Disappearance of Pubic Hair

I don't know if anyone will even read this at this point, but I thought I'd share the this article anyway because it is related to our discussion last class on how the morphology of the body changes over time. It's a really interesting read and talks about how the radical feminism, porn, and the beauty industry have changed the way our society views female pubic hair.

Feminist on the sitcom "Community"

Community & Feminism

“They’re [female writers] harder to find. It’s definitely not because women ain’t funny, because I’m finding the opposite. It’s because there’s fewer of them. The statistical probability of picking up a shitty script, it’s compounded for women. There’s the same percentage of genius happening in both genders, but there’s less women writing scripts and out there looking for the job. So you dig a little extra-hard, and you end up with a staff that took a few extra meetings and a few extra shitty scripts to read. Now you have a staff that is just as good as the staff you would have had, but happens to be half women… And the male writers across the board, from top to bottom, in their most private moments drinking with me, when they’re fully licensed to be as misogynist, reactive, old-boy-network as they want, all they can say is, ‘This turned out to be a great thing.’ The energy is different [in the room]. It doesn’t keep anybody polite. We’re not doffing our caps or standing up when they enter the room. They do more dick jokes than anybody, because they’ve had to survive, they have to prove, coming in the door, that they’re not dainty. That’s not fair, but women writers, they acquire the muscle of going blue fast because they have to counter the stigma… I think women are different, and I think having them in the room is crucial to a family comedy, ensemble comedy, television comedy, where half the eyeballs on your show are women. As it turns out, I think Megan’s the only female writer who’s staying this year, so now, even though Bromstad’s gone, now I’m carrying this legacy, going, ‘Eh, guys, we really need a half-female writing staff.’ I would teach it. I think we have to stop thinking of it as a quota thing and think of it as a common-sense thing.”- Dan Harmon.

Barbie

The scary reality of real size Barbie doll...

Stereyotypes

"Stereyotypes are the views of the small mind."

There shouldn't be a difference

I really loved this image!

Sometimes you have to wonder about the society we live in.

It appears that some beer is branching out from the "manly men" image.

Gender on Facebook

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-9978875-36.html

I found this article interesting. I had paid attention to how gender was affected by media, but never how media was directly influenced by gender. This change to Facebook is so subtle that most of us probably didn't even realize it when it happen, but it addresses the notion of how much our gender is portrayed in our everyday life, even virtually.

Skirts on Boxers?

Why on earth would boxers need to wear skirts? Because they have vaginas!!! DUH!!!!

"How does one be a man today?"

Here is an article on what shows manliness today...

can a BOY be a GIRL scout?

A story of a boy who enjoys "girly" things and loves dressing up as a girl and was denied to be a part of girl scouts. Is this fair?

Wisconsin Senate Bill Requires Sex Education to Focus on Abstinence and Marriage

The bill for Wisconsin to require abstinence preached in sex education has passed, and is headed to the state assembly. Here's a link with a short video clip and article about it.

I found a post that shows how different celebrities looked before and after being airbrushed. It's pretty crazy how much the media will alter photos to promote an ideal image of femininity.

Also, here's a picture comparing Katy Perry's cover photo for Rolling Stone before and after being edited. They even photoshopped her right hand.

How to "Cure" a Feminist

This was an article in a 2003 issue of Maxim magazine. Maxim does not list this in their archive, but I found the text from the article on http://jdemirdjian.com/pages/Cure%20a%20Feminist.htm

the article read:

How To: Cure a Feminist

Turn an unshaven, militant, protesting vegan into an actual girl!

1. WIN HER OVER
A feminist is just like any other woman: She won’t give you the time of day if you don’t know how to approach her. To prove you’re not part of the dreaded penisocracy, pretend to share her beliefs. But hide your lack of actual knowledge of feminist issues and show her how much you value her opinion by asking intelligent questions: “What must women do to earn equal pay for equal work?” or “Has Gloria Steinem’s marriage hurt the feminist agenda?” or “Did you see Cagney & Lacey on Lifetime last night?”

