Sunday, November 29, 2009
reality show "For the love of Ray J" -Kechley Bruna
The reality show that I decided to analyze is " For the love of Ray J." The purpose of this show is to find a girl friend for pop r&b artist Ray J. The summary for this episode reads: Ray J will have the women, who are competing against one another for his love and affection take on a challenge, which will involve everyone participating in a strentuous dancing competition he will judge". This show is gendered in numerous ways bacause the girls in the show have to fight to gain the attention of ray j and almost always end up betraying and turning on each other. The challenge for this episode was for the girls to break up in to three teams and create the best dance routine. Which ever team does the best gets the chance to go on a one-on-one date with Ray J. The whole fact that the girls have to fight for his attention is wrong because Ray doesn't focus on solely one girl; yet they are required to give one hundred percent of their attention to Ray J and just hope he does the same in return. In the begining of each season each girl changes their name to whatever Ray J sees fit. During this episode Ray takes "Mz Berry" and "Lava" to a club. When Lava tries to claim Ray J as her man and acts jealous she is portrayed as crazy. The show depicts her as "the psycho girlfriend" while she remains in his room for hours awaiting his return. I found it pretty weird that when Ray showed his jealous side on the show it seemed normal and noone had a problem with his actions. Ray does so when he finds out that one of the girls (luscious) had a past relationship with his DJ friend. When she doesn't tell him immediately Ray almost eliminates her and during the elimination he reveals to everyone that luscious "smashed the homie." The word choice in itself makes her seem like a slut. The information that Ray discovered was in her past and still made him jealous. However when "Lava" got jealous because Ray shared her date with Mz Berry and hung out with the other girls in the jacuzzi afterward she was labeld and portrayed as crazy by Ray and the other girls in the house. When Ray J returns and sees Lava in his room still he say " I gave you your private time" as he wonders why she is still there. ultimately the gendered qualities of this reality show is 1) having all the women in the house fight for male attention 2) when one women is jealous she is seen as psycho and when Ray depicts the same feeling he is seen in a postive light. The language used in this episode is extremely gendered as mentioned before when Ray says "you have your private time...I'm gonna go check on my other girls...smashed the homie..."
Women and Labor
Inspired by the Work and Achievement chapter, I decided to make a little collage.
Hope you guys like it,
O.
Newsweek Article on Gender
Hi! Newsweek published a issue where they discuss about gender in May. Here is an article: (Rethinking) Gender http://www.newsweek.com/id/34772/page/1
Monday, November 23, 2009
Midlife and Aging- Huo Ling (Helen) Ruan
What does age mean to you? Is it just a number? Is it based on appearance/function? According to Crawford, “age is subjective. Its meaning is defined by social consensus, and the criteria differ from one time and place to another.”
How do you identify your age and how does society identify you?
Although I am not in my mid-life yet, when asked what is your age? I would say 21 and I am young. However, when my birthday comes, I will say ahh. .I’m growing old.(It is interesting that for some people, once they pass a certain age, they will view growing old as a negative thing.) This is self identity. When a stranger sees me, they would say oh you look so young, are you 18? This is social identity. Society views people based on their appearance where you identify you age with perhaps a number or based on a feeling.
Imagine this: remember watching magic shows? The magician puts something in a hat or behind a curtain then POOF, they disappear (You know it’s still somewhere). Yes, there are little or even no images of older women in today’s media. As Crawford explains, they are invisible. How often do you see images of older women in the front cover of magazines? Or as the main character in a movie. It is not to say there are absolutely no images of older women in society because there is. In fact there are images of older men as well. Images of older women and emphasizes their gender norms. Older women, for example grandmas are shown as more nurturing and older men are shown as still strong. Women are still viewed as the main care takers. Grandmothers take care of their grand children and sometimes play the role of a parent. Some older women however are displayed as evil. Think back when you were a kid, watching those Disney movies. Why is the witch or evil step mother always old? Movies or images like those portray older women as negative. This shows that we stereotype older women.
As people grow older their health decreases. There are health disparities among the older population. Women live longer than men but they are less satisfied with the services they receive. Those who are poor and part of the minority population face even devastating health outcomes. They receive less health care and less likely to have money to buy retirement funds. Being able to afford retirement funds and how that person’s mid-life would be is partly based on their social class. Futhermore on the health aspect, menopause is medicalized! Yes the health industry would medicalized anything so they can squeeze money out of you! Some women would go for estrogen replacement therapy or hormone replacement therapy to relieve signs of menopause and prevent signs of aging.
Think about this: If you were to create a HIV/AIDS program, who would you target? There few programs that target the older population. Why? Maybe because we don’t believe they have sex anymore. Studies show that older women are not as sexually active as older men. Older men would do anything and take anything to keep their libido up. Many older men take Viagra.
As men are more concerned with their sexual function as they grow old, women are more concerned with their appearance. That provides so much business for the beauty industry. Women spend so much money on skincare products/therapy and makeup.
What is difference between retirement for a man and women? For women, even though you are not working outside, you are working inside the house. Studies show that women does majority of the housework after they retire whereas for men, they rarely do any house work unless there’s something wrong with the wife. Crawford indicates that retirement is “a mechanism that is biased by age, gender, and social class- one that may maintain and even magnify the gender hierarchies of young adulthood”.
As we approach our mid-life, think about all the factors around aging. Do you feel that all the things associated with aging is negative? You can make a difference in many ways! Be involved in elder activism, take charge of your life, resist ageism!
How do you identify your age and how does society identify you?
Although I am not in my mid-life yet, when asked what is your age? I would say 21 and I am young. However, when my birthday comes, I will say ahh. .I’m growing old.(It is interesting that for some people, once they pass a certain age, they will view growing old as a negative thing.) This is self identity. When a stranger sees me, they would say oh you look so young, are you 18? This is social identity. Society views people based on their appearance where you identify you age with perhaps a number or based on a feeling.
Imagine this: remember watching magic shows? The magician puts something in a hat or behind a curtain then POOF, they disappear (You know it’s still somewhere). Yes, there are little or even no images of older women in today’s media. As Crawford explains, they are invisible. How often do you see images of older women in the front cover of magazines? Or as the main character in a movie. It is not to say there are absolutely no images of older women in society because there is. In fact there are images of older men as well. Images of older women and emphasizes their gender norms. Older women, for example grandmas are shown as more nurturing and older men are shown as still strong. Women are still viewed as the main care takers. Grandmothers take care of their grand children and sometimes play the role of a parent. Some older women however are displayed as evil. Think back when you were a kid, watching those Disney movies. Why is the witch or evil step mother always old? Movies or images like those portray older women as negative. This shows that we stereotype older women.
As people grow older their health decreases. There are health disparities among the older population. Women live longer than men but they are less satisfied with the services they receive. Those who are poor and part of the minority population face even devastating health outcomes. They receive less health care and less likely to have money to buy retirement funds. Being able to afford retirement funds and how that person’s mid-life would be is partly based on their social class. Futhermore on the health aspect, menopause is medicalized! Yes the health industry would medicalized anything so they can squeeze money out of you! Some women would go for estrogen replacement therapy or hormone replacement therapy to relieve signs of menopause and prevent signs of aging.
Think about this: If you were to create a HIV/AIDS program, who would you target? There few programs that target the older population. Why? Maybe because we don’t believe they have sex anymore. Studies show that older women are not as sexually active as older men. Older men would do anything and take anything to keep their libido up. Many older men take Viagra.
As men are more concerned with their sexual function as they grow old, women are more concerned with their appearance. That provides so much business for the beauty industry. Women spend so much money on skincare products/therapy and makeup.
What is difference between retirement for a man and women? For women, even though you are not working outside, you are working inside the house. Studies show that women does majority of the housework after they retire whereas for men, they rarely do any house work unless there’s something wrong with the wife. Crawford indicates that retirement is “a mechanism that is biased by age, gender, and social class- one that may maintain and even magnify the gender hierarchies of young adulthood”.
As we approach our mid-life, think about all the factors around aging. Do you feel that all the things associated with aging is negative? You can make a difference in many ways! Be involved in elder activism, take charge of your life, resist ageism!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
"The Bachelorette" Reality TV show
by O.G.
“The Bachelorette,” an ABC reality series, portrays a single woman who searches for love among 25 of America’s most eligible bachelors. Many viewers all across America have said that the show fathers a feminist statement, and counters the objectification of women created by the original reality show, “The Bachelor.” Many thought that in providing a woman with the potential candidates to chose from, they’d be breaking down the biased wall of sexism. Only there is little change when there are 25 single men vying for the attention of one woman, who seeks to find “prince charming” among the group of men pre-selected for her.
In the season 5 premiere of “The Bachelorette,” 25 men are introduced to the bachelorette, Jillian. They spend a single night competing in trying to make themselves memorable and to create a good first impression, so as not to be eliminated at the end of the night. Their tactics of acquiring the attention of the woman are more than slightly stereotypical: they interrupt each other, say cheesy things to be memorable, have break-dancing competitions, sing country songs for her, ask to take her aside when she’s one-on-one with another male, etc. There is constant talk of competition among the males, and it is amped by the fact that 5 extra men were brought in as surprise competitors in the middle of the evening.
