Ratika's Gender & Pop Culture Blog

So You Think You Can Be A Stereotype

2008-08-09T13:51:00.001-04:00

This is a Man's World: So, Women, Give In

2008-07-31T23:21:00.013-04:00

Feminists spent many years fighting for equal rights in the past; now that they achieved this legal impartiality, just how equal are men and women? On the surface, today’s society may seem as though men and women are treated uniformly, for women are now working at many different jobs. Just turn on the TV or browse the advertisements in a magazine for a closer look. The vast majority of commercials and advertisements flow with visions of sex. Any product, whether it is shoes or deodorant, can be sold by using erotic images, and most of these images focus on women’s bodies. These images have become so commonplace in the media that people do not question them, so people do not realize what this is doing to our culture. In a man’s world, women are not human rather they are objects of pleasure that can be and should be shaped into whatever is defined as “beautiful” by our society.

In fear of women becoming just as powerful and successful as them, men have found a new way to suppress women. Most of the “sexy” ads that are displayed throughout the media typically depict men as dominant and women as inferior, the Urbanflo advertisement above is an example of this. The man is shown on top of the woman, whose legs are bent in a way to show passivity. The Puma, Skyy, and Radiator ads depict this concept, as well. Not only are women shown as meek and submissive, but they also are objectified; this objectification takes away from the fact that women are actually human beings too. Instead, they are shown as display shelves to show off Nike sneakers. Objectification also includes the idea of only using certain parts of the woman’s body in an image to market a product. For instance, Durex only used a woman’s mouth to get their point across, and Francesco Biasia used only the back of a woman. Women have been commodified further by being used to advertise products for men only, such as men’s underwear, deodorant or razors. When have you seen men being used to advertise razors for women or women’s lingerie? Women are even on the covers of most men’s magazines like Maxim and Macho-Man. The bottom line is that women take these images and believe they have to be half-naked with the perfect body for men to be attracted to them. All these tactics that favor men are used to bring down women so men can still feel powerful; Naomi Wolf, author of The Beauty Myth, asserts, “We are in the midst of a violent backlash against feminism that uses images of female beauty as a political weapon against women’s advancement: the beauty myth” (120).

Feminism has become weaker in today’s society because many women are giving in to male dominance. Because these images of sex and half-naked women are so immersed in our culture, women feel that they must look like those images to get a man. In order to become “beautiful”, women and even girls turn to women’s magazines for advice. All these magazines are filled with skinny women with perfect bodies, hair, and makeup. What people do not realize is that most of the time these pictures are airbrushed creating an unattainable standard of beauty. Women and girls, however, are trying so hard to become this ideal that it is detrimental to their physical and emotional health. Looking at all the skinny women sometimes brings women’s self-esteem to extremely low levels. They constantly do not feel pretty enough because there are reminders everywhere that they do not look like the catalogue women. Furthermore, in order to get the best butt, best beach body, or feel great naked entails women to be skinny. Many women and girls develop eating disorders because they do not feel comfortable with their body. The author of The Cult of Thinness, Sharlene Hesse-Biber, has done the research, and she found, “Conservative estimates put the number of young women and girls with eating disorders between 5 and 10 million. Estimates of body dissatisfaction among women range upward to 56%. Younger kids are joining the diet craze: An estimated 40% of 9- and 10-year-old kids say they “sometimes” or “very often” diet” (15). The fact that so many women are giving in to these ridiculous ideals of our society and are even encouraging them, makes it that much easier for our culture to go on producing these demeaning images.

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Works Cited

Hesse-Biber, Sharlene Nagy. The Cult of Thinness. 2nd Ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Wolf, Naomi. "The Beauty Myth." Chapter III: Gender and Women's Bodies (1991): 120-125.

What Real Girls Are Into

2008-07-24T22:09:00.015-04:00

Upon shopping for my nine year old sister, I came across some interesting items that really got me thinking about the way our society is set up. I was on the Target website searching for toys. The toys section of the website had many subcategories, the first two being ‘Girls’ Toys’ and ‘Boys’ Toys’. So, I clicked on the link to the girls section; here I found even more categories to narrow my search. The categories were: Dolls and Accessories, Stuffed Animals and Toys, Pink Toys, etc. The toys were even organized by “Favorite Characters”; the top favorite character for girls was Barbie. Out of curiosity, I went back and clicked on the ‘Boys’ Toys’ link. The subcategories in this section were: Tech Toys, Riding Toys, Vehicles, etc, and the top favorite character for boys was Transformers. The fact that the toys section can so easily be broken down into toys for girls and toys for boys and each section has such obvious differences shows how our society is divided by gender, or should I say how gender divides our society. In his book, Identities and Inequalities, Newman explains that, “…Toys and games remain solidly segregated along gender lines. Decades of research indicate that "girls' toys" still revolve around themes of domesticity, fashion, and motherhood and "boys' toys" emphasize action and adventure” (112). On my search for the greatest gift for my sister, I discovered a new line of dolls, The Only Hearts Club. Although The Only Hearts Club dolls are gender specific, they send a message to girls that is counter-hegemonic.

