Stereotypical but Not Stereotypes

Left to right: Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson,
Dorothy Vaughan

Hidden Figures, a recent movie about the women “computers” at NASA who sent the first American into space, is one example of a new trend of gender stereotypes in media. Previously, a revolutionary female role consisted of the Ultimate Kick-A** Take No Shit Anti-Stereotype woman, but now media is beginning to show women who do stereotypical things while still on the whole defying stereotypes. In Hidden Figures, each of the three main female characters all have a story line revolving around her home life, as mother or wife, which is balanced with the story of their intelligence and their jobs. The movie attempts to show this balance with a few of the men, but unfortunately almost all of the male characters have male stereotype as their whole identity, making Hidden Figures portrayal of male gender roles far less progressive.

Early on in the movie, there is a transition scene in which the women drive home from work together, and then we are shown a snippet of each of their home lives. They are all mothers and wives (or widows). This scene demonstrates the domesticity that these women possess, the role of the mother and the wife that they all play. There is no woman in the movie who does not fall into these roles. However, given that the scene just before was them at work defying every feminine stereotype of submissiveness and non-ambition, the viewer is left with a stark contrast that only goes to show how women are multidimensional 

and can be both stereotypical and not at once.

Another place where the domestic stereotype is both proven and disproved is in one of the main storylines of Katherine Johnson finding a second husband, Jim. At first glance, this appears to reflect the age-old trope that a woman is nothing without a man. However, when her prospective love interest says something sexist, Katherine is immediately enraged and stops pursuing him. Jim is then left to win Katherine’s love, a complete role reversal of the trope originally hinted at. While the overall endgame of marrying off the woman is there, some credit is due in reversing the traditional gender roles and giving the woman agency over her love life, again showing both women and men defying stereotypes to an extent.

Jim is one of the few token men who treat Katherine and her colleagues with true respect. When Jim slips up and says the infamous line, “They [NASA] let women do that kind of work?”, he immediately regrets it and works to apologize to Katherine. The other man who breaks the mold is Al Harrison, the head of the research center where the women work. He commends her for her intelligence, takes her opinion into consideration, and works to make NASA a welcoming place for her and the other women.

However, these two seem to be the few token “good” men. The rest of the men working at NASA are rude and derogatory towards Katherine, because of both race and gender. Being the supposed epitome of STEM workers, they fall into the geek stereotype, where they think they are infinitely smarter than any woman and refuse to listen to any evidence that would convince them otherwise. Though there are a few defiant male roles in this movie, the majority of them do fall into a sexist and tired stereotype. 

Certainly in the past few years we have been seeing a lot of media with women who break the mold by departing from the stereotype as much as humanly possible. Hidden Figures takes a new spin in which women are allowed to fit stereotypes and still be unstereotypical. However, the movie also falls trap to the more broad trend that men’s roles have not changed nearly as much. Men in media are still subject to heavy stereotyping, and those who break the mold tend to be token outliers rather than the norm in any given work.

The Indian Woman in Movies

Miss India America begins with what seems like what would be a show about an ambitious Indian girl, Lily, who has her whole life planned out, and never lost until she loses her boyfriend, a supposed petroleum engineer. She does puts herself in the only situation that makes logical sense. She enters a beauty pageant so she can win Miss India California and then go on to win Miss India National, which just so happens to be the title that Reshma, her ex- boyfriend's current girlfriend, holds. 

Lily is presented as not only the stereotypical smart Indian but also as the stereotypical female that is presented in rom-coms, high achieving, wants to be a brain surgeon (like her father) and incredibly needing her boyfriend. Almost every single parent has a strong accent and high scholarly jobs: doctors, engineers, physicists. Most of the parents also play the typical indian parents that culture makes them out to be, pushes ideas forward, family is everything and so is tradition

In the pageant; however, Lily meets a variety of people who challenge the traditional Indian stereotypes. Sonia, who appears will be the antagonist, is actually friendly and kind to Lily, Lily actually becomes the one who sabotages Sonia and despite sabotaging her Lily still wins the pageant. One of the competitors is really perky and also really into tennis One of the judges is a famous Indian actor who is a drunk who distraught over an ex girlfriend. The dancer who teaches Lily who is presented as the “perfect Indian daughter” has a secret white boyfriend, and does not get along with most of the female characters. And one of the judges is a famous Indian actor who is a drunk who distraught over an ex girlfriend.

After the pageant Lily acknowledges her mom as a writer, she writes poems and while she is successful, her job is more free and artistic than the other parents. And. while competing nationally instead of trying to appeal to “Traditional Indian Beauty” she presents herself as who she actually is instead of that Idea. Lily never gets back with her boyfriend or finds a new guy.

In Space, No One Can Hear You Racially Stereotype

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TFA) is generally regarded as a groundbreaking film for its leading roles being acted by a black man and a latino man, both of whom break the stereotypes that men of color are violent, sexual, and emotionless. However Kylo Ren and his potential redemption arc perpetuate the idea that white male criminals are simply “troubled boys” who will be excused their crimes, contrasted with the demonization and imprisonment of men of color.