The season premiere revealed that the bachelorette was actually a contestant on the previous season’s “The Bachelor,” who claimed to have fallen in love with the bachelor, who ended up sending her home alone in the season finale. After her broken heart, her desire to meet “someone special” leads her to be the new “Bachelorette.” Her family sends her to the show, wishing her luck in finding “prince charming” and she says she hopes to meet “Mister Right.” The commentator goes on question whether or not she will find her “fairy tale ending” in the introduction. Throughout the show, she is teased by men about a certain “hot-tub scene” from “The Bachelor” for which she’s earned a bad reputation. This enforces the idea that a woman is supposed to be more sexually reserved and that the bad reputation will pursue her if even in one single instance she is not. Even thought the show was created to objectify men who swoon for a single woman, even in the first episode they objectify her more so than she does them, seeing as they discuss how good she looks and how stunning her figure is in her white gown.
Many claim that “The Bachelorette” encourages female empowerment, but how can it possibly do so while encouraging stereotypical gender roles; the woman sitting around waiting for love, and the men proving their manhood by competing with each other for this woman. The traditional gender stereotypes are presented through the ideas of the female emanating feminine qualities which make her desirable to the men she’s surrounded by: vulnerability, emotionality, communality, and beauty. The masculine qualities portrayed are confidence, aggression, competitiveness, worldliness, and charm. The show provides viewers with the stereotypical gendered ideas; the woman awaits for prince charming, while the men battle for the attention of a woman they call their “prize” The contestants try to out-do each other by attempting to be the romantics they think the bachelorette would want them to be, in order to “sweep her off her feet,” similarly to how two men actually literally do so in the first episode of the season. The show perpetuates not only gender stereotypes but also makes the viewers think that the fairytale set-up of the show is something akin to real life, seeing as it’s part of “reality TV.” It supplies viewers with the idea that the portrayed set is real life with everyday people, and not good-looking, exceptional men and women chosen by television directors. “The Bachelorette” enforces the same ideas feminists have been trying to dispense; the woman looking for a fairytale ending while being objectified as a prize by the men competing for her.
“The Bachelorette,” an ABC reality series, portrays a single woman who searches for love among 25 of America’s most eligible bachelors. Many viewers all across America have said that the show fathers a feminist statement, and counters the objectification of women created by the original reality show, “The Bachelor.” Many thought that in providing a woman with the potential candidates to chose from, they’d be breaking down the biased wall of sexism. Only there is little change when there are 25 single men vying for the attention of one woman, who seeks to find “prince charming” among the group of men pre-selected for her.
In the season 5 premiere of “The Bachelorette,” 25 men are introduced to the bachelorette, Jillian. They spend a single night competing in trying to make themselves memorable and to create a good first impression, so as not to be eliminated at the end of the night. Their tactics of acquiring the attention of the woman are more than slightly stereotypical: they interrupt each other, say cheesy things to be memorable, have break-dancing competitions, sing country songs for her, ask to take her aside when she’s one-on-one with another male, etc. There is constant talk of competition among the males, and it is amped by the fact that 5 extra men were brought in as surprise competitors in the middle of the evening.
The season premiere revealed that the bachelorette was actually a contestant on the previous season’s “The Bachelor,” who claimed to have fallen in love with the bachelor, who ended up sending her home alone in the season finale. After her broken heart, her desire to meet “someone special” leads her to be the new “Bachelorette.” Her family sends her to the show, wishing her luck in finding “prince charming” and she says she hopes to meet “Mister Right.” The commentator goes on question whether or not she will find her “fairy tale ending” in the introduction. Throughout the show, she is teased by men about a certain “hot-tub scene” from “The Bachelor” for which she’s earned a bad reputation. This enforces the idea that a woman is supposed to be more sexually reserved and that the bad reputation will pursue her if even in one single instance she is not. Even thought the show was created to objectify men who swoon for a single woman, even in the first episode they objectify her more so than she does them, seeing as they discuss how good she looks and how stunning her figure is in her white gown.
Many claim that “The Bachelorette” encourages female empowerment, but how can it possibly do so while encouraging stereotypical gender roles; the woman sitting around waiting for love, and the men proving their manhood by competing with each other for this woman. The traditional gender stereotypes are presented through the ideas of the female emanating feminine qualities which make her desirable to the men she’s surrounded by: vulnerability, emotionality, communality, and beauty. The masculine qualities portrayed are confidence, aggression, competitiveness, worldliness, and charm. The show provides viewers with the stereotypical gendered ideas; the woman awaits for prince charming, while the men battle for the attention of a woman they call their “prize” The contestants try to out-do each other by attempting to be the romantics they think the bachelorette would want them to be, in order to “sweep her off her feet,” similarly to how two men actually literally do so in the first episode of the season. The show perpetuates not only gender stereotypes but also makes the viewers think that the fairytale set-up of the show is something akin to real life, seeing as it’s part of “reality TV.” It supplies viewers with the idea that the portrayed set is real life with everyday people, and not good-looking, exceptional men and women chosen by television directors. “The Bachelorette” enforces the same ideas feminists have been trying to dispense; the woman looking for a fairytale ending while being objectified as a prize by the men competing for her.
Gender Idenities By Joana Lisboa
What is it to be a female????? can anyone really, truly answer that question???? Yes we know biologically what gender is XX or XY BUT how has gender become what it is today???? just a few thoughts before i get into the readings ....
When i saw this article i thought it sounded pretty funny > "Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters" .... i didn't really know what to expect!Its all about self image and how girls/women want to be perceived. Weight and body image is a big must in the women gender .... we are usually not skinny enough or butt never firm enough! I was one of those girls and guess what .... i still am! i cant help but constantly watch what i look like. As i read this article it sounded like it was coming from me ... its pretty scary yet sad ... I guess its the average girls thoughts ... i very much doubt guys think this way!!!
"Now that You're a While Man": Changing Sex in a Postmodern World- Being, Becoming, and Borders by Valerio was interesting to read. He talks about his own gender identity and his personal experience of being born a female who felt as if she should have been a male. Something interesting he said was that it had nothing to do with being a lesbian, she just always felt like she should have been male. So this implies that sexuality and gender do not coincide which many people get confused.
When i saw this article i thought it sounded pretty funny > "Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters" .... i didn't really know what to expect!Its all about self image and how girls/women want to be perceived. Weight and body image is a big must in the women gender .... we are usually not skinny enough or butt never firm enough! I was one of those girls and guess what .... i still am! i cant help but constantly watch what i look like. As i read this article it sounded like it was coming from me ... its pretty scary yet sad ... I guess its the average girls thoughts ... i very much doubt guys think this way!!!
"Now that You're a While Man": Changing Sex in a Postmodern World- Being, Becoming, and Borders by Valerio was interesting to read. He talks about his own gender identity and his personal experience of being born a female who felt as if she should have been a male. Something interesting he said was that it had nothing to do with being a lesbian, she just always felt like she should have been male. So this implies that sexuality and gender do not coincide which many people get confused.
Work and Achievement By Joana Lisboa
The New York Times article by Kantor, J. really surprised me!!! i know that many parents have a hard time finding nannies and good care takers for their children, but i didn't know that there had some sort of race issue involved. The article raised a few points of why "colored" nannies do not want to work for a family who is also "colored". One of the issues were that the nannies felt like the black families lived in neighborhoods that they didn't want to travel to and that black families expect more work for less money. These are all very stereotypical statements!!! The next issue was brought up by a sociologist, stating that for a nanny to work for a family of her own race/color it "highlights their lower economic status".
The Care Crisis by Rosen, R. was a great article. It really expresses the issue that women such as myself have to face as we work towards our careers and begin thinking about having a family. This is a delema that many women face, as women have always been the ones who maintain the house and take car of the children, now by taking on the full time worker position, ITS A LITTLE TO MUCH!!!! I like how the article puts it, "returning home after work to a 'second shift' of house work and childcare". Its totally true !!!! Women in today's generation put so much upon themselves, always over achieving and reaching for the stars .... whereas men can have their traditional gender jobs and never get judges 4 it....
"The problem that has no name" "feminine mystique"
The Care Crisis by Rosen, R. was a great article. It really expresses the issue that women such as myself have to face as we work towards our careers and begin thinking about having a family. This is a delema that many women face, as women have always been the ones who maintain the house and take car of the children, now by taking on the full time worker position, ITS A LITTLE TO MUCH!!!! I like how the article puts it, "returning home after work to a 'second shift' of house work and childcare". Its totally true !!!! Women in today's generation put so much upon themselves, always over achieving and reaching for the stars .... whereas men can have their traditional gender jobs and never get judges 4 it....
"The problem that has no name" "feminine mystique"
Reality Tv Show Real Chance of Love By Joana Lisboa
VH1 has a lot of interesting realty TV shows, this one in particular is one that i have watched on and off. Real Chance of Love is about these Two brothers one named Real and the other named Chance who are looking for love. They have a bunch of girls they don't know come on the show to prove they really want to be with them. They go threw challenges and a variety of dates with the brother they feel most interested in and of course, they are trying their best to impress these guys by putting on the persona that will best connect them.I really have no idea were they find these girls! The majority of them are strippers and actresses, and many of them are only on the show to get publicity. At the beginning of the season Real and Chance gives nick names to the girls in order to better remember them. I find this to be very degrading because of the type of names they choose. For example the 5 girls that were left on the show were (3 Real Girls) Sassy, Doll, Pocahontas, (2 Chance Girls) Hot Wings and Mamacita. The girls are not allowed to make up their own names.
The episode that i watched for this project was the season finale of season 2. (They had a season 2 because obviously the girls they chose from season 1 weren't REALLY into them, what a surprise!!!) While watching the episode i kept thinking GENDER, GENDER, GENDER. What things do i see on the show that have to do with gender because as we all know gender is everywhere, its just a little difficult to see at times due to societies norms and what we accept to be our norms. The first thing that really stands out on this show is the girls that are fighting for these men that they barley even know. One of the things noticed are the way in which they dress themselves. They are disclosing everything, tits exposed, booty hanging out of skirts, legs bear, heals as high as could get! Its unbelievable some of the things they wear. There were constant images of them doing their hair and make up because we all know women should be put together at all times! its what is expected.
