blog 10

a soundtrack that represents a healthy body image...

1. "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera - obviously.
2. "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" by Mika. this song is fun and lighthearted and it's all about feeling beautiful in your own skin!
3. "Sexy Ladies" by Justin Timberlake. Nothin' like JT calling you sexy to make you feel it.
4. "Ego" by Beyonce
5. "Bad Body Double" by Imogen Heap. It's about the person she sees in the mirror, who has cellulite and messy hair, etc. It's kind of a funny take on the physical imperfections that we all have that we don't like. To me it says: it's okay to laugh at yourself, and it's okay to have insecurities too. but you're still wonderful!
6. "So Damn Lucky" by Dave Matthews Band

blog 9

This ad is sexist because the positioning of the woman's face in relation to the sandwich makes her look like a blow-up doll, objectifying her as if her only purpose is sexual. It also compares the sandwich to a penis ("seven incher"). This is harmful because of the gender messages it sends about both men and women: a man is just a penis (literally a hunk of meat) and a woman is just there for sexing.

This ad, and all the other Kelly Ripa for Electrolux ads, is sexist because of its portrayal of woman as do-it-all housewife. Cult of domesticity, anyone?

This is obviously sexist because of the message it sends: women are bad at driving, and need it to be simplified.

Vodka ads are usually salacious, and usually sexist. Here the woman is lowered, literally at the man's feet. She is scantily clad while he is fully dressed. He clutches his phallic symbol (the vodka) as she removes her sunglasses - her only shield - to see it.

This ad is sexist because, again, the woman is naked and the man is fully dressed. She is there only for sex, as she grabs his crotch while he's all "YEAAHHH! I GOT MY WHISKEY AND MY CIGAR! I'M A MAN!!!"

I think that popular culture has affected the way most of us view men and women, whether we'd like to admit it or not. It'd be impossible to grow up in America with any media exposure and not get ideas about gender from that. We learn the sexual double standard of men and women (he's a stud, she's a slut) pretty early. We learn that a single older man is a swingin' bachelor and a single older woman is an old maid (or, I guess, a cougar - as if to say that a woman who wants to date younger man is some kind of jungle predator).

Popular culture has also affected the way we view race and class. We learn that Asians are smart, Hispanics don't speak English well so they're probably lazy or drug dealers, that black people are either gangsters or really really funny.

I do tend to point out things I find sexist in advertising, TV and movies. I think it's important to understand how subliminal those messages can be - we can't just internalize everything without questioning it.

When I first hear feminist, I'm actually happy. Feminism has helped me in a lot of personal ways in the past year or so. I no longer carry the negative connotations of feminism with me. I see feminism as freeing and equalizing. These positive associations have come from feminist role models in my own life, as well as learning about feminism in my women's studies classes.

paper 2

Annika Larson

Paper 2

Body Image vs. Reality

Precious and The Bluest Eye

Precious and Pecola are ugly adolescent black girls whose lives are the platforms of two important stories about race, beauty, and social class. Underneath rich storytelling and character development lurks a subtext of body image and beauty standards in Lee Daniels' Precious and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye.

Both stories discuss the standard of beauty as it relates to black girls. The Bluest Eye emphatically demonstrates the black girls' internalization of whiteness as the standard of beauty. Pecola almost obsessively drinks white milk out of a cup that has the blonde, blue-eyed Shirley Temple on it when she is staying with Claudia and Freida. Claudia also has a white baby doll. This is evidence that black children and white children alike subscribed to the same ideals of beauty. In their lives, this translates into real occurrences and consequences. The girls feel admiration, envy, and hatred for a light-skinned classmate named Maureen; the general consensus is that she is the cutest because of her skin. Finally, the internalization of whiteness as beauty manifests itself most strongly in Pecola's wish for blue eyes and eventual obsession with her new blue eyes once she believes she has gotten them.

In Precious, there are similar instances in which we, the audience, see the white beauty standard in relation to the black protagonist. One is Precious looking in the mirror and seeing a thin white blonde girl staring back at her. Seeing herself as something she isn't gives Precious peace of mind in her tumultuous, painful world in which she feels ugly. Like the characters of The Bluest Eye, Precious' neighbor Ruby, who could be called a younger version of Precious because of her socioeconomic situation, has a white Barbie doll. Precious also expresses a wish for lighter skin. To her, light skin is a representation of beauty. Historically, this has the ideal for many black women. Since whiteness has been the beauty standard through history in America, light skin is sought after because it means you are white or have white blood in you. On an April 2008 episode of the Tyra Banks Show, black women of different skin shades appeared on the show to talk about skin shade issues. The overwhelming response to the question “Do light-skinned black women have it easier?” was “YES.” One black woman, whose sister was lighter than she, said she felt that her sister has had the advantage in life and is seen as the pretty one.

