Activity

1. People can also choose to be gender queer, by either drawing on several gender positions or
otherwise not identifying with any specific gender (nonbinary); or they may choose to move
across genders (gender fluid); or they may reject gender categories altogether (agender).

2. In Western societies, gender power is held by White, highly…[Read more]

1. There is a big misconception that gender and sexuality are tied together. It is not unnatural when someone’s gender does not match up with society’s idea of what their sexuality should be. For example, just because someone is a transgender female does not mean that she has to be sexually attracted to men. She can still be attracted to women.…[Read more]

1. “The Social Construction of Gender” by Judith Lorber: I found it alarming when Judith Lorber pointed out that we feel socially uncomfortable until we reach a conclusion when trying to categorize people into gender categories. I think that exemplifies privilege for cisgender people because those who are not cisgender are made uncomfortable as…[Read more]

In “Male Gaze and its Impact on Gender Portrayals in Media,” I was particularly glad to see the double-edged sword of the male gaze in politics addressed. Objectification can work both for and against women, but is harmful in both cases. Clinton and Palin are an example that I’ve looked at in many of my other classes also.

The press conference…[Read more]

1. Men represent about 90% of CEO’s in entertainment media which gives them the power to control the narrative structure and represent women as sexual objects.
2. Men have the ability to control how news is presented in the media. News concerning issues involving females are often shared in a non-newsworthy manner.
3. Downplaying serious topics…[Read more]

Women are presented in arts and media not as a whole character active in controlling the narrative but rather as an object being looked at. While men are shown as active characters by shots of their face, etc., women in media and art are often depicted as full bodies, not exclusively their faces but faces in combination with body parts. This…[Read more]

“Night to his Day”:
The Social Construction of Gender

All societies have socially constructed gender roles built into the general social structure, but sex and gender aren’t necessarily symmetrical.

From Shonda Rhimes’ ‘You are not alone’ speech:

“I really hate the word ‘diversity.’ It suggests something…other. As if it is something…special, or rare. I’m normalizing TV. I am making it look like the world looks.”

This is so important!!! It’s a simple thought and makes complete sense, but why have I never thought about it like that…[Read more]

Takeaways from Shonda Rimes “You Are Not Alone Speech”:

I literally have watched every single episode of Grey’s Anatomy that has ever aired. I swear. That is how much I love the storyline that Shonda Rimes has created in that series. I know every detail about every character you can ever think of in that show. Still, I never internalized the d…[Read more]

Shonda Rimes explains her theory on diversity in television. She exclaims that diversity in television isn’t something revolutionary. It’s actually just portraying the realities of this world. Real life is diverse, and everyone should get to see someone they identify with living the life or telling a story that they want to hear. Normalizing…[Read more]

Colorism is a byproduct of racism rooted in a vast history of Eurpoean colonialism in which societies were organized and classified by “pure” whiteness and continued through deviations from white purity.

1. Superheroes are supposed to be people that children can look up to and who they feel can protect them. A lot of girls and minority children may not feel like they can look up to a white male superhero because they can’t relate to him in any way. They feel like he represents the white community but not their own community.
2. America is not the…[Read more]

-“If you were a black young adult living in an expensive city like
New York, you needed to be an urban professional; if you were white, you could survive on creative loafing.” The author of this article explains that an all black cast had to have more character development than the all white cast of “Friends” in order to be successful, regardless…[Read more]

-“If you were a black young adult living in an expensive city like
New York, you needed to be an urban professional; if you were white, you could survive
on creative loafing.” The author of this article explains that an all black cast had to have more character development than the all white cast of “Friends” in order to be successful, regardless…[Read more]

– Colorism among people of the same race is considered a form of internalized racism. This is caused by european phenotypes being seen as “superior.”

– There isn’t much of a difference between colorism and racism. They both are based on prejudice against someone for their genetic make-up.

While we need more representation in media, it’s important that that representation is of dynamic, well-written characters that don’t just fall into a stereotype. The article on Muslim Americans made me think about the portrayals I’ve recently seen on tv and I honestly couldn’t remember one muslim character that didn’t have some storyline…[Read more]

1.After centuries of being conditioned to view white/european as superior and
their own race and culture as inferior, many people were broken and eventually believed
in and acted according to that dichotomy. It’s under those conditions that people of varying races came to view european ancestry and european phenotypes as superior to all else and a…[Read more]

1. I think it’s interesting that the author stated that he feels racism and colorism are intertwined. I agree with this statement in a way. In the black community there is a sense that being lighter is better. People talk down on their own race because of the differences of skin-tone. Darker skinned people almost have to prove that they are as b…[Read more]

1. I think it’s interesting that the author stated that he feels racism and colorism are intertwined. I agree with this statement in a way. In the black community there is a sense that being lighter is better. People talk down on their own race because of the differences of skin-tone. Darker skinned people almost have to prove that they are as b…[Read more]