The connections between gender construction and sexual violence is an interesting topic to look at. We all know what we were raised on about this subject (its the man's fault/doing), and for the most part these same ideas that we were given when we were younger still stand to be truth while some may have been altered during the course of our lives or this class.
Sexual harassment has become an ever increasing issue in the United States and world wide. There are many different ways that this can be done. Some of which are in person, on the job, over the phone, in the car, and even online. These things can have effect on everyone not just women, not just homosexuals but everyone.
Some of the things we have learned throughout our lives are: men can be raped too, most rapes occur with someone the victim knows, don't talk to people you don't know online because they may not be who they say they are (aka don't talk to strangers), and if you or someone you know is involved in an abusive relationship get out or help the person get out of that relationship.
Some of those we are able to follow but you can't follow all those rules at all times.
Cyberstalking and many issues have been raised since communication online has become easy, constant, and effective. It's not a fun thing to have someone stalk you online. I have had some issues with this and then I increased my security settings on my AIM and Facebook and for the most part halted what was going on. Even if someone were to find him/herself in a situation like I did, it's pretty easy to fix. You have to make some changes in the way you communicate with people and a few changes you may not like right away- but in the long run they are the best way to solve this problem on your own. For example, I had issues with people on my AIM and I had to change my settings so if I do not have your screen name on my buddy list, then you can't even see that I am online. This is a hassle because I meet new people everyday (especially now that I"m pledging) and I want it to be easy for them to contact me, but I have to make that sacrifice. Cyberstalking can happen to both men and women, and statistically more men are responsible for cyberstalking than women.
Rape can be defined as "a crime of aggression because the focus is on hurting and dominating" (562). Sexual assault can be defined as "any sexual contact without consent and/or that involves the use of force. Like rape, sexual assault is an act of power, control, and domination" (563). "95% of reported sexual assaults are against females, half of all females raped are under the age of 18... 1 in 3 women will experience sexual assault (including rape) in her lifetime, and 1 in 4 college women experience sexual violence" (563). "Both women and men are raped, and... overwhelmingly is is a problem of men raping women and other men" (562).
So there are some ideas and statistics about sexual assault and so forth. The ongoing trend is that male dominance issues are what seem to drive men to commit sexual assault. With this being a women's studies class and having to debate the gender roles, that would also make me want to say that a female (biological) who associates herself with a male gender role could also be more prone to these male dominating tendencies. So with that said I must play devil's advocate and say that then a male who associates himself with female could be more passive and possibly a victim of assault- kind of similar to what we may see in a prison setting.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Activity #8
Its seems amazing how different people with different backgrounds seems to have somewhat of the same opinion on a particular topic. We have somewhat of the same knowledge from different sources in our lives that have told us some of the same information I shared with them from the RAINN website.
I have found that the four people I talked with, as well as myself, have all been educated with some of these rape stats. We know that most rape victims knew their attacker while very few were strangers.
There were also some issues that were evenly distributed between the four viewpoints. For example, 2 of the 4 people believe that education is a tool that education can be used to prevent violence in the future. Also, two people believe that the reason some of the stats are going down are because there are less reports, while another believes that they are generally going down, the fourth person didn't have much of an opinion on those particular stats.
So the stats that the first male I spoke with were focused on the rape/sexual assault reports decreasing since 1993. He thinks that the rates are still the same and have only decreased because fewer victims are reporting. He also had a viewpoint that as a society we have evolved in a way where we don't feel it is necessary to report assault, or that we don't even think its necessarily wrong anymore.
This same person spoke of knowing a couple rape victims. (The only one with a story to share.) He didn't want to give a lot of information, but mentioned that with each case the victim went to her (respective) parents and the parents did not believe her. When things like this happen, I, personally, think that that is one of the reasons why fewer victims report their attack- because fewer people believe them.
He said that he believes two of the causes of violence against women was resistance to male authority and the poor driving stereotype against women. I asked him to explain his stance on the bad driving and he actually had, what i consider to be, a good point. He said that if women drove better, then men, and other good drivers would have less road rage and then in turn be less likely to take out that sort of anger on either the driver in question or someone else.
As far as limiting or eliminating violence against women, he (who was the only one with this opinion) said that women/feminists should stop blaming men for bad things that may happen to women as a whole.
The second male I spoke with had a few different thoughts on the subject. Not only did have have some different opinions, he said less about it. As far as the statistics were concerned he truly believed that they were on a decline since 1993 and that it was not based one whether things were being reported or not. He had no personal stories of violence. As far as the cause of violence against women he believes that it is an outlet and makes the man feel better about himself or the situation that is occurring. As for eliminating violence against women he feels strongly that education on the topic is the best way to go. He also wants to see a worse penalty for someone who is convicted of sexual assault or rape. And lastly, he believes that girls and friends should be more supportive of people that they know how have been sexually assaulted and encourage them to seek help and report the situation.
As you can tell, the males didn't like to elaborate a lot on the topic. That was not the case for the females I talked with. The first female I spoke with when I asked about the statistics on the RAINN website she responded with, "I already knew all of this, except that there was a decline since 1993". She also said that she was very surprised about that statistic. And questioned if this means that reported cases are on decline or are less being reported?