During the show you are also able to notice the way the brothers speak in comparison to the way the women speak. The women, because they are trying to impress the men, act very seductive and needy. Sassy in particular puts her hands over her mouth when she laughs and always has her head tilted slightly downward. The girls in the show are constantly crying and showing their emotions to the men. For example in this episode Real commented to Doll that he wants likes "to see" his women "shed some tears" so that he could "confert her". Another example from the episode was when Chance is talking to Mamacita about relationships and what a girlfriend should do. Mamacita says that she is capable of staying home and being a serious girlfriend and that she wants a real man. Chance in return tells her that he wants a good women, and that he would not want to be home while shes out drinking and partying. so theres a criteria for what a good women is, basically a house wife. That the women every man wants is someone who is constantly there and who's sole concern is him, making the man more important that the women.
In general the women on shows such as this one really degrade themselves and the female gender!!! its pretty sad if you pay attention to the gender themes that go on. Yes it is pretty entertaining to watch and i will continue to watch shows such as this one .... maybe you can call me a hypocrite!!!
http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1624699
The episode that i watched for this project was the season finale of season 2. (They had a season 2 because obviously the girls they chose from season 1 weren't REALLY into them, what a surprise!!!) While watching the episode i kept thinking GENDER, GENDER, GENDER. What things do i see on the show that have to do with gender because as we all know gender is everywhere, its just a little difficult to see at times due to societies norms and what we accept to be our norms. The first thing that really stands out on this show is the girls that are fighting for these men that they barley even know. One of the things noticed are the way in which they dress themselves. They are disclosing everything, tits exposed, booty hanging out of skirts, legs bear, heals as high as could get! Its unbelievable some of the things they wear. There were constant images of them doing their hair and make up because we all know women should be put together at all times! its what is expected.
During the show you are also able to notice the way the brothers speak in comparison to the way the women speak. The women, because they are trying to impress the men, act very seductive and needy. Sassy in particular puts her hands over her mouth when she laughs and always has her head tilted slightly downward. The girls in the show are constantly crying and showing their emotions to the men. For example in this episode Real commented to Doll that he wants likes "to see" his women "shed some tears" so that he could "confert her". Another example from the episode was when Chance is talking to Mamacita about relationships and what a girlfriend should do. Mamacita says that she is capable of staying home and being a serious girlfriend and that she wants a real man. Chance in return tells her that he wants a good women, and that he would not want to be home while shes out drinking and partying. so theres a criteria for what a good women is, basically a house wife. That the women every man wants is someone who is constantly there and who's sole concern is him, making the man more important that the women.
In general the women on shows such as this one really degrade themselves and the female gender!!! its pretty sad if you pay attention to the gender themes that go on. Yes it is pretty entertaining to watch and i will continue to watch shows such as this one .... maybe you can call me a hypocrite!!!
http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1624699
Kechley Bruna "Meaning of difference" How self esteem and knowledge influences performance
While I read chapter four "The meaning of difference" I found it intriging that their was no real scientific proof that shows that men were more intelligent than women. The old claim that men's larger brains led to their higher intelligence proved to be false. The false claim that men are better in math actually lowers the self esteem of women who inturn perform lower in academic areas. When women realized that they were capable of doing the same things as men the college and workforce rates increased. This confirms the old notion that knowledge is power.Gaining knowledge that men werent intelectually superioir women gained the power and motivation to be independent and go for the careers they once felt was out of their reach. An Atlantic article states that from 1890-1985 the participation in the work force of women between the ages of twenty five to forty soared from fifteen to seventy one percent. This increase follwed the second world war that allowed women to experience the workforce while the men went to war. After seeing first hand that they were capable of working, women gained confidence in themselves and rejected the subordinate roles set for them by society.The correlation I detected was that after gaining more knowledge about thier capabilities women were able to perform better, secularly and academiclly. The text also brought out that white male scientist try to find or even create evidence to justify the gender sterotypes.
Fun and Interesting Videos
Gender roles- Interview with Kids
Sexism, Strength and Dominance- Disney Films
Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, Biological Sex
Sexism, Strength and Dominance- Disney Films
Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, Biological Sex
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Reality TV Analysis- Huo Ling(Helen) Ruan
America’s Next Top Model Cycle 13 Finale
America’s Next Top Model view of women= glamorous, beautiful, tall, perfect figure and face, talk/walk beautifully
Our society wants to see things that are perfect rather than the not so beautiful. Like how we don’t want to recognize how many homeless people we have but rather make a twist and say: $_ can save X number people. Stars and celebrities are painted, sniped and stitched to be pleasing to the eye. Why do they need to act and look a certain way? Society expects them to do so. Gender is a social construct that is continuously being molded and changed. Things like the media have a major impact on how society views gender. Reality television shows like America’s Next Top Model has done so by delivering messages to millions of women across the globe.
Beauty: It is funny how in every season, the candidates are always beautiful (Maybe not to everyone but you get what I mean). They have not yet chosen any one that is not. Even in previous seasons when there was once this girl who had scars on her body, yes she was chosen to participate but she had to cover her scars. In the finale, the girls, Nicole and Laura had to do a Cover girl photo shoot and commercial. The idea is to sell the products and look gorgeous at the same time. When society sees the commercials what messages do they get? Wow, she looks beautiful and they would buy the product to “beautify” themselves. The product they were selling was mascara and it sent the message that having long voluminous lashes makes women beautiful.
Another interesting thing from this reality show is that women use their body to make them look amazing. The use their body to create curves, extend their legs, pout/smile with their lips and work their eyes. In addition, the models always wear makeup and had clothes that always revealed some skin. The girls were sparkling with glitter all over their body and faces. During the runway they also wore flowing dresses, looking elegant and swimsuits, looking sexy. Another interesting thing was that the themes of the fashion show were related to nature, fire, water and wind. The connection of women and mother nature popped up in my mind.
So, how does this affect the view of gender/sexuality in society? We can definitely tie this back Crawford’s book. In the book it discusses about love and also images of women. Men tend to pick attractive women. With images exposed throughout the streets men’s definition of “beautiful” or “attractive” has now changed since many years ago. Nowadays the common terms are hot, sexy, cute, etc. In my opinion all these terms describe parts of a women’s body. Some men like the woman because he likes her body. This is like objectifying her.
Men: The 2 Jays in the show definitely step out of their gender norms. I always find that men who are into fashion design or makeup are some what out of their gender norms. The men show their feminine side. Ms. J. Alexander walks and dresses like a female. One of the models once described them as beautiful. Usually in society we don’t describe men with that word. People usually say cute, muscular, hot, sexy and handsome.
Aside from this reality show, I see how kids do gender everyday. One day I was on the train and sitting across from me were these sisters. One was probably 5 and the other 6. They had in their hands a pink make up kit! The little sister was applying lip gloss on her lips with a brush. There was also eye shadow and applicators as well. The mother was teaching them how to apply makeup.
I used to work in a retail store and one day I hear his little boy crying. It turns out that his parents won’t buy him a toy. I looked and guess what? The toy the boy was holding turns out to be a Barbie doll!
America’s Next Top Model view of women= glamorous, beautiful, tall, perfect figure and face, talk/walk beautifully
Our society wants to see things that are perfect rather than the not so beautiful. Like how we don’t want to recognize how many homeless people we have but rather make a twist and say: $_ can save X number people. Stars and celebrities are painted, sniped and stitched to be pleasing to the eye. Why do they need to act and look a certain way? Society expects them to do so. Gender is a social construct that is continuously being molded and changed. Things like the media have a major impact on how society views gender. Reality television shows like America’s Next Top Model has done so by delivering messages to millions of women across the globe.
Beauty: It is funny how in every season, the candidates are always beautiful (Maybe not to everyone but you get what I mean). They have not yet chosen any one that is not. Even in previous seasons when there was once this girl who had scars on her body, yes she was chosen to participate but she had to cover her scars. In the finale, the girls, Nicole and Laura had to do a Cover girl photo shoot and commercial. The idea is to sell the products and look gorgeous at the same time. When society sees the commercials what messages do they get? Wow, she looks beautiful and they would buy the product to “beautify” themselves. The product they were selling was mascara and it sent the message that having long voluminous lashes makes women beautiful.
Another interesting thing from this reality show is that women use their body to make them look amazing. The use their body to create curves, extend their legs, pout/smile with their lips and work their eyes. In addition, the models always wear makeup and had clothes that always revealed some skin. The girls were sparkling with glitter all over their body and faces. During the runway they also wore flowing dresses, looking elegant and swimsuits, looking sexy. Another interesting thing was that the themes of the fashion show were related to nature, fire, water and wind. The connection of women and mother nature popped up in my mind.
So, how does this affect the view of gender/sexuality in society? We can definitely tie this back Crawford’s book. In the book it discusses about love and also images of women. Men tend to pick attractive women. With images exposed throughout the streets men’s definition of “beautiful” or “attractive” has now changed since many years ago. Nowadays the common terms are hot, sexy, cute, etc. In my opinion all these terms describe parts of a women’s body. Some men like the woman because he likes her body. This is like objectifying her.
Men: The 2 Jays in the show definitely step out of their gender norms. I always find that men who are into fashion design or makeup are some what out of their gender norms. The men show their feminine side. Ms. J. Alexander walks and dresses like a female. One of the models once described them as beautiful. Usually in society we don’t describe men with that word. People usually say cute, muscular, hot, sexy and handsome.
