Final

Q. 1
Body image is the interaction between the minds eye, cultural perception, and one’s understanding of interpreting such information concerning body image. Body image calculates in the one’s mind as a judgment whether good or bad about one’s content with their body. Body image affects many areas for individuals such as the mind, physical body, and effectiveness of human interactions. The concept of body image has developed throughout the semester from thinking body image was rooted in self-esteem, to I know understand the concept to mean that body image is dependent on self-esteem, culture, media, and society. Body image can be compared to the assembling of a car in factory that to make the car complete parts and mechanical pieces come from all over the world to assemble one car. So too, body image is comprised of personal opinions, cultural influences, media saturation, and societal promotion and acceptance.
According to Naomi Wolf the history of the beauty myth extends from societal perceptions and institutions of influences:
If the beauty myth is not based on evolution, sex, gender, aesthetics, or God, on what is it based? It claims to be about intimacy and sex and life, a celebration of women. It is actually composed of emotional distance, politics, finance, and sexual repression. The beauty myth is not about women at all. It is about men’s institutions and institutional power (Wolf 2002).
Wolf makes a strong argument discussing the institutional influences that have led to the development of the beauty myth and the prevalence of societal influenced body image. She claims that it is the trends, needs, and advertising that target women that have led to the stratification of inequality among genders. She guides the reader through the various institutions and target industries that have led to the development and increasing prevalence of work inequity, domestic abuse, eating disorders, and how all these and more institutions and influences cause the beauty myth that women believe.
Programs and courses like the Women and Gender Studies aim to debunk the beauty myth that so many men and women have come to believe. The program aims to educate genders on the importance of equal education and opportunities. The lucky individuals who are fortunate enough to experience such enlightenment are now without excuse for believing the lie that has been fed to society for so long. The beauty myth has plagued society for so long by having us believe that it is the institutionally constructed standards that we—victims—should believe. The educated individual is now capable of deciphering influences that are culturally imprisoning. It is important for such life developing education to become available to more than just the curious college student. The WAGS program and courses have empowered its students to create a discussion to bring about great change!
The top three body image issues present in my societal sphere are acceptance, perseverance, and risk—one may say that these three issues are not body image issues; however, in my opinion these are the top three issues I have personally struggled with and know others have too. Acceptance that our bodies are no two alike is priority number one for both men and women. If men and women continue to compare themselves to individuals that are thin or in great health is creating what the beauty myth continues to try and fight against. It is important that we begin to look at our bodies as healthy life cases—kind of like a house or building. For example, when people move into a house they usually do not buy a house because they want to fix it up, they buy a house because its move-in ready—so too we compare this with the perception of body image at the time, we just want a body that is without occasional fix-up and ready to live in. However, to have such a house there usually needs to be continual maintenance, just like our bodies. Our bodies need continue maintenance of nutrients and exercise to keep our lives in good health. When people buy a house that is a fixer upper, they usually end up building a relationship with such a house and begin the process of acceptance that their house is beautiful and complete. Like the building the house concept, our society is set on immediate gratification and not perseverance, and to build a body that is healthy takes time and perseverance. We are set on getting that immediate healthy look when it takes our bodies months to build up to good health and it takes years to maintain good health. Finally, it takes risk to decide that one will strive for a healthy body…not a culturally “ideal” body, but one that is healthy and able to maintain all proper life functions. It takes risk to get up and eat what is good for you and exercise to live years longer. It is important that our society begin to accept that no two are alike, persevere regardless of what obstacles may come, and take a risk to live a life worth living.

Wolf, N. (2002). The Beauty myth how images of beauty are used against women.
New York, NY : Harper Perennial.

