I am currently taking a Psychology of Women/Women's Studies course and have really enjoyed the class all term. I have so much respect for my professor and the way she teaches this course. A couple of her lessons have been supplemented with very intriguing videos, especially one she showed our class today. The video is a documentary titled Dreamworlds 3: Desire, Sex, & Power in Music Video, produced by Sut Jhally. The main focus of the film is how women are portrayed in music videos, as well as how music videos fail to portray women accurately. Jhally presents the effects this has on real-life behavior and how people attempt to turn these "Dreamworlds" into reality, when in fact the behaviors shown in music videos are not at all (or not nearly) close to how women behave in real life.
I really enjoy when a film or discussion gets me thinking and my mind makes leaps from one idea to the next. The film got me thinking about how I have boycotted rap music due to the foul language, derogatory terms used toward women, and the drug references every rap song seems to "sing" about. I enjoy music that is grammatically correct, tells a story I can follow, and has a beat I can dance along to. I've really come to enjoy country music because it usually falls under these criterion. In the documentary, however, videos for all genres of music, including country, were shown to misportray women in multiple ways. This lead me to my next thought, which was, how have all forms of music been boiled down to videos of women wearing nearly no clothing, washing cars, and getting alcohol poured on them? Many of the times the song has nothing to do with any of the images the video displays. These types of videos simply get the most ratings, and therefore, continue to be produced.
I think this generation of "millenials" and "generation Y's" have become accustomed to a whole different form of music. It is no longer about the meaning behind the song, the musical talent of the artist, or their ability to put on an incredible live show. Now, I know there are some exceptions to this, but for the most part these seem to be the major differences between music in past generations and music now. While I don't usually watch music videos anyway, I think songs need to be taken for what they are, the meaning of the lyrics or the story the song tells, and not some aesthetically pleasing video of a girl dancing to the song in a bikini. There are so many talented musicians in this world overshadowed by the people who yell into microphones about how many girls they took home or how much alcohol they drank. Musicians deserve credit for the hard work they put into writing, singing, producing, and performing the songs they create.
Then I got to thinking, why did everyone make such a big deal about Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball video in the nude/almost nude when girls have been in music videos like this for years? It's acceptable if the girls are with men but as soon as a woman is comfortable being naked alone in a music video, she is deemed a bad person (and called names I refuse to repeat).
I'm very thankful I had the opportunity to watch that video and think about some of these issues today. I highly recommend watching the documentary but not with children present. I briefly mentioned the main argument here since it sparked my ideas but I didn't feel a need to repeat all of Jhally's ideas so find it and watch it if possible.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
I want to write THIS woman a letter on Halloween...
Earlier this evening my mom read an article to me and I haven't been able to keep my mind off of it since. A blog post seemed necessary to get my thoughts and opinions out.
According to USA Today, a woman from North Dakota plans to hand out letters to children she finds to be "moderately obese" on Halloween in place of candy. All of the other children will receive candy from her, just not the "obese" ones. [I'm quoting obese because this is solely based on her definition and idea of obese; not a universal, agreed upon definition.] The letter will be aimed at the children's parents and will impart her opinion upon them about their children consuming candy this Halloween. She will basically tell them they should limit or not allow their children to eat their Halloween candy, due to their obesity.
After hearing this, I was appalled that she would take it upon herself to point out, not only the weight of a child, but the "bad parenting" (for lack of a better term) the child's parents are practicing. This can be damaging to an innocent child that is simply trying to partake in the Halloween festivities, as well as place guilt and blame on the parents. Might I add, there are plenty of people who may appear to be overweight but are, in fact, quite healthy. There are also people who may appear to be average weight but are quite UNhealthy. We cannot make judgements solely on appearance and then act on those judgements.
Which leads me right into my main point in all of this. When issues such as this arise, I can't help but broaden my scope and look at the larger issue at hand. We are all so quick to pass judgement on others, pick out each others flaws, place our own belief systems on others, and try to fix problems that may not always need our aid to be fixed. While I understand she is concerned about the obesity problem in America, telling parents they aren't raising their children properly is an inappropriate way to go about fixing this problem. I can guarantee she is not a perfect person and would not appreciate if we picked at her flaws and told her how she should correct them.
Taking a stand against issues we find important is crucial to the progression and development of this country. We just need to be sure we take these stands in respectful and appropriate ways.
According to USA Today, a woman from North Dakota plans to hand out letters to children she finds to be "moderately obese" on Halloween in place of candy. All of the other children will receive candy from her, just not the "obese" ones. [I'm quoting obese because this is solely based on her definition and idea of obese; not a universal, agreed upon definition.] The letter will be aimed at the children's parents and will impart her opinion upon them about their children consuming candy this Halloween. She will basically tell them they should limit or not allow their children to eat their Halloween candy, due to their obesity.
