In your post about the supplementary reading:
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/09/how-pop-culture-tells-women-to-shut-up/502187/
respond to the notion presented about sexism in Pop Culture. Feel free to reflect on the examples the article brings up and/or write about your own examples, with attention to what these things say about our brand of Pop Culture. Consider how the article is working within its genre and what sources it's drawing upon. Obviously this is a rather open-ended response, but your post should deal with the article in a way that shows your own thoughts/interpretations and critical analysis.
Your response should be no less than 250 words and posted by 10pm Sunday night.
Have a great weekend!
As I'm writing my own research essay on the presentation of women in a particular niche of pop culture, Garber's article shed light on just how pervasive the bias against women still is in pop culture. We like to think that in terms of the media, we're on a steady path to more egalitarian treatment, but the reality is, women are still so often sidelined--and unfortunately, silenced. Beyond the realm of public figures, though, it's interesting to examine the attitudes of fanbases--places generally considered pro-feminist--towards the female characters of their respective subjects of interest. I once saw a post that said something along the lines of, [Female characters have to meet so many standards to be 'likable', but give a male a good jawline and a bad attitude and you're set]. I was no stranger to this kind of reaction. I'd seen countless reviews on Goodreads of readers trashing the female leads of the books I loved, and as both a writer and reader, I asked myself, "why are likable girls so hard to create?" The answer lies in the trend Garber discusses in her article. Female emotions and actions are so criticized in pop culture that any display of strong feeling might mark her "crazy", and any sexual agency might mark her a "slut". The expectation that women--real and fictional--are expected to be perfect stems from a long history of action to make them seen, and not heard. In my own writing, I've tried to focus less on making my female leads likable, but rather, making them real. Not every real girl is likable, and certainly not every real girl is perfect. It's time to stop being afraid to show this in storytelling.
ReplyDeleteIn reading the article, it is clearly apparent that one of the flaws of society from the past to now has one thing in common, the unfair treatment of women. While methods of the past were much more extreme, today they are still very prevalent in our pop culture. We look and see examples of the unfair treatment of women in today's society during our current presidential election. The Republican Party nominee, Donald Trump, has a past history of treat women in a rude and unkind manner through various means like name calling. I believe an important thing to note as stated in the article women are held to be perfect people. This is absolutely crazy and not fair because everyone ultimately has their own slip ups. Our society is much tougher on women than men. For example, if we look at the pay for women they are getting paid less for the same work. While there may be some reason like time out for pregnancy, these actions show the unfairness towards women. Another example is that women are not given the opportunity to play in so called male professional sports including football and baseball. Is it right for us as a society to say that women are so inferior that they cannot play professional sports with men? These are a few of the many instances in which women are greatly scrutinized for their behavior. This genre takes the form of an informative article. It is designed to inform the readers of the problem of sexism throughout some of human existence. The author establishes ethos very effectively through the use of credible information for current and past events that really help myself and other readers connect to the message being portrayed.
ReplyDeleteWhile there are numerous different ways society tries to separate men and women, the majority can all be boiled down to the 'gaping double standard'. This article brings up some of these and truly some of the examples used surprised me and made me think. A non-modern example used was Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent lived a very poor life, painted his feelings, suffered several mental disorders, and ended up dying alone. After his life he was celebrated as a great artist and how dedicated he was to his paintings and how he could paint his feelings. Our society would not look back on a women in that same situation like they look back at Vincent. They would see a 'train wreck' and would have either ignored the art and the life or would have used to the art to prove that women cannot handle being alone by themselves (or something to that affect). Pulling from both this article and outside of the article, I like to compare Eminem and Spears. Both went through what would definitely fit the definition of a 'train wreck'. But, people see Eminem and rave about how inspirational it is that he went through tough times but still makes music. When Spears came out with music, many people questioned why she can back and harshly compared her old music to her new music and said she could never make a full comeback. Our Pop Culture is stuck in a double standard that is completely uncalled for. Like the article said, ''A woman must be perfect, or not be anything at all.''
