GWSS 3306: Popular Culture Women

We discussed the three movie clips that we watched in class individuall and the implications they had for both men and women. In the Grease clip Danny was singing about sex and tryign to impress his friends, refering to the relationship with Sandy as a fling. While Sandy sand about love and the emotions she was feeling, she promotes a "good girl" image by mentioning holding hands and being romantic. In the Legally Blonde clip Elle is shown brushing her hair, doing her nails, everything in her room is pink, and she shows a lot of skin. We also discussed the girl on the bike delivering the letter that was covered in glitter and decorated. Finally in the Devil Wears Prada clip it shows several different women getting ready, by accesorizing, there is a lot of high fashion, which promotes the icon like status of the industry. We also discussed how the lyric of the song that is playing says something about being a tower of power as she is walking into the building of her new job.

In terms of the quotes we discussed the idea that we create our own gender and that it is not prescribed as babies was an important theme. Society seems to dictates activities we should each do and the roles that men and women are supposed to play in society. We also discussed the fine line between women and girls and how now magazines are attempting to target younger women in the same way, by producing the same magazine with many of the same articels for younger women.

We also discussed celebrity images and how they are all the same at the root, they all seem to fit a mold of what society thinks is attractive and popular. Barbies fit into this mold as well as discussed in the book Pink Think! Barbies are the stereotypical perfect women, and girls are supposed to try to emulate all of this, while boys are supposed to play with trucks and GI Joes. We discussed lady like behaviors and how women arent supposed to burp or pass gas, while boys and men are held to a different standard where these things are ok to do.

Finally we talked about men and how the magazines that are geared to them arent the same as the ones that are geared toward women. Mens magazines are focused more on the activites that they like to do like body building and hunting, and often times contain pictures of hot girls. Womens magazines are more about gossip and celebrities or trying to empower women to be better than what society tells them to be.

Posted by Brianna Green at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am not exposed much to the pop culture because my parents are very traditional and we don't get to watch and do things outside of home that much. But what comes to my mind as I was trying to think of something for the negative images of women I realizd that most women in the music industries from MTV that my brother watch a lot were images of women depicting as sexual objects. Because almost every women in the background of some sort of music films wear cloths that covers only the part that were not suppose to be shown such as their boos, and their private parts. Which makes me wonder how come male singers not wear what they wanted their background women to wear as well. Because I see a lot of singers wearing just regular casual cloths but the women have to wear skin showing cloths just to be in a music video or be in the music film industries. And so far I can not think of any positive images of women at this time that match the standard of role model or providing positive thoughs and images that the youngs and people like me can follow. PLus I have not used blog before therefore, it took me quite a while just to figure how things work in this site. Adios

Posted by Alanna Yang at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hi all,

One of the articles for this Thursday's class (2/1) is not included in the packet ("Little Hotties: Barbie's New Rival"). You can view it online. I have created a link for it in the link section. If you are not on campus, you may not be able to access it directly. Instead, you will need to go to the library website. Then, click on the e journals link. Look up the "New Yorker" journal and find the Dec. 4, 2006 issue.

Posted by Sara at 6:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The observations we came up with from the film clip and song of "Legally Blonde" were:
The idea that going to college was a way for women to earn their MRS. degree. For some young women the advantage of going to college was a means to an end, i.e., becoming wives and mothers instead of self actualized professionals. The Pink Think mantality seems formulaic and prescribed to fit an unrealistic ideal of womanhood.

Issues of body image was another. All of the women in the Soroity were busy making themselves look good for . . . presumably men. There seemed to be a greal deal of pageantry.

We then discussed the image problems young women have in society as a whole. It seems more and more women are having some form or another of augmentation to their bodies and it's happening at a younger age. Women still struggle with accepting ourselves for who we are and what we look like.

Which leads right into the clip and song from, "The Devil Wears Prada".
Some of the same issues came up in our group. We would add that what it takes to be a female role model, figuratively or literally is subjective. However Pink Think would have us believe that if we aren't "perfect" we will suffer abandonment and rejection.

What does it mean to be feminine? What does it mean to be masculine for that matter? Society dictates in large part how we view ourselves and others in a variety of ways. From being too food conscious to wearing the right underware, there is alot of pressure to conform.

In the "Greese" clip and song, the idea is that 'good girls' don't have sex. They are pure, coy and virtuous, like the ladies in pink as compared to the girl in black who we assume (naturally) that she is bad. Boys on the other hand are expected to be sexually experienced and encouraged to brag about it. Pink Think is the assumption that girls that have sex, or too much sex are whores. Not so much now, but certainly this was the case in the 50's era.

A quote and observation from John Berger came up in our group that resonated with us which in essence states that, Men look at Women, and Women look at themselves through the eyes of Men.

Group 2: Ardis, Rachel, Diamond, Jenny, Meagan

Posted by Ardis Houle at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Our group discussed the song "Summer Nights" from the movie "Grease". We discussed the ways in which the song reflects how Pink Think can affect one's view of reality. Sandy's views of her summer fling were stereotypically female, reminiscent of Pink Think. She was innocent, and primarily concerned with love. Her friends were also using Pink Think, focusing on Danny's financial situation and material means. Danny, on the other, recounted the supposedly same events in a different way, with a focus on his sexual conquests and virility. We also discussed events later in the film, and how Sandy has to change to be with Danny. She gives up her own identity and loses herself in her boyfriend, consistent with the Pink Think notions of the man's identity superceding all else.

We also discussed the song "Perfect Day," and how it was the epitome of Pink Think. It promoted materialism, a lack of responsibility, and brainless activities. The clip from the movie was also very Pink Think. The girls were very much stereotypically feminine, and had no qualms with the attention of an entire fraternity. The song also adressed the issue of perfection being a large part of what is supposed to feminine.

We then discussed the song from "The Devil Wears Prada." We weren't sure whether or not the song was supposed to be a sad realization on the part of the singer that looks do matter, and in order to be influential in the world, it had to matter to her. It was either that or a genuine longing to be supermodel beautiful, without any feelings of shame. We also discussed how, despite the fact that the movie is supposed to be a feminist statement, the character in the end decides that the fashion industry is okay. The character becomes "beautified" in the end anyway, and even discusses losing weight, even though she started at a size 6. This reflects Pink Think because of the focus on image instead of substance. Women are supposed to beautiful and be looked at; they are not supposed to be heard.

Posted by Melissa Green at 8:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One thing our group talked about was the difference in the ways that men and women are portrayed in films, where the women’s importance always lays in their artifice and men are allowed to create their own identities more easily. Women are judged more for their appearance while men are judged by the things that they do and accomplish.

One thing our group talked about was the difference in the ways that men and women are portrayed in films, where the women’s importance always lays in their artifice and men are allowed to create their own identities more easily. Women are judged more for their appearance while men are judged by the things that they do and accomplish. How women are portrayed in the media was displayed in the beginning of Legally Blonde and The Devil Wears Prada where the women were shown getting ready, dressing and putting on makeup. Men were not shown in either clips, but the fact that the movies both began with these images shows how women are thought of many times in mainstream media.

In our discussion about Grease, we talked about the difference in the lyrics between the girls and boys. While the boys only cared about whether or not Danny and Sandy had sex, the girls went on about the car he drove and more innocent things. This also portrayed the women as obsessed with the artificial, caring only about Danny’s material possessions.

Sorry, I didn't get everybody's names in my group!

Posted by JC at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As promised, here is the youtube clip I was talking about last night.

Posted by Sara at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Pink Ladies in Grease didn't fit it with the stereotypical "pink think" of that time because they were the rebellious, promiscuous, kind of outcasts of the high school. We agreed that Sandy (as the typical ideal of femininity) brought about the curiosity that romantic (heterosexual) love should be an ideal for all girls, even the Pink Ladies. Also in relation to the music we thought that the girls perpetuated this idea that men are kind of the bread winners of all relationships: "How much did he spend?" "Did he have a car?." These expectations that society teaches women to have of men because we aren't capable of providing for ourselves, and therefor must depend on them.
As for The Devil Wears Prada it was obvious that the difference in morning rituals separated Andy from the other girls in that they adhered to the Pink Think expectation and so she was automatically type-cast as a tomboy. We thought perspective had a lot to do with this introduction because on one hand that traditional ideal of femininity and beauty is upheld by the "fashionable, high-maintenance" women which is still desirable to a certain crowd of females, where as Andy offered a more modern look into what a female can be about and still be considered a woman, feminine. We also felt that the whole idea of power and beauty were really interconnected in this scene, because it portrayed Andy as almost child-like where as the others were obviously well-adjusted women.
Legally blonde was all about the Pink think, even the credits and opening screen, screamed "girly." The whole thing showed girls continually primiping, working out, being cat-called, making out with boys etc. just very sterotypical ideals of what it is to be feminine, and in that case a woman. All girls wore a size 2 and dressed in gender approriate colors. Also the whole sorority girl idea was enforced, ya know that idealistic "Men want them and women want to be them" kind of thing. It really distorts what the movie is actually about, yes about a really fahsion conscious woman, but also her ability to use that to be successful in the world.
Erin Jensen, Jennifer Matthews,Melia McCubbin and Alan Riermann......

