"Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Pop Culture" Summary

      Sut Jhally begins his article by talking about diamonds. Prior to their change into a symbol of love in 1938, diamonds were known only for their worth as precious stones. Once the slogan, "a diamond is forever" came out, this stone became a status symbol, one needed to be bought in order to marry the woman you love. This is his way of introducing how consumer advertising can shape culture. The technology-based society that we now live in provides a faster and easier way of sharing products on the market. Newspapers to colored magazines to the radio to television, and now the internet. That is how the history of advertising developed; with each change causing a dramatic increase in the creativity of advertising, resulting in imagistic ways of representing products.
     In the 1920's there was a shift from advertising necessary products to trying to sell "nonessential" goods. With the changing technology, marketing switched to using visual and textual advertising, which in a way was teaching society how to read commercials. After a while, the sexual side to commercial messages disappeared because consumers finally understood how to read purely visual advertising.
     Jhally explains that advertisements want to show us how to achieve happiness. He further states that surveys show that what makes people happy is "personal autonomy and control of one's life, self-esteem, a happy family life, loving relations, a relaxed mention-free leisure time, and good friendships." He points out that none of these things are actually connected to physical goods that can be bought. However, commercials bend this reality. Marketing preys on the life-goals society idealizes by connecting products to each of these, making consumers believe they need those goods in order to achieve that life-goal. Commercials reflect what people are dreaming about, not necessarily what they are doing in that moment. The problem with this is that it leads society to focus on having these things, rather than being the person reaching their life-goals. They identify themselves as what that have, rather than who they are.
      The author warns that this visual image-sysetem is dangerous because it is a way for industries to persuade people how they wish. He mentions how music videos, which became popular in the 1980's, use sex to sell, just as commercials do. If a music video is memorable or popular, the song is more likely to be a hit. This fades into the authors opinion of present day commercials, specifically how fast they appear and disappear. Rather than older ads which were static, such as in a newspaper or magazine, commercials now are under 60 seconds long. This means marketing companies prey on emotions rather than actually selling their products. A person may not even know what the ad was for, but they remember the emotion it instilled, which may be enough to buy the product. This is another reason why sexuality has become such a huge part of advertising. They need to catch the consumers attention and get them to feel what they want them to feel. Jhally warns that this type of advertising suppresses reasoning and encourages feelings, which ultimately has a more persuasive effect on viewers.

All in The Family

    If you type "Nuclear Family" into Google, you will be bombarded with images of the stereotypical family; Mom, Dad, Son, Daughter. In the nuclear family, the father is the bread winner, holding a steady job to support his family. The mother's job is to have/raise the children while tending to household chores. This is how the majority of families were in the past, however, times have changed. Today, many parents both work, not only the father. Women have full-time careers in which they are extremely successful. Sometimes, as discussed in Sara Eckel's article, Dad-Mom Role Reversals, the mother is the breadwinning of the family while the father stays at home raising the children. This may have been completely taboo in America years ago, but it is generally acceptable today.
    Eckel discusses how although this change in roles is sometimes financially necessary due to the ever-changing job market, this can cause issues with the "man of the house" staying home with the kids. The media, including TV shows and movies, portray men as the head of the household, and instill in men the idea that they need to support their family in financial ways. So when this ideal changes and a man's wife is bringing in more money, it can cause serious self-esteem issues for the husband. Seen as "Mr. Mom," a stay-at-home dad may have a difficult time adjusting to the idea of raising kids. A couple discussed in the article, The Smith's, faced these issues when Stefania's husband lost his job. She had to pick up a part-time job on top of her at-home coaching business. While she was supporting the family financially, her husband, Darren, became a full-time dad. He explains the struggles he faced, such as not knowing that the clothes his daughter was wearing out of the house were pajamas. It took some time, as it does for most stay-at-home dads, but Darren eventually got into a routine of being Mr. Mom.
     Eckel's article states that, "51% of all workers on U.S. payrolls are women, compared with 33% in 1969." This is a significant statistic; just think about it. More than half of all workers are women, which mean that if they are married, their husbands may not be the bread winners of the family. They may need to stay at home with the children in order for the family to live comfortable. As a woman, I see nothing wrong with this concept, but I can understand that as a man this may be emasculating. My hope is that as this becomes more common, it will be more tolerable for men and women to deal with. I plan to have a strong medical career in my future, which means that depending on the career of my future husband, I may bring in more money than he does. I would have no problem being the provider for my family, therefore I need to find a man that understands and supports my career goals, knowing that he may need to take care of the home-life. 

