The Shriver Report – A Woman’s Nation (A Study by Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress) includes a chapter entitled “Where Have You Gone, Roseanne Barr?”, which discusses more than the offensive depictions of women or the lack of women’s representation in the media. While the chapter’s author, Susan J. Douglas, does talk about those issues, she goes right to the root of the problem:
Why should policy makers pay attention to media images of women? Because the media—and especially (although not exclusively) the news media—may not succeed in telling us what to think, but they certainly do succeed in telling us what to think about. This is called agenda-setting, and thus it matters if the real lives of most women are nowhere on the agenda, or if the agenda promotes the fantasy that full equality is now a reality for all women. And policymaking matters because the news media typically follow the lead of political elites in Washington. (p. 1)
This Ralph Lauren photo recently caused a big stir
There is a stark contrast between women working in the real world and what is represented on TV. As AAUW (American Association of University Women) said in an announcement back in June:
In 2009, women made up more than half the U.S. labor force; yet, the number of women CEOs in Fortune 500 companies stands at 13. In Fortune 1000 companies, only 25 women hold that position. At the current rate, it could take 40 years for the number of female CEOs to equal the number of male CEOs.
Additionally, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, women’s representation in employment as well as ownership of media is pretty dismal. True, while improved representation in employment does not necessarily mean there will be an improvement in how women are depicted and talked about in both the news and popular media, it still would be a progression for women in our society.
Female experts are not being consulted, and women’s voices are not being heard. According to The Op-Ed Project—an initiative that works to see more women represented as op-ed contributors, columnists, and general experts accessible to the media—men dominate 85 percent of the “national conversation.”
What all this boils down to is the issue of accurate representation. As Douglas states in her chapter, “these distorted reflections contain and perpetuate significant class biases by either ignoring or silently ridiculing most women who make less than $100,000 a year and aren’t media-perfect in appearance” (p. 3).
We need those accurate depictions to show what life is really like for women, not just those who have successful careers and are wealthy, but those who aren’t especially wealthy. We need to see more of those women who may or may not be in relationship, those who may or may not have a family, those who may or may not be caregivers, and the list goes on.
Issues facing women in the media are incredibly important because while these issues may seem harmless, they can have long-lasting effects on how women and girls perceive themselves as well as how society in general perceives them. It’s about giving a voice—and representation—to a multitude of experiences rather than seeing and hearing from a select few.
Comedy Central’s new show Secret Girlfriend portrays men as immature, sex-crazed idiots and documents their adventures in douchebaggery. It basically functions as training wheels for harder-core fare; the plot is weak, and the women exist only to look and act stereotypically sexy for the men.
What’s new, right? Well, there’s a twist: Secret Girlfriend gives us a literal interpretation of the misogynistic male gaze. The camera serves as the eyes of the main character, inviting the viewer to take on his perspective and jump into the story. The other characters talk to “you”, and you send texts back and forth, but you never actually speak.
Your bros—Do we ever see women this size starring in fun, confident roles?
You check out every woman in the show, as the camera pans from ass to breasts—after all, you’re a guy, so you don’t have the power to resist sizing up women in this way.
Of course, only conventionally hot, thin girls can be on this show, but the men are average-looking and overweight.
Women’s only valuable characteristic is their sex appeal; if they’re not Maxim centerfold material, they might as well be invisible. In contrast, leading roles for men seem to go to whoever can execute lame jokes about genitalia and sound really pumped at all times.
I watched the first episode of Secret Girlfriend, and that was more than enough for me. I’ll detail the main events and save you the pain of actually watching it.
During this episode, we learn about two main women in your life: 1) Mandy: your psycho, sexy, brunette ex-girlfriend, and 2) Jessica: a new, blonde girl-next-door (in a Budweiser commercial kind of way).
You meet Jessica (your secret girlfriend) while buying alcohol. When she catches you staring at her butt, she says "Excuse me--my tits are up here!"
Jessica says that she doesn’t mind when you choose to play video games and have pizza and beer on your first date instead of going somewhere nice. Totally possible—some girls like that stuff too.
But to show that she can really be “one of the guys”—although remaining very hot and looking feminine, of course—while playing the game (likely Grand Theft Auto), she yells, “Yeah, shoot the hooker in the face! Yeah bitch, eat it, eat it!”
