Qualifications to be pretty

     Inside the TV show america's next top model it picks girls from around the world to compete in a competition to be a model. Each week the girls have to go through an array of competitions ranging from commercials to modeling to doing runway shows, and are judged off of their looks and progress throughout the weeks. Even Though this seems like a shallow show that continues spreading the old ideologies and views on women as sex objects that are meant to only be looked at. It actually takes the lead in showing the depths of women and is changing the old views and standards of beauty, while showing the different types of women in this country. Therefore, america's next top model should be considered as a feminist work of art.
     America's next top model (ANTM) works to reinforce, and change many stereotypes, gender roles and old ideologies surrounding women. Inside of the fourth season of ANTM it went against the gender role that women should show domesticity and submissiveness. It fights this by showing Noelle, who was in this this competition despite she had a husband and child. This shows that even when women have responsibilities at home they will still try and follow their dreams, even if it entails being the breadwinner in the home. In season four one of the contestants were kicked out of the competition because she almost fought someone who poured something on her. Even though the show went against those gender roles it still reinforces that women should show purity and piety. And should never show angry emotions in public even if it is instigated. ANTM also works to go against many stereotypes but still enforces some. In our society many people see models as sex objects but ANTM tries to change that view with the contestant Brittany. At the beginning of the fourth season she was almost eliminated because she came off as too sexy. Inside the TV show the judges didn't want the girls to come off as sex objects. But they wanted them to be seen as seductresses to all genders. who can get anyone to buy their products just from their looks. Even though in this society models are seen to be skinny, ANTM tries to change this by letting in competitor Keena who is considered to be a plus sized model. She continued to get really far in the competition but her personality simmered away and she lost. This shows that personality is more important than the pictures, which is a very rare view for models.

     As a whole, ANTM sees how society views women and tries to fix it through showing that models have personalities and home lives that helps them as models. It also shows that if women are driven enough to do something they can, even if it goes against the views that society has on them.

Pink Matter: Life, Lust, and Aliens

Frank Ocean debuted his Channel Orange Album in 2012. He titled the album as a reference to a neurological phenomenon called  grapheme-color synesthesia. This means a person's experience or sense is related to a color. Frank is referencing how he fell in love. The song “Pink Matter” takes a sadder, more laidback style with themes of sex and betrayal. Ocean experiences an internal strife and struggle between the meaning of life, love and sex, extraterrestrial life, and gender.

In the very beginning of the song Frank describes the philosophy of “mind body problem”.  He is trying to figure out the relationship between the brain and consciousness. Frank is raising the question of whether the brain is merely matter, or is the mind something more?

What do you think my brain is made for

Is it just a container for the mind

This great grey matter

Throughout the song Frank refers to a “Sensei”. The sensei represents Frank’s internal consciousness as well as his own battles between lust, sex, and love. A sensei is a teacher, often a wise one. In this line Frank is conversing with the sensei and raising questions.

Sensei replied what is your woman

Is she just a container for the child

Frank is being questioned about how he views the purpose of women. He does not know if he simply views women as containers for holding children and giving birth. Frank is reluctant to say whether he values women for their minds or just for their bodies. This is relevant in a society that seems to only value women for their bodies, and it is obviously affecting Frank himself. Frank’s sensei is helping him open up to ideas about gender as well as acceptance. Next, Frank jumps to the questioning of extraterrestrial life.

What if the sky and the stars are for show

And the aliens are watching live

Frank is questioning the idea that human beings are small compared to the grand scheme of the universe.  By using the words “what if” it allows the audience to be detached from their own perspective and take a look at the larger scheme of things. If Frank does believe there are aliens, it makes the problems of his own life a little less severe and insignificant. This ideology is a common experience for everyone. As long as humans have the consciousness they will begin to question the meaning of things and the relativity of themselves as a whole.

Towards the end of the song, Frank also brings in his own questioning of sexuality. In July of 2012, shortly after the release of the Channel Orange album, Frank opened up about how he is bisexual. This was a shock to many in the hip hop industry and caused backlash to Frank himself.

Grey matter

Blue used to be my favorite color

Now I ain't got no choice

Blue matter

By starting with the line “Grey matter” and ending the verse with “Blue matter” Frank is showing his own transition to a new way of thinking. Instead of being stuck in his own grey matter and jumble of senselessness and confusion, he turns to one that is more himself. When he says he has “no choice” it could be that he cannot choose his own sexuality and refuses to hide it anymore. The blue could also be about how Frank is stuck in his gender. Society is telling him that he is a man, and that he is “blue”. Frank feels trapped in these fixed molds but has no choice but to conform. There are other songs in the album speculated to be about his struggles with his sexualty including one titled “Forrest Gump”.

Overall the common themes and questioned Frank shares are a common experience for everyone. As people age throughout their lives, these age old questions about life and love appear. This song is especially relevant in a society that is so obsessed with stereotyping and celebrity culture. This song forces the audience to go through Frank’s own internal strife as well as your own.

To See or Not to See

In John Berger’s book entitled, The Ways of Seeing, he expresses his view about gender roles in society. He articulates the idea that men act and women appear. He says that men first survey a woman and what a man sees often determines how the woman will be treated. Berger later says that a woman’s actions also determine how others will treat her. Although I agree with Berger’s assertions that men often judge women based on what they observe, I believe that both men and women contribute to the objectification of women and I believe that not all men are the brave, confident individuals Berger portrays them to be.

