- One of the biggest things I saw/heard in the clip is the guys talking about their kids. The one co-worker who compared his 4 kids to her 2 kids. His line, "Yeah, but two of mine are twins", obviously shows that he isn't involved in their lives - kinda like the 1950's dad who was all about working, while the mom was all about being the perfect housewife (i.e., cleaning up the house, taking care of the kids, making meals, etc.).
- Another sexist things I saw was when she made her excuse for being late. I know that since we were in middle school talking about "womanly issues" has been a source of giggle and embarrassment - but now that we're in college I would hope that we have overcome the inability to talk about those things, right? Wrong. The woman in the movie trailer's use of the mammogram excuse shut down the guy immediately - which, in contrast, I could see her using traffic as an excuse, and then being grilled for details to check legitimacy.
- I don't think a movie called "I Don't Know How He Does It" would ever come into being. I think this movie is taking us back to the days when women first started playing dual-roles (wife + worker), and making a joke out of it. If it's conceiveable that man can step into the house as well as work, why is it so hard to believe that women can step out of the house and work? Even though this example is one that is out in the media, available for those who are unable to read feminist works, I think it still emphasizes mens vs. women's roles. I'm not sure how the whole movie goes, but the trailer certainly keeps with the ideas of men working (all of her co-workers/bosses seem to be solely male). We can only hope that the woman in the clip is able to "juggle" the two lives, but as for the clip, I don't think bell hooks would be too happy with it.
- A commercial I saw last year still gets to me this day:
Question #2
- Oh goodness, this is another commercial that KILLS me. Who cares if your little girl doesn't like to wear pink? The mom looked like she would be the kind of person who would freak out if you put the dish towels away out of color-coded order. I say that it's great that her daughter is doing what she wants! Oh the other hand, who do you think is buying her the "boy clothes"? The parents have to agree/be OK with it to some degree to be spending money on those outfits. The below link shows a very famous child who is showing less than lady-like qualitites - and the jury is still out on whether or not she and her parents are right, or if it will just lead to problems later:
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=shiloh+jolie-pitt&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
- I think the biggest reason why it's not OK that her daughter isn't in pink is that she is doing other masculine things, more than just a simple outfit rebellion. It's implied that she is more than a tomboy, and hearing about that in the media is NOT something that our society is ready for.
- Personally, I think it would be great to see a commercial with a little boy all dressed up in girl clothes, but for now, this is the closest I could find:
Question #3
- When I was little, I didn't like reading at all - my sister was the reader. Because of that, I can't think of any children's books, especially ones that are overtrly sexist. However, after doing some research, I found these "Fancy Nancy" books. Apparently, they feature a little girl (Nancy), who is the girliest of girly-girls, and the adventures she has. From what I can gather from quick glimpses inside the book, Nancy is a little stuck up because she turns every word she uses into something "fancy."
- I think the book has sexist ideas (Nancy wearing tons of accessories and sometimes makeup, standing on tip-toe like she's wearing heels, being in ballet class) to show that even Nancy is young, she is ready for adulthood. This is nerve-wrecking because she is a little girl - most definitely not ready to be all grown up. For the little girls reading these books, they may think that they can act in the same way that Nancy does and that might get them into trouble. Also, for those older folks who are reading these books, and see the interest elicited in their children, might take that single spark to the extreme - Toddlers and Tiaras, anyone?
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up a lot of good ideas in your blog. I really like how you point out about the woman getting a mammogram as her excuse for being late to work. I was trying to think, but couldn't think of any, excuses that a man might make of "personal things" for being late to work. It's interesting how it seems like personal excuses are are more acceptable for a woman being late to work, but for a man it's more acceptable to use something like traffic. I wonder what would be said to a man if he were late for "personal" reasons?
I also really like your example of Shiloh, who is not so "lady-like." I think it's interesting that so many people have so much extra time on their hands to care about what she is wearing, rather than just letting her be and be happy!
Nice blog!
I was about to post that trident commercial too! I think the only reason society is OK with this is because little boys can often be used by older sisters. I have yet to see a commercial of a boy dressing feminine by his own free will!
ReplyDeleteGlad you brought up the the "lady business" section of the clip, she obviously hadn't just got out of a mammogram, but I don't hold that lie against her. If her boss is to uncomfortable/immature to even touch on the subject, than she deserves to get away with the lie, I know for a fact that if I were a woman I would use that excuse in her situation for sure.
ReplyDeleteI think that the tridelt commercial is great! I think it comes back to again when we talked about in class boys getting their nails painted. Interesting comment to bring up, great blog and media example!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I really enjoyed the media examples and pop culture references that you made. Great use of media examples. For future blogs, think about how you can connect your ideas with passages from the reading and key terms/concepts from the text.
ReplyDelete