Q. 2
Popular culture is composed of various influential outlets that reach more than the intended target audience. Popular culture has owned the television and film industries, modeling and advertising industry, music, and print media.
Pop culture has provided us with many things of life that we seem to take for granted, for example the clothing and fashion industry definitely stems and follows the projected trend of pop culture. An example of how deep our pop culture influence is embedded in our everyday life occurs in the movie The Devil Wears Prada. There is a scene where Meryl Streep tells Anne Hathaway where the root of the color on her Gap sweater can be traced all the way down to the trend that appeared in Italy 3 years previous. The influences of pop culture have brought us every good and bad trend we could possibly remember. Pop culture has added to our lives the understanding and beauty of how we can use the influences in a positive light. For example celebrities can use their fame to bring about positive change, like Bono and Tyra Banks. Bono has created a global move to bring global awareness and financial influence to the AIDs epidemic in Africa. Tyra Banks has created philanthropy to help girls with self-development. Two other forms of positive pop culture influence that can be accounted for are the spread of culture and the increase in globalization. We can thank pop culture for introducing middle America to the power of other cultures, for example not until the film Slum Dog Millionaire came out did I know or enjoy the Bolliwood music and dance styles. We have come to see cultures and trends that we have never seen before and attribute and combine what the culture finds beautiful with our culture. The ever-increasing trends and expansion of media has allowed for globalization, or connections of cultures and countries that have never been exposed or connected with media to become a visible media presence. We now can see the Japanese culture of the hirajuku girls and how their culture finds the trend beautiful and fascinating.
However, just like there is positive aspects to pop culture there are also many more negative aspects. WE can thank popular culture for the increase demoralization of the sexes from reality TV, the ever-societal presence of body image issues, and the lack of self-development. The reality TV shows that now populate our viewing schedules range from For the Love of Ray J and The Bachelor/ Bachelorette. These shows take men and women and expose them to a game of love, they portray love as if it is just a game to be played and the best competitor wins the affection and life long trust of the desired bachelor/bachelorette. These shows, though classified as reality TV, do not portray the reality that I see in everyday life. I would be ashamed if I saw 30 young and beautiful women pursue a burnt out not so cute rapper or even saw several women competing for a man. These shows exploit the contestants and expose the world to their ignorance. I do not approve of such television because I think it is allowing our society to revert back to the days of Rome when society was savage to see people compete until death. What does watching women drink, lounge, and then sex around for the love of one man? Unfortunately, pop culture knows no limits they even extend to the every aspect of media. We see men and women exposed and violated in several advertisements in print and electronic media. I remember from our media analysis blog my disgust with the Juicy Couture advertisements generalization of male weakness to female dominance. It is these advertisements and media that flood our every moment and because it is prevalent and saturated we cannot help but become affected by the media. Because we are surrounded by body image influence and we allow ourselves to be exposed to even more forms of media we are becoming more delayed in self-development. We are allowing ourselves to measure up our body image standards with someone else or societies standards and stint our self-development. Just like infants grow to know that their toes, nose, and fingers are theirs; so too, we grow in our self-development of understanding what we choose to believe and what we just allow to seep into our lives. We, unfortunately, allow our own body image to be hijacked by the various influences we perceive. We can stop such affects by censoring what it is we read and view. It does not mean one cannot read a magazine, but read a magazine with the knowledge that there is an ulterior motive for several issues in the magazine. We can definitely thank pop culture for the beautiful, the bad, and the ugly.









Q. 3

1. How do you think society has become so conditioned to the beauty myth and in what forms have we become conditioned? (conditioned in the psychological sense of B.F. Skinner or Ivan Pavlov)
a. If some men have come to “need” beauty pornography—Binet did simple experiments that proved that when sexual imagery was preceded by an image of a boot, he was able to create a sexual response to a boot—it is because the stimulus-response imprinting took place in the best of lab conditions: the ignorance that society tries to maintain in men about female sexuality (Wolf 176).
2. Why do you think we feel the need to continue to ostracize those who are overweight?
a. Padding it: why I don’t need a plus-size pad
i. By Wendy Shanker
3. What is the first memory you have of measuring your beauty standards to what men think of you?
a. “Indeed, as one study found, ‘our data suggest women are misinformed and exaggerate the magnitude of thinness men desire…they are misinformed….” (Wolf 73).
4. Why do you think young collegiate women look to the social construct of the Pan-Hellenic system to find identity in college?
a. Rush: Sorority Sisters by Vendela Vida
5. Society has a social construct for most aspects of life. How do you think the beauty myth construct has helped our society?
a. I would like to cite all the reading sources because I believe from all the readings we can learn how it is helpful to know about the beauty myth.


