Who are the real tough guys??

After seeing the short film on Tough Guise in class. I began to wonder why these messages of the violent, misogynistic, and selfish attitudes towards women were being reinforced in all forms of media. The movie that first came to mind was “Limitless” where the main character played by the “Hangovers” Bradley Cooper becomes addicted to a fictional drug that produces a side effect that resembles that of the Tough Guise. The drug helps him overcome problems related to confidence and motivation.  As if he were not enough of a man prior to the drug, its effects create the degradation of women, violence, and search for power.

The images in the movie “Limitless” are those of the Tough Guise but in contrast the video by Rihanna called “Man Down” makes an effort to counter that by giving the main character Rihanna her power back after being raped by a man she met at a club. Similar to Jennifer Lopez’s character in “Enough” the woman is able to get her power back but without the intensive training. So after Rihanna personally becoming a victim of domestic violence she is able to get a fictitious form of revenge through the video.

I hope that the trend continues upward where the male characters in movie are shown to be respectful of women and more accepting  of their own feelings. The time of the showing male characters having to smack a woman when she is acting hysterical or not crying after something extremely dramatic happens to him is in our media past.  Why these gender norms are still shown make me worry about what my soon to be born daughter will be inundated by the Media.

Michael Myers: Hero or Villain?

Recently watching and talking about the Tough Guise documentary has made me relate the idea to horror movies since many of them are on television during this season. The killers that are portrayed in such movies as Halloween, Friday the 13^th and Nightmare on Elm Street are notorious in the horror community, and often idolized by fans because of the gruesome way in which they kill their victims. As a result, many people, both young and old, dress up each Halloween to pay homage to these murderers. While I agree that it is very fun to do so, it is also kind of disturbing to see young kids dressed up as Michael Myers with a fake, bloody knife in hand looking for candy from you. Is this really what our society has become today? Instead of dressing up like their favorite Power Ranger or cartoon character like I did in my childhood, they opt to portray the vicious killers of their favorite movies.

I believe so many kids idolize these madmen because they are powerful, smart and, above all else, immortal. No matter how many movies they make in a horror series and how many times the killer is destroyed in the end, they always return in a new movie to seek out new, unwilling victims. In these horror worlds, even the strongest and most muscular of men are no match for the unbelievable physicality that these psychologically deranged men bring to the killing field. And while horror movies have continually gotten more gruesome over the years, there are always new ways to push them to new horrific limits. For example, in the recent Halloween movie directed by Rob Zombie, the first victim of a young Michael Myers is a teenage classmate. After being victimized by this classmate, Michael snaps and lures him into the woods after school and proceeds to beat him to death with a tree branch. Instead of leaving most of the killing up to your imagination like the original 1978 Halloween movie would, this new movie shows every realistic and horrific detail of the teenager’s bloody end. The feeling of nausea and sickness that I felt afterwards did not set a good tone for the rest of the movie.

Being a big horror genre fan, I believe that the original horror movies of the past are by far better than some of the new releases today. Filmmakers are trying to find more gruesome ways to depict killing on the screen and it is more real than ever. I believe that this only creates desensitization to violence because it is so real. Additionally, there are some that idolize these killers for the wrong reasons because they want to be powerful and smart like they are. I really hope that horror movies continue to be successful, but I think there must be some limits on the unnecessary, graphic violence that filmmakers put into the film.

What Halloween Has Become

I know holidays always change as you grow older but I feel like Halloween has changed for everyone in the past decade and not just because I am no longer going trick or treating. Halloween as a kid was all about candy and dressing up like a favorite Disney princess, a scary witch, or a spooky ghost. Now I feel like Halloween is all about dressing up in as little clothing as possible and girls making sure their costume is revealing enough. As I said, I know it changes as one gets older and Halloween in college is drastically different than Halloween in grade school but I feel like people of all ages are concerned about dressing scantily clad.
When I was at Party City a week ago looking for a Halloween costume, I looked at the children's costumes because they are always so cute. I noticed that there were not as many "cute" costumes as I remember there being in the past, and there were so many costumes that are specifically made for young girls that were very revealing. For young girls to already be dressing slutty for Halloween in grade school is setting a terrible example. They are going to grow up thinking that it is alright to dress that way just because it is Halloween. But it doesn't matter what day it is, how you dress is a representation of yourself.

What are Scary Movies teaching our Children?!

In the spirit of Halloween (Somhain) this week I feel the need to do a blog post on Scary Movies. My roommate and I love scary movies and all weekend whenever we were home we would turn on the TV and watch whatever scary movie happened to be on. However, this week on AMC they mainly showed the Halloween movies. Paloma (my roommate) and I have never really seen them so we sat down and decided to see what all the hype was about. Paloma thinking I always know everything ever in the world asked me 100,010 questions. However, there was one question that really got me thinking about the development of older movies.