Posted by Erin Jensen at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Positive Images
Madonna-she was phenomenal when she arrived on the scene in the early 1980s. She left home at an early age and headed to New York City. She struggled tremendously and worked really hard and finally she made it. She has totally evolved-her music, her style, but don't we all as we mature and grow?
Hillary Clinton-she was an accomplished attorney for many years. Now in the political arena and a Senator of New York state. She has worked hard and endured much to achieve the success she has. I think it's wonderful that she has decided to run for President of the United States. She could very well become the first woman President of this great nation.
Negative Images
Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritche-both were born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Both are extremely stupid and way too thin. Why do they think it's okay to be rude and disrespectful to other people? They are without a doubt the most hideous women in mainstream media today.

Posted by Kelly Kuehn at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mainstream media is bombarded with negative imagery of women. From music videos to reality T.V. shows, women are depicted in a negative light. I was shocked when on myspace, I found a photo of my friends 14-year-old daughter on her (the 14-year-old’s) page in a pose that was very similar to a photo one would find in Maxim magazine. Posing in a suggestive manner, she was no doubt mimicking poses she herself has viewed in one of the fashion magazines she is subscribed to such as W magazine. Fashion magazines distort young girls concept on what beauty really is and music videos give them the idea that it’s okay to dress (or undress) a certain way. Celebrities, such as Brittany Spears, warp their perception on how to conduct themselves in public, while reality T.V., such as Flavor of Love, teaches them that there isn’t anything wrong with doing what you need to do to compete over a man. I was shown this vlog on youtube that I thought was appropriate in that it shows how photos are manipulated in order to get the desired results. This brings me to the first positive image, which is Dove’s real woman campaign. I love these photos. These photos are awesome in that each one show’s a variety of natural women in different sizes, shapes, and ethnicities. Another positive image of women in mainstream media is Angela Bassett. She always conducts herself in a manner that reflects her self-respect, which is commendable in a time when a lot of women with celeb status no longer care.

Posted by Alicia Sims at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Women who embody a positive image of women in the mainstream media are few and far between because if a woman projects a certain persona that can be admired and revered, she is typically on the receiving end of ridicule and scrutiny. When trying to find different women to fulfill the two categories I found that the only women in the first category typically are not famous for their beauty, but rather their merit and talent. It is certainly a cliché, that for some people this makes those women more beautiful than any physical beauty can compare to. The singer, Sheryl Crow, is a woman who overcame breast cancer and then went on to speak out about it as well as fundraise. She contributes her own money to the cause as well as helps other women who are currently suffering from the disease. She has put a face to the disease and made it know that breast cancer can affect anyone, even celebrities. The late Princess Diana was a woman of grace, beauty, and good will. The sad part of this situation is that in the mainstream media she was considered a target for gossip, which may have even been a cause of her untimely demise. But she was certainly a woman who millions looked to as a positive image of women.
To think about women who have a certain lifestyle that reflects poorly on women in general is a lot easier. Sadly, the feminist movement that women have worked so hard for seems to have been turned around. The most important things in popular culture and media are focused on who a woman is dating, what clothing she is wearing, and how skinny she is. Some women are merely famous for being beautiful and their careers follow based off of the belief that the woman will sell records or movies based off her popularity instead of her talent. Women like Lindsay Lohan who is famous for who her friends are or Nicole Riche who is famous for her years of struggle with drugs, poor choice of friends/relationships, and a history of eating disorders. These women make millions of dollars every year and the only thing that they truly represent is gluttony.
The number of Angelina Jolie could be considered a positive and negative image at the same time. The two seem mutually exclusive but she certainly has both traits. She has a history of bad decisions and is a focus in many tabloids. But she also is a world wide philanthropist who has helped starving children and people in destitute situations around the planet. She has even adopted two underprivileged third world children.

Posted by Jessica Schrinsky at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of my favorite characters on television is Miss Lisa Simpson. I'm sure alot of you would agree. Not only is she a vegetarian but in her own eight year old way, a feminist! Case in point, I found a quote by "her" from the Simpson's. "Relax? I can't relax! Nor can I yield, relent, or . . . Only two synonyms? Oh my God, I'm losing my perspicacity!" I had to look up the word, Perspicacity. It means, 'keen vision'.

Another, what I feel is a positive, female character in the media is writer and comedian, Margaret Cho. It is said of her that she is " . . . one of the most controversial, political and liberally feminist comedians of our time." In her own words as it pertains to her own work, "It's a way to experience and almost metabolize power and have it take the form of glamour and fashion." .

From what I've been reading and seeing on our blog, there are plenty of negative images of women throughout the media. Instead I decided to take a different route and share what a watch group had to say about the portrayal of women in the media.
At they identified five areas that were consistant in reinforcing our societies view of women as less then, and unequal to men.
1/ Superiority -- That men are superior to women.
2/ Dismemberment -- Women are seen by their body parts, as opposed to their emotion or intellect.
3/ Clowning -- That women are dumb and childlike.
4/ Canting -- Women's posture is demure, submissive, expressing insecurity.
5/ Dominance / Violence -- The idea that women must be kept under control in sometimes brutal and subversive ways that are often sexualized.

~Ardis

Posted by Ardis Houle at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Negative

1. The Victoria's Secret ads for their P!nk Collection. This line of loungewear, pjs, and underwear looks to be aimed at teenagers, with the cutesy sayings and flashy colors, not to mention most of the models for this line don't look much older than 18.

I am convinced "pink" is referring to female genitalia, based on the sexual innuendo on some of the products. I remember being shocked by one of the sayings awhile ago, but of course can’t remember or find it now. I think they have since toned it down a bit, but here are a few examples from a recent catalog: "Love Pink", "True Pink Love", "Pink Royalty", "All I want is you", "I love kissing" (the latter two on panties). Another saying on panties was "you’re so forward", which implies that the girl wearing these panties is completely passive, and willing to go along with whatever her "forward" partner wants to do with her.

You could certainly argue with me that this is tame, Pink doesn’t necessarily refer to genitalia, and these products are aimed at college-aged girls. But you know that high school girls are going to be just as interested. And if an adult woman wants to flaunt her genitalia through innuendo on her clothes, go right ahead. Where I have the problem with it is when teenagers are doing it and not realizing what they may be implying. That is, that they are sexually available and they don’t know what it means.

I don't know whether this is the same thing that happens every generation, when the one that came before it can't believe what "kids these days" are wearing, or if the innuendo crosses a new line.

2. All of Hollywood seems to have come down with anorexia in the last few years. A few names that come to mind: Mary-Kate Olson, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie.... I know there are many more. I am not blaming the individual women for having eating disorders, as no one with this disease has exactly chosen it. These women are just the byproduct of an appetite the media has developed for thinness, and also to some extent, eating disorders. Magazines are always speculating about who might have an eating disorder. Eating disorders sell magazines and Hollywood gossip shows. This only inflates the problem by giving more media real estate to emaciated women. The more images of this we are exposed to, the less shocking and more normative the image of emaciation becomes.

Positive

1. The band Le Tigre/frontwoman Kathleen Hannah. A fantastic role model for girls. She brings feminism back into style through punk rock. In her music she confronts issues affecting women today. Her words attack problematic societal conventions yet make the listener feel like a part of a revolution. Altogether, the music has the combined appeal of humor, intelligence, contemporary issues, cutting edge music, and great style. You should check out their website at www.letigreworld.com.

2. Kate Winslet has always been known for having a body type that doesn't follow the trend of wispy waif that seems so in-style today. She is more voluptuous, and I would say more sexy. Her prominence in many big movies helps counter some of the media real estate that skinny women take up. It’s ironic that the smaller a woman is, the more space she gets to take up in magazines.