Iconic opening scene to TFA. At 2:15 Finn is smeared with the blood of his fallen comrade

which causes him to make his choice not to kill (shown at 3:54).

Before the movie premiered, media buzzed with the news of a black stormtrooper, setting the stage for TFA’s series of broken stereotypes. Having two actors of color in leading roles defies the Hollywood standard that white people are the ‘default’ hero. Finn, the black stormtrooper, again broke the mold in the opening scene when he decided “[he] wasn’t gonna kill for [The First Order]” after being ordered to massacre a town. Finn’s refusal of violence contrasts the idea that black men are inherently aggressive and dangerous. His compassion for Rey to the point where he risks his life to save her from Kylo Ren, destroys the idea that black men are emotionless. It also breaks pattern by being an interracial relationship. Poe, another lead, is played by Guatemalan actor Oscar Isaac, who has stated that he is working to make Poe defy the stereotype of the ‘Latin Lover’ by making the
role about Poe’s piloting skills rather than romance.

Despite TFA’s progressive portrayal of men of color, the movie and its fanbase enforce the stereotype that white criminals are not responsible for their actions. Kylo Ren leads a violent, terror-based regime, which should seem an obvious crime. Yet Kylo’s parents deny that their son is responsible for so much destruction, claiming that “it was Snoke [who] seduced our son to the dark side” rather than Kylo’s own choice. The fanbase has added onto this portrayal of Kylo with a steady stream of fan theories surrounding the Kylo Ren Redemption Arc, all of which boil down to “Kylo did some bad things, but chose good in the end so it’s ok”. That people are willing to excuse Kylo of murdering innocents and showing no regret for his actions seems to reflect the stereotype that white men who do bad things can be forgiven, no matter the heinousness of their crime. Although TFA defies stereotypes about black and latino men, the movie enforces stereotypes that white people can be redeemed from even the most vile crimes.

How Relevant is Postmodernism

Postmodernism is something that we see in our everyday lives, whether or not we notice it. The thing about postmodernism is that it isn't something that we do in our lives, it is our lives. What we do with ourselves how we want to be viewed by other people is completely up to the individual. What postmodernism does is it allows the average person to break free of the strict standards of society and make their own path to living.

Originally, the term postmodernism would refer to art or abstract art. What seems to be the case now is that postmodernism has spread into a lifestyle than a concept. People today will do anything and everything to stand out, which is the opposite of how it used to be. Back before the 1920's, people were all trying to fit into what an acceptable person would be. But, in the modern age, everyone wants to feel like a snowflake, like there's nothing exactly like you. The strict guidelines of society have now withered away, creating a prime example of what people today don't want to become.

We also see postmodernism in politics. The style of politics that we know now, with all of the arguing and personal attacks, was not always the way of politics. Even all of the TV broadcasting and the insane amount of viewership was not as immensely high even just a few years ago. This shows that even politicians want to be something new, or just something that is better than what America had previously.

Another way postmodernism is represented in society is through education. The education system in America used to be a lot more strict and un-enjoyable than it is today. Just imagine what it would be like to go to Fenwick, sort of like that. There used to be strict dress codes with no talking in class, only one gender in each school. Now a days, we take school for granted, complaining about anything that we get the chance to complain about. Meanwhile, the school system as a whole has developed exceptionally well from what it used to be pre-postmodernism.

Postmodernism has given people the true freedom of choice, whether it be what they wear, their profession, or the type of music they listen to. And people like to choose for themselves. It gives them a sense of power and even control on their life. The idea has gotten rid of strict ideologies and has opened up the world for new interpretation. Postmodernism is a way of life and has extended society into what it is today.

Postmodernism in America

If you look around our world today, their are many different examples of Postmodernism.  If you look specifically at the news and how truth is established in our society and in earlier eras you can see this.  Most news shows, specifically ones that talk about politics, show people debating a point with opposite view points and a mediator in the middle of it.  There is often little attempt to decide what is ultimately correct or to call someone out when the things they are saying false information.   This seen in political interviews when someone is asking another politician a question.  Most politicians take whatever question they are asked and shift their response to benefit them even if what they are saying is wrong.  Before the Postmodern era there was a specific standard and fixed ideologies and theories. Their is no longer a gold standard of truth that people are looking for, their are just many different versions of the truth.  Instead of a strict interpretation of truth and ideologies, we now see looser interpretations.   Everybody interprets information differently and have different interpretations on what the truth really is.  In our Postmodern society people are able to interpret information and see things in different ways rather than being told what is right or wrong.

Postmodernism has allowed people to turn away from ideologies and theories that you need to follow.  It has allowed people to interpret information rather than being told how to interpret it.  You no longer have to follow strict guidelines, you can create your own ideologies and theories.  

