Lady Gaga's Iconic Performance at the Oscars

Last night, Lady Gaga performed "Til it Happens to You," her beautiful song from the documentary The Hunting Ground, which explores sexual abuse on college campuses. Towards the end of the performance, Lady Gaga was joined on stage with 50 college students (women and men) who have experienced sexual assault. Vice President Joe Biden introduced Gaga by talking about the White House's It's On Us campaign, which raises awareness about sexual assault.

Of course, her performance was covered by tons of news sites with overwhelming positivity. Because Lady Gaga herself is a survivor of sexual assault and is in a position of power as a popular celebrity, she was able to raise awareness through a stunning performance. Because it was so impactful, news sources covered the story last night and today, which continued to bring coverage to the issue of sexual assault. The performance allowed viewers to focus on this huge issue that affects both women and men, for at least a few minutes.

What It’s Really Like to Work in Hollywood* (*If you’re not a straight white man.)

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/24/arts/hollywood-diversity-inclusion.html

The statistics are unequivocal: Women and minorities are vastly underrepresented in front of and behind the camera. In this article, 27 “industry players” from actors to writers, producers, directors and even a cinematographer–all of whom have in common that they’re not straight, white men. The Times revealed the stories behind the numbers — their personal experiences of not feeling seen, heard or accepted, and how they pushed forward.  

In Hollywood, exclusion goes far beyond #OscarsSoWhite. "The various quotes revealed how the overwhelmingly straight white males-ness enters every level of Hollywood." The film industry is a prime example of the heteropatriarchy in effect. In the film industry men and masculinity are privileged over women and people who don’t fit into the binary system. Their experience, truths, and opinions don’t matter in this industry. Bias and discrimination shouldn’t be a universal experience for people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women in the industry. And they shouldn’t have to deal with harassment and ignorance by those who further the heteopatricarchy. These stories may be frustrating and upsetting, but by talking about the realities of Hollywood, we can work towards a solution that will be in favor of those who are being negatively affected by this industry.

Chris Rock: 'You're damn right Hollywood is racist'

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/28/entertainment/chris-rock-oscars-so-white-feat/index.html?eref=rss_showbiz

Academy Awards host Chris Rock had been widely expected to address the much-maligned lack of ethnic and gender diversity in Hollywood after no minorities were nominated in any of the four acting categories for the second consecutive year.

And sure enough Rock didn't waste any time. In his opening monologue at the Oscars, Rock called out the elephant in the room. He addresses the #OscarsSoWhite and diversity in Hollywood. He called it as plainly as it is and wasn’t going to apologize for anything. He pointed out that yes, Hollywood is racist or as he put it, "you're damn right Hollywood is racist. Hollywood is sorority racist". With this remark Rock was addressing symbolic annihilation. White industry power players exclude minorities from their projects. Minorities are often ignored in the film industry and overall media. Frequently white actors are cast to play characters that are minorities which should be played by a minority, but when minorities are cast it is in trivialized and/or stereotypical roles. Rock stated that, "it's not about boycotting. We want opportunities. We want black actors to get the same opportunities." The bottom line is that things need to change. 

Oscars’ Transgender Nominee Anohni Boycotting the Academy Awards

Anohni, a Mercury Award-winning artist and environmental activist also known as Antony Hegarty, is the second openly transgender person to have ever been nominated for an Academy Award. But unlike three nominees in her category, Best Original Song, she along with South Korean nominee Sumi Jo were not invited to perform during the show. And she is now boycotting the Academy Awards ceremony. The Best Original Song nominee explained her decision in an essay for PitchFork on Thursday, February 25.

“I am the only transgendered performer ever to have been nominated for an Academy Award, and for that I thank the artists who nominated me. I was in Asia when I found out the news. I rushed home to prepare something, in case the music nominees would be asked to perform. Everyone was calling with excited congratulations. A week later, Sam Smith, Lady Gaga and The Weeknd were rolled out as the evening’s entertainment with more performers ‘soon to be announced.’ Confused, I sat and waited. Would someone be in touch? But as time bore on I heard nothing. There I was, feeling a sting of shame that reminded me of America’s earliest affirmations of my inadequacy as a transperson. I turned around at the airport and went back home.”

Transgenders are in a position of systemic, social oppression, and limited representation. The media plays on stereotypes and this presents the transgender community in a negative light to the public. We as a society may think we are ready to move forward to accepting all but this occurrence shows that we are not. Just like her fellow nominees she was nominated, but because she is not the stereotyped version of a transperson she was not chosen to perform. Our society loves our stereotypes and this is what we accept to be true. But why can’t we affirm the real person instead of affirming their stereotype? 