Posted by Melia McCubbin at 8:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As a psychology major with a particular interest in eating disorders, I often ask myself, why does the media show such negative images of women? If the images, shows, dolls, movies, fashion portrayed real life people we surely would see an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in eating disorders. But our relationship with the mainstream media is give and take. The media tells you what to think, what you should read, how you should look, and what you should care about and we, as the consumer, buy it. Please applaud the media for the growing popularity of cosmetic plastic surgery. For example TV shows such as the Ugly Duckling and Dr. 90210. . The media is teaching us that these "problem areas," which is code for areas of personal insecurity, can be instantly fixed or changed (that isn't to say that all plastic surgery falls under the category of superficial). It scares me to think that I might have to recite the phrase, "Well if she jumped off a bridge would you?" when I'm trying to convince my 12 year old daughter that it is unnecessary to get breast augmentation. What if society changed what was deemed as beautiful? What if Paris Hilton, (a rich, stuck up, dumb blonde and apparently a person that little girls want to grow up to be like), Jessica Simpson (same as Paris with a dabble of sweetness and a handful of ignorance), Brittany Spears (the media's girl next door turned sex appeal) Anna Nicole Smith, Pamela Anderson, Jennie McCarthy (names we know because of their breasts and body), Brittany Murphy, Hilary Duff, Nicole Richie (three girls that are media targets because of drastic weight loss) what if these women didn't spend 2-3 hours everyday in our homes. Would children start looking up to their parents as a positive image/role model? Why is the impossible image - 5ft 11 inch and 120 pounds- something that impressionable minds (for females both young and old) work so hard to obtain. The new slogans on how to look like a Model....
If you want to look like a model, Get On a Treadmill and Try to Run To The Closest City Near YOU!

ITS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN and yet some people will die trying.
For the positive images of women in the mainstream media, I don't believe I have anything to give. I have seen so many people fall victim to trying to achieve a status, a look, popularity by attempting to become a mirror image of Hollywood that I, myself, have become so consumed in the negative that my eyes refuse to find the positive. Even if someone like Opera or Ellen are positive images of women, media is still that evil shadow that lurks behind these admirable people waiting for any opportunity to demonize, humiliate, and bully them.
I think that most of the positive people/images in the media mainstream are not in the mainstream at all. Everyone is so infatuated with the Paris Hilton's of the world, that people with real kindness and generosity get overlooked and cast aside (and yet I will point out my own hypocrisy as I am pointing out through out this blog all the negative people and failing at the task of finding the positive images/people).

Posted by Jennifer Loftus at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The for-profit media

Mainstream media is of course controlled by the powers that be and never fails to promote the agenda of the elite class. Much to our detriment, mainstream media of course reiterates hierarchy in all of it’s constructs and of course promotes the continued oppression of marginalized parts of society, including women.

The poster girls for objectification in music

There are innumerable examples of negative images of women in mainstream media. So it was hard to just pick two examples. Nonetheless, the first example illuminates my rational behind avoiding mainstream media. Other students have pointed these women out already but I really am disgusted by the pop princesses. We are all too familiar with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Hillary Duff, and that whole crew of girls. It is so hard for me to separate their homogenous music from one “artist� to another and even harder to distinguish their videos and appearance. Blonde, white, youthful, and scantily-clad these women are in constant video/radio rotation each day. Why am I disgusted? Well there’s that whole idea of “choreography� they have that seems to equate to booty shorts, pelvic thrusts and singing meaningless songs (usually related to finding a man or how to get a man or whatever,) but then of course most of them do not write their own songs or play instruments. I guess the goal of their “art� is to promote the further objectification of women since they are basically selling their bodies and not music. And of course they all play the stereotype of the “stupid pretty girl� who really can’t tell tuna from chicken and of course never have anything remotely intelligent to say or even sing. This way I guess we can all remember the fact that women apparently only exist to look pretty and turn men on. Talent and intelligence seem to have taken a back seat with these ladies.

The “stupid� rich girls

These girls have been cited prior as well but I just can not help but add to the commentary. People like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie disgust me because they are people who were born into wealth and then proceeded to do nothing remotely philanthropic with their endless wealth…in fact, they just proceeded to do nothing at all. Okay so there was that show, “the simple life,� first off let’s stereotype rural people and really illuminate the class distinctions while glorifying the rich girl party life. And then oh yeah let’s watch how incredibly moronic these two women are and then think about the fact that they are celebrities solely because they were born into wealth. Ah, how incredibly prefect for a society with a rigid social structure that glorifies wealth and anyone who has it. They had no sense of what work is. This is also great for young girls to watch. The right to work and be self-sufficient is something that our feminist predeccessors fought long and hard for…in fact many women are still fighting and here we have two women to whom the ideal of actually doing anything aside from primping is a completely foreign concept. And then of course there is the Hilton porn video. Enough said. Well maybe she can act. To add to the horror, they are both dangerously thin promoting the twiggy-like body image for women.

And now for the positive

Peaches: blurring gender one album cover at a time

I am considering her mainstream because she collaborated with pink on a top 40 album, “try this,� and her music has been featured in plenty of mainstream films. She is probably a really controversial pick but I think she is wonderful. My first reason is that by being the only transsexual figure in music I can think of right now. Merely existing in the music scene is a step towards a more transpositive society and obviously a step towards the termination of gender or at least rigid notions of gender and categorization. Beyond that, her music is mostly concerned with sex. Songs like “fuck the pain away,� don’t exactly seem all that progressive at face value but really when you take a deeper look at the restraints of society imposed upon women’s sexuality…she is pretty cool. She was an elementary school teacher and librarian (and this was post-op) and later began to produce her own music and write songs. Even in our society today, 2006, women are still not always permitted the comfort to openly engage in sexual discourse. Even though parading in front of a camera close to naked while shaking some booty is totally acceptable. Self-love for women is not discussed or even viewed as ‘normal’ by the whole of society while male self-pleasure is no less than expected. And peaches of course sings plenty of songs glorifiying masturbation. Women who can blur gender lines in any way and promote self-satisfication in terms of sex help to retract from the puritan
embedded ideal that all sexual activity is in attempt for reproduction, thus
threatening the archaic beliefs that are still residual on some level in our
society today. All forms of oppression are linked and the
traditional repression of female’s sexuality is linked invariably with our
struggle for equality in general. She goes for shock value frequently but her lyrics and appearance continuously blur gender lines. She appeared on the cover of her album “fatherfucker� in a full beard and commented
“Why do we call our mothers motherfuckers? Why do we stub our toe and say, "Aww motherfucker!"? What is motherfucker? ... We use it in our everyday language, and it's such an insanely intense word. I'm not one to shy away from these obscene terms that we actually have in our mainstream. Motherfucker is a very mainstream word. But if we're going to use motherfucker, why don't we use fatherfucker? I'm just trying to be even.�

Kathleen Hanna: THE Riot GRRRRl

Kathleen Hanna was the lead singer of the early 90s band “bikini kill.� She also did some solo work under the alias “Julie ruin,� and is now in an electro feminist band “le tigre.� The most recognized of her musical endeavors is of course “Bikini Kill.� “Nirvana� shared their record label “kill rock stars,� in its birth. The riot grrrl movement (created in part by Hanna) focalized on a do-it-yourself ethic and produced all-female bands and feminist music festivals, group gatherings, and independent publications all fostering feminist ideals. And of course all of her music has a very clear and present feminist agenda. With Le Tigre she actually decided to switch from the indie label “Mr. Lady records� to Universal records in attempts to promote their message of empowerment for women and the marginalized. I guess since this is a very long blog I will end this with a Kathleen Hanna quote to sum it all up:
“What (some) bands do is go, 'It's not important that I'm a girl, it's just important that I want to rock.' And that's cool. But that's more of an assimilationist thing. It's like the 'just want to be allowed to join the world as it is'; whereas I'm more into revolution and radicalism and changing the whole structure. What I'm into is making the world different for me to live in.�

Posted by Nitali Tagger at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Maybe its my Libra nature coming out but trying to choose two images of both positive and negative of women in the media turned out to be harder than I thought. I found that no matter who I chose, except Brittney Spears but more on her later,I could use them for both sides. I believe that this is a problem for me because the medium in which that are portrayed. The media is a tool of our social structure and being that it is inherently as anti-women as the institutions it serves. The only women that are portrayed in a positive like are those who fall in line with what the given ideals of how a woman should be. For example, and I am going to get a lot of grief for this, the first person I want to use for a negative image of women in the media was Oprah. Yes she does do some amazing charitable acts, but she is to me like those women magazines, her would fall into this as well, that proclaim to what to make women feel good about themselves but ultimately do just the opposite. They make people feel inadequate so as to sell them crap that is meant to take away that feeling of inadequacy. She never does anything that would actually change the social ills that she addresses. She is very much apart of and profiting from the system that needs the status quo to stay the same. There is no way that she could be in the position she is in and critique or change the system too much.In fact her being her reinforces our political system of corporate-capitalism's image of the American dream that allows for it to exist in the way that it does. We need the pull your self up by you boot-straps poor black woman who made it big to uphold as the example that individuals have the power to make it. All it takes is drive, right? This helps hide the reality that this is a oppressive and exploitive system that is institutionalized that is profiting hugely from the way things are.
What about negative images of women?The person that first came to mind for a negative image of women in the media was Brittney Spears. She is every thing that is easy to hate in our supposed role models. She crude and tragic. It that tragedy that wins out for me. This girl is just another example of a young woman you is exploited by an industry that consumes people for profit. She never had a chance to develop the morals and values that we want our positive role models to have. Another creepy level of this is that arguably the worst segment of a very misogynistic industry is making mad money on the spectacle that is a real person's life. The other problem with negative images in the media is we are using their portrayal of these women and I just can not trust the validity of this again going back to my point that the media is misogynistic.

