Women and Pop Culture Entry 1

Olivia Lakes

January 30, 2015

Entry 1

Throughout the feminist movement, especially in more recent years, it seems that the idea of what feminism is often gets boiled down to something along the lines of “being considered equal to men.” Although there still continues to be many different definitions of what feminism really is, many women are quick to  accept this “definition,” some even using this as the reason why they allow themselves to be considered a “feminist.” However, I believe that definition is not one we should settle for.

In a segment of Bell Hooks’ book titled “Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist Oppression,” Hooks talks about the issue of race and class tied into feminism. This is very important to me in regards to the definition of feminism being “women are to be considered equal to men,” because men, specifically of different races and areas in the class structure, are not even considered equal to one another. This is immediately problematic because of what it says of the people that support this time of feminism: that they see no problem in some people, women or men, being seen as less valuable than others. While trying to create equality of the sexes, this definition indirectly supports racism and classism, which are equally incredibly important topics.

It is also interesting to note that the nature of men, especially men in power who benefit fully from sexism, over the decades is not one that we as women should strive to be equal to. For hundreds and hundreds of years, men, specifically European white men, have ruled over most of the world with disgusting amounts of force, using oppression along with physical force, to strip native peoples along with women of their basic human rights. This is not something anyone should strive to be equal to. Instead, women should strive to be better than, not as if in competition with men, but rather just for the sake of raising the bar as humans.

Blog Post 1

Alessandra Bisconti

1-30-15

Women’s Role in Pop Culture

            Andi Zeisler emphasizes pop culture’s reliance on woman. Now whether this is our fault as woman or not is subject to opinion. I can’t say that I am on a fixed side of this proposal. I believe women’s roles in pop culture differs based on each situation. Zeisler suggests, “reforming and reframing popular culture is a feminist project.”(Zeisler 7) I don’t believe that this statement is necessarily fair. It should not have to be our job to rebuild such a huge aspect of our culture. However, that is the reality of today. All music, movies, advertisements etc. are done with women in mind. It’s like we are objects. Things. Treats. We are important, we feel, and we have opinions. Yet our interior is irrelevant to pop culture’s purpose. Woman’s role in today’s culture is mainly superficial. I don’t think this is ethically right or beneficial for our culture. Pop culture has become entertainment for men’s pleasure.

            Pop culture is more than just entertainment. There are so many layers and substance to it that can create different feelings from each individual. “Put simply, it’s the idea that when we look at images in art or on screen, we’re seeing them as men might-even if we are woman-because those images are constructed to be seen as men.”(Zeisler 7) Since pop culture is actually full of such substance, why is it looked at so superficially? I believe men and some woman are seeing pop culture half blindly. Walter Benjamin believes that by participating in pop culture we are distracting ourselves. I find it distracting that men can’t focus on the magic and beauty in the art form of pop culture. They are missing out on why music, media, and entertainment are so desirable. The only thing they find desirable are women images. Music videos are a big culprit of this. Guys find the sexual innuendo more appealing than the actual music. Woman feel like they need to look like the fake made-up stars in the media. “girls in Fiji began suffering from eating disorders shortly after the island nation introduced U.S. television in 1995.”(Zeisler 3) So what’s the purpose of pop culture if its causing so much harm? Who is to blame? How and who can fix this? I believe it’s a work in progress.  

Ilenny Nunez

January 30, 2015

Entry#1

 

                                                The Evolution of Cultural Studies

 

            In the piece called “The evolution of Cultural Studies” written by Walter it is clearly understood how it focus on the view of women meaning the way how women might be seen from society; but at the same time it only focuses on the negative ways that women are viewed as.

Within the 3^rd paragraph is implied how all it matters not only on today’s society but also apparently in the 1900’s is the way people look and this is implied when he quoted “we live in a world increasingly defined by the image”. Despite the fact that I don’t agree with the idea that it should be like that, I do agree with the term because I feel that in today society’s that’s all people care about. For example as a young female I know what it’s like to for example being judged based on your looks as we can see in today’s society everybody thinks that you should look a certain way specially boys because if not they will surely make you feel like you are less of a person and you don’t belong.

Lastly there was another quote that caught a lot of my attention and I know a lot you would feel the same way; the quote started as “Women’s bodies sells cars, beer, and laundry detergent…” When I first started reading it I couldn’t believe what I was reading, but then when I re-read the article I started thinking and I got to the conclusion that maybe they are right a lot of women use their bodies to sell products or as a way of advertisement and it looks cheap because it’s like the actions or decisions that some women make would complete a whole judgment for all of us like putting some value on us. But at the same time I feel like advertisement companies have some responsibility on the issue because first they hire women with slim bodies and choose their own outfit for the commercial such as bikinis and clothes that show part of the women’s bodies, and the reason they do this is because they know this is a good way to attract the audience’s attention and make a lot of profit out of their products, but also then complain about it and the way women portrait themselves sometimes. Now the question is why does it seems that is only women’s fault?

