Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Rape Is No Joke

So, here's the movie I was talking about in class today.

Annie is a shy 14-year-old who strikes up an increasingly intimate online friendship with “Charlie," who claims he is 16, later on admitting to being in his mid-20s. Later on in the film, “Charlie” takes a plane to visit Annie when she later discovers that he’s actually in his mid-30s. He takes her back to his hotel room and sweet talks the terrified but mesmerized girl into bed. When Annie's parents discover what has happened to Annie, their coziness is shattered. Rape charges are filed (Annie, in deep denial, at first denies she was raped) and the FBI conducts a manhunt for “Charlie,” who has a long list of previous victims. 

Also, Annie’s dad is an ad executive who specializes in risky clothing campaigns, he somehow blames himself because he felt as if he threw his daughter in this world where she felt that she needed to look a certain way and have to have things like Victoria's Secret lingerie on. 

The story line is different in comparison to the book Speak but the concept of rape is the same. Annie has always been inside this bubble created by her conservative parents, thus giving her the desire to wanting to branch out and take things from the strings for a chance. After having sex with "Charlie," she is feeling differently and is acting weird around her friends. Her parents and therapist have to literally shake it out of her the idea and reality that she had been raped. After reading the book, I was able to connect Annie because the feelings and process of being raped is hard to settle. 

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Friday, October 26, 2012

Heartbreaking example of devastating effects of 'Slut Shaming'

My heart is broken by this needless loss of life just the day before yesterday; in addition, I am enraged--especially upon reading that four of the men allegedly involved in the sexual encounters were part of the bullying that ensued.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

The Big O!

So, I believe that many of us attended I <3 Female Orgasm program earlier this week and my oh my! I MUST say... it was AWESOME. It was educational, and made students COME without even giving it a second thought. ANYWAYS, I really wanted to hear people's opinion about it because I know some people did not feel comfortable about it and some thought it was an "inappropriate" program to bring to campus. Granted, I was ease dropping BUT that is completely normal being at Denison BUT as the normal Denison student, I approached the people because I wanted to know her reasoning by saying that. She was caught off guard but hey, it's a good way to meet people. Ultimately, she believes that a woman's body is private, therefore she does not believe that there shouldn't have been a program discussing such "vulgar" areas of the human body and what not.

WHAT?!

Yes, a woman's body is private (in some aspects) but talking about sexuality is like talking about the weather for the week... it'a natural and BOUND to happen. Sex is natural and I think that talking about ORGASMS and the things that follow up with that is NATURAL. This program covered many aspects of a woman's thinking and that's the part of the program that I liked the most. I felt as if it brought many women together and even men that they saw how it's not just about them but WOMEN take a crucial part within sex and what not.

I don't want to go on a tangent about this but you get the idea!


No One Would Tell

Hey! So, here's the video I was talking about in class. This is the scene that literally covers everything. Stacey wants to break up with Bobby because he has been constantly hitting her in public/private. He follows her everywhere and always knows where she's at. At school, she finally tells him that it's over but Bobby gives out these crazy vibes. She cannot stop talking about him and how she is the blame; and he tries using his charm to get her back. She goes back and they get into another fight but this time... she never made it back home. Bobby slit her throat because "if he couldn't have her, then no one can." Bobby was convicted for first degree murder. During the trial, their friends were testifying and going based off of what they saw... ultimately, none of them tried their best to stop what was happening.

Ultimately, how much can friends and family do? It was an obsession and she saw it as love. Granted, she hated the way she was treated but I think that she at first saw her mom being in a verbal abusive relationship and went off of that but after all of the times he would publicly hit her... it would happen multiple times.

In high school, I've seen so many abusive relationships and everyone that it was either "sweet" or "adorable" because someone can care so much for someone but what other aspects play into relationships that we should admire and accept? If someone sees a sign of abuse... it's no game to play around with because you never know what a person can be capable of. In this case, Stacey's relationship led to murder and there were signs everywhere.


Laci Green's "Sex +" Youtube Channel

Here's the link to lacigreen's Youtube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/lacigreen?feature=g-all-u

She has some really interesting things to say, and really talks like she knows and cares about the subject. Here are a few choice selections:

Losing your virginity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdYtYveJI1Y&feature=g-all-u

You can't POP your cherry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qFojO8WkpA&list=UUJm5yR1KFcysl_0I3x-iReg&index=13&feature=plcp

Men & Femininity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77lPjNhL5X4&list=UUJm5yR1KFcysl_0I3x-iReg&index=12&feature=plcp

All in all, a really good sex ed channel.