Aside from this reality show, I see how kids do gender everyday. One day I was on the train and sitting across from me were these sisters. One was probably 5 and the other 6. They had in their hands a pink make up kit! The little sister was applying lip gloss on her lips with a brush. There was also eye shadow and applicators as well. The mother was teaching them how to apply makeup.
I used to work in a retail store and one day I hear his little boy crying. It turns out that his parents won’t buy him a toy. I looked and guess what? The toy the boy was holding turns out to be a Barbie doll!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Some Interesting Videos.
Stumbled upon a little youtube video on gender stereotypes.
Also, this is an interesting video about the social construction of gender, and interviews with transgendered people who reflect on the problems they have with society accepting them.
(sorry the embedding has been disabled, so I can only provide the link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFWGEoaq-x4
Also, this is an interesting video about the social construction of gender, and interviews with transgendered people who reflect on the problems they have with society accepting them.
(sorry the embedding has been disabled, so I can only provide the link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFWGEoaq-x4
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sex, Love and Romance by Helen Ruan
Sex, Love and Romance
The meaning of sex, love and romance can be different among people, like the way we express our love, what we feel is romantic and our sex behavior. To understand someone’s sexuality we need to look at many social factors that are involved in the person’s life. As Crawford explains, people’s sexual identity can be influenced by their social class, religion, gender roles and ethnicity.
Before we get into sex, love and romance, we should discuss how we pick our partners. For which characteristics do we look for? What is preset in our mind about certain things? The first thing that strikes us when we see a stranger is there appearance. Before we get to know a person, some may already judge them and foresee how things would go if they dated him/her.
Our expectation of what happens in a relationship is built on the basis of sexual scripts. In class we discussed about what we would expect to happen on a first date. Our class had a few different answers. Some feel that the male should take the first step in asking a girl out where as some female students feel that they were comfortable in asking the male out. Some people would like to go on a movie date and others like to do other activities. All the things we say about first dates is based on expectations. In addition the in class activity where we rated if activities are appropriate are also based on our expectations. These expectations are influenced by gender, culture and society. As part of my culture, females are supposed to be waiting on the males to ask them out and may only have sex after marriage. It is also part of my culture that a couple cannot live together until after marriage.
Even though one’s culture or religion can indicate how they should behave, society is changing. Now adolescents begin to explore their sexuality earlier. They are more curious about their own bodies and the opposite or same sex. It is a fact that adolescents have sex at an earlier age and this can be influenced by the media and peer pressure. Their curiosity comes with a danger as well because many of them might not engage in safe sex. Many young girls do not speak up to their partner about using condoms. Even some older adults don’t even do so.
Ok, some of us may or may not pressure our partner to use a condom. What is the benefit of that? And to whom is that benefiting? Some if not all men say that it feels better without it. Ok, that makes them enjoy the sex more but what about the women? How do women feel about sex with their partner? More often than not, a woman’s first intercourse is a negative experience as Crawford mentions. This negative experience is based on how they lost their virginity. How is the experience of sex influenced by how it is performed? Some women just lay there and let the man do their thing and some women likes to be more active. Studies prove that women that are passive feel less pleasure. What if you don’t have a partner? Is self pleasure appropriate and does both sexes do that? Both men and women may pleasure themselves how ever men admit to it more often than women.
People say sex makes the relationship stronger and better. What if you are forced to have sex? What do you know about abusive relationships? All in all what makes a relationship strong and healthy is equality. Abusive between partners is known as intimate partner violence. Jordana Ravick discussed about intimate partner violence in our class. In addition Crawford also discussed about abusive relationships in the book. The rates of intimate partner violence are high in New York City and they are even higher if we count in those that are not reported. Most batterers are men even though there some that are women. Jordana indicated it was the matter of being a choice. She also made a very unbelievable note that for every battered women shelter there are 2-3 animal shelter. That statistic makes a loud statement. There are many forms of abuse such as emotional/verbal, sexual coercion, financial/economic, sex and using children. To have a healthy relationship, one needs to stop the abuse and engage in healthy behaviors like trust and support, negotiation, fairness, honesty and non threatening behavior.
Interesting videos that I found in relation to intimate partner violence and sexuality
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Kechley Bruna advertisement activity
www.mimifroufrou.com/.../Secret-Obsession-Ad.jpg http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/Secret-Obsession-Ad.jpgThis is an advertisement from Calvin Klein that supports gender stereotypes by objectifying women. The product is actually a bottle of perfume but the model is completely naked. This ad is using sex to appeal to its audience. The perfume bottle is located at the bottom of the advertisement and is fully colored while the woman’s naked body is merely faded in to the background to attract attention. This is sending the message that woman are just tools; in this case used to influence customers to buy this bottle of perfume. I personally feel that having a naked woman is completely irrelevant to selling perfume. The eyes of this woman even appear to be closed, as if she is a subordinate. This fragrance is called 'secret obsession' and is surprisingly targeting females. Calvin Klein is guaranteeing a sexy scent and is saying this by means of the naked woman on the advertisement. Since this is a feminine fragrance women are getting the message that looking like this woman is the only way to be viewed as sexy. While women are often objectified I can also picture a male being completely naked to sell a feminine fragrance.
![[belvedere_ad.jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_d5r2ZJ8BmevfhdZLWtW3fD7ojMEAVSqRpJPe6guh350yHeomrG7K0EhU1U5uy28NYKmmMuNCzrKq_qtuNYibjm9SUyxYu3xKyQZ-2dZ0kpRIyDr9Fayiy1Q1GNrhSRtJuroHnAjj8U/s1600/belvedere_ad.jpg)
This advertisement is introducing the liquor bottle to consumers while supporting the gender roles of society. The man is the only one looking directly in to the camera while the two women are focus on him. The female on the right side is in a sexy pose with her legs up and mouth open. they both seem to be struggling to gain his attention. The double standard is being supported here where it is perfectly normal for the guy to have two dates whereas a woman would be criticized if she had multiple partners. The cheetah print tights worn by the girl on the right reminds me of kitten that is in dire need of attention and just wants to be stroked by its owner. While these other messages are being thrown at the consumer i find it difficult to even notice the product being sold.
This is aProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0
eculiar ad that I found online that depicts a woman playing both gender roles. he is seen with female clothes on the right and men's attire on the left. this advertisement is showing the versatility of female models. This ad also draws attention to the different postures expected for male and female models. The feminine side of this dichotomy is seen standing behind the man, which makes her look inferior. The male is seen hunched over with a serious facial expression. The body on the right is more exposed and objectified whereas the male is barely seen. While this shows that a woman can be versatile it presents a certain definition of what is considered feminine and masculine.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Sex, Gender, and Bodies
O. G.
I think many people aren’t aware of all the different sexual developments of all the people in our society. The first time I heard about a lot of disorders and different outcomes of fetal developments was the first time I have ever taken a psychology class. We all learn about the fetal developments, the hormones, and the body organs in health class and biology class in high school. Yet we never learn anything more than that, making us think that everyone in the world is designed in the same way, and that the world is divided into males and females. As an outcome, nobody really knows about the 1.7% of babies that vary in biological form from the two distinct divisions we learned about. We grow up and walk the world unaware of intersexuality, of Klinefelter’s syndrome, androgen insensitivity syndrome, Turner’s syndrome, hermaphrodites, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, partial androgen insensitivity, and many others. Our unawareness makes us unable to understand the lives some people lead, and make us very close-minded, which in turn ostracizes the small, but ever-present percentage of people with variations.
Our ignorance about variations of sexual development makes us uninformed about the problematic gender identity. It’s hard for many to grasp that people who have some differences with the combinations of genes, hormones, and anatomy, may have some differences with their gender identity. Many do not understand transsexualism, sex-changes, or gender-identity disorder, and feel that these are problems for which the parents are to blame. In this case, ignorance is really the opposite of bliss. Our reactions to people with such disorders and lifestyles are that of shock. We segregate those people and make their lives absolutely miserable.
In this chapter I even learned that many think that sex is a social construction and vary from our personal and cultural beliefs and assumptions about sex and gender. This opened up a whole new way of looking at things for me, as I wish it could for others. If only we spread awareness about the sexual minorities, we could improve society and make it a better place for the sexual minorities and even for ourselves. If we transform our thinking and work on our acceptance of biological, sexual, and gender diversity, we could be one step closer to gender equality.
I think many people aren’t aware of all the different sexual developments of all the people in our society. The first time I heard about a lot of disorders and different outcomes of fetal developments was the first time I have ever taken a psychology class. We all learn about the fetal developments, the hormones, and the body organs in health class and biology class in high school. Yet we never learn anything more than that, making us think that everyone in the world is designed in the same way, and that the world is divided into males and females. As an outcome, nobody really knows about the 1.7% of babies that vary in biological form from the two distinct divisions we learned about. We grow up and walk the world unaware of intersexuality, of Klinefelter’s syndrome, androgen insensitivity syndrome, Turner’s syndrome, hermaphrodites, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, partial androgen insensitivity, and many others. Our unawareness makes us unable to understand the lives some people lead, and make us very close-minded, which in turn ostracizes the small, but ever-present percentage of people with variations.
Our ignorance about variations of sexual development makes us uninformed about the problematic gender identity. It’s hard for many to grasp that people who have some differences with the combinations of genes, hormones, and anatomy, may have some differences with their gender identity. Many do not understand transsexualism, sex-changes, or gender-identity disorder, and feel that these are problems for which the parents are to blame. In this case, ignorance is really the opposite of bliss. Our reactions to people with such disorders and lifestyles are that of shock. We segregate those people and make their lives absolutely miserable.
