The film ¨Mulan¨ was made in 1998 and produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, during the third wave of feminism. Mulan isn't your average ¨damsel in distress¨ story, Mulan is about a women taking charge and fighting for her families honor in the most unfeminine way you can think of and proves to her family that she is more than a clumsy girl who can´t get a husband. This movie teaches girls about self empowerment,reinforces stereotypes of men, and reinforces and breaks stereotypes of women.
The film Mulan teaches girls about self empowerment by showing that being yourself and accepting who you are you can prove everyone who doubts you wrong. In the beginning of the movie, Mulan sings a song called ¨ reflection.¨ In the song she sings that being herself would break her family's heart because who she really is, is not someone they are willing to accept. Everyone in her town knows her as being a disappointment to society and everyone expects her to fail when trying to become like the other women in her town. Mulan eventually fails to become like every other women but becomes a hero and saves all of china by being herself. In addition Mulan reinforces and breaks women stereotypes as well. Mulan reinforces stereotypes because in the film a definition of a women is a caretaker and a bride and especially in our society around 1920 a woman wasn't known for her intelligence she was known for taking care of her family in the household and always being around for her husband and in Mulan this is their exact definition of what a woman is. Mulan also breaks stereotypes, Mulan breaks stereotypes by showing that a woman can have masculine qualities and still do what a man can do and maybe even better.
The film reinforces stereotypes of men. A prime example of reinforcement of masculine stereotypes is in the scene where the captain sings a song named ¨ I'll make a man out of you ¨. In the song there is part that says ¨Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?¨ You're the saddest bunch I ever met but you can bet before we're through Mister, I'll make a man out of you¨ This part in the song implies that men are suppose to be strong, brave, and fearless and having ¨ feminine¨ qualities is not acceptable in society. Men are suppose to be the Action Hero. Action Hero is “strong, but not necessarily silent. He is often angry. Above all, he is aggressive in the extreme and, increasingly over the past several decades, he engages in violent behavior.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSS5dEeMX64
Mulan is a great example of how women are and can be in power and overpower men and be just as great as them in anything they do. Women are beautiful and very interesting creatures, people should really stop underestimating women and what they can do because we are powerful and will prove anyone wrong who thinks otherwise.
Celebrities and pop culture are always going to be around. Much of the time their actions lead to controversy.Drake's ¨Best I Ever Had¨video was one of his actions that led to controversy. The video follows the common trend of sexy women in the video around the player- type guy who is generally the artist.The video showcases these women while they have a little fun playing the game of basketball with their head coach Drake who encourages them to be their best. Stereotypes like being sex objects and seductresses are present in the video throughout the video. General ideas about society are also portrayed throughout this work of art.The video portrays the idea of patriarchal societies and puts on a big display of body image; where the women are very confident in their bodies.
Patriarchy is a system of society or government in which men hold the power.The society in this case would be the basketball team.. Drake is a basketball coach, in control of coaching a team full of really ¨attractive¨ women. The women in the video follow Drake´s orders and almost try to appeal to him, as some come in and out of his office repeatedly or just overall repeatedly try to catch his attention. The women live up to the stereotype of the seductress, trying to catch Drake´s attention. The women are also living up to the stereotype of domesticity because Drake trains the women to wear what he wants them too.They all listen closely to Drake's ¨pep¨ talk in the video and sport his new uniforms he decided to craft for them.
The women are very objectified in the video. Because of this it is not hard to tell the video is shot through a man´s gaze.The angles of the shots showcase the women's bodies in the video. The women are filmed stretching, bending over, and even running in slow motion as the viewers can see their chest bouncing.These uniforms not only objectify the women by showing a lot of their body; but also make the women look like sex objects.All of the women looks as if they are ¨available¨ and want men to be sexually attracted to them.This makes Drake appeal to the viewers as a player because he is able to control all of these good looking women and keep them in check.The women show no forms of agency throughout this video.
Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.Based on what the video showcased the viewers shouldn't think this video supports feminism. It actually goes against some of the main points of feminists.Not only does a patriarchal society go against feminist beliefs , but so do things like sex objects and seductresses.Feminists try so hard everyday to break these stereotypes people set on them. Drake's video and also many other rappers videos and tv shows portray and set these stereotypes.Women will only be able to break these society setbacks if they are willing to fight for it.
