I have really enjoyed taking this class. It has been so refreshing to have the opportunity to express myself, rather than just memorizing and solving problems. I am an exercise physiology major/pre-med, so every class I take is very scientific. I have really enjoyed thinking outside of the box.
I feel like this class was great for me because it has encouraged me to look at the media and my surroundings in a new light. I had never heard of heteronormativity until I read Yep’s article. I am really into nutrition and health, so anytime I see a commercial about weight loss, I can’t help but think about the ways society has influenced us to think that women must be the ones who say no to unhealthy foods. I can’t watch movies without thinking about the male’s active gaze and the female’s passive glance at the floor. I look at every advertisement and try to determine if the ad is trying to make the female look virginal and experienced at the same time. Everything that I see in the media has a whole new connection with me. It is neat to view the world in a whole new way for once.
I have also really enjoyed blogging. I always thought it would be neat to blog, but I always thought to myself,” Who would want to read my blog? All it would say is, ‘I woke up, ate, ran, studied, and then ran again.’ Who would find that interesting?” This has allowed me to express myself to my peers and get some interesting feedback from them. It has been a lot of fun.
I think the best thing about this class was the fact that it opened up my mind. I am from a really small town, so I am not exposed to a lot of the things that we learned about in this class. It has been good for me because it has allowed me to form my own opinions with facts to back those opinions up. I am really glad I took this class.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Scrub-A-Dub-Dub
I think I am going to do my research paper on the Old Spice commercials that we see frequently on television. I think these commercials would be great to research and revise because these commercials just scream M-A-N. The men in the commercials, do everything in their power to say “I am man. Hear me roar!” I get so tickled every time I see these commercials on TV, and I started thinking about what the commercials would be like if they were a commercial for a women’s body wash. The commercials are kind of sexualized for men, so I am thinking if they are that sexualized and the target audience is men, how sexualized would the commercials be if they were targeted towards women? I think it would be great to switch the male’s role in with a female. What would this switch be like?
My audience is just everyday people who watch advertisements on TV. I want my audience to see that men are not as sexualized as women are in commercials. I also want the audience to see what would be different in these commercials if the male role was given to a female. The expectations for this paper will be for me to show how these commercials will challenge the idea of heteronormativity by making the girl the dominant and tough one. I am going to change the commercials around so that the girl is the one using the body wash to get the attention of the guy.
I was thinking I could try to find a lot of sources about how women are represented in commercials. The commercials themselves will be a big information source for me. I also think the Old Spice website will be of some help because it is just MANLY. I will probably need to include a visual of some sort, but I don’t know what to use other than the commercials’ links since they are commercials.
I need to start finding research materials now before I can even get a good start on my paper. I need a lot of information on women in commercials. I think if I start now I will be set.
I am a little worried about finding enough sources, and I am also having trouble deciding between doing my paper on these commercials or possibly a series of weight loss commercials. I thought it might be interesting to put the man in the woman’s shoes for weight loss commercials like Slimquick or Weight Watchers. What do y’all think?
I want to prove that women and me are always represented certain ways. I want to prove that the roles are rarely switched.
My audience is just everyday people who watch advertisements on TV. I want my audience to see that men are not as sexualized as women are in commercials. I also want the audience to see what would be different in these commercials if the male role was given to a female. The expectations for this paper will be for me to show how these commercials will challenge the idea of heteronormativity by making the girl the dominant and tough one. I am going to change the commercials around so that the girl is the one using the body wash to get the attention of the guy.
I was thinking I could try to find a lot of sources about how women are represented in commercials. The commercials themselves will be a big information source for me. I also think the Old Spice website will be of some help because it is just MANLY. I will probably need to include a visual of some sort, but I don’t know what to use other than the commercials’ links since they are commercials.
I need to start finding research materials now before I can even get a good start on my paper. I need a lot of information on women in commercials. I think if I start now I will be set.
I am a little worried about finding enough sources, and I am also having trouble deciding between doing my paper on these commercials or possibly a series of weight loss commercials. I thought it might be interesting to put the man in the woman’s shoes for weight loss commercials like Slimquick or Weight Watchers. What do y’all think?
I want to prove that women and me are always represented certain ways. I want to prove that the roles are rarely switched.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Hold The Mayo and Cheese Please
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdqlxzSU_oE
As I was watching the winter Olympics this weekend, I saw this commercial and it just made me smile. It is so different from all of the other commercials you normally see on television. It reminded me a lot of the commercial that Special K did with the men in the bar talking about their weight and not wanting to get upset about it. We saw the Special K add in the Jean Kilbourne video.