More often than not, the first thing a man observes about a woman is her appearance. At a young age, kids are always taught not to judge a book by its cover. Even though this cliché is repeated time and time again, men seem to have an innate urge to judge a woman based on her appearance. A few weeks ago two guys sitting at a lunch table next to mine were “rating” various girls on a scale of 1-10. Their “rates” were based purely on physical appearance and had nothing to do with who the girls were or what their personalities were like. Sitting at the same table as them was a girl who was listening to the entire conversation. After a few minutes she was clearly aggravated and voiced her frustration. She said that taking a woman and reducing her to nothing more of an object of review was ridiculous and insulting. Upon hearing this, the two boys justified their actions by saying “well all guys do it so it’s okay.” Not only is this a classic bandwagon logical fallacy but it also shows how this mentality is so deeply ingrained in society. Just because “everyone does it,” doesn’t mean that it is right and should be repeated.

Both men and women contribute to and perpetuate the objectification of women. Men objectify women by looking at them and seeing them as sex objects. Women objectify themselves by succumbing to social pressures. Berger says that the success of a woman’s life is dependent on how she appears to others and more specifically, men. Therefore, a woman's sense of herself is supplanted by the feeling of “being appreciated as herself by another.” Berger argues that a woman’s view of herself is less important that how another person views her. This mentality leads to a lack of self-confidence and insecurities. When a woman accepts what men may think of her, she allows herself to become objectified. When a woman is objectified she can more easily be compared to other “objects” (e.g. the “rates”). Both men and women help to perpetuate objectification, which can often hurt a woman’s self image. Women are continuously seen as sex objects and objectified day after day but still should be seen as a symbol of purity.

Berger’s insinuation that all men are strong, dominating, and extremely confident individuals is a very far-fetched idea. Everyone has insecurities and there is no avoiding it. Berger asserts that while men act without a thought of what others might think of them, women are always thinking about who will judge them. As a man, I find this utterly ridiculous. I constantly find myself trying to figure out how other people may be judging me. I often worry that things I say or do might offend someone or hurt their feelings. As a man, I am self-conscious and have insecurities just like everyone else. There is no biological trait that gives men more self-confidence than women. As humans, both male and female, everyone has at least one thing they don’t feel confident about.

Men and women both face many gender stereotypes. Some are more harmful than others, but they are stereotypes nonetheless. The way in which men and women view themselves and others is critical in solving this problem. Humans by nature are insecure so individuals should never be singled out something they are not confident about. If society wishes to end the objectification of women as a whole, both men and women need to make changes.

Slowly But Surely Wins the Race

2016 has the potential to make history for many reasons, one of the most prominent being the very real possibility of having the first female president. This has given rise to a nation-wide discussion on gender roles, feminism, and women’s rights. This is definitely not the first time in American history that feminism has gained traction; in fact, it is usually seen as third (or even fourth) wave feminism. The early waves of feminism focused directly on problems that were blatantly wrong in society (such as the right to vote). In more recent years, however, the focus of the feminist movement has shifted away from more obvious issues and has begun to attack the underlying, oppressive ideals still visible in society today. Although most of the oppressive dominant ideologies surrounding women in society are not consciously practiced by the large majority, lasting remnants of these ideals can be seen in the inequality which women in America face on a daily basis.

One of the most prominent examples of this underlying bias is in the inequalities between men and women in the workforce. During the early feminist movements, this inequality was obvious; women were simply told not to work outside the home because the “public sphere” was for men. Today, this inequality is not so obvious, and in fact, some women (and men) do not realize it exists. In today’s society it is perfectly acceptable for a woman to work outside the home, and it is even encouraged and promoted. Unfortunately, even though most women feel that they can work outside the home without being ridiculed for it, women also feel that it will be harder for them to succeed in society, because the workplace itself is unequal. For starters, the average woman in America gets paid 79 cents to every male dollar. This is a blatant appearance of inequality, yet it is too often overlooked because people do not realize it exists. Those who do can sometimes be discouraged from putting in their maximum effort because they know no matter how hard they try, they will still be rewarded less than their male counterpart. Another problem with the workforce is the imbalance of women to men in certain jobs, particularly those involving engineering or computer science. The ratio of men to women is startlingly high in these professions, which leaves both a bad and good impression on women. On one side, it is somewhat daunting to enter an occupation dominated by men, but on the other, this imbalance has led to an increase in demand for women interested in these professions, making it more likely for them to get a job. Unfortunately, this inequality can still deter women from entering the workforce out of fear of seeming hypermasculine or bossy.

Another aspect of bias in American society is that revolving around women participating in sports. These days, no one openly rejects the thought of a girl participating in a sport; just like working outside the home, it is now encouraged. This support, however strong it may be, does not diminish the fact that women’s athletics simply are not given the support and funding that men’s are. For example, at my school, the football team (which consists of all males), is by far the most promoted sport in the building. Almost all resources are devoted to spreading the word about football games during the fall season, and the same goes for basketball (and somewhat baseball) during the winter and spring. There is next to no publicity for any girls sport, during any season. This creates an air around girls sports that they are not as legitimate and are not as important, which can be discouraging toward high school girl athletes. This inequality can also be seen on a national scale. It is rare to see coverage of a women’s game or tournament on prime tv, but a men’s football or baseball game is a normal occurrence. This inequality dampens young girls from striving to achieve great things in athletics, because once again, they know they will not be as rewarded for their efforts as their brothers will be. 