Men and women nowadays are usually judged for their stereotypical actions. In the music video Bedrock by Young Money, Lil Wayne, and, Drake. This video shows women as sex objects and fulfilling other typical female stereotypes. The women are just around the house half naked while the men are dressed and sitting around. Women nowadays are just being used for their body and what they can do to please people.
A great example is at the beginning of the video it starts as these two girls are just making breakfast in their bra and short shorts while all the rappers slowly start to wake up or they are just chilling. Lil Wayne wakes up with at least 7 women around him just half naked while he's just shirtless then puts on a shirt on once he gets up, this shows that men and women bodies are treated differently because while the guy wakes up he puts on his shirt while he has many women around him half naked and women are just used more for their body then men are. This just shows the women are used just for their body image which is having a perfect body with a nice face and the women are just used as sex objects.
Women are used as a sex object because eventually later in the video one gets in bed with one of the rappers later in the night.Although i feel like the girls have some agency because they have to know what they get themselves into. Also half of the women there are just half naked while the men are fully clothed. Just like in other music videos, women i feel like are always in the background showing something that makes people interested and that makes the video more appealing for their viewers. I surely don't recall seeing women in music videos fully dressed not showing anything.
The men's stereotypes in this is them being a ladies man and a gangster. These stereotypes are because all the guys in the video have a female with them and signing about them or with them. Also some of them like Lil Wayne can fit the stereotype gangster because he just looked like a gangster by what he was wearing and of who he is.
Women should stop being used just for their looks and actually play a scene in music videos or have a meaning. Eventually its gonna have an impact on society by women being used as sex objects or are really just there for their body image to please people and make them more interested into the music video.
Mad Max is not your typical testosterone-pumped action movie that limits women to pretty faces and motivation for the male lead. While still having some faults,Mad Max shows that women can be just as bad ass as men as well that women are more than objects.
One thing that separates Mad Max from other films is the bad ass female lead named Furiosa played by Charlize Theron. Furiosa isn’t your typical female action hero either as the is the leader of the group and nowhere near helpless. Throughout the film she proves herself to be strong enough to handle any situation. In one scene Max is trying to shoot an wasteland raider with a rifle but has difficulty for the raider is far away. Furiosa then grabs the gun and uses Max’s shoulder as a stand to shoot and kill the raider. Furiosa doesn’t look like your typical female action hero for she has short brown hair, a mechanical arm, and black war paint across her forehead. The decision to make the character as such breaks the cliche of women always having to look beautiful in action movies, even when it makes no sense.
While the film is named Mad Max:Fury Road it is surprising that the female lead actually has more screen time and lines than her male counterpart.The character Mad Max of which the film is named is more of a supporting role in the film, who says few lines in a deep voice and shoots guns at raiders.The female lead of the film actually saves the male at one point in a very heroic way and is also shown to be more resourceful and helpful than the male .This is seen in the scene where the Furiosa is holding onto Max by his leg as he dangles outside of the truck and dangerously fast speeds.She is even stabbed in the scene and continues to hold on.
Another reason why Mad Max:Fury Road is a more feminist action movie than most is that it that its female characters are complex and interesting. Almost all of the female actors in the film have at least a few line, and each is shown to have different personalities and beliefs. For example one of the former slaves is really tough and rude, while another was very kind and interested in killing because she believed it was a waste of human life. In the opening scene of the film the female sex slaves send a very clear message on their former prisons by writing the words “We are not things” on the wall. Mad Max is one of the few action movies in recent time to pass the simple Bechdel test in which two female characters talk about something other than a man. This can be seen in the scene where two women are talking about rare plants and seeds that could help save the world.
Mad Max: Fury Road is not a perfect feminist film. It employs the male gaze and in ways reinforces the male tough guy stereotype. However it takes a massive step for feminism in a genre known for being sexist and patriarchal. while this movie is part of a trend of feminist action movies such as Divergent and The Hunger Games I believe this film to be better in that they include a serious love interest for any of the female roles, in fact the farthest two characters go in terms of an onscreen relationship is holding hands in the back of a truck.