The commercial attempts to challenge heteronormativity in the fact that the one guy orders off of the 550 calorie menu, thus doing something that is traditionally feminine. The commercial, however, conforms to heteronormativity by deeming him less of a man when all of the other guys order their cheeseburgers and ribs, while he orders his not so “manly man” meal. I also loved the fact that the commercial felt the need to put the words “manly man” on the opening screen just to show that he truly is a man even though he is ordering off of the 550 calorie menu. I also thought that it was funny that all of the men at the table had their beers, and they were all trying to be very hyper-masculine. To be a man, you must eat burgers, drink beer, and leave your shirt slightly unbuttoned at the top. This just screams M-A-N to me.
The main thing I got from this commercial was that our society automatically assumes that if low calorie or low fat eating is concerned, it must be for the women. We live in a culture that encourages men to eat and women to limit their intake. Don’t get me wrong, I am excited that Applebee’s has come out with a menu that is healthier and lower in calories than your typical restaurants. I just think it is sad that a majority of the people that order off of it probably are women because men, such as the guy in the add, seem like pansies in the eye of society when they are watching their waistlines.
As I was watching the winter Olympics this weekend, I saw this commercial and it just made me smile. It is so different from all of the other commercials you normally see on television. It reminded me a lot of the commercial that Special K did with the men in the bar talking about their weight and not wanting to get upset about it. We saw the Special K add in the Jean Kilbourne video.
The commercial attempts to challenge heteronormativity in the fact that the one guy orders off of the 550 calorie menu, thus doing something that is traditionally feminine. The commercial, however, conforms to heteronormativity by deeming him less of a man when all of the other guys order their cheeseburgers and ribs, while he orders his not so “manly man” meal. I also loved the fact that the commercial felt the need to put the words “manly man” on the opening screen just to show that he truly is a man even though he is ordering off of the 550 calorie menu. I also thought that it was funny that all of the men at the table had their beers, and they were all trying to be very hyper-masculine. To be a man, you must eat burgers, drink beer, and leave your shirt slightly unbuttoned at the top. This just screams M-A-N to me.
The main thing I got from this commercial was that our society automatically assumes that if low calorie or low fat eating is concerned, it must be for the women. We live in a culture that encourages men to eat and women to limit their intake. Don’t get me wrong, I am excited that Applebee’s has come out with a menu that is healthier and lower in calories than your typical restaurants. I just think it is sad that a majority of the people that order off of it probably are women because men, such as the guy in the add, seem like pansies in the eye of society when they are watching their waistlines.
Monday, February 8, 2010
"You Must Whip It"
After watching the movie Whip It four times this week, I thought well why not write a paper on it. I apparently love the movie, so why not share my love for it with others…..
I absolutely love this movie. It has many elements that challenge heteronormativity, but it also conforms to heteronormativity in terms of the characters’ relationships. This movie is great because it portrays women as tough and intimidating on the roller-derby scene; however, in terms of the relationships, it is not so wonderful because the main character gets her heart broken by her guitar-playing boyfriend.
The part of the movie that I am a little critical about is the relationship that occurs between the main character and her boyfriend. I plan on analyzing this in my paper to my audience. I am going to discuss the roles of the women in this movie because the women don’t fit into the normal gender norm. These women in this movie are presented as the dominating figures whereas many of the men in the movie are portrayed in a much more passive manner. It is so neat to watch a movie that has women as very powerful. It is very empowering, and it kind of makes me want to be a Roller Derby girl……I think Roller Derby Darby sounds quite good.
As for my working thesis, I still need to work on it. For now, it is the following: Whip It challenges the dominant culture’s idea of gender and sexuality through the empowerment and domination of women of the roller derby rink.
I like the idea that Whip It doesn’t conform to the idea that women have to be extremely passive and overly sexualized to be accepted by society. This movie makes being independent and strong appealing to its audience. I think it will be a perfect topic for this paper because I will be able to talk about it in terms of gender and sexuality.
I absolutely love this movie. It has many elements that challenge heteronormativity, but it also conforms to heteronormativity in terms of the characters’ relationships. This movie is great because it portrays women as tough and intimidating on the roller-derby scene; however, in terms of the relationships, it is not so wonderful because the main character gets her heart broken by her guitar-playing boyfriend.
The part of the movie that I am a little critical about is the relationship that occurs between the main character and her boyfriend. I plan on analyzing this in my paper to my audience. I am going to discuss the roles of the women in this movie because the women don’t fit into the normal gender norm. These women in this movie are presented as the dominating figures whereas many of the men in the movie are portrayed in a much more passive manner. It is so neat to watch a movie that has women as very powerful. It is very empowering, and it kind of makes me want to be a Roller Derby girl……I think Roller Derby Darby sounds quite good.
As for my working thesis, I still need to work on it. For now, it is the following: Whip It challenges the dominant culture’s idea of gender and sexuality through the empowerment and domination of women of the roller derby rink.
