Thanks for understanding :)
Hello, this is "Laura!" I just wanted to personally say that I am so sorry that our website hasn't been updated recently, but I promise I will have a new post up within the month. I've been pretty busy with the whole "taking an extra course over summer break" thing, so life does not leave much time for freedom and publishing. Please email me at [email protected] if you have any ideas as to what you would like for me to write about (in general). Either way, something about Hillary Clinton will be on the way...but I would greatly appreciate it if y'all really told me what you want for me to explain/extrapolate on in my posts.
Thanks for understanding :)
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Urgent message (sorry to interrupt)! I am looking for new publishers and editors to be added to by blog in order to expand our intellectual property and web base. If you are interested in this opportunity, please email me at [email protected].
There is no limit in the number of spots available, but please make sure to email me by the 20th. I would greatly appreciate this. Thanks, "Lauren" I have a quick announcement to make to everyone viewing my blog: I will soon have another editor upon me! (Well, more like a publisher...). Basically, I will now be working in cooperation with someone else who, for now, shall remain unnamed until she decides to identify herself (it is a girl, I will give you that much). You can soon expect a greater number of posts to be made with more variety and intellectual property, all for your educational benefit. I hope you are ready for this amazing improvement!
Additionally, if you would like to work in cooperation with me, feel free to email me at [email protected]. Also, if you have any questions or concerns, you may contact me at the same place. Thanks! Today, I would like to talk about the sexism which I have not-so-recently noticed in many current song lyrics. I am pretty sure that I am not the only one who has seemed to observe this obvious fact, although, according to research, I am one of the few who has decided to make public (not many write about this). However, I feel that this is a big issue and needs to be informed on ASAP. Many song lyrics, both in the present and in the past, have had very vulgar and suggestive messages both from women and from men. Men are usually singing about getting in bed with a woman and how "sexy" or how "hot" she is (they never bother to look at the personality!) and can't seem to put value into any other subject. Words such as "(Female) The answer is 'No.' (Male) Baby it's cold outside," (hence tricking her into staying with him) "You know all you gotta do is tell me what you’re sipping on. And I promise that I’m gonna keep it coming all night long," and "Let me appreciate your nakedness. Relax, this martini will make you less shy," are all examples of song lyrics which not only objectify women but also encourage the idea of "rape culture," telling woman that "this drink will make you less shy" so that I can basically appreciate your nakedness while you are unconscious and do not have full awareness of your actions. Additionally, song lyrics written by artists such as Pitbull, Chris Brown, and many other music artists objectify woman and speak of only their physical attributes and how "attractive" they are, only to later get them into bed. However, this isn't all men's fault. Songs written by female artists, such as the song "Booty" by Jennifer Lopez, also encourage the objectification of women as sex objects. Even Lopez, a women herself, embodies the persona of "giving a man what he asks for" just because "it's his birthday," therefore wanting to pleasure him without any regard whatsoever towards her own personal feelings. All in all, it is not only men themselves but also us women which are putting each other down and encouraging each other to become sex objects to men. We must stop copy-catting this culture and bring a change to this persona, embracing not only the physical attributes of a woman and a relationship but it's emotional health also.
References Chain Raise. (2014). 8 Popular Songs That Are Actually Promoting Rape. Retrieved from http://chainraise.com/8-popular-songs-that-are-actually-promoting-rape/ Halper, K. (2014, October 21). 9 songs that are rape-ier than you realized. Retrieved from https://t.co/aGMtKvWQxR Not to self advertise but...
View my new Facebook page now at https://www.facebook.com/thesexismblogpost/! Free to views, open to comments. I typically will post instances which I and others around the world have faced which are sexist and straight-out discriminatory for the public to see. Please click on the link above in order to create awareness of this issue within our world! Also, see my most recent post now at https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fthesexismblogpost%2Fposts%2F494614704065265&. Thank you! One book which I have recently been reading and would greatly recommend to my audience is called "American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers." This book was written by a woman named Nancy Jo Sales who traveled all across the country to speak to more than 200 girls on their outlook concerning a) porn, b) social media, c) dating/hooking up, and d) sexism. I believe this book to be a very good representation of the current society which women face and perfectly emulates the degradations of porn and sexualization seen in America today. Although seen as a sort of "pleasure" mostly for men, pornography can definitely be a put-down for women in terms of their treatment and sexuality. To learn more, buy this book at your local Barnes and Noble or on Amazon.com. Happy reading!
Ever since 2007, Kim Kardashian has been the reality TV star on the move. She has starred in over 5 TV shows, 13 reality TV shows (3 of which are her own), and has endorsed over 4 perfumes. How much more famous can this woman get? Kim Kardashian has become a sensation in our culture, an endorsement in our society. But...what kind of an effect does she really have on our generation, and what are its consequences?
