Extra Credit #1: The Proposal

The movie The Proposal features Sandra Bullock, Margaret, and Ryan Reynolds as Andrew. Margaret is a top editor at a top company in New York who all her co-workers loathe, but she is also only living in the U.S. on a visa, as she is a Canadian. When Margaret finds out that she is going to be deported from violating her visa her world starts to spin out of control as she is faced with leaving the country and losing her job. Her assistant, Andrew, walks in at the right moment and she tells her boss that they are getting married and are going away for the weekend to meet his family in Alaska. Andrew takes this opportunity to bribe her to promote him to editor if he agrees, in which she does. During their trip they have to learn everything about each other so that they can pass their test to see if they are really in love and getting married. The trip starts out rough and they do not get along. As the trip continues they both see that the other is not so bad and they start to fall for each other. She starts to see that Andrew is really a great guy who just wants a break and left everything to make it in New York, and Andrew sees that Margaret actually has feelings and is pretty fun and normal once you get her out of her element. Of course they fall in love and one of my favorite lines from the movie is "Margaret Tate will you marry me so that I can date you?"
This movie is great and hilarious and I would recommend this movie to everyone. This movie also has a twist to it, the role are switched between the man and woman. Usually it is the male character who is in charge and the women who is bossed around and only trying to get noticed, but in this movie it is the other way around. I think that it shows that men can be just as belittled by women as women are by men. I think that it also shows that women are not always the vulnerable, weaker sex. As Margaret shows in the movie, she is very demanding, high powered, and controlling, which are usually qualities of a man. I do have to say that this is only what happens in the first part of the movie, because the roles slowly start to change as she shows her true side. She starts to show her emotions more and that she is very vulnerable and that she needs to find that special guy to fill that void in her life. I think that Hollywood has to end it like that because that is just how women are suppose to be portrayed and men are the ones that come the rescue as in this case. Andrew saves her when she is thrown overboard into water where she cant swim and when she is going to be deported he comes and saves her from leaving.
This movie shows both sides which is rare in most movies. It really relates to the class and is a good representation of each side of the two stereotypes between women and men. It is hilarious and a great laugh for anyone.

Film Review #3 Dream World 3

The2007 documentary, Dream World 3, shows that depiction of women throughout the music and music video world. The documentary mainly focuses on how music videos objectify women to nothing more than parts of their body. It shows how men treat women as their little play things and objects that they can do whatever they want to them.
The documentary shows how the different music video directors use different angles of shooting women so that men have the visual images they desire. The video will show just certain parts of a woman’s body or pan up and down it. This portrays the “male gaze” as we talked about throughout the semester. Because men are such visual learners, this can really hinder their view on women and how they perceive and learn to treat them. Another aspect that this documentary focuses on is fantasy life. This gives off a skewed perception to youth about what life is really like. You will see in the videos girls always around the singer like that is a normal thing. Also with fantasy men are able to see a variety of them played out. It seems like videos today are all about women half naked and in costumes like, cheerleaders or in bondage. The less dressed and erotic the girl looks the better chances she has at being in a video.
The videos also show that it is ok for women to be violated or abused. They often show liquor being poured on women, women being tied up, or yelling at women when they have done something wrong. This just shows the youth (which is who most of these videos are geared towards) that for guys it is ok for them to be violent towards women when they don’t get their way and for girls that you need to do whatever the guy wants because that is how you keep him.
Before watching this video I never really thought about the message it was sending out to the youth. Girls are going to grow up thinking that the only thing a man wants is her body and the best way to do that is to show it off as much as possible and let him do whatever because that is the only way to keep him. For the guys it shows him that women are just objects for men to play with and that they are not really human beings. It shows that women have no feelings and if they don’t do what you want them to then you can just violate them or be violent towards them or just get rid of them in general because they will have more women. This gives women a sense of a lessened value of self worth. I believe that this film was a good example to really wrap up a lot of the class and what we have been learning throughout the semester about the male gaze, how women are objectified, how sex sells, and the reason why so many women have a low self confidence about themselves.