Posted by Rachel Dow at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

To limit my selection of images, I decided to choose musicians because images of them are easily accessible and because they have such influence on media. I searched www.youtube.com for all of these videos, and it's free to watch, so do go to the site and 'search' these videos, because I'm afraid I'm not blog-savvy enough to post them directly!

Positive: Ani DiFranco! I watched the video which was from VH1 for "Little Plastic Castle." Ani DiFranco is a fantastic role model through her talent in writing and performing, business success and activism, just to name a few! I think what makes this clip fantastic is simply in the way she's DOing performance -- there is not the glitz and glamour, or, goodness, the gyration. Note her presentation of her body, as well as those of her band members. Also, the words of this song correspond to the topic of media hype, and everyday.
Positive: Pink. I don't know too much about her as an individual, but I have seen videos and heard lyrics of hers which challenge pop cultured women's norms as well as the media. I love her music video for "Stupid Girls" because it satires other women's roles in music videos. Also, I think the words of this song (as well as the images) really correlate with feminist issues (Pink Think, women in politics, cosmetic surgery), and the images especially, if only in shock value, say something borderline radical. I literally laughed out loud when I watched this video; I hope you all get a kick out of it too!
Note on negative images: watch the Pink video!! These following images were chosen especially because of Pink's satirical video -- you'll see why.
Negative: Women in 50 Cent music videos. A line in "Stupid Girls" goes something like, ' what happened to the dream of a girl president/ she's dancing in a video next to 50 cent.' After doing a little YouTube research, I sadly found that yes, women in 50 Cent videos are for show or gyrating. There's zero intellect value of women, and in one video I saw a woman seeming human for the moment for her emotional capacity, that is, her emotional capacity of comforting him. Any 50 Cent music video will do, or specifically "Candy Shop," which you'll actually need a log in to watch due to material inappropriate for under 18s. (Hmm.)
Negative: I picked Jessica Simpson's "These Boots Were Made For Walking" cover for my second negative image. There are hardly words to describe this...video. Maybe it's the horrendous realization that Barbie DOES exist in physical human form, maybe it's the grinding and pole-dancing moves she 'performs' as a "waitress" in a common southern "tavern," or maybe it's the "square dancing" which makes this as wretched as it is. But probably, it's the car-washing skit, which coincidentally is hilariously satired in Pink's "Stupid Girls." It's difficult to see a woman present herself in this way, with a smile on her face, especially compared with the presentation of, say, Ani DiFranco. I really wonder who wields the power in Jessica Simpson's career.

Posted by Emma Furness at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As I kind of have looked over what everyone is saying about positive and negative role models and representations of women in the media I find myself agreeing with the general consensus on the lack of more positive than negative role models for girls today. The interesting thing I found, however, is that I tended to think of women than exemplified the positive before the negative. While I do agree that it seems that positive female representations are fewer are futher between the negatives, I do find it very important to even nothing other than a person's state of mental health to focus on those positives and try to perpetuate them. That said, these are my choices for postives and negatives:

Positive Woman 1. Oprah. Not only is she extremely successful and motivational in her public struggle with weight and body image, she is also an amazing philanthropist, dedicated to making differences in the lives of others. In the January 15th edition of People magazine, there was an article about how she had just donated $40 million to increasing education for girls in South Africa. She is constantly aware of the need for aid, both physically and mentally, and provides it to those most in need.

Positive Woman 2. Tyra Banks. While she is a member of the fashion industry and the industry in and of itself develops a host of negative imagry, Tyra seems to have her head on straight. She is intelligent and compassionate. She started a summer camp for girls and frequently makes visits to the camp. She is also an advocate for diminishing/destroying the image of the "catty woman." There was one episode of her talk show where she interviewed one of the contestants of America's Next Top Model and told her that she was perpetuating the image of the "catty woman" by some of her actions on ANTM and that it was unacceptable. She offers a positive image through her intelligence and dedication to improving the lives of girls.

Negative Woman 1. The Hysteric. Women seem to be portrayed (especially in television comedies) as this hysterical, crazy, dizy, rediculous creatures that cannot control their own actions. They are overtly suspicious of their boyfriends and if they are single, are in constant persute of a boyfriend so that they may become suspicious of his actions. While women can be emotional (I know I am at times...ahem ahem) more often than not we are not as crazy as we seem to be portrayed as.

Negative Woman 2. The Bitch. It seems to me, perhaps less now than before, but if a woman has an opinion, especially if she is educated in her opinion, she is a bitch. Education somehow equates to bitchiness. This bitchiness is not limited just to having an opinion and expressing it, but also assertivness is seen as bitchy. If a woman goes after what she wants, either personally or professionally, she must be a bitch. Why? What is wrong with an intelligent, assertive woman? Is it because she's a threat? It is sad that these qualities in men are viewed as assets but in women translate to inherent bitchiness.

Posted by Snow-flakey at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Positive Female Role Models

Hilary Clinton- represents, in my opinion a positive image for women in the media and especially in politics. She supported her husbands political career while he was in office and is now taking time to concentrate on her own political agenda and if I’m not mistaken has expressed interest in running for president.

Angelina Jolie- is doing an excellent job demonstrating for her fans and the media a positive image in society as a UN Ambassador and by taking an active position in charities that help underdeveloped countries. Angelina makes sure that people know her for her charitable causes and goodwill to others as well as an actress. Her adoption of 2 children from impoverished countries also makes her a positive role model.

Negative Female Role Models

Paris Hilton- she may very well be a good person and work very hard, however I do believe that she represents a negative image of women in the media, because she doesn’t seem to think about how the things that she does may affect her fans and admirers. Many young girls look up to Paris because she is pretty and famous, but her involvement in shows that make her appear dumb and senseless may give her young fans the idea that that is how women are supposed to behave

Kate Moss- is another female in the media that I think represents a poor image of women; she has had a lot of press coverage over her drug habits and has lost modeling jobs as a result of it. She has also defined a kind of sickly skinny models called the waif, and her unhealthy body image may affect young girls that aspire to be models. The fact that she also has a child that may have been exposed to her lifestyle is also a poor representation for women.

Posted by Brianna Green at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Positive #1: Ellen Degeneres. She came out on national tv in the 90's, and now has a successful daytime talk show that makes millions of Americans giggle like children. What's not to love? She's an awesome role model for gay and straight women alike, and her perseverance throughout the years (especially after her "Yep, I'm Gay" Time Magazine cover - quite controversial) is inspiring.

Here is Ellen on the phone with Gladys, on live tv:

Positive #2: Ilene Chaiken. She created The L Word, giving gay women the representation on national television that straight women have had for decades. Again, what's not to love? We may disagree with her about storyline and casting decisions, but really, we wouldn't even have the show without her.

Here's a link to Ilene's L Word blog:

http://www.ourchart.com/come_on_ilene

Negative image #1: Michele Bachmann. In 2004, she attempted to convince us that gay marriage in the state of MN would lead to bestiality and other likely scenarios. She's now part of the Minnesota Senate, and apparently wants to bring her anti-everything-non-Christian agenda to Washington.

Here is Michele suggesting we use nuclear weapons on Iran:

Negative #2: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Holocaust-victim skinny, billionaires with the motivation only to drink gallons of Starbucks and traipse around NYC wearing oversized sunglasses....come on now. With that much money at your disposal, wouldn't you find something better to do? I mean, has anyone seen them do anything useful in the last 10 years? What a waste of a couple of good billionaires.

