- Goal - retain exclusivity of "viable" and/or "desirable" women and prevent reduction of the available numbers of them
- Messages - putting women on pedestals, the perpetuation of certain appearances being more desirable and "ideal" than others, the perpetuation of the belief that a woman having only physical appearance to offer is good enough to "deserve the best"/the perpetuation of the belief that a woman lacking physical appearance is not good enough
- Who's restricting - you think it's men but it's actually women, as women see themselves in competition with other women to attract "desirable" (usually "high-status") men even though biologically one man can impregnate multiple women; men, especially desirable men, say exactly what attracts them to certain women physically and non-physically and women choose to ignore it, instead choosing to believe what's fed to them through mass media because "if a magazine/TV/the pop 'star' of the week/the internet says it, it must be true"
- Media's impact - mass media is perpetuating the belief that a woman's physical appearance is all that matters and is worth more social currency than pretty much all other indicators of success of both women and men
- Combating negativity - some ad campaigns like Dove, Playtex undergarments
- Media hurting view of women's bodies & sexuality - ad campaigns like Victoria's Secret, pretty much every fragrance (especially the Keira Knightley Chanel spots, which perpetuate the belief that Keira's small appearance other than her face is actually desirable), photoshopping various cover women (including Melissa McCarthy, Tina Fey, and "whitewashing" black women like Taraji P. Henson and Kerry Washington on covers of magazines aimed at black demographics)
Saturday, October 31, 2015
On the Societal Value of Women
STATUS: OUTLINE (in case I lose my local copy of paper)
Post 4--Can she do that?
 |
| girls are told to wear pants in order not to distract their male teachers |
I believe that some of the initial rhetoric surrounding body policing is internalized in schools. It is during this time that teenagers are becoming more aware of media messages and the expectations of their schools, parents and even the working world. Dress code, while on a micro level as compared to reproductive barriers and sex laws, is a form of policy that is meant to keep students looking professional, keep distractions to a minimum, and in a sense uphold a moral standard. These objectives are iterated many times throughout life as one moves from business to business or school to school. However, these policies are disproportionately targeted towards girls. Girls are being told what they can and cannot wear because their attire is deemed too“distracting to boys/male teachers.” In some cases, the physical attributes of their bodies (their hair or their breasts) are being used as “reasons” for suspensions, or expulsion. When school administrators, principals, and teachers use this reason to justify dress code, they are expressing ideas such as, a girl cannot be trusted to make decisions about her own body and should therefore be left up to “those who know what is best,” boys are reactionary beings that cannot be held accountable of their actions, and lastly a girl’s education is second to her looks. These messages that are stealthily conveyed to girls under the guise of professionalism and moral uprightness have detrimental effects on girls and boys. They covertly tell a girl that her worth is told through her clothes and that safety, and conversely any harm done to her, is solely her responsibility. This is reminiscent of the safety myth which states that a woman will not be raped if she is dressed conservatively, gets home early and so on. This does not address why rape actually happens, nor does it teach boys to see young women as independent of their actions. However, it does teach young women to fear men and their actions.
If
dress code initiates girls into this repetitious narrative of men in power
detailing what is and is not appropriate for a women’s body then surely there
are larger areas where this narrative plays out. This theme can be seen in regards
to reproductive rights. Often debates, such as those focused on women’s
reproduction, tend to be dominated by white males. These men tend to
arbitrarily set the rules for what is "reproductively appropriate" for a woman’s
body. Through these debates men in power underline the irrationally held idea
that women cannot be trusted to make decisions in regards to their bodies and
need higher powers to make those decisions. This sentiment is echoed in the many
barriers women have to overcome in order to attain an abortion. Through these
barriers and debates men take away the agency that a women has over her body
and turn her into a talking point, something to be discussed. These barriers are often further compounded by
the class, race, and age of the woman in question. As described in Jennifer Nelson's Introduction from Women of Color and the Reproductive Rights Movement poor women
of color were seen as “incompetent” of having children and were sterilized as a
result. For these women attaining safe and legal abortions was second to their
wish to be seen as competent and have the ability to raise healthy children. In
this instance, body policing takes into account race and class, and explicitly
reiterates the message that women of color and poor women are not valuable nor
are their offspring.