Both stories have a cycle of ugliness and self-hatred within them. One could argue that the mothers of Pecola and Precious feel just as ugly and self-loathing for being black, so they pass this along to their children through poor treatment. Mrs. Breedlove, Pecola's mother, works for a white family and treats the young white girl better than she treats her own black children, showing Pecola and the other black girls that white girls deserve better. And Precious' mother, Mary, relentlessly abuses Precious physically and mentally. Each protagonist must handle their role in the cycle, and each one does this differently. Pecola's ultimate response to her abuse and self-loathing is a descent into mental illness, believing she has the bluest eyes in the world and carrying on conversations inside her head.

Precious, on the other hand, changes the cycle by making things better for herself. She learns to read and write, and she promises to make a better life for her children so they don't end up like her. This new spirit is embodied during two distinct parts in the film. First, she sees her neighbor Ruby in the welfare office, and perhaps in a moment of sensing part of herself in Ruby, she ties her red scarf around the young girl's neck. In this scene, Precious is changing the cycle for Ruby and trying to make her feel beautiful despite everything around her telling her that she isn't. And towards the end of the film, Precious ruminates on something she'd written months ago about when her teacher, Ms. Rain, told her class to write about their ideal selves. Precious wrote about her ideal self as light-skinned and thin, but later realizes that her inner self is beautiful, and her inner self is a black girl. She accepts herself as she is and decides to make her life better.

Each work's title has significance to the story. The Bluest Eye represents Pecola's desire for blue eyes, or for a more 'white' kind of beauty. But she doesn't just want blue eyes, she wants the bluest. In other words, she wants to be the most beautiful, the most white. It's not enough for her to be merely pretty; she demands to be the best. Perhaps it is her desperate need for perfection that drives her to madness in the end. The title Precious represents the main character's name, obviously, but it's also a contrast to how Precious herself actually feels about herself. The last thing she would call herself would be precious, even though it is the name she goes by.

Each story ends in a very different way. Pecola's story ends with her talking to herself and believing she has blue eyes. She is deluded to believe that she has attained the beauty she wants. This delusion is a coping response to the trauma she suffers when her father rapes and impregnates her. Pecola's future, sadly, will most likely be a continuation of the hardships that her family has also had. Poverty, low social class, and a continuing self-hatred passed along to her children will most likely be parts of Pecola's future. Although Precious went through the same trauma as Pecola and lets it hold her down for a large part of her life, her ending is much happier. She changes herself so that her bad circumstances can no longer hold her down. Instead of believing she has attained a different kind of beauty, she sees the true beauty in herself and embraces it. She knows that life was rough for her, but she is determined to make a better life for her children. Her future has more hope. I envision Precious getting her GED and going to work, teaching her children to read and write and respect themselves. Unfortunately her life will likely be cut short by AIDS since she is HIV-positive, but I'm sure she will live to the fullest until then with a healthier body image and self-esteem.

Although both The Bluest Eye and Precious take place in the past, there are a host similar problems with beauty standards in relation to black women today. Firstly, there are many problems with the portrayal of black women in advertising. This hearkens back to slavery; before emancipation, black women were portrayed as the subservient “mammy” character that we now see represented on our bottles of Aunt Jemima pancake syrup. When emancipation took place and blacks were no longer under control of whites, the portrayal of black women suddenly changed. They were shown as sexual beasts, animal-like nymphomaniacs who would steal a good white man out from under his woman's nose if she wasn't careful. These images have carried on to the present, with a few additions. The classic “mammy” character still persists in images like that of Aunt Jemima and others. In a New York Times article from 2006, she is described like this: “Other than her size, she is almost always black. She typically finds herself in an exchange that is either confrontational or embarrassing. And her best line is often little more than a sassy 'Mmmm hmmm.'” This character is seen in Tyler Perry films and commercials for all kinds of products, including Pine Sol and Twix. Even Mo'Nique, co-star of Precious, embraces this stereotype at times in her comedy and her films, such as Phat Girlz. On the other hand, over-sexualized images of black women are also prevalent.

This ad for Louis Vuitton featuring Lil Kim is a prime example. Lil Kim is nude, in a sexualized pose that emphasizes her large butt, with the Louis Vuitton logo literally printed on her body. Not only does this demonstrate the oversexualized depiction of black women in advertising, it also suggests ownership of this woman by branding her. Turning on BET to watch hip-hop music videos shows an image of over-sexualized black women that is equally terrifying.

Not all advertising featuring black women is negative; toothpaste commercials are pretty innocuous, and even Aunt Jemima has undergone a makeover (in 1989, she lost her bandanna and got a facelift, pearl earrings and a lace collar). But there are certainly still problems out there.