She also had no stories. But she made up for the stories with the beliefs of the causes of violence against women. She believes that violence occurs because the man likes to take out his frustrations on what society sees as the weaker sex/species. Adding to that she said that men who may be at a dead end job or somewhere where they don't like their boss could take it out in a "home-type" setting because they can't take it out on their boss or superior because that would cost them their job and income. The last comment she had on this correlates to the last idea she had about being work-related. That a man could even feel inferior at work and then wants to feel dominant at home or with his female other which could then lead to sexual assault.
When it comes to how we can eliminate violence against women at first she had no idea. Then after pondering it for a while, she believes that therapy for the rapists or assaulter could help and that someone should raise awareness about the topic and help teach women that this is not a normal situation to be in.
The second female and last person I interviewed also had the same thoughts about the statistics where she wasn't surprised at all about them. She also didn't show too much interest in the decline since 1993. When I asked her what she thought the cause of violence against women may be she said it was because we seem like easy targets and seem as though we can't defend ourselves. As far as how we can eliminate violence against women she thinks that women as a whole need to be smarter and not put themselves into situations where something bad could happen. She also shared an agreement with the second male I interviewed when she said that laws should be made stricter against sex offenders and assaulters.
An interesting trend I found within all of my interviews is they all had the same viewpoint about the rapist and victim. With each individual the rapist or assaulter was male and the victim was female. There were no homosexual examples and there were no women assaulting men ideas. Well I suppose that last one may be thrown out since this was about violence against women, but its still surprising that no one brought up that viewpoint and say, "wait but it happens to them too!"
I actually believe and agree with a lot of the things that were said and don't have much else to say on the situation because I think that a few different view points were shared, there were many similarities and some differences.
I have found that the four people I talked with, as well as myself, have all been educated with some of these rape stats. We know that most rape victims knew their attacker while very few were strangers.
There were also some issues that were evenly distributed between the four viewpoints. For example, 2 of the 4 people believe that education is a tool that education can be used to prevent violence in the future. Also, two people believe that the reason some of the stats are going down are because there are less reports, while another believes that they are generally going down, the fourth person didn't have much of an opinion on those particular stats.
So the stats that the first male I spoke with were focused on the rape/sexual assault reports decreasing since 1993. He thinks that the rates are still the same and have only decreased because fewer victims are reporting. He also had a viewpoint that as a society we have evolved in a way where we don't feel it is necessary to report assault, or that we don't even think its necessarily wrong anymore.
This same person spoke of knowing a couple rape victims. (The only one with a story to share.) He didn't want to give a lot of information, but mentioned that with each case the victim went to her (respective) parents and the parents did not believe her. When things like this happen, I, personally, think that that is one of the reasons why fewer victims report their attack- because fewer people believe them.
He said that he believes two of the causes of violence against women was resistance to male authority and the poor driving stereotype against women. I asked him to explain his stance on the bad driving and he actually had, what i consider to be, a good point. He said that if women drove better, then men, and other good drivers would have less road rage and then in turn be less likely to take out that sort of anger on either the driver in question or someone else.
As far as limiting or eliminating violence against women, he (who was the only one with this opinion) said that women/feminists should stop blaming men for bad things that may happen to women as a whole.
The second male I spoke with had a few different thoughts on the subject. Not only did have have some different opinions, he said less about it. As far as the statistics were concerned he truly believed that they were on a decline since 1993 and that it was not based one whether things were being reported or not. He had no personal stories of violence. As far as the cause of violence against women he believes that it is an outlet and makes the man feel better about himself or the situation that is occurring. As for eliminating violence against women he feels strongly that education on the topic is the best way to go. He also wants to see a worse penalty for someone who is convicted of sexual assault or rape. And lastly, he believes that girls and friends should be more supportive of people that they know how have been sexually assaulted and encourage them to seek help and report the situation.
As you can tell, the males didn't like to elaborate a lot on the topic. That was not the case for the females I talked with. The first female I spoke with when I asked about the statistics on the RAINN website she responded with, "I already knew all of this, except that there was a decline since 1993". She also said that she was very surprised about that statistic. And questioned if this means that reported cases are on decline or are less being reported?
She also had no stories. But she made up for the stories with the beliefs of the causes of violence against women. She believes that violence occurs because the man likes to take out his frustrations on what society sees as the weaker sex/species. Adding to that she said that men who may be at a dead end job or somewhere where they don't like their boss could take it out in a "home-type" setting because they can't take it out on their boss or superior because that would cost them their job and income. The last comment she had on this correlates to the last idea she had about being work-related. That a man could even feel inferior at work and then wants to feel dominant at home or with his female other which could then lead to sexual assault.
When it comes to how we can eliminate violence against women at first she had no idea. Then after pondering it for a while, she believes that therapy for the rapists or assaulter could help and that someone should raise awareness about the topic and help teach women that this is not a normal situation to be in.
The second female and last person I interviewed also had the same thoughts about the statistics where she wasn't surprised at all about them. She also didn't show too much interest in the decline since 1993. When I asked her what she thought the cause of violence against women may be she said it was because we seem like easy targets and seem as though we can't defend ourselves. As far as how we can eliminate violence against women she thinks that women as a whole need to be smarter and not put themselves into situations where something bad could happen. She also shared an agreement with the second male I interviewed when she said that laws should be made stricter against sex offenders and assaulters.