Q. 4
My Humps: Black Eyed Peas
Daughters: John Mayer
I’m Just a Girl: No Doubt
Work It: Missy Eliot
I Look to You: Whitney Houston

Poem:
Phenomenal Woman
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

Film Review: Dream Worlds

Dream Worlds 3
Dream Worlds 3 is a documentary discussing the brutal portrayal of body image in popular culture media and the affects of exposure to the barraged images in the public and private spheres.
Dreamworlds 3, the highly anticipated update of Dreamworlds 2 (1995), examines the stories contemporary music videos tell about girls and women, and by extension boys and men, providing a meticulous analysis of how these narratives both reflect and shape individual and cultural attitudes toward femininity, masculinity, sexuality and race. Systematically dismantling music video's most persistent and disturbing stock representations, and setting them against cases of real-world violence, sexism and discrimination, the film inspires viewers to critically examine how the distorted images of the Dreamworld connect with the lives of real girls and women as well as real boys and men (Oregon State University, 2009) .
The Dream Worlds film has summarized the dark side of what the our study of body image sums up to: the danger of over emphasis on the exploitation and use of body iamge to impact our society.

I thought the film was a provocative and exploitive documentary that delved deep into the cliché topics of body image and pop culture. For so long a lot of critics discuss how thin women affect other women’s self-esteem and eating disorders, but how far do the images go affecting the mind and the psychological aspects of body image. The film has somewhat of a fear factor tone to it, I assume to cause an impression of impending doom if such media continues to flood our lives. The creators of the film focused on aspects of music videos, young adult influence on trends and fads, and how advertisers and marketers look to the young generations to push the moral envelope.
The creators of the documentary did a great job at studying the various areas where sexuality and promiscuity has generalized to the music industry. The film showed how themes of sex are used to sell everything from the usual rap video, to cars, clothing, country music, and just about everything you can imagine. Dream Worlds 3 was very informative and well put together; however, I found it went a little too far with its dooms day like message and visuals. Unfortunately, we—all America—has allowed television and the media to get this way and the only way to fix such a dilemma is to control and sensor what we view with our eyes and minds and those we are responsible to.

Oregon State University, Initials. (2009). Libraries: multimedia collection. Retrieved from http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/video/perf14.html

Film Review: Lovely & Amazing

Lovely/ Amazing
Lovely/Amazing is a satirical film that follows the life of three women and a young girl as they face the stark realities and life and the perception of how women deal. The film’s premise is about how the three women: mother and two daughters deal with life and how body image plays a large role in how women carry on in daily transactions. The mother in the film is past middle-aged 50-ish year old woman, primarily wealthy, with an adopted young African-American girl, and about to undergo liposuction. The youngest daughter, Elizabeth, is a young beautiful, thin, tall actress who is striving to come into her own in a business where everyone needs to be like everyone else. Michelle, is the eldest daughter who is dealing with identity and mid-life crisis. She finds herself jobless, ambitionless, hopeless, and depressed because from her point of view nothing seems to be looking up. Annie is the adopted daughter and like her older sisters she too is going through an identity crisis as a young African American girl with a white family. The film reminds me of the reading in the Body Outlaws where the young girl wanted to keep her Jewish nose regardless of her mother’s protesting to have surgery—to look like everyone else. She says in the readings:
To me, being a Jew is cultural. But for me it’s a culture tied only marginally—even hypothetically—to religion, and mostly to geography and sensibility/temperament. So the question for me is: What happens when Jewish identity becomes untied from religion? I don’t know for sure. And that means I’ll grab onto anything I need to keep that identity—including my nose (Edut, 1998).
So too the women of Lovely/Amazing are each in the search of some form of identity.
The filming of the movie was done low budget and it seemed in the same light as films like Little Miss Sunshine and Dan In Real Life because the filming highlights the reality of such stories. The stories of these women facing so many pop image influences, body image conflicts, and even worse just plain self-esteem. Lovely/Amazing was a fantastic film for our class because it was filmed and told in a manner that is true to life. I will assume that eighty percent of our class has felt, seen, or faced similar emotions to the characters in the film. The satire in the film allowed for the reality of such true topics to hit home with the audience. Specific parts of the film made the point that no matter what happens we are all lovely and amazing because it’s our life that is the most important not those things that add clutter to life.