The country song, “A Girl in a Country Song” by Maddie and Tae, criticizes how women are portrayed in country songs. This song is breaking the stereotypes of women by talking about how they feel about the ways they are portrayed and the thoughts going through their minds about these different stereotypes. Women have fought to be seen as more than just an object in the eyes of men. Many country songs have set back all that women have fought for.
Women in country songs are too often objectified, sexualized, and seen wearing little to no clothing in many of the lyrics and music videos. A Girl in a Country Song states how women feel about the things they are made to wear in the music videos: “Well, I wish I had some shoes on my two bare feet. And it’s gettin kinda cold in these painted on, cut-off jeans. I hate the way this bikini top chafes, Do I really have to wear it all day? (Yeah, baby)” Women are being made to feel uncomfortable in order to make themselves more appealing in the eyes of men.
Another verse in the song goes “I hear you over there on your tailgate whistlin’. Saying ‘Hey Girl.’ (hey, girl). But you know I ain’t listenin. Cause I got a name, And to you it ain’t ‘pretty little thing’, ‘honey’, or ‘baby’.” This verse is a really good representation of how men “catcall” women and how men think they can say anything to a women, without respect. This is seen in many various country songs, where many male singers only write lyrics about a woman’s appearance. Songs that are like this fall under the category of “guy country” which would give it the excuse to be degrading and disrespectful to women. Another verse in the is,
Like all we’re good for, Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend. Nothing more. (Woo) We used to get a little respect. Now we’re lucky if we even get. To climb up in your truck, keep our mouth shut, and ride along. Down some old dirt road we don’t even wanna be on, And be the girl in the country song.
This verse is very powerful because it shows how women will sacrifice everything they stand for to make men happy, because women were always told it was part of their “duty” to keep their loved ones happy. Women and girls have also been told, for generations, to be seen and not heard. Based on this verse, women are still treated with the very traditional and “old-time” ways of how women should be treated. Country music originates in the Southern United States which has always been known to be very traditional, which makes sense as to why men are very dominate over women in many songs that are considered country, but it doesn’t say or do much for what women have accomplished.
Most country songs set women back generations when they have fought for so long to be where they are now. Women are still underestimated in their capabilities, along with their ability to do the same, or even better, than a man. Many country songs have set women back from many accomplishments they have achieved. Women have fought to be seen as more than just an object in the eyes of men, while many country songs subtly show discrimination against women in the words they chose for their verses, and many have stereotypes that haven’t been used for decades.
The film Mean Girls presents stereotypes of high schoolers, especially in terms of gender. The girls within the film seem to be fake and rude to each other based on what the girl’s outer beauty looks like. Males within the movie are held to the jock stereotype. The movie’s ideology is both promoting and resisting those stereotypes. Promoting with girls and women being prissy and only caring about gossip and looks. It’s resisting when Cady, the lead character, doesn’t really care when she wins the crown at the dance and actually offers the crown to the crowd. The men that are resisting are a moc (man of color) that is very bright and Damian who is the gay character.
The girlfriend group “The Plastics” reinforce superficial stereotypes, since they are the most popular and the most beautiful and the most important. It reinforces that women only care about their looks and that school and a healthy social life is irrelevant. The parents that are within the movie showed why the characters were like that. Regina, who is dominant mean girl, when we first meet her mother you see how loose her parental ways are. She offers the girls alcohol and you see that the mother lives vicariously through her daughter experiences. It shows that girls not only learn their ways from the media but also the important women that are in their lives.
“Mean Girls” also reinforces the ideals of what a real male is suppose to be like. The handsome main character Aaron Samuel; the stereotypical high school popular jock that attracts the ladies, but without being a ladies man. His character seems to only reinforce how high school works but he still resists the womanizing ways. It reinforces the stereotype that gay males only hangout with women with the character Damien. He is only seen with Janis and Cady and has banter with Janis about his sexuality. Also in the main girlfriend group,there are the stereotypes of the dumb blond(Karen), the rich one(Gretchen),and the queen bee(Regina). These stereotypes tell us there are only three ways girls can be popular in high school. These stereotypes not only reinforce but they are also damaging. Telling girls, especially girls that are in high school that they only deserve attention if they are rich, white, pretty or dumb creates a precedent for girls who do fit the label and girls who don't.
