America the Beautiful

I was left rather speechless after last Thursday's class. This was one of the best documentaries I think I've ever seen. From the second Gerren was introduced on screen I was shocked. She is such a beautiful girl, but was so young. I think its great that mothers like hers allow their children to follow their dreams, even if they are as big as modeling but I think that mothers also need to draw the lines. The young girl who wanted to model, but felt she needed plastic surgery to do it not only made me sad, but the fact that her mother told her that they would do whatever it took for her to be a model, infuriated me. I understand plastic surgery in an effort to "fix" ones body after something drastic has happened to it; for example, a friend of mine has two children and she said that after having her kids, she felt that her breasts would never be the same, so she had a breast augmentation. I understand breast reductions, and even "nose jobs" for someone who has trouble breathing due to a deviated septum...but cosmetic surgery, just so you can look like someone you see on television or a magazine, is absolutely heartbreaking to me. A friend of mine and I recently had a conversation about high school girls who get breast implants for a high school graduation present. One, I can't believe parents actually buy this for their kids, and two, if these girls would simply give it a few years, they would grow out of their insecurities. At least, I hope so...

I don't know what it would take for people to begin seeing themselves as beautiful, but something does need to change. If the standard of beauty changes to larger women or something like that, I'm afraid that the cycle will just continue and companies will continue to make money off anything and everyone they can. I do think that documentaries like this, and classes like this one, are a step in the right direction though.

Latino's in the Media

Last week we discussed how Latino's are portrayed in the media. Most everyone has seen movies like Cheech and Chong or a film featuring the "spicy" Latino woman or the Latin lover, but are these accurate portrayals of Latinos and Hispanics living in the United States? I feel like most of what we see regarding Hispanics today is the news media telling stories of illegal immigrants or criminals, so I think that sadly, many people take this view they see in the news and apply it to all Hispanic people they see.

In Jour 2320 over the summer, I interviewed a Hispanic woman about how she felt they were portrayed in the media today and she seemed to think the same thing. She felt that if more positive stories were shown on the news about Hispanics, then people would have much different opinions of Hispanics and the Hispanic culture. I don't think that shows like George Lopez or comedians like Carlos Mencia are really helping with stereotypes either.

I had to take a portion of the United States citizenship test at the beginning of a class not long ago and I was absolutely shocked at how difficult it was. The types of questions that were on the test dealt with everything from politics to United States history questions. I don't necessarily think that its a bad idea for tests concerning history to be on the test but I don't understand the necessity of many of the questions. The entire time I was asking myself, "Why do you NEED to know this in order to be a citizen?" Either way, it did surprise me and made me think a lot harder about illegal immigrants and how long it takes most people applying for citizenship to actually become citizens.

Spike Lee

I went into seeing Spike Lee speak last Thursday not knowing what to expect. I knew that seeing him speak was an opportunity I would probably never get again so I was definitely excited.

I think everything he spoke of regarding education was really inspiring. It's taken me a long time to really figure out what I want to do with my life so I can definitely relate by saying that journalism kind of found me. I have always been writing so when I found something that I could do with the rest of my life that involved writing and photography, I felt incredibly grateful. I remember him mentioning that sometimes parents can be the biggest killers of dreams and I can see that as being true. Our parents just want the best for us in most cases so I understand them wanting us to find jobs and professions that will make us money and take care of us for the rest of our lives but I think doing something you love is much more important. It was really reassuring hearing him say things like that.

I won't deny that later in his speaking I felt like he was talking more to the African American crowd in the audience and no so much the white crowd, but either way, I think everything he said could in some ways be beneficial to everyone listening.

I really expected the Q&A to be a little more "heated" than it actually was. I was expecting people to ask probing questions and not the same "What should I do am an aspiring director" question. However I did really think it was neat how when someone would ask him to sign something, he graciously got up and did it instead of telling them no and sending them back to their seats.

All and all, I'm really glad that I attended and I think I got a lot out of the entire event!

Oh, Disney...

I never really thought of Disney as being in any way detrimental to the millions of children who watch the hundreds of movies; but after class Thursday, I realized that they could actually be.

I, as so many other children, grew up watching Disney movies but I don't think I ever grew up expecting to be treated like a princess from men in my life or anything such as that. I didn't grow up associating certain animals featured in films with any race or group of people. However, I did grow up with great parents who always would bring me back to earth if my head ever got to high in the clouds. This being said however I think that kids should be allowed to be kids and there is no harm in a three or five year old believing in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy.