Edut, Os. (Ed.). (1998). My Jewish nose. Emeryville, CA: Seal Press.

Paper #1

1. Discuss the pressure that women endure when balancing the roles of student, wife, career woman, and mother when it comes to age norms throughout their lives in our society.

Women are the glue that holds the world together. Woman face many pressures in the present day balancing the roles of woman, student, wife, mother, and career woman. One does not have to be all the roles listed but most women juggle two or more of the listed roles. Why is it that women face these pressures and take on various roles? Naomi Wolf highlights that
Though a woman does full-time paid work, she still does all or nearly all the unpaid work that she used to. In the United States, partners of employed women give them less help than do partners of housewives: Husbands of full-time homemakers help out for an hour and fifteen minutes a day, while husbands of women with full-time jobs help less than half as long—thirty-six minutes (Wolf 2002).
Women are the facilitators of life, without women life would not be able to come into physical existence. Our sole existence is essential to the continual revolving of the earth.
Women who juggle many roles experience pressures to perform the roles and to perform them well. What is well? Unfortunately, society has heavily influenced the criteria for good performance. The majority of TV-characters selling a new Glade candle, Brawny’s ultra-plush paper towel, or Cottonel toilet paper are all women or characterizations of women. The majority of these TV-women seem to be stay at home moms or caregivers always waiting for the next chance to cook, clean, and serve their family to their content. Growing up I was not surrounded by stay at home mothers or caregivers. The majority of the women in my life were the breadwinner, career women, mothers, wives, and community leaders. How did they do it and how did they feel?
These women did these extensive activities and carried out their roles by always being on the go and continually exhausted. These women—one specifically my mother—worked from 7:30 am to 6 pm went grocery shopping, cooked a full healthy meal, paid bills, oversaw her kids homework, and yet found time to try and read her own book. It may seem she balanced her life easily and on task, but to the contrary my mother has a life of daily stress and exhaustion. I am not complaining, but am enlightening society of the pressures that women encounter on a daily basis. I believe that just highlighting the physical or visible effects of the balancing act women encounter whether young or old is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to other aspects of women that is affected. Women also encounter self-esteem issues, boredom, used issues, and feelings of not meeting the standards or pressures that society continues to portray. An example of how society, female roles, and age affect women is discussed in our reading of plastic surgery.
Ann Marie is not at all shy about discussing her face-lift. She actually seems eager to tell me the reasons for her decision. Her appearance began to change in her late thirties and forties when she developed “puffiness underneath the eyes” and “dropping upper eyelids.” Most unattractive, by Ann Marie’s account, “the skin of my throat started getting creepy.” In her words, “You get to an age” when “you look in the mirror and see lines that were not there before.” Because her physical appearance had begun to reflect the aging process, she explains, “all of a sudden, the need [for cosmetic surgery] was there (Gimlin 2002).
Unfortunately, the stress from playing many characters in the musical of life have encouraged or pushed women to head for the knife as a temporary relief. They find that plastic surgery will erase the wear and tear of years of the balancing act.

It is important to discuss such issues so that society can learn and become more balanced in its societal expectations of both man and woman. I joked at the beginning of my answer to the question that women are the glue that holds the world together; however, at this point in time I believe that women are the glue until society equalizes life roles and responsibilities between sexes.









2. Define stereotypes. Identify how people are stereotyped into categories. Consider your experience, have you ever felt the pressure to be a stereotypical image. Specifically, have you ever felt pressure to conform to a stereotype? What was the situation? Reflecting back, what were the rewards or consequences for your response? Please make sure to include the specific situation.

