H Looking back both at my life and the lives of others around me it’s shocking how powerful media changes can be on society. Being born in the late 1980s the notion of leading women had been around for decades already. Growing up with a mother who had started and owned her own business, it didn’t faze me that women’s equality status in the business world was still an evolving issue. Now enrolled in an entrepreneurship class I recently learned that the number of women now studying the profession is still much lower than men. As a girl I was so oblivious to the real world. When it came to discussion of my future all I knew was that I wanted a red convertible like my Barbie and wanted to be a professional ice skater just like all the pretty girls in the winter Olympics. Now that I am “older” I am able to see how trends affected my way of thinking, my dreams, and in actuality the way I lived my life.
I would say media took its affect on my around the age of ten or eleven, a time where most girls are trying more to fit rather than finding themselves. My best friend was boy-crazed and I was trying to grow up way too fast. Grace, my best friend, and I began reading teen magazines, watching the bad parts of PG 13 movies, and worrying about boys. Of course every girl wants at least one boy to like them, especially around the preteen age. To accomplish this task we turned to the representation of older women to try and land a man. I remember watching Christina Aguilera and Brittany Spears gradually make more provocative videos and thinking if I could only be “sexy” like them. So I bought the makeup and the hot clothing and I got my first boyfriend. Mission accomplished. However, as I grew up the media’s latest fads did too.
Maybe I just need to hit that point in my life where I started to see the world in a more realistic way in order to finally see that the media really did have a power over me. I would say this time came around my senior year of high school. For most of the past three years I had hung around the type of girls who modeled to every type of media trend that came about. I finally realized that it was ok that I wasn’t the promiscuous teenager girls were supposed to be. Since pre-teen times the image of girls and women had become much more provocative. What was not acceptable to wear ten years ago was now considered conservative. Tan was the new pale. Bleach blonde hair was hot. And the more cuss words in the song the better. Times had definitely changed and I had finally hit the age where I could be different and be ok with it. I’m not saying I didn’t follow any trends and totally did a 180 but I didn’t want to turn into one of those girls that looked and acted just like everyone else. To me that was not cool anymore.
Now I am in college and I have more exposure with older women and women in the workforce I can see how the media affects this group as well. Today it is more common to see a woman balancing a career with family life. Twenty one years ago this fad was still growing. In addition, the number of both girls and women suffering from eating disorders has sadly increased. I blame 95% of this on the media and depiction of a thinner and thinner woman. Even as a teenage I suffered from a period where I believed I was bigger than all my friends and therefore dieted for two years. Thus, it can be said that the media has influenced women in both positive and negative ways. It all depends on the woman, and how much power she allots to the media to control her life.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Tactics of media's construction of the female body and "Killing Us Softly 3"
The film “Killing Us Softly 3” video was a great portrayal of the media’s construction of the female body. The movie went in depth discussing the seven different tactics of advertisements and how this harms women in more ways than one.
The first approach to depicting women is through objectification. In most cases, women are made into sex objects. Women are supposed to be sexy, and make men want them. In one add a woman’s head and lower half of her body were cut off and all viewers could see was her torso (which is also a form of dismemberment later discussed). The print of the advertisement read, “Sick of men who want you for your personality”. It was promoting a New York gym but in actuality it was saying men should only want women for their body and looks.
The second method of the media is called dismemberment, showing only part of the body of a woman. In an advertisement for a special type of lamp, a table made of skinny legs of a woman in heels, held the light. Showing only the long legs in a sexual position with the bright red high heels is dismembering a woman’s body.
The third and popular tactic is the media’s obsession with thinness. Today, skinniness is a worldwide issue. People are finally lashing out again the models who are barely skin and bones. The recent order for models to have a certain body mass for their height was a step in the right direction. However, the problem is far from over. Open up any type of magazine and guaranteed there will at least one overly thin woman. The affects from this are overwhelming. It’s almost the norm to be or know someone who suffers from an eating disorder. Society looks up to thin, good-looking women and frowns upon “the fat”. One picture shown in the movie was of a woman where you could literally count every protruding rib in her body.
