GWSS 3306: Popular Culture Women

For me there are so many levels of positively and negatively portrayed images of women in mainstream media, whetere 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 endorcing 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 stength, power and beauty that all women posess regardless of their external comparisions 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 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Blogs: I understand that many of you have had problems figuring out how to do blogs. Therefore, I will allow you to make up several of the blogs that you might have missed. Here are some extra blog assignments:

Due 4/3: Watch a commercial for a household cleaning product. Then describe and discuss this commercial in terms of issues raised in this class. In the commercial, who is doing the cleaning? How does this commercial reflect societal norms about what kinds of activities women are suppposed to do?

Due 4/10: Compare the two versions of The Stepford Wives. Why do you think they are different? Is one more effective? What do each of them say about the time in which they were made?

Due 4/17: Critically reflect on the movie, Nine to Five. Is it feminist? What kinds of roles for women are demonstrated in this film?

Critical Analysis: You may submit one extra critical analysis. In figuring your total grade, I will use your best 4 out of 5 analyses and drop the lowest one.

Posted by Sara at 5:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Comedy the use of humor to provoke laughter, relieves tension. Female comedians are on the rise. They are not only funny, but their comical statements and overall performance provided positive messages appealing to most women. My all time favorite female comedian, her unique blend of comedy and outspoken honesty Wanda Sykes has two of her own television shows 'Wanda at Large' and 'Wanda Does It.' Althought she rarely holds any main star roles, she is an excellent co-star. At the age of 35 she won an Emmy, and in 2001 she won the American Comedy Award for funniest female stand-up comedian. She is a proud and active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Soroity Inc. Wanda along with other greats like Whoopi Goldberg, Monique, Sommore and Adele Givens are paving the way for upcoming black female comedians.

Posted by Diamond Smith at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was also in the group that did the presentation about the Guerrilla Girls last week. I think groups like this do a great job presenting important material to people in a comedic fashion. There are so many important issues today that are not discussed enough. I think using humor is a good way in talking about subjects that might not be the topic at the dinner table.
It seems like comedy was once a male dominated trait but today more and more women are using comedy in their work. For example, Tina Fey, who worked on Mean Girls. That movie sent out a lot of messages about the horrors of high school. There were a lot of important issues discussed in the movie, yet they were discussed in a light manner where it was funny and yet you got the message.

Posted by Jennifer Matthews at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Over time many women have used comedy and their poinient sense of humor to get their foot in the door in a typically male dominated realm. Women like Lisa Lameneli, Kathy Griffin, Jeanne Girafalo all mock themselves and different female characters to try to relate to their audiences. They make jokes about women that others can either identify with or identify with a female that they know personally. It make compromise their "schtiks" being always known as the female comedian who makes fun of other women and themselves. This does not set a good example for those aspiring to succeed in this industry if they are always expected to tell a certain type of joke.
On television many female characters mock being a woman by fulfilling typical stereotypes for cheap laughs. For example characters who are vain or helpless. It is not often that you find independent women characters in comedy television who doesn't have her hangups and odd quirks. The newly popularized Sarah Silverman Show is an amazing example of a female comedian mocking herself as an airhead in a mock reality television show. This is the commonly accepted practice. This is not a useful tool if is it not being used the advantage of females to break norms. Rather many are reasserting them.There are a few famous women comedians who have avoided being notorious for not taking themselves seriously as women. Ellen Degeneres has built her comedy career based off of genuine humor that doesn't stoop to just mocking the activities of women but rather empowering them as individuals. In her comedy she tries to identify with male and female audience as people and not as their gender.

With so many women being counter-productive in the comedy industry, is the situation something like one step forward, two steps back? Or is the real question, what is all of this compromising for the next generation of female comedians and comedy actresses.

I personally do not have a favorite female comedian because I like comedy that doesn't discuss human nature but rather popular culture, politics, and society. I find that not many cover issues as such. Rather I enjoy male comedians such as Lewis Black, George Carlin, Bill Maher, and Dennis Miller.

Posted by Jessica Schrinsky at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's strange how humor, or being funny is seen as un-feminin. Comedy is man-territory. It seems like funny roles in movies are delegated to secondary roles. Funny girls are either the unattractive, awkward side-kick to the leading lady or man, secretly harboring serious jelousy towards them. Or the funny girl is hot and dumb; her humor isn't clever or based on social commentary. She is unwittingly funny. We're laughing at her, not with her.

Posted by Hanah Berhane at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Women have used comedy to poke holes in cultural norms. As examples, Tina Fey is a popular woman comedian who we've discussed as a class is a woman who uses comedy to ridicule certain traditional women's gender norms; Margaret Cho uses comedy to challenge stereotypes about not only women, but lesbians and Asians as well; Amy Poehler is another SNL cast member who is a woman who uses comedy to make fun of women's mores. I think comedy is a useful tool in promoting what can be considered feminist ideas. The pop culture definition of feminism seems strongly linked to being tremendously serious, not fun, and radical. Using comedy to sarcastically act out these norms is a fun and funny way to challenge these traditional ideas.
I don't watch many comedians perform besides those which perform in films, so I'm afraid I don't have a varied perspective on women comedians. However, I have seen sketches written and performed by Tina Fey, as well as reading some of her writing, and I think that she is very funny because I like her wit and sarcasm. The uncritical believer could sometimes wonder if she's even joking, because if she was, she'd be implying the slightly radical. Because she is joking, she implies the radical through mockery of the normal, which I find tremendously funny.

Posted by Emma Furness at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1. In the film Mean Girls friendships seem to be important but not quiet to the point where each other is loyal and respects one another. It seems like friendship in this film are all about taking avantages of one another. For example, Regina who thinks she is everything takes control of what the other girls are to do, act and look upon her as the boss. Yet the other two girls under her are to show supports for her but she as the popular girl don't need to show supports for them or anyone else besides ruining their lives.
During high school friendships become very important because at this time you are allow to go out and hang with your friends and do things together on your own. But in this film at North Shore High School the girls are just taking advantages of one another and revenging on one another for what has been done in the past. Just like Brown and Simmons article mentioned how girls can be very sensitive some time and let their friendships go because of boys or little things that come in between. plus, best friends can keep secrets but when things go wrong secrets are out and freindships are done. For example, in the film when Gretchen got mad at Regina she told Cady everything taht was not supposed to be told. Some of the issues that caused girls to destroyed their friendship is because of having boyfriend and spending more times with their boyfriend than their friends. Perhaps, a friend taking the advantage of liking a boy that her friend likes instead of hooking their friend with the guy. Such thing as this cause friendships to break up like the article mentioned.
6. Race was included in the film Mean Girls however, they do no have major roles like the white girls. For example there were the two Vietnamese girsl Trang Pak and her friend who has a role but do not speak English and their words were subtitle with symbols which no one will be able to understand. Also even though these two girls have roles in the film they were look at as sluts, because they were caught on the film making out with PE coach. They were fighting against each other about both of them making out with the same man and fighting over him.
Yet, this film shows how white supremacy thinks of other race for example when Regina was telling Aron that Cady has his tissue and was going to do some kind of African Voodoo to it. Also it seems though the minorities in the film were just floating in spaces beside the Principal who actually try to hook up with Miss Norbury who is also white and the boy that wanted Cady to join the Math team.
After watching this film I get the feeling that this film is made just for white girsl because it does not point out any issues regarding minorities in high school. Besides the Vietnamese girls fighting over the fat coach who were portrayed as sluts.

Posted by Alanna Yang at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

women have used Comedy to redefine norms in many ways regard issues such as political, social, gender, and racism. One can only do and say so much. However, comedy have given women the opportunity to say and point out what they see around them and what goes on around them. Comedy is a way of getting your angers out and make a fool of yourself while you are trying to pinpoint issues in your life or the outsiders of your surrounding. Because some time it's hard to talk about the kind of issues that are concerning you or the people you know. Therefore, comedy has become a way of redefining norms in such ways that are funny and humorous. It has given women the voice to pinpoint their issues in a form that would not target anyone but themselves, and how they see the world. With comedy women are able to talk about issues regarding sexism, racism, and many things that society thinks that are worthless. Comedy has provided women with a voice that can be heard and heard in ways that are funny, humurous, and that no one can hold charges against any unwanted works and/or voices on stages. Unlike speakers, or speeches that has to be correct or look over before it can be spoken. I admire women who can used comedy as a helpful tool to accomplish or pinpoint issues out, because not a lot of women have a voice that will be listen in society. Therefore, I think that comedy is a useful tool for women or anyone to pinpoint issues out and not be offended by anyone. And yet, if it is offended of anyone there is nothing that can be press charged against what is being spoken or say because it is in the form of comedy.
However, I do not have a favorite women comedian but I do very admired a Hmong comedian who presents folk tales of the Hmong people and who retold his life of resettlement in the United States in a humurous way. So far he is the only Hmong comedian in Minnesota and I love to go see him perform every time he is out performing some thing. Even though it's the same thing over and over it is very enjoying. And yet I am also a refugee resettling in teh United States therefore, I can tied my life to what he retold about his journey to America and his struggles as he came here. But what I likek about his retelling is that it's in the form of comedy and no one has done such thing.

Posted by Alanna Yang at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Comedy as a political and social tool has always been prominent - the popularity of the Daily Show being a prime example of how social change can be brought about via humor. I don't seek out comedians of any kind, and I can only name a handful of recent female comedians (Margaret Cho, Sarah Silverman, Rachel Dratch...you get the idea). Of these few women that come to mind, only Margaret Cho brings to mind feminism. As we all know, she's outspoken on gender issues as well as gay rights. I think that in this case comedy is a useful tool because it feels or seems less threatening to listen to than a politician's speech. While it is unlikely that someone who is homophobic would ever pick up a book about gender issues, it is quite possible for that same person to stumble upon a stand-up routine dealing with those same problems on daytime Comedy Central. In this more accessible format, arguments for serious social and political issues can reach the ears of those who are likely to avoid it in other settings.

I think that comedy can subvert and redefine norms, especially about women, since it was thought to be a man's arena. The act alone of women picking up this oddly gendered tool and using it serves to subvert expectations and to slowly change norms. It also, as in the case of Cho, gives women a new space in which to address issues that matter to them. And the broader the reach of feminist messages, the more attention they are bound to receive.

Posted by Jenny at 7:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I thought the blog for this week was somewhat ironic, seeing that I just participated in a group presentation on the Guerilla Girls. As we discussed, one of the main tools that the Guerilla girls use to combat the sexism prevalent in the art world is comedy and humor. This is doubly reinforcing because it makes the feminist movement more appealing to a wider audience and it also subverts the stereotypes that the general public has about feminists being "man-hating bitches". I think this is a very effective way to get more people involved in a movement that doesnt get as much publicity and activism as it needs to be sucessful.
We also watched the movie "Mean Girls" in class which also used comedy to combat serious issues for today's women, namely, that of girl on girl fighting and hatred. This movie took a different angle in the comedy that they implemented. The Guerilla Girls used a provacative, concise humor while the writers of "Mean Girls" used a more cheesy, immature form of comedy. I think the movie also did a good job at approaching serious issues with humor, but were lacking some depth that the Guerilla Girls offered. They seemed to poke around at the ideas but not really explore them seriously or offer solutions.
In conclusion, humor is a tool used by some feminists to grab a generation of girls that may not know all the issues effecting their lives. Overall, I think this is an effective and refreshing way to get the message out but seeing that it is comedy there needs to be careful consideration to the manner in which it is used. In some cases, like "mean girls", the comedy may not be seen as serious and thus the issues arent either.

Posted by Alana Riemermann at 6:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I believe women use comdey as a means to subvert or redefine norms in society by being intelligent. Some of the funniest women I know, both famous comediennes and friends/family, are funny because they are intelligent. They use their hyperobservant powers to comment on what they see around them, most often in a snarky or cynical tone. (This is my sense of humor, intelligent/cynical humor.) They redefine norms because they are outspoken; rather than becoming/being passive, they actively engage their environments, relationships and personas through comedy. At times, humor (especially the humor of women comediennes) is self-depricating, the "I'll make fun of myself before you get the chance" idea, which can hinder progress made. The comedienns I find most entertaining do not put themselves down, but rather make comments on their environments/relationships/power structures we are all subject to. As a whole, comedy softens the blows that these hyperobservant women make about the patriarchal environments that surround them. They become cultural critics without loosing their voices in self-deprication. My favorite comedienne is a woman named Lynn Koplitz. I saw her Comdey Central special and thought she was hilarious because she spoke about truths I've often thought to myself but have not necessarily said to others. She talked a lot about the dynamic between men and women in relationships and how certain things (oral sex, sex in general) become more of a duty/hinderance than they were at the beginning of the relationship. She is snarky and intelligent in her remarks which she delivers with a dead-pan enthusiasm that I find hilarious. I also enjoy Ellen and Wanda Sykes. Both of these women talk about things I've often thought to myself which to me, makes them funny. Their delivery and timing make them, to me, comedic geniuses.

Posted by Snow-flakey at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Oddly enough, this blog relates perfectly to my group's chosen feminist role model for our project.

Comediennes like Margaret Cho, Rosanne, and even Lucille Ball have used humor to bring serious issues to the forefront and to talk about issues in a less "delicate" and fearful way.

Lucille Ball was the first woman to ever show herself pregnant on TV, something considered taboo at the time. By being her usually funny and playful self, she helped to make pregnancy and childbirth "socially acceptable", and something we readily see on TV today. By not being afraid of her own body and what was happening to it with pregnancy, she was showing American women that pregnancy was not an illness, or something to be hidden.

