Resources for thinking about Gender

Given the interest in discussing Emphasized Femininity and Hegemonic Masculinity in lecture on Thursday, I thought it would be nice to create a post with various resources for thinking about issues of Gender.  I will be adding updates throughout the quarter, so be certain to check back!

Emphasized Femininity

Sara Haskel's Comic series "Target Women" (originally aired on the now defunct cable station Current TV) has many examples of the way that the cultural structure "emphasized femininity" is used to sell women various beauty and household products.

This video is about hair products, but there are many others on everything from yogurt, to birth control, to security systems and online dating.

 This Electolux commercial featuring Kelly Ripa is a good example of the ideal of "Effortless Perfection"











This article about the "Thigh Gap" is another example of the pressures for bodily perfection that young women face.  Here

 Counter-Narratives

 

Hegemonic Masculinity

Another Sara Haskin's video - this one is about the way that Men are portrayed in advertising aimed at women.  The "incompetent" husband might seem contrary to the Hegemonic Masculine role, but can you think of ways that it reinforces existing division of labor and emphasized femininity?

 This is one example of how existing gender expectations are not good for men and for women.








Tony Porter's TEDx Talk -  "A Call to Men" 

***Trigger Warning - Discussion of Sexual Violence***

In this video Mr. Porter discusses Hegemonic Masculinity - which he calls "The Man Box" and its relationship to violence against women.









Brene Brown's TED Talk about Shame includes a very nice discussion of gender expectations for both men and women.