Blog Post #2

Gina Lagrotteria

February 6, 2015

Entry 2

Throwing Out Our Bra’s

           

In the chapter “Throwing Out Our Bras” it makes many points that relate to feminism.

One of the things stated in the chapter is “Advertisers defined the emancipated woman as one who wore miniskirts, paper dressed, and Rudi Gerneich bathing suits, a sort of James Bond girl who was sexually liberated, meaning she was willing and available, if not downright promiscuous. “(152). I feel as this representation portrayed is accurately stated. The media does not see women as an actual human being, we are portrayed as objects. We are portrayed to be weak and vulnerable. Seeing women in advertisements also impacts the way that women see themselves. They think that they need to look better, and find points about themselves that they want to alter or change. I know myself personally that when I see an advertisement of pretty, skinny, perfect skin, long brown hair, I wish I could look just like them. I want to be them, I want to look as good as they do.

            The music was even starting to represent their feelings. “For the most part rock and pop music was more political than ever, attacking militarism, materialism, and sexual representation. It made girls like me receptive to the kind of rebellion we would see in Atlantic City in 1968.”(149) The music being in this time period , gave women a sense of hope. They felt like for the first time that they were actually getting some representation.

            One of the major events that relates to feminism is the Miss America Pageant of 1968 in Atlantic City. They did not go to this event to watch the event but rather they went to protest. They wanted to put an end to the pageant. This is the time that women started to take a stand against their rights and views in society. I do not agree with the Miss America Pageants at all, I think the women that they choose do not accurately represent the women culture. I feel like the women are chosen because they have the most fakeness to them, or they have the “perfect” body. I would agree with it more if there were women selected that actually had meat on their bones. Women should not have to be put down because of seeing half naked fake women on there television screen or back then attending the event.

            Throwing Out Our Bra’s is a piece that is greatly written that gives important information regarding the feminist women and how women felt about it.

Women In Advertising Blog Post 2

Morgan Bilodeau

February 6, 2015

                                                     Women In Advertising

            1942: the year the TV began its appearance into our culture. The TV changed the way women were depicted. With TV, there comes advertising. In chapter two of Feminism And Pop Culture Advertising, Andi Zeisler depicts how a woman is portrayed in our society. “ Even the best movies, the giddiest television romps, the most memorable add campaigns speak of what women can and should-or shouldn’t-be” (Zeisler 23). During World War II America decided to take advantage of TV and radio to advertise and market to as many people as possible. For women, advertising only explained what woman should and shouldn’t do and what they were and weren’t capable of. Advertisement agencies believed that for a women to buy a product they had to make a women feel insecure about their body. “…too short, too tall, too fat, too skinny, dull-haired, lumpy-bottomed, flat-chested, thin-lipped, too pale, not pale enough, too smart, too dumb, not sexy, a lax housekeeper, a lazy cook, a bad mother, a neglectful spouse” (Zeisler 24). Similar to today, during the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s women were judged by the way they looked and behaved. They were held to the standard of being a good mother, a good wife, a good cook, and while doing this they had to look attractive all at the same time. Advertising was responsible for this depiction of women. For example in the chapter Zeisler writes “They were supposed to be interim heads of households, of course, as instructed by the myriad pitches in women’s magazines that showed mothers and children donating tin cans and toothpaste tubes…They were supposed to be glamourpusses” (Zeisler 28). This is horrible! If I lived back in this era I don’t know if I would have been able to be held to these standards. To be a housewife and to look good is an extremely hard thing to do, especially at the same time. Women should not be expected to be superheroes. There are so many ideas and breakthroughs that could have been created, but weren’t because women were expected to be seen and not heard.

