Guest Speaker Response to Courtney D’Allaird and Dr. June Deery

All of the guest speakers provided a unique supplemental information to our in class learning. The two guest speakers that had a particularly powerful impact were Dr. June Deery and Courtney D’Allaird.  Dr. June Deery, who explained reality TV and its trends, spoke of the portrayal of groups within society. Courtney D’Allaird explained the impact of the media on transgender individuals as a result of their portrayal.

Isis King, America’s Next Top Model Contestant (2008)

Courtney D’Allaird spoke of how transgender women in the media are often accepted, making the switch from a man to a woman more tolerable due to the fact that the woman can become an entity that is objectified and sexualized.   This is seen time and time again as transgender women appear on reality TV shows giving women advice about fashion and dating. This is seen on America’s Next Top Model (2008) with Isis King, who shared much of her physical transition from being a man to a woman. Transgendered people also appear in TRANSform me (2010), where Laverne Cox tells women how to dress better and how to be more feminine.

Dr. June Deery explained that reality TV often reflected the interests of the audience, whether that be a result of intrigue or interest.  Transgender people on TV often have to explain the narrative as they go through physical reassignment surgery, yet this completely ignores the emotional aspect of the transition.

A Pants Suit

In spite of this, transgender women oftentimes face violence and transgender people experience much higher murder rates than any other people in the LGBT community. In fact, 53.8% of all crimes the LGBTQ community are against transgendered women.  This is because although women can become more sexualized in the media, women can act “masculine” and it is deemed “okay”.  As a girl, a female can be a tomboy, in the office, a woman can wear a pants suit.  The opposite does not work for men: boys are criticized for being too girly and men cannot wear dresses or heels to the office without a second glance.

Bruce Jenner 2015

Bruce Jenner, a reality TV person who has just reappeared in the media, has garnered attention due to Jenner’s wish to be seen as a woman instead of the male stepfather of the Kardashian children.  In an interview, Jenner states, “as of now I still have all of the male parts…but I still identify as a female” yet this (as is touched upon by Courtney D’Alliard) should not be a concern of the public. If Jenner – video wishes to identify as female, Jenner should be accepted as female.

Jenner is a fascinating case for many and although Jenner claims that in doing a reality TV show, Jenner is spreading the word about the transition and its difficulties, there are still many who question whether the publicity of the transition is for financial gain (and exploiting the transgender community or whether it will accurately reflect the transgender population.  The intrigue surrounding transgender individuals has sparked a media frenzy to cover the transition.  If Jenner accurately explains the physical and emotional impact of the transition, the show has the potential to inform the world about being transgender and have a huge positive impact on the transgender community.

Demographics

Through choosing a research topic which addresses immigrant acculturation to the United States, I hope to understand to what extent media impacts those who first enter into the United States.  This research applies to anyone with immigrant or green-card status and even second generation children who may still be learning to adjust to the differences between American culture and their culture of origin.  This means that demographics vary by ethnicity but could encompass people from all over the world who have recently moved to the United States.  This is because, “human prestige systems…rapidly become symbolic in nature as the individual develops. In complex societies, multiple sets of prestige criteria may be

available, with each set associated with a particular identity, social role, and place in society,” (Barkow, Rendell and O’Gorman 2012, 124).  As immigrants learn about the United States in the media, there is a potential that they are all impacted differently as a result of their choice to identify themselves in accordance with some social identities and not others.  This may have a distinct role in how one sees oneself in the media, especially because minorities are portrayed significantly less in the media than those of the majority background.

The study focuses on gender in the sense that it measures the extent to which immigrants acculturate to United States media ideals and American media focuses on the gender binary. Media plays an integral role in acculturation because, “media…is highly related to an individual’s language skills, communication behavior, information-seeking options, and opportunities for social interaction” (Tsai and Cong, 2014: 205).  The sexuality aspect is incorporated for the same reason, I aim to investigate to what extent immigrants feel that they need to adjust their behavior to fit into the mainstream Americanized ideals.

Class and inequality play a pivotal role in this study because they correlate with levels of parental education. The more educated parents are (and the less time they spend working) the more likely that their children will be supervised or monitored in their television watching.  When children go unsupervised, their television watching habits are not checked whereas when parents are aware of what children are watching, they are more likely to watch educational programs.  This impacts both their level of education and their actions, “Based on the acculturation literature, the degree to which ethnic individuals acculturate into the mainstream society affects their behavior. The level of acculturation has been found to influence people’s decision-making process, shopping orientation, and consumption of both traditional and convenience food,” (Tsai and Cong, 2014: 205).  Mainstream media encourages the consumption of materials and promotes cultural ideologies which have come to be accepted in society.