A third aspect of daily life that women often feel constricted within is sexuality. Whether it is wanting to wait until marriage to have sex, or having the agency to have sex as much as she wants, women are almost always portrayed in a negative way. A woman who wants to wait is often portrayed by the media as prudent and even rude, while a woman who is sexually open is portrayed as slutty and a whore. These appearances make women feel as though their sex lives are something to be kept a complete secret, out of fear of being publicly ridiculed. On the contrary, men who want to wait to have sex are portrayed as innocent and cute, and if they are open about their sex lives, they are uplifted and even praised for it. This is a clear inequality that oppresses women and makes them feel ashamed to have natural human desires.

The fight for gender equality is far from over, but it has come a long way since it started. Now that women in American society have the tools to attack the deeply-rooted stereotypes that are engraved in the large majority’s minds, even more substantial progress can be made. Equality, however, will never be fully achieved unless women feel that they have the same capabilities, success rates, and freedom that men do.

Same Love

In the album The Heist, by Macklemore, the song "Same Love" is about equal rights for gays/lesbians/bisexuals/transsexuals in America and how they are treated wrongly by society.  In the lyrics Macklemore sites many things that are wrong with society and their beliefs on sexuality, for example, The lines "The right-wing conservatives think it's a decision/and you can be cured with some treatment and religion/Man-made, rewiring of a pre-disposition, playing god". These lines really stand out when I read them because it really bring his argument to life about the problems in society we still have today. The fact that being gay in society these days just makes my heart sink and disappointed in what we had to grow up with. When I listen to this song, it also makes me think of the huge steps we have also made as a society such as making gay marriage legal in every state within the United States. Also the new Pope of Rome, came out saying that he excepts them and won't judge them as long as except the lord and have good will. That makes me have hope in society and also that an up and coming artist, such as Macklemore, included this song on an album.

Feminist Critique: House of Cards

House of Cards is a Netflix original series based on political drama. It has received a Golden Globe for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series", and has been nominated for Emmy's several times. The series features a diverse cast including corrupt anti-hero, president Frank Underwood, his wife Claire Underwood, and a scattering of other affiliated characters. While one might assume that such a show would be overrun by male figures because of its political nature, the series portrays a plethora of strong women, who bask in the power of their agency.

Episode 34 of the series contains many prime examples of such agency. Claire has been appointed U.S ambassador to the UN and spends much of the episode "whipping" votes for a military intervention bill that she herself created. She does this completely autonomous from any male supervision. When a male UN delegate speaks condescendingly to her, she quickly disarms him by using a political strongarm, showing that she can be just as ruthless as her husband, or any other male politician. Claire exerts similar power throughout the series. Examples include creating a sexual assault bill and heading a humanitarian NGO. Claire completely breaks away from the stereotype of the "politician's wife". Although she serves to emotionally support her husband, she separates herself from him in the workplace, and occasionally even opposes him on certain political issues. Two other female characters that display similar agency are Heather Dunbar and Jackie Sharp. In the episode, Sharp conferences with Dunbar, who happens to be exercising at the time. The fact that it shows a woman working out is more feminist than not. Also, from a film perspective, there is never an instance of the male gaze, despite the situational opportunity. This scene also qualifies the episode to pass the Bechdel test, because the two women discuss campaign policy, not men. One of the only characters in the episode that is not completely feminist is a female reporter, who sleeps with a white house affiliate in hopes of gaining valuable information. Although she has other favorable, semi-feminist qualities, she fulfills the negative stereotype of the seductress.

With so many political dramas on the air that rarely show the female perspective, and even when they do it is done in a sexual manner, it is truly refreshing to watch a series that portrays the female characters not only as equals to the men, but at times even more powerful.  It seems strange that there are so few shows that display strong, political women, when 20% of the U.S Senate, and 19% of the U.S House of Representatives are female. Hopefully, House of Cards will spark a trend of increased number of strong female roles in film.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

In a society in which the word love is thrown carelessly around and relationships are being made and broken in a matter of weeks, men and women are often focused on finding their next conquest. In the 2003 movie, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Andi Anderson, a “How to..” writer for a popular women’s magazine striving to take up more “serious” journalism, is issued an assignment from her boss to do an article on how to lose a guy, Benjamin Barry, in the deadline of ten days. Benjamin Barry is in advertising, mainly handling the sports and alcohol clients, in order to take over a diamond account he is challenged with making a woman, Andi Anderson, fall in love with him in ten days to prove he understands what they want. Throughout the movie, women are given power and manipulate men through their sex appeal as well as their intelligence and work ethic. Men view women through two lenses, the opinion that they can acquire any woman and that women are fierce competitors that need to be put into place. The movie provides this contradictory feminist argument through Andi’s behavior, their work environments, and interactions between supporting and main characters.

The friends of Andi and Ben often fulfill the stereotypes of gender present in society through their behavior. The movie opens with Michelle, Andi’s friend, in distress over a breakup with a guy she had only been dating for a week and a half. Her emotional reaction perpetuates the stereotype that women are easily driven into emotional episodes and are too quick to be invested in relationships. The discussed pattern of lost relationships and her behavior of crying during sex or saying “I love you” after two dates make her “undateable”, fulfilling the old maid stereotype. During the boy’s night, Ben and his friends are seen smoking cigars, drinking, watching sports, gambling, and making fun of women, specifically Andi. This behavior displays the stereotype that men are messy, sport obsessed creatures. The way they critique Andi proves men have an idea of the “perfect girl” and if the girl does not fit that idea, the woman is not desirable. Through the discussions between these characters and the main characters, we find out the inner thoughts and priorities of Ben and Andi which are not the priorities society would expect them to have.

