In the film Miss Representation directors, Kimberlee Aquaro and Jennifer Sibel Newsom shed light on a problem in today’s society which entails how females are picked apart and judged by how they dress and look instead of their intellectual properties. The director specifies that these women are being judged by the male population and that they have no say in what’s happening. Personally, I believe that women hate and judge other women more than how men are perceived to. Men receive just as much judgment as women in today's society about being physically fit or having good looks, however, men don’t seem to care as much and continue their daily lives. In the excerpt “Female Chauvinist Pigs”, the author, Ariel Levy, puts a perspective on “FCP” which revolves around females who take charge of their …show more content…
bodies and use it help them get ahead in life and this is not fair to the male population. So, is it hypocritical if women use their looks to get ahead in life when they arguing about gender equality and current gender norms? My perspective on this situation is that it is very hypocritical of women to complain about gender norms when they continue to use it to get ahead, but if a person wants to do that then do it be free. No matter what people say the future will be both meaning the future will be united as one and will need both genders to be a part of this world in order to better the community. The first issue that gets brought up in the passage “Female Chauvinist pigs” is that females use their bodies to get ahead in life and whether it is acceptable.
The women feel as if the “...men seem to like those women...” who wear scandalous clothes (Levy 247). What the female side doesn’t understand is that men use their bodies just as much, but more discreetly and not complain about it. From a personal experience of going through Fraternity rush, the male population is harshly judged for how they look and what they wear from the very first step they take when entering the room. The potential new member can also already tell which Fraternity is which by noticing where all the “jocks” are or where all the “geeks” are but, Sorority girls completely understand this as they have to go through the same thing with recruitment. So, in today's gender norms when it comes to the college Greek life aspect both genders are equally judged on looks, personality, and whit. So in this scenario, I agree with the “FCP” of the world and if you got what it take to get into the “top tier” Fraternity or Sorority than you do it. But do it for the person you want to be and not for someone
else. A prime example that the world can analyze is the film industry. Miss Representation uses many examples of why a woman wasn’t chosen for a certain role or why a woman had to get facial reconstruction just to get the lead role. In my opinion, a female shouldn’t have to change the way that they look just to get a part. If changing the way they look goes against their moral compass, then they should pass on that role and seek a bigger and better project to prove the last director wrong. Yes, the female may say “why do I have to change for someone else” but “it is what it is” and in the film industry sex sells. However, sex just doesn’t sell for a woman, it also sells for men. One word that I noticed frequently used throughout the film was “think” many of the film stars would say “they think the male wouldn’t get turned down” but they never knew for sure. So the women should look at both sides of the situation to realize that just because they think it's not happening doesn’t mean it's not really happening. The third issue that is brought up in Miss Representation is a female was told that she needed to “eat a cheeseburger” and how hurt she was by others thinking she was an anorexic person. People may think that this girl is troubled and needs help due to her skinniest but in my mind, I feel that the girl can be skinny if she wants and not care what others have to say about the situation. I’m a 6’0 foot 150lbs white male that is too skinny for his age but can care less what others say and I just live life as it is. The whole debate whether or not this female should eat more or not is up to her and if she wants to or not. In today’s gender norms females are more concerned about the male population objectifying against women but in reality, women are objectifying other woman and the men just watch these events happen. So, this gender norm and this female feeling hurt over this situation is excessive and very dramatic. In this situation, the main thing this world can do to collectively change the mindset of this gender norm is to not be as sensitive and just care about yourself and not what others think. Some changes that the world can make to change our mindset around gender norms that have been ingrained in our culture are that humans can think of things in a different manner, not voice, every opinion that comes to mind, and we can especially let others live their life and just do them. For a prime example of looking at things in a different manner in today’s current event, the Women’s march just took place and many males are looking at it as if they are against us and are wanting more than deserved. I was also looking at it in that perspective, but after talking to a source about what the march is truly about I took it into consideration and completely understand it. However, certain signs that say “the future is female” is completely against the male population and should be “the future is both.” For not voicing every opinion, we think some signs during the march were saying “pussy grabs back” and in this case, I feel like women are degrading themselves by relating to derogatory terms in the world. Not once have I heard a man talk about his “dick” leading the world. Instead, they should be saying smarter minds grab back or another way for the world to view it. This sign is having the males view it as against the male population and not with the male population. So, in this scenario, the female shouldn’t have voiced her opinion in the way she did. Today's gender norms is a very sensitive topic and a topic that causes many arguments between friends and family. To reiterate, I believe that Females care more about what others think of them rather than what they think of themselves. But females do not give the men of this world enough credit for what they do to make them happy. We may judge them and we may disrespect them at some point, but the argument is both ways and females need to recognize that.
