Women in the Media

Representation of women in commercials

2012-02-13T14:50:00.000-05:00

The Superbowl two Sundays ago did not dissapoint when it came to the imfamous commercials that many companies pay millions of dollars for. The commercials that usually stand out to me are the beer commericials for Bud Light or Miller Lite, etc. These commercials typically try to be the funniest and most outrageous to get audiences to remember them. These commercials also tend to be hit or miss when it comes to effectively selling the product.

Being a male in the 15-25 age range, I tend to watch channels like ESPN and Comedy Central where most of the commercials are targeted toward that age range. There have been two products that have stood out to me as using subtle (in their opinion) sexism in order to sell their products. These two products are Miller Lite and Dr. Pepper 10.

In the Miller Lite commercials, there is typically a group of younger men drinking at a bar or event and one group member decides to drink the generic 'Light Beer'. The other friends begin to ask this member why he does not want a Miller Lite, especially because it has 'more taste'. This person replies by saying that it does not matter what kind of beer it is. In response to this, the other group members point to a particular attribute and belittle him for it. In all cases, this attribute has something to do with being a woman. For example, having a purse, a lower back tattoo, skinny jeans, and women using the restroom with other women. Even though Miller Lite has shifted from "don't be a woman" to "don't be unmanly", the idea is that women do not care about the taste of their beer and that if you do not follow the group, you must be a woman.

Furthermore, in the Dr. Pepper 10 commercial, the whole idea is that men are afraid to drink diet sodas because they think it makes them look like a woman. By marketing Dr. Pepper 10 as a drink for men, maybe men can drink diet sodas too. The commerical even has the audacity to end with "It's not for women!" The commercial also says "women, you can keep your lady drinks."

I have a feeling that the people that market these products are probably men who can have a very narrow point of view on how to market products to the opposite sex. I would hope that I am not the only person who realizes this subtle sexism and how it reinforces gender hierarchy, and I hope these comapnies will realize it too. Women care about the taste of their beer and men don't have to be embarassed when they choose a diet soda, that's the way it is, and that's the way the commercials should portray it.

MissRepresentation Relates

2012-02-12T18:20:00.003-05:00

As I watched the film MissRepresentation in class I couldn't stop thinking about how everything the film said relates to so many other things. As the beginning montage of reality shows and music shows flew across the screen I had seen all of those clips once before. This just shows how popular this form of portraying women is the media is being that the clips were from such a wide variety of media outlets such as MTV, E!, and Vh1 to name a few. Even looking at the image above, female Disney characters are sexualized. Understandably, Ariel lives under water but why is Jasmine in a mid-drift top if the film is targeted for a child audience. From the late 80s and early 90s, this form of viewing females has been instilled in audiences from the first film that many children even see.

This winter I took a women's studies course on Bollywood. In the course we learned through text that male protagonists lead on the plot of the film and keep the narrative moving forward. The female is there to be moved along wherever the male takes her. While watching the film, it was also made clear that much of the camera angles are seen through the eyes of a male. This was especially visible when watching the montage clips at the beginning of MissRepresentation. During the film, one of the females speaking to the camera said, "women are never the protagonist, men are moving the plot along providing for the woman," relating to what I had learned in my Bollywood film. I find it interesting how American media and Bollywood films, the largest film industry in the world, all portray women in the same light. I have discussed already that so much of women in the media all relates to everything around us, globally.

Can anyone else relate?

2012-02-11T08:38:00.001-05:00

Although this is my first women's studies class and we are only 2 weeks into the semester, I have already seen a change in the way I pick up little things in everyday life. For example, I just recently purchased a car and at the dealership I definitely felt the difference in treatment between my husband and me. During the demonstration, the salesman will look at my husband when talking about the engine, the wheels, the speakers, and the rest of specifications about that model. When he would talk to me he will let me know how to turn it on, change the music station, and make little jokes about moving the seats so I can fit all my shopping bags comfortably. Obviously, he judged me because I am a woman and figured I would not want to know about the specifications of the car and only care about the color and how it would look.
Another example I just witnessed was at work. I work in management with three other men in a sales environment and I am responsible for 10 sales people. My boss always makes jokes that I am the diva and too high maintenance when asking for days off due to school or during escalations they make me handle it because "women go first." They definitely make me see how working with so many men in a high pace sales environment can be challenging. They are constantly making me feel like I need to work harder and draw the best results so I can prove to them that I can handle my position.
With that in mind, I was wondering if anyone else in class has experienced anything like me especially since starting this class? I know that it has open my eyes and makes me see things in a different way that in the past I would have not noticed because I figured it is life.

Confusing Ad

2011-12-14T21:33:00.002-05:00

This ad was in an issue of Ms magazine we looked at in class. It appears to be for a system for a parking lot. It is confusing because it is in a woman's magazine but appears to use a woman in a bikini to get attention to the ad. I cannot tell if this is an ad for a real system or a woman's empowerment ad that uses the guise of some sort of parking system.

Liquor Ad

2011-12-14T21:10:00.004-05:00

Last month when we were examining Ms Magazine, i came across this advertisement. If you cannot see it properly, it is a women at a chalkboard with math equations and below is a whiskey bottle. This was surprising to me on two levels. First, this ad is not like most liquor ads where there is a scantily clothed woman selling the liquor. This one is intended to smart women. And secondly, is it sexist to say that I am surprised they are advertising whiskey to women? I have never seen a women drink a dark liquor. So it surprised me.

Imprisoned for Rape

2011-12-14T18:24:00.002-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/14/world/asia/afghanistan-rape-victim/index.html

In an article that was released today by CNN, an Afghan woman who is referred to as Gulnaz was released from jail after being sentenced to twelve years in prison for adultery after reporting being raped by her cousin's husband two years ago. After the incident, she hid what happened for as long as she could because she knew that something bad would happen to her if she told anyone. After she discovered that she was pregnant, she was found guilty of having sex outside of marriage and was sentenced.

This may sound completely shocking to us, but it is more common in Afghanistan than you may think. When a CNN reporter asked a spokesman to comment on the case, the spokesman of the prosecutor said it would take time to look into because there are hundreds of such cases. It is hard to believe that a woman can be imprisoned for being a victim of rape but it is not seen or handled the same way in the United States. As the article states, "One problem is that Afghan law fails to clearly distinguish between rape and adultery, which is a crime under Shariah, or Islamic law. The courts say Gulnaz was to blame for having sex with a married man."
Gulnaz also mentioned in an interview that in order to be freed from prison, she was considering marrying her attacker.

Even though we live in a society where we can distinguish between rape and adultery, Afghanistan is a completely different culture and is very different from the United States. She may be free from jail, but she is still in danger because of her situation.

Egg Freezing

2011-12-14T16:28:00.002-05:00

I was recently looking at a magazine and there was an article talking about how more and more women are choosing to freeze their eggs. The article talked about how most women are not at the ideal part of their life to have children before their 30's and 40's. I found this to be particularly interesting because I think it says a lot about women in society today. Women have moved from the homemaker and mother role to choosing how they want to have children and when. Now women are able to have their children without having a husband and in their 40's if they chose to.

The Occupy Movement's Woman Problem

2011-12-14T16:12:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, I came across an article on The Atlantic's website about the gender disparity among protesters taking part in the Occupy movement across the country. "America's gender conflict fault-lines are making a familiar reappearance inside Occupy," writes Tina Dupuy, who has visited eight of the Occupy encampments, both on the East and West coasts.

Dupuy says that the gender gap is a concern and sometimes embarrassment for the protesters, who have questioned what they can do to get more women to join the cause. She writes that some women have been concerned about their safety in the open encampments, where anyone can wander in. Rapes have been reported at some of the camps, and some pregnant women have been pepper sprayed.

But, she notes, these incidents have been used by some people to argue that the Occupy camps are not a woman's place -- that they are too "dangerous:" "Sadly, many responses have been much like the ones in the wake of correspondent Lara Logan's sexual assault in Tahrir Square while covering their revolution: Yes, it's tragic and awful, but you know you're vulnerable so why are you out there? Why are they out there? Why sleep in tents and risk being confronted by police only to be slighted by fellow revolutionaries at the same time? It's simple: these women believe the country is broken and they see the Occupy movement as a the solution."

Dupuy doesn't come up with many answers to the question of why there aren't more women at the Occupy camps beyond the issue of physical safety. I wonder whether part of it -- on top of safety concerns -- might be the same struggle women face when trying to juggle jobs and personal life: they might have responsibilities to their families that they can't leave behind to join the protest. I realize that most of the protesters are young and probably don't have children or elderly parents to care for yet, but I think it's still a point to consider that I haven't yet seen mentioned anywhere.

Some camps, notably Occupy DC, have tried to come up with some solutions to accommodating female protesters, such as separate women's tents that might provide more security. I think it will be interesting to see whether the gender imbalance of the movement will eventually even out.

Pregnancy and Sexuality on Bones

2011-12-14T15:04:00.002-05:00

I've been watching Bones from the very first episode back in 2005. For any of you who don't know, it focuses on Dr. Temperance Brennan (nicknamed "Bones" by her partner), a talented and highly respected forensic anthropologist. She is regarded as one of the best in her field. Bones defies a lot of the traditional female stereotypes; she is portrayed as not very good at being nurturing or caring for others emotionally. She is independently wealthy, and does not need anyone to take care of her financially. She has a typically male profession and is respected as a leader.

However, throughout the show's history, she is also constantly referred to by her appearance. Suspects or witnesses will frequently call her "the hot one" or tell her she's pretty enough to be a model. Bones, played by actress Emily Deschanel, is typically very thin and pretty, but now, in the show's seventh season, Bones is pregnant.

Typically on television, this would mark the end (at least temporarily) of her being seen as a sexual being. On many shows, pregnant women are seen only as mothers and their bodies are no longer seen as attractive once the pregnancy starts to show. On Bones, however, this does not seem to be the case. Her physical attractiveness and sexual desirability are still mentioned frequently. On the second episode of the season she was referred to as "the hot pregnant chick" and just a week ago, there was a whole storyline that revolved around the fact that her breasts had grown significantly. This is a big change from the norm on network television, considering Brennan is in her third trimester.
I think whether this is a positive change or a negative one is very much up for discussion, but I thought it was interesting and worth noticing, nonetheless.

Hillary Clinton and LGBT Rights

2011-12-12T15:28:00.002-05:00

Last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a speech to the UN in support of rights for LGBT people. It was a hugely historic moment, and I thought the speech was very well written, but what I was most intrigued about was the coverage of the speech after it was given. I really haven't found any gender bias in any of the stories I have read about her speech, which is a pleasant surprise. After watching "Miss Representation," I have been trying to be more conscious of how stories are portrayed in the media, but the coverage of this major speech was very neutral.

One fact about the speech that I think is interesting, however, is how similar it is to Clinton's speech about women's rights while she was First Lady. In 1995, she gave a speech in front of the UN declaring that "women's rights are human rights, and human rights are women's rights," and this same sentiment was repeated today by saying "gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights." Though the fight for equality for women certainly continues in America, it is clear that the next major social group that is experiencing blatant discrimination is the LGBT community. They are using many tactics that are similar to those used by the women's movement to obtain equal legal rights. It is fascinating to me to see this new social movement really gaining so much momentum, and now with a strong, powerful woman leading the fight internationally. It is only fitting that Clinton changed the word "women" to "gay" for this speech, seeing as the same issues are inherent in this debate. LGBT people are no different from the average American citizen, and deserve to have equal rights with them, just as women have always deserved to have equal rights with men. It will be interesting to see how the next Secretary of State continues Clinton's work on this topic, now that such a strong statement has been made.

If you are interested in hearing Clinton's speech, it can be found at this link, along with worldwide reactions to the speech:
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/12/world-reacts-clintons-gay-rights-speech/45883/

Sexist Siri?

2011-12-04T23:50:00.002-05:00

There have been some recent reports that Siri, Apple's latest voice recognition technology, is misogynistic. When women asked for abortion clinic listings in New York City, Siri came up with none but offered listings for pro-life crisis pregnancy centers. When women asked what to do if they are pregnant, Siri responded as though it did not understand the question. When a woman asked Siri, "Where can I get my d*** sucked?" Siri came up with 12 listings for female escorts in the nearby area.

Basically, it seems as though the programmers who designed Siri were probably mostly males and overlooked many questions that a woman may want results for. I don't think Apple purposely went out of its way to maliciously leave female-related questions out of its program. However, it does show that even today, in a company as hugely successful as Apple, there are still instances where women are overlooked. If the programmers are mostly male, they may not be thinking about all the things a woman might need answers to. This does not excuse the fact that their technology excludes women in some serious ways. It's pretty incredible that a technology as advanced as Siri, one that can come up with a listing for escorts when told, "I want a blowjob," cannot find any results when asked for a female-related sexual act.

I found this to be extremely surprising, mainly because I have used Apple products for a long time and did not expect a company like Apple to either purposely or mistakenly exclude women.

Miss. Representation

2011-12-01T17:23:00.000-05:00

Miss Representation is one of the best videos that I have seen about modern day sexism in a long time. I'm still learning the ways of feminism, and I am not confident enough to decided where I am on the spectrum of feminist but this video definitely is a great source.

Sexism isn't the same as it was in our mothers or grandmothers generation. It was easier to battle then because it was very blunt and bold-faced. It is easier to fight something that is obviously present. What the battle today is that sexism has become a subconscious part of our culture. It has become so institutionalized in our culture that we don't even question it. This video exams how the media is creating, emphasizing and exploiting gender hegemony.

The producers of the video were very smart; it is not a man-bashing video. One criticism I have with feminism (at least from what I have seen), is the movement blames men for all of the problems with gender discrimination, but that is not true. Women being a subordinate group isn't a conscious decision, but one that society has created and all of society has accepted. Nobody questions it. I think women are just as much to blame as men.

Mona Eltahawy

2011-11-24T21:38:00.000-05:00

http://www.monaeltahawy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MonaEltahawyPage?sk=wall

Mona Eltahawy is a journalist who reports on Arab and Muslim issues. She came to speak at an event here on campus last semester. I have followed her through Twitter and Facebook since then, reading articles she has posted. I just read this post from Eltahawy on Facebook about an hour ago:

"A million thanks for all messages of support after I was beaten, sexually assaulted by riot police then detained 12 hours by Interior Ministry and the military. My rifgt hand and my left arm are broken buy mt spirit remains intact and I look forward to massive Tahrir turmoit on Friday."

Eltahawy was in the Cairo/Tahrir area covering the protests for a journal article. I was deeply upset to hear this, because not only is it a female journalists being physically attacked, it was someone I had the privilege to meet.

Here is a clip of a phone interview she did shortly after being attacked:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=siWK2b-7vIo#!

I think it is courageous and very brave of Eltahawy to cover the protesters in Cairo, since it is an issue very near and dear to her heart, but I hope that one day journalists will not have to be harmed while covering stories.

Women at Work

2011-11-22T12:47:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to share this little gem. It's common knowledge that men can be considered "well dressed" as long as they throw on jeans, a button-down, and some clean shoes — maybe even shave or comb their hair. Dash on a bit of cologne and you're high-class. Many women's morning rituals to even consider themselves presentable — much less fashionable or even put-together — involve far more than just making sure you've shampooed your hair or your fly isn't undone.

But this goes above and beyond. If you're not already paranoid about what to wear for a job interview, behold the mother dictionary of nitpicky guidelines. Why must our standards be so stringent? And do I really have to use glycolic acid on my legs?

http://jezebel.com/women-at-work/

Sexism in ads today: is there such a thing as a "masculine mystique"?

2011-11-21T00:57:00.004-05:00

As part of its series on "ads, brands and the science of shopping," The Atlantic published a story questioning whether TV ads are "getting more sexist."

Writer Derek Thompson argues that, while blatant sexism (e.g. the coffee ad we watched in class) is no longer present in current advertising, there is still a definite objectification of women that acts as if it is justified because it is self-aware -- "winking sexism," as he calls it. Ads today, particularly for products aimed at men, such as beer, cars and portable TVs, often present women as sex objects to be ogled or as overbearing girlfriends and wives who have their men totally whipped.

"Having lost the argument that women are incompetent," Thompson concludes, "American advertising has had to settle on the argument that women are attractive."

I thought Thompson's argument that these ads aim to convince men that buying certain products can help them regain their independence -- and thus, their "manliness" -- was an interesting twist on the marketing techniques Betty Friedan describes in The Feminine Mystique. In our society where women outnumber men in higher education enrollment, and where the unstable economy has interfered with the ability of many men to support their families, could it be that there is a "masculine mystique" emerging?

Seriously?

2011-11-17T23:59:00.000-05:00

Miley Cyrus is being criticized on her last outing for gaining weight. I don't know about you, but that does NOT look fat to me. She looks like a healthy women. But if that is being criticized for fat, then I feel awful for the young girls. No wonder the self-esteem of girls is so out of whack. If girls see Cyrus as being "fat" when she is every bit of normal then they are going to think that they are fat. Most girls reading this are also seeing ads like the one below, and probably don't know that she has been Photoshopped to look that way.