Film Review #2 Lovely and Amazing

The movie Lovely and Amazing was unlike any movie I have seen. It was very unusual in the way the writers wrote the movie and how the audience was supposed to understand the movie. Like I said it was very unusual so I will do the best I can in summarizing the plot.
The movie focuses on a family of women. There is the mother, Jane, the older daughter, Michelle, the younger daughter, Elizabeth and Jane’s adopted African American daughter. Jane is very self conscious about getting older and the effects it is having on her body. She is a very wealthy woman who knows what she wants to change about her body and does so. She decides to have liposuction and while prepping for surgery she encounters her surgeon who she has a crush on, and he reaffirms her contemplating thoughts on having the surgery.
Michelle is married and has a daughter of her own. She does not work but she is artistic and tries to make little chairs and sell them to stores, but most of the time is unable to. When meeting somebody she used to go to high school with, the audience figures out that Michelle used to be popular in high school and was considered so beautiful. At home he and her husband have a strained relationship because he feels like she should work and he doesn’t want to sleep with her. She thinks that it is because she is getting older and she is not attractive anymore. Whenever she is not trying to sell her projects she sends the day watching cartoons with her daughter and eating cereal. This seems like Michelle’s escape from the world. Eventually Michelle does decide to start looking for a job and winds up at a photo shop where a 17 year-old boy starts to hit on her. She gets the job and starts a little affair with the boy. Michelle is then arrested for statutory rape but is freed after a night in jail.
Elizabeth is an aspiring actress who has great potential but has the lowest self esteem about herself than any of the other girls. She doesn’t think that she is good enough and her body is not up to par for the movie image. She is always asking her boyfriend if he thinks that she is sexy and beautiful and he never completely responds to her in a “yes”. This just adds to her negative body image against herself. He eventually breaks up with her because she is basically too needy and is always asking and caring about what the movie business says. She also auditions for a part with a famous actor but does not get it because she is not considered sexy enough. The actor then calls her and basically wants to take her out. They have sex together and afterwards she stands in front of him and asks him to point out everything good and bad about her body. He is completely honest and it seem like she is a little hurt by it but tries to play it off.
Annie is an 8 year-old African American adopted by Jane. Like every little girl that age she is a little overweight and trying to get out of her baby fat. At the beginning of the movie she likes to eat a lot and when she gets in trouble she likes to justify that it was “the good kind” of snacks. As the movie goes on she starts to feel unconfident about her weight and comments on how she is fat. She doesn’t really notice her skin color compared to her sisters except that it is different. She does exclaim that her mother was a “crack head”, but that is all you here about her background. As the movie continues, you do see the influence that her family does have on her and she then wants to be skinny and straighten her hair so that she looks like her family.
This movie came to an abrupt finish and I felt like I was left hanging. It was almost like the story was not quiet developed and the audience was only shown a little amount of the characters. This movie was similar to Mona Lisa Smile in that it did touch on different women and different issues with each of them. This movie shows that women really care about what men think and that society plays a big role in how women perceive themselves. This is portrayed by the actress who gets denied because she is not sexy, the mother who gets liposuction to be skinnier, the older daughter who feels like she is unattractive and the youngest girl who feels like she needs to be skinny and white to be normal.

Film Review #1 Mona Lisa Smile

Mona Lisa Smile was a movie that made for a class as Body Image vs. Reality. It touches on every perspective of different women and issues that they face in the time they are in. Although these issues are set in the early 19th century, they are still issues that present in today’s culture.
Mona Lisa Smile is about a young teacher, Ms. Watson from California, who comes to Wellesley a prestigious women’s college in the east. Ms. Watson is an art history teacher and very extrinsic and passionate about her work. She soon finds out that at Wellesley, the only reason women go to college is to by time to find a husband and get married and be the perfect wife. Wellesley teaches the women how to become the best wife, the best host and the best at being a lady. On the first day of class all of the young women have already read the whole book and learned all the art for the section. This shows Ms. Watson that these girls are as close to perfect as they come. As the class continues throughout the year Ms. Watson befriends and influences the class, but four girls especially.
The four girls that are central to the story are Betty, Joan, Giselle, and Connie. Betty is from a high class upbringing and is in the middle of planning her wedding, which she believes is the most important thing along with being the best wife. She is very set in her ways and dislikes Ms. Watson for her non-traditional ways. Betty gets married but soon realizes that marriage is not all it’s supposed to be and she finds herself trapped in what Betty Friedan would call the Feminine Mystique. She then realizes that her husband is cheating on her but her parents tell her that she just needs to be a good wife and keep her mouth shut and he will come back to her. Much to Ms. Watson’s surprise Betty leaves her husband and applies to Yale Law School. Joan is a very bright student who has all the potential in the world to be something great. She comes from the same upbringing and has the same ideals of what women are supposed to be. While taking the class Ms. Watson convinces her to apply at Yale Law School, where not very many women are accepted. Joan is accepted, but when her boyfriends asks her to elope with him she agrees and says that she understands what is in front of her but she wants to be married. Giselle is a young woman who tries to find out who she truly is throughout the movie. The only way she thinks this is possible is to date/sleep around with older men and sometimes married men. She feels this is the only thing that will complete her and make her feel better about herself and feel wanted and accepted by men. Giselle does finally realize that she is better than having to sleep around. Connie is a sweet girl but has self esteem issues because she is a little over weight compared to the other girls and she did not have the upbringing as the rest of them did. Out of all the girls Connie knows who she is and won’t change. She finds a man that is of high class and he loves her.
This movie related too many of the readings for this course. The one that I think it matched almost to a T was the Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. This reading was all about how women were suppose to act in the 40’s and 50’s. How they were supposed to be good wives and mothers and have dinner ready for the husband when he got home and how she was supposed to keep her mouth shut. I think that the direction and production of the film was great and it really showed what life was like in that time for women. The cast was great for the roles that they played. The movie portrayed the women as only good for one thing, being a wife. This is the struggle that women still have to face today, in that men still expect women to be the best wife possible and women are still expected to be also. Although this is theory is not that prominent anymore, it is still in the back of the mind of men and women.