How ‘Blackish’ tackled police brutality while staying true to its roots

“I have never been as afraid about an episode of television that I’ve written in my life,” “Blackish” creator Kenya Barris said in a phone interview ahead of Wednesday’s episode, which deals with police brutality.

The episode, titled “Hope,” finds the Johnson family watching news coverage of a case involving an African American teenager. They grapple with how to talk to the family’s youngest members — twins Jack and Diane — about the community reaction to the case and others like it.

Barris said that while he believes police brutality is an important issue, the crux of the episode is the challenge of talking to young children about difficult topics to which they’re constantly exposed. 

This episode was a step in the right direction, and it was a positive move.  Instead of dancing around the issue like most TV shows do, this show presented the issue of police brutality as the main focus of the episode. Because our media is mainly controlled by white corporations issues like these are never brought up. But ABC is changing this by promoting important topics in their shows. This could help other companies realize they need to do this as well to change the way the public views certain issues and give light to ones they don't address.

Wendy Williams: Rihanna will not be a legend

  The media tends to turn female successes into competition,  often leading to catty like behavior.   This week talk show host Wendy Williams presented a segment on Rihanna versus Beyoncé, comparing their abilities to become legends.  She states that Rihanna can only appeal to today's generation, but Beyoncé is a legend.   While this is merely her opinion, her audience feeds upon the gossip, shaping their personal perceptions.
http://www.vibe.com/2016/02/wendy-williams-rihanna-will-not-be-a-legend/

Blackish sends a message on police brutality

 Wednesday night ABC aired a new episode of Blackish,  a family sitcom about your stereotypical Black, middle class family.   This week's episode specifically addressed police brutality within the black community.  Los Angeles Times  reports on how this specific episode is used to shed light on events that occurr within our society today.

Chrissy Teigen and embryo gender selection decision

Recently model and TV personality revealed the gender her and spouse Jon Legend have selected for their expected child. If you follow Chrissy Teigen you would know that she is very open about her being infertile. She has gone through a fertility process. she shared this with social media via twitter. Some people on social media have been bashing her for choosing the gender of her child and not. Some one stated that why is it important to pick the gender, what if the child decided it wanted to be a he? What are you guys's thoughts on this comment.

   

To watch, or not to watch?

Chris Rock has been taking a lot of heat for still hosting the Oscars this Sunday, but today he released a tweet with a clip of TV static and the text "See you Sunday.... #blackout #oscars"

This alludes to the fact that Rock may come out with a very political (and needed) message of how the Oscars are so white. It came out as soon as the nominations came out that Rock rewrote the monologue. But what does that mean for viewers? Is it more powerful to boycott the Oscars? Or should we tune in and see what Rock is going to do, is that more helpful to the movement? These are all very complicated questions, that might result in something similar to the reaction to Beyonce's formation video with white backlash. 

The media is already controlled by white elites, so maybe Chris Rock will be able to take control of the message on a big night for Hollywood, my only hope is that the media portrays the message for what it is, and not as an anti-white movement. The inclusion of blackness is not the exclusion of whiteness, but the focus on whiteness always is the exclusion of blackness.

The Problematic Narrative of being able to "Free" Kesha

After going to court with Sony, Kesha was not able to escape the harsh contract with Sony to make 6 more records with Dr Luke, the man she says drugged and sexually assaulted her. Now while there is a lot wrong with this situation (like the fact that violence against women doesn't count as much as a contract), I am specifically talking about the framing of Kesha within the situation. "Free Kesha" has been the movement where supporters and media outlets have been asking Sony to let Kesha out of the evil clutches of Dr Luke. However this framing leaves out the agency of Kesha. There is never any talk about how resilient and strong Kesha has been in the face violence, how she was brave enough to speak out (in fact many have blamed her for not coming out until recently, and for not filming the abuses). Actually,  the term "Free Kesha" puts all the power with the men that have violently dominated her life, physically and with contractual obligations. This is not to say that there is no work to be done, because there is plenty. Kesha definitely has the right to not have to work with/for her abuser, and it's clear that she wont be able to get out of the contract on her own, BUT the media should also showcase her in a way that reveals the incredible amount of courage she has shown to fight the fight, with the whole patriarchy against her. Continuing the narrative that women are defenseless and are in constant need of saving allow abuses like this to keep happening, because it comes down to an assumption that women are controllable. Kesha is surviving, and fighting, and yes there needs to be some outside help, but to take her out of the equation of that process forgets the most important part: Women are powerful and can be (and often are) a huge part in saving themselves. (Special shout out to the ladies that are speaking out, like Adele)

Working in Hollywood if You're Not a Straight White Man

I stumbled across this NYTimes article yesterday, titled "What It's Really Like to Work in Hollywood If You're not a Straight White Man."

