Holiday Shopping

In the Sunday Sun news paper last week, I came across the Toys R US big book. This is Toys R Us’s holiday buying guide. The toys marketed to girls were Barbie, Baby Dolls, kitchen sets, ironing boards, and a pink ride on power wheels motorcycle this motor cycle had a side car on the motorcycle for the girl’s dolls.  What was odd was all the Lego’s and build blocks and problem solving toys were geared towards the boys. The boy’s motorcycle was black with no side car for his action figures, (the boy dolls).

The I know there will never be a perfect society with everything being equal, but it would be really nice if the toys marketed to girls had more problem solving ideas. In general, toys are marketed in a way that is gender based.  It can be said that the influences that account for the lack of women going into the fields of science, begins at a young age—the time of boys playing with blocks and building things and girls playing with Barbie and baby dolls.  I think it’s great to have role models for girls in school, but I think the role models should start at a young age with education for the parents, especially those of girls, regarding toys to help children become better problem solvers. 

The Hierarchy of Language

I came am across an interesting article and YouTube video on American Sign Language (ASL). Melissa J. Regas, is a deaf artist. She lives between two different cultures-- the deaf culture and the hearing culture. Melissa explains how ASL has not progressed in the same way society has been progressing in regards to the inequities of class, race and gender. Sign Language dates back to 1620.

Melissa Regas decided to develop a new model of sign language called the : Peoples’ Sign Language (PSL),in which she takes unbiased approach to signs.  Her goal is give 21 st century perspective on the way certain words are signed.

In traditional ASL many of the men signs are on the upper part of the face while the women signs are on the lower part of the face that signifies the power of the man, as well as the dominance of the man.

In ASL, continent, countries and culture signs are based upon physical stereotypes . This signs are  not geographical in  location. For an Example the ASL the  sign for China symbolize a military uniform and the physical "oval eye shape" . In the  PSL,Melissa wants to  diminish stereotypes so the sign would be represented as a map painted upon the body, which signifies their geographical placement. PSL country signs are formulated by finger spelling the first letter or abbreviation of the countries’ name around their geographical location.

 “ In PSL, the face is split in half vertically not horizontally. The right side of the face is female signs while the left half is male signs. I made this choice because when the words "female" and "woman" are read across the face, the male/man portion of those words are on the left side of the face. The PSL placements of male and female signs are based upon visual fingerspelling, not social status.”

I can honestly say this is a very  unique idea and I have never  really thought about how ASL still has stereotypes in the language.

The Myth that Only White Kids go Missing

I thought about doing the blog on the missing girls in Florida. I was talking to a friend on Thursday and mentioned to her that these girls in Florida are white. They are getting a lot of media attention. I know kids go missing all the time, so why are white kids the only ones getting media attention? Then i saw this

Picture. 
All children deserve the same equal treatment. All children are innocent the race of the child shouldn't matter. One child hurt is one too many. One child missing is one too many.

The bias in the media is not just about young white girls. Think about Annie Le, a 24-year-old Yale pharmacology graduate student, went missing on Sept. 8, it only took three days for the university to offer a $20,000 reward.

Ten women have been found slain or have been declared missing in Rocky Mount, N.C. in recent years. But the rest of the country hasn't heard. There may be a possible serial killer stalking this young women African American Women, however there has not been any media attention. The latest victim, Elizabeth Jane Smallwood, was identified on Oct. 12. Why have the Rocky Mount murders been largely ignored? In the case of the Rocky Mount women, it took more than six years to raise that same amount of money for 10 women. These women are just as important. Why aren't we teaching our kids and society none of these action are okay? We fight for equal rights.  That means equal right for all women--not just white women. Race should never play a role.


Black and Missing


Missing Kids

Child Connection

Why Can't Girls Play Sports ?

While watching television I happen to see a new Fisher Price toy being advertised. This new toy is called Smart Fit Park. What really bothers me about this ad is that the girl is playing in the park either jumping rope, playing hop scotch or running around with the characters. Then in the second part of the ad the boy gets a turn. Now when the boy has a turn the activities change. The major issue to me is that the sports are not advertised with a girl ? Why can't the boy play with the jump rope or hop scotch and the girl play with the bat and tennis racket ?

