot be reduced into one aspect of their being. Just as we don’t identify who we are solely by our ethnicity, or job, Jameson as a person, and a woman cannot be reduced to just her sexual life.

Dove's 'Onslaught'

2008-04-24T21:17:00.000-04:00

When Dove first began their Campaign for Real Beauty and plastering images of “real” women all over commercials, magazines, billboards, and buses I was a little confused and disturbed. I did not completely grasp why a company would use “real” women to promote a beauty product, rather than tall, skinny, blonde women, whom ooze the cultural norm of beauty. I once remember making a comment in my high school Calculus class about the Dove ads and how gross I felt it was that these larger, wrinkled women were being displayed in their underwear. I made the comment that “no one wants to see that,” referring to the naked, wrinkled skin of older women, and was quickly reprimanded by the girl sitting beside me. She said “you should consider yourself lucky if you look like that one day.” Those words had a huge impact on me and really made me think about what Dove is trying to accomplish through their Campaign for Real Beauty. According to Dove’s official website, since 2004 the Dove brand has been invested to being “a starting point for societal change and act as a catalyst for widening the definition and discussion of beauty” through their print ads featuring women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and colors, as well as their viral ads placed online on websites such as YouTube and other social networking sites (“Campaign”). Dove’s original viral ad,’ Evolution,’ received millions of hits online and Dove’s newest viral ‘Onslaught’ sends a slightly different, but just as powerful message. In this analysis I will argue the positives and negatives of Dove’s ‘Onslaught’ viral, as well as the hypocrisy that comes along with Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty.
Dove’s ‘Onslaught’ viral sets up the perfect image. The spot begins with a wide eyed, red-haired, very innocent, little girl staring at the camera. As the music begins, appropriately saying “Here it Comes,” the scene is filled with a montage of the beauty images that bombard young girls everyday and from every type of source. The viral begins relatively calm with images that are not deemed disturbing and are commonplace to most, however, by the end of the one minute and eighteen second spot, the viewer has been exposed to the sight of plastic surgeries, yo-yo dieting, bulimia and anorexia. The spot ends with the words “Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does” scrolled across the screen (“Lippert”). Through this viral, Dove is trying to widen the discussion of beauty to the realm of mothers and daughters, as well as fight against media’s idea that there is one, unchanging standard of beauty, while in actuality, there are numerous standards. (“Wolf”). In today’s world girls are constantly shown images of super skinny, blonde, perfect women and there is pressure from all aspects of society for women to be beautiful and have a certain look. A lot of this idea is formed from the idea of heteronormativity, or a system in which heterosexual is the norm and women’s ultimate goal is to get a man. Included in this is the idea that a woman must beat other women to get a man by being the most beautiful (“Chernik”). The beauty industry adds fire to this idea by setting an unattainable standard for beauty for females across the world. The industry tells females everywhere, including young girls, that they need this product or that product in order to achieve the results that will ultimately help them reach this impossible standard.
While the ‘Onslaught’ viral is shining some light on the amount of negative images displayed to young girls in our society, there is also much negative debate about the viral’s use of words such as “younger, taller, lighter, firmer, tighter, thinner, [and] softer” throughout the ad, while the Dove brand itself produces products that do exactly those things (“Garfield”). How can a company portray these ideas as wrong and harmful to girls, yet sell products that take care of such problems? The company makes claims to be redefining the beauty standard and making an effort to move away from the beauty myth that currently plagues women in our society, however, by selling products such as wrinkle creams, the Dove brand is portraying that wrinkles are not beautiful and therefore need to be removed or reduced.
Since Dove launched its Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004, there has been much criticism of the brand’s sincerity in producing this type of ad campaign. Dove’s parent company, Unilever, is also the parent company of products such as Axe, men’s body spray, and Slim Fast (“Consumer”). The question is, how can a company that seems so devoted to empowering women and creating a new definition of beauty also promote products such as Axe, a brand whose television and print ads exploit women as scantily clad, sex objects, and Slim Fast, a diet drink often used in yo-yo dieting, like that portrayed in Dove’s ‘Onslaught’ viral (“Garfield”)? The answer is it cannot. The company cannot support both the empowerment of woman through Dove ads, while exploiting them through other product ads. Dove appears to want to pull the “feminist” card when necessary to make women feel as though the company truly wants a positive view of beauty for women of all shapes and sizes, but when dealing with men, the same company uses perfect, size zero women as sex objects. I also feel it is important to remember that Dove is a company, and a beauty company at that and its main goal, like all companies’ goal, is to sell products. By producing ads such as ‘Onslaught’ Dove is bringing awareness to the world of the problems with the current view of beauty and the company may actually feel as though there needs to be a change in the definition, but whether they truly want to be the ones to change it is the question. There could be something of an ulterior motive behind Dove giving women those warm and fuzzy “real” beauty feelings. It is important for Unilever to pick a side on in this situation. This is not an issue in which a company can be positioned in the middle, a side must be chosen. While the people that purchase Dove products generally do not purchase Axe body spray and vice versa, I feel it is necessary for the public to be made aware that these two brands are owned by the same company, then the consumer can decide whether they want to support a company with unclear views.
Since Dove began its Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004, the brand has introduced new ideas into the world of beauty and is doing its part in bringing awareness to the world about the beauty industry’s unobtainable beauty standard. Dove has done this through print ads featuring models of all shapes and sizes, as well as virals such as ‘Onslaught’ and its first viral, ‘Evolution.’ However, there is much negative debate about how Dove, a company which sells beauty products can challenge the industry in which it is deeply involved. So, is Dove truly using its “real” beauty campaign as a way to bring attention to the flaws in the beauty standard, or is it using the idea of “real” beauty to play on the emotions of women for economic gain?