An interesting trend I found within all of my interviews is they all had the same viewpoint about the rapist and victim. With each individual the rapist or assaulter was male and the victim was female. There were no homosexual examples and there were no women assaulting men ideas. Well I suppose that last one may be thrown out since this was about violence against women, but its still surprising that no one brought up that viewpoint and say, "wait but it happens to them too!"
I actually believe and agree with a lot of the things that were said and don't have much else to say on the situation because I think that a few different view points were shared, there were many similarities and some differences.
Friday, October 19, 2007
CRJ 7
So as I was reading through the chapter, I was trying to decide what I wanted to focus this entry on. At first I thought of focusing on the health insurance. But I only wanted to contradict the text and say that even middle and upper-class women can have a hard time getting health insurance because of employment and other disadvantages they may find. My mom, for example, who owns her own business has had a hard time acquiring health insurance. Not only did she have the obstacle about finding a company that would work with her situation she also had the obstacle of past health related experiences she's had and the health insurance companies don't want to have you as a client if you've ever had a cold before.
Then I thought about focusing on the sterilization as birth control. This is a tough topic. I don't think that it should even be considered unless there were some outstanding need or reason for it. And that was when I got to the most controversial portion of this chapter. The topic which I always try to keep myself out of conversation with because of the red flags and feelings that get tossed around. There was the topic of abortion staring at me.
Originally I told myself I would approach this topic with an open mind. That lasted through the first 2 sentences and then went out the window as soon as I read the third sentence about pro-choice. "Pro-choice advocates believe abortion is women's choice, women should not be forced to have children against their will, a fertilized ovum should not have all the legal and moral rights of personhood, and all children should be wanted children." (325) As soon as I read that sentence I knew what I wanted to focus this paper around.
I have a very confusing stance on abortion. Sometimes I don't even know what it is that I believe. I like to lean more toward the Pro-Life end of the spectrum where even a fetus is a living organism and should have the right to continue to grow. So my opinion of pro-choice is that a woman should have the right to choose to practice safe sex and if she fails to do so then she should not have to take it out on the child- and I say child for a reason. Abortion cannot and should not ever be a form of birth control, and I think that is where our culture has taken it. The text also says that if a woman has the "unwanted child" that she is experiencing a moral responsibility. I think that is bull crap. If the woman has unprotected sex or doesn't take the necessary precautions that she should to try to avoid this kind of situation, then I think she should have the child and put him/her up for adoption. There are many families that cannot have children on their own or that would love to take in another child and care for this child as if it were there own.
This is where my view of abortion becomes hazy- rape cases. This is where my view-point on abortion goes from you are still killing someone to actual remorse and sorrow. This is a case where the woman was not given the choice to have sex, she was not giving the choice to have safe sex and there is nothing she can do. This is the time when I wish the law were still if a woman were raped they would immediate wipe her reproductive system clean and kill all sperm that may or may not have entered. If this were still practiced then there would be no need for abortion in these kinds of cases.
To be honest, if I were to become pregnant now- a 20 year old college student, my first thought would to abort the pregnancy. But at the same time I would have that guilt that I did not protect myself like I should have and that I am deciding the fate of my child. Deciding that this person that was supposed to grow inside me will never see the colors that I see, will never experience the sounds and smells and places that I have been, that it will never hear a name called to come to dinner. Pro-choice activists say that there is the moral issue of having a child they do not want. For pro-life activists there is the moral issue of deciding the life of a child that will never have an experience. For being a Christian there is the underlying sorrow, anger and repulsive feeling toward yourself for killing God's creation. In my opinion, as a Christian, I believe that each person becomes pregnant for a reason. Each time a child is conceived God had a plan for that child and He ordered that sperm to fertilize that egg and produce a baby.
I know I should have focused more on the text for this entry. But I really felt that this was a topic that I needed to speak on for myself. I never have the option to express myself in these kinds of situations. Either someone has made the decision for me or I just haven't had the opportunity. But I needed to really focus my opinion and write it down so I could see where I do or don't stand. I think I have found that I am a pro-lifer and until I find out otherwise I just need to accept myself and also accept other's opinions- even if it is really hard to do.
Then I thought about focusing on the sterilization as birth control. This is a tough topic. I don't think that it should even be considered unless there were some outstanding need or reason for it. And that was when I got to the most controversial portion of this chapter. The topic which I always try to keep myself out of conversation with because of the red flags and feelings that get tossed around. There was the topic of abortion staring at me.
Originally I told myself I would approach this topic with an open mind. That lasted through the first 2 sentences and then went out the window as soon as I read the third sentence about pro-choice. "Pro-choice advocates believe abortion is women's choice, women should not be forced to have children against their will, a fertilized ovum should not have all the legal and moral rights of personhood, and all children should be wanted children." (325) As soon as I read that sentence I knew what I wanted to focus this paper around.