Images like these are ruining girl's self esteem and causing them to have eating disorders. It is disgusting how much a women's body is critized. Cyrus isn't the first. Star's like Jessica Simpson and Mariah Carey have been criticized for their weight gain. We should instead focus on bigger issues in the world, or the positive things that these stars are doing, not weather they look like they gain a few pounds.

Bachmann says "I'm your man"

2011-11-17T17:20:00.002-05:00

In an article on CNN.com, Michele Bachmann tries to convince voters that she is right for the job by refering to herself in masculine terms. She states "If we want to change this country up... i'm your man". Later, she says "When people think of the president, they think of who is that individual. And I'm willing to 'man up', so to speak, for the job and do what needs to be done... i'm a very strong woman."

Reading this, I could only cringe to hear her proclaim herself a good candidate by addressing herself in male terms. Although the expressions "I'm your man" and "man up" have become commonly used by both men and women, I think there is a clear underlying need for Bachmann to measure up to her male opponents. She only further clarifies this statement when she ends with "I'm a very strong woman." It seems to me that she is assuring us of her strength as a woman by backing up her statements of being a "strong woman" with those of her being manly enough to lead.

It's this type of language in the media that hurts women's growth. Bachmann should not have to prove any level of manliness to be able to be a strong candidate. Her womanhood, smarts and policy should be enough to gain voters attention. However, it is sad that in today's world, she feels the need to justify her strength as that of a male's to measure up in the media. We need to change the language in the media if we want to change public opinion. No woman will get anywhere trying to be a man.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/16/bachmann-restates-im-your-man-as-she-amps-up-political-rhetoric/?iref=allsearch

Disclaimers on retouched ads!

2011-11-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

http://feministing.com/2011/11/16/norway-considers-disclaimers-on-retouched-ads/

I was really excited to see this article about Norwegian prime minister urging ad companies to put disclaimers on retouched pictures. I think that this would have a HUGE impact, especially on young girls and women. The UK, back in 2009, tried to ban retouching of photographs that were targeting audiences under the age 16.

This could impact the negative body image that many young girls and teens seem to have. This could also have a positive impact on eating disorders. I think that now, at age 21, I am much more aware of how "fake" models in ads are, but I don't think I had this perspective when I was 12 or 13.

I would love to see American ad agencies putting disclaimers on retouched photographs, maybe one day this will happen!

Miss Representation

2011-11-16T23:17:00.002-05:00

I actually first heard about the documentary Miss Representation over the summer when it was premiering in Silver Spring, but was unable to see it. Luckily, our class has had the opportunity to watch this documentary online, and it is absolutely worth every minute of your time. The arguments that are made in this documentary are completely accurate, and the facts presented are undeniable. The one part I was most interested in, however, was the discussion of female protagonists in films and television.

It is almost unbelievable how few female protagonists exist in the media today. The majority of films that have been produced in the past twenty years have been driven by male characters. The only exceptions tend to be romance movies, or romantic comedies, however I thought the documentary made an excellent point in saying that these films ultimately centered around men. The constant focus on how to attract a particular man, how to get married, or how to maintain a healthy relationship is seen in all these romantic films, and ultimately focuses more on the man than the woman. Indeed, action movies that have female leads also tend to objectify them and make them wear provocative clothing simply to attract an audience. The focus is more on her as an object than on her as a complex character.

These "role models" that girls are provided in films and television are incredibly damaging, given the fact that women are almost never in a lead position or given any power. If the story is not centered around a man in some way, her character is not given much depth and the focus is moved to her physical appearance. If girls continue to grow up believing that it is normal to focus strictly on interactions with men and perfecting their body, then it is almost a guarantee that rates of depression will continue to rise in women and young girls. We need to take a stand against this, and luckily Miss Representation is the first step in the fight against sexism in the media.

Lingerie Basketball League

2011-11-16T22:28:00.002-05:00

I ran across an article that was published a few weeks back discussing a lingerie basketball league (LBL). As I was reading it I found it to be completely absurd and a way to further objectify women in sports. The color of this league is predominately pink with some black in it and it portrays these women in scantly outfits. As a matter of fact, i would not stretch to call them outfits because these women are wearing practically a bra and underwear with a unique wrapping around their legs. The logo consist of a silhouette of female with curves holding a basketball against her hip that is wrapped in a garter. The tagline reads " Where beauty meets the hardwood." One can take that tagline as they like but I believe it to be a sexual reference and to me these women should have more respect for themselves thatn to play in a league that is so demeaning.

In the article it states that upon visiting the site, sudio is being played that says:

"America loves basketball. America loves beautiful women. Now, a match made in hoops heaven. I'm Kevin Scholla and this is the Lingerie Basketball League. Are you ready for supreme athletes that are tough on their opponents but easy on the eyes? You better be; the Lingerie Basketball League is here. Join us for professional basketball with a twist- gorgeous women with top-notch talent. Three letters say it all- LBL- the Lingerie Basketball League. Basketball never looked so good."

I find this league to be pure objectificationof women. I do not believe that in order to get people to watch female sports they have to perform in next ot nothing. It also stated in the article the the WNBA has been looking for ways to increase viewers and hav been thinking about requiring their players to wear tighter or less clothing. If that's what women have to do to get fans I do not thins it is worth it and women should think twice before agreeing to participate in things like this. If women don't respect themselves enough to say no then who will? It is insulting and derogatory and should not be allowed.

Miley Cyrus weight gain

2011-11-16T22:07:00.003-05:00

Disney star and pop artist Miley Cyrus has recently been under scrutiny because of her weight fluctuation. Most of this criticism has been recieved online. Miley Cyrus fired back at her critiques through a tweet to her 3.5 million follwers. Cyrus tweeted a gruesome photo of an emancipated woman and said "By calling girls like me fat, this is what you're doing to other people. I love myself and if you could say the same, you wouldn't be sitting on your computer trying to hurt others." She then tweeted a photo of Marilyn Monroe and said "Proof that you can be adored by thousands of men, even when your thighs touch." I agree with her on this matter and I applaud her for standing up for herself.

Women really do have it tough when it comes to weight. They are constanty being compared to ideal woman that is portrayed in the media on a daily basis. I think this is exactly why there are girls that are anorexic and have other eating disorders. I also think that's why girls have self-esteem issues as well. I think we need to encourage women to love themselves for what's on the inside as opposed to what's on the outside. I believe the world would be a lot better off if cahracter was valued more than appearance. Miley Cyrus sent a great message to girls across the world about this issue and hope more people continue to do the same.

Pepper Spray Doesn't Discriminate

2011-11-16T19:11:00.003-05:00

During a rally for the Occupy Wall Street movement an elderly women, Dorli Rainey, was pepper sprayed in the face along with a pregnant teenage girl.

Dorli Rainey is an activist who has supported liberal causes in the Seattle area for decades. She is still being hospitalized from this occurring.

A police officer stated that "pepper spray is not age specific, it won't hurt someone who is 10 or 80. If it did they wouldn't use it".

Reading about this story I just thought that it was horrible for a women of her age to go through something like that. Even if pepper spray is not age specific it should never be used on someone of that age. Even if someone is 10 years old, I believe there is an age limit that someone should be peppered sprayed. It might not be harmful or fatal but I find it disrespectful to the elderly.

The officer stated that "Pepper spray was deployed only against subjects who were either refusing a lawful order to disperse or engaging in assaultive behavior toward officers,"......

In my opinion I don't believe that this Dorli Rainey was doing any of these two things to be peppered sprayed. The officers were probably just spraying at everyone that they could reach and she was in the midst of it.

I applaud Dorli Rainey for being an activist and still being one to this day and not letting her age define her beliefs.

Women, Men, and Social Media

2011-11-15T23:20:00.002-05:00

Several media outlets over the last few days have reported on a new study that has recently come out about women and men and their tendencies when it comes to using social media. The study, commissioned by American Express, found that 43% of Australian businesswomen are using at least one form of social media in their business, compared with 37% of men. 48% of women are also planning on increasing their focus on social media in the future, while the study found that men are more likely to focus on staffing than increasing their social media influence. However, men are more likely to invest in the newest gadgets and technology than women.

These facts seemed of particular interest because they seem to say that while men are more focused on getting the newest gadget that should help improve business, women are more up to date on the social networking aspect of business that to me would help attract more customers in the long run.

Sexual Harassment: Has Progress Been Made?

2011-11-15T21:27:00.002-05:00

This article on Forbes.com gives a very depressing view on the progress (or lack thereof) that our society has made on how we view sexual harassment in the past century. The author talks about how our society tends to mistrust the women that come forward with sexual harassment claims. The author says that the media is generally much more vigilant about covering sexual harassment today than they have been in the past. The troubling thing does not come from the media, but from the people who read articles and comment on them. According to the author, many people who comment on articles on sexual harassment, like articles on the recent scandal with Herman Cain, still say that women are "asking" for it or that if an advance does not involve physical violence, that their claims are "frivolous." Women are still frequently painted as liars and opportunists, who accuse men of sexual harassment for their own gain.

I personally think it is ridiculous that we are still this doubtful that sexual harassment exists in 2011. Just because some women use their attractiveness and sexuality to get ahead does not mean that all women do. One's first reaction to a claim of sexual harassment should not be to doubt the woman who made the claim or to try to undercut her as much as possible.

On one hand, we now have some laws that prevent sexual harassment. This is not like the beginning of the century, where women were given literally no respect in the workplace. However, there is still much too much pressure on women that encourage them to stay silent when it comes to sexual harassment claims. Before coming forward and admitting to being sexually harassed, women have to consider what effect this will have on their job status, and how they will be perceived by the people around them. Many times, a woman coming forward will not be believed. As recently as the journalism career fair a few months ago, I heard stories about women who have been harassed in the workplace but have kept silent because of a fear of being taken off an assignment or fired. There has to be a way to foster an environment where women feel like they are taken seriously and are able to come forward with claims of sexual harassment. This kind of behavior should have never existed in the workplace, and definitely should not exist in 2011, when so many claim that women have broken the glass ceiling and have achieved equality in the workplace.

Link to article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswomanfiles/2011/11/08/why-were-suspicious-of-womens-sexual-harassment-claims/

"Confronting Sexual Harassment"

2011-11-14T20:29:00.002-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2011/11/13/rs-ashburn-harassment.cnn

Yesterday, CNN posted a video “Confronting Sexual Harassment”. In this video, Lauren Ashburn, the managing editor of USA Today Live discusses her decision to speak out about her experience with sexual harassment in the workplace. Ashburn notes that she has kept quiet for so long because she feared the repercussions of speaking up. The Herman Cain scandal, however, encouraged her and other women to speak out about their own sexual harassment cases.

1. In one instance, Ashburn sat in a New York taxi with a business client and he reached over and grabbed her leg and said “boy, if we were alone we would have a lot of fun”.

2. On other occasion, her boss told her, while glaring at her chest, that his boss said to him “ hey that Lauren Ashburn has a nice rack.”

3. In yet another example, a coworker asked her if she lost weight, while running his hand along her butt.

And all the while, she kept it to herself.

She explains that most women don’t come forward about sexual harassment because of the enormous burden it will have on their lives. Sure, they might believe her and she might be compensated for her trouble, but she still has to find a new job. Women who speak up about sexual harassment often run the risk of being judged or worse, not believed. Some people think that women who claim to be sexually harassed “asked for it” or were just looking for money and notoriety.

But if that’s the case, are these people saying that there’s no such thing as sexual harassment? Do they mean to say that the woman is always lying, and that men never do abuse their power?

Because I do not believe that for a second.

I find it really sad that a woman is the one battling with sexual harassment and she cant feel relieved whether she speaks up or keeps quiet. If she holds it in, she has to go to work every day and fear being subject to this childish embarrassment, but if she speaks up, it may forever define her.

“It makes you feel like a piece of meat,” said Ashburn in the interview.

Here we have an editor of a major news organization. Ashburn is the definition of a woman in power. Yet even as powerful as she was, she didn’t feel that she could admit the wrongdoings of her coworkers to the world. She didn’t feel comfortable in her own office. How is it that men at her company could objectify an accomplished peer of theirs just because she had breasts? It is unfortunate that even those women who have risen to success despite a history of gender inequality, and who have proven themselves to the business world, can never completely rid themselves of this unequal workplace experience.

Warning Labels for Airbrushed Models

2011-11-14T14:29:00.002-05:00

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1927227,00.html

We are all accustomed to seeing warning labels on alcohol and tobacco advertisements. Advertisers are required to inform consumers of the dangers of the product. Even more recently, restaurants have been publically displaying the nutrition facts of all foods, so the consumer can make a healthier or more informed decision. Now, Frence legislators are working on passing a law that would require warning labels on advertisements that have been digitally enhanced or feature airbrushed models. They are suggesting that if authors are required to label embellished stories as fiction, why shouldn’t advertisers be required to do the same. The law would require these ads to have a label that reads, “photograph retouched to modify the physical appearance of a person.” Any advertisement that breaks this law would be fined $55,000. Advertisements that use airbrushed models create an unrealistic idea of perfection in society’s head.

These images are making people take on unhealthy habits to achieve this imaginary, artificial sense of perfection. Obviously the advertising companies are fighting this law, as they are worried that it would decrease their sales.

I personally think that it is a good idea. I think it would help women that have this unrealistic idea of beauty and go to extreme lengths to try to live up to the women they see in ads. If food, books, alcohol and medication all require informative labels, why shouldn’t advertisements? I think if this law does pass in France, I believe it will not be long before other countries enforce it as well.

NBC's "Today Girls"

2011-11-13T12:21:00.001-05:00

For my Historiography of Broadcast class, I am working on a research paper focusing on the NBC “Today Girls.” During the 1950’s and 60’s the NBC Today Show featured a “Today Girl” who was responsible for covering fashion and lifestyle stories, as well as reporting the weather. “Today Girls” were often hired based on how they looked on camera. Among the nearly 30 women that filled the position were Florence Henderson, Louise King, Maureen O’Sullivan, and the last “Today Girl,” Barbara Walters. Walters insisted on changing the title and reporting on hard news stories.

During my research, I was surprised to learn that many former “Today Girls” were not offended by the title. By today’s standards, the idea of calling a woman in the professional world a “girl” sounds absolutely absurd. I was quite shocked to read that some of the women even stood up for the position. For example, in NBC’s “‘Today Girls’ Look Back at 35 Years of Women on the TODAY show,” Florence Henderson states, “You know, it was a title, you know, its Chairman of the Board, The Today Girl.”

In the book The Imperfect Mirror: Inside Stories of Television Newswomen, Henderson explains, “I don’t think they meant the term ‘Today Girl’ as a put-down. I didn’t take it that way...I don’t think any of us took it that way...Maybe things are different today, but everything is relative to the time that you live in. It’s only when someone feels they’re being put down, feels that they’re in a negative position, or feels that they’re being held back from doing other things, then they go in and start to change things for themselves.”

Why do you think many of the “Today Girls” were content with their title and their responsibilities? When Cassandra Clayton came in and talked to our class she had mentioned at one point she was one of “Stan’s Girls.” Do you think that these titles were just acceptable for the time?

Mississippi Personhood Amendment

2011-11-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

Read this

and this

and this!

Mississippi had an amendment, called the Personhood Amendment, that was voted on this past Tuesday. The ballot read, “Should the term ‘person’ be defined to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof?” This amendment would have made the status of a fetus a person. Therefore, any woman who had an abortion could have been charged with murder, and so could her abortion provider. Feministing pointed out that "this could end up criminalizing women who experience miscarriages, stillbirths, or women whose lives are at risk who might chose to terminate a pregnancy to save the life of the women."

Some interesting points:

Fact: Mississippi has the highest concentration of African-Americans, high poverty rate and low education ranking. Result: This amendment will disproportionately criminalize (low-income) women of color.

Fact: 61% of women who get abortions are mothers, and 84% will become mothers.Result: While purporting to be “pro-life” and “pro-family” this amendment will directly impact and criminalize so many women, especially poor women of color.

Luckily, the amendment did not pass! Yay! But it is quite disturbing, to me, that this amendment went so far as to be voted on. It is shocking that in 2011, we as women still have to fight for simple rights, such as safe and affordable abortions.

"The Imperfect Mirror: Inside Stories of Television Newswomen"

2011-11-07T14:10:00.002-05:00

I recently started reading the book, The Imperfect Mirror: Inside Stories of Television Newswomen, by Daniel Paisner. Published in 1989, the book may seem outdated in some aspects, but, so far, it has given me an in-depth look at women in television news, how far we have come, and how far we still need to advance.

The way the book is written reminds me very much of the video She Says, in that it profiles the experiences of numerous prominent women in journalism and even mentions some of the women that were featured in the film. For example, Paisner makes note that only three women, including Carole Simpson, appeared on the nightly network newscasts on Monday, January 11, 1988. Contrasting, 17 different men appeared on the network news that same night.

Paisner also brings up several interesting points and statistics that I had not learned prior to reading the book. According to Paisner, in 1988, only six out of the 70 correspondents at NBC were women. He also mentions that at one time Playboy featured an "anchor date of the month" which was a profile describing the woman's likes and dislikes. This type of publicity of the newswoman position only seems to enhance all of the typical gender stereotypes.