Bernie Burning Across America

This campaign ad, while has no words displays a very clear message to the American public. Bernie doesn't attack any other runners in the video which almost makes him seem higher up in a way.  Like Michelle Obama says, Hillary Clinton these days too, "When they go low, we go high." Which I thought was very interesting because all that both current candidates seem to be doing is attack the other on basically everything.

Bernie uses a very strong ethos approach in the ad. The scenes of all the citizens is very reminiscent to the scenes of an Obama ad. Displaying farmers, some sort of industrial workers, people in the suburbs, and crowds of supporters shouting Bernie's name with signs waiting to hear him speak. Bernie is greeting his supporters and speaking on his beliefs. Which really shows how much of a true person he is.

Gender Stereotypes in HIMYM

The TV show How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that started airing on September 19, 2005. The show follows the protagonist, Ted Mosby, and his group of four other friends living in New York City. How I Met Your Mother shows many stories of the twenty-somethings as Ted tells them to his children in the year 2030. In this American TV show, many stereotypes about gender are supported, which is why it is a false story.

How I Met Your Mother supports many gender stereotypes, one of them being that the male characters have more successful and higher-paid jobs. Ted is an architect, Marshall is a lawyer, and Barney is a business man. In contrast, Lily is a kindergarten teacher and Robin is a struggling news anchor. The stereotype that men must be the breadwinner is supported when Marshall decides to take a higher-paid job from a company he despises, just because he wants to be able to support Lily and their family. Another gender stereotype that is shown is how men manipulate women to get them into bed. Barney uses many tricks from his ‘playbook’ to get women to sleep with him. The women he manipulates are portrayed as dumb, which also supports the stereotype that women don’t think at all when they’re attracted to a man. The show supports other gender stereotypes including Lily having a shopping addiction and Barney sleeping with over 200 women (and being praised for it).

The TV show How I Met Your Mother is just one of many works of culture that supports gender stereotypes. Stereotypes in works of culture are common and can never be completely avoided, however, the less often they appear, the more true the story becomes. The appearance of gender stereotypes in How I Met Your Mother contributes to it being an untrue story.

Struggles with Art

My work of culture is the Netflix original show called The Get Down. It’s about music in the 70’s and how Puerto Ricans and African Americans were starting to introduce a new type of music, as well as defending against the stereotype that they were always up to no good and everything they produced would mean nothing. This is similar to things these days with young minorities struggling to overcome the stereotypes that are set against them in today’s culture. The Get Down Describes the struggles with New York and kids in the 70’s in the art industries and some of the same struggles still exist in the art industries today with kids.

Today kids still can’t always express themselves on sheets of paper, so instead they took to the streets. In The Get Down kids would often paint graffiti on trains, in train tunnels, and other places. That is the same as today, although limited and punished more severely, often kids would leave their tags or a way of identifying themselves by what they spell or draw out on the sides of buildings and train tunnels. Another way of expressing yourself is through writing and music and lots of kids these days are too embarrassed to write or get bashed on if they do. In The Get Down the main character is embarrassed when he writes because the kids often bashed on him for writing instead of playing sports and not being the strongest one in the class. That is often the case in other schools and institutes here in America now and although there are now clubs to support writing they are not always known about or even present at schools or local institutions. However, writing is a way of expressing themselves and some kids who have it available to them often join anyway and some even take it upon themselves to go even a step further and mix writing with music and rap and other things like spoken word these days. Just like The Get Down some people even have rap battle freestyles against other people or rival crews and have the audience dance and judge who won. One other way of expressing yourself of course is through music and dance and in The Get Down kids and other individuals would struggle to get jobs where they could become dancers and singers. Even now that still holds true to some extent where based on ethnicity and background some people can’t get jobs at certain record labels or other prestigious dance companies. The Get Down capitalized on the difficulties back in the 70’s and it’s astonishing to see that some of those difficulties are still present today.

Although it’s better than it was before there are still problems that rise when kids try and express themselves through art. The Get Down shows how it was like in the 70’s and being as a child who dances i see these struggles present everyday of my life.

Swift Stories

Taylor Swift released the country song, “Fifteen”, in August of 2009 as her fourth single from her second studio album, Fearless. The song is inspired by Swift’s freshman year of high school, where she encountered love, heartbreak, and her best friend. “Fifteen” is a true story because American high schoolers witness themselves and those around them also defer to the common stereotypes of women. Swift’s song is written from the perspective of a high school graduate, looking back on her high school days, wishing she knew what she does now when she was young and naive. Taylor Swift's “Fifteen” is a true story because it was written to help American teenagers of the 21st century avoid conforming to misguided priorities and common stereotypes.

In this generation, female artists often sing of male approval; they portray it to their fans as the highest form of empowerment for women. In Taylor Swift’s “Fifteen,” the lyrics revolve around surviving high school but more importantly the relationships the artist held with boys throughout her four years. Swift sings:

It's your freshman year and you're gonna be here

For the next four years in this town

Hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say,

‘You know I haven't seen you around before.’

