Celebrating All Bodies

While reading Women Voices on The Huffington Post, I stumbled upon this article which takes a very different point of view on body positivity. Although I think it's great that culture, especially on the Internet, has embraced women's curviness and different body types as beautiful, but, as this author states, we should not bash thinner, skinnier women either. Instead, as she points out, we should celebrate all body types, both curvy and thin, as long as these women are healthy. She also points out that eating disorders, including both anorexia and obesity issues should not be celebrated, but emphasizes that all thin women or curvy women are not necessarily unhealthy.

"Telling a thin woman to go 'eat a sandwich' is pretty much as rude as calling a fuller-figured girl fat," she says.

So, my question to you all is - do you think that a fair mixture of body shapes and sizes should be represented in the media, or do you think all extremely thin representations of girls should be eliminated?

Man Down

Yesterday in class we talked about violence against women and men in the pop culture and the differences in how these subjects are viewed.
We discussed how easy it is for pop culture to depict violence against women, and how easily it is accepted. I brought up the point that violence against men, by women, isn't so easy to digest. I used the example from Rhianna's "Man Down" video.
This video was surrounded by controversy over the violence against the man in this video, but not much was said about the fact that he had assaulted her in someway. Not saying what the video depicts as "revenge" is ok, but the point that she was making was lost amongst the controversy of what happens to the guy.
I've included the video, and I want to know what you guys think about how her video depicts the killing of a man that victimized her.

I didn't mean it to be racist.

I ran across this article recently. What shocked me the most about this "black face" controversy was that the company who published this obviously racist ad, played the "I didn't mean to be racist" card. I understand the art director didn't wake up one morning and say, "you know, I really want to create an ad that stirs racist controversy around the company I work for", but just because your intentions weren't racist, doesn't mean your actions necessarily reflect that.
We've talked in class a lot about stereotypes and how they are so engrained in society we tend to not even think about them. I think racism is the same way. The ad this company published was inspired by "black face", if you're not sure what that is, i'll include a quick summary.
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel (comic show, featuring white actors in "blackface") shows in which performers create stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 1800s and contributed to the proliferations of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky on the plantation". (pulled from wiki.)

What I think shouldn't be excused is the behavior of the company. After taking down the ad for a short time, they put it back up. I guess my point is that just because they didn't mean to be racist, doesn't mean they should still use the ad. Its obviously offensive and that should be dealt with. 

Your intentions may not line up with what you do, and in those cases, I think what you did should be corrected and not done again. Its almost as if the company is saying, sorry we offend you african americans, but we kind of don't care. Thoughts????  

Here is the ad: 

                                    

                                   

Pens for Women!

This is a bit old, but I recently found this video of Ellen talking about a new women's product on her show. The product? Bic For Her, specially designed pens for women, because their long line of regular not-pink pens didn't fit women's needs enough.

Unaware of the pen before seeing the video, I don't think this one product necessarily hurts progress for women's equality, but it definitely does not help either.

What do you think of this product? Should it have never been made in the first place because it perpetuates the idea that women are separate from men (and therefore need different pens) or do you think it's a harmless marketing campaign to sell more pens?

Gender-neutral toy catalog

December has just arrived, but the over-commercialization of the holiday season is in full swing. You've seen the billion advertisements of sales and deals at various store locations just in time for the holidays. 

Many parents are bombarded with advertisements for toys that their children must have. This article talks about the controversy surrounding a gender-neutral toy catalog distributed in Sweden. The catalog shows a boy taking the temperature of a doll, a girl playing with a Nerf machine gun and boys and girls playing together in a play kitchen, using a pretend ironing board and playing at a doll's changing station. 

The author believes the catalog is sending a message to kids early, that it's ok to play with whatever toy makes them happy, no matter their gender. 

Why isn't it ok for girls to play with Legos? Or for boys to play house? 

Do you think gender stereotypes are enforced when kids play with only toys prescribed to their gender Is this problematic? 

Tina Fey Responds to Popular Notion

As I was commencing my usual routine of scrolling down on Pinterest to read good humor, or find a good recipe to pin, I come across this picture:

We talked in class about how professional women who are bosses get labeled as "bitches" because they aren't portraying a soft side, and even if they did, they would then be considered as "weak" to run a company or simply lead. 

I simply like how Tina Fey counters that notion with the above statement. I know for sure I'm going to be using that saying if I am ever in a "Irma's a bitch" situation. 

War on Marriage?

Yesterday, The Colbert Report addressed the recent statements of Fox News' Suzanne Venker, who claimed that modern women (AKA working, professional women) are scaring quality men away from marriage.  According to Colbert, Venker argues that women today are too "angry and defensive," and because they are no longer willing to "surrender to their nature," men are having a harder time manning up.  The reason single women aren't finding husbands like they used to, she says?  "Men want to love women, not compete with them."

Like Colbert, I disagree with Venker's point of view.  She's undermining women's progress in the working world by telling professional women that they are not as desirable because they are successful.  First of all, I know plenty of men who are attracted to intelligence and competence in a women just as much as any other quality.  Second of all, not all women live their lives with one goal in mind -- to find a husband -- but Venker seems to think that they do.  I'm pro-marriage and all, but I just don't see how being a successful woman would deter men from wanting to marry you.

