Interesting...

  In one of my classes, we took a nice look at 'hip hop culture' and its strong visual (music videos) association with dominant/aggressive masculinity and the objectification of women. After this class, my friend and I were discussing this prevalence of male violence and female objectification... she suggested something interesting: Were the artists that were spoken of male? Actually, yes; they all were. So, she and I decided to do some research and looked up female hip-hop artists: Lauryn Hill, Beyonce. The search didn't really prove her point but, I was sure she was on to something. So, I looked up more female artists/groups such as: MC Lyte, Sista (Misy Elliott's first group), Missy Elliott, No Doubt/ Gwen Stefani, Rihanna, Salt-N-Pepa, Lin Que, Mary J Blige, Aalyiah and Lil' Kim. I found a pattern... the music videos and lyrics of these ladies that were released before the mid 1990's  are generally "clean".. that is to say, there are very few men shown in the videos and when shown, they are 'backup', fully dressed non-aggressive dancers. The videos do not depict the female artist(s) as sexual objects.... until the mid/late 90s. I don' t know what happened but, Sista's songs in the early early 1990s, about love and sisterhood-- showing fully dressed women rap artists.. just singing... turned into "Pass that Dutch"... in 2003 that showed very scarcely dressed women, in a line shaking it... almost screaming: I am only meant for sex! Woo!... Ok, let's throw up, now. I also noticed that, no matter the year, if the female artist co-sang/co-produced a song/music video with a black or latin male artist, the women were more likely to be depicted as sexual objects and male violence was more prevalent however, when co-singing with Eminem, Rihanna was fully dressed, video showing mostly her face (not body), the other white girls in the video were also not objectified but, the male dominance/aggression was still very relevant. I couldn't find that much evidence for Gwen Stefani or really find many white female hip hop artists... Does race really play that BIG of a role in the prevalence of male aggression and female objectification in contemporary hip hop culture? This is serious...

Bill Maher says "we're" better than "them"

I chose this blog because the recent events that have taken place in Cairo have greatly struck my interest.  Also, I have found that the most interesting part of this Women’s Studies course was learning about racism and that feminists find it very important to involve women of any race in their activism.  Bill Maher’s comments took away from the fact that Lara Logan was hurt by a sexual assault, and he made the issue a matter of racism.  He referred to Middle Eastern men as being less than us, and he rhetorically asked his audience, “What’s wrong with saying that?”  All I want to know is what isn’t wrong with his statement.  Bill Maher purposefully ignored the sexual assault case to demonstrate that Americans are not as sexist as men of the Middle East.  I can’t tell is he was being more racist or sexist in this TV clip, but I do know that he truly has the “Western Eye”.

http://www.ihollaback.org/blog/2011/02/20/bill-maher-uses-cairo-rape-to-justify-racist-rant/

Everything I Learned About Women I Learned From Reality TV

http://www.wimnonline.org/WIMNsVoicesBlog/2010/11/12/newsweek-reviews-reality-bites-back-everything-i-learned-about-women-i-learned-from-reality-tv-plus-my-slideshow-reality-tvs-9-worst-stock-characters/
I chose this article because everyone I know watches some form of reality television. Most women are cast in stereotypical roles of bitches, housewives or plastic surgery patients. 75% of creators and producers are men who cast and edit these women into these roles. It supports the thought that sisterhood is dead and is replaced withh two-faced catty women.

Feminist Mormon Housewives

http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/?p=3506

 I decided to choose this blog after reading several others because it interests me to see how people grow up and be feminist. I am curious as to see why they have decided to turn feminist and the struggles they have went through to stand up for what they believe in. In class we have been discussing a lot of stories how women could not speak there mind. This blog is a little different because Joanna did not realize she was a feminist till her college years. She said, "As a young Mormon feminist at BYU, I felt like I finally was starting to figure out how to put the pieces of myself together and understand what my life was for.  I have never felt so alive as when I was marching through the streets of Provo late on a spring night with hundreds of women (and several dozen pro-feminist men) for our first Take Back the Night." This interested me because she went a few years without knowing she was actually feminist. She also stated, "Why, I wondered from the time I was a little girl, if my eternal destiny was homemaking had God given me a head full of brains and words and absolutely no aptitude for or interest in sewing, cooking, or crafting?  That glass slipper just never fit." When I read this I feel like she knew that she wanted to stand for something like equal rights for women. Along with the stories we have been reading in class about women not being able to speak there mind I feel like Joanna was able to and felt like she fit in at church because she stated this about church being a protection for her "where a smart, dark-haired, oustpoken girl was encouraged to take herself seriously."