Ben and Andi both challenge their gender roles by displaying dissatisfaction in their roles at work. Andi displays agency and ethic, she dates Ben and commits all the relationship faux-pas to prove herself to her boss. She does this in an effort to be allowed to write on topics of deeper meaning than topics, such as beauty and love, that are supposed to be the only things that interest women. By exaggerating the stereotype of a clingy, obsessive girlfriend, Andi proves how laughable it is that a woman could honestly behave in this manner. However, by presenting this behavior, it enforces the stereotype and regresses the feminist voice Andi establishes in the beginning of the movie. Ben, instead of being satisfied in his role of covering sports and alcohol brand ad campaigns which most frequently sexualize women, something men are supposed to be most interested in, wants to enter into a diamond campaign. Diamonds are supposed to be of female interest which is why two women are given the project instead of Ben who brought the company the ad campaign, this discrimination against a male emphasizes the roles men and women are supposed to play. By showing devotion to a prominently feminine interest, Ben challenges this stereotype.

Andi is both a strong feminist character as well as a seductress. The premise of the movie is that a woman can manipulate a man and be in control of the relationship. However, Andi “dangles the bait”, meaning herself, to get Ben hooked. This fulfills the seductress stereotype, that women can only have power over men through their sex appeal, something she relies on to manipulate him. While she presents herself as a sex object, throughout the movie, Andi is also presented as an independent, driven woman. Her goal of doing serious journalism contradicts that women are obsessed with arbitrary beauty and love. She contradicts the idea that women are not interested in sports, in fact, Andi is very invested into the Knicks sports team, a theme throughout the movie. She both challenges and defies the image that society has created of a woman.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days presents both a feminist and non-feminist view of society. The characters do not fit into one specific gender category, overlapping in many ways. Although this movie passes the Bechdel test, it is not completely feminist, still portraying some cliched stereotypes of both men and women.

Samurai Champloo

Anime is one of the most non feminist categories of media, due to the way they portray women. Women are usually barely covered and are the characters who complain the most. Usually Anime fuels the idea that women are only a sex object and are for the most part useless. How ever in the show Samurai Champloo it is quite the contrary. One of the three main characters is a women named Foo. She is one of the strongest characters in the show due to how strongly she sticks to her morals. She is also represented factually to the time in which the show is set, the Edo period. She is always dressed in a full Kimono and is always represented as being very polite and kind. The two other Characters in the show are two men named Moogin and Gen. They are represented very uniquely due to the fact that men are rarely looked down upon in anime. This show is a cocktail of feminism and non feminism due to the multiple feminist and non feminist qualities of the show.

In Samurai Champloo women in the show are not only reserved and proper they are the characters who think things through all they way through, and make most of the large decisions. In the show Foo, Moogin, and Gen are on a adventure to find the Samurai who smells of sunflowers. through out their journey they are faced with alot of complications that slow them down, such as the Yakuza and mercenaries. An example of a strong women who is respected by everyone in the show is the character Sarah we meet her at first being a traveling musician but over time realize that she is a hired mercenary. She is greatly skilled and is able to beat both Moogin and Gen. Only two other characters in the entire series have been able to put up a fight against them, and both opponents were men. Sarah is a great example of a strong women who will stand her ground and will not take any guff from any man.

Men on the other hand are represented to be more narrow minded. They are portrayed to be more animalistic and care only about women, drinking, and fighting. While the stereotype of women being weak is broken down, the common stereotypes of men are built higher than ever. In the show Moogin and Gen are constantly on the verge of killing each other and the only thing holding them apart is Foo. More examples of stereotypes are seen in the episodes involving the red light district. These episodes portray the men to be “the animals that they are.” Furthering the idea that all men care about is sex and fighting.

Throughout the show Samurai Champloo Gender roles are being questioned and thought over. Rather it is the woman who is leading the group of men. Or the women mercenary who all the men fear. Gender in the show is very unique and very relevant. Samurai is the one of the only Anime shows that takes this unique of a view on gender, and sex. This show can not be determined as Feminist or non Feminist due to the ridiculously complex views that the show has.

Gender Rant

Our discussion in class today was based on comparing two different kinds of identity - gender identity and biological gender identity. However, something struck a chord in me during this discussion. I've come to the conclusion that a biological gender identity doesn't actually exist. Gender is simply an illusion caused by conditioning, a closed-minded concept that will never be fulfilled.

Sex and gender are two completely different things - sex is based on your physical body and gender, now that is something different. Gender is a social construct, almost exactly like race. People in our society look at somebody's physical being and, of course, gather information that helps them come to a conclusion about the person. 

When you look at somebody's body, you see their sex. You don't see their gender. You may see outward expressions of their gender. But this really only leads me to question what gender actually is. Is a man wearing skinny jeans expressing his gender or his sexuality? Or is he just wearing skinny jeans? 

I believe each and every person has both beautiful masculine and feminine qualities within them, and these are nothing to be ashamed of. Feeling like you must be more masculine than you are is simply not accepting yourself and trying to conform to societies hopeless categories. 

Personally, I don't conform to any gender label. I call myself a "guy" for reasons of convenience, but what does that really mean? How am I supposed to know if I feel like a man? 

Is there a potion that I can drink that can show me how a true man feels and then I'll be able to tell if I'm a man? 