 

 

Women & Pop Culture "From Images of Women to Woman as Image"

The reading I found most interesting was the article "From Images of Women to Woman as Image." It discusses how women are portrayed in the media and what message it sends out to people. For example, it discusses women that participate in Miss America pageants and how they portray a perfect looking women and make it seem like that's what women are supposed to look like, that's what we view from the outside as a stereotypical women. There was controversy surrounding the Miss America pageants due to the fact that they suggested the dominant images of women and that they should look this way. The stereotypical and traditional images of women continued to be portrayed in television shows and music as well. What I found interesting was when the television show Roseanne. She's did not portray the stereotypical perfect women. She was more against that look and was more tough and didn't fall into what others considered beauty. Others saw her as more like Ralph Kramden in drag, reinforcing the stereotype that working class families such as the family on Roseanne are fat, lazy, dirty, and careless. In music, Madonna did the opposite of Roseanne and portrayed the stereotypical blond bombshell in her music vide for "Material Girls." People watch Roseanne and think one thing, then listen and watch Madonna and think she's portraying it the right way. Women in the media has always been controversial and today in my opinion has got worse. We see magazine covers of women in weak poses, or controversial outfits. They're photoshopped but on the cover look perfect. This can have a negative effect on society because young girls especially may feel they have to look a certain way like the woman they saw on the magazine, or the woman they saw in the music video. Miss America pageants also continue today, and still we see these women competing for beauty and the crown  which is their title as a beautiful women. This can also have a negative effect, I've seen other girls on twitter who post about how watching those shows makes them feel bad about themselves. It's a growing problem because of how women are portrayed. Notice today how all males still are seen as strong and dominant in either magazines, television or music. They're always portrayed as dominant, never are they seen in a weak like pose or a controversial outfit. The way males and females are portrayed in the media has always been an issue, I found this article to be very interesting in the way in which it went more in depth about the problems of how all women are portrayed, if anything I feel more people should read this article because they'll be able to get a real look into the female's world.

Women and Pop Culture

Women and Pop Culture 

Lorena Labour Aguasvivas

January 30,2015 

Women and Pop Culture

Feminism and Pop Culture

        According to Andi Zeisler, Feminism and pop culture is any cultural product that has a mass audience. Around the 80s and 90 pop cultures grew out of low culture, and them was understood as something just for the high culture. Art, literature, and classical music were made by and just for the world's educated elite, In other words the people who had money during this time. The lower culture had the basic stuff, and with this the people would contented themselves. Even though the phrase "Pop culture" came to take place of low culture, the phrase was defined more by what it was not as elegant, erudite and refined. According to Andi Zeisler in the first three pages, she talks about how pop culture refers to TV, movies, magazines, and music and how this sources amuses and distract people. And How all this elements combined are influenced by the capitalism. She also talks about how the pop culture helps us to understand better the time and place in which we are living now. Which I totally agree because the only way we can see if a change has happened or predict what is going to happen next in the future is just by looking at the past. According to page 6  and 7 from the book " Feminism and Pop Culture by Andi Zeisler there is a quote that really call my attention that says " There are feminism issues that seem, it's true, more immediately vital than whether TV, or movie characters are reflecting the lives of real women. There are continuing problems of the gap between men's and women's wages of glass ceiling and tacit sex discrimination in the workplace. There is the need to combat violence against girls and women and promote sexual autonomy. There are ongoing battles, both individuals and collective, against limiting cultural definitions of " mother" and "wife". There's the fact that the equal right amendment first proposed in 1923 has as of this writing still not been ratified by the United States Congress.  Meaning that under the U.S Constitution women are not equal to men. And there are even broader, more global, and more complex issues of what it means to be women, a feminist, and seeker of human and civil rights. But like the disintegrating line between high and low culture,the distinctions between political and pop have also all but disappeared. Pop culture informs our understanding of political issues that on first glance. Seem to have nothing to do with pop culture: it also makes us see how something meant as pure entertainment can have everything to do with politics.  This quote I think is very important in this reading because it informs you about things that you would not think about. Like that entertainment has everything to do with politics. Andi Zeisler also talks about the " Male Gaze" as the idea that when we as people look at images in art or maybe screen. We are seeing them as a man even though it could be women. All this is because all those images were constructed to be seen by men. Because the men are usually the one, that acts the women just has to appear, and I think this has not changed, all this years, and I still see this stereotypes with women. Overall I like how Andi Zeisler emphasizes the importance of the pop culture. Because most of the time people don't see the importance and how significance this can be even though I think pop culture is more often considered for women. Because most of the stuff about pop culture appeals to women.