ReplyDeleteThis article is really a strong societal commentary on sexism that is disguised as a book review of the Sady Doye book, Trainwreck, and I think perhaps part of the reason that author decided to present her argument way is because of the sexism that actually does really exist in society. If such sexism was not so prevalent, then maybe it would've been more socially accepted to compose an outright argument on sexism, but by hiding the true nature of the argument beneath the guise of a review, the author hopes that the argument will reach a larger audience, especially those that would have rejected reading "some feminist article" if not for the disguise. The example that was most profound to me, especially at the height of this election cycle, was the example of Hillary Clinton, who according to the author, is being "punished for her own ambition." I think that that is really true, because there is such a larger percentage of the general public that paints Clinton as the devil when in truth, if any man were to be involved in any of the same things, he would receive much less scrutiny and opposition. For example, with the Benghazi investigations, congress decided to form special committees to look into the disaster on eight separate occasions, even though after four or even five times of not finding anything, you would have thought they would've given up. Not to say that they shouldn't have investigated, but to do it so many times just seems fishy and questionable. Some of it may have been simply political, as Hillary was obviously going to be the Democratic nominee, but that fact Hillary Clinton is a woman most definitively had something to do with it. It really just highlights the fact how even though there has been a lot of progress toward gender equality, there still is a long way to go, especially in realms where the patriarchy is still supreme, such as politics and by extension the media that reports on the politics.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how pop culture has grown, but in the same way still has characteristics from the past. The article talks about suppressing women during the colonial days and relates to how it is like the way the media suppresses women today. Like how in the court of law, women being "sluts" is used a defense to help lawyers win the case, and like how the media criticizes Hillary on the way she talks, but they don't do the same fro Trump. When I scroll through Buzzfeed, Facebook, and Snapchat, I constantly see women being judged on the way the look, the way they dress, and the way they voice their opinions. Apparently it's still not allowed to women to choose what they want to wear because it's always "too tight" or "too short". However, the feminist movement is getting stronger and stronger and thank god it is because it's about time that we as a society stopped suppressing women, stopped telling them what to wear, and stopped dismissing their rants because they're probably just "hormonal". In regards to the current presidential candidacy, there are still believers out there that don’t think a women should be president, but why not? She’s human isn’t she? And she meets all the requirements doesn't she? She is completely qualified but people still try to dismiss her qualifications simply because of her gender. It’s a sexist world out there and it’s sad that for every dollar a man makes, a woman only makes 80 cents. It’s crazy how that’s still a thing in such a progressive world. Pop culture still shames women sometimes, but it’s also leaning towards a more feminist stance and that’s the way it should be. It acknowledges how women have a right to have rants and that the freedom of speech applies to us too.
ReplyDeleteThis article is a wonderful display of a terrifying truth for women. Sexism is and has been a relevant problem for the majority of human existence. Within the article, we can see great examples of how sexism is still prevalent in our current society. But the article really doesn’t hit how much better sexism has become throughout time. Yes, I do agree it’s unfair; if I had a dollar for every time someone told me that they were surprised to discover I was actually smart, I’d be a millionaire. People look at me and see that I’m a woman who doesn’t look nerdy, so therefore, they assume I must be average or just bellow average which is certainly not the case. Things have significantly changed though. There was once a time when a woman couldn’t dream of going to college strictly because of her gender. Clinton may receive a large amount of criticism just because she’s a woman, but there was a time where not only would she been withheld from running for president, she wouldn’t have even been allowed to vote for president. So yes, sexism is wrong, but we have made tremendous strides towards gender equality. Feminism has become very popular recently. People are beginning to stand up against inequality, and more and more people are classifying themselves as feminists. This article does a wonderful job of highlighting the injustice of sexism, but I believe it should as highlight some of the strides that have been made in this fight and/or offer some solutions.
ReplyDeletethis article shows that Sexism has been around since the beginning of time and has continued to linger around in our society today. The article gives a subtle shoutout to how Eve was the one who took a bite from the forbidden apple, not adam, whichs goes to show that we can all blame women for not having eternal life on earth. The author uses a timeline of events of how sexism was very apparent in the 17th century to how it has transformed in the 21st century but is still a major issue in society. One of the articles main focuses is how the women celebrities in our society right now are ridiculed all the time on their looks and what they say. The article talks about how Britney spears had a meltdown and how everyone has thought she is crazy ever since then. If you look at Shia lebouf, he had a meltdown and went crazy as well but not many people know about it or care because he is a guy. Women have higher expectations of being perfect. The article seems to be reviewing and advertising the book called "trainwreck" which is about how the US still manages to diminish women. The article does a great job of making you feel the pain of being put in a corner as well as realize how long this has been going on. It takes the womens side and is defending them rather than agreeing that everything that comes out of womens mouths are emotional and crazy.