“Mean Girls” has inspired new generations since it’s release in the early 2000s. This generation has watched Mean Girls since they were little, thinking that high school would be like it is in the movie. As we grew up; the behavior within the movie seem to be over childish and something that people would more likely do in middle school. High School nowadays seems to be just stressful and anxiety filled, not filled with people going out there way to embarrasses you or make you small. Are there people like this in high school? Yes, but people normally shut them down or don't listen to them. Mean Girls has also taught this generation to be themselves and not to pretend so you can fit in a group of people who you don't even like.
Lastly, in most teenagers eyes the movie is seen as a satire, while some of the plots do have truths the way that high school works now has change drastically. The film has taught me that high school stories are only important when they are told in a suburban atmosphere and have barely any people of color and doesn’t include real issues and the importance of speaking about them. Mean Girls has both good qualities and bad qualities. The good qualities is the importance of having a strong female lead character, a gay character, and speaking on the issues of the younger generation that pretending to be something that you're not can ultimately change the person you are, good or bad. The bad qualities of the movie seem to be the lack of diversity, only showing the high school experience from a suburban point of view, and not having more great well rounded characters to balance out the characters that were mostly flat.
Empire, a hit drama on Fox that is centered around the hip hop industry and drama between the family members who built it, exposes a wide variety of stereotypes. The show does not only defy gender stereotypes but it also addresses racial stereotypes as well. Empire is a work of feminism because it is resisting typical roles that women play in the public and private sphere, while also redefining what it means to be a woman in America. In popular culture women are often portrayed as either a wife/mother that is submissive to a man or a sex symbol/seductress that has evil power over men. It is very refreshing to see a complex character such as Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson) that takes aspects from both sides of the spectrum and breaks both stereotypes. While the show is very complex it does a great job at using satire to expose the inequality that is so heavily embedded in American culture.
Cookie Lyon automatically breaks the pure and dainty stereotype for women because in the first episode she is being released from prison. The show becomes complicated when it is revealed that Cookie took the fall for Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) by not giving him up when she was caught by the cops. This raises the question is she really showing agency since the reason she is breaking one stereotype is for the “service” of a man, another big stereotype of women. It is clear however that regardless of the reason she still isn’t what was once the ideal woman simply because she was not there for her children and family for 17 years, due to incarceration. Cookie also changes the role of a mother by protecting and providing for kids, a role that was originally a “man’s job.”Cookie goes to extreme lengths to help her sons, such as going up against their “evil” dad Lucious and starting her own label called Lyon Dynasty. This shows independence and that Cookie is fully capable of being their for her son and living her dreams. Cookie also breaks the stereotype that all wifes/mothers can’t be sexy. Cookie is both the seductress and the mother, however she uses her “evil powers” over men for the benefit for her son’s. At one point Cookie rekindles a relationship with an old friend to get a song for her son Jamal.
The agency shown by Cookie in Empire is amazing, even though to break a few stereotype others were enforced. I think overcoming this unequal ideology is a give and take relationship in which you have to lose some battles to win the war. Just as in real life women are starting to be made up in their image and not in the eyes of a man. For this to continue works of feminism such as Empire must to continue to be created to show the world that while equality may not be simple it is definitely achievable, we all just have to do our part.
The 1950s was an era of change, and new ideas were being introduced. Gender roles, for example, were changing. Marilyn Monroe supports the ideal body image of the era within her movies. In the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe was best known for the “dumb blonde character,” fulfilling the sex object stereotype. As time moved on, Marilyn Monroe became more of a seductress stereotype, seen by society as a sex icon and was part of the change in the era’s attitude towards sexuality in the 1950s.
One of Marilyn Monroe’s best movies was “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” The movie is based upon on a character “Lorelei Lee” (Marilyn Monroe), a beautiful showgirl who is engaged to a wealthy character named “Gus Esmond” (Tommy Noonan) who believes that Marilyn is only after his money and discovers later, she really was. As Gus gets deeper into the mystery to disqualify “Lorelei Lee” from marriage, and stopping her from receiving his money.
