Andrew Mittleman Gender Pop Culture

Gendered Consumers

2009-05-29T21:52:00.008-04:00

While shopping for Max, my twelve-year-old brother, I learned a great deal about how toys can influence kids. It is clear that specific types of toys are aimed at certain groups of children. Fortunately for me, putting kids into broad categories makes them very easy to shop for. ToysRUs.com lets you enter the child’s age, gender, interests, and your price range and they generate suggestions for you. Using this tool however, I quickly realized that the XBOX that Max requested was way out of my 120 dollar price range. Since he enjoys reading as well, I looked for books, only to find that Toys R Us has a limited book selection (for boys at least). Finally, I settled on the EyeClops Multizoom, Uberstix Science Project Series: Uberpult, WWE Four Way Havoc 4 Pack, and the True Heroes Military Island Playset. While toys like these may seem like harmless fun, they can teach kids a great deal about who they are and how they should act.

It is amazing how many male-oriented toys display acts of violence. Basically, these toys teach kids that violence is a key component in the male gender. This is clearly exemplified with the name of the military play-set, “True Heroes.” These heroes appear to be fighting in a battle under some sort of gigantic missile launcher. I was not aware that you had to fight in some sort of nuclear holocaust to be a true hero. Not only is violence accepted as a male trait, but it is also admired. Violence is even pervasive in educational toys. Not only does the “Uberpult” teach kids motor skills, but it also teaches them how to build a projectile weapon. Violence in young boys is commonly accepted as the norm.

Playing with violent toys is simply one step in the process of teaching children what it means to be masculine. Jackson Katz says, “Images of masculine aggression and violence-including violence against women-afford young males across class a degree of self respect and security (however illusory) within the more socially valued masculine role.” (352) For whatever reason, men in our society are supposed to be tough and aggressive. These traits are clearly mapped out in the chiseled bodies and snarling faces of WWE wrestlers and militants. Violence and aggression are qualities that our society values and we learn that at a very young age.

Since Max enjoys reading, I decided to search for some toys with educational value. In doing so I realized that even education has gender stereotypes. Both the EyeClops, a microscope for kids, and the Uberpult, a build it yourself catapult, are marketed specifically at boys. They featured only boys on the covers and only appeared when I searched for boy toys. For the sake of comparison, I then changed my search to see what educational toys were offered for girls. There were no microscopes or science projects, however there were journals for recording feelings along with some teenage romance novels. Toys R Us would have you believe that boys inherently enjoy science and engineering, while girls like to read and write.

Gender differentiation in educational toys is just a precursor for the future of children in our society. David Newman points out that, “Statements like ‘Doctors are men’ and ‘Nurses are women’ are uttered as inflexible, objective ‘truths.’" (113) The medical field is not the only place with gender disparities. We learn all our lives that there are gender-specific occupations. Jobs that require emotion and sensitivity are meant for women, while manual labor and rational thought are done best by men. We might as well start limiting kids’ options when they’re young.

Science oriented toys are not just marketed specifically at boys though. They are marketed specifically at white boys. These items are covered with pictures of only white children playing with these toys. Are black kids genetically allergic to microscopes? Conversely, there was a black WWE wrestler action figure and the True Heroes military toys featured green and grey soldiers. What kind of message is that sending to kids? All races like violent toys, but only white kids enjoy educational toys. Ideals like this only further the dominance of the white middle/upper class.

Educational toys like these are just examples of the academic positive reinforcement that white middle-class children receive regularly. Newman notes that, “Middle-class parents also have the cultural and economic resources, as well as the time, to talk with their children, develop their educational interests, and play an active role in their schooling.” (128) The middle class and education go hand in hand. Toys like these encourage kids to enjoy the process of learning. After all, they should enjoy education because one day their parents will probably pay for them to go to college. Why should lower class black kids even bother playing with these toys? Their education will most likely end at high school. This is the beginning of many disadvantages they will face throughout their life.

Toys can have a major impact on the upbringing of a child. While it may seem subtle, these toys will teach Max that he needs to be both violent and rational minded (which seem a bit contradictory), like all white males should be. He will likely face ridicule if he does not follow these norms. Toys can tell children where they belong in the world and where they do not. Although toys are intended for fun, their impact cannot be taken lightly.

Works Cited

"EyeClops Multizoom - Bionic Eye Plug-In TV Microscope - Jakks Pacific - Toys "R" Us." Toysrus.com Home - The Official Toys"R"Us Web Site. 27 May 2009 .

Newman, David M. “Learning Difference: Families, Schools, and Socialization." Identities and Inequalities: Exploring the Intersections of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. New York: McGraw Hill, 2007.

Messner, Michael A. "Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities." Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. Sage Publications, Inc., 1990.

"True Heroes Military Island Playset - Toys R Us - Toys "R" Us." Toysrus.com Home - The Official Toys"R"Us Web Site. 27 May 2009 .

"Uberstix Science Project Series: Uberpult - Uberstix - Toys "R" Us." Toysrus.com Home - The Official Toys"R"Us Web Site. 27 May 2009 .