ReplyDeleteDifferent from modern-day third wave feminism, Megan actually addresses an issue by addressing the root of sexism: Religion and The Bible. “Everything was lovely, after all, until Eve got hungry.” writes Megan, and what she means by this is that the root of sexism and the role of the woman in modern day society can be found in the bible. Eve, being borne of Adam, automatically is a lesser being, dependent on Man. Furthermore, in Genesis, when Eve takes the first bite of the forbidden fruit, she is making herself a weaker being by giving into temptation and not obeying her superiors, God, who is portrayed as a male, and Adam.
ReplyDeleteSexism is a common factor in not only Pop Culture, but in every aspect of everyday life. Whether we are aware of it or not, daily, we are sexist to others and others are sexist towards us. We might not know how or why we are sexist but we definitely are. We live in a society where the line between sexist and normal has merged and being sexist is now something that is socially acceptable, and those who aren't suffer the brunt of ridicule and criticism. I understand that the author is pointing out how female celebrities and women in general are silenced by a society dominated by males and the “patriarchy”, she is right, but sexism isn't solely directed to women, it affects men as well. Men are held to the same ridiculously impossible standards as women are, and they are also the centre of attention, ridicule, and criticism when male “trainwrecks” happen, but given the current societal standards and perceptions, men aren't as oppressed or better off than women are when speaking of sexism. Men suffer from the same sexist remarks and gender based bias women go through, just that since women are perceived as the weaker gender, they are easier targets, they are easier to criticize, and they are easier to demean, so it is easier to make fun of a woman than it is to make fun of a man. The constant stream of information that we listen to, that we hear second hand, or that we see has desensitized us when we hear about women in the media and the criticisms that those women receive, thus making it easier to repeatedly criticize and judge women since it is something that has become normal. We are used to listening about how this celebrity, or neighbour, or friend is a “slut”, a “whore”, a “bitch”, or a “liar” and the normality of judging others supersedes the fact that we are bringing someone down, making them less of a person, only because of their gender. This is something that Megan points out when she writes about how, in the past, women have been oppressed and silenced whenever they try to speak out or go against what men had previously established. She talks about how celebrities, scientists, politicians, have tried to live their lives normally, but have been oppressed by the societal standards they live in. Hillary Clinton being targeted for being a woman, Britney Spears attacked over her breakdown, when male celebrities had worser issues, and prominent world leaders, like Angela Merkel, who are made fun of because of what they wear.
The article shows the manner in which sexism still endures in our society. Blatant sexism is no longer as socially acceptable as in the past. That isn’t to say sexism isn’t pervasive, but that it isn’t as readily apparent as it once was. Women who speak up for themselves aren’t being thrown into mental asylums any more. However, there are special instances when all of the subtlety disappears. When a woman truly steps beyond her perceived role, she is a one scandal away from losing everything. The higher they climb the more likely they are to be torn down. Eventually, a celebrity begins to become more of a concept than a person. When this happens, she can expect to be the victim of the blatant sexism that most people consider to only exist in the past.
ReplyDeleteThe article doubles as both a book review and an editorial. It analyzes the arguments from the book and presents the authors own opinion on the matters addressed. This allows the author to confront sexism from the vantage point expressed within the novel and make use of the evidence supplied by the book. Additionally, the topic covered in the book is rather interesting. It’s about celebrities which always manages to expand the appeal of a piece of work. The article can manage to maintain a serious tone and still attract readers that might simply have been looking for tabloid gossip. The article’s focus on celebrity downfalls also ensures that the reader is familiar with the content discussed. It doesn’t require you to have read extensively on the condition of women in the 16th century.