Roseanne's outrageous personality and acceptance of her working-class background were considered groundbreaking things in comedy. She discussed issues like alcoholism, abuse, welfare, and working-class poverty with honesty and wit, drawing from her own life for her material. This helped spur conversation about these issues within the american public. No longer something to be ignored, these serious issues were dealt with in her comedy and on her television show. Roseanne was also the first network actress to have a lesbian kiss.

Margaret Cho is a perfect example of a woman in comedy that uses her material to address serious issues facing society today. Discrimination, bigotry, "mean-girls", and sexuality are all topics that she confronts and addresses with her material. She too draws from her life experience for the majority of her material, and gives power and pride to marginalized social groups through jokes.

Comedy is a useful tool to address social issues if it is handled with care in a non-discriminating and judgemental way. It allows for a more lighthearted approach to serious issues, bringing people into conversations on issues in a less intimidating and threatening way.

Posted by Nicole Balistreri at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

2)Rigid Codes/ Feminine Ideal/Fitting In: The movie portrays the many unwritten rules that exist in "girl world." While some are stated explicitly, like wearing pink on certain days and wearing jeans on others, there are other more subtle rules of being ideally feminine and fitting in. The kind of aggression displayed in the film is almost never overt. Girls in the movie are mean by being sarcastically nice. This fits in with the idea that it is not lady like to be outwardly mean and aggressive. Girls are not "allowed" to call names in front of people's faces, or get into fist fights, like is culturally allowed for boys. Like Cady says, girls have to be sneaky. This allows girls to keep up the appearance that they are nice, and therefore able to be liked, while at the same time being able to get out their frustrations and aggression.

5)Enforcing Heterosexuality: One of the ways in which the movie portrays the enforcement of heterosexuality is by using the label of "lesbian" as a threat. Janice was able to be cast out because Regina labelled her as a lesbian. The idea that girls are supposed to view relationships with boys as superior to any friendships or relationships with girls enforces heterosexuality by making boy-girl relationships the standard. I also found it rather odd that Janice, being best friends with an out gay male, would be so sensitive to and angry at the label of lesbian. She would not even let Damien tell Cady that Regina had called her that. One would think that she, as a gay-friendly person, would not view it as such an insult. The movie also enforces sexuality by its portrayal of Damien. Damien's sexuality is viewed as comedic, and we are supposed to laugh at his stereotypical behaviors, instead of view him as a real, complete person. The fact that, by the end of the movie everyone is paired up in a heterosexual relationship, but Damien is still single, exemplifies the movie's view that gay people are okay, as long as we don't see them as being sexual.

Posted by Melissa Green at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friendship:
In the movie Mean Girls, friendship functions in a very strange way. Girls are nice to each others faces, but the talk smack about each other. They seem to be such amazing friends, but then they turn around and tell others how they don't even like one person that much. They use each other as support systems and as ways to climb the social ladder.
Everyone wants to be like The Plastics, and if it means stepping on old friends, then that's what has to happen. No one is open with their friends, that is a big factor in maintaining a suppotive relationship. Friendship is important in high school, especially to girls, but for different reasons at different times. When something goes wrong, they want people there to support them and make them feel better. But sometimes they just want friends who are 'cool' and can get them seen as 'cool'.

Enforcing Heterosexuality:
The movie enforces the rules of sexuality by making the supposedly bisexual girl and the gay boy the outcasts. They're the people that everyone views as freaks because they aren't the same. Janis is called a "dyke" because that's how The Plastics decided to label her just because she was different. If you're different you're labeled as such and looked down upon.
Heterosexual romance drives this movie and enforces gender roles. Two main characters fight over a boy, one gets him just to mess around with the other. Cady dumbs herself down just to try to get his attention, making it seem like she needs to depend on him to do well. The girls all spend time making themselves look pretty so the boys will notice them. The girls who dress down are looked down on and aren't as popular.

Posted by Meagan Sogge at 6:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friendship within Mean Girls is a key element to the film, showing the difficulity of identity within a small (high school) social scene. To fit in with people, and to in turn get along with others, everyone is forced into cliques, becoming a certain type of person, changing themselves to fit the "code". One needs to conform to have friends, to be accepted, and in effect, to not be deemed the loner. Poor Cady was almost doomed to her mean girl fate, being the new girl at a school for the first time in her life, and also, just simply having to make friends for the first time in her life in a constricted and permanent setting. When a person has established themselves in highschool, it is a difficult task to switch groups, but also to remain in a group.
Most noteably the "code" can be seen in the lunchroom scene. As Cady shares her feelings for Aaron with Gretchen, she is alerted that liking a "friend"'s ex-boyfriend goes against the themes of feminism. Apparently Gretchen hasnt read any of the texts that we have... Because this new friendship is important to Cady, she realizes that she must follow the "code" but she also realizes the rediculousness of Gretchen's belief. Friendships, quite obviously should have more depth than this. Also, being a woman and having an identity as a girl should have more depth. To the "plastics", it is mostly important that a hierarchy remains. The end result of the film is, as Ms. Norbury points out girl- on girl crime. Girls create an identity not to liberate themselves, but to dictate others, and to have power over men, not through intelligence (as seen in Cady's faking math stupidity) but through bringing others down.
Ms. Norbury becomes a great role model for Cady, moreso, I would argue than even Cady's mother is to her. Ms. Norbury understands the social scene of North Shore. She also being a woman, is more in tune with the functioning of girls, than the principal. Ms. Norbury sets rules, but is also willing to help her students to succeed, and she does so, but placing an emotional burden, through trust, on her students. While Cady's parents may be supportive, they are also oblivious to the world that Cady is thrown into on a day to day basis. They can expect her to be a good daughter, which I would say that she is, and also to be a good person... which they can't necessarily follow up on until they are alerted by the school about the burn book.
I think Ms. Norbury is also an imperative character because she is seen through a more personal light. The audience knows that she is recently divorced, and knows that she also holds a second job to pick up some extra cash. She is not simply teacher; she is human. She has loved and been loved, and has certainly had her struggle with men. She sees what the fight for Aaron does to Cady, and voices her disappointment, but still maintains a sense of humor and understanding. Cady allows herself to fail a class to get a boy's attention. Ms. Norbury steps in, and eventually disregarding the "social suicide" that the Mathlete status could bring Cady, she forces her onto the team and proves to Cady and the audience that you don't have to put yourself or others down to get attention. in the end, its ok to be smart, and nice. While a bit idealized, it is a great message, and if everyone were to follow it, maybe more girls would be able to succeed in school, jobs, and creating supportive relationships.

Posted by Anna Scallon at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

2. The Rigid Codes of Feminism/Fitting In
" You know I'm not allowed to wear hoop earrings, right?" a distressed Gretchen tells Cady, in reference to one of many ridiculous dress codes and rules of The Plastics. Gretchen goes on to tell Cady the reasoning for why she can't wear hoops, even though she likes to, is because Regina won't let her.
This is an important facet of the rigid codes of fitting in-- Regina forbids her "friend" to wear hoop earrings, most likely because she feels threatened by someone else looking better than her. A lot of the "codes" of the Plastics were fueled by low self esteem and insecurity, which obviously runs rampant in high school, when it means so much to be part of the whole, and to be liked. Because its in high school when we are still unsure of our own thoughts about ourselves, or anything for that matter, because we are still learning, so we look to others to confirm how we feel or what we're thinking. So, of course, we want others to confirm our thoughts that we are generally good people, and that we are interesting and worthwhile, but somehow, all of these qualities are judged by how good we look.
For some reason, then, we want to come off as better than others in comparison, and I think thats the basis for the girl-on-girl sabotage that was the main plot of the movie. Therefore, girls will pick other girls apart to make them feel better about themselves. The character of Regina even went as far as making Cady second guess herself, because she could tell that Cady felt pretty good about herself and had no reason to feel self conscious in the first place. For instance, towards the beginning of Mean Girls, when Regina invites Cady to sit with them at lunch, she says, "So, you're like... pretty", to which Cady, thrown off, replies, "Thanks?". Regina then shows the transparency of her compliment when she disgustedly retorts, "Oh. So you agree? You think you're pretty."
This scene is interesting because it shows how a girl can completely turn on another when she feels threatened, and in this case, Regina is trying to keep Cady down, making her rethink whether or not its okay for her to feel pretty. So, later, to fit in, Cady tears herself apart in front of the mirror when the Plastics are over at Regina's house, bonding over their perceived "flaws". There is something very wrong about that-- conforming to the beauty ideal of never being good enough in order to fit in with the popular girls.

5. Enforcing Heteroexuality
There are a lot of scenes in this movie that touch on the high school notion that being gay or bisexual is "bad", and that the traditional roles of gender are enforced. For example, in the Burn Book, Janis is condemned a "dyke", and is looked upon by the Plastics as a freak for being different. They don't even truthfully know Janis' sexual orientation, but still use the derogatory term "dyke" to make sense of her clothing choices and her disinterest in fitting in.
Even though Janis and Damien are supposedly good friends, she still constantly puts him down with anti-gay shots, such as "You're too gay to function". This is really sad, because even though they are "friends", one can see that Janis still feels the pressure to condemn gayness as wrong or as something that retards normal functioning, almost as if to say, sure you're my friend, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with your sexual orientation.
Finally, the situation between Cady and her love interest, Aaron, reinforces the gender roles of traditional heterosexual relationships. Cady, who is innately bright and good at math, decides to dumb herself down for Aaron, so as not to make him feel inferior. Because, of course, the heterosexual dynamic requires the female to be inferior to the male. The humor of the situation is that Aaron is actually really dumb, and in reality inferior to Cady as far as math skills go, so when she asks him to help her with math, her inner monologue is berating him for being wrong. Its just so ridiculous, though, that Cady would stoop beneath his skill level to "impress" him, and to get his attention. It just seems counterintuitive-- trying to woo someone by needing their help, and trying to impress them by being dumb. But she feels that thats whats expected of her, and she saw how discouraged he felt when she got A's on her tests, so she started getting D's to pump up his ego and allow him to think she needed to rely on him.
However, Ms. Nordbury did not just stand by and allow this to happen in her classroom. Tina Fey makes a great point when she talks to Cady and lets her know that she can see through the ditzy act, and she tells her that its just not worth it to degrade one's abilities just to get attention from a boy.

Posted by Amanda Del Rosario at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friendship

There are many different ways that the idea of friendship is played around with in this film. With this movie, I got a better understanding of what type of friendships work: those that are open, un- judging, and the fact that you can be different friends with different people. The “mean� girls in this film seem to think of friendship as a binding, powerful hierarchy. You were to become friends with the most popular kids, and if you were friends with anyone the group did not approve of, then you were seen as an outsider. It took the idea that you have to be completely loyal to the group, even if they require you to be something you’re not. Brown and Simmons would have to say that friendships are important as a social support system, but in this movie, it shows how completely crazy some social systems can be when you let them control your life.

While friendships or supportive groups in high school are a good thing, they should not be controlling every portion of a persons life. It is very important to have a social network that support you and your decisions. But, when friendships start to take over your life and change you into something you are not, those friendships become unhealthy.

Enforcing Heterosexuality

In this film, it is ideal for a person to be attracted to the opposite sex. This film focuses on the drive for a bunch of girls over a boy and their quest to do whatever it takes to get him. It reinforces the idea that the ultimate goal is to obtain a partner that is beautiful, perfect, and ultimately the opposite sex. If you are not interested in/seem to be interested in someone of the opposite sex, you are considered an outcast, or even a homosexual (in this movie, homosexuality is seen as a bad thing, as something unwanted and used against people).

Those that are homosexual/ perceived as homosexual are constantly put down and made fun of. For the “mean� girls, if you are different, you are considered not worthy of anyone’s time. The movie also makes it a point to show that these girls think of homosexuality as wrong, and that if you are weird or different, you are homosexual. I think, in a way, this film was meant to show girls the stupidity of shallow thinking, and how to treat other people with respect. In the end of the movie, after all the drama, people started to find their groups, and everyone was at piece. I think it is unfortunately, however, that a lot of the stereotyping in the film was not talked upon. Yes, I understand that movie was probably meant to break boundaries of those that are shallow and closed-minded, but it does not really touch on that homosexuality if ok, and not something to be ashamed of, or banished for.

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ROLE MODELS/AUTHORITY FIGURES
I find the parents and teachers of this film to be some of the most interesting characters because...

ROLE MODELS/AUTHORITY FIGURES
I find the parents and teachers of this film to be some of the most interesting charactersbecause they are (supposed to be) these girls' guides. However, it is clear that the parents have almost no idea what's going on. For example, Cady's parents had never grounded her, and when they did, her father didn't understand what that meant. Her parents leave her alone for a night and when they come back, things are moved around and they aren't sure why. Cady's parents are so easily decieved by who they think she is that they don't see who she becomes. Regina's mother, on the other hand, is clueless in a completely different way. Regina's mother seems to be a wannabe popular teenager: she tries to dress like a teen, gab with the girls, even offers them alcohol! When Regina wears a tiny, skimpy Halloween costume, her mother is smiling with a camera, while Regina's little sister emulates risque dances from music videos.
The teachers, most notably the principal Mr. Duvall and the math teacher Ms. Norbury. Mr. Duvall is the principal who seems to hate his job and the teenagers who make it so difficult for him. Ms. Norbury seems almost like the only real adult in the film. It's she who tries over and over to get Cady to join the mathletes, not dumb herself down, and confess to the Burn Book. It's almost as though Ms. Norbury is an active embodiment of Cady's conscience: she's the woman Cady knows is strong and independant, while Cady herself learns that neither quality is a plus to thrive in the world of popularity.