Men have bodies too??

Reading Jezebel's sight this morning I stumble across something I'm not really sure how I feel about. This article discusses Yoko Ono's new line for men. Complete with light up bras, pants with a butt window, mesh tops and a chest plaque with bells that says "Ring for you mommy piece" ! Whilst reading through the article I can't help but feel that Yoko is making a statement. While 95% of the clothes featured in her line aren't practical for actual use, it makes me wonder, what is she trying to say?
This clothing has caused quite a stir amongst online commentators, ranging from anger to pure amusement.
But I can't help but see the irony in it. Women's clothing lines often make garments like the ones featured in this line all the time, and there is no flack heard about it, but the minute this type of clothing is made for men, there is an outcry. I think Yoko is saying, why should women be the only ones wearing clothes that accentuate specific parts of their bodies, when men can be objectified too!
If we were thinking that what we wore as men and women didn't matter and that no one  noticed, we were wrong. People do notice, but nothing is said until its gone "too far" against the grain for people to be comfortable with.
Are the sexes beginning to switch roles, with women wearing the suits and men wearing the revealing/sexually suggestive clothing? Is Yoko Ono really making a statement?

Hilary's Résumé Complete with Hair Advice

We constantly discuss in class the difference between descriptions of male and female politicians. Hilary Clinton, of course, was perhaps one of the most targeted female politicians due to her high profile and presidential campaign. With the incessant talk about her pantsuits, her looks and her physical traits over her political accomplishments, one might think that journalists would have nothing else to say about what she's wearing and that readers would tire from the exhausted correlation between her competence and her femininity.

The Washington Post published an interesting article this weekend about Hilary Clinton's smaller global accomplishments, highlighting work she has done in smaller, less industrious countries, some of which have not seen American diplomats in decades. The article is fairly well written, and I believe could be applies to a male politician. Only two instances reference her attire, but I took issue with one, which presents itself in the fourth paragraph of a five page article.

[Audience members of a Clinton Global Initiative speech] wanted to defend her, to rave about her, to say how sick they were of people talking about her hair, and then to talk about her hair, which, several men and women offered, definitely looked best in a simple chignon.

 I found the tone of this comment interesting; while the writer acknowledges the strong desire to stray from Hilary's physical appearances, she still includes what some said about her hair. The comment seems tongue in cheek, but does it help reinforce that an article simply can't be written about Hilary without any mention of how she looked that day?

Video Game Industry and Sexism

We've talked a lot about women and gender in advertising, movies and TV shows. Something we haven't mentioned are video games.

The video game industry is dominated by men, even though there are many women who also work to create these games.

This article focused on a Twitter discussion on sexism in the video game industry. The discussion was started when Luke Crane, the games project specialist at Kickstarter tweeted, "Why are there so few lady game creators?"

Many women who work in the video game industry responded to his question, using the hashtag #1reasonwhy.

I found it interesting that many of the reasons women gave to Crane's question are similar to ones women have experienced across many professional fields. Women in the gaming industry feel they are treated unequally in the workplace because they have to deal with sexual harassment, their opinions or ideas being rejected, asking for maternity leave and solely working on art for a game and not the computer programming aspect.

Even though the video game industry is fairly new, women still experience old-fashioned inequity in the workplace.

Saudi Women Monitored During Their Travels

Ladies,

Imagine traveling outside of the U.S. and being tracked and monitored to make sure that you are not "sinning" or being "immoral."

Besides not being allowed to drive, women in Saudi Arabia are being supervised electronically by the country's interior ministry whenever they leave the country.

Here's the article for those who are interested in reading about this issue:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/25/world/meast/saudi-arabia-women/index.html?iref=allsearch

Like the spider and the fly. Wasn't she saying, 'Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly?

Recently in one of my classes we talked about the justification of rape, and the differences between the reasons for justification among men and women. It was stated that men often justify the rape of women, saying the victim often asks for it, by the way they dress or act. Women justify the rape of women, saying the victim obviously did something wrong, like walking alone at night, or going on dates with strangers. I find this disturbing for more than one reason, the first being, that rape, regardless of who the victim is, shouldn't be justified, and secondly because the rape of men is often shadowed or never addressed, as if its a myth that men, just like women, are often subject to horrible sexual crimes too.

Ironically I stumble upon this article (click me) directly addressing a specific case in which a lawyer tries to justify the gang rape of an 11 year old girl by 20 men ranging from middle school age to 21+, stating she "asked for it", and "lured her attackers like a spider lurs a fly to a web". Firstly, I can't help but acknowledge that this defense was in fact used in a court case recently. Secondly, I can't help but be a little angered that a minor, is made to look like she wanted to be raped, or was completely able to consent to sexual activity, let alone with 10+ men.
I admit, I half expect men to be less empathetic towards rape and rape victims, but I guess I wasn't expecting a highly educated man to be so ignorant to the implications of what he is saying about this little girl and about the act of rape in general.

I think he is saying rapists are justified if they feel any inkling of an "invitation" from their victims; if they don't cry out they want it, even if they are minors. What implications could he be making about rape victims? What could this do to how rape is viewed, if this specific case changes anything at all.

So It Turns Out That I Am An Object?

