Blog Post 2

Hannah Dickie

2/6/15

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            Advertisements are something that we have become accustomed to in our everyday lives. They are all around us whether it’s on television, radio, or even in magazines. In the second chapter entitled American Dreams, Stifled Realities, of Andi Zeisler’s book Feminism and Pop Culture, she talks a lot about different ads in the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s.  Zeisler lists some of the ad slogans that were being sold during this time period. Some of them included “Be the girl he marries…forever”, “Keep that school girl complexion”, and “Often a bridesmaid but never a bride” (Zeisler 25). These ads were made to make women feel uncomfortable, even in their own skin. They make it seem like the only purpose a women has is to get married and try to look young and beautiful for as long as they can. They targeted women and purposely made them feel like they needed a certain product in order to be loved by a man and accepted by society. One ad that Zeisler describes really stood out to me. It was the ad about Miss Edna. The ad says “Edna’s case was really a pathetic one. Like every women, her primary ambition was to marry. Most girls of her set were married- or about to be. Yet not one possessed more grace or charm or loveliness than she. And as her birthday crept gradually toward the thirty- mark, marriage seemed father from her life than ever” (Zeisler 25). There are so many things I find absurd with this ad. The first one being it’s for Listerine, the mouth wash. I think it’s crazy to believe that the reason some girl isn’t getting married is because she didn’t use Listerine after brushing her teeth, to make her breath smell better. Whether you use Listerine or not should have nothing to do with relationships. Another thing I found really ridiculous was that it literally said her primary ambition in life was to get married. This once again shows that women were being told that the only thing they were good for was being a wife. Yes marriage is a goal many people eventually want to achieve but it’s not the only or primary one. Now a days people want careers and to establish themselves even before getting married. These advertisements of that time really make me think that a woman was not considered successful in her life unless she was married, and according to this ad it should be by the time she’s thirty. In today’s society I think it’s very common for people to be marring later on in life. Not everyone is getting married as young as they did in the 40’s and 50’s. I also think it’s become more accepted for women to not be married until later in their lives.         

            One thing that Zeisler said that surprised me was that “Ads aimed at women, however, were much more about romance than about sex” (Zeisler 24). The reason this surprised me was that in today’s advertisements there is much more sex appeal then there is romance. In many commercials the people in them tend to be attractive skinny people. And if it goes with the product women might either have on very tight clothes or not much clothes at all. One of the commercials we discussed in class was the Nair commercial. I wanted to see what the difference between an older Nair commercial and a newer one looked like so I went on YouTube and found a Nair commercial from 1975. In this commercial the women had on something like gym clothes. They had running shorts and loose fitted tank top with sneakers. They were “working out” on the bleachers. The Nair commercial for 2014 was much different and had far more sex appeal to it. The women were in tight bathing suits sitting by a pool and posing. These commercials show perfectly the change that has happened between older advertisements and the advertisements of today.

 

Women of the 1940s, 50s and 60s

Emily Simski

February 6, 2015

Second Blog Entry

Women of the 40s, 50s, and 60s

            Women in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s were treated with not much respect as many people thought that they would. This was the time that women were being broadcast to American families across the country in the media and advertisement. In Andi Zeisler’s book “Feminism and Pop Culture”, especially the second chapter “American Dreams, Stifled Realities”, was not only the birth of modern pop culture, but it was also the period when women were force to be covered up as well as “The Curse of the Happy Housewife”.

            This whole idea of how women were treated in movies was through a system known as The Hays Code. For those of you who don’t know what that is, The Hays Code was designed to tamper with any image that may give people the wrong message. For example, on screen kisses were brief, violence and crimes were handled in the shadows, and the idea of showing belly buttons was a no-no. I can understand why during this time people weren't allowed to expose themselves, but what if someone wanted to take a chance? Apparently the code was, as page 31 of “Feminism and Pop Culture” says, “designed to put the genie back into the bottle-and the wife back into the kitchen”. Due to this, some movies such as The Divorcee, Red- Headed Woman and The Blue Angel were “covered up” due to “no-no forms of media”.