I, as a teenager, went to a school that had a uniform. The
uniform rules were highly enforced on both girls and boys to the point that
students were being expelled from school due to numerous dress code violations.
Both boys and girls got demerits for wearing the wrong shoes, non-school issued
sweaters, wearing jeans. There was only one time that a girl was given a longer
skirt to wear in school. However, as I am maturing I have become more aware of
body policing and how it affects me and young women to come. For instance, as I
slowly begin to make my way into the corporate word I fear that I will be
complacent if told I must change something that relates to my appearance in
order to seem professional or serious. As I grow into a woman that must take
charge of her own body and sexuality, I fear that carrying condoms will somehow
land me in jail. These policies and laws that are created to keep women safe
only create a sense of fear in the women subjected to these regulations. However, there have been movements on social media that are currently working
against that narrative of body policing. #Stopsexualizingus is a hashtag that girls have been using
in order assert ownership over their bodies. These women that use this hashtag are
displaying their agency, conveying to all that they are capable of making
decisions in regards to their bodies and that these decisions should not be the cause of a boy’s reaction. "Slut walks" are marches that are meant to show that no
woman should have to be held accountable of rape or men’s unwanted advances due
to their appearance. There have been a number of women not afraid to challenge
the current state of reproductive laws. Much of the rhetoric surrounding women
and their bodies has changed over the years. Hopefully, it will continue to
change so that women will be able to comfortably make and fulfill decisions about
their bodies without outside interventions and barriers.We can debate your ovaries, so why can't we debate what you wear?
Dress
appropriately. Wear something higher cut. Cover your butt. Don’t wear leggings
unless you’re going to wear a longer shirt. Make sure your skirt is finger
length. You should really wear a tank top under that. Beware of white jeans
they tend to be see-through. And if you do wear them, make sure your underwear
are nude or white. Speaking of underwear - don’t wear a black bra with a white
shirt. Also make sure you always wear “real underwear” with dresses and skirts.
Better yet, wear shorts or Spanx if you’re feeling a bit pudgy. But, if your
wearing Spanx make sure you plan not to go home with anyone – not that you
should ever go home with anyone with anyone unless your completely monogamous.
Okay, yes some of this is an exaggeration, HOWEVER, these are
just some very real rules of womanhood girls learn as soon as they begin to
smell when they sweat and grow leg hair. They are widely excepted and socially enforced. I began maturing quite early and remember at seven and eight being passed the survival guide. I was taught the ways I needed to present my body
in order for it to be appropriate. However, these tips were just the beginning – these issues grew more present the
more I grew into my adult body. In 7th grade, I was teased for my
boobs and butt being bigger than the other girls. By the time I was in high school, my body
seemed to be everyone else’s problem – from my male and classmates, to
my doctor, to boyfriends and clothing stores, it seemed like everyone had an
opinion on my body and what I did with it.
I have come to understand this in the greater picture of me,
as a woman, not having liberty over my own body. My experience is not unique. Many
girls experience this. It result from an infrastructure, where women are not
trusted with their bodies and thus are policed (Gay 369). A biological female
since, the beginning of man has been capable of getting pregnant, carrying a
child, and nourishing that child before and after birth. Her hips are wide, to
support a child and her breast fill with milk to feed it. Yet, 100,000 of years
of biology and evolution, has not granted her power over the most natural and necessary function of her body. Instead, women are born bound to a patriarchal society, with a rulebook in hand where, they either abide or are scrutinized.