ENFORCING HETEROSEXUALITY
Heterosexuality is enforced in Mean Girls in not only the feminine presentation, cultural signifiers and blatant markers of conformity which (usually tongue-in-cheek) drive the film, but also in two major plot points: what it means to have a boyfriend, and what it means to be, or to be percieved as, gay.
Tension between Regina and Cady mounts during the film not only because of Cady's ulterior motives of joining The Plastics, but also because they both like the same boy, Aaron. Aaron isn't a particularly important character himself; he is almost always shown through the eyes of Cady. It's Cady desire of dating him which propels her jealously of Regina for dating him which creates tension and conflict between them. Competition between the girls for the desired boy does not allow them to be friends, and Cady's attraction to The Plastics as access to Aaron draws her from her relationships with Janis and Damian.
Janis and Damian are both percieved by the popular girls to be gay, however the way this plays out for each of them is very different. Janis is not actually a lesbian, but Regina labeling her as such seemed to ostracize her from not only The Plastics, but most other cliques as well. Regina tells the story that Janis was jealous that Regina was spending less time with her because her attentions were on a boy, and Regina concludes that Janis must thus be a lesbian. Even though Cady doesn't quite see the connection, she plays along with Regina, instead of voicing her thoughts. Damian is gay(according to Janis "too gay to function"), but he doesn't seem as ashamed of the label as Janis, in fact he sits in on the all-girls meeting in the gym and he uses the girls' bathroom.

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One of the most deceiving concepts in high school is that of friendship, because you can never be sure who your friends really are, and this movie is the perfect depiction of the confusion and false sense of trust, that can continue if we don’t aim to stop it. The function of friendship is this movie is a skewed version of what it should actually be. The girls within the group that “Plastics� are friends because they are all attractive, wealthy and for the most part utterly stupid. Their reasons for friendship are skin deeps as are all their other relationships in the movie.
There is a leader and her sheep, and what they all fail to realize is that the only reason they are friends is because of their terroristic reputation, if you’re not nice to them, they will find a way to make you the laughing stock of the entire school. The only loyalty that is existent is that to themselves and their reputation, outside of that it has become a dog-eat-dog atmosphere that doesn’t allow for sisterhood. Cady does her best to secure her place within the group, and manages to lose any respect she might have had for trading her morals for a pair of high hells and a mini skirt. Many women find themselves with an inability to trust or maintain healthy relationships with other women and I think that distrust is formed in high school, and can be something very scary to try and reunite with women after such dramatic experiences in what was supposed to be a supportive and trustworthy setting.
Jealousy is the biggest reason for not being able to truly hold on to a healthy relationship with another woman and I think that is perpetuated through the media. If she looks better than you, hate her, if she has more money than you do, hate her, if she has the man of your dreams, hate her. No where is it expressed that there should be a sense of appreciation for the differences between you, because the grass is always greener, on the other side, when you happen to be ten pounds overweight, single and 6 feet tall. The sad part is, is that a female relationship can be one of the most important there is. There will never be a man who can understand what its like to live as a woman; we are two completely different species. We need to find a way to move past our jealousy issues and start forming relationships that support and build trust rather than defy and terminate it.
I thought the authority figures in this movie was a perfect representation of the lack of success they have in really reaching their students on a more personal level. Ms. Norbury was obviously the best role model, as well as authority figure, because not only did she expand their education in the classroom she taught them life lessons about being a good person and what it can mean for you and the people you hurt when you’re not. Mr. Duvall was also present as the principal who was an authority figure, but was too timid to really be a role model. He, as did many of the parents, allowed the “plastics� to rule the school. I think that holds true for many principles, I know there was never a time when you went and spoke with the principal, and he was more of a threat than a real presence in the school. But Mr. Duvall was neither; he was easily manipulated and coerced into the fake mystique that surrounded the popular girls.
I think it can be hard for parents to be role models/authority figures at a time in a girls life when her friends and her school surroundings have become so influential and so much more important than what actually exists outside those walls. There are those moms, like Regina’s, who tries to live vicariously through her child and feels like she is being a supportive “cool� mom when really she is allowing the behavior that will haunt those girls for the rest of their lives, because she never really moved on from her days in high school. The sad part is that these figures are so important in our lives, because high school really helps to shape the women we become through out our life. Those girls who can’t seem to move beyond high school or their place at the top of the totem pole in that place, find it hard in the real world, where no one cares who they are, or how popular they were in high school. It can be extremely detrimental to their self-esteem and well as their personal and professional success.

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When I was looking for images of women on the web, I came across beauty makeovers on Glamour
Magazine's web site, http://www.glamour.com/fashionbeauty/makeovers/articles/2007/01. Women listed
many reasons for wanting makeovers. Some of these included wanting to look: younger, prettier, gorgeous,
sexier and completely natural. Each of the after photographs included details about the hair and make-up techniques that were used. One of the women described how a friend reacted to her new look. "A good friend saw me and schrieked, 'Oh my God, you look just like a model. Everything about you is ooh la la." Next to the makeover photographs were ads for various beauty products like teeth whitening, and an anti-aging lip treatment. There were also fashion do's and don'ts. In addition, there was a request for women to send in their most embarassing high school photographs to the web site.
My reaction to the makeovers is that the women were already attractive the way they were. There were
so many different reasons that were given for wanting makeovers, that I think it shows just how dissatisfied women are with the way they look. Fashion and beauty magazines have decided what the definition of beauty
is. Looking like a model seems to be the ideal that women should aspire to. Beauty makeovers re-inforce the
idea that women are not good enough the way they are, and that they need experts to tell them how to look prettiier. The women who have had makeovers seem to lose their individuality. The images have a negative message because of the emphasis on beauty. Women are constantly being exposed to images of what beauty should be. It is difficult to not be influenced by the messages that these images give.
These images reflect the ideas from " Pink-n-pretty: The World of Charm and Beauty". Lynn Peril discusses
the effects of beauty culture on womens' lives. Women were told in the past that personal happiness was
linked to their appearance. They were expected to follow social norms for women and look pretty. Cosmetic companies used messages about romance and sucess in their advertising. Women are still being given messages today about the importance of beauty. To achieve this definition of beauty, they must use cosmetics.

are constantly being exposed to images of

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I have decided to push back our discussion of the readings assigned for tomorrow (Sex and the Single Girl 3/22) until next week. Instead, we will be discussing the texts from 3/8 as we talk about Mean Girls. If you have already done the readings assigned for this week, don't worry, we will be discussing them next week.

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Friendship: Mean Girls portrays many different types of immature relationships. The common interest with the Plastic girls is the desire to maintain their popularity. Everyday, when the doors of a middle/high school opens it lets in a fog of low self-esteem that lingers through out the day. It leaves at the end of the day, only to follow the student’s home and back again to school. The Plastic's girls formed a clique together because they have found acceptance from a certain image. To maintain their status they thrive off their classmate and each other’s insecurities to boast their own self-esteem. The Plastics are not a group of friends. The lack the ability to genuinely care about anyone but themselves and to have any kind "real" friendship or relationship this is a necessity.
Role Model: Ms. Nordbury is the only role model in this movie. She is confident individual that has great morals and stand up for what she believes in. She has a firm grasp on what is important and knows how to relay those messages to her students. She recognizes potential in Cady and help to guide her to make the right decisions. Every teacher is an authority figure and someone that students will potentially look up to. Ms. Nordbury acknowledged Cady's potential and voiced her disappointment when Cady was making the wrong choices.

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FRIENDSHIP
Cady grew up in Africa where she was home-schooled until her family moved to the U.S. Cady came into the new high school fresh and unspoiled. She was naive about the silly games high school girls play. She made friends right away with Janis and Damian but soon fell victim to The Plastics.
The Plastics are a tight bunch of friends with their own foolish rules for membership. If you are loyal you will play along with the 'game' and do whatever it takes to fit in. This means wearing certain colors or types of clothing on certain days. This is The Plastics' version of loyalty and sisterhood within their clique. They are all insecure of themselves and their relationships with one another. A healthy, supportive friendship does not rely on 'rules of the 'game'. Friends should encourage one another to be themselves and value their individualism.
ROLE MODELS/AUTHORITY FIGURES
One strong authority figure in this film would certainly be the teacher, Ms. Norbury, played by Tina Fey. She is Cady's calculus teacher and is also a supervisor for the Mathletes. She is a strong, independent, intellegent, divorced woman who works 2 jobs. She is a good role model for all the girls and boys in the school. Ms. Norbury is a fine and respectable role model for the girls; she is a hard worker with a good head on her shoulders.
One parent in the movie is Mrs. George who is Regina's mom. She is an absolute disaster as a positive, parental role model. She tries so hard to be friends with her daughter when she should be disciplining her and setting a good example for her by her actions. At one point in the movie, she even encourages cocktails/happy hour as she parades into the room with drinks on a tray for the girls. She is a rather despicable mother and role model for any daughter or son.

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The authority figures in Mean Girls are the Principal, Ms. Norrie (Tina Fey) and to a lesser extent, Cady's parents. As authority figures, these characters most of the time fail to keep a semblance of order. tehy have thier moments (the cat fight break-up) but as a whole seem rather ineffectual in controlling and/or maintaining order in the lives of these girls. the parents function on the same level. Because they "lack the knowledge" on how to punish (e.g. grounding rules) they attempt to maintain authroitative roles but mroe or less fail. They (along with Ms. Norrie) represent strong role models for Cady in that they expose her to many things but again, lack the ability (or perhaps knowledge) to fulfill tradititional authoritative roles.
The interesting thing about these girls (and teen movies as a genre) is that they seem to some extent to be a lawless group of people. They patrol each other and at times must "fight the man" i.e. controlling parents/authority figures, but they seem to exist without the same set of rules that most teens do (minus social rules of cliques that real world girls very much live by). When Tina Fey gives her speech in the gymnasium, this is really one of the first times we see an authroity figure reach out to the girls to explain what/how they shoucl be acting and treating one another. While she does a good job of reaching out, this overal lack of positive role models attempting to speak directly to the girls addressing their problems throughout the movie is most noticable.
The film most certainly reinforces the emphasis on heteresexuality in pop culture. Heterosexuality becomes the main focus, albeit queitly, of the film through the persuit of Shane butalso through the other major and minor characters' relationships with boys: Gretchen and the boy she likes(d), Karen and her cousin, the divorces of both the Principal and Ms. Norrie, etc. Teh entire movie seems to revolve around the heterosexual norm and those that do not fit in are excluded and ridiculed. in this treatment of divergent sexualities, the film very much reinforces heteronormativity.
There appears to be a struck balance between the need to define oneself in relation to boys deomonstrated in the characters' overt heterosexualities and persuits of boys but it also delves into (indirectly) the idea that they aren't all that necessary, promoting self-awarness rather than definition by/through heterosexual relationships. Boys are a major source and function of problems between the girls, but the film's emphasis on the other mean things girls do to one another adds antoher dimention to the film (e.g. the 80's skirt scene among others). While the film very much emphasizes heterosexuality and its ideals (the "hot boyfriend,") it also touches on other aspects and ways girls define and tourture each other (through fashion and the friends one idenifies herself with).

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4. In the film, the main role model is meant to be Tina Fey, playing Ms. Norbury. She is portrayed as a divorced, poor, and overworked woman but yet she still is the voice of reason and guidance upon the discovery of the burn book. Her lack of romantic and financial success is balanced out with her down-to-earth personality and her intelligence and experience. This leads to many humorous anecdotes in the movie and provides lighter moments throughout the plot. Ms. Norbury, though divorced and working three jobs to pay for the divorce, is meant to be the woman that the young girls could respect despite her overly-obvious flaws; while maintaining her smarts and strong personality she remains awkward and clumsy. I guess the reason why Ms. Norbury makes a good role model is because the message her character is meant to portray is that despite everything that you might be capable of doing there will be hiccups. However, these hiccups don’t exactly define who you are. Instead they are meant to build character and strengthen your personality.

ps does anyone know if cady is named after elizabeth cady stanton????

5. Mean Girls continues to enforce heterosexuality in mainstream films. In the movie, Damien, who is “almost too gay to function� is a minor character, only there for humorous purposes and to play off Cady’s character. He also plays into every stereotype imaginable for young homosexual males. He sings Christina Aguilera and the school’s Christmas concert, is overly conscious about physical appearance, and manages to sneak his way into the girl’s bathroom and assembly. His best friend, Janice is also accused of being a lesbian. In the 8th grade Regina George spread the rumor about Janice’s sexuality prompting her to not be invited to Regina’s pool party because God-forbid there be a lesbian swimming around looking at other girls in there swimsuits. This idea is played up to be ridiculous and over-the-top in order to reinforce the absurdity of Regina’s concerns. However, by using the label “dyke� in an accusatory fashion only enforces the negative connotations the word has come to possess. The term dyke just spews hate and rage that should not be associated with something so unrelated and sensitive such as someone’s sexuality. Being a lesbian in Mean Girls is unacceptable, even the accusation is traumatizing enough. Yet, when two hot and heterosexual girls decide to go out at for the sole purpose of the fulfillment of the ultimate male fantasy, as evident at the Halloween party, it’s totally acceptable. Actually, it’s encouraged.

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ROLE MODELS
Most of the authority figures or parents in this movie were ineffective role models, with the exception of Tina Fey’s character. Regina’s mother was more interested in being her daughter’s friend or peer than she was in being a role model or disciplinarian. Further, she seemed oblivious to her daughter’s insults and harsh treatment of others. She allowed her daughter too much freedom, especially freedom from responsibility.

Cady’s parents, who had home-schooled their daughter, seemed out of touch with issues involving their daughter’s assimilation into high school. Although they were intelligent people, they didn’t have the vaguest idea how they could help guide her through this difficult time. Growing up, Cady had happily relied on her parents’ guidance but was on her own when the time came to make important decisions, and she lacked the skills necessary to do so.