            

Blog 2 Throwing Out Our Bras

Lorena Labour Aguasvivas

February 6, 2015

Blog 2

Throwing Out Our Bras

The books called Where the Girls are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media was written. By the well known author Susan Douglas in 1995. Susan Douglas as we already know has a background of women growing up in the mass media. Douglas talks during the baby boom and after World War Two. Douglas feels very strong about the media dealing with the misconception of women. Douglas is obsessed with the feminism toward the media. Throughout Douglas work, she states many things that women were dealing with during this period. For example, in this book Douglas explain us that women are portrayed as the weaker sex, Douglas disagree with this she understands why women are angry with the media, because for twenty years after the women's right movement. The media companies, magazines and the sports illustrated still affects women. If people agree with feminism, they will agree with Douglas because she has a unique idea towards feminism. In the book where are the girls Douglas stated, " Throughout our lives we have been getting profoundly contradictory message about what it means to be an American women.  Our nation teach us that Americans are supposed to be independent, like Benjamin Franklin, or Thomas Edison (Douglas, 1995) (Pg.17) Douglas is a feminist women that shows this point of view throughout her book. Douglas also talks about two images that Disney presented to the audience about girls. However these two images that were presented had something negative, this image was made with the purpose of girls to look at them in the mirror and then chase the boys. (Douglas, 1995) (pg.30) This is just the way that Douglas sees it; However Disney maybe sees it in other positive ways. Since Disney is view as being for children. In my opinion, I agree with Douglas. Because if that's what kids are watching on TV, that is going to have an effect on them because, even though, some TV shows don't intend to make you believe in any way This still affects the audience. Especially the kids that always want to do what they see on TV. Douglas as feminist women portrays feminism as she sees it in this world. Even though, people disagree with her or don't think she is fair with the points that she makes. I believe she is right because she makes some real points in which us as women can identify with; the points are very extreme, but they are based on facts no opinions.

Blog Post 2

Alessandra Bisconti
2-6-15
                                                                       

           In the novel Feminism And Pop Culture, author Andi Zeisler traces the portrayal of woman in advertisement all the way back to the 1940’s. Zeisler dives into a practical and entertaining conversation discussing romanticized Ads leading to false hope. As a reader, it is hard to be bored with Andi’s witty yet fully accurate points. She is a relatable woman to speak on this matter because of her indulgence in the topic. Advertisement is everywhere. It is such a huge contributor to our society today; it is almost like we have become immune to its effects on us. Each ad has an underlying method that intends to sway the audience’s opinion in some way. We are subconsciously letting these ads brainwash us into what is supposed to be the “norm.” What we are supposed to look like, smell like, act like. I challenge you to find somebody in your life right now that looks like the Victoria Secret models. I dare you to find a woman you know who smells good and refreshed all day long. Ads make it seem like perfection is easily attainable with the use of their products.`

            Zeisler hits the nail on the head saying that “advertisement has always had one chief aim: to make a consumer want to buy a product by any mean necessary.”(24)  Ads don’t care that they are constantly contaminating the minds of all woman. When we can’t attain the image on commercials and posters it makes us feel insecure. Therefore we are forced to buy their product, which was their ultimate goal. Zeisler also points out "Advertisers pitched their female audiences with the language of love: "adoration, "glamour", "loveliness", and "femininity" were oft-used catch words in ad copy"(24) This is comical how accurate she is. There are so many products out there with bogus names to win the minds of consumers. In Gisele Bundchen's interview on Late Night with Conan O'Brien she brought new products of _ to advertise. The names of the Victoria Secret products are "Pleasure Me Blush", "Beg Me", "Ravish Me Eye Shadow". These names are only implemented to force woman to have false hopes from the products. Especially with a stunning supermodel promoting the products, naturally woman either aspire to be like her, or become depressed.

Woman should feel empowered from their own self-esteem, not by what advertisements tell them. Feel confident in your own skin, not the plastic skin of what pop culture deems the standard. Andi provides an educated and confident voice to this subject matter. It is easy to admire her voice and opinion, so why do we focus so much on what ads say? Listen to your own body and to feel comfortable in your own skin. I can’t be won over by the false hope advertisement provides. Confidence is the best trait to possess no matter what pop culture portrays.

