This film clearly shows how the media distorts the public’s conception of beauty. By sending powerful messages about physical perfection everywhere we turn, the media is very influential and its manipulation of beauty is harmful to young people. In the clip we see a regular woman without any makeup or fancy hairstyle getting a makeover. The deceiving part is at the of the film where they digitally alter almost every aspect of the picture to clear up her face, lengthen her neck, and do anything else that will make her seem perfect. The truth is that nobody is perfect, not even these models. But sadly young people, especially girls, see these “perfect” models and strive to be like them.
I think our idea of beauty became so distorted because of the media and technology. Companies aim to make more money, and they do this by using the media to target their audiences. The easiest way to sell a product is to send messages of physical perfection to children and young adults during the most impressionable stages of their lives. Some of the mediums used to target audiences include the television, movies, billboards, music, and magazines.
Even the mannequins that model clothing in store windows and displays set unrealistic standards. Young people are constantly exposed to images of unrealistically and often unhealthily thin figures. Unfortunately I do not see things changing anytime soon.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Critical Response Journal #2
The word gender comes from the Middle English word gendre which in turn, came from Latin genus. Both words mean 'kind' (Wikipedia). In this era gender refers to the differences between men and women. It refers to cultural and societal definitions of characteristics that according to the norms should belong to the male or female.
The term Sex has been used to designate matters related to biology and medicine; the term Gender has generally been used in social or cultural contexts. However, sex and gender are usually referred to in the same context. This was primarily the case before and although it still is to this day, I think there is a greater distinction between the two. However it still causes a debate among many when brought up. The use of gender to refer to masculinity and femininity as types is attested throughout the history of Modern English (from about the 14th century). (Wikipedia)
Gender and sexuality are related because gender can refer to the biological condition of being male or female, or less commonly intersex. In this sense, the term can be associated with sex, a word that has many meanings itself. Since the 1950s, the term gender has been used to distinguish between gender identity and biological sex. Nowadays when we talk about sex we talk about sexuality and sexual intercourse.
To say that gender is socially constructed means that it is more than just biological. Gender is what society as a norm perceives to be male or female. We perceive this based on a number of aspects such as appearance, personality, and how a person acts. A good example of this is the number of cases where female athletes were discovered to have more Y chromosomes thus making them males instead. This happened to Indian runner Soundarajan who failed a gender test and was disqualified from the Asian Games. So you see that gender is socially constructed and at the same time it is also embedded in our culture, and in technology.
There is a strong relationship between science and technology and sex/gender. Wajcman discusses this link between technology and masculinity. She claims that men attempt to gain control of their surroundings through technology. Another idea she puts out there is that the development of weapons and warfare in general are sexual in nature. Some examples of this include comparing the shape of guns and missiles to the male body part and the act of having sex. Wajcman states that men’s attempt to gain control over others is shown through their desire to have control over technology.
We read about science and technology to see how as a culture, they affect us in society. If you look around you will clearly see that technology plays a big part in both male and female lives. I think the infusion of technology into our culture over time has been strongly identified with as a primarily male area. Even to this day people still associate men with technology over women. I can understand how this idea started because in the past women tended to choose other educational paths such as liberal arts as opposed to science, engineering and IT. Those areas were dominated primarily by men but nowadays we see more women pursuing such fields. There is still a large gap between men and women when it comes to technology. A good example of how this is portrayed to us everyday is through commercials on TV. Commercials for computers or home entertainment systems have only men in them and are all aimed at the male audience. Then you get other commercials aimed at only women, so you can see that science and technology and sex/gender are closely connected.
The term Sex has been used to designate matters related to biology and medicine; the term Gender has generally been used in social or cultural contexts. However, sex and gender are usually referred to in the same context. This was primarily the case before and although it still is to this day, I think there is a greater distinction between the two. However it still causes a debate among many when brought up. The use of gender to refer to masculinity and femininity as types is attested throughout the history of Modern English (from about the 14th century). (Wikipedia)
Gender and sexuality are related because gender can refer to the biological condition of being male or female, or less commonly intersex. In this sense, the term can be associated with sex, a word that has many meanings itself. Since the 1950s, the term gender has been used to distinguish between gender identity and biological sex. Nowadays when we talk about sex we talk about sexuality and sexual intercourse.