As the movie continues Gus sends Ernie Malone, who is a private detective, to investigate what's going on. Lorelei says, “Don’t you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn’t marry a girl just because she's pretty, my goodness, doesn’t it help?” The character displays that she can be a seductress, Esmond Sr asks, “Then what do you want to marry him for?” Lorelei Lee says, “I want to marry him for YOUR money.” This is one of the many moments in the movie where the stereotypes still continue.
In the 1950s women were thought to be stupid since women didn’t go to school or didn’t finish college. “Gus” thought “Lorelei Lee” is stupid, and he was expecting her to sound stupid too. “Mr. Esmond Sr” (Gus) says, “Say, they told me you were stupid! You don’t sound stupid to me!” Lorelei Lee says, “I can be smart when it's important.” This reinforces a stereotype of women being dumb and mistreated. The only time when men wanted to listen to women, were only if they were sexy.
Our final stereotype is the character “Gus” in the movie. He is a wealthy man with lots of money and power. In the movie he is seen as an opportunity for Lorelei to get anything she wants. Also Lorelei Lee can keep all the money to herself after a divorce. This example is important because Lorelei is breaking the stereotype of a woman being dumb and only there to serve her husband. She thinks of a method to receive all the money to herself so that she can enjoy life without any worries at all. Lorelei Lee says, “I want to marry him for YOUR money.”
Our pop culture slightly changes over the years, but can still support the stereotypes that are being presented today. Women today are still being mistreated more or less. Movies, music videos, television, radio, social media or any entertainment supports the stereotypes. The movie The Wolf of Wall Street, who is a wealthy man, constantly throwing parties. As well as having sexual relationships with women throughout the movie. The movie supports the universal idea that has been continuing since the 1950s. As opposing to women they’re only there for his sexual purposes and needs. In conclusion these stereotypes keep continuing no matter what year it is, and wondering if these kind of stereotypes will continue in the future.
The song “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke has been talked about as one of the most degrading songs of the year. The song describes how the male is in complete control of the woman no matter what she wants. Women become just sex objects. The woman is also shown as submissive because of the way Thicke convinces her she wants it. Finally, in the video, multiple men are shown as players while women parade around as they watch. “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke is a clear representation of contemporary art that represents the still sexist dominant ideology towards women in America today.
In patriarchal societies, men are known as the superior gender. In the 1950s especially, women were being treated as nothing but housekeepers and sex objects. Today, it is 2016 and for the most part life is very different in terms of equality. Women are getting jobs that they were never able to have, they are able to vote, and they can live a life of their own. Although there are many good outcomes of many feminist movements, there is still discrimination portrayed through social media and society as a whole.
Music has always been something that brings people together, creates strong relationships, and can lift everyone’s mood. The song “Blurred Lines” did just that. It spread throughout the nation and became a catchy tune everyone could get up and dance to. Pop music is known for sounding fun and exciting, making it easy for listeners to get hooked, but then things can turn the other way once you really understand the lyrics. Thicke sings, “Baby, it’s in your nature,/just let me liberate you”.
The context of these lyrics is him mostly likely at a bar or party where a girl is being harassed by another man. He tells her he wants to save her from him and prove he is the better guy. He most likely does this so she will think of him as a tough guy. From this, you may think he is meaning no harm, but then he continues to sing “I know you want it, I know you want it, you’re a good girl.” clearly hinting at sexual acts. This makes him out to be the dominant and her as a submissive because he is telling her what to do and is telling her how he thinks she feels.
As if the song was not enough, there is a video, which magnifies the lyrics and shows them visually. The video consists of multiple men singing and standing there in nice tuxedos while women parade around half naked as objects they can look at. This video clearly objectifies the women as only something nice to look at. The director clearly prefered the male gaze because of the way the men look at the camera. When the women walk by, the men stare and smile and joke to each other as if it was entertainment.
This song and video reflects the patriarchal structure of society by showing men superior from women. This is shown by having the men sing and be the main focus of the song and video, while the women are shown as something hot to look at. The lyrics sung by Robin Thicke are made clear to see the discrimination happening and chauvinism being shown by making it clear the woman does not have a choice in what they do together.
