Group Project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpK-9XgcAx8&feature=youtu.be

Sexism in Athletics

As one who considers herself a feminist, who is highly critical of the gender roles that mask our society, I was disappointed with myself after today's class.  How have I managed to overlook the much-needed criticism of the sexism of athletics?  While the history of women's rights is taught thoroughly throughout our education in regards to voting and the work force, sports are not touched on as heavily.  

In Not Just a Game, I could not believe the story about the woman who entered the Boston Marathon.  I can't decide if it's more sad that she had to enter the race with a hidden identity or that she was nearly physically pulled from the race by the event director himself, who was yelling "Get out of my race!"

Perhaps the only settling part of the story that gave a bit of hope to the future of women's rights in sports were the men who fought for her to stay in the race.  They threw themselves    at the sexist event director, showing that the race was not about men and women against each other, but rather people simply running a race.  Ahh, there's the sense of hope in it all. Ultimately though, the act gained a great deal of media coverage, which could perhaps be considered part of the beginning of the empowerment for women's rights in professional athletics.

This story is both inspiring and eye-opening. While, I thought I had it all figured out when it comes to feminism, I now have sports to begin criticizing, and so the journey for complete women's empowerment continues.  

Ellen for the Win

After our discussions over the past week in class regarding feminism, female comedians and gender roles, this video was an obvious representation of the stigmas regarding these issues that exist in society today.

First, feminism: Ellen was approached by Bic to be the celebrity representative for their new product, Bic for Her. A feminist herself, the irony of the idea is beyond belief. What drove the company to ask Ellen to represent the sexist product is questionable and absolutely deserves to be mocked. Ellen-1 Bic-0.

Second, female comedians: If you try to argue against the fact the Ellen is without a doubt the most hilariously entertaining female comedians of our culture, you're crazy. OK, so you're not crazy, but come on- she's pretty great. She is also one of the most loved women in comedy. Perhaps the reason that she is so successful and so effectively comical is that she represents a "more eclectic brand of humor". Unlike most female comedians, Ellen does not have to rely on self-depreciation or aggressiveness to appeal to a mass audience. Ellen-2 Bic-0.

Finally, gender roles:  The quotes below, pulled from the clip, basically speak for themselves.  Of course, Ellen exaggerates the message that Bic intends to portray with their new product marketing, but can you blame her? The company made a huge mistake when they inadvertently placed gender expectations/roles on their consumers. I haven't done the research, but I'd venture to say that the sales of Bic for Her probably weren't through the roof.  Ellen-3 Bic-0.

• "Well you can use it [Bic for her] to write down a grocery list or even recipes for when you need to feed your man."
• "They [Bic for Her] are built strong enough for a man but simple enough that a woman can understand how to use them."
• "They [Bic for Her] come in both lady colors: pink and purple... but they don't come with any instructions, so how do they expect us to write with them?"

Ellen for the win.

A Semesterly Vegetarian

Food Inc. has been shown in at least one of my classes every semester of my college career.  As always, the movie follows or precedes a series of stories about the cruel treatment of animals that descend from factory farm to grocery store shelf.  Every semester I leave class feeling disgusting, but incredibly passionate about making a change in not only my own eating habits, but those of my friends and family, as well.  I become incredibly annoying about it, as I share every single story I know about animal treatment as my best friend bites into a hamburger or when my dad grills steak for our family.  

Every semester I become a vegetarian... and every semester I fail.

I try.  I really do.  The problem is, I'm from a small farm-centered town in Ohio that relies heavily on the consumption of meat products- factory and organic, alike.  It's not easy being a vegetarian when you've grown up understanding agriculture to be a livelihood.  So, to all vegetarians, I admire your strength, and one of these days I'll finally gather the strength to stick to the passion that you hold for consuming safe food.  

Until then, I'm nearing the end of week one of my semesterly vegetarianism after watching Food Inc. in class last week.  Maybe I'll do a spin off of "My Twitter Diet" with "My Vegetarianism Blog"?  Oh, the possibilities...