After hearing this, I was appalled that she would take it upon herself to point out, not only the weight of a child, but the "bad parenting" (for lack of a better term) the child's parents are practicing. This can be damaging to an innocent child that is simply trying to partake in the Halloween festivities, as well as place guilt and blame on the parents. Might I add, there are plenty of people who may appear to be overweight but are, in fact, quite healthy. There are also people who may appear to be average weight but are quite UNhealthy. We cannot make judgements solely on appearance and then act on those judgements.
Which leads me right into my main point in all of this. When issues such as this arise, I can't help but broaden my scope and look at the larger issue at hand. We are all so quick to pass judgement on others, pick out each others flaws, place our own belief systems on others, and try to fix problems that may not always need our aid to be fixed. While I understand she is concerned about the obesity problem in America, telling parents they aren't raising their children properly is an inappropriate way to go about fixing this problem. I can guarantee she is not a perfect person and would not appreciate if we picked at her flaws and told her how she should correct them.
Taking a stand against issues we find important is crucial to the progression and development of this country. We just need to be sure we take these stands in respectful and appropriate ways.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Miss America controversy
Last night in Atlantic City, Miss New York, Nina Davuluri, was crowned Miss America 2014. As she stated herself, she made history as the first Asian American to win the coveted title. However, this doesn't seem to amaze people. Many posts on Twitter and other social media outlets lash out at the newly crowned woman due to her Indian decent. Comments attack her for being a terrorist and say her win is a slap in the face to those affected by 9/11. Tweets criticize her for not being a white woman and claim she is not American.
I have a lot of questions for the people making these attacks. First of all, have you been paying any attention to the news these past 12+ years? Indians are not a threat to our country nor are they to blame for the September 11th terrorist attacks. Stereotyping is and probably always will be a very large issue in diverse countries such as America, but just because someone has the same skin tone as a terrorist group does not, in any way, make them a terrorist. The ignorance in this claim is scary to me. It seems Americans need to watch and read the news more often.
Second, she is making history!! Yay- this is a good thing! Congratulate her, don't criticize her! She worked hard to win that title. And if you know anything about the Miss America Organization, you know there is a lot of research done on the contestants competing and they must be US citizens. If she wasn't American- as everyone seems to think- she wouldn't be able to compete. Simple as that. Again, we can't assume that someone isn't American just because of their skin tone. She is just as American as the rest of us.
Being a diverse "melting pot" of races and ethnicities, I thought the country would be happy for her historical accomplishment but apparently I thought wrong. We must start changing the way we think and act toward racial groups in this country if we want to see a change in the responses people have to situations such as these. Like Ghandi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
Plus, wouldn't it get kind of boring if EVERY Miss America looked exactly the same and had the same racial background? Just a thought.
I have a lot of questions for the people making these attacks. First of all, have you been paying any attention to the news these past 12+ years? Indians are not a threat to our country nor are they to blame for the September 11th terrorist attacks. Stereotyping is and probably always will be a very large issue in diverse countries such as America, but just because someone has the same skin tone as a terrorist group does not, in any way, make them a terrorist. The ignorance in this claim is scary to me. It seems Americans need to watch and read the news more often.
Second, she is making history!! Yay- this is a good thing! Congratulate her, don't criticize her! She worked hard to win that title. And if you know anything about the Miss America Organization, you know there is a lot of research done on the contestants competing and they must be US citizens. If she wasn't American- as everyone seems to think- she wouldn't be able to compete. Simple as that. Again, we can't assume that someone isn't American just because of their skin tone. She is just as American as the rest of us.
Being a diverse "melting pot" of races and ethnicities, I thought the country would be happy for her historical accomplishment but apparently I thought wrong. We must start changing the way we think and act toward racial groups in this country if we want to see a change in the responses people have to situations such as these. Like Ghandi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
Plus, wouldn't it get kind of boring if EVERY Miss America looked exactly the same and had the same racial background? Just a thought.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
My thoughts about FYI (if you're a teenage girl)
I am excited to get this blog started! I am a communications student and aspiring broadcast journalist. However, writing is important to my success as a journalist on television so I have decided to start blogging. Sometimes thoughts on issues come to me and I wish I had a place to write it all down. A blog sounded like the perfect place to express myself. Because these posts will be free flowing thoughts, my grammar may not always be the best. I'm not too worried about that at this point because I just want to get my raw ideas down on paper (ok actually on the screen).
I just read the post FYI (if you're a teenage girl) by Mrs. Hall. As I was reading it I had so many thoughts running through my mind. There are so many things wrong with her argument and things I believe many parents would disagree with. I recommend reading it before reading my post to give you insight into what I'm referring to.
