The sexist roles I see in this clip are the mother trying to juggle all of the responsibilities of taking care of her children. I don't think they showed any clips of the father taking care of the children. Though it was a small bit of the video, the babysitter is a woman, which I think is very stereotypical. I'm not surprised by these roles since they're stereotypical, but I was surprised by how she has to choose between spending time with her children and working. I think this movie kind of breaks the stereotype that the mother has to stay home. She seems to be working more than being home, which is the typical male's role. A media example that still holds onto sexist ideas is the Disney movie Snow White. Disney movies, especially older ones, tend to have women in sexist roles. I wrote a whole paper on this actually. Here's a clip from Snow White. She comes in a stranger's house (the seven dwarfs) and just starts cleaning and taking care of them...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E17Xx6wuch8
2. Question #2 What were your initial reactions to the commercial? Why is it not okay that her daughter is not in pink? Do you think they would ever make a similar commercial with a boy in more feminine clothing? Why?
My initial reaction was that the mother was disappointed in her daughter for not following gender stereotypes. She might even be embarrassed by it. She might be worried about what her friends think or that someone will think her child is a boy rather than a girl. I think a commercial where a boy is dressed in more feminine clothing would be much more controversial. Girls can wear more masculine clothing like jeans and t-shirts without be criticized, but men can't wear skirts or dresses without criticism.
Question #3 Name a children’s book that embodies the sexist notions that bell books discusses in this chapter. Why do you think the book has these sexist ideas? What future consequences do you think that these books have?
The Berenstain Bears books embody the sexist notions that bell hooks discusses. It is a book series as well as a television show. Below is a clip of the show. The mother bear is concerned with cleaning while the papa bear isn't. Notice around 2:35 that he refers to the kitchen as HER kitchen, as if he doesn't cook or clean in there. When it comes to cleaning the children's room, the papa bear makes up an excuse to leave. I think these books affect children negatively. A girl might learn from these books that she is supposed to clean and take care of the household.
Berenstain Bears was the first children's book example that came to my mind. It's a perfect example, and these stereotypes are not only portrayed in "the messy room," but also in the whole series. Great!
ReplyDeleteI loved these books so much as a little kid, but never before though of them as being sexist. Do you remember the one where brother bear joins a club and sister bear isn't allowed to come because she's a girl?
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw this clip it brought back some old memories as a kid. I used to watch this cartoon all the time and I remember now reading some of the books. But I don't remember them with their stereotypes. This example seems like a pretty rough portrayal of the mama grizzly. I thought it was interesting that the kids were having fun in the messy room and being creative on where they hung their clothes. I thought the little girl showed a little bit of masculinity when she stuck up for herself when they were playing the game. The stereotypes are clear as day in the show. Great clip. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI always read the Berenstain Bears growing up and it never even crossed my mind until now. Definitely a good example of sexism in children's books. Also liked to video you posted in your comment to my blog. I also saw a good chunk of snow white and other disney movies pop up when I was searching for sexism in the media/movies. Good blog yo!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I can really relate to the response about the Bernstein Bears. I loved those books as a kid and even read them from time to time with my nephew now. Though I did also buy him a children's book about winning the nobel peace prize too! For future blogs, think about how you can connect your ideas with passages from the reading and key terms/concepts from the text.
ReplyDelete