Another issue with black women and body image is the Barbie doll. The first black Barbie doll was not introduced until 1967 under the name “Colored Francie.” This doll used the mold of a white Francie doll, the only difference being a darker skin color. Christie, another black Barbie doll, debuted in 1968, while “Black Barbie” was released in 1980 with white features. Finally, in 2009, the “So In Style” dolls were launched, which were supposed to have more realistic African-American features. Currently, black Barbie dolls are making the news, after Walmart stores began selling them for about half the price of their white counterparts. Walmart says there was no racial implication, but others are saying it sends a message about the value of black and white women. This reminds me of a 1940s study conducted by Kenneth and Mamie Clark, in which children were asked to choose between a black and white doll and say which doll they'd rather play with. The results of the study showed that 63% of children said they'd rather play with the white doll. Recently, “Good Morning America” repeated the experiment with 19 black children. Their results were a bit happier: 88% of the children said they identified with the black doll, and most children said either both dolls or the black doll were “nice,” compared to 56% of children choosing the white doll in the original experiment.

This evidence shows that ideas about race and beauty are changing, but only ever so slightly. Stereotypes and negative images still carry on from the past, and whiteness is still seen as a standard of beauty in some ways. But Pecola and Precious may have felt differently about themselves had they lived in today's society, so as an optimist, I will take that as a sign that we are heading in the right direction.

Works Cited

J.B.. "Do light-skinned black women have life easier than dark-skinned black women?". About-Face.org. .

Peters, Jeremy W.. "An Image Popular in Films Raises Some Eyebrows in Ads". The New York Times August 1, 2006

Gomstyn, Alice. "Black Barbie Sold for Less Than White Barbie at Walmart Store ". ABC News March 9, 2010

Ahuja, Gitika. "What a Doll Tells Us About Race". ABC News March 31, 2009

"Barbie". Wikipedia. .

blog 8

Characters that portray a male stereotype:

• Joey on Friends
• all the guys in Judd Apatow movies (Pineapple Express, Superbad, Knocked Up)
• Mr. Big on Sex and the City

I think these characters are "stereotypical" males because of their views on sex and women. Joey is the most stereotypical: he eats a lot, loves sandwiches, has lots of anonymous sex, and is pretty much never in a relationship on the show.

The guys in Judd Apatow movies are obsessed with having sex and are usually inept when it comes to just about anything else. They all have varying characteristics as well.

Mr. Big is a typical 'male' because of his commitment issues and general misogyny. It takes him a long time to figure out how to treat a woman well. Other characteristics like his socioeconomic status also make him a stereotypical male.

I think these characters make points about maleness in society. Although these men are often inept at figuring out emotions and relationships, they also get favored because they are males, even if they are not as good-looking or intelligent as the women they are pursuing.

blog 7

An eating disorder is characterized by disordered eating: starving yourself, binging, purging, eating only extremely healthy foods. Accompanying the disordered behavior is a mental attitude that involves some kind of body dysmorphia.

I think that fashion and film industries are partially to blame when it comes to encouraging eating disorders among young people. Fashion models on the runway and in magazines are usually extremely thin because the clothes hang on them as they would on a hanger. They are made up to look beautiful and glamourous. Actresses also are under pressure to remain extremely thin. They have resources such as nutritionists and trainers that ordinary people don't, which is why they can get away with losing baby weight really quickly, for example.










so why do eating disorders surprise us?

PAPER!!!

Naomi Wolf's idea of “the beauty myth” permeates almost every facet of the culture in which we live. It is especially prevalent in advertisements, since they saturate every type of media, be it television, magazines, movies or the Internet. It can be very easy to overlook the perpetuation of the beauty myth in advertisements, because they are often subtle. But when looking through an educated and sensitive lens, it becomes obvious that people (I'd venture to say mostly women) are being attacked by a barrage of images and words that leave them feeling dissatisfied with themselves and their bodies.

So what is the beauty myth? Naomi Wolf says it is a societal backlash to women gaining more and more power. She cites historical examples such as the ideal of the “flapper,” a very thin woman, developing after women got the right to vote; and the ideal being Marilyn Monroe, a larger woman, when the cult of domesticity in the 1950s was strongest, and then immediately changing to Twiggy when women became more liberated in the 1960s. Wolf explains, “the more legal and material hindrances women have broken through, the more strictly and heavily and cruelly images of female beauty have come to weigh upon us.



Today's beauty myth, she says, tells a story. The story is that the idea “beauty” is universal, objective, and attainable by all women. The typical ideal portrayed by most advertisements is an image of a woman who is blonde, thin, tall, young, white, with sizable breasts. Wolf says of this mythical beauty, “women must want to embody it and men must want to possess women who embody it. … Strong men battle for beautiful women, and beautiful women are more reproductively successful. … None of this is true.” Yet it is still maintained in our society.

The relationship between popular culture and body image is a complicated one. The myth is constantly played out on television, in magazines' ads and editorial content (which is often influenced by advertisers, as they essentially keep magazines in business), and in film. Women across the country internalize the images they see in the media and compare themselves to those images. When it's not a match, insecurities arise. Thus we observe the overwhelming rates of eating disorders in our country which, when juxtaposed against the high obesity rate, creates a very intriguing picture of body image in the United States. What is going on here?