Women and pop culture entry 1

Caroline Stevens
1/30/15
Entry 1

                                                From Images of Women to Woman as Image

                   In the article "From Images of Women to Woman as Image", it explains how women are portrayed as sex symbols in the media and how they are seen by the public. Women feel the need to act different in the media because they want to be seen. Women being portrayed in the media could give them a bad reputation. The media makes all women look their best because it attracts people but in reality that is not what they actually look like. 

                  "Taking as their object of analysis the images of women in the mass media, researchers explored sexism and sex-role stereotyping in a wide variety of media forms, including television, film, comic books, and newspapers". This statement makes women feel like they have to act sexy and be very attractive to be shown in the media. There are companies who have pretty girls trying to sell their product. It is the best way for that company to use a sexy, skinny and pretty girl because it is an easy way for consumers to make money. In the article, Walters makes statements about women being portrayed to the media in negative ways and I 100% agree with that. Women are supposed to feel like themselves and not pretend to be someone they are not. 

                     Many people in the world have different opinions about different things. Some agree with feminism and some believe that they are not a feminist. In my opinion, if people can not see that women are being used to portray their bodies on television or magazine ads, then they need to look more closely. For example, Miss America. The ladies are all skinny and pretty and it probably took them years to look like that. There are girls who would kill to be in magazine ads or on TV or be a Victoria Secret model, but according to the media they are "too fat" or "not pretty". There are people who are struggling when they see skinny and pretty girls because that is who they want to be but in reality that is not them. A fat girl could be used in a magazine ad, but media will crop the body to make the girl look skinnier, and edit the face to make her look prettier. They just want to show their beauty and show the media who they really are. 

                   The world is not all about skinny and attractive girls being portrayed as sex toys. I can speak for everyone when I say that when I see a Victoria Secret model that everyone wants to be one. Anyone will say "I wish I could look exactly like that girl because she is skinny and pretty." These girls are famous and are being looked up from girls who want to be like that. The world does not work that way. "The media reflects "reality" like a mirror." Men are viewing women as toys and that is inappropriate. There may be at a standard where people judge them for portraying their bodies but in reality it is a stereotype and there are stereotypes all around the world. 

Chelsea Morganelli

1/30/15

Entry 1

Sex Roles in Media

The reading that I found most interesting was “From Images of Women to Women as Image” by Suzanna Danuta Walters. The reading discussed “sex roles” in mass media and the stereotyping that goes along with it. Walters quotes Gaye Tuchman when he says, “Watching lots of television leads children and adolescents to believe in traditional sex roles: Boys should work, girls should not. The same sex role stereotypes are found in the media designed especially for women. They teach that women should direct their hearts toward hearth and home” (Walters, 35). I agree with this quote, television is brainwashing children and telling them that this is the way they should live when they are older. The stereotype that women should stay at home and be housewives while their husbands go to work is shown on television to young viewers. These young viewers are soaking up this stereotype they see on television and think that is what they need to do when they are older. There needs to be more TV shows for children showing them that women can go to work too and that they do not have to stay at home.

 In the reading, George Gerbner concludes that women and nonwhites are portrayed as victims on television. I agree with his conclusion, women are always being saved by men in TV shows and movies. For example, Disney movies have been showing the princess being saved by the prince for too long. These movies are telling young girls that their prince will be there to save them and all they have to do is wait around. This idea is wrong and should not be viewed by young people. It is giving them the wrong idea that when they are in trouble someone will always be there. Two years ago, Disney finally made a movie where the prince does not save the princess. This movie is called Frozen and they should make more like it. Women should be shown as strong rather than weak and distressed. If media does not change then how do we expect to change the idea of traditional sex-roles? 