These lyrics are true because Swift writes about what she was worrying about on her first day of high school and, despite the fact that Americans do not like to admit it, acceptance from the opposite gender is an important part of high school. However, going to high school is about furthering your education, not about senior boys noticing the new freshman in the halls. In Swift’s lyrics, she is saying that drawing attention from the senior boys was her biggest concern. These primary concerns are important because she is allowing male approval to overtake the importance of her education.

Aside from prioritizing male approval in her songs, Taylor Swift never seems to take the blame for her relationships. A common theme that comes out of her work is that she is the blameless victim in all her relationships. The message is relayed in her song “Fifteen” when she writes, “Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind / And we both cried.” Here, Swift references her best friend, Abigail’s high school breakup. She says that Abigail’s ex-boyfriend unexpectedly broke her heart after she “gave everything” to him. This line is a true statement because Americans experience unexpected heartbreak regularly, especially as teenagers when expect the most out of our juvenile relationships. As this statement may be true, however, Abigail could have prevented her heartbreak by never allowing herself to reach this point of extreme vulnerability and maintaining her strength and independence. Abigail allowed herself to reach this point because she prioritized male centrality.

Despite these examples of how Taylor and her songs conform to the everyday stereotypes of women, the song, overall, is about how she learned from her experience of dealing with boys and relationships throughout high school. Taylor says,

'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you

You're gonna believe them

When you're fifteen

And your first kiss makes your head spin round

But in your life you'll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team

But I didn't know it at fifteen.

Taylor acknowledges her past naivety because she thought that the greatest thing she could do in high school was date the boy on the football team, which is a true and common high school belief because dating a boy on the football team implies social acceptance. Taylor, however, when comparing her high school experiences with those of her current life, recognizes that what she thought was important at fifteen, does not amount to anything after high school but she “didn’t know it at fifteen”.

In conclusion, the lyrics from Taylor Swift’s “Fifteen” create a true American story because it follows the typical stereotypes of a girl trying to survive high school, with not only school to worry about, but also relationships. This generalization is shown not only in this single work of art, but in multiple recent pop songs by female artists, especially Taylor Swift. She is setting a dangerous precedent for young girls, inappropriately modeling that boys should be their first priority.

Kanye West: “Bounded” to Gender and Unrealistic Relationship Stereotypes

Kanye West is a man almost everyone knows, and most likely has an opinion on. Kanye, the controversial rapper known as “yeezy” is infamous for having a bad reputation and responsible for being self centered and crazy. Being one of today’s most talked about celebrity, he has a very powerful influence on culture and is also a very strong reflection of it. Kanye’s music is apart of a very popular culture trend that enforces previous stereotypes and also creates new ad questionable controversial ones as well. In one of Kanye’s most popular song “Bound 2” released in 2013 reflects today's society and ideals for men and women. “Bound 2” depicts a false stereotypes on the ideology of what a man is, how marriage is valued in American society, and how love is conveyed in order to be true.

Bound 2 depicts a the ideal for what makes a man and how a man should act. Throughout the song Kanye contemplated whether he should give up his past lifestyle in order to be with the women he loves. He is tired of meaningless flings and unrequited love as revealed in the hook “I know you're tired of lovin', of lovin' With nobody to love, nobody, nobody” Kanye knows that his new love also feels the same way, and in order to be happy, he needs to be with her. Kanye also remembers his past lifestyle and past relationships throughout the song. He is aware of his known bad reputation and how he is considered a player. In the song he admits to being a heartbreaker. He tends to have a “leave a pretty-girl-sad-reputation”. He is referring to his very public breakups with Alexis Phifer and Amber Rose. Kanye also references how he is “backstroking” through women in order to perfect them .By saying this he admits to using women for his own personal gain. He is also conveying an ideal that men should be with many women in their life, and in fact are helping women by doing this. They are helping these women by giving them practice or guidance. Because Kanye has such a prevalent influence in culture, his own personal life is being held up as a pinnacle for other men to live up to.

Kanye also reveals his own stance of marriage. Kanye is starting fresh with his new love in order to be with her forever, and soon get married. He is “bound” to one women for the rest of his life and is ready to be with her effortlessly till he dies. In the line “but first, you gon remember how to forget’” he is explaining how his new love will ultimately forget about his past mistakes and bring forth her unconditional partnership despite his previous blunders. This depicts the idea the fairytale lifestyle that is marriage and partnership. Kanye is expressing that when in a committed partnership, it is the duty to one partner to completely forget about the misbehaving and questionable antics of the partner, without any type of backlash or doubts. This unrealistic portrayal of partnership and marriage disguises the rough and troubling truth that today’s relationships go through. Overall Bound 2 is an untrue story because of the way it idealizes both men and women and unrealistically personifies modern love and relationships.