This study brings inequalities to light through focusing on social identities.  First language, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, country of national origin and race are all represented distinctly in the media and different portrayals lead to distinct expectations.  These expectations impact people’s actions, “People can participate in multiple social media platforms without changing their physical locations, and they are likely to behave in accordance with the cultural connotations implied by a particular platform” (Tsai and Cong, 2014: 204).   The issue is rooted in poverty and the values which children see (or lack thereof) in their day to day lives.

Sources

Barkow, Jerome, Luke Rendell, and Rick O’Gorman. 2012. “Are the Mass Media Subverting Cultural Transmission?” General Psychology 16(2): 121 – 133. http://ezproxy.siena.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=2012-14766-004&site=ehost-live

Cong ,Li. Wan-Hsiu Sunny Tsai. 2014. “Social media usage and acculturation: A test with Hispanics in the U.S.” Computers in Human Behavior 45(1): 204 – 2012. <http://ac.els-cdn.com.ezproxy.siena.edu:2048/S0747563214007341/1-s2.0-S0747563214007341-main.pdf?_tid=d1868b10-d75d-11e4-b66e-00000aab0f27&acdnat=1427776047_ba4b27ede2c7c8b3aa5d90d4814f81e1>

Gender Analysis in Films: The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz was directed by Victor Fleming, produced by Mervyn LeRoy and the director of photography was Harold Rossen.  The book was originally a book written by Lyman Frank Baum and the movie was first released in 1939.  The movie portrays Dorothy, a female protagonist on a journey home.  Within Casey Cipriani’s article, “Sorry, Ladies: Study on Women in Film and Television Confrims the Worst,” Cipriani explains the implication of statistics on women in film.  According to Cipriani, “Only 12% of all clearly identifiable protagonists were female in 2014. This represents a decrease of 3 percentage points from 2013 and a decrease of 4 percentage points from 2002.” Within the Wizard of Oz, the protagonist Dorothy and the witches are female but the majority of other characters (the tin man, the lion, the scarecrow and the Wizard are all males).

Dorothy, the witches and Dorothy’s family does fall into the statistic that 74% of all female characters are white.  For the 12% of female protagonists, only 11% of those were Black, 4% of those were Latina, 4% of those were Asian while 3% of those were other worldly.  For those of minority races, the probability of seeing their representation on television is minimal.  Although women make up half of the population and play an essential role in the world, movies downplay this as a result of being an industry which is predominantly white male and exclusive (as is seen in those who directed the Wizard of Oz).

Binary oppositions are perpetuated in most films although in reality gender is a complexity factor in society. This idea that gender is strictly male and female and must be treated as such appear in the movie in both dress and action (Ott and Mack 2014). Dorothy and the good witch of the West Glinda wear stereotypically female clothing and the solution to the predicament are red, sparkly high heel shoes.  In order to get home to Dorothy’s family in order to help take care of them (as is the stereotypical female role), Dorothy must find the Wizard (a white male) to help her.  The plot also contains in fighting amongst women as the Wicked Witch of the West attempts to stop Dorothy every step of the way.

Within the Wizard of Oz the idea of psychoanalysis (Mulvey 1999) becomes evident because Dorothy hits her head and ends up in Oz where she must find a Wizard to remind her that she has the skills which she has searched for throughout the entirety of the movie.  The characters are not particularly attractive and although the scarecrow, tin man, and lion are all male, there is no romance throughout the entirety of the film, rather it is a woman’s struggle to succeed and achieve her own greatness and independence. Unlike Laura Mulvey’s essay which claims that women can only look at films sadly because of the way in which females are presented, the Wizard of Oz provides a strong female protagonist who goes on a journey and is more than solely a pawn to be adored by men.

As a result of the lack of predominant men in the movie, the Wizard of Oz passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors.  Glinda and Dorothy converse about Dorothy’s killing of the Wicked Witch of the East and Dorothy finding her way home.  Dorothy and the Wicked Witch also converse when Dorothy is captured – although this is not a positive interaction with another woman.  Dorothy and Aunt Em also speak when reunited and Miss Gulch and Dorothy set off the adventure in the first place.

Sources

“Bechdel Test Movie List.” Bechdel Test Movie List. Accessed February 02, 2015. http://bechdeltest.com/.

Cipriani, Casey. “Sorry, Ladies: Study on Women in Film and Television Confirms The Worst.” Indiewire. February 10, 2015. Accessed February 13, 2015. http://www.indiewire.com/article/sorry-ladies-study-on-women-in-film-and-television-confirms-the-worst-20150210.

Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Film Theory and Criticism :Introductory Readings. Eds. Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen. New York: Oxford UP, 1999: 833-44.

Ott, Brian L., and Robert L. Mack. Critical Media Studies: An Introduction. 2nd ed. West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell, 2014.