First, I think there is an incredibly large issue we tend to ignore in today's society. Girls have started wearing less clothing, rappers write about more promiscuous "activities", and parents complain about it. Ok... so what are you doing to SOLVE the problem? Girls know they can get attention by taking their clothes off. It's really that simple. But you don't want your daughter to be receiving that kind of attention? Here's your solution. Build up her self esteem! Whether that be complimenting that 100% she got on her latest math test, or how well she played in her basketball game last night, or even the little things like "I really appreciate you putting away your laundry when I asked." If she starts receiving attention for what we would call the right things, she won't try to seek that attention elsewhere. Now, I'm only 19 and am not a mother, but when I do have children, building up their confidence is going to be my number one priority (along with their safety of course). [Side note: My mom always said my brother and I each have a bucket of self esteem that she would fill up each day. No one else in our life was allowed to remove from this bucket. They weren't required to add to it, but they sure couldn't take from it. I am incredibly confident with myself and owe it all to my parents.] Once girls start realizing there is more to them than their body, they won't feel the need to gain attention that way. Actually, if you start this early, they won't EVER feel the need to gain attention by using their body. Or as Mrs. Hall said, their arched back and pouty face.
Second, if girls are supposed to act like ladies, I demand that boys be expected to act like gentlemen. Nowhere in her article does Mrs. Hall state that she holds her boys accountable to treat these girls with respect. She just requires they make them disappear off their social media if they post sexually suggestive photos. Newsflash: they're going to look for it elsewhere. Your boys are probably a lot smarter (and sneakier) than you think.
Not only have my parents built my self esteem up so I don't find the need to gain internet attention, but I've also seen and heard about the consequences of things posted in poor taste. Take the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders for example. They are an incredibly elite squad of dancers and only a select few make the team. If the coaches and mangers of that team find anything remotely inappropriate on the internet (naked pictures, partying pictures, drugs, alcohol, etc.) your chance as a DCC is over. Done. Your lifelong dream will never come true. All because of one single post. Even if it's deleted, things can still be saved and found later. Kids- boys and girls- need to be taught to be mindful of what they're posting because one small slip up could ruin their entire chance at the job they've wanted their whole life.
I challenge you to go compliment your son or daughter on at least one thing they did well today that has nothing to do with their appearance.
I just read the post FYI (if you're a teenage girl) by Mrs. Hall. As I was reading it I had so many thoughts running through my mind. There are so many things wrong with her argument and things I believe many parents would disagree with. I recommend reading it before reading my post to give you insight into what I'm referring to.
First, I think there is an incredibly large issue we tend to ignore in today's society. Girls have started wearing less clothing, rappers write about more promiscuous "activities", and parents complain about it. Ok... so what are you doing to SOLVE the problem? Girls know they can get attention by taking their clothes off. It's really that simple. But you don't want your daughter to be receiving that kind of attention? Here's your solution. Build up her self esteem! Whether that be complimenting that 100% she got on her latest math test, or how well she played in her basketball game last night, or even the little things like "I really appreciate you putting away your laundry when I asked." If she starts receiving attention for what we would call the right things, she won't try to seek that attention elsewhere. Now, I'm only 19 and am not a mother, but when I do have children, building up their confidence is going to be my number one priority (along with their safety of course). [Side note: My mom always said my brother and I each have a bucket of self esteem that she would fill up each day. No one else in our life was allowed to remove from this bucket. They weren't required to add to it, but they sure couldn't take from it. I am incredibly confident with myself and owe it all to my parents.] Once girls start realizing there is more to them than their body, they won't feel the need to gain attention that way. Actually, if you start this early, they won't EVER feel the need to gain attention by using their body. Or as Mrs. Hall said, their arched back and pouty face.
Second, if girls are supposed to act like ladies, I demand that boys be expected to act like gentlemen. Nowhere in her article does Mrs. Hall state that she holds her boys accountable to treat these girls with respect. She just requires they make them disappear off their social media if they post sexually suggestive photos. Newsflash: they're going to look for it elsewhere. Your boys are probably a lot smarter (and sneakier) than you think.
Not only have my parents built my self esteem up so I don't find the need to gain internet attention, but I've also seen and heard about the consequences of things posted in poor taste. Take the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders for example. They are an incredibly elite squad of dancers and only a select few make the team. If the coaches and mangers of that team find anything remotely inappropriate on the internet (naked pictures, partying pictures, drugs, alcohol, etc.) your chance as a DCC is over. Done. Your lifelong dream will never come true. All because of one single post. Even if it's deleted, things can still be saved and found later. Kids- boys and girls- need to be taught to be mindful of what they're posting because one small slip up could ruin their entire chance at the job they've wanted their whole life.
I challenge you to go compliment your son or daughter on at least one thing they did well today that has nothing to do with their appearance.
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