Sunday, August 28, 2011

Tuned In: Misogyny, Objectification, and Rape Narratives on the Radio

When it comes to feminism, looking at the messages constantly being sent by the media is important. The media delivers thousands of gendered messages every day--about what is expected of men vs. women and about which gender is more valued. In assessing media messages and campaigning for media literacy, the most obvious areas of discussion are TV, movies, and ads. Radio, however, is also fair game and I believe it needs to be examined for its affect on how listeners' view male and female roles in society, and for how certain hit songs can objectify and demean women as much as any advertisement can.

Radio stations, namely the Top 40 stations, dish out the latest musical hits. They range from club to hip hop to the pop-country of Taylor Swift. Growing up, it was usually the Top 40 station that I listened to on the way to and from school. Over the years my iPod was a welcome replacement to radio, but every now and then I tune in.

Some of the most popular songs of the summer have been, in my opinion, some of the worst in terms of female objectification and misogyny. I'll begin with the most recent example, which I only just heard for the first time yesterday.

New Boyz: Better With The Lights Off



I chose the version with lyrics to showcase just how misogynistic these words actually are. The title in and of itself worries me, because it is obviously stating that even though the girl may be beautiful (as the first lyrics suggest), she still looks better to him when he literally can't see her as well.

I don't know what pisses me off more: the fact they're sending a message that women look better with the lights off or the fact they have the audacity to say "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but..."

To ask a woman "not to take it the wrong way" is to negate any feelings of anger the woman may feel and to shame her into feeling guilty. Because, if she's taking it the wrong way, then she isn't having the acceptable reaction to his words: submission and acceptance.

Later in the song, the men state "I just wanna see you with the lights off. Every guy wanna know how it is, to clap off the lights and turn Khloe to Kim."

At this point in the song, it is clear the reason men want to have sex with these women in the dark is so they can play into their own fantasies. Forget the woman who's there, participating in the act with him. With no lights on, he can feel free to imagine that he's with any woman he wants--not her. This is a classic example of objectification. By stripping this woman of her identity by turning out the lights, he has turned her into nothing more than a sexual object that is there for his pleasure.

When girls and women hear this on the radio, the message is clear: even good looks don't matter because in the end, you'll never compare to his fantasy...and you better just accept that.


Katy Perry Featuring Kanye West: ET



If you haven't guessed it yet, this is the one I'm talking about when I say "rape narrative." I think the song came out some time late spring, because I know I was driving to school when I listened to it the first time...and nearly had a heart attack.

Not even the catchy beats of the song can disguise the message for me. Right off the bat she says that victimization is something she wants, putting stock in the theory that women actually want to be raped:

kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me,
infect me with your lovin'
fill me with your poison

Take me, ta-ta-take me,
Wanna be a victim,
Ready for abduction.

And, it gets worse. Kanye West makes it worse.

Pockets on Shrek, Rockets on deck
Tell me what's next, alien sex
I'ma disrobe you,than I'mma probe you
See I abducted you, so I tell ya what to do

I tell ya what to do, what to do, what to do


The fact that this song is even allowed to play over the radio at all times of the day and night is amazing to me, since it clearly uses the words "alien sex"...and probing.

These lyrics are filled with phallic imagery that is clearly talking about penetration and ejaculation (or in Katy Perry's words, "poison"). When he says the words "I'mma disrobe you then I'mma a probe you," it sounds aggressive and it refers to an aggressive sexual act that has nothing to do with love or sex--it has to do with power. The power struggle in this instance is conveyed through the lyrics "see I abducted you so I tell you what to do." The controlling nature of those words truly disturbs me.

So what's the message? What are children and adults learning from this one? They learn that sex and love are poisonous, and therefore any sex act that involves struggle and victimization is, actually, a "sexy" one. Everyone loves being lavished by a stranger who wants to control them--thanks so much for sharing that, Katy and Kanye.

Rihanna: S & M



This one has had the most staying power over the summer. Compared to the other two, I'm not as offended by this song, but I do still have issue with it. Mainly, I just don't believe that Rihanna is as in to S & M as she makes it sound in the song. By singing about how she likes to take part in sexual acts of violence and degradation (without making me believe its true) she is objectifying herself. She is saying she likes violent sexual contact in order to titilate the listener and make them believe she can easily play the role of a victim. In the music video, she at one point is dressed like a child while tied up and trying to escape, which fetishizes children.


These three songs are the most obvious examples from the recent months. But, there are so many more. Any time I turn on the radio the songs I hear are most often about drinking and/or sex. They send messages, like TV and advertising, that women are sexual objects to be used and then tossed aside.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Jours Apres Lunacy: Couture Lingerie Makes Women of Girls

French company Jours Apres Lunes has come under fire for its new collection of "loungerie" for babies, girls, and teens. The reason behind the commotion is not so much what they are selling--which includes triangle bras and frilly panties for girls under age 5--but how they are selling the products.

Photographs that depict girls ages 4-12 lounging around while sporting Bridget-Bardot-styled hairdos, pearls, large sunglasses, and lots of makeup are what sell the collection. The young models look very French, effortlessly pretty and effortlessly cool. They also look like they are playing at womanhood in a sexualized way.