Economic Power

The mass media which affects acculturation in young children through young adults often begins with children’s television and the subsequent commercials which influence their perceptions of American Culture.  Children between the ages of four and 12 influence more than $165 billion in spending in the United States (Alberman and Atkin 2000: 143).  These purchases are based upon what kids consider “popular” or the “in” fashion at the time, perpetuating cultural norms in regards to fashion, food, toys and any other accessory one could imagine.  The commercials which target these children are not random, they involve a complex interpretation of viewing patterns, the goal of the viewer’s behavior, the amount which this group uses media and the needs of these viewers (Alberman and Atkin 2000: 144).  When watching a children’s show, it is rare to see a commercial for medical diseases because the commercials are analyzed in order to best fit the audience.  Rather than a Viagra commercial, there are commercials for Sketchers, Barbies and Hot Wheels.

The social significance of the products marketed towards children are the trends which these products create or perpetuate.  When these products become trendy in school or in children’s social groups, these children feel the need to adjust to the newly established norms.  Commercial producers are reliant upon their advertising to create a product dependency for their viewers in order to sway the market trends (Alberman and Atkin 2000: 144).  These trends determine acculturation of groups of people who begin adjusting to a culture through modifying their behavior or spending patterns to match up with popular culture of the time.

Although media is not creating culture, through advertisements both positive and negative cultural ideals are perpetuated.  In advertising, stereotypical gender norms are incredibly prevalent, perpetuating the ideal representation, sexual orientation, and age of the population which is being targeted in the advertisement (Esther 2014: 89).  The results are the perpetuation of gender stereotypes without regard for anyone but the majority population. When a commercial for young girls appears on television, values in regards to motherhood, beauty, and friendship are perpetuated, whereas with toys for boys, strength, ability and power are the most important and relevant factors (Esther 2014: 191).

On television, there are 6 large corporations that own over 90% of television broadcasting.  Media consolidation allows under 250 media executives to control all American’s television watching.  The six companies consist of General Electric, News-Corp, Disney, Viacom, and Time Warner.  Each of these companies own various television channels and as a result air different programs on each of their channels.  The programs displayed on all of these channels oftentimes exhibit the biases of the executives which produced them, allowing for a perpetuation of the American culture without reason or a voice for change.  This means that those that watch media are biased by the opinions, beliefs and cultural norms of solely 6 companies which prevents diversification of available media options.

Although these six companies may provide a viewing experience which is aligned with those raised within American culture, for first and second generation immigrants, these ideas have the potential to shape the way in which they perceive American culture: the way in which they speak, act, dress as a result of the common misconceptions about America perpetuated by American media.

Sources

Abelman, Robert, and David Atkin. “What Children Watch When They Watch TV: Putting Theory Into Practice.” Journal Of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 44, no. 1 (Winter2000 2000): 143. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed February 7, 2015)

Martínez, Esther. “Gender Representation in Advertising of Toys in the Christmas Period (2009-12).” Comunicar 21, no. 41 (October 2013): 187-194. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost (accessed February 6, 2015).

Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture: Consumption and Materialism Ch. 10

Young Americans play a critical role in the success of the American economy, it is estimated that children have influence between $100 billion and $300 billion dollars spent annually (Sternheimer 247).  This influence over

This Barbie Dream House is listed for $163.11 on Amazon, but be warned, the fine print reads: Dolls not included

parents purchasing decisions has led to mass critique of advertisements directed towards children and “premature consumerism”.  Critics claim that children are being whisked away by the capitalist economy and advertisements to children are destroying their innocence (Sternheimer 249).  Barbie products adhere to this norm through perpetuating unhealthy beauty standards, gender norms and excess consumerism.

Despite the idea that children must create excess consumerism, in reality, the parents are at fault.  Even though child product advertisements cater to children, the parents purchase the products until the children become of age to earn money and buy it on their own.  Although 94% of parents think that children today are spoiled, only 55% think that their own kids are spoiled.

The misconception that such a high percentage of children are spoiled generates an ignorance toward the more than half-million children who suffer from neglect each year and the one in five American children who are living in poverty (Sternheimer 252).  The wage disparity within the United States is continuing to increase, and the impact is being felt by parents and children yet through overindulging attention to excess in the press, oftentimes those suffering in poverty are ignored.

American society is built around material goods, through rewarding children with gifts, giving products for the holidays and special events and perpetuating the idea of having the brand that’s most in style (whether that’s the IPhone, Vineyard Vines, Coach, Uggs) the importance of spending is perpetuated.  The average American child watches between 25,000 and 40,000 commercials per year, each aimed at them in some way, shape or form (Shah 2010).  These commercials have been altered in order to best fit the audience and act as an influence for the purchase of the latest, greatest good.

