Feminism Defined

 

Many people think that feminism is about women proving that they are better than men or dropping everything feminine or being too feminine. To me, feminism and being a woman today is about demanding respect and being who you are and what you want to be. The cartoon illustrates the constant pressure and expectations that women undergo every single day from the world around them when all feminism and the cartoon is saying that,  there is nothing wrong with wanting to be respected for all that you are.

Men Love Fannies!

I love this vintage underwear advertisement. The underwear is almost like a bra for your butt. It’s hilarious. They look so uncomfortable and ridiculous I can’t imagine anyone ever wearing them. “The Living End” and the “Open End” both feature an elastic front panel to “maintain the flattest of tummies” and “the ‘living end’ gently pushed up for a natural rounded look” while the “Fanny Falsies” offer secret fanny pocket that contain pads for a more curvy look.

            Although the look of these undergarments is humorous, it also says something about how far women will go to fit the media’s image of beauty. The look and description of this underwear seems uncomfortable and their purpose is to change how a woman’s body looks in order to be more desirable. Not only that, but the slogan for these shapers is “Men Love Fannies”. The draw of the panties is that men will like you more and find you more attractive if you wear them. This ad implies that women should dress for the enjoyment of men rather than to make them feel good and confident about their bodies. This ad tells women to seek validation for their bodies from men. This ad objectifies women and is no different from many ads geared towards women today. So while at first this ad seems ridiculous and funny, it is part of the barrage of media that damages a woman’s body image and self-confidence.

Here's the article where I found this picture(and the others in it are pretty funny too): http://www.buzzfeed.com/patricksmith/insane-magazine-adverts-that-would-never-get-made-today

REFLECTion

I understand my supportiveness for women in the media is a bit weird since I am a women. But I feel people are just focusing on the negative side of overrepresentation of women in the media. My biggest challenge is having to find reliable sources. Who else is wiling to show light on the matter with all these feminists attacking anyone who supports the "over sexualized" image of a women in the media? I want to know more about the positive sides of this constant battle. I still don't know where I stand on this topic. The posts so far of my fellow classmates give very persuasive sides. I understand where they are coming from. The most important thing I discovered was no matter who you agree with the women is who must decide how the media's portrayal effects her. Enjoyed but hated doing this blog.

Reflection

           My overall topic of feminism and the fact that I get to address something that I am really passionate about; women that are over sexualized in the media. I think that being able to talk about it is a super cool and fun thing. To me personally, I think that my topic is extremely interesting, informative and incredibly different but good thing to do. Some things that I have gotten out of doing this topic is that my view and knowledge on the media and it’s interrelation with society has broadened with each new post on my topic. Where there are gains, there have also been some challenges along the way. Some challenges I face is looking at my topic through a different lens. Finding someone who is affected by my topic factually and their story is not just opinion based. I would also like to "flip the script" and look at men who are overly sexualized in the media and where this need for "sex" and the demeaning of ones self comes from". I still think that women are overly sexualized in the media but I have come to notice that women aren't so fragile and breakable as they are perceived. Another thing that I have come to notice that is important is that the media does not discriminate. This being said, I have come to notice that both women and men are victims and are subjected to over sexualization. I really look forward to learning and writing about my topic.

 

Staying Strong

Ever since I learned what Feminism was about I identified strongly with the movement. Feminism is something I strongly believe in and I want to increase awareness of it and what it really stands for. Most days I try to approach life with a positive outlook and I feel good about what I stand for and I’m ready to correct someone when they think Feminism and Misandry are the same thing and I’m ready to fight for women’s equality. And then some days look incredibly bleak and sometimes I just want to give up when I hear the awful things people say. Last Friday I had one of those days.

            Just before my math class was about to start last Friday I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and an article titled “Some local band are sick of you leaving before their set” caught my eye. This article was on the website of one of my favorite magazines, Alternative Press, and I thought this would be an argument in defense of local bands and how people should support more local acts. And it was sort of about that, but what really made me upset was what the band this article was reporting on said. In a Facebook post the band ranted about how people are leaving their shows after seeing the other bands and before they play their own set to which some girl commented “then make better music”. They responded: “Youre a femail. You dont know good music. You literally listen to whatever that one hot guy tells you to listen to.” Obviously this guy can’t even take the time to spellcheck and shouldn’t be listened to, but the upsetting part is that he voices a mindset that many people in the music industry have and the women in music must face daily. I know that if I have heard many people say that women just aren’t good at metal, then the women already in the music industry must hear so much more.