Another way the media constructs the female image is through silencing, the covering of a woman’s mouth. This is done mainly in print ads where an article of clothing or hands will be placed over a girls lips. Although silencing may not look disturbing, it’s the underlying meaning that is. It takes away a woman’s voice, suppresses her, and regresses back to the days where women were inferior and not allowed to speak. Of all the issues this may be most difficult tactic to notice.
Infantilization, the idea that sex sells so women should stay young looking, and Ageism, the notion that the majority of women in advertisements are under the age of 35, are two similar approaches of the media. Look at Hollywood and try to count the number of women who have had some kind of surgery to stay youthful looking. Now open a popular magazine and guess the average age of women depicted. Today everyone is trying to stay younger longer and the media’s portrayal of women is a major cause for this trend. Botox and face creams and diet pills fill the ads of these magazines with only young women. No wonder wrinkles and laugh lines are considered unacceptable. Dove has come out with ads that show older, women who are happy in the own bodies. But it is going to have to take a world-wide commitment in order to change the “older is ugly” trend.
Finally, the last method the media uses to represent women is through violence. An ad showed in the movie was of a thin girl laying on a bathroom floor, fragile and helpless, while a muscular man is crotched over her. It was obvious that she was a victim of some abuse but society considers such advertisements as acceptable. In addition, the brawny man was headed towards the woman in a sexual manner, thus adding a notion of objectification into the picture as well. Why do we have laws against abuse and violence yet it’s socially acceptable to depicted such events within an advertisement? We ban video games that promote violence but allow teenage girls to look at pictures and think it’s ok if a man beats her. No wonder society is so messed up.
The movie “Killing Us Softly 3” was eye-opening. It is time that women take a stand against the way they are being represented in the media. Advertisements have labeled women as sex objects, condoned eating disorders, taken away a woman’s voice in matters, labeled aging as ugly and to be avoided, and promoted violence. Just as the movie suggested, women need to join forces and finally say ‘enough is enough’.
The first approach to depicting women is through objectification. In most cases, women are made into sex objects. Women are supposed to be sexy, and make men want them. In one add a woman’s head and lower half of her body were cut off and all viewers could see was her torso (which is also a form of dismemberment later discussed). The print of the advertisement read, “Sick of men who want you for your personality”. It was promoting a New York gym but in actuality it was saying men should only want women for their body and looks.
The second method of the media is called dismemberment, showing only part of the body of a woman. In an advertisement for a special type of lamp, a table made of skinny legs of a woman in heels, held the light. Showing only the long legs in a sexual position with the bright red high heels is dismembering a woman’s body.
The third and popular tactic is the media’s obsession with thinness. Today, skinniness is a worldwide issue. People are finally lashing out again the models who are barely skin and bones. The recent order for models to have a certain body mass for their height was a step in the right direction. However, the problem is far from over. Open up any type of magazine and guaranteed there will at least one overly thin woman. The affects from this are overwhelming. It’s almost the norm to be or know someone who suffers from an eating disorder. Society looks up to thin, good-looking women and frowns upon “the fat”. One picture shown in the movie was of a woman where you could literally count every protruding rib in her body.
Another way the media constructs the female image is through silencing, the covering of a woman’s mouth. This is done mainly in print ads where an article of clothing or hands will be placed over a girls lips. Although silencing may not look disturbing, it’s the underlying meaning that is. It takes away a woman’s voice, suppresses her, and regresses back to the days where women were inferior and not allowed to speak. Of all the issues this may be most difficult tactic to notice.
Infantilization, the idea that sex sells so women should stay young looking, and Ageism, the notion that the majority of women in advertisements are under the age of 35, are two similar approaches of the media. Look at Hollywood and try to count the number of women who have had some kind of surgery to stay youthful looking. Now open a popular magazine and guess the average age of women depicted. Today everyone is trying to stay younger longer and the media’s portrayal of women is a major cause for this trend. Botox and face creams and diet pills fill the ads of these magazines with only young women. No wonder wrinkles and laugh lines are considered unacceptable. Dove has come out with ads that show older, women who are happy in the own bodies. But it is going to have to take a world-wide commitment in order to change the “older is ugly” trend.