This article shows ho history has continued to objectify sexism as a large portion of culture and law. Equality of punishment and what is deserved differs based on sex. For instance, the example used for Rhianna when she was being abused by Chris Brown was "She deserved it" and "she shouldn't have triggered his anger" or whatever excuse society made up to validate what had happened to her. If she were to lay hands on him, the media would label her as aggressive and would suffer harsh criticism from the public. So many times, things are deemed "Okay" because the victim was a woman. In current society, rape culture is one of the most prevalent examples toward the treatment of victims and the judicial process when the women testify. Many try to argue that what she is wearing, how she is acting, how many drinks she had, or the way she "hinted" things justify the actions that happen after she says "no" in any form of way or after she is unconscious. When certain begin to testify, they are put to shame because of these excuses. Who is to believe what they are saying is true? They are a woman, they know what was happening and what they "asked for". All of these things are the negative outcomes and emotional destruction that is put upon women who are victims of rape and rape culture. This has been a huge part of history as well. This article shows how this is true. It describes how sexism is very apparent in pop culture. Especially when it comes to the media and advertisement. The main thing to realize it that sexism happens on both ends of the spectrum. The most emotional wrecking do happen to appear with women.
ReplyDeleteThe article exposes the fact that we are often complacent and dismissive of the inequality and double standards that women face today. Too many people assume that sexism just up and vanished after women were granted the right to vote or after Roe v. Wade. A lot of people still can’t seem to accept a woman indulging in the same practices and having similar positions as men. The article draws upon our everyday experiences of observing sexism. We’ve all seen how women in a work environment can be deemed “bossy” for ordering workers the exact same way as a man, to Hillary Clinton being demonized and blamed for her own husband’s infidelity. We observe the unequal treatment of women every day. While men get congratulated by their friends for being able to sleep with many women, while girls who do the same are labeled ‘sluts’ and looked down on. The article draws upon many pop culture references such as the infamous Britney Spears breakdown to appeal to the more modern and younger audience, and also historical references to women like Sylvia Plath, Princess Diana and others in order to make the article relevant to older readers and relate it to the injustices that these older women had to face. The article does say how things have certainly gotten better, with the ability of a woman to be nominated for the presidency, Beyoncé’s praise as an artist and as a strong, in-control woman, however there still exists the daily slights and inequalities towards women.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning, women have held a weight on their shoulders. The metaphorical weight is the fear of speaking or acting their mind for fear of being reprimanded. This idea is deeply rooted within various societies around the world as evidenced by its appearance in religion: “everything was lovely, after all, until Eve got hungry”. This statement may not directly attack the first woman created, but it places blame on Eve whereby it is because of her “hunger” which represents the ambition of woman. As a result, her ambition, created an anti-woman bias in men as since they were taught from a young age it is because of a woman acting out of free will that they are unable to live in the Garden of Eden. Because of this, patriarchal societies have, either through a placement of a law or by creation of a social norm, have limited women’s voices. Evidenced in the article, even during the fledgling colonial days of the United States, colonists created “common scold” laws which “targeted women who had a habit of quarreling, too loudly, with their neighbors”. Through various laws that were enacted throughout the years, the United States’ people have subconsciously created an anti-women society which is still evidenced today. I believe that the article works well within the genre by using various sources ranging from religion to the presidential election. The usage of these elements increases the author’s credibility by using examples that the audience can relate to.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the article from The Atlantic brought light to an underlying issue in modern society, a patriarchal influence which has been so deeply imbedded that some people are not even aware of it. As progressive and socially accepting as our generation is, it is still common for sexually active women to be seen as “slutty” and for feminists to be accused of “nagging”. These elements of society are the remnants of an outdated mindset; one that believes a person’s gender is a determinant for their place in the world. Through time, I believe these influences are going to dissipate from society, as an ever-growing amount of people believe that there is little room for progress in society when half of its members are forced to follow a limited way of life.
ReplyDeleteIn aspects other than celebrity coverage, sexism and male dominance have led to gross injustices. The modern era of rape culture allows someone like Brock Turner to serve a short three-month prison sentence for raping a young woman. The unfairly short prison sentence was justified by stating that Brock Turner was an extremely talented swimmer with great potential in his future. In the same topic of sports, gender imbalances can be noted in the United States’ women’s soccer team, where the players are payed far less than the men’s team and are even forced to play on lower-quality fields.
