Simply horrible!
The misrepresentation, sexualization objectification of women remains till this day – perhaps worse than before.
I feel that these following advertisements speak for themselves;
Sisely Fashion Advertisement
VIVA Music Advertisement
Diesel Jeans Advertisement [Campaign
Diesel Jeans Advertisement [Campaign
Researching for my final assignment for Girls, Women and the Media course, I came across a very interesting book that I wanted to share with you. The book is titled, So Sexy So Soon
So Sexy So Soon, by Jean Kilbourne and Diane Levin
by authors Jean Kilbourne and Diane Levin. Many of you probably recognize Jean Kilbourne from her work with images of women in advertising, especially her video Killing Us Softly. Having read the introduction to this book online, it looks fascinating. It explores the sexualisation of girls by the media. It explains that experiences that were encountered a few years ago at the age of 13 are now present at the age of 3. Through music, television, magazines, and advertising sexiness is more prevalent than ever almost creeping into the crib. This book offers explanations to the increase in sex all around us and additionally is offers suggestions to parents on how to protect their children. Both authors agree that limiting exposure to media and checking ratings is beneficial. Other recommendations are, to set rules and routines for the household, keep up with the media and technology, open the lines of communication with your child – of course parents must start at a very early age with these methods. I recommend that you take a few minutes to read the introduction to this book by clicking here, or pick it up at your local library.
I myself am not yet a parent, nor do I plan to be for a few good years but I think that this book is beneficial for anyone planning on having children in the future.
Also check out the American Psychology Associations Task Force Report on the Sexualization of Girls link to read about how to empower women and arm them with media literacy resources.
The music industry keeps surprising me. As I read in H&M Magazine, “Fashion has long been influenced by the flashy world of the red carpet, where stars and trends are born” (H&M Magazine 9). It’s no surprise that we try to emulate the styles of the stars as adults, but what about the younger generation. If we are influenced as educated adults, teenagers are even more susceptible to emulate what they like and see. A couple of weeks ago I added my two cents to a discussion about women and the music industry. I would like to share my thoughts here with the world. I had looked at pop stars Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Rihanna.
Britney Spears Album Cover, 1999
In my opinion there has recently been a great change in body image and sexuality especially in the music industry. Back in 1999, Britney Spears had just released her album in 1999, …Baby One More Time. At an age of 18, Britney’s sexuality was an undertone in her lyrics. Her first album was a major hit with the public, soon controversy started over her school-girl modified outfit, too exposed.
About 10 years later, a new vocal sensation has captured the public – Rihanna – a new fresh voice. One of her newest albums to come out had me in shock. The album titled Russian Roulette was released sometime in 2009. It featured a nearly naked Rihanna in a skin colour corset with only barbed wire to conceal her breasts, or shall I say nipples rather. The huge contrast between what was considered to be too much in 1999 and what is fine in 2009 is just incredible. What message does Rihanna send out to young women everywhere when they look at her on the album cover?
Rihanna - Album Cover 2009
Lady Gaga - photo from music video Telephone, 2009
What message does it send to young men? Another Pop-culture music star that has challenged body image and sexuality is Lady Gaga. This star
also pushed her limits to create the most outrageous music videos possible. With her extravagant outfits and barely there bikinis, some of her music videos are really pushing the limits in what is acceptable. This only feeds the problems that young girls have with their body images and sexuality.
