Let's see what we can discover about gender roles--how they are shaped, how they influence what we say and do, how they can determine how we interact and who we become.Has anyone stopped to count the number of ads in your favorite magazine or sitcom?
What type of ads/commericals are present? How do they portray each gender?
Have you stopped to watch a sitcom through the gender lens?
Is there any truth to what Tyson says about "good girls" and "bad girls" in the shows we watch? How is our society patriarchal?
What are some ways that women and men buy into the patriarchy? What are some ways that they rebel?
How is our language patriarchal?
And what about our schools and classrooms. I thought I'd share a study by the University of New Hampshire to get us started. And I also found sites exploring gender and math and gender roles in the workplace.
How deeply embedded are "traditional" gender roles?
After we have discussed this lens, i've started to notice more how men and women are portrayed. In this article i found it relates a lot to what tyson talked about, with the feminist lens and what's expected of males and females. http://www.mediaed.org.uk/posted_documents/MagzineAdverts.htm thats the article and its really interesting to read what the guy has to say he brings up some valid points, especially with how things are changing for each generation.
ReplyDeleteI was watching an episode of Glee the other day,the one called Wheels, and i noticed that in that episode specifically they were really hitting hard on the patricial roles of each person. The girl Quinn is pregnant and she's expecting her boyfriend to get a job and foot the bills and support her and her kid throughout this whole thing. Yet when he said that he had no luck with finding a job she told him he better try harder cause she wasn't going out and getting one. I just think that really re-inforces what the patricial society wants of you.
I think I've made my stance of the gender role pretty clear: it influences us everywhere. Just as Hooper says in her TV commercial article, Gender is the main standard that people use in determining how to act and interact with others." The next time you're out in public, try to notice your behavior when interacting with other people. If you had to ask a group of strangers for directions, would you act differently if the group were male instead of female or vice versa?
ReplyDeleteGoing back to the questions in the blog, I believe there are many ways our society is patriarchal. From male dominating the title (i.e. Mr. and Mrs. John Smith) to the idea that the man should "bring home the bacon" and support his family. I believe the idea of man at the head of the household has been influencing society for many years, even back to biblical times. But for some reason, the only examples that come to mind of patriarchal rebellion for me is a divorced woman or a household with two men, a homosexual couple. I find it strange I can't think of many examples.
I would agree with Emily, gender roles influence everyone everywhere. We do act differently when it comes to gender. How we act is a different story. I beleive the media fuels how we veiw each other. Books, TV shows, Magizines, all sorts of things. Growing up our family teaches use how to behave or at least we mimic how they act.
ReplyDeleteEven just afer our class disscusions I am already starting to notice different things through a gender lens.
Emily, I think you may be on to something--the connection between gender roles and religion. And Caitie, out of curiosity, what specifically are you noticing now that you've become more aware of the gender theory/lens? I find myself becoming more acutely aware of my own behavior--how when speaking to men I may use my eyes or voice or body stance to convey confidence and intelligence (which is often acknowledged by quick service or answers)and how I can easily feel intimidated by a group of women who have mastered the more traditional role of maintaining a house. I often feel like an outsider in that situation--but maybe that ties more to a insecurity on my part (a sense that I have failed to live up to the traditional role that is expected of women). I might need to consult Dr. Tyson=)
ReplyDeleteAnswering Emily's question, I would definitely ask for directions differently based on the gender. I can imagine myself more reserved asking a male, where as with a female I'd probably begin a conversation on where I'm going, why i'm lost, and all kinds of things. Why would I do that? Well, I guess because I'd feel intimidated and just want to get my answer and leave.
ReplyDeleteI'm just wondering, what does everyone feel about women in jobs such as, Hooters, bar tending, entertainers or anything of the like? I mean in my opinion I think it seems like if you can make money why not?
ON what caitie said, I began to look at things differently as well. Over the weekend I took a 'Haunted tour' of main street at midnight. The man talking to us had told a story about one of the sights we were walking to. He said how he read an article printed about the mystery and he could just tell that a man had wrote it due to the wide vocabulary. At first I thought "well back then women didn't go to school most of the time" But then I thought about our class discussions and I was a little upset. I don't want to be mean, but a man who makes a living telling ghost stories (he was also a hypnotist and magician) probably was not putting the connection together about women and school like I did. I think he was just saying 'women are not that smart.' That experience was eye opening for me.
ReplyDeleteWith Marissa’s asking about what does she think about women working in jobs such as Hooters, I find it sort of degrading. To me, they are “fueling” the idea that women are just “sex symbols”, and are using their work of art for bad connotation. Use your intelligence, not body to get where you need to in life.