A good example of the beauty myth in pop culture is the show “Friends.” I really like this show, as do a lot of people. It's funny and clever and it has a very basic cultural root: everyone can relate to having a close-knit group of friends with whom they share everything. But the characters on the show are all just perfect-looking.




The female characters in “Friends” are thin and busty, with long pretty hair. Two of them are blonde. Monica was fat in high school, and they all tease her about it from time to time in a “Thank God you're skinny now!” kind of way. The men also fit into a mold of male beauty; they are all tall, thin, dark-haired, with distinctive facial features. Because the characters were relatively “normal” – that is, unglamorous and relatable with actual problems and insecurities – they were seen as what the typical woman should look like.



This is a bothersome ad that I found online for the clothing company Sisley. The image shows two young women, very gaunt and heavily made-up, holding straws next to a white dress. The text underneath the Sisley name is “Fashion Junkie.” The white dress is meant to represent cocaine, and the women seem to be pretty coked-up, with their sunken eyes and emaciated appearance. Sisley seems to be a repeat offender, as a Google search for their brand name brings up a host of ads featuring women being sexually objectified in some way.

This ad is offensive because of the message it sends. In 2007, 199,262 women were arrested for drug abuse violations (from the Office of National Drug Control Policy web site). This advertisement glamorizes drug abuse and makes it look cool. These women are wearing beautiful dresses, and they fit the ideal of very thin with long hair. The demographic that this ad is targeting is young women and teenage girls who like fashion.

Additionally, the women in this ad are portrayed not as strong and independent, but as weak addicts. The word “junkie” communicates that they need their drug of choice to sustain them, be it cocaine or fashion. They are hunched over the table in a passive position, needing to get their fix. The stereotypes about women that this ad preserves are that women are weak, can't rely on only themselves (usually they need a man to help them; here, they need their drug), and silent. The women are communicating nothing but desperation. Only one of them has her eyes open, and they are sunken back into her head. These women are dolls.

Here is an example of a positive ad that I found. It's for Kohl's department store, New Balance shoes in particular.



I think this ad sends a positive message about women for several reasons. Firstly, it communicates that women do indeed play sports! These women are active instead of passive. I love the big smiles on their faces; it's really refreshing to see women in advertisements being truly happy and joyful as opposed to a typical fashion ad where women appear either grouchy or orgasmic. The woman on the left in the sports bra looks like a more normal woman that is typically portrayed in ads: her belly isn't completely flat, her arms aren't like twigs, and you can see lines on her face from smiling. Also, since she is a woman of color, it's good that her hair appears curly and more natural.

The women look like best friends who do active things together, instead of dolls that exist only to please men. I couldn't say exactly how old they look, but they seem to be older than the typical 18-22 year old models that are usually seen in fashion ads. This ad is probably targeting women who exercise, or just women in general. I think it's applicable for all ages. It's very empowering for women as well as enforcing a different kind of femininity.

There is still a long way to go when it comes to the beauty myth in advertising. We are bombarded with negative images of women, and images that reinforce the impossible ideal. But, with ads like this Kohl's one, the Dove Real Beauty Campaign, and others, change is on the horizon.

extra credit: 1 in 3

I went to the event “When It Hits Home” on February 24, 2010. I was only able to stay for the first segment, which was a screening of the film “1 in 3.” The film was made by an Oklahoma alumnus, Lagueria Davis. It is about intimate partner violence and all the different people that can be affected by it. The film focuses on two women: one, a worker at the battered women's shelter; and the other is a wife and mother whose husband beats her.

“1 in 3” is relevant to women's & gender studies because it is a gender issue. Dr. Irvine, who introduced the film, said that only 10% of intimate partner violence victims are male, making it mainly a women's issue. I think that if someone cares about women, they should care about intimate partner violence because it is such a huge problem affecting all kinds of women in our country today.

The film wasn't exactly connected to what we are learning in class, but it reminded me of a few things. Women learn to be subordinate to men in the same way we learn to hate our bodies. It is a lesson that starts before we can even talk, and it continues forever. If a woman is not pretty enough, it could be reason for her husband to hit her. If a woman is too pretty, he could accuse her of trying to flirt with other men and then hit her because of that.

The main thing I learned from “1 in 3” is that intimate partner violence is everywhere. It's not a black problem or a white problem, it doesn't affect only poor people or only rich people. It is all around us and the only reason we don't see at as much as that statistic suggests we would is because people hide it. Just like women of all backgrounds have body image issues, women of all backgrounds suffer from intimate partner violence.