A huge challenge faced by women working in media, which was also discussed in She Says, was balancing work and personal life. Barbara Walters is referred to in the book as saying a woman can do three things: "get married, or build a serious, committed, lifelong relationship with her partner; she can have children; she can have a career...it's possible to do any two of those things well, but impossible to do all three." I was extremely surprised that at one point Walters felt so strongly about the status of women working in the media.

One quote from the book that stuck out to me reflects that although more opportunities seemed to be opening up for women, there was still no equality. Paisner states, "...the fact is, the doors of television newsrooms opened a lot faster than the minds of the men who worked inside."

Isn't this getting a little old?

2011-11-06T14:17:00.002-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/us/02iht-letter02.html?scp=6&sq=women&st=cse

This article from the New York Times is titled "Progress for Women, but a Long Way to Go" I think we have all heard enough stories, facts and statistics about the unequal treatment women receive in almost every aspect of life to know that society is not yet where it should be. Women and even men have fought for decades upon decades for the recognition of women's potential and rights and still we cannot claim equality. Why, as one of the most advanced, civilized nations in the world are we still unable to give total equality to everyone? Why, as a society are we largely content to sit back and just complain about what we don't have instead of doing something about it? Yes, there are several organizations and prominent members of society that promote and fight for women's rights but clearly this isn't enough. We are reminded on a daily basis through news articles, advertisements, TV shows, movies and music that total equality is not yet a reality. So what more will it take? Are the majority of women really content to live in the shadow of men or are these norms so deeply ingrained into our society that we don't even take notice of them anymore?

To be perfectly honest, I'm getting a little bit tired of hearing about how women aren't treated equally. It is well past the time for this to change.

"Diet" Isn't a Female Word

2011-10-25T22:31:00.002-05:00

First, watch this video.

I knew it couldn't be just me when I saw this. Sure enough, USA Today came out with a story just days after this commercial rudely interrupted my SVU marathon.

It starts out with all the trappings of an action movie, then asks the "ladies" if they're enjoying the movie. "Of course not," the badass, laser-blasting, muscled hero says.

The thing is, he didn't get that ripped without diet and exercise. No one does, whether you're a Nora Ephron-loving lady or a Michael Bay-loving dude. And yet somehow, diet drinks and food have become the sole domain of women.

"Only ten manly calories," the protagonist brags as he jumps aboard a moving Jeep barreling through rugged terrain. "So you can keep the romantic comedies and lady drinks. We're good."

Dr. Pepper is only the latest and most brazen perpetrator. Have you ever seen a Weight Watchers commercial that shows a man measuring his waist? It's always a woman, wearing a slinky, form-fitting dress, that's reaping the benefits of healthy eating and regular exercise. Is it really manlier to eat red meat and king-size all the time? Does a burgeoning belly and high cholesterol somehow boost your testosterone cred? You can't lift those weights without a healthy meal plan to back it up.

The executive VP of marketing for Dr. Pepper even says, condescendingly, "Women get the joke."

Do we, though? Yeah, perhaps it's tongue-in-cheek. But it toes a line. It almost seems condescending to men, too — like they'll believe all the action-film kitsch makes something girly suddenly okay. Never mind that all those chemicals will give you cancer — it's the sheer femininity of diet soda that should make you go full-calorie all the time. Otherwise you're just a wuss.

No one's watching you if you grab the silver Coke cans instead of the red at the grocery stores, gentlemen.

(Also, 40 percent of consumers of the ten-calorie drink so far are actually women. Solid work, marketing folks.)

Women and the Libyan revolution

2011-10-20T23:17:00.002-05:00

With all the fanfare surrounding today’s news that Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi has been killed, it’s interesting to take a look at the role that Libyan women have played in the revolution. I also thought it was relevant, given our recent focus on women in times of war.

The New York Times published a blog post today about activists Sharahzad Kablan and Sara Maziq, who, among others, met in Manhattan Wednesday night to discuss Libya’s rebuilding process and the role that women could play in it.

Kablan and Maziq, both Libyan exiles, quit their jobs (as a teacher in Cincinnati and an investment banker in Dubai, respectively) to support the revolutionaries, as soon as the uprising began.

Kablan moved to Qatar, where she hosted a “taboo-busting show” on Libya TV, a pro-rebel network. One of the topics she discussed was rape by Qaddafi’s military forces -- another example of the “rape and pillage” mentality of war that was noted in I Came to Testify. She’s also founded a non-profit for American teachers to teach special needs children in Libya next summer.

Maziq helped get communications equipment to fighters in Misurata, and the group she founded, the Libyan Civil Service Organization, is opening women’s centers throughout the country.

Through networking, the article goes on, the women have found legal experts who have offered to help Libya draft a new constitution, a prosecutor and foundation head who have offered their assistance creating programs to help Libyan victims of sexual violence and a diplomat who is hooking them up with money from the Dutch government for women’s activists in Libya.

The roles women play in times of war are often overshadowed by the heroic deeds and jubilant victories of male soldiers. It’s telling that most of the pictures and news coverage of Qaddafi’s death (and the Libyan uprising in general) focus on male fighters and leaders. The story about Kablan and Maziq’s work wasn’t even deemed worthy of a full news story; it was merely a blog post.

But what these women stand to do for Libyan society could be much more than just a footnote. Hopefully, with the support they’re receiving, they’ll be able to carve out a strong female presence in the new Libyan government.

40 Under 40

2011-10-20T22:13:00.002-05:00

Fortune magazine recently released their “40 Under 40” list. The people on this list are considered to be the hottest young stars in business. Of the 40 people on the list, only six were women. Even worse, women just barely made it in to the top half. The first woman, Marissa Mayer, the VP of Google, does not appear on the list until #20. This is a very strong statement since this means women are considered to make up only 15% of the up and coming most powerful and influential people in the business world. Obviously, the glass ceiling still exist.

This issue makes it clear that women are still not respected as business leaders. The cover of the “40 Under 40” issue has three of the people from the list. Ironically, two of them are women. Why is it that there are only six women on the list, yet they make up the majority of the cover? This means that 1/3 of the women on the list landed a position on the cover. The women could have been placed on the cover for multiple reasons. The first is to attract men. By putting attractive women on the cover, it is guaranteed to grab men's attention. The second is to disguise the fact that Forbes only selected six women for the list. The cover is extremely misleading. A person who quickly glanced at the issue might not pick up on the fact that the list is made up of almost all men. This represents that women are mostly appreciated for their appearance and not respected for their success in powerful business positions.

Bus Segregation Still Exists in New York

2011-10-20T20:24:00.001-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/nyregion/bus-segregation-of-jewish-women-prompts-review.html

For many people who use public transportation, if there is an open seat, you take it no matter where it is. What if you needed to take a public bus and once you got on you were sent to the back because you were a woman? I ask this because in The New York Times yesterday, October 19, there was an article published that dealt with the segregation of women and men on a public bus that runs from Williamsburg to Borough Park in Brooklyn, New York. The bus got widespread recognition when a female rider was asked to move to the back by the other riders due to her sex. The mayor held a news conference in which he addressed the issue and stated that separating men and women on a public bus was “obviously not permitted. Private people: you can have a private bus. Go rent a bus, and do what you want on it.”

Even though the bus is privately operated, it was granted a public route and is therefore not allowed to discriminate. Although most of the riders are a part of the Jewish community and their religion dictates the separation of the sexes, they are legally obligated to allow people of other faiths to make use of the bus without being subject to their religious rules.

Organizations to change the world

2011-10-20T13:53:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I went to a speaker for an organization called Circle of Sisterhood. I left feeling extremely motivated but saddened by the reality of how many young women live. The Circle of Sisterhood raises money with sororities to "remove educational barriers for girls and women, uplifting them from poverty and oppression."(Mission of Circle of Sisterhood) The University of Maryland's sororities raised over 4,000 dollars for Circle of Sisterhood which I was extremely proud of. As the speaker was explaining to us how a girl in another country could just need a small amount of money to get an education for a year and meals I felt a huge sense of shock. I think it was shocking to compare the price of a college education to 50 dollars which could help save a girls life. In an ideal world I wished everyone on this campus could donate money to go towards these girls educations but I am still so happy with the donation we were able to give. I am extremely impressed by the University's spreading awareness of the human sex trafficking issue and their addition of Half The Sky in the English 101 curriculum. I feel that although awareness is slowly happening we are definitely starting to make an impact. Here is the link to the Circle of Sisterhood Organization http://www.circleofsisterhood.org/

A Very Successful Woman on Ebay

2011-10-20T13:41:00.003-05:00

Linda Lightman, a woman from the suburbs of Philadelphia, and previously an attorney, began selling her sons video games on eBay in 2000. As time went by, she was asked by others to sell items and decided to make a small business out of it. A small business grew quickly into a much bigger one, and in 2010, it was estimated that she would make $7 million in sales, and that number has now risen. Linda sells gently used, high end designer brand items and is a trusted seller of people from all over the country. She takes a small percentage of what an item sells for, and her clients receive the rest. She even sells items from the closet of Jill Zarin, from the Real Housewives of New York. She has received much media attention in recent days. She was featured on ABC's Nightline, on the front page on the New York Times style section, and most recently, featured as a top female entrepreneur in Fortune Magazine. Because of how big the company has become, Linda's husband quit his desk job and now helps run her company full time. Their office has moved three times now, from their home, which became way too overcrowded with other peoples "stuff", to an office in Horsham, PA, and now to a much larger one down the street. She staffs over 50 people full time. Linda Lightman is now known as one of the largest sellers of clothing and accessories on eBay. This story is truly inspirational and shows that you never really know where the future will take you, but that women who put their heart and minds into something, can be extremely successful!

With More of Them Running, Women Could Have Banner Year in 2012 — or Not

2011-10-20T12:23:00.000-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/us/politics/women-could-have-banner-year-in-2012-election.html?_r=1&hp

The New York Times published an article today called “With More of Them Running, Women Could Have Banner Year in 2012 — or Not.” Although I admit I do not involve myself in politics nearly as much as I know I should, this article immediately caught my attention. I may not know much about Republicans and Democrats, but I do know this: our country is predominantly run by males.

The article discusses what an important political year this is for women. It is the greatest number of females that have ever been up for re-election and the highest number of women nominees thus far. There are 10 female democratic nominees, with one more considering running. There is one female republican senator, and one female republican nominee. Although it is still a disappointing number in comparison to the male presence in the political environment, it is inspiring to see the track that we are on. To be at the highest number of women running for office yet means that we are moving forward in society. It is a small step towards a larger goal but we are on the right track.

Unfortunately, the article also discusses that if democrats do not do well in the election, subsequently, women will not do well because there are so many female democratic candidates. It raises the question of which is more important, your political values, or your societal values? Would you vote for the political party of your choice, or would you vote to place more women in congress? It is a really difficult decision to make because both have a great impact on the way our society evolves.

Some may disagree but personally, I would love to see more women take office- regardless of political party. As a female, I want to be represented in the decision-making office of our country. Regardless of political values, women contribute opinions different than men. We think about different things then men. I just don’t see how democracy could be achieved with so few women speaking on my behalf. The government is supposed to be representative of its citizens and women make up more of the country than men do.

In the article, retiring U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison says that she was a part of a group of female lawmakers that contributed to legislation about how rape victims were treated in court. This is very important legislation that possibly would not have been created without the help and input of women.

“It wasn’t that the men were against our legislation,” she said in the article, “It was just they never thought about the issue.”

And that is why need women. To raise issues that are not necessarily evident to men. How could you expect a man to think about rape and abortion the same way that a woman does? It just isn’t the same. This year, I’m voting for women.

Jon Stewart vs. Michele Bachmann

2011-10-20T10:19:00.003-05:00

While I did not watch the GOP debate on Tuesday night, I did watch The Daily Show last night when Jon Stewart presented an overview of what happened. While this clearly is a politically biased source, I think it is still very interesting to compare how Michele Bachmann was portrayed compared to the other men in the debate. The comments made about her were, for the most part, very gendered.

Stewart starts his discussion of the debate by saying Bachmann was able to "untangle the arms of her straightjacket" before appearing on screen, referring to the style of the jacket she was wearing. Many other news sources also commented on this jacket, comparing it to the Navy or saying how strange it looked, but Stewart chose to compare it to a straightjacket. He then went on to say, "no one puts crazy in a corner," referencing the very well known movie Dirty Dancing. This opening discussion of the outfit she chose to wear has nothing to do with her policy, and focuses solely on how she looked. There was no discussion of what any of the other candidates were wearing, even though Ron Paul was certainly not wearing a fitted suit. Clearly, this is a gendered critique of Bachmann that is unfairly given, seeing as the other men did not face similar comments.

I think the most surprising part of this was the fact that Jon Stewart chose to focus on this more than her actual opinions on policy. There are many things to criticize Bachmann about that have nothing to do with how she looks, but Stewart still chose to open with a basic discussion of her clothes. This shows how pervasive sexist comments are towards female politicians in all forms of media. The episode even ended with the "Moment of Zen" being an interview on Fox News with Bachmann and Wayne Newton, saying it looked like they were "on a date" and they were "hot" together. While this may be funny to watch, it is still very sexist to end the show with the only female candidate being shown as connected to a man, and even "on a date." The emphasis is, once again, on how she looks and connecting her to a man rather than on her politics. It is totally unnecessary, given the wealth of other things Stewart could use to criticize Bachmann for regarding her beliefs, and it is unfortunate that he chose to use those stories instead.

I Came To Testify

2011-10-20T00:22:00.003-05:00

The documentary "I Came To Testify" was truly inspiring piece. The story that these women told was really moving, and I think it really took everything we have been talking about in class and put it in perspective. These women fought literally for their lives; they survived after being raped repeatedly, degraded and treated like objects. Their struggle was much greater than anything I could ever imagine.

As a woman growing up in the United States with so much freedom and surrounded by people who care about me, it is extremely hard for me to imagine what these women went through. However, it made me realize that, despite some of the injustices women in this country face now and have faced in the past, we have never had to overcome something to the extent and on as great a scale as the women of Foca did. It really made me appreciate the country I live in and all the privileges I've received.

What the women said about being stripped of all their dignity and humanity struck me especially because it is behavior we have discussed in class, though to a lesser extent. Many women have been made to feel lesser than men and in some cases, treated as an object, the only purpose of which is to look pretty. These women went through something so horrific, I cannot even come close to imagining it. However, I think it is so extremely courageous that they came forward and told their story, face-to-face with the men who attacked them. They really did pave the way for women who have been raped, mistreated, abused or tortured. If they could come forward and tell their story and see some justice served, then I believe other women will feel empowered to do so also.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month : A Look at Celebrity Survivors

2011-10-19T20:35:00.002-05:00

Scrolling through the Washington Post on line, I came across a slide show of celebrity woman that had breast cancer and beat it. Some of them I had no idea they even had Breast Cancer. So I decided to post a few on here to recognize them for their strong will, bravery and fight to beat breast cancer.

TV personality Guiliana Rancic recently revealed that she is battling breast cancer, which was discovered when she was undergoing fertility treatment.

Sheryl Crow battled breast cancer in 2006, but her cancer was detected early. After surgery and radiation, she advocates for yearly mammograms.

”Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts fought breast cancer in 2007. She continued to appear on TV even as she was undergoing chemotherapy.

Actress Edie Falco fought stage I breast cancer in 2003 while working on “The Sopranos.”

Actress Christina Applegate had a double mastectomy after her cancer diagnosis at age 36.

Broadcast journalist Hoda Kotb fought breast cancer in 2007 and underwent mastectomy surgery

Cynthia Nixon became a breast cancer advocate after she beat the disease in 2008. She discovered the cancer while she was starring in the off-Broadway play “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

Journalist Cokie Roberts underwent successful breast cancer treatment in 2002.

These women remained in the media while still suffering from breast cancer and they disease never got them down and out of the game. These women are strong and resilient and are very powerful women that other women should look up to.

First Female Athlete to join Team Jordan

2011-10-19T19:36:00.002-05:00

This is fairly old, but in May of this year Maya Moore, former UConn basketball player, became the first female basketball player to be welcomed as an official member of team Jordan. The Jordan brand is an affiliate of Nike. It was started by Michael Jordan in the mid 80's and has thrived since then. With the Jordan brand being so well known, sponsering players like Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees and Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat, it is hard to believe that she is the first female athlete ever to be added to the brand. There have been plenty of female baskeball layers with the same accolades that could have joined Team Jordan prior.

Many could say that the times are changing and women are starting to be accepted because of this. Although it is great that she has the distinction of being the first woman of this brand, others may argue whether her endorsement would make a difference in women's sports. It was inquired whether her being added to the brand would elevate the brand and sport, women's basketball, as Michael Jordan did during his accomplished career. It is hard to say to say if she will be able to have thatimpact onthe sport because people would stillhave to watch and most people don't watch women's basketball like they do men's. I would have to agree with this even though I am excited that they finally have a women representing the brand. I think that this was way overdue and I hope that Team Jordan will welcome more female athletes in the future.