While I can't exactly vouch for the credibility of this news outlet, I can say that this article on the sexual objectification of women caught my attention.

The gist of the article is that several studies have shown evidence that women are in fact viewed more as objects than men are.

Here's a little summary from one of the studies,

In her experiment, 83 students were shown pictures of human bodies. They were later shown pictures of the same bodies and pictures of parts of bodies. The result was that the subjects remembered women better when they were only shown parts of them, such as breasts or legs. They remembered men best when they saw their whole body a second time. The scientists concluded that people see women as they do inanimate objects: as linked individual parts.

So like I said before, I can't vouch for the credibility of this news source but more so, I can't vouch for the accuracy of these research findings.  What I do find interesting about this article and these supplemental studies is the fact that research is even being done on this particular topic. We can obviously agree then that this is an issue. Some of you may be rolling your eyes at my "Captain Obvious" approach here but you'd really be surprised at the amount of males and females alike who don't believe there is such a thing as "sexual objectification of women"

The broader question for me here is the effect of this research. If in fact these findings are true, what effect will it have on our population? Can you imagine the possibility of this objectification getting worse because people would say, "Well, it just is what it is. Apparently it's in our human nature to objectify women. Why fight it?"

The way I see it, research is done to answer questions and to hopefully help our society. I'm puzzled because these findings would do the opposite. I am skeptical to believe that objectifying women is just an "innate" thing. What do you all make of this finding?

What Will Hilary Clinton do Next?

I thought this article in The Huffington Post was very interesting because we have spent quite a lot of time discussing her in class.  The article talks about what her next move will be. Will she be running for president in 2016?  The article includes eight different quotes from respectable news publications. Do any of yall have opinions about her possibly being a candidate? There is certainly some evidence that this may be the case.

History of Inequality for Best Actress

A couple of class days ago, Professor Lawrence introduced us to the Bechdel test. In order to pass the Bechdel test, a film must have two women with a name and who speak to each other about something other than a man. 

Surprisingly, we all saw how many films don't pass this test. Way too many.

I stumbled upon an article on Jezebel.com titled, "This Year’s Best Actress Race: A History of Inequality." I thought this article was relevant to what we discussed about the Bechdel test and our current discussions about pop culture.

The article raises many questions during this Oscar-worthy film season, where the most outstanding creative endeavors are saved for the last months of the year to increase their nomination for Best Picture.

The author did a small analysis of the Best Actress nominees and winners throughout the past 20 years. He points out that women have received Best Actress nominations from Best Picture winners or nominees 29 times, while men have received Best Actor nominations from Best Picture nominees 47 times.

He also finds that in the last 20 years, the Best Picture of the year has won the Best Actress award twice while the film named Best Picture has also won the Best Actor award five times.

He argues that men have starred in bio-pics of famous politicians, filmmakers, activists, authors and athletes-- who are mainly men, so that's probably why there are less women winning Best Actress.

 

What Would 3rd Wave Feminists Say?

A new study from the Journal of Sex Research is breaking the old stereotype of the self destructive porn star. The study claims that porn stars actually have higher self esteem and a better body image.

In the article from the Huffington Post the "Feminist commentator Dawn Foster criticized the study for whitewashing some of the porn industry's seedier aspects. 'It is dangerous to generalize about a huge industry: women who are successful and in control of their careers in one pocket don't speak for women in the less scrutinized parts,' Foster told the Independent. 'The study's main objective seems to be to prove that not all women in porn are exploited: no one has argued that. But glossing over the exploitative aspects helps no one.'"

Does this find say something about the evolution of women? Can a women be considered strong if they are using their bodies to get ahead? 

A New Spin on a Classic Calendar

I had never heard of the Pirelli calendar until today, when this article was featured on Yahoo. The article is about how, in the past, this collector's item featured nude or mostly nude models almost exclusively. This year, the photos were taken by photojournalist Steve McCurry, who worked at National Geographic and is famous for his photo of the Afghan girl. Although he does use a lot of models in his calendar, he puts a twist on the traditional by having a few photos of everyday people and some without any people in them at all. In addition to this, he photographed supermodel Adriana Lima while she was visibly pregnant (you can see that photo in the article) and said he chose to portray clothed models who give to charity: "I thought, 'Why don't we find models who aren't only gorgeous and beautiful but are also doing good things?'"

I think that, in a world where most calendars that feature models or female athletes (such as dancers or cheerleaders) are hypersexualized, McCurry's vision is refreshing. I also think it's interesting that they normally have photographers like Annie Leibovitz work on the calendar and that a photojournalist is the one who took it in a different direction.

Do you think this year's Pirelli calendar is more empowering to women? Do you think that having calendars with nude or mostly nude women is too commonplace to really hold back women's rights, or is it a problem?

Ke$ha and her newly found function as a female role model

Ke$ha's newly published memoir exposes many of her experiences that formed her character and her stage persona. In this article, she talks about her memoir, career, song-writing, and double-standards in the music industry, as well as in society.

My personal favorite quote from the article is:

"I've never censored myself for anyone, but when writing that song in particular I decided I wanted to talk about men the way men talk about women. I wanted to level the playing field. I'm a young, responsible woman who can work and party as hard as any man. So, if I want to talk about drinking and sex, I'm going to do it." 