Finally, the last method the media uses to represent women is through violence. An ad showed in the movie was of a thin girl laying on a bathroom floor, fragile and helpless, while a muscular man is crotched over her. It was obvious that she was a victim of some abuse but society considers such advertisements as acceptable. In addition, the brawny man was headed towards the woman in a sexual manner, thus adding a notion of objectification into the picture as well. Why do we have laws against abuse and violence yet it’s socially acceptable to depicted such events within an advertisement? We ban video games that promote violence but allow teenage girls to look at pictures and think it’s ok if a man beats her. No wonder society is so messed up.
The movie “Killing Us Softly 3” was eye-opening. It is time that women take a stand against the way they are being represented in the media. Advertisements have labeled women as sex objects, condoned eating disorders, taken away a woman’s voice in matters, labeled aging as ugly and to be avoided, and promoted violence. Just as the movie suggested, women need to join forces and finally say ‘enough is enough’.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
What do you think are the characteristics of the Third Wave? Would you consider yourself to be a Third Wave feminist? Why or why not?
What do you think are the characteristics of the Third Wave? Would you consider yourself to be a Third Wave feminist? Why or why not?
There are several new characteristics of Third Wave Feminists. Third Wavers believed that feminists should have the right to choose which issue they wanted to fight for. Therefore, many saw this wave as unorganized and not unified. Another trait of the third wave was the fact alone that the wave was indefinable. Some questioned whether it was actually a moment or not. Many criticized the wave as not being political enough and that the feminists involved lacked focus. In reality, the Third Wave was all about individual empowerment. They embraced the lack of constraints. Another important feature of the Third Wave Feminists was their acceptance of girlie culture. Basically, the wave said that it was ok to where heels, makeup, and be a girlie woman, unlike the previous waves that tended to take on masculine traits. In addition to this, sexuality, power, and your body were three big focuses of the Third Wave. Feminists reclaimed their sexuality and were accepting of lesbianism and bisexuality. Their power was gained in their ability to individually empower themselves and center their attention of issues most important to themselves. Finally, the issue of the body and what is meant to respect yourself and others was a key issue. Abortion, rape, media’s affect on women, and several other problems were made the primary concerns of the Third Wave Feminists. A group called the radical cheerleaders took on the responsibility of protesting in a bold form (dressed in outlandish clothes with homemade pompoms) in protesting the previously stated issues. Overall, the Third Wave had several unique characteristic that took on different issues in exceptionally diverse ways.
After understanding what the Third Wave was all about I would consider myself a Third Wave Feminists. Critiques say that the wave was a generational issue, only including people for generation X and Y (1966-1996). Maybe because I fall within that bracket and I grew up in a society that was accepting of the Third Wavers I am more biased toward accepting the wave. Whatever may be the cause, I like the Third Wave’s mentality toward individualism. Previous waves have mostly been about “Here is the issue and now you must all work to fight it”. I enjoy the right to choose what issues are most important to me and the fact that I can be a girlie girl and still consider myself a feminist. It’s about time that we took a stand against media’s devastation affects on women and the true image of female. On the issue of sexuality too, for decades we have all had the same nagging questions about intimacy but it was never acceptable to talk of such things. Now it’s ok to come out and say you are not a homosexual or ask questions about the nature of sex. Finally, a wave has come about where all are welcome to be feminists and fight for their own subject matters. It sure took long enough. Our country was founded on the principles of freedom and finally our society has come to terms with that liberty.
There are several new characteristics of Third Wave Feminists. Third Wavers believed that feminists should have the right to choose which issue they wanted to fight for. Therefore, many saw this wave as unorganized and not unified. Another trait of the third wave was the fact alone that the wave was indefinable. Some questioned whether it was actually a moment or not. Many criticized the wave as not being political enough and that the feminists involved lacked focus. In reality, the Third Wave was all about individual empowerment. They embraced the lack of constraints. Another important feature of the Third Wave Feminists was their acceptance of girlie culture. Basically, the wave said that it was ok to where heels, makeup, and be a girlie woman, unlike the previous waves that tended to take on masculine traits. In addition to this, sexuality, power, and your body were three big focuses of the Third Wave. Feminists reclaimed their sexuality and were accepting of lesbianism and bisexuality. Their power was gained in their ability to individually empower themselves and center their attention of issues most important to themselves. Finally, the issue of the body and what is meant to respect yourself and others was a key issue. Abortion, rape, media’s affect on women, and several other problems were made the primary concerns of the Third Wave Feminists. A group called the radical cheerleaders took on the responsibility of protesting in a bold form (dressed in outlandish clothes with homemade pompoms) in protesting the previously stated issues. Overall, the Third Wave had several unique characteristic that took on different issues in exceptionally diverse ways.