2. OPEN HER EYES
Don’t just wait for her to think differently—give her some options. Begin by discussing “lipstick” feminism, which is far more moderate than the combat-boot variety. “She can be a girly-girl and still be a feminist,” explains Jennifer Baumgardner, coauthor of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future. “There’s no need to eschew things like shopping, makeup, or boyfriends.” Don’t think she’s ready for a Maxim subscription just yet? Sign her up for Bust, a feminist-lite mag that says women can be independent, strong, and relatively hairless.

3. TREAT HER RIGHT
Once a relationship is established, you should treat a feminist just like you’d treat any other girl you’re interested in, Baumgardner advises. As long as you’re not overbearing, she won’t object to your opening the occasional door or picking up a check. Next, unlock her repressed Malibu Barbie fantasies and buy her a tight tank top with FEMINIST printed on the chest from outspokenclothing.com. Tell her she looks great—but try to avoid phrases like “bodacious ta-tas.”

4. SHIFT HER FOCUS
To preserve any chance of getting your chin buttered, you’ll have to reshizzle her feminist-tinged interests so you can actually spend time with her. “Focus on the things you have in common,” suggests Michele Weiner-Davis, author of The Sex-Starved Marriage. She likes pro softball? Take her to a major-league game. She’s a staunch environmentalist? Go camping. She supports a woman’s right to reject the outdated mores of our male-dominated society? Tell her to get closer to your mike.

Hip Hop's Growth out of Misogyny

50 Cent:  Candy Shop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRcnnId15BA&ob=av2e

Mac Miller:  Best Day Ever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbV-Q6tz4B8

Lupe Fiasco:  Dumb It Down http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1Et1siZhTk


Hip Hop has been a systemized form of misogyny and aggressiveness for years, but I want to argue that this is changing.  The early 2000's were the worst examples of hip hop centered around "money and bitches".  For example, 50 Cent's Candy Shop objectifies women to an extreme point; this video represents hundreds of others during that time.  Only these kind of videos were allowed in hip hop media because of the monopoly the Major Labels had; they only portrayed these things because "sex sells".

   However this is becoming less of the case.  Mac Miller, a talented white rapper, is defeating the Major Labels by posting everything free on the internet reaching millions of viewers, and therefore  he ends up portraying a more positive vibe to a broader community.  Granted Mac is still misogynistic in his rap lines, but his videos are far less obscene than 50 Cents.  Mac's video consists of him growing as a child, walking around with his homies, and saying high to two properly dressed girls.  This would have never been allowed in 2004 on MTV or BET.


Even better Lupe Fiasco, a highly respected rapper, is bringing out these issues in his rap videos.  Dumb It Down is making fun of the sex and drugs motifs of rap and Lupe himself is claiming he is not going to sink to that level.


The point I am making is that Hip Hop is growing and reaching more demographics.  This is allowing it to not be about just sex and drugs.  And I will go even farther, and hypothesize that once the Major Lables become a thing in the past, then Hip Hop will go into a completely different direction.

This article reminded me of how individuals are linked up with systems, like we were talking about in class.

As I was saying about those who link Planned Parenthood and Genocide

Herman Cain steps to the plate.

Pink ribbon Fail

"But he has boy parts" SO WHAT!

I talked to my dad today and he told me that a budding issue in the news/on talk shows this week deals with inclusion of transgender boys as Girl Scouts. Here's an article I found interesting in relation to our topic about girlyboys:

Transgender Inclusive Policies for Girl Scouts

Video Clip

GID

hello my friends! this week's discussion on masculinity reminded me of a graphic story I read in Dave Egger's Best Nonrequired Reading 2008. This is the story of a boy who likes wearing skirts, and his family's mixed views on the matter. It's a quick and interesting read - check it out!

http://modan.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/queen-of-the-scottish-fairies/

~Emma Moss

Caster Semanya

The female athlete from South Africa who was required to take a gender verification test due to her excellent performance in the 2009 women's 800m race in Berlin.