            It wasn't until the era of mid-1940s to early 1960s sitcom shows that made Americans think about women in that era. Instead of focusing on the women themselves, these shows decided to focus on the roles of women instead. Some of these shows include The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, Father Knows Best and The Donna Reed Show. Each of these women were known as “The Housewife” where they did all the work while the husband was at work. However, women like Lucille Ball (who played the title character in I Love Lucy), were never afraid to bring some humor to the screen, even if Lucy did get in trouble with Ricky sometimes (or maybe every time). These women weren't afraid to be loud and to “break away from the curse” of being a housewife to the man and children.

            Women in this era were shown to be another use for ads as well as used in the media as the housewife of the time. I find myself really enjoying this book of Zeisler’s because I love how she uses topics that everyone knows as well as relate to. Shows such as I Love Lucy, in my opinion, are used as reminders today to show everyone that women don’t have to be just the person who cooks, cleans and mends the clothes while the husband is at work. These sitcom women weren't afraid of breaking out of their comfort zone. While the women in the movies didn't have the same chance as the TV girls, at least they were given a chance to share the screen with men.  

Anita Akor
6 February 2015
                   

                                                  Women Taking Control
In "Throwing Out Our Bra" by Susan Douglas ( page 142),she stated  " In 1965, the number of degrees awarded to women was double what it had been in 1955; by 1969 the number had tripled, and it kept zooming up". Douglas's statement shows that women can do greater things without the help of men. Back then, women were not allowed to get higher education, all they did was sit home and be housewives. But now women are struggling to get better education, better jobs to show men that they are in power, also are capable of doing their own things without their permissions.
                  She also stated"They swung their brassieres in the air like lassos. They crowned a live sheep   "Miss America" to dramatize that the contestants, and all the women, are "oppressed and judged like animals at a county fair".To me , it also shows that women are sick and tired of men judging them because of their looks and body shape. It is not stated in any constitution that all women should look skinny, have sexy butt, not look too tall or too short. Each and every one of us has a different look and it doesn't matter. Men should stop judging women and appreciate them of who they are.

Women in Television

Faith Beglane

6 February 2015

Women in Television

                As men headed out to war, women headed into the workforce. This gave women a new opportunity and a bright looking future. In Feminism and pop culture by Andi Zeisler, she focuses on women in the 1940’s, 50s, and 60s in the chapter American Dreams, Stifled realities. For the first time, women had the opportunity to show men what they were capable. Women had been forced to sit in the house while their husband would go to work. Women roles were very limited and people thought their abilities were too. Women were told that they couldn’t work, to now being told that it was their patriotic duty and that they had to work, “More than six million women answered the call of duty, thanks in part to the propaganda efforts that flattered women by positioning them as central to their country’s success in the war” (Zeisler 27).  But when the war ended, women were sent back into the kitchens of their homes while the men went back to work. This was the start of the second wave of feminism and the women were not going down without a fight.

            Television of the mid 1900’s, now started to feature more women. Shows like I love Lucy, and Leave it to Beaver, were just some of the most popular shows at the time. Lucy’s role was a housewife but she was always up to no good where her husband Ricky, had to help her get out of trouble. All television stations had to follow the Hays code which set certain standards for sexuality shown on the screen. The women’s role remained the same throughout the stations, “The new female figure in film was one who was somehow imperiled-by love, by sickness, or by circumstance-and it was around this figure that a new genre of film caused ‘the women’s picture’ revolved” (Zeisler 31).  The female role was now in transition from housewife to workforce. Although these shows may have not reflected every women in society, I think that Lucy was a good example to show how women could be a housewife but still not do everything that a man wanted her to do. 

