An oldie, but a sexist goodie!

Well, 'tis the season to be sexist? I heard this Christmas classic the other day- "Baby, It's Cold Outside," and thought to myself, "Wow, this simple little ditty has some very disturbing underlying messages!" As most of us know, it is a duet with a man and a women arguing whether the woman should stay at the man's residence just a little longer. She is trying to come home and he keeps coming up with reasons for her to stay. Um, doesn't no mean no? I don't think that he is asking her to stay to play Scrabble. The poor woman tells the man that she has family waiting at home, she has a reputation to keep, and countless other reasons. But he just keeps on insisting that it's cold outside! He keeps plying her with alcohol and even tells her not to "hold out" because it will hurt his male ego!

Yes, clearly this song is outdated- it's from the forties. But there is a new version by the very popular country crossover group Lady Antebellum. This places it in recent times. Listen to it yourself- it is pretty shocking! I never noticed this context before. This is what taking a women's studies class will do to you!

Reality TV again!

OK, so I think it is fair to say that there is quite a bit of sexism on TV. What I am finding, though, is that reality TV is loaded with it. My case in point this time? Nope, not "The Bachelor", though a true choice. How about TLC's "19 Kids and Counting?" I came across a repeat of this the other night while channel-surfing. Has anyone ever watched this show and noticed the limited roles for women within this family?

First of all, this is a family that does not believe in contraception. Obviously. I understand that they have their personal reasons for that. If that was all there was to it, I would say "Fine. Live and let live." What is really troubling is the idea that women must be babymakers and housewives. This is the lesson that is being passed onto the girls in this family, and quite possibly to the girls who are watching this show. There have been actual moments shown on the show where the father has thrown out college material for his daughters because why on earth would they need that?

The girls on the show do the majority of the housework along with their mother, while the boys do very little to pitch in. The girls also have attended "purity balls" with their father where they make pledges to remain sexually abstinent until marriage.

It would be one thing if their live was private. They are entitled to their views within the scope of their own family. However, when their lives become broadcasted as a "reality show" on TV, I have to take issue with the misogynistic views that are being promoted. This is not the type of messaging that I would want my daughter to receive and I think it puts women in general back about a century.

It's about time someone called you out, PETA!

I saw this ad in a magazine the other day. I'd seen it previously this year and thought, "Great- another celebrity getting naked for PETA. Yawn." Looking at it again, it makes me think- why do I never see men in the buff in these PETA ads? So I did a little research and found much to indicate the sexist nature of this holier-than-thou agency's advertising campaigns.

If one does a search for images of PETA ads, they will find a lot of ads featuring naked women. These women also tend to fit into one particular mold- they are usually caucasian and skinny. One of the few ads I found that did feature heavier ladies compared them to whales. Nice, PETA. In their 2009 advertising campaign where they equated meat with murder, women were used as stand-ins for animals to demonstrate how animals are abused. Again, most of these women were naked, white, and very attractive. They were shot in very seductive poses, which suggests linking sex with violence, and therefore sexualizing the abused female body.

This is not about whether I agree with PETA's basic missionor not. I find some of the things that they do in support of animals to be quite admirable. I think that some of the fights that they pick are comical, especially when sprinkled with some of the obnoxious comments that their PR department makes at times. However, PETA's treatment of women is not funny. It is clear that while PETA gives no wiggle room on the treatment of animals, they do not treat women with as much respect. As I pointed out, this type of advertising by PETA is not just one incident. It is a common thread through much of their marketing. It seems as if they are a one-trick pony when it comes to methods of delivering their messaging. At the very least, they should recognize that they will possible alienate one section of society that will not suppport them. I just can't imagine how they can act so pious in their mission when they are constantly downgrading women.

Are Ipad commercials sexist?

Um, maybe a little bit?

There was an article in the Huffington Post recently about how men and women are represented in the Ipad commercials. Apparently, men are shown using their new toy for reading the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. Women, on the other hand, apparently prefer to use their Ipad to read tissue-worthy tales by Nicholas Sparks, or to work on their scrapbooking. So, basically, men spend their time with serious publications while women partake in frivolous enjoyment. Well, yeah- this is a little sexist!

I wonder how Apple came up with the idea for these ads. I don't picture this company as one that just throws ideas around and picks the best one at the end of the night. Don't you think that they would have done a little research first? Are they playing to a specific demographic that they believe will have the means to purchase the new Ipad?

Sexist Media Coverage of Female Politicians

It has been a tough year for politics in general. That goes without saying. However, I feel that things have been very difficult for women politicians particularly. The media representation of women in this field has been really disgusting and demoralizing. It has always been challenging to be a female in politics, but somehow, it seems that since Hilary Clinton ran for president, it has become worse. Women politicians are being lambasted on a more personal level, in ways that align with sexism and ageism.

Here is a key example. A group called The Women's Media Center recently gave out "awards" for most sexist media coverage of politics for 2010. Their most “revolting” prize for online media went to the conservative website Human Events, who posted an audio clip titled “Babes of the DNC Calendar.” The feature was described as a “feast of wrinkled flesh,” and described Senator Dianne Feinstein as “mesmerizing spiced beef.” Poor former Attorney General Janet Reno was called a “beastly, unshaved, Danish carnival.” Wow, this was definitely not as funny as the naked supreme court justices in The Daily Show's "America: The Book." At least that was an equal opportunity offender in embarrassing men and women, republicans and democrats alike.

