The Movie Easy A: Glorifying the Slut Stereotype

1152 Words3 Pages

Modern America, in accordance to course materials and personal experiences, overtly sexualizes people, specifically among the youth, engendering new versions of gender expectations, roles, relationships, and how society views people based on appearance, sexual promiscuity or supposed promiscuity, and so on. Easy A (2011) represents an example clarifying how gender socialization impacts today’s youth via several concepts such as slut shaming, slut glorification, challenging masculinity, dating/hooking up, gender expectations and social acceptance. This film primarily focuses on a female’s promiscuity. Olive, the main character, is automatically labeled slut, after a rumor she unintentionally sparked by a bathroom conversation. Soon, the rumor spread and Olive became “school slut” in minutes.

Importantly, our language influence how people perceive one another; furthermore, how society label and reference people with sexual expression (Rozema, notes, 2014). Specific terminologies determining positive or negative sex expression between male and female dramatically differ. Think about it. How many positive terms describe a sexually active woman? Perhaps, she is hot and/or sexy (Tanebaum, 2000, p. xi). How many positive terms describe a sexually active male? He is a stud, Romeo, the man, stallion and so on (Tanebaum, 2000, p. xi). Here, positive language describing female all focus on appearance and for men it focuses on accomplishments (Rozema, notes, 2014). For instance, Olive acquires her label through gossip, but maintains it with her appearance. The male peers in this film attain labels through actions and conquests. Now, the female negative connotations obviously out rank the positive. Words like trollop, tart, floozy, slut,...

... middle of paper ...

...ve begins generating rumors for male peers who do not qualify as a stereotypical male. For instance, Olive pretends to have sex with a male peer during a popular house party (Gluck, 2010). This imaginary hook-up benefits the male peer’s bullying dilemma. Again, gender policing occurs between men when masculinity is questioned (Kimmel, 2008). “One survey found that most Americans boys would be rather be punched in the face than called gay” (Kimmel, 2000, p.77). The gender police govern Olive’s and the male peer’s status in social standings. America’s obsession with sex disregards if a girl truly sleeps around.

Works Cited

Kimmel, M. S. (2008). Guyland: the perilous world where boys become men. New York:

Harper.

Rozema. Notes. (2014)

Tanebaum, L. (2000). Slut! Growing up Female with a Bad Reputation. New York, New

York: HarperCollins Publishers /Inc.

Show More
Related

  • Dude You Re A Fag Case Study

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    The teenage years are especially important in the establishment of social and cultural core principles that provide the base for further growth in the future. Sociologist C.J. Pascoe links her personal experience with scholarly research in her ethnography titled, Dude, You’re A Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School. Pascoe’s year and a half study at a Northern California School known as River High School sheds light on how bullying, power, and sexual innuendos are all components in the makeup of social life in Americas public schools. Her analysis of these components through observational data research is centered around the subject of the challenges associated with masculinity as well as sexual inequality, and the refinement of gender

    Read More

  • Tough Guise 2 Summary

    625 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Tough Guise 2” is narrated by cultural theorist Jackson Katz who argues that the influx of violence, particularly male violence, is embedded within our society’s view of masculinity. Katz analyzes various points of interests that range from mass shooting, of which the majority are perpetrated by males, violence against women, and gay-bashing. What Katz empathizes in these key points is the fact these acts of what is known as masculinity can be linked back to all the violent, sexist, and homophobic messages adolescent males receive on a routinely basis from all aspects of virtual culture. From television, movies, video games,

    Read More

  • Lad Flicks: A Hybrid of Buddie Movies, Romantic Comedies and Chick Flicks

    2008 Words  | 5 Pages

    ‘Lad flicks’ or ‘lad movies’ is a type of film genre that emerged in the late 1990s. They are defined as a “‘hybrid of “buddy movies”, romantic comedies and “chick flicks”, which centre on the trials and tribulations of a young man as he grows up to become a ‘real man’. ‘Lad flicks’ respond in part to the much-debated ‘crisis in masculinity’” (Benjamin A. Brabon 116). This genre of film explored what it meant to be a ‘real man’ in the twentieth century and in order to do so, they would have to grow up and leave their juvenile ways behind to enter the heterosexual world. Gender relations in ‘lad flicks’ portray masculinity as a troubled, anxious cultural category hiding behind a humorous façade and also rely greatly on a knowing gaze and irony. The two ‘lad flicks’ that will be analyzed are The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Judd Apatow 2005) and Role Models (David Wain 2008).