Here are Mary-Kate and Ashley doing nothing:

http://offtherack.people.com/2006/11/olsen_hair.html

Posted by kaylen_culotta at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There is one women who comes to mind as a powerful, positive image for women everywere. She's big, she's she's beautiful, she's Aretha Franklin. Generations young and old can belt out her mantra of respect. Her influence in soul music and in pop are remarkable. Though older than most figures in the forefront of today's pop-culture consumer, her impact is still felt.
A new-comer to the music scene is the British pop-star Lily Allen. When asked in Bust Magazine if she considers herself a feminist she states, "...I feel like its important to stand up for women, their rights, and the way they're perceived by the media. I feel kind of a responsibility to young girls, because I feel like it's hideous the way they are treated" She continues in the article to acknowledge the double standard that still exists if one is an outspoken female artist in the music industry.

My first example of a negative image of women in today's culture is actually an article. In the January 18th issue of The New York Times, there was an article titled, "Speaking Chic to Power." This article goes on to critique the women of politics not because of what they say in Congress, but what they wear. Nancy Pelosi is bringing a sense of style with her to her new position as Speaker of the House, the first woman to ever hold this position. Why must female politicians hire image consultants and invest in a new look in order to gain attention and, as led to believe, be more successful? I haven't heard anything recently about what cufflinks are being worn by Senator McCain or who designs President Bush's suits.
Finally, back to pop culture icons. Jessica Simpson started out her career as the daughter of a preacher and virgin saving herself for marriage. However, over the years we have seen her innocent image shattered, succumbing to the exotic dance moves and barely there clothing that other pop-princesses were known for. Couple this with her dumb blonde routine and here's a woman it appears can't tell the difference between chicken and tuna. Whether she plays off this stupidity and rakes in the money for doing so, or really is this naive, does it really matter? Her persona is already being forced upon young girls who will see what's still valued by the mainstream; "beautiful," blonde, blue-eyed vapid women only be looked at, not taken seriously.

Posted by Rachel Anderson at 1:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The first positive image of a woman that comes to mind is Oprah. She has come from basically nothing, to having everything, and sharing her everything with the less fortunate. She gives so much back to the poor communities of this world, not just this country. Because she has firsthand experiences with living on the opposite side of the spectrum, she has not forgotten what its like and does a whole lot to help out. She has given so much to the victims of Katrina, and with the opening of the school for young girls in Africa, she is helping out all over the world. She is a genuinely caring, loving person, that uses her popularity and celeb status for the good, not for the bad.
The second positive image of a woman in mainstream media is the singer Pink. She sings about females not letting anyone or anything decide their fate or goals in life. Through her songs, women are given inspiration and encouragement to achieve all they want in life. There are no restrictions as to what women can do. Pink, herself, has not turned her back on what she thinks, believes, feels, or sings about, to give into what is more "popular." She loves who she is and is not going to apologize for that. She is comfortable with herself and thats what makes her a positive image.
A negative image in the media is Paris Hilton. Her family is considered to be highclass, but she is one, if not the most, trashiest, disgusting, classless woman in pop culture. She is a definite embarrassment to her family and their name in the hotel chain. Young girls have her to look-up to? Her drunken late night partying, her use of dirty language, her careless attitude about everything, and now her getting arrested for drinking and driving? This is no role model for anyone, let alone impressionable young girls who think that Paris Hilton is great.
The second negative image, just about tied with Paris, is Britney Spears. Especially lately, she has been out of control crazy partying. She was said to have passed out at a New Years party from drinking too much, the papparazzi has caught her with lacking clothing, she was hanging out with Paris Hilton a whole lot right after her announcement to divorce her husband. She is, well, was, basically a sex symbol and because in this society sex sells, she was able to find her way to fame through her physical appearance. She is telling girls that in order to get what you want, use your body and you will get it. She has only negative publicity and is continuing her downward spiral to accomplishing just that.

Posted by Kristen Kramer at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Negative image #1: The Barbie
Barbie was one of my favorite toys growing up as a child. I loved to play with all the cool clothes, and the cars. Barbie had everything! They even made Vet Barbie's to help us girls believe we didn't just have to be stay at home moms, how exciting, until I started to grow up. That's when it really hit me...Barbie and all her friends had perfect hourglass figures. Barbie is a great toy, I won't deny that, it was always fun to play with. But once girls hit that age where looks start to matter...sure we're told that we don't have to look that way or dress that way, but how can girls not feel like they need to look like that? We grow up playing with these dolls, pretty much being indirectly told that they are the way women should look. They give this standard that can't be reached, a standard that only adds onto the rest of the perfect bodies thrown at us in movies, T.V., and music.

Negative image #2: Paris Hilton
We all remember the sex tapes, and how she used to walk aroudn town wearing things that could just barely count as clothes. That Paris was a horrible image for girls to look up to. Stick thin, tan, blonde, and not very bright, living off of daddy's money. What a great thing to want to become. Even with all those girls looking up to her, she continued to be this horrible stereotype of a woman. She went out to parties all the time, she never even hinted to any type of education, and she had no respect for herself at all. She's cleaned up a bit now, she actually wears clothes and on her reality show(I'll admit I've caught an episode or two) she at least tries to be a good person and not destroy everything. She's at least trying to make herself better and we do have to give props for that, but she's still not the role model I would want for my daughters.

Positive image #1: Christina Aguilera
I think she gives a very good image, she went from a teen music star to a music skank to a true artist. Christina has become a really beautiful woman. She wears make-up, but not in amounts that make you wonder what her real face looks like. She dresses very nicely, but still manages to be sexy and chic. She doesn't just write music to dance around and look good, she writes from the heart. She writes about pain and happiness that she's felt and she sings with emotion. She has a gift in her voice and she uses it. She keeps herself in good shape, but she's not a stick. She gives off the idea of "do what you want in life, do what makes you happy." She also shows girls that just because you were once seen in a bad way, doesn't mean you can't change.

Positive image #2: 'Izzie' Stevens
Okay...I know she's technically not a real person...but I figured with her back story she counts as a good image. Izzie is a doctor, not just a doctor, a surgeon. She's beautiful, she modeled her way through med school. She's pretty much amazing. She's a positive image because she breaks the mold of the dumb blonde model. She's smart and has a great job. People spend so much time telling us that you don't have to be pretty and thin to be smart to be successful, but I think some people forget that you can also be pretty and thin and smart. So many people stereotype women by how they look, even other women, if not especially other women. I have had so many of my, 'average' friends look at my 'supermodel' friends and complain about how stupid and bitchy all the 'pretty girls' are. It really sucks because I know that's not true. So many people expect the really pretty and thin girls to be dumb and ugly on the inside, its not fair because a lot of them aren't. I just feel that Izzie represents success for women on all levels

Posted by Meagan Sogge at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The course packets are now available at Paradigm Copies in the Dinkydome.

Posted by Sara at 9:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Negative Images of Women
(1) Reality shows such as “The Bachelor,� in which attractive and intelligent young women compete against each other in order to be chosen by the single, desirable and─hopefully─financially well-to-do man. The women usually are at their most docile and feminine around the “prize,� but become scheming and catty as they plot to undermine the other contestants.

(2) Sorry, but I just can’t get my arms around all of this breast cancer pink merchandise. Pink visors, pink shirts, pink socks, pink pins, even pink M&Ms. Why is the color pink associated with breast cancer awareness considering it’s a disease men are susceptible to as well?

These may be petty, but I just can’t resist the opportunity to gripe. Have you ever watched a television commercial for toilet bowl cleaners in which a MAN was wielding the brush? Is that because toilet bowl cleaning is exclusively women’s work? Does the same go for polishing furniture or mopping floors? Just once I’d like to watch a commercial in which a man is cleaning the floor after the dog has left muddy prints all over it.

Positive Images of Women
(1) I’m a big fan of Katie Couric, and when she decided to take the evening news anchor position I thought it was a gutsy move even though other women had gone before her with limited success. I have always found her to be articulate, straightforward and intelligent. Although it’s too early to assess whether or not it was a wise decision on her part, I applaud her for having the courage to make the move.

(2) I’m old enough to remember when Walter Mondale chose Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate in the 1984 presidential election. Ronald Reagan won by a landslide, but the emphasis in the election was largely on the novelty of the female Vice Presidential candidate. There was much speculation as to her capability to serve as President should Walter Mondale be unable to complete his term, and there were plenty of “hormone� jokes made at her expense, too.

Almost a quarter of a century later, Hillary Clinton has announced that she hopes to be the Democratic choice in the 2008 election. Only time will tell if this country is ready to accept a female Commander in Chief, but I’m looking forward to contrasting the two elections to see how far we’ve come since 1984.