"There Are Bitches and Hoes" Summary

        Tricia Rose's article, There Are Bitches and Hoes, is a strongly worded piece on the sexism of the hip-hop industry. She beings by explaining the development of the word "pimp." Rappers in the music industry glamorize black pimp culture by incorporating the "gangsta" style, slang and attitude into their identities. By marketing themselves as a pimp, these popular rappers promote the domination of women. This advertising is not only a part of the music industry, but has bled into other areas of pop culture such as television shows, movies, and themed parties. The pimp ideology supports the controlling of prostitutes through physical violence and emotional/psychological manipulation.
        Rose goes on to talk about how the popularity of these rappers and their music videos that degrade women make it so women feel the need to live up to it. It encourages "young women fans to emulate the behaviors of 'bitches and hoes' to get attention, to be desired, and to be considered sexy." Although the point can be made that the women in those videos are exposing themselves to the degradation of the hip-hop industry, they need to act in this hyper-sexual way to make any strives in their career. Any challenge these women make towards sexism in the black community can lead to difficult isolation. To go against hip-hop in the black community is seen as an "anti-black community action," making these women targets for ridicule. It is easier just to go along with it. Another way black women are handling this discrimination is by embracing the term "bitch," and using it as a term of empowerment instead. However, this does not change much.
        The history behind this discrimination of black women can be traced back even to Ronald Reagan who coined the term "welfare queen" in the 1980s. This term suggested that black women are "sexually irresponsible, money-hungry, and lazy," females who cheat the welfare system by having more babies to increase their payments. This racist stereotype is the type of women that rappers, such as Snoop Dogg, refer to as "bitches and hoes." Their lyrics tear apart black women, saying that they are just "trying to get a nigga for his money." The author of this article questions how many poor women are really trying to get the money of these rappers; they may have grown up in urban neighborhoods, but they now live in more affluent areas where there are most likely not "bitches and hoes" like they rap about. Therefore, the author questions as to why these rappers need to still bring these women into their music? She states it is because they "choose to represent a sexist perspective about reality they no longer have."
       Tricia Rose is very vocal in her article on the subject of female sexual freedom, specifically in regards to black female's. She strongly critiques the sexism and discrimination that black women face from the hip-hop industry, and urges society to see this and fight for "what is right," referring to sexual freedom. It is pointed out multiple times that sexual freedom is not the same as hyper-sexuality or sexual repression, but rather the freedom to decide how each woman wants to express her sexuality without facing judgement. The author asks readers to stand up and defend black women from the sexist ideologies of the "pimps" in the music industry.

Music Videos Imagery and Lyrics

Girl in a Country Song - Maddie & Tae

       Maddie and Tae have not only written one the hottest country songs on the charts right now, but the song also is one of the few songs in the country industry that addresses gender roles. I personally love country music, but it is obviously sexist by nature. Strong manly men doing hard labor, whistling at pretty southern belles in short jean shorts and cowgirl boots. That is the base of most of the music videos and songs in the genre. Although this reflects the gender stereotypes that are strongly rooted in the south where country music is most popular, it has caused some problems with the females in the industry. Huge female stars, such as Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, and Gretchen Wilson have written songs about strong women that stand up to men and enjoy doing things that "men do." None of these songs reversed the roles like Girl in a Country Song does, though. 

      The Song itself is about how girls are tired of being objectified in country songs. It literally says, "Like all we're good for is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend, nothing more." Maddie and Tae express their disgust for how girls are shown as useless pretty trohpies in country music videos. To further show this in their video, it opens up with country boys sitting on a tailgate of a truck, whistling and calling for two girls walking towards them in daisy duke shorts, a bikini top, and cowgirl boots. This then changes, showing the men in short shorts and revealing tops, obviously mocking them. The girls are also shown washing cars, a common image of women in music videos. The men are then showing doing the same thing, which shows how ridiculous it actually is. Althought it doesn't completely reverse the roles since the girls in the video are still objectified, the humorous portrayal of the men has made a ripple in the country music world, and has brought attention to the way women are shown.