And, pop culture!
Twilight? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8gpHK5orJQ&list=UUJm5yR1KFcysl_0I3x-iReg&index=32&feature=plcp
50 Shades of Gray? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o92hv7La9Sk&list=UUJm5yR1KFcysl_0I3x-iReg&index=3&feature=plcp
The Hunger Games (*spoilers!!*) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHxQx-Zi5oQ&list=UUJm5yR1KFcysl_0I3x-iReg&index=16&feature=plcp

Love activates the same region in the brain as drug addiction

http://io9.com/5920291/love-activates-the-same-region-in-the-brain-as-drug-addiction

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Latina Princess? Legit?

http://nbclatino.com/2012/10/18/disney-set-to-unveil-first-latina-princess-sofia/



In one of our previous classes we talked about several Disney princesses and how they are being portrayed among little girls (younger audience) but let's be real and honest, it obviously affects us too because why would I be blogging about it if it didn't. Anyways, I recently spoke about this new "Latina" princess to my step-mom and the first things that I said to describe her was "Light skinned, brown hair, blue eyed girl with no accent" and granted I said all of this in Spanish in a pretty anger tone. Why am I angry though? What if Disney made her brown skinned, black hair, brown eyed with an accent? Oh, wait... that's me. Would I honestly have this reaction? I have cousins who have blonde hair and green eyes and they are Latina. This Disney Princess is practically white; her name is Sofia and at times, I feel as if it okay to make things look credible but not offensive. I don't expect Disney to make a princess look Chola or "Beaner-Like" as people depict Latinos but I would not like to call this Disney Princess the first Latina princess when she's not but Disney says, "but she is." And you know, everything Disney says is right... (Sarcastic moment). I am very skeptical in seeing this movie because I will have more of a debate after I see where this is placed and the story line. Ultimately, where do we draw the line, in terms of labeling and stereotypes? How far can a person be stereotypical in order to make things credible? From what I've seen in the commercials, I see that her mother marries a King (who's white) and Sofia is getting carried away from a little village to a castle. They can make Sofia look "Not-Latina" but what is really going to start off controversy is the story of whether her mother was a maid and she married someone rich. Since they claim that she's Latina even though she doesn't really look like the typical Latina, we'll see if the story-line is based on stereotypes. Let's be real here. We'd worry more about the princess effect on little girls than the shades of its characters. But, yeah, it's Disney: What did I expect, Dora the Explorer? 





Monday, October 8, 2012

Cats against Catcalling!

For those of you who love CATS and dislike catcalling, check out this website=

http://catsagainstcatcalling.tumblr.com

Just a little reminder not to feed into male patriarchal culture and to ignore societal norms that oppress and objectify women!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Information and research on kids and media


Common Sense Media, an independent nonprofit foundation advocating for kids in a media age (whose advisory board includes Deborah Tolman), is engaged in research, state and federal policy and legal action. They offer advice, reviews, educator resources, and outreach to families and parents. Take a look, for example, at the six recent studies regarding kids and media use or exposure:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/policy-advocacy/research-kids-and-media

Video: The Factuary - What Do Feminists Have Left?


Educators or Entertainers? Deleted Scene in Disney's Lilo & Stitch

(Sorry, I ramble a bit. Skip to about halfway down this post to see the video link.)

I saw this post online before we had our class screening of the Mickey Mouse Monopoly, and I think it speaks to many of the "issues" with Disney that we saw today.
I love Disney, and I think that there are many good points to female empowerment, as well as other issues addressed in their films. However, I also think that their films really are a product of the time. (For example, Snow White came out in the 1920s, so while I think it is fair to analyze the movie for discussions on media in that decade, it feels a little cheap to bring it up in today's world and blame Disney for the choices they made back then.) In any case, my feelings about Disney are vast and complicated and I don't think I will be able to articulate my stance eloquently enough at this moment.

What I will say is that animation has a lot to offer, and I think that companies should seek to wholly fulfill their role in the lives of children - not just as entertainers, but as teachers and educators. I believe that strong and possibly even dark issues should be addressed to children at a young age, but that doesn't mean that they should be made into a big deal. With animation and cartoons, a child can be introduced to ideas in an environment that feels "safe" and "harmless." But in the long run, the cartoons that a child chooses to watch (like the Disney movies a kid will watch over and over again) in their childhood greatly affects who they are as an adult. And in addition, teenagers and adults will constantly reminisce about their childhood pastimes, even revisiting old movies and reinterpreting them as adults. My point is that these movies keep coming back, even once you've "grown out of them."