Pretty much what I'm left with now is a further affirmation that a given gender doesn't exist. You just are yourself - your ever present personality - and gender is a social construct that we use to try to categorize people and create false expectations. It's really sad the vast majority of people in our society are looking for something that isn't there! It's time to cut out that internal dialogue of "was that manly of me?", "what would a real man do?" out! I promise your heart knows what is best for you. 

So this rant was extremely all over the place but that's okay. I think I mostly got my point across. 

Gender Identity and Public Restrooms: a quick thought

Gender Identity has been a hot issue in the United States for years, although it only truly affects people who were born a different gender than they identify as. Personally I believe that people should be able to cross-dress if they like, etc. although I do not agree that transgender people should be able to use the public bathrooms of the opposite sex. I say this because although it may be exclusionary against transgender people, who are a very small percentage of our population, it gives predators opportunities to find prey. More than likely people who have fetishes of sexual interactions with children, or pedophiles, will take advantage of the legal right to use the restroom of the opposite sex to find children to exploit, who may be unattended by an adult. The legal right to use restrooms of the opposite sex would also result in an increase of "peeping-toms". Although Transgender people may not be very happy about it, I believe it is in the best interest of the general population to keep public restrooms for people of that sex.

Shock Value

     While I appreciate most of A Visit from the Goon Squad, many aspects of the book make me uncomfortable. Throughout the book, the themes of drugs and sexuality keep coming up. Maybe these themes are getting at how vulgar life and people can be, but there is a fine line between deeper meaning and shock value. At times the book seems to throw obscene events out of nowhere just to startle the reader.

     I feel tricked when a book stirs an emotion in me not by build up or attachment to events, but instead by a surprising shift to a vulgar tone or event. Sometimes it feels like the obscenities are out of place with the larger issue that Jennifer Egan is trying to discuss. I understand that vulgarity is a part of life and that stories involving vulgarity have merit, but adding vulgarity isn't a requirement for writing a story. To be completely honest, I'm just tired of only reading depressing books for school. 

Arctic Monkeys and teenage sexuality

The British band Arctic Monkeys, led by smart, brooding frontman Alex Turner, are very popular especially among teenagers. One of their most famous songs is Fluorescent Adolescent, on the album Favourite Worst Nightmare, and I think this song had such great success because so many people recognized themselves in it.


You used to get it in your fishnets

Now you only get it in your nightdress

Discarded all the naughty nights for niceness

Landed in a very common crisis

Everything's in order in a black hole

Nothing seems as pretty as the past though

That Bloody Mary's lacking in Tabasco

Remember when you used to be a rascal?

Oh the boy's a slag

The best you ever had

The best you ever had

Is just a memory and those dreams

Weren't as daft as they seem

As daft as they seem

My love when you dream them up…

The song is vague, but seems to describe a girl whose sexuality flourished in adolescence but waned as she got older. I think this story is true for a lot of people both young and old; many adults unhappily compare their youthful sexual exploits to their current lives, and many sexually rampant teenagers fear getting older and losing that freedom.

Here's the song.

Take Me to Church//Hozier

Recently I have become  huge fan of the song 'Take Me to Church' by Hozier, an Irish singer-songwritter. It's a great song and I would recommend anyone to listen to it. Just as I sat down to dinner to think about what I should post about this week I heard this song come on. As I blindly listen to the lyrics and repeat them, I begin to wonder what they really mean. Curious, I googled the music video and lyrics to come to a better understanding.

I started by just watching the video. If you watch the video yourself you will see that it is all about two men who have a secret in a homophobic society, ending in a hate crime. And of course this message was obvious. But to me what is not so obvious is the message the lyrics send. If I were you, before reading the rest of this blog post, I would watch the music video and listen to the lyrics closely before you come to assumptions and judgements.

I believe that Hozier uses Church and a feminine pronoun to represent anything that the church he grows up around frowns upon. Clearly the music video links the song to homosexuality but it isn't just that. Personally I am not very familiar with any church atmospheres, but I think that he mainly references the Catholicism or Christianity, because there are a lot of ideas they frown upon in society. For example, drugs, sex before marriage, and homosexuality being some of the most popular. I AM NOT MAKING ANY ACCUSATIONS. I know perfectly well that people have their own ideas and can be part of a group or religion and go against what is expected of the church. I understand religion does not define a person.

In the lyrics of the song, Hozier "She's the giggle at a funeral/Knows everybody's disapproval/I should've worshiped her sooner" He is saying that drugs or homosexuality is the giggle, and it is frowned upon and could make every judge you. He also says, that it must be embraced when you are

comfortable. I don't think he is really referring to drugs in this situation, but more likely adultery and being gay. The second lyric I'll share is "I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies/I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife/Offer me that deathless death/Good God, let me give you my life" He is kind of being sarcastic. Now that he, or who ever is the subject of the song, is accepting sin the religion becomes the sin. But if you are going to accept sin, why have someone judge you when you can keep it to yourself. There's no need for him to anger someone who he knows is homophobic.

I could go on about all of the lyrics in this song and translate it but some of it is better left unsaid and for you to figure out. I really hope you take a listen to the song, not only is the message powerful and thrilling, but it is a great song.

Thanks.

P.S. If you are interested about what the writer of the song has to say about the song himself click here for the interview he did.

Is Naked Next?-An op-ed on the influence of sex on past & present female musical artists

It has taken decades for female musicians to gain respect as performers, and they’ve been fighting for this right since they clawed their way through the Rock n’ Roll scene in the early 60’s, however, it seems this type of desire for respect has been slowly slipping backwards in our current American society. It is an undeniable fact that sex sells. Sex will always sell, for women and men. However, it seems that in the music industry, women have had a more focused pressure to stress this in their work than men.