Although the elements of sexism are extremely detrimental to societal progress, I feel the article blames sexism for all of the antagonism toward Hillary Clinton. The claim is untrue due to the fact that a great quantity of Clinton’s criticizers are progressives who see Hillary’s corporate ties, not her sexual organs, as ailments to America’s future. The article unfortunately introduces a political argument, so I feel the need to respond to it. The author sends an underlying message that criticizing Hillary is no different than criticizing the advancement of gender equality. The fact of the matter is that when voting for someone running for office, voters should look to a candidate’s record, political agenda, motivation, and moral integrity. Hillary Clinton has shown to be an extremely questionable candidate, and I say this without being a “patriarchal sexist” accusing her of “scolding”. Her ties to the political machine represent a side of politics that Americans have become all too tired of. The multi-million dollar donations from Citi Group Inc., Wells Fargo, and foreign governments all bring into question what Clinton would actually be pursuing if she were to win the presidency. Aside from showing support for American interventionist policies such as greater involvement in the Middle East, Hillary Clinton’s political career has numerous inconsistencies, such as flip-flopping on major issues ranging from free trade agreements to same-sex marriage. The entire country seems to also have overlooked that she used political ties within the Democratic party to help her rig the primary against Bernie Sanders, successfully drowning out the voices of millions of Americans. The argument that not voting for Clinton makes you a sexist is no different than saying that not having voted for Barack Obama makes you a racist. Overall, I feel that it is pointless and non-productive of magazines to question whether Beyoncé’s latest performance was “sexy” or “slutty”, as it only helps to further sexism in pop culture. In the world of politics, however, I frown upon how some try manipulate the general population by making statements that accuse voters of being sexist if they do not support a candidate which has done nothing to deserve the public’s support.
This article draws our attention to an issue that is extremely prevalent in our modern day society, but that is often overlooked as being in the past. Sexism was a huge issue in the 1960s, with activists including Betty Friedan bravely standing up for the rights of women and fighting against societal norms to try to bring about equality for women. Most people would consider that sexism is a thing in history, no way applicable to our current society. But those people are dangerously naive. Sexism is still present in absolutely every aspect of society. In this article, it focuses on the sexism present in our pop culture and politics. The progression of female pop culture celebrities in the last 10 years has been obviously highlighted in this article, as we see the likes of Britney and Paris Hilton becoming names of the past. These women have been replaced by celebrities such as Beyoncé or Rihanna or Katy Perry or Taylor Swift. Aside from being musicians, all these women have something else in common: they use their fame to promote gender equality and to encourage women around the world to stick up for themselves and what they believe in. This article also mentioned Hillary Clinton, probably one of the most famous American women right now in society. Regardless of your political views, it is clear to see that Hillary has fought hard against every stereotype thrown at her over the years, and she has broken through countless glass ceilings in her career. When nobody thought she could accomplish anything in the political world, she used that doubt to fuel her, and her determination has now led her to be the first female Presidential nominee of either of the two main political parties in the United States. She could possibly become the first female President EVER of the United States in a little over a month. Another example of this involves the U.S. Women's National Soccer team. Earlier this month, they filed a legal complaint to US Soccer, claiming that they were experiencing wage discrimination based on gender. Compared to the men's team, the women's team has been ranked Number 1 in the world over the past few years and has won 3 World Cups and 3 Olympics since 1999. The men's team have never even medaled in any of their similar tournaments during this time frame. So how bad could the wage discrimination be based on the obvious difference between these teams' success? The women earn approximately 25% of what the men earn, despite their incredible success. And their recent "Equal Pay for Equal Play" campaign has many people calling these women 'greedy' instead of understanding the inequality that they are currently experiencing. The fact that these stories are so publicised shows one thing about our society: these women are in the minority. Not all female musicians have the courage to empower their female fan-base. Clinton's success has been unmatched within the political world. Unequal pay occurs around the world in seemingly 'male-dominated' sports. The fact that we praise these women for all they have accomplished shows that we do not have enough female figures who are seen to be successful within our pop culture today. This article combines informative information with persuasive language to show the reader just how the author feels about this topic. Their use of pop culture references provides them with a connection with younger audiences that may not usually read an article about sexism.