"WWE Four Way Havoc 4 Pack - The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Triple H, Cody Rhodes - Jakks Pacific - Toys "R" Us." Toysrus.com Home - The Official Toys"R"Us Web Site. 27 May 2009 .

Sex Sells for Free

2009-05-21T12:26:00.000-04:00

Sex Sells for Free

2009-05-21T12:24:00.002-04:00

Female beauty and sexuality have been used to sell consumer goods for years. The beautifulwoman represents a skinny, large breasted figure that girls need to buy makeup and diet products to look like. Similarly the beautiful woman symbolizes something that heterosexual men desire and can attain by purchasing certain products. Sexy women are not just for selling things anymore though. Both PETA (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and the Got Milk health campaign have adopted images of beautiful, scantily clad women posing suggestively, in order to promote their causes. The advertisers are not selling a specific product; they are selling a lifestyle. After all, if using a specific deodorant can immediately attract beautiful women, then why can’t going vegetarian or drinking ample milk? Non-profit organizations use female beauty and sexuality to promote lifestyle choices.

The success of these non-profit advertisements hinges on our society’s belief in the myth of beauty. We have a very specific image of how a female should look. Naomi Wolf points out that, “Three thousand American Women told researches that they would rather lose ten to fifteen pounds than achieve any other goal.” (120) All of the non-profit ads feature exceptionally slim women. A woman viewing the Got Milk ad featuring a skeleton-like Mischa Barton is lead to believe that she can achieve a similarly skinny figure if she drinks milk. The myth of beauty does not only affect woman though. Wolf also states that, “The quality called ‘beauty’ objectively and universally exists. Women want to embody it and men must want to posses women who embody it.” (121) While women want to look like these spokes-models, men want to be with them. The hope is that men will think “If I become a vegetarian, women who look like those in the ads will be attracted to me.” All of these advertisements depend on our previous understanding of beauty.

The underlying theme of sexuality is prevalent in all of these advertisements. The women in these ads appear as if they are hypersexual beings that live solely for heterosexual male fantasies. Sut Jhally tells us that, “Sexuality provides a resource that can be used to get attention and communicate instantly.” (253) PETA features multiple ads where female models are wearing no clothes whatsoever. Although being naked has absolutely nothing to do with being a vegetarian, the image of a naked woman is a great attention grabber. The naked model also plays off of our perceptions of happiness. Wolf says that, “Advertising talks to us as individuals and addresses how we can become happy.” (251) For many males, happiness is achieved by having sex with beautiful women. The Got Milk advertisers know what they are implying when they show white liquid flying towards the face of a beautiful blonde girl. Sex is a key component in these advertisements. While these organizations continue to objectify women, at least they’re not making money off of it.

Works Cited

Wolf, Naomi. "The Beauty Myth." Chapter III: Gender and Women's Bodies (1991): 120-125.

Jhally, Sut. “Image Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture.” The World and I article 17591 (July 1990)

Pictures

“Alicia Mayer PETA AD”

http://thepeoplescube.com/images/Vegetables_AliciaMayer_1.jpg

“All Animals Have the Same Parts”

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/106/260779311_4e5af343b3_o.jpg

“Be An Angel for Animals”

http://www.adrants.com/images/FamkeJanssen_ad.jpg

“Brooke Sheilds Got Milk”

http://api.ning.com/files/COJfQ8jAYPW7h4Jlvy82zsonyofm1bDCO6EqGHUXrtrw3fjdfIHs71iAD637G8*wA*pJf0GYHIupQh3lPUNgCJXXhWsUjYy/brooke_shields_milk0303009.jpg

“Hayden Got Milk”

http://kungfurodeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/hayden-got-milk.jpg

“I’d Rather Show My Buns Than Wear Fur”

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm90/ambergene03/7728ED3D88.jpg

"Mischa Barton Got Milk”

http://www.starpulse.com/news/media/mischa-barton-got-milk.jpg

“Reading is Sexy”

http://media.photobucket.com/image/reading%20is%20sexy/teresa-k/ReadingisSexy.jpg

“Recycling is Sexy”

http://www.50statesclassifieds.com/uploadedimages/39388871.jpg

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" and Representation of Masculinity and Femininity

2009-05-14T20:52:00.002-04:00

The television show Curb Your Enthusiasm never shies away from taboo subjects. The show often displays characters who differ do not follow our society’s norms. In the episode, The Surrogate, the character Larry incidentally convinces a friend’s pregnant surrogate mother to ditch her contract and keep her baby. This episode plays around with the idea of masculinity and offers some counter-hegemonic portrayals of men. Despite showing both hegemonic and counter-hegemonic gender roles though, this episode ultimately only perpetuates a hegemonic idea of both masculinity and femininity.