Paloma asked me “Why are older movies always so raunchy?” Oh course, if you did not know majority of the Halloween movies are just people having sex, screaming and then dying in gory ways. This is when it occurred to me the true meaning of old fashioned scary movies. One of the main points always stressed in these movies is always “Sluts Die.” It is always the ones having sex that are killed first. It stresses that sex is dirty, it is sin and for that you will be punished and thus, they die. If you thinking about it too, it is always the women that die. So now it comes down to gender and a debate about women’s sexuality.

This got me thinking more and more about jokes that are always brought to my attention about the sad truth of scary movies. This first one that usually comes into play is “the black guy always dies first.” A joke used for many years but, it got me thinking. Why does the African American always die first. When looking back at old scary movies we can see the hints of the idea that black people are just too stupid to live all the way through the movie. Now this brings race into picture. African Americans are portrayed as the perfect victims who cannot survive due to their inability to outsmart the killer.

Thus, I have concluded that old fashioned scary movies are just sexist and racist. Maybe this Halloween season you should look more closely at the movies you are watching and what they are really trying to teach you.

http://youtu.be/X-q-AWD_8AY <-----The Rules

The NEW Barbie

Yesterday I came across this article about a PLUS-SIZED BARBIE. Could this be true?! I had to see what they looked like, and I was hoping they wouldn't be a mockery of a curvaceous woman.

After hearing all the controversy about the Toki-Doki tattoo Barbie, this was definitely something new. This Barbie is sold over-seas, and the meaning of Ciotka Kena is Ken’s Aunt. America is thinking about releasing these Barbie dolls! Barbie has always had such a strong reputation for being perfect…perfectly unrealistic. Is this new Barbie just as bad as the current one, only at the opposite extreme? In this generation where child obesity has highly increased, will this reflect on that generation? OR will this show the kids that being on the plump size is okay? Or show them that you can be beautiful and comfortable in your skin at any size. Only time will tell if these dolls actually get released. The closest Mattel came to a “plus-size Barbie” have been Rosie O’Donnell, the first plus-sized model Emme Aronson and Effie from Dreamgirls, but they were not on shelves for long. Many parents are supporting this Barbie! Blog responses consist of “I agree plus size barbie would be great!!! every beautiful woman in the world isn’t a size 0 keep it real!!!!” and “A plus sized Barbie, i’d get my daughter one she loves barbie and i think that a plus sized one is a positive thing as you never seem to get plus sized dolls for little girls!”. I guess it’s time for children to see something besides a glamourized anorexic and let them embrace the beauty of voluptuous and curvy.

LOST in a cultural divide

Although LOST is no longer on T.V. I'm still a die hard fan and we can still study the cultural relevance the show had. Among the long list of man characters was a Korean couple, Jin and Sun. During the first season it was shown that Sun was in an abusive relationship with Jin or at least to everyone else that's how it looked. We've been talking a lot about gender roles and when I think back about the show it's even more relevant to see how we as Americans miss judge the gender roles from other countries. What we perceive as abuse was in fact a strong sense of honor and the need to protect his other half. Although we learn latter on, why Sun and Jin acted in a manner that is different from what you and I might act in. Although Jin was in ways overly protective of Sun, and she does spend some time apart from him they latter reconnect on the basis of understanding. Without the knowledge of the couple's cultural origin it is easy to see where we as a society would make these mistakes.

A New Wave

While I've seen the film before, the unsettling portrait of masculinity in Jackson Katz's Tough Guise is still just as striking as the first time I watched it. I forget how devastating machismo's vicious headlock on boys and men is to their body image, emotional wellbeing, and the wellbeing of those around them. With that said, I believe that while this is still the dominant identity men take on, that standard isn't as uncompromising as it has been in recent history.

With the increasing popularity of independent films and "alternative" fashions, it seems as though the presence of hyper-masculinity is losing its footing. A new trend in male protagonists is the quirky, quick-witted nice guy in off-beat comedies like the enormously popular Juno, which is a stark contrast from the unflinchingly violent individualist characters found almost universally in action films. Leading men in these films are often imperfect and more realistic, placing value on humor and personality over aggression and enormous biceps. Additionally, the rising mainstream acceptance of clothes that were previously considered unacceptable for a "real man", like skinny jeans, is eroding the slim definition of a tolerable male image. Even within my recent memory, boys and men who wore skinny jeans were "gay" and would be harassed relentlessly, sometimes even confronted violently. Now (relative) fashion-forwardness is widely considered cool.