Posted by Ruth Dickson at 8:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

In today's mainstream media women are degraded to the lowest degree possible. Media often portrays negative images of what women should look like, how they should dress and how they should speak. In cycle 5 of America's Next Top Model (ANTM) Danielle Evans, a 20-year-old baby sitter from Little Rock, Arkansas spoke with a Southern accent and during judging she was constantly criticized about the way she said things. Her Southern accent was not what helped her win, her glamorous photos, passion for modeling and her unique personality made it possible for her to be announced America's Next Top Model. Can it be possible for women to be portrayed in a positive way in mainstream media. Two images that portray positive images of women is of Oprah starting the school for less fortune girls in Africa and the other image is Angelina Jolie and singer Madonna adopting. More wealthy women should give back to the less fortune if its just donating money or through adoption. Also, my cousin is a dancer in Lupe Fiasco's video "I Gotcha" and our family was worried about her being in a rap video because of how the women dress and dance, but fortunately all of the women in the video was fully clothed. If more rap artist and video directors have dancers in appropriate clothing then maybe female viewers will stop feeling obligated to wear clothes that expose our bodies in non-conservative ways.
The negative image of women that has bothered me the most lately is the way African American women (famous) mostly have Korean, Indiana and etc. hair extensions added to their hair to make it look longer. I am starting to understand now that it is easier to style long hair than short since I recently cut my hair and its hard to style sometimes. I don't understand the big booty image either why would I want the worlds biggest booty, so men can look at me, whistle and honk their horns as I walk pass. I can do without the extra attention. We as women need to understand that the way we are makes each one of us unique and the styles of women in media are often depicted by what men think of women.
This is the "I Gotcha" video by Lupe Fiasco my cousin is dark skinned and she has on a white top with red sleeves. Check it out when you have time. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtGPd6Z4_UI

Posted by Diamond Smith at 7:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There are so many women in the media today that have positive and negative influences on our society today. Girls, teens, young adults, and women all look up to women in the media, I know I do. The first person I thought of for a positive influence was Oprah Winfrey. Oprah rose above her bad childhood to become a successful woman. Oprah has used her own earnings to help those in need. She has lots of organizations, charities, and events that she works on for the benefit of others. Oprah is one of the most influencial women of today, and more celebrities should be like her. Another woman who is a positive influence is Tyra Banks. Tyra was a supermodel, adn has since created two television programs. She created America's Next Top Model and The Tyra Banks Show. Tyra has always been a woman who has encouraged women to be happy with their bodies, telling women that you don't have to be thin to be beautiful. She also promotes and supports good causes that help people and makes people aware of issues.
There were many women in media today that could be negative images in media today. The firs person I am going to focus on is Nicole Richie. Nicole is the daughter of Lionel Richie, the famous singer. She was adopted and raised in Beverly Hills. Since Nicole has become a celebrity, she has changed. Nicole is driving around drunk, using a lot of profanity, and has shown problems with an eating disorder. These are negative things that can have a bad influence on young women who want to be just like her. I think she is trying to clean up her act, which would be good for her image and her fans. Another person i think is a negative person in media is Britney Spears. Britney was our Pop Priincess for a number of years. After she turned 21 she changed dramatically. She goes around wearing barely there clothing without undergarments, she is on tv a lot drinking, and smoking. She also has two children and Mother's shoudl not go out every night of the week drinking and partying. Also, Britney recently got a divorce and is now running around town with other guys. I don't think that is quite appropriate right after a public divorce. She has many young fans and she is not being a good role model for them.

Posted by Jennifer Matthews at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For me there are so many levels of positively and negatively portrayed images of women in mainstream media, whether it be in regards to body image, social status, gender roles etc. I've come to realize that women are, more or less, sexual propaganda to attract an audience, even if the product/program has nothing to do with women or sex. The images I feel that best fit into that category and are most detrimental to women are: Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears. The reality of it is that these two celebrities are no longer people, but merely images being molded by a sub-culture of inhumane expectations. Jessica Simpson made millions and millions of dollars for acting like a complete moron week after week. I think most people would agree that she is not as stupid as she has been told to appear. What kind of message does that send to any woman, but even more importantly young women? You're only as good as you look? Simpson even got a contract with "Chicken of the Sea" tuna fish for her complete failure to grasp the concept behind it, and I just think it's incredible she is endorsing a product and she doesn't even know what it is. The sad thing is that we all have our moments of stupidity; hers are just being cut and edited so it appears as though her life is one big moment of inept behavior. Britney Spears on the other hand is one publicity stunt after another, from a teeny bopper role model, to a divorced mother of two; she has successfully spanned the spectrum of identities. The problem being that little girls want to be just like Britney, regardless of her false claims of abstinence and lack of taste and integrity. To know that you are a supposed idol and small children everywhere and still dress and act the way she does is, in my opinion, a complete lack of respect for the power she could have done something positive with. I guess that leads me to my positive influences in mainstream media, those being Angelina Jolie and India Arie. I understand that my Jolie choice may be a little controversial considering the time she spent in the media with Billy Bob Thornton, exploiting their sexcapades nationwide, but I do feel like she has transformed into and elegant combination of mother, provider, humanitarian, partner, etc. She uses her fame to fund and exploit third world countries struggling with hunger and disease. Her time in the media with her late husband was replaced with images of her with her two adopted children and her acceptance in the UN and participation in missionary efforts. Recently she has decided to move to New Orleans with Brad and the rest of her family. She found a clever way to use her fame to follow her to a place that really needs the attention of the media, and the world. Angelina has shown women of all ages the importance of being a person, and built a credible career and reputation. As for India Arie, she has also participated in many humanitarian efforts, mostly in Africa to fight the AIDS epidemic. Arie has also written many songs about the strength, power and beauty that all women possess regardless of their external comparisons to super models and the majority of Hollywood. She constantly reiterates the need for love of yourself and how that in turn will help you love others, her message surpasses the gap between genders which shows women that we are all one in the same. We are all people. A positive image for anyone, but I think really aimed towards females.

Posted by Erin Jensen at 5:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As stated by many previous blog entries, it is far more difficult to come up with a healthy list of positive role modles for girls/women these days. After reading through others' entries, I found myself really impressed with the answers and was kicking myself because I hadn't thought of them first.
The Good:
As cheesy as it is the character Rory Gilmore I find to be of a high positive influence. I'm not too familiar with the show but I think I have a sufficent understanding of what she represents. On one of the only episodes I've seen, she wore a t-shirt that said 'Reading is Sexy,' which is something I really agree with. She's not body obsessed or fashion driven. She is intellegent and interesting.

Another positive role model to me is Ellen DeGeneres. She's open-minded and has earned her money an honest way. Again, she's not a label pusher or bone skinny. She's a woman that is easy to look up to.

The bad:
My first negative is Madonna. I say this for many reasons but will outline one. My mother got free tickets to her show at Madison Square Garden during her 2006 tour (there's no other reason she would've gone). My mom said that she was seated next to about eight 11-year-olds, with one adult. She felt absolutely embarassed when Madonna (as old as my mother) began to girate on stage wearing a dominatrix outfit. She hit her dancers with whips and chains. The 11-year-olds responded quite excitedly. That made me ill.

My second, which has already been stated by someone else I just agree so strongly that I'm seconding it. The video ladies. I don't watch a whole lot of MTV or BET or really any music videos. But it seems that everytime I do pass one of these stations Fergie is shakin her stuff and moaning (which I guess to some people is singing...). Perhaps this is a bit judgemental, but the way she acts is so outrageously filthy. She seems used and disrespects herself while singing about her body parts in such a grotesque manner. If I had a daughter, I would be sure to let her know Fergie isn't the average woman and not one any girl or woman should idolize.

Posted by Kelsey Kehrberg at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Negative image 1. The soccer mom
I wasn't sure whether to put this under the positive or the negative image. After much thought, I figured that it was a negative image, since you reduce a human being to only having one goal in life namely, holding oneself back so as to further one’s husband and children’s well being. They make sure everybody gets out of the door fed and washed in the morning. They drive the kids around to various activities throughout the day. And by the end of the day, supper must be on the table. Now, I know that many choose this for themselves, but one cannot avoid the fact that these people are living for their family and family only. They set aside their own needs and even careers to serve their family and this seems almost acceptable in society since it is self-inflicted. However, I am quite sure that others are like this because they feel they don’t have a choice.