The school principal had no leadership skills, frequently turning the responsibility over to other members of his staff. By his own admission he could not deal with the clique clashes. He couldn’t even monitor the teaching staff’s behavior: One of the teachers was caught in a compromising situation with a student and fled the school after being discovered.

By and large, most of the adults were either deferential to or intimidated by high school girls, and The Plastics most of all. It was far easier for the adults to tolerate the behavior than to confront it, and that was the road most traveled.

SEXUALITY
In Mean Girls, if you were other than heterosexual you were ostracized and unpopular. Janice and Damien were not allowed entrance into any of the popular groups because they were “different.� They did not obey the rules. They did not dress or look like The Plastics; therefore, they were shunned.

But most importantly, their sexuality was questioned. To be Plastic and popular meant that you were heterosexual, and the way you dressed and behaved at all times centered around attracting the opposite sex.

At first I thought Janice and Damien were above The Plastics’ slights, but Janice wanted revenge. She enlisted Cady to help her bring them down, with much success. I questioned why she cared what they thought about her, since friendship with any of them was impossibility. Yet Janice went to great lengths to expose their hypocrisy, taking obvious delight in watching them fall. Was it because they “outed� her?

Damien, on the other hand, was more comfortable with his sexuality. He was not the least bit concerned about what The Plastics thought of him. He was not intimidated by their popularity, nor was he trying to gain entrance to their elite club. He was also the happier of the two.

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How are the role models and authority figures depicted in "Mean Girls"? This question brings to mind the Ann Lawson article we read on line about, "The Secret Life of Teenage Girls". The nature of developing through your teens is to establish independance, and personhood. The greatest influence on the girls in the article as well as the film seemed to be with each other. On the other hand, adults have the authority. In the article we read it mentioned that both kids and parents are stressed and busier then ever. It also mentioned that, "The mother / daughter boundaries are much more nebulous". In the film, "Mean Girls" it seemed that the adults were secondary figures. They were there to support and guide more then punish or preach.

The Principal, Mr. Duvall seemed to be a likeable guy, with some skills at control damage anyway, but at the same time awkward around the girls. He didn't seem to have a real grasp of taking charge until the end when he, in a panic set off the water sprinkler system. He tried to convey that 'talk to me' attitude, but failed. In the gymnasium he finally had to ask Ms. Norby for help communicating with the girls.
Ms. Norby (Tina Fey) the math teacher was down to earth, supportive and friendly, yet given the limitations of their relationship (boundaries), try as she might, she may never be able to reach all of the girls she would like to help.
The parents of Cady, were almost as naive in some respects as their daughter. When Cady was grounded, her dad allowed her to go to the math tournament. Later Ms. Norby talked her into going to the Spring Fling dance, where her parents showed up. There is a sense though that the three of them very much love and trust each other to do the right thing.
Regina's dad was non-existent. We assume he is working all the time to be able to afford the lavish house, cars etc. Mom is desperate and non-existent in some ways. She wants to be liked by her daughter, to be just one of the girls. She brings drinks (non-alcoholic, unless they wanted otherwise) and is there to supply her daughter with condoms if need be. Not a great role model. Things like material goods and sex seem to be taken for granted.

I think the girls learned they're biggest lesson when they are forced into the intervention session in the gym. The adults where good role models in this case because they didn't scream or threaten to get the girls to open up and finally share some of their feelings.

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How does the film, "Mean Girls" portray Race and Ethnicity? I would say pretty sterotypically. I wouldn't however agree with Sarah Hentges' commentary on "Mean Girls" (MG) that it was predictably ignorant of damaging stereotypes. I think that Tina Fey was a little more deliberate and intentional in her portrayal of minorities in the film. Hentges' claims that the film was typical of other films within the same genre. Yes, certainly there were the cliques that were pretty much segregated by race and ethnicity. Yet there was a large variety of them. The Asian girls who didn't speak English when they were together, the cool Asians, the Asian nerds. The dopey white jocks. The African American kids, some of the girls were labled the "unfriendly black hotties". The outsiders. Tina Fey also makes fun of the stereotypes associated with home schooled kids. And herself. She play's the character of Ms. Norbury, the math teacher, where in the sceen when it is announced that she has a new student in her class from Africa she assumes, like some of us admittedly would, that the new student is a girl from Michigan, instead of Cady. I think some of the points made in the film regarding race and ethnicity were a direct response to how narrowly we view people who are different then ourselves. Damaging? Well, she is perpetuating some of the race and ethnic stereotypes, but in a way I think that is meant to challenge us too.

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In the film Mean Girls, the main characters are a group of friends called the Plastics. Regina is the leader of the group and has strict rules for the girls to follow. They are expected to conform and are not allowed to make
decisions on their own. Being part of this clique means looking and acting similar, and not appearing to be very smart. If they don't follow the rules, they are not allowed to stay in the group. They gossip and lie about other
girls that are not in their clique. There is not a sense of loyalty and sisterhood in the group because of competition among them. Their friendships fail to function because they do not have intimacy and trust.
In the Girlfighting article, Brown discusses the need for friendships in high school. Friendships are important
because of the emotional support that they offer girls during a transitional period in their lives. She also writes about the conflicts that can make friiendship difficult. Boyfriends are a main cause of this happening. There can be jealousy when a friend has a boyfriend. In addition, there may also competition in finding boyfriends, and keeping them.
Rachel Simmons looks at gender norms in Odd Girl Out and the way that girls are treated by other girls if they don't conform. Girls are still expected today to be passive and feminine. When girls behave differently, it can affect their friendships. It can cause other girls to be aggressive and jealous. Girls may become suspicious
and can have difficulty trusting their friends.
The authority figures in the film include the principal, the teachers, and the parents. Most of them fail in their
resonsibility as role models. The principal, Mr. Duvall doesn't know how to deal with the problems that the students are having. Instead of finding a solution to the situation, he asks a teacher to deal with the conflict. He doesn't
seem to have any influence on the girls. The gym teacher is involved with two female students. His inappropriate behavior is setting a bad example for both the male and the female sudents. He is modeling that this is acceptable behavior for adults males. The parents of the Plastics are either unaware of what theri daughters are doing, or
do not want to take responsipility for parenting. An example is Regina's mother letting her drink alcohol.
Ms. Norbury, who is Cady's teacher is one of the only positive role models lin the movie. She discusses
the conflicts between the students, and why it is not acceptable to treat each other this way. In additiion, she
also insists that Cady go to the math contest, and not act dumb for a boy that she likes. By encouraging the girls to stop fighting with each other and to be good students, her character is supporting feminist views.

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Re-watching "Mean Girls," I noticed that I was viewing it much more critically than before. Not necessarily in a bad way, but I noticed more about the way women and certain stereotypes were expressed and played out within the film. I want to first discuss the way the movie reveals how we, as women, have distorted the idea of feminism, creating rules for the word/idea, and an entire persona of what it means to be feminist, which has truly strayed far from the true meaning of feminism. Feminism becomes an excuse for the "plastics" grounding of rules and the way they act. The abuse the notion and power of feminism. They use the word lazily, throwing it around as an argument and justification for the way they treat others, and speaking negatively about everyone around them. Feminism is acted out as a set of strict rules, in which by following, create a strong and powerful woman. By only wearing "ponytails once a week," or "blue jeans or track pants on fridays," one can become this ideal figure: The Plastics. The Plastics include Regina George, Gretchen Weiner, and Karren Smith. At North Shore High School, they embody (at least they have made everyone else believe they've embodied) what it is to be a woman--more specifically a feminist woman. However, through their rules and degragation of other girls, they run further and further away from the idea of feminism, abusing the word and whole power behind it.
The one woman who really portrays what it means to be a feminist, but at the same time is continually ridiculed throughout the film, is Ms. Norberry (Tina Fey). In her speech to Kady, about be a pusher, she explains how she may have pushed her husband into law school and eventually pushed him away from her, because she knows Kady (Lindsey Lohan) has potential, she's going to push her too. This is a prime example of a strong woman, speaking her voice, no matter the names or thoughts people may have of her. She is who she is, even if that may have meant her husband leaving her, and students making fun of her behind her back. What's kind of sad, is that this strong moment in the film, especially for feminism, the next scene ridicules everything that just had taken place. So, even though feminism is played out in slight roles, it is also challenged by the idea of the "plastics" throughout the film. I think authore, Rachel Fudge, would agree with this idea of feminism. In her article "Girl, Unreconstructed" in Bitchfest, she clearly states, that feminism, through its marketing in the 1990's "has so thoroughly staurated the worlds of advertising and popular culture that it's become a cliche" (157). What she means, is that even if this movie was trying to portray this pro-feminism ideal, it's still enforcing the ways of the "plastics" through ridicule and judgments passed on her girl/individual in the movie.

I next wanted to discuss the role models present in this film, since I thought it would go nicely with that first part. Who are these authority figures, you make wonder? Well, to tell you the truth, I asked myself that same thing while I was watching the film. Watching the movie again, I realized that I barely saw any adult figure, especially a strong adule female character in the film. Tina Fey was perhaps the only "role model" figure within the film, but even given that, she was never taken seriously by her students, and usually placed in awkward situations--making her look like that weird, older teacher, who a student could never relate too. So, if she is suppose to be our (as in girls) adult/authoritative role model in the film, how are we suppose to look up to her, if she is someone we cannot relate too? Sadly, she is the closest person we have to a authority figure in the film.
Janice, the unique strong, friend of Kady's (at the beginning) could be labeled as a strong role model on the younger age spectrum. However, it is Janice, who is labeled as "dyke" because she is too outspoken and "different"--different, meaning she doesn't follow any of the plastic's "feminist rules." I'd have to say, watching this film again, I realized one significant difference while watching more critically: there are no competant adult figures in the movie. All could-be role models, are in some way or other shown as incompetant and weaker than the "main" characters/girls in the movie. So this leaves the audience with just the young teen girls in the film. We can admire Janice, but then face the name calling as lesbians too or "weird" or creepy or whatever. We are simply left with either complete awfulness with the Plastics, or have to just settle for Kady--who get's pulled into the Plastic's trap, but in the end is a pure of heart, sweet, nice girl (something Simmons talks about in her article "Odd Girl Out"). I think these role models in the film fail in their responsibilities to show women in a strong light, because it seems that no matter what we do in highschool, we will end up as quiet, ridiculed, incompetant women, and people, in the end. At least they could have ended the movie with Tina Fey being more respected by the girls after her intervention with them in the gym, but instead, the scene is completely ignore and forgotten by the time the Spring Fling comes around and Lindsey Lohan gets her man. What we needed in this film, was to show a woman as being respected, both at a younger age, but also at an older age--so we can at least have something to be hopeful about.

Posted by Carly Anderson at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In the film Mean Girls the concept of friendship is similar to what one may find or remember from their own high school experience. The main characters and rest of the female population in the school demonstrate the way friendship works when girls are young and immature. It seems that the girls use each other in a way, being friends with the right people is very important, and being a part of the right clique of girls is also important. The friendship function in the movie is all about convenience, whoever is going to do the most amounts of good for your reputation. It seems that none of the relationships between the girls is real or genuine and that no matter how long the girls had been friends that getting ahead and being “popular� was the most important thing on each of their agendas. I think that every girl in the film in addition to Regina, Cady, Gretchen and Karen acted this way. The film showed that no matter what group a girl is a part of there is always a power struggle to be the leader and to be the best within the group. The film demonstrates this through “The Plastics�, “The Cool Asians� and “The Girl Jocks�. Although the girls in the film, like real girls in high school have probably been friends since childhood, when it comes to high school, popularity and boys there is no loyalty or sense of sisterhood. Girls seem to forget how to be a good friend or to uphold their feminine morals when the situation is compromised. It doesn’t matter who they hurt as long as they get what they want. Regina “steals� Aaron Samuels from Cady, Cady sabotages Regina’s life and so on, each girl is guilty of stabbing their “friends� in the back. The concept of friendship is important to each of the girls, not actually having good friends but making it look like they have a lot of friends. None of the friendships are based on real or lasting values, some relationships from high school last a lifetime but in the end of the movie we see that none of the girls are friends with the same people as they were in the beginning, they have all joined new groups and learned how to be a different kind of friend, good or bad.

I think that the only appropriate role models or authority figures in the film Mean Girls, are Cady’s parents and Ms. Norbury. There are other authority figures in the film, but the issue remains that not all of them are good role models for the girls. Regina’s mom for example tries too hard to fit in with the girls and to be their friend, at one point offering them alcohol and condoms, she plays along with their sexual Christmas dance and allows the younger daughter to dance provocatively to sexual music videos and girls gone wild movies. Other teachers and parents in the film play small roles, for example the principal doesn’t play a major role in the film until the girls attitudes and actions get out of hand, and even then when he tries to play an authoritarian role he “fails� because he just cant relate to what the girls are going through. It seems that the adults have little influence over the girls; if they had any control they would be more involved in instilling good morals and values in the girls. High school is an important time in a girls life and without being told how to behave and act by authority figures, they will as we see in the film go wild. Ms. Norbury is an example of a good role model and authority figure in the film because she tries to make the girls realize that calling each other names and fighting with each other only weakens them and causes disharmony. She advocates not victimizing each other and being honest and upfront, by taking responsibility for your actions. She also advocates “girl power�, and the fact that if girls “call each other sluts and whores, it makes guys think that they can call them the same names.� I think that if the parents and teachers made more of an effort to be involved in the girls lives and what is going on that maybe they would have a better concept of friendship and morals and that all of the trouble at the end of the film could have been avoided. Although Cady’s parents aren’t entirely sure how to be firm with her and to enforce rules because she was home schooled for so long, they do a good job in the end of punishing her for her inappropriate actions and it seems that in the end Cady learns her lesson. Authority figures are important to all girls especially those in high school because they are so susceptible and easily influenced by what is going on around them. It is the parents, teachers and authority figures responsibility to teach and instill good values and moral in the girls and to teach them how to be respectful young women who behave themselves. High school girls are still going to be girls, young and immature, however with proper guidance from authority figures, high school girls are more likely to grow up and be respectable women.