            Although I felt like curling up in bed and hiding after reading this statement the first time, now it just strengthens my dedication to the feminist movement. It can be a struggle for equality every day, but it’s a struggle that cannot be abandoned. Although some people say horrible sexist things, it’s just a reminder that there is a problem that needs to be addressed and my opinions have been strengthened, if anything.

The article referenced: http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/some_local_band_are_sick_of_you_leaving_before_their_set

Enough

 

 

                                            WHEN WILL ENOUGH BE ENOUGH?

 

Re-Create: Brave/Roar- The spoken word

A re-create on two songs that emphasize taking a stand for what you believe in and being true to yourself regardless of societal norms and perceptions. Enjoy!       

Pretty Hurts/Try mashup, a Beyonce/Colbie Callait cover

Ms.Blog

   While surfing the internet I found Ms.Blog Magazine and found articles under Media on how women are presented and how women in the media has change throughout the years. It also included articles on what the media is doing to women, and on sexism, and on how power fears women. This blog not only contains facts and articles of women in the media but it also contains women in arts, health, justice, life, work, and globally. I believe the authors main argument is to inform people what women are capable of, what women have gone through, and what we can do to make genders equal. What I like about the blog is that it seems that anyone can contribute to the blog and help better it.
    What I find persuasive about the blog is the fact that it not only talks about women in the media but it offers other problems and struggles women have gone through. Although my blog only focuses on how women are portrayed in the media I believe we can also help the blog by incorporating women's struggle in the world politically and socially. This source is reliable even if some articles can be bias. The articles state statistics and facts which help their claim about women.

Invisible Woman

Cleo Thompson's argument states that role models are vital people that serve a purpose to women because "they provide a sense that change is possible,  a glimpse of the future,  an alternative perspective on what life might be like “there”,  perhaps some tips and hints on how to get there"(Invisible Woman Syndrome). This blog addresses the topic on women in the media because it emphasizes how people in the media are focused upon because of their looks. However, Thompson focuses on women in a different angle. She follows up on a story in where there are two celebrities in a science related series, husband and wife, but the husband gets more attention because of his appearance and states how the wife, Gia, gets left in the background. Instead of being recognized as Gia, she began to be recognized as "Brian's wife" and although that bothers her, she states "I’ll just continue washing his pants" while she figures out how she fits in the picture.
Cleo Thompson addresses the issue well because she does not only summarize it and give details about the situation, she provides outside reliable sources and she includes her input on it. Thompson provides support and makes the post seem conversational, and she also includes questions in her blog posts which I feel I could adapt into this blog. The format of her blog is not split into two paragraphs, but more than ten- they are not long though. It just gives it more of an ease when reading so it is not just straight forward. It could be considered a good reliable source of a paper to serve as a supporting evidence because she provides many links so the reader knows where she got her information from and makes good points in her argument and claim.

Feminista Jones

Going through blogs, I come across a blogger who immediately catches my attention. Feminista Jones. Feminista Jones is a very insightful and an inspiring blogger. Addressing may issues that others wouldn't dare talk about such as domestic violence, , and . In  her post "#NaBloPoMo- In the Nick of Time", Feminista Jones discusses this topic by beginning with the percentage of women who die from domestic abuse. She then goes further into the topic giving off cues about the severity of domestic abuse. Feminista Jones invites readers of all kinds to stop and think about this issue and to head way to those who are affected. She gives a strong argument about the severity of domestic abuse and challenges those who are abused to take a step back and to evaluate their own self worth and if they deserve the abuse they continue to receive. Feminist Jones provides her readers with an outreach group and a hotline for people to get in touch with. She is an inspiration and a writer I highly admired due to her courage to write about topics others are uncomfortable and to confront and try to ease the issue. Feminista Jones is clearly a feminist who enjoys discussing serious issues, mostly pertaining to women. She is very persuasive and reliable as she talks about her research and where she gets her facts from. Feminista Jones is someone who I would consider a good source and an excellent writer. Very enjoyable.