Looking at my own family dynamic, my brothers, two years my
junior, were never taught ways they must act toward women. They were never told
not to sleep around, or to dress a certain way, or talked to about rape – because
you know, boys will be boys. However,
for me, these rules were inherent and were equally imposed by the men and women
in my life. This double standard depicts how bound to patriarchy we are. In American culture, rules are imposed by someone more powerful to keep order because cannot
trust people to make the right decision – what
ever that morally right decision may be. For women to have certain rules, both written and
unwritten in regards to their bodies, while men live without any, depicts that
as culture we do not trust women to make sound decisions.
Thus, policy wise, topics such as birth control and abortion
are consistently up for debate and insensitively spoke about and decided upon
by men in power, not women. In September, a representative hearing was held on Plan Parenthood. Jason Chaffetz argued his opinion on abortion, demonizing Plan
Parenthood. His main argument featured a chart with no axis and two lines allegedly
proving a decrease in mammograms and increase in abortions thanks to Plan
Parenthood. Richards quickly shut down telling him to check his source (which
was an anti-abortion group) ending the argument. Yes, he sounds like a
full-blown idiot and Cecile Richards the OG bad bitch. However, the fact that
this man has a voice on policies about women when he doesn’t even know what a
mammogram is, is frightening. He is not the only one either – there are plenty
of uninformed men in positions of power who have a hell of a lot to say about
womanhood and women’s body (check this Rolling Stone Article from 2013). Each
statement, regardless of how absurd, is heard by many and makes this type of
policing OKAY.
The female anatomy is debated and fought over by politicians
who have no knowledge of the female anatomy. They create legislation in a very
public way. With a government that obtrusively discusses some of the most
difficult decisions made about women, it is no surprise when its microcosms
police women’s body for other reasons. This structure ingrained in in
patriarchy makes it OKAY. It makes it okay to slut shame, and tell women to
cover up – or to wear more make-up (as I was most told recently by my male
manager at work). Just last weekend, Time Out featured an article written by a man
about an increase of “Walks of Shame” for Halloween weekend with a focus on
women in Halloween Costumes, once again shaming women's bodies and what they do with them. If those in power are allowed to create policy on female
anatomy, something which many of them know little about, we are setting
precedent every single person in America.
Roxane Gay, The Unalienable Rights of Women
John Berger, Ways of Seeing
Wykes Gunther, Conclusion: Body Messages and Body Meanings
Bell Hooks, Understanding Patriarchy
Post 4: "You Asked For It"
When I was in middle school I was constantly sent to the principal’s office. Not for bad behavior or bad grades but because I was out of dress code. Somedays it was because my shorts were too short, or my tank top was not properly covering my shoulders. My skin was showing in places considered distracting to my male classmates by the school board. At my particular middle school, if you were caught out of dress code your parents could either bring you a more “appropriate” article of clothing or you were sent to ISS (In School Suspension). Since my parents worked full time jobs they were never able to leave work and bring me a change of clothes. So I spent those days in ISS doing packets of busy work, missing out on a full day of learning. Thinking back on it now, it was a tad ridiculous. But back then I didn’t really think too much into it. I kind of accepted it. That those were the rules.
 |
| With dress code, boys and girls are judged by different standards. |
 |
| Instead of blaming women, blame the man. "Rape is rape." |
The
enforcement of dress code in public schools suggest a number of things. We
constantly see that girls are more harshly critiqued than boys when it comes to
dress code. As a girl, I was told to cover my legs, cover my shoulders, cover
my waist, and cover my belly. Whereas for boys, they are typically only penalized
for wearing a hat or if their pants are sagging. It’s no secret that boy and
girls are judged by different standards. Girls are told to keep themselves
covered up because it distracts boys, which prioritizes boys’ education over
their own. Every time I was sent to ISS my education was compromised
because my shoulders and thighs were showing. It sent the message to me subconsciously
that the way I was dressed was valued more than my education, that I needed to
keep myself covered to stay out of trouble and if I wanted to avoid unwanted to
male attention, then I also needed to dress “humbly”. Dress code tells us that
boys are "beholden and accountable to no one," in regards to their behavior and that girls must dress “right” to
protect themselves from harmful advances made by boys (Kimmel 7).