Posted by Brianna Green at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I chose to write about topic 2 and 5

The types of codes that exist at North Shore pertain to ethnicity, monetary wealth, extracurricular activities and personality traits ( what people eat,or don't eat...).

These are all displayed by the groups of people that hang out together. One example of this group is the "Angry black hotties" and "The Plastics".
In order for the girls to fit onto a social class in this movie they either eat or don't eat, or are on some sort of diet to "lose three pounds". Those just seem to be the white girls though. The other option of a group to fit into is one of the ethnic groups. There is the group of Asians that sit together, and the African-American group.
In order to fit in with the plastics you have to be white, on the border of -or in- the upper class and have the typical "hot body". They have a lot of rules which are explain in the movie, and Cady dubs being in "Girl World". One of their rules is that on Wednesday's they wear pink. The consequence for not wearing pink, is sitting at another table that day. In another group if you violate one of their rules I'm guessing the consequence would be something different,maybe the silent treatment.
Brown/Simmons mentioned the amount of pressure that girls have to fit into these groups and how it puts stress on them at such a young age. Kids today are like mini-adults. It's pretty bizarre.
I believe that by entitling the article "Patrolling the borders" pertains to fitting in. If you are a teen you kind of have to feel out what area you fit into. Typically there is one group that will "accept" you. Sometimes people conform to that group for acceptance.

Topic number five-Enforcing heterosexuality-
This film may reinforce heterosexuality by accident but,nontheless, it does reinforce it.
It does so by showing the relationships between The Plastics and their "man candy" .
Another example is when cady comes into class her first day looking for a seat and Janice says "don't sit there, her boyfriend is going to", and sure enough he walks in a she gives him a hormone charged kiss (or so it appears). The only gay character in the movie is Damien, and he has no love interest to pursue at North Shore. Janice gets called a dyke quite often but it is never meant as a label, it is a diss.
The film is pushed along by fighting and cattiness and the boys get caught up in this. They are similar to a famous painting being bidded on at an auction, except in this situation the prettiest girl wins. The film provides a miniscule amount of social commentary on sexuality. I think it shows the idea of the "Mean Girl" more than anything. The boys just happen to be a part of the drama.

Posted by Margaret Hanson at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't know what I can say about Mean Girls that will be insightful or new. Everyone pretty much sees the same problems with the film, and it's incongruence with reality. After watching Mean Girls and reading the article that talked about Cady as the innocent victim-type heroine, I completely agree with the comments that have been made so far. Cady, a completely fictional character, had never experienced high school life before. She was naive at first, but also smart as a whip - which meant that her naivete didn't last past the first 25 minutes of the film. She quickly figured out how to worm her way into the Plastics and take over the coveted position of Queen Bee. With the help of Janis and Damien (btw, I seriously doubt Janis was a lesbian. Janis Ian in real life was, but Janis Ian in this film is just a caricature. The fact that the film even used the concept of lesbianism as a way for the Plastics to torture Janis is offensive to me beause what the fuck is wrong with being gay???? Just because homophobia exists in real life doesn't make it ok to showcase it in a film that is marketed to pre-adolescent children. Why do the producers and writers of this film want to teach children that it's ok to make homophobic comments and to taunt someone incessantly about their sexuality? This is one case where if they didn't have anything nice to say, they should have shut their fucking mouths.), Cady was able to boot Regina out of the running, effectively usurping the position. Since the other Plastics hated Regina anyway, Cady figured her plan couldn't go wrong, and she was right.

My biggest problem with this film was the issue of homophobia. There were a lot of comments made that were homophobic and offensive, yet none of the characters confronted each other when those comments were made. No one came out and said "hey, it's not cool to say that.". Why not? Is Tina Fey afraid of gay people? Is she homophobic herself? It doesn't make sense to let comments like that slip by, especially when Americans are such proponents of equality and respect. When we don't confront our friends when they make racist, sexist, or homophobic comments, it lets them know that it's ok to make comments like that, and the bigotry continues. Are we really this apathetic? Come on, Tina. Grow some balls.

Posted by kaylen_culotta at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The movie, Mean Girls, is a great contemporary social commentary on American teenagers. When I first saw this movie, I recognized so many things that represented similarities between what I personally experienced in high school. But beyond that, this movie shows how the female youth of America have been affected by popular culture. To begin, the plastics represent typical female stereotypes. Females, who think collectively rather than individually. Their clothes, hair, boyfriends are all chosen based off of social acceptability. Beyond typically female stereotypes there are also many other stereotypes which are exposed in this movie. The nerds, jocks, art "freaks" and so on. Much of the movie is spent identifying and dividing these particular cliques. This movies main stages much of what is unfair in high school popularity contests. It also speaks to women of all ages, who could learn a thing or two about treatment of fellow females.
While the ending of the movie is unrealistic, is it refreshing. The fact that this parody has achieved so much popularity sheds hope on the fact that perhaps individual teenagers will recognize this in themselves and be proactive in changing their approach and attitudes.

Posted by Jessica Schrinsky at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The movie Mean Girls and feminism have an interesting relationship. On one hand you can see that the movie is acting as a sort of critique to the new face of feminism. This is reflected by Gretchen's comment to Cady about the rules of feminism. "Ex-boy-friends are just off-limits to friends. I mean, that's just, like, the rules of feminism." This comment shows the dangers of the domestication of subversive ideology. While purporting to follow the ideals it is actually just a slight resemblance what it is representing.
On the other hand it is falling into the same problem that it is poking fun at. While it's surface has a feminist message of girls get along and quit being so mean to each other because as Tina Fey is able to say in her own voice through her character; if you girls are calling each other sluts it just makes it o.k for the boys to keep doing it, the underling message that is filtered through is of the same stripe of "girl power" that Rachel Fudge discusses in her article. It is the defanged feeling of what feminism wants to accomplish without the real scary part of actually enacting the ideals of feminism.
This is very much made clear in how the movie is centered around the desire for male attention with the subplot's tension is driven by Janis having been outcast by Regina, who feared her to be a lesbian. True that Damion is gay and proud, but he is a stereotypical character given only side-kick status. The main characters are strictly heterosexual and sadly any lesson learned at the end of the movie about being a good friend is over shadowed by the need to be in a "normal" hetero-relationship.
It kills me that Cady had to end up with Aaron. To let her fail to "get" Aaron would have been realistic and offered up the idea that while it is true relationships are important in life they are not the most important. A true feminist film would have let Cady be able to be alone and find fulfillment with herself and friendships. As well as why did we need Janis to find acceptance but only coupled with a heterosexual relationship with Kevin? Why did we need to be told she in-fact was not gay? Why could it not left it ambiguous or let her be lesbian? It is this ending that undermined any pro-feminist message by re-enforcing traditional gender roles.

Posted by Rachel Dow at 8:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

It's clear who's supposed to be the authority figures in this movie however, they seem powerless and the people who should be looking up to them really don't.

Cady remarks at one point that she never before experienced that adults didn't trust her, indicating that she has somehow always been treated as an equal to adults. However, having being used to this makes adults' words and trust useless to her. Later on she will have no scruples against lying to her parents or her teachers.

Lying and betraying "authority figures" becomes easy to the teens in the movie because they don't look up to them. They look up to each other or the "queen bee" of their peers. They see the authority figures as "losers" and why shouldn’t they, that's how they are presented. The first time we see Ms. Norbury, she accidentally flashes the principal and talks about her failure in life. All the way through the movie, her failures are highlighted and ridiculed
And maybe they are presented this way because, honestly that's how teens generally view people who are older then them.

The girls cannot look up to them because they simply don't want to be them. Ms. Norbury or the other teachers are not the kinds of women they want to be and they are also "de-feminized" in a way. Mr. Norbury is a frumpy math-teacher who has three jobs and can't keep a man.

The timing is also crucial for the role models. It is only in the end, when everything is, pardon my French, screwed up that the authority figures step up to the plate and make a difference. However, here, it is still in a weak sense, since it seem almost a last resort... as though they repair the situation as opposed to actually preventing them.

In terms of race, I won't go in to everything Hentges said about Africa and how Cady's upbringing there is prominent in the movie. I would like to mainly focus on how white is the norm and how African Americans and Asian Americans are "included in whitewashed, stereotyped, purely supportive, and parodic roles.

Being that minorities are marginalised, race branding works; race in itself, doesn't. There's no doubt that white people are the norm in this movie. All other cliques that include member that aren't white are classified by their colors; "unfriendly black hotties", "cool Asians" and so on. The Plastics aren't called "the white Plastics" they just are who they are and not classified by their race.

Whether it is a movie about and for white girls is quite tricky. The main characters are white and it is their problems that we follow, so obviously it is about white girls but it is definitely not just for white girls. I think (even though it's heavily stereotypical) the representation of race is accurate in the sense that people of color stand in the background.
I don't know exactly how race works in high school (and college for that matter) in America as I grew up in Scandinavia. However, the movie sort of shows how it was growing up among the majority of white people (at least for me).
They are the focus of everything and seem to almost be the main character of your own life and you yourself is pushed aside because your race, if it's not Caucasian, simply is marginalised. This is not only seen in educational institutions, but also in media, politics and norm.

The girls of color are presented in stereotypical ways but in a "good way" (in quotes, 'cause stereotypes can never really be good).... or at least different. Asian girls are usually presented as socially inept geeks with strict parents in other movies, in this movie they are "cool" even they may be sluts. Their "sluttyness" isn't really punished... sure it's made fun off but they aren't ostracized in any way. Black girls are usually presented as catty thug-like girls in other movies. They may be unfriendly in this movie but they are not as "ghetto" as some images make them to be. They don't push girls against walls or yell bitch at each other. The girls of color are "more" normal in this movie than they are in other movies that also have stereotypical images of African American and Asian American girls.

The representation is humorous and it is hard to take seriously, really. It can also work in the way that makes people more aware of how we brand people just because of their race. And it is presented in an easily accessible way and people can laugh because it's just a joke. However, so was blackface in its time and that isn't at all funny for some people.

Posted by Karla Noreen Navera at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friendship
Friendship in Mean Girls is used as a way of gaining personal satisfaction through others and as a way of fitting in at a new school. In my opinion, the relationships portrayed in this movie can be found, to some extent, at just about any high school in America. Cady is using the Plastics to fit in with the ‘cool kids’ and Janice and Damien to find out about all the students; Cady is being used by each group in order to hurt others. It is quite clear from the beginning of the film that the “friendships� lack the most important aspect: loyalty. There is some closure to the failed friendships when all the girls are in the gym apologizing to the one’s they have hurt but it still seems as if this is forced upon them; they would not have apologized if they didn’t have to. From the movie portrayal of friendships, the only ‘loyal’ friendship is between Janice and Damien because they stay true to each other and do not feel the need to ‘backstab’ each other like the Plastics do.
Many of the girls lack healthy friendships because of their socioeconomic backgrounds and the infamous ‘clique’ mentality; Regina is clearly from a higher class status than Janice and more prominent than the other Plastics, therefore she has the say in what the group does. The girls feed off of each others flaws in order to help mend their low self esteem (talk about cruel!). The ‘clique’ mentality prevents the Plastics from hanging out with other girls and the stigma surrounding Janice prevents her from hanging around with the Plastics. Another factor that keeps girl/girl friendships on the rocks is competition – whether among beauty or guys. Girls try to be more beautiful than each other and try to date the more popular guy; the prettier you are, the more popular the guy you get. Girls are, hence, competing for the same materialistic things and causing unnecessary tension among them.
High school is a crucial time in one’s life and it is important to have healthy friendships/relationships in order to form a sense of self and security; knowing there is always someone there for you and loyal to you can get you through just about anything.

Role Models and Authority Figures
From the flash-backs of Cady’s upbringing in Africa, it is quite clear that her parents/family was a major role model for her. Things changed once she started school in America and her family was de-emphasized as a role model. Ms. Norbury seemed to become a major role model for Cady because she knew of Cady’s intelligence but could also tell that Cady was putting that intelligence on the back burner in order to become popular. After the incident of writing about Ms. Norbury in the “burn book� and the assembly of girls in the gym, I think Cady regained her respect for Ms. Norbury; Ms. Norbury was able to get the girls to make-up with one another, see that they are all very similar, and that they really can be friends. Cady was reassured, through Ms. Norbury, that one can be friends with all walks of life without being ashamed or embarrassed; that was something Cady really needed now that she was in a public, American high school (vs. home school in Africa).
An authority figure in the movie, but certainly not a role model, would be Regina’s mother. She is an up-to-date, provocative woman who does not promote a positive image for Regina or her sister to follow. She does nothing to scold Regina’s younger sister for imitating what she sees in music videos (no child should be impersonating a near stripper-like dance routine); she also walks in on Regina and her new boyfriend making out and does nothing but ask if they need anything. It appears that there are no rules worth following in the house and she offers the Plastics alcohol in their after-school beverage. What mother in her right mind would be okay with that?! Regina’s mother has no issues with her CHILDREN being provocative, brainwashed by trashy TV and taken advantage of by guys. She encourages her daughters and their friends to take advantage of other girls, promotes shallowness and has no positive attributes to be displaying to her daughters. I am appalled that this type of mother is even an authority figure; it seems that she is nothing more than a child trying to fit into the Plastics clique.