I like the idea that Whip It doesn’t conform to the idea that women have to be extremely passive and overly sexualized to be accepted by society. This movie makes being independent and strong appealing to its audience. I think it will be a perfect topic for this paper because I will be able to talk about it in terms of gender and sexuality.
Monday, January 25, 2010
These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
Okay, so I let it slip to my mom that I am currently “blogging.” My mom is just thrilled because not only am I blogging, but I am blogging about issues in the media. My mom and I are polar opposites. She absolutely has to keep up with all of the latest fashion trends and what the stars are doing. I, on the other hand, absolutely have to keep up with all of my studies and how many miles I should be doing. However, I think our polar opposite characteristics are what make us best friends. Needless to say, my mom was extremely excited when she found an article she thought I could write about.
The link is: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/22/i-hate-fashion-tanya-gold
As I read this, my mind went straight to the Yep article. This article depicts violence on women in the heteronormative borders more than anything I have ever read. Essentially what the article is saying in a nutshell is that fashion is an institution that oppresses women. It brings on eating issues, psychological problems, and overall lack of self confidence. Who would have thought that nice heels and a fancy pair of jeans could be something that makes a woman feel like absolute crap about herself?
When I began reading this, I was like what is this woman talking about. Being fashionable is something every woman wants. How is that a problem? I then began to think. Why is it that we care so much about being fashionable? In the scheme of life, does fashion really matter? Who are we trying to impress?
We as women dress to impress. We dress to impress the boys. We dress to impress our girlfriends, or at least look better than them. We dress to impress the other kids in the classroom, and we even dress to impress our mothers. Everything we do to make ourselves look good requires impressing someone else, no matter what the cost.
Making an impression with fashion can be so important to women that it can kill. The article mentioned a girl who got killed because she slipped in her heels in the snow and fell in the pathway of a passing train. Why on Earth was she wearing heels on a snowy night? She wanted to impress someone, that’s why.
We live in a culture that wants us to walk, talk, act, eat, and dress a certain way. This box known as heteronormativity is making women look in the mirror and not be happy with the way that they are. Women, including me, will wear anything, no matter what the conditions are, just to get a second glance. I think the next time I go out and it is snowing, I am going to take off my red high heels, and I am going to look in the mirror and tell myself I look smokin’ hot in my snow boots.
The link is: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/22/i-hate-fashion-tanya-gold
As I read this, my mind went straight to the Yep article. This article depicts violence on women in the heteronormative borders more than anything I have ever read. Essentially what the article is saying in a nutshell is that fashion is an institution that oppresses women. It brings on eating issues, psychological problems, and overall lack of self confidence. Who would have thought that nice heels and a fancy pair of jeans could be something that makes a woman feel like absolute crap about herself?
When I began reading this, I was like what is this woman talking about. Being fashionable is something every woman wants. How is that a problem? I then began to think. Why is it that we care so much about being fashionable? In the scheme of life, does fashion really matter? Who are we trying to impress?
We as women dress to impress. We dress to impress the boys. We dress to impress our girlfriends, or at least look better than them. We dress to impress the other kids in the classroom, and we even dress to impress our mothers. Everything we do to make ourselves look good requires impressing someone else, no matter what the cost.
Making an impression with fashion can be so important to women that it can kill. The article mentioned a girl who got killed because she slipped in her heels in the snow and fell in the pathway of a passing train. Why on Earth was she wearing heels on a snowy night? She wanted to impress someone, that’s why.
We live in a culture that wants us to walk, talk, act, eat, and dress a certain way. This box known as heteronormativity is making women look in the mirror and not be happy with the way that they are. Women, including me, will wear anything, no matter what the conditions are, just to get a second glance. I think the next time I go out and it is snowing, I am going to take off my red high heels, and I am going to look in the mirror and tell myself I look smokin’ hot in my snow boots.
Monday, January 18, 2010
"Hey Media, Use Some Protection"
As we were watching Jean Kilbourne’s Killing Us Softly, I thought it was very interesting to hear what she had to say about sex in the media. She said that advertisements use sex to sell products. We have become a nation that has grown accustomed to viewing men and women in very intimate situations, and we don’t even think about the consequences. We see these images every day, but how much do they really affect us? Do we ever pay attention to the emotions and problems that arise with these “casual encounters?”
I know that in my grandparents’ days they were not exposed to very many sexual ads. My poor grandparents can’t believe what they see in the media today. Today, every magazine ad, television show, and song we hear has something about sex in it. The media never mentions the harmful effects that unsafe sex with multiple partners can have on a woman.
In the January/ February issue of Women’s Health, an entire article was done on the rising amount of STD’s in women. It said that the rates of Chlamydia (which causes infertility) and gonorrhea have shot through the roof. Three times more women than men have Chlamydia. 25 million women also have HPV, which causes cervical cancer. Females also make up a fourth of the AIDS population, which is a deadly disease that causes the immune system to be severely suppressed (Women’s Health Magazine). I was shocked by these horrifying statistics.