In today’s society it is almost impossible to get away from gender stereotyping. The Only Hearts Club dolls are marketed solely for girls; their slogan is, “Real cool girls… just like you” (The Only Hearts Club). The company also states that, “The Only Hearts Club is a content-based brand of real dolls for real girls” (The Only Hearts Club). The Club consists of eight dolls, and they all come with cute and cuddly puppies. Soft, cute, and cuddly toys are always associated with girls. The dolls are also associated with horses and ponies. Furthermore, there are many different outfits for the dolls, from sleepwear to swimwear. Dressing the dolls and playing with their puppies are stereotypical activities for girls to enjoy. It is obvious that these dolls are only for girls and it would be weird for boys to play with them, especially since there is not even one doll that is a boy. Despite the fact that these dolls play a role in the hegemonic ideal of gender (dolls are only for girls), they incorporate counter-hegemonic ideals of femininity.

Since our first moments of speech, hegemonic ideas of how girls are supposed to look, act, feel and think are instilled in us, but The Only Hearts Club is trying to break away from these dominant beliefs. Newman states that, “What it means to be male or female, how you’re supposed to look, and the things you’re expected to do by virtue of being labeled male or female are entirely dependent of the societal, historical, and even the familial context in which you live” (53). Media and pop culture also influence the gender specific rules that we are taught. Because Barbie and Bratz dolls have become so popularized, they have set many of the standards that young girls follow. These specific dolls wore too much makeup and inappropriate clothing for the age group of girls that the dolls targeted. Jean Kilbourne, author of The More You Subtract, The More You Add: Cutting Girls Down to Size, pointed out that, “very little girls are offered makeup and toys like Special Night Barbie, which shows them how to dress up for a night out” (260). So girls were attracted to skimpy clothing and cosmetics at younger ages. The Only Hearts Club dolls, on the other hand, wear fashionable age-appropriate clothing. They also do not have any makeup on. Unlike Barbie, whose body relates more with that of a grown woman, and Bratz, whose bodies are disproportionate, the bodies of the Only Hearts Club dolls are more realistic to look like the girls who play with them. Young girls will now be able to physically relate to the toys they play with.

Not only can girls physically relate to the Only Hearts Club dolls, but they also can relate to them emotionally. All of the eight dolls have different personality traits and interests; these interests include: adorable pets, horses, singing, dancing, sports, hiking, sailing, cooking, arts and crafts, skating, and gymnastics. The surprising aspect about these activities is that some of them are typically related to boys. For instance, sports, from basketball to soccer, and outdoor activities, from hiking to sailing, are “normally” associated with boys. Gender appropriate behaviors are exposed to children at a young age; “For girls and women in the United States, it means things like not burping in public, sitting “ladylike,” paying attention to appearance, wearing makeup and jewelry. For boys and men, it usually means things like being assertive, not overtly displaying certain emotions, and not nurturing others, especially other adults”, Newman explains in his book (54). Now, however, girls are encouraged to take part in activities targeted mainly for boys as well. Furthermore, these dolls are great alternatives to Barbie and Bratz dolls, whose only interests are in fashion, makeup, and becoming divas. The Only Hearts Club dolls send a much needed positive message to young girls.

Another aspect of these dolls that should be applauded is their diversity. The dolls are, as stated by the manufacturer, “a diverse group of bright, cute and energetic young girls - Taylor Angelique, Karina Grace, Olivia Hope, Briana Joy, Lily Rose, Anna Sophia, Kayla Rae and Hannah Faith” (The Only Hearts Club). There are four Caucasian-American dolls, two African-American dolls, one Hispanic-American doll and one Asian-American doll. Although the majority of the dolls is Caucasian (the dominant race in America’s society), they do not all have blonde hair and blue eyes. There is the brunette and the red head, as well, and one doll with blonde hair has brown eyes. The Hispanic-American doll has brown hair and brown eyes, and her skin is a shade tanner than the Caucasian-American dolls. There is even diversity among the two African-American dolls. One of them is darker than the other with darker hair as well, and one has curly hair while the other has straight hair. Finally, the Asian-American has black hair and black eyes. This group of dolls is trying to show young girls that they are beautiful no matter what skin color or hairstyle they have. Newman says, “We can choose to rely on skin color or genital configuration as the primary means by which we make “us-them” distinctions. Or we can choose to downplay these traits and treat them with the same nonchalance that we treat eye color, hair color, or the shape of a nose or chin” (69). The Only Hearts Club is trying to make different ethnicities mainstream in order to trivialize the distinctions between them.