One example of hegemony in The Surrogate is Larry’s wife, Cheryl. Cheryl represents a stereotypical portrayal of femininity. She is unemployed and lives off of Larry’s money. She basically just acts as arm candy and takes care of the house. Alan Johnson points out in his book, Patriarchy, The System, “With manhood and masculinity most closely associated with being human and womanhood and femininity relegated to the marginal position of 'other.'" (94) Despite being married to the main character, she is rarely seen throughout the episode. The only times she makes an appearance is when she is in bed with Larry, accompanying him to a party, or taking care of him when he is bed-ridden. It is as if she does not exist outside of Larry. She also displays a hegemonic portrayal of femininity whenever she talks to Larry. Larry always dominates the conversation. He is so focused on what he is saying that her comments fall by the wayside. “When men and women actually talk and men interrupt women more than women interrupt men, or men ignore topics introduced by women in favor of their own or in other ways control conversation.” (Johnson, 97) In this episode, their preliminary argument ends with Cheryl saying, “Do whatever you want.” It is as if Cheryl is more of a concept than an actual person. This is how females are often portrayed on television.

Larry David is a far more complex character than Cheryl when it comes to gender. At times he displays traits complete hegemonic masculinity, but at other times he identifies with perceived femininity.

While Larry frequently bends gender conventions, it would be wrong to assume that he never exhibits hegemonic masculine characteristics. David Newman notes that in television, “Male characters are more likely than female characters to occupy leadership roles, act aggressively, give guidance to or come to the rescue of others, express opinions, ask questions, and achieve their goals.” (90) Larry is by all means a go-getter. He is a successful television writer with lots a great life. He is also extremely assertive and is never afraid to voice his opinion. In The Surrogate, he goes on a personal crusade at the doctor’s office to improve the magazine selection in the waiting area. He refuses to give up on his campaign until his wishes are granted. Additionally, he never shies away from a good competition. When another man calls his personal health into question, Larry’s immediate response is to challenge that man to a foot race. Although Larry does not strictly follow hegemonic masculine characteristics, he certainly possesses a few of them.

Larry also has a great deal of characteristics that go against masculine hegemony. While talking to his friend’s surrogate mother, Larry discusses his television script as if it were his child, calling it his “baby.” Newman says that “cultural ideas that women primarily as mothers.” (96) Larry however, seems to have those paternal instincts as well. Larry also often acts in a non-dominant fashion. After getting into a car crash with another man, Larry is faced with a physical confrontation. Instead of fighting though, Larry fakes a heart attack. He does not always act like a traditional male. He even openly rejects sexual advances from his wife twice throughout the episode. The strange thing though, is that Larry’s displays of non-masculine characteristics only help perpetuate hegemonic ideas of masculinity.

Each time that Larry acts in a non-masculine manner, he ends up getting punished. His discussion with the surrogate mother results in his friends hating him for losing their potential child. When he fakes his heart attack, he does not get rewarded for his ingenuity. He is instead forced to go to the hospital even though he neither wants nor needs to go. Each time he acts out against hegemonic masculine ideals, he is somehow ridiculed or reprimanded. Larry’s non-masculine gestures are also never done with sincerity. He acts that way to get laughs from the audience. “Making fun of masculinity-like making fun of heterosexuality, or of white people-bears little if any, of the cultural and historical weight that accompanies stereotypical portrayals of women and other disadvantaged groups.” (Newman, 93) After all, Larry acts like a feminine mother to his script, an inanimate object, not a to a child. He also only rejects sexual advances from his wife because his genitals were injured in the previous episode. The Surrogate pokes fun at masculine norms, but does not disrupt them.

Curb Your Enthusiasm has examples of both hegemony and counter hegemony in relation to gender. While Cheryl portrays femininity in a standard hegemonic manner, Larry represents two alternate versions of masculinity. Unfortunately every time Larry goes against hegemony, he gets punished or laughed at. That is why The Surrogate portrays both hegemonic and counter-hegemonic representations of gender, but only reinforces hegemonic representations.

Works Cited

Johnson, Allen G. "Patriarchy, The System." It’s Not Just About Gender: 91-98.

Newman, David. “Portraying Difference: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality in Language and the Media. Identities and Inequalities. New York: McGraw Hill, 2005 (71-105)

Pop Culture blog critiques

2009-05-11T14:53:00.004-04:00

Media stereotype
Shek
http://shek-mymind.blogspot.com/2009/03/media-stereotype.html
My Mind

A Watchmen Concern
Amanda
http://www.undomesticgoddess.com/2009/03/watchmen-concern.html
The Undomestic Goddess

South Park… feminist?
Jenn
http://xxblaze.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/south-park-feminist/
XXBlaze

The world is not THAT flat
pcresswell
http://pcresswell.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/the-world-is-not-that-flat/
Punished by Rewards

Media and Women Sports – Sportscenter Top 10
Chrystalgouldman
http://crystalgouldman.wordpress.com/2009/05/03/media-and-women-sports-sportscenter-top-10/
Chrystalgouldman's Blog

Link to main gender &pop culture blog

2009-05-11T14:41:00.001-04:00

big blog