I Luh Ya Papi- Jennifer Lopez

       Everyone knows that Jenny from the Block is a strong, sexy and successful woman. Her newer song, I Luh Ya Papi challenges gender roles by objectifying men, similar to Maddie & Tae's hit. The music video is the opposite of most of the popular rap videos, where women dancers are barely dressed dancing behind the male lead. This one shows J-Lo dancing in front of men in very little clothing. Although there are also girls in the video dressed in skimpy clothing and dancing, the point of the video is to show the men as sex objects. However, unlike Maddie and Tae, J-Lo is not mocking the men. Where the men in the country video are meant to be humorous and not at all sexy, the men in J-Lo's video are obviously attractive and objectified. I found it interesting that J-Lo's video also had men washing a car, soaking wet and dripping soap down their bodies, but this was to show them as sex figures. 

       In addition to the portrayal of men, the women are also presented differently. There are parts with J-Lo and her dancers in short shorts dancing, but then there are scenes with them in baggy sweatpants dancing almost "ghetto" like rappers. J-Lo has a strong sex appeal in this video, but it is a dominant sex role. She is in control and she seems like she could have any of the men in the video, rather than the other way around. The lyrics do not challenge gender roles as obviously, but she is asserting herself as a sexual and dominant woman, which goes against the stereotype of how woman "should be." 

Kudos to Maddie, Tae, and J-Lo. You go girls.

YouTube, I Tube, We all tube

How to Hit on a Girl at the Gym  --> stereotypical gender roles

If Girls Acted like Guys at the Gym --> defying gender roles



    Both of the video links above are comedic representation of gender roles. The first, which is a clip of the YouTube personality Dom Mazzetti, is an extreme (in some cases) portrayal of how men act in a gym setting. All of Dom's videos are part of a series called BroScience, where he exaggerates gym stereotypes and common topics in the fitness industry. The second video is a clip of girls acting like guys, and vice-versa, in the gym. The girls in the video talk like "bros," discussing protein and lifting as the steroytypical gym guy would do. On the other hand, the men basically do cardio, ab work, and talk. This video shows how both sexes view each other's roles in a fitness setting. Although extreme, like Dom Mazzetti's, it is funny because the way the men/women act is unrealistic to those watching it. For example, at one point a girl walks up to a guy and offers to "help him lift," using it as an excuse to hit on/touch him. It is comedic because we know it would be rare to see that in reality. However, when Dom uses the same technique in his video, it seems normal.
      These videos are not advertising anything specifically, so therefore it is hard to say who they specifically target. Dom Mazzetti's videos target "gym bros" because that is the demographic that would find him funniest. Being a part of the fitness world myself, I also find him funny, as would other females in the industry. Some women mind take offense to this particular video due to related experiences with men in gym settings. On the other hand, the second video is aimed towards both sexes. Women would find it funny how the girls act like the guys, and men would find humor in how the males portray females. However, both sexes could find insult in the the representation of their own sex. The humor in both the videos, in my opinion, is enough to hide the insults that accompany both sexes.