In the story, Melena Ryzik interviews several non-white men and women about their experiences working in Hollywood. Ryzik tackles the misrepresentation of minorities in the media, specifically in movies. In class, we discussed the fact that the large majority of directors/producers are white men. As a result, the stories being told in movies are from the same perspective each time. The article touches on that specific issue from Eva Longoria's directing point of view. She explains in the NYTimes article that when she does something great, people are "pleasantly surprised," just because she's a woman. Even though her skills are just as great as any male director, people have lower expectations for her. So, when she proves to be just as talented as any man, people are shocked.

The article has several great examples like this of misrepresentation of minorities in the media, which are extremely relevant to our class discussions. The article can be found here:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/24/arts/hollywood-diversity-inclusion.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

Jaden Smith painted nails

Will Smith was recently asked in a interview if he saw photo of his son with nail polish on. he responded that he allows her kids to "express" themselves however they feel like and that if that's something he thinks he needs to do that fine. many media outlets have talked about his nail polish and what they is going on with him but in reality he's just expressing himself in a way most people don't do, which I think is unique and creative.

Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey recently took to Instagram to apologize for posting a edited photo of herself while on a talk show. the picture showed Ronda with smaller arms and smaller chest and looked nothing like the real her. The real photo shows the real Ronda who has a muscular frame. She later posted both pictures to Instagram and explained that she totally fine with her body and does not support editing pictures. Many media outlets later wrote about how brave she was to correct herself and tell her fans she made a mistake.

Gods of Egypt

The movie, Gods of Egypt, is opening in theaters today. I have to say I am happy knowing it is going to be a box office failure. The title of the movie Gods of Egypt simply makes me laugh now, knowing that only a white cast is playing the so-called gods of "Egypt". The fact that Egyptians are being represented solely by the white race, is providing a huge disservice to Egyptians, others races as a whole, and the film industry.
                                          

The thing is, even though it is simply just another blockbuster film that is trying to make money, it just adds to the long lists of films and TV shows that lack true representation and diversity. It makes it seem like it is normal for white people to portray people of color. It simply carries on a trend that needs to stop. I find this situation extremely embarrassing for the film industry, and I hope people find the casting appalling and fail to see the movie.  For me, this is a prime example of symbolic annihilation. There is a complete absence of Egyptians in the movie, however, it is a movie about Egypt. It may come across that Egypt is being represented, but just because the title represents Egypt, the actual movie does not. 

Will Smith's influence raised awareness

In Will Smith's latest film (Concussion) he plays an accomplished pathologist who uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play. This film brought attention to the safety in sports such as football that makes you aware of your future health and wellness. John Castello, who was a standout football player at Mars High School in Pennsylvania turned down 12 football scholarships after seeing Will Smith's movie Concussion. The movie was so influential that not only Castello turned down his scholarships but other athletes shared their thoughts such as LeBron James who said he will never allow his kids to play football after seeing the movie. What can be drawn from this is that movies and media can use their platform to reach crowds about awareness and health. In this particular situation Will Smith played the role of Dr. Bennett Omalu where they used this film to tell the story of how contact sports can cause dementia and brain damage. Now that the NFL's health and safety crisis has gone Hollywood, what effect will it have?

Chris Rock’s Oscar Boycott Power

Harvey Weinstein, co-chief of the film studio The Weinstein Co. (think Derailed), is on-the-fence about the #OscarSoWhite boycott despite acknowledging the symbolic annihilation of diversity with his ethnic films. There are a few movies like 12 Years a Slave that renounce this racism in movie depictions, but one may ask is that all, just one? A more intersectional approach, Weinstein claims is to blame studios and distributors instead of the Academy board as the makeup of the voters (white as they are) isn’t their fault, rather the productions that are available for them to nominate are (white) as well. From his opinion, the boycott won’t need to continue because Chris Rock will be a prominent voice “annihilating leaders of Hollywood studios/distribution companies in the first 20 minutes”. Known for being humorously articulate, Rock does have the power to lead change and form one conglomerate and influential opinion for all supporters to overthrow the diversity issue dominating Hollywood.

Hoops Not Crime

I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a video of an Police officer playing basketball in the streets of a neighborhood with some kids. Officer Bobby White was in the neighborhood to handle a noise complaint. After he had finished his job of being an officer, he saw kids playing basketball in the streets and went to join them. Officer white played with them then "called for back up" and when back up arrived Shaq was with the second wave of officers that arrived. Shaq played with the kids as well, and what could have started out has a very downhill event because very positive for the kids of the community. Officer White built a backyard basketball court for the kids to play on. On the court is written hoops not crime. I think that what this officer did and is doing is a great thing he is one showing that all police officers aren't what the media can depict them as, but also that he isn't out to harm these kids in anyway but there to help them. I think this is a great story and makes an  impact especially with all that has happened between African American kids/teens in the last few years.

