Thursday, May 8, 2014
Women in Popular Media
Popular media plays a very big part in the "ideal image" of women. I mean, just look at Disney princesses! All of them are ridiculously skinny and have unrealistic proportions. And don't make the excuse that "Oh, it's just the animator's style." They could still take the time to represent people of different shapes and sizes! They took a little step forward with the background characters in Frozen, but honestly, I'd really like to see a main character who isn't abnormally thin. Also keep in mind that children are watching these movies and you're basically promoting the "perfect woman" ideal which should be shot down as soon as possible. When types of people aren't represented in media- or worse, are stereotyped and vilified, it's like saying it's not okay to be this type of person anymore, or that anyone who isn't beautiful and thin is obviously evil. I don't think you would want your children to have this mindset, now would you.
The People's Opinion (A Series of Interviews)
The constant problem of how women are viewed in society don't just affect the authors of this blog. It affects every woman out in the world. It's rare that you'll find a female who can truthfully say that society's perception of women has not affected her. So we decided that we wanted to bring other people's voices on this topic, people just like us, who feel the same way. So I bring you... The people's opinion!
Q. If you could change how society looks at women, what would you do?
Interviewee #2
Interviewee #1
Q. Do you ever feel insecure about your weight and/or the way you look?
A. Yes. I am a fourteen year old girl, so of course I'm insecure about my weight, but honestly I do like the way I look. I think if someone has a problem with me or the way I look, it's their problem not mine.
Q. Have you ever discarded/ not bought a piece of clothing because it made you look "fat"?
A. Yes, I have. Usually I don't buy skirts if they make me look fat, but I don't have a problem with shirts.
Q. Do you have any problems with how women are represented in media? What are they and why?
A. Oh yeah, I got a lot. Disney princesses, Barbies, etc. I feel like women on T.V. are shown as weak and dependent on men which pisses me off. I also feel like women are shown as objects, like men can own us.
Q. If you could change how society looks at women, what would you do?
A. I would make it so women were viewed as independent people, that they were shown as more than just objects (cause that pisses me off the most.)
Interviewee #2
Q. Do you ever feel insecure about your weight and/or the way you look?
A. Sometimes because I feel like if you're slightly overweight, you get judged no matter what.
A. Sometimes because I feel like if you're slightly overweight, you get judged no matter what.
Q. Have you ever discarded/ not bought a piece of clothing because it made you look "fat"?
A. I think so. I can't think of a moment off the top of my head, but I want to look my best and I think looking fat wouldn't be looking my best.
Q. Do you have any problems with how women are represented in media? What are they and why?
A. I do have a lot of problems because women in movies and some T.V. shows are viewed as weak and needing help.
Q. If you could change how society looks at women, what would you do?
A. The first thing I would do is prove how strong women can be. Once men and women see how strong we can be, I feel like their views should change immediately.
Interviewee #3
Q. Do you ever feel insecure about your weight and/or the way you look?
A. Yes. A lot of times, when I go through the internet, I see all these celebrities and I know I shouldn't be affected, but I can't help but think of staying fit or losing weight.
Q. Have you ever discarded/ not bought a piece of clothing because it made you look "fat"?
A. Not really, but I do feel like some clothes make me fat so I tend to avoid them or wear jackets over them.
Q. Do you have any problems with how women are represented in media? What are they and why?
A. Well, I don't like how in a lot of Disney and Barbie movies the characters look super skinny and have no flaws.
Q. If you could change how society looks at women, what would you do?
A. I would influence Disney animators and movie producers to include people with glasses, or people who are a bit chubby but still perfect.
Interviewee #4
Q. Do you ever feel insecure about your weight and/or the way you look?
A. Not really, to be honest. I do get some snide jokes about how skinny I am, but I don't think it really matters.
Q. Have you ever discarded/ not bought a piece of clothing because it made you look "fat"?
A. No, I mean I have a lot of clothing bigger than me but I wear it anyway. I really honestly do not care how people perceive me.
Q. Do you have any problems with how women are represented in media? What are they and why?
I think at a young age, little girls watch things like Disney princesses and Barbies where they're super skinny and have unrealistic proportions. I feel like a lot of times, people excuse that with "But we would be advertising fatness." I don't think there's anything wrong with being fat.