Link to the inspiration

Watch Out!... For Women?

          In Susan J. Douglas's article, "Girls Gone Anti-Feminist", Douglas argues that the idea of "girl power" and "feminism" is an idea that is way too overrated in today's society. She argues that the media places unrealistic images and thoughts into women's heads about "how their lives should be" and how much they should spend being invested on improving  their lives. The images portrayed in the media "insist that purchasing power and sexual power are much more gratifying than political or economic power".  Douglas suggests that women have lost sight of their "place" in society and that wanting more than simplicity is something that has been put too high on a pedestal.
          Douglas's argument is that "women in fictional settings can be in the highest positions of authority, but in real life maybe not such a good idea." I completely disagree with her argument and her reasons for it. I believe that women haven't been trying hard enough to achieve that "power position" simply because it's not expected of from a women. I believe that women have so much more potential in many aspects of life whether that's in the form of political or personal power. I believe that women are expected to fail in today's society and that it's ideal to "be supported by a man" and to let the position of power be something "the man" attempts to achieve.  I believe that especially in today's generation, it's time for women to take their stand and tie for women to emphasize their place, emphasize their wants in the world and achieve that achievable goal of being in top and in power.


LINK TO ARTICLE:http://inthesetimes.com/article/5575/girls_gone_anti-feminist

B U T...

In "Media, Men Should Stop Objectifying Women" by Joanna Rothenberg, Rothenberg caught my attention by comparing women to beer bottles. Rothenberg argues that people accept women's seductive portrayal as something accepted in culture. She pulls in the reader by providing examples of advertisements that included women posing seductively advertising a product that is not relevant to the product. She made me realize that with women being portrayed a certain way in the media can cause women to think of themselves as objects that need to be a certain set of beauty. Her argument is pretty persuasive but I disagree when she suggests "But until the media starts to take women seriously, not as objects but as real people with real thoughts and feelings, I fear realistic representation is too far off," and when she mentions that women go exercising for a chance to escape the world and men take advantage of the opportunity to honk or whistle. I have to disagree because most women run to stay fit and to please the media's perception of beauty. By them exercising for the media's ideals it allows the media to choose the idea of beauty and continue to define it. If women want the media to take them serious I suggest women first start with themselves. Women should not let the images they see on TV or the media get to women's "thoughts and feelings." If women are "supposedly" these strong individuals then they will not let the thoughts of others perceptions on what you have to look like in this society get to them. I do agree with Rothenberg on the part of advertisement and I could see how these arguments can be persuasive to women, specifically teenagers.

Body Dissatisfaction

In this academic article by Natalie King, Stephen Touyz, and Margaret Charles, they examine how women's perception on female celebrities affect how they feel about their body. Taking in consideration that I am not going in depth with their process of analysis and how they concluded to their reasoning, they state that the media's portrayal on the ideal body figure for a women is connected to the increase in commonness of "body image disturbance". Their research has shown that the media's ideal body figure has only affected certain women and that the ones who are not satisfied with their body feel that way because they are provoked and affected mostly by the images the media presents, however what is unknown is the reasoning behind why it affects them. It has also shown that because women view these "thin" models and celebrities, they overestimate their own weight which leads to their exaggeration.
This all leads back to the influence celebrities and women in the media in general have on how one might feel about their body and just about themselves. The media should not continue to present thin women as a usual thing because women begin to think that if an everyday women looks like that then so should they. There are different body types and women are never content with how they look and one of the huge contributors to that is women in the every day media. King, Touyz, and Charles's argument is persuasive because they provided research information, which can be found in this link: Research Information. They admit to the fact that the media is not entirely to blame for because it affects women differently, however this is a result of a similar amount of media exposure. Will the media ever come down to the understanding that different body types need to be equally presented?