To say that gender is socially constructed means that it is more than just biological. Gender is what society as a norm perceives to be male or female. We perceive this based on a number of aspects such as appearance, personality, and how a person acts. A good example of this is the number of cases where female athletes were discovered to have more Y chromosomes thus making them males instead. This happened to Indian runner Soundarajan who failed a gender test and was disqualified from the Asian Games. So you see that gender is socially constructed and at the same time it is also embedded in our culture, and in technology.
There is a strong relationship between science and technology and sex/gender. Wajcman discusses this link between technology and masculinity. She claims that men attempt to gain control of their surroundings through technology. Another idea she puts out there is that the development of weapons and warfare in general are sexual in nature. Some examples of this include comparing the shape of guns and missiles to the male body part and the act of having sex. Wajcman states that men’s attempt to gain control over others is shown through their desire to have control over technology.
We read about science and technology to see how as a culture, they affect us in society. If you look around you will clearly see that technology plays a big part in both male and female lives. I think the infusion of technology into our culture over time has been strongly identified with as a primarily male area. Even to this day people still associate men with technology over women. I can understand how this idea started because in the past women tended to choose other educational paths such as liberal arts as opposed to science, engineering and IT. Those areas were dominated primarily by men but nowadays we see more women pursuing such fields. There is still a large gap between men and women when it comes to technology. A good example of how this is portrayed to us everyday is through commercials on TV. Commercials for computers or home entertainment systems have only men in them and are all aimed at the male audience. Then you get other commercials aimed at only women, so you can see that science and technology and sex/gender are closely connected.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Gender Apptitude Test
Kate Bornstein is a transgender author of the book My Gender Workbook. She created the Gender Aptitude Test to open up ideas about the meaning of gender and how we perceive it. I think she understands gender as something that is not simply white or black. "I know I'm not a man...and I've come to the conclusion that I'm probably not a woman, either...The trouble is, we're living in a world that insists we be one or the other." — Kate Bornstein
I thought the test was interesting but somewhat biased. The questions and answer choices were definitely skewed in one direction. When I first went through the test, I left a lot of the answers blank because none of the choices were fitting for me. It was almost as if she was trying to force me to chose an answer that would make me question my gender. I am a male and I know this so a simple YES or NO answer choice woould have been all I really needed for most of the questions. The test was somewhat amusing but again most of the answer choices were not fitting for me.
However, I do see where shes coming from. Personally I don’t think that gender is as black and white as male or female. Clearly there are people out there who struggle with which gender they belong to and there are some that don’t belong to either. When it comes to gender I think you are who you are regardless of whether you have a “penis” or “vagina”.
One thing the test did make me think about was about how many different genders are there going to be. Say someone is not happy with their gender, are they just going to get a surgical operation and call themselves another gender. And what about public restrooms? Are we going to have Male, Female, Transgender restrooms? It gets a little weird when you think about all that.
But despite all that, I think Kate Bornstein created a gender test like this to show that most people are generally unaware of the true meaning of gender. She tries to get people to open up to ideas about gender exploration although I think she is somewhat biased in doing so. But the test is still usefull in educating people.
I thought the test was interesting but somewhat biased. The questions and answer choices were definitely skewed in one direction. When I first went through the test, I left a lot of the answers blank because none of the choices were fitting for me. It was almost as if she was trying to force me to chose an answer that would make me question my gender. I am a male and I know this so a simple YES or NO answer choice woould have been all I really needed for most of the questions. The test was somewhat amusing but again most of the answer choices were not fitting for me.
However, I do see where shes coming from. Personally I don’t think that gender is as black and white as male or female. Clearly there are people out there who struggle with which gender they belong to and there are some that don’t belong to either. When it comes to gender I think you are who you are regardless of whether you have a “penis” or “vagina”.
One thing the test did make me think about was about how many different genders are there going to be. Say someone is not happy with their gender, are they just going to get a surgical operation and call themselves another gender. And what about public restrooms? Are we going to have Male, Female, Transgender restrooms? It gets a little weird when you think about all that.