Posted by Molly Wickersham at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friendship: Friendship in this movie both fails and prospers throughout the film. Cady makes friends with the popular girls and also with Janice and Damien. Both set of friendships use Cady for their own various reasons and Cady goes along with them to fit in. That is where the friendships fail to function. With both sets of friendships there is no loyalty, Cady shows the most loyalty trying to hurt the other set of friends and get the girls to turn their back on Regina. There is a strong sense of sisterhood toward the end of the movie when all the girls are called to the gym and have to apologize to someone they have hurt, and also at the very end of the movie when Cady has won homecoming queen and breaks her crown giving a piece to a few of the girls, putting an end to the way all the girls were treating each other. Some factors that keep the girls from having healthy relationships are they way they grew up. Regina had a bad effect on Janice calling her a dyke in junior high, and also telling Gretchen she couldn't wear her hoop earrings. I think that friendships are very important for girls in high school, it can give them a sense of security knowing that there is someome who will listen to their problems and help her through it. Also to have a good time and laugh, is important for a friendship.
Role Models/Authority Figures: I think three major athority figures are Cady's parents and Ms. Norbury. Most of their influence is towrad Cady. Ms. Norbury is alwys trying to get Cady to do the right thing, and join the mathlets. She wants her to use the knowledge she has for math and apply it in a good and productive way. Her parents know that their daughter is capable of making the right choice because they raised her to do the right thing and expect nothing less form her. Regina's mother fails in her attempt at raising her duaghters. She acts more like a friend than a mom, and is more concerned about the latest gossip, than setting a good example. Ms. Norbury takes notice when Cady is more interested in herself and her friends than in math and school. Her grades drop and she pays more attention to Aaron than class. She calls her on it and encourages her to do better and help herself. These authority figures are important for these gilrs because they need to look at people like Ms. Norbury and can achieve the success that she has, being educated and teaching kids to do better.

Posted by Kristen Kramer at 8:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Rigid Codes and Fitting in:

The codes for the way people are supposed to act or not act to fit in are epitomized in the Plastics. They are the model that all girls who want to fit in try to follow, and within their group they have strict codes that revolve mostly around what they wear and their appearance.

They have specific rules for when they can wear certain items of clothing, like sweatpants, and when they can wear their hair in a ponytail. They are supposed to talk about what is "wrong" with their bodies, and Cady gets a funny look when she doesn't come up with anything she can criticize about herself. They also have strict rules about boys they have dated and boys they like. The consequences for not fitting in are shown on Cady's first day when she doesn't immediately know how to play the Plastic's game and ends up eating lunch in the bathroom. Also, Janice is an example of what happens when one does not fit in. She was ridiculed publicly by Regina and ostracized from her old friends.

Brown and Simmons address many of the issues faced by the girls of Mean Girls. There are examples in the movie of what was talked about by the girls in the article about being assumed a lesbian for feeling a close bond with another girl, and about the popular girls in the school being hated, yet envied at the same time. One thing that the movie does not address at all is the reason for the girl's behavior. Brown and Simmons point the finger at America's patriarchal society, while the movie seems to be blaming the girls. Mean Girls seems to be saying that young women have instinctual patterns of behavior that revolve around jealousy over boys and physical appearance, instead of their being a greater reason for their learned behavior.

Role Models/Authority Figures:

During Cady's early years, her parents seem to have had the most influence on her. She appears close to her mother and father on her first day at school, and from the photographs they show of her in Africa, they seem to be her main authorities in her life. As Cady and her family shift to life in America, and she begins adjusting to the changes, Cady's math teacher becomes another important authority figure who tries to positively influence Cady's studies and encourages her to join the Math League.

Regina's mother is the example of what not to do as a mother. She tries to be the girls' best friend, and encourages her daughter's promiscuity and obsession with superficiality. Regina's attitude seems have been greatly influenced by her mother.

Posted by JC at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friendship in the movie Mean Girls only truely exists between Damien and Janice.

Girl/Girl friendships in this movie are shallow and cruel, and unfortunately a pretty (if a bit exaggerated) typical portrayal of highschool friendship. Loyalty is only really exhibited by Janice and Damien, as all the "plastics" and other cliques regularly backstab one another. Girls in this film use the flaws and downfalls of one another to "move up" and inflate their low self esteem.

Girls in this movie are prevented from having meaningful friendships with eachother due to the stringent codes at their school, preventing cliques from mingling with eachother. Guys often also come between girls, as in the relationship between Regina and Cady, preventing them from really being friends because they are competing for the same guy. Looks are also a big factor in girls friendships, as girls often demean the looks of one another to make themselves feel better, and to break down girls they feel are too perfect.

Female role models in this film are really very few and far between.

Cady's mother would be considered a positive role model in this film, she is a college professor and clearly uninterested in what's "normal" and "popular". She cares for her daughter and wants her to make smart decisions. Ms. Norbury would also be considered a positive role model, she is a smart and most importantly she is relateable. She tries to guide Cady not to follow in the footsteps of the "plastics".

Regina's mother is not a good role model for girls, as she tries to be "one" of the clique. She encourages a rule-less househould, and doesn't discipline her daughter for her outragous actions. She fails to show her daughter what it means to be a strong woman. She encourages shallow behaviors and doesn't exhibit any positive ones. Positive role modeling is so important for girls because it gives them a realistic, positive picture of what it means to be a woman, something to emulate that is positive.

Posted by Nicole Balistreri at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(4) Role Models/Authority Figures
There were multiple authority figures in Mean Girls, including parents and teachers. The worst was probably Mrs. George, who instead of being the parent, seemed to try and fit in with the teenage girls. Mrs. George is not a good role model to the girls. This sort of role model can be destructive to a young girls self esteem. It is the responsibility of parents to be parents, to set rules in order to teach their children how to function socially; there have to be restrictions set, yet she tries to be a friend to her daughter instead. She really displays the lack of authority. She represents the woman trying to hold on to her youth at all cost. Her influence on her girls is recognized in Regina’s nasty ways and the younger daughter’s shaking her booty while watching a music video (also lifting her shirt like the girls in the ‘Girls Gone Wild’ commercial). Opposite of Mrs. George is the intelligent math teacher Ms. Norbury. She becomes the voice of reason in the film, teaching the girls that there is more to being a woman than looking pretty. Her speech includes lessons on being united rather than fighting amongst themselves; the importance of respecting each other and demanding respect from the men around them. She also teaches Cady to be who she is and not to ‘dummy’ herself in order to impress a guy.

(5) Enforcing Heterosexuality
In the film, sexuality is displayed as a vital part of being in high school. The plot of the movie is shaped around the idea that friendships can be destroyed when the desire for a boy is added to the equation. Cady went into this ‘social order’ naïve and with the intention of just making friends. In the end she becomes a part of the clique that everyone fears yet desires to be like. The strongest influence of the high school is a clique in which the members are called ‘the plastics’. When I think of plastic I think of Barbie dolls, fake, phony, or not genuine. These are the characteristics displayed by the girls in the group, and in order to get the guy she wants, these are the characteristics that Cady adopts. This emphasizes the strength of social influence, when a girl can come from a different culture and completely change her personality in order to adapt. The popularity of these girls seems to be based on the cute guy, their physique, and the other girls they surround themselves by. It is implied in the film that if these things were taken away, the girls of this group would be like every other girl. The homosexual character and the one who was perceived as such were portrayed as rebels of this high school social order. They were shown as bitter, angry, and out to destroy the plastics. They were treated as freaks and outcast by the plastics. There are parts of the film in where the rules of sexuality are not really enforced, but rather mocked. For example, near the end of the film when Cady reveals that she was good at math and was only playing stupid in order to get with this guy, the guy tells her that that was stupid. This reflects the idea of the damsel in distress, when girls act helpless in order to get a man. This film emphasizes the stupidity of the actions and attitudes that we take on sometimes in order to fit in or with the desires of fitting in.

Posted by Alicia Sims at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Friendship:
Cady home-schooled in Africa, has no clue about the ins and outs of social interaction. Social outcasts lesbian Janis and gay Damian immediately adopt her as their own, and go about introducing the various levels of high school coolness. The girls that everybody fears and wish to be the "plastics". She knows that these girls are mean and evil, yet the lure of vaulting to the top of the food chain is too much for Cady, and she soon finds herself acting more and more like them. When she falls for Regina's ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels the kid gloves come off, and Regina and Cady declare war on each other. The all-out cat fighting that one would expect from rival high school girls is there. The backstabbing is there. When Cady’s imagination runs wild and she envisions herself attacking The Plastics, that’s when “Mean Girls� really hits the mark. The fact that Cady goes about planning how to get revenge is different, since it shows a high-schooler actually thinking. At the urging of the only people who will speak to her when she first arrives Cady pretends to be formed out of the ‘Plastic’ mold, and soon finds herself assuming the characteristics she most despises. Turning from a straight-A student - a nice girl with a sweet innocence about her - into a fake, self-absorbed follower, Cady backstabs, manipulates, and lies in an effort to compete with the Queen of Mean, Regina George. Cady and Regina wage war over Regina’s ex, leaving a path of emotionally devastated fellow students in their wake.

Role Models:
To most powerful role was that of Tina Fey's character Ms. Norbury. Although she fit in the category of social outcast because of the way she dressed and her overall appearance, she made a positive impact on the girls during the assembly they had after the public exposure of the Burn Book. Another authority figure is Regina's mom, her character is portrayed as the "hip", sluty mother figure. She does not enforce a positive image for her daughters. We get two glimpse of Regina's younger sister imitating the women in videos lifting up her shirt and she seems to be no older than 7. After Regina is caught cheating on Aaron she makes out with her new boyfriend at her home and her mom comes in the room and asks if they need anything. Cady's mom would not allow that type of behavior, its like Regina's mom promotes sex at a young age. Whereas the sex ed teacher tries to strike fear in the students by telling them that they will catch an STD the first time they have sex or they will end up impregnated. Providing false information to high schoolers is not the correct way to inform them of the dangers of having sex at a young age. Ms. Norbury is the ideal women and she pushes for students like Cady to do well and succeed.

Posted by Diamond Smith at 1:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1) FRIENDSHIP:
Friendship plays many different roles in the movie "Mean Girls". It acts as a bonding factor but at the same time as a destructive factor. There is definetly a strand of true loyalty and sisterhood but that is mainly overshadowed by destructive power of girls for other girls through the medium of "friendship". The most noticable true friendship was that between Damien and Janis which is not a girl/girl friendship. All of the other girl/girl friendships went through at least some turmoil before they were able to restore the relationship.
So why do the girl/girl friendships suffer more than others? Girls would like to have healthy friendships with other girls, but many believe that there are too many conflicts in the way. Brown explores this idea. One of these main conflicts is competition and thus jealousy; competition over clothes, other products and BOYS!! Girls have trouble being friends with eachother because they are competing for the same things. Furthermore, if a girl gets something that another one wants, she will try to sabatoge the other girl to remedy her feelings of envy. These feelings may be subconscious but they reinforce the girl on girl hatred and further diminish the strength of a possible friendship.

2)RIGID CODES/ FEMININE IDEAL/ FITTING IN:
There were many rigid codes in "Mean Girls", especially within the plastics. For instance, one has to fit into a certain dress code in order to be in the plastics and if they dont they can't sit at their table at lunch. Also, Regina sets many codes for the other girls in the plastics concerning fasion, boys and social activities. Gretchen does anything that Regina wants so that she can be popular. These rigid codes reinforce the feminine ideal that is prevalent in "Mean Girls" and in real life girl/girl relationships. If someone does not conform to these rigid rules they will not fit in and in turn will be ridiculed.
Brown explores this idea as well. There is a lot of contradictory information placed upon these girls. They are explected to be beautiful, sucessful, smart and these things foster competition. The contradictory messege comes in because these girls are also expected to be classy and civil. This leads to the phenomenon of "backstabbers" and "gossip". Girls will pretend to be friends when around said girl but when they are appart she is a totally different person. Sometimes a girl will spread negative rumors or sometimes she can do even worse, like events that took place in "Mean Girls".

Posted by Alana Riemermann at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

FRiENDSHiPS
Friendship functions as a way to become popular in high school. Being popular is idealized by a majority of the students. In Mean Girls the Plastics were the most popular girls in high school. When Cady first moved she became friends with Janis and Ian. She got invited to eat lunch with the Plastics one day for lunch. Janis and Ian encouraged Cady to become friends with them so they could get the dirt on the girls. Cady eventually began to like the girls. The girls were not loyal at all. For example, when Regina found out that Cady liked her ex-boyfriend Aaron, Regina decided to go out with Aaron again. The girls cannot have solid friendships because they revolve around Regina. Regina is the one that tells the girls what to do and how to look and act. The girls get annoyed and offended by Regina but don’t say anything. Friendships are important to the girls because they are known to be popular. They know that everyone wants to be them and look like them. Brown and Simmons say that friendships are a major struggle. There are many things that can come in between girls in high school. Friends will stab you in the back and then they can be the best.

RoLE MoDELS/ AUTHoRiTY FiGURES
A major role model for Cady was Ms. Norbury. Ms. Norbury knew that Cady was slowly becoming popular. Cady always did well on math exams and then all the sudden she was failing to get help from her crush. Cady was so good at math she was on the math team that was lead by Ms. Norbury. Cady was venting one day to the girls about Ms. Norbury and then they had her write about it in the burn book. Cady made up a story that Ms. Norbury was a drug dealer. The burn book was then out for everyone in highschool to hear. Ms. Norbury then was investigated by the police. After the Burn book is revealed Ms. Norbury each girl get up and express themselves infront of all the student girls. Ms. Norbury wants the girls to be able to understand each other. I think Cady really looked up to Ms. Norbury because she went through a lot in her life struggling and working two jobs. Ms. Norbury made accomplishments with the girls by trying to make them see that they are all the same and they can all be friends.