These
ideas promoted through dress code regulation are often carried into adulthood.
After being bombarded with them over the years by authority figures in our
schools they become legitimized and embedded into our minds. But these ideas don’t
stop with secondary education as adults we see the same type of policing of
women’s bodies. Seen in rape culture and legislation response to reproductive
rights. Despite the hyper sexual images we see in the media, the
objectification of women’s bodies to sell a product and women being told countless times that "covenantal beauty is her only attribute," women are still put to
blame when our bodies are violated because ‘we asked for it” (Killbourne 122). Which is ridiculous,
because “rape is rape.” Just as we were
told in middle school when we wore those short shorts and distracted you’re
male classmates.
The
same can be said about the United States struggle with abortion and reproductive
rights. Even though abortion in the United States is no longer illegal, there
are many obstacles in place to prevent women from getting one. Such as counseling,
no access, and others. Many politicians who are typically white males fight to
prevent women the right to make choices regarding their bodies. They are
typically ill informed about how the female body works, and have irrational arguments
to support their views. Not only do these views include anti-abortion, they
also include birth control. Making birth control had to obtain, and even creating
ideas that it is shameful or looked down upon. The same can be said about sex
education, many states lack in proper sex education. And many states in the
south don’t teach sex education, but absence. And since the United States doesn’t
regulate on a federal level what each state teaches in sex education, some
school don’t receive sex education at all. These politicians are typically blurring the lines between
religion and state. But the debate over reproductive rights in some ways is a
smoke screen to maintain power and control. Regardless though, it promotes the
idea that women are not intelligent enough to decide what is best for their own bodies, life, and health.
However,
there are groups who are fighting against this small, yet loud minority. Such as Planned Parenthood, who provided a variety of health services to women and men
including abortion.
Works Cited:
Michael Kimmel: Misfaming Men
Jean Kilbourne : Beauty and the Beast of Advertising
Roxane Gay: The Alienable Rights of Women
Stories: Power, Agency, Representation
By Yuyun, Aleksey, and Yvonne
Transcript
Intro
|
10 sec
|
I am the Power. I am a male created in the image of all-mighty God who is a male and, therefore, I am inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed week, especially females, and ENDOWED with the right to dominate and rule over the weak. I am a white heterosexual male who colonized people of color globally by killing or enslaving them by hundreds of thousands and declared the WHITE to be superior and the default color.
To maintain the white male supremacy, I invented and mastered the system of power relations known as Patriarchy that teaches girls, to be weak and free from burden of thinking, to serve and caretaker for others; it teaches boys to be strong and violent, to suppress all feelings except for rage that would help them later on to protect home and nation, i.e. the Patriarchy itself. As a heterosexual white male politician I legitimize and indoctrinate patriarchal values and beliefs in schools, places of worship, workplaces and in the home. I use Patriarchy to dictate what everyone should be from the moment they are born by assigning TWO ONLY patriarchal gender roles with the predetermined gender scripts based on the sex of a newborn. If someone deviates from the traditional roles and the script they will be shamed by their peers and by society in general for the rest of their life for not being normal or natural.
In continuous process of the sexist myth making I use mass media propaganda machine, fully owned and controlled by me - a white heterosexual male , to enforce in boys the notion that for a male, the exertion of brutal and monstrous physical force is viable response to all situation of crisis; to control the hearts of men by socializing males to believe that without their role as patriarchs they will have no reason for being; to preach that at the core of male identity is the will to dominate and the only way to prove masculinity is through the acts of brutal violence.
At the same time, my media networks export insecurity to women via artificially created unachievable ideals of beauty and contradictory expectations that keep them in double bind: they are expected to be sexy but virginal, experienced but naïve, assertive but passive; these media bombardments reduce them to objects of sexual desire of the phallocentric gaze.
