Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Prostitution in the Movies
Look at any given movie, magazine, or T.V. show and you are exposed to an influential array of overt sexuality, unhealthy dieting, and much more. Unfortunately, this combines to create a world constructed of a working Hollywood utopia and a realistic nightmare, and every woman is at risk. This blog's goal is to point out the inferential racism that is so prevalent in today's Hollywood. Since the glamour of Hollywood is so appeasing to the media, every female is suceptible to the stereotypes that come with it.
When one looks through the history of Academy Award winners, the proof of degrading female representations only increases. "A large number of actresses have also won (or been nominated for) the top acting (and supporting) awards for portraying hookers (girls of the night, party girls, whores, call girls, madams, etc.) or loose women (mistresses, promiscuous ladies, etc.)" (Dirks). The largest group of females to win an academy award was this genre. It cannot be completely condoned that women are winning awards for their roles as prostitutes and hookers. Perhaps it is only a movie and women aren't being influenced by these movies, but how can one be sure? I am sure girls all over are taking these roles more seriously than expected.
One popular motion picture that comes to mind is "Pretty Woman". Of course you might argue that this is a movie that liberates women and shows that anyone can prevail. In a sense, this is true as the leading role goes from rags to riches in mere weeks. However, once you view this movie in a deeper manner, what seems very obvious changes quickly. In the movie, "Vivian" rises up and rids herself of her prostitute career, but how did she get there? She does it by prostituting for a rich man and "falling in love with him". This movie certainly does challenge hegemonic norms by telling the story of a prevailing prostitute but at what cost? It also reinforces the stereotype that she would only have been able to do this with the help of a rich man.
What kind of message is this sending out to the world? On the surface it may seem utopic and a true heroin story, but not everyone may interpret it this way. Doesn't this movie tell young girls that the only way to succeed is through the help of a man? Or maybe it reinforces the idea that the only way to get a man's love is the flaunt their stuff? Some people may only dismiss this as "just a movie" but it is much more than that. This movie, along with many others, along with many other sources of Hollywood, reinforce these stereotypes daily.
In almost every home across the nation the television is a staple when it comes to necessities. Vulnerable children and distressed teenage girls watch movies and T.V. shows daily and sexism is prevalent in both forms. However, the dangerous part about it is the fact that it is inferential sexism. You won't see a television show where a husband demands a woman for his dinner, but you will see actress after actress win awards for their roles as housewives. The sexism out in the world is becoming more and more subtle which makes it much more difficult to stop.
Dirks, Tim. "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". "Best Actess". http://www.filmsite.org/bestactress.html. 1996-2007.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Hollywood and Cheating by Mary Siever
http://www.ourthoughts.ca/2006/07/20/hollywood-and-cheating/
Mary's
Last night I was watching “Insider” (yeah, yeah, I know, trash TV, but we only have basic cable and nothing else remotely interesting was on and I had to fold laundry) and of course they were all in an upheaval about Christie Brinkley’s husband cheating on her. And one correspondent remarked (after mentioning that Halle Berry’s boyfriend had cheated on her), “If Christie Brinkley’s husband and Halle Berry’s boyfriend cheat on THEM, what hope is there for the rest of us?”
That brought me up short. So basically, drop-dead-Hollywood-beautiful women shouldn’t have cheating husbands? The reason men cheat on their wives is because they don’t fit some sort of attractiveness ideal (or that was the thought)? Not from what I can see. What they are also saying is that it is the WOMAN’S fault when her husband cheats. Now, I know that sometimes there are contributing circumstances where both spouses have a role to play in what went wrong, but to make a comment that a man is less likely to cheat because his wife is a gorgeous model completely overlooks an important factor. It is the husband who has the problem, not his wife. When men cheat it is because of issues they have, not because of a problem their wives have. Even if they blame their wives for whatever reason, it is not their fault. It is the person cheating (ok whether this be a husband or a wife, I know I am focusing on husbands, but that’s because of the remark the correspondent made. I would have to wonder if she would have said the same thing if the roles had been reversed).