Sunday Night Show Down: The Oscars

Well with all of the heavy anticipation comes the big show this Sunday at 7 pm on ABC. However, aside from all of the big stars that may or may not be there, I am interested to see how the Oscars will handle of the recent criticism that they have received from social media. Specifically speaking of #OscarsSoWhite. I'm interested in seeing if the president of the Academy, who is a black women, will make a statement acknowledging the recent issue that has surfaced through a variety of mass media outlets. With Chris Rock being the host I am sure he will make a string of jokes as it relates to the academy awards. However, how far is he going to go? More importantly, how will the media cover the event? Will they cue the music if things start getting out of hand as it relates to people bringing awareness to Oscars So White? Or will they cut to commercial break? What is the response going to be? So many questions that I hope to get answered this Sunday. But best believe I will be tuning in, ready for something to pop off at any moment.

Black Ish

In it's latest episode, Black- Ish spoke of the police brutality and spreading awareness.  Not only that but it spoke about parents letting kids know what is going on in the real world.  It was seen as one of the best television shows about race of all time according to many headlines.  For once, the media got it right and many people took to social media to comment on it.  The title of the show was called "Hope" which was also a reference to when Barack Obama was first elected as President and how the hope is still continuing but there are still many issues that are real.  These real issues can't be hid anymore. Everyone including kids need to know about these racial issues that are still going on today.

Victim Blaming at University of Tennessee?

The University of Tennessee has recently come under a lot of fire for having a campus that fosters rape. Though many schools have been under criticism for hiding rape or not doing anything about it, what is coming out of Univ. of Tennessee is very troubling. Sports Illustrated wrote an article about a press conference hosted by 16 different coaches.

The way that the media is portraying Univ. of Tennessee is very troubling. They are not discussing Peyton Manning in nearly the amount that they have covered Cam Newton. Manning potentially raped a woman, Newton is too "showy." I think that the rape case certainly deserves more attention. More so, the media is at times not considering the serious nature of rape. They focus on the comments from a coach which says that the environment on campus is "great," but how can campus be a great environment when women and men are being raped? Rape alters ones life and the media needs to take that into account.

McKenzie

Former SI model slams new plus sized model

Sports Illustrated just released their highly anticipated swimsuit edition. Of the three models chosen, one of them is plus sized. Ashley Graham, the plus sized model, is a groundbreaking addition to the magazine. Throughout SI's history, their cover girls have been small and petite. With the addition of Graham, SI is making an attempt to broaden their audience and address the issues surrounding body image.

 Cheryl Tiegs, a former SI swimsuit model, believes that celebrating Graham sends a negative message to women. She tells People magazine, "I don't like it that were talking about full-figured women because were glamourizing them, and your waist should be smaller than 35 [inches]. That's what Dr. Oz said and I'm sticking to it." 

Ties comments illustrate that there is still immense stigma and shame associated with plus sized women. In deeming them unworthy of talking about, we are cutting a group out of the picture. As women, and as people, we need to uphold and celebrate all women and those who identify as a woman, regardless of their size. 

-McKenzie

Black Lives Mattter ask "Which Hillary?"

Many black activists are asking what Hillary's position is on  the Black Lives Matter movement.  Earlier today an activist interrupted Hillary to voice this questioning and comment on how her statements made in 1996 when she called some blacks "super predators".  The girls name was Ashley Williams and she was kicked out of the fundraiser after spending 500 dollars to get in.  Bernie Sanders support groups are tweeting and using social media to spread this pointing out that Bernie wouldn't have kicked a Black Lives Matter supporter.  Was Hillary right to kick the supporter out after she continued to interrupt  Hillary or should she have answered Ashley and her questions and comments.  The media did not show the video of Ashley being kicked out, only her interruptions with people yelling at her in the backround.  I thought this selectivity of what videos were released tried to portray the black girl as the one in the wrong, but I'm not so sure that was the case.

Chill out Police

The police are boycotting Beyonce and asking for them to not work at her upcoming concerts. The media is almost acting as if they are agreeing with them. I feel like this is another stereotype because she is black. I feel the media should have no bias in it. The fact that police would even pay a video that much attention to boycott against it is a concern for me. There are other issues to be attended to other than a pop star's music video.

That is not your son sir!

