Recently in Girls and Media Category

Stage 2: Assessing Resources

One: I am assessing the relevance for the TIME magazine resource named, "Not So Pretty in Pink: Are Girls' Toys Too Girly?" I liked this article as a resources for analyzing feminism in the media, how it is created, and how young girls are affected by the objects that are advertised to their gender and age-group. TIME magazine is known for addressing the issues for the people so possibly unlike other resources used in our project, the article is not written by a feminist and the audience is not necessarily only feminists. This article introduces the advocacy group, Pinkstinks, that is mentioned in another article for our group, but the fact that TIME is publishing the  article means it is not necessarily just for feminist viewers, but to introduce the idea to the public. One of the main ideas for feminism is to get people to understand and listen to the issues that should be addressed, this article is coming from a magazine with a broad range of people's issues.

Two: This resource is very accessible to the community and the public. TIME is known as one of the largest weekly news magazine, if not the largest with a wide range of domestic U.S. viewers, but a large global audience. One of the barriers of this resource is that TIME is in a partnership by CNN. CNN claims to emphasize its strictly factual news, but its ratings have been falling in the past year whereas news stations like Fox News that are criticized for having a right-winged sway on the stories portrayed are experienced increases in viewers: "CNN continued what has become a precipitous decline in ratings for its prime-time programs in the first quarter of 2010, with its main hosts losing almost half their viewers in a year." (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/business/media/30cnn.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=cnn%20fails%20to%20stop%20fall%20in%20ratings&st=cse ) The barrier that this TIME article may have is the decline in viewers with its partner news distributer. It seems as though all news media have a magnifying glass over them in the current state. This article seems to provide a solid story about where the specific feminist issue of girls and media advertisements are a sign of the Western projection of gender roles. This resource seems to be very accessible; when I first found the resource, it was used as a link from a feminist blog.

1. I will be assessing the website "Girls, Women + Media Project" which is a website that focuses on how women are portrayed in the media. This website is relevant in that it directly focuses on the influences of the media, and provides resources for ways to change the media. However, while the focus of the website could be considered a feminist issue, the website does not specifically identify as feminist. While most of the website is opinion based, where there are verifiable facts the website does provide many sources to back up their claims.
2. Accessibility is always an issue when it comes to websites. Obviously those that do not have access to the internet, or those that do not speak English will not be able to access the contents of this site. While some people will be able to use public computers in libraries, there is always an issue of website censorship on public computers. Also, in regards to access to public libraries, those who live in more rural areas may not have easy access to a library. It could also be a concern that those in other countries may not have publically funded libraries through which they could use the internet. Luckily this website does not seem to have many graphics or java-supported features which would make this website harder to load for those with slower internet connections. To make this site more accessible, the articles could be translated to different languages, so that those who do not speak English could also benefit from the information. Also, I noticed that this site does not utilize other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, nor does it have any sort of comment section so that guests could exchange information and ideas with each other. I believe that the Girls, Women + Media Project could benefit from a Twitter and/or Facebook presence so that they can address a wider audience, and to increase interaction between those that maintain the site and others interested in this topic.

1. The source I will be looking at closer is the blog entitled PinkStinks. This source is certainly applicable to our topic as there are several entries addressing media influences the choices of girls. Specifically there is a post taking a close look at some skinny jean ads by the Gap and looking at a toy catalog. Their main focus is on the media effects on enforcing gender roles and the self awareness of girls. As for its trustworthiness, it's like any another blog where anyone can put one together. Although the site is well organized and professional in its appearance and they take a clearly feminist approach. In some ways, I wonder if it may be too black and white however, the information is present which can be extracted without having to adhere to their interpretations.

2. The accessibility of this site raises the same concerns as any other blog. This is a site that you likely wouldn't find unless you specifically searched for it or someone told you to check it out. It is very specific! It also must be taken into account that it is centered out of the UK and while there is no problem with that, it is important to remember that companies actually create different ads for different countries because of the different demographic. So, when looking at the Gap ad that they refer to, that is an ad that the Gap created with a European demographic in mind. Thus, we have to look at not only the American feminist prospective but also the European feminist prospective. It's a matter of open-mindedness that has to be considered when addressing this site. The fact that it is European also creates an American accessibility barrier in the sense that it is even less likely that it would find an American audience.