I have a very confusing stance on abortion. Sometimes I don't even know what it is that I believe. I like to lean more toward the Pro-Life end of the spectrum where even a fetus is a living organism and should have the right to continue to grow. So my opinion of pro-choice is that a woman should have the right to choose to practice safe sex and if she fails to do so then she should not have to take it out on the child- and I say child for a reason. Abortion cannot and should not ever be a form of birth control, and I think that is where our culture has taken it. The text also says that if a woman has the "unwanted child" that she is experiencing a moral responsibility. I think that is bull crap. If the woman has unprotected sex or doesn't take the necessary precautions that she should to try to avoid this kind of situation, then I think she should have the child and put him/her up for adoption. There are many families that cannot have children on their own or that would love to take in another child and care for this child as if it were there own.
This is where my view of abortion becomes hazy- rape cases. This is where my view-point on abortion goes from you are still killing someone to actual remorse and sorrow. This is a case where the woman was not given the choice to have sex, she was not giving the choice to have safe sex and there is nothing she can do. This is the time when I wish the law were still if a woman were raped they would immediate wipe her reproductive system clean and kill all sperm that may or may not have entered. If this were still practiced then there would be no need for abortion in these kinds of cases.
To be honest, if I were to become pregnant now- a 20 year old college student, my first thought would to abort the pregnancy. But at the same time I would have that guilt that I did not protect myself like I should have and that I am deciding the fate of my child. Deciding that this person that was supposed to grow inside me will never see the colors that I see, will never experience the sounds and smells and places that I have been, that it will never hear a name called to come to dinner. Pro-choice activists say that there is the moral issue of having a child they do not want. For pro-life activists there is the moral issue of deciding the life of a child that will never have an experience. For being a Christian there is the underlying sorrow, anger and repulsive feeling toward yourself for killing God's creation. In my opinion, as a Christian, I believe that each person becomes pregnant for a reason. Each time a child is conceived God had a plan for that child and He ordered that sperm to fertilize that egg and produce a baby.
I know I should have focused more on the text for this entry. But I really felt that this was a topic that I needed to speak on for myself. I never have the option to express myself in these kinds of situations. Either someone has made the decision for me or I just haven't had the opportunity. But I needed to really focus my opinion and write it down so I could see where I do or don't stand. I think I have found that I am a pro-lifer and until I find out otherwise I just need to accept myself and also accept other's opinions- even if it is really hard to do.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Killing Us Softly
Jean Kilbourne had many of the same facts that our text told us about. She dealt more with the advertising effect that is made on our culture. Teenagers are hyper-sexualized because of all the images we see. We think it's okay to be sexually explicit and that it's normal to be sexually active. It's not a teenagers world. Teenagers are not mature enough to handle that kind of situation or the possibilities that could result from making these adult decisions. Advertising portrays mens and women's bodies in sexual ideals. Partially clothed models or the hint of sex in that ad. We see 3000 ads per day, therefore it is impossible to escape that influence. We all pay attention to ads whether we realize it or not. Whether it's the clothes we wear or how we style our hair and many other images. We as a society no longer have a clear perspective on beauty or what should be "normal". Models can be seen as not even being real. It is impossible to be that perfect- airbrushing can do wonders.
One thing that really bothers me about the advertising aspect of beauty is that it causes us to worry too much about our appearance. I think as long as a person is clean, well-kept, and dressed then that person should be accepted by society. But I don't feel well saying that. Because someone who is poorer than another may not have the ability to be well-kept and clean. So I don't know how else to arrange that statement but I would hope you understand what I am trying to get across.
http://www.chevycollegead.com/
Some of my favorite commercials air during the Super Bowl. One from last year- the one which won the college challenge was one of my favorites (other than the rock, paper, scissors beer commercial). It is a commercial for the Chevy HHR and this car has about 3 or 4 girls sitting in it at a red light. A guy comes over and uses his jacket to wipe a dirt spot off of the car and then we hear Nelly's "Hot in Herre" playing in the background. They hand the man a dollar through the window and all of a sudden we have all kinds of men coming to the girl's car and stripping off their clothes and washing the car. Most all of these men are in good physical shape and are attractive. Then there's a random scrawny old man who joins the group and of course the first thing you do is burst into laughter!
I don't feel comfortable saying that they are trying to sell more than the car in this commercial. Because that is all I can think about when I see it. Guys like cars, guys like clean cars, guys do like girls and there are girls driving the car... So maybe they are selling that guys like girls too? I like this ad because it shows that women can drive a nice car and then be "rewarded" for it, in a way. I mean, they did get a very entertaining show. So it breaks down the barrier from what we see in other ads. Women are driving a car (usually a man's role) and men are the ones flaunting their bodies in front of the camera (usually a female's role). So it seems to reverse the stereotypes and in my opinion, poke fun at the situation.
This is quite possibly the most entertaining assignment I have done thus far. I love advertising- I wouldn't mind being an advertiser one day. So just knowing that I am able to sit down and analyze an ad makes me so happy! I have always noticed that women seem to be degraded in advertising for certain products and I hate to say it, but I don't know if that will change any time soon. Sex sells, whether we like it or not, and sadly, that's the maturity level of our society that we need to see butts, and breasts, and men without shirts to want to buy the product. Not because its a good product but because of how it is introduced.