"Sociology of Sex and The City" Summary

      The first chapter of Linda Jin Kim's dissertation is titled, "The Sociology of Sex and the City," commonly referred to as SATC. Her paper discusses how SATC has been recognized for touching upon many modern feminist topics such as female sexuality, motherhood, and pregnancy. Her research focuses on what people watching the show take away from it, rather than the previous analyses done by expert sociologists and psychologists. However, she starts by summarizing the prior research done on the hit television show.
     This popular show, which follows the interconnected lives of four single white females living in Manhattan has received positive and negative reviews for its blunt nature. It has been praised for how it portrays strong independent women, unbreakable female friendships, and for its uncensored discussions of female sexuality. It does not show women as dainty, fragile and prude, but rather as sexual beings equal to men. Critics, such as Gerhard, suggest that SATC shows alternatives to marriage and relationships. He says that the family that these four girls have created with each other is relatable to the families that gay men and women have created for years now (Kim 8). It shows that you do not need to have the standard family to supported.
       The show also addresses the realities of motherhood and pregnancy, rather than the glorified expectation of the two major life changes. SATC character, Miranda, has an unplanned pregnancy, and even contemplates having an abortion. Although the show did use Charlotte, a character who is pro-life, to give contrast the controversial topic, it still was radical to float around that idea (Kim 9). Miranda, who is a driven attorney, expresses the hardships of pregnancy often overlooked by shows that try to make motherhood look like the best option for a woman. Another character, Samantha, decides that the married life is not for her, and the show uses her to represent female liberation and the fact that not every woman is born with maternal instinct. Samantha is also the origin of many of the risqué conversations the women have, some of which include topics of sex toys (Kim 10). 
     One of the main critiques of the show is that the women have the lives they have due to the privileges of their race and class. The cast of the show, although it has some homosexual and ethnic characters, does not represent these differences well. The four women only go after straight wealthy white men, for the most part. SATC has also been said to validate an outrageous consumer lifestyle, especially due to its Manhattan location (Kim 13). Linda Jim Kim states that not many scholars have researched how audiences react to SATC, and therefore her following chapters dive into how the general public, rather than experts, interpret this entertaining series. 

"You Play Like a Girl" Summary

Elena Bertozzi’s “You Play Like a Girl!” explains how females are treated in various cross-gender competitions. She begins by discussing females in the digital gaming world. It is a fact that more men play video games than women, but Bertozzi dives deeper to find the reasons why fewer females play video games. It may have to do with their violent nature, and it may have to do with women being portrayed as sexual objects in many popular video games. However, this chapter focuses much on the interaction between females and males in competition, and how social expectations make it difficult for women to compete at the same level as men (Bertozzi 492). Tying this into video games, Bertozzi discusses how men are expected to treat women a certain way in society, and therefore this can cause problems when competing against them. Men are taught to be protective and caring towards women; male aggression of any sort towards females is unacceptable in today’s culture. Although, in theory, this standard should disappear in situations such as sport or game competitions, it is difficult for a man to disregard this expectation. This has even led to females choosing to use male avatars in video games so they are treated as true players, rather than coddled and protected (Bertozzi 492).

According to Title IX legislation, females are allowed to play on men’s teams if a female team does not exist. Therefore, it is not completely uncommon to see girls playing football or wrestling at the high school and even college levels (Bertozzi 493). This presents some issues for both sexes. Bertozzi uses the example of a male football playing on a co-ed team. He has a responsibility as a player to be physical with teammates in practices and opponents in games, but he also has been taught that his responsibility as a man is to protect and not harm women. So what if that opponent or teammate is a woman? He is faced with a dilemma. A man competing against a woman is also in a lose/lose situation. If he wins, it is not always a respected win because men are culturally expected to be stronger than women. If he loses, then he will be ridiculed for losing to the presumably weaker sex (Bertozzi 495). On the other hand, a woman who decides to challenge a man in sport has her own social issues. She may be seen as masculine, unattractive, and even viewed as a threat to masculinity. This can push men to dominate her in other ways, for example sexually, or they can taunt/punish her to challenging them. This is evident in video games as well, where men have been known to become “extremely aggressive when beaten by a player using a female avatar.” Females also worry about the damage to their sexuality and sexual relationships when they challenge men; a strong woman may not be seen as sexually viable (Bertozzi 494-96). This can be due to her dominance of men or due to her physical appearance. Female athletes are physically built and may not have the “womanly body” that the media shows as ideal (Bertozzi 497).

Bertozzi touches on many issues that females face when they attempt to break social norms. This can be in the virtual world, in sports, or even in the workplace. Although women should be treated as equals in any environment, historically cultural expectations are hard to move past. Bertozzi gives suggestions for how game designers can address sexist issues, one being that they should present competitive women as sexually desirable (Bertozzi 499). Her article, as well as her suggestions, should be taken into strong consideration by both sexes.