Anaconda

Many of todays music video are quite the same, women dancing and showing off their figure in the videos. The music video “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj came out in 2014. In this music video it shows many women in revealing clothing and shaking their hinds quarters. Matter of fact, the open scene of the video starts with two women shaking it. The music video uses the women to appeal to the man's eye in a sexual way, also known as these women are being shown as sex objects. The music video is half visual and half hearing which means that the lyrics of the song are also giving a message to the viewer that they have to be a certain way in order to fit in.

The music video is for everyone to see but everyone knows that the main target for the music video is for men. From the opening couple seconds of the song to the ending moments of the songs it's all directed to appeal to the man's eyes. The director made sure to get women with a pretty face but also good body parts. The women in the video are dressed very similar with their butts hanging out of their shorts and their breasts popping out. These women are all being viewed as sex objects. The women in this video are telling the girls that are watching this to dress and act like this in order to fill needs of a man. On top of that, the actual women in the video dress like so are also being used for men's sexual pleasure. The target audience is the men and the gaze that the men show to women. Everyone in the world can almost say that because of what the women are doing. This is showing that the only way to entertain a man to by having women dress up like that and dance like that. What type of message does this send to the younger girls watching this? This video can connect to the real world because often times in the media women are always being shown as sexy and slim but thick in the right places. This almost impossible figure to get is telling these ladies that to please a man you have to look like that and have that type of body and are willing to show it off.

The music video is half visual and half hearing. If you listen to the lyrics it sends a direct message to women. In the song it says, “ My anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns hun.” This is also sending a direct message straight to the women because its saying that without a body no man will want you. Women have to fill that position of having a nice body or else a man will not want them. Also in the song it reads that, ”F*** them skinny b*****s in the club I wanna see all the big fat a** b*****s in the motherf****** club F*** you if you skinny b*****s. What? Yeah. Ha-ha, ha..” This here is literally calling out skinny women in the world. It's literally saying that if you are skinny, that has to change because the only way you will be accepted is that if you have a thick body in the right places. This connects to today's situation because for so many years women have been trapped in this box where they have to fit this perfect image or they won't be accepted.

To conclude this music video portraits the women as sex objects to the men and the lyrics speak to women that you need to fit into this or you are out. This video is like a two in one effect for visual and hearing.

That's So True or Real?

This episode of That's So Raven she addresses the fact that racism is present in work places and the world we live in. The only problem with this is that a lot of the viewers are youth, who may not quite understand what was actually going on in the episode itself. Was this episode of That's So Raven true? Was is Real?

I feel as though this episode of That's So Raven was very true. As in portraying how people of color are treated in the real world and by society. Shows the younger audience what's really happening in this world around them and basically what's being hidden from them. I feel as though Raven was trying to prove a point and wake her younger audience up to reality. Many shows on Disney then, still currently, portray a "white" world and perfect world, which is never true for any person in the real world. Raven really set a mark in the Disney world by addressing the problem that many kids were and are naive to in society.

Which leads to was the episode real? Obviously not with the over exaggeration of the way the situation was handled. The extreme costume situation and having Chelsie wear a "camera hat" is just not realistic. It does show how you can use the resources that you do have to bring awareness to what's happening in the world around us.

Welcome!

Welcome to the weblog for our American Studies class. Here's the place we will be continuing conversations from class and starting new ones. We'll be discussing and debating current events, historical controversies, and literary conundrums. We might even see a little poetry.

So, what's a blog? And how will we be using it class? For information on blogging and how to join and post to our blog, see "All About Blogging."

We're looking forward to a great year.

Make sure you check your e-mail for your invitation to join the blog. Also – and this is very important – the first step you should take after you accept the invitation is to edit your user profile so that you control how your identity and your communication preferences.  Click on the pull-down menu next to your name in the upper right corner of the browser and click on “Blogger Profile.” Then click on “Edit Profile.”

You can fill out as much of it as you want, but the only requirement is -- under “Identity” -- make sure your “Display name” is your first name and last initial only -- so we provide some anonymity while still allowing your classmates and teacher to be able to identity who you are. For example, change “Bernie Heidkamp” to “Bernie H.”

Twenty One Pilots: Guns for Hands

Tyler Joseph, the lead singer in Twenty One Pilots, wrote the song Guns for Hands to help make the realization about how many people, especially kids, have depression and suicidal thoughts. That he is having trouble living his life while knowing what these kids are going through. It hits him even more, since he has gone through the same things that these kids are going through, and sometimes still does. He brings this issue forward, by sort of connected it to gang related problems, the usage of guns in gangs, and the guns for hands.

Tyler sings, "That you all ave guns/And you never put the safety on/And you all have plans/To take it, to take it, don't take it, take it, take it". Tyler compares the kids hands to guns and the gun's safety. in the way that they all have the power to conflict harm on themselves. The safety of a gun, is a blocking mechanism that does not allow the trigger to be pulled, not letting the gun to be fired. So when the kids aren't putting the safety on their hands, they are not taking it upon their selves to seek out help, or even just talk to someone about it. And they all have plans on pulling the trigger, to end their lives, but Tyler is telling them not to. Since they don't want to talk to someone, but obviously listen to his music, he is trying to tell them not to, to get the point across to them that there are other ways.

He later says in the chorus, "...I'm trying to sleep/But I can't, but I can't when you all/Have guns for hands". He is losing his sleep because of his thoughts about these kids. He worries about them, knowing that they can end it whenever they wanted to. Knowing that, disturbs him so much that it is keeping Tyler from sleeping.

In the third verse, He sings "We've turned our hands to guns, traded our thumbs for/ammunition". He's comparing all of these to tools. But the type of tool changes. Hands and thumbs are tools of creation that come together to work wonderfully. They are used for making things of greatness. While guns and ammunition, when put together, are tools for destruction, for ending things as people know it.
                     

                              

Blondes Prefer the Rich

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.

Is Notorious "Big Poppa" Sexist?

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.

The Racism in American Dad

The show American Dad is promotes stereotypes.

American Dad is largely based on stereotypes, which are mostly not the true/good stereotypes.

This is a show that has been out for sometime now, and was meant for grown ups to watch, it is aired on a television channel named Adult Swim. But lately, the show’s audience is becoming younger and younger. Another show that is in the same trend as American Dad is Family Guy, which is created by the same person that created American Dad.

There is a character of Asian descent in the show that goes by the name of Toshi, in which by itself, sounds stereotypical. In the episode, “Best Little Horror House in Langely Falls”, Steve, one of the main characters, takes a liking to Toshi’s sister, Akiko, another stereotypical name. Toshi’s finds out and tries to get revenge on Steve. The way he tries to take, is being a samurai, more stereotypical. If that wasn’t enough stereotypes, like the “typical” Japanese fighter, Toshi did not give up until he completed his mission, or until he was defeated.