My Princess Boy

This video can relate to the article girlyboy. This 5 yr old boy loves to dress up in pink and wear dresses. This story is really touching

When Women Weren't Allowed to Run

When I talk about a world where sports weren't open to women, they look at me like I'm talking about a different planet. That's a great sign, meaning we've come a long way.
Yet, it pays to remember that a world were sports were nearly off-limits to girls and women wasn't that long ago.

This story in the New York Times tells the tale of Dr. Julia Chase-Brand who became the first woman to run a road-race in the U.S., 50 years ago. You might wonder why women weren't allowed to run.

Here's one explanation:

"Even in the Olympics, women were not allowed to run more than a half-mile lest, it was believed, they would risk their femininity and reproductive health. The most alarmist officials warned that a woman who ran a more ambitious distance might cause her uterus to fall out."

Representations of Women in Sports

From the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sports, a slideshow on the different ways women athletes are portrayed.

"Training Rules"

The story of Jennifer Harris and Rene Portland is truly disturbing and shows how even blatant discrimination can still exist, and be protected, if those who engage in such practices have enough power.

Training Rules (trailer for the documentary) from Woman Vision on Vimeo.

Though Portland eventually resigned, probably with a sweetheart deal for Penn State, her colleagues in the Big Ten came to her public defense embarrassing themselves in the process. Here is a case where there was no ambiguity - the party in question openly and blatantly had a policy of discrimination, and her colleagues treat it as if it were a mere dust-up between player and coach. Despicable, especially coming from people who are supposed to be role models.

Because it's your problem, not theirs

Girlyboys - whose problem is it?

Women's bodies not the only ones under extreme pressure

Details magazine offered a recent slideshow showing how the pressure to meet body image ideas has now taken root for men as well, breaking the body down into more and more pieces that need to be perfected.

See it here.

So, what does this say about gender? Obviously, we wouldn't call it sexism, so, what kind of power matrix is involved in creating ever stricter hierarchies of body types, for both men and women?

Acting bent

The Harvard University wrestling team took it upon themselves to make a statement during the recent Coming Out Day.

Here's what they did.

This is precisely an example of what Ingraham calls, "acting bent."

"...the sex of technology"

Here is an interesting article on how Apple's iphone 4S uses female voice for its PA function in the US and a male voice in the UK. why might this be?

campus sexual assault

Here is an interesting article on sexual assaults towards women in college and how safety needs to get improved

Famine in Somalia left women victims of sexual violence

Here is an article on how the famine in Somalia has affected women in a different way than imgined.

"Gay Victims Gay Heroes"

Some gay and lesbian victims of 9/11...http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/uraniamanuscripts/sept11.html

Apropos of class today

An article about "gender neutral" policy at Grinnell College in Iowa. The comments, of course, offer a wide variety on views displaying both social constructionist and essentialist views about gender. By now you should be able to identify which are which.

OWS

This critique on Occupy Wall Street makes some important claims related to intersectionality, stratification and our discussions in class about third wave feminism and the inclusion of voices of women of color.

An interesting take on sexism in the media.

Giant pink bubble wrap: ridiculous or awesome? From here.

The 53%

Here's an article I read over the weekend that was actually about a man's response to a person in the 53%...I think it's relevant to the in-class discussion we had today.

Poses

A project called "Poses" by artist, Yolanda Dominguez shows how ridiculously and dangerously model women are often portrayed in media. She created a video in which "average" women are positioned in the same poses as models in the fashion world. Take a look at the public reaction these women recieve!

This is the video I mentioned about the mom who was giving her 8-year-old daughter botox injections. I find it really horrifying.

Ryan Gosling on the Social Construction of Gender

I just thought this was too good not to post.

(via Feminist Ryan Gosling)

Westboro Baptist Church

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hI1mO2eeTY
Here is a video of an intens argument i found between a Westboro Baptist Church member and a news reporter...

Here's an article about how women's roles in computer science were opposite of what they are today for a while a few decades ago. It's pretty interesting.

"Gender Relevant Ads"

I forgot to login to pandora and was prompted to sign up at the end of one of the songs, and now it requires you to select your gender so it can present you with the "most relevant" ads for your gender. 

