This is in response to Caitlyn Burkes
http://discoveryofwomanhood.blogspot.com/2012/04/eleventh-blog-assignment.html#comment-form
Monday, April 23, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Pop Culture Influence
Pop culture has influenced me in many ways that I am sure I am unaware of. One of the ways I am sure I have been affected is the ideal of a fairy tale relationship. Seeing movies like, The Notebook, have given me an ideal that I will find the right man and when I do nothing will be able to keep us apart. Movies have planted many ideas in my head on how life should be, because of how life is depicted in them. Television shows and reality shows have, however, planted completely different ideas in my head. Shows like, Basketball Wives, show me how even older women have friendship problems making it difficult for me to believe that there are women I can trust. It has already been believed that women are in competition and cannot trust each other, and a lot of reality shows support that claim.
The songs that come out these days usually all surround the fact that alcohol, love, or smoking are the best things in life. They make it seem like that if you do not have one of these three things in your life, then you must be living a boring, not normal life.
When it comes to what I think about gender, pop culture has made it seem like men are getting stronger and women are getting weaker. It is actually not the fact that women are getting weaker, but it seems like we are only focused on sexually and we only think about love. While in reality it is seen how women are working harder and doing men's work, pop culture shows us still being soft. While there are some songs by, Beyonce, who show the power of women like her song "Who Runs the World" and "Best I Never Had" she still has songs that show her need of love and want like "Dangerously in Love."
Men are becoming depicted as hard core in much of pop culture, and in many ways they are seen as tough by degrading women. Pop culture has angles from all positive and negative spectrum, but it is what is the most popular and widely viewed that catches the attention of everyday people. These views may change depending on the preferences of the people, but even some ideas are so popular that if it is not even your preference you still feel the influence. Pop culture has had many different influences on my mind, but none have truly shaped it. I have come to expect some things, but what I choose to make of those influences are positive. I use them to broaden my views, but not to negatively view any of them.
The songs that come out these days usually all surround the fact that alcohol, love, or smoking are the best things in life. They make it seem like that if you do not have one of these three things in your life, then you must be living a boring, not normal life.
When it comes to what I think about gender, pop culture has made it seem like men are getting stronger and women are getting weaker. It is actually not the fact that women are getting weaker, but it seems like we are only focused on sexually and we only think about love. While in reality it is seen how women are working harder and doing men's work, pop culture shows us still being soft. While there are some songs by, Beyonce, who show the power of women like her song "Who Runs the World" and "Best I Never Had" she still has songs that show her need of love and want like "Dangerously in Love."
Men are becoming depicted as hard core in much of pop culture, and in many ways they are seen as tough by degrading women. Pop culture has angles from all positive and negative spectrum, but it is what is the most popular and widely viewed that catches the attention of everyday people. These views may change depending on the preferences of the people, but even some ideas are so popular that if it is not even your preference you still feel the influence. Pop culture has had many different influences on my mind, but none have truly shaped it. I have come to expect some things, but what I choose to make of those influences are positive. I use them to broaden my views, but not to negatively view any of them.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Second-Shifting
In today's society women are working extremely hard to earn their full rights in the workforce. Not only do they work hard in their careers, but they still are expected to to take care of all of the housework as well. Second-shifting is a problem for women because of the stress it has on women. Many women want equal rights in the workforce so they have to put just as much time their jobs as they do their kids. Many women are trying to be what is defined as the term "supermom." This is the mom that goes to work full-time and still comes home to cook dinner for their families and clean up after them.
Second-shifting is a form of oppression because it makes women tired. Many people ask why the third wave of feminism has not yet happened, and this is because women are working so hard that they are just worn out. Women try so hard to keep up with men, that they are not able to truly fight for what they want. In reality the workforce is usually run by men, and for women to get ahead in work they usually have to compensate for the man which is exactly what they are trying to end.
Many women work twice as hard as their grandmothers because they do want a successful career, but many think they have to be the one doing house work because the men will not do it right. This is where the separation of women's work and men's work comes in. Household work like cleaning and scheduling appointments are seen as women's work, and many women do not want the man doing the work. They have the idea of "If I want something done right, I have to do it myself." With this gender behavior still being reinforced it makes it much harder on women to truly step away from the old idea of what a woman and wife "should" do. Many women have realized this oppression that the new age women face, but nothing has changed. This is probably due to the fact that they too are working women with families and they are just as tired as everyone else. Second-shifting is an oppression to women because in hind-sight women are still not improving in the workforce no matter how they work, and they do twice as much work as a man. Even if the other half of work is "women's work."
Second-shifting is a form of oppression because it makes women tired. Many people ask why the third wave of feminism has not yet happened, and this is because women are working so hard that they are just worn out. Women try so hard to keep up with men, that they are not able to truly fight for what they want. In reality the workforce is usually run by men, and for women to get ahead in work they usually have to compensate for the man which is exactly what they are trying to end.
Many women work twice as hard as their grandmothers because they do want a successful career, but many think they have to be the one doing house work because the men will not do it right. This is where the separation of women's work and men's work comes in. Household work like cleaning and scheduling appointments are seen as women's work, and many women do not want the man doing the work. They have the idea of "If I want something done right, I have to do it myself." With this gender behavior still being reinforced it makes it much harder on women to truly step away from the old idea of what a woman and wife "should" do. Many women have realized this oppression that the new age women face, but nothing has changed. This is probably due to the fact that they too are working women with families and they are just as tired as everyone else. Second-shifting is an oppression to women because in hind-sight women are still not improving in the workforce no matter how they work, and they do twice as much work as a man. Even if the other half of work is "women's work."
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This is in repsonse to Megan Baratti
Her character sounds very inspiring in the ways in which you describe. It is true though, that many tv shows do not show many hard working women as happy. In the new move "Think Like a Man" Tariji P. Henson plays a very successful women who has troubles finding a guy because of how cold she was. She was even once described as "her own man." It is very ironic.
From this class I have learned so much about what goes on in the world from the workforce to my own body. I never realized how much thought is put into many people's actions and how those actions affect my life as well. The popular culture section is something that has influenced me more than any other section. It is so crazy to me how women are viewed, and what advertisers think is "sexy" and what they think "could sell." I will never look at a movie or commercial the same again. There are so many hidden agendas behind advertisments that is can almost be seen as sickening. The comments from my classmates have also helped shaped my views. After the class where personal questions were asked and each classmate had to stand up depending on the answer changed my views as well. It shows that even though the same thing happens to most people, how many different options there are to deal with what happened. I have already begun using the knowledge I have learned outside the classroom. With my major being Public Relations, and me being a women and having a baby tracker, it shows me how difficult it is going to be to get where I want in my future. This class has lit a fire under my butt and I'm working even harder now.