The socialization of boys and girls is very different. When girls are brought home from the hospital many parents refer to them as a precious princesses. They treat their daughter as delicate and fragile. On the other hand, when a boy is brought home, it doesn’t take long before the parents, and especially the father, are showing people how strong their boy is. Often before the baby can hold up his head, he is identified as the future quarterback while the little girl is sporting an infant cheerleader outfit. It is also common for rough housing to start with young boys, while girls are not encouraged in the same ways to be physical. It comes as no surprise that the gender expectations put on a child affect other arenas in their life, such as school. The input and influence from the media and society, but most importantly from the parents can begin this divide even before the child says his or her first words.  The impact can be profound.

Can girls grow up strong ?

While on the web I came across an ad by General Mills. This ad is geared towards children. The target audience is evident. The cartoon characters appeal to children. The ad is selling sugared cereal. It is not the product I am having the problem with. I have a problem with the marketing angle. The commercial ad consists of two children, both are boys. The idea behind the ad is growing up strong, one boy measure another boy. The issue that is most bothersome is why is there is not a girl in this ad, why can 't the girls grow up to be strong? Is the word strong only associated with boys? Is it to masculine of a term for girls?

Let me show the cereals that are on the store shelves : All of these cereals are geared toward boys.

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Girls Singled Out !

I recently received a link from my sister, she thought it may interest me because of the classes I am taking. This article discusses a recent “ABC News Special" on teenage sexuality called "Is Oral Sex the New Goodnight Kiss"

Monica Grajales a sex educator, talks about how our young girls think about sex.

She points out one way in which this video reinforces a male dominated society. “It states that 54 % of girls between 15 and 19 have had oral sex". It is clear that this percentage is supposed to incite panic or at least horror for the viewer. However, it begs the question, with whom are the 54 % of the girls having sex? That part is not mentioned in the video, though presumably it is usually with males roughly their age. Is a male teen’s sexual behavior more of a social norm? If so, why is our society saying it is okay for the male teens to have sex but not the girls? Why the double standard? Why are the girls singled out? This seems as archaic to me as it does to the author of this article.

Another point the video made worth mentioning: “Girls most at-risk are the prettiest ones from the most successful families. We’re not talking about marginalized girls.” So that means that if you are not wealthy and fit into society's ideal of Barbie, that it is okay to have people exploit your body. In other words, we never see the African American girls making the news, just rich white girls. What about all the girls sold into  prostitution? - rings? Is it okay as long as they do not come from rich families? This is the stupidest comment I have every heard. I would like to know who the judge of a pretty girl is. Is it society? Is it other girls? Is it all about money?

One last thought to add, I do not think most teenage girls think oral sex on a first date is normal, and it is irresponsible to say they do, because a young girl may see this and then think that she has to be that way.

Why do Women have all the Responsibility ?

The new vaccine Garadsil, is being marketed to prevent the spread of human papillomavirus. The makers of the vaccine stress the point that Gardasil protects women against two strains of HPV that cause 70% of cervical cancers. In this light it has only been approved in the states for women 11-26. At first glance this makes sense. Looking further, however, it begs the question; don’t men get and transmit HPV as well? The answer is, yes. The rate of disease infection is not significantly different for men and women. Upwards of 80% of sexually active adults will have an HPV infection at some point in their lives. Why then hasn’t this drug been approved for use in males? It hasn’t been approved because research hasn’t been concluded to prove it would work for men and men don’t typically have major complications from HPV infection. There are two things to consider here. One would think that human physiology doesn’t change that much. Polio vaccines, for example weren’t being tested independently for boys and girls to satisfy a concern that it might not work for one sex. For that matter, many European countries do recommend the vaccine for both sexes, presumably because they didn’t discriminate their pool of research subjects. Secondly, whether men typically have further complications shouldn’t factor into the equation. The bigger issue here is that women wouldn’t be getting HPV at anywhere near the same rate if it were not for the men with whom the heterosexual women are being intimate passing it on to them. The responsibility for the sexual promiscuity is being placed squarely and unfairly into the laps of women. Again, this only reaffirms our culture’s premise that a man is allowed to—if not expected to—exert his masculinity through his sexuality at whatever cost.