Back to 2012

             In this issue of “Feminist Currents” Eileen Boris and Elizabeth Currans examine the issues women faced during the 2012 elections. Women became women firsts, senator from their state or representative from their ethnic group. Republicans fought a “war on women” with Indiana candidate Richard Mourdock’s claim that "God intended" pregnancies from rape, and Paul Ryan’s pro-life position regardless of the form of contraception. A record number of women were elected to congress. One of the pressing concerns of the 2012 election cycle is the state of our national and local economies, a downturn that might impact women’s, gender, and sexuality studies well into the future.
            This article brings up some very important events. Although it is unfortunate how women’s rights were brought up during the elections, it proved that there is a problem with how women are treated and brought women’s rights up for discussion. However, women did reach a record number in congress, which shows that progress is being made even though there are outspoken people trying to stop it. Boris and Currans mention that due to the struggling economy, proposals were made to charge fees by majors in order to encourage supposedly practical preparation for the workforce. These proposals could severely effect the number of students to major in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, which would be a major setback for women. Overall, women’s rights seem to be struggling to improve, but since the 2012 elections progress has been made.


The original article: http://library.calstate.edu/northridge/articles/record?id=FETCH-LOGICAL-p1224-3195d461ffb0c6aa59d5ea518bde497212522cbd7e3ded886fd2045fbddceda01

"Then and Now" - Linda Martin Alcoff: New Wave of Feminism

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=99e6bbb2-b74d-41ba-8712-eca23df17d74%40sessionmgr4001&vid=1&hid=4201


         Alcoff discusses the idea of horizontalism and its relationship and overall reflection with feminism. She argues that feminism has "profoundly influenced the processes and organization styles used in movements against cooperation." Alcoff brings up and emphasizes the need for equilibrium in the social hierarchy in the world between todays men and women. The idea of "deconstruction" is brought up. The removal of any "difference" between men and women. This was an idea that was shut down completely. Others argue that attempting to neutralize the difference's rather than acknowledging them, takes away from the possibility of finding "positive epidemic possibilities" in the future. Alcoff mentions the significant difference in treatment and "expectations" that are put on women. She, the author, brings the reader back to times of sexual and emotional violence. Times where women were the "play things" of men and "lived" to do their bidding. Alcoff pushes and urges her readers to start right now. She urges her readers to begin a "new" style of feminism.

        Personally, I think that Alcoff takes an interesting approach and look at the whole " feminism needs to change". I look at feminism as a way of being, morals and beliefs if you may. I don't believe that feminism is necessarily an unwritten code, but more or less feminism is a choice of respect and equality. I do not see why there are "differences" between men and women, at least why there is such a great difference that nowadays there is a social hierarchy of how "men and women should act". I believe that this is the time for a new wave of feminism and a new way of looking at the gender hierarchy and it starts with the generation today.

What is violence?

Ray Rice, football player for the Baltimore Ravens, abused his fiancee in a casino elevator. This event took place back in February, but did not leak until months later. In the article "Ravens knew almost immediately details in Ray Rice case, ESPN reports", it is stated that the Ravens focused on making sure that the video did not go public. Ray Rice was only suspended from two games in the beginning, but then lost endorsement deals plus a great amount of cash. Janay Rice not only stood by her husband's side and defended him through out the allegations, but also took responsibility for the incident as if it were her fault. She did not pose as the victim, but regardless his contract with the Ravens terminated and he lost about ten million dollars.
Is money the real reason why Janay Rice posed as a victim? Janay Rice is depriving herself of the opportunity for other women to look up to her. It is unfair for her to be doing things for the wrong reasons because not only is she misrepresenting herself, but she is inadequately representing women.
Different interpretations can be understood from the situation that I read into. Some can view it as a misrepresentation of abuse in regards to gender. With this in mind, one should not be treated less because of their gender such as women, if they want to be treated equally then a punch should not be an "excuse". Others can view it as women being defenseless and one should not get abused when they can not stand up for themselves. Some can interpret this as love and others can interpret this as loyalty, but what is it really? Fear could have also been a factor to why she claimed that she was not a victim. Domestic abuse happens much more often than we think about it and that excludes the ones that people do not speak up about, but once again- Janay Rice went about this all wrong. This should not have been about money and it can be understandable that they have a child together so this commotion could become a bigger impact than it was supposed to, but she should know right from wrong because that comes from our instincts. There is help out there for all those who suffer from domestic violence and Janay Rice, being a celebrity, should know that she is putting a message out there for all women and is misrepresenting them.

Women In The Media.

