Gender SPEAKS!: September 2012

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Ch 6 Blog Post #3

After the Columbine Massacre, many things were blames from video games to certain musicians. It was said that the two boys were fans of Marilyn Manson and the video game Doom. When preparing for this attack, these two boys were very likely to have selected bits and pieces from both stories. Or, maybe they did not actively accept a story but just had it seep into their psyche. Either way, they would be appropriating gender stories because they took a story and made it part of their life.

Ch 6 Blog Post #2

Victoria's Secret models are some of the most well-known models in this country. We see them multiple times on television modeling lingerie and strutting around. One huge problem with this is that may women and young girls suffer body image issues and self-esteem problems because they think that they are supposed to have this body type. Everyday this standard is shoved down their throats. The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show gets a lot of attention and focus because of all the models, lingerie, and star power. I have seen and heard many women voice their negative opinions about their bodies during and after the show. They want to have their bodies. These women are motivated by self. Many pay attention to the story of these models because it inspires them or they want to be like them. However, it is impossible for this to happen since body types are genetic and vary from person to person.

Ch 6 Post #1

Madonna. You could say that she is known more for her antics and theatrics than her talent, but that is also why people are so attracted to her. Madonna's gender story is vastly different from what the typical story is supposed to be. Because of this, she has faced heavy criticism and backlash. But, she has also been a role model and someone to look up to for many women because of her refusal to play by the status quo. By attending to her gender story, those who pay attention to it are motivated by her particular story. She grabs their attention because she offers a different story that is a complete 180 from the typical female gender story.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Ch 5 Blog Post #3

Ahh Disney. Disney has a HUGE impact in influencing the lives of children (girls especially). The majority of Disney movies have leading ladies who are princesses. At some point, a man is needed to "save" them and they usually end up happily ever after. Or, in the case of Cinderella, she can't get her man until she gets help from her fairy godmother who makes her aesthetically beautiful to capture the heart of the prince. Either way, the objective in many of these movies is to get the man. Disney helps to retell the binary by using the preparation mechanism. They feed young girls the idea that the love of a man is central to happiness, once that is achieved, their life will be perfect (a fairytale).

Ch 5 Blog Post #2

Here is a picture of Bill Kaulitz. He is the frontman of a German rock band called Tokio Hotel. One of the things this man is known for is his obvious beauty. To many, his beauty is more effeminate than your average guy. Bill is a guy who does not go by the typical ideals set by the gender binary and instead rewrites it. He wears eye makeup and paints his nails which is considered a feminine look. He has changed his look over the years and continues to wear fashion that adds to his androgynous feel. His nails are often painted other colors besides black (mostly white or silver). Either way, he acts as his own agent and changes his style which, in turn, rewrites the binary.

Ch 5 Blog entry #1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuW-UKadvNY

What you see here is a trailer for the 2005 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I chose this clip for my blog entry because it embodies the concept of revising the binary. Revising the binary means to keep the basis of the binary, bur revise it in such a way that it is not quite as disagreeable. In this movie, both characters are equal. Mrs. Smith is an assassin just like her husband and has all of the same skills and sense of wit he has. However, she is still very sexualized in the film. This film is an example of expansion that goes beyond the typical binary. Mrs. Smith is still a badass like her husband, but she also has the sex appeal that oozes out of her. Pair that with her assassin skills and she is every boy/man's fantasy.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Ch 4 Blog Post #4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS2BpORASX0

An example of an "estrogen fest" movie aka a romantic movie. The Notebook is a film that has made a huge impact on romantic movies and is known as one of THE romantic movies. It has achieved all this notoriety and recognition even though it has not even been out 10 years yet. It follows the typical recipe for a "chic flick" with a passionate whirlwind summer romance that ends abruptly only to restart again by chance..but with a few twists and turns. Our culture makes it seem as though our hormones dictate what movies we prefer, and that is absurd. Also, both men and women have both estrogen and progesterone, but our culture makes it seem as though only women and men like certain kinds of movies. As it turns out, there are men who enjoy romantic movies and women who enjoy movies with action, special effects, etc. But this truth does not receive the same attention.

Ch 4 Blog Post #3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgEqVYcryWc

Another story on gender difference states that men are all testosterone and aggression and women are all feminine and estrogen-y. This is well evident in movies ie the phrase "chic flick" often referring to movies that are a "estrogen fest", majority of them are romantic comedies. Guys films are "testosterone fests" that have action, fight sequences, fast cars, or maybe all of the above. The above link is a PRIME EXAMPLE of what a "testosterone film" is. Many action hero guys (many past their prime I might add) with nary a woman in sight.

Ch 4 Blog Post #2

This is the book that took the idea that men and women are completely different, and just RAN with it. It is partly responsible for the idea that women talk more and are more open than men. The book seems to come with good intentions (of "improving communications and getting what you want in your relationship") as it states on the cover. But the way this is done encourages the binary and uses a lot of misinformation. You can tell from the differences in font (and color!) in the title that this book will take the idea of the binary, analyze it, make it seem factual, and shove it down your throat.

Ch 4 Blog Post #1

One of the three stories on gender differences stated that women talk more (even excessively) than men. Once media and the rest of society picked up on this myth, it somehow turned into a fact despite actual evidence stating otherwise. This quote is a prime example that men are, quite often, the more talkative ones. Even though you could make the argument and say that men talk more in politics because there are more men in politics, this would not be true universally. The study Dale Spender did with her recorder was enough proof to show that men talk more. Some of her conversations were one-on-one meaning that both parties should have equal opportunity to speak. But, the men talked more. However, since this discovery does not agree with the cultural idea, it is swept under the rug.

Friday, September 7, 2012

According to society, many jobs (i.e. secretary and nursing) is seen as a woman's job. A man in these occupations is questioned and is "outside the man-box". It does not fit in the box, therefore he is not truly masculine

This shows how society constructs the feminine and masculine. Women are emotional and therefore have more romantic ideas and think/feel with their heart, men (if they are to feel more emotions at all) are to feel it in the groin...*groan*