Is there Equal Treatment?

Serena Williams acted completely inappropriately at the U.S. Open. I am not here to defend Serena's actions, but I want to discuss the media attention that Serena has had and the consequence for her actions.

During a match point at the U.S. Open the line judge called Serena on a foot fault, (the line judge made a bad call). I am not 100 percent positive on the exact quote, but rumors going around say Serena said” "If I could, I would take . . . this ball and . . . shove it down your throat." "I swear to God [bleep], I'm taking this ball and I'm shoving it your [bleep]." This was not her first blow up that day. Earlier in the match Serena smashed a racket and she was warned then as well. In tennis after your second warning a point is lost.

That is all fine, I can't help wondering had Serena been a man, would all this have happened? I understand society’s idea that what Serena said was not very lady like, however when you play in the hot sun for hours and hours, people's frustrations build up. Not only did it cost her match she is suspended for the rest of the year. Did the line judge feel threatened because Serena is a strong woman. Is this because of her or sex?

There is precedent for thinking a man might have gotten away with this. John McEnroe was famous for his abusive language, throwing rackets, and having temper tantrums on the court. During a 1979 match between John McEnroe and Ilie Nastase, a rule infraction, the chair umpire awarded a game to McEnroe. Serena also lost the game for rule infractions, but in the case of the men the fans made such a fuss that the referee overturned the penalty and replaced the umpire. In 1999 the line judges didn't typically feel threatened by Marat Safin and he's a 6'4" male who broke 48 tennis rackets that year in fits on the court. Also, Jimmy Connors in the 4th round match at the 1991 Open, exploded twice at the chair umpire. Connors was not assessed any penalty and went on to win the match. The crowd even cheered him on.

Serena Williams was booed. Serena Williams has been on the side of many bad calls. Can they be gender biased? There have been many male athletes who have done worse and said worse and have not been treated as severely. I do not agree with her actions or behavior but I'm also not convinced she is getting fair justice.

What's the Underlying Message?

Cover Girl Ad

Ellen's Poker Buddies

Ellen's wedding picture. ( Notice the Pants)

Lesbian celebrities can be seen advertising products ads; however, there is no lesbian content other than what is implied by their presence, an example of such ads, American Express ads, featuring Ellen DeGeneres. With one simple television commercial Ellen DeGeneres was able to break the lesbian stereotype about femininity and beauty. One stereotype is the words lesbians are called or referred to as "bull dykes" or "butch", these names are very masculine. The femme dyke" is practically indistinguishable from a straight woman, feminine clothes, hairstyles; dress, etc may be a little more conservative with make-up or at least less concerned with superficial appearance. A recently new term or "category" of "soft butch" or "hard femme" where the two former stereotypes converge into the type of person that is truly ambiguous about their sexuality unless you ask explicitly. Let's not forget the term 'lip stick "lesbian, these are women who put on make-up and were dresses, these women usually have more feminine attributes.

After carefully looking at the print ad of Ellen DeGeneres Simply ageless defining makeup, there is a man holding a pipe on the side. The first picture on the left there is what looks like a pipe. In the set of pictures on the website site for cover girl, the each picture is having some association with a male or masculinity. The first picture is a man’s hand, second picture has a man in the shot and the third picture in the group has Ellen doing pushups, Ellen is doing something masculine, and is also doing the male version of the push up. Ellen is not shy when it comes to her sexual preferences, she had a very public wedding about 2 years ago. I believe cover girl is trying to make Ellen fit more into a traditional society, a man and women. Having a man present in the photo and the male activity, it is also giving Ellen the presence that she is with a man. I think the push up shot is more about Ellen, it actually reminds me of the commercial many years ago, for secret deodorant, “strong enough for a man , but made for a women. As in the picture the audience can see Ellen is strong like a man, however she is a women and she is wearing makeup to prove that point. I think Ellen is easily draws both straight women because she's not threatening, and lesbians because they can identify whether they are butch or femme.