In this chapter I even learned that many think that sex is a social construction and vary from our personal and cultural beliefs and assumptions about sex and gender. This opened up a whole new way of looking at things for me, as I wish it could for others. If only we spread awareness about the sexual minorities, we could improve society and make it a better place for the sexual minorities and even for ourselves. If we transform our thinking and work on our acceptance of biological, sexual, and gender diversity, we could be one step closer to gender equality.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Images of Women
O. G.
Why are deprecating pictures of women prevalent in the media even in the year 2009? Perhaps, if more people made an effort, then an epidemic would catch on; transforming perception and making a small but definite difference. It’s not that we all think something or someone is “hot,” but a lot of the times we feel the need to go along with everyone, jumping on the bandwagon of offensive language and ideas which diminish women.
Advertising images of women demean the female sex and make the images a lot more sexual than is necessary (but seeing as there's nobody to say how much is necessary, we can only say that studies have shown that advertising pictures of women are a lot more sexualized than those of men). It is said that a picture says a thousand words, so what words do the pictures which objectify women or cut them out of important historical events say? Face-ism and sexualization of images says that women are sexual bodies, and that even their bodies, are not important. The same advertisement companies that make women into sexual objects, also portray women of color as exotic or animalistic or Mammy-like. Moreover, those companies don't portray bigger women, or women of lower socio-economic status, or older women, or athletic women at all - as if a good proportion of the female population simply became invisible in the world of advertising which is supposed to relate to everyone.
Maybe nobody is aware of language making women sound like objects, or the commonplace masculine pronoun meant to stand for both sexes, or even the statistics which make women sound at fault for their own assaults. Demeaning language which was once only regarded as a curse, has now become a part of everyday slang. Curses which were reserved for angry, filthy mouths have now become terms of endearment used not only by men, but also by women. While the uses of these terms have changed, the negative connotation that comes with them hasn't. So when people call females derogatory terms, even if they do not mean them in a negative way, they are perpetuating the idea that women really are described through those derogatory terms, which not only hurts the female gender, but also takes away any respect people have for females.
But it’s a little difficult to believe that nobody notices the images all over the media. Half naked women are everywhere; in print, on billboards, on clothing, on television. To make matters even worse, they’re constantly dominated by men. It may be crazy, but I’m pretty sure that almost everyone has thought, “Wow, that’s a demeaning picture.” If all of us have found at least one add, commercial, or billboard that we found debasing, then why is it that they’re still constantly around. Why are people still attracted to something that’s demeaning?
For most, not stereotyping is impossible. Nonetheless, we are all exceptions of one stereotype or another – race, class, gender, sexuality, age – so why can’t we tune down our own predispositions to stereotype. If we and everyone around us is an exception to some kind of stereotype, why is it that we still have them? If we built more awareness, we could work to begin the road of destroying stereotypes.
Pornography is something that’s omnipresent in our everyday lives. With a big boom in the porno industry, pornography has also leaked into the mainstream culture and is now used to advertise. Yet, a lot of people don’t notice that it’s almost an example of violence against women. It pushes sexual stereotypes into people's heads and acts as a script for sexual violence, making men believe that women enjoy being raped and mistreated. So if pornography, along with all the objectified images of women are demeaning and not representative of the population, then why are they still everywhere you turn your head?
Here's a website which works to raise awareness about porn in pop culture and the awareness that this needs to stop spreading even further.
http://stoppornculture.org/
This article speaks about women and sex in advertising.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/16519/sex_and_women_in_popular_culture.html
Why are deprecating pictures of women prevalent in the media even in the year 2009? Perhaps, if more people made an effort, then an epidemic would catch on; transforming perception and making a small but definite difference. It’s not that we all think something or someone is “hot,” but a lot of the times we feel the need to go along with everyone, jumping on the bandwagon of offensive language and ideas which diminish women.
Advertising images of women demean the female sex and make the images a lot more sexual than is necessary (but seeing as there's nobody to say how much is necessary, we can only say that studies have shown that advertising pictures of women are a lot more sexualized than those of men). It is said that a picture says a thousand words, so what words do the pictures which objectify women or cut them out of important historical events say? Face-ism and sexualization of images says that women are sexual bodies, and that even their bodies, are not important. The same advertisement companies that make women into sexual objects, also portray women of color as exotic or animalistic or Mammy-like. Moreover, those companies don't portray bigger women, or women of lower socio-economic status, or older women, or athletic women at all - as if a good proportion of the female population simply became invisible in the world of advertising which is supposed to relate to everyone.
Maybe nobody is aware of language making women sound like objects, or the commonplace masculine pronoun meant to stand for both sexes, or even the statistics which make women sound at fault for their own assaults. Demeaning language which was once only regarded as a curse, has now become a part of everyday slang. Curses which were reserved for angry, filthy mouths have now become terms of endearment used not only by men, but also by women. While the uses of these terms have changed, the negative connotation that comes with them hasn't. So when people call females derogatory terms, even if they do not mean them in a negative way, they are perpetuating the idea that women really are described through those derogatory terms, which not only hurts the female gender, but also takes away any respect people have for females.
But it’s a little difficult to believe that nobody notices the images all over the media. Half naked women are everywhere; in print, on billboards, on clothing, on television. To make matters even worse, they’re constantly dominated by men. It may be crazy, but I’m pretty sure that almost everyone has thought, “Wow, that’s a demeaning picture.” If all of us have found at least one add, commercial, or billboard that we found debasing, then why is it that they’re still constantly around. Why are people still attracted to something that’s demeaning?
For most, not stereotyping is impossible. Nonetheless, we are all exceptions of one stereotype or another – race, class, gender, sexuality, age – so why can’t we tune down our own predispositions to stereotype. If we and everyone around us is an exception to some kind of stereotype, why is it that we still have them? If we built more awareness, we could work to begin the road of destroying stereotypes.
Pornography is something that’s omnipresent in our everyday lives. With a big boom in the porno industry, pornography has also leaked into the mainstream culture and is now used to advertise. Yet, a lot of people don’t notice that it’s almost an example of violence against women. It pushes sexual stereotypes into people's heads and acts as a script for sexual violence, making men believe that women enjoy being raped and mistreated. So if pornography, along with all the objectified images of women are demeaning and not representative of the population, then why are they still everywhere you turn your head?
Here's a website which works to raise awareness about porn in pop culture and the awareness that this needs to stop spreading even further.
http://stoppornculture.org/
This article speaks about women and sex in advertising.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/16519/sex_and_women_in_popular_culture.html
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Gender Norms in TV Commertials By Joana
So we know that gender norms are in everything from walking down the street to listening to the radio and of course watching TV. We all know that while watching our favorite shows we are forced to watch the commercials that come on. One of my favorite commercials is the Optimum Triple Play reggaeton version. The song is catchy and the commercial itself is hallariouse!!! So okay i must have watched this commercial a million times before but this time while thinking in terms of gender and stereotypes i really noticed things i had never even seen or i guess choose not to see. Im sure everyone has seen this commercial but for those who havent i will explain the main parts: it starts of with this reggaeton artist on the couch, the walls fall down and hes on this island. the part that really bothered me is that these three spanish women apear and they are wearing bikini mirmade costumes. Then three women life guards appear by the water and begin to dance. Towards the end Three women are in bikinis laying on beach towels, they then roll over and run on the beach. The very last sceen is the reggaeton artist sitting in the house with the three mirmades from the begining all makeing sexy posses. The commercial is supposed to be selling the Optomised Triple Play deal that they are having, tell me what do women in bikinis, life guards and mirmades have to do with anything???? The only men in the entire commercial are the UGLY pirates that are fighting eachother in the background throughout the entire commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_oF6xnvnGQ&feature=related
So i figuered i would look at some other Optimum Triple Play commercials to see if they are also as stereotipical and ubsurd. The other commercials i know we have probally all watched also is the Optimum Triple Pay Suburban. It starts of with a women in the kitchen offcourse .... she is baking CUPCAKES that say $29.95 on them. This beach blond house wife wearing an apron then serves the children who are playing video games. There are also three darker looking women dancing and singing in the background all dressed insynk. Why are they putting the lightest women as the lead???? whay couldnt it be one of the darker women ???? This house wife then goes to the garage and serves an old asian women who is fixing the car. I really didnt understand why they chose an old asian women to be fixing the car ... i dont know if its a raciest joke or and age joke. The house wife then goes out to the backyard to finish serving the rest of the cupcakes and her husband is there on his cellphone by the grill ... very manlly as you can see ... he just smiles and continues on with his conversation ... they then focis in on the gardiner who has no shirt on and is extremelly hansome ... he smiles and winks at the women.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1kAHTXOWkA&feature=related
The last triple play commertial i want to focus on is the Optimum Triple Play Hair Salon in spanish. It starts off with women at a hair salon ... all of a sudden they get up and remove the clothes they have on (under their clothes they have on shinny silvery dressy shirts with tiets) and they begin dancing very sexy . The lead dancer writes $29.95 on the mirror with lipstick. She than gets on a salon chair using her labtop ... while the other girls around her all have hairdriers blowing towards her. She than closes here eye and has $29.95 written on her eye with make up. The rest of the commercial is basically them dancing around with phones ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1s5Mb2OLMA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_oF6xnvnGQ&feature=related
So i figuered i would look at some other Optimum Triple Play commercials to see if they are also as stereotipical and ubsurd. The other commercials i know we have probally all watched also is the Optimum Triple Pay Suburban. It starts of with a women in the kitchen offcourse .... she is baking CUPCAKES that say $29.95 on them. This beach blond house wife wearing an apron then serves the children who are playing video games. There are also three darker looking women dancing and singing in the background all dressed insynk. Why are they putting the lightest women as the lead???? whay couldnt it be one of the darker women ???? This house wife then goes to the garage and serves an old asian women who is fixing the car. I really didnt understand why they chose an old asian women to be fixing the car ... i dont know if its a raciest joke or and age joke. The house wife then goes out to the backyard to finish serving the rest of the cupcakes and her husband is there on his cellphone by the grill ... very manlly as you can see ... he just smiles and continues on with his conversation ... they then focis in on the gardiner who has no shirt on and is extremelly hansome ... he smiles and winks at the women.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1kAHTXOWkA&feature=related
The last triple play commertial i want to focus on is the Optimum Triple Play Hair Salon in spanish. It starts off with women at a hair salon ... all of a sudden they get up and remove the clothes they have on (under their clothes they have on shinny silvery dressy shirts with tiets) and they begin dancing very sexy . The lead dancer writes $29.95 on the mirror with lipstick. She than gets on a salon chair using her labtop ... while the other girls around her all have hairdriers blowing towards her. She than closes here eye and has $29.95 written on her eye with make up. The rest of the commercial is basically them dancing around with phones ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1s5Mb2OLMA&feature=related
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Gender Ad Analysis
Advertising Analysis by Huo Ling (Helen) Ruan
Dolce & Gabbana
This advertisement upholds the gender norms. This picture shows that women are submissive to men. The woman is pinned down by a man; this shows that the man has more control and strength. It can be seen as a predator pinning down its prey. The men in this picture have six packs n their body is enhanced by having a glowing appearance. This also enhances their muscles which can represent strength. The woman also has glowing skin and is in a sexy pose where one can see the structure of her body. The interaction of both sexes shows male dominance. All the males in this advertisement rise above the female and looking down at her as well. It is hard to tell what the ethnicities of these models are. However, I assume that this advertisement is for the higher class because Dolce & Gabbana’s products are expensive. If the position of men and women in this advertisement is reversed, the message would be different. The message will challenge the gender norms. It will show that women are dominant and stronger. For some men, women who are stronger may be more attractive. Perhaps the advertisement won’t even be made public. However, I don’t think there would be an advertisement where the positions are reversed. There may be advertisements that send a message that women are strong but there would not be a picture of men in the same advertisement. I have not yet seen any advertisements where that is the case.