These sexually transmitted diseases are killing women daily. It is terrible that the media makes unsafe sex such a casual ordeal. When women and young girls see sex in the media, they think it is an okay thing to do without thinking about protection or abstinence. Our society will put the lives of millions of women at risk just to sell a pair of jeans. How far will the media go before they realize how much damage they are doing to young women and even men? Yep! They’re “killing us softly,” alright!
I know that in my grandparents’ days they were not exposed to very many sexual ads. My poor grandparents can’t believe what they see in the media today. Today, every magazine ad, television show, and song we hear has something about sex in it. The media never mentions the harmful effects that unsafe sex with multiple partners can have on a woman.
In the January/ February issue of Women’s Health, an entire article was done on the rising amount of STD’s in women. It said that the rates of Chlamydia (which causes infertility) and gonorrhea have shot through the roof. Three times more women than men have Chlamydia. 25 million women also have HPV, which causes cervical cancer. Females also make up a fourth of the AIDS population, which is a deadly disease that causes the immune system to be severely suppressed (Women’s Health Magazine). I was shocked by these horrifying statistics.
These sexually transmitted diseases are killing women daily. It is terrible that the media makes unsafe sex such a casual ordeal. When women and young girls see sex in the media, they think it is an okay thing to do without thinking about protection or abstinence. Our society will put the lives of millions of women at risk just to sell a pair of jeans. How far will the media go before they realize how much damage they are doing to young women and even men? Yep! They’re “killing us softly,” alright!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
"You're Gonna Love Me for Me"
As I was reading The Body and the Reproduction of Femininity, a statement that Susan Bordo made really made me think. On page 171 of the text, she said that our culture has created an expectation for women to control their hunger and strive to be so small that they take up less space. When she referred to female hunger she meant more than just a hunger for food. She said our culture wants women to control their appetite for power and a chance to make it on their own. As I read this, I thought of a country song that I just heard called “Love Me for Me” by Bomshel.
“I lose my keys and I'm constantly late
I'm comfortable a couple pounds overweight
I'm gunna eat when I’m out on a date
Cause that’s just who I am
I’m gunna live my life out loud
Sing the truth let it lay right out there
For the whole wide world to see
Then you’re going to love me
Then you’re going to love me for me”
The reason I thought of this song is that I thought it was so ironic that the singer thought that it was necessary to say, “Hey I eat when I go on dates. I am okay with being two pounds overweight, so, by gosh, you better love me for me.” The singer is saying, she is not a typical female. She doesn’t need to be stick thin to get the man because she is going to be herself no matter what.
Since I am a competitive runner, I see thin girls all of the time. The girls who are the thinnest seem to always be the best and most competitive. When you go to the races and see the attention all of these girls get, it makes it hard to not want to receive that notoriety as well. Our society is the same way, the thinner a girl is, the more she is accepted. Every young girl wants to be accepted by the society that surrounds her, just as much as every young runner wants to be the fastest on the track.
I think that it is so sad that our society has put such a strong emphasis on being thin that being “a couple pounds overweight” is taking a chance that someone might not “love me for me.” We live in a culture that constantly puts pressure on girls to attain these unrealistic body shapes in order to be loved and valued. I agree with Bordo. In the culture we live in, the more we as females control our hunger, the less space we will take up, and the more we will be loved.
“I lose my keys and I'm constantly late
I'm comfortable a couple pounds overweight
I'm gunna eat when I’m out on a date
Cause that’s just who I am
I’m gunna live my life out loud
Sing the truth let it lay right out there
For the whole wide world to see
Then you’re going to love me
Then you’re going to love me for me”
The reason I thought of this song is that I thought it was so ironic that the singer thought that it was necessary to say, “Hey I eat when I go on dates. I am okay with being two pounds overweight, so, by gosh, you better love me for me.” The singer is saying, she is not a typical female. She doesn’t need to be stick thin to get the man because she is going to be herself no matter what.
Since I am a competitive runner, I see thin girls all of the time. The girls who are the thinnest seem to always be the best and most competitive. When you go to the races and see the attention all of these girls get, it makes it hard to not want to receive that notoriety as well. Our society is the same way, the thinner a girl is, the more she is accepted. Every young girl wants to be accepted by the society that surrounds her, just as much as every young runner wants to be the fastest on the track.
I think that it is so sad that our society has put such a strong emphasis on being thin that being “a couple pounds overweight” is taking a chance that someone might not “love me for me.” We live in a culture that constantly puts pressure on girls to attain these unrealistic body shapes in order to be loved and valued. I agree with Bordo. In the culture we live in, the more we as females control our hunger, the less space we will take up, and the more we will be loved.
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