In a Chicago magazine in 2010, Dana Rudolph tackles an important issue that was and still is arising in pop culture. She uses Modern Family and The L Word as examples of how LGBT parents are portrayed on television. On Modern Family, gay dads Mitchell and Cameron goes through the process of trying to get their adopted Asian daughter Lily into a prestigious preschool. Thinking that they are the epitome of diversity, they do not think they will face any problems. They then discover that their daughter is competing for a spot with an African American girl adopted by a lesbian couple, one of which is in a wheelchair. They realize that they were "out-diversified." Almost the same exact plot line was used in 2008 in The L Word when two moms tries to get their daughter into preschool but are "out-diversisified" by a a gay couple with multiple religions. Rudolph brings to attention how similar these plots are to show the lack of variety when it comes to LGBT parents on TV.
The article then shifts to talk about how the majority of LGBT on television are upper-middle-class and white. In reality, one in five children that have same-sex parents grow up in poverty. Rudolph argues that storylines around LGBT parents need to start exapanding to represent all classes of same-sex parents. This can be done by hiring LBGT writers, but more importantly, all TV script writers need to go out and listen to the stories of same-sex parents. By hearing real stories, they will better understand what these families are going through, rather than just guessing. Writers need to do more research; there are tons of books containing stories and research about same-sex parents, as well as parenting groups that meet that would be open to sharing stories. Even online, the amount of anecdotes from LGBT parents far surpasses the narrow-minded plots that are portrayed in media. Rudolph encourages readers to push television networks to expand the stories of same-sex parents and to make them more realistic. The public also has to educate themselves in order to know what tv should be representing and what it is lacking. By simply educating ourselves and the people around us, Rudolph believes television networks will hear the complaints and begin to change.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Gender Neutral Children
The story of Sasha, a 5 year old boy who has been raised as "gender-neutral" definitely sparks different thoughts. I agree that young children should not be placed into the stereotype of their biological sex, but rather be able to explore interests of boys and girls. Maybe I am somewhat bias with this opinion because growing up, I was a young girl who was more interested in the "boy" toys. I never looked at a Barbie, but would receive the newest Hot Wheels track for every holiday. While my older sister was playing dress up, I was playing in the mud or riding my bike outside. While I was supposed to get my sister's hand-me-down clothing, I refused to wear them because they were pink, purple, or had flowers on them. I was much happier with my favorite pair of jeans and a solid colored t-shirt. I was the definition of a "tom-boy," and maybe that is why I agree with the fact that all young children should be allowed to explore all interests, not just the ones contained within their gender. Sasha grew up in a yellow room with both boy and girl clothing available for him to choose, and both cars and dolls to play with. While some may say its overboard or could cause psychological problems down the road, I think it is better than making a boy feel like he has to be the stereotypical boy.
On the other hand, the end of the article mentions a young girl named Storm. Her parents also plan to raise her gender-neutral. A US psychiatrist spoke out saying that, "We do have male brains and female brains. There’s a reason why boys do more rough and tumble play; there’s a reason why girls have better language development skills." I agree with this too, which may be contradictory to what I previously stated. I believe that we are born how we are; we may not become aware of it until we age, but it is there. I do not think people "turn gay." I believe they are born homosexual and just do not realize it or accept it until that point. Girl and boy brains are chemically different, and there is scientific evidence of that. Even at young ages, boy brains develop and act differently than girls. Making a child gender-neutral, in my eyes, is confusing. I think the child will be teased later on as well. I think a better way is to keep options open and listen to what your kid wants. If you raise a little boy and he is more interested in Barbie at the toy store, then buy the Barbie. But I think having both girl and boy clothes available for the child is confusing and might mess with their development more than it helps.
On the other hand, the end of the article mentions a young girl named Storm. Her parents also plan to raise her gender-neutral. A US psychiatrist spoke out saying that, "We do have male brains and female brains. There’s a reason why boys do more rough and tumble play; there’s a reason why girls have better language development skills." I agree with this too, which may be contradictory to what I previously stated. I believe that we are born how we are; we may not become aware of it until we age, but it is there. I do not think people "turn gay." I believe they are born homosexual and just do not realize it or accept it until that point. Girl and boy brains are chemically different, and there is scientific evidence of that. Even at young ages, boy brains develop and act differently than girls. Making a child gender-neutral, in my eyes, is confusing. I think the child will be teased later on as well. I think a better way is to keep options open and listen to what your kid wants. If you raise a little boy and he is more interested in Barbie at the toy store, then buy the Barbie. But I think having both girl and boy clothes available for the child is confusing and might mess with their development more than it helps.