Another pattern in the music industry and pop-culture is the new openness of being bi-sexual, gay and lesbian relationships or experimenting with members of the same sex. I think it all started when Brittney kissed Madonna, soon after other celebrities were doing it just for fun at night clubs. Katy Perry released a song I kissed a girl. Shortly thereafter, I began to see photos on Facebook from parties that people would post were seeing two girls kiss would be included somewhere. Perhaps this is because girls aspire to be like the celebrities that they admire or like Lady Gaga and Rihanna, that the boys all ogle. I recently read a very interesting interview with Dr. Leonard Sax, a family physician and founder of the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, who recently wrote a book titled Girls on the Edge. According to Dr. Sax,
“Girls spend a lot of time photoshopping their pictures, making themselves look a little bit thinner than they are and getting rid of the pimples, because they know boys are interested in the photos on these [social network] sites. So you’ve got 14-year-old girls essentially presenting themselves as a brand, trying to create a public persona, polishing an image of themselves that’s all surface: how you look and what you did yesterday, not who you are and what you want to be. And that leads to a sense of disconnection from themselves, because in most cases, these girls don’t even realize that their persona is not who they are. They’re just focused on striving to please their market and presenting the brand they think will sell. It’s one thing for Angelina Jolie to be doing this—she’s an adult—but it’s really toxic for a 14-year-old. It gets in the way of the real job of adolescence, which is figuring out who you are, what you want, what is your heart’s desire.”(Fillion, 2010).
The messages in images from the music industry to fashion, to television shows and movies have all changed in the last few years to be more sexually flexible, more sexually available. What I mean by this is that youth is exposed to more material with a strong sexual tone. Which can lead to the troubles Dr. Sax outlined above. Girls are in a competition to be the best, to be the prettiest and in recent years with the rise of Social networks, especially Facebook, it has opened a new field on which teenage girls can play. Girls today aspire to be prettier and sexier than the next, drink and party with the cool kids and get as many guys as possible. They seem to aspire to the life of celebrities.
Advertising and marketing also impact what girls see as well it helps to form their perceptions on beauty and trends. Advertising for fashion generally involves a strong man and a submissive woman, or just a woman but her pose in the image is weak and submissive. In a speech by Mary Lou Quinlan, the vice chairman of MacManus Group in New York, an advertising and marketing holding company, she questions, “Since women account for 90% of Victoria’s Secret sales, what will happen to the longer term growth of the brand if it continues to attract men by making women feel uncomfortable?” (Quinlan, 1999).
I feel as if this industry gets away with a lot because it’s deemed “entertainment” – what the public wants, but I seriously question where this
Dr. Leonard Sax
industry is heading and how fast. Take a look at some of Lady Gaga’s videos for a better understanding of her overly sexual content. I really think that this content should be rated, and young girls protected from it. PArt of it seems like its from some cheap porn video, don’t you agree?
Additionally, I suggest looking up Dr. Sax’s book. I borrowed it from the library and found it to be a very interesting and insightful read.
Works Cited
Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time. N.d. Amiright.com. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://www.amiright.com/album-covers/images/album-Britney-Spears-Baby-One-More-Time.jpg>.
Fillion, K. (2010, May 3). Inside the dangerously empty lives of teenage girls: impressing each other with sex, booze and Facebook. MacLean’s. Retrieved Oct 18, 2010, from www2.macleans.ca/2010/05/03/gender-expert-leonard-sax-on-the-empty-world-of-girls-impressing-each-other-with-sex-booze-and-facebook%E2%80%94while-parents-opt-out/
Lady Gaga – Telephone. N.d. Bestweekever.tv. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://www.bestweekever.tv/bwe/images/2010/03/Lady-Gaga-Telephone.jpg>
Quinlan, Mary Lou. “Women: We’ve come a long way, maybe.” Advertising Age 22 Feb. 1999: 46. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. < http://web.ebscohost.com.library.esc.edu/ehost/detail?vid=8&hid=13&sid=e3243fd6-ec75-4cb0a61d0c26189f17b2%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ufh&AN=1588564#db=ufh&AN=1588564>.