Vogue

2011-10-19T11:20:00.000-05:00

I think it’s awesome that the latest issue of Vogue had an article about Jennifer Newsom, the creator of the documentary Miss Representation, but I also find it a little ironic. Vogue is one of the media outlets, in my opinion, that creates these kind of one-dimensional images of women. Vogue consists of mostly advertisements featuring extremely thin beautiful women. There is rarely a picture of a “curvier” or less attractive woman in Vogue.

Regardless, I thought this was a very interesting interview. Newsom encourages women to stick together to overcome sexism in the media. She suggests stop buying tabloid magazines that degrade women, going to see movies that were written, produced, and directed by women, and writing to advertising and media campaigns to tell them what you think. I agree that some women are perpetuating the stereotypes of women in the media. Newsom says The Hills is one reality show that really degrades women, yet most of the viewers are women. If women were to take a stand and stop watching these shows or buying these magazines I think it could help stop poor portrayal of women in the media.

http://www.vogue.com/culture/article/jennifer-newsom-on-her-new-documentary-miss-representation/

Solo is sexy

2011-10-19T11:16:00.003-05:00

An article in yesterday’s style section of the Washington Post portrayed women in a way that is not commonly seen in the media. The article featured women’s soccer player Hope Solo. Solo is being featured in a strategically placed naked pose on the cover of the upcoming issue of ESPN The Magazine. The picture shows off her toned athletic body, and the author of the article argues she looks much more comfortable than when she appears in the ballroom gowns on Dancing with the Stars.

“My entire purpose is trying to be the best, and if that exudes beauty too, that’s pretty powerful. It means the image of the typical female body type is finally evolving,” Solo says. I agree that it’s great Solo is featured on the cover of this because she does not have the typical body that is usually featured on magazine covers. I think that it is inspiring to see a woman with a toned, muscular body representing beauty rather than a frail malnourished one.

The author ends the piece by saying Solo is helping to redefine sexy, but acknowledges how hard it is to break stereotypes. She is not a girly-girl who looks 100% natural in the dancing costumes but, in reality, most women wouldn’t. At one point the article states how Solo’s dancing partner says, “Hope has a problem with being sexy.” Views likes these are what keep girls thinking they need to look like the models on the runway, because men and some women have a very narrow view when it comes to “what is sexy.” I think that this article did a great job of showing a well-respected female athlete and showing that even though her body is unconventional, she still is sexy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/todays_paper?dt=2011-10-18&bk=C&pg=1

Segregating classrooms based on gender

2011-10-17T21:17:00.000-05:00

I was on the Ms. Magazine website and came across the article, “Rethinking Venus and Mars,” by J Goodrich, which discusses ideas presented in the book, The Truth About Boys and Girls: Challenging Toxic Stereotypes About Our Children. Authors of the book Caryl Rivers and Rosalind C. Barnett take an in-depth look at the ideas presented by Leonard Sax, a family physician and psychologist, and Michael Gurian, a corporate consultant. According to Sax and Gurian, classrooms should be segregated based on gender and the curriculum should be tailored to the strengths of the genders. They base their theory off of “gender essentialism” which Goodrich explains is the idea that “the sexes are biologically and permanently different from each other, yet so similar within their genders, that boys and girls are best educated apart, using different teaching methods and even studying different topics.”

I completely disagree with the Sax-Gurian theory and believe that, if implemented, it could be detrimental to the academic development of our youth. Following the theory, schools would teach girls how to become homemakers and encourage them to pursue care-taking occupations. At one school that follows the theory, drama is only offered to girls and computer applications only to boys. I do not understand how this is justified? Schools would be purposefully limiting both genders by directly telling them what they can and cannot do. It seems like an extreme form of reinforcing already-existent cultural stereotypes.

While reading the beginning of the article, I figured this was only taking place in a few schools across the nation, but apparently I am wrong. According to Goodrich, 524 public schools have at least one single-sex classroom. While I do not have an issue with single-sex schools, I do have a problem with schools limiting the subjects that girls are able to study. As women, we already face a great deal of gender discrimination, and this theory only seems to contribute to the these challenges and limitations.

Mad Men and The Feminine Mystique

2011-10-16T23:12:00.003-05:00

While it has been discussed briefly in class a few times so far, I believe the television show Mad Men really does show audiences an honest perspective of women who lived during the 1960s. As I continue to watch more episodes through my Netflix account, I am amazed at how many connections I find between what the characters on the show are experiencing and what was discussed in The Feminine Mystique. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show, it centers around a man named Don Draper, who works for a major advertising agency in Manhattan during the 1960s. He has many of his own problems to deal with throughout the series, however what I always find more fascinating is the plot lines that look at the lives of Betty Draper, his wife, and Joan, a former secretary in his office. These women both demonstrate the problems Betty Friedan described in her book.

Betty Draper is a housewife who is clearly unsatisfied with her life, but is unable to say exactly why she isn't happy. She even goes to a therapist, who simply says she is "bored" and tells her to take up horseback riding as a solution to her problems. Friedan's description of the problem that has no name is exactly what Betty is feeling, though the book is never discussed on the show. While her home life continues to get worse as she discovers Don's affairs and secrets, she quickly realizes how trapped she is within her own home and doesn't know what to do.

Joan, a former secretary at Don's marketing agency, portrays a slightly different perspective as a working woman who is told to quit her job by her husband once they are married. Though it is clear that Joan actually enjoys working and being independent, she feels obligated to conform to what is expected of her and stay at home to start a family. Her career aspirations are not allowed to come to fruition because she is never given the option to have both a career and a family, which is another problem Friedan explores.

I'm excited to see how the rest of the series plays out, and highly recommend the show to anyone interested! There are many connections between this show and what we are learning every week, and it's very interesting to see how Betty and Joan are simply trapped in their given situations. Absolutely amazing show!

Women underrepresented in Student Government Associations

2011-10-16T15:21:00.002-05:00

The USA Today article, “Gender gap grows in student governments” echoes the problems and statistics that were expressed in the documentary Miss Representation. After viewing the documentary, I realized just how underrepresented women are in politics. According the film, the U.S. is 90th in the world for women in national legislatures; this was absolutely astonishing to me. We pride ourselves on being a progressive nation, but the numbers do not seem to support that belief.

The USA Today article made it clear that this issue is present below the national level as well. Reporter Samuel Levine profiles University of Chicago student Meher Kairon in her run for vice president of student affairs. Kairon was the only woman running for a position on the executive level, and she ended up winning the election. Levine explains that Kairon is part of a small group of women that hold executive positions in student governments at colleges across the nation.

Levine cited a Washington Post article which stated that less than 40 percent of student government presidents are female. He explains that this trend is reflected in the national government with only 89 out of the 535 members of Congress being women and only 6 women serving as governors.

After reading Levine's article, I wanted to see if the same was true with the University of Maryland’s Student Government Association so I checked out the website. Sure enough, on the executive board level, only one out of the four positions is held by a woman.

According to Miss Representation, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” If we do not have women political leaders that can serve as models, it will be extremely difficult to see ourselves taking on such positions. The idea that politics is a “man’s world” will continue to live on.

Three women win nobel peace prize

2011-10-11T11:32:00.000-05:00

Three different women all fighting for women's rights were chosen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, according to CBS.
The most notable of the women is Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first democratically elected president in Africa. A Harvard graduate, Sirleaf has been heavily involved in politics since the 70s. After two bloody civil wars, Sirleaf was chosen by the Liberian public in 2003.

The other two women chosen were Leyma Gbowee, a rights activist in Liberia, and Tawakkul Karman from Yemen—the first Arab women to win the award. CBS quotes the Norwegian Nobel Committee on why they made that decision.

"We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society," the prize committee said. The committee is acknowledging the Arab spring, the movement in the Arab world against totalitarianism regime.

The article also shows the lop-sided ratio of women to men who have won the award—776 to 40. I think this choice by the committee shows big strides in society of how women are portrayed. They are also hoping that this will bring attention to rape and violence of rape against women and how women are trying to spread democracy peacefully.

This decision is very inspirational to me, and hopefully all of you. I hope to one day go over to different countries and help the fight against women's rights and this shows me that is not a lost cause.

Nobel Peace Prize

2011-10-07T15:35:00.001-05:00

I was really excited to read this article about three women who won the Nobel Peace Prize.Then I was a little stunned to find that they are the first women to win this award since Wangari Maatha in 2004. That's seven years without a single woman winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

These women are Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkul Karmen. Sirleaf is the President of Liberia, was actually the first female president of Africa when elected in 2005. Karmen is an Arab Spring activist in Yemen. Gbowee "pushed men toward peace by inspiring a large group of both Christian and Muslim women to wage a sex strike in 2002 during one of Africa's bloodiest wars." Karman was also the first Arab woman to ever win this award.

They shared the award "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and women's rights to full participation in peace-building work."

I'm really proud of these three women, especially since they are women of color. I am just a little disappointed that there was such a gap in years when this award went to just men. I hope that in future years there will be more equality.

Katy Perry's song - E.T. (feat. Kanye West)

2011-10-06T10:08:00.002-05:00

If you haven't heard the song, here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Sd5c4o9UM

It came out a while ago and I still am astonished at its lyrics and the message it is sending to young girls. As a sociology major, I have taken several classes that have discussed gender images and the media and how it helps shape our culture. As such, it has become impossible at times to ignore the blatant messages that come across through popular culture. Here is the refrain from the song:

Kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me
Infect me with your love and
Fill me with your poison

Take me, ta-ta-take me
Wanna be a victim
Ready for abduction

Kanye West then joins in with this:

I'ma disrobe you, than I'mma probe you
See I abducted you, so I tell ya what to do
I tell ya what to do, what to do, what to do

Really? This is what we have to listen to now? Is this really something anyone should aspire to? Among the massive amount of images that are put forth from the media and popular culture of women being passive, of having things done to them instead of doing things themselves, this song kind of puts it over the top for me. Not that it presents any new or shocking ideas but simply that the idea of "being a victim" willingly is disgusting to me. I once heard the statistic that 1 in 5 women are raped during the college years. Rape is not fun or enjoyable. And the fact that this song in a way presents the idea that it is, is very disturbing to me.

Abortion on Network TV

2011-09-30T13:14:00.002-05:00

On the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy, surgeon Cristina Yang had an abortion.

Seeing as abortions has been legal in the United States since 1973, and real women in America have abortions every day, this should not be such a big deal. Television shows women getting birth all the time, so they should be showing abortions all the time too, right?
Only that's not what happens at all. Last season on Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Callie Torres had a baby, and in the previous season finale, Dr. Meredith Grey had a miscarriage onscreen. Characters have given up babies for adoption, and other characters have adopted babies.
In the second season, Cristina was going to have an abortion, but when she ended up having an ectopic pregnancy, she didn't have to make that decision, making last week the first time in eight seasons of the show that a main character has gotten an abortion.

This is a rare occurrence on television, and as someone who is Pro-Choice, it is refreshing to see someone making this choice that so many women make portrayed on TV in a realistic way.

Gender inequality in the college hook-up culture?

2011-09-20T22:07:00.009-05:00

At the end of August, the New York Times ran an article titled "After Class, Skimpy Equality," which examines the divide between the respectful, equal treatment college women receive in classes and what some perceive as their demeaning sexualization outside of class.

Columnist Lisa Belkin writes about an off-campus Halloween party held at Duke last fall that raised the ire of some students for inviting women to attend dressed as a "slutty nurse, a slutty doctor, a slutty schoolgirl or just a total slut." But while she notes the outrage from many segments of the university community, she is more interested in the women who accepted the party invitation.

College women today, Belkin writes, are more empowered in the classroom than ever. In contrast to her days as a student at Princeton, when she and her female classmates often felt "like guests in the boys' club treehouse," Princeton women today match their male counterparts in numbers and confidence.

But Belkin points out that after class, many women are willing to accept being sexualized and sometimes belittled by men. For example, women are expected to dress in skimpy clothes and put on makeup to attend a party (if they don't, they feel under-dressed), while men's attire is "laid-back, casual, like they are going to class."

She explores whether this is due in part to pressure from other women, or a sense of obligation to please party hosts, who are predominantly men according to the students quoted in the article. She also notes that some students said women use their sexuality as a kind of power over men. “A guy is more or less dependent on the women receiving his advances so if she is not interested, then tough luck for him,” one male student quoted in the article says. “I think that in a way the girls relish that power. They can pick and say, ‘I’m not interested in that guy.’ ”

I think Belkin touches on a lot of interesting points, and my own opinions on the issue are complicated. I think that party invitations calling girls "sluts" are pretty obviously offensive. What is a "slutty doctor" anyway? As so many participants in the recent "Slut Walks" across the country have argued, slurs like these only seem to help people feel justified in judging women and, sometimes, rationalizing violence against them.

At the same time, our generation has a lot more gray areas when it comes to sex and the relationships between men and women. As one interviewee notes in the article, her mother couldn't understand that there is a stage between friendship and relationship -- the type of "friends with benefits" or "hook-up" arrangement that many college students today engage in, often because they aren't ready or interested in committing to one person just yet. Women who have the desire for a purely sexual relationship today are able to achieve that, as men have for centuries. Maybe dressing in a way that would attract purely sexual attention is just the means to an end and shouldn't be seen as demeaning if it is a conscious choice, as some of the women interviewed said.

Belkin ultimately comes to the conclusion that "we need to take a new look at what we are teaching our children, and also at what they may have to teach us." The topic is one I've discussed often with my friends, and about which my opinion continues to evolve. As I think many confident, self-respecting college-aged women would say after examining their own decisions and motives, it's a complicated issue that's wrapped up in both natural and social impulses.

My Dress is Not a Yes!

2011-09-20T20:47:00.002-05:00

I came across an article titled SlutWalks Sweep the Nation. The title alone is somewhat startling and demands attention. After reading the article, I was very taken back. The “Slutwalk” movement started after an incident in Toronto involving a police officer. When speaking to a group of students about rape prevention, the officer offered this advice: to prevent being sexually assaulted “avoid dressing like sluts” I couldn’t believe what I was reading. As you can imagine, this shocked and upset not just the students but also a huge group of females in Toronto. This victim-blaming philosophy sparked a now nationwide movement known as Slutwalks.

The purpose of these walks is to educate the public and demand sexual respect for women. The press and media has played a huge role in our generations’ use of the term “slut”. It is used far too often and carries a very derogatory meaning. It has become so common that I think men often think it is acceptable to disrespect women, and women have almost gotten use to it. I think this movement is the start of a much-needed change. Before reading this article, I never realized how often women are blamed for being victims of sexual assault. It is not ok that some people believe a woman deserves to be raped or assaulted based simply on the clothing she wears and the way she looks. In my opinion it does not matter how provocatively a woman is dressed, it is never an invitation for someone to sexually abuse them. I think this movement sheds light on an important issue that is rarely given the attention it deserves. Since the start in Toronto, the movement has quickly gained popularity, spreading to cities all over the nation. These walks have also received nationwide press which is a great way to further spread the message. I think it’s a good sign that women are sick of being degraded and ready to stand up for themselves to get the word out so that hopefully women will begin to gain more respect and victims of sexual assault will stop being blamed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/20/slutwalk-united-states-city_n_851725.html

2011-09-20T20:45:00.001-05:00

http://play987.radio.com/2011/09/16/project-runways-tim-gunn-kirstie-alley-is-not-a-size-4/

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/19/tim-gunn-kirstie-alley-is-not-a-size-4/?iref=allsearch

Even the Women at the Top...

2011-09-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

Change isn't even easy for Barack Obama. Ron Suskind talks about how Obama dismissed the first complaints from women about the culture in the White House in his new book, Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington and the Education of a President, according to an article in The Washington Post by Jena McGregor. He chalked it up to being an "intense atmosphere" -- But this seems to be more then just an intense atomosphere.

Anita Dunn, the white house communications director, was quoted in the article saying "this place would be in court for a hostile workplace." In the article McGregor says that Obama finally did sit down with his top femle adviors to talk about their concerns. Now, if anything will be done about it is still yet to be seen.

Obama isn't the first leader to ignore the problems of leading females. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the organization that was made famous by Martin Luther King Jr., was guilty for this too. Since they were a Christian organization, by tradition, females could not have leading roles in the conference. Only males were allowed to be Ministers then, so they were the face of the orginazation. Everyone has heard of King, but many have never head the name Ella Baker. Baker was one of the top women in the SCLC, and worked as an equal to King.. but her names never made it in the history books. Many other civil right activist groups were known not to support women's rights, or treat them as second class citizens.

Both male leaders, Obama and King both preached progressive platforms, yet ignored the concerns of the females working with them.

"Kirstie Alley is not a Size 4"

2011-09-20T20:43:00.000-05:00

Recently, a tampa radio station, Play 98.7, made the topic of their talk show Kirstie. Alley’s weight. After her stint on dancing with the stars, she stated that she has lost 100 lbs and is currently a size 4. The talk show hosts commented for a few minutes that there was no way she could be a size 4, and then called in an “expert” to give a better opinion on the topic. Tim Gunn, a “Project Runway” star was brought into the conversation where he also remarked that Kirstie Alley could not be a size 4, but rather that she was probably between sizes 8 and 10.