Monday, April 20, 2015
"NetGirls" Summary
"NetGirls: The Internet, Facebook, and Body Image
Concern in Adolescent Girls" is a study that explored the effect of social media/the internet on body image perception in young girls between the ages of 13 and 15. This included over 1,000 female freshman and sophomores in high school, which can be some of the best or some of the worst years of a young girl's life in terms of body image and confidence; these years can shape their personality for years to come. Not including school work, girls this age spend about 1.5 hours each day on the internet, most of which are sites with distorted and objectified representations of the female body. Through a serious of surverys, researched determined how long the girls spend per on the internet per day, which sites they use the most, how many MySpace or Facebook "friends" they have, what they contribute "beauty" to, and how they feel about themselves. The study revealed that 95.9% of the girls had access to the internet in their home. The time spent on the internet had a significant correlation to their internalization of the thin ideal, body
surveillance, and their drive for thinness. This relationship between body image issues and internet usage was even more prevalent in the girls that spent more time on Facebook specifically. The connection was even stronger than researchers predicted, and the study as a whole gives a look into the mind of young girls. Results showed that the "Internet represents a potent socio-cultural
medium of relevance to the body image
of adolescent girls," which is something that young girls should be aware of. If these things are connected, then a reduction in social media usage should reduce these problems in girls who are facing them. That may be difficult for some girls to do, but in serious cases it might be a beneficial option.
Social Networks
I use Facebook every day, but some of the "friends" I see post every day are people that I have not actually talked to in years. However, social media makes you feel like you have not missed anything in their life; you think you know who they are. You see people who are into fitness constantly posting flexing pictures, recipes, and motivational quotes. Is that who they are? Is that their entire life? No, but that's what their Facebook reflects. It makes them seem like they eat, sleep, breath fitness, but in actuality they have a family, a boyfriend/girlfriend, school, and work. The same thing goes for people who only post pictures of drinking/smoking/partying. While that may be something they do often, it is impossible that its their entire life. But yet when I run into friends from high school and we gossip, the things we seen on social media is what we take that person's life to be like. If they post some sad status, we say, "Wow, seems like ______'s life is really sucky, they're always sad" or "All _____ does is party, they're going no where in life." When it comes right down to it though, we have no idea how that person's life is besides what they show on Facebook. They definitely have a virtual personality that does not always match their real one. They are also very gendered; girls mostly post pictures or song lyrics, while guys post things about the big game and pretty girls. When people go against this, there can be some backlash, but that is constant in almost every social media outlet.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Girl Rising: Compare and Contrast Wadley & Yasmin
After watching the powerful documentary, Girl Rising, it makes me appreciate growing up in the states. One of the characters, Wadley, is a 7 year old girl that lives in Haiti. She went to school and loved it, but then the infamous earthquake hit Haiti, turning the country to ruins. After this natural disaster, Wadley could no longer attend school because her family did not have enough money to pay for it. This, however, did not stop this brave young girl, who continued to go to school everyday even though she was told to leave. Eventually, she told her teacher that she would come back every day until she was allowed to stay, and the teacher agreed to let her sit in class. Unlike public school in the US, school in Haiti is not free. Children that live there do not have the right to an education as children in the US do, which is sad especially for children like Wadley who crave knowledge.
Another girl in the movie, Yasmin, is shown as a 12 year old girl living in Egypt. The culture of Egypt is different and Yasmin has to wear a scarf over her head. The scene shows this girl telling the police about how a man tried to abduct her and her friend, and ultimately tried to rape her. She fought back and cut him with a shard of glass, claiming to be a superhero. The police tell Yasmin's mother that they will not receive justice against this man, and he is right. The story ends by the narrator explaining that the man who committed this crime had no consequences for his actions. Just like Wadley, Yasmin is a brave and strong young girl who comes from a poor family. Yasmin does not attend school because her family cannot afford it, therefore she works with her mother. The narrator tells the audience that Yasmin is now 13, but she cannot read or write; she is also engaged to be married.