I remember someone in class making the comment that kids will grow out of associating something negative with a group of people, based on something they've seen in a movie. I'll use my fathers side of my family as an example yet again as I have many times in this blog. I think the fact that that side of my family has always lived in the same area, and that they have never really experienced very many other people in their lives is a reason for how close minded so many of them are. I think that if parents teach their kids more that there is so much diversity in today's world then they will grow out of any negative associations they've formed as children. But, if they aren't taught about this, then they may carry around their same views of people their entire lives.

Until next week...

Women in the Media

First, I want to quickly discuss the WWE video that we watched in the beginning of the class that seemed to spark so much controversy. Never is it ok for women to be treated in the way they were in the video, in the wrestling ring. I know that there are people who watch these wrestlers and idolize them for the things they do and they way they treat people but honestly, do these people really not know that the entire thing is fake and in no way real? Again, no, it's not alright, but it's also not real. The people who watch wrestling and think that it is real, I don't see how they could be very educated or have been raised in an environment where their parents told them that this isn't the way ANYONE, woman or otherwise, deserves to be treated. The performers in wrestling, men and women, I suppose should take more responsibility for their actions. I don't think that the men are the only ones to blame because the women wrestlers go into those situations knowing EXACTLY what is going to happen to them. They're actors, and nothing more.

During our discussion at the end of class it seemed that the biggest question was why is it ok to show domestic violence and such in movies and in television and as I stated before, it's not. It's not because so many people have a hard time separating real life and what they see on t.v. Through classes such as this, and with the help of parents better educating their children, I think the entire situation will get better because people will learn the impact this kind of thing has on certain people as well as children.

Until next week!

Men in the Media

I'd be surprised to hear anyone argue with the documentary we watched in class on Thursday. I mean sure, there could be discrepancies with a few things; I won't deny that I was absolutely shocked to hear what Howard Stern had to say about the Columbine tragedy, and of course he is rather degrading to women, but any woman going on his show has to know what she is in for. I think maybe the maker of the documentary looked a little too deep into "Rocky" as I truly see that movie as nothing but an underdog story. But, as far as his main points went, I agree.

Especially in the south, so many boys are raised from the beginning to be "tough," and even as boys begin to grow up, I still think that many have the mind set that they need to be strong, they need to assert themselves to other boys, etc. I think it's probably a combination of having to prove to themselves that they are "manly" and that they are strong as well as feeling as though they have to prove this to other boys. I don't think this assertion includes violence against women in any way...I think men who engage in that sort of violence have some deeper seeded problems than just wanting to prove manliness. I think women do this as well, but not necessarily in the same context.

I think in many instances women dress for other women. They want to look nice so that other women will think they look nice. I personally have just gotten to a point in my life where I don't feel like I have to be, act, or dress in any certain way to fit a certain mold, or impress anyone other than myself. I think it just takes growing up, and even getting an education, for many men and women to realize that they don't have to fit those molds that are traditionally set for men or women.

GLBT in the Media

I have plenty of gay friends, and it always breaks my heart anytime anyone puts them down in any way, shape, or form. I think I've said it many times in this blog already but they are just people, they just live differently than I do. I know that everyone has their reasons for believing in the way that they do but I truly don't see the harm in someone being gay.

This time last year, I was visiting a few friends in Uptown Dallas. Uptown is an area of Dallas with a large gay population. While at a friends apartment, the two of us went downstairs to let in our friend, who is gay. While walked to the door, we walked upon a young man (who seemed to be drunk), staring out the door at our friend and saying derogatory things like "No fags allowed," etc. We walked past him and let our friend in and the three of us kept walking, trying to ignore what was said. He couldn't ignore the guy anymore and immediately started to defend himself as we pulled him into the elevator with us to avoid any more confrontation. After that happened, I remember being absolutely livid that there are such close minded people in the world that would say such hurtful things to someone they had never met before, just because of their sexual orientation.

In class we discussed an organization that call themselves Christians, who boycott soldier funerals (soldiers who are not gay) because of the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. In my opinion, I'm not sure how these people can call themselves Christians. I think they are just a group of people who want attention and need to attack others in order to get it.

Onto the documentary, I mentioned last week that not very much can shock me but I must say I was shocked by a few of the scenes that were shown, that were apparently shown on television...but I wasn't so much shocked by the fact that they were between gays or lesbians...I would have been shocked if it were a man and a woman in the scenes.

Until next time...