Here's the link, for those who'd like to read it:

http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/ke-emerges-positive-female-role-model-213900609.html

Calling out Colleagues For Victim Blaming Can Lose You A Job

I was recently made aware of a situation from my home town of Dallas in which a girl accused a boy of raping her after a Ghostland Observatory concert in his car. The situation was commented on by a news outlet called CultureMap Dallas which is also affiliated with CultureMap Austin and Houston. I was made aware of it by my brother-in-law Dan Solomon because he is a free lance writer and journalist who has worked with Culture Map frequently and recommended me for a photo internship there.

The commentary in question was from a female writer/editor Claire St. Amant and involved questioning the legitimacy of the girls claim based on vague ideas that kids mess up, lie and act out as a part of life. She then explores who the real victim is if she is lying, the accused boy who also happens to be the son of the owner of a large restaurant called Eazti's in Dallas.

Dan reacted to this unfounded speculation in his article: "It Happened to Me: I Lost A Job For Calling Out the Company's Rape Apology"

This article not only makes me want to give a big triumphant middle finger to victim blamers everywhere, it's explosion online (on Front Page of Reddit's TwoXChromosomes) has given me hope that there are journalist willing to lose work over speaking out against the media's rape culture today.

Why is it still a logical response to a rape allegation to brush it off as an irresponsible girl trying to get out of trouble? What will it take for more people to ask why we question her honesty before his integrity?

Two Cheerleaders Shave Their Heads

The sports industry in the US ranks high in promoting and enforcing certain gender stereotypes. Men should like football, hot girls with rockin' bods are always cheerleaders, women don't understand sports, and, as a baseball fan, my favorite, if a man drinks a Budweiser at a game, and some model in a bikini will probably fawn over him. These all reinforce that females must be gorgeous, skinny, beautiful (such as the cheerleaders and beer models) and that men are more intelligent in areas that women just don't comprehend.

However, I was so happy to see two Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders breaking the stereotype, atleast to a certain degree. After the Colts coach was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago, the team began raising money, and as a challenge, two cheerleaders promised to shave their hair off if fans could raise $10,000.

The sportscasters only show their support of the girls without resorting to demeaning comments questioning their ability to be a cheerleader. So many women think their hair or certain physical features define their beauty; these cheerleaders, whose careers revolve essentially around being pretty and fit, are helping to break this gender expectation.

What else can Obama do for women?

As I was looking for sources for my news analysis story a few weeks ago, I stumbled across womensenews.org. This website is mainly targeted for women and women's issues. If you have time, please read this article about the list of things women feel that President Obama should get the new Congress to do for them and leave comments!

A Soldier's Dying Wish

Imagine being on the brink of death and knowing the government will deny your spouse and young child proper care after you're gone.

Well, that is exactly what's happening to Charlie Morgan, a U.S. career soldier battling stage IV breast cancer. Normally, the government provides numerous benefits to the families of diseased soldiers, but not Morgan--all because she happens to be married to a woman.

In this article on She The People, the details of Morgan's situation describe how she is denied these benefits under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). She explains that she cannot peacefully pass away until DOMA dies with her, and her family can be assured future financial stability.

Although President Obama recently ordered the Department of Justice to stop defending DOMA, many Republicans, including Speaker Boehner, promise to defend the act even if the White House does not.

What are your opinions on LGBT families and government benefits?

My Natural, but Photoshopped Beauty

So how do we even find natural beauty?


It always annoys me to hear others say, "Well you should be thin, but not too thin" or, "You want to apply some makeup, so you won't look dead, but not too much so that it looks natural."

I've come to find that society has put us into these brackets of "not enough, but not too much"

Sadly, it's another double bind in itself.

In a short, but sweet, article  this phenomena is reported oh so vividly. In the media, we see these photos of perfectly flawless women. Their skin has a "natural" glow to them and their simplicity is what makes them that much more unattainable. Their clothing falls in just the perfect ways and everything about their demeanor appears to convey a natural sense of beauty. It appears to be effortless. So as silly consumers, we buy into this notion of beauty. We say to ourselves "I want to look just like her. She makes it look so easy" but the truth is, ITS NOT! It's not even realistic. As the article points out, the irony is in the fact that many hours are spent in effort to obtain such an "effortless" look. Are you seeing that bind now?

Gender Stereotypes Affect Men, Too

We've recognized gender stereotypes for men - toughness, strength, power, control. These expectations don't just affect the positions and jobs they get in society. It can also affect how poorly they diagnose and admit their own depression. Time wrote about a study, which admittedly needs more background research before it can be deemed conclusive evidence, which noted that because men are expected to care less about emotions than women are, it becomes easier for women to identify their own depression. As someone who has dealt with anxiety and had to rely on boyfriends and close male friends for support, this story revealed some understanding as to why depression and anxiety feels more foreign to men. The article is pretty short and interesting. The result of more studies could show the importance of staying in touch with your emotions, no matter your gender.