Posted by Jennifer Matthews at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lisa Freund
BLOG 4

1.) Friendship in Mean Girls does not seem prevalent in this movie especially in the main characters where the girls only seem to have friends to gain popularity which to me seems like a pretty unhappy and unfriendly position to be in. The two plastic characters, Gretchen and Karen would not put up with Regina’s back stabbing antics and put downs if they knew they wouldn’t gain something out of it and even Cady the main character would not become their accomplice while they hurt other girl’s feelings if she couldn’t have gained more “friends.� There are times when we see the female characters looking out for their friends and being loyal like when Regina makes fun of Janice and Cady finally says something and steps in however, it does not seem to happen as often as the prior.
I believe that friendships truly are important to girls in high school and are a crucial part in surviving those years but unfortunately it is a time where girls are so worried with certain images and beliefs like they have to be a certain shape or size or need to have so many friends that sometimes these things come in the way and ultimately ruin what could have been a true and caring friendship. Girls feel they must always compete with one another and are always comparing themselves to one another, especially their friends, which can cause a lot of hurt feelings and distrust and their ultimate breakup. High school is a time where many girls start realizing who they are and what they want to become and need good friends to be able to rely on and trust in which means it could possibly the worst time in their life for dishonesty and backstabbing. Brown and Simmons believe that friendships for young girls thru fifth grade and high school can be very destructive but not because these young girls are terrible people but because society keeps giving them mixed messages making it nearly impossible for girls to be accepted in society. Any girl that has confidence is seen as a bitch or “know it all� which serves as an excellent way to deliver messages to young girls that you can never be perfect because if you are too perfect than everyone will hate you.

6.) In this film all of the main characters and even most of the lines are said by white middle to upper class girls and exclude any kind of diversity. The lines that were actually said by those of color were only words that defended or provided an open door to discus their race, for example, an Asian girl says to her friend “Nigga please!� One girl who has dark skin has to remind her teacher that she is from Michigan and not from Africa. There are also the groups at school which include the smart Asians, nerdy Asians, the black cool group and so on but you don’t hear any of the groups being called the white geeks or white skateboarders.
I think especially because the groups of people in this movie are so obviously separated because of their race that it is hard for anyone of color to really relate or want to relate to this movie that only makes fun of and denotes certain characteristics to groups based on their color of skin. Unfortunately even still today there are very few films that have characters that are not Caucasian and if they do they still automatically stereotype them and make them act and dress in a certain way which goes back to the color of their skin.

Posted by Lisa Freund at 2:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After reading in the Womack article about Drew Barrymore’s non-feminist ideals for the movie Charlie’s Angels, I looked up an interview online with her about it in which she says she isn’t a feminist, because:

"Feminism scares me because it seems like it bashes males," Drew says. "I love men. I want to be ..." she pauses, "... equalists!"

As misguided as her ideas about feminism are, she does make a point when she says she would rather be called an “equalist�.

This woman embodies and is speaking in the voice of pop culture. Although we in a women’s studies class may know better that feminism isn’t at all about bashing men, the rest of the culture at large has come to associate the word with a time in which women had to be radical crusaders against men in order to further their cause for equality. These days, although things are still far from perfect, some people may feel it discredits the progress that has been made and insults those who make an effort toward achieving equality by referencing a time in which women were fighting for rights from a society unwilling to give those rights to them.

Feminism has become a dirty word in the last two decades. People associate it with where things were in the 60s and 70s, when it was still very much a man’s world, and Charlie’s Angels were constantly fighting “male chauvinist pigs�. Men of course still have greater advantages, but we have all been trying to attain gender equality for quite some time, and a word that associates men collectively with a time when men wanted to keep women in the kitchen and home pregnant rather than actually move over and make space for them may be too outdated. Most men these days want women to have more power, too. The contemporary feminist movement could gain more followers by putting the spin on its ideals of gender equality rather than retaining a title that references the advancement of women only. Men have some sticky stereotypes into which they are pigeonholed and need to be freed from as well - they are supposed to be stoic and never cry, they are supposed to treat women as sexual conquests, they are supposed to earn more money than women, etc. In a society in which women are rising, men need to be encouraged to let go of these stuffy old gender roles as well, because they also serve to keep women down.

Just an idea. I personally don’t have a problem with the word feminism and ideally we perhaps should reclaim it rather than allow it to die associated with a bad taste in the mouth. However, as time passes and things change and growth happens in a society, the words we use for things need to evolve too. For example, the NAACP, though its acronym retains its same meaning, refers on its website only to “persons of color�. We just don’t say it the other way around anymore, because the term “colored people�, although once considered politically correct, is now a racial slur. (I don’t mean to equivocate all the horrors associated with racist terminology with the mere snickering and occasional disgust that accompanies the term feminism.) But would losing the f-word really be so bad?

On the other hand, would giving the cause over to a more palatable word risk losing some of the cause’s potency, much in the way that Fudge explains "girl power" took the riot out of riot grrrl? If we put Drew Barrymore in the same category as feminists, then we’ve got the type of woman who would make a movie like Charlie’s Angels in it. However, if Brittney Spears has been called a feminist, as was noted in an earlier blog entry, what have we got to lose? And do we want feminism to be like an exclusive high-school clique that allows entry to only the most radical among us?

Posted by Melia McCubbin at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I think I can adequately respond to both questions for this blog assignment using the same premise. I remember watching Charlie's Angels in the 1970s. Of course it was flawed but at the same time it was so refreshingly different from what someone my age had become used to. I grew up with the Cleavers and Gilligan's Island (wholesome Mary Ann versus sexy Ginger) and other programs that depicted women merely as appendages to men or entirely dependent upon men. As for "Leave it to Beaver", June could not make a decision or discipline her children without first consulting her husband. Ginger and Mary Ann never really contributed anything to the show other than a recipe featuring a new way to cook coconut.

Sure, the 1970s version of Charlie's Angels embraced the jiggle factor (coincidentally, at a time when women were burning their bras!), but the Angels were also smart and street savvy. They were intelligent, forceful and fearless in a time when June's pearl neckace was beginning to lose its lustre. Women had begun breaking into more non-traditional positions within the workplace, and the show also captured women's changing role within the economy. They were financially independent, single women. This was indeed a breakthrough in television.

I prefer the earlier version of Charlie's Angels to the latter. I just can't embrace Drew as a tough chick. Sorry. Also, the earlier Angels seemed smarter to me. Sure, they answered to men but it was beginning to look more like women were partnering with men in the workforce instead of deferring to them.

We also have to keep in mind that feminism was still in its infant stages in the 1970s. For the first time, we realized we had options outside of marriage and a family, although these were still noble aspirations as well. College became more important to women as we envisioned lives far different from our own mothers'. I guess we were just trying to sort it all out, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. We were learning to juggle instead of jiggle.

Posted by Ruth Dickson at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After watching the clips, I see the argument Womak tries to make in her article. I have never seen Charlie’s Angels the television series or the movies that came out a few years ago. It was very difficult to imagine the appeal of purpose of watching the remakes as Womak described them. Obviously more for titillation than feminist thought provocation, the movie seems unrealistic to the extreme. The idea that Drew Barrymore didn’t want guns to be used in order to find strength and use empowerment to defeat the victim is completely hypocritical. The characters still used what seem to be explosives, fast cars, and the help of others so why do guns equal less strength and are supposedly anti-feminist. Barrymore herself has a distorted idea of feminism and proves this in a quote in the article. By claiming she is not a feminist because she likes to be “sexy and fun� is an outdated idea of feminism. The women of the original Charlie’s Angels are more modestly dressed and though beautiful, do not base the storyline on their overt sexuality. With both Angels, it is easy to see the argument that a man had to rescue them from their jobs and he still calls the shots. However, at least in the original, it still pokes fun at “the system� by showing the girls doing pointless jobs creating comedy out an everyday reality.

In reaction to the second quote posted, I believe it is an excellent synopsis of girl power has done to feminism. I’ll use myself as an example. When I was younger, I loved the Spice Girls, watched Women’s soccer, and bought into the whole girl power movement. Never once did I believe I had to work towards gender equality I just thought I had to demand it. It was something easily obtainable and for much of my life I didn’t understand why feminists were still screaming of injustices and fighting against the patriarchal system. In shouting out girl power I was not prepared to understand what was still to be done and the real root behind feminism. Instead feminism morphed in to girl power and it was commercialized and sold, mainly by the rich, white men the movement was initially meant to fight against. The girl power movement did nothing for activism and increased awareness in feminist issues. Instead it just sold some records and maybe a few bumper stickers and after a few years people got tired of it.

Posted by Rachel Anderson at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1. I watched the clips before I read the Womack article, and I noticed a lot of the things she mentioned. It is interesting to see how different and how similar the movie is to the TV show.

The Angels wear provocative clothing, but the original ones are a lot more conservative looking back. Based on the two clips, the movie is much more SEXUAL and there are a lot more ass and tit shots. “Get some action� is the tagline. The movies angels do a lot more unrealistic actions that real women couldn’t do, while the TV clip was realistic. In the movie, the voice over of Charlie says that they are independent, but they still answer to me. In the TV series, Charlie saved them. In both, the angels are dependent on Charlie and he is in control of them. In the movie, the angels are involved with different guys, while they are not shown in the TV series. The movie is ‘willing to depict independent woman, as long as they confess their true desires to be dependent.’ The Angels in both clips do not challenge any beauty standards, even while fighting, they still look good. The TV clip shows some inequalities that woman face and challenge them by making the women succeed in doing the same thing that other male police officers do, but they were not allowed to. Everyone is white in the two clips; there is no diversity or equal representation.

2. a) Fudge argues that girl power reduces the theoretical complexity of feminism to a cheery slogan and it reinforces a simplistic conception that feminism is all about choice. There are so many misconceptions about feminism and a lot of them are simplistic. Feminism strives for equality between all the genders and all the sexes, but it so much more complex than that. First, gender is not the only thing that causes inequality. You have to include race, class, sexuality, etc. and how these all intersect in shaping a person's social identity or socio-political or economic rights. Reducing it to girl power ignores these other factors that are used to create these differences.
Girl power undoes the feminist movement and makes it into individual actions. Women are not seeing that they are still facing the same obstacles as one another. Just because there was a closing in the inequality gap does not mean the gap does not exist anymore and that women do not care because they have the choice of what they are going to do. Girl power is not uniting these women together to fight for and demand the power they deserve. They are not challenging the dominate ideologies that keep the sexes unequal. By using this so called feminism as a marketing scheme is hurtful and detrimental to the equality of the sexes. Young children are buying into it and not critiquing cultural messages about gender and behavior. This reminded me of an article for next week Teen Mean Fighting Machine. Anti-mean-girls rhetoric ‘once it is filtered through the popular media, it doesn’t ask girls to explore their anger or aggression, nor does it address why they’re expected to be nice…’ I could say the same for girl power. Being marketed in this way does not ask girls to examine any social structure and it could have been feminist because it empowered girls, but its not.

Posted by Nicole Henneman at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1) I definitely noticed different themes between the 1960's-70's charlies angels tv show and then 2000 film that were highlighted in the Womack reading. Sexuality was definitely a theme in both of them but it was much more noticable in the motion picture. It seemed much more like "jiggle tv" than the old series. Maybe a modern day "jiggle tv"? The preview implied that many of their skills were only helpful thanks to their sexual appeal. I did not get this sense as much from the older preview. It starts with the women in dreadful, meaningless jobs (and they look unfufilled) and Charlie's gig saves them from this. It shows them working hard to make the world a better place, and when initially that doesn't work, they find a better option. Also, when they are working for Charlie it does not give the impression that they use sex as a power as much. It takes a secondary place in the preview. In contrast, sexualy inneundos rule the motion picure preview. It is a negative image to imply that women can only be empowered through their sexuality which this preview implies.

2)a) Although I do not think that the girl power movement is as disasterous as Fudge, I do agree that it is not helpful and does not help girl learn about all the nuances of feminism and sexism. In reading about this issue it seemed more like the girl power was more of a trend than a women's movement. This idea is reflected in the quote when Fudge states that girl power is more effective in selling products like shirts and stockings than teaching girls about feminism. Women have gained so much in equality but there is still much more that needs to be adressed. The feminist movement has changed to adapt to modern day issues like gender expression freedom. "Girl power" underplays the accomplishments of past feminists by downplaying the seriousness of the issues (past and present). In part, I think "girl power" is marketed and is thus viewed as fake and silly.

Posted by Alana Riemermann at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1. response to show:

The show was much better in terms of entertainment feminism than the new charlie’s angels movie. Feminism in entertainment is still twisted and made sexual or watered down, I believe it is this way because a large majority of the population is not comfortable with the idea of women being powerful. They probably won’t be for a long time either. With feminism in the media there will always be good parts and bad parts to it until enough people want it changed.

2.a. For generations, feminism has given shape and structure to individual women’s obstacles—it turns one woman’s lament into a collective yell. Riot grrrl not only gave a new generation of young women a voice and encouraged them to wield it in service of feminism, it also galvanized them into group action. Girl power slaps them on the back and says, “You go, girl,� even if it’s not at all clear where or why they should be going, and it certainly doesn’t say that they might face significant obstacles along the way. Watered-down feminism may be enough to sell baby Ts and thigh-high fishnets; it may even be enough to celebrate the baby-step accomplishments of a few lucky women. But it won’t give girls what they need to demand real power (Fudge, 161)

Feminism is an idea that can and should be shown in little bits and pieces to girls at a young age. They need to know they can do just as well as the boys. The way it is marketed though involves pink, and stereotypical crap. I don’t really have a problem with the phrase "you go girl!" Yes, it’s vague and doesn’t tell you where to go, but when someone says it it means “way to own your power� it means way to be yourself. It’s rarely associated with something negative. I think baby steps are a move in the right direction. If you show someone a little bit of something ( in this case feminism), and make it friendly and interesting enough to gain their attention and to make them want to know more about it then they might actually become a believer.

