I’m not a prude, and I don’t like to judge other women’s personal choices. But I do care an awful lot about how women are portrayed (and portray themselves!) in the media. We’re now averaging 13.6 hours of media consumption per person per day, which means the stories we see played out in the media… Continue Reading →
Lesbians are girls, too: Why no one’s immune to media
I have a superpower. I am immune to the power of media. Yes, you heard me correctly. Bring on your Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows and Hardee’s ads and watch their influence fall harmlessly away from me. For as a lesbian, I “do not care about the standards of beauty created for me by society.” Wait…what?… Continue Reading →
This summer, get YOUR perfect media literacy body in just 5 steps!
Since I occasionally get bored while waiting in line to pay for groceries, I periodically experience the utter joy of seeing a seemingly body-positive teen mag, leafing through it, and having my hopes crushed. At this point in my life, I pick up the magazines not out of legitimate hope that a Seventeen article entitled… Continue Reading →
Mature models show the beauty of aging
Word of the day: “Gerascophobia.” It is commonly defined as the abnormal and persistent fear of growing old or aging. Also known as modern American culture. It’s no secret that the media idolizes youth. As women age, Botox, plastic surgery, and a generous dose of Photoshop are purported as the recipe for immortality. If you’re… Continue Reading →
Will this be “Your Sexiest Summer Ever”? Magazines say yes (and why I say no)
The most recent issue of my favorite fashion magazine is promising me this will be my “Sexiest Summer Ever!” The one where I will have the PERFECT summer fling and my BEST beach body. Ha! Only if sexy means lounging in my extra-large t-shirt all day, watching reruns of Gossip Girl and eating a bag… Continue Reading →
No More: a high schooler’s perspective on More magazine’s treatment of middle-aged women
I have a confession: I’m eighteen, and I read More magazine. Every month, I get a glimpse into what it means to be a woman over the age of forty in American society. Recently, I overheard a saying: “Men age, women rot.” This phrase encapsulates the message that More sends its readers. It’s the reason that… Continue Reading →
Sports Illustrated’s failed attempt to be more “accessible” to women readers
We all know that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition comes out every year, and with each year, we all groan at the images, growing more and more tired of the airbrushing and scantily clad models. It looks like Sports Illustrated has caught on to our feelings, has decided to switch things up a bit, and… Continue Reading →
When did nude become news?
Kate Middleton’s breasts got suddenly famous, and the uproar ensued. As you know by now, on September 14, the French magazine Closer printed photographs of Kate Middleton sunbathing topless on a vacation with Prince William — without Kate’s knowledge or approval. Consumers of gossip mags know that this is hardly unusual. We fawn over pictures… Continue Reading →
Objectification—it’s not just for women anymore!
I’ve found myself split before on the topic of male objectification, for the simple reason that men and women don’t occupy equivalent positions of power. When advertisers and filmmakers present women as sexual objects, those representations exist in a world where women are disadvantaged socially, professionally, and politically. Sexualized images of women contribute to an overall… Continue Reading →