Recently Future and his ex fiance has had some complications with dealing with their child baby Future. Just yesterday the media released a photo of Russell Wilson holding hands with Future's son. The media is frankenbiting because they are saying Future should be mad and confront the two about it. In reality, Future has moved on with his life and could care less about what she is doing. Although he could feel disrespected by the photo it is not the media's job to make the tension any worse than what it really is.

Canadian Navy Makes HIstory

I came across an article about a same sex couple and by the article the reaction of the community and the media around was not what you would have expected. A male member of the Canadian Navy was accompanied by his partner at the dock. The two exchanged a kiss, the crowd applauded, videos and pictures of this moment were captured because this was the first time ever that a return from deployment kiss between a same sex couple had happened. The Commander was asked about how he felt about it and said "We are reflective of society and we do recruit across all across society". I thought this was big for the commander to say this because it shows that the LGBT community isn't fully accepted yet but they are making improvements because society is starting to realize that you have to accept all different people because if you do not you will end up with nothing due to bias thoughts. I also found out that in the U.S. Navy's first same sex post deployment  kiss for both males and females happened within the last decade. Canadian Navy Makes History

McDonald's Advertisement During the Bachelor

I am by no means a fan of The Bachelor, but this week I indulged my friend and watched it.  I'd never seen an entire episode before, but ever since our class discussion I've become intrigued by all of the hype.

I am aware that jewelers actively advertise on the show, as the ring the "winner" gets during the finale comes from a specific company.  But to my surprise, McDonalds also advertises.   In fact, during this season one date took place inside an actual McDonalds.  After the date it  this McDonalds commercial  popped up during the break.

Having discussed how advertisers immerse themselves within The Bachelor I was not surprised by this marketing strategy.  However, it is concerning that most viewers will not understand the intentionality in having the date inside a McDonalds.  In fact, perhaps a naive person will think that if they go on a date at McDonalds all of their dreams will come true.  Additionally, the advertisement confirms that the show is truly far from reality.

Magazines and other entertainment media paint the picture that The Bachelor is true reality. Hopefully viewers will connect the dots after seeing the McDonalds date and the McDonalds ad - reality is nothing like The Bachelor.

Hillary Clinton's newest supporters

Hillary Clinton is making big moves right now. The mothers of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner are both fully supporting Hillary Clinton. This is huge for Hillary regarding getting votes from African-Americans. The two mothers have been through so much with their sons getting shot by police and dying. This support was very public because it was a a roundtable discussion about gun violence. There is even a picture of Trayvon's mother holding Hillary's hand. The mother's went out of there way to go find Hillary and show their support. This is very interesting as Bernie Sanders (Clinton's opponent) has been gaining a lot of ground with young and black people. I am very interested to see how this shapes the rest of Hillary's campaign.

Miami Heat fan cheering in low cut dress goes viral

Sporting events just got a little more interesting for the male viewer. On February 22^nd a female fan was captured cheering for her team on Fox Sports wearing a very revealing black romper. Although her boobs did not fall out of her shirt, the audiences were able to see a lot of her body. This video took the Internet by storm and went viral. Soon after, the female fan was identified as Alyssa Nelson. Seeing that she happens to be an Instagram model she is not averse to such publicity over her looks. She commented on the incident to a Fox reporter saying, “All the press is a little overwhelming but also exciting!... I'm just rolling with it and having fun.”

This woman is being objectified by the media and is being made famous for her looks and body. This is very consistent with the way that women are viewed in Hollywood (and in society). They are commodified and valued based on their looks, youth, and beauty. If she had been wearing more conservative clothing she would have gone completely unnoticed. But because she was wearing rather revealing clothes she has become an Internet sensation. Culture has taught women that in order to get attention, especially from men, we have to wear revealing clothing and look a certain way. The attention that these kinds videos get only seems to reinforce those ideals and stereotypes.

Brotherly Love, Dive into Philadelphia

Brotherly Love, a Netflix sensation, was produced in 2015 and showcase many of young black actors. The film tells the story of 4 black teenagers, who are all interconnected , but going thru different aspects of life. This movie was critical because it possessed all the stereotypes of young black teenagers in low income neighborhoods. There is always the thug, drugged mother, superstar athlete and eventual pregnant teenage girl. Even though this movie possessed the usual stereotypes, the ending of the movie shocked me and the outcome was totally different. There all lots of lessons in this movie and most of all many kids can relate to the plot and multiple scenes in it.