ReplyDeleteThis article brings us to a conversation that it seems many are afraid to talk about because they instantly deny it happens. Sexism in media, pop culture, and politics is occurring in front of our very eyes, but many are afraid to point out the absurdity of it. We still live in a world where a woman working the same job as a man is paid less. Women in media are also judged far more harshly for simple things like what they are wearing and how they look. There is no such treatment applied to men in politics and media. Women are expected to look polished and flawless. If a woman takes a tough tone she is seen as shrill and angry, but if a man does the same he is seen as resolute and strong. You can see this unfolding during our current presidential election. Hillary Clinton has repeatedly been called shrill and angry during this campaign, but Donald Trump has been allowed to spout out ridiculous statements that would have disqualified any other candidate. We may think that the progress we have made from the 1700s has been monumental to women’s rights, but there is still an exponential amount of work that needs to be done to overcome the sexism that exists throughout our society. I’ve gotten into arguments with others myself about the sexism persistent in society. Just last week during the debate, a friend of mine tried to deny the fact that a wage gap even exists in the United States. The massive distribution of misinformation like this is only the beginning of analyzing the massive problem with sexism we have in our country.
ReplyDeleteThis article brought to my attention an aspect of our society that I had not previously questioned. I remember being a kid and hearing about Brittney Spears “going crazy” and cutting her hair and I admit that I joined in on the eye-rolling and jokes. Recently, I also witnessed Miley Cyrus’ “fall from grace” on the VMAs and listened to everyone voice their disapproval. The article implies that they wouldn’t have gotten the same treatment had they been men. In the case of Brittney Spears, her decision to shave her head was a matter of personal appearance, and regardless of the public’s taste, it was nevertheless an attempt to show the world that she could do what she wanted in spite of them. The action did not resound positively with the public obviously, but who are we to point fingers? She wanted to make a statement and was ridiculed for “having a meltdown.” Maybe she was, maybe she wasn’t. She cut her hair. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. Miley Cyrus, however, made what I consider to be a genuine mistake, and it had nothing to do with being a woman. It was, on the contrary, a perpetuation of sexual objectification. That kind of behavior is equally disgusting for men and women alike. Now I get it, sexuality is tricky when it comes to feminism. Some demand “sexual freedom” while others take a more conservative stance. I have to say I side with the latter. In my view, sexuality is a sacred part of a person, and true femininity should be realizing the value in that, as well as the value in the woman as a whole person. Women have inherent beauty, strength, and vindication. It’s completely wrong to assume that passionate statements made by women are merely “overreactions.” It’s also a mistake to view women as a part rather than a whole. Women should be held in places of honor in our society, not ridicule. But as such they should be held to the same moral standards as anyone else.
ReplyDeleteThe article highlighted the sexism in today's media and how it is a continuation of sexual bias that has been occurring for centuries. It shows that even in today's society which has made progress through feminism is still one of inequality. Women are represented differently in today's media and are held to different standards. In the example of Chris Brown and Rihanna, Rihanna was blamed by some in the media for Chris Brown abusing her. Even though it was clearly his fault, it was construed by the media to present him as a victim. Men are portrayed in a more favorable light by the media while countless articles bashing women for fashion choices or blaming them for their partner cheating are published. Articles about men's fashion choices are rarely published and when they are they are usually ones of praise. The author was biased and clearly a supporter of Clinton but the information presented still had credibility. It drew on mostly female audiences or anyone who considers them self a feminist so the author contoured their writing in a way that would be most persuasive to their intended audience. Using examples like Brittany can appeal to older audiences because of how long ago that was but also using more current examples can appeal to a younger generation. The author specifically chose examples to appeal the biggest group within the targeted audience. It drew upon a variety of sources, mostly from relatively recent pop culture news stories about celebrities, because those are the type of stories that have reached the most people. Even though more local examples may be more relatable or available to some they don't target the largest group of people so the author purposely chose sources that most have heard of. The article is both informative and persuasive, telling the reader the inequalities that exist but also trying to convince them of why it is important.