While narrow standards of what is considered masculine are still prevalent, the tide is beginning to shift, hopefully permanently. There is still a long way to go if boys and men are to be released from the unwavering mold of manliness, but it seems that things are headed in the right direction.

Ron Swanson: Actual Feminist

Recently I’ve been catching up on NBC’s Parks and Recreation. One of my favorite episodes so far has been "Woman of the Year". In this episode Ron Swanson, Pawnee, Indiana’s Director of Parks and Recreation, is named Woman of the Year by the Indiana Organization of Women, a title Leslie Knope would kill for. He immediately recognizes that he does not deserve the award, and that it should go to someone who has actually done something to empower women and is actually a woman. Of course, he only reveals this to the audience and goes on to mess with Leslie in an attempt to show her what little importance awards actually have. This is only reinforced when a representative from the IOW comes into the Parks and Rec office and explains the reasoning behind choosing Ron. She claims that the award and organization were looking for some recognition from the media, and chose a “Mustachioed, manly man” in order to avoid being called a “niche group” again, after years of choosing women for the title. While Parks and Rec is obviously a comedy show with often ridiculous situations, this stood out to me as something that could actually happen. Like Jackson Katz points out in Tough Guise, white men are the dominant group in our society. Now women make up about half of the world’s population so it seems odd that a group so large would be considered a “niche group.” However, because of the control white males exert over the media, this is actually very possible. What the IOW was trying to do was appeal to that group by awarding the picture of masculinity, Ron Swanson. Ironically, Ron rejects this idea, and pushes for Leslie to get the award. In the end all of the trouble is worth it for the following quote from Leslie: “The IOW is a bunch of sexist jerks who need to get back in the kitchen where they belong and leave the real feminist work to actual feminists like Ron Swanson. Oh my god what is happening?”

Collector's Edition Barbie causes Controversy

A new barbie, costing $50 and being marketted as a collector's item, is causing a controversy with parents lately. A friend made me aware of this new Barbie. Press surrounding the barbie cites concerned parents, who say that this doll encourages children to get tattoos. This seems a bit misguided as tattoos, when done in a professional licensed studio, are supported by the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/features/bodyart/) and not cited as a health risk (when sanitary). However, the Barbie enterprise (including "girl oriented" computer games that allow you to change Barbie's make up and hairstyle, shopping games, and the doll notorious for being a physically impossible body type) encourages girls to place unhealthy importance on their looks and materialism that fuels the harmful message sent to young girls that their looks are the most important characteristic. While some claim Barbie causes eating disorders, I would not go so far as to say they are caused by a single toy. The doll does contribute to a culture of shallow values, of objectification, and creates an unhealthy and impossible beauty standard. Many before me have claimed this. The fact that parents are very concerned that a collector's edition, $50 Barbie that is marketed towards adults and only sold in special boutiques, not toy stores, seems to uphold the hegemonic ideals of the importance of looks. The difference is that now the look to be avoided is not only an average body type (In the U.S. the average clothing size of women is a 12 or 14 by different sources), but a modern trend of tattoos and piercings. Seeing as one is generally an external pressure and the other a personal choice, this concern seems rather misguided.

Two and a Half ...Women?

Discussing the portrayal of men in the media instantly made me think of the show Two and a Half Men. With the acceptance of many of men's cultural "traits", this show is not even considered appalling. It is humorous and completely accepted that Charlie is a man whore and sexually objectifies women on a daily basis. He is the successful man with a high earning job, a home right on the beach front, ad with all the time in the world for leisure activities. His brother on the other hand i s homeless, with a child, divorced, and makes little money. Charlie holds the characteristics of a real man, tall, strong, highly sexually active, and single. He does not treat women like actual human beings, and he is everything but "emotional." His failure of a brother is the sensitive, caring, small, skinny guy who is highly moral and cares for women's feelings. Yet ironically, he fails in his love life while Charlie is very successful. What does this say about American men in our culture?

price of fame

While watching the interview with Bell Hooks something caught my attention about her opinion on Madonna. She stated that Modonna has to have a new gimmick every time she wants to gain a new image. By doing this she is gaining more popularity and wealth. When Hooks was talking about this I immediately thought about how celebrities go to far lengths in order to have a higher fan base and higher status. Heidi Montag is the poster girl for this. She completely changed the way she looked and acting in order to gain more fame. What a mistake. When is she on TV anymore? Never. Why is it that celebrities have to take it to the extreme in order to achieve something that can easily be attainable by doing positive things that will make for a better, more respectable image. Hooks also mentioned that Madonna does the things she does because of greed. She needs that wealth to make herself feel better and, unfortunately, its the case for many people who seek fame and fortune. I feel like sometimes they don't always think about what they do well enough to understand the image that they really are putting out there. When it comes to male celebrities, Tiger Woods definitely screwed up, and I know he didn't do what he did in order to gain fame and fortune because he already had that, but my argument is that all that fame and fortune caused him to do the things he did. He is a person that should have thought about what he did before he did it. To me, this goes to show that money can make person do crazy things that don't always look good to the public. Greed is the main thing that runs trough these famous people's vein's once they get a taste of the fame and fortune.