One more example before I get to my post. In the recent Studio Laika claymation movie ParaNorman, at the end of the movie (*spoiler alert*) the main jock older brother character that Norman's sister was pining over the entire film, responds to the sister that he'd love to catch a movie with her sometime, and that his boyfriend loves chick flicks. (/end spoiler) My friends and I paused for a moment before hurriedly turning to each other Did we just hear what we thought we heard? I mean seriously, that's awesome. It is incredible that a film can so subtly and so easily mention a gay relationship without any kind of complication or further explanation. He's dating a boy, that's just how it is. The whole issue of "should we, shouldn't we, and if so, how?" on introducing young kids to tough (well, touchy) subjects could be resolved so simply. Calmly introduce an idea, and then it is up to the parents or guardians (or older siblings, role models, what have you) to follow up and unwrap that idea.


Too long; didn't read:

Animation and programs directed at kids are (well, can be, should be) powerful.

Here I found this post about a deleted scene from the 2002 Disney movie Lilo & Stitchhttp://fleursciortino.tumblr.com/post/32730300694/coelasquid-snoozlebee-leidis (please watch the video and read the comments)


In it, Lilo plays a prank on the tourists who come to visit Hawaii. It's played to exhibit Lilo's knack for mischief, but it also illustrates her feeling of loneliness and alienation in her own hometown. And perhaps her sense that "these people don't understand." These people don't try to understand.
Furthermore, the scene rings with significance to demonstrate the native Hawaiian frustration (irritation? There's a better word for this sense of... hurt, somehow) that some feel towards insensitive, often ignorant tourists. I do not think that all tourists can be like this (how is the best way to act as a tourist? Not to try and mimic someone else's culture, but to be respectful. But how can that be appropriately accomplished? I suppose it's another discussion for another day), but it is important to reflect on the ignorance of the people who are.

The fact that the scene made it so far into development frustrates me. All in all, it comes down to finding the appropriate amount of "edge" in content. How much is too much? What is and what isn't appropriate for the time? ParaNorman was released this year, and with a strong wave of gay rights movements, its gesture is appreciated and applauded. Within the circles I visit online, I have seen no bad press regarding the film.
I suppose I wish animated films would be a little more adventurous with their progressivism. Yes, movies are for entertainment, but they do hold a strong influence on the development of children simply because cartoons are the main sort of media children consume. Addressing racism is a huge and important step - and it should be just presented simply. Why does it society have to make it so complicated? Why can't children's stories speak out against these kinds of things instead of falling back onto stereotypes (here I think of the lyrics for "Arabian Knights") because they are "safe" and will be overlooked by the majority watching the film?


Alright, I'm done. I could go on and on about animation forever, but I'll leave it at that. The knowledge of this deleted scene doesn't lessen Lilo & Stitch in my mind, but it does make me a little sad wondering what could have been. But what's done is done, and in these cases, I just want everyone to be aware of the deleted scene, understand the significant points it makes. It is significant not only because of the content in scene itself, but in the reasons why it was chosen to be left out of the film (yet included in the special features on the dvd release).

Mom That Bleaches her sons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoQgMsKGZbM

Here's a link to a mom that bleaches her sons, because she feels they look more handsome when they are lighter. Here's an example of the role of a parent in her children life. Is she sending the wrong message to her children? These are males, how would this effect them and their views on the world compared to females?