One thing that really bothers me about the advertising aspect of beauty is that it causes us to worry too much about our appearance. I think as long as a person is clean, well-kept, and dressed then that person should be accepted by society. But I don't feel well saying that. Because someone who is poorer than another may not have the ability to be well-kept and clean. So I don't know how else to arrange that statement but I would hope you understand what I am trying to get across.
http://www.chevycollegead.com/
Some of my favorite commercials air during the Super Bowl. One from last year- the one which won the college challenge was one of my favorites (other than the rock, paper, scissors beer commercial). It is a commercial for the Chevy HHR and this car has about 3 or 4 girls sitting in it at a red light. A guy comes over and uses his jacket to wipe a dirt spot off of the car and then we hear Nelly's "Hot in Herre" playing in the background. They hand the man a dollar through the window and all of a sudden we have all kinds of men coming to the girl's car and stripping off their clothes and washing the car. Most all of these men are in good physical shape and are attractive. Then there's a random scrawny old man who joins the group and of course the first thing you do is burst into laughter!
I don't feel comfortable saying that they are trying to sell more than the car in this commercial. Because that is all I can think about when I see it. Guys like cars, guys like clean cars, guys do like girls and there are girls driving the car... So maybe they are selling that guys like girls too? I like this ad because it shows that women can drive a nice car and then be "rewarded" for it, in a way. I mean, they did get a very entertaining show. So it breaks down the barrier from what we see in other ads. Women are driving a car (usually a man's role) and men are the ones flaunting their bodies in front of the camera (usually a female's role). So it seems to reverse the stereotypes and in my opinion, poke fun at the situation.
This is quite possibly the most entertaining assignment I have done thus far. I love advertising- I wouldn't mind being an advertiser one day. So just knowing that I am able to sit down and analyze an ad makes me so happy! I have always noticed that women seem to be degraded in advertising for certain products and I hate to say it, but I don't know if that will change any time soon. Sex sells, whether we like it or not, and sadly, that's the maturity level of our society that we need to see butts, and breasts, and men without shirts to want to buy the product. Not because its a good product but because of how it is introduced.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
CRJ #6
The ideal women's and men's bodies vary from culture to culture. In Western culture it seems that the ideal is to be thin, tall and without curves for a woman's body. For men it seems to be that they also need to be tall, fit, muscular and have good teeth (in my opinion). I, personally, think that women should be fit (even if they have some extra baggage), curvy- a woman's natural curves are beautiful, and height shouldn't have an effect on their appearance. I love to look into a crowd of people and see different body types and the people who have these body types feel good about themselves! Men have different body types, even in the Western culture. Some are strong, muscular and tall and others are smaller. This depends on what they do. Sports players will have a different body type than a skateboarder. These two groups are more respected than a "computer nerd". They are "unattractive" according to society. They are scrawny, usually have glasses and a pocket protector on hand.
I do not appreciate the societal aspect of women's bodies. It makes me feel extremely uncomfortable with myself. Even if I were a size 2, I'm sure I would still be uncomfortable with myself. When I see girls that are that small being so uncomfortable it makes me feel sick inside. I am not nearly that small. I would love to be a size 12 or 10 and I would be perfectly content with it. I used to play sports and was in very good shape, I wasn't skinny (size14) but I was healthy and that made me happy.
The beauty ideal has 4 parts to it. There is the contemporary images that society tells us to conform to. Then also we see the relation to power in society. Thirdly the beauty practices we have to go through to make ourself "presentable" to society. And finally corporate capitalism and the consumerism aspect of the spectrum. Society and corporate America have a large impact on the personal views that we carry within us. They are the ones who tell us what we need to look like and what we have to wear. Women need to wear make-up and men need to be fit and athletic. I never wear make-up except for the occasional wedding or special occasion. I don't even have any make-up with me here at school. One night when I was at work, I was talking with a co-worker of mine and she was telling me that in her sorority they had to wear make-up whenever they wore their letters. That baffled me beyond belief.
A "side-effect" of society's hand in the beauty industry is causing women and some men to be harmful to themselves. These side-effects are eating disorders. There are a few different eating disorders found today. These include anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive exercising to name a few. Women and men both take these matters into their own hands and it can turn out for the worst. It could result in death. 20 percent of people with serious eating disorders die because of the harm they have inflicted on their bodies (pg 244).
Media constructs the ideal female body in many ways. Advertising is the main source of this perspective on our bodies. Also, the fashion industry has a lot to add to what advertisers already promote. They show what they believe to be the ideal body type which in reality very very very few people can attain this body type. Only 5 percent of the female population has a fashion model's body (pg 229). Our views of women's bodies have been dominated by the male mind through the media. I mean, a male designed the first bra! That very well could be where the entire ordeal started... I don't know, but that's my guess.
The views we have on our own bodies and the bodies of those people around us that we compare ourselves to are developed from the media. We fail to make the connection that we can choose how we view things and not have to view them by society's standards. In my opinion we as a human being have enough things to stress over in our daily lives than how we measure up to society and our peers standards.