Just because I'm a female, that does not mean that I'm interested in the scrapbooking, weight watcher's, and nutri-system visual ads that are "relevant to me" and posted on the website. Just because a stereotype of women is that they're constantly on diets and watching their weight does not mean that I personally interested in that. As a swimmer, my food choices often are carbs, and lots of them...yay carbs! I'm pretty sure that if the weight watchers saw what I ate, they would shun me or deem me a lost cause. 

And for the whole "creativity" thing, I'm definitely pro-stick figures. Sorry scrapbooks.

If they're going to make "relevant" advertisements, they'd be much better off giving everyone a quiz to gather what their interests are rather than assuming they adhere to gender stereotypes. There's nothing saying that a man couldn't be interested in watching his weight or making a family scrapbook, and likewise a woman could be interested in gym memberships, oil changes, or other "manly" social constructs.

The girl is in charge..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj15Gta9ngY
The little boy's reaction was unexpected and funny.

We are all humans!

This is a great image i found on Tumbler. No matter how much we try and clasify people at the end of the day we are all the same..we are humans!

"Dr. Pepper 10: It's Not for Women"

The "manly" commercial for a "manly" drink.

The Glass Escalator?

Reading about the Glass Escalator last week got me thinking about male flute players. This blog post talks about how the flute is considered a "girly" instrument and most flutists are female. However, when you look at the professional flute world, many of them are men. Even in my experience, most of the male flute players I know are fantastic musicians. Interestingly though, I don't think their success is due to the glass escalator effect. In fact, I've heard of band directors who discourage young boys from learning the flute in beginning band because many of them tend to quit before they become proficient. Other flute players I know have speculated that the reason many male flute players are so good is because only the most talented stick with it.

Happy National Coming Out Day Everyone!

For national coming out day, one of my friends shared this video on facebook. I think it does a great job showing intersections of race, gender, and sexuality.

Also, check out this really moving performance of a poem about gender identity.

My aunt posted this on Facebook. It's a great caricature of how people see themselves. :P

Here's a bit of gender role reversal. The more you look at it, the funnier it gets. And it got me mad karma on Reddit.

Sorority House = Brothel?

I found an interesting and informative blog/article about the "sorority brothel" myth discussed in class today; thought I'd share it here. The "law" does seem to have some sort of official basis as discussed by the Panhellenic society, but apparently at the present it's only really enforced by social policing and "tradition."

Check it out here (sorry, the original article in its entirety seems to no longer exist)

Gender identities and creative pronoun use

An interesting NYT article on the creative use of pronouns and gender categories among a certain segment of the young American population.

Dr. Savin-Williams, who is also the author of the book “The New Gay Teenager,” went on to list some of the new adjectives young people use to describe themselves: “bi-curious,” “heteroflexible,” “polyamorous” and even “wiggly.”

Can we identify any possible opponents to this sort of gender practice? Who? Why? What would they argue?

"Kicking Queen" they call her

I've not yet heard a story like this. I wish I could see the picture of her with her uniform on, wearing the tiara.


Homecoming Queen, football kicker


Her biggest complaint? "The main drawback has been the separate locker room provided by the school, which keeps her apart from the male players. After the games, they’re celebrating in their locker room and I’m by myself in my locker room,” she said."

Male Pin-Ups

I find these HILARIOUS

Intersectionality - conflicts in the feminist movement

Straight from the headlines, right in time for our introduction to intersectionality. Ever hear of SlutWalk? It's the latest battleground in intersectional arguments in the western feminist movement:

