Wednesday, December 11, 2013
"Eat Less" Shirt Pulled
As I posted before about the Forever 21 magnet that was pulled from their website we have another example before of a similar type issue. Urban Outfitters Pulls Shirt from Website in 2010 that said "eat less." To make the point worse the model wearing the shirt on their website looks like such a frail little thing.
Huggies & Dads
Dads Take on Spaghetti night with Huggies wipes handy in this commercial. take a look.
Controversy apparently came out of the woodwork over the portrayal of the dads in the above commercial. Honestly, I have to say is I don't see it. My initial reaction was quite positive. I really like how the dads are shown with their babies here. The dialog doesn't put the fathers down and what the fathers themselves say also matches with a constructive model of dads being legitimate parental figures. They seem quite natural and comfortable with that they are doing and with their kiddos!
They are Marines, They Don't Have Nicknames
http://prezi.com/4qqg8xzhfhqf/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
Above is the final project presentation we-- Portia Gottschall, Kami Rutherford, Angie Wilmot, and I, co-created for our Men, Women, and Society class (Sociology 3355) this fall semester. The presentation was supposed to cover two overriding concepts from our coursework this semester. If you take a look you'll see the ideas we chose to cover are social construction and hegemonic masculinity but we took it a step further and also discussed the gender continuum and applied them all to women in the Marines.
I think the best part of the whole presentation was our encouragement of the class to figuratively follow along with us "putting on our Sociology glass" to take a look at these concepts. To drive how this point we gave each student an outline of sunglasses with a Crayola crayon. I mean, who doesn't like to color?
Social constructionism and hegemonic masculinity are threaded throughout military culture. Taking a closer look was really an eyeopener for me. Two of our group members were in a branch of the military- the Navy and the Marines. Doing research and having those firsthand examples was vital to our approach for this particular project.
I leave you with this quote:
Above is the final project presentation we-- Portia Gottschall, Kami Rutherford, Angie Wilmot, and I, co-created for our Men, Women, and Society class (Sociology 3355) this fall semester. The presentation was supposed to cover two overriding concepts from our coursework this semester. If you take a look you'll see the ideas we chose to cover are social construction and hegemonic masculinity but we took it a step further and also discussed the gender continuum and applied them all to women in the Marines.
I think the best part of the whole presentation was our encouragement of the class to figuratively follow along with us "putting on our Sociology glass" to take a look at these concepts. To drive how this point we gave each student an outline of sunglasses with a Crayola crayon. I mean, who doesn't like to color?
Social constructionism and hegemonic masculinity are threaded throughout military culture. Taking a closer look was really an eyeopener for me. Two of our group members were in a branch of the military- the Navy and the Marines. Doing research and having those firsthand examples was vital to our approach for this particular project.
I leave you with this quote:
“They are Marines. They don’t have a nickname and they don’t need one. They get their basic training in a Marine atmosphere at a Marine post. They inherit the traditions of Marines. They are Marines.”
-Gen. Thomas Holcomb, Commandant of the Marine Corps
From a 1944 interview with Life Magazine
Feminisms
Reclaiming Feminism – The word and the movement
http://onyourmarkresearch.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/reclaiming-feminism-the-word-and-the-movement/Some other links on feminism:
An "extremer" look at feminism, if you will
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/Feminism/feminism_is_evil.htmAnd just...I can't even tell you how wrong this blog is... Further unpacking will happen once I cool off and decide how to delicately address the misconceptions laid out here.
Masculinities, Yes Plural
Femininities and Masculinities, yes, in plurality is the idea here that should be replacing this gender either/or dichotomy our current society pretends to function in. Professor Raewyn Connell from The University of Sydney writes more on this concept in her book called Masculinities.
‘Masculinities’ are not the same as ‘men’. To speak of masculinities is to speak about gender relations. Masculinities concern the position of men in a gender order. They can be defined as the patterns of practice by which people (both men and women, though predominantly men) engage that position.
Biography: http://www.raewynconnell.net/p/about-raewyn_20.html
‘Masculinities’ are not the same as ‘men’. To speak of masculinities is to speak about gender relations. Masculinities concern the position of men in a gender order. They can be defined as the patterns of practice by which people (both men and women, though predominantly men) engage that position.
What are Masculinities?
Masculinities - An Interview with the Author
Biography: http://www.raewynconnell.net/p/about-raewyn_20.html
The Genderbread Person v. 2.0: it's Pronounced Metrosexual
From Sam Killermann's book, The Social Justice Advocate's Handbook: A Guide to Gender we have gotten this lovely graphic of the Genderbread Person. I think most notable is the fact that through further research and suggestions by himself and others there is now a version 2.0. I appreciate the fluidity of greater encompassment being valued here.
3 Ways to Get his Book. For Real, two of these options involve it costing you $0. Check it out.
Food for thought:
What improvements do you think should be made for a version 3.0? Why?
Does any particular part of this graphics resonate with you? Why or Why not?
What TV Teaches Us
This Romanian ad will make you think twice about what your children are really learning from television.
Subliminal message seep through every crevice of pop culture and are drilled into unsuspecting, as well as suspecting, heads on the daily through television. restricting what children see and talking to children about they do see on television is an important part of gender socialization. Having this conversation, what my circle of professionals calls "gender talks," is an absolutely necessary part of the change we wish to see in society for our future generations.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Too Pretty to do Math? NO, She's Not!
Forever 21 pulls this magnet from their website in 2011 after the backlash received. The upset was evident by anyone's standards. This magnet further depicts the myth our society holds that girls suck at math. Not True. Have you heard of Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper? December 2013 the magnet is spotted in New Braunfels at a new store called Five Below by the Creekside movie theaters.