It is difficult to completely get away from the hegemonic beliefs of our society, but efforts are being made to fight these ideals. Gender is always going to be an issue in our society unless individuals start to recognize these biases that go unnoticed. Barbie and Bratz have become so popular that the gender and socialization effects they had on young girls survived throughout all these years. Now, with the introduction of The Only Hearts Club, change may begin to take place in the way society reacts toward gender stereotypes. People will now be exposed to an alternative doll to Barbie and Bratz; this may open more people’s eyes to a better perspective of the female gender. Girls may feel empowered to challenge the great divide in our society.
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Works Cited

Kilbourne, Jean. "The More You Subtract, the More You Add." Gender, Race, and Class in the Media Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003. 260.

Newman, D. M. Identities and Inequalities. New York, NY: McGraw Hill. 53-112.

The Only Hearts Club. 23 July 2008 .

Photos (Top to Bottom):
http://www.onlyheartsclub.com/index.html
http://www.onlyheartsclub.com/pages/meet.html
Last Four: http://www.onlyheartsclub.com/pages/meet_girls.html

Family Guy Analysis

2008-07-18T18:01:00.000-04:00

Family Guy is a television sitcom that satirizes today's American society. The ideas of Lull and Johnson define our society as one of patriarchal and hegemonic beliefs. Family Guy animates our society through different characters and their interactions with each other on the show. The episode "Don't Make Me Over" consists of a few examples that portray hegemonic and patriarchal ideals.

One example of a hegemonic belief of the American society from this episode occurs right at the beginning. Meg and three of her friends are sitting at a lunch table while Craig Hoffman walks by. All four of the girls watch him walk by in awe; they are amazed by his gorgeous looks. All the girls have the same opinion of him; they are all assumed to be heterosexual. Heterosexuality is viewed as the dominant and "normal" sexuality in our society. It is looked down upon by the majority of America's society for anyone to be homosexual or even bisexual. The fact that all four girls agree that Craig is gorgeous is an example of inferential heterosexism. This idea of heterosexuality is instilled in everyone unnoticeably through television all the time.

Gender roles in our society are typical hegemonic and patriarchal beliefs of America. Family Guy portrays these gender ideals through Craig and Meg. Craig is the tough, rebellious guy wearing a leather jacket. This idea of a guy is stated by all the girls in the show to be "hot". He stays true to his gender by showing how masculine he is when Meg asks him out and he says "I don't date dudes". This statement takes the idea of gender roles further. Meg is a brunette with glasses and a simple fashion sense; she just wears jeans and a t-shirt, so, of course, Craig does not find her attractive. Later, Meg gets a makeover and is transformed into a blonde, "hot, white, jail bait ass". Then, Craig pursues her and even the popular hot girls at school ask her to join their crowd. Guys have to be masculine and rebellious to be attractive and girls have to be blonde and half-naked to be sexy.

An overt patriarchy example occurs through Peter Griffin. Meg is easily seduced by Jimmy Fallon at the Saturday Night Live show, and she is unknowingly being filmed. The footage of Jimmy and Meg together is aired on television. When Peter sees Meg being ridiculed on television, he proclaims, "It's time for me to fulfill my fatherly duty". This statement exemplifies the idea that fathers should protect and take care of their families. They are the dominant of the two parents. It is the responsibility of the father to lead his family to success, happiness and safety.

Race is another issue raised in this episode of Family Guy. Throughout the whole episode there are only a handful of black people. The vast majority of the people are white. White people are seen to be the dominant race in our society. The one black guy amongst Peter's friends is even depicted to be slow. The way he talks implies that he is uneducated. Furthermore, Brian, who represents a "typical" white male, starts to bark viciously whenever Dr. Diddy, the family's music producer, walks in the room. Brian's actions seem to be racist because Dr. Diddy is depicted as a black man who wears baggy clothing and plenty of bling. The episode ends with Brian turning off the tv when Showtime at the Apollo comes on, a black show. Brian then tells the audience that he is not racist just because he turned the tv off when that particular show came on.
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Family Guy. “Don’t Make Me Over.”
Season 4, Volume Three, Disc One, DVD. 6/5/05
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation: Beverly Hills, CA. 2005.

Blogs Critiquing Popular Culture

2008-07-10T19:45:00.009-04:00

Official Shrub.com Blog: Understanding Popular Culture http://blog.shrub.com/archives/category/series/understanding-popular-culture

Amazing World of Ange: Blog Critique

http://amazingworldofange.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-critique.html

Blogs on Popular Culture

2008-07-10T19:17:00.002-04:00

Pop Candy Blog: Popular Culture News & Today's Trends

http://blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy/

NewNowNext Blog: Gay Pop Culture, News and Clues Served Fresh Daily http://www.newnownext.com/

Pop Culture Madness Blog: Celebrity News and Gossip http://popculturemadness.blogspot.com/

Oh No They Didnt! Celebrity Gossip with Commentary http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/

Pet Rock: The Pop Culture Blog http://blogs.trb.com/entertainment/celebrities_blog/

Link to Blogging in College: the main Gender & Pop Culture blog

2008-07-10T16:09:00.001-04:00