Music Videos

Music videos have never been something that are known for being conservative, especially rock and rap videos. Based on the things I've heard about the "Tipdrill" video, it would be offensive, even to me, someone who considers herself not easily offended. I have no desire to watch the video as I've heard many describe it as basically, porn. Making music with "raunchy" lyrics is one thing, but making a music video that is just as disgusting, seems pointless to me. Ok, so you like women, you enjoy sex, you do drugs, fine...but is it really necessary to feature this kind of stuff in all of your music and all of your music videos? Are you just going for shock value or do you really lack that much talent that you can't think of anything else to talk about in your music?

Eminem, even though not my cup of tea when it comes to music, I've always thought was quite talented but still, I hear some of the things he raps about and my previous thoughts come to mind. At the same time though, I laugh at some of the lyrics I hear in today's music.

I love music and always have but at lot of the crap I hear and see today, I don't really consider to be music, but that is just my opinion. It takes all kinds and all tastes so I respect what anyone likes, but I personally just don't get it.

Projects

It was really interesting to see some of the first projects other students tackled last Thursday. Based on the presentations, we were able to see other student opinions and I think in a class dealing with race and gender, having an opinion is really important. Some students chose to take on "touchy" issues and hearing different opinions on those was great. My project was over the women in Lost, primarily in the first season. I don't think that Lost portrayed them in any stereotypical way (except for one character) and portrayed them all very differently and fairly. I chose Lost for my project simply because it is one of my favorite shows and I've watched it so often it was easy to write an essay over it from memory.

Obsessed

Even though it seemed during discussions that people were dancing around the actual answer, I think it's fairly obvious that the media is where we get our ideas and standards of what is beautiful and what is not. I think that the media and advertisers target human nature, and the desire everyone, especially women, has to look better.

I can understand that this affects teens and younger women more than others. For me personally, I find myself at 24 not caring about what the media tells me is pretty, but caring about how I find myself pretty. I wear makeup, I get up early to shower and do my hair in the morning, but I do it for myself because that's how I feel best, not to look like someone in an ad...because that's just not going to happen. I've realized this but I know that others may not realize this yet. The media shows us this unattainable standard and I think there are many women and girls who are unable to separate this from real life.

The fashion industry, I'm afraid, will never change. Designers are always going to want skinny models, and will always make their clothes in tiny sizes. Why? I have no idea, but I just don't see this standard ever changing, regardless of how skeletal models are looking these days. I have a friend who is a fashion designer, and I remember reading a Facebook update someone in his entourage had posted. I'm not easily offended but this one kind of struck me as "not okay." The post said something along the lines of "Models shouldn't be allowed food. They should be given a pack of Marlboro Lights and a diet coke." This just struck me as completely objectifying models as nothing more than mannequins, not people.

During the summer, I did a little (very little) modeling for another designer friend of mine and at that time in my life, I somehow became obsessed with working out and would beat myself up mentally for eating something I saw as "wrong." I've been an off and on vegetarian/vegan for years so eating healthy has always been a part of my life but during the summer, I took it completely overboard. I found myself working out twice a day, doing nothing but cardio and eating a strict diet. I've never been overweight, I'm just built as a small person, and I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking in that I needed to lose weight. I guess I just wanted to keep modeling, so I thought I needed to be as small as small can be. I'm not proud of this time in my life, but thankfully, after a beach vacation with my family, my mother lovingly told me I looked anorexic and that was just the slap in the face I needed to start seeing the real me as beautiful again.

It breaks my heart to see young girls beat themselves up over their appearance but I think that as long as they grow up with a family who reinforces that they are beautiful just the way they are, and through growing up in general, they will eventually realize that the images in magazines and television are as real as the Tooth Fairy.

Media History

Although very long, I enjoyed the documentary we watched in class about the black newspaper. I didn't know this aspect of black media existed, and for so many years. All of the journalists who were interviewed seemed to have really enjoyed what they did and took pride in reporting the news that was being ignored by the mainstream press. Something that struck a chord with me were the cartoons they discusses being in white newspaper, painting a very derogatory picture of black people. I am currently taking an ethnomusicology class as an elective, (Popular Music in American Culture) and we recently discussed "black face" and this type of character and how popular it was in so many minstrel shows throughout the United States. I think it's this image of a black person that appeared in these shows, loud, clumsy, etc., that has carried through so many years and has given people this ridiculous stereotype, and gave way to the images that were painted in these newspaper cartoons.