ReplyDeleteThe article addresses the continuation of misogyny from the legal oppression of women to the insidious misogyny found in today's pop culture, perpetrated by the patriarchy. I was particularly drawn to the Britney Spears example for two reasons; one, because it's one of the most famous breakdowns in modern media, and two, because I'm a huge Britney Spears fan (no seriously, it's embarrassing). I think that Britney is a very pertinent example, because she is the ultimate example of how modern pop culture is harmful to women in the public eye. Britney was thrust into stardom at a very young age, before she even completed high school. At the time of her breakdown, she was under a lot of stress, and her decision to shave her head was blasted and ridiculed in every newspaper, gossip magazine, and talk show. Why? What point is there in tearing down a mentally ill woman going through a crisis? Because, as the article suggests, she was not displaying an acceptable form of femininity. Another example that stood out to me for its contemporary nature is the Hillary and Monica example. When Bill was caught cheating, as with numerous cheating husband, the blame didn't fall on him for being disloyal and weak-willed; rather, it fell on the mistress for being "tempting" or "seductive", and the wife, for being "boring" or "unsatisfactory." These accusatory labels come from a flawed social environment that depicts women as being defined only in one way: in relation to a man.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this article does present an interesting side of Pop Culture in the United States. While I agree that it is unfair for women to be judged due to breakdowns they suffer, I do not know if I would go so far to say that they are labeled “trainwrecks”. Every person breaks down, but whether or not it is in the eye of the public or not is determined by who they are. Miley Cyrus, Brittney Spears, and the other women mentioned in the article are women who are in front of the public as stars and many young women look up to and admire these ladies. This is why I believe they should have to watch what they say and do because girls everywhere look to superstars as their role models. Understandably everyone falls at some point because nobody is perfect; however, when you have become famous and placed yourself in the eye of the public you must hold up a good reputation in the eye of the public, this goes for men and women everywhere not just in the United States. In saying this I by no means am trying to insinuate that these people must be flawless and never screw up, but they do need to be aware that what they are being watched. It is evident that women do suffer more when they fall. They become the laughing stock of society for a short period of time and many people focus on the fall rather than the rise that led to the fall or the recovery after the fall. Take Demi Lovato for instance, she had a major fall and then made an amazing recovery that was given much less attention by the media, which is very upsetting.
ReplyDeleteThis article brings up an interesting conversation that society has dealt with for the majority of history: women's equality. Recently this topic has been brought further and further into the spotlight as women continually seek to push the boundaries that were previously placed on their role in society. The article brings up many good points. I particularly liked the section about how Beyonce, Taylor, Rihanna, and Angelina are female celebrities who have not been torn down by society because they are largely in control of their own images. This is very true, because the minute a woman who is in the spotlight experiences a fall from grace, no matter the size, she is all over the media and her life will never be the same. She is defined by that event. The women mentioned before have yet to experience something like that. Yes, they have all had their fair share of mistakes, but they all tend to control their public image to the point that the media has good things to say about them instead of bad ones. The sad truth about this is that women shouldn't be forced to monitor their actions 24/7 just to be in good standing with the press and the public. They shouldn't have to strive to be perfect all the time and if they make a mistake or two it shouldn't matter. This whole conflict is caused by the unspoken rule that women must behave themselves and fit into the box that our historically patriarchal society has created for them. I am not a huge fan of the feminism movement because I feel like most of the time feminists play the woman card too often to complain about situations that shouldn't be that big of a deal. Being a girl does not make me want to complain about how life is unfair--it makes me want to keep my moth shut and let my actions and success do the talking to prove that I can do things just as well or better than men. Despite my thoughts about the feminism movement, I thought the article was a very interesting read and that it brought up some good points that definitely need to be acknowledged by men and women alike. Pop culture should be encouraging to women and girls and make them aspire to accomplish great things instead of making them feel like they have to live their lives a certain way.