1. An open letter from Black women to the SlutWalk

Black women in the U.S. have worked tirelessly since the 19th century colored women’s clubs to rid society of the sexist/racist vernacular of slut, jezebel, hottentot, mammy, mule, sapphire; to build our sense of selves and redefine what women who look like us represent. Although we vehemently support a woman’s right to wear whatever she wants anytime, anywhere, within the context of a “SlutWalk” we don’t have the privilege to walk through the streets of New York City, Detroit, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, L.A. etc., either half-naked or fully clothed self-identifying as “sluts” and think that this will make women safer in our communities an hour later, a month later, or a year later.  Moreover, we are careful not to set a precedent for our young girls by giving them the message that we can self-identify as “sluts” when we’re still working to annihilate the word “ho”, which deriving from the word “hooker” or “whore”, as in “Jezebel whore” was meant to dehumanize.  Lastly, we do not want to encourage our young men, our Black fathers, sons and brothers to reinforce Black women’s identities as “sluts” by normalizing the term on t-shirts, buttons, flyers and pamphlets. 
The personal is political. For us, the problem of trivialized rape and the absence of justice are intertwined with race, gender, sexuality, poverty, immigration and community.  As Black women in America, we are careful not to forget this or we may compromise more than we are able to recover.  Even if only in name, we cannot afford to label ourselves, to claim identity, to chant dehumanizing rhetoric against ourselves in any movement.  We can learn from successful movements like the Civil Rights movement, from Women’s Suffrage, the Black Nationalist and Black Feminist movements that we can make change without resorting to the taking-back of words that were never ours to begin with, but in fact heaved upon us in a process of dehumanization and devaluation. 

2. SlutWalk: It's time to break out the big guns

So those who oppose SlutWalk can do so until they’re blue in face. They can engage in circular arguments and tell us why they think what they have to say is better than what we have to say, and so on. They can even continue to make (sometimes very false) assumptions as to who we are and what SlutWalk stands for. I could really care less. Because, as far as I’m concerned, actions speak louder than words. SlutWalk may not be perfect. But at least we’re out there doing something. And if we have improved even one  person’s life (and I know that we have), I’d say we’re doing something right.

two social constructions, head to head

"gay marriage" takes on "religious freedom," who wins?

which side are you on?

Gender in the Media

This looks at gender portrayed in the media: It is interesting how men are usually portrayed as strong and women as vulnerable.

Dual Income Households

Discussing this today, I wanted to provide some data.

The number of dual income households is 54%
compared to single income, husband: 21%.
Single income, wife: 7.1%

Link to census.gov PDF on married couple households.

John Amaechi

This is just something I found while researching my paper. I thought it was interesting, because these straight masculine professional athletes were seen as the most flamboyant to John Amaechi. If you don't know, Amaechi played in the NBA and then came out after his retirement. This is an excerpt from his book, and was put on the cover of ESPN magazine.

Male Clothing Trends

I saw this on Yahoo last night. It is interesting to look at what the supposed trends are for men's clothing, because to me most of these outfits have very feminine features. From stylish scarfs and very tightly fit clothing, to purses for men, this seems to stretch and go outside the gender roles that I am used to seeing.

Holidays are the perfect time to inundate young girls with the expectation that they should be "sexy."

JC Penneys is the Best!

"I'm too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me." I thought the stereotype was that girls were smarter than boys? At $9.99, this steal is being marketed to girls ages 7-16. This brings me back to the notion that girls shouldn't "worry their pretty heads" about trivial things such as homework. Check out JC Penneys response to this blatant sexism: "JC Penney is committed to being America's destination for great style and great value for the whole family. We agree that the "Too Pretty" shirt does not deliver an appropriate message, and we have immediately discontinued its sale. Our merchandise is intended to appeal to a broad customer base, not to offend them. We would like to apologize to our customers and are taking action to ensure that we continue to uphold the integrity of our merchandise that we have come to expect." Than why sell it in the first place?

I think guys are getting used to the fact that girls play video games. Girls, however, still think it's a novelty. ^_^

An interesting article on emotional manipulation between men and women.

Men as Women on Cars

An interesting question to ask yourself when trying to analyze gendered social constructions is to ask the question, "what would it look like if we changed the genders in this situation?" Would it matter? In some situations, no. In some situations, drastically. Here's one case where the difference highlights something ridiculous.

Women know your limits

This parody is great to introduce the ideas of "gendered communication" and the use of essentialism to explain difference.

Campari Commercial

Check out this gender bending ad! I discovered this video about a year ago and I've watched it so many times since. What do you think?