ReplyDeleteI have been listening to music a lot through the gender lens lately, and it seems to be present even there. A lot of modern songs, like Beyonce’s “If I were a Boy”, imply that most men are pigs and don’t care about relationships, all they care about is “getting some”. I don’t think this is necessarily true, just another negative stereotype. Since women are either a “good girl” or a “bad girl”, are men either a “bad boy” or a “good boy”?
This lens is killing me. Now I notice gender issues everywhere I go. It's really weird to be sitting with friends and see these different ideas we've talked about in even the people I talk to everyday.It influences people in different ways and seems that the general conclusion by guys is that girls aren't as good as them and the conclusion by girls is that it's okay for them to think that.
ReplyDeleteAnd this weekend I've had Nickelodeon on a lot and I've been paying attention to the commercials (majority being ads for fifteen different (but the same) kinds of dolls like Barbies). These commercials promote "be yourself" while advertising things that change you--like different hair colors, for example--but these things will make you more beautiful. What ideas does that put in young girl's heads? This is more the women's fault that the man's, why is it now okay to promote beauty over individuality and being yourself? Who let that happen?
on what Merissa said i think that the women who choose to work at Hooters or have jobs of a sexual nature for the most part they know what they signed up for and everyone has their own set of talents that can allow them to make money.
ReplyDeleteJulie i think you might be onto something with the good boy, bad boy thing. How many times either in life or in tv, movies, books, etc. have you seen the women fall for the bad boy and have a fling with him yet 9 times out of 10 the one she ends up getting married to or having the lasting relationship with is the good guy, or the bad boy turned good. I just sort of moticed this as i watched tv this weekend. On a whole the analysis with the gender lens really can make you take notice of how women and men are being portrayed in the media, heck even in product marketing. Its astounding to see how people bank on those factors when marketing a product.
When I read the hit on Hooter's, I knew I had once again failed my fellow females. I don't see anything wrong with Hooter's. I think it's a very nice way to make money if that is the type of environment one is comfortable being in. (I myself have a fear of sports bars in general.) From the people I know that have worked at Hooter's or a place similar, it's a comfortable place to work. If a male table is harrassing a worker, the bosses are very good at stopping it, the bosses walk the girls out to their cars at night, and if you want to argue the girls' clothing, may I just say that they wear tights? Also, it's not like Hooter's is out subjugate women and only hire dumb girls with big breats. My mom's client's daughter was hired at Hooter's with A cup sized breasts and a 3.8 high school gpa. I guess my biggest problem with the gender lens is how far we take it in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI think there are definite stereotypical gender roles in society, but these are roles that have been around since forever...I just don't see what is so terrible about them if we've let them stay for so long? As Emily said, since biblical times. I feel like I betray myself and my gender when I speak about my emotional disconnection with this issue. I don't want to get married or have children. I can't cook or clean and don't plan on getting good at it as long as I can help it. For me, though, it's not a rebellion against the traditional expectations of me as a woman, but rather my own placing of priorities. I wish I could really connect to this issue and want to bond together with my fellow females when we talk about our oppression within society, but all I seem to be able to think about is how much I don't get along with girls and do anything to avoid the drama that often comes with our petty fighting with each other. Why don't we work on getting along instead of blaming the male? Why are we so quick to hate places like Hooter's? Is it our own insecurities? Does all this fighting just come from our battle as women to the top of the bottom? Why do we take everything so seriously, when if you take a step back and take time to see the humor and not the offense, no one gets hurt?
Nick, what you said about promoting beauty over individuality reminded me of the baby ads. It may be the girl's fault for telling a girl she needs to change herself to be beautiful, but it's the guy's fault for letting his baby wear a shirt that says "I like boobies". If a guy lets his baby wear a shirt like that, he's introducing his baby to sexism at a very young age, and of course those are the guys that treat and think about women as objects.
ReplyDeleteAshley wrote something that made me think--"I just don't see what is so terrible about them if we've let them stay for so long?" When I read that statement, I paused because women for decades have worked hard to secure the freedoms and choices we have today. Think back to what we read in American Lit. For example, Elizabeth Stanton's Declaration of Sentiments. I think what is important to remember about the gender lens is that it's been and continues to be a struggle against social constructionism. I sometimes wish I did not see the gender theory working in the world around me--or that it didn't affect me in both professional and personal relationships. But it does. What I embrace is the knowledge of it--which influences how I perceive people and how I interact with them--even a group of girls. Ashley brought up another interesting point about the dynamics of girls--it can be challenging to find female friends who are secure in themselves and aren't concerned about competition and power struggles (which reminds me of Cat's Eye). I suppose that's when Marxist theory, gender theory, and the psychoanalytic theory collide.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question on how do people rebel the patriarchal society, I would say women going to work. In a patriarchal society the women stay at home to cook, clean and take care of kids. Going to work makes the women at an equal level as the man. Still, society doesn’t make it easy n the women. To be promoted in one's job, one has to work at a job many years putting in 40 hours per week. However, women trying to do this also have the job of being a mother and a wife, while the men just concentrate on work. That is why I think it is more difficult for women to be promoted.
