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"
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