Mine
I am creating a similar blog to yours for my gender in media class. I think it is very interesting that you pointed this factor out and I never would have realized this even though it seems so obvious. It is definitely true that people always gawk over why a woman was cheated on and not why the man cheated on the woman. I mean you would never hear or see a person talking about how a man gets cheated on even if he is amazing looking.
I believe this relates to my blog because I think it very much adds to the portrayal of women in Hollywood. It makes it seem as though all there is to women is their looks. If it were about beauty then I think it would be obvious that no one would leave a gorgeous women. There evidently must be more to women than their appearance and Hollywood simply isn’t acknowledging this.
Mary's
Last night I was watching “Insider” (yeah, yeah, I know, trash TV, but we only have basic cable and nothing else remotely interesting was on and I had to fold laundry) and of course they were all in an upheaval about Christie Brinkley’s husband cheating on her. And one correspondent remarked (after mentioning that Halle Berry’s boyfriend had cheated on her), “If Christie Brinkley’s husband and Halle Berry’s boyfriend cheat on THEM, what hope is there for the rest of us?”
That brought me up short. So basically, drop-dead-Hollywood-beautiful women shouldn’t have cheating husbands? The reason men cheat on their wives is because they don’t fit some sort of attractiveness ideal (or that was the thought)? Not from what I can see. What they are also saying is that it is the WOMAN’S fault when her husband cheats. Now, I know that sometimes there are contributing circumstances where both spouses have a role to play in what went wrong, but to make a comment that a man is less likely to cheat because his wife is a gorgeous model completely overlooks an important factor. It is the husband who has the problem, not his wife. When men cheat it is because of issues they have, not because of a problem their wives have. Even if they blame their wives for whatever reason, it is not their fault. It is the person cheating (ok whether this be a husband or a wife, I know I am focusing on husbands, but that’s because of the remark the correspondent made. I would have to wonder if she would have said the same thing if the roles had been reversed).
Mine
I am creating a similar blog to yours for my gender in media class. I think it is very interesting that you pointed this factor out and I never would have realized this even though it seems so obvious. It is definitely true that people always gawk over why a woman was cheated on and not why the man cheated on the woman. I mean you would never hear or see a person talking about how a man gets cheated on even if he is amazing looking.
I believe this relates to my blog because I think it very much adds to the portrayal of women in Hollywood. It makes it seem as though all there is to women is their looks. If it were about beauty then I think it would be obvious that no one would leave a gorgeous women. There evidently must be more to women than their appearance and Hollywood simply isn’t acknowledging this.
Monday, February 26, 2007
“The Girls Next Door” and its Social Influences
In the reality show “Girls Next Door” the media uses the Playboy playmates as a perfect way to depict society’s stereotypes and inferential sexism. Not only is it a derogative show towards women but it condones other societal problems as well. From disregarding emerging anorexia to the overt representation of inferiority, it all seems to be available for you in this one reality T.V. show.
One of the first issues with this show is the portrayal of women in explicit sexual manner when women around the world are told to be meek and inferior. It is one thing to tell these playmates to fight for their rights and do what they want and another thing to put them into a position where freedom leads to their own weakness and ultimately being called a “slut”. In reality, who is going to take these women seriously after this show is over? All they are going to be judges as is inappropriate and blatantly sexual, which leads into my next point.
Why is it that all women must be put into two categories when portrayed through media, either the vixen or the homemaker? In a way, this T.V. show does both by not only placing these women in a position where they are completely dependant upon Hugh and his enterprise but they have to degrade themselves, whether they think they are or not, society does, in the process of becoming this sort of twisted homemaker.
It is also quite obvious that this show illustrates male dominance and all that comes with it. It kind of reminds of me of harems from ancient times where the man is surrounded by his beautiful women. In all seriousness though, Hugh is in his 80’s and he still has twenty year olds on his arms, and in his bed? Tell me what the likelihood of that would be if the roles were reversed.