Monday, October 1, 2012

Baby Teeth Does Not Equal Sexy

After watching Buying Into Sexy, I literally was disgusted by how far this whole idea of sexy as gotten out of hand. I watched this with friends and we remember being "tweens" but never like this. This video is talking about young girls ages 8-14 and how they no longer want to be kids but at the same time, not wanting the responsibility of a teen/adult. The girls that we're interviewed in the video said things such as, "I'm not a cute girl. I'm expensive" while she proudly shows her Ka Ching t-shirt, while another girl states, "I like these jeans; they're nice and tight." Personally, if people are trying to be "sexy" then they should be matured and knowledgeable about the things that surround them. Young girls that are trying to be like the GIRLS on TV have a rude awakening/misunderstanding because those girls that are referred to as "women" on TV are not even matured or knowledgeable themselves. Young girls are trying to be sexy when they still have their baby teeth. Young girls have this twisted idea of who to look at as a role model and when I was that age, my grandma and other educated women were mine but in the video, you can see that the parents even "blame" themselves because they know that their kids follow their example. At times, mothers wear promiscuous clothing that will obviously make their daughter want to wear but they don't want to "limit" their daughters like they were limited when they were their age. Young girls encounter sex/sexy on a daily basis by posters, clothing, make-up and heels because they want to be fit in. It's not so much by being noticed by the opposite sex but more of having "the look" that "popular" people have. What is this whole concept of being popular? I never understood it but of course, not everyone grows up with this want to be an individual until high school. The media enforces adult products, teen attitudes on younger kids when they have NO business in learning that yet. There are parents that allow their kids to dress and act in such ways and haven't even spoken  to them about the "birds and the bees" or how I like to call it, SEX. Young girls insist on following the trends because if they don't then they'll be loners. I get extremely annoyed when the media insists on believing that what they're doing is okay and provides "empowerment" for girls when in reality, they are destroying the innocent minds of what is suppose to be a sweet 8 year old girl that is in such a hurry to grow up. The media tries to fight the opinion of parents or concerned adults by saying, "It's okay to let young girls be sexy and what not..." Is it really? Why does sex/sexy have to be fun? I thought the whole concept of sex was the save it for someone or only limit it to a special someone or something... I don't like to ramble but the ages are changing and next thing you know an 9 year old gets pregnant but then again, the media has a saving by NOT having the say with how they kids interrupt marketing/advertising of things that they see on a DAILY BASIS. I guess no one really gets the message of how things are being interpreted by the obvious case of young girls wanting to be sexy when they haven't even reached an appropriate age. Is there an age? Should girls even allow themselves to be seen as that? All I know if that a young girl still has baby teeth than being sexy should be far from their  mind. 

Follow up on Boys who like "girl" toys: Bronies

Adult Male My Little Pony fans? Bronies are true rebels. 
There's no reason a quality cartoon about love and tolerance shouldn't inspire passion in young straight men, argues author Rebecca Angel.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/01/my-little-pony-bronies-rebels

Disallowing men to choose to identify as a My Little Pony fan is just one more way we arbitrate boys and girls into rigid categories of what is acceptable in terms of gender roles. What I find disturbing (but not surprising) is the vitriolic backlash commentary that follows Angel's article. 

The intensity with which others 1) mock adults for liking something meant for children and 2) reinforce the arbitrarily gendered nature of entertainment provides further proof about the costs of (resisting) gender conditioning. The teasing, whispering, shaming, and ostracizing evident in the comment sections exemplify some of the costs associated with those actions that resisting gender conditioning.
takes a similar position in his discussion of his son's desire for pink: "Not wearing pink is just another way we box boys in to what’s acceptable and what is not in terms of gender roles. If a boy plays with guns, sticks, trucks, and plays sports, he’s a “normal” boy and conforming to acceptable boy behavior. If he plays with dolls, wears pink, is overly emotional or sensitive, or dresses up like a girl, he’s going to face the gauntlet of shame and judgment. Other boys will tease him. Other parents will whisper about him. Some teachers, pastors, or coaches might even try to change his preferences or they might overtly shame him for it. These are some of the costs of gender conditioning (the biggest obstacle facing men today)." As upsetting as the readers' comments on Angel' s article in the Guardian, it pales in comparison to the chart found "encourag[ing] masculine behavior in our sons." As the Princess Free Zone has also expressed, I find upsetting that such a list still exists in 2011.
http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/my-son-wears-pink-hes-either-gay-or-a-girl-right-raising-boys/

Tricky Dilemmas just in time for Halloween Season

A 6th grade girl writes about the challenges of finding a not-sexy Halloween costume. A fascinating and troubling article!
 
The 6th-grader's commentary makes me think of a line from the movie Mean Girls, “In the regular world, Halloween is when children dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”
 
Miss Representation, a film worth seeing *NOW* if you haven't yet seen it, also makes an interesting observation on the subject of Halloween costumes:

And, here are some tips for "Halloween costumes that are classy, not trashy."We can address the ways that sexualized and sexy are conflated in class, if you are so inclined.

Little Girls Gone Wild

An article from Redbook magazine, "Little Girls Gone Wild: Why Daughters Are Acting Too Sexy, Too Soon":
"Push-up bras, pedicures, hip-hop dance classes: These are now the social currency of the under-10 set. What happened? And how can we help our girls stay girls for longer? Rachael Combe reports."

Empowering Girls: Is concern over girls' sexualization justified?

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Empowering Girls: Researchers Determine That Social Media Is Ruining...

Empowering Girls: Researchers Determine That Social Media Is Ruining...: While this article is quite critical of the research (which it calls 'specious'), the study nevertheless raises interesting questions about...