In today’s society, the fast pace of pop culture is steadily increasing. The objectification of women in pop culture is directly proportional to such a trend. Thus women have lost all sense of their identity and have simply become shadows of our society. The Dream Worlds Documentary is a perfect example of this. This movie was a great analysis and inside look at how women in our society are objectified into subjects whose sole purpose is for males to look at them.
The main idea behind this documentary was to investigate the way pop culture images such as music videos, advertisements and commercials, affect youth’s concepts of their self and their sexuality. It is through this point that I believe this film relates to our class readings the best out of the other two films we watched this semester. This is because the readings that we have done thus far discuss issues surrounding femininity. The way that women are used in advertisements and music videos as objects of pleasure, show just how narrow the definition of being a woman in today’s society has become. Both our readings and the documentary portray this message. Another issue that connects this film to our readings is that women are seen as nymphomaniacs and desire sex at all times. Pop culture has given us this false sense of femininity, thus men think that all women are out just to have sex with them. Dream Worlds III is a great documentary that gives the audience a whole new perspective on the way women are used in today’s culture.
Talking about this film from the standpoint of artistic sense and production, I thought the documentary portrayed the message very clearly. It personally opened my eyes and gave me a new perspective on how culture has broken down women in to objects rather than subjects. The part that did it the most was the section on “Constructing Femininity”. During this section of the documentary, it discussed how in music videos the number of women always outnumbers the men; they are draped over them wearing minimal clothing. The object of this is to show that the male is in power. These images are showing society’s youth that it is ok to treat women in such a manner and that male dominance is acceptable. It is obvious from the film that their perspective on this issue is to try and get gain awareness about the objectification of women and to try and stop it. Through the images that they showed and the dialect about each topic, it is clear to see that they feel very strongly about this issue and wish to create a whole new way of looking at women in pop culture.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Film Analysis: Lovely and Amazing
Lovely and Amazing Film Review
When we first began watching this film as a class, I wasn’t too sure what to think about it at first. But the further we got into the, the more it began to grow on me. Lovely and Amazing was about a family of women, a mother, three daughters and granddaughters; all fighting their own battles against insecurities and body image issues.
The main idea behind this movie is taking a look at the lives of three women, whom let their individual insecurities affect their lives and how they confront those insecurities. Although each of their personal struggles is different, each one brings to life the problems and anxieties that women of all ages face in today’s society. This brings up the connection between this particular film and the class readings that we have done throughout the semester. The readings that we have been discussing have all been dealing with body image issues that women have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. For example, Jane the mother is struggling with her old age and hates the way she looks. In order to achieve her younger looking self again, she opts for liposuction surgery as a “quick fix” for her insecurities. She feels that once she gets this surgery she will be skinnier and feel younger and finally be happy with her body. Unfortunately, the surgery has a very negative effect on her and causes a life threatening scare. Such effects women don’t think about when they are contemplating about having such surgeries to change their physical appearance. Another related issue that was portrayed in the movie was dealing with the acceptance of being different. The adopted daughter Annie, who is overweight and black has many insecurities that she is dealing with in this film. Throughout the whole movie she was trying to become “more white” like her white family and always trying to gain the attention of her older sisters. It was sad to me that a girl at such a young age was already being faced with such body image issues. Children her age should be more worried about who they are going to the play with than what they look like compared to everyone else. It just shows the shift that American culture has taken concerning body image and the way people see themselves.
The movie overall was very different compared to anything that I had seen as of recent. I feel as if it were a low budget film, thus the scene settings were completely different than other movies of its time. On the other hand, I really enjoyed it. The issues that the writer portrayed through the dialect as well as through the way it is acted out make this movie very true to real life versus the Hollywood version. That is what makes this movie so nice. Real people can relate to the women characters and their issues. Thus, this movie creates a powerful connection between the script and the audience leaving me to believe that this was one of the goals of the writers; to create such a connection. By watching and listening to the script of the film the only real assumption that I gained from it was that they believed that women are very insecure about who they are and how they should look. Not all women in today’s society are like that. But I will agree that the majority of them are. This movie was a very accurate account about how people try to make adjustments to themselves in a world of free floating insecurities and self-involvement.