It was obvious that the Mexican sportscaster story struck some chords with people yesterday. In my opinion, based upon her Today Show interview, it didn't seem like it bothered her that much. Harassment is a really broad term but I don't feel like "cat calls," whether in a locker room or not, is harassment. A lady can walk down the street and men will whistle or whatever else. I just think this was blown WAY out of proportion.

Gender Discussions

I found myself having many more opinions over this topic than I honestly thought I would. First, on the topic of the dance team on the cover of the alumni magazine. I didn't, by any means, find this offensive or inappropriate. Having been a dancer in high school, and at one time having the dream of going to Kilgore Junior College to be a Kilgore Rangerette, I know that sports bra's and shorts are just the way many dancer's practice. Dancers are athletes, they work hard, so no, they aren't going to practice is bulky sweats or something like that. I don't know much about this particular dance team, but from what I've heard, it seems they are a very prestigious team and would be of interest to many people.

During the video we watched during class, the one statistic that stuck out to me was the one that mentioned that girls between the ages of 9 and 10 have tried to lose weight. That's kind of shocking to me. When I was 9 or 10, my weight was the last thing on my mind. Granted, I've always been a small person, but still, this shouldn't be something that kids this age worry about, unless it is significantly affecting their health (childhood obesity, diabetes, etc.). It wasn't said but I am assuming that that statistic dealt with girls who didn't have these health problems and just wanted to lose weight so they can look like the images they see on television? That's heartbreaking, but I think that at that point, parents should step in and tell their children how beautiful they are on their own, and the images they see on t.v. aren't real.

Now, of course, what woman wouldn't want to look like a Victoria's Secret model or something like that? But, I think people need to wise up and realize that it's not going to happen. Everyone has their insecurities, but the older I've gotten, the more I've learned to be happy with myself. I get up early, I take a shower, fix my hair, put on a little makeup, and I care about my clothing, but I'm not dressing up for anyone but myself.

Finally, the photo of Erin Burnett in the Vanity Fair article. Yes, she was sitting very seductive, yes that dress was beautiful and not one she would wear while running the floors of the stock market, BUT, it was Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair is a fashion type magazine, it's a bit provocative, so it was no surprise to me that this photo was in the article. I saw nothing wrong with it, or the photo of Maria Bartoromo. Maria appeared like a strong business woman, and I think that's probably an accurate depiction of who she is.

"This is Alabama, we speak English..."

So here we are in the second week of 4250, and I'm posting for the first time. I apologize for not posting last week, I was a bit unclear as to whether or not we needed to blog after the first class, or simply set up our blog. I obviously accomplished the latter...

Anyway, last's nights class proved to me that this will be an interesting and fun class as many opinions will be shared, and thus lead to great discussions. First, let's talk about the video shown at the beginning of class, with the politician who seemed to legitimately believed that everyone in Alabama must speak English, therefore driver's tests should only be offered in English. As hilarious as this video was to all of us, I can see members of my fathers side of the family agreeing with this goober, as sad as that is. My fathers side of my family has always lived in the same, VERY rural parts of central Texas and haven't experienced much else, so needless to say, they are rather close-minded when it comes to things they aren't exposed to, or that aren't like them. My father, my grandfather, and many other members of my family are all intelligent human beings, however they haven't been educated beyond a typical high school education, so I suppose I see where they're close mindedness comes from. But, there is still no excuse for it..

Now, on to the rape news story out of Alabama. Of course this video makes me laugh, who wouldn't laugh at it? I think I would have laughed just the same regardless of the race or characteristics of the main character if they would have acted that way. Even though the rape story was a serious one, it made me think of this one...



As far as our group discussions went after watching the documentary, the question we discussed most was whether or not minorities are more likely to interview another minority source, or if women are more likely to interview other women, and so on. As many people mentioned, it is always comforting to talk to someone who appears to be like you, and I agree with this to a point. I feel MUCH more comfortable interviewing other women, and would be more comfortable walking up to a woman in an effort to ask a question. However, this doesn't have anything to do with any pre-conceived notions I may have of men, it's just a confidence issue for me. I don't have the confidence when it comes to approaching men. I never have...and I'm not entirely sure if I ever will. I immediately feel like the awkward girl, etc. etc. When it comes to approaching women for an interview or something of this nature, I really don't care what they think of me, so I ask my question and move on. Also, I wanted to make the point that race or ethnicity doesn't play into this at all for me. It doesn't matter what color the person is: a person is a person.

Until next week...