This scene proves she really is cool and knows what chillin’ and being a dude is all about: drinking brewskies, eating greasy pizza, and playing a game where you get to perform acts of violence against women while verbally degrading them!
Another time, when you’re out eating sushi with Jessica and seemingly having a great time, you get a call from your bros, telling you to get to the strip club ASAP! You’re with this amazing girl on a date that is going wonderfully, but you’ve gotta follow the golden rule: bros before hos.
Plus, the ho you’re with is fully clothed and hasn’t put out yet, while there will be many hos at the strip club who are scantily clad or naked and eager to sell you lapdances. It’s a pretty clear choice for you. Factoring your date’s feelings into the equation would be waaaaay too hard.
Luckily, Jessica answers right after you hang up with a playful “you don’t even need to explain, just go!” response, because she’s more than happy to let you ditch her—she knows that she’s not that important to you, and accepts that your priority is to be at the most sexually enticing scene at all times.
Mandy, your psycho ex, is still desperately obsessed with you. Can you say "cliché"?
You’re having a great time at the strip club—until Mandy comes in! She was doing some snooping because she expected that you were going there behind her back. Mandy tells you that she’s hurt that you’re at the strip club because it makes her feel like she isn’t enough for you.
That is an understandable feeling, though in this case it is coming from an ex-girlfriend with obvious issues, so the overall sentiment is really: “Chicks shouldn’t trip about you looking at other chicks take their clothes off, even if you are in an intimate relationship with them.”
Because your ex is not only crazy, but also sexy, her rational course of action is to remove her trench coat to reveal that she is wearing nothing but lingerie! As your “punishment” for going to the strip clubs behind her back, she is going to dance on stage in front of everyone, to show you what you can’t have anymore.
That’ll really put you in your place. I guess in guy dream world it would make perfect sense that women perform a striptease whenever they get mad at you. Therefore, the more of a jerk you are, the sexier she will act!
After her dance, Mandy approaches you and suddenly wants you again because she noticed you watching her when she was dancing on stage! You check out every woman, and that’s all that you have to do to get a woman to stop being mad at you: ogle her—no special attention, care, or conversation necessary.
So what have we learned from this episode? Secret Girlfriend delivers entertainment in the form of lowest common denominator humor, sexism, tired stereotypes, and overall stupidity. Is the show simply satire? Not likely–the tone is off. Is it the generic fantasy of the stereotypical, sexist frat boy? Perhaps. Does it reflect ideas that are marketable to a sizable portion of our population (young, heterosexual males)? Yes—the fact that it’s airing on Comedy Central tells me that it does.
It also tells me that there’s a whole new generation of prepubescent boys who don’t have quite the same grasp on reality as adults, and are learning to view and treat women as objects—worthless unless they look “hot”, and disposable even if they do—through watching this show.
Have you seen Secret Girlfriend? What do you think?
Take action! Let Comedy Central know how you feel about Secret Girlfriend:
Jenni Runyan Director
2049 Century Park East, Ste. 4000
Los Angeles, CA 90067
I wouldn’t describe my feelings for the Twilight saga as “love” or even “like,” but more along the lines of “obsessed.” When I read the four books in the Twilight series, along with millions of teenage girls, I was engrossed in a world where one could go to school with vampires and be best friends with a werewolf.
However, another feeling rivaled my fanatic obsession while reading the Twilight saga; extreme aggravation.
One of the reasons why I was interested in reading the Twilight series is that I love books with a strong female lead character. My hopes for Bella Swan as the strong main character started to crumble when I delved a little deeper into the folds of the Twilight world.
Bella has a lot of potential, with her passion, wit, and stubbornness. At times the reader is tricked into thinking Bella is the strong female lead we wish we had more of because we can see her obstinate thoughts and read her bold inner monologue.
But all of that is undermined by the fact that she is constantly seen as the damsel in distress. Stephenie Meyer, the author, chose to put Bella in situations where she was completely dependent on the supernaturally strong men in her life.
Bella (Kristen Stewart) is saved yet again by her supernatural friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner) in New Moon
It isn’t until the of the last book, Breaking Dawn, that Bella actually has an opportunity to showcase her abilities, but even then, Bella undermines her own impact. Edward, her vampire lover, tells Bella her talents saved the family, but we never see Bella own that fact herself.