How does music in society shape how women and men think of women? Men think that we dress up, look nice, and wear certain clothes for them. But they never think that women do it for themselves, to please and be happy with themselves. The ideology of looking perfect for everyone else is printed into our heads. Society today makes the songs that are objectifying women the best songs. Yet the songs that have the best meanings and motifs are the ones that go unheard or unpopular. "Try” by Colbie Caillat is a song from a feminist perspective that lives in society today. The song is expressing how women aren't seen as real people. This piece of work shows the gender ideologies of women in society. Such as the way we dress, how we present ourselves, and the things we do to be "approved by men". They are far from realistic but the society build us to believe them to be true.
The very first lines of the songs have to do with making yourself pretty and getting glammed up, but for who? Not yourself! The feminist perspective of Colbie Caillat sings about getting glammed up for other people, "Put your makeup on, get your nails done, curl your hair, run the extra mile, Keep it slim so they like you, do you like you?" These are the small things that women go out of their way to do. The song starts with the expectations of women and how they are seen in society. Women take forever to get ready to the point that they think they are presentable. But why do men want a fake girl? Fake is the new real. Society has taught women that they only accept the people that have a face full of makeup, glammed up, but that is not the real them. The real women are hiding under all the makeup. This is why women have so many insecurities in society, the ideologies of putting makeup on and dressing nice are put into a woman's head and that is all females think about. The chorus of the song keeps repeating that "you don't have to try so hard" That is what women want to hear. Women want to hear that they can be accepted for who they are not the unrealistic version of themselves. It sometimes stinks to be a women because of these ideologies and expectations that society has put on women. Women are surrounded by four inescapable walls that will always hold a women back.
Songs nowadays subjectify women. They are typically being paraded around, near a man, basically a girl has a role in music videos to be an object of attraction. There are never times that a women is actually noticed for their personality. Colbie Caillat exploits the fact that not only do females in society go out of their way to make themselves "presentable" face wise but they go out of their way to look pretty in clothes.The song has a few little points of emphasis, "Get your shopping on, at the mall, max your credit cards You don't have to choose, buy it all, so they like you, Do they like you?" It is only socially acceptable to have the highest name brands, the nicest leggings, and most fashionable things. That is why Colbie Caillat tries to emphasize the fact that you need to like yourself before anyone else can like you. Females won't accept anyone else's approval unless it's by a man's attention.
Females in society look for the approval of other people rather than themselves, but growing up in this day and age you can't rely on other people to make you feel good. Their will always be you, whenever you're alone it's only you. Yet the fact is that when you're alone, do you appreciate yourself. Colbie Caillat big moral of the song is liking yourself, and accepting yourself, "Take your makeup off, Let your hair down, Take a breath, Look into the mirror, at yourself, Don't you like you? ,'Cause I like you". Women today in society need to accept the fact that there will always be something about them that won't be accepted, no matter how many people you come across. That is what Colbie Caillat is trying to say throughout the whole song, the fact that if you don't like yourself, there won't be a time that you will let other people accept you. Women don't realize that we don't need someones else's approval to be okay. Also the fact that when you put makeup on and get dolled up, that isn't yourself. That is an unrealistic expectation that society has set.
The pressure of being accepted is a problem from the youngest people to the oldest people. That will be a running problem because of the walls that society has put on women. The fact that some people aren't confident enough to walk out without makeup, is the problem. Why can't women be okay in their own skin. Females walk around an unrealistic version of themselves. But that is not worth anyone's money to spend $100 on leggings, or $200 on a pair of shoes. That is the damage that society has impacted on people. It makes people feel secure in the fact that they have money to blow on these clothes but the highest shoes, brands and clothes won't get you anywhere. The only thing that will make a woman secure in society today is that if other people notice what they are doing to look presentable. Yet that is not reality to the fact that no one will ever be accepted for themselves, their glammed up version will be accepted but that's not reality. There is a set way that society has made socially acceptable to what kind of clothes to put on your body. Typically women will never be good enough no matter what they buy or put on their body.