I do not appreciate the societal aspect of women's bodies. It makes me feel extremely uncomfortable with myself. Even if I were a size 2, I'm sure I would still be uncomfortable with myself. When I see girls that are that small being so uncomfortable it makes me feel sick inside. I am not nearly that small. I would love to be a size 12 or 10 and I would be perfectly content with it. I used to play sports and was in very good shape, I wasn't skinny (size14) but I was healthy and that made me happy.
The beauty ideal has 4 parts to it. There is the contemporary images that society tells us to conform to. Then also we see the relation to power in society. Thirdly the beauty practices we have to go through to make ourself "presentable" to society. And finally corporate capitalism and the consumerism aspect of the spectrum. Society and corporate America have a large impact on the personal views that we carry within us. They are the ones who tell us what we need to look like and what we have to wear. Women need to wear make-up and men need to be fit and athletic. I never wear make-up except for the occasional wedding or special occasion. I don't even have any make-up with me here at school. One night when I was at work, I was talking with a co-worker of mine and she was telling me that in her sorority they had to wear make-up whenever they wore their letters. That baffled me beyond belief.
A "side-effect" of society's hand in the beauty industry is causing women and some men to be harmful to themselves. These side-effects are eating disorders. There are a few different eating disorders found today. These include anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive exercising to name a few. Women and men both take these matters into their own hands and it can turn out for the worst. It could result in death. 20 percent of people with serious eating disorders die because of the harm they have inflicted on their bodies (pg 244).
Media constructs the ideal female body in many ways. Advertising is the main source of this perspective on our bodies. Also, the fashion industry has a lot to add to what advertisers already promote. They show what they believe to be the ideal body type which in reality very very very few people can attain this body type. Only 5 percent of the female population has a fashion model's body (pg 229). Our views of women's bodies have been dominated by the male mind through the media. I mean, a male designed the first bra! That very well could be where the entire ordeal started... I don't know, but that's my guess.
The views we have on our own bodies and the bodies of those people around us that we compare ourselves to are developed from the media. We fail to make the connection that we can choose how we view things and not have to view them by society's standards. In my opinion we as a human being have enough things to stress over in our daily lives than how we measure up to society and our peers standards.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Tough Guise
Kimmel argues that masculinity is a socially constructible and historically shifting idea. This is a good thing because it allows men to have the ability and capacity to act. They have a sense of being able to replace the feeling of being overcome and discouraged and replace it with power and positive ideals.
Kimmel shows us that masculinity is basically a popularity contest. This in turn entails men constantly seeking the approval of other men in just about every facet of life. They don't want to be seen as "sissy" or not manly enough so they have to do all they can to disprove those two ideas. Whether its sleeping with as many women as they can, drinking a lot, driving fast, wearing certain clothes, being the strongest or fastest, or dating the hottest girl they know- all these lead to the race for the top, the award for being the most masculine. It's a giant competition between friends and strangers, there are no rules except to be the best and not be a sissy.
"Homophobia is a central organizing principle of our cultural definition of manhood." Essential homophobia can be seen as not being masculine or not being the most masculine. It's not being a "real man". It brings fear into the lives of men. I had never realized men were as self-conscious as they are. Women are always the ones who are worried about their appearance and what their friends or other girls will think of them. You never hear men talk about, "Oh, I can't go out of the house looking like this. People will judge me!" or "My muscles aren't as big as the guys sitting on the other side of the bar. Maybe I should work out more." But apparently they do. It's just a matter of it not being voiced- but the concern is still there.
Also, on topic of homosexuality, Kimmel brought up a very good point regarding how it is possible to tell whether or not a man is gay. It's mostly stereotypical answers that really don't define anything. I know people that "talk gay" and are straight. It's just the sound in their voice that may make you think they are gay. And also, I have quite a few gay friends, and I never actually knew they were gay until they told me. There are so many different typed of people in this world and I really hate the fact that we are so judgmental and want to label each person we come in contact with. I know I'm guilty of labeling people that I see, I just hate the fact that we do it.
Tough Guise is showing yourself only as what the dominant culture has defined as manly. Strong, independent, athletic, and tough to name a few. It defines manhood. So you have a lot of pressure to conform. The media constructs violent masculinity as a norm in our society. The stats that he showed during this video shows that between 85 and 99% of most violent activity is caused by males. It has to do with their emotional and relational lives of masculinity. It's okay to be emotional to a single girl or small group, but when lots of men are around they have to put up a front as a survival mechanism.
As a community or personally, we have to uncover the tough guise. Not only men have to uncover it. But we have to do something as well. Girls and women have to show they do not validate this behavior. Institutions need to break the monopoly of the media.
Kimmel shows us that masculinity is basically a popularity contest. This in turn entails men constantly seeking the approval of other men in just about every facet of life. They don't want to be seen as "sissy" or not manly enough so they have to do all they can to disprove those two ideas. Whether its sleeping with as many women as they can, drinking a lot, driving fast, wearing certain clothes, being the strongest or fastest, or dating the hottest girl they know- all these lead to the race for the top, the award for being the most masculine. It's a giant competition between friends and strangers, there are no rules except to be the best and not be a sissy.