Lil Boosie- WW6

Lil Boosie has continued his stand as social activist, since he was diagnosed with cancer in November 2015. As soon as he was released, he has been apart of creating multiple songs about what has been going on here in America. His latest song " World War 6", talks about the recent killings of Laquan McDonald and Sandra Bland and covers all the way to mass incarceration of black males, while white authorities do drugs such as cocaine. He released an official Music Video, on Valentine's day, for the song, which shows he poses as a teacher and educates young black males about whats going on in their country. This song and video comes at a critical time , where many media outlets are criticize hip hop music as supporting black violence and anti-police movements. Take a look and tell me what you think of the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obkOeRZw4D8

Top paid female athletes

This article by Forbes specifies the highest paid female athletes. What's interesting is that we see Serena Williams 2nd to Maria Sharapova. The record between the two is 19-2, in favor of Serena. The fact that Sharapova is making more money from endorsements says something about the marketability difference between the two players. Serena is clearly the better tennis player, in fact one of the greatest tennis players in history. It would make sense that she have an easier time being marketed but this is not the case.

An Advertising Firm's Mission to Make Non-Objectifying Ads

Badger and Winters, a well known advertising agency, that was founded in 1994, is working to make advertisements that do not objectify women.  CNN sat down with one of their executives to discuss an effort to make sure they do not objectify women in their ad campaigns.  Madonna Badger considers four things when deciding if an advertisement objectifies women:

(From CNN.com)

Prop: Does the woman have a choice or a voice in the situation?
Part: Is she reduced to just a sexually provocative body part?
What if: Would you be comfortable to see your sister, best friend or yourself in this image?
Plastic: Is the image manipulated to the extent that the look is not humanely achievable?

To spearhead this mission Badger and Winters made a video called #WomenNotObjects.  This is one of the first times an advertising agency is making a choice to not use sex to sell.  Also, it is getting great coverage from the media - this is a phenomenal shift in the way women are placed in advertisements - and hopefully it is an indication as to what is to come in the future from all agencies.

#OscarSoWhite2017 ??

As if the lack of diversity at the Oscars last month was not enough of a wake-up call for pop culture in the nation, predictions are already being made regarding the award recipients for next years' Oscar award show. The general lack of diversity in terms of minority and female underrepresentation as recipients was an issue at the Oscars both in 2015 and 2016. Unfortunately, media companies such as USA Today are predicting a very similar outcome for next years' award show due to the lack of minorities and females landing major roles in films that are set to be released this year. While there is not yet an exact statistic regarding the lack of female and minority representation in leading roles in the 184 films set to be released over the course of this year, there is a very striking number of movies in which there are only white actors featured. Researchers have recently released statements along the lines of "Hollywood has been whitewashed, in front of the cameras and behind, from casting to writing to producers to actors" says researcher Jeetendr Sehdev of USC. Based on how current studios have described their slates for the coming year, not enough of the movies set to be released prominently feature minority or female actors, indicating that next year's Oscar nominees will most likely reflect this unfortunate reality. It's very hard to believe that we are in the 21st century and still continuing to face this issue in the media and pop culture in general...it's time for a change and a step in the right direction.

Kardashians making money off of racial appropriation

Whenever someone asks how do you know the Kardashians, you immediately say, "Television!" With no hesitation. However, the follow up question should be, "well what do they do?" When you think about it. What do the Kardashians do? Why are they famous? In my opinion, they are famous for doing nothing but letting a camera follow them around, occasionally take a few pictures for huge editorial spreads, and of course making appearances all over the world. Which is cool; "you gotta do whatcha gotta do." With that being said as of recently, by recently I mean the past couple of years, I have noticed the Kardashians receiving media praise for racially appropriating a number of styles and bodily features that are rooted in the African American community. The most notable being Kylie Jenner. It started with the "Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge" where people began to take notice to Jenner's plumper/fuller lips. and for some reason the media just made a huge deal out of it as if it were the best thing since sliced bread. While African Americans, for years, were made fun of because of their larger lip size and often compared to beastly animals, but now when Kylie Jenner does it, it is fashion all of the sudden. Same situation with her new "cornrows" look. I recently read a tweet from MTV UK's twitter page, calling Kylie Jenner's slick back braids the hottest new trend in fashion. I literally had to put my phone down. Black people have been wearing their hair in cornrows for years, and were always called, "hood" or "ghetto" and as of recently "ratchet!" But when someone of the majority in a place of privilege appropriates a style that has been trademarked within a certain culture. Then all of the sudden it is "fashion." Just goes to show what kind of people are in charge of the media, and how we as media consumers are ignorant to a lot of the underlying messages that play out in front of us on the television screen.

Black-ish taking it one step ahead or too far?