Sixteen And Perpetually Misrepresented

The early 2000s classic, Gilmore Girls, is centered around a mother daughter duo, Lorelai and Rory, living in the small town of Stars Hollow in Connecticut. Though the show went off air in 2007 after a seven season run, it’s being revived on Netflix due to its popularity. The show is a little unconventional since it’s completely female driven, features what is to some, the most realistic mother/daughter relationships on television, and portrays Lorelai, a teen mother, is an uncommonly positive light. While the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls relies on stereotypes for rich people in depicting Richard and Emily Gilmore, the show goes against the grain in depicting Lorelai, who, despite being a teen mom, is exceptionally competent and likeable, and her daughter Rory, a brilliant and level headed girl.




One might assume that since Lorelai got pregnant at sixteen and is unmarried that she doesn’t know what she’s doing and she can’t provide for her child, as that is the dominant understanding of teen moms in America. Lorelai defies this stereotype in the second act of the pilot episode, when she has to remind Rory that no boy is worth missing out on a great education. The script reads,

Lorelai: Look, don’t get me wrong. Guys are great. I’m a huge fan of guys. you don’t get knocked up at sixteen being indifferent to guys. But babe, guys are always going to be there. This school isn’t. It’s more important, it just is.

Lorelai is undoubtedly an excellent mother and provides pretty much everything her daughter needs. She has a job managing a local inn, owns a house, and has raised a daughter with straight As. This is goes against the dominant image of teen moms in America perpetuated by basically every other work of culture. She also doesn't see her past as shameful, she acknowledges that her pregnancy derailed her life, but she doesn't regret it. Similarly, the show rejects the idea that the children of single moms, especially single, teen moms, are doomed to be underachievers and have miserable childhoods. Rory has lived happily in Stars Hollow all her life, is at the top of her class, gets accepted into Chilton, a prestigious prep school, and later in the show, attends Yale. However, the show does fall back on stereotypes in portraying Lorelai’s rich, estranged parents, Richard and Emily. Richard is a businessman who spends most of his time working or ignoring his wife, Emily, blither on about planning teas, their country club, and the useless maids she’s hired while he reads the financial times. As a couple, they are not particularly affectionate, nor are they especially warm towards their daughter. Lorelai has to beg them to help her pay for Rory’s prep school tuition and they only agree after being promised more control over her upbringing.




Whether or not Lorelai and Rory are realistic characters is debateable. But even if they aren’t entirely believable, they offer a refreshing take on the mother/daughter dynamic and the lives of teen moms and their children. So many tv shows, movies, books, and songs portray teen moms as tragic, and though Lorelai never pretends that getting pregnant so young didn’t throw her life of course, she’s never presented as pitiful or stupid. What's more common are shows like Sixteen and Pregnant, that revolve around how teen moms ruin their lives by getting pregnant and are inherently bad parents. While narratives like those are popular in part to scare teenagers into not ruining their lives by getting pregnant, they're not reflective of everybody and alternative narratives deserve to be told.

Founding Falsities: Why Hamilton the Musical is Not a True American Story

Hamilton is one of Broadway’s top shows, receiving acclaim for its cast diversity. Critics say it has revolutionized the definition of a Broadway musical. However, Hamilton plays into the ideology of the ‘self-made man’ and fails to address elitism and racism in American politics. Hamilton picks and chooses details from the past to manufacture a false, though entertaining, story of America’s origins.

Alexander Hamilton’s story is one of a rise from poverty to fame. However, from the political elitism of colonial times to the Industrial Revolution’s business monopolies, patterns have shown that to rise through the classes is an exception, not a common truth. Yet the musical emphasizes how Hamilton was “non-stop”, as though hard work, rather than luck, can pull someone to elite status. It also ignores Hamilton’s elitism. He thought that the masses of people were untrustworthy and power should be given to a trusted - and rich - few.

Hamilton is also a false story because it ignores that most of the founding fathers actively supported slavery. The author, Lin Manuel Miranda stated that Hamilton allows people to, “leave whatever cultural baggage [they] have about the founding fathers at the door” - which is exactly what makes the story false. The lyrics mention John Laurens’ abolitionism but barely acknowledge Jefferson’s affair with Sally Hemmings. Alexander says of the South’s economy, “we know who’s really doin’ the planting”; but this is the only time slavery is mentioned in a political context. It seems as though Miranda is mentioning slavery just enough to be deemed politically correct, but little enough that listeners can forget that the founding fathers were white slave owners and their politics relied on slavery.

Poverty and racism are still around today, and they are entwined within each other. Systematic racism gives people of color unlivable wages, evicts them from their homes, and arrests them disproportionately more than white people. Classism and racism have been ingrained in American society since before the country even existed, and no matter how inclusive the casting call for Hamilton is, the musical forgets these issues and tells a false story of American history.

In Up, Love Has No "Gender" Roles

A love story that makes everyone swoon and even shed a tear may be more than just a cute couple. Up the movie is a true story because it questions gender roles. The main character's wife, Ellie, is shown as being brave and emotionally strong while he, Carl, is seen as emotional and dependent throughout their love story montage. This opposes what society views as the ideal man or woman and makes this tremendous love story into a true one as well.