"Homophobia is a central organizing principle of our cultural definition of manhood." Essential homophobia can be seen as not being masculine or not being the most masculine. It's not being a "real man". It brings fear into the lives of men. I had never realized men were as self-conscious as they are. Women are always the ones who are worried about their appearance and what their friends or other girls will think of them. You never hear men talk about, "Oh, I can't go out of the house looking like this. People will judge me!" or "My muscles aren't as big as the guys sitting on the other side of the bar. Maybe I should work out more." But apparently they do. It's just a matter of it not being voiced- but the concern is still there.
Also, on topic of homosexuality, Kimmel brought up a very good point regarding how it is possible to tell whether or not a man is gay. It's mostly stereotypical answers that really don't define anything. I know people that "talk gay" and are straight. It's just the sound in their voice that may make you think they are gay. And also, I have quite a few gay friends, and I never actually knew they were gay until they told me. There are so many different typed of people in this world and I really hate the fact that we are so judgmental and want to label each person we come in contact with. I know I'm guilty of labeling people that I see, I just hate the fact that we do it.
Tough Guise is showing yourself only as what the dominant culture has defined as manly. Strong, independent, athletic, and tough to name a few. It defines manhood. So you have a lot of pressure to conform. The media constructs violent masculinity as a norm in our society. The stats that he showed during this video shows that between 85 and 99% of most violent activity is caused by males. It has to do with their emotional and relational lives of masculinity. It's okay to be emotional to a single girl or small group, but when lots of men are around they have to put up a front as a survival mechanism.
As a community or personally, we have to uncover the tough guise. Not only men have to uncover it. But we have to do something as well. Girls and women have to show they do not validate this behavior. Institutions need to break the monopoly of the media.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
CRJ #5
Sexuality to me is a taboo topic, but at the same time it is very interesting for most to talk about and it is interesting to read about. The concepts of identity, attraction, practice, control, and power are all seen in human sexuality.
Being a woman it is hard to express sexual feelings and desires, because no matter what the answer is, it will always be turned against you. Either you are loose or prude there doesn't seem to be a healthy sexual appetite or desire for women, only men. If a woman openly admits she likes sex or wants to have sex, she's a slut and undesirable. If a woman chooses to not have sex or not have sex often, then she is uptight and prude and undesirable.
With the negativity toward women's sexuality, there is also negativity toward other people's sexuality and sexual choices. This is where sexual identity can be a fuzzy topic. Sexual identity is defined as a person's attraction or preference to someone of a certain gender. There are three main types of sexual identity. Heterosexuality is when a person is attracted to someone of the opposite sex. Homosexuality is when someone is attracted to another person of the same sex. And then finally Bisexuality is the attraction to either sex. And contrary to popular belief bisexuals do not have sex constantly and are not "greedy" and having sex with anyone they can.
I had never realized that politics had anything to do with sexuality. But after reading I realized that since society has a role in assigning power based on gender which gives it a political context. This can be seen in heterosexual relationships where men bring the power and dominance while women are more submissive and subservient. The text also mentioned that some heterosexual relationships can be unhealthy or unstable based on the unequal power within the relationship.
When it comes to the argument of homosexual couples and children, I think they should be allowed to raise children- their own or adopted- and still have a healthy family relationship. One of my best friend's parents got divorced and her mom decided she liked girls and is now in a partnership and they are the greatest people I know. They love all three of her mom's children and treat them amazingly. And there is no way that she or her partner would ever make the children or give them the idea that they too need to be in homosexual relationships. My best friend is now married to her husband and they are living in Phoenix, AZ where he has his job. Also, with regards to agreeing with the text, heterosexual males are the main predators of children. This can be seen everywhere research and news as well as other outlets of communication.
Even though I feel uncomfortable talking about sex and sexual ideas, I found this reading to be very interesting and eye-opening. Some of these ideas I have known about for a while, and at the same time, some of them were new to me and I enjoyed reading about it. Just don't ever expect to carry on a conversation with me about it- I will turn red and stutter.
Being a woman it is hard to express sexual feelings and desires, because no matter what the answer is, it will always be turned against you. Either you are loose or prude there doesn't seem to be a healthy sexual appetite or desire for women, only men. If a woman openly admits she likes sex or wants to have sex, she's a slut and undesirable. If a woman chooses to not have sex or not have sex often, then she is uptight and prude and undesirable.
With the negativity toward women's sexuality, there is also negativity toward other people's sexuality and sexual choices. This is where sexual identity can be a fuzzy topic. Sexual identity is defined as a person's attraction or preference to someone of a certain gender. There are three main types of sexual identity. Heterosexuality is when a person is attracted to someone of the opposite sex. Homosexuality is when someone is attracted to another person of the same sex. And then finally Bisexuality is the attraction to either sex. And contrary to popular belief bisexuals do not have sex constantly and are not "greedy" and having sex with anyone they can.
I had never realized that politics had anything to do with sexuality. But after reading I realized that since society has a role in assigning power based on gender which gives it a political context. This can be seen in heterosexual relationships where men bring the power and dominance while women are more submissive and subservient. The text also mentioned that some heterosexual relationships can be unhealthy or unstable based on the unequal power within the relationship.