Why else, other than wanting to look and feel like a grown woman, would a 4-year-old girl want to wear a bra? And the frilly panties, what purpose do they serve a toddler? Over the years advertisers have caught on to this innate desire kids have to grow up, but they've combined that want with the one basic rule of advertising: Sex Sells...so why not sell it to kids, too.

What is most concerning is the fact that children do not know or understand when they are being sold this concept. Dressing up a baby, toddler, or young girl like Bridget Bardot is an invite for them to be looked upon as sexually mature. They know nothing about sex--but the touseled hairdos, the makeup, and the pouty demeanor they have in the Jours Apres Lunes photos says otherwise.

In 2007 the American Psychological Association released its "Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls."

The report, updated and re-released in 2010, focuses on how young girls are being sexualized by advertising and the media. It also examines the effects this trend is having on the girls being sold those images, products, and beauty standards. The results thus far have confirmed that the consumption of sexualtized images of young girls and women can lead to depression, body dissatisfaction, and lowered self-esteemed. The report also speculates that the consumption of these images by male viewers may lead to an increase in sexual harrassment and abuse toward children and an increase in demand for child pornography.

Sexualizing adult women was and still is nothing new, but today the age of women and girls modeling for provocative advertisments is getting younger and younger...and what's worse is that they are usually selling products to other young girls on a mass scale by conveying one very important message: This will make you a woman (and a very sexy woman, at that).


In addition to aging young girls up to give them more sex appeal, adult women are seen being infantalized in advertising--meaning they are made to look younger, more childish, and more vulnerable. For example, this photo on the right of Glee actress Lea Michelle is obviously playing up her role as a high school student in order to increase her sex appeal, hinting that she is "barely legal" even though the actress is actually 24.

If young girls begin trying to look like grown women and grown women continue trying to look like young girls, then females are forever engaged in a battle they just can't win.

As for the "loungerie" concept, it's not the worst thing in the world. Most of the items aren't overly sexy (though they could do without the frilly panties and bras), and little kids running around in their undies is just a fact of life. However, the point is that something that should be innocent is no longer innocent when it communicates a sexual message and creates within the young viewer or wearer a desire to be seen as sexually mature.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Movie Blog: Modern Fairy Tales and Why Being a Princess Doesn't Have to Be a Bad Thing


I have a soft spot for Disney's princess movies. I loved Snow White because she could talk to the animals, Belle for her love of books and beasts, and Jasmine for her independent attitude. Over the years, though, I lost faith in princess movies because of the ridiculous over-marketing of pink, pretty-princess merchandise to young girls. Most stores I walk into get cursed up and down for participating in this overt gender reinforcement. Still, that soft spot for princesses and fairy tales remains...but is liking them the same as endorsing rigid standards of femininity? I think not, and while Disney's merchandise is largely behind young girls quickly becoming slaves to "pink" and "pretty," their movies depict the princess personality as something wholely different.

Today, while mindlessly browsing Facebook, I found a BitchMedia post about Disney's latest princess movie--Tangled. My subconcious was thirsty for a feminist perspective on the flick, which I had not seen. I must have been growing increasingly bitter about this princess stuff, because I was surprised to find that the article was in praise of the movie. It discusses how the conflict of the movie is not necessarily that of finding true love--it is more about Rapunzel and her relationship with Mother Goethel, which is a clear example of emotional abuse and control. This peaked my interest, and I just had to watch the movie I knew was recently added to Netflix Instant Que (yes, I am shamelessly endorsing Netflix...for free).

Tangled was more than I had expected. The plot did largely revolve around Rapunzel's struggle with her over-bearing Mother Goethel, but it was also about so much more: about following a dream, about a young girl finding adventure and independence, and about the strong bonds of not just love, but of family. From a feminist perspective, I most enjoyed the fact that Rapunzel was excited about taking an "adventure." Throughout the movie our heroine points out her longing for adventure beyond the tower and she definitely participates in it. What's most special about this princess is her appreciation for freedom, and also for the little things--rolling in the grass she'd never known, dancing in city streets, and reveling in her dream-come-true...no, not true love, but something else (though, of course, that comes later). The modern spin on the classic princess ending was that the princess delayed her "happily ever after" until she was ready, allowing herself to do and experience more than just love and marriage.

Adventure, independence, and love of not just men but of life is something all girls can proudly aspire to. Tangled is just one film example of how a Princess can be the embodiment of those qualities. Another great example (one from my childhood and also on Netflix) is the 1995 version of A Little Princess. Though the main character Sara is not actually a princess, she represents the kind of princess personality that goes deeper than fame, fortune, and beauty. The message conveyed by the heroine of A Little Princess is that all girls are princesses regardless of age, class, race, looks, etc...but that being a princess is about believing in it, having an imagination, protecting and loving your friends and being strong enough to never let anyone or any hardship make you feel like anything less.

Princess toys, dresses and merchandise are a poor reflection of princess characters. All that stuff tends to revolve around the color pink and "the look"--but as reflected in the books and movies starring princesses, being a princess can be about more. Being a princess is and should always be about craving adventure, friendship, and independence; and never settling for anything less than your dreams--love or otherwise.