But It's Just a Can! -- The Sleek, New Look of Diet Pepsi

I chose a post on the blog the Pursuit of Harpyness which discusses the new Diet Pepsi campaign as well as other advertisements created by Big Foods (which created the Skinny Pepsi advertisement).  I chose this blog and this topic because the messages sent to women about what the ideal body should look like are highly problematic.  Even though most of us are (at the very least) aware of this problem, it is still a very important issue to discuss.

In the wake of the controversy created by the Pepsi Max Superbowl commercial, Pepsi has unveiled their next ad campaign: “the taller, sassier new Skinny Can”.  This new can, which is indeed taller and skinner than its predecessor, is meant to celebrate “beautiful, confident women”.  In a press release for PepsiCo, Chief Market Officer Jill Beraud (who, for what it’s worth, also worked for Victoria’s Secret) stated, "Diet Pepsi has a long history of celebrating women through iconic fashion imagery seen in our infamous and historical campaigns, and we're proud to continue that tradition as an official sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Our slim, attractive new can is the perfect complement to today's most stylish looks, and we're excited to throw its coming-out party during the biggest celebration of innovative design in the world."  Basically, the message of this campaign (coupled with Beraud’s comments) is that in order to be beautiful, confident, and fashionable, you must be “tall”, “skinny”, and “new” (so therefore young?).  Although this is hardly a new message, especially for advertising, that does not make the campaign any less ridiculous (how can a soda can be sassy?).

I know some people may be inclined to argue that it’s just a can, and, to be honest, they’re partially right – there is nothing inherently wrong with redesigning a can.  The problem is not with the can, but the advertisements and the decision to unveil this design in conjunction with fashion week.  The fashion industry is notorious for pushing the exact message that the Pursuit of Harpyness (as well as many other feminist blogs) argues that PepsiCo is trying to push with this campaign – that in order to be beautiful and fashionable, you must be thin and tall.  As a final though, I find it very interesting that the new design and campaign is for Diet Pepsi and not regular, full-calorie Pepsi.

-- Stephanie Cristiano

Sex & The City

"A Feminist Argument For 'Sex And the City 2'"

http://blog.ajchristian.org/2010/05/31/a-feminist-argument-for-sex-and-the-city-2/

I chose this particular blog for several reasons. To start, throughout the semester thus far we have been given several examples of how not just women, but also men, are feminists. The author of this blog, Aymar Jean Christian, claims to be a male feminist who "investigates visual culture and media industries".

Another reason I chose this article is because of the interesting content, which I could find relatable. The article gives the reader a critical look at the Sex and the City 2 movie that was released last year. Most blogs and articles I have read on this movie, regarding a feminist outlook, see the movie in some ways degrading to women. In this category they also included realty shows such as the Desperate  and Real Housewives TV series. However, to the contrary this blog depicts the movie in a different light.

Christian highlights how the movie still raises valuable questions such as the institution of marriage and what female sexuality is like at an older age. (To add to this I also believe it shows how women can rely on friendships between each other, instead of the sometimes evident "caty-like" behavior between women.) The importance of these topics is relevant in today's society with the increasing divorce rates, it seems that the media is depicting marriage in several different ways. Just throughout this movie the gay couple gets married (and states that they might have open sexual relationships with others outside of their marriage) and how Carrie, the main character, is thinking of divorce within a year of marriage. A growing trend throughout media is also emerging, depicting women only being happy if they are married. (For example movies such as: Date Night, The Proposal, Couples Retreat, He's Just Not That Into You)

Female sexuality is also highlighted through Samantha's inner battle of aging, and the movie shows in an exaggerated form for entertainment what life is like to be sexual and single at an older age. This I found interesting because throughout most movies and TV shows having an active single social life is only depicted through a younger cast.

When does defining your sexuality matter?

http://feministsforchoice.com/defining-sexuality-matter.htm?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=defining-sexuality-matter