Sexy Music Today

Women are often objectified and sometimes even set themselves up to be objectified in the music industry. This is apparent in the lyrics of the artists' songs, in their music videos, and even when they are caught walking down by the paparazzi. Such behaviors have a negative impact on their audience. My online magazine, which can be viewed here, discusses this issue, the psychological aspect of it, and polls of how we see the music industry today.

To Maria and anyone else who is interested in creating an online magazine, which includes preset templates and a few major editing tools, the website I used was http://www.openzine.com.

Human Sex Trafficking

Link to the youtube video
Human trafficking, modern day slavery, is a $32 billion dollar worldwide industry which continues to grow unabated. The majority of modern day slavery revolves around the sex trade and reaches every corner of the globe. I wanted to take what we’ve discussed in class about the male gaze and the objectification of women in media and examine what role it plays in human trafficking.

Black Women In Politics

Social class, status, and power are predetermined by one’s gender and race despite society states this to no longer be true. Within today’s patriarchal society, men simply possess greater power than women, “and enjoy access to what is valued by the elite social groups. The phrase “the man is the head of the household” has filtered into our society producing male dominance and authority with multiple areas, including politics. Male society view women as being weaker and feel that our roles are set in stone as wives and mothers. Women have struggled attempting to change their position within society, regarding politics, especially black women. African American women have two strikes against them, where male society is concerned, one being female and two they are of color. African-American women have struggled attempting to change their position and how they are viewed within society. Many changes have been made throughout history regarding the place women in society, for equality especially politically.

I have observed the discrimination in the media against African Americans and especially women. I find it appalling when a black individual commits a crime the Mass Media would make headlines and be broadcasted for weeks repeatedly. I am saddened by the media’s focus on crime, drugs, gang violence and other forms of anti-social behavior among African-Americans. The media have fostered distortion, causing great damage of the perception of black people. African American women have often been viewed in the media as maids, prostitutes, junkies, unwed mothers and the list negativity goes on. However, it is funny though, when 21 year old, Katie Washington, on April 18, 2010, was named as the Notre Dame First Black Valedictorian, new of her great achievement did not make CNN, CBS, Fox 5, New York Times, Good Morning America top story or headlines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atVy8S9rIjg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skn-aSkJjH4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjIzxFL98Hg

My project is based on African American Women in politics. It is a compilation of great African American Women who have contributed to politics from slavery to present day.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/31793738/Black-Women-in-Politics

The Girl With The Dragon Fist

A flash animation that I made. It's about a young Asian American woman struggling with beauty images. I based it on one of our readings, Jean Kilbourne's "The More You Subtract, the More You Add: Cutting Girls Down to Size", and my own personal experience (the scenarios in the animation are not actual events, just based off of them). Kilbourne discusses how society and the media pressures women to be as small as possible, in both size and in power. The character in the animation tries to change this view, and prove that women are strong by entering into her school's talent show to perform a Taekwondo routine where she breaks boards that are symbolic of negative messages about women.

Edit:

Link to better online version, slowed down.

http://fmundergrad.hunter.cuny.edu/~chum/flash/finalproject_women.mov

An Opinion Editorial Exploring How The Media Has Contributed to The Rise of Teen Pregnancy

With most of my high school and college friends pregnant or already mothers, I decided to examine and even argue that the Media does and has contributed to the rise in teen pregnancy. It seems to me like everywhere I look either in my personal life or on TV and tabloids teen mother's have become a commodity. They are everywhere! And though I do not judge these girls, I am saddened and disturbed by this fact. I am a strong believer that women are capable of great things; enduring hardships while striving for their goals at the same time. I do however, think about the future and wonder how this present epidemic will effect my daughters and the daughters of the future. The first step to breaking this cycle is to analyze and critique some of the major forces behind the formation of culture. Today the media is one of those strong forces, because it has so much influence and impact in normalizing behaviors and attitudes.
MTV's Contribution to the Rise of the Teen Pregnancy Rate

Nazim Pelinkovic's Final MEDIA384

http://ladygagaculturalimpact.limewebs.com/Site/Home.html

My site aims to pick at Lady Gaga's many facets to examine her impact on culture and society, her charitable contributions while she embodies a sense of style and flamboyance.

At first, I listened to her with a very open mind and started getting pulled in my her live performances on YouTube. Every performance featured her with an "out there" costume and that little bit of something that just draws one in. I still can't put my finger on exactly what draws people to Lady Gaga, but I am willing to bet that some of it has to do with her stand-out-like-a-sore-thumb flare.

Final Project: Basic Kubotan

Behold: Basic Kubotan

Inspired by a discussion in class where most of the women believed that they were limited in defending themselves, I decided to create this website which will hopefully lead to opposite perceptions. Basic Kubotan focuses on a dual function object called the kubotan; it is used both as a key chain and a self-defense tool. Defending yourself with the help of a kubotan can be achieved with the most basic knowledge of pressure points. Beginners are usually advised to merely strike at any bony part of the body. This website was aimed to contribute in solving violence against women. By incorporating the kubotan in their daily lives, women can raise their confidence and freedom when going out into the world and living in our current society knowing they are equipped with a tool that they can personally use to protect themselves; to have the feeling of security even in the most shady areas. This website contains a short introduction to what a kubotan is, its history, applications and techniques, and where to buy them.