But despite all that, I think Kate Bornstein created a gender test like this to show that most people are generally unaware of the true meaning of gender. She tries to get people to open up to ideas about gender exploration although I think she is somewhat biased in doing so. But the test is still usefull in educating people.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Critical Response Journal #1
I can see why someone might have the belief that gender equality already exists and that the need to work for equality is something of the past because nowadays we see many powerful women in our society. Some prime examples that come to mind are secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, Senator Hilary Clinton and entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey. These women not only hold top positions but are also very influential in our society and contribute a lot to what happens in our daily lives. 20 years ago this would not have been the case so I can see why the majority of people would believe that significant progress has been made and that we no longer need feminism. However, feminism is the movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression. These are things that we still deal with today. Sexual harassment is something that occurs on a daily basis all over the country and it’s wrong. That’s one of the ting discussed in the book. Although things are much better than in the past, there are still people out there who still have that mindset. Changing the mind of such people is why feminism is still needed.
Personally I feel as if significant progress has been made for women over the years. Is it enough? I don’t think so. You can never really stop addressing the issue because people forget and unfortunately there are still men out there who don’t feel women should be equal. This is apparent when you ask them how they would feel with a female president.
I am a 23 year old male and some would think I would not care much about this issue but I actually do. I have three sisters and I am an only boy in the family so growing up I have been around a lot of women. It definitely makes you different because growing I noticed the way some of my guy friends who didn’t have sisters would talk about women. They didn’t really act respectful and treated women as objects. I was not raised that way and I believe that women should not have to deal with sexism, harassment or oppression from their male counterparts.
The women’s studies framework would say that the relationship between a person’s “situation” and their perspective on equality are closely related. Who you are, where you grew up, your gender and your ethnic background all have an impact on how someone feels about equality. For example a young man who grows up in an white upperclass family with money might feel he is above everyone else who is not like him. This includes both women and minorities so your background and identity have a lot to do with your attitude. And we know there is a need for women’s studies, feminism, etc. because the past has showed us that without them things would be worse off.
Personally I feel as if significant progress has been made for women over the years. Is it enough? I don’t think so. You can never really stop addressing the issue because people forget and unfortunately there are still men out there who don’t feel women should be equal. This is apparent when you ask them how they would feel with a female president.
I am a 23 year old male and some would think I would not care much about this issue but I actually do. I have three sisters and I am an only boy in the family so growing up I have been around a lot of women. It definitely makes you different because growing I noticed the way some of my guy friends who didn’t have sisters would talk about women. They didn’t really act respectful and treated women as objects. I was not raised that way and I believe that women should not have to deal with sexism, harassment or oppression from their male counterparts.
The women’s studies framework would say that the relationship between a person’s “situation” and their perspective on equality are closely related. Who you are, where you grew up, your gender and your ethnic background all have an impact on how someone feels about equality. For example a young man who grows up in an white upperclass family with money might feel he is above everyone else who is not like him. This includes both women and minorities so your background and identity have a lot to do with your attitude. And we know there is a need for women’s studies, feminism, etc. because the past has showed us that without them things would be worse off.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Activity #3 - Tolerance.Org
The first IAT I did was the skin tone test. My data suggested a slight automatic preference for Light Skin compared to Dark Skin. This was interpreted because I responded faster when Light Skin faces and Good words were classified with the same key than when Dark Skin faces and Good words were classified with the same key.
For the gender IAT my data suggested a slight association of Male with Science and Female with Liberal Arts compared to Female with Science and Male with Liberal Arts.
Finally I took the sexuality IAT and my data suggested a strong automatic preference for Straight People compared to Gay People.
I was not too surprised with my results except the results for the sexuality IAT. I am far from a homophobe and do not have any prejudice against gay people so I was surprised with the results. But I know how I feel and this is just a test. I guess it came out that way because I am guy and so I think guys should act manly and not “girly”.
I think you designed this assignment to open up the course because it makes us look at ourselves more closely so we can see what our views our about certain things. We can see if we have any prejudice, stereotypes or biases about other people. It also makes us more open to looking into our views about feminism and womens studies.