Political Animals may be the exception

Going off our discussion from last week about the shows " Commander and Chief" and "Battlestar Gallectica," I wanted to bring in a new show, "Political Animals." I forgot to mention this show in our class discussion but I feel that his women leader is different from what we have mostly seen on television. Elaine Barrish ( Sogourney Weaver) plays the secretary of state, was the former governor of Illinois and was a potential presidential candidate. I feel that she may be the exception to "women are only in these leadership roles because of last resorts." Barrish also has a lot in common with Hilary Clinton, which is why she may be the exception. Hilary Clinton was very mus so a revolutionary first lady. I have inlcuded an article about the show and Hilary Clinton.

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/ad-lib/2012/jul/14/USA-Political-Animals-Clinton-model-Weaver-Video/

The War on Men?

I came across an article on my Facebook newsfeed from Fox News with the headline, "The War on Men." The headline alone grabbed my attention and of course being written for a media outlet like Fox News, I knew where this article was headed.

The crux of this editorial? "Women aren’t women anymore."

What does that even mean? Well she goes on to explain that the sexual revolution has changed the way men and women interact and women have changed dramatically.

"In a nutshell, women are angry. They’re also defensive, though often unknowingly. That’s because they’ve been raised to think of men as the enemy. Armed with this new attitude, women pushed men off their pedestal (women had their own pedestal, but feminists convinced them otherwise) and climbed up to take what they were taught to believe was rightfully theirs."

So the writer believes since women's liberation, women have changed their way of thinking and basically warding off the eligible bachelors.

The writer goes on to say that feminism actually benefits men and disadvantages women. You can read the rest of the article, it's very short. But the author goes out with a bang.

The writer's solution:

"Fortunately, there is good news: women have the power to turn everything around. All they have to do is surrender to their nature – their femininity – and let men surrender to theirs.

If they do, marriageable men will come out of the woodwork."

What did I just read?

So I completely disagreed with the writer. I also thought the writer didn't support any of their claims so the article wasn't remotely credible. When I finished reading every word, I thought, "wow, how uninformed can this man be?" I thought a man wrote the article.

I looked at the byline: Suzanne Venker.

I was extremely shocked to find that a woman wrote this lovely piece of literature.

I was angry that Suzanne wrote this because I feel it just enforces what she's stating in her article even more, especially coming from a woman. Men and women could potentially agree or believe with her opinions and perpetuate this thought that women are at fault for being independent thinkers, not dependent on a man.

Where the Girls Aren't

Geena Davis has am impressive portfolio of strong women she's played over the years, but looking at today's movie landscape, one is hard pressed to find strong women present in any film–from G-rated kid flicks to R-rated action thrillers–female heroines have vanished. 

Troubled by this gross imbalance of male to female characters, coupled with a concern for what this imbalance is teaching girls today–not the least of whom is her 10-year-old daughter–Davis founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media as a research-based organization to begin gathering data to back up what she’d discovered. 

Here's one of its findings:

Earlier this month at its Third Symposium on Gender in Media, the Institute released its most recent study, in conjunction with Dr. Stacy Smith from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, and revealed a children’s media landscape where men work and earn prestige—while female characters are sidelined or not given speaking roles at all. The study evaluated gender roles and occupations by looking at the 129 top-grossing family films between 2006-2011; prime-time TV in the spring of 2012; and kids' shows airing in 2011. Female characters only had a third of the speaking roles. Women held only 20.3 percent of all jobs in family films.

Davis has also started a campaign to empower girls, based on the idea that “if she can see it, she can be it.” Davis believes that a woman's future begins with how she pictures herself as a child.

Check out the video here:

Read the full article from Good magazine: 
Where the Girls Aren’t

A Female Male Model?

Casey Legler, left, an artist in New York, was recently hired as the only Ford female male-model. That may sound confusing, but Casey, an identified female,  knows the photographer and poses in male clothing. In an an interview with New York Magazine, she describes the modeling process by saying that society ascribes certain characteristics to men and women.

When I watched the video interview, I began to wonder, is she breaking gender stereotypes by taking on a male role? Does she enforce them by posing as a male should? Her comment about certain characteristics enhanced the idea that in modeling and advertising, men and women should be perceived in certain ways, even though her gender is sometimes perceived as subordinate.

The interview is short and interesting, so I would recommend watching it and deciding if she helps to break the idea of a women's role or not.

Sexual Objectification Checklist

I found another sexual objectification checklist on the Ms. blog that is a little more detailed than the one we worked with in class.

The questions are:
1) Does the image show only part(s) of a sexualized person’s body?
2) Does the image present a sexualized person as a stand-in for an object?
3) Does the image show sexualized persons as interchangeable? 
4) Does the image affirm the idea of violating the bodily integrity of a sexualized person who can’t consent?
5) Does the image suggest that sexual availability is the defining characteristic of the person? 
6) Does the image treat a sexualized person’s body as a canvas?

7) Does the image show a sexualized person as a commodity that can be bought and sold?

A lot of the images used in the blog post are similar to the ones we looked at in class, but I like how the writer felt it necessary to not only focus on the physical aspects of the images but the metaphorical meanings as well.  As seen in question #7, it's important to address whether or not the woman is being portrayed as a stand-in for something that can be bought...  If so, this definitely "raises the image's score" (so to speak) of sexual objectification and is an even greater cause for concern.

Wanna Start a Rrriot?