Love and Basketball: A Closer Look at Mainstream Portrayal of Gender Norms

2008-04-24T21:10:00.001-04:00

In the opening scene of the movie Love and Basketball, three young boys are playing basketball at a neighborhood court. As they are playing, the “new kid” walks up and asks to join. The boys are pleasantly surprised because their mothers told them a girl was moving into the neighborhood. The “new kid” is dressed in a baggy shirt and a LA Lakers hat. As the game begins, the “new kid” is revealed to be a girl. The boys immediately say, “Aw man! She is a girl! Girls can’t play no ball!” (Prince-Bythewood, Gina). It turns out that the girl, Monica, is an outstanding basketball player and wins the game. One of the boys, Quincy, has a father that is in the NBA so he is threatened by Monica’s talent. He reacts to her win by pushing her down. This may be a scene out of a movie, but it accurately portrays real life circumstances many children face. Some may ask where these ideas come from and the answer is gender norms. Gender norms are what are considered as appropriate behaviors, beliefs, and attributes for males and females as directed by a society. Monica and Quincy’s lives are detailed in four quarter of the movie just like in a basketball game. It is during the second quarter that one is able to see gender norms being depicted. Quincy is praised for his athletic ability while Monica is criticized. In this paper, it is my goal to argue that Monica’s treatment throughout the movie exemplifies, promotes, and defies the ideas of gender norms that society has established today.
When I think about what makes me a female I immediately think about my sexual organs and how I was raised. My room was pink, I played with dolls, and I wore a lot of colorful barrettes in my hair. Now that I am older and have become more educated, I realize that the color pink or my love for dolls does not make me a girl. As soon as a mother finds out from her sonogram the sex of her child, she immediately starts to think of “appropriate” names. If it is a girl she may be named Allison, Michelle, or Brittney. If it is a boy, the father is ready to add the title junior and decorate the room in all shades of blue. During the preschool years, a child is able to comprehend that there is a gender binary: boys and girls. The idea is not fully understood, but it is perceived. When I was five years old, I remember owning all the ninja turtles, while also having every my little pony. I had frilly pink and yellow Easter dresses and cute blue sailor outfits. In the article entitled “ ‘A Van with a Bar and a Bed’: Ritualized Gender Norms in the John/Joan Case”, John M. Sloop explains how John/Joan, who is being raised as a girl, decides to urinate standing up. This observation causes a great deal of turmoil and makes people begin to think that John/Joan wants to be a male. I used to see boys and men on television urinate while standing up so for a period in my childhood I did the same thing. I did not comprehend why boys did it and girls did not. When my mom found out, she did what many mothers do. She told me that girls sit down and boys stand up. I was not chastised or reprimanded for doing this. I was simply told that I was a girl and I could not do that. It is with cases and stages of childhood like these that I truly believe that the binary issue is exemplified. Gender confusion is becoming more prevalent in children today. Children as young as the age of 5 are showing signs of wanting to dress in clothes of the opposite sex and they are being supported by their parents and mental health professionals. In fact, “At the Park Day School in Oakland, teachers are taught a gender-neutral vocabulary and are urged to line up students by sneaker color rather than by gender” (Brown, Patricia Leigh).
As described in the introduction, Love and Basketball begins with an example of gender norms being personified. It is evident that Monica is a “tomboy” and her mother does not like it. She dresses in baggy clothes, wears hats, and refuses to comb her hair. Monica has an older sister who is girly and her mom takes pride in her. On the other hand, she shuns Monica for her boyish ways, which ultimately leads to Monica not respecting her mother.
Gender norms are promoted in today’s society, even though there are many that oppose this idea. Unfortunately, it was not until I began watching Jerry Springer at the age of 9 that I began to get an idea that some women preferred to be men and vice versa. In the third grade, I learned that earthworms were hermaphrodites. When I heard this term being applied to humans, I was very confused. How could a person be born with both female and male genetalia? The movie Boys Don’t Cry received critical acclaim and opened many people’s eyes about transsexuals. The movie is based on the real-life story of Brandon Teena, who was a FTM (female to male). His male friends found out he had female genitalia and raped and killed him. After watching the movie, I had a little insight on the issue, but I still did not think it was real.
The most cliché promotion of gender norms is seen in highschools across the country. Numerous movies and television shows base their storylines on the all American football player and his cheerleader girlfriend because that is what society is supposed to be like. Right? He has to be extremely masculine and she must be gorgeous and the most popular girl in the school. This image is dramatically distorted. Unfortuatley, for some it is crystal clear; homosexuals and transgendered people are not “normal”.
As prevouly stated, Monica’s mother is very prim and proper. She wants her to wear dresses and be more “lady-like”. The time approaches for the senior dance and monica’s mom is so proud that her daughter is going. Monica puts on a nice form fitting dress and her sister does her hair in a cute little style. Her mother is on the verge of tears as she places her family pearls around monica’s neck. The following day, Monica plays in one of the biggest games of her highschool career. The game is important beacause a college scout is present. Monica is a very aggressive player and this really irritates her mother. Nevertheless, she loses her temper during the game and is ejected. She is heartbroken because she thinks she did not impress the scout. Instead of her mother being comforting and supportive, she tells monica that she should focus on something else besides basketball and find a boyfriend. Monica angrily replies, “I wont I’m a lesbian. That’s what you think don’t you?”. In today’s society, many female atheletes are faced with the inevitable question “are you a lesbian?”. It is true that some female atheles are lesbians, but this does not mean that all of them are. In 2001, USA Today did an article on the lesbian fanbase of the WNBA. Local lesbian groups began showing up at many of the games and this caused an uproar in the communities. The WNBA was very appreciative of their lesbian fans and in turn took team trips to local lesbian bars. In the article, Pat Griffin who is a professor at the University of Massacheucets said, “Women’s sports have been built on the backs of the hard work of lesbians at every level. Lesbians have alwayss been a vital part of women’s sports. It’s long overdue to acknowledge that” (Weir, Tom).
Society is adamently defying gender norms. This defiance can be see with transexualism and the gay and lesbian comminity. Transexualism applies to people that identify with a physical sex different from the one they were born with or assigned in cases where ambiguity of the child’s sex organs led to assignengng them a physical sex (Lewins, Frank 4). Transexuals are subjected to tortious ridicule and many times death. The transexual community has proposed many terms to define who they are such as FTM (female to male) and queer. The community also explicity details the difference betewen gender and sex because socity has blended the terms.
Gays and lesbians are heavily portrayed in mainstream media, whereas transexualism is still a bit taboo. Shows such as Will and Grace and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy depict gay men as the ideal shopping companions. I am from a small town and the idea of transexualism and gays and lesbians was new for me. Our town has about 1,000 people and everyone knows everyone. There was one gay men I met when I was younger and his name was Orlando. I thought Orlando was entertaining because he would always strut down the street swinging his long ponytail and screaming “Hey Girl!”. I used to think he was acting and I did not realize this was his way of life. He was not close to the men in my town because they were all afraid of him and did not want him to ask them to be his boyfriend. Their ignorance made them think that just because they were men orlando would automatically be attracted to him. Orlando was not “normal” beacause he was not masculine and did not like women.
At the end of the movie, Quincy is drafted to the NBA and plays for the Lakers and Monica plays overseas. Eventually, quincy gets hurt and his career is over. His whole life he was praised for excelling in basketball. He faced no criticism because he was doing what he was “supposed’ to do. He was a man that dated many women and excelled in sports. On the other hand, monica excelled in basketball also but she was viewed differently. She was too masculine. She did not act like a lady. She had to be a lesbian because she played a sport. Why is this? Why did she not get the same praise as Quincy? The answer is because she was not acing like a girl should. She was not obeying the gender norm rules. In the final scene, the fourth quarter, monica defies the gender norm rules. She marries quincy and they have a little girl. As the movie is going off, monica is starting in her first game in the WNBA. Her aggressive and masucaline atttitude got her a six-figure salary with a professional baskeball team and she did this on her own accord. She did not conform to society’s and her mother’s standards of how females should act and this made her a better person.
I have never really sat down and thought about how society has had such an influence on gender and my view of it. I always viewed transsexuals as doing their own thing. It never really occurred to me that just like I feel like I am a female, they feel like they are the opposite sex. It is extrememly hard for transsexuals, gays, and lesbians to truly express who they are because there is a great chance that they will not be accepted. After reading various articles on how gender is depicted in other countries around the world, I realized that the United States has the most constraints on what is a male and what is a female. Hopefully, more people will gain knowledge on the difference between sex and gender and form a more educated opinion about this issue we call the gender norm.

Media Analysis: Beach

2008-04-24T14:41:00.005-04:00

Every week more and more young girls go to the store to buy teen magazines with headlines that read “Instant Beauty Fixes” and “21 Naughty Sex Tips” along with cosmetic products in hopes of being skinny, having flawless hair and skin, and being desired by men. ^¹Young girls aspire to possess all of these qualities mainly because of the way that society and the mass media portray the ‘ideal woman’. You never pick up a teen magazine that reads “21 Ways to Become an Empowering Woman” because according to the media, being smart and successful usually does not coincide with femininity and being the ideal desirable woman. However, in 2001 the movie Legally Blonde brought Elle Woods to the big screen. The movie has buried messages of issues that are at the forefront of third wave feminism. The producers try to illustrate this through the main character—Elle Woods, a skinny, blonde, sorority girl who in the beginning of the movie is portrayed as a “Cosmo-girl” (interested only in fashion and superficial things and not interested in things of substance), but while in her journey at Harvard Law finds that there is more to her than just “blonde hair and big boobs.”^² However, many young viewers might not have viewed the movie using a feminist lens and got this message, but instead got a good laugh and maybe a new idol. My analysis argues that when viewing this movie through a feminist lens the issue of heteronormativity and “girlie” femininity are established by Elle’s actions and facade. This paper will focus on the main character, Elle Woods, and the way that she exemplifies the third wave ideals of femininity in today’s society.

One third wave feminist issue that is seen through Elle is that of heteronormativity, a term “used to designate how heterosexuality is constituted as the norm in sexuality” as well as the competition that young women participate in to find a husband (Robinson 19). Heteronormativity is embedded throughout our culture and is instilled in most at a young age. In fact it is said that the media, pop culture, and children’s text have a major part in the continuation of heteronormativity in children’s daily lives. (Robinson 22) The article ‘Queerying’ gender: Heteronormativity in early childhood education stated that “the normalization of heterosexuality is a social phenomenon that is actively negotiated, with its dominant discourses and narratives primarily constituted within the socially constructed cultural binary of heterosexual us” (Robinson 19). Heteronormativity can be harmful to many women who go to extreme lengths to fit the societal “norm” of finding a husband. Elle is a prime example of the lengths that some women will go to just to get the “rock”, even if it means them continuing to be oppressed. Throughout the movie there are scenes where heteronormativity is noticeable.

In the opening scene, viewers are reminded of the superficial things that consumers must buy in order to be beautiful and youthful in the competitive world of dating; the camera scrolls over many beneficial products to subliminally remind us. It is evident in the opening scene, Elle and her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, go to dinner with Elle thinking that he is going to propose, when actually the opposite is true—he breaks up with her. He claims that if he wants to be a senator he needs to marry “a Jackie, not a Marilyn.”^³Saddened by this, Elle becomes an introvert and stays in her room. After a week her friends beg her to go with them to go get their nails done. While at the nail salon, she reads an article about Warner’s older brother and his finance. Elle excitedly says, “This is what I need to become… a law student.” ^⁴ After working diligently to get into Harvard Law using all the physical and intellectual attributes that she possess, she discovers that over the summer Warner and his ex-girlfriend from prep school got engaged. Outraged by the news, she jumps in her Porsche convertible and finds a local nail salon. Paulette, her manicurist, hears her story and tells Elle to “steal the bastard back;” implying that this is a competition. ^⁵

As many third wave feminist would argue, this competition causes women to play up their femininity and never really allows them to find equality and happiness, but instead continues to make them oppressed. Although not happy about the news or being at Harvard, Elle continues to try and win Warner back. During this time she never loses the pink attire and feminine qualities that have been instilled in her, but instead she just keeps fighting for what she believes to be the man for her. However, it is apparent that Elle is not truly happy. The turning point for Elle, is when she goes to a party (which she was told by Vivian that it was a costume party) dressed as a pink bunny and sees Warner who explains to her that she is not smart enough to get the grades to apply for Professor Callahan’s internship (a competitive internship that students in his class are competing for in which he will only take six students) and that she should do something she is good at like shopping. It is here that she realizes that she will never be “good enough” for him and that he does not take her seriously. She storms out of the party and frustratingly says, “I’ll show you how valuable Elle Woods can be.” ^⁶

It is in this scene that the movie takes a turn from girl chasing guy (Elle conforming to be what Warner wants) like society expects, to girl taking action to become what she wants to become. While maintaining her poise and charisma, Elle sets out on a mission to have people take her serious. Still wearing pink clothes and being impeccably groomed, Elle starts to speak up in class and win her “mock” court case studies, one in which she won over Warner. Elle proves that although she is in a male dominated environment she can compete and be successful while still maintaining her “girlie” femininity. In the past women have not been at the forefront of classroom discussions, especially in Law School. An article in the New York Times stated that recent studies show that classroom discussions tend to be “dominated by students who are members of the groups most privileged by law and society. All too often the views and concerns of women students…are given short shrift or left out of the classroom debate entirely” and it concluded by adding that the female voice is moderately new to law school (Caldwell, par. 6).