Music started out as a man’s world. Sure, there were female musical artists,but they were mostly there to please the eye: cute-figures with a pretty face, that’s all they were. Early siren-singers come to mind such as the timid and clean Doris Day or Peggy Lee. It wasn’t until rock n’ roll entered the mainstream with a man by the name of Elvis Presley, that sex began to penetrate its way into society’s music culture. You could not tame this lip quiverin' hip shakin' King even if you tried. So if a man could hold this kind of presence on stage and create this kind of reaction, why couldn’t women as well? More and more women began to ask themselves this as they watched this new sexually influenced music take over the world. By the mid-to-late 60‘s and early 70’s women began to take action in being apart of this influential musical movement from a new dominant aspect. Women were shunned, mocked, laughed at, and exploited, but all this was just the fuel for some of America’s most influential female musicians. The struggle that these women experienced to gain the respect they deserved, not only added an extra level of satisfaction on top of their performance, but also greatly influenced their career and image all together. Despite all this history, current popular female artists seem to have lost touch in everything these previous women fought for.


Here you’re presented with four female artists ranging in decade and genre, each highly influenced by one common theme;sex.

Beginning in the 1970’s we were blessed with a pioneer for people of all sorts, Joan Jett.
Joan Jett is not one to shy away from sex. (It’s obvious in most songs, such as, “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)” or “You Don’t Own Me”.) But it was mostly prevalent in the energy she radiated while on stage. However, something was different about the way she channeled her sex appeal to her audience. It was a very androgynous feel that appealed to many demographics. She played gritty rock n’ roll; the sex appeal followed behind almost unconsciously. With that being said, it never overshadowed her talent. You just can’t have rock n’ roll without a sexual connection. She embodied “sexy” in her power and dominance, in her stance and strong vocals. Jett was a woman who commanded and demanded presence on stage and delivered. That was sexy.


Madonna has always been proud of her gender. Among her many albums, the theme of being a strong and independent woman is often explored. Although she has exposed her body in videos and photographs, her nudity was never intended to be degrading. By allowing her art to synthesize with her strong female ideals, she has set the standard for outspoken women on a global scale. Taking a hard line on feminine equality is a stance that has become synonymous with Madonna's approach to her life and music. Madonna breaks barriers. She is an artist that relied heavily on sex to sell her image. Hell, it was her image. Madonna and sexuality are forever intertwined. Across various media, she has found a way to push the boundaries of what is acceptable.



Since its beginnings in the 1990s, Riot Grrrl music has aimed to empower, educate, and help women to feel less alienated by a society that can be discriminatory and harmful to them. A Riot Grrl-influenced underground female feminist musical/performance artist started to push her way through the scene with shocking imagery and vulgar feminist anthems. The artist Peaches uses sex to tell a story and make a point. There was a slight discomfort that came with experiencing her works, that the audience (mostly women) felt captivated and empowered.


What we have in this generation, carries the same ideas that the previous women have represented. However, these 21st century pop stars show a very submissive representation of women using the feminist ideologies. Saying they should be able to do these things because this is “groundbreaking” and they are women, women can do anything they want. While this is true, the impact is just not the same. Why? There are a few things that the previous female artists had in common that these new girls seem to be lacking, such as inventiveness and dominance. What Joan Jett and the artists of the Riot Grrl movement had going for them was an alpha female presence. This scared the shit out of men and women. They owned that stage and no man could take that away from them. It was an “I’m here and I’m in control!” kind of attitude. You can see that both in Nikki Minaj’s and Miley Cyrus's performances they seem to be representing the reverse, “I’m here and you’re in control, so take over!”

 “The music industry is so sexualised now. The difference is that the females are choosing it themselves, so you can’t say they are being used by the industry. Nobody is telling these women what to do, so you can’t say it’s the men sexualising them anymore. There are so many semi-naked women in videos. Is naked next? I don’t know. I am hoping it’s gone to a point where the only way is to go back again.”  -Suzi Quatro

Not Your Normal Girl in a Country Song

I was listening to 99.5 the other day, the only country station on FM in Oak Park, and I was driving along listening to a song that I immediately started to be a critic of. I heard a few lines of country song that I love, but in a different manner. The way this song was being sung, it was bashing those songs that I love to listen to but obliviously heard the lyrics. A simple country song by two friends guarding their dignity trying to stray from stereotypes. Sure enough when I got home and looked up the title and the lyrics it all made sense "Girl in a Country Song".

The words captured my attention by those lyrics saying NO, I’m not going to be the slut that walks around in short shorts. NO, I’m not that kind of girl who just falls for you to go home with you and spend the night. Coincidentally they are southern girls and unfortunately those things do happen.

The obvious stereotype that is every southern skinny girl is looking for sex and guys. But what I saw in this song was of course girls love to have fun, but there’s a limit. I love this song simply because it totally contradicts every country song about a girl that has ever been sung. Clever and catchy.

This song has made me think a little bit more about what am I really listening to? What words are actually going into my mind and which one stay and form stereotypes in my mind unconsciously? I really do like the song and how much it makes me think, I believe that people should listen to lyrics instead of just hearing them and singing along.

Pokemon Dittos American Ideologies

in three parts

Gaming has become an almost fundamental part of the daily lives of American children. That cannot be denied (however much one might want to). One of the most widely played games among American children and teenagers is not, by origin, an American game: Pokemon. There are three areas that can be explored in reference to these games: gender, race, and sexuality. The games are making steps to liberalism, but that is not what American children may take away from them.