Stereotypes are a simplified opinion or perspective of a person or thing. Stereotypes can be a jock, fat girl, loser, nerd, beauty queen, dancer, smoker, and the list could go on. Stereotypes are a kind of a heuristic; a heuristic is a mental shortcut used to quickly and efficiently understand a concept. In psychology heuristics are used as a quick processing of information. Stereotypes allow people to read and form quick understandings about others. It cuts down on the question and answer phase of meeting someone new and allows for pre-judgment and opinion formation. Stereotypes are not always bad, but for the most part in our body image pop-crazed culture stereotypes are seldom positive.
Various forms of judgment such as: class, financial status, occupation, education, sex, gender, hobbies, sports, material possessions, and personality types stereotype people. These classifications are only naming a few, but unfortunately these are the few that I find most commonly used. Stereotypes are not just pre-judgments from other people, but can also occur within the individuals towards themselves. An individual can notice that they are somehow different than the majority of the population and consider themselves an outsider. Within my college years, I have experienced many moments where I have felt social pressure to fit a stereotype. As a former member of a Pan-Hellenic sorority. I remember my freshman year after I pledged I encountered a whirlwind of stereotypical feedback from friends and family. I knew of the stereotype of sorority girls, but I also new how much more different actual sorority life can be from what is portrayed in movies. From day one to about spring of 2008, I always felt wanted, accepted, and busy; the feeling and acceptance a sorority provides is one that is only given to you with reciprocation expected. To explain this phenomena I will use my example of involvement my freshman year: I was one of the rush picks and so in return I was University Sing lead singer, Big Event Executive Committee member, Dance Marathon Morale Committee member, a Spanish tutor, and held down a job while still making good grades. In return my sorority always publicized what new members are “out there” making their mark on campus promoting the sorority! One does not realize that through all this involvement there is a minimal gain in it for the individual, but more monetary and reputational gain for the sorority.
The over-involvement was not pressure to fit the mold, but I experienced more pressure form friends and family that I was becoming a sorority girl. I remember a specific instance where the boy I was long distance dating at the time loathed the fact that I joined a sorority. He continually would discuss the stereotypes that he had just like Vendela Vida’s Sorority Sisters:
One of the first houses Group 10 goes to is Kappa Kappa Gamma, reputed to have all the pretty girls, cocaine parties, and strict bulimia regimens for its members who are failed anorexics (Vida 2000).
He made it very apparent every time we saw each other, saying my sorority was “changing me.” I kept thinking how was my sorority changing me if I kept up my grades, did not party, and still made ample time for friends and family. One time I was visiting him at his house and he made the remark that did I not have any different clothing than that provided by the sorority. I could not believe that he would label me as just a sorority girl. My own boyfriend at the time placed me in the same group of girls as you see in movies like House Bunny or Old School.
At that point I realized that I enjoyed being a member of my sorority for the involvement and friends, but did not enjoy the label that everyone seemed to be giving me. I continued to participate in my required and extracurricular activities that were encouraged by the sorority, but I also began to branch out and meet other interesting people that were not Greek. I received a lot of questions from my sorority sisters, but I continued to tell them that I wanted a well-rounded college experience instead of a Greek one. It was as if branching out of the stereotype was inconceivable like Kim’s book collection from Vida’s essay.
One of our next parties is at Delta Delta Delta…Once inside; it’s greet-judge-pass all over again…until I meet Kim. Kim is a beautiful funkily-dressed black Tri-Delt (the first funkily-dressed, not to mention black woman I’ve seen during rush) whose bookshelf—which I see when she takes me on a house tour—is not to be believed. Unlike bookshelves at other sororities that seem to serve as no more than display cases for teddy bears holding UCLA banners and photos…Kim’s bookshelf houses an impressive collection of Scandinavian literature (Vida 2000).
The rewards of being involved with my greek affiliation and my campus extracurricular activities allowed me to see that college isn’t about finding our identity in a group but in ourselves. I unfortunately did not come to this realization as quickly as I should have; I realized that the stereotype of sorority girls is not true, but will continue to persist. I also learned that there are stereotypes within the house just like those outside the house. I battled deeply with my identity and defining myself around all the stereotypes in my life. Unfortunately, for me the stereotypes were not helpful until I began to understand that who and what I am should not be affected by other’s perceptions, but by my own decisions and perceptions. It is now that I am finally enjoying life outside of stereotypes; so what if I was once a Greek, it was a good stage for a period of time.