Q. If you could change how society looks at women, what would you do?
A. I might want to be an animator in the future, and if possible, I'd like to collaborate with other people to create much more realistic females.
"The Looks"
Hey^^
Sagal here
Ok, yes I've already ranted about this (hope you don't remember the other post) but my unspeakable passion for this particular subject/topic is, as you can see, very strong. It's just that millions of women are watching T.V to soak all the negative images of themselves and others in. Women are subjected to these half-naked women with perfect bodies and flawless faces and amazing personalities with the super-duper white teeth. Younger females feel inadequate and older females fear aging. This "perfect female" image is not only desirable but literally impossible to accomplish.
Yes, I know, that "the looks" can get you pretty far in what you desire to accomplish or getting the hottest guy in your class, but honestly, truthfully, can you really meet these expectations? Yes, you might be cute or hot or pretty, whatever, but you can't be perfect, there's no way unless, like, you're in love, deep love with yourself, then you're just really vain. You can't be perfect, you can't achieve something that doesn't exist, god, people get a hold of yourselves. If anything you're probably destroying your self in the process. ~slurps ramen noodles~ goodbye.
Sagal here
Ok, yes I've already ranted about this (hope you don't remember the other post) but my unspeakable passion for this particular subject/topic is, as you can see, very strong. It's just that millions of women are watching T.V to soak all the negative images of themselves and others in. Women are subjected to these half-naked women with perfect bodies and flawless faces and amazing personalities with the super-duper white teeth. Younger females feel inadequate and older females fear aging. This "perfect female" image is not only desirable but literally impossible to accomplish.
Yes, I know, that "the looks" can get you pretty far in what you desire to accomplish or getting the hottest guy in your class, but honestly, truthfully, can you really meet these expectations? Yes, you might be cute or hot or pretty, whatever, but you can't be perfect, there's no way unless, like, you're in love, deep love with yourself, then you're just really vain. You can't be perfect, you can't achieve something that doesn't exist, god, people get a hold of yourselves. If anything you're probably destroying your self in the process. ~slurps ramen noodles~ goodbye.
REALTIONSHIPS
Hey ^^
Sagal here.
Ok, so we all have family problems, right? Unless you live in Pleasantville (chuckles), but seriously we all have them, the up and downs, the surprise around the corner, and the ones that just make you want to run away. A lot of people face these issues and these issues can lead to many things, like, depression or other things, but what I want to focus on is how "family problems" or any other relationship you might have with someone, affect you and your choices in life.
Lets's say you and your dad didn't really have the "father, daughter" bond, and he wasn't ever home (cause of work or something), and you guys were getting farther apart and that made you sad and maybe that sadness influenced some of your choices and somehow it led you to not eating, neglecting yourself (is this making sense?), and now you have this HUGE problem that's making you sick and you're not the person you use to be, instead you're getting weaker every day and eventually something really, really bad could happen to you.
Also, it doesn't have to be "family problems", maybe it's bullying or you feel the need to look a certain way to get what you want, all of these can lead to different situations. What people need to remember is that you're put on this earth for a reason and that you might look a little different then the others or even act different, but, that's what makes us special and unique and STAND out, so love who you are cause each and everyone of us has something to offer to the world.
Sagal here.
Ok, so we all have family problems, right? Unless you live in Pleasantville (chuckles), but seriously we all have them, the up and downs, the surprise around the corner, and the ones that just make you want to run away. A lot of people face these issues and these issues can lead to many things, like, depression or other things, but what I want to focus on is how "family problems" or any other relationship you might have with someone, affect you and your choices in life.
Lets's say you and your dad didn't really have the "father, daughter" bond, and he wasn't ever home (cause of work or something), and you guys were getting farther apart and that made you sad and maybe that sadness influenced some of your choices and somehow it led you to not eating, neglecting yourself (is this making sense?), and now you have this HUGE problem that's making you sick and you're not the person you use to be, instead you're getting weaker every day and eventually something really, really bad could happen to you.
Also, it doesn't have to be "family problems", maybe it's bullying or you feel the need to look a certain way to get what you want, all of these can lead to different situations. What people need to remember is that you're put on this earth for a reason and that you might look a little different then the others or even act different, but, that's what makes us special and unique and STAND out, so love who you are cause each and everyone of us has something to offer to the world.