Why aren't women good enough ?

In American society sizist discrimination runs rampant. We are bombarded with media images of “perfect” people. Women being portrayed as attractive and desirable are nearly uniformly tiny-waisted with substantial breasts and blemish-free faces. Men, meanwhile, are generally encouraged to be tall, broad-shouldered, and fairly small-waisted. These images do not represent reality nor are many even healthy. In a similar vein as diet commercials are those ads for low-fat, low-calorie, or high-fiber foods, which when incorporated into a diet of moderation and other healthy food choices and exercise may help a person to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Almost invariably these ads are using women who are already slender by anyone’s account and implying they are watching their weight or trying to lose a few extra pounds. The climax of the commercial shows them proud to get back into a bikini, zip up their “skinny jeans”, or run their hands over a skin-tight dress. According to the National Institute for Health, adult’s Body Mass Index is in a healthy range if it falls between 18.5 and 25.9. For a 5’2’’ person, this correlates to 100-135 pounds. If it were against regulation to have an actress/actor in this type of commercial whose BMI was already under 26, viewers would gradually develop a realistic idea of what a healthy physique looks like.

Who is in control ?

 

In our society men have power. With few exceptions, men control the media, the financial sector, politics, religion and the ivory tower. Their power is pervasive.  It is not only exercised through corporate means, individual men exercise power in their relationships emotionally, financially, and physically.  Even more disturbing is that the scope of these corporate and individual powers extends to reproductive healthcare. The issues surrounding gender inequality in this realm of medicine are intimately entwined with the power of men.  Take for example medications designed to treat erectile dysfunction.  Medications such as Viagra are advertised on prime time television.  At any given time,  television networks consist of about 2600 channels and generate annual revenue of out 57 billion dollars.  While the actual television show being broadcast only contributes about 60 percent of networks’ revenue, advertising contributes about 45 percent.  With advertising contributing such a large percentage of networks’ revenue, maybe taking a look at what is advertised is important. These ads are targeted at men, usually portrayed as “average Joes” who are being chased by lusty women and present the inability of a man to get or maintain an erection as a disease. According to the Viagra website if a man even experiences occasional disruption to his sexual satisfaction, he should talk to his doctor. A woman’s decreased libido, however, is not recognized as a problem, let alone a disease. Since her pregnancy, my sister has been struggling with the issue of decreased libido. She has even made an effort to discuss her concerns with her doctor. After blood work showed no signs of hormonal imbalance, her doctor said there was not much she could do to help. She was even told—by a female doctor—that if she was having sex once a week she was “doing good” and still had unrealistic pre-motherhood expectations of sexual satisfaction and frequency.  She told her doctor that it may be ‘unrealistic,’ but her husband’s frequency of desire and her lack thereof was causing significant turmoil in their relationship.  She merely wanted to be treated like she had a legitimate medical concern. Her doctor went on to explain that while it may seem archaic, “sometimes you just need to find it in you somewhere because men tend to stray when their needs aren’t being met.” In the case of prescription medications, the research for these drugs has been funded prior to their approval by the FDA. This disparity in treatment is being fueled by the fact that overwhelmingly men are funding and conducting the research. Moreover, the idea that this disease needs to be treated for men by prescribing drugs perpetuates the notion and the cultural expectation that men need to “sow their seed.” Only in this context, not treating women who suffer decreased libido while naming a disease and funding research for men who suffer the same malady, would men assert that this inconsistency make sense.

Who Does Society Value More?

Michael Vick was sentenced to prison for up to 23 months for running a dogfighting operation. Chris Brown was sentenced to 1,400 hours in "labor-oriented service" for assaulting his girlfriend, Rihanna. Chris Brown will also be on probation for five years. What is wrong with our society, when a person hurts an animal and receives jail time,and another person beats up his girlfriend and gets community service? Women need to be valued more then than animals. Michael Vick also seemed to get twice the media attention for his dog fightting charges. The media allows this to happen .Women are treated as possessions and objects. This is clear in many music videos, especially rap, where women  can be seen being used as tables or sex objects. This sends a message to society that it is ok to treat women in a violent way.