That is what they are accepting, to be paraded around in a society, yet that is not the real them. The real them is under the makeup, and behind the fake smile that we put on thinking we are happy in our own skin. "Try by Colbie Caillat" is all about the expectations and what we want to be. But the true meaning is to like yourself when you're alone, and when you're natural. The goal is to break the barriers that society has put women and live confident, liking yourself.
Feminism is a much larger problem than we portray it to be. In the world everyday there are many different stereotypes that we as people don't even think twice about. What it means to be
a man or a woman seems to be printed pretty deeply into the human eye. People in today’s society expect a women to have a skinny body, with beautiful hair, wearing makeup. Women have these body images that are told to be how we can be perfect that they are considered to fulfill each day.
The music that we listen to, the movies and T.V shows that we watch are all full of the ideas of what it means to be a man or a woman and we are immune to it. Throughout the song “Try” by Colbie Caillat she starts off emphasizing all of the aspects of the “perfect” girl. Colbie says, “Put your makeup on, get your nails done, curl your hair, run the extra mile, keep it slim so they like you, do they like you?” She is referring to how women are stereotyped for focusing on what their physical body image is, and looked at through the eyes of others. Leading towards the middle of the song after she talks about all of the things women need to do, but then she takes a different route and starts to say, “You just have to get up, get up, get up, get up, You don't have to change a single thing” This shows how the women in the world need to focus more on the inside and not so much of how they look on the outside. They don't need to change in order to be liked.
At the end of the song Colbie gets the point across that ”you don't have to try so hard,” Someone famous is trying to get the point across of women not needing to be what everyone wants us women to be, but to just be ourselves and not worry about the physical appearance.
When someone says “Perfect Women” or “perfect man” without even thinking about it, immediately all of those different aspects play a huge factor in what you think. That's because of society. We as humans have been corrupted by others to view men and women a specific way and that will forever be hard to change.
For sometime now, Parks and Recreation has been my favorite show. Leslie Knope, who is a main character played by Amy Poehler shows the true power a woman can have in the public sphere, such as the workplace. I went back to the first season to watch an episode that came off as feminist to me, which was episode 4, titled “Boy’s Club.” Throughout this episode many stereotypes of women in the workplace and home are broken. Women in the office are able to join in on the typical men activities in the workplace and the idea of a housewife does not exist. Although this episode and the show in general is pretty feminist, some of the men at the office say some sexist things. The sexist things they say feed into mocking the idea of stereotypes.
As stated in the title, this episode was about a boy’s club that goes on at the office. The name is misleading though because women in the Parks and Recreation department are treated like one of the guys, equal. Every Tuesday night, the boys club, which is a group of coworkers, meets on the patio outside of the office. One night, Leslie decides to join them with one of her friends, Anne. They are welcomed by all the men and are even allowed to drink with them. By joining the men, Leslie and Anne broke the stereotype that just men drink after a long day of work. They also broke the rules of the boys club, where previously, no girls were allowed. After attending a few meetings, Leslie drops all the bottles of beer on the floor by tipping over the table and the men are cleaning up after her and she says “look at those B---s cleaning up after me.” This breaks the stereotypes that women are the ones who usually do the cleaning. Leslie is also speaking from the stereotypical male’s point of view by stating that the women should be doing the cleaning.
While the boys cleaned up the beer Leslie spilled off the table, it became clear that the idea of a housewife does not exist. Typically in the past, women are expected to clean and stay at home to take care of the family. That stereotype was broken by Andy, Anne’s boyfriend. When she goes off to work, he cleans the house. This breaks the stereotype the women do the housekeeping. Another typical housewife stereotype is broken by Andy because he is trying to be successful in music but in the meantime, he stays at home and does nothing and doesn't have a job. Anne does. She is the one with the job in the relationship which breaks the housewife stereotype where the women usually stays home and prepare for the family while her husband is at work. Although those barriers are being broken, there is always going to be someone who tries to build those barriers back up.