    Read More

  • Sociologist Cheri Joe Pascoe As A Study Of Sociology

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pascoe’s next major study was an eighteen-month research project, which produced the book Dude,You’re a Fag. The book is an ethnography the daily lives of teenage boys in a present day public high school. She finds that masculinity in teenage boys is defined by dominance and control. More so she talks about what she calls “fag discourse”, boys call each other hurtful names to further create domina...

    Read More

  • Erotic Objectification: Equally Degrading

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, todays cinematic evolvement through being more accepting of sexual themes as well as representation of different sexual orientations, in both characters and audience alike, contributes to further objectifying people in an erotic sense to please different kind of spectators. Furthermore, it enables male characters to be subjected to erotic objectification and is therefore not a portrayal exclusive in portraying females. However, this remodels the way male and female characters are depicted as it in a sense equalizes them through the same kind of degrading portrayal as sexual objects.

    Read More

  • Leora Tanenbaum’s Slut!

    2660 Words  | 6 Pages

    Leora Tanenbaum’s book Slut! imposes the argument of the unfairness and small mindedness of the sexual double standard between teenagers and what leads them to label others of the name slut. Throughout the book, the author discloses many different studies and stories to help the readers understand the underlying cause and issue of the name slut and how it affects different girls and women around the country.

    Read More

  • Masulinty and its depependance upon femininity

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is a widely accepted notion that social context and setting is very dependent upon gender. However, the converse is what appears to be true. Sex is biological and static, however gender is a social construct that is almost entirely dependent upon the social context in which it is placed. Contrary to what is often believed, gender is an idea that society constructs and students learn at a very early age. Once gender roles are learned, it can be incredibly damaging to act out of these roles because peer criticism as well as sheer belittlement will likely ensue. In Learning Silence by Peggy Orenstein, and Pascoe’s Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School, this reality that gender is dependent upon social context is discussed. More specifically, male masculinity and its dependency on femininity, or in any case, a lack of masculinity.

    Read More

  • The Ugly Truth: An Examination of Stereotypes in Media

    1938 Words  | 4 Pages

    Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl, are two very famous stars who represent America’s acting industry as two of the most highly regarded feminine and masculine actors. Both are thought to represent femininity and masculinity and very. It comes as no surprise that these two characters were chosen to play the parts of Abby and Michael within The Ugly Truth. The Ugly Truth displays a lot of stereotypes of men and women or what is expected to be masculine and feminine. According to Gendered Live: Communication, Gender, and Culture by Julia Wood, “A stereotype is a generalization about an entire class of phenomena based on some knowledge of some members of the class” (Wood, 2011, 122). Stereotypes can cause a lot of problems in society if individuals don’t fit the particular mold or idea of what it means to be feminine or masculine. Within The Ugly Truth, the first stereotype which arises is that women in powerful roles cannot have a relationship (Luketic, 2009). As an example, this particular stereotype causes a large amount of trouble for Abby when she takes to...

    Read More

  • Evolution of Gender Roles in American Society

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Human Sexuality in a World of Diversity 's gender role is a “learned role by observing behaviors of their parents, peers and media” (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2014, p. 25). Research shows how gender roles in America have evolved and have changed over the last centuries, although there could be many reasons for this change I will examine some causes for the change in gender stereotypes. The following topics were studied during my research: Increased technology and access to internet, violence and explicit content in video games, movies and television shows resulting in gender stereotypes. In addition, the media can have a large influence on societies perception on how women and men are should look like which are sometimes

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Movie Mean Girls

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mean Girls, starring Lindsey Lohan and Rachel McAdams, took over worldwide box office sales in 2004 making it a staple in pop culture today. The movie is about a young girl named Cady who lived in Africa with her family and moved to a new town in the suburbs of Illinois. Cady gets a taste of what real public school is like and unfortunately it’s a rude awakening. The film portrays many stereotypical gender roles that society has created for females, males, and the LGBT community. This essay will seek to explore how the film Mean Girls portrays gendered pressures from peers, parental modeling, and the gendered expectations and pressures facing female students.