The film itself was devastating. It was well done and I thought the script was great, but watching it was a very difficult experience. The violence was not glamorized, nor was the reaction to the violence. There were several different types of victims portrayed: poor women, white women, black women, rich women. The main victim was a wealthy white suburban wife, while the woman who helped her at the shelter was a young black woman from a middle-class background. I appreciated this because I feared it would be another “white saves black” movie like “The Blind Side.” My reaction was sadness and bitterness. I felt these things because I know that a problem like intimate partner violence is not something that can be solved by a law or a protest. It is a learned behavior; violence breeds violence. I wish that more people had been at the screening so they could better understand.

extra credit: the vagina monologues

I participated in this year's production in “The Vagina Monologues” for several reasons. I had seen the play last year and I thought it looked like a lot of fun to be a part of. It seemed like a valuable experience. I also think that the work itself is very important and subversive for women today.

I think that “The Vagina Monologues” is relevant to women's & gender studies because it is a play about women's unique experiences. The play is all about gender differences and opening up to topics we don't normally discuss, like pubic hair and sex slavery and how awful gynecological exams are. I think that anyone who is interested in women's & gender studies should see or read the monologues because it's a much more entertaining and accessible way to learn about actual women's issues than taking a class is.

Taking part in “The Vagina Monologues” didn't necessarily raise my awareness of topics we were learning about in class, because I feel like I already had a good background of knowledge before taking the class and being in the play. But one monologue in particular is a good connection to the class: the monologue entitled “Hair.” This monologue is about a woman whose husband demands that she shave her vagina, even though she doesn't like to because it makes her feel like a little girl. But she does it anyway, to please him. “Hair” reminds me of the video that we watched about plastic surgery where one woman was requesting a labiaplasty, or surgery on her vagina to make it prettier. I think it's sad that a woman would feel the need to change the appearance of her vagina. It's such an unseen, intimate part of our bodies; the only thing that would make it seem like it needs to be changed is pressure from an outside source.

On the flip side, one monologue reflects a positive body image. It's called “Because He Liked to Look at It,” and it's about a man who loves looking at vaginas; when he looks at a woman's vagina, it's like he reads her palm, he knows things about her. The woman speaking the monologue says that his adoration is what made her love her vagina.

My reaction of being in “The Vagina Monologues” is exactly what I thought it would be. I had a great time with my own part (I was part of the angry gang in the monologue called “My Angry Vagina”) as well as watching everyone else do theirs. It was really wonderful to be surrounded by women who all wanted to celebrate our womanhood and start a celebration with the audience too! I can't wait to do it again next year.

Blog Six.

Gimlin says that, for a long time, most of the people getting cosmetic surgery were men who were disabled by accidents on the job or in war. At the end of WWII, there were only 100 plastic surgeons in the country, which is a statistic that blows my mind in juxtaposition to how many there must be now. If there were 3,850 in 1990, there must be thousands more now. Eek!

I think cosmetic surgery is a multi-faceted issue. I think that reactionary plastic surgery (people who have been deformed by an accident, burn victims, fixing a deviated septum or cleft palate, breast reductions to alleviate pain, etc) is totally fine, but that doesn't fall under the category of "cosmetic" for me because it is done either for health reasons or as a reaction to something negative.

I do think that people "take it too lightly." I don't really understand why it's basically acceptable to alter one's body so significantly. Everyone has insecurities about their bodies, but I don't think that's a strong enough justification for invasive surgery.

I think what is actually taken too lightly is that justification itself. Why are women (and men) so unhappy with their appearances? I think the answer is what we've been talking about in this class from the beginning, what we're reading about - The Beauty Myth. The image of the perfect woman that is projected into pop culture, and probably pushed/paid for by the plastic surgery industry itself. The reading said there were 2.2 million procedures in 1999 - wow! I wonder how many there were in 2009!

I think the phrase "vain and shallow society" is a bit too reductive. Sure, it's easy to blame it on vanity, but that would be denying what's going on under the surface. This is demonstrated by the story of Ann-Marie, the woman who got the face-lift. She said that she considered the surgery for years before she actually did it, and her reason for doing it was that she didn't look the way she felt on the inside when her face started to show the effects of aging.

As far as whether it's positive or not, I certainly don't want to take anything away from the people who have had cosmetic surgery and experienced higher self-esteem as a result. That's great. But, again, that's not the problem - the reasons for getting the surgery in the first place is the problem.

Three examples from pop culture:

• Heidi Montag, obviously. She recently, famously underwent 10 procedures at once. I recently saw some pictures of her from before any surgeries and I thought she was so beautiful! Now she looks like a real-life Barbie, which is not attractive in the actual world.
• Joan Rivers has also had a lot of work done...she looks really creepy now. It's kind of ironic that she has a career in body-snarking on the red carpet, when she's had so much work done. what an obnoxious cycle.
• J-WOWW!!! from "Jersey Shore." Her boobs are crazy huge and crazy fake-looking. That's what I REALLY don't understand - women who want to look completely unnatural. Why??
  

