Kesha's "Unconvincing" Court Ruling

Kesha (and many other big time singers) was trying to get out of her current contract with her record label company because she says one of the main producers has sexually harassed and raped her. She brought this case to court in New York and practically begged the judges to let her out of her contract because of obvious reasons. The court ruling was not on Kesha's side and they are forcing her to continue to work with a man who has attacked her many times. This is outrageous. What if the situation were opposite and it was a man trying to get out of a record deal?

Mad Max, An Ode to Female Bravery

To prepare for the Oscars, I watched Mad Max: Fury Road this past week. A misconception of this film is that Max (Tom Hardy), is the hero of the film. Viewers soon realize, however, that Furiosa (Charlize Theron) provides the driving force behind this film. In a post-apocalyptic dystopian world, Furiosa is one of countless slaves to the brutal patriarchy of tyrant Immortan Joe. Furiosa smuggles Joe's prized harem out of the citadel to escape to safety. Upon reaching their destination, however, they must turn back and face the brutality of Joe and his cult followers. Furiosa's bravery, and the bravery of all the women in the film, provide young girls with the reminder that women in films can be courageous, strong, and independent in the face of danger. Never once does a women shirk from the fight in front of her. She stands strong, ready and willing to fight for what is right. Furiosa's commitment to her convictions provide a model for other female characters. What needs to be done next, however, is put female images of bravery in age appropriate content for young girls to see.

How to Be Single's Representation of Black Fatherhood

This past weekend the film How to Be Single premiered across the country. While the film falls into the "Chick Flick" category, it stood out and provided viewers with a variety of novel and often unseen characters with major development throughout the film. The most interesting portrayal was that of single father David (Damon Wayans Jr.). David, a black man and a widower, is not only a successful, and educated real estate developer, but also a compassionate and providing father for his young daughter, Phoebe. Too often, the image of a successful black man is shrouded in stereotypes such as success through the rap industry, or through drug pedaling. David, however, provides an accurate and positive portrayal of success while simultaneously serving as a reminder that not all black fathers, are absent from their children's lives. While this character provided depth and compassion, which is often unseen in black father figures in the media, it is merely a step in the right direction. Other films and television series need to follow How to Be Single's lead and commit to fighting stereotypes and cliches. 

Transgender model Andreja Pejic gets some much deserved spotlight

This Cosmopolitan article features Andreja Pejic, a transgender model who was on her first huge magazine cover as a woman.  Pejic is on the March issue of Spain’s Marie Claire magazine shown decked out in beautiful hair, makeup, and dress.  The headline next to the model’s name translates to “Breaking the taboo” and Pejic discusses the importance of higher representation of transgender models in the media.    

This is a major step in the right direction for Marie Claire and media everywhere.  There is an immense sense of symbolic annihilation when it comes to the LGBTQ community and each article or magazine cover featuring a transgender woman is another big leap towards the world becoming a more inclusive and accepting place.  As discussed in class, LGBTQ youth frequently grow up in heterosexual communities, thus, their role models amongst the LGBTQ community are limited to the select number of people the media portrays.  An increased variety of powerful and moving LGBTQ individuals in the media, such as Pejic, is necessary for so many people to feel a decreased sense of isolation.   

Representation of Kate Middleton

While I was on Facebook, an article was recommended for me to read. It was titled, "Kate Middleton Drops Jaws, Proving Prince William Is A Lucky Man". My jaw dropped, and not because of the way she looked. I was like, "Are you serious!?". It was clear to me this article, by Livingly, was placing a woman's value on her appearance and the way that a man is "lucky" if their partner is hot (not smart, interesting, fun, etc?). 

Articles like this give the wrong ideas to both sexes. It makes women feel like they have to look a certain way to please a man. It also gives men certain expectations of women. Like the Fiji study points out, the way women are presented in the media actually make girls change their habits. The NY Times article pointed out, "Just a few years after the introduction of television to a province of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu, eating disorders -- once virtually unheard of there -- are on the rise among girls, according to a study presented yesterday at the American Psychiatric Association meetings in Washington." If these types of articles and portrayals continue to exist, eating disorders and other issues that affect (mostly) women will continue to be on the rise. 

 

Models & Sports Illustrated

After watching Miss Representation in class, I thought hard about how women are represented in terms of beauty standards in the media. I thought about how just the other day, I stalked the Instagram pages of Gigi Hadid and Zendaya Coleman, and couldn't help but wish I looked as "perfect" as them.

Right now, it is undoubtedly Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition season. Pictures are all over the media of the new cover models, and voting has already begun for next year's edition. While I was browsing through my Instagram feed today, I came across a picture of model Barbara Palvin. She was a "rookie" in this years edition. When I looked at the picture, I did a double take. I realized her body was not what I was expecting to see come out of Sports Illustrated. Her stomach/ body type looked normal and healthy. Her shape is what mine looks like (she has visible hips!). This was so refreshing to me. What made me sad was that I was surprised to see this. As Miss Representation pointed out, society is not offered a true representation of women. We are constantly given impossible beauty standards, especially in magazines like Sports Illustrated that are created for a man's pleasure.  I went through some of the comments on her photo. People were actually calling her "fat" and "too fat for SI". This is ridiculous. We are taught from such a young age that we are supposed to look a certain way, and having anything other than the model physique is not acceptable. It is sad that this is the representation that media gives us, and in return society believes that a woman like Barbara Palvin is fat. As the Killing Us Softly article pointed out, "Magazine advertisements portray women as flawless", so when they are not flawless, people are taken aback.Clearly, things need to change. 

Unemployed reality TV stars seek their next 15 minutes of fame

The Next 15  is a new reality show about reality show stars who compare their lives from being on reality TV shows.   You would expect a show that looks into behind the scenes of reality TV to be as "real as it gets", but this show still carries the stereotypes placed on minorities.  Benzino, from Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, is portrayed as "another Black man that doesn't take care of his kids".  Karamo from Real World: Philidelphia is the one cast member that represents for the LBGT community.  Tiffany "New York" Pollard  from I Love New York and Flavor of Love, portrays the angry, crazy Black woman.  Claudia from Real Housewives of Atlanta is constantly mentioned for her slutty ways.  Laura and Jennifer from Basketball Wives both take the stereotypical gold digger spots on the cast.   From the trailer alone it is clear that the women will be placed into catty altercations to keep drama stirred up. All of the stereotypes are commonly portrayed in the reality TV world especially when it comes to women and minorities.