Posted by Margaret Hanson at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Class Cancelled Today
Due to the bad weather, class is cancelled today. Since we won't be able to discuss the readings in class today, I thought you could post a blog entry about the readings and about Girl Power/Girls Who Kick Ass. Click on the continue reading link to find out what I want you to do:
1. Watch the following clips and write a couple of paragraphs in which you reflect on the clips in relation to the Womack article ("jiggle tv").

In the first clip, which was the opening credit sequence for Charlie’s Angels, there didn’t appear to be a lot of jiggling. The Angels were shown running, aiming pistols, walking arm in arm, and directing traffic, but were dressed fairly conservatively throughout. The only skin shot that I noticed was when Farrah Fawcett was shown playing tennis, and only because she was wearing shorts and it was a long shot. In the rest of the sequence, the women were dressed in long pants and mostly long-sleeve blouses, wearing little and barely noticeable makeup. They had great hair, but then again, so did a lot of 70’s tv actors. I agree with Womack that there really wasn’t all that much jiggling in Charlie’s Angels, and as a feminist I don’t find much to be offended by.

The second clip, a trailer for the first Charlie’s Angels movie, is a different story. Shown up against the original tv show, the differences are glaringly obvious. It’s unfortunate that the producers chose to do a parody of the original Charlie’s Angels, instead of just an updated, unarmed version. The new Angels, grossly exaggerated versions of the originals, don’t use weapons, but are martial arts goddesses. This is all well and good, and I think it’s a great way to update the narrative. They also are shown getting themselves out of several precarious situations, using insider technology, tag team sparring and a full costume wardrobe. All are interesting twists on the original, and are a realistic way to modernize it. However, the fact that throughout the movie all of the Angels are half naked is not an interesting twist or a great way to update the narrative. The new Angels also use their “feminine wiles� to distract the men (and it is always men) they are up against so that they can gain the upper hand. As a feminist, I have to ask, why is it necessary to gain the upper hand using these methods? The original Angels did just fine without resorting to whoring themselves out. And while I understand that Drew Barrymore didn’t want to be viewed as a “man-hater�, why do women need to advertise their bodies to men to be able to have fun? I can’t imagine it’s comfortable to try to scuba dive in something designed by Versace (….remember Jennifer Lopez?). I also can’t imagine that it’s safe to try to defend yourself from someone who is trying to kill you while flirting on a cell phone with a boyfriend. My point in a nutshell is that the new Angels come off as technologically and physically gifted airheads, who care more about men than about doing their jobs. That’s sad.

2. Pick one of the following quotations and write several paragraphs in which you critically reflect on how feminism has changed. Do you agree with your chosen statement. How is feminism being marketed to us? Is it harmful? What do we lose when girl power becomes just a slogan?

a. For generations, feminism has given shape and structure to individual women’s obstacles—it turns one woman’s lament into a collective yell. Riot grrrl not only gave a new generation of young women a voice and encouraged them to wield it in service of feminism, it also galvanized them into group action. Girl power slaps them on the back and says, “You go, girl,� even if it’s not at all clear where or why they should be going, and it certainly doesn’t say that they might face significant obstacles along the way. Watered-down feminism may be enough to sell baby Ts and thigh-high fishnets; it may even be enough to celebrate the baby-step accomplishments of a few lucky women. But it won’t give girls what they need to demand real power (Fudge, 161)

I definitely agree with this statement. Feminism is a marketing tool, and will continue to become more watered down with time. Mass media encourages the parody of feminism, because women growing up in America no longer have a clear definition of what it is. No one is talking about the importance of the principles of feminism, they are talking about its effect on American society from the 1950’s to present. Because of the lack of discussion and real information young women are exposed to, they only know feminism as a trend. Most young women I know couldn’t explain the importance of the band Bikini Kill to the riot grrrl movement and later to extended feminist efforts nationwide. I also doubt that they realize that feminism is more than wanting to be as successful or make as much money as the men around them. I have heard Britney Spears being described as a feminist by several young women – they have no idea. This is harmful to the generation that is getting the watered-down version because it leads them to believe that they are just fodder for male entertainment. Women who promote “girl power� also wear microminis in public, and compete with other women in the “best hair, clothing and makeup� category, so they can get male attention (this obviously does not apply to our lesbian feminist friends, as they prefer female attention). For this reason, feminism today is nothing but fluff, and the fluff takes power away from women much more frequently than it gives it to them. Men laugh at feminism, and also do not understand what it actually is, and so strong women get stigmatized and called bitches while strong men are considered capable and reliable individuals who should be promoted.

Posted by kaylen_culotta at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Charlie’s Angels "Jiggle TV"
In the two clips, it is interesting to see the similarities and differences. In the TV show, the Angels were wearing tighter, somewhat revealing clothing that I can only imagine would have been seen as ‘risqué’ in the 70s; the Angles in the movie were wearing even tighter and skimpier clothing. It is easy to see why the show was given the label of “Jiggle TV�. While I am not as familiar with the TV series, I can certainly see how the views of the two have everything to do with the point in time in which the shows/movie aired and what the cultural ideals were. It is very clear in both how the Angels and Charlie were compared to “a pimp and his girls�; Charlie is the ring-leader in which the Angels obey – any order Charlie gives the Angels, they find a way to get it done. It is also very clear, especially in the movie clip, that the Angles use their bodies and sex appeal to gain attention and achieve their desired outcome.
I find it ironic that Barrymore and Diaz are quote in Womack as saying, “We want to empower these women with their own strength and their own capabilities…there’s something about being able to handle yourself, walk into a room when you’re faced with danger and be able to take care of yourself� (166). What the two actresses do not address is the fact that they both, along with Lui, had the assistance of special effects, wires, stunt doubles, etc that could take the brunt of their ‘action’ scenes. They want to get across to women to use strength and capabilities when they, themselves, have not done so; they use artificial means to accomplish their work. What is this telling women?

Fudge Quote
“For generations, feminism has given shape and structure to individual women’s obstacles—it turns one woman’s lament into a collective yell. Riot grrrl not only gave a new generation of young women a voice and encouraged them to wield it in service of feminism, it also galvanized them into group action. Girl power slaps them on the back and says, “You go, girl,� even if it’s not at all clear where or why they should be going, and it certainly doesn’t say that they might face significant obstacles along the way. Watered-down feminism may be enough to sell baby Ts and thigh-high fishnets; it may even be enough to celebrate the baby-step accomplishments of a few lucky women. But it won’t give girls what they need to demand real power� (Fudge, 161).
I do agree with Fudge’s statement because feminism did give women more power than they once held in a dominant male culture. Feminism is being marketed to us through all means of the media by emphasizing ‘group action’ and working for what we believe in through power in numbers. This could be harmful because a group mentality may not be exactly what one person believes in because it is a collective of everyone’s beliefs. Nonetheless, feminism gave women the right to think what they want to think and be successful in anything and everything they do; it gave women the right to voice their opinions and fight for their beliefs. I think the slogan, GIRL POWER, does nothing but enhance the idea of feminism and means a lot to many women. The slogan proves to the world that women can have and hold power in places where women have never done so (i.e. Speaker of the House, Presidential Candidates). Feminism and GIRL POWER go hand-in-hand to improve women’s place in the world.

Posted by Molly Wickersham at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Both the present Charlie’s Angels and the television version share commonalities and differences in the roles the female characters play. First, I would like to note before I start that although this t.v./movie is about three women who are detectives or police officers the title hints that these women are these objects (CHARLIE’S angels) that are pure (ANGELS) which actually sexualizes them because it is symbolism for forbidden fruit. Now, there are obvious differences between the old t.v. version and the newer movie. The t.v. version has characters which are all caucasian which says all lot about society for not only women but women of color. In the short video clip the women started work at a police academy where they had “hazardous duties� like office work and holding a stop sign for children crossing the street which leads most people to think that these women are really maintaining women’s jobs and making it look like fun and adventurous at the same time. A very positive thing about the women in the original television series was that they had missions like episode four where they “exposed and destroyed sexist institutions and practices,� which was a very positive image for women and men as well to see on t.v. The t.v. version opened doors to other shows with women as leading action figures and women that held the same position as men which was rare in the 1970’s. In 2000 three new women took on the role of Charlie’s Angels, however they were able to stretch the limits much farther than the previous Angels and seemed to follow the boundaries of “less is more.� These characters were far more physical with their criminal encounters and often fought against many men at the same time.
Although Charlie’s Angels may have some feminist appeal it is very obvious as Womack reminds us that they are “glamorous fighters� and both the new and old version provide “tits and ass shots,� reminding us that they have other viewers in mind besides feminist women. In both clips I also noticed how the women’s hair was always down and flowing even when they were in the middle of a fight and their clothes were very form fitting to their tiny, long legged bodies which only goes to reiterate Womack’s point.
I choose quote A about “Girl Power.
The new girl power that has emerged in the past 5-10 years has been an excellent market for downplaying women and their feminist responses by saying here, take a shirt that says your tough so that you don’t have to express yourself by action or mouth but by simply advertising it on your body which also makes me want to talk about consumerism but that is obviously a whole extra topic in and of itself. I can see how originally this new girl power was a positive thing because it was breaking the barriers and women and girls were wearing messages that we hadn’t seen before but at the same time it was portraying feminism as a fad or some shirt with a girl beating up a boy which obviously does not solve a problem and possibly demonstrates women taking on male roles and not really furthering their position at all. The problem with this new image is that it does not lead women anywhere or to any successful position but simply says as long as you’re a girl no matter what you do you go!

Posted by Lisa Freund at 12:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

1. CLIPS
Charlie’s Angels had been successful in the movies and on television. The Angels wear tight skimpy outfits and show frequent body shots which can relate to the title of the article, “Jiggle-TV.� Both TV and the movies have similar story lines of the girls following orders from Charlie. In the intro for the television show, Charles claims he saves them from their previous horrible jobs. I feel that it is stating that it takes a man to make a woman happy and to get her going in the right direction. The intro also cuts down the women by calling the characters, “little girls.� I thought that was interesting to call them little girls and then show them beating up men.
I think sex appeal plays a large role in the promotion of the show. The advertisements for the movie show the three angels always wearing tight provocative clothing. It seemed that the old TV series was less scandalous when looking at clothing. The women on the TV show are wearing more pant suits, turtlenecks, and jackets. The women in the movie are wearing swim suits, underwear, and sometimes nothing at all. Watching the two clips shows how society has changed over time and shows how clothing has changed to a more revealing style.

2. Quote
a. For generations, feminism has given shape and structure to individual women’s obstacles—it turns one woman’s lament into a collective yell. Riot grrrl not only gave a new generation of young women a voice and encouraged them to wield it in service of feminism, it also galvanized them into group action. Girl power slaps them on the back and says, “You go, girl,� even if it’s not at all clear where or why they should be going, and it certainly doesn’t say that they might face significant obstacles along the way. Watered-down feminism may be enough to sell baby Ts and thigh-high fishnets; it may even be enough to celebrate the baby-step accomplishments of a few lucky women. But it won’t give girls what they need to demand real power (Fudge, 161)
I agree with the chosen statement. I think that feminism gave women some power in the once male dominated world. Feminism gave women the right to have an opinion and to be successful at what they do. It also gave women the right to stand up for them and to fight for what they believe in. I don’t agree with the last sentence however. I feel that women have come a long way throughout history. I think women have a lot of power and as time goes on they keep gaining more. We have a woman running for Presidency this upcoming year, I think that gives women major power! Feminism is being marketed through the media, print, and television. Feminism is everywhere, yet I don’t think it is harmful. Women need to hear that they can be successful, that they are beautiful no matter what they look like, and no matter who they are they mean something to this world. I don’t think GIRL POWER will just be a slogan. I think it really means something to a lot of people. I think girl power shows how powerful women can be, and women will keep representing that slogan for years and years to come!

Posted by Jennifer Matthews at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Due to the bad weather, class is cancelled today. Since we won't be able to discuss the readings in class today, I thought you could post a blog entry about the readings and about Girl Power/Girls Who Kick Ass. Click on the continue reading link to find out what I want you to do:

1. Watch the following clips and write a couple of paragraphs in which you reflect on the clips in relation to the Womack article ("jiggle tv").

2. Pick one of the following quotations and write several paragraphs in which you critically reflect on how feminism has changed. Do you agree with your chosen statement. How is feminism being marketed to us? Is it harmful? What do we lose when girl power becomes just a slogan?

a. For generations, feminism has given shape and structure to individual women’s obstacles—it turns one woman’s lament into a collective yell. Riot grrrl not only gave a new generation of young women a voice and encouraged them to wield it in service of feminism, it also galvanized them into group action. Girl power slaps them on the back and says, “You go, girl,� even if it’s not at all clear where or why they should be going, and it certainly doesn’t say that they might face significant obstacles along the way. Watered-down feminism may be enough to sell baby Ts and thigh-high fishnets; it may even be enough to celebrate the baby-step accomplishments of a few lucky women. But it won’t give girls what they need to demand real power (Fudge, 161)

b. But if girl power provides their primary understanding of gender, when the going gets rough and those girls come face-to-face with sexism, the don’t have the tools with which to formulate a critique—nor do they have an awareness of power inherent in collective activism. In other words, they don’t have feminism (Fudge, 159).

Posted by Sara at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)