"For Women Inspired By Men"

I was very drawn to menswear for women and where it began. I found many images and facts that I was blown away and moved by good and bad. Women have worn men's clothing for a such a long time, yet it was never looked at as menswear. Women's fashion as evolved and that includes women wearing mens clothing for their own use. There has always been gender specific clothing, and the fact that women can walk around wearing mens clothing is beyond beautiful and inspiring. Coco Chanel designed clothes that were decidedly for the women wearing them, not for the man in her life! There are always those who say the women wearing mens fashion are cross dressing, however that stigma has been broken. I just wanted to say this class has been a pleasure, and creating my final has been more of a challenge, then writing short stories. I enjoyed every minute of this final and I hope you all enjoy it as well.

~Zoila Ponton

On Television

Television is a drug. from Beth Fulton on Vimeo.

All-Girls Education

What if this class were all women? How might it be different? Would you learn better, or at least differently? How might you be taught? How might you learn? How might you grow?


Excellence Girls in Bed-Stuy, the Spence School on the Upper East Side.

These are the answers I looked to find with a magazine article exploring the rise—or return, for after all, a century ago, this is how it was—of single-sex education in America, and particularly New York. Like many things, there are many camps surrounding this issue, those who argue boys and girls learn and behave differently, particularly at a younger age, and thus need to be separated. At the same time, there are those who simply believe in offering different choices to parents, advocates of charter schools and the like, a rationale I was not expecting to find. To further humanize this story, beyond talking to academics and experts, I talked to recently founded charter schools and decades-old private schools, all all-girl, to see what their approach is to single-sex education and how it has changed over the years, even visiting one of each to observe their approach first hand. The results may surprise you.

You Go Girls: How two all-girls schools in New York are reshaping the educational landscape

The Art of Self-Publishing

Red Dragon

The digital age has afforded us the ability to produce information in a manner that would have been very expensive, if not impossible, to do in the past.

Social media sites and the myriad of information found on the internet provide us with an excellent venue in which to evolve our ability to communicate.

For my final project I have created two chap books of poetry. The first, Red Dragon, is a book of poetry written by Gloria Fontanez.

The second book, Turbulencia, was inspired as a result of this project and is written by me. Please change the view on the lower left hand corner from "scroll" to "view" for optimal reading.

The third document is a bibliography of sites that provide information on ways to self-publish.

Turbulencia

Works Cited - Self Publishing

Single Ladies at Seven?

Art or sexualization of children? As reported by CBS news, the original post of this video has been watched two million times. The CHILDREN in this video are extremely talented dancers. However, the burlesque style of their costumes can be easily construed as an evocation of child pornography.

Dorthy Arzner

In the reading "Author/Auteur: Feminist Literacy Theory and Feminist Film" , it describe auteur as an individual who create films who portray how they view life. The auteur i would like to discuss is Dorothy Arzner.

Dorthy Arzner was a pioneering director during the the "Golden Age " of Hollywood. She was one of a few women who establish a name for herself during the film industry in the 1920s and 30s, despite sexism. Dorothy Arzner was the only female to be a member of the Directors Guild. Many of her work focus on gender and the representation among women. Her works described the lives of strong , interesting women. They are as challenging the dominant, phallocentric mores of the times. Arzner was an lesbian who presented a masculine look to be compared to the men in her field of work.

In a movie she created called The Wild Party, it was both critically and commercailly. This movie was set in a women's college and introduced some of the codes lesbian themes. The Wild Party is about these women who are know to be party girls and display bad behavior. One of the girls named Stella found out that a professor of hers is someone that she had a sexual encounter with. The professor being ignored by these girls behavior don't even notice Stella . Stella tries to gain her respect with the professor.


Work Cited:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002188/bio

http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/03/arzner.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020590/plotsummary

Mother's Day Fail

From failblog.org:



"Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. Now do my laundry."

http://failblog.org/2010/05/09/epic-fail-photos-mothers-day-fail/

Breaking through the advertising machine

full video does not fit....watch it here

(via clusterflock)

Best figures ever!

First women chosen for sub duty excited

They never expected to get the chance, but the Midshipmen chosen to be the Navy's first female submariners are ready to go -- after some more training.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/first-women-chosen-for-sub-duty-excited-19605966#video=19605966

THANK YOU!!!!

Before semester's end, I want to take this opportunity to thank Professor Cacoilo as well as everyone in the class for a great semester!

This class has been, by far, my favorite!! I have learned much from all of your comments, presentations and blog posts.

The anti-adverts of this week made me laugh - which is a good thing because much of the content covered during this class really made me angry.

The images clearly convey the point to which a society is willing to disintegrate in pursuit of the dollar bill.

How we are being portrayed as citizens is a disgrace and quite sadly, a depiction of who we are as a country. What are we teaching our children and those of the world at large?

There is a bigger picture at stake here.