The sheer fact that Kirstie Alley’s weight is a hot topic for radio conversation is pretty disturbing. Even more, that they would accuse her of lying about her weight and feel the need to voice their opinions about her figure is insulting. Regardless of whether Kirstie Alley is a size 4, if that is what she chose to tell people then it should be left at that.

Today, women in the media face extreme pressures to look “skinny” and “beautiful”. Many celebrities, Kirstie Alley included, unhealthily fluctuate in weight because of the scrutiny of being in the spotlight. They go on insane diets and exercise excessively just to fit in to the standard of what is “acceptable” for a celebrity in Hollywood. Whether Kirstie Alley is a size 4 or 8 or 10 or 12 should not matter and, certainly, should not be a topic for debate. If Alley is not a size 4, it is unsettling to know that she was so uncomfortable revealing her true weight that she had to lie about it. This sets a terrible example for the rest of the women in the world. Women who are a size 8, as long as they are healthy, should state it proudly. As a celebrity, being insecure about weight, or rapidly becoming stick-skinny, only makes women and girls who look up to them feel that they need to be a certain size to be “acceptable”. Women should never have to feel embarrassed about their weight or appearance, or feel that they need to lose weight to fit in.

On the radio show, Gunn states "There is a phenomenon out there right now that I call the lying deceptive shell game of vanity sizing. In fact a 4 is really a 6 or an 8." This statement implies that it is extremely common for women to feel so insecure about their appearance and size.

Gunn also discusses an experiment that he and his other fashion confidants had conducted. "We took a size 8 dress from 1980, one from 1990 and one from 2000 and compared them - the difference between them was two and a half inches in the waist alone!" That statement alone is disturbing. Our society has evolved for the worse in terms of public image. Many magazines feature girls that are severely skinny as models. They are unrealistic looking and promote an unhealthy idea that the readers must look like them to beautiful. This distorted view has become very much embedded in our society. The need to be tall, beautiful and skinny influences the minds of women all over the country. Two and a half inches is a very large difference in a person’s waist. This comparison displays that our society is moving in a dangerous direction of eating disorders and unhealthy living. Sizes such as “00” now exist making women feel insecure about the numbers associated with their weight and dress size. It is sad to see that our world contains such superficial ideas that attack a woman’s psyche and eat at her core. We need to move towards a more positive image as seen in select ads such as the Dove campaign.

False Advertising

2011-09-20T16:15:00.002-05:00

After reading an article online from The Guardian, a UK newspaper, written this summer, I found it very interesting to see how far the media will go in order to provide the public with an image that depicts what we are supposed to define as "beautiful", even if it is actually impossible for a woman to attain. In the L'Oreal ad campaign that came out this summer, with Christy Turlington and Julia Roberts as the faces of the brand, it was clear to see that these women's faces were extremely airbrushed and looked unrealistic . Complaints about the ads surfaced and the ad campaign was ultimately banned. L'Oreal tried to stand up for their campaign by stating that no rules had been broken and they had not digitally manipulated the images too much, stating that these women were already naturally beautiful to begin with. I was very surprised to read that Julia Roberts did not allow the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) to see the pre-production pictures. This makes it obvious that women, especially those in the media, are obsessed with how they look and the image that they give off to the public. If Julia Roberts is so naturally beautiful (and not to mention if the Lancome makeup actually worked), why would she be so against letting the advertising regulator see a picture of her before the digital manipulation of the photo? Clearly, there are extremely high standards as to what people consider as "beautiful" and this is why women and girls around the world have a skewed body image and low self esteem. The advertisements placed in front of our faces every day are truly not reality.

World Bank Development Report

2011-09-20T09:01:00.002-05:00

I wasn't even researching for this blog post when I came across this article from the Wall-Street Journal on my Twitter feed. The tease for the link on Twitter said this "Women represent 40% of the world's labor force, but hold just 1% of the world's wealth." To me, this is a crazy statistic and it drew me into read the article immediately. Women are a huge part of the labor force, but they don't seem to reap any of the benefits that being a part of this force could provide. This statistic comes from the latest Development Report from the World Bank, which focuses on gender equality (or in this case, blatant inequality) across the world.

The article continues on to say that women now account for more than half of the world's university students. In 60 countries, universities have more female students than males. While it is encouraging that so many women are now given the opportunity to get an education, it is odd that their opportunities do not continue into the workplace. If so many women are becoming educated, why are they not being given jobs, or being paid a wage that is in line with their position? If women are in possession of only 1% of the world's wealth, there is definitely a large, gaping hole to be closed in the gender gap even after years of what many consider to be significant progress.

The last part of the article states that eliminating barriers in the workforce for women can help the productivity of most countries. If women were given more opportunities, the World Bank estimates that output per worker would increase from 3% to 25%. Isn't the world in the midst of an economic crisis? If women were given more opportunities to work, the economy would be significantly more productive.

These facts are important because they show just how many challenges women are facing around the world. In the United States, women are afforded many opportunities and there has been a multitude of progress made on women's rights issues over the years. For many people in this country, the gender gap is not a hugely relevant issue on main things such as having a job and being able to go to school. Those opportunities are given to women in this country. Because of this, many of us, including myself, forget that so many women across the world do not get to have the same opportunities. Women of the world need to come together so that every country provides women with the opportunities that they deserve. The increased productivity of women would be beneficial to everyone across the world, including men.

Article link: http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/09/18/new-facts-on-the-gender-gap-from-the-world-bank/?KEYWORDS=women+wealth

What is Wrong with this Picture?

2011-09-19T21:40:00.001-05:00

While researching topics to post for this blog, I came across this article (http://ap.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/reprint/30/3/257) that discusses the way the image of the female body has changed throughout history.

What some might find surprising is that the ideal woman today is not what was valued in a woman centuries ago. Today, all we see in magazines and movies are stick thin women with no curves which is very different from the ideal women of the Colonial era where “[…] communities valued fertile, physically strong and able women.” The article addresses the fact that as the time changed, so did the image of the perfect female body. In the 19^thcentury, women went to new heights to become thin. Some had ribs removed in order to have a slimmer waist line which was the new valued body type. Again, the image changed during World War II to physically strong women because they not only worked in the factories but some started playing professional sports.

In the magazine ads and in the shows that are on television, the image of the female body is very thin, tall and with large breasts. There are many problems with this, one being that most women do not have this body type. At a young age, girls are exposed to this idealized body image that leads to many health issues such as depression and eating disorders. The media portrays this unhealthy image of what ideal beauty is and until that is changed, women will continue to pursue this idealistic body type.

Women in Technology

2011-09-19T20:22:00.001-05:00

In today’s Washington Post there is an article entitled “Women Catch-up in Hot Technology Start-up Field.” The article told how men still dominate entrepreneurial companies and technological fields, but the tides seem to be slowly changing.

The article showcased a few women, including Paula Jagemann and Elizabeth Thorp, who started their own businesses online. Thorp says she has faced sexism in the field, such as a venture capitalist calling her site “cute” and that he would show it to his wife. I think that this shows how even though women have come a long way, they still face hardships in the workplace to this day.

Nancy Lamberton, president-elect at Women in Technology, thinks that the low numbers of women in this field stems from the lack of opportunities in technology for girls in high school. I agree with this hypothesis. When in high school I never really considered a career in one of these fields. I think that maybe if real working women talked to high school students about the importance of women in these fields maybe girls would consider careers they never even knew about. I have a few female friends at Maryland who are majoring in engineering and say that their classes consist of mostly boys. I think that even though men and women can now have the same jobs, there are still some fields that are dominated by a single sex.

I also think it’s interesting that even though women are slowly starting to catch onto the entrepreneurial opportunities available online, most of the websites they have created that were mentioned in the article had to do with cooking or housework. For example, Valerie Coffman developed a website called Feastie, allowing users to search recipes, translate them into grocery lists, and receive coupons.

Overall, I was very pleased to see this article appear in the Washington Post, and I think that it is great to see some women showcased in the paper that usually would not get any attention.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/women-play-catch-up-in-hot-technology-start-up-field/2011/09/07/gIQASzbGdK_story.html

Women in the Levi's advertisement

2011-09-19T20:12:00.002-05:00

While browsing through a recent copy of U.S. Weekly I came across an advertisement for Levi's curve I.D. jeans. Usually when I see advertisements for curvy women such as the Dove campaign for real women the women are actually curvy. This advertisement in U.S. Weekly featured an extremely skinny model who had barely any curves. This made me think about what our society is teaching women today. A brand that is featuring a product supposedly for curvy women is telling the public that skinny women are curvy. I found the advertisement extremely demoralizing because this is what young women and girls might expect their bodies to look like when in reality this woman is airbrushed and photo-shopped. I appreciate the fact that brands such as Levi's are creating items for women of all shapes and sizes, however, I felt that this advertisement completely defeated the purpose of their campaign.

After seeing the Levi's advertisement, I looked online to view the Dove campaign. I realized that it is actually possible to feature real women's bodies tastefully in advertisements and to set good examples for younger women. I admire Dove for choosing women who are not the stereotypical model type. I feel that it is important to promote a healthy body image and to display confidence in advertisements for all women. If there were more positive advertisements that focused on a healthy weight and body image I feel less women would feel as critical as they do about their bodies. If a real women's body that was not photo-shopped was the norm in our advertisements there would be less comparison to unrealistic bodies.

"It Helps To Care" - Andrea Prichett

2011-09-19T17:20:00.002-05:00

After reading the post http://feministing.com/2011/09/17/the-feministing-five-andrea-prichett/ from The Feministing Five. I found Andrea Prichett to be a big hero in her community.

Starting a copwatch to help stop the abuse that cops were bestowing to the homeless people in her neighborhood was a brave thing to do. For people to be homeless and already have nowhere to go but being beaten because they are laying and sleeping in certain places is a unfathomable thing to hear about. These days it seems like police are able to get away with so much that make citizens scared to try to trust the police and look for them to help citizens when they need it. If the cops are always doing outrageous things because they have the "power" to, police should not wonder why "the people" fight back. The main thing it seems like is that most cops get away with is beating people for no reason. Homeless people already have a hard time trying to get enough money to eat and find clothes for them to keep warm, but to suffer from police beatings is another thing.

Andrea Prichett helps homeless people be able to stay and feel safe wherever they want to lay thier head. In the article, she referred the copwatch to the Black Panther. That is a very powerful thing to be associated with or compared to. Instead of coming towards the cops with guns, they come to them with camera's and do video shootage. In my opinion cops don't like to be photographed or taped doing something that they know is wrong but think they're right because who they are. Cops will get really agitated and take it out on the video camera. Shooting footage of them doing things like police brutality, they will step back and leave people, homeless or not, alone.

Andrea Prichett is doing a wonderful job with helping the homeless to be able to feel safe in thier environment. She's showing the police force that messing with the lower class citizens in America is not right and that their are people out there that WILL protect them and help the ones that needs it.

It Helps To Care - Andrea Prichett

2011-09-19T17:20:00.000-05:00

The Movie "Knocked Up" and its representation of women

2011-09-19T16:29:00.006-05:00

When I was trying to think of a topic for this blog post, I scanned numerous newspaper and online magazines to find a subject. After a few minutes of searching, I remembered that I had watched the movie "Knocked Up" a couple nights ago with my friends, and realized just how poorly women are represented in the movie. Before this class, I probably wouldn't think twice about some of the content in the movie. Sadly, this is most likely because the objectification of women in media has become so socially accepted.

For a quick synopsis of the plot: Ben Stone (played by Seth Rogen) and Allison Scott (played by Katharine Heigl) meet at a bar, both of them leave the bar drunk, they have a one night stand, and weeks later Allison realizes she is pregnant. Allison and Seth decide to stay together, even though they are made out to be extremely incompatible. Allison has the baby and they live happily ever after.

To start, the title, "Knocked Up," is a blunt way to describe a woman that is pregnant, and, at least to me, has negative undertones. The phrase is not sensitive to the woman at all. It seems to make the woman the object of the man who is responsible for "knocking her up."

Another example of negative representation of women in the movie stems from a website the Ben and his friends work on developing. The website, fleshofthestars.com, keeps a log of every time a female actress is shown nude in a movie and what body part is exposed. This narrows a woman's importance down to what her body looks like; the idea that the body and outer beauty of a woman is all that matters, and that is all that men care about.

Later in the movie, another situation arises that focuses on the importance of a woman's appearance. Allison and her sister, Debbie, try to get into a bar. The bouncer refuses to let Debbie in, saying that she is "too old for the bar" and rejects Allison because she is clearly pregnant. He says he can't have a bunch of old, pregnant women "running around the bar."

What is most crazy to me is that had I not been writing this blog post I may not have realized just how demeaning the movie was towards women. It just goes to show how often we are faced with similar negative representations of women in media. It was definitely a bit of an eye-opening experience.

"Angry Black Woman Stereotype"

2011-09-15T18:20:00.000-05:00

I read this article through the blog, Feministing, which I frequently follow. I am currently taking the class, WMST263, Introduction to Black Women's Studies, and we often talk about the fear of the black angry woman stereotype. Serena Williams is often shown in the media as being just that stereotype. I have several friends that follow tennis, and I had heard about Serena's "outburst" through several Facebook updates and media outlets. I went to see a clip of the match for myself, and really don't think that Serena overacted at all. I saw a lot of people comparing this "outburst" (of which she was only fined $2,000) to last year's "outburst" (of which she was fined almost $90,000) and really don't think that they're comparable at all. I think that there are different standards for female athletes than there are for male athletes, and then even more different standards for white female athletes compared to black female athletes. Many black female athletes are not free to express their anger after a lost match for fear of perpetuating the "angry black woman" stereotype. I think that there are plenty of worse "outburts" from men, and you almost never see the media making this big of a deal about it.

In Remembrance of Betty Skelton, the Fastest Woman on Earth

2011-09-07T19:46:00.005-05:00

Betty Skelton lived and excelled during a time when most women were virtually confined to their homes. Nicknamed both, "the fastest woman on Earth" and "the first lady of firsts," she set several speed records both in the air and on the ground, performed publicity stunts and was named to eleven halls of fame in her life time. She not only set records for women's firsts but also broke several men's speed records. Even in modern times her accomplishments would be nothing short of incredible but to accomplish such things during the 1940's through the 1960's is really quite astonishing. During this time women were often not encouraged to follow their dreams unless they led to marriage and children as anything more was considered "unfeminine" or "unwomanly." Statistically speaking, the majority of women who followed a career path instead of matrimony did not get married. However, Betty Skelton married not once but twice (the second some years after the death of her first husband) while simultaneously enjoying an exciting and successful career. Despite her many accomplishments all career opportunities were not open to her. Her wish of flying in the Navy was denied her as it was not then a position fit for a woman. Regardless, Betty Skelton is clearly a woman to be admired as she forged her own path in a society which believed that a woman's most sacred path is in the kitchen desiring nothing more than to make her husband happy.

Betty Skelton flying, July 11, 1948

Recent Thoughts on Women and Social Media

2011-05-16T23:51:00.002-05:00

There have been several articles published recently concerning the role of women and the increasing popularity of social media. In one which asserts women are the strongest believers in the power of charity, it is stated that "women are more likely than men to recognize the role that sites like Facebook can play in facilitating cause involvement." Thus, more women are apt to join groups on Facebook, contribute to a specific blog, etc. than men, the article said. In addition, women are more likely to turn to social media as a source of information.

Another article reflected one company's recognition of the trends mentioned above. In this article, it is announced that the L'Oreal USA company is going to rely more heavily on social media to promote their products and offer unique online experiences to women. These include personalized beauty Websites and a specially-designed YouTube channel "to communicate original content," the article says.

More Women in Journalism

2011-05-16T23:38:00.002-05:00

It was announced yesterday that The Huffington Post hired two new editors, Neil Katz and Lori Leibovich. When I first came across the article, I though (and hoped!) that both editors were going to be women, an assumption fueled by the fact that the media outlet was started by a successful woman journalist, Arianna Huffington. However, I read on that the position of executive news editor was given to Katz, and that Leibovich was named "women's editor."

I was both a bit shocked and not surprised at all to learn that the male journalist had been named executive editor and the woman had been hired as the "women's editor." After having discussions in class about the beginnings of women and journalism — specifically, how women were only allowed to cover "women's issues" for many years — I found it a bit disheartening that still, in 2011, this woman is going to be covering strictly "women's content" in her new position. However, I was also not surprised because even today, men still constitute the majority of editors and "high-ups" in journalism. I suppose I expected a bit more of a media outlet bearing its female creator's name; but, on the other hand, I would find it a bit odd if a male was hired for this position, given that he would not naturally be able to cover women's issues as well.

Advertisers being more blunt.

2011-05-13T13:39:00.002-05:00

It is no secret that over the years advertisers have increasingly objectified women in their ads. Women are seen draped over men looking defenseless, their body parts are used to sell a product, or women look aloof or doll-like in many of today’s advertisements.