Transexuals in movies

This isn't on our movie list, but I would suggest watching it if you have the time (ha, funny joke). This movie centers around a transsexual protagonist struggling with gender identity, relationships, and a sense of belonging - and there is some great music too! check it out here

The Hanky Code

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Gender stratification in video games

So this is Jacob Bedroske...Birdy is a nickname that I ended up with in high school and kind of stuck among my friends back home. I suppose the assignment of this "cute" nickname to a person such as myself could be a completely separate discussion of gender attributes altogether, but please, just don't ask. >_>

Anyway, I'm a fan of a video series on a webzine: The Escapist, called "The Big Picture" which consists of a movie and games critic rambling on about basically whatever random topic he fancies. This week's episode, while mainly being about video games, seemed to be centered around gender perception and stratification, typically by the geek crowd. I thought it was pretty applicable to what we're studying now.

Also included is a PSA about Twilight. You've been warned.

(gender issue stuff happens from 1:33-3:23 if you want to skip all the geeky stuff)

“Here’s the thing about being a girlie girl. I think there was a generation before us that felt like they needed to act like men to be taken seriously, like they had to use their sexuality to take control of people. I don’t judge people for that. But I don’t want to take all my clothes off and use myself as an object. It’s part of the machine and I don’t think that necessarily pushes us forward as women. I think you can still be girlie and maintain your power. The fact that you associate being girlie with being non-threatening, that is … I mean, I can’t think of more blatant example of playing into exactly the thing that we’re trying to fight against. I can’t be girlie? Why do I need to be defined aesthetically by someone else’s perceptions of what makes me seem like someone who should be taken seriously? I’m going to wear whatever I want to wear, because I’m expressing myself, and I deserve that right. And I like the way that looks. You’re not demeaning yourself by acting girlie. I think the fact that people are associating being girlie with weakness, that needs to be examined. Not me dressing girlie. I don’t think that undermines my power at all.”-

Zooey Deschanel, in an article from New York Magazine.

Here's where I found the previous post. It's actually hilarious. Take a look.

This is pretty funny. As you can see, there's major sexual imagery to appeal to the men.

Run Faster!!! or, The Gendered Social Construction of Sport Unis

From Hoyden about Town, if bikini bottoms and midriffs were really all about the gain in speed

The point?  "Why do women's uniforms differ so drastically from the men? Or rather, why don't the men wear the same type of uniforms as the women?"

Is the answer found in biology? Physiology? Or ideology? Yes, shapes of bodies matter, as do genitalia and secondary sex characteristics (breasts, body hair, etc.), but that shouldn't have such a bearing on a) the exposure of skin and b) the tightness of the clothes.

What would have a bearing on this difference would be if one of the groups involved were considered part of a "sex class," that is, a classification of human beings whose sex and gender category is defined by sexual availability and attractiveness. At least, that's what a radical feminist would say.

The "Natural Attitude"

Our theme for this week, "Beyond Essentialism and "the Natural Attitude," is about questioning the things we take as inherent, essential, natural, as having always existed.

A great question was raised today, "regardless of the theories about sexed bodies, hasn't the fact of human reproduction proven that humans have always been able to classify women and men?"

Short answer, yes and no. Yes, humans have classified bodies according to those who could or could not help one in the reproduction of another human. The key element from this, for our purposes of understanding sex and gender, is: what did this classification mean?

What Harrison was trying to show was that even though one's body was classified as "female" - and this was indeed linked to reproduction - females = those with potential for having a baby - this did not necessarily mean that the body in possession of that reproductive possibility was in myriad ways different from bodies that could fertilize a fertile body, i.e. a male.

It was the double move that came from the initial classification (fertile, fertilizer) to sort bodies into: 1) distinct types of human beings, binary, polar opposites and 2) that these entities carried within them distinct natures, traits, capabilities, and interests.

In short, we went from: body capable of having baby ---> "woman" ---> "woman who is of same nature of man, but less developed" ---> "woman who is the polar opposite of man, a binary opposite" ----> "woman who is the polar opposite of man and has a natural desire to shop, wear pink, and nag"

From classification of fertility we've gotten to classification of whole persons. This classification is buttressed by what Harold Garfinkel called, the "Natural Attitude." These "rules of sex and gender"were the guidelines that Garfinkel saw as defining sex and gender in the eyes of most people in the late 1960s. Are these still the dominant guiding thoughts on sex/gender today? What's changed?