When we first began watching this film as a class, I wasn’t too sure what to think about it at first. But the further we got into the, the more it began to grow on me. Lovely and Amazing was about a family of women, a mother, three daughters and granddaughters; all fighting their own battles against insecurities and body image issues.
The main idea behind this movie is taking a look at the lives of three women, whom let their individual insecurities affect their lives and how they confront those insecurities. Although each of their personal struggles is different, each one brings to life the problems and anxieties that women of all ages face in today’s society. This brings up the connection between this particular film and the class readings that we have done throughout the semester. The readings that we have been discussing have all been dealing with body image issues that women have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. For example, Jane the mother is struggling with her old age and hates the way she looks. In order to achieve her younger looking self again, she opts for liposuction surgery as a “quick fix” for her insecurities. She feels that once she gets this surgery she will be skinnier and feel younger and finally be happy with her body. Unfortunately, the surgery has a very negative effect on her and causes a life threatening scare. Such effects women don’t think about when they are contemplating about having such surgeries to change their physical appearance. Another related issue that was portrayed in the movie was dealing with the acceptance of being different. The adopted daughter Annie, who is overweight and black has many insecurities that she is dealing with in this film. Throughout the whole movie she was trying to become “more white” like her white family and always trying to gain the attention of her older sisters. It was sad to me that a girl at such a young age was already being faced with such body image issues. Children her age should be more worried about who they are going to the play with than what they look like compared to everyone else. It just shows the shift that American culture has taken concerning body image and the way people see themselves.
The movie overall was very different compared to anything that I had seen as of recent. I feel as if it were a low budget film, thus the scene settings were completely different than other movies of its time. On the other hand, I really enjoyed it. The issues that the writer portrayed through the dialect as well as through the way it is acted out make this movie very true to real life versus the Hollywood version. That is what makes this movie so nice. Real people can relate to the women characters and their issues. Thus, this movie creates a powerful connection between the script and the audience leaving me to believe that this was one of the goals of the writers; to create such a connection. By watching and listening to the script of the film the only real assumption that I gained from it was that they believed that women are very insecure about who they are and how they should look. Not all women in today’s society are like that. But I will agree that the majority of them are. This movie was a very accurate account about how people try to make adjustments to themselves in a world of free floating insecurities and self-involvement.
Film Analysis: Mona Lisa Smile
Femininity has greatly changed over the decades. In today’s society, women are just objects of desire and are worth nothing more than a mere glance from a man. It seems as though the only thing they are good for is to come running when the man gives her the nod. I believe that femininity just goes in a huge circle, slightly changing with the times. In Mona Lisa Smile, the setting is back in the fifties, a time when women were meant to be seen and not heard, much like today. The only right that women had back in that decade was the right to cook, clean and tend to her family. It was looked down upon if she wished to get a job versus being married. This movie was about how girls at the very and prestigious Wellesley College begin to go against conformity when a strong-willed teacher (Julia Roberts) graces campus with her presence as well as her modernized ideals of femininity.
The main idea of this movie was to show the shift from conformity to the new wave of femininity that exuded independence as a woman. This is where Mona Lisa Smile relates back to the class readings. Throughout the semester we discussed femininity and this film is filled with examples of changing the definition of what it means to be a woman, more specifically changing the roles of women in the early fifties. One example that can be found being discussed in both the readings and in the movie was the part where Julia Roberts’s character, Ms. Watson, encourages Jane to apply to Yale Law School. It had been Jane’s dream of going to law school ever since she was a little girl, but women of that time were expected to go to college and get married. Not to have a career of her own. But going against the grain, she applied anyways, knowing that she was taking a path that not many women of her time would have. This example portrays the beginning shift from conformity on the Wellesley campus. Another example that can be seen in this movie is the ideals that Julia Roberts’s character is trying to portray to her students. She wishes for her students to lead the world and not just live a simple life as a housewife to some man. She preached about not conforming to the female stereotype of their time and felt that her students were meant for more than to just adapt to being a wife and a mother solely based on idea that other people have for them. These ideals that she believed in and preached about are very intertwined with the ideals that our readings were discussing.