In our class we’ve talked about how this form of advertising is degrading to women. Ms. magazine even had a section of its publication titled “No Comment” that would highlight utterly ridiculous advertisements using women and their bodies to sell a product.

But has our society become so immune and used to this type of advertising that is okay for something like this ad by Moschino Jeans to be displayed?!?!?

This advertisement is one of the worst forms of objectification I have seen. There is no dancing around the subject; Moschino is bluntly depicting a woman as a Barbie doll. Apparently the company sees women as little dolls that are only used for dressing up and playing with rather than being successful businesswomen. But what’s surprising about this is that a woman, Rossella Jardini, currently runs Mochino!

It’s upsetting to know that this depiction of women in advertising has even infiltrated companies run by women.

A Mother's Day Salute to Mothers Who Serve

2011-05-11T21:37:00.000-05:00

This Sunday was Mother’s Day and USA WEEKEND featured a salute to mothers who servee. I thought this was a great article because it is popular to hear about the wives of men who serve (Army Wives anyone?), but to give these women, who are the ones serving, media attention is honorable. They discuss how they keep in touch with their kids, decisions they made about introducing their injuries to the children and balancing work and parenthood. The biggest plus is that they all sounds like amazing mothers. Something about the husbands having to take care of the children alone while their wives are gone seems liberating both for women who want to take on hard careers and men who don’t mind taking on the child care. And upon the chance that the women will not come back, the men seem prepared to be perfectly good single fathers. Yeah I said it…single fathers.

Women & Science

2011-05-11T18:25:00.002-05:00

I just recently saw a video of a 15 year old African American girl from New Jersey, Shaheela Ibraheem who has been accepted to Princeton, Colombia, MIT, Harvard and several other top schools. At only 15 years old she has skipped 2 grades and has always excelled academically. She also participates in several after school activities including soccer. She plans to go to Harvard to study math and science.

I also saw a graph on the Feministing blog which shows that women are highly underrepresented in math and science majors. This entry also went on to say a Princeton Alumn who was a science major became pregnant as a graduate student, she voiced her fear of balancing a rigorous course load with being a mother.

I believe these stories are pretty encouraging for women who want to pursue math or sciences in higher education. I was once interested in medicine, and as a micro-biology major at Maryland I decided to change my major due to the rigorous course load and class schedule--I was in class from 8am to 8pm my first semester. This goes to say that more women should pursue science and math careers.

Bristol Palin & Plastic Surgery

2011-05-11T18:01:00.001-05:00

Over the past week, there has been a great deal of speculation surrounding Bristol Palin's possible plastic surgery, revealed last weekend at the White House Correspondents Dinner. According to the Washington Post Style section, the teen mom and former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant has since admitted to undergoing a "procedure" due to a long-term jaw alignment problem; however, she has not yet publicly declared that her surgery may have also been for cosmetic reasons. Personally, I have no problem with Palin's desire to change the way she looks - with or without surgery - however, the media furor that has erupted around the issue does point to the constant pressure that those in the public eye so often are. This seems to be a fact that applies in particular to female celebrities, all of whom are pushed to fit into the stereotype idealized through advertising as well as TV, movies, and magazine coverage of how to be "beautiful." Additionally, I think that this case in particular points to the odd dichotomy that is also so frequently seen in the media today and the opposing views that it projects. On one hand, it seems that the coverage published regarding Palin is pointing to how ridiculous it is that so many celebrities are changing the way they look to fit into certain categories and to reach "perfection," as well as that this is setting a poor example for other girls and women. On the other hand, however, the stereotype certainly is propagated by the media in the first place.

"Riding the wave" toward history

2011-05-11T18:00:00.002-05:00

The article, which was from the Saturday, May 7th issues of the Baltimore Sun, is about Rosie Napravnik, who is the sixth female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. This race will be the 137th running of the Derby and a woman has never won so Napravnik could possibly make history in the race. She will be running aboard 20-1 Pants on Fire, something that jockeys dream of and usually wait years for, after only six years of professional riding.

In the article there are quotes from several people describing her talents and they all agree that she has a bright future. However in most of the comments, she is described as reaching goals relative to other women. Mike Gathagan said, "She's going to be the best woman ever in the profession." It bothered me that people were willing to praise Napravnik's talents as a jockey but still kept her separate in comparison from male jockeys.

SlutWalk: Sexual Liberation or Degradation?

2011-05-11T17:37:00.001-05:00

In February, Toronto police officer Michael Sanguinetti gave a speech at York University on the topic of personal safety. His remarks stating that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised" have sparked a movement across Canada and the U.S. Activists from all over the country have been organizing marches called “SlutWalk” which condemns our cultures tendency to blame victims for their own sexual assault. (It is being held in DC on August 13^th for those of you who are interested).

I have been following the news coverage of this event and have noticed that there has been a divide among feminists. While some believe that “SlutWalk” represents sexual liberation others such as Gail Dines, writer for “The Guardian”, feel that feminists should not be fighting for the right to be called a slut. As a sex-positive feminist, I think that there is the potential for great power in reclaiming such a word. Sadly there aren't very many terms to describe a women who is confident and open about her own sexuality. I think that the use of this word can be seen as a reclamation of female sexuality and an act of resistance. By using a derogatory word in a positive way, the word begins to lose its power, especially when used by those whom the word was meant to demean. What do you think?

Read Gail Dines article for "The Guardian" here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/08/slutwalk-not-sexual-liberation

How Sex Workers are Portrayed in the Media

2011-05-11T17:10:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure how many of you have been following the story of the Craigslist serial killer. Five bodies have now been found along the Ocean Parkway in Long Island. Four of the victims have been identified as Megan Waterman, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, and Amber Lynn Costello, all of whom were sex workers that advertised on Craigslist.

This case as well as its media coverage brings up a lot of issues about the repercussions of marginalization and criminalization. I recently watched an HLN news interview about this case which I think addresses some of these issues. In this clip, television journalist Jane Valez-Mitchell interviews Stacey Swimme, sex worker and co-founder of SWOP (Sex Workers Outreach Project). While Stacey Swimme does a wonderful job articulating the injustices faced by sex workers as well as debunking stereotypes about sex work, Mitchell seems to draw from the dominant ideologies and narrow visual lexicons which help to create and perpetuate these issues.

Mitchell opens up this interview by asking Swimme what she thinks about this “idea about revenge being exacted against prostitutes”. She comments, “Obviously that happens. Obviously prostitutes are in danger of being beaten up. We all remember that scene in Leaving Las Vegas where Elizabeth Shue is like pummeled by these young guys”.

What makes this comment so disconcerting is a.) the way that Mitchell talks about sex work makes it seem that violence is inherit due to the nature of the profession which b.) certainly buys into Hollywood's popular portrayals of sex workers as sinful, pathetic victims of circumstance (portrayals which are neither nuanced nor written from the perspectives of sex workers themselves).

Mitchell then later makes an offhand comment about Swimme's appearance. Apparently Swimme does not look like a typical sex worker (say like Elizabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas for instance...), but more like “a very attractive accountant or a librarian”. Mitchell asks Swimme, “Is this how you normally dress when your doing your...sex work?” Swimme who tries to keep the conversation on topic, tells Mitchell that her appearance is not really a relevant discussion and I could not agree more. Swimme states, “I came here to talk about people who have been murdered and found dead on a beach”. In response, Mitchell tries to save face by saying that her motivations in asking such a question were to deconstruct stereotypes, but it seems to me that she is doing more to perpetuate stereotypes than anything else.

National Women's Health Week

2011-05-11T17:01:00.002-05:00

This week is national women's health week! This week is an observance coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Women's Health to promote women's health. The theme for this year is "It's Your Time!" The goal of Women's Health Week is to encourage women to take time for themselves and make their health a top priority. The Office of Women's Health recommends:

Exercise 2.5 hours (moderately) or 1.25 hours (vigorously) each week

Eat nutritious foods

See your doctor for regular checkups and preventative screenings

Avoid smoking, not wearing your seat belt, and other risky behaviors

Get enough sleep, manage stress, and pay attention to your mental health

This year's National Women's Health Week is one to especially celebrate thanks to the Affordable Health Care Act. This act has benefitted women because it requires health insurance to cover mammograms, colonoscopies, immunizations and screenings for children and babies without charging deductibles, co-payments, or co-insurance. Women can also now go see an OB/GYN without getting a referral first.

To get more information about National Women's Health Week, you can visit http://www.womenshealth.gov/whw/

Sullivan denied access to interview

2011-05-11T15:25:00.003-05:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/masters11/news/story?id=6325442

In this article, it discusses how reporter Tara Sullivan was denied access into the locker room to interview a player after a tournament. The body guard denied her access because she was female. Augusta national Golf Club has apologized since then. We did discuss this article in class. I read some of the comments to this article and they brought up more questions that i had.

"Im sure most people who are big golf fans know this but do you know what the word GOLF really means? It stands for Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden. This really has nothing to do with what happened to that lady but I just wanted to point out that GOLF has a long and storied history of discrimination. But I agree with many of you on the point that no reporters should be allowed into a locker room just give them time to get changed and to gather their thoughts before they have to talk to all the media."

"Even if it wasn't a mistake: their club, their rules. As soon as a woman wins a PGA tour tournament, we can begin to talk about 'equality' between them in the game. Until then, Augusta National is an all-male golf club with either obscenely or beautifully (my vote) high standards for performance and influence both. If Bill Gates couldn't get in for years, then enough with people's whining"

I don't know if that's what GOLF actually stands for but i've never heard of that meaning before. It sounds pretty ridiculous to me, but I don't know the history of golf. I personally believe that Tara Sullivan should have been allowed access since the rest of the reporters were. I am curious what the situation would have been like if a man was denied access into the women's locker room. I believe there should be equal access for both situations but a solution could be to just wait until the athlete comes back out of the locker room maybe.

Women and weight obsession

2011-05-11T08:36:00.000-05:00

From glossy ads depicting unrealistic body sizes to the constant focus on celebrity weight, the American media and its glorification of thinness may be successful in provoking the obsession with weight among women. According to a Salon.com, a new Arizona State University study recently shed light on how "successful advertising and social stigmatization have been in making many women psychologically obsessed with weight." The study found that 1 in 4 women preferred to be severely depressed than to be obese -- 14.5 percent, in fact, would rather be blind than to be overweight. What does this say about our culture? Obviously, obesity is a scary and alarming epidemic on our nation, but the saturation in advertising and media coverage on preventing and fighting weight gain and obesity is a pressing issue in itself. What's even scarier, is the fact that many of these advertisements and images are found in association of "health," thus justifying the dangerous means that could be taken to maintain this false idea of well-being. And unfortunately, this fear of obesity and weight gain, could quite possibly lead to eating disorders in prevention of weight gain, thus taking a toll on the status of our health.

TWEEN GIRL STARS

2011-05-10T15:07:00.002-05:00

Children's Television is a transitional moment when it comes to female stars because they must be primed for pressure, according to this article posted on NYTimes.com. China McClain a 12 year old hailing from the suburbs of Atlanta to move to LA, has recently signed a contract with the Disney Channel to star in their latest show called A.N.T. Farm. Both Disney and Nickelodeon, have found and produced some of the hottest teen stars including Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Jamie-Lynn Spears, and Miranda Cosgrove who have all now moved on from these networks. Three out of these five tween stars have grown up too fast and were caught in the limelight. Jamie-Lynn Spears became pregnant by the age of 16, Demi Lovato went to rehab, and Miley Cyrus adopted a sex persona. These pops stars have a lot more pressure on them then pop stars had in the past. Now a days, these tween actresses don't just have to have a perky personality, a little bit of talent, and a spot on the Mickey Mouse club. They are full blown stars with the help of social media, these child stars have to anchor TV series and movie spinoffs, produce hit songs, and create clothing lines.

Although, this new star China McClain's parent's promise that they are going to keep her grounded and out of the spotlight as much as they can, but they are forgetting that their daughter has yet to hit puberty and will be influenced by social factors with peers, as well. Becoming a young child star, China will be in the media for the rest of her life and her parents should probably think harder as to the effects that it will have on her well-being.

One interesting thing I read in the article was that these networks are looking harder to find more minority stars. China is African American and by hiring such a talented and beautiful young lady it will help show parents that diversity is a priority. These networks want children to be able to find themselves within each show and what better way to do that then to include all races, genders, and types of children.

Gingrich Set to Run, With Wife in Central Role

2011-05-10T12:23:00.003-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/us/politics/10gingrich.html?pagewanted=1&ref=todayspaper

Do you guys remember Newt Gingrich? He's the former House speaker who lead the charge to impeach President Bill Clinton on charges of infidelity. While all of this was going on Gingrich was in the midst of a six year affair with a congressional aide by the name of Callista Bisek. This ultimately led to the Representative's departure from Congress, to which he has not returned since 1999. It has been over a decade now that Gingrich has been on the national political scene, and it has also been over a decade since Ms. Bisek became Mrs. Gingrich. Married for 11 years now, Callista Gingrich finds herself at the arm of the potential Republican candidate for the Presidency of the United States of America. Gingrich says he plans on centering his campaign around his wife. First Lady is a pretty big step up from "homewrecker."

How can you expect to garner enough votes to win the Republican nomination, let alone the actual Presidency after such a public embarrassment in the political realm. This man led a hypocritical charge against the President of the United States while doing the exact same thing as Clinton! And now he wants to run for the presidency, with the love and support of his wife, who he was having an affair with. I don't care if you've found God, pray at church 5 times a day and donate all of your money to the NRA, there is no way an adulterer is going to wind up as the Republican candidate next fall. I almost think that his running might be a joke. Haha. We're all laughing Newt. Good one.

Is Pippa Too Hot for the Royals?

2011-05-10T11:48:00.002-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/05/09/jvm.royal.scandal.hln?hpt=C2

Yesterday, CNN aired this interview on their segment "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell." The clip posted on their website is a discussion on the revelation of some lewd photographs of Kate Middleton's sister popping up on the internet. Joined by two analysts, if you would call them that, Ms. Velez-Mitchell led a four minute discussion on whether or not it was fair that Pippa now has to deal with such scrutiny from the media, and the rest of the world, because her sister just married Prince William. Apparently someone close to the new Duke of York's sister-in-law leaked some rather revealing photos of Pippa Middleton at a party. The trio laughed about the situation on air, suggesting, perhaps, that this is why royalty only marries royalty. They concluded that its not fair the way Pippa has been thrown into the fire because it wasn't her decision to make, but now she has to deal with it.

I'm sorry. When did such garbage become anything remotely considered newsworthy. The HLN "News and Views" homepage on CNN.com left this description for Ms. Velez-Mitchell's show:

Jane Velez-Mitchell takes a stand on the ISSUES -- issues of the day and issues from across the country. From regular workers caught up in the economic storm to crime victims ignored by the mainstream media, Jane stands up for the powerless, and speaks for those who don't have a voice. Tune in weeknights at 7 p.m. ET.

This description makes it seem as if the show covers social injustices and truly aims at helping those in need of help. This segment is gossip, and it is flat out garbage. Such things need to be left to the tabloids and left off of reputable website like CNN.

Women in Pro Sports: Can Women Play With Men

2011-05-10T11:22:00.003-05:00

http://w.espn.go.com/espnw/news-opinion/6495612/women-pro-sports-women-play-men

Online for less than a year now, ESPNw is a website designed to attract attention to women's sports, as well as give those already attracted followers something to read up on. ESPN's official website, even before the launch of ESPNw never truly focused on many women's sports. The William's sisters, Venus and Serena garner attention when major tennis tournaments come around. And Michelle Wie made a big splash when she came on the LPGA tour scene. Despite this, there has always been a general lack of coverage of women in the sporting world, on a day to day basis. That is, until now, with ESPNw.

Inspired by Nancy Lieberman, coach of the NBA Development League's Texas Legends, who used to play with the Los Angeles Lakers' practice squad, this article sparks the long debated discussion of whether or not women can compete with men on the professional level. With women already breaking into NASCAR and the Professional Bowlers' Association, traditionally male sports, who knows what boundaries will be broken next. There are those owners, players and coaches who recognize that some women could legitimately compete on the professional playing field with men. One baseball manager suggested that a woman could be a very successful knuckleball pitcher in Major League Baseball. The knuckleball, unlike most other pitches, thrives on the seemingly slow speed of the pitch, allowing for smaller, less strong athletes, such as women, to succeed on a professional level.

Other suggestions were made that women could easily become kickers in the National Football League. I have no doubt that a women could kick a field goal, or maybe even do kickoffs; it has been done on the collegiate level. But what happens when a play falls apart and some 6 foot 4 inch 250 pound mongoloid lays out the kicker? It is not the most common occurence, but it sure as hell happens. Physiologically women just are not built the same way that men are.

Another issue that was brought up in the article was the locker room situation. Some people brush it off, and as one man said in the article, they could just put on a towel. I somehow do not think that covering up your body is the only issue here. How would a woman deal with all of the high flying testosterone and general banter that goes on before and after games. There have been previous incidents where female reporters have been haggled and harassed simply doing post-game interviews. Will a woman, especially the pioneering first woman to enter the sport, be willing to handle such a situation, coupled with all of the scrutiny from the media? I just don't know how feasible this is.