ReplyDeleteMerissa, I really like your question about women having jobs that include sexuality. I believe the motives of these types of jobs have two different sides to them. In my opinion, the women who have these jobs see it as an opportunity to flaunt their sexuality as an act of power. They take advantage of their sexual appeal to men, which, to me, would give the woman more power between the two sexes. And then there are women who are not employed at these types of establishments. They believe females that use sexuality in their jobs are degrading women. But in my eyes, its sort of degrading to men becacuse it shows that society sees men as overly-sexual beings that would drool at the sight of a woman wearing a Hooter's uniform.
ReplyDeleteAnd here is something to think about regarding patriarchy and religion: Why is God always thought of as masculine? If you believe God is the ultimate head of household, why is He always thought of as a man?
For more information on Biblical Patriarchy, visit this site:
http://www.visionforumministries.org/home/about/biblical_patriarchy.aspx
Mrs. Holloway, thanks for commenting on what I had said. I didn't think about the everyday freedoms I have as a woman...to work, to vote, to be educated. I guess that's one of the downfalls of our society today--we take our freedoms for granted. I guess that's part of my problem, though. I am oh so grateful for my freedoms, especially education, but I don't feel the need to fight for it. I think we have greatly changed in the past century (especially in America) and the different generations of society view this struggle differently. My parents are young and grew up with the same freedoms I have today. Some of my friends' parents are older and have taught them to continue fighting or quite the opposite--to conform to these expected roles. I guess I feel secure in my freedoms and feel that it is wrong for me to feel bad for taking them for granted since they shouldn't be considered "freedoms" in the first place, just given parts of life. I think that if I looked, I could find part of the patriarchal expectations and belittlement happening in my everyday life. However, for me personally, it's more important to indulge in the things I can and want to do now, like learn and work and express myself instead of fighting for those things. I imagine that I would be a woman to continue doing these things even if they were forbidden of me. Then maybe I would satisfy the expectations of the sisterhood of feminists I seem to fall short of so often.
ReplyDeleteI think it interesting to me that I feel the way I do--or rather my lack of feeling for the subject. I wonder why I'm like this--is it the patriarchal society's influence on me afterall?
I also found Zach's comment to be interesting when he said "It may be the girl's fault for telling a girl she needs to change herself to be beautiful, but it's the guy's fault for letting his baby wear a shirt that says 'I like boobies'." Doesn't it take two to make a baby? Is it really HIS baby? Zach, I got what you were trying to say and I totally agree, but I find it interesting that we do things like this--and while we're talking about the precise issues it deals with.
Women are not only set inferior too men, but sometimes to other races and religions too. Think about it. If a boy was beaten, taunted, or harassed in school because of his religion or race, that story would be on the news stating racial harassments. However, in schools girls get harassed all the time just for being girls and you really do not see that stuff on the news unless it was because of race or religion.
ReplyDeleteAlso I see the patriarchal society in many commercials. Like jewelry commercials. These commercials are always talking to the men in relationships. Sure the products appeal to women, but the jewelry people make their commercials appeal to men as well. For instances sales and specials make it easier for men to by rings and jewelry for their girlfriends, fiancés, or wives. The jewelry industry is stating that mea should be the ones to by an engagement ring and to purpose. Why cant women do that? It’s putting them at the head of the household again, in control of everything.
Cameron, our speaker was exactly the same way. She repeatedly commented on how "it was so great to be with just girls" and "how much more open we can be that the guys arent here" but in the end she made it clear that because the guys arent here, we are more open to be ourselves and speak more freely without questioning our thoughts.
ReplyDeleteTo answer how men and women buy into patriarchy, as said before the media plays a big role. For example, for many of the reality t.v shows, such as Flavor of Love, Or The love of Ray J. It is one male, and 10-15 girls fighting for the love of one guy. It makes the girls look pathetic in my opinion, and the way they portray themselves gives off those negative opinions. They definitly relate to the the good girl, bad girl theme as well because of the fact that they dont show themselves as a "good girl" would behave what so ever.