During the opening scene of the movie, Carl wanders into an abandoned house to find Ellie for the first time. At first sight, it is not apparent whether Ellie is a girl or a boy, this is important because it limits first impressions of the character based on gender. Stereotypes about women in today's media might lead a movie-goer into believing that Ellie is dainty and emotionally fragile; however, this is not true. Pixar has created a girl that is neither, fearless Ellie dreams big about exploring and traveling. Even her male counterpart, Carl, is overwhelmed by her outgoing and fearless personality upon first meeting her.

Up’s love story is true because it depicts how real American women are independent and courageous. Characters similar to Ellie are becoming more common in mainstream entertainment. Strong female leads are seen movies such as The Incredible s, with Helen Parr a female superhero, and Inside Out, with a hockey player named Riley. Hopefully movies such as these three will help young American girls defy expectations. By challenging female stereotypes, this decade's favorite love story becomes even more epic.

You Don't Have To Belong With Me

Lyrics to You Belong With Me

The work of culture I selected was a song. The song and music video You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift is important to discuss. Both the song and the video are filled with stereotypes that promote false ideas about what is important to teenage girl. Although the song did not cause any public controversy, I believe the subject matter needs to be discussed. I think the message that Taylor Swift is sending in the song and music video You Belong With Me is that all girls should worry about is boys. She is promoting the idea that as a teenage girl you need to have a boyfriend in high school. There are many examples in the song and music video that prove the ideas she is promoting.

One example of the stereotypes Taylor Swift portrays in the song is that your appearance and your popularity matter when trying to get a guy to be interested in you. For example one of the lyrics in the song states, “ she was shorts skirts, I wear t-shirts, she’s cheer captain and i'm on the bleachers.” So she is comparing herself to a cheerleader that wears short clothing and somewhat saying this is why that guy is with her over me. She’s sending the message to girls that you need to wear short skirts and be a cheerleader for guys to like you. Also at the end of the music video she gets all dressed up and takes off her glasses and that’s when he notices her. She is portraying this idea that you need to take your glasses off to be pretty and for a boy to notice you. As she goes about her daily life activities she always seems to be thinking about him. She constantly watches from the outside while he argues with his girlfriend and waits around for them to break up. It is clear that the words she sings and the scenes in the video show what she thinks a teenage girl is like or needs to be.

The work of culture I analyzed relates to a lot of other pieces of culture as well as the life of a teenage girl. In many modern day movies and tv shows that take place in a high school setting all show the cheerleaders being the popular ones. The head cheerleader always dates the captain of the football team and he always ends up breaking up with her because she cheats on him or he realizes she only cares about herself. This is the same as in the music video I talked about. When younger girls watch things like this they grow up believing these stereotypes, but in reality that's not how it is. Personally this work of culture offends me because I do wear a uniform similar to a cheerleader, and I get called a cheerleader like it’s a negative thing. Cheerleaders are not always mean people, and girls don’t have to wear short skirts and take off their glasses to be noticed. Overall this music video is entertaining but promotes ideas that are not only offensive but just aren't realistic.

U.S. Navy Seal killed in American Sniper

Grayson Felton

9/5/16

True Story

Mr.Heidkamp

American Sniper-True American Story




The movie American Sniper that recently came out in theaters on December 14th 2014, is a story about Chris Kyle, who throughout this movie grew to become one of the most lethal snipers in the history of the U.S. Military. Chris Kyle was recently killed by a fellow Navy Seal at a gun range which was their reasoning behind the film being made. American Sniper is a true story due to the fact that it shares a deep emotional connection and is relatable to the audience. There are many instances in the film that can connect with the viewers.

Whether it's through the life of families during and after the war or a representation of the hardships soldiers face, American Sniper is a very relatable movie. The audience is able to connect with the film because many of them have experienced the same things.  The characters actions and experiences are a reality for most if not all of the audience.  The movie shows both sides of the separated family during the war and how much of a struggle it is for both Chris and his wife and kids to be seperated. Next, it’s relatable to many soldiers who have experienced war and done things that no one else can. These people are able to connect with Chris because no one else knows what they've experienced or done except for fellow Navy Seals. For example Chris Kyle's first task was to kill a 5 year old girl carrying a grenade. Chris talks about all of the seemingly unreal tasks he had to complete and how no one understands what he's done except his comrades. Chris struggles to be back in the real world because he has no one to connect too and talk about his experiences with.  Lastly it's simply backed up by factual evidence from the military, government, and the CIA who have all confirmed Chris Kyle's kills.



This thesis can apply to many works of culture whether is American Sniper, Zero Dark Thirty, or Lone Survivor. All of these films are supported by sufficient factual evidence and accurately depict the torment that soldiers had to face 24/7. Many war movies are true in the sense that their very relatable and are reinforced by factual evidence.  A true American War Story must be able to  connect with the audience, relatable, and backed by evidence all of which American Sniper accuratly displays.