 

Check out this video to see how advertisements are altered to seem more appealing to children

Sources

Shah, Anup. November 21, 2010. Children as Consumers. “Global Issues”.  Retrieved 27 January, 2015 (http://www.globalissues.org/article/237/children-as-consumers).

Sternheimer, Karen. 2013. “Consumption and Materialism: A New Generation of Greed.” Pp 244 – 255 Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture: Why Media is not the Answer. Westview Press.

Cultural Analysis: Cultural Theory & the Functions of Ideology

Cultural is what humans produce and the means by which we preserve what we have produced.  Physical culture, or the things that are left behind by society is composed of artifacts through which a particular group (national, social or political) identifies.  Any item which is produced can become an artifact, oftentimes this appears in the media through fashion and design.

All of the outfits above adhere to cultural social norms, an example: certain areas of the body are always covered.

These artifacts are dictated by social codes and rules so for example, a dress or pants in the fashion world must cover certain areas of the body.  Even though some items are more revealing then others, a runway model is not considered “fashionable” if they walk onto the runway nude.  This is a result of our attitudes toward that particular aspect of culture.  In a culture where nudity is normalized, there would be no issue with a model walking across the stage nude.

Culture presents itself as collective, this means it has a following and shared symbols and systems.. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has a following which present themselves as a culture.  Although the following of the show evolves and fades over time, there is still a collective set of practices and beliefs which come about as a result of viewing the movie.  Ideologies are a system of ideas that unconsciously shape and constrain both beliefs and behaviors, but as a subculture, the followers of the Rocky Horror Picture Show are enabled to break the boundaries of preconceived

Cross-dressing is common during the Rocky Horror Picture Show, this subculture is allowed to deviate from the dominant ideologies of society due to the collective following of the show.

ideologies.  They can cross-dress and act in ways which would not be considered socially acceptable in normalized society.  Despite this, as a subculture, they are enabled to break from the dominant ideologies established in the world and create their own perspectives, qualities and needs.  They have interpolated into a certain culture and existence and hailed an ideology to represent them.

Sources:

Ott, Brian L., Robert L Mack. 2014. Cultural Analysis pp. 134 – 161. “Critical Media Studies: An Introduction 2nd Edition“  Malden, MA. Wiley Blackwell.

Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture: Changing Families

In this post, I will argue that although media is blamed for changes in culture, especially in regards to unwholesome changes in life in the American population, in reality I TV acts as a reflection of American lifestyle changes rather than as an influence of the American people.   When media is created, it is often done so with a purpose, whether that is to start social movements or to entertain, yet most mass media has a goal and a target viewer.  Shows with children as main characters are often directed towards young kids (i.e. cartoons), shows about teenagers are often

“My Teen is Pregnant and So Am I”

directed towards teenagers (teenage soap operas), and adults often watch TV shows about adults (i.e. Soap operas or TV series).  This is because Americans appreciate media which reflects their experiences and their reality or something that they can relate to in life, aspire to, or that have a certain shock factor.  Teenage pregnancy in the media takes on the shock factor, with shows such as 16 and Pregnant and My Teen is Pregnant and so am I, there was a societal realization that these shows do not glorify teen pregnancy, they explain the difficulties associated with them.  As stated in Connecting Social Problems in Popular Culture: Why Media Is Not the Answer by Karen Sternheimer, when these shows came into existence, teenage pregnancy had already been a problem, and in fact as these TV shows ran, the rate of teen pregnancy dropped and the show had no effect on teen moms.

How I Met Your Mother Characters

Media has also been attributed to increasing divorce rates and a lack of faith in institutionalized marriage.  In the study outlined by Sternheimer, only 57% of the American people feel that people who have children must be married, and cohabitation has become much more common in recent years.  This is not due to TV shows which show people cohabitating, rather it is due to the lack of financial gain that many couples achieve from marriage.  Not too long ago, marriage was a financial necessity for woman who could not gain a living wage on their own, but as society has evolved and women’s salaries have increased (although still not to the rate of men’s), maintaining a nuclear family is no longer essential.  This is reinforced through many TV shows where cohabitation before marriage is common: Friends, New Girl and How I Met Your Mother.  How I Met Your Mother is about a group of friends with very different perceptions of relationships which reflect societal views of marriage. Ted, who is constantly striving for the perfect relationship, is in agreement with 76% of the American Population, who say that marriage is somewhat or very important, and just as 96% of Americans, he is married at least once by the age of 65.  Barney plays Ted’s friend who (as 9% of Americans) believes that marriage is almost impossible, and their two best friends Lilly and Marshall believe that marriage is easy (as do 21% of Americans).  Although these shows may reinforce values, they reinforce values which have already been accepted into society instead of implementing new ones.

:)