Pokemon: X and Y chromosomes in Black and White: A Study of Gender Roles in American Ideology

Pokemon was one of the first of an increasing number of games that allow players to choose the gender of their character as opposed to defaulting to a male hero. Despite that seemingly liberal move, there is an odd dual message regarding gender roles presented by the games, in particular the games Black and White. When playing as a girl, Pokemon is highly empowering due to the defeat of overwhelming, male, enemies, and the existence of Cynthia, but when playing as a boy, the game is nearly misogynistic, as shown by the female characters usually taking the role of 'heart center' or 'healer' and because of the defeat of Cynthia.

As a girl, Pokemon is awesome to play. You get to defeat both enemies and friendly rivals. By the end of the game, the player is the strongest trainer in the region. Training Pokemon is also a wonderful experience, and the player often finds themselves incredibly attached to the animals that amount to nothing more than a few pixels on a screen. Pokemon also has a tendency to preach fair treatment to animals – even despite the fighting element. That is pretty rare for a video game. Though wonderful, that is beside the point. The point is that for both genders Pokemon is an empowering experience that is undeniably well loved. When playing as a girl, it's practically feminist. Regardless of the messages Pokemon may or may not send to their male fans, it is something that every girl should play.

In the games Black and White, when one is playing as a girl, the female player is constantly defeating the male rival, Cheren, and saving Pokemon and the world from Team Plasma. The female Bianca is, nonetheless, the weakest link in the trio, however with the massive fem power of a female lead, this isn't so much of an issue. But when playing as a boy, the player still constantly defeats the powerful Cheren and saves Pokemon and the world from Team Plasma, but the player does this all as a boy. This means that the only female of the main cast is Bianca. She acts primarily as the 'heart center' and the 'healer' and is a particularly weak fighter. When playing as a girl, as already stated, Bianca acts simply as a character that doesn't like to fight. For male players, however, Bianca’s weakness is a problem, and it deeply perpetuates the idea of women being emotional and weak amongst the youngest members of our society.

One can't outright claim the boy-oriented storyline as sexist because of the character Cynthia. Quite literally, Cynthia is the most powerful trainer in the region, having defeated every gym leader and the champion before her. Regardless of the gender played, the player defeats Cynthia at the end of the game. Again, this is not an issue when playing as girl, because the female player defeats another powerful woman. When playing as a boy, however, the male player might find the message that even the most powerful of women can be defeated by the right amount of testosterone. Is this really the message portrayed? Most players would probably say no, but societal ideology is rarely a conscious thing. Such portrayals profoundly affect those exposed – even without their knowledge.

Pokemon is wonderful, even with the sexist elements that run through it – in the end, it's all about being a critic and not a consumer. If one can see the negative ideologies that run through something, they will avoid the ideas pounded into the collective skull of American society. Yes, things are presented differently to the genders. Though it's not perfect – at least Pokemon makes an attempt to bring about further sexual equity. Pokemon is absolutely amazing – and even genre savvy girls will likely enjoy it for the positive aspects. In the end, if one is a perceptive critic, one can take the good things from something and leave behind the negative. Maybe. In the case of the Pokemon games – it is more than worth a try.

Black and White in X and Y: Ideologies of Race
There are other problems with the games, and here I will diverge from the usually necessary formality of educational writing - too much of this is based in personal experience. Black characters are only a recent addition to the games, and it wasn’t until Pokemon X and Y that players could select an appearance that wasn’t the preset Japanese characters. Players could could choose between being brunette or blonde or typically Japanese. There was another option that looked like the designers might have meant for her to be black, but being mostly Mexican and German (with a little Irish and French thrown in) and being on the light tan and gold/green spectrum of olive, that was the character that looked most like me.

Having been to Japan, having studied in Japan with my high school, I have to take into account Japanese demographics. The only people of non-asian origin at the school were exchange students. Among them, there were only four that were black, one who was Pakistani, and the other twenty eight students were either white or Hispanic. (twenty six of those students were from my high school, the other two were from Florida and Europe respectively). The four hundred some-odd students who attended the school full time were all Japanese (with a few that looked like they might be mixed with Chinese and Korean). I didn’t see any other black people until we visited the Harajuku district of Tokyo. There was a small contingent of (maybe twenty) Jamaicans who seemingly lived and worked in the area, all who spoke Japanese, English, and some sort of French creole. However, they were in the vast minority. In Japan, the ‘race issue’ isn’t really an issue because of the immense homogeneity of the country. In fact,the Asian/white to black ratio in the game is actually reflective of the ratio in Japan. American demographics of the same are vastly different, so for an American playing the game, not thinking of the game’s origins, black people are sorely underrepresented and that enforces the American ideology of white superiority and denies black children representation of themselves in a game that they too play and love.

Sexuality in Pokemon: A short comment

In most games there is very little representation of the LGBT community, Pokemon included. In fact, the creators seem to very pointedly avoid discussing sexuality in their games. However in Pokemon X and Y there seems to be a transgender character. This is interesting, because the character is simply there. Her transformation is mentioned, and then done, with no dwelling on it whatsoever. The trainer battle commences and that’s that. You can access a thorough discussion on that in the link above.

It seems that progress is happening, however slowly. In gender roles, racial issues, and acceptances of ‘T’ in LGBT. Children still receive mixed signals from the media and that won't change for a good long while. Pokemon sends some iffy messages, yes, but the creators are trying to make the games more comfortable for a vast audience. Progress is progress, ne?