Taking a look at the film from a perspective simply based on the production and artistic sense, I have to say that I really enjoyed it. They characters were played very well by the actresses and the dialect, style of dress, lighting, etc. was very well depicted in production. I believe that the assumptions about gender and body image were quite obvious to see in this particular film. The script is my proof. Throughout the film, the script was constantly talking about moving away from conformity and creating a new, independent woman which made the writers perspective on such issues very plain to see. Overall, I loved this movie and thought that it was a great portrayal of such a strong and inspirational message.
The main idea of this movie was to show the shift from conformity to the new wave of femininity that exuded independence as a woman. This is where Mona Lisa Smile relates back to the class readings. Throughout the semester we discussed femininity and this film is filled with examples of changing the definition of what it means to be a woman, more specifically changing the roles of women in the early fifties. One example that can be found being discussed in both the readings and in the movie was the part where Julia Roberts’s character, Ms. Watson, encourages Jane to apply to Yale Law School. It had been Jane’s dream of going to law school ever since she was a little girl, but women of that time were expected to go to college and get married. Not to have a career of her own. But going against the grain, she applied anyways, knowing that she was taking a path that not many women of her time would have. This example portrays the beginning shift from conformity on the Wellesley campus. Another example that can be seen in this movie is the ideals that Julia Roberts’s character is trying to portray to her students. She wishes for her students to lead the world and not just live a simple life as a housewife to some man. She preached about not conforming to the female stereotype of their time and felt that her students were meant for more than to just adapt to being a wife and a mother solely based on idea that other people have for them. These ideals that she believed in and preached about are very intertwined with the ideals that our readings were discussing.
Taking a look at the film from a perspective simply based on the production and artistic sense, I have to say that I really enjoyed it. They characters were played very well by the actresses and the dialect, style of dress, lighting, etc. was very well depicted in production. I believe that the assumptions about gender and body image were quite obvious to see in this particular film. The script is my proof. Throughout the film, the script was constantly talking about moving away from conformity and creating a new, independent woman which made the writers perspective on such issues very plain to see. Overall, I loved this movie and thought that it was a great portrayal of such a strong and inspirational message.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Media Analysis
Media Analysis: Negative Image
When looking at the evolution of advertising, one can easily see how much has changed since its early days. Advertising used to be so bare and simple; only the product that was being sold was shown along with the price. It wasn’t until recently that advertisements, as well as commercials, became over the top, praying on the exploitation of women’s sexuality. Provocative, vulgar, raunchy, and pornographic are all adjectives that have commonly been used to describe the advertisements and commercials of today’s society. Just flip through any magazine and you will quickly realize why such strong words are being used. No matter what the product is that is attempting to be sold, women in these ads are exploited through their sexuality. In some advertisements, that exploitation is so extreme that the viewer has a hard time differentiating between what is being advertised; the woman or the product. In such advertisements women are seen in sexually seductive positions and in minimal clothing with a passive look painted across their face. Such images have been imprinted into the minds of the mainstream population, desensitizing them to such exploitations. Many Americans don’t even know when an advertisement is crossing the line, and this is unacceptable.
In today’s fast paced and racy society, women have been stripped down of all their worth and have become nothing more than a shadow or silhouette of society, waiting for a man to come and fill her in. Jessica Valenti described our culture in a very age appropriate way; “Pop culture sex is sugar and spice, tits and ass” (41). In this way, they are treated as an object and possession rather than as a subject, and this comes through in the advertisements that are seen on an everyday basis. A perfect example of this is an ad that Skky Vodka published. It portrayed a man and a woman lounging by the pool having a cocktail. The first thing that draws the viewer in this ad is the bright orange of the pool raft in contrast of the vibrant blue of the pool water. This is so the viewer stops at the ad and takes a closer look. Next, their attention is focused on the woman lounging in a wet, see-through dress; the ultimate male fantasy. The male viewers are hooked. This specific ad is implying many things, most being underlying messages. One such message is the fact that the man is on the side of the pool, versus the woman, who is in the water floating on a raft. What can be taken from this is that the man is on stable ground while the woman is in water, which is unstable and easily moveable. Thus meaning that men are the stable gender and women can come and go with the current. Another interesting underlying message in the advertisement is the positioning of the models. The woman is laying in a sexually seductive manner, almost inviting the viewer to look at her as an object, where the man is laying passively on the chair looking down at the woman. He is pouring her a drink and the bottle of vodka, supposedly the main aspect of the ad, is conveniently pointing between her breasts. This is so the audience is drawn to the bottle and then to the breasts, yet another objectifying aspect of this ad. The last message that can be obtained form this advertisement deals with the beauty standard of our culture. The woman is tall, thin, big-breasted and blonde. If this isn’t screaming the stereotypical bombshell beauty that our culture knows and loves then I don’t know what is. Having this portrayed in the advertisement just contributes to the concept that if you wish to be desirable in society, you must have the “ideal-beauty” which the model in this ad perpetuates. “None of us want to be ugly; in fact, we all would really like to be beautiful-and it’s killing us. Literally” (197). In this statement, Valenti explains the desire of women is to be seen as being beautiful and they will go to any length necessary to reach that goal.