Entry #2

Caroline Stevens
Women and Pop Culture
2/6/15


             In the article "Throwing Out Our Bras" by Susan Douglas, she talks about women's rights and the different types of movements that occurred in the 1960's. Todays women are nothing compared to women back in the 1960's. Women were the only ones who would take care of the kids, cook and clean the house while their husbands were the ones  working and making money. Women were not taken seriously and they began to protest but they never got their way. Women felt like they had no power and they are having trouble being seen.
             In the 1950's and 60's women were not respected. They were being used to be seen in ads, magazines, and on TV. Men were the ones getting all the attention and women felt like they were nothing. Women were also not allowed to get a degree. Today, there are more women than men who attend college and get a degree. People saw the wrong side of the women. No one believed in them, and everyone thought that they should just be housewives. In "Throwing Out Our Bras", Douglas states that "One of the things they saw were more women and more young people engaged in dangerous and disruptive oppositional politics"(145). Black women were struggling for integration and their dignity. They were also having trouble getting into college. An example of racism is Rosa Parks. Black women were having trouble with things more than white women were.
           In the beginning of the article is talks about the Miss American pageant. Douglas states that "They were there to put down the pageant and put it down they did"(139). Women wanted to finally express and show their feelings that they had for the way that they have been treated. These women had taken off their Bras and threw them because they wanted people to know that they were being treated like crap. These women did that because none of them believed in pageants. They did not believe in it because they are sick and tired of skinny and pretty women getting all the attention. The media will not allow fat girls to be shown in ads;only skinny people because those are the girls who are being seen the most. Women have rights and everyone should respect and agree with it. Women and men should have the same respect and be treated the same. Just because of their gender does not mean they should be treated different, it does not make any sense at all. Men should not have power over women, they should both have the same amount of power. Women are responsible to do things themselves and we should not be treated any differently. No one gives women the respect that they should actually earn.

blog post 2

Kristen Coyne

2-6-14

Women were shown in all different ways through the media, but the majority of the time they were shown, it was degrading. “Advertisement has always had one chief aim: to make a consumer want to buy a product at any means necessary. And to advertise to women, this has meant that female consumers are made to feel insecure and off balance for most of their waking moments…” Ziesler  (24) When they were featured in advertisements aimed at men, they were wearing revealing clothes, and acting in a sexual manner, too appeal to men. However, when there was an advertisement directed towards women, it was meant to make them feel unconfident. For example, it would say that if the women did not buy the product, they would be alone for the rest of their life. The difference in the forms of advertisement for men and women was very unfair. It was designed to make men feel more confident, and to make women have a low self esteem. Women were also treated unfairly when the men left to fight in World War II.

            Women were always encouraged to be a housewife, but when the men left for World War II, this idea shifted. Women were suddenly urged to join the work force to save the economy while the men were at war. “No longer valued as only housewives and mothers, women were suddenly positioned as both the reason men should keep fighting the war and the fuel behind their country’s efforts to do so.” Ziesler (27) This became a time that women were becoming more powerful, however, until the men came back from war. Then women were told to go back to being a housewife and give the jobs to the men since the workforce was their “rightful place”.   The way that women were encouraged to join the workforce and then when the men came back were told to go back to being a housewife was extremely unfair. Women were finally being noticed for the hard work that they can accomplish just as well as a man can, and then it was taken away from them. It was a crushing blow to a women’s confidence and should not have been tolerated. One more way Ziesler describes how women were depicted unfairly in this time era was the way males could act verse women.

The way a man could rebel in movies and books, verse the way a women could was portrayed very different. For example, if a male character does something rebellious, such as running away from home, the behavior is always excused by a “boys-will-be-boys mentality”. However when girls rebel, it has major consequences. For example, in the 1961 movie Splendor in the Grass, a girl named Deanie becomes so in love with her boyfriend that when they break up, she goes crazy, and her parents end up putting her in a sanatorium as a result.  The way it was portrayed that men can do rebellious things and have no consequence, but if women did, it could have major drawbacks or disgrace their family is a great injustice to women. The way that this is shown does not even make sense because women are no less likely than men to have negative consequences for their actions.

            Overall, the way women were represented in society during the 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s was very discriminating. Women were often losing confidence about issues they shouldn’t have been such as working and in the portrayals of what they had to look and act like shown in advertising. Women should not have to worry about the way they should be, but rather live the way they want to be.