When it comes to the argument of homosexual couples and children, I think they should be allowed to raise children- their own or adopted- and still have a healthy family relationship. One of my best friend's parents got divorced and her mom decided she liked girls and is now in a partnership and they are the greatest people I know. They love all three of her mom's children and treat them amazingly. And there is no way that she or her partner would ever make the children or give them the idea that they too need to be in homosexual relationships. My best friend is now married to her husband and they are living in Phoenix, AZ where he has his job. Also, with regards to agreeing with the text, heterosexual males are the main predators of children. This can be seen everywhere research and news as well as other outlets of communication.
Even though I feel uncomfortable talking about sex and sexual ideas, I found this reading to be very interesting and eye-opening. Some of these ideas I have known about for a while, and at the same time, some of them were new to me and I enjoyed reading about it. Just don't ever expect to carry on a conversation with me about it- I will turn red and stutter.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
CRJ #4
Biology shows the distinction between men and women as a being, while society gives the interpretation of feminine and masculine. For doing this, society leans on the nature and nurture hypothesis and ideas. We also give preconceptions to gender from a society standpoint. This is because we have preconceived notions of how little boys and little girls are supposed to act and then how they are then supposed to act when they grow older. For one, it is okay when children of both genders play with Barbies. But it is not okay for older boys to play with these Barbies, instead they should play with toy guns or G.I. Joes, or take up a sport. But at the same time, little girls and older girls are allowed to play with Barbies, toy guns, G.I. Joes and play sports.
But then after bringing up the idea of sports we can divide sports into masculine and feminine sports. For example, baseball, basketball, football and rugby can be seen as masculine sports because they need lots of strength and endurance. They are contact sports. More feminine sports would be gymnastics, figure skating, swimming, and cheerleading (depending on one's stance whether its a sport or not. But for argument's sake, we'll call it a sport). These need flexibility and smaller body structures.
"Gender is a process that involves multiple patterns of interaction and is created and re-created constantly in human interaction" (Women's Voices Feminist Visions, pg 126). This to me means that gender is a learned behavior and can be altered at times, depending on the situation someone is in or how they are feeling at one moment. It is something we do, it is in our culture; biology is something we have (Women's Voices Feminist Visions, pg 126-127).
Both masculinity and femininity have different adjectives that as a culture we apply toward them. They are completely opposite ideas and do not overlap at all. Masculinity can be described as intelligent, courageous, honest, sexual, violent tendencies, providing, ambitious, confident, competent, and strong (Women's Voices Feminist Visions, pg 130-132). But a masculine person can never be weak, soft, or vulnerable. Femininity is seen as soft, passive, domesitc, nurturing, emotional, dependent, sensitive, delicate, intuitive, fastidious, needy, and fearful (Women's Voices Feminist Visions, pg 133).
All of these ideas show how our culture perceives masculinity and femininity. I think it is safe to say that there is no one who is always masculine or always feminine. We all have moments where we feel stronger or weaker, courageous or scared, ambitious or timid. It is just part of our nature and varies from one situation to another. So I don't think it can be said that a person is or is not masculine or feminine. We have moments when we feel more one way than another. Some women can feel masculine but still be feminine, and some men can feel feminine but still be masculine and vice versa. Our culture seems to show that men=masculine and women=feminine and I tend to agree with this idea but still believe we have both inside of us regardless of our biological make-up.
But then after bringing up the idea of sports we can divide sports into masculine and feminine sports. For example, baseball, basketball, football and rugby can be seen as masculine sports because they need lots of strength and endurance. They are contact sports. More feminine sports would be gymnastics, figure skating, swimming, and cheerleading (depending on one's stance whether its a sport or not. But for argument's sake, we'll call it a sport). These need flexibility and smaller body structures.
"Gender is a process that involves multiple patterns of interaction and is created and re-created constantly in human interaction" (Women's Voices Feminist Visions, pg 126). This to me means that gender is a learned behavior and can be altered at times, depending on the situation someone is in or how they are feeling at one moment. It is something we do, it is in our culture; biology is something we have (Women's Voices Feminist Visions, pg 126-127).
Both masculinity and femininity have different adjectives that as a culture we apply toward them. They are completely opposite ideas and do not overlap at all. Masculinity can be described as intelligent, courageous, honest, sexual, violent tendencies, providing, ambitious, confident, competent, and strong (Women's Voices Feminist Visions, pg 130-132). But a masculine person can never be weak, soft, or vulnerable. Femininity is seen as soft, passive, domesitc, nurturing, emotional, dependent, sensitive, delicate, intuitive, fastidious, needy, and fearful (Women's Voices Feminist Visions, pg 133).
All of these ideas show how our culture perceives masculinity and femininity. I think it is safe to say that there is no one who is always masculine or always feminine. We all have moments where we feel stronger or weaker, courageous or scared, ambitious or timid. It is just part of our nature and varies from one situation to another. So I don't think it can be said that a person is or is not masculine or feminine. We have moments when we feel more one way than another. Some women can feel masculine but still be feminine, and some men can feel feminine but still be masculine and vice versa. Our culture seems to show that men=masculine and women=feminine and I tend to agree with this idea but still believe we have both inside of us regardless of our biological make-up.
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