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Rachel Nee
2/6/15

 

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            During our discussion today we discussed advertisements and how women are seen today compared to how they were seen in chapter 7 of Where the Girls Are, “Throwing Out Our Bras.” Back in the 70s women’s rights were an issue that most women protested but weren’t taken seriously, they were seen as not powerful and some believed what they were fighting for wasn’t right. Men especially, they believe that males are the ones with power; they are the ones that have always been seen in the media as dominant. Women have struggled to have a voice in what’s right and what’s wrong when it comes to them being portrayed in the media, and I believe this is still a struggle today. For example, magazines, we all see the magic of photo shop and how it’s used to create this “ideal” woman for the cover. This is a misleading image, and when released to the public, can create self esteem issues for young girls, especially those who may idolize the person. These girls feel that’s what they have to look like which can lead to eating disorders, depression, etc. Society doesn’t realize how negative it can be for those looking at the cover. One controversy surrounding a cover was when Jennifer Lawrence was on the cover of both Glamour Magazine and Flare Magazine; images were released on how much photo shop was done to her body and face and it was a drastic before and after. Jennifer is a curvy girl, and that is taken away in the gifs seen of the before and after. This just goes to show that some of us are striving to look like someone that doesn’t even look like that. Another issue with advertisements is they make women look weak, for example ads where you see families in the kitchen whether it’s advertising a cleaning product or a type of meal, the woman is always cooking the food and setting the table for her husband and children. The woman is always cleaning with the product and cleaning up after her family. The dad is seen as dominant on his way to work, or not doing any of the work the wife is doing. Why do women have to be put into that position? What would be so wrong about a dad cooking dinner or cleaning up a mess? In the past, women were the stay at home wives who cooked and cleaned, while men went out to work and would come home to dinner prepared for him. This stereotype continues today in advertisements, the women is put in the position she’s “supposed” to be in, when in reality that isn’t the case. Recently I saw an ad where a woman asked adults and children what it meant to do something “like a girl.” When the adults were asked to run like a girl they waved their hands around and complained about their hair mocking what a female running looks like to them, when asked to throw like a girl they did a weak throw or mocked a girl dropping the ball before even throwing it. What was interesting after adults were asked was what the young girls had said about running and throwing like a girl. When the young girls ran they had a strong run and went fast, and when asked to throw threw with a strong arm. The commercial ends with, “Let’s make Like A Girl mean amazing things.” I really liked this ads message and the way it was portrayed, because it shows that we aren’t to be shown as weak, we are strong and we are able to do things, we can be shown as dominant. I think women in the media will always be a problem, sure there are ads that have shown women as strong, but it’s more based on men when it comes to showing power and dominance. We have good commercials like this one, and others that still tend to put the female in a weak position. Society has ideals and norms that have been followed since the past, and can only get worse for the younger generation. Women deserve a stronger voice and should be able to be advertised as someone they are not someone they are made out to be.

Entry #2

Kristen Butler

February 6, 2015

Blog entry

Throwing our Ours Bras

            In Susan Douglas’ writing “Throwing out Our Bras” she discusses the movements that were made during the 1960’s. She talks a lot about the advertisements, music, and all of the ways lifestyles were changing for many different people. Douglas has written many books, with women being the main topic she speaks about. Her works focus on an analysis of the mixed messages surrounding women, and the struggle she sees in the media between feminism and sexism. I found this article to be very interesting, and it made me think about my life today. Being a female today in society is obviously nothing like it was before, Susan Douglas helps to prove just how hard the lifestyle was for a woman back then.