The issue of “girlie” femininity is an immense issue of third wave feminism and can be seen through Elle’s actions and clothing. Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards created the term “girlie feminism” in their book Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future, to illustrate the pro-femininity contour of young feminists (Fudge, par. 34). According to an article in Bitch Magazine “girlie femininity” is the reclaiming of make-up and other girlie accessories, and the corroboration “of traditionally female activities like cooking, crafting, and talking about sex, is a valid way to express the desire for equality—valuing the inherently female aspects of life, rather than trying to erase them” (Fudge, par. 34). From the beginning to the end, Elle never gives up her make-up, pink clothing, or her manicures, in order to have people take her seriously; instead she works harder than others to be known as an intellect rather than an “ornament”.

The writer’s use Elle’s “girlie femininity” to their advantage; they purposely dress her in pink low-cut dresses with pink rhinestone high heels. In the beginning Elle stands out to the viewers as being the epitome of a “sorority bimbo”. As Elle evolves in the movie her “girlie femininity” becomes extremely apparent when she goes to Harvard. Sitting in the front row, dressed very fashionable (not wearing pink), Elle takes out her pink heart-shaped, perfume sprayed notepad to take notes while her peers are dressed in business attire and are diligently typing on their laptops. After getting kicked out of her first class at Harvard for being unprepared, hearing of Warner’s engagement to Vivian, and all the obstacles that were put in Elle’s path, she works extraordinarily hard so that she can hopefully earn a spot as one of Callahan’s interns. Her work paid off because she, along with Warner and Vivian, worked on a murder case, but not just any murder case, the murder case of a Delta Nu (one of Elle’s “sister’s”).

Brooke Taylor, an exercise instructor, was charged with killing her husband who was much older than she. She refused to give Callahan the alibi, so Elle took it upon herself to go visit Brooke. When Elle goes, she brings a basket of goodie’s; Clinique skin care line, 750 thread count sheets, Cosmo magazine, and other “girlie accessories”. This is used to demonstrate Elle’s extremely “girlie” femininity and that although she is indeed this way, she still had the audacity to go get the alibi on her own; therefore she is being an empowering woman, unlike the other women interns. Brooke confides in Elle and gives her the alibi, but asks that Elle not repeat it to Callahan. Keeping her word, Elle goes to the trial each day. It is through her innate intellectual ability and not her good looks, that she is able to use great deductive reasoning skills to clear her sorority sister of the purported crime. Her articulation of the events in the courtroom left even Warner and Vivian speechless. Her conclusion/remarks were brilliant. People in the courtroom were stunned that someone of her façade could not only be beautiful, but also be intellectual. It is through her third wave idea of “girlie femininity” that Elle has the intellectual capacity to solve the case. She concludes by saying that the reason that she won the case was thanks to “the finite rules of hair care.”^⁷

Throughout Legally Blonde, the main character, Elle, is forced to work harder than her peers to prove herself intellectually worthy of Warner and her Law Professors. She is a significant character in a feminist interpretation of the movie, because she represents the third wave issues of heteronormativity and “girlie femininity.” As many young girls have viewed this movie they have overlooked both of these issues which are important to third wave feminists. As Baumgardner and Richards would articulate, “to out unacknowledged feminists, specifically to those who are younger” is ideally what the media should be doing (Baumgardner 627). Although Elle never comes out and publicly labels herself a feminist, her actions (which are those of third wave) speak louder. Hopefully, the young viewers will realize that it is acceptable and admirable to be both beautiful and brilliant and that there is action that they can take to be both. It is up to the younger generation to take action to solve the issues that are at the forefront of third wave; therefore, movies such as this help to inadvertently get young women motivated to change (usually by bettering themselves) and get involved in the movement (even if it means furthering one's education).

Media Analysis:Ferguson

2008-04-23T23:01:00.000-04:00

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In today’s society that is completely absorbed in the media and controlled by its mostly negative angles, Dove has been able to fight the norm. With the launch of the Campaign for Real Beauty in the spring of 2005 (Why the campaign for real beauty? Campaignforrealbeauty.com). With the launch of this campaign Dove sought to challenge society and the media to redefine beauty and in doing so raise the every floundering self-esteem of women worldwide (About the campaign.campaignforrealbeauty.com). Once the public was introduced to this first Campaign for Real Beauty, Dove saw how for the most part the reaction was extremely positive. They launched successive campaigns ranging from pro-aging to targeting young girls and the sad reality of what they are shown everyday in the media. Though not everyone is on board with the fact that a skin care company is trying to be pro-aging while still selling their products, it is hard to completely dismiss the campaign as bad because of its extremely constructive approach. In this media analysis I will focus on Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty website and its focus on girls, moms and mentors and the endless resources and information that it provides them with.
Just simply opening up the website is extremely overwhelming, yet simple in a sense. Though that may sound confusing it is an important aspect of the website and campaign as a whole. Dove is attempting something that, from my knowledge, has never been attempted before on such a large scale. What they are attempting to do is over time, and through the younger generation for the most part, re-define beauty image into a term that is wider and more real. When entering the website it is almost hard to grasp that a company is attempting to tackle such a large feat but, Dove does this in a tactical way.
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Dove sets up its website so that there are sections for girls, moms and mentors and within each section there are activities and readings that can be used as resources for them. By opening up access to information that would otherwise be too hard to find, Dove encourages girls and women alike to explore different ideas and myths about beauty.
In Naomi Wolfe’s book The Beauty Myth she defines what she coins “the beauty myth” as, “ ‘Beauty’ is not universal or changeless though the west pretends that all ideals of female beauty stem from one platonic ideal woman” (The Beauty Myth). This idea of female beauty being a set of standards is what Dove is challenging by starting their website and movement. By reaching out to the younger generation of girls they are trying to slowly eradicate the problems that run so deep in our society surrounding self-esteem of girls and women around the world. On the website there is a link to what Dove calls the Self-Esteem Fund. The Self-Esteem Fund’s slogan is “Fostering self-esteem around the world” and their mission statement is “Developed to make real change in the way women and young girls perceive and embrace their beauty. We want to help free ourselves and the next generation from Beauty stereotypes” (Dove Self-Esteem Fund. Campaignforrealbeauty.com). Because of this lack of self-esteem fostered in girls and women beginning at an alarmingly early age, many girls may not reach their full potential in life due to their lack of confidence during development. Thus, Dove is trying to promote a widened range of the definition of beauty so as to “educate and inspire” girls. The approach they use in promoting their self-esteem fund is avid and aimed at having the consumers help to spread the knowledge they gain and thus starting widespread changes. It is the idea of promoting self-esteem from a younger age that is what will
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hopefully change the younger generation of girls that are living during the Dove campaign era and eventually change the way that women as a whole feel about themselves.
Women’s perceptions of themselves and their worth is based on what they see in the media for the most part. When all the images that are viewed by consumers as a whole are for the majority filled with too skinny models with perfect skin, hair and facial structure it is hard for us “normal” women to not feel that we are not beautiful according to society’s standards. In Buying A Beauty Standard Or Dreaming of A New Life? Expectations Associated With Media Ideals by Renee Engeln-Maddox she says “Women have a tendency to link positive and likely life expectations with looking like the media ideal was significantly associated with both internalization of media ideals and appearance related dissatisfaction” (Engeln-Maddox). Maddox also touches on the idea that “Women are aware that their primary form of currency is their attractiveness”. This massive problem that women today have with themselves, and mainly their appearances, would be interpreted with help from what I have learned about feminism this semester as being very third wave. Before this current wave of feminism women weren’t as pre-occupied with body image but instead with trying to further themselves in the world in other ways. First and second wave feminists were trying to gain rights, and acknowledgment as being equal to men, not trying to maintain their worth not based on intelligence but on body image. This overwhelming obsession with what being beautiful is and what the standards actually are is beginning to take over our society; if we don’t