This advertisement is aimed at both genders, showing males they can get the bombshell beauty if they pour her a class of Skky and it shows women that if they drink this vodka they will be seen as beautiful. The point of view that his ad takes concerning body image is disgusting. It just backs up the ideals of the beauty standard and keeps it spinning in its vicious cycle. As a society, we need to become more aware of the objectification our women are taking in these advertisements and stop it if we wish for our culture to become better as a whole.
Works Cited
Valenti, Jessica. Full Frontal Feminism: Beauty Cult. 197-212. Print.
Valenti, Jessica. Full Frontal Feminism: Pop Culture Gone Wild. 41-59. Print.
Media Analysis: Positive Message
Ever since the nineteen-forties, women have been used as objects to sell a variation of products. Back in those days, the majority of advertisements were propaganda advertisements trying to get women into the workforce to help out their men in whatever way they could. Many became Army nurses, and many began working in the factories. Rosie the Riveter, who was the cultural and feminist icon of this time period, represented the women in the workforce during World War II. The advertisements that she was featured in showed her fully clothed and doing something that gave a woman the sense of power and entitlement to do something to help her country out. Obviously, the advertisements of today contrast greatly from the days of Rosie the Riveter. In today’s society, popular culture has objectified and dehumanized women to simply represent a man’s desire and lust. They are not looked at for their intellect, athletic ability, or even their face; the only thing that is important for a woman is what is between her neck and knees. The advertisements of today often place women in sexually seductive positions, with little to no clothing on, selling anything from lingerie to jeans to perfume. “After all, while billboards and magazine ads may feature a ripped guy from time to time, it’s mostly women who make up what sexy is supposed to be” (41). It is sad to think that mainstream has been desensitized to such extreme objectifications of women for the male consumer-product economic market.
Although this prior statement deems true in today’s society, not all advertising companies wish to portray such messages when using women for the purpose of selling a product. There are some advertisements that do send positive messages about women and their body image through depicting women in their natural beauty; no alterations necessary. Some show plus size models in bras and panties where others show women with no make up on, portraying their natural look. A perfect example of a positive message ad was run in the March 2009 edition of Shape magazine. It was advertising ASICS running shoes, and that was noticeable from the second you look at the ad. The bright green colors, along with the text which reads; “Be satisfied with the grass on your own side of the fence” that is scrolled across the double page advertisement, makes you stop and think about the underlying meaning. Obviously, the ad is trying to sell the ASICS running shoes that are shown in the lower left hand corner of the ad. The woman that is modeling the shoes seems to be muscular and athletic by the looks of her leg muscles. This type of image is so important for popular culture to see because it helps offset different ideas concerning women and the American beauty standard; that women are supposed to be fragile and take up as little space as possible. Jessica Valenti agrees with this in her essay from Full Frontal Feminism: Pop Culture Gone Wild. She says that all of these contradictions that are out about women and their body images “make it more difficult for young women to find an authentic sexual identity” (49). Going back to the text of the advertisement, this is another positive innuendo that the ad is exuding. It is a play on the popular saying “The grass is always greener on the other side” which is a message that many advertisements today are sending out. The ASICS ad stands out against the rest because it is implying that viewers need to be comfortable and content with themselves exactly the way they are with no changes being required. Observably, the advertisement is most likely trying to target a female audience seeing as how a woman is modeling the shoes and it is thought that women are the only gender that is affected by negative body images, which we know isn’t all true.