    Read More

  • Female Sexualism In Jamaica Kincaid's Girl By Jamaica Kincaid

    927 Words  | 2 Pages

    Due to the girl’s current lifestyle and behavior, the mother is focused on sharing the value to save her daughter from a life of promiscuity. The mother fears her daughter will become a “slut” and insists that is exactly what the daughter desires. Moreover, the mother is very blunt with her view when she uses repetition with the statement, “… the slut you are so bent on becoming.” (Kincaid92). It is very clear that the mother holds a reputation to such a standard that it could determine the overall quality of a woman and her life. Therefore, a woman’s sexuality should be protected and hidden to present the woman with respect and to avoid the dangers of female sexuality. The mother is very direct in calling out certain, specific behaviors of the daughter. Such as, the way the daughter walks, plays with marbles, and approaches other people. The mother is very persistent that the daughter must act a certain way that can gain their community’s respect. She fears the social consequence of a woman’s sexuality becoming

    Read More

  • Rape Culture Rape

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    “…in the absence of comprehensive sex and sexuality education…adolescents are largely getting their sex education and socialization through media—and the higher their ‘sexual media diet,’ the earlier their sexual experimentation begins.” (Olfman 10) The vast lack of acknowledgment that the media controls childhood sexualization is astounding. As Dr. Sharna Olfman explains “Media can be viewed then as both a reflection and a shaper of society.” In the patriarchal society U.S. citizens live in, there seems to be a massive blindspot where there should healthy sexuality education. A direct result of this blindspot is the prevalent acceptance of rape as an inevitable, inextricable part of society. Men and women are both dangerously,

    Read More

  • Ideology In Mean Girls

    1716 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sexual stereotypes are recurrent in Mean Girls whether it is the perception of sex or the presence of homosexuals (Cones, 2012). “If you are gonna have sex, you’re gonna get pregnant and die.”, this line sums up the sex-education students receive. Nevertheless, this doesn’t seem to affect their

    Read More

  • The Impact Of Gender And Gender Equality In Society

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    Men do not have the benefits of equality either, they are also limited by societal expectations and having to fulfill the requirements of what it means to “be a man”. Gender roles shape the fabric of our society. In the documentary Tough Guise, Katz chronicles the socialization of boys from the moment they are born and as they grow up. Tough guise explains how the entertainment industry feeds messages about masculinity which exclude basic human qualities such as compassion, and vulnerability. These are portrayed as feminine with a negative connotation implied (Earp, Katz, Young and Rabinovitz 2013). In American modern culture children of both sexes are consuming large amounts of media on a daily basis. The documentary MissRepresentation explores the media’s role in the shaping of our society; specifically the media’s treatment of women. When it comes to girls and women, marketers have made substantial profits from objectifying women and setting an unattainable standard of what it means to be beautiful. Hyper-feminized women are all over the covers of magazines, hypersexualized in advertisements, and in movies. Women have to walk a very thin tightrope and the expectations for a good woman are contradicting (Newsom, Scully, Dreyfous, Redlich, Congdon, and Holland

    Read More

  • Sexual Expression: Overshadowed by Slut-Shaming Culture

    1749 Words  | 4 Pages

    On May 28, 2014 an article published by The Atlantic stated that, “ “slut” is simply a misogynistic catch-all, a verbal utility knife that young people use to control women and create hierarchies. There may be no real sluts, in other words, but there are real and devastating consequences to slut-shaming.” Young women today are encouraged to express themselves sexually. Yet when they do,they are derided as “sluts.” Caught in a double bind of mixed sexual messages, they’re confused. To fulfill the contradictory roles of being sexy but not slutty, they create an “experienced” identity on social media, even if they’re not sexually active, while ironically referring to themselves and their friends as “sluts.” It's time to stop the criticizing of

    Read More

More about The Movie Easy A: Glorifying the Slut Stereotype

Open Document