Russian Roulette – Rihanna’s CD cover. N.d. KingIce.com. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.< http://kingice.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Rihanna-Rated-R.-Russian-Roulette-Single-Cover-Art.jpeg>
Image from H&M Magazine, Winter 2010. pgs 72-73
Image from H&M Magazine, Winter 2010. pgs 73-75
The last time I went to the mall I made a quick stop at H&M. I picked up the new H&M magazine and flipped through it to find an interesting article on “Lovely Lingerie” by Lauren Cochrane. (Click here to read)
I find it incredibly surprising that underwear is ‘totally in this season’. Now it’s acceptable to wear this as our main garments, instead of under garments. Social values and attitudes are so obviously changing to become way more laxed and not morally bound. I recently picked up a book by author Rushworth M. Kidder titled how good people make tough choice. It is centered on resolving the dilemmas of ethical living every day. The author explains that “values can change” (Kidder 42), that as a people our social climate constantly changes to reflect cultural movements. As we move forward, our society changes and what is acceptable today was perhaps considered totally unacceptable in earlier days. Granted that society is changing and our society may be becoming less controlling of things such as fashion – undergarments are still not clothing in my opinion. The fact that underwear is accepted as fashion by society is due to the overexposure we have had to it as young women growing up. How come men’s fashion doesn’t have them in their boxers as the latest fall trend? – it’s because women are yet again objectified by the media.
The article run by H&M – which puts such an upbeat positive twist on how underwear is the ‘hot in thing’ – provides a wonderful timeline of the brassier. Apparently we can all thank Madonna (see image below) for being the first to really introduce bras to the pop culture – or at least being the main icon for underwear. It’s just so apparent how this kind of sexualisation and objectification of women is still accepted by society.
Maddona's Underwear Timeline, Image from H&M Magazine, Winter 2010 pg 75
Bra Timeline - Image from H&M Magazine, Winter 2010 pg 74
Just take a look at the time-line above….”the negligee becomes a dress” (H&M Magazine, 74). It all sounds so strange– like its saying “women, we’ve come a long way from the 1800s, now we are free to have our undergarments in full public view! Victory is sweet and victory is ours!” It’s completely ridiculous. I think that this is positioning sexualisation and objectification as acceptable and sought-after. As if all women only strive to be “sexy” and “attractive”. According to H&M magazine, “Fashion has long been influenced by the flashy world of the red carpet, where stars and trends are born” (H&M Magazine 9), so change must first be internal –within the production suites of the ‘mass media’ major corporations before we can really attempt to change attitudes of the public, but as we have all heard before, “sex sells”…
Works Cited:
Cochrane, L. (2010, Winter). Lovely Lingerie. H&M Magazine, n.a, 72 – 75.
Living abroad for many years I had seriously fallen out of touch with mainstream North American TV shows. A friend of mine recently introduced me to a show called Weeds. I suppose that many of you have heard of this show, but for those of you like myself let me explain the basic structure. Nancy Botwin is a single mother of two boys ages 9 and 16 approximately. They live in a suburban town in California. Nancy was recently widowed by her husband leaving her to support herself and her boys with no financial help from her deceased husband Nancy must find money quickly. Nancy eventually becomes a marijuana drug dealer in her small community who just offers a quick escape method for the inhabitants of the town – weed. I know that the method by which Nancy Botwin makes her living is not ethical, but over looking that point I like the show. Nancy was not portrayed as a weepy weak woman who just lost her life line – her husband without whom she cannot survive – no! She is determined and focused on her goals to support her family. I appreciated that a single mother could keep it together like that. Perhaps this is because I have personally witnessed a pretty horrible divorce between family acquaintance which threw the women into a state of dependence. She needed help carrying out simple tasks such as writing a cheque because she hadn’t done it before, her husband took care of all of that. It pained me to see how dependent some women are, and therefore I appreciate Nancy’s strength in a time of loss and emotional pain and financial difficulties. I have not seen many episodes, but I have seen enough to form this opinion.
I also very much enjoy the opening song for its lyrics. “Little boxes the hill side….they all look just the same….and the people in the houses all went to the universities… and they all look just the same…” I find it pretty amusing because it’s so true; at least that has been my experience.
On a negative note, I do not appreciate this mother being turned into a drug dealer who dresses like a 20 year old – but I guess that’s the trade of for a self-sufficient strong mom. I wonder if the next few episodes will bring disappointment?
Works Cited
okiedokie1986. ” YouTube – Weeds Intro – Season 1 – **ORIGINAL** .” YouTube – Broadcast Yourself. . N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W6dOEdEAAQ&feature=related>.