            Feminism has always been a topic that has been extremely controversial. Nowadays it is not as serious or important for many people since women have gained many more rights and are treated much more equally. However there are still many cases of women being treated unequally. In today’s time there are not many things a woman has not done that a man has, but in the article that Douglas wrote, the 60’s was a huge time for woman to express themselves and to show huge advantage. The article starts off talking about the Miss America Pageant in 1968 in which the showed just how much they did not believe in what happens during pageants. Douglas says “they were not there to attend the pageant and chose who was prettier or had a better butt; they were there to put down the pageant, and put it down they did” (Douglas 139). There has never been such an event that showed the feelings of woman so much. These women took off their bras and expressed how much they felt that they were treated like animals. The part that I liked the most about this article was that Susan Douglas was physically involved in these revolts; it helped to show me, as the reader, what was really happening. She says  “One of the first photographs taken of me and my roommate freshman year featured us braless, wearing men’s undershirts instead, holding a sign that read, simply, “Ban the Bra” (Douglas 140). She then carries on saying “I was not a feminist yet, not by a long shot” (Douglas 140). This was my favorite quote from the article because it proves that even if you were not considered to be a feminist in this time period you were still able to support the rights that women should have. Women should not be treated as if they are animals or lesser people just because of their gender.

            The reading that we did in Andi Zeisler’s book Feminism and Pop Culture, talks a lot about advertisements and how much they affect women. Many advertisements make women think they are not good enough or that make them believe that they need to look a specific way to be attractive to men. These advertisements relate back to what Susan Douglas is saying when she is talking about the pageant because the woman at the pageant started throwing away all of the things that they were required to use in order to make themselves prettier than the other woman that were participating against them. Douglas also talks a lot about television shows that were being aired in the 1960’s. If you are to turn on a television in todays you may find families that have a working dad with a stay at home mom, however it is rare, but turn on a TV in 1960 and you will see that all the households have a man that goes to work all day while the woman stays home, cleans and takes care of the children. However the man is still head of the household regardless of the fact that he is not their all day. This has all changed because woman showed just how much they are capable of doing for themselves. 

Women and Pop Culture Entry 2

Alexandria Scudder

6 February 2015

Entry 2

Throwing Out Our Bras

            In Throwing Out Our Bras feminism is talked about as a political movement, discussing the actions taken by women in the late 60’s.  This particular action took place in Atlantic City at the Miss America pageant.  Women wanted everyone to know that the pageant was a disgrace and that women would not be judged like animals.

            The views on pageants today are skewed depending on whom you talk to.  Many feminist women do not believe in pageants because they feel women are projecting themselves to others as sexual beings.  By projecting women as sexual beings all the time it makes us look like all we are is looks and that is why men judge women the way that they do.  If less women looked to men for assurance and acceptance than women could end up being more powerful than we already are in today’s society.  Men all seem to enjoy the pageant scene because it is one place you are able to judge women and not be looked at as cruel.  By judging women it is allowing us to take a step back to man and that is what most feminists find wrong with pageants.

            To show how the feminists felt in the 60’s they decided to take a stand and peacefully protest.  As Throwing Out Our Bras says “They swung brassieres in the air like lassos.  They crowned a live sheep “Miss America” to dramatize that the contests, and all women, are “oppressed and judged like animals at a county fair.””  As we have progressed as a society and women have more power than they did in the 60’s men have slowly been put in the same position.  Now of days men are competing in muscle building competitions and are judged by men and women.  If men do not decide to bulk up now of days they are viewed as a “geek” or “weak”.  Although I believe that women are judged more harshly than men are based off of our wide variety of body types, men are also being judged.  I have met many women that say, “he has a great personality but it’s a good thing he’s attractive” because in our human make up looks do mean something even it may sound superficial.

            In our current society pageants have become less looked down upon because men and women are doing them not just women.  Most people’s biggest problem is with parents putting their young children in pageants before they can make up their minds for themselves.  As many people have seen the show “Toddlers in Tiaras” which portrays young girls forced into pageant life by their parents at a young age.  Over the four years it aired until it was taken off air in October of 2013 many people were disgusted with the idea of the thoughts that were being put into those toddler’s heads.  By making young girls aspire to be a “pageant queen” it is automatically setting them up to be held at a lower standard than men.  If women in today’s society want to strive to be equals they must stop teaching their children to be less superior to men.