1. society is populated by two and only two sexes;
2. the dichotomy of sex is morally legitimate;
3. everyone counts themselves as a member of one sex or the other;
4. all members are invariantly (i.e. ‘always have been, and always will be’) either male or female;
5. the essential identifying ‘insignia’ for males is the possession of a penis and for females a vagina;
6. people will not wilfully or randomly transfer from one sex status to another; 
7. in the case of ‘ambiguous’ individuals whose sex status is not immediately obvious, it should still be possible, in principle, to classify them as either male or female (Garfinkel, 1967: 122–8)

Tragedy, again

One of the noxious by-products of a gender system built on the emphasis of binary differences . . . another gay teen suicide. What makes this one tragically ironic? He had recently made a "It Gets Better" video. Sigh.

An interesting look at politics, feminism, and religion.

this made me chuckle

Gender Roles in Advertising

I think gender roles in advertising is a fascinating topic. Almost always, images of men show the entire body looking strong, and slightly angry, while women are usually zoomen in upon the face and upper body, and are highly sexual. Here is a site with a collection of advertisements that feature gender roles and stereotypes.

http://www.genderads.com/Gender_Ads.com.html

This picture, from what I believe is a piece of a children's book, makes me think of Lorber's ideas of gender as a system. Especially through stratification and gender as a structure. The girl's roles are centered around pleasing the man. Each role is set with a gender, with the intention of never having the sexes switch roles.

This is a book that I read when I was going through the awkward middle school age. It was great in helping me sort of understand what might go through a guys head and what a guy might be thinking. This novel is about a boy and a girl who end up switching bodies, and not by free choice. It is understanding that comes in the form of comedy.

More gender roles, this time on Broadway...of course, this WAS the 50s.

http://grooveshark.com/s/How+Lovely+To+Be+A+Woman+Various+Artists+General+Soundtrack+Bye+Bye+Birdie/ojOnd?src=5

Maybe it's not totally relevant, but it mentions gender, and it's Disney. Always good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSS5dEeMX64

Just so you know I'm not making this stuff up

Bieber wears women's jeans! Ohnoze!
Why is this important? 1) it shows that men obviously are not essentially programmed to prefer one type of clothing over another; but that when 1) is made evident, there will be an inevitable effect, that is: 2) gender is constantly policed.

Would you like some pink with that?

One of the interesting changes in gender coding over the past decade or so has been the "pinkification" of commodities aimed at women and girls. This piggy backs with the rise of "princess" culture among kids as well. Yes, pink and princess have always been with us (or have they?), but the ubiquity is, to some, now overwhelming.

An interesting take from Canada. "What women don’t want: pink beer, pink cars, a new pink ghetto."

The rose beer is part of the pinkification of womanly consumption. It’s now possible to buy pink versions of everything from guitars to the Ford Fiesta. When I went to replace my cellphone, the salesperson led me to a pink BlackBerry and made a Vanna White gesture that said: “Voilà! A phone for the gentler, less technically savvy sex!” Oh, Best Buy clerk, please help me: Which orifice do I hold it up to again?

The Force is with Girls, Too

I think Katie Goldman is awesome to be a Star Wars fan! She picked a role model who resembled herself. There is nothing wrong with that. I am also a Star Wars fan. All I wanted as a little girl growing up were Star Wars Legos. I still have my collection of these Legos today.

Welcome to Intro to Gender Studies!

This is the class blog where many of our activities will take place. This will be a collaborative blog, as everyone will be required to make posts and comment here. Our goal is to acquire and hone our skills at viewing and analyzing the world through a "gender lens."

We can watch videos:

The Force is with Girls, Too - The best home videos are here

Listen to music:


And links quoting interesting articles.

From Feminist Philosophers

Preventing Sexual Assault: Tips Guaranteed To Work!

1. Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.

2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!

3. If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!

4. NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.

5. If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!

6. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.

7. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.

8. Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.

9. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!

10. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.