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begin to help the younger generations of girls there will be no stopping this media created monster called beauty.
Along with Dove’s Campaign For Real Beauty they published a study titled The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report. Findings on the Global Study on Women, Beauty and Well-Being by Heidi D’Agnostino, Dr. Nancy Ectoff, Dr. Susie Orbach, and Dr. Jennifer Scott. They commissioned the study to further the global understanding of women, beauty and wellbeing and the relationship between them. A prime concern that this limited portrayal of beauty is preventing women from recognizing and enjoying beauty in themselves and others (The Real Truth About Beauty). This is what the Self-Esteem Fund is essentially seeking to do in its attention towards girls and women on their website. Along with Dove’s attempt to realign our way of thinking as women, they have gained support by consumers and other companies that are vital to their success and are helping them to continue their project and instill their ideas in society.
From my experiences as a young girl growing up in this time of media crazed ideas of beauty, I have been subject to the painful sting of what growing up in a society with views like ours feels like. Waking up day after day and feeling as though my self-esteem was crumbling beneath me because of the onslaught of images of perfection on TV and in magazines was not what would ever want to admit to. When I look at how much of my adolescence has been defined by me not feeling that I was adequate because of looks, I hope with my whole being that no other young girl ever has to feel that. Writing this media analysis was more than simply writing a paper for me. When I found the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty website I became extremely interested in their Self-
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Esteem section. The resources they have available and the whole idea of what they are trying to do seems to me to be the most positive action taken so far to redefine beauty into something positive and attainable. From my research I have learned that there is hope for generations to come and if only we all can take notice to campaigns like the Dove campaign and help to promote them further.

Stukes: Media Analysis

2008-04-22T17:01:00.003-04:00

You Are Who You Are...The Trick Is Not Getting Caught

But I’m a Cheerleader is a movie about a picture-perfect high school girl who has one differentiating characteristic – she is a lesbian. Megan was raised in a nuclear family with a strong sense of traditional gender roles, and she has lived her life thinking that she was upholding the same standards as her family. However, her lifestyle turned direly awry in her family’s eyes, and they confronted Megan about her homosexual tendencies. Megan’s family immediately decided that her lesbian leaning was “wrong,” and therefore it must be fixed at a special camp called True Directions. Over the course of her experience at camp, Megan struggles in deciding between living proudly with her own feminist, lesbian ideology and her family and friends’ dichotomous, heterosexist way of thinking.

For the most part, Megan’s family strictly adheres to traditional gender roles. Her father was almost always the breadwinner; her mother was responsible for the household chores; Megan was always encouraged to dress in a feminine way and to become a cheerleader. Her delicate and girly looks are a prime example that “lesbians look like all women and all women look like lesbians” (Pharr 417). True Directions camp teaches gender roles in an over-the-top way: The campers are given flashcards to study that depict what tasks a wife is responsible for and what tasks are the husband’s responsibility. The girls receive training to become “feminine” such as cleaning the floors, changing a baby’s diaper, and simulating heterosexual sex. Fitzpatrick, et al. define the gender roles taught at True Directions well in saying, “a prototypic feminine gender role is characterized as affectionate, yielding, emotional, and dependent while masculinity is defined as analytic, assertive, competitive, and dominant” (3). The movie even goes as far as to saturate all of the scenes with girls in them with pink-colored walls, clothing, and objects while scenes with boys in them are completely blue.

Society as a whole enforces the idea that heterosexuality is the norm – women should be wives and men should be husbands, and “those who deviate from standard expectations are to be made to get back in line” (Pharr 416). This concept constantly reiterates that “heterosexuality is taken to be the only natural and correct form of sexuality” (Leschasin 1). For many people, though, heterosexuality is not natural; if turned straight, these people would just be creating a shield of lies under which society would not bother them. In a heterosexist world, many times people do not take the time to consider their sexual orientation – they simply assume they are part of the norm; Megan is a culprit of this assumption.

Megan listens to Melissa Etheridge (a popular lesbian music artist), has pictures of female bathing suit models in her locker, is a vegetarian, and does not like kissing her boyfriend. Therefore, she is obviously a lesbian – right? Megan’s boyfriend Jared is depicted as being one of the worst kissers that viewers have ever seen; in the movie, though, her family and friends see only one explanation of why she does not like to kiss him – Megan is a lesbian. Megan always believed that her semi-sexual thoughts about other women were normal, but through the intervention of the True Directions camp she is convinced otherwise. Most of the people involved in the intervention completely persuade Megan that her thoughts are wrong and need to be corrected immediately. O’Neil and Carroll, published feminists, explain her situation as a “gender role conflict…when rigid, sexist, or restrictive gender roles learned during socialization result in the restriction, devaluation, or violation of other or oneself” (193). Megan’s family points only to religious and moral reasons as to why she should not be a lesbian, but perhaps her family was afraid of her choice because “women’s control of [their] own bodies and lives will damage what [Megan’s family] sees as the crucial societal institution, the nuclear family” (Pharr 416).

Homophobia – Drislane and Parkinson define it as “a negative and contemptuous attitude to same-sex relationships and those who participate in them;” it is the catalyst for tearing apart family relationships and the basis for discrimination throughout every homosexual’s life (“Homophobia” 13). When her family decides to send Megan to True Directions, the camp to make her straight, they are choosing to keep her out of sight and out of mind because society generally encourages people to “stigmatize and render invisible any alternatives to [heteronormativity]” (Nielson, et. al 292). Her family is afraid that she is making a bad decision in her life when really she is merely making a different decision than her parents and some of her friends have made. Though numbers are decreasing, many people today think that homosexuality is unnatural and wrong. Homosexuals (like Megan) who are surrounded by this way of thinking easily become ashamed and eager to “fix” themselves. Megan’s parents instill this shame in their daughter for an arguably unjustified reason – she has sexual thoughts about women instead of men. After being expelled from the camp for “inappropriate contact” with her newly found lover Graham, Megan realizes that she should utilize the advice she got from her “ex-ex gay” friends and openly love whom she wants to love. She finally breaks away from the expectations that society, especially her family, has bestowed upon her, and she begins to live her life in a feminist way – proud of who she is no matter who approves or disapproves (Lorde 454).

Megan is bombarded throughout her life with Christian morals telling her what is right and wrong. Eventually, though she became aware that the gender roles and lifestyle choices that her parents disapproved of were not “wrong,” per say, but rather just one of many choices that a person can make. Megan made a difficult realization that gender and sexuality are not a binary; they are a continuum and very fluid throughout a lifetime (Pharr 417). Finally, she was able to live knowing that “reality is, to a large extent, socially constructed” (Cole and Daniels 201). With her new discoveries in mind, Megan is able to live confidently as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, cheerleading lesbian.