All in all, this specific ad is such a great example of a positive message of body image as well as a positive use of using a woman to sell a product. From their play on words, to the athletic woman they used to model the shoes, the ASICS ad is positive all across the board. In so many ads today, women are objectified by their sexuality and are only identifiable by how they attract the graze of a man. If more women were seen in advertisements as being intellectuals, as athletes and even as holding some sort of power for themselves, the change we would see in popular culture would be astonishing.
Works Cited
Valenti, Jessica. Full Frontal Feminism: Pop Culture Gone Wild. 41-59. Print
When looking at the evolution of advertising, one can easily see how much has changed since its early days. Advertising used to be so bare and simple; only the product that was being sold was shown along with the price. It wasn’t until recently that advertisements, as well as commercials, became over the top, praying on the exploitation of women’s sexuality. Provocative, vulgar, raunchy, and pornographic are all adjectives that have commonly been used to describe the advertisements and commercials of today’s society. Just flip through any magazine and you will quickly realize why such strong words are being used. No matter what the product is that is attempting to be sold, women in these ads are exploited through their sexuality. In some advertisements, that exploitation is so extreme that the viewer has a hard time differentiating between what is being advertised; the woman or the product. In such advertisements women are seen in sexually seductive positions and in minimal clothing with a passive look painted across their face. Such images have been imprinted into the minds of the mainstream population, desensitizing them to such exploitations. Many Americans don’t even know when an advertisement is crossing the line, and this is unacceptable.
In today’s fast paced and racy society, women have been stripped down of all their worth and have become nothing more than a shadow or silhouette of society, waiting for a man to come and fill her in. Jessica Valenti described our culture in a very age appropriate way; “Pop culture sex is sugar and spice, tits and ass” (41). In this way, they are treated as an object and possession rather than as a subject, and this comes through in the advertisements that are seen on an everyday basis. A perfect example of this is an ad that Skky Vodka published. It portrayed a man and a woman lounging by the pool having a cocktail. The first thing that draws the viewer in this ad is the bright orange of the pool raft in contrast of the vibrant blue of the pool water. This is so the viewer stops at the ad and takes a closer look. Next, their attention is focused on the woman lounging in a wet, see-through dress; the ultimate male fantasy. The male viewers are hooked. This specific ad is implying many things, most being underlying messages. One such message is the fact that the man is on the side of the pool, versus the woman, who is in the water floating on a raft. What can be taken from this is that the man is on stable ground while the woman is in water, which is unstable and easily moveable. Thus meaning that men are the stable gender and women can come and go with the current. Another interesting underlying message in the advertisement is the positioning of the models. The woman is laying in a sexually seductive manner, almost inviting the viewer to look at her as an object, where the man is laying passively on the chair looking down at the woman. He is pouring her a drink and the bottle of vodka, supposedly the main aspect of the ad, is conveniently pointing between her breasts. This is so the audience is drawn to the bottle and then to the breasts, yet another objectifying aspect of this ad. The last message that can be obtained form this advertisement deals with the beauty standard of our culture. The woman is tall, thin, big-breasted and blonde. If this isn’t screaming the stereotypical bombshell beauty that our culture knows and loves then I don’t know what is. Having this portrayed in the advertisement just contributes to the concept that if you wish to be desirable in society, you must have the “ideal-beauty” which the model in this ad perpetuates. “None of us want to be ugly; in fact, we all would really like to be beautiful-and it’s killing us. Literally” (197). In this statement, Valenti explains the desire of women is to be seen as being beautiful and they will go to any length necessary to reach that goal.
This advertisement is aimed at both genders, showing males they can get the bombshell beauty if they pour her a class of Skky and it shows women that if they drink this vodka they will be seen as beautiful. The point of view that his ad takes concerning body image is disgusting. It just backs up the ideals of the beauty standard and keeps it spinning in its vicious cycle. As a society, we need to become more aware of the objectification our women are taking in these advertisements and stop it if we wish for our culture to become better as a whole.