Father and Daughter Ad for American Cycling from Sports Illustrated
This advertisement challenges and upholds the gender norms. Often females are known as the care takers of children and the motherly figure. However in this picture, it is the male that is doing so. This picture shows the man is cradling the baby, holding her close to him. Therefore this advertisement depicts men as nurturing, soft and gentle. The advertisement indicated that the baby is female; this also challenges the gender norm. This advertisement is sending a message that this female baby can grow up to be a cyclist as well. This shows that females can be athletes as well whereas some people can see sports as a male activity. However, this advertisement upholds the gender norm because a male cyclist was used instead of a female. The interaction between the 2 sexes in this advertisement shows that men are protectors. This can be seen in the picture because the man is carefully holding the baby. The man in this picture is muscular and not wearing a shirt. This can demonstrate that he is strong.
If a woman was used instead of a man in this advertisement it will uphold the gender norm as females being the more nurturing individual. However, the message may be that mothers can also be athletic who can teach their children to be athletic as well. In addition, the female will definitely be wearing a shirt.
On the side note, this baby is feeding from a sports bottle. Is that even ok?
Gisele’s Advertisement for her shoe line G2B
This advertisement definitely upholds the gender norm. Gisele is a sexy pose, almost naked! One can see the curves of her body and breast. This advertisement shows a great deal of sexuality. Gisele is depicted as sexy, has the perfect body, flawless and beautiful. If a man was used in this advertisement, it would be a turn off. Majority of the men would not want to see another man naked. Perhaps he would be wearing some kind of swim bottom and still be using the water effect. One may even think the male model is gay because he is posing like Gisele.
I had a hard time finding a diverse collection of pictures that shows people of different races, ethnicities and social class. There are several reasons why I encountered this problem. It depends on several factors such as in what type of magazine, neighborhood it is in, what type of audience is the seller trying to sell their products to and what television station. Sometimes depending on the type of message that the company wants to send out, the company may use people of a certain race/ethnicity/social class in their advertisements.
Gender is all around us, in advertisements and every day behaviors. The media depicts men/women in the way society wants them to be seen. It goes with what the majority of what society feels is part of woman or man. Advertisements that uphold the gender norms will continue to support the gender stereotypes that we have now. There is also a possibility of new gender stereotypes developing depending how often we see or hear about it. However, nowadays gender norms are constantly being challenged and changed. This might influence a future change in how media depicts men and women.
Dolce & Gabbana
This advertisement upholds the gender norms. This picture shows that women are submissive to men. The woman is pinned down by a man; this shows that the man has more control and strength. It can be seen as a predator pinning down its prey. The men in this picture have six packs n their body is enhanced by having a glowing appearance. This also enhances their muscles which can represent strength. The woman also has glowing skin and is in a sexy pose where one can see the structure of her body. The interaction of both sexes shows male dominance. All the males in this advertisement rise above the female and looking down at her as well. It is hard to tell what the ethnicities of these models are. However, I assume that this advertisement is for the higher class because Dolce & Gabbana’s products are expensive. If the position of men and women in this advertisement is reversed, the message would be different. The message will challenge the gender norms. It will show that women are dominant and stronger. For some men, women who are stronger may be more attractive. Perhaps the advertisement won’t even be made public. However, I don’t think there would be an advertisement where the positions are reversed. There may be advertisements that send a message that women are strong but there would not be a picture of men in the same advertisement. I have not yet seen any advertisements where that is the case.
Father and Daughter Ad for American Cycling from Sports Illustrated
This advertisement challenges and upholds the gender norms. Often females are known as the care takers of children and the motherly figure. However in this picture, it is the male that is doing so. This picture shows the man is cradling the baby, holding her close to him. Therefore this advertisement depicts men as nurturing, soft and gentle. The advertisement indicated that the baby is female; this also challenges the gender norm. This advertisement is sending a message that this female baby can grow up to be a cyclist as well. This shows that females can be athletes as well whereas some people can see sports as a male activity. However, this advertisement upholds the gender norm because a male cyclist was used instead of a female. The interaction between the 2 sexes in this advertisement shows that men are protectors. This can be seen in the picture because the man is carefully holding the baby. The man in this picture is muscular and not wearing a shirt. This can demonstrate that he is strong.
If a woman was used instead of a man in this advertisement it will uphold the gender norm as females being the more nurturing individual. However, the message may be that mothers can also be athletic who can teach their children to be athletic as well. In addition, the female will definitely be wearing a shirt.
On the side note, this baby is feeding from a sports bottle. Is that even ok?
Gisele’s Advertisement for her shoe line G2B
This advertisement definitely upholds the gender norm. Gisele is a sexy pose, almost naked! One can see the curves of her body and breast. This advertisement shows a great deal of sexuality. Gisele is depicted as sexy, has the perfect body, flawless and beautiful. If a man was used in this advertisement, it would be a turn off. Majority of the men would not want to see another man naked. Perhaps he would be wearing some kind of swim bottom and still be using the water effect. One may even think the male model is gay because he is posing like Gisele.
I had a hard time finding a diverse collection of pictures that shows people of different races, ethnicities and social class. There are several reasons why I encountered this problem. It depends on several factors such as in what type of magazine, neighborhood it is in, what type of audience is the seller trying to sell their products to and what television station. Sometimes depending on the type of message that the company wants to send out, the company may use people of a certain race/ethnicity/social class in their advertisements.
Gender is all around us, in advertisements and every day behaviors. The media depicts men/women in the way society wants them to be seen. It goes with what the majority of what society feels is part of woman or man. Advertisements that uphold the gender norms will continue to support the gender stereotypes that we have now. There is also a possibility of new gender stereotypes developing depending how often we see or hear about it. However, nowadays gender norms are constantly being challenged and changed. This might influence a future change in how media depicts men and women.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
O. G.
Advertisement Analysis
SKYY VODKA
http://www.nicks.com.au/upload/image/image_200631812455353256.jpg
This Skyy Vodka advertisement, spotted at the JFK airport, seemed like an a very good improvement from their last ad featuring the head of a woman in a bikini, with a fully dressed man standing with his legs spread apart, directly over her. Yet with a second glance, you quickly realize that it features the same male dominance and female sexuality and inferiority. Both, the male and the female, are side by side and take up the same amount of space on the picture, it can be noted that while the man is wearing a tux and dress shoes, the woman is wearing a tiny white dress (that wouldn’t cover anything at all, had it been dry) and a pair of heels. While the man is lying by the poolside, and is on the safety of land, the woman is on an inflatable mattress in the pool, and is already wet. The difference between land and water positions is not the only thing that shows that the man has the control in the situation; it’s also the fact that he is the one holding a glass and passing over the bottle of vodka to the girl, who submissively takes it. With one of her arms laid back, it looks like she has no choice but to share a drink. Not only does the difference in get-up show the sexist differences between the man and the woman, but the fact that the male is wearing sun-glasses and looking at the woman, while she is coyly looking into the camera, with her slightly inclined head.
This advertisement is supposed to convey the idea that the man’s dominance is attractive and that the woman will coyly smile and submissively take the bottle from the man. Making it okay to be subordinate and submissive for women, the ad also relates that men should be domineering and confident. The make-up and digital effects also play a huge role in the ad, as they make the woman’s wet legs and breasts shine, while all that shines on the man is his neck muscle from his turned head which is looking at the woman.