We can learn more about ourselves and our biases. How we feel about people and certain issues such as womens studies and feminism. It is important to think about our prejudices and biases because it can help us overcome them and learn to understand others better. Personally I don’t think any prejudices or biases are more acceptable than others. One is just as bad as another because they do not accurately reflect an individual and every person is unique regardless of which group they belong to.
In addition to the gender test I chose the skin tone test and the sexuality test. I chose the skin tone so see what the results would show my preference was. Personally I don’t think lighter skin is better than darker by any means. And for the sexuality test I wanted to see what my results would show. I was definitely surprised that I had a strong preference for straight people. However despite the test results, I still know who I am!
For the gender IAT my data suggested a slight association of Male with Science and Female with Liberal Arts compared to Female with Science and Male with Liberal Arts.
Finally I took the sexuality IAT and my data suggested a strong automatic preference for Straight People compared to Gay People.
I was not too surprised with my results except the results for the sexuality IAT. I am far from a homophobe and do not have any prejudice against gay people so I was surprised with the results. But I know how I feel and this is just a test. I guess it came out that way because I am guy and so I think guys should act manly and not “girly”.
I think you designed this assignment to open up the course because it makes us look at ourselves more closely so we can see what our views our about certain things. We can see if we have any prejudice, stereotypes or biases about other people. It also makes us more open to looking into our views about feminism and womens studies.
We can learn more about ourselves and our biases. How we feel about people and certain issues such as womens studies and feminism. It is important to think about our prejudices and biases because it can help us overcome them and learn to understand others better. Personally I don’t think any prejudices or biases are more acceptable than others. One is just as bad as another because they do not accurately reflect an individual and every person is unique regardless of which group they belong to.
In addition to the gender test I chose the skin tone test and the sexuality test. I chose the skin tone so see what the results would show my preference was. Personally I don’t think lighter skin is better than darker by any means. And for the sexuality test I wanted to see what my results would show. I was definitely surprised that I had a strong preference for straight people. However despite the test results, I still know who I am!
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Activity #2 - The "F-Word"
The first person I mentioned to that I was taking a women’s studies class was one of my really close girl friends. Her first reaction was her laughing. I guess because to her it was random so she asked me why? I explained to her I had to take a class to fulfill my area 2 requirements and this class seemed interesting. When asked what she thought about the word “feminist”, she basically said she thought it referred to a woman that’s all about making sure women have the same rights as men.
This was the same reaction I got from everyone I talked to. The first thing they would do was laugh and then ask why I was taking the class. The other two people I talked to was my co-worker Jason whom I work with at Awful Arthurs and my older sister Karen. Jason’s first response was that he thought I was taking the class to meet girls. I told him it was online but he still thought it was funny. When I told them I wanted to become a feminist they found that idea crazy. I guess because a male feminist is almost unheard of.
At the beginning of this course my perception of a feminist was pretty much the same as everyone I talked to. I associate the word with women who are constantly fighting for equal rights and the same treatment as men. Although I agree that women are equal and should have the same rights and treatment as men, I don’t consider my self a feminist by any means. Hopefully I will learn more about feminism during this course so I can be more educated on the subject.
This was the same reaction I got from everyone I talked to. The first thing they would do was laugh and then ask why I was taking the class. The other two people I talked to was my co-worker Jason whom I work with at Awful Arthurs and my older sister Karen. Jason’s first response was that he thought I was taking the class to meet girls. I told him it was online but he still thought it was funny. When I told them I wanted to become a feminist they found that idea crazy. I guess because a male feminist is almost unheard of.
At the beginning of this course my perception of a feminist was pretty much the same as everyone I talked to. I associate the word with women who are constantly fighting for equal rights and the same treatment as men. Although I agree that women are equal and should have the same rights and treatment as men, I don’t consider my self a feminist by any means. Hopefully I will learn more about feminism during this course so I can be more educated on the subject.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Allan Ventii Introduction
Hi my name is Allan Ventii. Im a senior and an Econ major. Im from Cyprus but I will be in Blacksburg all summer taking classes and working. I look forward to this course.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)