Hipster Branding

Yep, you read correctly.  "Hipster kids."  I came across this photo while thoughtlessly browsing through the photography section on Pinterest today.  I may or may not have randomly decided I was going to become a photographer, and I may or may not have gone directly to Pinterest for lessons and inspiration. It's embarrassing really, but that's not what we're here for; our Pinterest addiction discussion days are in the past.

Do you think these two know that they are "hipster kids"? Do you think they know that they became part of a hated fad because of the way some adults dressed/labeled them?  

There's no denying that these are a couple of cute kids, and to be honest, I'm not really sure what makes their clothes "hipster".  As Rayner said, "detractors might not know exactly what a hipster is, but they do know what they don't like: a tiresome sort of trendy, ostentatious in their perceived rebellion, yet strangely conformist..."  Maybe it's the way the little girl is standing in an I-dont-give-a-crap hunch.  Maybe it's just the assumed hipster look of over-sized sweaters and skinny jeans.  I, along with every one else cant seem to pin-point it.    

We can't seem to agree if we hate hipsters or if we want to be one of them.  I could see this photo as an ad for a kids clothing magazine, so maybe we're seeing the work of corporation branding here.  I have to be real: after seeing this photo, I can't help but want to dress my future kids in these exact outfits.  I'll tell them how cool or hip or adorable (or whatever kids will be saying in those days) they look, and they will love every second of wearing these clothes.  Or at least, that's how I have it pictured in my head.

Now, we've come full circle to child branding.  As hipsterism is now more mainstream with its adoption by corporations, the kids in the picture, along with their peers, are absorbing what is "cool" based on what they are told and shown.  Their older, idolized siblings are hipsters, their toy dolls are dressed in skinny jeans and black-rim glasses and the characters in their favorite television shows are now part of this rebellious generation.  

These kids probably have no idea that they were dressed as "hipsters", but I bet they think they look pretty darn cool. 

We Can't Seem to Win

Two years ago, I sat in my very first journalism class, completely overwhelmed and unsure of what to expect.  Though I was surrounded by other unknowing freshman who were also on the verge of wetting themselves, I had convinced myself that they were smarter and more ready for the next four years than I was.  I had a backpack full of crisp, colorful folders, fancy pens (after all, pencils were SO high school) and hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks (because you always use them on the first day, right?).  I'm sure I looked like I had it all together, but on the inside I was completely terrified and had anxiety over being called on by the professor without even raising my hand.

"What's in the news?"

That was the very first question I was asked, and so my higher education began. YES! I knew the answer.  All I could do was thank God for my constant need to be connected and all-knowing of the world around me.  While my iPhone seemed to be attached to my hand and my eyes glued to social media, my friends and family just never quite understood the addic...need. The first day of my college career, it all became clear: I am a product of the digita era, and it seemed so natural to embrace the resources surrounding me.  I had fallen into the right place.

Our generation was the first to be exposed to digital media.  With that, there came an expectation to be in the know.  This was both a natural development as the resources became available and a pressure brought on by peers and professors who were also feeling the pull of the digital age.  Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, discussion boards, online chat rooms, smart phones, apps, on-demand television and online radio.  The list is never ending...literally.  The digital age is advancing so quickly that it's almost difficult to keep up.

Now, it is made very clear to us that we respect and follow what our professors tell us to do because they are older and much wiser. Fine, I can dig it.  I've come to realize that we will and have undoubtedly encountered professors who make us feel that we're doing something wrong when it comes to our media consumption.  They never had in college what we have now, so by gum "you kids are lazy and rely too heavily on this digital stuff." We're at a constant battle with the pull of media consumption and fight of doing it all wrong.

With that, as we analyze the effects of media in our classes, we feel inclined to speak negatively about the monster that has managed to dominate our lives, for lack of a better, highly-exaggerated expression.  Maybe we're over-analyzing the negatives and forgetting to embrace the positives.  Is it really that bad, after all?  We are more connected. So what? We manage our time differently to include media. So what? We check our emails, Facebook and Twitter multiple times daily. So what? We receive news updates as they come in. So what?  Why shouldn't we swallow every bit of news and communication capability possible?  Why shouldn't we use and embrace what is right at our fingertips?  If it is used correctly, I just can't see the harm.

What's in the news today? I bet you know the answer.