2008-03-07T20:36:00.001-05:00

A true Second-Waver

This week, I was given the chance to learn about the life of an incredible woman whose life experiences I may never have understood or appreciated with enough respect, if it were not for this assignment or this class. Her name is Sharon Dreyfuss and she was born in 1959. She grew up in Rockville, Maryland and attended Pearly High School. Sharon later graduated at the University of Maryland with a degree in Political Science. The more I learned about my Aunt Sharon’s experiences as a second-wave feminist, the more I feel linked to her. Her enthusiasm and willingness to describe her experiences as a feminist makes me not only proud to be her niece, but proud to say that I can agree with many of the ideas she holds. Sharon’s experiences are evidence of the continuation and maturation of the second-wave of feminism. Growing up, Sharon believed she was always a little “different” from the rest of the kids. They talked about growing up and having the fairytale life. That is, a perfect wedding and a perfect husband followed by kids. Sharon just didn’t see that as a necessity. Feminism to her, gives her the option to not only take care of herself, but pave her own path in life. Sharon grew up close to Washington D.C. and enjoyed spending many nights talking currents events with her mother. Her mother, my grandmother Belle, worked as a legal secretary and held the family together. Sharon’s father was very ill and Belle provided for the family, giving Sharon an idealistic picture of a strong woman. Sharon and her mother loved to share their interests in politics and spent many nights talking current events. Living through the second wave of feminism, Sharon identifies herself as a “second waver”. Sharon tells me that she believes very strongly in birth control and although she was only fourteen when Roe Vs. Wade was passed, she believes the rights we have gained from this case, are the very rights we have to continue to fight for. When Sharon was just twenty years old, she experienced a situation in which her rights to birth control were somewhat threatened. She tells me, “I went to the gynecologist and asked for birth control and the gynecologist asked if my parents approved which was fine, but ultimately it was my decision.” During this time period, women were questioned more for their freedom of choice then they are today. I think what my aunt was trying to tell me was that although her parents may have approved, it bothered her that her gynecologist did not see it as her decision. (Today, I personally have felt that my gynecologist still takes the same bias. When asking for my right to birth control or switch to a new one, I always feel my mother has to call to give a more “authoritative” voice). Sharon believes birth control should be covered for women like Viagra is for men. My aunt and I can agree there is an ongoing struggle for approval for young women’s rights in society. As I moved through some of the topics I’ve discussed in class, I realized that I will have no trouble defining terms for my aunt because she is familiar with almost every single one. Impressed, I decide to move to the controversial issue of pro-life vs. pro-choice. This issue, I find is a debate Sharon knows well and has a strong stand on. Sharon identifies herself as pro-choice and tells me she has been involved in numerous pro-choice marches. She explains to me, with fierce words, how important the marches are and how much joy she has gotten out of them. She elaborates, “I have been trained to work at the clinics so that when the pro-life marches come to Washington D.C, which they do every January, I can be there for women who cannot gain access to the clinics because of pro-life picketers who block entry.” This is an extraordinarily task and I commend her for her bravery. Her clinic rescues, she tells me, give her a real sense of solidarity. Sharon’s college life is where her involvement in Feminism peaked. Sharon college years were full of new discoveries in both her political and environmental view. She even chose to switch to only organic food. Sharon began to attend meetings at the University’s food co-op where she experienced and became involved with consciousness raising. Sharon tells me that she can even remember the defining moment in her college life in which she made the decision to take a radical approach to feminism. As she typed up her paper for a class on rape, it occurred to her how real an issue it was in society and it impacted her in a way that other issues hadn’t at the time. To know that she could recall the moment her view changed from liberal to radical is truly inspiring. From here, I moved to the subject of sexism. I wanted to know if she had ever had a specific experience where she personally felt the affects of sexism. To my surprise or maybe curiosity, she had. Without a hint of hesitance, my aunt explained how she had taken a job at the dining hall. Sharon said, “I was washing dishes in the back when an older African-American worker started making inappropriate gestures toward me. He repeated to me that he was going to rape me and I ran out and later got him fired.” Without a doubt, I was astonished at her personal experience with sexism. I wondered, what could make a woman feel less empowering than a threat from a man on an issue that had turned her radical in the first place? Sharon to me is an ideal example of a second waver. Sharon dealt with sexism and spent much of her time in college forming opinions on the social issues of that time period. Unfortunately, as Sharon continued to strive for second wave achievement, The University of Maryland did not have an environmental college at the time, so she stuck with her interest in politics. Sharon had great hopes of attending a school for alternative energy in Vermont, but sadly Ronald Reagan had just reduced student aid, and her dream school folded into a military school. She had trouble finding a job in the political science field, but like many women of the second wave, would not settle for domesticity right out of college. After graduating, she quickly took a job at a Target-like store. Sharon met a man who needed a caller for the new community directory, but it was no-where near the ideal job. She felt enclosed from the world, “I was stuck in a tiny white room all by myself, making calls all day.” She faced another encounter of sexism when she was later hired at Public-Interest Communications for night-time work. When she took a different job, a man was hired for twice as much. Roiled up, she continued to search for a good fit, and I am happy to say she has found that. Now Sharon works for CELCO (Carol Enters List Company), a woman owned list-broker company. She acquires lists from non-profit companies so that other non-profit companies can obtain members. Sharon gives donations to Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America for their work and also for their “Action Fund” which uses those donations to elect Pro-Choice Candidates or defeat Anti-Abortion candidates. Sharon refuses to call them pro-life. Sharon’s job gives her the freedom to be herself, and she credits this to her college experiences’ leading her on a path to a direct marketing field.

After college, Sharon returned to a more liberalist view on feminism and has met many successful women in her field market. Sharon stayed true to her second-wave feminist ideals, but gave me insight to her thoughts on the third-wave. Sharon, like many of the second-wavers we read about, believes third wavers take for granted what many women of the second-wave fight for. With enthusiasm Sharon exclaimed, “we are still fighting equality and the glass ceiling, the fight is not over.” Sharon does however, believe that through both the second and third wave, we have achieved less racism and sexism, and the world has become more of melting pot. To her, “things are more set-oriented sexually, especially with the media in their focus on sex…a lot of women feel they have to show off their bodies and that is not what makes them sexy; they are gorgeous human beings.” She continued, “as sexual experimentation came to a halt with AIDS, things are a lot more clear. We still need to make improvements and the United States still has a long way to go.” I believe Sharon has great insight into what the Feminism wave needs overall. Sharon did not have shared the dream of motherhood and marriage as a child with her classmates, but has now taken on both roles. As a married woman, she feels capable to raise a family because of the equality she holds with her husband. It was not always this way for Sharon. With her first husband, Sharon was the one doing the work. She feels she could not have had a family with her first husband because she would not have been able to rely on him to take care of the kids or provide. With her current husband, Sharon says, “I don’t have to worry, he will give the kids baths, take them to the park, or do the dishes; he cleans the kitchen floor!” Sharon is a second waver who is comfortable with sharing her rights and has nothing against women who choose to stay at home. One of her closest friends is a stay-at-home mother and she tells me if that’s what works for her, she is happy for her.

Sharon is happy with the rights the feminism movement has brought, but believes the United States still has ways to go. There are many necessities we, as a country, need. She clarifies, “in many countries there are women whose jobs allow them three years of maternity leave and allow women to have a great balance. The United States has not and we need help on child-care, we need help on running our families and balancing work and family.” Soon Sharon and her husband will be faced with the difficult task of running a family. Her husband’s former wife will be returning the kids from Ireland and Sharon will have to find to deal with the complexity of finding health care for her family and balancing family life with work. She is up for the challenge though, and leads me with a lasting lesson. I ask her to tell me what she thinks holds for the future of feminism and I know this will be vital to the understanding of feminism as a whole. Sharon leaves me with this short and simple principle, “we need to fight for our rights or we won’t have any, people will always try and take away what we have earned if we do not continue to fight. This goes for the feminist movement and anything else worth fighting for like civil liberties.” Spoken as a true second wave feminist, my aunt Sharon is still fighting for feminism and still fighting to make our world a better place.

Interview Blog: Different Background, Different Mindset

2008-03-07T16:44:00.000-05:00

While in this women studies introductory course, I have noticed that it seems to be that feminism is a topic among Americans, the British and what seems to be western society. Even though recently, with the third wave of feminism and through internet resources such as blogs, feminism ideas have spread to many countries that it might not have reached, feminism is still centralized through western society. When other countries are brought up outside of the western hemisphere, in such places like Iraq, it appears that they have received their support from American feminists. For example, when Bush was speaking to congress about the problem in the Middle East he made sure to add in that women’s rights were an essential part of the United States’ foreign policy with his statement “America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: the rule of law; limits on the power of the state; respect for women; private property; free speech; equal justice; and religious tolerance”. Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey also stated that “we reaffirm our dedication to working towards a world in which women have full opportunity to achieve political, economic and social equality in societies where human rights and fundamental freedoms are ensured. We welcome the progress that women are making in these areas and we are proud of the role the United States has in supporting their accomplishments” (Respect for Women: A U.S. Foreign Policy Imperative). Their statements show that places like the U.S. seem to be the main advocators for equalities for women outside our borders. It is clear that the U.S. has had a very large impact on feminism worldwide; so is it only Americans and people born here that agree with feminism thoughts and ideas? My goal in my interview was to get an understanding of feminism outside the borders of the U.S. and understand how the American ideals on feminism have influenced non-Americans.

When deciding who to interview I took a look at who I thought would not give me the typical American story on feminism. I chose my mother. I thought it would be interesting to do an interview with my mother, not because only because she is outside of my age bracket, but because even though we are the same race, ethnicity, and social class, we both have had very different backgrounds growing up and we differ on my political and social beliefs. I believed she would give me interesting insight as to what she thinks on feminism, the differences between her ideas and ideas of other Americans, and how America has shaped her ideas of women and their rights.

My mother, Victoria Itebe, grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and lived there for the first 23 years of her life before moving to the U.S. to attend the University of Georgia on an international scholarship. When first attending the university she vaguely remembers “feminist activities” as she so nicely put it going on at the university. Growing up in Africa, a place where many see as one of the places known for oppressing women, she didn’t hear about women’s rights. She recalls, “Back home, it never seemed as though women’s rights were an issue, until I got here”. Many countries outside the Western hemisphere have been closed off and not accepting of feminist ideas. A movement that looks as to have began in the 1800’s for the rights of women are just budding in places like Nigeria and other parts of Africa; But is it bad that these places don’t have legislation demanding equality. Victoria, born in the 50’ and leaving Nigeria in the 70’s hates that people look down on places like Africa for not having laws that require people to treat women and men equally. She denounces what many people think about where she is from. “Many people don’t think so, but though I wouldn’t say women were equal to men, it was more like a separation of duties. Women had their place and men had their place, and neither place was exactly higher than the other. We both needed each other to do their job in order for the household to function. Women weren’t lower than men they were on two totally different scales”. With this statement, Victoria gave me much insight in the way she viewed women in her society. I realized that when comparing the rights of women in the U.S. to women in other countries, Americans many times use what they believe to be equality as a base to judge women’s rights all over the world, but in reality there are different standards of equality in different people eyes.