Things were so much easier when women new their place. Now that women have become more empowered by the feminist discourse, as they became stronger, independent and began to challenge the prevailing gender arrangements, they began to pose a threat the existing order of the patriarchal system of power.
To protect God-given Power, I dictate women what to do with women’s bodies: I reinforce and reproduce thinness by restricting their appetite them. I dictate them whether they are allowed to have babies or to be sterilized. Such restrictions on appetite and social control of female bodies operates as a practical discipline that trains female bodies in the knowledge of their limits and possibilities. Of course women are excluded from these conversations.
When you look at me you might say you are not white - you are green. That is because I am the product of my own creation – Patriarchy. When I experience anger, as right now when my authority is being questioned, I turn into a creature of color and will commit violent acts. After committing violence, I will change back to my normal white-male rational self. I have no memory of my actions and therefore cannot assume responsibility for them. I am the symbol of the ultimate patriarchal man. I am the Power.
|
2 min
|
2) Transition with Techno music Agency (Yvonne)
Do you have agency? Do you know what it means to have agency? Aleksey has just explained one example of power. What I'm going to do today is I'm going to show you how you can use power differently in order to create agency, and why you might want to use your agency to represent yourself.
So what is agency?
Agency is the capacity for a person to act for herself or himself in any given environment. In other words, if you are able to make decisions, choices, and act on these decisions and choices for yourself, you have agency. That is, agency is not only an inherent role, but more importantly, it is an active role as well. Marion Cabrera in an article on cyberspace and women’s agency defines agency as “women’s experiences of making the most of their situation, in the following four ways: her ability to rise above the situations she is pressed with; participation in her community; assertion of her identity; and how she continues to survive and make changes for herself and her community”.
A good example of female agency is me, GoGo, from the #1 Animated Movie Big Hero 6. I’m an industrial designer and mechanical engineer. I make things happen as opposed to waiting for a male to make things happen. I demonstrated this when I provided support to my team for counterattacks, and skillfully drove my team away from danger. To satisfy my intense need for speed, I even created a special bike that runs on restriction-free wheels. When women like me are in charge of making things happen, when they can affect the world around them, we say they have agency.
|
2 min
|
3)Transition with Chinese music Representation(Yuyun) I am representation( definition of representation related to agency or media). According to media studies, representation is “the way in which the media portrays particular groups, communities, experiences, ideas, or topics from a particular ideological or value perspective”. We know and understand the world through language, through media, through representations. The language constructs and evaluates the world and reality by naming it. The media constitute a language system. The language and the media are both systems of representation. We can define representation from three aspects.
· To look like or to resemble
· To stand in for something or someone
· To present a second time – re-present (O’shaughnessy, Media and Society)
There is a complex relationship between representation and reality. When we feel that the language and representations don’t do justice to our sense of reality, we have to find new ways of representing them, and indeed, this has been the history of human culture, constantly developing new modes of representation and discovering new ways of seeing reality. Let me say that again. (Slowly) When we feel that the language and representations don’t do justice to our sense of reality, we have to find new ways of representing them.
This is because all representations are bias because they come from humans and a particular position.
|
2 min
|
Wrap up
Today you learned about the definitions and effects of power, agency, and representation. Power is ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events; as well as Physical strength and force exerted by something or someone. Agency is the ability to act for yourself and make things happen. Representation is the portrayal of ideas and experiences through the media. The Hulk changes from a default white male to an irrationally angry creature of color, Gogo makes things happen according to her own agenda while thinking about her team, and Asian representation in media that we see today is a narrow and biased language that doesnt do justice to an Asian’s sense of reality. This is not to say that our stories of power, agency, and representation are universal, but they are commonplace nevertheless, in that power leads to agency, agency leads to representation. And representation is powerful.
|
1 min
|
Yvonne cited works:
http://infochangeindia.org/women/third-wave/we-are-only-halfway-to-understanding-women-s-agency.html
| |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)