As with any blog the matter of accessibility is always a challenge. The point of a blog is to be opinionated and thus will always shut someone out. The only way to make something like this more accessible to incorporate other views to the point where it becomes more of a conversation rather than a statement of opinions from a group of people who share relatively the same ideas. This site however, has a goal of raising awareness so I doubt that having conflicting views would help much. They do advertise though to get their name out. It's unfortunate but advertising and networking really seems the best/easiest way to make these types of blogs more accessible.

Here are the sources for our group:

Serena Handel

http://www.mediaandwomen.org/
Girls, Women + Media Project
1) I found this source by google searching "girls and media."
2) This organization looks to promote media awareness and provides education resources for those that want to promote change within media.
3) The audience is everyone.

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/corporate/about_us/index.cfm
1) I found this source by google searching "girls and media."
2) The target audience of this organization is young adults. They aim to provide media and digital literacy, and to provide awareness about how the media works, and how it can affect their lives. ]
3) The audience is young adults.

Jennifer Hejna

http://family.go.com/parenting/pkg-school-age/article-795755-socially-responsible-toys-for-girls-t/ - Socially Responsible Toys for Girls
1.) I found this site when searching on google "media and toys on young girls"
2.) Written by Teri Brown and was discussed under the parenting section of disneyfamily.com. She talks about girls toys and how they present girls being sexy rather than pretty and the effect it has on these girls such as eating disorders.
3.) Audience seems to be parents of girls and how to develop them healthy starting at a young age with toys

http://www.ecclectica.ca/issues/2006/1/index.asp?Article=25 - Young Girls: Body Image & Well Being - Where do they learn harmful habits?
1.) I found this when doing a google search of "toys that affect teen girls."
2.) Jennifer Oakes wrote this paper because she was interested in the topic of the effects of media on young girls, growing up she remembered the pressure of media constantly telling girls to be thin.
3.) Audience is all (feminists and parents)

Carly Schomaker

Title: The Gap Vows to be "Always be Skinny%e2�
http://www.wimnonline.org/WIMNsVoicesBlog/2011/03/29/the-gap-vows-to-be-always-skinny/
-I found this blog when I searched feminist body image and it brought me to the cite "WIMN women in Media and News%e2� Author: Melanie Klein WIMN women in media and news
Purpose: To educate people about women and how media and different aspects of society affect women.
Audience: Anyone

Title: Tropes vs. Women: # 2 Women in Refrigerators (youtube video and blog)
http://bitchmagazine.org/blogs
Youtube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DInYaHVSLr8&feature=player_embedded#at=53

-I found this when I was looking for how feminists and their views on popular toys and reading material for young girls or women in general.

Author: feministfrequency The video is used to express different aspects of populat comic books and how they negatively portray women and further perpetuate certain stereotypes.
Audience: Anyone Tropes vs. Women is a six-part video series by Feminist Frequency that explores the reoccurring stories, themes and representations of women in Hollywood films and TV shows.

Kimberly Ayres

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1976402,00.html?xid=rss-topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+time/topstories+%28TIME:+Top+Stories%29
1. I found this source as a reference for a blog on Feministfatale.com
2. Time is an informational magazine, this article specifically pertains to toys that are too-girly and provoking the wrong message. It mentions Pink Stinks as well.
3. Audience is anyone (parents, feminists, etc.)

@_GirlsAction, http://twitter.com/_girlsaction
1. I found this when searching young girls in the media
2. Many feminist twitters (Jezebel and others) link to _girlsaction
3. Audience is young girls, feminists and feminist activists

Hannah Gustison

http://pinkstinks.wordpress.com/
1. I found this source by doing a simple google search for self-image and feminists.
2. The organization is called Pink Stinks which is a campaign and social enterprise that challenges the stereotypical "pink culture" and seeks to find role models for girls who will motivate girls to achieve greatness based on their talents and not looks.
3. I think their audience is feminists.

http://jezebel.com/#!5506528/think-pink-the-sexist-toys-of-our-youth>
1. I found this source through a google search for toys and feminists.
2. Jezebel appears to be a huge organization of feminists. Their site doesn't follow a clear pattern or have one distinct purpose.
3. I think their audience is feminists.