When the media makes fun of women in sexist ways, it is not just about the present joke that they are making. It ties in to the ultimate idea that the concept of women as politicians is laughable. This is not only occurring online, but also on so-called "real" new programs time and time again. No wonder a lot of women of my generation opt for the "fake" news show.

Is there a problem with this new ad for Tom Ford?

Um...yeah!

Before we even talk about Tom Ford and his previous sexist advertisements, just look at the pictures themselves. Six-year old girl wearing a LOT of makeup, which has been applied to create a very sexy look. On the left, she is wearing dark red lipstick reminiscent of a Hollywood bombshell. There are layers of mascara. This is beyond a little girl sneaking into her mother’s room and trying on her makeup for the first time. She is wearing stiletto heels and decked out in gold. Do I need to point out that she is perched upon a leopard print bed on the right? And her dress is extremely low-cut, opened almost down to her belly button. And what about the pouty-lipped, vapid expression?This fashion editorial ran in French Vogue, one of the most important magazines in the fashion industry. It is read by millions of people worldwide. Just because it is an adult magazine, it should not be OK.

Tom Ford thinks of himself as a “fashion rebel” and loves to provoke through his advertising. He is always trying to push the boundaries of what is acceptable in terms of sexuality. Most of his advertising to date has been the most sexist that I have ever seen, but at least, I suppose, was focused on adults. I don’t think that it is witty or irreverent to try to make a statement about sexuality when in order to do so, you have to exploit minors. Especially six-year old girls who are just a few years from puberty, which is a time when a lot of girls lose all sense of self-esteem. I don’t think that is should be “fashionable” to oversexualize children in advertising. Really, Tom Ford? This is disgusting.

Beer Commercial

I found this ad for Heineken beer that offends some women. It is definitely weird, but is it sexist?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-NfrBgYIEQ

I know that it is easy to call out beer companies for being sexist. That is why I chose to examine this one which is a little different in it's use of a female cyborg. Some people would think that this alone is what makes it sexist. This is the use of a manufactured representation of what the perfect women should be- skinny, wearing few clothes, and the ability to carry a draught keg in her womb! Surely, this is every man's dream! She also comes with the tools to open it up and then serve you. Even better, she then clones herself somehow into two new versions of herself, therefore fulfillng every man's fantasy of multiple women at the same time. Right? Notice that she never speaks a word throughout.

OK, so at first I thought that maybe this wasn't too sexist and that people were being nit-picky. But now that I have wrote out the script for the commercial myself, I realize that it is pretty awful. Turns out that beer companies are coming up with new ways to be sexist other than just showing the world girls in wet t-shirts. Great.

A Brave New World

Let's talk about the world of trans. No, I am not talking about trans-fat, which is being rejected the country over. I mean the other trans that have long been rejected: trans-gendered and trans-sexual. Over the weekend, I read this article in the New York Times. It is about trans-gendered and transexual people finding exposure in the fashion industry. It focuses on the model Lea T, who recently starred in a big campaign for Givenchy. I love that people on different parts of the gender spectrum are able to be themselves in whatever role they choose for themselves. I think that different sets of identities are more accepted in the fashion industry than in other established professional realms. However, it must still be difficult to be a transgendered model who undoubtedly has grown up with many conflicting ideas of what beauty should be. To become part of a world that is centered on image must be either terribly frightening or terribly liberating. Ady Ben-Israel, the program coordinator of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in Manhattan states in the article, “… it’s important to advocate for sustained media attention, not just celebrating people who attain a particular beauty standard that reinforces gender norms, which are a source of a lot of the difficulty for trans people in the first place.” That’s a good point and it would be nice to see this type of acceptance cross over into other areas of life. But for now, it is really cool to see transgendered people on the front of a magazine. This is something that would never have occurred a century ago.

Isn't calling a show about plastic surgery a reality show an oxymoron?

Well, much to my chagrin, I don’t think that I can write a blog about women and the media without talking about the E network’s newest high-brow affair, “Bridalplasty.” For those of you not familiar, it is as horrific as it sounds. From the name alone, you can probably guess the premise. “Bridalplasty” is a reality show/competition where twelve would-be brides compete for extreme plastic surgery procedures. Every week, one is eliminated until one is left standing, perched upon on the altar of perfection to be transformed into a better version of themselves.
Wow, this program is dangerous on so many levels. Where does one even begin? The most obvious message that is being conveyed here is that value is based in women’s physical attributes. It is quite unsettling to observe the casualness with which these ladies go though nose jobs and botox injections. Plastic surgery has become such a nonchalant part of our culture, especially as represented by the media, that it seems acceptable to have this as an ultimate desire.
Another tragic part of the show is the way that these women are pitted against each other. They are “hating on” each other in fine form. Creating manipulative alliances, back-stabbing one another, or simply making fun of one another’s physique are just part of the daily routine. I am so tired of seeing women hating women in the media.
Additionally, the fact that this transformation is leading these gals to the altar is whole other can of worms. Marriage and the ritual of a wedding already have so many ancient traditions that were created to treat women as a commodity. Tied together with the notion of perfection by means of plastic surgery just creates a firestorm of bad ideas.
I think that the worst part of the show that I sampled was the challenge portion of the show. The competition required that the women put together magnetic puzzle pieces of what “you COULD look like at the end of your journey” over pictures of the women as they look today, in bikinis, of course. The “winners” of this challenge were awarded with a syringe that would get them into an exclusive injectables party. It was almost comical how the ladies gasped in awe at the prospect of winning such a luxury. It would have been funny if it wasn’t for the fact that it was just so sad.