Random parts I found interesting:

• "many of the women I interviewed expressed enormous satisfaction with their procedures."
• "cosmetic surgeons are frequently critical of their female clientele, seeing them as obsessed and impossible to please."
• he determines "appropriateness" of surgery. "John positions himself not only as a surgeon but also as an expert in contemporary standards for female beauty." he examines psychological health as well - to see if they're getting the surgery for a non-physical reason, like a recent personal trauma. He rejects two to three requests per week.
• even the women who are happy with results are defensive when explaining.
• Ann Marie makes a point that is striking for me... she says that if you look better, you feel better, and thus become a better worker/family member/friend/etc. Why is it that appearance is the thing that starts that cycle of positivity? That makes me sad.
• Bonnie's liposuction eliminating the most "female" parts of her figure as a reflection of her identity problems. femininity = inherently imperfect, or at least that's what culture would have us believe...
  

Blog Five.

There are some toys that are incredibly gendered, like dolls and GI Joes, for example. Some toys can be gender-neutral, but I honestly think that "they" are trying to divide the genders from birth pretty much. It starts with pink for girl babies and blue for boy babies, and it continues with toys. I don't think toys should be gendered, because it diminishes creativity and imagination in children if they get such intense division messages from an early age.

The Toys R Us website actually has a function where you can click on either "girls" or "boys" to find toys. In the 5-7 year old age bracket, when I click "girls," there are some neutral toys like LEGOs, walkie talkies and play castles. But it's mostly dolls, little toy animals to nurture, and lots of pink. When I click "boys," there are the same animals, but the rest is cars, sports toys, video games and action figures.

I do think that toys influence the way children play. Take Barbies, for example. One of the most fun parts of playing with a Barbie is dressing her up in all kinds of different outfits, doing her hair, etc. GI Joes don't have different outfits or long flowing blonde hair. Therefore little girls are concentrating more on making their toy look beautiful, as a reflection of themselves, or as living vicariously through their doll. The beauty myth starts early. Little boys, on the other hand, get right to the action with their toys - no need to worry about looks.

That's why I do think that the toys influence what kids grow up to be, to a certain extent. I mean, just because a girl played with Barbies as a child, doesn't mean she will grow up to be a bimbo or materialistic. But it may be a good explanation for the beauty myth and how it affects grown women.

My favorite toys when I was a kid were my "hard animals." I guess I called them that because they were small animals made of hard plastic. I had my own little menagerie that I'd bought with my hard-earned lemonade-stand money. They all had names and identities, and I liked to make up stories and act them out with the animals. After doing this blog, I realize that my hard animals were not specifically gendered, because I could assign whatever gender I wanted to each of them. I think that boys and girls could have an equal amount of fun playing with them. Also, I think that making up the stories helped develop creativity.

I also liked playing outside, climbing trees, riding my bike, playing with American Girl dolls and Beanie Babys. The point is, there are some toys that are extremely gendered, but as long as a little girl doesn't play with ONLY Barbies and a little boy doesn't play with ONLY cars, it's perfectly fine. I just don't like the whole "girls like dolls, boys like trucks" concept that I suspect some parents may inflict on their children.

Blog Four. (Sex)

The most basic idea I got from the chapter on sex was that beauty pornography is put in place to suppress female sexuality. When we see women that fit the ideal body image in extremely sexual ways (sexual ads, photographs, and in actual pornography), it sends the message that we need to look like THAT in order to be sexual.

Beauty is socially constructed because, as we've discussed in class, the ideal image of beauty is created by the diet, cosmetics, and cosmetic surgery industries. The ideal is perpetuated by advertising and the media, and it is also perpetuated by those of us who subscribe to it. Believing in the false ideal influences our own body image. If women don't feel beautiful, they don't feel sexy, and thus sexuality is not what it should be.

Something that struck me in the reading on sex was the whole section on violence. Wolf says that in the 1980s, as more women were graduating with professional degrees, people started to get angry at women. Thus, images of women in the media in situations of violence started to increase.

Wolf says, "Sex just wasn't sex anymore without violence."

She says that violent sexual imagery has made rape more acceptable, even if it's on a subconscious basis. Men and women now have rape fantasies because those fantasies are projected. She says that "our culture is depicting sex as rape so that men and women will become interested in it." WOW.

Also, the idea that huge industries are "selling sexual discontent" is crazy and interesting. Wolf says that "product lust weakens where emotional and sexual lust intensifies." To keep us spending money, society tries to keep us from getting laid.

In Wolf's words, "the myth wants to discourage women from seeing themselves unequivocally as sexually beautiful." Feeling beautiful is an important part of having good, fulfilling sex. If one doesn't feel beautiful, "one objectifies oneself or the other for self-protection." Women don't like their bodies because they are constantly confronted with naked or near-naked images of the ideal body. Then when they are naked for sex, it makes them insecure so they can't enjoy sex the same way. Thus, they are unfulfilled and still a slave to the beauty myth.