Recently, I have been reading a book titled "Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers" by Nancy Jo Sales (2016), in which the effects of sexism, pornography, and objectification are described (specifically aimed towards teenagers) According to Sales, an specific occurrence which happened on the show was one in which it Kris said, "'Kim, you're doing amazing, sweetie,'" during "an iconic moment on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, in which Kim, naked except for jewelry and heels, is on her knees, arching her back, and posing as a photographer snaps pictures--as does Kris, with a little personal camera." What can this say about society itself and about the culture which her family has created, encouraged, and exploited? Sales also said that, "The moment is striking in its depiction of another element of the cultural tempest that delivered us Kim: the hypersexualization of American girls and women." It seems that Kim's behavior, supported by her parents, is one which has encouraged many young girls to see themselves as sexual objects which are good for only make-up, hair extensions, and lingerie (although this also dons selfies). Kim's recent publication of her book "Selfish" is one in which she has published nearly over 100 selfies inscribing her "personal life" into every page. Girls are being inspired to become "rich and famous" (as said by one girl interviewed in Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers), while also wanting to have no real reason for becoming so (no real talent, no huge discoveries, etc.). They just want to get famous, be rich, and "look hot." But, as one may ask, is this total bullshit? Or is there a deeper meaning here? Has Kim really allowed for a revolution of women and narcissism to occur, or is she simply leading a life of her own? In my opinion, the game plays out both ways. On one hand, she herself is viewed as an object and, whether she likes it or not, is encouraging other young girls to do so. However, through her showings on Playboy Magazine and other controversial images, she has been able to visualize and display the real sexuality of a female being and women's freedom of expression. So, the card really does play both ways. References Sales, N. J. (2016). Chapter One. In American girls: Social media and the secret lives of teenagers (pp. 28,29). New York City: Alfred A. Knopf. What do you think of when you contemplate a Guess Ad? Probably of promiscuous women, in enticing poses, wearing heavy makeup. Right? Right. Well, generally, these kinds of Ads and so many more are what encourage the societal view of women as sexual objects, and affect the general empowerment of women. I would like to look specifically at the ads assigned by Guess Magazine, as I find these to be the most inappropriate and targeted towards young girls to look and act a certain way. Several images of those include... These images are those of real women, from real ads, posted by Guess Magazine. The first is of famous Superbowl and Instagram model known as Charlotte McKinney, who was a guess girl in 2015 (at age 21). The second is of a model and actress known as Irina Valeryevna Shaykhlislamova, popularly remarked as "Irina Shayk." This model appeared in the 2015 fall issue at age 29, advertising "denim" clothing (while in those positions...I wonder if it was the denim or her which was being shown). Last, but not least, is Tori Praver, known to be the youngest model to ever advertise for guess at age 17 (this was in 2006, as she is now 28 years old). All of these women have legitimate lives with legitimate families, and lead their own personal affairs. Yet...in these advertisements they are made to seem as if they are only objects used to attract individuals to buy their clothing, without their own human lives and human perspective. Of course, they all agreed to pose in such advertisements in such a manner, but at what rate is such agreement becoming a problem? According to Trachtenberg from the early Forbes magazine, "Erotic messages in advertising have traditionally been conveyed by decidedly sexual means, and Jean Kilbourne thinks they still are." This shows that, even from a such an early time, sexualization in advertisements (especially of women) has existed and still exists. Through such ideals, women may see themselves as inferior to men and simply sexual beings, with nothing else in mind. Sex is something which has been in advertising since the beginning of time (Trachtenberg, 1986), and it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. So, how can we put a stop to this issue? Simply create ads which are less targeted towards sex and women, but focus on the actual product. This may cause a decrease in sales for the company, as sex in advertisements has proven to sell a product at incredible percentages (Trachtenberg, 1986). According to the vice president of the Hennessy company at the time, Clint Rodenberg, the sales of their company were able to increase by a whooping total of 4.5% in a year, which is 1.5% more than the annual expected rate of alcohol growth (usually 3%). Sales may decrease for several companies, and hardships will definitely have to be faced, but I believe this to be much more important and valuable than the simple success of a few companies due to some ads. In the long run, if we quit this now, women will be taught that sex is not such a "glamorous" and public thing as it is a private and serious matter (Trachtenberg, 1986). Additionally, young women and girls will not be taught that this is what they are expected to live up to, as they will then be able to pursue greater endeavors than just looking nice for the sensuality of men.
Thank you. References Trachtenberg, J. (1986, June 2). Blatantly Sexual Advertisements Boost Sales. Ottawa Citizen, pp. A13-A16. To everyone reading this blog, please share a moment in which you experienced sexism in your everyday lives. Feel free to observe the stories of others and please understand that they will be published for the public.
Generally, I like to create informative blog posts with all kinds of statistics and facts in them, but let this be something different. Perhaps something surreal. Mainly, I would like to point out the notion that sexism is "something adopted by women" and that woman, as a group, "adopt these stereotypes." Considering that this may be true, women like me were only taught by society to adopt these principles into our daily life. So...who else is there really to blame? And how can we change this? I mean, in total, you can only blame our society, our culture, and our ancestors, all of which are pretty much useless. But, in order to erase some of this blame, I believe that it is important to empower women starting from the home in the beginning of their early childhood. It is important that parents begin to assign "masculine" chores to women, and teach men that they do not have to entirely "cover up" their feelings. There are so many predominant stereotype instigated into our minds that it's not even funny. It's time to take control of the situation and begin to tackle the problem head-on. After all, I do not believe that sexism can totally be eradicated, but it can be diminished in some ways (hopefully to a very bare minimum).
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AuthorHi, my name is Lauren (pseudonym) and I am currently a high school student in Houston. Just recently, my eyes were opened to the gore and outrage which sexism causes within our women. Already as a teenager, I am being harassed by young men, am incessantly told that my goal in life is to "have children and raise them well," among many other constraints. As a result, I have decided to create this blog and hopefully continue opening the eyes of both mine and many others towards the sexism within society. Archives
June 2016
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