Just Genderly Confused

I’m in theatre. Always have been, probably always will be. One issue I have always run across is that I am not particularly “girly” enough for directors to consider me for a more feminine role. (If you can imagine the amazing amount of parts that I haven’t gotten because I am generally more masculine, you’d probably be in shock) In all honesty, I think it’s just because I never understood the big deal about being feminine. Girls doll themselves up – poking, prodding, primping, high heels, trying to suck it in for that last inch of zipper to finally go up on the perfect dress, etc. All while men throw on a button-up shirt, a pair of slacks, maybe a tie and they look “nice.” Thinking costume-wise, it doesn’t matter on the time-era for men – they just need to make sure they have pants and a shirt. For women, style, cut, color of dresses, hair and make-up all need to be considered and looked-over on several different occasions.

So where am I going with this? Not sure. Seems as though there are now a lot more masculine women around while men become more feminine. Can someone explain to me why guys wear girls’ pants nowadays? There was a period of time where metrosexuality was a thing for men (I’m pretty sure there’s an episode of South Park about it), and after watching Tough Guise, it made me wonder what happened in that moment where guys started worrying more about having gel in their hair instead rather than actually bothering to shower or not. With the guys becoming more feminine, it seems as though girls have to step-up the manliness to compensate. Which eventually ends up with the overly masculine women and sickeningly feminine men, and both have a tendency to make people uncomfortable.

I don’t know where I was going with this. This was just a random thought process that I had going on.

Gaga the new improved Madonna?

I know that everyone has thought the same thing since Lady Gaga has came into the music business that she is the new generation Madonna. I got to thinkning about Madonna and the breif topic of her from the video we watched. I also thought of Lady Gaga and the article that we read that had to do with Barbie. In the article, it talks about all the different Barbies out there and that they all have a postive image...there is no negative Barbie (Pregnant teenage Barbie, abortion Barbie, drug Barbie and the list goes on). I got to thinking of the image of Madonna and Lady Gaga and how they are totally different from the image of Barbie, and what every little girl wishes she coud look and be like. They set a new trend for the females out there that says you don't have to be a perfect lady in order to be successful and to be sexy. They are the new women that young woman look up to and admire for being so cutting edge and different.

The Army's New Tactic

The video Tough Guise presented by Jackson Kats gave a compelling look into male toughness and power as a way for them to survive and gain respect in society. He talks of how men mask themselves with a tough exterior because being weak is not a hegemonic male trait according to stereotypes. He makes sure to mention that these stereotypes are enforced by the popular culture that surrounds us every day and I would completely agree with this. A connection I would like to link to this is the army as well as video games. Clearly the army trains you for combat, violence which is considered very masculine. Even their slogan points to this in saying you should be "army strong." They are appealing to this guise that men wear to create toughness for respect. Video games do this as well for they tend to have much violence as well as strong masculine characters. They teach you to fight and be tough and kill anyone that stands in your way. What I find interesting is in a class last year we watched a video on how some army recruitment centers were transforming into video game centers. They are using this pop culture phenomenon to interest young boys into joing the army. It is supposed to show them how accepting and fun this violence can be while gaining a sense of respect from others as well as masculitiy. Is this a smart tactic on the army's part to use something so popular to aid in recruitment or is it decieving and wrong to push this false sense of self onto young boys?

Smiley Face

When I first saw this picture I wanted to scream "yes! Finally!" The media in our country needs to focus more on global injustices, like that of the starving children shown, instead of trivial issues, like that of the male couple. The media in our country is responsible for the ill feelings towards homosexuals. Honestly, if the media didn’t portray gays as villains or sinner more people probably would be accepting. There are worse things in the world than a man marrying a man. Don’t get me wrong social issues should be considered but not in the media. They should be focusing on raising issues that are important. What’s that the original purpose of the media, to expose the injustice going on in the world today? Where is the injustice in gay marriages? They should be focusing on children who need our help overseas or foreign issues arising between our country and another- not the stupid issues of gay relations. Who’s goddamn right it is to tell one person they can’t love another? Not anyone on this planet and the media needs to stop fueling the flame of all those ignorant assholes who think they have this right. Does the media seriously have nothing better to cover than gay marriages? What about the hungry children? What about the soldiers in Iraq? What about how our president doesn’t do a damn thing? Personally, these issues should take prevalence over a silly issue like gay marriage.