                                   

As the controversy with police brutality continues, so does the presence of this issue in entertainment media. One of the most prominent current examples in the media is Beyonce's latest music video for her new song "Formation." This trend has continued throughout several media outlets such as TV and film media. One particular example occurred following the airing of the latest Black-ish episode entitled "Hope." Black-ish is a comedy aired on ABC based on an affluent African-American family living in a predominately white neighborhood. This specific episode features the family watching a (fictional) news story about an unarmed black teen selling DVDs who is then tased several times by a cop. The episode plot line was inspired by a true story that the creator of the show, Kenya Burris faced in 2014 when watching the news with his family when riots broke out in Ferguson and Darren Wilson was not indicted for the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. The episode dives into the reaction of the family members and how to approach explaining this type of controversial news with younger children. The sitcom clearly does not make light of police brutality by any means, but instead does find humor in how the family reacts to the situation. The producer of the show is concerned about potential audience reactions although wants to assure that the conceit of it does not come from a comedic place. "I want people to not extract anything from this other than the notion that we want to start positive conversations and be funny," says producer Burris. I found this to be a very interesting approach to the controversial issue and an even more interesting way to incorporate news media issues into the episode. 

Highest paid soccer players


In the list of the top paid soccer players, there is only one African American listed. This is surprising being that black players constitute a good percentage of all FIFA soccer players. One could assume that the marketability of blackness in the soccer world is not as prominent as White/European players. It would be interesting to see how African Americans are paid in other major sports.

This Week on the Bachelor....

           This week on the popular reality show, The Bachelor, audiences got a dose of the reality behind the show. During this week’s episode, Ben went on four hometown dates, which entailed meeting the families of his four ‘girlfriends’. When Ben went to Dallas to see Jojo and meet her parents, brothers, and sister there was a glimpse of what it really takes to make these women fall in love with ‘their prince charming’. Jojo’s brothers gave Ben the third degree and essentially told him that they thought he was insincere and fake.  They said, "You brainwash these girls way too much, man. To see my sister like that ... She's obviously starting to have real emotional feelings but I don’t get the same read [from you]."

            Her brothers were finally shedding light on how manipulative, false, and fake this entire show is. It’s really about selling the idea of love and commodifying it. The show and its contestants are framed, primed, and shown in certain ways in order to get a certain reaction from the audience. There is also frankenbiting in order to make drama and music to set the mood. The shows’ producers create drama by utilizing these elements of ‘media manipulation’. Everything about this is unnatural and conditions the audience to believe in the drama and love. Producers make the show how they want it and use the contestants (including Ben) as mere body props. It was nice to see how apprehensive and judgmental the brothers were being about this completely false portrayal of love, romance, and dating. This show does little more than reinforce gender roles and stereotypes.

Sexual Assault: Bill Cosby; Ke$ha #FreeKe$ha

What do Bill Cosby and Ke$ha have in common? They are both in headlines regarding sexual assault. What are some differences? Bill Cosby is just now getting publicity after a longitudinal record of sexually assaulting ~30 women whereas Ke$ha is voicing her current issue about her producer Lucasz Gottswald. 

A media critic could blatantly see the stigma regarding voicing sexual assault (much like the battered women we read about) and the amount of media coverage associated with it. The power structure protects mens' status and this helps them disregard these allegations by women. It also keeps women from even voicing the injustice. The first accounts against Cosby decades ago make hegemony evident as accusations against him were silenced, especially since he is such a prominent televised character. 

FIFA Women's Soccer: All Work, No Pay

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/07/womens-soccer-pay-gap_n_7745892.html

Karly Morgan

The U. S. Women’s National Soccer Team is a dominant force both on the field and in worldwide media. Stars like goalkeeper Hope Solo and field player Alex Morgan have grown to legendary status on the field and celebrity status in the media, and the team continues to gain notoriety as a whole. When the USWNST won the Women’s FIFA World Cup last year, the immediate reaction from fans was celebration. The USWNST had achieved the highest glory in their sport and were bound to be highly rewarded.

Or so we thought.

The total payout for all the teams that participated in the latest Men’s FIFA World Cup was $576 million.

The total payout for the Women’s FIFA World Cup? $15 million.

Just to continue to put this inequality into perspective, a men’s team that loses in the first round of FIFA World Cup play receives $8 million. When the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team went all the way to the top and won the gold trophy, they received just $2 million.

FIFA has tried to defend itself with the following arguments:

1. Men’s soccer is more popular, so it gets higher ratings and earns itself more money
2. There have been more men’s World Cup tournaments, so it has had more time to gain popularity, importance, and monetary value.