Women have come along way in the wide world of sports with new leagues popping up all over the place and budding stars on the rise. For now I think that sports are in a good place. But if a 6 foot something 200 something pound woman ever wants to step onto the football field, let her have her shot.

Women in the Workforce

2011-05-09T02:16:00.003-05:00

Mika Brzezinski of co-host of Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough of MSNBC has a new book out entitled, “Knowing Your Worth: Women, Money, and Getting What You're Worth".

Brzezinski was the target of gender discrimination at MSNBC. She found out that she was getting paid less than her male co-workers.

In the interview (above) on the Today Show with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, the author talks about the problems women have with negotiating.

Basically, her premise is that women are not aggressive enough and that their desire to be well liked overrides their desire for fair compensation/ raises. Brzezinski said that she thought about leaving MSNBC at a point in time, after she found out that she was making 14 times less than her co-host, Scarborough.

However, she decided to stay, know her worth and demand her fair share, saying "I don't worry about being liked anymore."

I thought this was interesting because it is so strange that in America, we pump our schoolchildren’s heads with ideas that girls can do anything, be anything. Girls are pushed towards areas such as Math and Science, encouraged to believe that gender equality was the problem of our mothers. The image of the working woman who can do it all is heavily perpetuated by the media. The world, they tell us is no longer a Man’s alone.

Many of us believe that until we get into the workforce. It is unbelievable to me that Brzezinski made 14 TIMES less than her male co-anchor and in general less than everyone at the desk. (Morning Joe is set up where the anchors sit on a round table with at least 2 regular additional contributors who are for the most part male)

Yes, I agree with Mika that women are innately socialized that be happy that they have a job and are told that asking will make them seem ungrateful or overly aggressive “bitchy”. Interestingly, these are the qualities that men are praised for. However, I think another issue lies with the management team that decided it was ok to paid her that amount in the first place.

I would like to understand the reason behind that. Obviously they felt that she wasn’t worth as much as the other members even though she was a main co-host. Or perhaps they thought that she would not complain. I guess my point is that yes, women need to be more aggressive and know and demand their value but workplaces need to know a woman’s value as well. Why should women have to beg not even for a raise but for what is fair?

Movement to keep moms working is remaking the workplace

2011-05-08T02:13:00.006-05:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/movement-to-keep-moms-working-is-remaking-the-workplace/2011/05/05/AFMTqOLG_story.html

This was a great article in time for Mother's Day about the challenges of being a working mother. The article cites important figures about the high number of women who have achieved higher degrees, yet they are still leaving the workforce because they are unable to balance the demands of a full time career and being a mother. It was an important article in that it showcased different ways employers have worked to create flexible schedules for employees to allow them to work whenever they were able to, rather than having to strictly follow the 9-5 business routine that has been in place for so long. The flexibility that several of these companies have given their employees do come with trade offs, such as receiving fewer benefits and not having long term job security. They were also given fewer opportunities for advancement, and had reduced hours with reduced pay. Overall, the employers that were interviewed for this article raved about the work their working mothers put in, and the attitude seemed to be that of as long as the work was done, it didn't matter when it was done. The mothers greatly appreciated their ability to be able to work from home and take care of their children at the same time. The women, who had a range of higher degrees, from a MBA to a JD, were all enthusiastic about being able to maintain a full time position that put their higher degrees to use while sill being able to be "good" mothers and be at home with their children. Women are constantly pressured to have it all, to be good wives, mothers, and employees, and it is an impossible standard that few people can maintain. The article spoke about various companies that have family friendly policies on the books, but stated that most of the time, the implementation of such policies depended on individual managers and that it often seemed as though employees were penalized for taking advantage of said policies. This was a great article about how women are working to make sure they can maintain a healthy balance of all the demands placed on them, and it will be interesting to see how far this movement goes.

What most struck me in this article is how it was taken for granted by women, employers and the author that women were the ones that should leave their careers in order to take care of the children. Only one person, an employer, mentioned that the flexible schedules offered by his company was for everyone, men, women, with or without children. Everyone else quoted in the article did not even mention how the lack of flexibility affected men and why it was that women were the ones who often dropped out of the workforce upon the arrival of children rather than men. The closest anyone went to questioning this presumed conclusion was when they commented on how the policies in the workplace were not family friendly, although there was little mention of how men suffered, since they rarely do. It is shocking to see that in this day and age, especially among such highly educated women, it is still seen as the woman's primary goal to put aside her career ambitions in order to stay at home and raise the family.

"Remembering Mom This Mother's Day"

2011-05-07T21:23:00.002-05:00

In the spirit of Mother's Day this Sunday, the Washington Post had this article on the main page of its website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/remembering-mom-this-mothers-day/2011/05/06/AFNGhICG_story.html?hpid=z4 Within the piece, Autumn Brewington reflects on the lessons her now-deceased mother taught her. She writes that remembering her mother's wisdom helps her deal with her absence.

But what are the lessons that Brewington's mother taught her? Almost every example mentioned in this article has to do with fashion and boys, and very little to do with greater lessons in education, family life, or morals. She writes about having the same preference for purse size as her mother, or remembering how she used to call for advice on shoe styles. She does not, however, talk about absorbing more substantial lessons from her mother.

Now don't get me wrong - I do realize that this article is meant to be poignant and touching in the spirit of a holiday that celebrates family. But the article's placement on the main page means that it will be read by many as the highlight piece about Mother's Day. My concern is: does this article really address the roles of motherhood that we find most valuable? As far as I know, mothers do a lot more than just provide fashion advice. Many are admirable because of their ability to balance jobs with work, or because they can pass on traditions to their daughters. They also help encourage daughters to pursue an education or career paths that they will find fulfilling. I think that of all the lessons mothers can pass on, Brewington forgot to mention the one's that her audience would appreciate the most.

Maybe she was just trying to address the ways that mothers can comfort their daughters. But after reading the part where her mother said "my inability to grasp geometry was not the end of the world, that the boy who declined to go to a dance with me because I didn’t go to his church was not worth crying over," I was bothered by the fact that Brewington emphasized boy troubles and dismissing school as some of the typical lessons that audience members would agree that their mothers emphasized. Mothers no doubt have a lot to pass on to their children, but very superficial examples were given in this article. In some ways, I think it undermines exactly what it was trying to accomplish, as it prevents the audience from really reflecting on meaningful lessons that they gained from their mothers.

Kate and her pre-wedding crash diet

2011-05-06T21:53:00.001-05:00

"Yahoo News: Kate Middleton Diets to Lose Weight Before April"

Kate Middleton and her crash wedding diet has really become overrated. It may just be me but I honestly don't think that what she did was anything unusual. Brides go on ridiculous crash diets and adapt very unhealthy eating behaviors before their wedding all the time. This is just an ongoing phenomenon that has just come into public light because of the royal wedding. I'm certainly not saying that it was okay or it was a good idea for Kate to lose so much weight just because of the wedding, but if most brides do it because they know they will have a few hundreds of eyes on them, well Kate knew she would have millions of eyes all over her and so she did what many other brides have done and will probably continue to do. So instead of the media poking fun at her altered physique and even blaming the country for this problem, as the article states "Are British royals obsessed with weight?" the media should highlight the fact that this is an unhealthy pattern that has been adapted by many women for many years and women should instead accept their body image and love themselves for it instead of starving themselves under pressure. I wonder what the media will think once Kate goes back into her old eating routine and gains her pre-wedding weight back. And then the article compares the royal women to Princess Diana also and how Princess Diana had problems with her body image in the public eye and weight also; the article states, " Of course, while by all accounts Princess Diana was the darling of the British, she also faced ridicule in the media over her supposedly chubby look. As a result, the late Diana chose to diet but was incapable of stopping even after reaching her large weight... [she] suffered from bulimia in 1981..." Therefore, its not really the royal princesses or any brides to blame, it may be the media and the public for making these women and many women feel as if its a sin to have some fat on their bones. Overall, I feel as if its time that the media stopped discussing Kate's crash diet and dramatic weight loss because its really not an issue that anyone should be reinforcing (seeing as how many people fall victims to poor eating habits and eating disorders all the time) and its highly overrated. Yes, she looked gorgeous in her wedding gown but the media really should direct their focus on encouraging people to NOT adapt these kinds of behaviors even if its because of a wedding and increasing awareness of eating disorders maybe?

Juggling Careers and Children: How women do what they do (and do it well too!)

2011-05-06T21:45:00.004-05:00

FROM BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT TO THE BOARDROOM- A LOOK AT POWERFUL MOMS

This is a feature from Wonderwall that reflects on many of the extraordinarily talented and successful mothers of today, who have proved that despite their gender they have been able to efficiently juggle multiple aspects of their lives from their career to their family. I honestly do commend these women and appreciate Wonderwall for acknowledging the accomplishments of these women and reinforcing the fact that women have and can be successful in performing their duties inside the household and outside in the office. This list includes Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, an editor for Vogue Anna Wintour, Sarah Palin (really? Im sorry i had to do a double take on this one).. the article states " we give her credit for juggling a successful political career and the responsibilities of motherhood" also referring her to as "Mama Grizzley and her cubs" (which i think gives it a more aggressive and masculine touch but nonetheless still bold), Martha Stewart, the Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Evening News anchor Katie Couric who recalls that her children encouraged her to join CBS and thus owes a lot of her professional success as anchor to them. Also in the list was a previous Dateline anchor Maria Shriver and first woman speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as the article states "... [her] greatest achievement may just be raising five kids born within six years while positioning herself to mount a successful political career." Another famous figure was Tina Brown, how is an editor- in- chief of The Daily Beast and Newsweek. The one name I did not see on the list was First Lady Michelle Obama and I was surprised if not a little shocked by this because its also ironic how she is idealized and featured on front pages of fashion magazines and acknowledged for her physique yet she isnt listed on the Wonderwall list of powerful mothers when clearly we all know she does a great job taking care of her two daughters, supporting her husband, and doing her own bit in the community. However, I was glad to see that there were women in

Eating behaviors and Women (oh and their children too)

2011-05-06T21:41:00.002-05:00

"ODD EATING HABITS"

This video is about children who have unusual eating habits and their mothers poke fun at their children's behaviors yet see it as a problem and an abnormality rather than just a phase in their children's growth and development. All the people that were interviewed were women reflecting on their children. I think its really ironic that the title of the video is odd eating habits and even though the feature focuses on parenting and helping to control children's odd or abnormal eating habits but there are only opinions taken from mothers and normal, non-overweight, young, Caucasian women. therefore this ad is definitely sending out a skewed subliminal message because of course women are the experts when it comes to diet and eating habits because women focus and think about that aspect of their lives more than men but this is a common misconception that the video reinforces. And it is surprising that the video is even featured on MSNBC.com especially by Ragu Sauce, which had absolutely nothing to do with the video itself. Also the women in the feature don't even reflect on their husbands as much. They mostly talk about their children and their eating habits as if its more of the mother's responsibility rather than saying anything about what their husbands think of it or how they approach fixing their children's poor eating behaviors.

Women Competing Agains Men....Head to Head

2011-05-06T14:17:00.002-05:00

The sport of golf is dominated by males at the high school level. The majority of teams are all male with a few females sprinkled among them, if at all. But at Holy Cross High School, an all-girl Catholic High School, created their own team in 2006 they became the first and only all-girl golf team in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, and in this area all together. With the creating of this team boys and girls compete against each other, head to head. This is a rare opportunity for men and women to be in direct competition with one another. The teams play 12 holes with each of the six golfers going head to head against their opponent. There are also three best ball competitions within each foursome. The girls are allowed to play from tees, which makes the course 15 percent shorter than for the boys. At the start of their program at Holy Cross, the girls would commonly lose to their male opponents despite the advantage of the shorter course, but this season all that is began to change. This season the girls defeated Bishop Ireton, St. John and Bishop O'Connell, against all boy line-ups. The girls have also won two all-girl tournaments this season.
Do you think it's fair for the girls to have a tee advantage on the golf course? Should they have to play under the same conditions as the boys? Do you think that there are other sports where men and women could compete against each other in direct competition? I applaud the Holy Cross golf program for becoming a sport and joining the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference despite the lack of women competitors in the sport at the high school level. Hopefully they can inspire young girls at the high school level to advocate for and participate in the sport at their schools. I also think its interesting that they allow girls to compete against boys directly. In most sports with limited female participation at the high school level they just join the boys team, and rarely get the opportunity to participate. For example high school wrestling. I remember on my high school team there was one girl but she soon quite when she was treated unfairly, never got a chance to wrestle in tournaments, and suffered from feelings of separation and lack of inclusion.

ESPN online for women

2011-05-06T13:05:00.003-05:00

After the class presentation on women's sports versus men's sports on ESPN and Sports Illustrated websites I went online to check out the ESPNW website geared toward the coverage of women's sports, and topics of interest to women. I like ESPN's attempt to include women's sports into their overage sports coverage, but I think it's sad that this website had to be created. Women and men's sports coverage should be able to dwell in the same location. Why is it that women's sports coverage has to be separate from men's sports? Is the media trying to send the message that women's sports are not as important as male sports because they don't make as much money or have the same large fan base as men's sports? Research shows that girls who participate in sports develop higher self-esteem, do better in school, and have a reduced rate of teen pregnancy. Having women's professional leagues shows young girls that they have the opportunity to play the sport they love beyond their high school and college years. If these leagues and opportunities didn't exist women's sports could get to a certain threshold and have the number of participants decrease significantly due to lack of interest, lack of longevity with the sport and ultimately steer them away from participation in sports all together. I say all of this not to completely bash the ESPN website for women, because there some great content on the site that features women's as well as men's sports. It gives women and men interested in women's sports the place to find the information, but I hope that one day soon the site and its content can be integrated into the original ESPN website. I also noticed that the stories written about women, of interest to women were written by women. We examined this trend in class this semester. The idea that stories of interest to women can only effectively be written by women. Perpetuating this ideology can hinder women from entering industries or beats that are dominated by men and vise versa. Check it out http://w.espn.go.com/espnw/

Helping Blogs

2011-05-05T10:59:00.000-05:00

The recent news about the US military operation that successfully brought down Osama bin Laden has brought us back to focusing on what is important: national unity, remembrance of victims of terror attacks and recognition of our nation's military.

Behind American military men and women are families that wait at home to get a phone call, a letter or possibly a Skype invitation from their son or daughter. Improved technology has made communication across seas substantially easier and some families are using it to keep in contact with other people who are in the same situation. In the Lifestyle section of the Washington Post, writer Janice D'Arcy speaks of Marine Moms Online, a blog that provides support and a forum for these Marine mothers.

The short article reposted South Carolina native Paulette Mack's post about her eldest son soon being deployed to Bahrain. In it she recounts her son's career as a Marine and some of her own memories about his growth as a person. I found the story interesting because it displays how powerful blogs can be, especially when it comes to a large amount of people who are going through the same thing, like military parents. The creation of online communities based on similarities has brought people closer than ever before and in a time of war, online blogs like Marine Moms Online show that women are banding together in support of each other and their sons and daughters.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-parenting/post/the-courage-of-military-parents/2011/03/08/AFzcnRhF_blog.html

Research shows women are more interested than men in entertainment news, but both prefer social media.

2011-05-05T10:03:00.008-05:00

Twitter is the most popular source for entertainment news for both men and women.

Emily Winemiller and Jenna Shulman, two seniors in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, put together a study to determine where people primarily get their entertainment news. Both Emily and Jenna performed the study by creating a survey and asking their participants various questions regarding their overall interest in entertainment news and their news source. Because most of the participants were very similar in background (Caucasian college-aged students), they decided to make their primary focus on the difference between where men and women obtain their entertainment news. They concluded that most people go to social media, specifically Twitter, for their entertainment news. Additionally, 39 females were either somewhat interested or very interested in entertainment news as opposed to only 10 males.

The goal was to determine how students obtain entertainment news.

Emily and Jenna are two students that share a keen interest in entertainment news. Because they are both journalism students who use a variety of sources to gather their news such as blogs and social media, their goal was to determine how other students obtain their news. They predicted that there would be a difference in a level of interest between men and women based on their experiences with both genders. Additionally, they predicted that because their participants were younger that most of the sources they used to obtain news would be in social media.

A survey was created to determine the results of how men and women differ.

To gather participants, Emily and Jenna created a survey and sent it out via email to many of their friends. The survey was simple to complete and had ten questions that focused on gender, age, ethnicity, interest in entertainment news, source of entertainment news, and importance of the source. Since both Emily and Jenna are very involved in clubs on campus, they were able to gather a lot of male and female participants through email chains. Additionally, Emily and Jenna have active Facebook and Twitter accounts where they posted their surveys. Because of this, both researchers were collectively able to obtain 120 participants.

Of the following participants, 66 were female, 53 were male and 1 did not respond. Furthermore, 112 were Caucasian, 2 were African-American, 2 were Hispanic, 2 were Asian and 2 designated themselves as “Other”. In the age category, 93 participants designated themselves in the range of 18-21, 23 participants designated themselves in the range of 22-30, 2 participants were in the range of 31-40 and 1 participant was 50+. The chart below shows how strong the participants’ interest in entertainment news was at the time of the survey.