Although the cultures of both these countries are drastically different, they both have very little emphasis on education. Wadley, unlike Yasmin, is lucky enough to have some schooling, even if it is a small amount. Egyptian culture puts emphasis on women being wives, evident by this 13 year old girl being engaged. She will most likely never receive an education, and will spend her life as a housewife having children and taking care of a husband she will probably never grow to love. Both these cultures are drastically different than the US, where girls are boys both have the right to an education. America believes in educating our youth because they are the adults of the future. We also encourage both sexes to be independent and marry who they want to when they are ready. A 13 year old girl who is engaged would not be acceptable, or even legal in the states. I feel blessed to be a part of a country like America, but we definitely take it for granted. I am a 21 year old girl who has always gone to school and plans to be a doctor, while there are girls all over the world who will never see the inside of a classroom. This movie, along with others, are made to put our lives in perspective and to create a desire for change in us; to make us want to go out and help these young children around the world. I think this movie definitely made that point clear.
Another girl in the movie, Yasmin, is shown as a 12 year old girl living in Egypt. The culture of Egypt is different and Yasmin has to wear a scarf over her head. The scene shows this girl telling the police about how a man tried to abduct her and her friend, and ultimately tried to rape her. She fought back and cut him with a shard of glass, claiming to be a superhero. The police tell Yasmin's mother that they will not receive justice against this man, and he is right. The story ends by the narrator explaining that the man who committed this crime had no consequences for his actions. Just like Wadley, Yasmin is a brave and strong young girl who comes from a poor family. Yasmin does not attend school because her family cannot afford it, therefore she works with her mother. The narrator tells the audience that Yasmin is now 13, but she cannot read or write; she is also engaged to be married.
Although the cultures of both these countries are drastically different, they both have very little emphasis on education. Wadley, unlike Yasmin, is lucky enough to have some schooling, even if it is a small amount. Egyptian culture puts emphasis on women being wives, evident by this 13 year old girl being engaged. She will most likely never receive an education, and will spend her life as a housewife having children and taking care of a husband she will probably never grow to love. Both these cultures are drastically different than the US, where girls are boys both have the right to an education. America believes in educating our youth because they are the adults of the future. We also encourage both sexes to be independent and marry who they want to when they are ready. A 13 year old girl who is engaged would not be acceptable, or even legal in the states. I feel blessed to be a part of a country like America, but we definitely take it for granted. I am a 21 year old girl who has always gone to school and plans to be a doctor, while there are girls all over the world who will never see the inside of a classroom. This movie, along with others, are made to put our lives in perspective and to create a desire for change in us; to make us want to go out and help these young children around the world. I think this movie definitely made that point clear.
"Drama is the Cure for Gossip" Summary
The main question Abigail De Kosnik's article explores is why US TV show characters that find their hidden "true self" through the use of theatrical performance. It beings by analyzing one of my favorite shows, Gossip Girl. The show depicts the high school and college years of a group of high-class "east siders," who's secrets are constantly being posted on a blog run by the anonymous Gossip Girl. The article argues that the most important currency to these characters is gossip, which is never the whole truth. While people may read things online about coworkers, profressors, or celebrities, those facts may not tell the whole story: you don't really know that person. The characters on GG find their "true selves" through seeing the portrayal of their drama on the blog. All the characters have experiences that show them they might not yet know who they "truly are," but they work on discovering that. The FOX show, Glee, shares this same theme of fiding your true self. This show shows that "no matter how awkward or cynical you may appear in everyday life, you can slough off your outer skin- your social persona- and show off how smart, fair, kinda, brave, and talented you are if only you dare to sing show tunes in front of witnesses."
So why does American TV find the need to show this discovery through theatrical performance? The author argues that it may be because TV wants to compete with rising popularity of the Internet. Since the internet is mainly full of anonymous posts, which pushes TV to be different than that. Therefore, characters on TV are the exact opposite as they display their true self in front of audiences, rather than hide behind a screen. This is a way to show that TV offers something different than the Internet can, and to fight against the constantly growing internet gossip culture. The author argues, however, that TV cannot promise anonymous nature that the internet can, which will always be a plus of using the internet.
The last piece of this article discusses how TV claims to be a form of therapy, just as the theatre used to be. Both media outlets use relatable characters as ways to connect the audience to the plot line. Is the Internet going to take over television just as television took over the theatre? Nowadays, the TV industry has to constantly "defend its relevance" and show that it is still important. Through the use of drama in its shows, it competes with the Internet gossip culture.