Women working outside of the home has been one of the biggest feminist issues in the mainstream U.S. feminist movements. Thinking that Victoria has grown up in an African country I figured that her mother would have had the stereotypical roles of cooking and cleaning the house, taking care of the kids and such things of that nature. Victoria quickly cleared this myth up saying, “My mother did work outside of the house, in the marketplace, like many women worked. She brought in the money that fed and clothed the family and it was like that inmost households in Lagos”. After listening to Victoria answer the question, it reminded me of the Chicana women whose fight in the U.S. was different from the white upper class women because of things liked the Chicana women did not have the “luxury” of being housewives, so they had to work just as hard as the men, yet the men still had greater privilege in society because they were men (Definitions of Chican Feminists). I began to think, that maybe these Nigerian women are being depressed and they just don’t know similar to what the first wave feminist were saying; maybe they just need someone, like an American feminist, to point it out and then they will realize it. So I asked my mother, “After coming to the U.S. and seeing how many rights women have obtained do you feel as though the women back in Nigeria are being oppressed?” She thought for a minute and responded, “No, women in Lagos get just as much respect as men; which, where I’m from is the highest value you can get. Things are just different back home. Men are expected to do just as much as men and the other way around. I just don’t see how they could be oppressed”.

Though I wouldn’t believe so by the answers Victoria was giving to me, I do believe women in Nigeria as well as other African countries are oppressed. Though most of them do work outside of the home, they still “have to” take on traditional female roles both in the household and in the workplace. But although they are oppressed from the definition of oppression given by Marilyn Frye, I believe they don’t see it due to what they see themselves as: strong women. When asked about how her mother influenced how she saw herself as a woman, she described her mother as a strong, independent women, and by our standards I do believe her mother to be a strong women, but I believe that they are blinded by the slight bit of independence and strength that many of them are “allowed” to have, and in result do not see what they could have.

After the interview with my mother, I see how much her upbringing and culture has had an influence on her outlook on women in general. Just like the rest of the women in the world that have just begun to fight for their rights with much help form the United States, they did not even know they were being “oppressed” until it was placed right in front of their face, even if they didn’t like the way they were being treated. After moving here, my mother experienced written legislation that was guaranteed to her, and though she says she does not believe women back in Nigeria are oppressed, I do believe she would have a hard time moving back and living as a woman in the traditional setting of Lagos.

Interview: Williams

2008-03-07T16:30:00.000-05:00

Evon Willams

Kristen McCauliff

WMST 2010

7 March 2008

Island Life Isn’t So Breezy

As she described a time when gender issues were rarely discussed, children frolicked in the sun freely, and women “knew their place,” I listen intently as she conveys the dynamics of life in Jamaica. Her island lilt is now commonplace to me, but I still enjoy listening to her speak. The woman telling her story is my mother, Jean Williams. As she talks about her youth, I zone off and remember mine. I’ve fostered fond memories of life as a jersey girl with two foreign parents, but this is the first time that I have truly heard her about the journey of my predecessor, my mother. Through her storytelling and scholarly sources this analysis shows that although she does not participate in marches or feminist rallies, Jean Williams is an example of a 2^nd wave feminist. Not only does her life reinforce second wave feminism, but her experience is unique. She must deal with her own cultural differences as well as the pressures of assimilating into an all white culture where “white” equals “normal.” Any deviations from this track isolate a woman, especially a woman like Jean Williams, but she is a prime example of the silent woman who redefines what characterizes her sex.

According to wikipidea.com, second wave feminism encourages women to recognize that they possess the power to achieve more than what the world deems suitable for them. It also promotes the idea that a woman’s life is not limited to staying home and motherhood, but rather, achievement and options for careers are all attainable goals. To illustrate how Jean Williams belongs to the second wave of feminism, we must begin with her youth. She lived a humble life in a small country parish, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. As the sixth child out of seven children, she was looked after by her older siblings. Especially after her father passed away at the age of three, the community and her extended family were responsible for her development. She acknowledges that her mother was the most influential person in her life because she took on the role of both parents. Nonetheless, my mother describes her childhood fondly and thanks her extended family for their involvement.

As the interview progressed, we talked about school and certain unacknowledged facets of sexism were outlined. She talked about wanting to play cricket as a child and how that was viewed as unacceptable for girls. Instead, she was encouraged to join girl scouts. But, she was determined to participate in athletics and so she began playing basketball in defiance of her community. This was the first instance in which she showed that she would not let societal chains prevent her from doing what she wanted to do. Although her school was highly populated with women, the school never had a female principal. Men dominated most of the positions in school. A prefect was a student that demonstrated leadership abilities and was responsible for helping the teacher. Even this small leadership position was highly populated by men. Despite her excellent grades, she was never selected to serve in this position.

As she continued her education she noticed that opportunities were limited for women. The corporate world was not inviting. She completed high school and then she decided to attend a teachers college near her hometown. But her studies were cut short when she became pregnant at 20 years old. Despite being involved in a committed relationship with the father of her child, she never felt pressured to get married. She and her partner discussed marriage as an option, but they decided to wait. At this time it was even less socially accepted to become pregnant out of wedlock. However, most women were forced by their family to get married. But, my mother’s refusal to let the pressures of her community influence how she lives is another testament of her role as a 2^nd wave feminist.

Despite the political achievement that was happening in Jamaica, she felt isolated. According to the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action, in 1974, Jamaica was a pioneer in becoming one the first countries world-wide to implement a national effort for the advancement of women. Also, Jamaica emerged as a political feeding ground for new ideas. Jamaica was even more advanced than other countries in that it had a Jamaica Women’s Bureau (Rhoda). However as a 24 year old woman with a child in 1977, she was not directly affected by the committee’s plans to create a “Women in Development Unit (Rhonda).” Instead she was faced with the daily struggles of providing security and food for her child. She worked more than 40 hours per week in order to make ends meet. At this point in her life Betty Freidan’s theory of “the problem that has no name” began to rear its ugly head. She was not satisfied with her life. At which point she decided to move to America. She was faced with a hard decision. In order to achieve all she wanted she must leave her daughter behind. Nonetheless, she made this decision with the hope that it will help her child later.

When she came to America, she realized that her limited schooling was not enough. In order to actively transform her life and participate in the movement of women’s liberation her involvement in the working class was important (Georgetowncollege.edu). Unfortunately, not only did she have to deal with inequality in the workplace, but now her cultural identity became an issue. She described an incident when her teacher continuously made racist remarks and at the end of the course withheld her rightful grade. She refused to be victimized. Instead, she went to the dean of the college who reviewed her work and gave her the grade she earned, an A.

Now as a mother, grandmother, wife, supervisor, aunt, and head of the household, my mother, Jean Williams, continues to define herself however she wants. She values other people as equals and always treats them accordingly. Her struggles have enabled her to appreciate the struggle of others. She serves as a second wave feminist in that she understands that sexism, racism, and any other form of oppression is not tolerable. She left her home in a distant land in pursuit of liberation for herself and her child. As the product of such a courageous woman, her life is a source of knowledge and inspiration. She continues to encourage me to delve into whatever it is that interest me. I am a firm believer in the power of self-determination. William Ernest Henley wrote in Invictus, “It matters not how straight the gait how charged with punishment the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” This excerpt encourages the individual to press on despite obstacles. I firmly believe that if there are more women like Jean Williams, as I believe there are, than the future of feminism is very fruitful.