Survey determines that females are much more interested in entertainment news than males.

As noted by the graph above, research showed that females were significantly more interested in entertainment news than males. Of the females who responded, 42.4% of them said they look at entertainment news 2-3 times per week and 36.4% of the females said they look at entertainment news once a day or multiple times a day. Also, 39 females were either somewhat interested or very interested in entertainment news. Of the males who responded, only 24.6% of them said they look at entertainment news once a day or multiple times a day. 47.2% of the males said they look at entertainment news once a week or twice a month. Additionally, only 10 males were either somewhat interested or very interested in entertainment news, which was quite different than the female.

Males rather use a general news site to find their entertainment news.

As noted by the graph below, both males and females prefer social media. However, the difference is that many males prefer national news sites such as the entertainment section of CNN.com and many females prefer entertainment magazines.

Since fewer males are interested in entertainment news, they rather use general news sites to get a combination of various news sources. Daniel Dennison, a male participant in the study said, “Since I am only slightly interested in entertainment news, I like to use Twitter because I can read through it quickly while also reading about other types of news”. On the contrary, Megan Warzinski, a female participant, stated, “Since I am very interested in entertainment news, I prefer US Weekly or any entertainment magazine because it covers all forms of entertainment and gives me detailed information.”

Social media, specifically Twitter, is the most popular source of entertainment news for both males and females.

As depicted by the above graph and the pie chart below, social media is the most popular source of entertainment news. When participants were asked to write in where they go specifically to obtain their news, “Twitter” was the most popular response with 20 participants responding with that answer (6 males and 14 females). The reason for this may be because the participants were mostly college aged who use social networks more than most others. Many have shorter attention spans and therefore would rather have their entertainment news come to them then having to search for it on their own.

In conclusion, females are much more interested in entertainment news than males. As a result of this, males choose to find their entertainment news through social media and national news sites so they can quickly obtain their news and get an overview of it rather than details. Since females are more interested, they prefer detailed information and therefore prefer social media and entertainment magazines. Both males and females prefer social media the most, specifically Twitter, because it is easily accessible. Below are some links for information similar to the study:

Where Do We Get Our News?

News vs. Entertainment: How Increasing Media Choice Widens Gaps in Political Knowledge and Turnout

Is Twitter The 21st Century News Source?

Twitter: World's Fastest News Source

Men's online erotica versus women's

2011-05-02T22:43:00.002-05:00

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704463804576291181510459902.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

A study published in the Wall Street Journal looked at what types of sexual erotica women searched for online in comparison to men.

The results found were quite interesting. According to the study, which looked at a billion searches, women seek out "character-driven stories of romantic relationship" over "explicit scenes of sexual activity".

The article explains that the female brain analyzes a male in terms of whether he is Mr. Right or Mr. Wrong based on his emotional, social and physical qualities. Only then, when paired with psychological arousal, will the physical arousal begin.

The authors use the basic forms of each gender's respective erotica to illustrate the main point of the study: the two-minute pornographic video versus the hot romance novel. Currently, three of the top 10 books on the Kindle are e-romances, according to the article. Also, women only account for one out of 50 porn site subscriptions, versus nine out of 10 romance novels purchased.

According to this study, women are attracted to the "happily ever after" of the marriage or long-term-relationship that is usually the conclusion of romance novels.

Additionally, when women are attracted to a male actor they will usually seek out personal information about him, or search for erotic stories based on characters he's played. Men will simply search for racy photos of actresses to whom they are attracted.

Harping on the Flaws of Women to Sell Products

2011-04-26T20:57:00.002-05:00

The Slate article "The Cure for Your Fugly Armpits: How advertisers create body anxieties women didn't know they had, and then sell them the solution" the Dove Ultimate Go Sleeveless campaign recently launched this month plays with the idea that women have ugly armpits. Of course, women all need great looking armpits with Spring and Summer right around the corner. You couldn't possible imaging wearing a spaghetti strap top or sundress out with friends because simply shaving is no longer enough. Don't worry, Dove to the rescue. This particular brand of deodorant in their line of products will give you "softer, smoother underarms in just five days." You can buy it Monday and be ready to flaunt your pits by Saturday. Great, right? My question is, women have been flaunting their armpits and going sleeveless prior to the creation of this brand so why is it that now underarms are no longer pretty? And what constitutes an ugly armpit? Too much hair? Dark coloration? Razor bumps and burn?

Advertisers are famous for using these types of "fear tactics" in order to sell products to consumers. Gaining popularity in the 1920s this style of advertising called empowerment-via-shame marketing to 1. pinpoint a problem, possibly one target consumers didn't even know that they had; 2. intensify anxiety around the problem; and 3. sell the product that is a cure. This style of advertising makes the assumption that its human nature to worry about the judgment you can receive from those around you regarding your looks. The articles highlights a 1953 advertisement for Chlorodent toothpaste that directly stated, "There's another women waiting for every man." I mean, WOW! Shouldn't we brush our teeth twice a day because its good dental hygiene, and keeps cavities and tooth decay down not because it could potentially cause our significant other to leave us? Where are our priorities, right?

The article says that this style of advertising/marketing is used to make people, specifically women, believe that they have bad breath, smelly armpits, and problems without genitals from smells to a heavy menstrual flow. But, because each woman is different and no two women are the same it doesn't make sense for advertisers to judge women based on a superficial standard of "normal." And at the end of the day who cared what your armpits look like. I've never heard of a man leaving a women because she had ugly armpits. That just doesn't even make sense to me either.

The article can be found at http://www.slate.com/id/2291205/

Gender Discrepancies in Advertising

2011-04-25T14:33:00.003-05:00

Crystal Smith operates The Achilles Effect, a blog that addresses the way gender binaries are engendered into the consciousness of young boys. In this particular example, the nature of advertising that is directed towards young boys and girls was compared in order to quantify the differences between the messages directed towards the two demographics.

In order to do this, the author took a number of toys that were heavily targeted towards one gender. In order to compare the nature of the messages, Smith observed the television advertisements that touted these products (27 commercials for "boy" toys, and 32 commercials for "girl" toys). The differences in the language used to market towards the two groups is not surprising, but the effect of seeing these two word clouds juxtaposed against one another is still powerful.

The words that were most often used in advertising directed towards young girls included love, magic, fun, mommy, babies and fashion. On the other hand, messages directed towards boys relied heavily on words including power, battle, heroes and ultimate. The divergent messages are, of course, symptomatic of the products they are trying to promote.

http://www.magamaps.com/2011/04/word-clouds-boys-vs-girls-toys/

2011-04-25T11:41:00.001-05:00

In The Vancouver Sun article “Newswomen often in hostile territory” reporter Emily Wax brings light to the realities of female journalists covering war abroad. The article highlights the importance of this issue by examining the sexual attacks on CBS News’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, Lara Logan, in Egypt, the treatment of photojournalist Lynsey Addario in Libya and the recent Libyan capture of Clare Morgana Gillis, a U.S. citizen and freelancer for TheAtlantic.com and USA Today, who is being held in a detention facility in Tripoli.

Yet despite the dangers which come with covering war, former war correspondent and editor of our beloved Ms. Magazine Tracy Wood exemplifies the importance of female journalists going overseas during wartime. “No matter what female reporters do, we can always leave,” said Wood. “What happens to the female civilians we leave behind? Women should cover war, because women have been living in war zones and in crumbling societies for thousands of years.”

Lara Logan in wartime

Wax furthers the necessity of women covering issues of war because of women’s abilities to bring new stories to light. An example of such a story occurred when Wax was reporting in Congo on a hospital ward of women who had to have their female genitalia reconstructed after being gang raped by rebels. Wax’s male counterparts said, “I won’t go near that story,” but Wax’s decision to write on it led to readers sending the hospital generous donations.

Wax notes that while war journalists are often given hostile-environment training and taught survival techniques like how to filter urine upon dehydration and how to carry wounded colleagues through fields of land mines, female war journalists should really be taught a different skill set. “Female correspondents deployed to countries such as Egypt, Pakistan or India might be better served by instruction in handling less extreme but more pervasive challenges: what to do if a stranger grabs your buttocks while you are reporting on the street, or if a male hotel worker enters your room while you are showering.”

Yet cases like those of Logan and Addario are leading to more open dialogue among female journalists. Advancements in preparing women for war are being made, including female correspondents urging their editors to hold seminars so that young female reporters can be given advice and tips from veteran female war correspondents and are better prepared to enter the field.

Vanity Fair Readers Prefer Women

2011-04-24T21:17:00.004-05:00

I recently read an article informing me that the best selling issues of Vanity Fair featured women on their cover. In fact, in 2010, the top 5 selling issues featured women. Angelina Jolie sold the most (half a million) followed by Lady Gaga, Meryl Streep, Grace Kelly, and Marilyn Monroe. When the magazine put hottie soccer stars, Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba on the cover of their June issue, it sold only 269,000 copies, the lowest number of the year.

I find it interesting that women prefer other women on the cover of this magazine. The magazine, published by Conde Nast Publications, is a very famous and well-known publication. It is most famous for its pop culture, fashion, and politics. Many famous celebrities have been featured on the magazine, but like this article states, in the past years, women (who primarily make up the readership) have been drawn to covers featuring other women.

What is the reason for this? As a personal reader of Vanity Fair, I think I am one of those women who is also drawn to women covers. In my mind, Vanity Fair represents fashion and the arts, and I think women are more likely to express that. If I want to read about hot celebrity men or athletes, I would just turn to People or any tabloid magazine. I think that globally women covers sell better; women prefer them on their magazines as do men.

Anna Marina Karadimas who is a former Philip Merrill College of Journalism alum gave me her opinion on this topic. She said, "In terms of photography, I think women take more chances and therefore their images are stronger. And in terms of content, I think that most of the time women are reading the magazine and therefore care more about what the women celebrities have to say rather than the men."

A last point that I wanted to point out is that it is unique that the editor is Graydon Carter, who is a male. Magazines that are owned by Conde Nast such as Vogue, Glamour, and Allure all have women editors. I don't know if it makes a difference in the publication, but one thing is for sure, women definitely have more power in magazines than in newspapers!

Nothing But The Truth

2011-04-24T12:09:00.003-05:00

This weekend, I had the opportunity to watch the movie "Nothing But The Truth" starring Kate Beckinsale. The movie centers around the story of Capital Sun-Times female reporter Rachel Armstrong who writes an article outing a CIA operative and is jailed after refusing to reveal her source. The movie is a fictionalized spin-off version of the story of New York Times reporter Judith Miller, but even its fictional story shares a lot of value.

It demonstrates a strong principle in journalism about gaining and keeping the trust of sources. Armstrong is held in contempt of court, but has the opportunity to be released if she utters two words-- the first and last name of her source. Instead, she chooses to sit in jail for almost a year while lawyers and the CIA try to get the name out of her and even takes a plea bargain to spend two more years in jail and miss much of her son's childhood rather than divulge her source.

One of the most memorable quotes from the movie, which is pertinent to our class, is "A man leaves his family to go to jail to protect a principle, and they name a holiday after him. A man leaves his children to go fight in a war, and they erect a monument to him. A woman does the same thing, and she's a monster." Armstrong's comment really opens the audience's eyes to the reality of the differences that still exist for female and male journalists, even with all of the progress that has been made.

Another aspect of the movie, which I found interesting was her husband, Ray, not fully understanding the principles of journalism and why his wife would not just reveal the information. He was not supportive of her silence and left her as a result. When speaking with his wife's attorney, Ray says, "She made a choice. Choices have consequences!" of his decision to leave her. Her attorney replies, "If you think your wife felt like she had a choice in this, then maybe you two shouldn't be together." I think these quotes demonstrate the struggle of being a reporter and the constant ethical decisions reporters must face that are often misunderstood. I strongly recommend watching this movie, whether you are aspiring to become a journalist or not. It's a great suspense story with strong ethical value.

"Parents, don't dress your girls like tramps"

2011-04-23T09:32:00.002-05:00

"Parents, don't dress your girls like tramps" was the article title on CNN.com that caught my attention. In this opinion piece, the male author makes note of an 8 year old blonde girl he saw at the airport wearing lip gloss, midriff showing halter top, and tight pants with the word "Juicy" on the back. He hoped her parents were proud of how they dressed her, stating that "their daughter was the sexiest girl in the terminal, and she's not even in middle school yet"! The question the author was asking with this piece was, who is to blame for young girls acting and dressing like this?

The answer? Their parents. The article also talks extensively about Abercrombie & Fitch's new "Ashley" push-up bra this spring. The target audience was originally aimed at 7 year old girls, who would not normally have anything to "push-up" in the first place. The company came under fire for such a product aimed at that young of an audience and subsequently revised their market towards 12 year old girls instead. The author mocks this as not being very much of an improvement and I have to agree with him. But he goes on to question how something like this could ever be pitched in the company so Abercrombie executives would approve it, and the conclusion he came to was that there was a market for it. Parents like the one of the girl he saw at the airport would buy such a product for their daughters. It is the parents of the young girls that have the money and the means of transportation to go purchase these products, not the children themselves. So instead of blasting the companies that are selling these products, the author comes down hard on parents who insist that this is acceptable and create the market for these companies to provide for. "A line needs to be drawn, but not by Abercrombie. Not by Britney Spears. And not by these little girls who don't know better and desperately need their parents to be parents and not 40-year-old BFFs."

When I initially saw the article title, I questioned why the male author felt that such language was necessary to use. But as I read the article, I think he used the term "tramp" to describe these little girls as a shock factor and to mock the parents who dress them that way. It became clear that he did not blame the children at all for how they dressed, and instead aimed heavy criticism at their parents for allowing them to leave their houses like that. Ultimately I have to agree with everything that he said. Companies indeed could not profit from targeting small girls with these products if people weren't buying them, and it's certainly not the children who have the means to buy it themselves. Perhaps parents really do need to take a second look and reconsider how the image their daughters have reflects on themselves.

Source

Iraqi Women Working for US Sexually Harassed

2011-04-22T19:05:00.003-05:00

Washington Post, Online: World Section, Jeff Stein.

Of course, we are still interested in the situation of female reporters as the US continues to be involved in conflicts, but a Washington Post article on the poor treatment of female Iraqi interpreters working with Americans hits on both sexual harassment and workplace discrimination.

At least five college educated and English speaking Iraqi women interpreted for US combat units. In reaction to the danger these workers faced, the United States created a special visa that would allow these women to immigrate to the United States but in order to receive an opportunity to apply they had to get approval from contractor Christopher J. Kirchmeier. Kirchmeier began sexually harassing many of the women, making advances and firing those who shunned them. He also seized their work badges or ruined their applications for immigration.

This attracted my attention for a few different reasons, first because it involves women in a vulnerable position who were offering their services to the US government and in turn needed protection. Instead of being protected by the people they were helping, they were sexually exploited and wrongfully fired, just because a man in power decided to prey on scared women. This contractor had the ability to ruin their careers and render them immobile without the proper documents to conduct their work in a special American military district.

These women were not fired because they were incompetent: they were fired because they were women who spurned sexual advances. They were preyed on because they were women with jobs that made them vulnerable. Sexual harassment in the workplace is never something to condone, but when the workplace is a war zone and women are putting their lives at risk, one should not have to decide between defending their dignity or saving their life when confronted by unwanted sexual harassment.

Here is the article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/iraqi-interpreters-seek-punishment-of-contractor-they-say-sexually-harassed-them/2011/03/24/AFQOfSPE_story_2.html

Death of an Influential Radio and Television Writer

2011-04-22T14:47:00.003-05:00

Although we tend to focus strictly on women in journalism in our course, many women have made an impact on media outside of the news world too. Recently Madelyn Pugh Davis, one of the only female writers on the 1950s TV show “I Love Lucy,” recently passed away. Davis’s career path demonstrates the struggle and triumph of women in the media. She attended Indiana University and earned a degree in journalism. However, like many women of her time, Davis struggled to break her way into an actual career in journalism. According to the Los Angeles Times obituary, “unable to land a newspaper job…she found work as a staff writer at WIRE, the NBC station in Indianapolis, where she wrote commercials and patter for the disc jockeys.” After moving to Los Angeles, Davis teamed up with Bob Carroll, Jr. to write several radio programs. The duo wrote “My Favorite Husband” which would eventually inspired the team to later write the pilot for “I Love Lucy,” for which Davis was a staff writer for all six seasons. Over her career, Davis was nominated for three Emmys, and received along with Carroll the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for achievement in television writing from the Writers Guild of America in 1992.

It’s interesting to read about Davis’s life in recent obituaries for several reasons. One, although history has often praised Lucille Ball for being one of the first female superstars of television, Ball herself credited her writers, like Davis, for her popularity. It's nice to see how Davis was influential in creating such an important female presence in the early years of television through Lucille Ball. Reading about Davis also shows how some women persisted in making a place for themselves in a media setting even if they couldn’t exactly break into the journalism side of the business. And lastly, it shows how a woman writer could survive and even thrive in a writing staff that was almost entirely made of men.