So why does American TV find the need to show this discovery through theatrical performance? The author argues that it may be because TV wants to compete with rising popularity of the Internet. Since the internet is mainly full of anonymous posts, which pushes TV to be different than that. Therefore, characters on TV are the exact opposite as they display their true self in front of audiences, rather than hide behind a screen. This is a way to show that TV offers something different than the Internet can, and to fight against the constantly growing internet gossip culture. The author argues, however, that TV cannot promise anonymous nature that the internet can, which will always be a plus of using the internet.
The last piece of this article discusses how TV claims to be a form of therapy, just as the theatre used to be. Both media outlets use relatable characters as ways to connect the audience to the plot line. Is the Internet going to take over television just as television took over the theatre? Nowadays, the TV industry has to constantly "defend its relevance" and show that it is still important. Through the use of drama in its shows, it competes with the Internet gossip culture.
Reality Television
I am personally not a fan of reality television, but as per the assignment for this blog post, we were required to watch an episode of a show. I watched an episode of the only reality TV show that I have ever taped episodes of: The Jersey Shore. This show is a disturbingly awful representation of not only NJ, but also of Italians. Being Italian and from NJ myself, I take offense when people from out of state refer to this reality show as what jersey is actually like. The Real House-Wives of NJ also does this, but that's another story. I decided to watch the first episode of the first season on Jersey Shore, just to get a feel for where it all started. There is NO piece of the episode that is real, not even the names of the characters! Mike is referred to as "the situation," Nicole is known as "Snooki," and Jenni is called "J-Woww." If names aren't even real, can we truly expect anything else to be? I decided to pay close attention to Snooki and see how her gender is portrayed. She, along with every other girl on the show, is portrayed as dumb, slutty, and a party animal. She is often seen having no common sense, drinking until she cannot function, or having sex with random men she doesn't know. While this may be the life of some people, it is severely exaggerated and glorified for the purpose of entertainment.
Throughout the show, Snooki's ridiculous character is funny just because viewers are embarrassed for her. Take this photo for example which is from season 1, a classic example of Snooki: drunk, looking ridiculous, and walking back from a one-night-stand:
Throughout the show, Snooki's ridiculous character is funny just because viewers are embarrassed for her. Take this photo for example which is from season 1, a classic example of Snooki: drunk, looking ridiculous, and walking back from a one-night-stand:
Its embarrassing, but its is how they all became famous. For years, this is what Snooki was known for- being trashy and crazy. Flash forward to now, she is the mother of 2, a fitness advocate, and has turned into what I believe is a great person. Would you be able to tell from that picture? No way. And there are still many people who cannot see past these old photos, and she will never live down the impression that she made during the years she was on the Jersey Shore. Here is Snooki now, the person that I consider to be real, rather than the fake cast that was exaggerated on the show. Good for you Snooks...I mean, Nicole!
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Boys, Girls and Toys- Oh My
In the video presented, the adorably frustrated Riley is right- marketing does make it seem like girls have to buy "pink stuff," and the boys get to have the other colors. This has been seen for years, but does that make it right? Absolutely not. This is a picture of the typical dolls for young boys and girls, can you tell which is for which gender?
While girls are pushed towards Barbies and the idea that they should want to look/act like a princess, the boys are directed towards action figures such as GI Joe. The message to boys is that they need to be "manly," like guns, and not like pink.
Lets take a look at another set of dolls/action figures to see what message they give.
While superheroes have always been a big thing, the recent release of all the Captain America, Iron Man, Batman, and Spiderman movies have reenergized the idealism of superheroes. (Notice how all those movies I mentioned have MALE superheroes.) In just this set of 7 heroes, there is one woman: Wonder Woman. She is strong, tough, and fights crime just like the rest of the heroes. But wait, why is her costume the only one in which skin shows? While the male heroes get to have full protective suits, armor, and even capes, Wonder Woman is in what looks like a leotard with her breasts partially exposed and her long lean legs on display. This is the epitome of children gender marketing: even if a girl wants to be strong and a hero, she still needs to look good, and by good I mean sexy. Barbie, GI Joe, and superheroes may give different messages to the gender they are targeting, but they all have the same theme of needing to fit gender norms.
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