Interview Revised

2008-03-07T16:21:00.001-05:00

Brittany Carter
Women’s Studies Blog
Instructor Kristen McCauliff

To learn more about feminism and women’s studies I think it is important to talk to people who may have knowledge and insight about feminism and the study of women and their matters. The people I am referring to would be older women who are feminist or have seen firsthand what goes on in the world that allows us to deal with feminist issues. Feminism refers both to the belief that women have been historically subordinate to men and to the commitment to working for freedom for women in all aspects of social life. It is to win women a wider range of experience, according to “Woman, Images, and Realities” by Amy Kesselman, Lily D. McNair, Nancy Schniedwind, and Suzanne Kelly. So far I have learned that a feminist is described as a woman who “has in her the capacity of fighting her way back to independence.” In this interview I learned that there are a lot of things that happen to women that matter and should be taken very seriously.
To find out more about feminism and its views I interviewed a woman much older than I am, 18, and that has a different social class, as well as race. Meet Mrs. Smith, a 60 year old white woman. She is married with two children and two grandchildren, and attends a Christian Church with her family. Mrs. Smith is an administrative associate, and I have spent a lot of time around her over my basketball career. One of the things I admire most about Mrs. Smith is that she is a very strong, tough woman. For example, she has survived breast cancer and is now cancer free. During this interview I not only learned more about feminism, but I learned more things about Mrs. Smith. Before I joined my current women’s study class I thought very differently of the word feminism. I tied in the world feminism with the word feminine, and ultimately thought of a woman, or person, with stereotypical ladylike qualities and habits such as wearing lip stick and carrying pocketbooks. Now that I know exactly what feminism is and what feminists are, I was curious to know what is the first thing that comes to mind when Mrs. Smith hears the word feminist. Her reply was “strong” (woman). That makes me think of all the women I have read about and that stood up and fought for women’s rights. On the class discussion board a student brought up the story of Lucy Burn, who was chained by her hands to a jail cell with bars above her head, and left hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air. Lucy Burn, along with Dora Lewis and 31 other women who fought for women to vote in 1917, paved the way so that women today can vote.
When asked, Mrs. Smith said that she would describe herself as a feminist. To be specific, she is more of a first wave feminist because the focusing of the promotion of equal contrast and property rights for women and opposition of men is something she has seen and dealt with first hand. Mrs. Smith shared with me a hardship she had to go through that now contributes to her life philosophies. Years ago, Mrs. Smith worked at a bank. She and a man that worked at the bank with her did the exact same job but because she was a woman she did not get paid the same amount of money as the man. She went on to express that she was a better employee because she was more personable and she was able to communicated with people well, even better than what her co-worker did. Having experienced that situation, Mrs. Smith feels like she falls into the category of first wave feminism because that was a time when women began to gain political power. That’s when the women’s suffrage surfaced and women were able to vote.
I have heard people say that feminism is not a big deal and that people are making it out to be more than it really is. I have heard people say that there should not be a class talking about women’s issues. These people, surprisingly, were women themselves. I asked Mr. Smith if she felt like people are making a big deal out of feminism and she said “no, not anymore than anything else in life.” She said women just want to be treated equally. I totally agree with her. The thing that came to mind when I heard her response was that everyone has a struggle and a desire. An older white woman like Mrs. Smith wants equality for women. She may not have had to deal with being treated differently because of the color of her skin, but she has had to deal with some sort of discrimination and unfair treatment. While a black woman may be more worried about being treated differently because of the color of her skin, both women, black and white have an issue that they have to deal with. One that, I think, makes women’s studies so great. It unites women because in some way, we all have a struggle and desire. We all just want to be treated equally.
I shared with Mrs. Smith the song “Lost Woman Song” by Ani Difranco:
“I opened a bank account
When I was nine years old
I closed it when I was eighteen
I gave them every penny
That I’d saved
And they gave my blood and urine a number
Now I’m sitting in this waiting room
Playing with the toys
I am here to exercise my freedom of choice
I passed their hand held signs
I went thru their picket lines
They gathered when they saw me coming
They shouted when they saw me cross
I said why don’t you go home
Just leave me alone
I’m just another woman lost
You are like fish in the water who don’t know that they are wet as far as I can tell
The world isn’t perfect yet
His bored eyes were obscene
On his denimed thighs a magazine
I wish he’s never come here with me
In fact I wish he’d never come near me
I wish his shoulder wasn’t touching mine
I am growing older waiting in this line
But some of life’s best lessons are learned at the worst times
Under the fierce fluorescent she offered her hand for me to hold
She offered stability and calm
And I was crushing her palm
Through the pinch pull wincing
My smile unconvincing
On that sterile battlefield that sees
Only casualties
Never Heroes
My heart hit absolute zero
Lucille, your voice
Still sounds in me
Mine was a relatively easy tragedy
The profile of our country looks a little less hard-nosed
But that picket line persisted and that clinic has since been closed
They keep pounding their fists on reality
Hoping it will break
But I don’t think there’s one of them that lead a life free
Of mistakes
You can’t make me sacrifice my freedom of choice”

I asked Mrs. Smith if she could relate after hearing this song and it what ways. She said that she could, somewhat. She went on to share with me a story about a friend of hers. This friend had a daughter who was pregnant. She contemplated getting an abortion. She finally made up her mind to go to the abortion clinic. Before she could walk into the clinic, however, guilt consumed her because of the picket signs that people held up outside of the abortion clinic urging others not to get abortions. She listened to the people and changed her mind about getting an abortion. She decided to have the baby but unfortunately had a miscarriage. Mrs. Smith has never had to go through this personally. Mrs. Smith would recommend that other women read this poem because it is “thought provoking” and “makes people see who goes through different hardships”. Mrs. Smith’s response to the question of whether abortion should be illegal or legalized was that it should be legalized, because “it’s our right if we want to do it.” I agree with her on that because there are certain cases in which a woman needs to get an abortion. An example would be a woman being raped by a man. This man could be a stranger, and surely you wouldn’t want to have a child by a stranger, especially if that stranger raped you. Therefore, I think that certain situations are more serious than others. I think having the option to have a baby or not is a good thing.
In class we read an article called “Killing the Black Body.” This article talks about an incident in 1989, when officials in Charleston, South Carolina initiated a policy of arresting pregnant women whose test showed they were smoking crack. Poor black mothers were being blamed for perpetuating social problems by transmitting defective genes, irreparable crack damage and deviant lifestyles for children. I asked Mrs. Smith if she thought that women should be arrested and punished for being on drugs while being pregnant and her initial response was “maybe not arrested for drug,” then when she thought about it she said that it is a sickness and people need help. She then said that if putting the mother in jail is the only way to help the mother then it should be done, but help for the child is very important also. She shared with me that she had read the book The Gospel Sing the other day and this reminded her of that book because it had the same situations in it that we were talking about.
I asked Mrs. Smith if men should have a “say-so” in whether or not a woman should have an abortion since it’s the woman’s body. She thought that it is a case by case situation. If a man wants the child and is going to take care of the child then he has the right to tell the woman what to do with her body. I think that it is a woman’s body that has to go through the pain, change and hardship of having a child and whatever decision she decides to make should be one that she wants. I do also think that a man’s opinion should be taken into consideration when discussing giving birth to a child.
The last question I asked Mrs. Smith is one that is a somewhat sensitive subject for some people because there are fathers that want children and want to take care of their kids and there are some fathers that do not want children and that will not take responsibility of the child. I can relate to this issue because I grew up in a single parent household. My birth father chose not to be a part of my life so my mother took on the challenge of raising a child on her own. Growing up, I found that there are a lot of people, young and old, that grew up without a parent in their lives whether it’s their mother or father. The startling realization that I was not the only person that has grown up without a father made it somewhat easier to deal with. If a man and a woman decide to have a child together than that decision would be a mutual one, but I feel like the woman makes the final decision in whether or not she would like to have an abortion or not.
After having done this interview I got another perspective of life. I understood some of the things that go on with people other than what I see on television. I chose to interview Mrs. Smith because of her age and race. I also learned that, although Mrs. Smith and I are significantly different, we have some of the same views and opinions on things when it comes to women’s matters. What is interesting about her life that makes her have interesting insight into feminist issues is the fact that she is a surviving breast cancer patient. That alone makes her a strong woman, much like the feminist leaders that have paved the way for women today and of the future.