One of the barriers is rebuilt in this episode because the men say and do sexist things. Ron says his idea of a government is only a man sitting in a room at a desk and have women brought to him when he desires him. This statement is sexist because he doesn’t think that just anyone could run the government, it would have to be a man. He also objectifies women by saying that they should be brought to the ruler of the government whenever. Another example is before Leslie and Anne came along, the men at the office had a boys club where no women are allowed to be in. They meet on Tuesday nights and drink beer. This is sexist against women in a way where they can’t enjoy a drink or 2 with their coworkers because only men are allowed. One last sexist scene in the episode is when Tom asks Leslie if she has every had a dream about their boss, Ron, sexually and she says no. This is the stereotype that workers are sexually attracted to their boss or vice versa. Despite all of the sexist comments that may go on, Leslie never seems to let it get to her and continues to hold her strong beliefs in women in the political world and her home town. The only sexist people in the workplace are the men, which is very relatable to my past work experiences.
In many ways, Leslie and the other Parks and Recreation characters break the workplace and home stereotypes but of course there is always going to be those people who are sexist and try to break it down again. This occurred in my workplace as well over the summer. My boss would often make the girls clean the locker rooms, at the pool where I was a lifeguard, and always let the boys go home early if the chance came along where we didn’t need any more life guards than we already had. He also gave one of the guys a raise and a higher position but never gave the option to a girl. By the end of the summer all the girl lifeguards could tell that he was always in favor of the boys and was just all around sexist. My boss relates to Ron, the parks and recreation department head. Although there are sexist remarks that come from some of the male workers, Parks and Recreation is a show where women are treated like one of the guys in the office and aren’t seen as the typical housewife. Overall, society is always going to have those people who are sexist but Parks and Recreation makes a stand against it in a way where they mock the sexist and give power to the women in their town and in politics.
Here is Leslie and Anne attending a boys club meeting.
Notorious “B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa” is a extremely sexist song, in the eyes of a man and a woman. The ideal man according to this song is someone who is a player and makes fast money, while the ideal woman is a seductress and uses her body as a sexual object to get money for men. In the end, the song says that the more men make the more fame that they have among themselves. With money comes with fame and fame and money comes women. The more a man seduces a woman in a sexual manner the more women will be drawn to them.
He raps , “The back of the club, mackin hoes, my crew's behind me”. This becomes a significant and striking line throughout the song, because it refers to how men in that day in age and even now treat females and see them as nothing more or less than sex objects and that their not even worth taking them to either a hotel room, their house , or even the woman’s house their good for having sexual intercourse and at that sexual intercourse in the back of the club. He continues on and says “ one of these honies Biggie gots ta creep with/ Sleep with, keep the ep a secret/ I got more Mack than Craig and in the bed. This continues to let women know that, that when you are messing with a male in the industry you become nothing to them but a sex object. You receive no respect from a man unless he wants to have sexual relations and once those sexual relations are over your passed over to the next person in the industry. Many women enjoy being a sex object to men in the industry especially men like “B.I.G”, because they know the benefits with messing with a rapper in the industry. Women do not respect their self either , because if they did then they would not let men such as “Biggie” and his crew screw them. As a women you should never allow a man to discriminate you whether it's through a song or not and it becomes worst , because these women still allow these men to enter their sexual parts into their bodies , but cried about it when it’s all over.
He continues, “Got enough to feed the needy/No need to be greedy/I got mad friends with Benz/C-notes by the layers.” This gives off the “hoodness” of this industries and how it displays among the men that he is around that he has more money than the average person expect his friends in which he put on in this business. Biggie continues and states “ If you got a gun up in your waist please don't shoot up the place/ Cause I see some ladies tonight who should be havin my baby Bay-bee”. This line is striking, because it lets you know that the only thing the industry values is money , their lives and women. Nothing else matters when your life is put on front street and you have no other choice but to survive, in this game you either live or die.
This song connects to this generation and many generation before hand , the reason being is that artist like Biggie Smalls has set the pathway and foundation for other rappers , artists , even men and women and it gives them the ideal of how a man and women should act and what they reputation is when it comes to society as a whole. Most African-American men and even rappers look up to a legend of Biggie as such , Biggie gives off the style that you can be bigger and size and rock the mic , have all the chicks you please , have multiple sex partners , fall in love and be successful while doing all of that and then some.