Works Cited
Valenti, Jessica. Full Frontal Feminism: Beauty Cult. 197-212. Print.
Valenti, Jessica. Full Frontal Feminism: Pop Culture Gone Wild. 41-59. Print.
Media Analysis: Positive Message
Ever since the nineteen-forties, women have been used as objects to sell a variation of products. Back in those days, the majority of advertisements were propaganda advertisements trying to get women into the workforce to help out their men in whatever way they could. Many became Army nurses, and many began working in the factories. Rosie the Riveter, who was the cultural and feminist icon of this time period, represented the women in the workforce during World War II. The advertisements that she was featured in showed her fully clothed and doing something that gave a woman the sense of power and entitlement to do something to help her country out. Obviously, the advertisements of today contrast greatly from the days of Rosie the Riveter. In today’s society, popular culture has objectified and dehumanized women to simply represent a man’s desire and lust. They are not looked at for their intellect, athletic ability, or even their face; the only thing that is important for a woman is what is between her neck and knees. The advertisements of today often place women in sexually seductive positions, with little to no clothing on, selling anything from lingerie to jeans to perfume. “After all, while billboards and magazine ads may feature a ripped guy from time to time, it’s mostly women who make up what sexy is supposed to be” (41). It is sad to think that mainstream has been desensitized to such extreme objectifications of women for the male consumer-product economic market.
Although this prior statement deems true in today’s society, not all advertising companies wish to portray such messages when using women for the purpose of selling a product. There are some advertisements that do send positive messages about women and their body image through depicting women in their natural beauty; no alterations necessary. Some show plus size models in bras and panties where others show women with no make up on, portraying their natural look. A perfect example of a positive message ad was run in the March 2009 edition of Shape magazine. It was advertising ASICS running shoes, and that was noticeable from the second you look at the ad. The bright green colors, along with the text which reads; “Be satisfied with the grass on your own side of the fence” that is scrolled across the double page advertisement, makes you stop and think about the underlying meaning. Obviously, the ad is trying to sell the ASICS running shoes that are shown in the lower left hand corner of the ad. The woman that is modeling the shoes seems to be muscular and athletic by the looks of her leg muscles. This type of image is so important for popular culture to see because it helps offset different ideas concerning women and the American beauty standard; that women are supposed to be fragile and take up as little space as possible. Jessica Valenti agrees with this in her essay from Full Frontal Feminism: Pop Culture Gone Wild. She says that all of these contradictions that are out about women and their body images “make it more difficult for young women to find an authentic sexual identity” (49). Going back to the text of the advertisement, this is another positive innuendo that the ad is exuding. It is a play on the popular saying “The grass is always greener on the other side” which is a message that many advertisements today are sending out. The ASICS ad stands out against the rest because it is implying that viewers need to be comfortable and content with themselves exactly the way they are with no changes being required. Observably, the advertisement is most likely trying to target a female audience seeing as how a woman is modeling the shoes and it is thought that women are the only gender that is affected by negative body images, which we know isn’t all true.
All in all, this specific ad is such a great example of a positive message of body image as well as a positive use of using a woman to sell a product. From their play on words, to the athletic woman they used to model the shoes, the ASICS ad is positive all across the board. In so many ads today, women are objectified by their sexuality and are only identifiable by how they attract the graze of a man. If more women were seen in advertisements as being intellectuals, as athletes and even as holding some sort of power for themselves, the change we would see in popular culture would be astonishing.
Works Cited
Valenti, Jessica. Full Frontal Feminism: Pop Culture Gone Wild. 41-59. Print
Monday, November 16, 2009
Body Image Playlist
http://www.playlist.com/user/49569078/playlists
I think that these songs represent a positive message for body image because they all talk about how naturally beautiful women are. Women shouldn’t feel beautiful just because they are wearing the brand of makeup that mainstream deems important or popular, or that they fit into a size 0 pant just like the models of the fashion industry; women should feel beautiful simply because they are. Two of my favorite songs from this playlist are Can’t Hide Beautiful by Aaron Lines and Beautiful by Christina Aguilera. I love Aaron Lines’ song beause it talks about how he thinks his girlfriend is most beautiful when she is wearing no makeup, hair in a pony, and sleeping in one of his shirts. I think that is a great message because if a man loves you, he is going to love you for your natural self, not for what everyone else sees when you put on all that makeup. Christina’s song is a great message as well because she talks about how women are beautiful in every way, shape or form not matter what someone else has to say about them and their outwardly appearance.