Farooqi: Interview; Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Equality

2008-03-07T16:10:00.002-05:00

“Feminism just has a negative connation.” Pam Howell is a single parent, white female in her mid 40s. She did not want to tell me her real age so I did not intrude. She has conservative beliefs along with a blend of liberal views as well. She is in the upper-middle class in regards to her economic status, but she does not boast about it all. Feminist have come a long way in their journey for equality, and it has impacted people of all ethnicities and races differently. I believe Pam is the right candidate to interview because she is a white female in her mid 40s, and I felt I would get the best results if I interviewed someone completely different from me. While interviewing Pam I learned that not all things are as they seem. When listening to her personal accounts and discrimination I understand that true equality will never be achieved. The oppression of women has climaxed; however women will always be second to men due to the preconception of male dominance that has been accepted since the beginning of time.
The beginning of the interview consisted of simple questions where I tried to get to know Pam, her views, and beliefs. The first question I asked was what her definition of feminism was? She responded, “A woman trying to do all the things a man does. A woman thinks that they are equal to men in every way.” Evidently she feels that feminism is an activist group that further complicates things for women. When I mentioned the word “Feminism” she paused for a bit to figure out how she would respond to a question like that. I later asked about her experiences of discrimination. She stated she felt discrimination many times, but one time stood out more than any other. She was subjected by her boss at a convention to pose a model for a product, but she refused. She felt it was a sexist act, and that her boss wanted to put her on display for his own benefit. This is common in the workplace, but she assured me that discrimination towards her and other women have diminished over the years as the laws have gotten stricter. I later explained the concept of backlash to Pam and asked if she ever experienced it. She responded that most of the incidents I am asking about have occurred in the workplace. One particular incident she described to me displayed a true injustice. After getting better reviews than most males in her company, they were still getting paid more. After she brought this issue up with management they reduced her salary, and in response to this she “raised hell” until they fixed the issue. Because Pam is a woman, management felt it would be easier to slight her because she would not have any other recourse; however, Pam mustered enough courage to get what was rightfully hers.
After explaining her incident I asked Pam if feminism still exist. She said yes, and it always will because men and women are different. She then added men and women are not equal in all accounts. There are some things women can do that men cannot, and there are some things women can do that men cannot do. She emphasized physical activity as being the main reason for this. Pam felt she also lost a sense of identity when she started working and taking care of the kids. She stated that she had a husband who thought she could not live without him. Essentially, her husband thought she was dependent on him, which infuriated her because she was the breadwinner. Finally, she had incentive to breakaway on her own. In respect to the current political realm, I asked her about how or if this election will have a positive impact of feminism. She vehemently disagreed in that she said Hillary is a negative figure, and she will only hurt the feminists’ cause. Pam is going off the notion of Hillary’s personality that has been exposed in the media. Hillary is thought to be a selfish and conniving woman, thus it is apparent she will not stand for what feminists what to portray as their image. I then touched on a controversial topic, abortion.
I first asked if she was pro-choice or pro-life. She replied that she was pro-life but under certain circumstances such as rape. Then I asked if this stance determines if you are a feminist. She said it does not but if you choose to then do it early or not at all. The next topic we discussed was race and how it affects views about feminism. She implied that it depends on the individual. Some people may or may not feel pressured about race. She also stated that being a white female over 40 gives her less of an opportunity in corporate America, because a company could likely take a minority because of affirmative action. Race is only an obstacle if you let it impede your goals in life. Minorities have struggled to get their rights, but in the end their struggles have made it easier for future generations to enjoy more success than their predecessors. I explained Simone de Bevoir’s concept of “Second sex” and asked why is prevalent among women to feel this way. She replied that women are raised that way. There is a preconceived notion that women are the weaker sex. This is a universal thought, and she added that she cannot think of any culture that disagreed with this notion. However, education has narrowed the gap between men and women, and it will continue to. She implied that education is the key for women to pursue their aspirations and exemplify themselves the best they can. Education is the key to having a broader perspective of the world, and it helps to be astute as to what is going on. Consequently, she holds education in high esteem.
Feminism has been evolving throughout history. After discussing the three waves, she stated that more and more women are getting opportunities to pursue their goals and dreams. She augmented the fact that the discrimination she experienced in the 80s would not occur today because of the stringent rules that have been applied in favor or women. Equality is being achieved in small doses, but it is clear that more work needs to be done in this regard. We discussed about how her impediments have changed or shaped her as person. She seemed quite proud of herself at this point stating that she become stronger through each experience. Looking back on her earlier work experiences, she stated that she became a fighter and stronger because of the discrimination. Pam’s strength is accentuated in her independence. Her independence exudes qualities of the new “woman” because she is self-reliant and self-sufficient. We then conversed about privilege. I explained Peggy McIntosh’s concept of the “Invisible Knapsack.” She agreed with me stating that there is unacknowledged privilege because it is natural in the world. She then added that being a white female has made it easier to get opportunities, but she did not slight herself because she worked hard. She implied that there is not much we can do about unacknowledged privilege because it is so prevalent in society, and it always will be. In a sense you cannot worry about everyone who does not have everything you have. Finally, we discussed sexual double binding. She said it was prevalent growing up. Pam has two brothers, and the rules were completely different for three siblings. She also stated that her brothers could date earlier and, they had later curfews. She also could not wear makeup until she reached her later teenage years. This proved Jennifer Baumgardner’s and Amy Richard’s concept true. There is an unwritten rule that women are supposed to dress, talk, and ultimately act differently than men. Again, this is a preconceived notion that has been accepted and never will change because it has stood the test of time.
American is a changing nation. Every minority group, especially women will see that equality comes in small doses. The pursuit of equality entails that minority groups can strive for it, but it may or may not be achieved. All good things take time, but nothing lasts forever. The only way for women to achieve and maintain success is to keep fighting because maximum equality will never be reached, because of accepted believes that stem since the beginning of time; therefore, men and women will never truly be equal, but the false aura of equality makes the public believe that all men and women were “truly” created equally.

Choisnet: Interview

2008-03-07T16:04:00.000-05:00

For as long as I’ve known Judy Logsdon, I’ve never really known how to explain my relationship to her to others. She met my grandfather a couple of years after my grandparents divorced, and they’ve been together ever since. So, “step-grandmother?” That just sounds weird, and it technically isn’t true, since they aren’t married. “Girlfriend” makes it sound like my grandpa is seeing someone half his age, which rarely conjures up pleasant mental images. “Partner” is more accurate, and I’ve seen it used to describe them in a newspaper clipping. But that word makes me think of homosexual couples first and foremost, as faulty as my reasoning is. So I usually end up digging out some old-fashioned terminology and referring to Judy as my grandpa’s “lady friend.”
Whatever I call her, Judy’s the kind of person I’d like to be when I hit 60, like she is now. She’s the type of woman you read about in novels, the cool, artsy supporting character who always impresses the protagonist with her unique spirit and offers advice from a creative viewpoint. Unfortunately, due to the emotional baggage caused by my grandparents’ divorce (in which Judy had no part), I have always been somewhat distant with her, despite my appreciation for her spirit.
I could claim that I decided to interview Judy as an opportunity to get to know her better and find some additional common ground for us, but in all honesty, that sort of thinking only came in hindsight. I did know that with a character like hers, Judy would be an ideal subject for this type of assignment. Aside from receiving further confirmation that she’s a truly interesting person, I did get to understand Judy’s experiences as a young woman and the way they helped shape her into the person I know today. And while it may not have been my first and foremost intention, I did realize that Judy and I both care about how being female affects a person’s life in this world, and that epiphany has helped me to be willing to open up to her a little more than I have before.
Ironically, considering how we’ve discussed and been tested on the different factions of feminism in class, Judy told me that she’s “still unclear after all these years as to what a feminist really is” when I asked her if she considered herself to be one.
We both developed our opinions on feminism fairly early on in our lives, although those opinions went in different directions. After a childhood spent cheering for the pink and yellow Power Rangers and wondering why there didn’t seem to be many fairy tales where the princess ended up saving the day instead of being a pretty damsel in distress (even to this day, that phrase makes me cringe a little), I was all for the idea of girls being every bit as tough and capable as the boys, even while they still looked pretty. Judy’s “first perception of feminism,” on the other hand, “was the radical behavior, like women in Chicago marching and burning their bras.” Despite her cautious opinion of the feminists of the 1960’s, Judy did support women having more reproductive rights and “opening the job market for women.”
I also discovered that we, in a way, shared opinions on The Feminine Mystique. My primary impression of the book, without getting a chance to read it in its entirety, was that Betty Friedan was taking an overly critical point of view toward housewives, claiming that every woman who was a wife and mother was secretly neurotic because of her life. Judy’s first reaction to The Feminine Mystique was much simpler: she had “bought it at Rexall’s Drugstore when [she] was about fifteen,” thinking that it was “a book of beauty tips.” Her early disappointment had prompted her to put the book down and never read it again, but when told about its subject matter, she said that she “never thought that being a wife and mother would be boring, but [she] always knew that [she] would have a job outside of being a wife and mother, […] so [she] wouldn’t feel bored or empty.”
That job first came in the form of working as a PR assistant for a major corporation. Shortly after Judy started working, her boss fell ill, and his duties passed on to her. When it became clear that her boss would not be coming back, Judy was irritated to find out that the higher-ups would not be giving her the job she had already been working on a permanent basis, because “a woman had never been a PR director before, and it was a man’s job.” It took another year of working both jobs to convince them that Judy was capable of doing the work she had already been in charge of. In doing such, she became both the first woman and the youngest person in that corporation to receive that position. “That’s one of my accomplishments that I go back to, when I talk about my career, that I was able to break ground there,” Judy told me. I was thoroughly impressed that she had accomplished such a thing in the days before such words from an employer would guarantee a lawsuit and a PR nightmare. Looking back on those times, Judy was “horrified” to realize that such practices were the norm, and that certain jobs were simply part of a “man’s world.” Knowing that women have come so far since then has put both our minds at ease, and we have hope for further improvements in the future.
Another thing that Judy and I talked about was women’s health care. I knew that, as someone who has been battling with breast cancer for years now, she would have strong opinions on the subject. Judy pointed out that while plenty of money and hours are being poured into breast cancer research, not as much attention is being paid to cancers that affect men more often than women. As a participant in multiple Relay For Life events, I have also noticed that there are usually more signs and booths dedicated to breast cancer and skin cancer awareness than prostrate cancer.
Judy and I wrapped up our interview by talking about where we think feminism stands today. As she had told me at the beginning, despite her uncertainty as to what a feminist was today, she “would say ‘yes’ rather than no’” regarding whether or not she would call herself one. She went on to explain that, as more options are available to women now than there were in the 1960’s, such as roles available in media or a singer’s choice to show off her sensuality without it being exploitative, things have improved for women today. “I think we have evolved, and it would be hard to find a woman, even one of my age, who does not agree with feminist principles today,” she explained. However, she was worried that women today may too easily “take for granted that women’s rights are always going to be upheld.” When I think about the horrors we hear on the news about women from foreign cultures being mutilated or murdered for daring to step beyond the boundaries a patriarchal society has set up for them, I can’t help but agree. The comment also made me think of The Handmaid’s Tale, a novel by Margaret Atwood that describes a disturbing society run by a fundamentalist Christian regime, in which women have been stripped of their civil rights and are reduced to living as “Wives” or “Handmaids,” whose role is solely to bear children in a world where most of the population is sterile. As Judy warns, we must always be “vigilant and focused,” ready to protect our rights as human beings should the need arise.