Millions of young (and not so young) readers have read the Twilight series and are going to flock to the second movie, New Moon, in theaters November 2009. I know there are stories out there that are just as interesting as Twilight AND show girl characters as powerful actors in their own worlds.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
So, where are the compelling stories with strong girls leading the charge? One of my favorite young adult novels with a fantastic main character is Ella Enchanted. Ella is smart, funny, and determined on saving herself in this fairytale with a twist.
What other books out there should girls be reading? Add your ideas to the comments section. Don’t forget to recommend books with action-oriented girl main characters to ALL young readers. It is just as important for boys to see examples of strong females as it is for girls.
Felicia Day is not your typical female star—and that’s what we love about her.
Day became known to many television viewers during her stint on the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, starred in “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog,” and is the writer, producer, and director of the popular web series The Guild, a show that parodies the culture of online role-playing games.
As noted in a post a few weeks ago, the majority of starring roles in television seem to go to curvy blondes. Redheads are usually cast as wacky sidekicks, like Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or as fiery-tempered fighters, like the argumentative Dr. Brennan in Bones. In defiance of this limiting stereotype, Day’s character, “Codex”, is a shy yet intelligent gamer who seems like the girl next door.
When asked by Wired magazine about the inspiration for The Guild, Day said:
Most people don’t make a living acting. But being the kind of girl who is stereotyped as the secretary — or I’ve played a crazy cat lady five times, which is fine because I do that very well — but at a certain point you’re like, ‘I am more than this.’ That’s why I wrote Codex [her character in The Guild]. I sat down and was like, ‘What role would I have the most fun playing and would never be offered to me?’ I think Codex, in a mainstream world, would have a perfect nose and great highlights, but that’s not reality. And I wanted to, somehow, infuse reality into what I was doing.
Rather than give in to the pressure to change to fit the Hollywood ideal, Day seems more interested in changing the way Hollywood works.The Guild has no studio oversight, no million-dollar budget, and no A-list cast. Yet their promotional video for the third season of the show has over 4 million views on YouTube, and was the number one video download on iTunes.
The viral video, entitled “Do You Want to Date My Avatar”, pokes fun at the disconnect between oversexualized gaming avatars and the real appearance and lives of the gamers themselves:
Felicia Day is proof that there is more than one way to succeed as a woman in entertainment, and that women don’t need to accept negative stereotypes in order to do so.
Charlotte on her way to a baby shower in Sex and the City
I’m really excited to be attending my cousin’s baby shower this month, but I thought it was incredibly odd when my aunt told me that men don’t come; showers are for women only. How “normal” is it to have women-only baby showers? According to popular media, it’s the way baby showers are done. No men. Additionally, the way in which showers are discussed can highlight the stereotypical disdain men sometimes have when considering baby showers.
Take, for instance, an episode toward the end of season four of Friends. Monica and Rachel decide to host a baby shower for Phoebe, and when Joey hears about the party he states, “Baby shower? That so doesn’t sound like something I want to do.”
Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe after Rachel’s women-only baby shower on Friends.
Joey is noting that it seems like an incredibly boring event, especially when compared to the bachelor party he’s planning. Even though Phoebe is one of his best friends and will be giving birth, this celebration is something he would prefer to miss. Of course, later in the episode the shower is depicted with only women in attendance – no men.
Fast forward a few years to season eight of Friends when Rachel is pregnant. Monica and Phoebe host a baby shower, and again, no men attend. Ross, the father of the baby, comes into the apartment after the guests have left, looks around at all the gifts, and says, “Looks like we got a lot of good stuff.” He states this even though he did not attend or participate in the shower celebrating the future birth of his and Rachel’s daughter.
In season one of Sex and the City, Charlotte takes a brand name (of course) baby basket to a friend’s shower as a gift. All the shower attendees are women, although Miranda, Samantha, and Carrie aren’t overly enthused to be there. In season four, Steve is not present at Miranda’s baby shower even though he would be using most of the baby gifts, too.