Thoughts on the "Religion" chapter...

The repeated, general ideas I found from the reading were that as our society has become more secular, women find their lives ruled by a different type of religion. The religion of beauty. And the religion of beauty gets its language from actual religion, such as ideas about "temptation" (with food versus actual sins) and following strict rules about diet and fitness.


I found that body image, beauty and sexual attraction are functions of "social construction" in that society, mostly men, seem to decide what makes someone or something beautiful or sexy. Such as the example about skin cream - aging doesn't have to be ugly! But someone decided that it is so now we have $250 skin creams, despite the fact that aging can not be reversed...
I also thought it was interesting, the idea that men die once and women die twice: once when our beauty fades and once when our bodies die. How sad is that? Why are we so separated? Why does it matter if our beauty isn't as radiant as it was at age 20? Does that signify a lesser contribution to society??


There were so many parts of the chapter on religion that made me think to myself, "Wow! That is so true, but I'd never made that connection before."
Like the part where Wolf lists off a bunch of slogans from anti-aging creams' ad campaigns. They all suggested that the creams were a "barrier" or "shield" from "irritants" or even the "daily environment." This plays on the actual fear that many women have about being raped or assaulted. Women are receptive to this advertising because, Wolf says, "it is about the unspoken underside of the life of the successful, controlled working woman: about sexual violance and street harassment and a hostile workplace."


Ideals of female beauty function as a form of social control in so many ways!
First of all, this constant guilt thing. Wolf called it "original sin"... this is a concept from religion that in the New Religion is a socially constructed problem of gender. "The Rites of Beauty define original sin as being born not mortal, but female." She says that now, no matter how young or old a woman is, she is never free of worry or guilt about her beauty!
Also, we have sexual guilt, but since sex is less of a taboo (well, kind of) in America, food has replaced sex as a sin. Especially delicious food is branded as "sinful" or "tempting"...Wolf gave this example comparing sex and food: "Sex within marriage, for procreation, was acceptable, while sex for pleasure was a sin; women make the same distinction today between eating to sustain life and eating for pleasure."


Women's choices and lives are limited by the social construct of beauty. Women are told that we need anti-aging creams, we need to be a certain weight, we need to be radiant. We need to be all these things because by being born women, we are inherently wrong, inherently sinful. We can combat this original sin by succumbing to the religion of beauty.
Going back to the idea of radiance: Wolf talks about this word when used to describe brides and pregnant women....women are most radiant when they are serving a man (brides) or a child (pregnancy). Thus, women are most beautiful when they are fulfilling their purpose as servants to men and children. It's so painfully obvious!!

jersey shore article

This is a really interesting post from the site Jezebel about the messages in "Jersey Shore" about body image. Seriously. Here's a quote:

"...it's oddly refreshing how much artifice itself is celebrated, with everyone participating mightily, and openly, in becoming the ideal Guido. No one is just born one, or supposed to make it look effortless. There are communal visits to tanning salons and unblinking references to fake breasts, and everyone takes hours to get ready."

Here's a link:

Jersey Shore: On Beauty and Not Even Looking Italian

Blog Three.

I just want to say before answering these questions that I really enjoyed both readings for this blog!

According to Friedan, the problem that has no name was the feeling of pointlessness or perhaps restlessness that housewives felt in the 1950s and 1960s. The women's lives revolved around their children and husband, women were not encouraged to pursue education or a career; the most important role for a woman to play was that of a housewife. So when women felt unsatisfied or unfulfilled with her life, she began to feel insecure about her abilities, and very alone. That was the problem that has no name.

It has no name because in most cases it wasn't spoken about. Friedan cites women's therapy sessions in which the problem is discussed, but even in such an open setting, women still verbally dismissed the problem, saying "There's nothing wrong" or thinking there was nothing wrong with them.

I think the feminine mystique is the idea that "feminine fulfillment" is attained through a husband and children. The image of a perfect and happy woman was that of a smiling suburban housewife who sent her children off to school, cleaned the house, cooked for her family, used brand new appliances, went to PTA meetings, and "pitied their poor frustrated mothers, who had dreamed of having a career."

OCCUPATION: HOUSEWIFE.

It is promoted by the media: television shows, commercials, women's magazines, print advertisement... the patriarchy! Women suffer for it. And men do as well because people deserve to be equals and be allowed to strive for the same goals; it's unfair for the beneficiaries of inequality too.

Friedan mentioned that she was raising three children while also working as a reporter.

Friedan's evidence includes magazine articles from the time period, quotes from therapy sessions, personal interviews with women, statistics about college enrollment and age of marriage.