When I was going through my "teenage angst-ridden" years there was always one band that stuck by my side. It was in fact this one band that opened my mind to the amazing world of Alternative Rock and all things surrounding it. Who was that, you ask? None other but the troubled likes of Nirvana. I was so hooked. And as a "true fan" I'll tell you, Smells Like Teen Spirit was nothing compared to all the other powerful music they shared with me. I was a die-hard 90's kid, wishing I could've been born just a few years earlier.

But that's just it; As I dove deeper into Kurt Cobain's mesmerizing and troubling melodies, I really found myself identifying with him. I felt a part of my misunderstood spirit in his gut-wrenching vocals. But were there other female musicians I could relate to? And why hadn't that thought been a more pressing issue to me?

Aside from Cobain's open feminine characteristics, there was nothing more about the band that yelled, "Girl Power" to me. So why did I relate so well to them?

Could it possibly have anything to do with the Riot Grrrl movement? Does that even ring a bell to anyone?


This lovely morning I came across a rather interesting article about one of the founders, if not THE main voice of this movement: An all-girl punk group by the name of Bikini Kill.

As you will read in the article, Bikini Kill's journey was not an easy one and eventually the band did break up with hardly any monetary profit to their name. They were a punk group and their do-it-yourself philosophy could not lead to much more than that.

 Photo Courtesy of: http://anarchyofpunk.blogspot.com

Listening to Bikini Kill now, I want to smack myself on the head. Clearly, Kurt was influenced by them. (Now that I think of it, I do remember him writing about them in his infamous journals.) They sang about rape, empowerment, and sexuality among other things. They were a tough group of girls with very real issues in their lyrics and a very "kick-ass" delivery, if I may.

Here are some lyrics from one of their songs titled: Double Dare Ya

You're a big girl now
You've got no reason not to fight
You've got to know what they are
Fore you can stand up for your rights
Rights, rights?
You DO have rights

The article was a refreshing read and an interesting take on the tools these female musicians used to get their message across. But as the story goes, the original community of people that would welcome this opinionated group would eventually swallow them up. Bikini Kill was an angry group, and rightly so, they had a message they needed to get across and being "sweet" about it wasn't going to get them anywhere. You can read more about this in the article.

So my question here is: Who remembers, let alone, KNOWS anything about this movement or other female musicians in this movement? It may have been short-lived but can we say it made any kind of impact in the world we see today? And do we find any current musicians embodying any of Bikini Kill's powerful ideals and music today?

UFC welcomes first female fighter

We talked a lot about empowerment on Thursday and one of the things that was brought up during the conversation about Rihanna's picture was that she "looks like she could kick your ass." This leads to the following question: Is a tough, physical female is a sign of empowerment? There will be different opinions and answers to this question, but a great example of a strong woman as a possible sign of empowerment is Ronda Rousey.

Last week, Rousey became the first female fighter to join the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a mixed martial arts league that has incredible popularity. Rousey, who became the first U.S. woman to win a medal in judo during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, is 25 years old and has previously fought in Strikeforce where she is the reigning women's bantamweight champion, having successfully defended the title in August 2012.

Dana White, president of the UFC, said in 2011 that the organization "would never sign female fighters" but has come around slightly with the signing of Rousey. However, even after the signing of Rousey, White said he's "never been interested in women's MMA. First, there were not enough good girls to create an entire division."

What does Rousey's addition to the UFC mean? Is this an empowering image for women or is it a negative image?

Where are Playboy Bunnies now?

Photographer Robyn Twomey has tried to capture the life of Playboy Bunnies through a new profile of former Playboy Bunnies. Unlike "Playmates," "Bunnies" are the women who "worked at the members only venue known as the Playboy Club, which ran from 1960 to 1991."

In the profile, Twomey gives a "provocative tour of the annual Playboy Bunny Reunion, where ex-Bunnies show off tight t-shirts, bunny ears and the occasional silicone implant in a complex display of strength and fragility."

One of the most interesting parts of this story is the review of Twomey's images as "overall surprisingly empowering, featuring women 'of a certain age' who are confident with themselves and their bodies." Are these images empowering is the Playboy Bunny an empowering image for females?

The Power of the First Lady

A conference at The University of Texas on Nov. 15 will examine the evolution of the role of first ladies into "a more public and agenda-driven role." Hosted by the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, “The Enduring Legacies of America’s First Ladies” will examine how first ladies have changed from Lady Bird Johnson to Michelle Obama.

One of the organizers notes that "[d]espite an intense nuts-and-bolts involvement in environmental policy, Lady Bird Johnson still tended to defer to men in power — at least publicly." Yet, she was a "formidable businesswoman" who built a broadcasting empire in Austin long before her husband became president and helped organize a bank. One wonders if the panelists will discuss how her business experience in the male-dominated world of broadcasting informed her work as first lady.

Money quote: “A first lady has no position description,” said conference chairwoman Anita McBride, who was chief of staff to Laura Bush. “Nor does she have any statutory authority or salary – but she has an automatic powerful platform. Her unofficial position gives her enormous flexibility to pick and choose the issues in which she wants to engage.”