References:
Gilin, D.L . (2002). Body work: beauty and self image in american culture.

Vida, V. (2000). Girls on the verge gilin, d.l . (2002). body work: beauty and self
image in american culture. . St. Martin's Griffin.

Wolf, N. (2002). The Beauty myth how images of beauty are used against women.
New York, NY : Harper Perennial.

Media Analysis

Recently, looking threw In Style’s December issue I found an advertisement for Juicy Couture. The advertisement pictures two young teens one a boy and the other a girl. The boy, longhaired and shirtless, dressed with a long whisper pink tule skirt with Juicy Couture—JC—calf socks and Mary Jane’s. He has a leopard coat draped over his left shoulder and is carrying a JC handbag. The young girl has a 1950’s dip pity-do up do with a black power suit, patent leather arm length gloves, and ankle wrap heals. The advertisement reads “Do the Don’ts—You can always get what you want.”

The nature of the young man dressed in all female items is offensive, but then the usage of wording as “do the don’ts” and “you can always get what you want” is highly offensive to whom the magazine targets. Most women who actually read the magazine are between the ages of 20-45 and those who purchase the magazine for trends are definitively 17-25. The ad is selling Juicy Couture products on the young man’s body. We discussed how the generalization of men in the advertising industry is occurring, and this advertisement is thus a prime example. The usage of the young man as the display and bearer of all things desired exemplifies that with such materialistic possessions one can do whatever one desires. For those not oriented with the majority of JC products, they are in the Saks Fifth Avenue price range. In exchange, the advertisement is selling financial satisfaction with the product and sexual satisfaction that if money can buy one JC then money can give power and sex—such as “do the don’ts”.

The ad promotes the marginalization of men used as props or the source for women’s desired fashion luxuries. It also suggest that with material, financial, and sexual luxuries one will then always get what they have wanted. The ad promotes the sporadic use of money for sex, power and influence and the beginning of the generalization of men.

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The new Gap Christmas commercials are sending a great message about the fun and joy of Christmas instead of the commercialization of Christmas. The TV commercials are a cheerleading like forty-five second relay of the different Christmas celebrations and how the holidays bring us together. The company is promoting their plaid and various sweaters, but the company is also selling the product in a manner that appeals to a wider demographic. The print advertisement read “P-L-A-I-D what’s going under your tree? What if I go lo-tech and wrap up plaid for you? We could skip those hi-tech gifts. Plaid’s got buttons, too.” Gap is obviously selling a sweater, but a softer commercial message of enjoy the kids, parents, cousins, and family around whether it be over a sweater or the warmth a sweater brings. It’s highlighting how much attention is placed on video games and high-tech gadgets instead of the joy of Christmas that is sharing.

The commercials and paper advertisements show people jumping mid-air smiling, kids being kids, parents laughing with kids, people making human ornament formations, and the spread of holiday cheer. I do believe the ads are combating general stereotypes. They are not showcasing sexiness or dominance, but the universality of humanity and the beauty in visual diversity. I would say the advertisement remains sexually neutral in that it does not focus on aspects of femininity or masculinity. The advertisement seems to empower all-men and women. The campaign slogan for the Gap holiday advertisements is cheerfactory.com; I believe the slogan implies that Gap is attacking the stress and strain of the holidays on men and women and encouraging everyone to thinking of the holiday’s as a cheery happy season.

The new Gap holiday ads send a great positive Christmas message. The ads do not highlight the over commercialized aspect of Christmas shopping and gift-giving; however, the ads are promoting how fun Christmas can be with those one loves. The tri-fold ad in a magazine closes with “this is the way—uh huh, uh huh—we holiday” the kids are holding an ornament in a pyramid formation. It shows all of us are meant to share and enjoy the one season a year we have to wrap up and have fun with all our friends and family.