I think that despite many of feminism's victories, women are still oppressed by the beauty myth. I have read an excerpt from this book before, in which Wolf presents the concept that as women gain more power (politically, in the workplace, etc) and therefore become symbolically larger, the more the patriarchy wants to reduce them to smallness. Wolf says that's why we are bombarded with images of very thin women. The "system" is threatened by women who are more than wives, mothers and secretaries; so it basically forces them to develop eating disorders and terrible body image.

Anyone can choose to overcome the beauty myth. Well, I actually don't think it's as easy as that sounds. Not even close. I am a feminist. I love my body. I know, logically and emotionally, that it's okay that I don't look like every girl in magazines or on television. I see beauty in myself and in others, despite what outside appearances are.

Yet I still feel self-conscious about my body hair, about my stomach, about my broad shoulders. I think my nose is too big. I compare myself to other women. I make fun of how other women look, if they are too fat or they wear too much makeup or have a bad haircut.

No one is untouched, no one is free. But we do have the power and the intelligence to recognize when the beauty myth is being inflicted upon us. And we have the power and the will to resist. It won't always be easy and it won't always work. Insecurities are a part of being human. But it is possible to change.

Blog Two.

To me, body image is how one feels about themselves, disguised superficially as how one feels about their body. As Ophira Edut says, "Our bodies have become arenas for feelings we don't deal with." When I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, I would cut my hair as a way to cope with feelings of frustration, depression and anxiety. I used my body to express my emotions. We define our identities based on our bodies at times... a type of haircut can indicate one's worldview, weight indicates fitness/health level, skin color indicates personality traits. Rebecca Walker says that "the body is a sign, a text to be read and interpreted." Body image is the interpretation of the text.

This topic is important because it affects all of us daily. It's important because it is one of the things the patriarchy can use to exploit and oppress women.

The waves of feminism:
The first wave's goal was to attain equal voting rights for women.
In the second wave, feminists fought for equal status in the workplace and schools. They "fought to be taken seriously" but also wanted to show that they still had humor and sexuality.
The third wave is not quite as focused on a few specific issues like the first two waves. It's more individualistic and, ideally, accepting of all types of women.

The third wave centers on female empowerment of all forms. This means that no one is a "bad feminist." The example that Amy Richards gives is that in third wave feminism, you could meet a pro-pornography feminist who has her own reasons, as well as a staunchly anti-porn woman. The third wave still calls for unity, but not unity of mind on every issue. Richards also argues that body image is a central issue in the third wave. She says that the main oppressors are the entertainment industry and the media. I like what Richards says at the end - that a dialogue, a conversation, is most important at this point.

Edut's definition of a body outlaw is someone willing to go outside her comfort zone to expose people to different body types. To show that there is no "normal." It's about being happy and comfortable in your own skin, no matter how much you weigh or how dark your skin is or how big your boobs are...

I think a good example of a body outlaw is Gabourey Sidibe, from the movie "Precious."


Sidibe is a big woman, much bigger than the average actress walking the red carpet. But she doesn't let that stop her from fitting in with those other actresses anyway...she wears beautiful dresses that flatter her figure, and her big happy smile speaks loudly about how she feels in her skin! Yeah body outlaws!!

Blog One. (sorry it's late)

My name is Annika Larson, and I'm a Professional Writing sophomore. I am minoring in Spanish and Women's and Gender Studies.

I chose to take this class because it will help further my WGS minor. I also chose it because it sounded like a very interesting and relevant option. The topic of this class can be applied to everyday life, thus it is important.

I think the most pressing issues of body image at this time are issues of weight/size. Although the average American woman wears a size 14, the media still presents us with images of very thin or very fit women with "perfect" bodies. Celebrities are the guide for many women about what we are SUPPOSED to look like, yet those same celebrities are often quoted in interviews saying that they have a personal trainer, and a strict fitness and diet regime. The same people who set examples for us do so by using a process that is unattainable for the average American.

Although there has been a surge of embracing larger women or women of a variety of sizes - like the Dove Real Beauty Campaign and Glamour magazine's recent all plus-size model issue - these only further segregate thin women from larger women. It also serves to fetishize those larger, or average-sized, women. They become "other." A better solution would be to use thin models alongside larger models as if it were commonplace, because it should be.

My expectations for this course are to gain a broader context in which to place myself as a feminist, as an American women, and as the other groups I am a part of. I also want to learn more about messages about body image in the media, because I think they are very cleverly hidden and I want to be able to see them more clearly, perhaps to resist them and to help others resist them as well. I also want to learn more about body image issues within groups that I am not a part of, like other races, age groups, and men.

five questions i have are...
1. How can I resist body image problems?
2. What can I do to combat negative messages about body image?
3. How far have we come, or what is the progress that has been made with body image issues?
4. What are the standards for "attractiveness" in other cultures (that differ from a typical Western viewpoint)?
5. What are the 'best" media to get positive body image messages from (TV shows, movies, magazines, etc)?