All About That Bass; Breaking the Barrier Between Feminism and Facade

All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor is a so called "body positive song" that focuses on the singer not being overly skinny yet still being confident in herself and her body. This song has had a lot of controversy surrounding it, because some people think that it is skinny shaming, and/or gives in to bad stereotypes about women and men, while still others think it is just a good body positive song with a strong message. This song could have arguable points either way, and it breaks many stereotypes about “fat” people and how they’re ugly or undesirable because they aren't stick thin. It also brings relatable points to young girls about positive body image ideas. By the same token, it puts down skinny girls, and Trainor justifies her body image beauty by bringing men into the picture, which makes the song feel less and less positive the more you think about it.

This song centers around the singer, Meghan Trainor, talking about how she “ain’t no size two” but that she is still beautiful, despite not being skinny. She also leaves a message not only about herself being beautiful, but anyone who doesn't consider themselves “pretty” with the line “every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top” This breaks down many American stereotypes surrounding women, the biggest of course being that if you aren't "skinny" you aren't beautiful. This is a great message to send, especially when a huge portion of the media is dedicated to putting down women. 

 Women aren't supposed to feel good in their own body. When you hear a woman say that she likes the way she looks, people tend to think of her as vain or self centered. Makeup is a social norm, and all over America there are commercials, billboards, etc, portraying skinny, photo-shopped, unrealistic looking women selling products of all shapes and sizes, though the woman is always the same. Overly skinny, creepily symmetrical face, tall, silky hair, essentially a barbie in human form (this is of course not talking about women who are naturally skinny, but the overly photo-shopped carbon copy images of women displayed commercially, and practically everywhere). Meghan Trainor mentions this, saying “we know that sh*t ain’t real, c'mon now make it stop.” She is breaking down stereotypes about women and giving them a nicer view of their own bodies, which is good right? Sadly, the rest of the song isn't so kind.

Despite these positive factors, she also is skinny shaming, with the line “I'm bringin' booty back. Go ‘head and tell them skinny b*tches that”, which has caused an uproar in the YouTube comments, saying that it isn't body positive if you are putting one body type down to bring another up. I completely agree, and I have seen countless people in comments with the mindset that skinny shaming doesn't exist or isn't important. This is hugely untrue, and some of the harsh things "skinny" girls hear can be hugely damaging to self esteem and confidence. It can even lead to serious eating disorders. You may say that a song alone couldn't do that, and you'd be right. But add that to hateful comments during the school day, snide remarks about food from your peers, and you get a very sad skinny girl feeling guilty, or uncomfortable in her own skin. 

Trainor also mentions in her chorus “now my mamma she told me don’t worry about your size, she said boys need a little more booty to hold at night”. By bringing the want to have men desire you into the song, makes it appear less body positive, and brings back stereotypes that women are only there to please men. They are beautiful no matter what, as long as a man wants them. This means for a woman to be confident in her body, she first must have a man's approval, which is another extremely harmful idea. 

This same stereotype can be harmful not only for women and men, but also for the LGBTQA community. This ideology leaves out gay/trans/bisexual/etc women and men entirely. It is hetero normality, which, in my opinion, can be just as harmful as the skinny shaming. LGBTQA youth are hugely underrepresented in television, movies, books, music, and other forms of pop culture. It is a rare thing to see an accurate portrayal of them in today's media, and when it does happen, the backlash the show or movie or song receives is overwhelming. It can be extremely difficult for a young LGBTQA teen to come out, or even to just accept who they are, and the media does a horrible job of making it easier. This song is no different. By pushing straight couples on screen, they are inadvertently repressing these other sexualities/genders/etc. This is of course, not saying there shouldn't be straight couples and people in the media. What it is saying, is that this shouldn't be forced onto people, or assumed, as it often is. 

Even though the song may only be certain lines or phrases portraying these kind of views and ideas, it takes away from the whole picture of body positive images. Overall, though Meghan Trainor’s song may have many strong points about body image, it should really be taken with a grain of salt, if taken in at all. Body image should be about loving yourself, that's it that's all. It shouldn't be about other people's bodies being above or below your own, it especially shouldn't be about pleasing other people, it should be about YOU. 

 After all:

Meghan Trainor's All About That Bass-Body Positivity Gone Wrong

The song is part of a large wave of media trying to be body positive, notably the company Dove. However, “All About That Bass” perpetuates the ideology that in order for a woman to feel good about herself, she not only has to put down other women, but she has to be sexually appealing to a straight man.

While Trainor is embracing her love for her body, she does so on the basis that the she is attractive to a man, the line, “Yeah, my mama she told me don’t worry about your size, she says ‘boys like a little more booty to hold at night,’” best illustrates this, as well as the way she sexualizes herself. She is presenting herself as a sexual object, providing no other way in which her body is of value.

Although she says “Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top” she also makes disparaging remarks about skinny women, singing “I’m bringing booty back, go ‘head tell them skinny bitches that.” Not only is this shaming women who are naturally skinny, but it puts women in a terrible position where not only are they facing criticism no matter how they look, but now they’re receiving criticism from a fellow woman who is trying to be body positive.

Not only this, she also jokes about how skinny women believe they have to lose weight, writing, “No I’m just playing, I know you think you’re fat.” This completely undermines the struggle of women who have eating disorders and body dysmorphia, joking about the fact that they believe they aren't good enough, and have to be something else. I find this the worst part of the song, as it trivializes a disorder that has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.