Grrl Power- Some Things Never Change

Since the sexual revolution of the 1960's and 70's, and the feminist movement that came along with it; the biggest battle has been the over sexualization of women in the media. According to Hollywood, during the 70's, you could either be the beautiful sidekick but with little or no brains, or the dyke/ bitchy one who seemed like she could never get laid. A great example is the difference is shows like Cagny and Lacey versus the Charlie's Angels. Of course tv shows have come a long way since then, but movies, not so much.

Take for example the Mission Impossible movies. The strong female member of the team is the serious bitch, but always gorgeous, and uses that to her advantage. The only time that a woman isnt completely over sexualized is in the chick flicks, because their demographic is largely women.

As much as I love a good kick ass girl movie, the sexualization of these characters was something I noticed but usually only in the horrow films cause the slut always dies first.

Kids Television... What is that suppose to be?!?

After discussing the amount of advertising that is thrown at kids these days and seeing it by just observing my next door neighbor, Natalie who is two, I realized that even though shows try to teach them lessons, the only one that is getting through is that they need more crap( toys, games, useless pieces of plastic).

Shows like Dora the Explorer, Spongebob, The Wiggles, and the worst; Yo Gabba Gabba, not only have the shows, but the endless amounts of merchandise to go along with the show. On top of that a lot of toy companies are coming out with products that in my opinion destroy a childs imagination rather than expanding it. This of course is the most depressing of all of this because what is the point of enjoying a childhood without some imagination.

Then we created our own versions of kids tv shows and then it clicked, wouldnt holidays like birthdays and Christmas be even more special and magical for kids if it wasnt all about the latest toys, movies, or games based off some ridiculous show that took the Christmas idea as well for advertising? Remembering some of my much earlier Christmases, it was more about the original foundations of the holiday rather than the advertisements idea of what Christmas should be, every new and latest little thing. But instead giving back to the community.

Its ok say it with me... PORN.

Since the craze of pornography with magazines like Playboy and Hustler, pornography has become this taboo topic in the United States that no one wants to talk about but just fight against it. Personally porn is no different than any other weird hobby that Americans share to keep it under the rug, like hoarding and weird addictions; which has recently come into light by shows that bring these habits out of the closet and into our homes. I have to laugh at some of the politicians that want to get rid of the porn industry, while not knowing that a lot of their ties to companies like Verizon and NewsCorp, which probably gave them support for their campaign, own their own porn production companies. Also, that they think porn is so horrible, but I bet you money that they’ve seen porn, watched it, and enjoyed it, and their sons probably have their own collection of porn in their rooms.

Im not totally against porn, cause trust me I’ve seen my fair share, my problem is the hardcore porn where the safety and health of the stars is in question.  I understand that it is their choice to perform these obscene acts with others, but the audience watching it is another issue to worry about as well. Is this specific audience the reason for the high numbers of rape in our country or is it another issue? Should there be more laws for porn to make sure that the safety and health of the stars comes first before their already high profits of the porn industry?  

Personally knowing a porn star, another issue that comes up is the STD and HIV checks that are demanded to help stop the spreading of these diseases. These days, the industry is very strict on these regulations more with larger production companies where their stars are very valuable and bring in a huge profit. Another issue that is very relevant is drugs and alcohol problems that come with the package of the industry. To me this is no different than hearing about some Hollywood star that has drug problems, which is nothing new in our culture.

REALLY?!?!?! Its just one day, get over yourself!

I like most American women, is a sucker for the wedding show Say Yes to the Dress, but not so much the other shows like My Fair Wedding and Bridezilla. But after seeing clips of these other shows, it seems absurd that these women put themselves through all this stress and emotional roller-coaster for just one day.

 Of course I myself havent been through the wedding planning process until now, when my neighbor got engaged (which has reflected on my view on the whole institution of the bulls***). The emotional draining of trying to please yourself while also trying to respect the wishes of members of the family can really take a toll on the relationships of the family and even the couple themselves. After talking with my mom she never had these kind of problems, that she has at least told me, about the experience and she does agree that it was definitely the best day of her life and that this generation is all about who can do it bigger than everyone else.

And this is understandable when we have seen weddings like the royal wedding, Kim Kardashian, Heidi Montag, Jessica Simpson, and other celebrities that their relationships that dont even last that long even after spending all this money and time on just one day. Its ridiculous in my opinion but of course my mother always says I'll remember that when its your time to get married. 

The marks of surgery, shouldn't look like your entering the Earths atmosphere

With shows like "Bridalplasty", "The Swan", and even "Keeping Up with the Kardashians", it has domesticated the operations of cosemtic surgery which has become more of an obsession to the audience of the United States. These shows try to make it seem like plastic surgery is no big deal, that everyone does it and they feel better about themselves afterwards. The reality is shown in shows like "Nip Tuck" which brings out the darker side of the operation. Showing viewers the grewsome results that some have and what the doctors actually do in order to create the "perfect face" for their patients. Results of the extremes that some people will go is clear in the faces of stars like Heidi Montag, Bruce Jenner, and some of the members of almost every city of the Real Housewives.

C.O.D and other militaristic games: How does it impact you?

Call of Duty or better known as C.O.D (pronounced “cod”) is an example of the militaristic game that many men ranging from 13 to the odd age of mid to late 30’s that is very popular. Call of Duty places the player in certain battle like situations and the objective is to kill as many as the opposition as possible and can also include a “capture the flag” winning objective. The major appeal to the game other than the gore and guns includes a live chat feature which gives you the option to connect with friends as a team to win or to also connect with other players that you are playing against. Personally, I’ve been known to fall asleep during the game while my ex was playing with the volume on full blast. 

                I’m not sure if there is a direct correlation between the violence of the game and the violence of some teenagers, but I do know for a fact that it has ruined many relationships in high school because of the obsession behind the game. The problem rests with if the player has already had many issues with other peers or even authority figures which then after playing the game can also lead to even more violent problems. Also, because of the game I do know of some friends that because of the game have decided to try the criminal justice program and even think of joining the military, which I don’t think is the best idea from personally knowing these boys. And knowing some military personnel, Call of Duty is actually close to some of the live action training that some go through before deciding if they actually want to join the military.

                So the better question is that if games like these are encouraging boys, and some women, to join the forces, should we really put down a game like this? We know that all armed forces have to go through a psychological evaluation anyways before allowed to join, so what is the harm in a simple game? 

Warriors: WWE or UFC

With the discussion in class concerning the WWE and their effect on the minds of the public, especially the large following, it concerned me that the real fighters weren’t being acknowledged for the real beating that their bodies and their personal lives take, UFC and by extension professional boxing. After seeing the cinematic movie “Warrior” it showed me the real battle that these UFC fighters but themselves through and even in boxing compared to the performance of the WWE; yet the WWE has the largest following. In the recent years UFC has become more and more popular by reaching out to a larger crowd with paper-view and having more broadcasted fights.

Now either way both forms of fighting are quite barbaric and WWE is definitely not my cup of tea, but after being to some of the UFC fights and boxing matches and knowing some fighters, I have a lot more respect for these fighters than the WWE. The treatment women fighters with their skits for the entertainment directly can affect how some of their younger viewers treat other peers and especially women later in life.

"Warrior" is a great example of the true meaning of wrestling is and how much pain and training that the fighters go thorugh in order to be successful in the UFC organization, and also sheds some light on recreational wrestling and boxing, unlike what the WWE fighters do. I do however that it is entertainment for the masses and it is a way of life and financial support for themselves and their families.

WHICH ONE WOULD YOU IDOLIZE??