Miranda (center), reluctantly attends the women-only baby shower in her honor in an episode of Sex and the City
Some baby shower web sites, such as babyshower101.com and baby-shower.com, recognize that while showers are traditionally for women only, there has been an increase in men’s attendance. I wonder if this shift in attendance and participation possibly reflects a more equitable arrangement regarding families.
With all these depictions of women-only baby showers, is popular media just keeping with tradition? If so, does that perpetuate sexist stereotypes that only women are expected to be responsible for raising children, or is it empowering for women to share experiences regarding childbirth and motherhood amongst themselves? If you were to host a baby shower with feminist values, what would you do?
–Katherine B.
Katherine Broendel holds a master’s degree in public communication from American University in Washington, D.C. Her thesis focused on the framing of sexual violence in the media. Broendel’s professional experience includes work at various nonprofit organizations including AAUW; the National Geographic Society; Amnesty International, USA; and Defenders of Wildlife.
A frame from the new Rethink Breast Cancer commercial (full video is on the jump)
Rethink Breast Cancer has released a new ad that they hope will catch the attention of heterosexual men and increase awareness of breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in young women ages 20 to 59. But though they may have the best of intentions, this ad is liable to do more harm than good.
We’ve all seen the “pinkified” ads for breast cancer awareness and research. They usually focus on women as mothers and daughters and frequently feature emotional music, pastel colors, and a plea for support. It’s no doubt time for a new approach, but the ad recently created by Rethink Breast Cancer is a big step in the wrong direction.
The video opens with a shot of a pool party, with a crowd of women and men enjoying themselves in the water. Then, to the amazement of all the men, Aliya-Jasmine Sovani (a host for MTV News Canada) walks onto the scene, wearing a small white bikini. The video is slowed down and cropped to showcase Sovani’s breasts, and reveal the motion of her breasts with every step she takes. The men at the party are excited, while the smaller-breasted women surrounding them look on in envy and disapproval. The caption reads, “You know you like them. Now it’s time to save the boobs.”
Apparently, to the makers of this advertisement, the ability to look at breasts is the only reason men care about women. It would be impossible to appeal to them as lovers, fathers, sons of women who are affected by breast cancer. No, best to keep it simple for the dudes: “If they lose their boobs, we can’t ogle them anymore!” (And that’s not even taking into account the other women in the ad; clearly, women with smaller breasts aren’t worth saving.)
This ad not only reinforces the objectification and valuing of women based solely on bodily perfection, but it degrades men as well, portraying them as incapable of seeing beyond their own desires to the concerns of women they care about. Real men care about the women in their lives as full people: minds and spirits, as well as bodies. When a husband loses a wife to breast cancer, it’s not the loss of the breasts that he is mourning, but the loss of a woman.
While getting men concerned about the dangers posed by breast cancer is an important goal, ads like this will only serve to remind women that their value in the eyes of men is determined by the perceived perfection of their bodies.
Dora the Explorer’s new “tween” look has caused quite a stir. The new Dora seems to be telling little girls that looks are, in fact, very important. She is also suggesting that girls should be more interested in styling their hair than in having adventures.
Luckily, the original, adventurous young Dora will live on in her television show. The tween Dora is being marketed as a doll that can hook up to computers to interact with her web site, doralinks.com. The site and doll will officially launch on September 29th, but until then, visitors to the teaser site can watch the Dora links commercial, which you might have seen on television:
The commercial focuses on three main features of tween Dora and doralinks.com: numerous outfit and accessory options, the ability to change Dora’s eye color from brown to blue or green, and the option of making her hair longer.
The commercial mentions that she will now be solving mysteries with her “explorer girls”, but then just goes on to highlight changing Dora’s appearance in order to “disguise” her for investigations. That is a pretty sorry attempt to hold onto any bit of the old Dora’s soul. What’s next, having the option to lighten Dora’s hair and skin? Being able to give her lip injections and breast implants? Maybe they’ll wait for teen Dora for those options.
These marketing points are still standard for girls’ toys, but I really hoped that such a dynamic, groundbreaking character like Dora would not grow up conforming to gender stereotypes and placing so much emphasis on her looks. Cartoon characters and dolls are still role models for girls, and when most play options involve taking care of babies or putting on pretty outfits, we can really see where women and girls still stand in this world.