Those arguments were quickly countered and dismantled by fans, the USWNST, and media:

1. The 2015 Women’s FIFA World Cup Final game broke several TV records. It was the most watched soccer game EVER, more than any other men’s, women’s, college, pro, or club game ever televised at any level. It also had more viewers than the NBA Final or Stanley Cup final that year.
2. If FIFA bases lower pay on the fact that there have been fewer Women’s World Cup tournaments, there will never be equal pay, because there will never be as many Women’s FIFA World Cups as there have been men’s FIFA World Cups! It’s as silly a concept as a little sister hoping to “catch” her older brother in age, when they obviously age at the same rate.

It’s the same topic that lies just under the surface of every reading we’ve discussed about women in our Race, Gender, and Media class: the media has a nasty habit of declaring women inferior to men. Usually this inferiority is subliminal, implicit, or embedded into some other message. In this case, however, FIFA can’t hide behind claims of misinterpretation or lack of solid proof: there’s a $561 million dollar inferiority.

Lovato's Response to Swift's $250,000 Donation

Recently, Taylor Swift donated $250,000 to Ke$ha as legal support against her producer, Dr. Luke, who emotionally and sexually assaulted her. This was after a judge ruled against Ke$ha's case to get out of her 6-album contract with Dr. Luke For the most part, entertainment media outlets like CNN have responded neutrally or positively to Swift's hefty donation. However, what has come to light today is Demi Lovato's response to the generous gift. This article highlights Lovato's negative response to Swift's gift to Ke$ha. On Instagram, Lovato exclaimed, "I'm just tired of seeing women use 'women empowerment' and 'feminism' to further brands without actually being the ones that have the uncomfortable conversations. She later responded to Taylor Swift fans' out-lash by saying, "How the f*ck am I making this about myself? At least I'm talking about it. Not everyone has 250K to just give to people." Lovato believes that the representation of feminism amongst celebrities should be about more than what is shown in the media. Regarding this point, I agree. Swift's donation to Ke$ha is incredible and is an extremely generous and kind thing to do. But it also important for Swift to maintain a constant support of feminism and activism, rather than solely when it's convenient. In this article, Lovato clears the air regarding her momentary feud with Swift. She explains, "Everyone has their own way of giving support to others, and at the end of the day, helping victims is all that matters. Ultimately, the message I want people to hear is it's okay to come forward with your abuse and if you do decide to take action, you are not alone." In the end, it's important that celebrities, especially female celebrities, stand in solidarity regarding issues of sexual assault because they are in positions of power to make social change through their popularity.

Kesha: Courts Rule She Must Work For Her Rapist, Or Not At All

Karly Morgan

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/02/20/kesha/

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/20/entertainment/kesha-dr-luke-lawsuit-injunction-support-feat/

http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6281722/kesha-sexual-assault-lawsuit-text-dr-luke

The legal battle between Kesha and Dr. Luke is the talk of the music industry right now. It’s an extremely disturbing, sad, and troubling story. Worst of all, it’s an all too familiar story.

Kesha Rose Sebert filed a lawsuit against Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald, aka Dr. Luke, in 2014. The lawsuit stated that Dr. Luke, her music producer, emotionally and physically abused her. He allegedly gave her a pill that he told her would “sober her up” from a night of partying. She woke up the next morning in his bed, naked, sore, and without memory of what had happened that night. She called her mother and told her she had been raped.

Just recently her case reached the New York Supreme Court, where the judge denied Kesha the right to break her contract. This means Kesha has two options: she can either never make music for profit again, abandoning her life’s career and leaving her indefinitely unemployed, or work for her abuser until the end of her 6 album contract. She understandably erupted into tears in the courtroom. 

Since the verdict, she has received an outpouring of support from fans and artists alike, notably the #FreeKesha hashtag, a GoFundMe account set up by fans, and a $250,000 donation from Taylor Swift. (sidenote: I tweeted support to Kesha and she retweeted me, I’m so glad a platform like twitter exists where strangers can lend each other emotional support.)

As a result of this case, once again, a woman was told by the justice system that her body is not her own. The justice system told Kesha that her producer had not done wrong. The justice system sent a message to rape victims to keep their mouths shut rather than accuse a powerful man like music mogul Dr. Luke, lest they leave the courtroom in tears, lost for money and lost for options. To make matters worse, Dr. Luke is Kesha’s producer. This specific role in the contract means that he has enormous say in the direction of her music, and reaps a huge profit from her talent. He is literally keeping her in her contract, even though he raped her, so that he can make a profit off of her. This is a tragic representation of the Capitalism/Slavery pillar of the heteropatriarchy. To quote the reading, Kesha’s own person had become, “a commodity that one must sell in the labor market while the profits of one’s work are taken by someone else.”