Weeds Season 1. 2009. n.a., n.a.. M3Addict.com. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.
The other day I was driving in the car listening to the radio. As the program went to commercial, amidst the common commercials one stood out. 
There was a commercial for Body English night club in Mississauga, Ontario. According to the commercial on Friday beers and mixed drinks are $2.00. That’s right, its ‘Alternative Rock Night’ with prizes and give-always! “Ladies: win a set of breast implants! Grand Prize: win a 2010 Harley Davidson Motorcycle!” at Body English in Mississauga.
What the hell?! “Win breast implants”? There is no way that is what the commercial said I thought. This is seriously disturbing and sad. I wrote down the club name and decided to look up their website and confirm the unsettling commercial. Sure enough – this is what I found:
When did it become socially acceptable and common enough for selective cosmetic surgery to become a “prize”. To me, breast implants are not an item that I would hold in high regard and find especially desirable. This is because I am comfortable with who I am and what I look like. I do not have a need to augment my breast size to appear “more attractive” to the opposite sex. I am still so very surprised that Body English would promote themselves with prizes of breast implants. Does nobody else hear this and cry out “WTF!?” – I mean seriously, who would hear this and have any desire or motivation to visit the night club. Obviously women are objectified by the establishment and I’m sure the gentlemen inside would act accordingly. It’s sad to see cosmetic surgery become so socially acceptable that it is now raffled of as prizes. Additionally I am sad to see that so many women are unhappy with their body images as a result of many mass media factors such as over exposure of thin big breasted models.
Visit Body English here to see for yourself: http://www.bodyenglishniteclub.com/friday.htm
A discount store in Canada, recently released an apology to its customers for bad taste in advertising.
To read the full story, click here.
The banner advertising a sale on “back-to-school rhinestone encrusted jr. thongs offended many. This advert sends out the message that 12 year olds are and should be wearing thongs — it is essential to their back to school shopping. In my opinion this is pushing sex at youth.
Young women are faced with an assortment of adverts everyday. In most adverts focus on selling clothing – fashion, and cosmetics women are sexualized and objectified. This constant and consistent message to women that girls must always be beautiful, thin, sexy, and available must be having some effect.
Is there now demand amongst the “jr. section” (8 – 15 year olds) for retailers to supply thongs? Are these young girls already wearing thongs — and for what reasons? So that underwear lines won’t show, because Britney Spears is wearing one, my friends wear it, or because boys like them and I want boys to like me?
In my opinion there is something wrong with putting children in thongs.
It seems that the pressure for girls and women to be thin won’t subside anytime soon. Media such as magazines is full of photos of very thin female models. This sets the unattainable goal which the audience hope to aspire to.
I was glad to read that 26 year old British model Alexa Chung has finally had enough. She is sick of hearing and reading speculations that she has an eating disorder. Alexa says “It angers me because I don’t want to be a pin-up for young girls just for being thin…I don’t want to be admired for being thin as opposed to being dressed well, and I don’t want the two to get confused” (Jessen 2010). Alexa Chung may be petite, but I think that it is positive that she is speaking out against the thin trend. She does not have an eating disorder and she does not want young girls to aspire to be like her because she is thin. Alexa attributes her weight loss to a very stressful year, not to poor eating habits.
On the other hand, Alexa Chung is just like most other models that we see in magazines — beautiful and thin, perhaps her cry for fashion-sense acknowledgment instead of her weight wont be heard by the young girl readers of Elle the UK edition – in which Alexa Chung is the feature and cover girl this month– instead young girls will add yet another thin celebrity to their list of favorites.
Works Cited
Jessen, Monique. “Alexa Chung: ‘I Don’t Have an Eating Disorder’ – Style News – StyleWatch – People.com.” Celebrity Style News – StyleWatch – People.com. N.p., 7 Oct. 2010. Web. 8 Oct. 2010. <http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2010/10/07/alexa-chung-i-dont-have-an-eating-disorder/>.
This is a blog dedicated to issues concerning girls, women and the media.