Negative image 2. The ditzy girl
The two main examples of this are Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson. “Is tuna chicken?� "I don't eat buffalo" "I don't know how to clean, 'cause I never had to do it myself" “Wal-Mart? Do the sell walls?� are just few of the many stupid things they have said in public. It is not to say that being ignorant is something that should be punished, however the fact that it is almost glorified is just plain wrong. These are the two of the most popular and talked about girls in the media today and for what? Yeah, they look great and yeah, they’ve made great choices in furthering their careers but other than that they don’t offer much. They do not advocate intellectual or academic values at all, which is important to do, I think, when you are a role model to little girls all over the world.

Positive image 1. Christie Hefner
Christie Hefner is the chairman and chief executive officer for Playboy Enterprises Inc. Not many would classify anyone who has anything to do with Playboy, a magazine that many consider oppressive towards women, as being a positive figure in the media. However, Christie Hefner is just that. She advocates the freedom of speech and shows great management, marketing and advertising skills. Since she took over the enterprise, it has been steadily growing and branching out in other merchandise. When her father was in charge, he managed to branch out also, but never to the extent that she has done. She managed to get Playboy TV running, establish a very profitable webpage and even run a successful clothing and lifestyle brand. Christie Hefner is a smart, able, independent and well-spoken woman who has managed herself very successfully in a male dominated sphere.

Positive image 1. Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman advocates intellectualism and has a very vast social consciousness.
Not only does she make good choices in movie roles (chooses parts that do not compromise her integrity) but she also puts her education first. She will not take a role if she thinks it will hinder her in focusing on her studies. She has done this since high school, where she maintained a 4.0 average even while she was doing a Broadway show 6 times a week. She now studies psychology at Harvard. From an early age she has done her share of advocating animal rights and has been a vegetarian since she was eight years old. She was also a member of an environmental song and dance troupe at age 12. She even neglected to smoke in front of the camera as she felt she would set a bad example for children watching her… and this was when she was only 12 years old.

Posted by Karla Noreen Navera at 4:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When we think of images of women, we tend to think of musicians, actresses, or the women we are used to seeing/hearing about in the mass media. Of course there are powerful women in literature, politics, and so forth, that create a positive and strong rearing woman image in the face of our society. However, it is easy to be distracted by what is more easily accessible, what is, in a way, "given" to us. So, given this, I am going to focus on the positive and negative images of those women in our pop culture, the pop media, the pop world, we see almost everyday.

Negatively speaking, when we think of a negative image of women, I know for me, I can easily think of plenty of women who I think are corrupting the idea of a role model for young girls. But, it is not only the women in movies or women musicians who I begin to worry about becoming the next "image" of a woman, or young woman. My first negative image of women is defenitely the women we all have gotten to know through reality tv. We all hear the names like Marissa, from The Apprentice, Lauren and Kristen from MTV's Laguna Beach, and it is those names who are beginning to become the next images of women. These women, in my opinion, are almost more dangerous than those in the movies or in music videos, because they portray a warped image of reality. There are "real" women like this in the world, and if this is how "real" women act, then maybe that is how we should act...right? I also think another negative image of women being portrayed in today's society are women like Paris Hilton, LIndsey Lohan, Nicole Richie, and I'm sure the list could go on. They are like a power house of young womenwho have this remarkable influence over a huge group of young girls. What's sad, is that these young girls see these girls in the magazines, in the Entertainment shows, music videos, movies, basically all forms of mass media, and they are influenced by what they see or hear in these various sources. I know it is typical to say negative images and think of these women, but I think they have a dangerous power over young girls growing into women, that something should be done about it.
And when there are negatives, it can be sure that there has to be some forms of positive. I think today, because of the awareness of the extreme dangers of eating disorders and self-esteem issues happening among women, there has been an increase in women stepping up to a much more positive role. Within this world of film, music, and reality tv, when I think of positive images of women, I think of women like Diane Keaton, Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, even Biance Knowles. I think these women show a kind of positive internal strength in them. A strength that portrays confidence, a confidence in their bodies, minds, and spirits. I think it is these kinds of women who shine when the camera reaches them, because they have something to say: That it is okay to be who you are, no matter shape, size, color, or whatever. It is these women who, although may be out numbered in this world of Hollywood, are conveying an important message for women all over and of all ages.

Posted by Carly Anderson at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have to agree with Jenevieve when she said that it was harder to come up with two positive images of women in the media, whereas the negative ones flooded my mind when I started thinking about this blog. So I'll start there. For negative images of women in pop culture and our society's mass media, I'm going to focus largely on the portrayal of the "damsel in distress". The "damsel" being a woman who has completely lost it, and is shown to be out of control or unstable. This is an all to common character to be portrayed by women in American movies especially, furthering the notions that women are weak and need to be taken care of. We also see this "damsel" in print ads, especially in high fashion magazines, where the model looks depressed, staring off into nothingness, seemingly void of thought.
Some examples of these women in movies are Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted, Helena Bonham Carter in Fight Club, Penelope Cruz in Blow, and Christina Ricci in Prozac Nation. The list really could go on and on. Some print ad examples would be the Prada campaigns, and countless others that really just depend on the season.
As for positive images, for some reason the first thing that came to mind for me was Gillian Anderson in X-files. Her character, Scully, struck me as a very positive model of a woman, as she was smart, capable, and an equal to her partner, Moulder.
Another positive image of women in the media would be Glamour magazine's new addition to their news section, columnist Mariane Pearl. Her monthly column is called Global Diary, in which she enlightens readers about women's problems around the world, such as child prostitution and sex touring in Cambodia, or the treatment of immigrant women in Paris. This is such a positive direction for a women's beauty and fashion magazine to go in! Because sure, we're all guilty of flipping through those magazines when we know there are more important things to worry about, and finally one magazine is making a continued effort to meet us in the middle. Its the bee's knees.

Posted by Amanda Del Rosario at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There are so many negative images of women in the mainstream media, it's difficult to choose two. It's also difficult to find two positive images.

Negative
1. The fashion industry. The beauty ideal of a size zero woman. Shows like America's Next Top Model do nothing but empower this negative image that many girls strive towards. The show pits women against each other in a competition that expects the women to not just be perfect in their physical appearances, but in every aspect of their lives.

There are so many negative images of women in the mainstream media, it's difficult to choose two. It's also difficult to find two positive images.

Negative
1. The fashion industry. The beauty ideal of a size zero woman. Shows like America's Next Top Model do nothing but empower this negative image that many girls strive towards. The show pits women against each other in a competition that expects the women to not just be perfect in their physical appearances, but in every aspect of their lives.

Fairy tales come true? Really?

2. Playboy Bunnies. Need I say more?

Positive
1. The musical artist Pink has always been a woman that I have looked up to. She doesn't worry about conforming to any type of mold and isn't afraid to speak her mind. Her latest album has a beautiful song on it called Dear Mr. President in which she asks the president to take a walk with her and basically take a look at all the destruction he has caused.

2. I'm a big fan of The Office stars Jenna Fischer and Mindy Kaling. They're both "real" looking women on network television and don't seem to be giving into the whole Hollywood hype, losing weight and transforming into the ideal of the perfect woman. Both women are also talented and hilarious. Jenna Fischer has written and directed her own film and Mindy Kaling writes for the show.

Posted by JC at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Positive Images of women in media? It seems like finding positive women in media this day in age is like finding a needle in a haystack. I've been sitting around trying to think of a really good, well-rounded character or individual in the media within the last couple of years, and I end up at a loss. Probably the last time I saw strong, independent, well-rounded women on tv was the show "Charmed." In fact, it seems that most of the positive images of women I can recall were characters of the '90s: Scully, Buffy, Willow, etc. etc. With the influx of characters like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton in this decade, I think positive female imagery has taken a downturn. Now, for negatives:

1: The spoiled rich princess who is famous for being famous: Like Miss Hilton, it seems that materialism is what is "cool" for girls. Wearing the right clothes, being seen with the right people, and acting trashy are the prescription for a successful life, apparently. It's kind of sad when one realizes that little girls might actually look up to these people.

2. Professional Wrestling: I remember seeing this ad back in November and just being floored. Women, apparently, are meant to be controlled:

Posted by Melissa Green at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Female characters in cartoons are the among the first exposure young girls have to “what it means to be a female in society�; you would think that with this, cartoon creators would aim to express better values. Take, for example, Jane Jetson from the cartoon, The Jetson’s. She is very, VERY petite, wears skimpy dresses, loves to shop, loves to nag George and the children, and she is always beautifying herself. This image portrays the stereotypical cartoon woman; what are we doing to America’s young girls?!