After understanding what the Third Wave was all about I would consider myself a Third Wave Feminists. Critiques say that the wave was a generational issue, only including people for generation X and Y (1966-1996). Maybe because I fall within that bracket and I grew up in a society that was accepting of the Third Wavers I am more biased toward accepting the wave. Whatever may be the cause, I like the Third Wave’s mentality toward individualism. Previous waves have mostly been about “Here is the issue and now you must all work to fight it”. I enjoy the right to choose what issues are most important to me and the fact that I can be a girlie girl and still consider myself a feminist. It’s about time that we took a stand against media’s devastation affects on women and the true image of female. On the issue of sexuality too, for decades we have all had the same nagging questions about intimacy but it was never acceptable to talk of such things. Now it’s ok to come out and say you are not a homosexual or ask questions about the nature of sex. Finally, a wave has come about where all are welcome to be feminists and fight for their own subject matters. It sure took long enough. Our country was founded on the principles of freedom and finally our society has come to terms with that liberty.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Reflect on a strategy or tactic of the First Wave. Would such a strategy be effective for feminist activists today? Why or why not?
The First Wave Feminists used the strategy of unity and focus on one primary goal to eventually earn the right to vote. The wave began in 1848 when Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton traveled overseas to England to attend a world conference and were denied seating because they were women. Fed up with the suppression and inequalities both women came home to Seneca, New York and staged a gathering now famously known as the Seneca Falls Convention. With this, the Declaration of Sentiments was written in model of the Declaration of Independence, both calling for some form of freedom. After this event First Wave Feminists gradually gained momentum on the women’s rights issue, specifically targeting the right to vote. In the 1850s The Equal Rights Association, an organization of suffragists and abolitionists who wanted universal suffrage rights, was created. From this time up until the 1870s the ERA fought state by state. Finally, in 1870 the ERA split and the suffrage issue split into both a state by state as well as national moment. Staying apart for nearly twenty years the forces reunited forming the National American Suffrage Association. From this point forward the First Wave remained on a national level. Eventually, in 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified and the First Wave Feminists goal was finally reached. Throughout the thirty two year ordeal the suffrage moment was fought together. Starting as a state by state issue, the problem eventually was realized nationwide. With women of all ages, races, and from all areas unified on one issue the woman’s right to vote finally was made a reality.
Today, such a strategy would be affective in the aspect of union of all feminists on one primary goal; however, the issue would have to be taken national in order to accomplish results. Today there are several different types of feminists, all of which have differing views and varying values. If all of these different groups could come together to fight for one common objective the affects would be astonishing. But in order to see progress in this day and age the issue at hand needs to be brought to the federal government to be effective. National attention is more influential today than working at a state level. In additional, national issues persuade a larger majority of the nation to agree with the issue in a shorter period of time. In reality, the First Wave was an excellent model in portrayal of a nation coming together to fight for what they all believed in. If such powerful moments could happen today I believe the world would be a much different, unified place.
Today, such a strategy would be affective in the aspect of union of all feminists on one primary goal; however, the issue would have to be taken national in order to accomplish results. Today there are several different types of feminists, all of which have differing views and varying values. If all of these different groups could come together to fight for one common objective the affects would be astonishing. But in order to see progress in this day and age the issue at hand needs to be brought to the federal government to be effective. National attention is more influential today than working at a state level. In additional, national issues persuade a larger majority of the nation to agree with the issue in a shorter period of time. In reality, the First Wave was an excellent model in portrayal of a nation coming together to fight for what they all believed in. If such powerful moments could happen today I believe the world would be a much different, unified place.
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