At first glance, it’s very easy to miss the bottle of vodka - the main product - which is almost directly in the center of the advertisement. This means that the product is only secondary to the message and the idea. The readers will first take in the economically well-off man who looks confident and domineering in his suit, and the barely-dressed, wet woman accompanying him in the pool, (because the advertisement is really meaning to say that those who drink the vodka will have a good-looking, naked girl accompanying them as well.) The woman in this advertisement is portrayed like an object; that of man’s desire and of his company. She looks like an object in the pool, a submissive toy who accepts the bottle handed her way, because it would be unreasonable for her not to accept alcohol from such a well-to-do man, playing it cool with his glasses. This advertisement is trying to say that these are the gender roles that we should adhere to and find appealing.
THE CHILDREN'S PLACE
http://dealcetera.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/childrens-place-canada-sale.jpg
This Children’s Place advertisement, of a nationwide clothing store for children, doesn’t make anyone a sexual object, nor does it leave anyone exposed or make someone have better clothing. There are even 3 girls and only 2 boys in this advertisement, and they’re all dressed up in different styles; one boy in khakis and a shirt, a girl in a dress and leggings, a girl in jeans and a top, the third girl in a skirt and a shirt and another boy in jeans and a sweatshirt. Doesn’t seem like they’re missing anything and all the different outfits for each sex are represented. Nonetheless, the striking part of this ad isn’t in any of that, it’s in the most innocent and the most alarming place – the poses. While the boy on the left has his hands held together in front of him, which would seem like a very ordinary or even submissive gesture, his mouth is wide open and his head is turned to the side to show that he is screaming. The boy on the right stands with his hands in his pockets and looks at the girls in the middle while smiling. Seemingly innocent poses of the two boys actually have a very domineering and confident effect when looked upon with the poses of the girls. They are standing a certain distance away from the girls, which are huddled together, holding on to each other. The girl on the right is smiling at the camera with a certain confidence, but the girl in the center has a rather shy look, while the girl on the left is looking at the boy on the right. The boys have a wide stance, with their legs at shoulder-width, while the girl’s legs are together. All these little this that have to do with their poses all point to one big screaming idea of gender roles and stereotypes; the boys look macho and stand alone, the girls are huddled together and have rather shy poses and keep their legs together, in that way that society labeled is “feminine.”
While the outfits of the boys seem to be simple, with few colors, the girls are decked out with all the colors of the rainbow. The girls at such a young age are already bringing attention to themselves through “loud” clothing. They’re already standing in that submissive way. The African American little girl is already being portrayed as the most confident one, and the African American boy as the loudest one. The gender roles and the racial stereotypes are so subtle but ever-so-present in this ad geared not only towards adults who will teach their kids on how to act, dress, and even stand, but also towards little children who will internalize these subtle messages that are being sent out through this advertisement.
BEBE
http://www.bebe.com/
The first thing that pops up on the clothing stores website is a barely dressed girl. The advertisement is working with face-ism, because ultimately, the face is only in the corner, and the body is taking up a much bigger portion of the picture. The naked arm stemming from the naked shoulder and the naked leg coming from the pink underwear catch the center spotlight. Only at a second glance is it seen that she’s wearing something and dons jewelry, and is even sitting on top of a bronze puma. Besides the fact that she is made into a sexual object, she is also made into an almost dangerous and exotic object. Her sultry gaze from the right-hand topmost corner is hardly noticeable seeing as her naked limbs steal the bigger area of the picture, and are also the brightest part of it, seeing as the environment the model is in, as the little tutu she’s wearing are dark. The only other light colored item on the picture is actually her underwear, which is prominently showing while she is straddling the puma in a sexual manner.
The biggest paradox in ads like these is that while they’re sexually humiliating, they lure consumers. While the female is being sexually objectified, other females rush to the store with the false concept that they will get the same thin body and attractive face. They think that if they get the clothes and the jewelry they will become alluring and confident and almost animal-esque. They consume the product because of the connotation this image has to it, never bothering to notice that it’s degrading and creates a gender stereotype.
Advertisement Analysis
SKYY VODKA
http://www.nicks.com.au/upload/image/image_200631812455353256.jpg
This Skyy Vodka advertisement, spotted at the JFK airport, seemed like an a very good improvement from their last ad featuring the head of a woman in a bikini, with a fully dressed man standing with his legs spread apart, directly over her. Yet with a second glance, you quickly realize that it features the same male dominance and female sexuality and inferiority. Both, the male and the female, are side by side and take up the same amount of space on the picture, it can be noted that while the man is wearing a tux and dress shoes, the woman is wearing a tiny white dress (that wouldn’t cover anything at all, had it been dry) and a pair of heels. While the man is lying by the poolside, and is on the safety of land, the woman is on an inflatable mattress in the pool, and is already wet. The difference between land and water positions is not the only thing that shows that the man has the control in the situation; it’s also the fact that he is the one holding a glass and passing over the bottle of vodka to the girl, who submissively takes it. With one of her arms laid back, it looks like she has no choice but to share a drink. Not only does the difference in get-up show the sexist differences between the man and the woman, but the fact that the male is wearing sun-glasses and looking at the woman, while she is coyly looking into the camera, with her slightly inclined head.
This advertisement is supposed to convey the idea that the man’s dominance is attractive and that the woman will coyly smile and submissively take the bottle from the man. Making it okay to be subordinate and submissive for women, the ad also relates that men should be domineering and confident. The make-up and digital effects also play a huge role in the ad, as they make the woman’s wet legs and breasts shine, while all that shines on the man is his neck muscle from his turned head which is looking at the woman.
At first glance, it’s very easy to miss the bottle of vodka - the main product - which is almost directly in the center of the advertisement. This means that the product is only secondary to the message and the idea. The readers will first take in the economically well-off man who looks confident and domineering in his suit, and the barely-dressed, wet woman accompanying him in the pool, (because the advertisement is really meaning to say that those who drink the vodka will have a good-looking, naked girl accompanying them as well.) The woman in this advertisement is portrayed like an object; that of man’s desire and of his company. She looks like an object in the pool, a submissive toy who accepts the bottle handed her way, because it would be unreasonable for her not to accept alcohol from such a well-to-do man, playing it cool with his glasses. This advertisement is trying to say that these are the gender roles that we should adhere to and find appealing.
THE CHILDREN'S PLACE
http://dealcetera.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/childrens-place-canada-sale.jpg
This Children’s Place advertisement, of a nationwide clothing store for children, doesn’t make anyone a sexual object, nor does it leave anyone exposed or make someone have better clothing. There are even 3 girls and only 2 boys in this advertisement, and they’re all dressed up in different styles; one boy in khakis and a shirt, a girl in a dress and leggings, a girl in jeans and a top, the third girl in a skirt and a shirt and another boy in jeans and a sweatshirt. Doesn’t seem like they’re missing anything and all the different outfits for each sex are represented. Nonetheless, the striking part of this ad isn’t in any of that, it’s in the most innocent and the most alarming place – the poses. While the boy on the left has his hands held together in front of him, which would seem like a very ordinary or even submissive gesture, his mouth is wide open and his head is turned to the side to show that he is screaming. The boy on the right stands with his hands in his pockets and looks at the girls in the middle while smiling. Seemingly innocent poses of the two boys actually have a very domineering and confident effect when looked upon with the poses of the girls. They are standing a certain distance away from the girls, which are huddled together, holding on to each other. The girl on the right is smiling at the camera with a certain confidence, but the girl in the center has a rather shy look, while the girl on the left is looking at the boy on the right. The boys have a wide stance, with their legs at shoulder-width, while the girl’s legs are together. All these little this that have to do with their poses all point to one big screaming idea of gender roles and stereotypes; the boys look macho and stand alone, the girls are huddled together and have rather shy poses and keep their legs together, in that way that society labeled is “feminine.”
While the outfits of the boys seem to be simple, with few colors, the girls are decked out with all the colors of the rainbow. The girls at such a young age are already bringing attention to themselves through “loud” clothing. They’re already standing in that submissive way. The African American little girl is already being portrayed as the most confident one, and the African American boy as the loudest one. The gender roles and the racial stereotypes are so subtle but ever-so-present in this ad geared not only towards adults who will teach their kids on how to act, dress, and even stand, but also towards little children who will internalize these subtle messages that are being sent out through this advertisement.
BEBE
http://www.bebe.com/
The first thing that pops up on the clothing stores website is a barely dressed girl. The advertisement is working with face-ism, because ultimately, the face is only in the corner, and the body is taking up a much bigger portion of the picture. The naked arm stemming from the naked shoulder and the naked leg coming from the pink underwear catch the center spotlight. Only at a second glance is it seen that she’s wearing something and dons jewelry, and is even sitting on top of a bronze puma. Besides the fact that she is made into a sexual object, she is also made into an almost dangerous and exotic object. Her sultry gaze from the right-hand topmost corner is hardly noticeable seeing as her naked limbs steal the bigger area of the picture, and are also the brightest part of it, seeing as the environment the model is in, as the little tutu she’s wearing are dark. The only other light colored item on the picture is actually her underwear, which is prominently showing while she is straddling the puma in a sexual manner.
The biggest paradox in ads like these is that while they’re sexually humiliating, they lure consumers. While the female is being sexually objectified, other females rush to the store with the false concept that they will get the same thin body and attractive face. They think that if they get the clothes and the jewelry they will become alluring and confident and almost animal-esque. They consume the product because of the connotation this image has to it, never bothering to notice that it’s degrading and creates a gender stereotype.