My taste in music has definitely changed over the years. When I was younger I was literally obsessed with NSYNC. Now-a-days, not so much. Today I am more into the R&B hip hip genre with a little bit of country mixed in. I really like all types of music.
In response to the reading, I have to say that I really enjoy the essays from Jessica Valenti. He blunt and vulgar style of writing I find very engaging and hilarious. I would have to say that she is quickly becoming one of my favorite femenistic writers.
I think that these songs represent a positive message for body image because they all talk about how naturally beautiful women are. Women shouldn’t feel beautiful just because they are wearing the brand of makeup that mainstream deems important or popular, or that they fit into a size 0 pant just like the models of the fashion industry; women should feel beautiful simply because they are. Two of my favorite songs from this playlist are Can’t Hide Beautiful by Aaron Lines and Beautiful by Christina Aguilera. I love Aaron Lines’ song beause it talks about how he thinks his girlfriend is most beautiful when she is wearing no makeup, hair in a pony, and sleeping in one of his shirts. I think that is a great message because if a man loves you, he is going to love you for your natural self, not for what everyone else sees when you put on all that makeup. Christina’s song is a great message as well because she talks about how women are beautiful in every way, shape or form not matter what someone else has to say about them and their outwardly appearance.
My taste in music has definitely changed over the years. When I was younger I was literally obsessed with NSYNC. Now-a-days, not so much. Today I am more into the R&B hip hip genre with a little bit of country mixed in. I really like all types of music.
In response to the reading, I have to say that I really enjoy the essays from Jessica Valenti. He blunt and vulgar style of writing I find very engaging and hilarious. I would have to say that she is quickly becoming one of my favorite femenistic writers.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Popular Cultures Influence
When taking a look at the popular culture of today’s society, I do believe that it has had some influence on the way that I view the differences between men and women. These differences compare and contrast greatly with the differences of a few years back. I feel like the greatest influence that I pay attention to is the music industry. This industry reaches such a vast array of society’s population that when it deems something popular or important, the population listens. The best example that I can think of is in the R&B artists, they sing about women’s independence and how it’s sexy if a women can fend for herself and pay her own bills and such. Thus, most women in today’s world are being dependent upon themselves versus being dependent upon a man in their life.
Breaking that down even further into the influence on race and class, I don’t personally think that popular culture has influenced me as much. I could be wrong because I have never really sat down to think about it until this very moment, but, as cliché as this may sound, I see everyone as the same or equal. I think that the popular culture kind of places everyone on the same playing field with even some minorities being placed slightly above the dominant races. But other than that I see really no difference, or no influence of popular culture affecting the way I understand and see race and class.
I do see sexism as becoming more prevalent for me, meaning I am able to notice it more now than I was before. When I see something on a TV show that seems sexist to me, I point it out immediately, but don’t really start a full on debate about it with the people that are watching the show with me. I’m not in to discussing things like that because I haven’t fully formed an opinion about it. Obviously I don’t like it seeing as how I will be entering the working force here in a few years, and think women deserve to be equal to their male counterparts, but I am not knowledgeable enough on the subject to have a debate about it.
The first associations of the word feminist that come to mind for me is a political movement that works for women’s rights. I also think of the three different waves of feminism that have taken place. I think that these associations have come from just being aware of our culture and especially from being in this class. This class has made me more aware of feminism and what is going on with it in today’s society.
Breaking that down even further into the influence on race and class, I don’t personally think that popular culture has influenced me as much. I could be wrong because I have never really sat down to think about it until this very moment, but, as cliché as this may sound, I see everyone as the same or equal. I think that the popular culture kind of places everyone on the same playing field with even some minorities being placed slightly above the dominant races. But other than that I see really no difference, or no influence of popular culture affecting the way I understand and see race and class.