Blog 10: Women's Bodies and Popular Music

Blog 10: Create a soundtrack that represents a healthy body image for you. List your song choices (use playlist.com and add to your blog) and explain why they are appropriate. Has your taste in music changed though the years? Respond to the readings.

Best of You- Foo Fighters
Song talks about how people, situations, and life can just get in the way sometimes and block one from living life. It works for me and body image because it’s not letting the comparisons of walking around campus or anywhere not get me down or to not compare myself to anyone, but to love myself for who I am.
No Llores-Gloria Estefean
Gloria Estefan is definitely a childhood favorite! This song speaks of those who use and abuse and about leaving them behind and moving on with one’s life. It’s definitely an empowering song and one can’t beat those salsa rhythms!
Diva-Beyonce
Diva is just one of those songs that makes you want to put on your kickin’ heels and just dance! It’s a song that definitely can gather girls together and have one fun time, being DIVAS! Beyonce has definitely been a positive pop culture influence in the world of body image.

Blog 9: Women's Bodies: Images, Media, and Popular Culture

Blog 9: Has a popular culture had an influence on how you view the differences between women and men? How? Has popular culture influenced how you understand race and class? In what way? When you see something in a TV show that seems sexist to you, do you point it out or discuss it with friends or family? Why or why not? What are the first associations that come to mind when you hear the word “feminist”? Where have those associations come from?

I would definitely say that pop culture in general has had a large impact on my perceptions of men and women; however, my Puerto Rican roots have shaped and enhanced the way I evaluate men and women. I have become accustomed to viewing women as equally able as men. My culture has always held the roles of women in high esteem. Women as the facilitator of life, women are dynamic beings, and women are capable of anything and everything. Men are providers and protectors, men are coaches, and like women, men are capable of anything and everything. I have come to have a genuine respect for men and their roles in facilitating the movement towards equality for men and women. The Puerto Rican figures in my life, both male and female, have all been individuals of scholarly achievement, career achievement, and lifetime fulfillment. Meaning that none of the men or women in my life has seemed to hamper the aspirations and achievements of the sexes. The culture is beginning to become more affected by the popular cultural movement of music, television, and mass media. The more the people allow the media to have a large role in influencing the younger generation, the wider the equality gap becomes. There is an increase in polarization and prejudice because of the widespread media. Popular culture has influenced the traditional music of Puerto Rico and turned its youngsters away from what is tradition. There is nothing wrong with the new wave music of reaggeaton, but the message that is sends to its young audience is what causes the revolution of polarization and prejudice.

Like the saying “art reflects life, and life reflects art,” so too television reflects life. I have lived in many different atmospheres where I have experienced how television has become more than just an hour of relaxation or mindless activity to almost a completely different lifestyle. I have seen the transformation that different forms of pushing the line television have caused. For this reason I do not watch reality television, I find it highly offensive, I do speak up about it, and choose not to watch the shows. I believe that the particular offensive reality TV shows, the ones with the highest ratings, have caused desensitization to what reality really is. People become so involved with the characters life on TV that much in their life seems unrealistic to the reality that they “watch.” I typically discuss with friends and family the ridiculousness of the shows theme and how the exploitation of the characters on the show has caused viewers to forget compassion and respect and almost revert back to hedonistic roman culture.

Before the course I thought a feminist was an outright man hater; however, now my perception of a feminist/feminism is completely different. Feminism is a choice to identify with inequality between gender rights. I would say the word feminism stems from the feminist movements of decades previous, but now I believe the word feminism generalizes to a lot more relevant topics and varied individuals. The name feminist/feminism sticks because what else would it be called manism, gayism—no—that just sounds not too right, but women for the most part have always sought for equality, respect, and recognition and so it would justify to keep feminism as the title. Feminism is the right to stand and fight for what is rightly so in the gender arena; it can be to fight for equal rights between all genders, fighting for recognition of genders, and fighting for respect of gender in any arena.