One aspect that I believe is a perfect example of this is the whole style, makeup, and hairdo point she makes. In her essay, Tannen is the one “marking” women, making judgments on their appearance, or style choices, while she comments that the men seem not to care. Yes, women’s appearances are criticized more often than men, but who is the one criticizing women? In my experiences, I rarely see males making comments on what a female is wearing. The majority of the time, it’s women criticizing other women based on what brands they’re wearing, the makeup they have on, and hairstyle they choose. In other words, I don’t see how, nor do I think its fair for Tannen to blame this on men. Yes, as she points out men can choose to dress “targeted” by wearing certain styles, such as hair, clothing, and footwear, but often choose not to. In this case, again, I rarely see a man commenting on another mans appearance, or marking men. It’s often women critiquing men or other
Day in and day out we hear about high school and college students wanting to pursue a sorority and/or a fraternity based on the stereotypes these organizations uphold, well I chose to differ. I told myself if I ever decided to become a member of a sorority it would be based solely on their ethical standards, history, and values they are founded upon. Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated consists of ladies of distinction and exemplary character who excel in scholarship, leadership, and service, which are qualities I have chosen to uphold. From my perspective, I encourage myself to maintain a respectable appearance and reputation which doing so inspires me to embrace my self-concept; which helps me confidently excel academically and professionally as a “lady of distinction” and “exemplary character.” Most importantly, I continuously remain involved in community service, being involved allows me the opportunity to learn and understand the lives and circumstances of others by opening my mind, heart, and soul. Overall these qualities strengthen my passion to be a member of the prestigious Alp...
In Female Chauvinist Pigs, Ariel Levy attempts to reconcile her personal views of feminism with its portrayal in popular culture. In order to challenge what she sees as a co-opted version of feminism, Levy raises the question of authenticity of “sex-positive feminism” (Levy, 63) on two levels: by “selling out” in terms of the body and in terms of our patriarchal culture. In order to restore a binary relationship between feminism and non-feminism, Levy recasts this sex positive feminism as a new form of (fe)male chauvinism.
“We decided long ago that the Male Chauvinist Pig was an unenlightened rube, but the Female Chauvinist Pig (FCP) has risen to a kind of exalted status.” She claims that women today who sexually objectify other women and themselves. This refers as one of women empowerment. Men in this society today are attracted to sexy women which mean if it wasn’t for them then FCP wouldn’t be born. She also says that stereotypes have existed long ago and have huge impact on political life, the music industry, art, fashion, and taste. Pozner point and Levy points have in common about
You'd think the most receptive audience of this piece would be female, but if a woman took some of my points into consideration suggesting that most men do not deserve Jacoby's style of treatment or rejection, they would find that generalizing the idea that all men are pigs is sexist.
As a woman in the world, I am a prisoner, trapped in an idea of how women should be and how I should force myself to be. In the allegory one prisoner had escaped, until we can put aside the standards and expectations that were forced upon us, we cannot escape the endless cycle. The shackles bind the prisoners, to only view what the captors allow; the feeling of being held back and being weighed down by invisible forces. Women are bounded by expectations, standards and limited to their success, we are always one step behind. If we speak what we think, we are threatening others and if we act the way we want, we are condemned. Even now, as a teenager when I walk the halls of Weston; I hear derogatory words being thrown mercilessly at a woman for dressing the way she wants, what is seemingly provocative in their minds. Her clothes automatically determine what type of personality or character she is, without knowing who the person really is. One can think that a high school filled with millennials, they would be more evolved in their way of thinking but still that is not the case. Why are women degraded to some type of object? Many of us feel as though, we can’t dress the way we want or a label will be put on us, we think about how we should dress in the morning and how people
I agree with Sullivan’s notion that women’s identities as “desirable women depend on the submission of their physical bodies to the dictates of social norms” (542). At different stages in time in the Western world,...
