Easy Ways To Pay

I was cleaning out my desktop and I found this ad saved, one which I completely forgot to show to the class.

The ad says it all, literally, and I sadly am not even sure what the product is for. Is it for the car, or a car service, and is the ad saying to pay with your body for it?

It does't even make sense. This is just a way to sell with sex, with no planning even behind it.

Student, Lily Myer's poem on how women take up less space. ("SHRINKING WOMAN")

This reminded me of our talk in class about how men on the train take up a lot more space than women. It also reminded me of "The More You Subtract, The More You Add"- women are expected to be quiet and small or thin while men are expected to be loud, strong and muscular. This young woman totally nails and articulates a topic that is difficult for many. She goes into the impact it has on her family, her self worth, and women.

Just wanted to share something I found browsing Reddit

These were created by the reddit user Aliyra

Judah- reflection #2

Our last class discussion really got me thinking on the issue of human decency and respect, especially here in New York City. It was really interesting and sad to hear some of the struggles that the trans gender community face, especially the embarrassment and struggle that can occur from a trip to use the bathroom. Its bad enough in the city now to find a public bathroom regardless , it must be even more  difficult out side of school to find, or use a bathroom. 

I think with the new mayor there should be some sort of plan to create a more sensitive and safe environment for ALL New Yorkers to have the decency of using the bathroom with respect and in peace.

Does anyone have some sort of ideas of how or where around the city this can be done? 

It was really nice seeing how respectful and kind the class conversations flowed last class, was really inspiring. 

Judah

For Every Woman Working in the Film Industry, There are Five Men

I found this piece to be very similar to the comparisons we make in class, pretty cool stuff!
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/for-every-woman-in-the-film-industry-there-are-five-men

Judah 

The truth

Judah

American Apparel: What ARE they selling?

So while working on my paper, I cam across this slideshow

American Apparel

Is basically uses women in ads (nothing we haven't seen before, right?) but in an uber-sexualized way, where actually nudity occurs.
A lot of these ads have been removed, and don't show up on the company's website. But I still think this deserves to be shared. This is absolutely disgusting.

(Nothing again female sexuality, just how its used to sell clothing and appeal to a male audience)

Media Moment: Carrie Bradshaw Full of Shit

 

This Article How I Learned that Carrie Bradshaw was Full of Shit had me thinking about when we spoke about the women of Eastern Asia and the representation in SATC2, but this article focuses more on Carrie Bradshaw and her behavior in general throughout the show. Enjoy.

Check this out: How the Media Failed Women in 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswJ4kO9uHc

Video: How the Media Failed Women in 2013 (Media Moment 4?)

Hey all,

I came across this video, and I thought it would be something good to put up here:

I found this video incredibly intriguing, because while I was aware of most of these successes, the vast majority of these disturbing, sexist slights were not on my radar. My knee-jerk reaction was to be glad I had avoided a lot of that dreck (cable news oftentimes horrifies me), but then I realized that in order to dismantle and do away with these portrayals, one must first be aware of them.

Anyway, what do you all think of the video?

Reflection: Gender Neutral Bathrooms

A few days before last week's class, I managed to catch up on the most recent episodes of Glee. Within those episodes is the character "Unique" a transgender female who has the biological sex of a male but gender identifies and presents as a female. In one of the episodes, Unique uses the female bathroom and is caught by another student. She explains that she is afraid to use the male bathroom because she will be harassed, and also that she feels like she just does not belong there. Later, she is forced to use the male bathroom and is harassed, just as she thought, will the boys in the bathroom saying "It's okay, we're all guys here." I still had this episode fresh in my mind when we started to talk about the transgender topic and the idea of bathrooms.

Honestly, it makes me really sad that someone has to be afraid to simply go into the bathroom. Also, when someone doesn't want to create a gender neutral bathroom because they think it isn't safe for females, I get really angry. Yes, there are dangerous scenarios for everyone, but I think it is more dangerous to not have a gender neutral bathroom. (I have heard other people in the past say it isn't safe to have a gender neutral bathroom) I think in general, everyone has the right to use the bathroom in peace and safety, and we are getting to a point where so many "gay rights" are getting the spotlight (in a good way) that this honestly should not still be a problem. I think people need to grow up and stop hating what they might not understand, and instead simply try to.

Media Moment: Cologne

"TOM FORD FOR MEN"COLOGNE

So while I was looking at some articles for the project 3 paper, I stumbled across this advertisement.

The ad is for a men's cologne. WHY is a woman being used here?
Not to mention the overall objectification and use of a sexual object...

I was seriously shocked to see this.

This Ad "Sells Xenophobia to Liberals"

http://litostpublishing.org/2013/11/05/codebreaking-how-to-use-content-marketing-to-sell-xenophobia-to-liberals/

This article does a great job of using something similar to our "media kit" to examine this ad, demonstrating that its success in appealing to liberally-minded consumers is ultimately based on racist/"Orientalist" assumptions. An eye-opening read!