ReplyDeleteWhile this article does represent some outdated feminist ideals , there are bits and pieces of these fetishes that the male species in today's society do continue to to create an unjust world that we live in. We do still live in a world where resting bitch face is a common a curable that the male species will say things like " smile you will look prettier" but we also live in a society where females will say the same thing. However there are current statistics in job polls that state that women don't receive the same percentage of job promotions. We do still live in a society where female attorneys inside a courtroom when they are being and acting in the same dominant and defensive mannerism as a male attorney are portrayed as being a bitch and not being given the same respect in the same line of work. I mean for crying out loud the dress code for female attorneys are still outragesly feminist and strict. Now when it comes to the celebrities that were pointed out in the article I do believe that u never hear about jay Z's affair but we hear about beyonce's comeback and her outrage toward him through her album . We hear the drama that she post throw social media but the spot light is never truly on men but on the woman they surround them selves with . This article still does have truth to it even if some of the examples such as the ones about the femal novelist who's graphic details were believed to be fiction - I believe that is one that is no longer applied to today's society however it is true that there were times where women would use pen names to disguise the fact that their works were written by women and not men . They did this so the work would speak for itself as be given the same respect . As women we do have to meet these quotas of beauty and emotional conformity and that is just so different from the male species where they are just more accepted and not so questioned and judged. This article still is applicable and as it says inside ... And times have changed but that doesn't excuse old footage of our republican nominee calling us woman named because those words as they once held meaning then still have meaning now and it's offensive then just as it is now!- Alexis Valcarcel
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with 90% of the article, I find it poorly written. It criticized the AP for only realizing the newsworthiness of Britney Spears, who’s demise is similar to that of Johnny Manziel and I am sure that the AP would say that anything he does now is newsworthy. Also it only brought up examples from the early 2000’s while I feel like the 2010’s have been more accepting of women and their choices. Miley Cyrus made choices that were not traditionally accepted but it only helped her financially and now she is the judge on the insanely popular music talent contest show, the Voice. In the same way Kim Kardashian who has received her share of criticism has become a media mogul and somewhat of an internet hero for her exposing of the “perfect” Taylor Swift. Both of those women break the traditional role and have faced criticism (and what publicly successful person does not) and have risen above it to make an impressive legacy.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part of the article though is that the audience of the “Atlantic” already agree with all of the points brought up in the article. The majority of the population who pushes a traditional role onto women are the ones that are going to vote for Donald Trump and they would never read this article or that book. So it seems really silly and meaningless to even write this article because to actually solve this problem we need to change the education system and educate children from a young age to view women as equal to men and deserve to be treated the same.
This article takes a stance against the sexism highly prevalent in today’s society. It begins as an informative article, talking about colonial suppression in regards to common scold laws, which basically were put in play to keep women quiet. The writer makes a strong point of how these common scold laws are still a play in todays culture, ranging from this year’s election to the Sady Doye book, Trainwreck. The article gives a strong analysis of the book and the stance it takes on feminism. The book brings up historically silenced women and how they worked to make their voices heard. It explains the strength and determination that these women needed to have. The society today has become better at understanding the strength of women, further accepting things like a women running a company, or running for president. People have generally accepted this, but don’t believe she will do well simply because she is a woman., However, while the article examines the growth of societies acceptance, it also brings up the troubling fact that young girls have been trained to silence themselves, to allow people to tell them to be quiet. Often I hsve noticed girls putting down other girls for wanting to dress a certain way, speak a certain way or act a certain way. This ranges from speaking in class, to playing sport, and eating a lot. “in every panicked discussion of vocal fry and up-speak, in every dismissal of Hillary Clinton’s feminine timbre as “scolding” and “shrill,” things like this should not matter but society struggles to ignore these faults in women.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the shaming of women has changed throughout the years, it still exists in the twenty-first century. Everyone wants to hush women up. Women have persisted not to let this stop them. In this current election, women shaming is very valid in the Republican nominee, Donald Trump. Donald Trump has repeatedly insulted women calling them pigs, fat, and other awful things. This article included the shaming of Democrat nominee, Hilary Clinton. Clinton has received hatred throughout her career for having ambitions and reaching for her dreams. Hilary does not take on the so called typical woman jobs. When Bill cheated on Hilary with Monica, Hilary was blamed for it. Aside from political women, celebrities receive much hate as well. Whenever a women popstar acts out, it’s on the cover of every tabloid. (example: Britney Spears head-shaving) Whenever a man popstar acts out, it’s just a slap on the hand. A couple years ago, famous popstar Justin Bieber was arrested for drunk drag-racing. Fans of Justin Bieber made t-shirts with “free Bieber.” Just imagine how the outcome would be if Justin was a girl. Celebrities like Taylor, Beyoncé, and Rihanna have pushed passed the shaming and work on empowering women. Although women have come a long way since the common scold laws, there is still a lot more to be done. By empowering each other and pushing passed the perfection standard set, women are on the track to not remain quiet. The author of this article used ethos to have the audience trust his argument.
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