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.
Do the lyrics of the song match with the images in the video?
Make note of the artistic choices made in each video - what style of dress was chosen? Who is in the video? Does the video tell a story?
For Pink's Perfect
How does the Pink video make use of the cultural structure of "Effortless Perfection" as described by Farrelly?
What lines from the song or images from the video represent "Effortless Perfection"?
What lines form the song or images from the video contradict or counter "Effortless Perfection"?
Does the video seem to take a stand about "Effortless Perfection"?
What do you think Pink's intention was in writing this song and making this video?
For Michael Jackson's Bad
Are there images or lyrics from this video that support the kind of "superman" or "ultimate masculinity" described in the Zirin article (and discussed in section)?
Do the lyrics ever contradict or contrast with the images in the video?
Does the video support the kind of masculinity described in the Zirin article?
What might Michael Jackson's intentions have been in making this video?
Bonus: Consider how "effortless perfection" as a standard for women and
"ultimate masculinity" for men interact - do they support one and
other? Contradict one and other?
For your Assignment: Once you have watched the videos a few times and made some notes (considering the questions above) please write a 1-2 page (300-500 word) reflection paper. You may chose one video to focus upon or compare and contrast the videos. Answer these three questions:
Briefly define "ultimate masculinity" (we called it Hegemonic Masculinity in class) and "effortless perfection."
Describe how you see these videos making use of the cultural structures of "ultimate masculinity" and/or "effortless perfection."
Do the videos contradict or create a counter-narrative to "ultimate masculinity" or "effortless perfection"? If so, how do they do this.
Bonus: Do you think these videos have a useful or positive message for the people who watch them?
Please type your essays. They are due on Monday, October 7th in section. A hard copy is required.
Please be specific in your analysis - quote the lyrics or point to specific scenes from the video to support your analysis. Remember to cite your sources, including in-text citation of the articles you have read.
If you are not familiar with in-text citations please refer to The OWL at Purdue.
******EDIT********Otober 3, 2013
Please include a works cited page. I think it is important for you to get into the habit of always citing, thus including a bibliography is good practice. However, I know that you may not be familiar with how to cite a website or a video so I have included example reference below. Please be certain to include any outside sources you used, including Wikipedia.
For your reference: Youtube videos should be cited as follows (Using APA format)
Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (year, month day). Title of video
[Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxxxx
You can see further information and examples at http://blog.apastyle.org/
Works Cited
Farrelly.
(2013). Freshman Women at Duke University Battle 'Effortless
Perfection'. In Blair-Loy, M. (Ed)An Introduction to Sociology: Analysis of
the Social World (2nd Edition).
Jackson, Michael [Michaeljacksonvivo]. (October 3, 2013). Bad [Video File]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/dsUXAEzaC3Q
Jackson, Michael. (October 3, 2013). Lyrics, Bad. Retrieved From http://rock.rapgenius.com/Michael-jackson-bad-lyrics
Pink [pinkvivo]. (October 3,2013). Perfect [Video File]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/K3GkSo3ujSY