A friend with a ten year old daughter found this and graciously shared it with us via Facebook. Her post is pictured below but a comment not shown about her daughter's reason for showing her the magnet proves that she works to discuss gender issues such as this with her kids regularly. Her daughter brought the magnet over to show her specifically because she knew it would make her mad that someone even made this magnet.
A friend with a ten year old daughter found this and graciously shared it with us via Facebook. Her post is pictured below but a comment not shown about her daughter's reason for showing her the magnet proves that she works to discuss gender issues such as this with her kids regularly. Her daughter brought the magnet over to show her specifically because she knew it would make her mad that someone even made this magnet.
Food for Thought:
What lessons are we letting society teach today's youth (tomorrow's leaders)?
What can be done to break the societal bad habits of perpetuating stereotypes and myths?
Caution: Pink Isle Under Construction
Building games for girls to inspire future engineers!
Glodieblox is a company whose goal is to get girls building. They make toys for the future inventors of our time, specifically building games for girls to inspire future engineers. Did you know women makeup only 11% of the total engineers worldwide? This is why Goldieblox is trying to provide a way for girls to foster their creative sparks to build.
Goldieblox total got some well-deserved hype when one of their commercials went viral after the Super Bowl commercial craze blew into town. These toys are creator and CEO Debbie Sterling's invention to "disrupt the pink isle" and give girls the opportunity to be introduced to the joy of engineering at a young age.
Goldieblox Breaks Into Toys R Us
GoldieBlox & Rube Goldberg "Princess Machine"
Know any creative little girls who would totally love the Goldieblox toys? Share the idea that she can be more than just a princess.
Media Still Failing Women?
The Representation Project, which is the campaign project behind the documentary Miss Representation, made a short video to touch on some of the ways in which the media failed women in 2013 even though much was achieved by women this year.
The video ends with this: "Women and girls derive better representation in the media and our larger culture. Join us in challenging the negative and amplifying the positive." Blogs such as this for projects in classes just like mine are ways in which small ripples are being made to help challenge the negative and amplify the positive.
If you haven't ever seen the Miss Representation documentary I recommend you go check it out. Like now. Here is the link to the trailer and guess what? Miss Representation is on Netflix, too. See how easy it is for you to go watch...right now.
Food for thought:
What portrayal of women does your presence on social media sites exhibit?
What adjustments could be made to positively impact the people you interact with on those sites?
The video ends with this: "Women and girls derive better representation in the media and our larger culture. Join us in challenging the negative and amplifying the positive." Blogs such as this for projects in classes just like mine are ways in which small ripples are being made to help challenge the negative and amplify the positive.
If you haven't ever seen the Miss Representation documentary I recommend you go check it out. Like now. Here is the link to the trailer and guess what? Miss Representation is on Netflix, too. See how easy it is for you to go watch...right now.
Food for thought:
What portrayal of women does your presence on social media sites exhibit?
What adjustments could be made to positively impact the people you interact with on those sites?
Beauty Doesn't Mean Perfection
Pro Infirmis is a Swiss charity organization for people with disabilities. This year they launched a project called Because Who is Perfect? Get Close. The project consisted of mannequins being made to match exact measurements of five people's bodies with disabilities. Once the mannequins were made each person got the chance to experience "their" own mannequin. After completion the mannequins were set up in store windows along a popular shopping strip in downtown Zurich. The organization had director Alain Gsponer capture the process in this short film below.
This project is a reminder to us all that beauty does not inherently lie in perfection. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Our societal views of fashion and the clothes industry are driven by the counter of this ideal. It is up to each of us to shed light on parts of life that need work. This view of perfection as the only means to beauty is getting a little of that light thanks to Pro Infirmis and their mannequin project.
Here are a few still shots of the respective models with their mannequins.
Other links about this project by Pro Infirmis:
Friday, December 6, 2013
Senate approves bill on anti-gay job bias
Did you know...The way things are written in Texas state law currently you can legally be fired for being gay? Yeah, a good chunk of my classmates this semester didn't know that. Timing couldn't have been more spot on when I saw this news story:
Senate Approves Ban on Antigay Bias in Workplace
Senate Approves Ban on Antigay Bias in Workplace
Story by Jeremy W. Peters of the New York Times
In the Austin American-Statesman on November 8th, page A3
Legitimate Rape Pharm. Ad
There is just so much here to ponder over.....
What is your initial reaction to this advert? Outrage? Disbelief? This is a comical attempt at further proving the ridiculous point of the idea that the body knows when it is legitimate rape and thus won't allow itself to become pregnant.
Food for Thought:
What do you think of using humor to drive home this point? Why or why not?
Legitimate Rape as a Contraceptive Ad by a "pharmaceutical company."
Warning this is not a real ad.
What is your initial reaction to this advert? Outrage? Disbelief? This is a comical attempt at further proving the ridiculous point of the idea that the body knows when it is legitimate rape and thus won't allow itself to become pregnant.
Food for Thought:
What do you think of using humor to drive home this point? Why or why not?
Renegade Raging Grannies!
These ladies are known as The Renegade Raging Grannies. This is one of the many videos they have made and sung in protest or activism to current events and discussion.
This particular video is a response to a comment by a politician concerning the idea that if a woman is legitimately raped their body will not allow them to become pregnant.
Be advised: there is rape discourse and a curse worse toward the end of the clip.
Food for Thought:
How would you feel the same or differently if one of these ladies was your Grannie? Why?
What messages would you like to hear the Raging Grannies sing a song about?
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