Women in Pop Culture

Morgan Bilodeau

January 30, 2015

Entry 1

            Media portrays women in different ways. Media usually portrays women in a sexual way. It portrays that a perfect body and a perfect face is all you need to have to feel beautiful and to get a man to like you.  The writing piece I am going to talk about is  “The evolution of Cultural Studies”. In the piece it says “For it is women who are more often than not are the “imaged” in our culture”. Women everyday are looked at and picked apart. They are held to extremely high standards. You need to be a size zero, big boobs, big butt, and have a flat stomach. The media makes women try to reach unobtainable goals because women look up to the celebrities and the models in magazines. “So that more often than not those images of ourselves that stare at us from the glossy pages of the women’s magazines or from the glowing eye of the television screen are not of our own creation”. For my whole life I have felt that I have been held to the standard to look like a super model posing on the cover of a magazine. Now a day I know that the images are not real. No one can actually look like them.

            “Women’s bodies sell cars, beer, and laundry detergent”.  Every commercial you see now a day has a pretty girl in it trying to sell that product or advertise for a company. They use women to sell these products to gain the attention of men. But I also think that men are advertised in the media the same way. Men are topless in underwear commercials. Men feel like they have to live to the standard of perfectly photo-shopped men. So why do people say only women are held to a high standard and are the “imaged” in our society?

Kristen Coyne

1-30-15

            In the first chapter of Feminism and Pop Culture, it discusses what pop culture is and how women are portrayed in the media. Pop Culture is basically anything that is viewed by many people such as TV, radio, and advertisements. Two topics in the chapter that stood out to me were male gaze and feminist mythmaking in the media.

A topic that was discussed in this chapter was “male gaze”.  Male gaze is defined in the book as “the idea that when we look at images in art or on screen, we’re seeing them as a man might-even if we are women-because those images are constructed to be seen by men.” (Page 7) Male gaze is basically making women feel like they are an object rather than a human that is equal to a male. Women feel they are being judged by men and feel they have to look or act a certain way to appeal to the male eye. Since pop culture portrays women to appeal to male viewers, it has in turn caused women to see it the way men do, and in affect make them feel they should look or act a certain way.

Another part in this chapter that stood out to me was “feminist mythmaking in the media”. Feminist mythmaking is when people and the media distort the points Feminists are trying to prove. It is often done because people are afraid that if they are pro-feminist it will negatively affect their reputation or social and political power. Ever since the women’s movement started, there have been people who are negative towards it. A comment that has been made towards feminism by Pat Robertson is, “feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians.” (Pages 14-15) This is a very hateful statement to say about feminism and is diminishing to the feminist movement. When popular figures act this way and the media advertises this behavior, it makes people believe that these things are true and weakens feminism.

Woman and Pop Culture Entry 1

Gina Lagrotteria

January 30, 2105

Entry 1

From Images of Women to Woman as Image

In the article "From Images of Women to Women as Image" by Suzanna Danuta Walters it talks about how women are seen in the public eye. It talks about how people see the way that women are being portrayed in the media and it makes an influence on them. People tend to compare themselves to the people in spotlight.

Walters comments on in her article about how the media teaches us stereotypical roles and behaviors. In her article on page 41 she states " The flip side of this reflection model is a view of the media derived from the theories of sex roles and socialization. If the reflection posits the media as a mirror to social reality, the socialization model argues that the media teach us sex-stereotyped roles and behaviors" (Walters,41). I agree with this comment that she made, I believe the media is the reason that females say they can not do something because it is to masculine or the opposite that a male can not do something because it is a female thing. From a young age you see how something is portrayed in the media and you believe that is the truth and reality , when in reality it could be the complete opposite. Gender roles are present in society because of pop culture and the media. 

Like anything in society, people are going to see things differently and have different opinions about the same exact thing. People are going to get a different impression about the same exact television show and take different things out of it. One example of that she states is the example of the show Roseanne and how people see her in completely different ways. Some people see her as strong women who shows true beauty and others see her as someone who is careless and lazy.I feel like in society you see things the way you want to see them. I never really thought of it that way until recently but the way you want it to be seen is the way you will see something. 

One thing that stuck out to me that Walters touches on is how the media portrays females to be more emotional than males are. I agree with this and disagree with this at the same time. It does seem like in society that women are more emotional but how do we not know that it is not like that because men try to be strong because they know they are stereotypically supposed to be. The media has an influence on this as men see how men are supposed to be strong and not emotional. I feel like men and women are both  equally emotionally but men just do not show it as much because they know men are supposed to be stereotypically strong. Women just tend to show there emotions more then men do. When men do show or share there emotions they tend to get judged. 

Women compare themselves to the women portrayed in the media, they want to be them. I know myself that when I see a women in the spotlight, I say to myself I wish I could be just as skinny and pretty as them. Women in the spotlight are idolized, there image has an impact. In Walter's article she talks about Madonna and how she was considered the "blonde bombshell". She set the stereotype at that time as stereotypes are always changing.