Beloved Tom and Jerry cartoons....RACIST!

For multiple generations, many American children grew up watching cartoons like Tom and Jerry or Looney Tunes. In retrospect, many of these cartoons had racist depictions of African American people. Tom and Jerry was seen as a harmless and entertaining cartoon about a cat and mouse fighting and trying to outwit each other. However, the cartoons also portrayed African Americans with offensive stereotypes. It is important to analyze works of culture such as Tom and Jerry because they directly influenced children and passed on ideologies to the next generation. Tom and Jerry cartoons are true stories because they reflect ideologies and stereotypes that existed during their time period.

In the episode “The Puss Gets the Boot” of the show Tom and Jerry an African American woman is shown as an uneducated maid. In something as innocent as a children's cartoon, the writers and animators were not trying to send a message about how they felt about African Americans or women but rather reflected the national consensus. The maid, Mammy Two Shoes yells at the cat “if ya go on an break anythang else ya are O-U-W-T! Out!”. Mammy Two Shoes’ lack of grammer reflects social opinions of African American’s intellect. During the time, an education was a difficult thing to obtain for African Americans in the United States. Segregation in the school systems and society prevented many African Americans from reaching a proper education. Tom and Jerry accurately reflects the stereotype that African Americans are uneducated. The episode also indirectly tells viewers that she is not working in her own home, but someone else's. “I can’t be having a good-for-nothin cat reckin up this whole house!” Mammy Two Shoes says as she scares the cat away from the fragile plates on display. During the time this episode was aired, the idea that African Americans should work for other people was commonplace. In a following episode “Midnight Snack” it is explained that Mammy Two Shoes is in charge of cooking, cleaning, and general kitchen work. In the 1930s and 1940s the common expectation for women was to work in the house, cooking and cleaning. This expectation was shown in the cartoon episode. There was no man in charge of housework, instead it was Mammy Two Shoes who did the chores.

These cartoons are true American stories. Works of culture that reflect ideologies and conventional views held during a time period are true stories. The racism and sexism in these cartoons were not of a foreign mindset to the American people. These prejudices and views were quite common in America. Other true stories can be found in movies and T.V shows made throughout the decades. When works accurately reflect the mindset of Americans at the time, they are true stories.
-Gabriel D

A Brief Analysis of Mad Men's Historical Accuracy

Mad Men is a work of historical fiction that was first initiated during the summer of 2007, and remained for the duration of seven Television seasons. The show’s primary focus is an advertisement agency, Sterling Cooper, during the socially and politically eventful decade of 1960. Mad Men preserves this era in history with impeccable precision, which in fact grants the viewer a retrospective glance in the opposite direction of time from a standpoint in lack of opinion. The show transcends bias, ignorance, misinformation, and other such substantial boundaries. Mad Men is truthful due to its stern ambition in providing an exceptional illustration of an American reality of the past. In many ways, Mad Men takes upon itself the responsibilities of a time capsule. The show brings to question a number of social stereotypes and standards from the past, as well as suggests to the relevance of similar issues of the present, by attaching to the depiction of each stereotype featured on-screen it’s harmful and oppressive product. This encourages the viewer to consider and compare the state of humanity between the era of today, and that of the 1960s.

Mad Men’s commitment to historical accuracy is verified by an extensive collection of social issues and events of the time that assimilate into each layer of the show. Events that provoked considerable national shifts, such as the death of John F. Kennedy, are sewn into the show’s fictitious plot line with striking detail. The significance and value held by JFK at the time of his demise is revealed by Mad Men’s representation of public reception of the news of his death, which was preserved remarkably.

In conclusion, the distinct, documentary-style approach to a specified period in time (America during the 60s) that meaningfully adheres to historical fact does not exclusively apply to Mad Men. This valuable attribute is shared among a grand assemblage of artwork, a prime example of which being present in a film by Sam Mendes, American Beauty. Similarly to Mad Men, this picture explores the reality of a particular sector and phase of human existence (in this case, life as a resident in an ordinary North American suburb, during the late 1990s). The unrelenting devotion of director Sam Mendes to the accurate depiction of his desired image of truth in American Beauty is made obvious by the power and merit of the film, rewarded in part by such an approach.

Party of the century

This movie came out about four years ago in 2012, and tells an epic tale about three friends who aren’t the most popular but throw the party of the century. Project X shows the classic story of kids throwing a party when the parents go out of town and things get a little out of control. Parties for a teen are their chance to have a taste of freedom and for these three that includes under ages drinking, narcotics, and sexual activity without any repercussions. Although this party is unrealistic and is one of a kind the ideas that it promotes are definitely true so therefore it makes the piece of culture true. Experiences like these are what makes a teen a teen and allow them to prepare for adulthood because without these times they will search for them when their time has passed.