Gender, Status, and Power - Kechley
While I read this chapter on Gender, status, and power I noticed that women were always inferior and rarely held a powerful role. It was mentioned that gender was a classification system that influenced access to power and resources. In terms of politics and other secular positions women’s gender didn’t allow entry to powerful positions, however I stumbled across this article that shows otherwise. It depicts how women get the better end of the deal in day to day social activities. The article “The flirting game women play with men” shows how women benefit from the double standard involved with flirting. These advantages were “getting in to nightclubs easier than men, getting lots of free drinks, almost never picking up the tab, and are showered with gifts from men.” This shows how women performing their gender does allow them to be in a power position and gain resources, in this case being the free drinks and gifts from men. It was also brought out that a woman being too flirtatious can simply pass for being nice where as, a man’s excessive flirting can be labeled as sexual harassment. I was also reminded of a comment made in class where a student mentioned that women show their interest in a guy by simply glancing in a sexual manner but never physically approach him. Many other students felt that this was still allowing the man to have the power in choosing women. The article shed light on this topic when it mentioned “The trick is that women are a lot more subtle and subdued in their approach. If women have any kind of decent shape to their bodies and adequate chest sizes, chances are they can have their pick of men.”
It may be demeaning that a woman’s body has to be a factor in determining her “pick of men” however it is clear the shifts in power associated with gender.
It may be demeaning that a woman’s body has to be a factor in determining her “pick of men” however it is clear the shifts in power associated with gender.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Gender Norm activity, Kechley Bruna
Gender norms are Society’s rules used to control the behaviors of each gender. The value of theses gender norms decrease due to living in New York during the 21st century. I found it very difficult to think of a behavior to perform that was considered outside of the “norm” or rather unaccepted in today’s society. There are females who wear baggy clothing and there are men who wear nail polish; these behaviors are widely accepted. While I was sitting on the bus thinking of a topic, I realized that many females find it awkward and self-conscious to eat in public. So, since I just came from McDonald’s I decided I would eat my food in front of all the strangers on the bus. Since I was quite hungry I did not feel weird performing this activity however I did receive a few reactions. Many of the passengers did stare at me probably because of their own hunger or maybe my attempt to violate this gender norm. This activity reminded me of how movies that show couples at restaurant and the man is often seen eating a delicious steak while the women is portrayed eating a salad. Many women also want to be seen as proper so they figure that eating a salad or something small would do the trick.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
My Gender Norm Activity By Joana
I am what you might call an average twenty one year old female who works and goes to school here at Hunter College. But what is20average or normal to me is not for every other twenty one year old female who attends Hunter College and works, so is the statement above correctly stated? A norm can be broken down into many categories and each person has a different set of norms from the other; it is what we as a society set as the unwritten rules. For this particular assignment the Gender category comes into play. I am a female and therefore society (including myself) expects me to be a particular way. For my Norm activity I decided to choose an activity that wasn’t a Norm for me as a female but other females do consider a norm or at least their norm, wearing sneakers! I usually only wear flat shoes or sandals, when I do decide to wear sneakers they are usually very feminine, for example Pumas. I don’t consider myself very feminine, but for some reason over the past two years or so, this has become my way of dressing and expressing myself.
I decided to do the activity on a Friday because it was a day that I had work. I am a supervisor at CVS/Pharmacy in Brooklyn a few street blocks away from my house. I didn’t feel comfortable coming to Manhattan in sneakers and therefore choose this day to do the assignment. I also felt that I might get more of a r eaction from the people I deal with on a regular basis. I found these sneakers that I had not worn since sophomore or Junior year in High school, which makes it about 3-4 years that I hadn’t worn them. They are black and grey low top Nike’s, very masculine if you ask me. As I was walking to work I kept looking down at my feet because I felt really weird. Not only did my foot feel really uncomfortable in them but my feet actually looked really big and it made me self-conscious about myself. It was as if everyone was staring at my huge feet! I didn’t feel right and I get really nervous about actually getting to work and what my co-workers might say.
One of my friends that I work with was the first person to say something about my sneakers. It was actually the first thing she even said to me, even before saying hi. Her exact words were “WOW your actually wearing sneakers, what happened?” This made me laugh and begin to explain why I was wearing them at all. It was hysterical! Other co-workers of mine began to notice also so I had to keep explaining myself. For some reason I felt an obligation to explain why I was wearing sneakers, aft er I explained and everyone knew my situation I began to feel more comfortable wearing them. All of a sudden I felt kind of sporty. I was almost acting like a different person, I’m not sure if it was my particular mood or the fact that I was wearing the sneakers but I know I was acting like a whole different person, almost a little more masculine if you ask me.
Overall it was a fun and interesting activity! I’m not to sure what I expected out of it but it did tell me more about myself and the norms that I have created. Since that day I haven’t worn sneakers and I’m not really intending on doing so.
I decided to do the activity on a Friday because it was a day that I had work. I am a supervisor at CVS/Pharmacy in Brooklyn a few street blocks away from my house. I didn’t feel comfortable coming to Manhattan in sneakers and therefore choose this day to do the assignment. I also felt that I might get more of a r eaction from the people I deal with on a regular basis. I found these sneakers that I had not worn since sophomore or Junior year in High school, which makes it about 3-4 years that I hadn’t worn them. They are black and grey low top Nike’s, very masculine if you ask me. As I was walking to work I kept looking down at my feet because I felt really weird. Not only did my foot feel really uncomfortable in them but my feet actually looked really big and it made me self-conscious about myself. It was as if everyone was staring at my huge feet! I didn’t feel right and I get really nervous about actually getting to work and what my co-workers might say.
One of my friends that I work with was the first person to say something about my sneakers. It was actually the first thing she even said to me, even before saying hi. Her exact words were “WOW your actually wearing sneakers, what happened?” This made me laugh and begin to explain why I was wearing them at all. It was hysterical! Other co-workers of mine began to notice also so I had to keep explaining myself. For some reason I felt an obligation to explain why I was wearing sneakers, aft er I explained and everyone knew my situation I began to feel more comfortable wearing them. All of a sudden I felt kind of sporty. I was almost acting like a different person, I’m not sure if it was my particular mood or the fact that I was wearing the sneakers but I know I was acting like a whole different person, almost a little more masculine if you ask me.
Overall it was a fun and interesting activity! I’m not to sure what I expected out of it but it did tell me more about myself and the norms that I have created. Since that day I haven’t worn sneakers and I’m not really intending on doing so.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
"Masculine Posture" by Huo (Helen) Ruan
Cooking, cleaning, being the leader of the household, wearing makeup, lifting weights, which of these are appropriate for males or females? Gender norms are masculine or feminine behaviors and attitudes that are accepted by society. How would people’s reaction be if one challenges the gender norms? I decided to challenge one of these norms and find out.
As a Chinese American my gender norms are also influenced by my culture. I would call the gender norm I challenged “masculine posture”. In my culture it is inappropriate for women to sit with one foot up on the chair, or “shake” our leg. One night I decided to see how my family would react if I sat inappropriately during dinner. When I first placed my foot up on the chair no one said anything but I can see and feel my parents and siblings looking at me. I was waiting for them to make a comment. I started to “shake” my leg and then they spoke up. My parents told me to put my foot down and sit appropriately. They said it was rude for a woman to sit like that. It showed that I had no manners was not well disciplined. My sister told me not to “shake” my leg because in the Chinese culture there is a saying that women who did that were associated with something negative. I’ve got to admit that sometimes it feels comfortable sitting “inappropriately” but I cannot do that in front of my family.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
O. G.
Gender Norm Activity
Attempting to transgress the boundary of gender and the norms that society appropriates the sexes with, I decided to dress up like a man this Labor Day. Not succeeding in looking like a normal male, I came off as a rather seemingly androgynous person. After taking off all my jewelry (which I wear all the time), I took a long, hard look in the mirror. Swallowing my fears, put on a baggy pair of boyfriend jeans, a loose, plaid button-down, and a pair of borrowed colorful Nikes. Feeling very unsure, but slightly optimistic, I headed upstairs – to the kitchen. My parents stopped in the middle of what they were doing to turn around and look at me. They talked to me briefly, and I let go of the notion that they thought that anything was wrong with my new look. Nonetheless, when I was about to leave the house, saying “Well, I’m going out for a bit,” both of my parents said simultaneously, with a shocked tone, "dressed like that?!"
Seeing as I work only 2 blocks away from my house, I decided to stop by my job to pick up my paycheck, and to continue my little experiment. I work at a clothing store in Brooklyn, so even when I'm at work I have to be attractively-dressed, so I can better approach customers. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by my manager, a 65-year-old man. After exchanging greetings and getting my paycheck, he asked, "You're feeling sick?" I replied, "No, I feel fine!" He then said, "Everything is okay? Nothing’s going on? If you want tell me now so I could take you off Wednesday's schedule." By this time, I was already feeling offended, so I just repeated that everything great, and said my goodbyes.
Needless to say, I didn't go to meet my friends after that. I simply went to the grocery store, where the cashier who is usually friendly and extroverted towards me, just furrowed her brow and hardly said hello. So I headed back home, feeling a little hurt and confused. I felt a little uncomfortable by the reactions of those who knew me. I knew that my outfit wasn't outright "masculine", it was just less "feminine" than what I'm usually seen wearing. I felt like I broke a sort of gender expectation, which in a way I created for myself. People are used to seeing me in certain clothing, so when faced with something that can almost pass for masculine clothing; they felt uncomfortable, as did I. The fact that I felt like I had to change before seeing my friends was another give-away of the fact that I felt like I was out of my own skin, and like I wasn't being treated the way I usually am by those who know me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