Not only does this reality series have issues with female prejudices but it also creates a subgroup of prejudices as well. It creates the idea that all blonde bombshells are dumb and will act in such a way, and there are many out there who suffer from this. Not only that, but the complimentary group suffers as well. Women without perfect bodies and maybe even a darker tint of hair are seen as unattractive and perhaps ugly.
There are also other gender associated societal problems involved as well. In the episode shown in class, one of the playmates was “dieting” and fed herself raw vegetables for dinner. She also associated this act of starving herself with trying to be healthy when it was clearly the opposite. This will have serious influences on teenage girls, because surprising as it is one must doubt Hugh or any other male character will ever be viewed dieting, who are engaging in far riskier health behavior in greater numbers than any prior generation (Kilbourne, 259). This reinforces the idea that “the glossy images of flawlessly beautiful and extremely thin women that surround us would not have the impact they do if we did not live in a culture that encourages us to believe we can and should remake our bodies into perfect commodities” (Kilbourne, 260).
In the end, all of these problems would mean nothing if there were not a clear predicament that they caused. Unfortunately, there is a mass crisis involved with these prejudices and stereotypes portrayed. They influence today’s generation and generations to come and everyday more and more minds consume the ideas that come with them. Who is going to tell Mary that it is ok to be average weight? Who is going to stop Jenna from wearing provocative clothing, why can’t she wear it, they did? Is it fair that Erica will grow up in a world where she is labeled dumb just because she is blonde? The truth is, there is an entire world of women, all ages, and sizes being manipulated with the labels and associations that come with this reality series and many others. The only way to eliminate, or at least lessen the sexism that is existent in the world is to eradicate any such means that produce it.
Kilbourne, Jean. "The More You Subtract, The More You Add". Dines, Gail. Gender, Race, and Class In Media. Sage Publications, Inc. Thousand Oaks, California. 2003.
One of the first issues with this show is the portrayal of women in explicit sexual manner when women around the world are told to be meek and inferior. It is one thing to tell these playmates to fight for their rights and do what they want and another thing to put them into a position where freedom leads to their own weakness and ultimately being called a “slut”. In reality, who is going to take these women seriously after this show is over? All they are going to be judges as is inappropriate and blatantly sexual, which leads into my next point.
Why is it that all women must be put into two categories when portrayed through media, either the vixen or the homemaker? In a way, this T.V. show does both by not only placing these women in a position where they are completely dependant upon Hugh and his enterprise but they have to degrade themselves, whether they think they are or not, society does, in the process of becoming this sort of twisted homemaker.
It is also quite obvious that this show illustrates male dominance and all that comes with it. It kind of reminds of me of harems from ancient times where the man is surrounded by his beautiful women. In all seriousness though, Hugh is in his 80’s and he still has twenty year olds on his arms, and in his bed? Tell me what the likelihood of that would be if the roles were reversed.
Not only does this reality series have issues with female prejudices but it also creates a subgroup of prejudices as well. It creates the idea that all blonde bombshells are dumb and will act in such a way, and there are many out there who suffer from this. Not only that, but the complimentary group suffers as well. Women without perfect bodies and maybe even a darker tint of hair are seen as unattractive and perhaps ugly.
There are also other gender associated societal problems involved as well. In the episode shown in class, one of the playmates was “dieting” and fed herself raw vegetables for dinner. She also associated this act of starving herself with trying to be healthy when it was clearly the opposite. This will have serious influences on teenage girls, because surprising as it is one must doubt Hugh or any other male character will ever be viewed dieting, who are engaging in far riskier health behavior in greater numbers than any prior generation (Kilbourne, 259). This reinforces the idea that “the glossy images of flawlessly beautiful and extremely thin women that surround us would not have the impact they do if we did not live in a culture that encourages us to believe we can and should remake our bodies into perfect commodities” (Kilbourne, 260).