Judging by my observations of other girls and from my own experiences growing up, girls tend to lose their gusto somewhere between the ages of 6 and 12. Unfortunately, Dora the Explorer is no exception. The Punky Brewsters, Ramona Quimbys, and Eloises of our childhoods are eventually taught that they should be seen and not heard, and that they need to conform to certain standards of beauty and conduct that are appropriate for girls. These standards do not include being bold, rambunctious, or playful.
Why do little girls in this age group lose their spark? Perhaps society is threatened by the power these girls could grow into if allowed to cultivate those characteristics. Meanwhile, boys are encouraged to continue to develop these qualities as they grow older, and they go on to make up the majority of people in power.
I would’ve liked to see the older Dora take on even bigger, more challenging adventures instead of retreating to a stereotypical girly-girl’s world and focusing on her looks. The tween Dora could’ve been an action figure for children, but instead, because of her female gender role, she is assigned the passive role of a doll, focusing on her appearance instead of adventure.
Want to tell Dora’s production companies what you think? Yeah you do. Contact them:
Viacom Inc.
1515 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
(212) 258-6000
or online
Mattel, Inc.
333 Continental Boulevard
El Segundo, CA 90245
(310) 252-2000
While our culture is being inundated with stories about romantic, supernatural males, such as vampires sweeping everyday ladies off their feet, we get a story about a supernatural girl literally eating horny high school boys.
Jennifer’s Body is a thinly veiled retelling of the age-old story based on fear of women’s sexuality. What could be scarier for boys than a woman with sexual power?
Jennifer’s Body links a girl’s assertive sexual behavior with the death of male sexuality. This concept takes form when we see Jennifer, played by Megan Fox, seduce boys in her town. Jennifer then quite literally kills their sexuality by eating her victims.
According to azcentral.com, the reason Jennifer is possessed in the first place is because of a botched human sacrifice. Azcentral.com alludes to the idea that the sacrifice goes wrong due to the fact that Jennifer, the human intended to be sacrificed, wasn’t a virgin — as if there weren’t enough slights on female sexuality, Jennifer’s Body throws virginal status in the mix. The obvious result of sexual activity for a woman is demonic possession. (Ahem, that’d be sarcasm.)
Megan Fox plays a demonic teen in Jennifer's Body
Like the movie Teeth, where a young woman goes on a rampage, killing unsuspecting men with her mutant teeth (which are in a sexually strategic place), Jennifer’s Body is helping to spread fear of women’s bodies and sexualities.
We often see sexually powerful men, such as Edward from Twilight, who are not necessarily threatening, but just plain sexy. Can you think of an example in pop culture of a sexually powerful woman who is not seen in some way as a threat to men? I’m drawing a blank.
Teeth is a gory exploration of the mythological "vagina dentata"
Movies like Jennifer’s Body and Teeth are marketed as dark comedies, but this type of label undermines the cultural impact story lines like these can have. Just because something is presented as a joke doesn’t mean it can’t still have a negative effect.
For example, racist jokes might be intended to be funny, but they still carry implications of how the joke-teller sees the world. Can you see how “comedies” like Jennifer’s Body impact the way people view women’s sexuality? Tell us what you think in the comments section for this blog.
I don’t want to tell anyone not to see the movie, but I do think it is important to think about what movies like Jennifer’s Body say about girls’ and women’s sexualities. Next time you see a movie look for the assumptions and the hidden story lines, you might be surprised by what you find.
If you see flaws in the movie and you want to do something about it, you can let Diablo Cody, the film’s writer, know what you think about Jennifer’s Body by sending a message through her myspace page.
Have you noticed that every shampoo commercial looks the same? Or that diet product commercials are everywhere at the beginning of a new year? Comedian Sarah Haskins has. And for the past couple of months, she’s produced TargetWomen, a series on Current TV that hilariously and critically examines the advertising world of women’s products.
Haskins’ critiques are among the most comprehensive and on-point ones I’ve seen of how advertisers target women to sell products. She brilliantly tackles shameless themes that pop up in commercials, like ones that sell frozen food (“It is the woman’s job to feed her family,” she sarcastically says. “Just make sure it satisfies EVERYONE”) and ones that sell yogurt (“Yogurt is the official food of women”). There’s an episode about skin care products, and how their commercials always remind us that we’re aging. There’s also an episode about how cars are marketed to women—“We want cars that say, ‘I’m not a mom, I’m a MILF,’” Haskins says bitingly, alluding to the images of middle-aged women rolling up in their Lincolns with all the gas station attendants staring her down.