Health issues
Hey ^^
So, it's me Sagal, and instead of me going on and on about the stereotypes and the limits, expectations for women and their "image", I'm gonna keep this on a minimum. I'm gonna tell you the health issues if you decide to "just lose a little weight".
Sometimes women decide to go a little overboard on the topic "weight", and this can cause serious health issues. It can lead to anorexia (refusing to eat, loss of appetite), or bulimia (when you binge on food and resort to methods like vomiting). Plus it's not uncommon for one eating disorder to be swapped for another, like, a person with anorexia can swap to bulimia, or a person with compulsive overeating can switch to anorexia, do you see what I'm saying?
A lot of these disorders can take a toll on your body (physical and how it functions). You tend to be tired most of the time and lack of focus, also your state of health can affect your hair!!!! People with anorexia or bulimia tend to have a brittle, dry hair!!!! Loss of hair!! Honestly do you wanna be bald at 17 or whatever!!! It can also take a toll on your bones, they tend to weaken and become dry, slow heart rate, low blood pressure and the risks of heart attacks increase in you. So don't fall for the trap of thinking "Oh, I just do this a few times, so, it's not like I'm at risk" or "I don't do this all the time, just a few times a month" THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE NOT IN DANGER!!! Or the fact you might be suffering from an eating disorder. These issues can also resort to death. Honestly, I hope you see that the facts and consequences this can lead up to, think before you act.
So, it's me Sagal, and instead of me going on and on about the stereotypes and the limits, expectations for women and their "image", I'm gonna keep this on a minimum. I'm gonna tell you the health issues if you decide to "just lose a little weight".
Sometimes women decide to go a little overboard on the topic "weight", and this can cause serious health issues. It can lead to anorexia (refusing to eat, loss of appetite), or bulimia (when you binge on food and resort to methods like vomiting). Plus it's not uncommon for one eating disorder to be swapped for another, like, a person with anorexia can swap to bulimia, or a person with compulsive overeating can switch to anorexia, do you see what I'm saying?
A lot of these disorders can take a toll on your body (physical and how it functions). You tend to be tired most of the time and lack of focus, also your state of health can affect your hair!!!! People with anorexia or bulimia tend to have a brittle, dry hair!!!! Loss of hair!! Honestly do you wanna be bald at 17 or whatever!!! It can also take a toll on your bones, they tend to weaken and become dry, slow heart rate, low blood pressure and the risks of heart attacks increase in you. So don't fall for the trap of thinking "Oh, I just do this a few times, so, it's not like I'm at risk" or "I don't do this all the time, just a few times a month" THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE NOT IN DANGER!!! Or the fact you might be suffering from an eating disorder. These issues can also resort to death. Honestly, I hope you see that the facts and consequences this can lead up to, think before you act.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Intro (^.^)
Hey ^^ Sagal here.
So our subject title for the muckraking project is "Stereotypes of Women in Media".
In our society today, certain images and stereotypes are reflected on women everywhere. Women are pressured to have the "super-model body" and the silky hair along with the super white teeth. Media, and what we see on T.V affect not only the way we see ourselves, but also the way we think, which then can lead to eating disorders, mental health issues, problems with others and the relationships you may have with them. Television industries have literally convinced women everywhere that there is something wrong with them, plus it's not only what we see on T.V, it's in magazines, photos (wallpapers), graphic novels.... and more. So do you see the point I'm trying to make, society and the Stereotypes of women ARE COMPLETELY different (most of society). Well that's all I have to say (for now), toodles.
So our subject title for the muckraking project is "Stereotypes of Women in Media".
In our society today, certain images and stereotypes are reflected on women everywhere. Women are pressured to have the "super-model body" and the silky hair along with the super white teeth. Media, and what we see on T.V affect not only the way we see ourselves, but also the way we think, which then can lead to eating disorders, mental health issues, problems with others and the relationships you may have with them. Television industries have literally convinced women everywhere that there is something wrong with them, plus it's not only what we see on T.V, it's in magazines, photos (wallpapers), graphic novels.... and more. So do you see the point I'm trying to make, society and the Stereotypes of women ARE COMPLETELY different (most of society). Well that's all I have to say (for now), toodles.
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