Going back to what Mrs. Holloway said: "I sometimes wish I did not see the gender theory working in the world around me" and about how it affects her relationships. At first I was a little angry at the whole lens and theory in general, mostly at the fact that yes, now it is going to become something that is a part of my everyday life. But now I think that it is actually going to help me. I've always been just a little chivalrous, maybe I can use what I've learned to my advantage. If anything, I have a better understanding of the world around me, since this is such a prominent thing.
ReplyDeleteAt last! a new thought to chew on regarding the gender role; Rights, a topic I had previously ignored. The majority of people today consider feminists to be outrageous, and their efforts unnecessary. Even women think this...
ReplyDeleteBut didn't the majority of women feel the same way during the women's revolution, a revolution fueled by the outrage of a few? Before women were allowed to vote, most women accepted that as normal, the way of life. In today's society, denying women that right seems barbaric, hardly imaginable.
How can we frown upon the efforts of feminists around the world, when their desires may in time lead us to a more equal, fair society?
I agree with nick. Now that were learning about the gender lens, I apply it daily. it really is crazy how much it comes up in our everyday lives, and yes at times its frustrating. Why are women questioned when they have high ambitions for themselves? I didnt understand that for a while, how its seen as wrong to want to improve yourself as much as possible. Not only in the career aspect of your life, but in others as well. However now that I think about this more, I realize that knowing more and learning more about the gender lens, it will spread. More people will come to know about it, and changes can be made in time.
ReplyDeleteApplying the gender lens to my novel, "Cat's Eye," has been eye-opening for me. Her representation/analysis of same-sex relationships, and the differences between guys and girls has sparked quite an interest in me. At first I shrugged it off as a woman attempting to "Get inside of men's heads." I then realized that that stance was sexist in itself. Cooperating with the gender lens, I actually found truth in much of what she said with regards to men. If her statements were true about men, I can only assume the same for females. Women teach each other to behave the way they do! Feminist criticism always portrays women as the victim, logically placing men in the place of the suppressor. But isn't that assumption in itself sexist? it is not men, but society, that raises women to believe they are inferior. Placing the blame on men also places men behind the wheel of society; so, in truth, the act of blaming men is actually what keeps women under the boot of society.
ReplyDeleteEven though it's not my job in the lit circle to focus on the gender lens, I constantly see it throughout my book "City of Thieves". But I notice it a little bit differently. There are few parts in the book where the gender lens is switched between male and female. For example, on pg. 166 Lev says that his father "was impossible to anger and his mother was quick with a hard hand to the backside." Hasn't society programmed us to think that the father does all the punishing?
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I agree with Nick and Danielle here. I don't automatically apply the gender lens to anything I watch now. And I don't really think I will in the future. Not that I'm not having fun doing so, but I guess I'm saying this isn't affecting me as much as it is others.
Like Mark, I too am reading Cat’s eye, and am noticing the gender lens everywhere in that story. He is right when he said that it is society’s fault. Elaine, the little girl in the book, lets herself get picked on by her friends and allows them to mold her, conforming her into what society expects her to be.
ReplyDeleteIn two books other books I have read, The Hours and The Lovely Bones, both mothers had felt trapped in their own homes. They wanted more of their lives than to be just a mother, they wanted to be something. It is sad that people feel a prisoner in their own homes. People view it as selfish that they desire to branch out and do something else with their life, but are they for wanting to better their own life?
Some gender lens in advertisement...
ReplyDeleteGoing to FOXSports.com
Fox Sports, one could say, is definitely a masculine site, honestly, how many women do you and I know say "I need the check the score on Cardinals and Rams Last night!". As true as this may be, Fox Sports is supposed to sponsor a wide variety of sport coverage, not just Football, however their front page is loaded with just Football. In fact, the first ten headlines on the site that claims they are "The worldwide leader in Sports" are Football Headlines. To get to any other sports, say college women basketball, a sport most guys would most likely not care about, you must click on the unnoticed "More" tab and find your way to it. I also noticed some in the ads too. I refreshed the page several times and this is what I recieved...
UPS, a chance to win 2 tickets to the superbowl
WPT, 2 weeks free trial
Verizon, New phone with TV built in, playing footbal game
Sprint, "After party" @ 1pm?
So take that into account and let's see what you think here...
Thank you for inviting me into your classroom to meet with you. It was alot of fun. I hope you all have a great break and I am looking forward to continuing our discussion.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed today! having our discussion with Mr. Bishop and Mrs. Parisi was a great idea it was just interesting to see how the this lens can really be applied to everyday life, i just wish our class was longer so we could've talked more because i know that everyone has a lot more that we could've touched upon. I think their input and everything they had to contribute really helped. I always just find it interesting to see how other people think of certain roles in society, because i truly think that each person has a different view, while yes many may be similar, its still just different. and i greatly appreciated our administrators input and comments.
ReplyDelete