I do see sexism as becoming more prevalent for me, meaning I am able to notice it more now than I was before. When I see something on a TV show that seems sexist to me, I point it out immediately, but don’t really start a full on debate about it with the people that are watching the show with me. I’m not in to discussing things like that because I haven’t fully formed an opinion about it. Obviously I don’t like it seeing as how I will be entering the working force here in a few years, and think women deserve to be equal to their male counterparts, but I am not knowledgeable enough on the subject to have a debate about it.
The first associations of the word feminist that come to mind for me is a political movement that works for women’s rights. I also think of the three different waves of feminism that have taken place. I think that these associations have come from just being aware of our culture and especially from being in this class. This class has made me more aware of feminism and what is going on with it in today’s society.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Wolf vs. Valenti
The end of the Beauty Myth does in fact give me closure on the book. I found it refreshing that Wolf kind of summed up her ideas in the conclusion of the book and talked about how society could change their beauty standard ways. It makes me feel better knowing that she does have hope for our society, that we can change, if we allow women to be themselves, let them be human. Humans are sexual, humans need to eat, and humans need to feel beautiful and accepted. If our society allows our women to do these things freely and free of judgment, then our standards of beauty will change completely.
When comparing Wolf and Valenti, there are many similarities in the topics in which they choose to discuss in their essays. Valenti talks about plastic surgery in the same ways that Wolf does in Beauty Myth. It is quite interesting to read each of these books/essays and compare them not only in context but in the style of writing. This is also where they contrast the most. Jessica Valenti is very blunt, if you would, about the subject matter. She definitely didn’t place a censor on her language throughout her essay. Wolf on the other hand is much more conservative in her dialect in the Beauty Myth.
One common theme that I found in each reading was how women are basically killing themselves to get a perfect physical appearance. They strive to emulate the models that they see each day in the advertisements that are placed in front of them. The crazy diets and workout plans that some women place themselves under is literally killing them. Another theme that was entangled in each reading was how women are still looked at as being fragile, small little beings to take up less space in this world, where men are supposed to be big in order to take up more space. I think that my favorite topic that both women addressed was the one that said that no matter how much work women do, someone is going to claim that your success or failure is due to the way you look. I am not sure that anything has changed in our society that Valenti mentioned in her essay.
Personally, the most interesting essay from the Body Outlaw was the chapter on Culture simply because it talked about how women are affected by today’s society through such things as the fashion industry and how men look and act towards them. My favorite quote from this section was the one about how men stare at women; “Men look at women, women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only the relations of men to women, but the relation of women to themselves.” This statement is so true. If a woman feels that a man doesn’t think she is beautiful, she would do anything in her power to change her appearance so that he would find her more appealing. This is the problem with society today, women need to feel that they are beautiful no matter what men or society has to say about them.
When comparing Wolf and Valenti, there are many similarities in the topics in which they choose to discuss in their essays. Valenti talks about plastic surgery in the same ways that Wolf does in Beauty Myth. It is quite interesting to read each of these books/essays and compare them not only in context but in the style of writing. This is also where they contrast the most. Jessica Valenti is very blunt, if you would, about the subject matter. She definitely didn’t place a censor on her language throughout her essay. Wolf on the other hand is much more conservative in her dialect in the Beauty Myth.
One common theme that I found in each reading was how women are basically killing themselves to get a perfect physical appearance. They strive to emulate the models that they see each day in the advertisements that are placed in front of them. The crazy diets and workout plans that some women place themselves under is literally killing them. Another theme that was entangled in each reading was how women are still looked at as being fragile, small little beings to take up less space in this world, where men are supposed to be big in order to take up more space. I think that my favorite topic that both women addressed was the one that said that no matter how much work women do, someone is going to claim that your success or failure is due to the way you look. I am not sure that anything has changed in our society that Valenti mentioned in her essay.
Personally, the most interesting essay from the Body Outlaw was the chapter on Culture simply because it talked about how women are affected by today’s society through such things as the fashion industry and how men look and act towards them. My favorite quote from this section was the one about how men stare at women; “Men look at women, women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only the relations of men to women, but the relation of women to themselves.” This statement is so true. If a woman feels that a man doesn’t think she is beautiful, she would do anything in her power to change her appearance so that he would find her more appealing. This is the problem with society today, women need to feel that they are beautiful no matter what men or society has to say about them.
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