Media Moment, First Indian Miss America

Reactions to First Indian Miss America on Buzzfeed

While I do not watch the pageant when I heard that, Nina Davuluri, an Indian-American won I was pleasantly surprised because the "Miss America" stereotypical image is basically a thin, tall, "white" girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. The feeling didn't last very long however, beacause the next day I read on Buzzfeed the various reactions that were tweeted about the pageant. I was shocked to read very racist comments ranging from misindentifying her as an "Arab" to saying that Miss America is for Americans and apparently that is only the white race. I became interested with the history of the pageant and found out that till the 70's non-white contestants were not even allowed to compete and since then there have still only been a few winners of African American descent. Growing up in history class one thing that was always emphasized was that America is a "melting pot" and people of all religions and races are accepted. We have all assimilted with each other and our respective cultures but I wonder if maybe the definiton of beauty is still not diverse? Is beauty still essentially "white"?

Media Moment #1 New Makeover for Merida from "Brave"

As we were talking about children's media in past lectures, it made me think of a popular Disney movie called, "Brave." The movie was highly praised and acclaimed for showing the princess Merida as an independent and realistic person to young children. She didn't sit around like the "damsel in distress" in the movie. The inspiring message in "Brave" was that girls don't need to fit in with society's expectations of them. So, Disney decided to crown Merida as the 11th Disney princess. However, instead of keeping her how Pixar animators created her, they gave her a "makeover" that made her look more glamorous and even took away her bow and arrow, which I would say is her symbol of strength and independence. They gave her a makeover that made her look like a Barbie. This media message is just not right because we should show kids that they don't need to sit around and be pretty to be successful or in most Disney princess movie's case, to get a man. It falls upon parents to raise their young girls to be independent. However, how much of an impact do you think these mixed messages about young girls appearances have on children when they watch media ? Does anyone think that there is nothing wrong with the new image of Merida? Why or why not ?

http://www.marinij.com/millvalley/ci_23224741/brave-creator-blasts-disney-blatant-sexism-princess-makeover

Media Moment "US Weekly Cover and Its Message"

This weekly celebrity and entertainment issue caught my attention. The selling line "Tortured by her body" captures the very essence  of what the media is constantly promoting to their audience and reveals its contradictory message. While the media promotes unattainable standards of beauty, it is the media itself criticizing Kim Kardashian for feeling ashamed of her body, even after loosing '30lbs in 2 months'.

We have fallen into a never-ending cycle: not even the 'role model' that the entertainment  business creates are able to keep up with the expectations that they demand. Consequentially, celebrities are forced to hide from the public eye. As a result, the media creates even more pressure for renown people to either obtain a perfect shape or live through the shame of having a normal post-pregnancy body.

All of this happens while consumer women absorb the idea of pregnancy as equivalent to a 'Tortured' life. We have transitioned to a society in which having a family is actually handcuffs to a woman, and only single, child-freed women can be hot, glamorous, and happy. Sure women have the right to determine whether motherhood is the right choice for them and have a myriad of valid reasons to decide against it. The question is how deep does the representation of pregnancy and motherhood in the media influenced their decision.

Media Moment 1- Derewko Torres

The black in white image is from the 4th Trimester Project, this interested me because the image is projecting reality, how most women look like after birth. I choose the article with supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio to contrast what people and even women themselves expect to look like after birth. Does anyone feel that the photo is effective in changing how certain people feel about post birth bodies?

Hello

Bikini Kill - Double Dare Ya

We're bikini kill and we want revolution
Girl-style now!

Hey girlfriend,
I got a proposition
Goes something like this:

Dare ya to
Do what you want
Dare ya to
Be who you will
Dare ya to
Cry right outloud
You get so emotional baby

Double dare ya, double dare ya, double dare ya
Girl fuckin friend
I double dare ya
I triple dare ya
Double triple fuckin
Double fuckin dare ya

Don't you talk out of line
Dont go speaking out of your turn
Gotta listen to what the man says

Time to make his stomach burn
Burn, burn, burn, burn
(double dare ya)

Youre a big girl now
Youve got no reason
Not to fight
Youve got to know
What they are
'fore you can stand up
For your rights
Rights-- rights--rights? 
You have them, you know.

Spoken Word

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India’s Incredibly Powerful "Abused Goddesses" Campaign Condemns Domestic Violence