British Women Divorces Husband Because of Fifty Shades of Grey

The Huffington Post reported that a women divorced her husband because he would not act out parts of the novel Fifty Shades of Gray. This article struck me because even though I have not read this novel, I know it includes very violent, sexual scenes that can be considered rape. The relationship between the two characters is controlling and abusive. It puzzles me that a women is willing to throw a marriage down the drain because her husband refuses to treat her in bad way. This is just a little part of a much bigger issue. Women are flocking to the bookstore to read this trilogy but it is essentially about a good-looking wife beater. At the end of the day, it is a piece of fiction but the author E.L. James makes women look weak and just as a sexual object.

Moving Forward or Backward?

Here's a word for everyone out there: Egocentrism.

That's right. I think we're all victim to it. In layman's terms, egocentrism is the belief that your thoughts, opinions, etc. are the right way of thinking and anything opposing that must be wrong! At times it may be more intense than others but it can be as simple as "one man must have only one wife." Surely, that's the way its supposed be right? But what about cultures that practice polygamy? They would obviously scoff at our outlandish views. 

I'll admit. I'm a victim to this way of thinking often, and when anyone challenges my beliefs it's not uncommon to find me fuming at the ears, debating (or rather, yelling) my brains out until I get my point across. Guilty.

That being said, reading the Washington Post today, my egocentrism was further fueled when I came across an article about a woman so obviously deranged that she must be crazy. (I'm kidding, of course)

Beth Cox  is a die-hard Romney fan. She was devastated at his loss, shedding many tears and now she wonders what America is coming to!

Ok, I've oversimplified this, but that's what you have the article for. In all honesty though, I find this rather amusing. Perhaps I'm too much of a "cynic" to empathize with this woman but I frankly can't imagine myself ever being that torn up about a candidate or anyone else for that matter.

Beth describes she used to be a a strong and independent woman, wanting to be defiant. Since those years, she's embraced the "natural order of the household."

Beth is frightened by the legalizing of marijuana and of gay marriage. She worries we are in the "desert" right now and that all in all, our country is going to crap and we need to pray for it.

So my egocentric self asks this: How can it be that unlike Beth, I'm finding the result of this election brings me hope? not just as a woman, but as a minority, and a student who needs more time to sort out her "priorities" as Beth has already figured out so nicely.

I can't wrap my head around it. I really can't. As we're trying to move forward, other groups find we've gone way too far -- we must return to our religious fundamentals. And who says that's the right way to live?

So please, remove my egocentrism and explain to me how Mrs. Cox can be right. As a whole, is our country really pushing the limits to very uncomfortable heights? Should I be worried, more than I already am?

"Hotness" ranking: out of control?

I happened upon this article on Twitter, which is about another article. In particular, it's about the fact that Businessweek tweeted and ran an article ranking college business schools by judging the hotness of the female students. There was an uproar over this on Twitter and on the magazine's website.

The linked article contains screenshots of Twitter, the Businessweek website and the college-ranking site College Prowler, which lets students rate their school by academics, athletics and their fellow students' looks, among other factors. A few of the arguments brought up in the story include sentiments of women in business being disrespected or not taken seriously, and the bias of things like this, where women ask "Where is the best-looking man poll?"

What do you think about these polls? Are they being blown out of proportion, or is this really just a step back in the fight for equality? Would you have expected something like this from a publication like Businessweek?

Gender Bias Worksheets??!

So we continue our discussion on Gender Bias....

Gender stereotypes are what we started this class on and granted, they set the foundation for many of the topics we are currently talking about.

Browsing through the Huff Post, I came across this article about a third-grade girl failing an assignment dealing with gender stereotypes.

This assignment was apparently a follow up to a story the class had read dealing with a young girl wanting to play basketball and being made fun of for wanting to play a "boy's" sport.

The worksheet asked the students to categorize several items into "boy, girl or both" categories. When the young girl categorized most the items into "both" the teacher called her out by writing on her paper, "We talked about how each square needs to be filled in."

Her father blogged about this experience, he caused a large viral uproar and later blogged about the teacher's explanation for the worksheet. 

Many people thought the father was exaggerating but many others were outraged at the blatant attempt of an instructor to enforce gender stereotypes.

After reading the article, what do you guys think? Was her dad simply making a big deal out of nothing or is this a prime example of how the public education system is failing us!!! (Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but you catch my drift.)

Hollywood's Expectations

One of my friends retweeted a link to this story about "Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence. In the article, the 22-year-old actress talked about how she would never do extreme dieting or starve herself for a role because she wants to be a positive role model for younger girls.

"In Hollywood, I'm obese. I'm considered a fat actress," said Lawrence.

This is crazy to me, since she's definitely smaller than the average American. It has a lot to do with the points "Miss Representation" was trying to make. What do you think about Hollywood's standards for women?

Women ruled the election

Tuesday night capped off what will go down as a historic election for women. A record 20 women will occupy seats in the U.S. Senate next year and the congressional delegation from New Hampshire congressional delegation will be entirely female. In total 98 women will be on their way to our nation's capital next year.

The gain in Congress comes as President Barack Obama won reelection winning 55 percent of the female vote compared to Romney's 44 percent. Obama's win and the Congressional race victories come as a result of an election that was often about the so-called “war on women.”

Going into Tuesday's election, women held only 16.8 percent of the seats in Congress: 17 in the Senate and 73 in the House. The 2012 election had record numbers of women running with 18 running for Senate and 166 House positions.