Check out this one about women in cleaning product commercials:
Haskins doesn’t let anything in an ad pass her by without mocking it, and she has done an exceptional job of calling out these blatant marketing tactics.
After months of tuning into her series, I’ve noticed that, instead of passively watching T.V. commercials while patiently waiting for my show to return, I’ve become increasingly critical of commercials and their brazen schemes to trick women into feeling they need a product.
Next episode I’d like Haskins to do? One that tackles that “dreadful” feeling women are supposed to feel right as summer starts. Wal-Mart and Nivea are two companies this season I noticed that use that “Uh, oh, summer’s here” theme to convince us we better buy diet products or use cellulite cream. They put skinny actresses in their commercials that either open their top drawers to find their swimsuit lying there, or walk by store windows with bikini-clad mannequins and suddenly have that “it’s that time of year again” moment. Sarah Haskins, I’d love to see you ridicule these guys!
What do you think of Sarah Haskins’ Target Women series? Has she changed the way you watch commercials in between your favorite shows? Let us know in the comments, and let us know what other stale theme you have seen used over and over in commercials!
Anyone who listens to the radio or is remotely up to date with today’s music has unfortunately grown accustomed to lyrics that offend, degrade, or sexualize women. Nonetheless, nothing prepared me for Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” when I heard it on the radio last summer. It’s been nearly a year since I first heard the song, but when it came onto the radio a few days ago, it disgusted me just as much as it had the first time it unhappily met my ears, and I felt compelled to speak out.
Wow, where to begin?
Is it enough that Perry created an entire song about the deplorable commonality of lesbian action for the sake of male enjoyment? This alone makes me sad for the women and girls who hear this song and who, like others, think that female sexuality is not something to be owned by the woman herself, but that is at the disposal and for the benefit of male viewers.
Kissing a girl — like kissing boy — ought to be a shared experience amongst the individuals involved. Yet for many women of all sexual orientations, kissing a girl is done for the pleasure and excitement of the heterosexual gaze.
It is common knowledge — or common myth? — that all men drool over the idea of watching lipstick lesbians touching each other or viewing the highly coveted threesome. Visual creatures or not, a song in which a girl gushes over her illicit kiss with another girl is undoubtedly designed to alter some male blood flow. Perry sings “I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it.” The implication is that her boyfriend only minded if he wasn’t there to witness it.
Not only am I incensed over the way in which this girl-on-girl kiss is promoted as an object of straight male lust, it also sends a powerful message about lesbian relationships in general. “It felt so wrong” Perry coos, “It’s not what/Good girls do/Not how they should behave.” Good girls don’t kiss other girls or when they do it’s wrong? Yikes.
This song celebrates female sexuality only in so far as it is experienced by the male outsider. It is only okay that she kissed a girl because she expressly calls it experimentation. Perry describes it to avid male listeners and sends the message that it’s “so wrong,” which is meant to add to the excitement anyway.
The video takes this message even further. Just a few seconds of the three-minute video makes it clear that Perry is selling sex to a male audience. It’s hard to think how much more you can objectify women than by making them faceless lingerie-clad bodies moving mindlessly in the background.
Perry does not acknowledge her fellow females nor interact with them in any way. Meanwhile, her lyrics describe her female sexual interaction; an interesting contrast, the meaning of which is far from transparent. Is Perry provocative enough to lip sync about kissing a girl but not quite bold enough to take that on screen? Or does this just add to the tease to hear her describe a girl’s “soft lips” while touching her own body and not another’s?
With a video that basically just shows Perry dancing provocatively surrounded by anonymous women (and a “pussy” cat on her lap?) combined with appalling lyrics, “I Kissed a Girl” is an over-the-top insult to and infantilization of the gay community as well as a despicably direct message to men and women alike that female sexuality is a plaything of men.
When are women finally going to be told, “Your sexuality and your body belong to you and you alone and nothing about that is wrong?”