In the end, all of these problems would mean nothing if there were not a clear predicament that they caused. Unfortunately, there is a mass crisis involved with these prejudices and stereotypes portrayed. They influence today’s generation and generations to come and everyday more and more minds consume the ideas that come with them. Who is going to tell Mary that it is ok to be average weight? Who is going to stop Jenna from wearing provocative clothing, why can’t she wear it, they did? Is it fair that Erica will grow up in a world where she is labeled dumb just because she is blonde? The truth is, there is an entire world of women, all ages, and sizes being manipulated with the labels and associations that come with this reality series and many others. The only way to eliminate, or at least lessen the sexism that is existent in the world is to eradicate any such means that produce it.
Kilbourne, Jean. "The More You Subtract, The More You Add". Dines, Gail. Gender, Race, and Class In Media. Sage Publications, Inc. Thousand Oaks, California. 2003.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Interesting Links
Interesing Statistics
This site provides interesting statistics and equally as interesing questions on the woman's role in Hollywood and the discrepancies between men and women.
http://feministing.com/archives/002801.html
Analyzing Society with the Growth of Hollwood
This article analyzes and compares how the stereotypes gender and other class ideologies have evolved or stayed the same with the exponential growth of Hollywood and its enterprises.
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/courses/ed253a/MCkellner/HOLSOC.html
"Club Mom" Supports Lindsay
This article recognizes the fact that, while it may seem irresponsible for Lindsay Lohan to have gotten into another car accident, the paparazzi may have been the cause of it or the others. Of course this is not mentioned in local media which allows them to get to degrade and invade another incident in the life of a female "screw-up".
http://debroffdebrief.clubmom.com/debroff_debrief/lindsay_lohan/index.html
Should We Blame them or the Media?
This article seemed very interesting because it addresses the issue of role models. It is seemingly obvious that Paris and Brittney may not be the best women to look up to for children and tweens, but whose fault is it that they are? Wouldn't there be less "prostitots" with less female exploitation in the media in the first place?
http://urbansemiotic.com/tag/exploitation/
An Example of Women's Freedoms Being Used Against Them
This article is the epitome of what this blog is against. In this article, the author uses female star's actions, their own rights and freedoms, as a reason and the cause for mysogyny.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/miranda-devine/misogynys-rise-no-surprise-when-selfrespect-rejected/2006/12/02/1164777845118.html
This site provides interesting statistics and equally as interesing questions on the woman's role in Hollywood and the discrepancies between men and women.
http://feministing.com/archives/002801.html
Analyzing Society with the Growth of Hollwood
This article analyzes and compares how the stereotypes gender and other class ideologies have evolved or stayed the same with the exponential growth of Hollywood and its enterprises.
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/courses/ed253a/MCkellner/HOLSOC.html
"Club Mom" Supports Lindsay
This article recognizes the fact that, while it may seem irresponsible for Lindsay Lohan to have gotten into another car accident, the paparazzi may have been the cause of it or the others. Of course this is not mentioned in local media which allows them to get to degrade and invade another incident in the life of a female "screw-up".
http://debroffdebrief.clubmom.com/debroff_debrief/lindsay_lohan/index.html
Should We Blame them or the Media?
This article seemed very interesting because it addresses the issue of role models. It is seemingly obvious that Paris and Brittney may not be the best women to look up to for children and tweens, but whose fault is it that they are? Wouldn't there be less "prostitots" with less female exploitation in the media in the first place?
http://urbansemiotic.com/tag/exploitation/
An Example of Women's Freedoms Being Used Against Them
This article is the epitome of what this blog is against. In this article, the author uses female star's actions, their own rights and freedoms, as a reason and the cause for mysogyny.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/miranda-devine/misogynys-rise-no-surprise-when-selfrespect-rejected/2006/12/02/1164777845118.html
Friday, February 2, 2007
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