Body Image Playlist

#1: "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera. This song is inspirational because it says that she believes that she is beautiful no matter what anyone says and they can not bring her down

#2. "Unpretty" by TLC. This about a women who feels so unpretty and thinks that plastic surgery is the way to fix everything. It's understanding that if you do not feel pretty inside and not confident in yourself then you will feel unpretty.

#3. "Stupid Girls" by Pink. I really like this song because it brings out how ridiculous girls are sometimes. It talks about how girls are so concerned with looks and material things that they don't care about anything else. It inspiring beceause she says that these girls are "stupid" and being who you want is important.

#4. "Big Girl" by Mika. This song is about a man wanting a big girl and loving her and not needing a skinny girl. This is a positive message for women who may be a little larger and that not every man wants a skinny girl.

#5. "Im Not My Hair" by India Arie. This song is about how black women have to try to fit into society based on their hair. It also deal with black women being defined by their hair.

#6. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" by Lauren Hill and the Fugees. This song deal with women losing themselves in society and the trends of society and how women should have respect for their bodies. It also talks about men and how they fall into the down falls of society and they need to be true to themselves.

I feel like my taste in music hasn't changed all that much. I am all over the spectrum on music, I love rap to country and everything in between. I really enjoy all music.

Media Analysis Paper

Negative Advertisement
In today’s society sex sells everything and is one of the most used tactics to promote products from hamburgers to perfume. Women are used as sex symbols to persuade men and women to buy the products. Men find these women attractive and are sold instantly and women see the men mesmerized by these sex symbols are become envious and want to buy these products just so that they feel they are in the same league as the sex symbols. Women are portrayed in so many different sexual lights in the advertising world. There is the fantasy women, the aggressive women, the underage girl, and the portrayal of women as objects and being controlled by men by the use of violence. The last of this portrayal of women is what I want to focus on for this essay. Women are being shown, in advertisements, of men controlling them in violent manners. This sheds a negative light to women in general and to the youth that look at these ads and see an acceptance towards this behavior.
The ad that I chose to exploit this appearance of men controlling women in a violent manner is a Dolce and Gabbana one. “Beauty pornography looks like this: The perfected women lies prone, pressing down her pelvis. Her back arches, her mouth is open, her eyes are shut, her nipples erect; there is a fine spray of moisture over her golden skin” (Wolfe 132). This is an exact depiction of what the woman looks like in this advertisement. The only difference is that there are four men standing around the woman and another one is holding her down by her wrists. The men are not smiling and have a look of dominance in their eyes. They know what they want and they are going to get it. The women looks like she is trying to fight back a little but has a look of submissiveness about her. What product is trying to be sold in this advertisement, I am assuming of course, is clothes. What is so ironic about this portrait is that there are not a lot of clothes being worn by the six individuals in the advertisement. I do not understand the purpose of this advertisement in selling a product; instead it is selling an idea. The idea is that women are just men’s play thing. This is clearly implying a gang rape of a woman with one man holding her down and the others watching on with lust in their eyes.
The woman in the ad, like stated above, looks as if she is slightly attempting to fight, but knows the role of being submissive. This shows vaguely that the woman is where she wants to be. Advertisements like these “trivialize and eroticize violent behavior”, says Jean Kilbourne of Killing Us Softly 3. This puts the idea into the head of young people that violence is ok and being men’s play thing is ok. Men want this kind of women, and not just any men, but the tall, dark, handsome, built men, which leads women to think to get men like this they have to lower themselves to violence and meaningless objects. “Men want objects and women who want to be objects” (Wolfe 144). This is the ideals that women have today in society, brought about by our media. There are not too many women that do not feel a need to be wanted or even lusted after. It is human nature, but what these ads are portraying is that it is at the cost of losing a sense of self worth and respect. Wolfe exclaims that, “young women who grew up with such violent imagery –are made to fear and distrust their own beauty and fell ambivalent about physically expressing, in dress, movement, or adornment, their own sexuality” (Wolfe 162). This is a prime example in the ways that violence and controlling affects the persona that women see in themselves. I think a main issue that individuals need to take into consideration is the audience that these ads are targeted towards. Although this ad was banned, there are still ads like it out there and are mostly in magazines for women sixteen years to twenty-five years old. This is also when women see the most physical abuse. By being exposed to these types of ads and seeing the acceptance of society, younger women are starting to fall into the trap of being submissive and controlled. This can be so damaging to one’s life and their feeling of self worth.
There is no need for advertisements like these in society today. The ads do not promote their product, but only an idea. An idea that a woman is only worth how much the man pays attention to her. This is so negative and hurtful to every aspect of a woman. It breeds a lack of self worth and settlement of control and possible violence.