And, second, as a huge fan of Disney movies, I cannot help but notice how poor the Disney women portray women. Disney princesses are VERY petite, have large busts, are always being rescued by big strong men, and are more often than not spoiled rotten. Young girls strive to be their favorite Disney princess; the women of future America are growing up idolizing FAKE women – no pun intended!

When I think of a positive portrayal of women, the first thing person that comes to mind is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah is a woman that came from a poor background, had a trouble background, and worked hard for all she has. She is an example of a hard-working woman who proved that even women from disadvantaged backgrounds can achieve just as much, and even more, success than women from advantage backgrounds. Oprah is also a positive portrayal because she is a philanthropist; she donates her money to fantastic causes and strives to make the world a better place. Why more girls do not group up striving to be similar Oprah is beyond me!

Finally, positive images of women come in many forms but who could surpass women in politics. I do not follow politics as it does not interest me in the least, but our country has come a LONG way from the days of women not even being able to vote. Women in American have fought long and hard and have not only earned the right to vote, but have earned the trust and honor to represent communities in the US Government. Yes, there is a lot of dirty business in politics, but if you look at where the country has been and where it is now, female politicians are definitely positive images of women in society.

Posted by Molly Wickersham at 7:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hi all,

In order to post your entry, you must login to Uthink. When you get to Uthink, click on login in the upper lefthand corner, enter your userID and password. You will be taken to the moveabletype page where you should see a link to our class. Click on that link and then click on "new entry" in the upper lefthand corner. This should take you to a page that says: "Create New Entry". Type in your title and, under primary category, select "Required Blog #1". Finally, type in your positive and negative images in the entry body area and click on save at the bottom of the page.

If you are still having problems, here is a link from another class on how to blog.

Posted by Sara at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There are so many negative images of women in the media today, that it is hard for me to select the two worst offenders. However... I'll have a go at it.

1. The Music Video Vixen:

This title applies to any woman in a music video who appears nearly nude, heavily made up, writing to the music in any variety of sexual fantasy situations. This is commonly seen in but not limited to hip-hop music videos. This image of a highly sexualized, uninhibited woman, freely rubbing herself on a man is not only unrealistic but also very harmful to women. This image perpetuates the "bitches and hos" view of women, where women are sexual objects to be used and abused by powerful men. This also gives the impression to viewers that if one acts in ways similar to that of the video vixen, life becomes a barrage of swimming pools filled with champagne and Bentleys on parade.

2. PARIS HILTON:

I don't believe there has ever been a less intellegent, more self-destructive, startlingly famous person who literally has no talent of any sort beyond mugging for the paparazzi. Paris freely flaunts herself in the media as a party girl, and has been photographed and videotaped in a variety of compromising situations. She is famous simply for the reason that she can say "that's hot", and the fact that she is by Hollywood standards, quite beautiful. Sadly, she has become a rolemodel for girls and women who aspire to live that sort of lifestyle. She has made playing the dumb blonde party girl status for women to aspire to. She's a complete train wreck, and no woman or girl should be attempting to "be like Paris".

Lucky for us, there are a few women out there in the media that are positive role models for women.

1. Oprah:
Although sometimes I think Oprah can be annoying with her endless attempts to "fix" people's lives and give advice she has no business giving, (example: she has been known to give marriage and parenting advice, not having ever been married or had a child) however she is a woman who grew up in poverty and faced adversity throughout her carreer only to rise to become one of the richest women in the world. She has made a career of trying to help people live better lives, and many women in this country and others look up to Oprah as a role-model, sort of like that best girlfriend who always knows what to do in any situtation. She is extremely philanthropic, most recently comitting 40 million dollars plus of her own money to build and fund a girls leadership academy in Africa. She is a women with great power, who uses her status to help build the lives of others.

2. Jennifer Hudson:

After American Idol and her recent award winning performance in "Dream Girls", Chicago native Jennifer Hudson gave hope to women every where who are sick of the "pin-thin" trend in Hollywood. She is a rare talent, both vocally an in acting, and she proves that you don't have to starve yourself to fit an unrealistic standard of beauty in order to be successful.

Posted by Nicole Balistreri at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

To start with the positives- I think that the Dove campaign within our culture is amazing for an ad in the cosmetic industry. While the women are undeniably models, they still present a diversity that is uncommon. The only negative thought I have on it, is the sexualization of the women in their underwear, and their positions amongst each other.

The next positive example that I propose is Angelina Joli, who has certainly turned things around since her wilder days. She has become much more modest as a mommy and now holds a more private life.
My two negatives are Britney Spears, and Lindsay Lohan. Spears, who began her career innocent and "virginal" has always held some element of sexuality that is inappropriate for being a role model. Now you see her face all over the covers of tabloids in drug scandals, and scandalous clothing situations.
I find it interesting that Lohan has the title role in "Mean Girls", and within the film, shows great intentions for setting an example for young women and girls. It is funny how her true life is so contradictory - cat fights with Paris Hilton, heavy materialism, lots of partying though she is underage, and not to mention her struggle with weight. It is disappointing that she can be cast in such a positive role on screen, but in real life, she seems to be most definitely a "mean girl".

Posted by Anna Scallon at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Personally, I define a negative influence on women as something or someone that is a bad role model.
( I guess most people do...)

1.Anna Nicole Smith

where do we start with her? I don't even know. She lost weight and now she has a career again. ?
Here's her website for your viewing http://www.annanicole.com

2. American Apparel Ads, How I loathe thee let me show the ways...

add for underwear? porn? Hiking?



is this advertising the couch? her shirt? her socks?



this one speaks for itself... :\

In comparison, for the men's ads the men are typically clothed. At least the ones I saw...

Ok. Moving on to the Postives...

I'll admit. I like Martha Stewart. She taught me how to get candles out of their holder when the wax is all over the holder and you just don't know what to do. Thanks Martha! I used to watch her on days when I had a TV and didn't have class. She knows how to do just about everything, Martha needs no man.
The first link is an interview the second is the short wikipedia article about her, and there's something about her in BITCHfest.

http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/ste0int-1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Stewart

As far as Actresses go I pick Parker Posey. She was recently on the cover of Bust magazine and has been in a lot of Indie films. I'm pretty sure that the roles she has had in the movies are positive and she has a few new ones out.

2006-" for your consideration "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Posey

-all images found via google image search.

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong about any of these, I am a bit out of touch in terms of my pop culture.I guess too much NPR and no TV can be a bad thing...:P

Posted by Margaret Hanson at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

As I mentioned in class tonight, there are two readings for next week that are not in our books. I will put two copies on the bulletin board outside of my office FORD 453. Starting tomorrow morning, you may check them out in order to make your own copies.

The readings are:
Susan Bordo "Introduction" from Twilight Zones
Douglas Kellner "Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism and Media Culture"

Posted by Sara at 8:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dear students,

Your professor has chosen to order the textbooks for this course from Amazon
Bookstore Cooperative*. For your convenience we have rented a space in the UTEC
Building for one week, January 16th to January 19th. The UTEC building is
located on the corner of 5th St. SE and 14th Ave. SE in Dinkytown. Our room is
115D on the first floor, northeast corner of the building. Come in the front
door and you'll see the signs.

Our Dinkytown location will be open the following days:

Tues-Friday, Jan. 16 - Jan. 19

9:30am - 5:30 pm

Textbooks will also be on sale throughout the semester at our store location,
4755 Chicago Ave. S, Minneapolis, and on our website,
www.amazonbookstorecoop.com.

Directions to the store from the University:

Take 35W south to the 46th St. Exit. Go east on 46th St. to Chicago Ave. Turn
right on Chicago Ave.--we're two blocks down at 48th St. & Chicago Ave., across
the street from Turtle Bread Co.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call or email us.

Amazon Bookstore

612-821-9630

amazon@amazonbookstorecoop.com

*Who we are: Amazon Bookstore Cooperative is the oldest independent feminist
bookstore in the country and we are located right here in south Minneapolis. We
are a worker owned cooperative and as well as being a bookstore, we provide a
space for feminist thought, education, and community. For years we have been
working with faculty in the Women's Studies and several other departments who
order textbooks from us as a way

to share with students the benefits of supporting a local business and learning
about feminist history. Presently, we support the community by providing author
events; orkshops, an art gallery showcasing the works of
local artists; a free meeting space for organizations, book groups, and classes;
and by donating annually to numerous organizations and schools in our community.

Posted by Sara at 8:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Welcome to our class blog! I hope that we can use it to continue our discussions of popular culture, women and feminism. Remember your first required blog is due by Tuesday, January 23. Here is a link from another class on how to blog.

Posted by Sara at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Here is our syllabus

Posted by Sara at 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)