In this chase for popularity there are no restrictions on what can or will happen and that’s good for everyone but the host. Often for the host the good times tend to end early because all you can think about is the mess that you will be left with and this is where peer pressure comes in as the movie shows. In Project X the main character and host of the party begins to stress because the party begins to get out of hand and his friends notices that. So what does he do, he sweet talks his friend into drinking and taking ecstasy to loosen him up. When he is pressured to become intoxicated he feeds into, which happens to so many teens today. Sometimes for teens when things aren’t going right in their life being pressured into drugs causes them to think that the drugs will make everything better. Not only does this movie show a true story of peer pressure but it also shows regret, once the host is pressured into intoxications he has a moment that he may regret. He became a little bit too loose when he mixes alcohol with ecstasy, he messes up his chances with the better girl he has known for a while for a one night stand that didn’t even happen. In my opinion this is true because once you become that intoxicated you can’t think straight and your judgement becomes off.



This movie is a true piece of american culture because the ideas it promotes happens all too often in the life of a teen. Early I said that these experiences are necessary to mold an adult out of a teen and I truly believe that because if they don’t have them then they will never learn from them. Without them they won’t truly know the meaning of what it means to be an adult and learn how to handle certain situations. In my life I have been in similar situations and I know how I react versus others some give in to pressure and some don’t.

The Super single, Super young, Super dad

Private practice is a TV show that went off of the air in 2013. At the time it was apart of a bigger trend to have TV shows about doctors struggle with their life and their jobs. It is relevant because unlike many TV shows during that time, it shows the truth about what many people actually go through in america. Even though Private practice does not follow american ideologies, it works hard to break these ideologies and cliches to be true. This TV show does not sugar coat life and shows the viewers the hard truths about what's going in america. The writers show this by using the character dell.

In Private Practice it breaks many ideologies such as the common thought that a young, male single parent can not do as good as a job as a two parent home or an older female single parent. They break this ideology by introducing the character dell who is a young single parent who is raising his young daughter Betsy. He does this by taking her away from her drug addict mother. When her mom died and Betsy has trouble adjusting without her mom he takes days off of work to help her. At the end when dell is on his deathbed he even thinks about Betsy and says how everything will be OK. This shows that even though dell struggles with becoming a midwife and going through medical school, he still had time for his daughter. Therefore, he is a good young single parent who treats his daughter well.

In many different works of culture you see the same theme occurring with single dads and young parents. Like the TV show Two and a Half Men Alan is a single dad who takes care of Jake. It shows him as an inadequate father who lets him do whatever he wants and leaves his mom with the tough decisions. This theme also occurs in the TV show 16 and pregnant where they show younger parents who is not ready for children. They fill the stereotype by showing young parents panicking, be unprepared for children, and making bad parenting choices.

Cultural Analysis: New Girl

The show New Girl features Jess, a young woman who goes through a hard break-up and ends up moving in with three male roommates; Nick, Shmidt, and Winston. It is an unconventional situation. Jess’ best friend Cece is also a regular character and becomes friends with all the guys too. The show is a great light-hearted sitcom.

The TV show New Girl breaks the stereotype of boys and girls not being able to be just friends. In the show, Jess is friends with all three of the guys she lives with, and while at first, the guys think it will be weird, they all get along great. The show does a great job of showing that Jess and the guys can live together and have functioning non-romantic relationships. However, you could argue that the show supports this stereotype, because Jess and Nick become romantically involved later on in the show. I would disagree though, because she still maintains platonic relationships with Winston and Schmidt.

This quality is what makes this show so great, along with the fact that New Girl does a great job of showing realistic romantic relationships. For example, Nick and Jess’ relationship is complicated and confusing for them, and it takes them a long time to figure out what they mean to each other. This is what relationships in real life are actually like, as opposed to the classic movie trope of “love at first sight.” Winston and Shmidt also go through a lot of relationships, some are longer and more serious, some are not, just like real life. Shmidt also falls in love with Jess’ best friend CeCe, and they date for a while, but Cece ends up dating other people, getting engaged, etc. I think this is really valuable because it depicts real life, and how relationships are messy, and it’s not always a “love at first sight” deal.

The show also has a great cast, that is much more diverse than most I see on TV. It is diverse in terms of race; Shmidt is Jewish, Winston is black, and Cece is Indian. Winston also dates an asian girl, and Cece dates another Indian man. It is great to see a diverse cast like this without the classic media stereotypes attached to them. New Girl shows a lot of Cece’s arranged marriage to the Indian man, and the culture around it, which is definitely not something you see a lot on TV, and it adds to the unconventional romantic relationships seen on the show.

The TV show New Girl does a great job breaking a lot of different stereotypes. It helps to break the stereotype that men and women can’t be in relationships that are not romantic, and that not all romantic relationships are easy and make sense, as well as breaking racial stereotypes. The show is a light-hearted show, but when you look deeper you can really see the importance of it. New Girl shows that all people can be friends, no matter how “different” they are.