In order to fully examine the gender stereotypes that women try to identify with so that they may be a part of “raunch culture”, the term itself needs to be defined. Raunch culture is known as the objectification of women by others and by themselves, and they are even encouraged to do so. Also, a “Female Chauvinist Pig” is described by Levy as someone who is “Post-feminist. She is funny. She gets it. She doesn’t mind cartoonish stereotypes of female sexuality, and she doesn’t mind a
Women have made great advancements in improving their rights and roles within society and are now less likely to be viewed as inferior by males. Nevertheless, they are still facing many challenges including being perceived as objects and being expected to dress and behave a certain way. In his essay “Looking at Women,” Scott Russell Sanders analyzes how men often perceive women as objects because of their indecent wardrobe and their willingness to put their bodies on display. In her essay “Why Women Smile,” Amy Cunningham explains the value of a smile and how it does not always reflect how a woman is truly feeling on the inside. Both essays spend much time looking at women and how they are under the constant scrutiny from those around them. What the essays of Sanders and Cunningham illustrate is that, while trying to shake old stereotypes, women find their identities constructed from their external appearance. The problem is and remains that women are complicit in the shallow construction of female identity that trades depth for surface because they have bought into the idea that a woman must trade on her external appearance to succeed in her public life.
“Hey are you going to the party tonight?” you hear them ask you. As you agree you also wonder what will people’s first impression of you be when they see u walk in the door at that frat house party everyone seems to be going to. Women have gone into a state of mind that in order to fit in, they have to look and dress a certain way to impress in these college parties. But these never ending expectations held against women is not an issue that has recently developed throughout time as it dates back to civilization. For the most part, women are considered prominent over men which causes women to act in a certain behavior in which will function to get them to events such as frat parties. In today’s society, women are constructed to to act well
Free will and the ability to choose for ourselves are some of the most important natures that make us human. As a society though, we have put limits and restraints on some people for arbitrary reasons, and try to override people’s free will, especially young women. In today’s society, young women are subjected to all kinds of prejudice and double standards. From having to face the ‘slut or prude’ paradox of sex, the rules of dressing and appearance, or how to act in public, the amount of scrutiny that they face is outrageous. These issues that they face creates a social dialogue that is constantly analyzing young women and how they act, enough that it slowly worked to become social knowledge that almost every women follows consciously and subconsciously, and then they force on others. This is social knowledge that states that women’s main goal is to please men, and that their worth is established by how they look. They must wear the right amount of make-up, dress skimpy but also conservatively, and basically become little toy dolls that are created into what a guy wants them too.
depicted towards women have to do with “ideal” weight, appearance and how this conforms to men’s
Miss Representation is a documentary, directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, that premiered at the Sundance film festival in 2011. The movie addresses the negative portrayal of women in the media. Throughout the film the audience is shown how the media trivializes and sexualizes women; even successful and accomplished women are constantly ridiculed, often by men, about how they look and act. We are tirelessly taught by the media that women are only valued for their beauty and sexuality, which in turn leads to the undervaluing of women in our society in general.
The sexualization of women in the 21st century has led many to wonder whether or not the feminist movement actually resulted in more harm than good. Although the progress and reform that came out of the feminist movement is indisputable, things such as equal rights under the law, equal status and equal pay, the reality is that the subjugation of female roles in society still exist, and the most surprising part about this is that now women are just as much as at fault for this as men are. Ariel Levy defines female chauvinist pigs as “women who make sex objects of other women and of ourselves” (Levy 11). This raunch culture is mistakenly assumed to be empowering and even liberating to women when it is in fact degrading and corrupting to the modern feminist movement and makes it more difficult for women to be taken seriously in society. The shift in the nature of the feminist movement is in Levy’s opinion attributed to by the massive industry now profiting off of the sexualization of women, the reverse mindset now adopted by post-feminists and women in power roles in our society, and ultimately the women who further their own objectification as sex objects and thus, so by association, deem themselves lesser than man.
Miss Representation, the 2011 documentary directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Kimberlee Acquaro, is a bold and eye-opening montage of images, facts, figures and clips that clearly depicts the media’s attempts to sexualize, degrade and objectify women while intentionally showing a lack of representation of women in power. According to the film, on average “teens spend 10 hours and 45 minutes each day” on media consumptions which includes watching television and movies, listening to music, reading magazines, and surfing the internet. The media as a tool serve both as “the message and the messenger” and as such is in position to greatly influence society’s thoughts and actions, as well as the value and belief systems. The message being sent to women and girls states that the only value and worth they hold lays with their looks regardless of what they have accomplished; simultaneously, the message sent to men is that the only thing important about women is how they look.