Positive Advertisement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U
Positive advertisement is very rare in today’s society. Advertisements are all about selling products and what sells products better than sex appeal. Usually this kind of advertisement puts a negative light on to women and men’s perception of women. There is one company that is trying to reverse this negative light on women into a more positive one, and that is the Dove Company. Dove has launched a new campaign called “Evolution” and this will be the focus of this essay. This ad gives positive reinforcement for women to love the body that they have and that the reality is that there are not very many people who have the perfect body.
The Dove “Evolution” advertisement firsts starts off by seeing a woman come into the screen and sit down. She is an average looking women, nothing incredibly “special” about her. While sitting there make-up and hair artist comes in and in a fast paced video show that transformation to looking glamorous. She is next taken to a photo shoot to where she looks great and very beautiful. Then her pictures are taken to a computer screen where her neck is elongated, hair darkened, eyebrows raised, skin give flawless complexion and lips plumped up. The end of the credits says “No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted”. This ad is promoting a workshop for girls, put on by the Dove Company.
This advertisement sheds light on the reality of our view of beauty. As women we look at the glamorized women in magazines and on television and compare every little one of our body parts to theirs. In Naomi Wolfe’s novel The Beauty Myth, she states that, “’Ideal’ imagery has become obsessively important to women because it was meant to become so.” (Wolfe 59). This is so true and sad at the same time. Instead of rejoicing with the body that we have, we are complaining about every little aspect of our bodies. What Dove shows is that even a beautiful woman is not beautiful enough because she has to be touched up by the computer, so as a society we have this goal to be like people who are unrealistically beautiful and that do not exist. “By now readers have no idea what a real woman’s 60-year-old face looks like in print because it’s made to look 45” (Wolfe 83). This is the problem that society is faced with, impossible expectations by the media and their unrealistic view of beauty.
Dove has taken on the campaign to show that women are beautiful in their own body and that women should not try to live up to the beauty portrayed in the media, because it is unrealistic and impossible. Dove touches on the fact that because of this kind of media that is shown that is why women have such a distorted perception on what true beauty really is. This advertisement opens the eyes to women that any ordinary woman can look like a supermodel as long as there is make-up and hair stylist and computer to take away all the flaws. This advertisement should empower women to love the body that they are in and not compare to the fake posters of unrealistic women. This advertisement shows women that are super models up on billboards and in magazine and on television look just like the average women and there is nothing physically unbelievably beautiful about them. This ad should inspire women to live their lives proud to be a woman and look the way that they do and not compare to unrealistic beauty portrayed by the media.
The media and advertisements are so full of lies and unrealistic portrayal of beauty that it is hard for a woman to love the body that she has and not always compare it to the women in the media. Any woman can be beautiful as long as she has a staff that makes her that way. Dove is a great company who has taken on the task of inspiring women to be comfortable and happy about their own body. They have shown the hidden truth about the media so that women can see that these supermodels are just average women and look the same as everyone else. Dove has inspired and will continue to inspire the true beauty of women and their bodies.

Blog 9 Pop Culture

Pop culture has influenced the way I view men and women. From pop culture women are supposed to be girly and always care about their appearance and have the desire to be sexy at times. When I look at women that do not portray any of these aspects, I feel like they are rebels and just want attention, when that is not the case at all, maybe they just didn't care that day. Men are shown through pop culture to be smart, strong, good looking, active, and always a hard worker. When I see men that are not like that I feel like the first thing that comes to mind is that he is weird or even worse that he is gay. Of course this is not the right attitude to have towards men or women, but because of media and pop culture i feel like it is a norm to have this perception.
Race and class is another way that pop culture has influenced my perception on. I feel like the pop culture has portrayed black men as being angry all the time and violent and only cares about women's bodies. Of course this is not accurate at all but that is how the media portrays it. I feel that the media portrays class as if you are rich then you will succeed in life and if you are poor you have no chance so don't even try.
When I am watching TV and I see something sexist I usually make the comment "is that necessary?" Of course it is usually about the exposure of women and not men. What is the worst is that society is just thinking it is the norm to have these commercials or sexism showing and nobody says anything. I feel like society is royally screwed up because they basically show porn on television and it is OK.