Eleven of the 18 women running for Senate won their race - Feinstein (D-CA); Hirono (D-HI); Warren (D-MA); Stabenow (D-MI); Klobuchar (D-MN); McCaskill (D-MO); Fisher (R-NE); Gillibrand (D-NY); Cantwell (D-WA); Heitkamp (D-ND); and Baldwin (D-WI) - bringing the total of women in the Senate to 19.

After Tuesday's election, women will now make up 18 percent of the House of Representatives after winning 79 seats. Sixty-six women ran as incumbents, 74 ran as challengers, and 26 ran for open seats. Republicans will get one new woman in the Senate, while Democrats picked up three new female senators. The House of Representatives now has a total of 20 Republican and 59 Democratic women.

Is this a sign of things changing and more women obtaining higher political office? What does this mean for the future of female leadership and women in politics?

Miss Representation: Do you agree?

Today's movie, Miss Representation, contains lots of facts and assertions and, agree with it all or not, certainly can get us thinking.

For myself, one reason I like this film is that it gets me thinking about a possible paradox: As women gain more power in the real world, they are portrayed in more narrow, less empowering ways in the virtual world of the media.  We've had three female Secretaries of State in a row, for example, each of whom has been exemplary in her own way, but I can look in vain on TV and in movies for equally empowered female characters.  Or am I just looking in the wrong places?

I'd like to hear from all of you regarding what you liked/disliked, agreed with/disagreed with in the movie.  What pushed your buttons?

How much is too much skin?

The Dallas Maverick cheerleaders recently debuted their new uniforms. They are short, white, and sparkly. They bear almost the entire midriff save for a small vertical strip running from the top to the bottom.  While these skimpy outfits are nothing new for dance troupes or cheerleaders, do you think it's going to far? Is this kind of sexualized sensation really necessary in sports? What does it really say about our society that we have such scantily clad women cheering on big, strong, athletic men?

Here's the article. You be the judge. 

Trump's Reaction...

Hi guys! Apparently Donald Trump is disgusted with the out come of the election last night. According to this article, he went on a tweeting rampage! Check it out!!!

Bond's Babes

James Bond: Booze, bonks and bodies

I came across this chart and article while roaming the internet the other day and it caught my attention because, while I love him, I think of James Bond as a notorious womanizer and I was curious to see which Bond actor seduces the most women.

I expected to see that Sean Connery, my preferred James Bond heartthrob, would have the most female conquests, but according to this graph, he was outdone by George Lazenby. Additionally, the present James Bond (played by Daniel Craig) gets notably fewer femme fatales and outdrinks all the other gentlemen by a sizable margin. The article also mentioned that Heineken paid a huge chunk of change to ensure that Craig only drinks beer in the latest Bond installment, Skyfall, instead of his customary martini. I know it's a movie, but I honestly think that the type of women Mr. Bond tends to woo are not the ones who will go weak in the knees for a man sipping a hoppy Heineken over the king of cocktails.

All the Single Ladies

As I was reading stories on the election tomorrow, I came across this article and video on the Huffington Post about the lack of polls on single women voters. The women vote has become an increasingly important factor in this presidential campaign season, with each candidate trying to "woo" the women demographic.

However, this segment on Bill O'Reilly, although comical, does not accurately poll the single woman vote either. He polls women during Halloween weekend, with most in 'sexy' costumes and does not include any women of color.

What do you think of this portrayal of women? Is it presenting an idea that women are not seriously politically active or should not be involved in politics? Do you think this is an accurate reflection of an average woman voter? Let me know your thoughts.

Why Women Need Obama

I came across a post titled "Why women need Obama" written for The Guardian, and I couldn't help but skim through the reasons summarized.  The main point of the article make sense from a partisan standpoint:  women tend to lean to the left when it comes to women's issues.  They always have and probably always will...  That much is clear from past polls and elections, as the article states.  However, it seems to me that Mitt Romney is taking a much harder hit from feminist groups today than Republican presidential candidates ever have in the past.  Disregarding the major differences in the two candidates' campaigns that have to do with "women's rights," what is it about Romney's personal beliefs and actions that serve as a target for those who support the feminist movement?  Do you agree with the author's argument that women need Obama to win the election to keep their rights?  And if he doesn't, do you think that that much will actually change?

New Akin ad tries to win over women voters

Representative Todd Akin (R-Missouri) is trying to win back women voters with a campaign ad released Thursday featuring "a rape survivor who says she had an abortion." The woman in the ad, who is a "single mother and full-time student who identifies herself as 'Kelly'" states:

The reasons I'm voting for Todd and that I'm so proud of him is because he defends the unborn. He's a kind man, a compassionate man, he has so much integrity.

After Akin's controversial comment in August "that victims of 'legitimate rape' don't need the option of abortion because they "rarely" become pregnant," the candidate for the U.S. Senate "has made a big push for the support of conservative female voters" including a "Women for Akin" bus tour with Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative, anti-feminist activist. Although Republicans initially distanced themselves from Akin after he is comments, the party has since funneled $700,000 into his campaign.

Well... Would Ya Look At Those Binders!

Hello beautiful people!!!

I found this picture online about Romney's idea of "binders full of women" and thought it was somewhat funny yet interesting! If you aren't familiar with this phrase, then check out this article.

Have a wonderful day!