The idea of the media has impacted the public greatly. The images of women have created an exploited social contrast where society believes that the media is making women look like "objects" or sex icons but have not looked into the positive aspect. The media has introduced women into an empowering figure contributing to society and the world. People can now know how women in developing countries dealing with difficult situations. We wouldn't know without the media. In a university article,"Media Played Privotal Role in Empowering Women" discussed relating on International Women Day. The article has mentioned, “Media has been hugely important to women in the twentieth century, women have drawn upon the lexicon of media images of femininity to build a sense of who they are and who they could be. The issue addressed in a compelling view that women and girls can use the media to create a better sense of self-esteem and self-identity. The article has included a book, Women and the Media: Feminism and Femininity in Britain,1900 to the Present, written by Professor Andrew, has mentioned “Their campaigns, marches and civil unrest were always planned to get maximum media coverage. In the 1960s and 1970s magazines like Honey and Cosmopolitan gave feminism a voice." The media isn't always focused on the "images" of women. Women themselves have used the media to create a positive propaganda in social, self, and interests.

Men: "Women are more than "pretty""

  A huge fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Levitt stars in "Don Jon" whom upon its release in an interview on "Ellen" discusses his views on women in the media and  the reality. HE describes the women that he's seen in the Lakers games growing up and how he was raised to understand that women are more than just "pretty", are more than objects. Not so surprising however, Levitt "Absolutely Calls Himself a Feminist" in the article Joseph Gordon-Levitt: 'I'd Absolutely Call Myself A Feminist' , Levitt is all for feminism. His own personal definition of feminism is defined below:

"What that [feminist] means to me is that you don't let your gender define who you are-you can be who you want to be, whether you're a man, a woman, a boy, a girl, whatever," he explained.

"However you want to define yourself, you can do that and should be able to do that, and no category ever really describes a person because every person is unique. That, to me, is what 'feminism' means."

Levitt is one of the few MALE ACTORS publicly admitting his personal stance on the controversial topic of feminism and ACTUALLY taking a stand for feminism  and justifying his own purpose. Personally, someone who is willing to take a stance for a cause bigger than himself is respectable.



   My own personal outlook on the topic of men in the media recognizing the reality of the portrayal of women in the media and taking a stand for women, is completely admirable. Not very many people can openly admit to being a highly respectable man in the industry and someone who is an advocate for feminism and overall respect for women and equality between man and women. I am behind Levitt as a feminist myself and I believe that there should be respectability among the genders and respectability of the portrayal of each gender in the media. I believe that there should be no difference in the amount of respect that is given or received based on gender. I mean, is the decency of a little respect asking for too much these days?


To see the link to Levitt's admittance to being a feminist click the link below :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyVepk8ym4w

Hot and Funny

            Whether this is a wonderful time for women or not, it is a time when how women are portrayed is scrutinized. In Meredith Blake’s article in the Los Angeles Times, “Emmys 2014: A Night of Highs and Lows for Women”, Blake discusses how women were victims to sexism and also brought home many accomplishments at the 2014 Emmys. Although there were several important women who won awards in typically male dominated categories, the focus was on Sofia Vergara. The actress stood on top of a spinning pedestal while posing and smiling. Blake compares this occurrence to the offensive “We Saw Your Boobs” song featured at last year’s Emmys and contrasts it with Beyoncé’s feminist performance the night before at the VMAs. The night also featured a strange possibly sexist comment from Stephen Colbert.

            While I see how some people are taking Sofia Vergara’s pedestal to offence, I completely disagree. I thought that the spinning pedestal was funny and that her poses were humorous rather than purely sexual. Although this is being declared a contrast to Beyoncé’s performance, I think they are not so dissimilar. Vergara defended herself saying, “I think somebody can be hot and funny”, and showing that she was both flaunting her body and being funny at the same time. Vergara and Beyoncé both were trying to convey that a woman can be both proud of her body and be successful at many other things. They prove that a woman can be beautiful and still be wonderful at other things too. It’s also wonderful that so many women won awards at the Emmys, although that wasn’t a very controversial part of the evening. Colbert’s comment was just weird. I’m not sure if it was sexist or what, but it did sound a little bit bad. Overall, I think the evening was actually pretty successful for the women of the entertainment industry.

The original article: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-emmys-2014-sofia-vergara-pedestal-sexism-20140826-story.html