Archive for September, 2015

He for She and Like A Girl

“You play ball like a girl!” as the saying goes.  This black mark upon what happens to be a cinematic masterpiece is one of many social constructs defining girls as weak along with the more modern idea of the negative connotation of feminism.  Always’s “Like a Girl” campaign and Emma Watson’s “He for She” speech challenge commonplaces surrounding gender inequality by using various forms of rhetoric. (Yes, I know this needs a lot of work).

Though, there is not much imagery to work with in either piece, there is something about women in the spotlight that conveys the idea that this is about women and women are important.  In the video of the “He for She” speech Emma Watson is smartly dressed for the occasion in high fashion business attire attributing to the fact that she means to do more than wow people with her beautiful accent.  She marches up to the stage with a quiet confidence that only a role model of girls everywhere can possess and cordially addresses the United Nations before making the audience question everything they ever thought about feminism.

Always’s “Like a Girl” campaign opens up to the first shot of a gorgeous girl standing in the middle of a screen test timidly stating that she is ready to begin.  The director throws the first action out to her “Run like a girl” and the girl’s whole demeanor changes.  The audience can see the light go on behind her eyes as she realizes that this is an easy one, she has been shown and told that doing things like a girl just means to do that normal act in a wimpy manner.  Woman after woman, man after man, and a boy act out exactly what it means in society’s eyes to do things like a girl without a moment of hesitation.  The act is easy because it is drilled into the minds of an older population.  However, when the pre-adolescent girls enter the screen and are asked to perform a task like a girl, a fierce determination crosses their features.  Kicks and runs with strength behind them cross the screen left and right.  The comparison of the reactions becomes apparent to the audience very quickly as the video goes on.  No one has to say anything it is plain to see, the girls are challenging the idea of what it means to be a girl.

Another rhetorical device that is heavily utilized throughout both pieces is pathos.  Young girls answering the question if they think the phrase “like a girl” is a good thing or a bad thing hits the audience right in the heart.  The young girls seem confused as to why doing things like a girl would ever be considered remotely demeaning, while the elder participants are bewildered as to what they have done and what they are actually doing when they portray things as doing them in a girly way.  The young boy in the video elicits a particular response when he is asked if he feels that he offended his sister through his actions.  As the boy’s eyebrows knit together he feels just as confused as his answer sounds.  He scoffs that he would never offend his sister but he did probably offend girls, leaving both him and the audience confused as to why he does not view his sister as a “typical girl”.

Emma Watson, however, uses personal experience and hindsight to draw empathy out of not only those present at the speech but also those who would hear and watch the speech over and over again.  One main distinction Ms. Watson makes in her relations of her past, though, is that she mentions that men are also affected by gender inequality, an issue that is not addressed in the “Like a Girl” campaign.  She states that her male friends are not free to show emotion in fear of not being “manly” enough.  As Ms. Watson relates her stories of being a young, headstrong girl in a world that does not accept such people she varies her tone of voice, adding a quality to it that makes it sound like it is breaking and that even talking about it brings her physical pain.  Her use of an airy tone of voice is a great contrast to the voice she uses when she calls men and boys to help the cause.  The variation of her tone is what arouses emotion in the audience of people who can either relate to her experience of challenging social norms or people who should be able to relate.

Finally, ethos is utilized in both pieces to force an audience of people who can make a difference to listen.  Always is a company obviously made for girls, therefore they have credibility in the sense that they should know girls at least a little bit by now.  Always’s “Like a Girl” campaign solidifies their stand on how girls should be viewed in society and that things need to be changed.  The company promoted the campaign to a young audience due to the fact that they played this ad before YouTube videos and who tends to watch videos on YouTube? Young people, that’s who.  The focus on a young audience is very important due to the fact that it is a young audience that has the power to change this social construct.  It is clearly already stuck in the heads of an older population as seen in the video, but the young population seems adamant in the idea that girls can do anything and do it well, like a girl.

Emma Watson’s credibility comes simply from being a well- educated young woman role model familiar with the commonplace that feminism is negative, similar to how doing things like a girl is negative.  Not only is Ms. Watson a graduate of Brown and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but she is also a woman, a human being, who has every right to make a stand as anybody.  In her speech Ms. Watson gives herself credibility questioning if not me who? Who better than Emma Watson to invite men to join the fight for gender equality?  Not only is Emma Watson a feminist in real-life, but she portrayed a feminist on screen for years.  Hermione Granger is one of the most headstrong heroines in entertainment today.  Not only is she a feminist she is also a feminist who does not discriminate friends and allies based on gender.  Who better than Emma Watson to challenge the idea that men cannot show emotion and that being a feminist is a girl thing?  The answer is there is no one more fit for the job then Emma Watson a girl who grew up before the eyes of the public both on screen and in real life.

Varying forms of rhetoric are used to construct two pieces of gender equality propaganda that question the social norms of society both in modern times and throughout history.

He for She Outline Draft

Ethos

Emma Watson has to be one of the most credible famous women in the entertainment industry today.  Most young people with that much public exposure let it get to their heads, but she has kept her act together and even became a UN Goodwill ambassador. She is a well educated well-spoken, the English accent helps, role model of girls all over the world.   Not only does she have the credentials, but she also gives herself credibility in her speech.  She asks the question if not me then who? Which is a very powerful statement because really anyone could say it.  It does not matter that she is that Harry Potter girl that everyone looks up to, she has credibility because she is a human being and sees that she has the opportunity to change something.

Pathos

In order to get the empathy of the audience she relates her personal life.  She talks about her life from her elementary age to present.  Though, her stories are heartfelt she still adds a touch of humor to them which makes them all the more sad.  Specifically she remembers when she was 8 she was called bossy because she wanted to direct the plays at her school.  However, had a boy been the director they would have just been called a great leader.

She also changes her voice to match what she is talking about.  If she is making a point her voice is strong and clear, but if she is trying to gain sympathy she expresses a lot of emotion and her voice cracks a bit.

Logos

She makes some very obvious points, that often have never been thought about before.  Logically if women want the help of men then men must be involved as well.  Every time a woman is fighting for her rights she enlists the help of other women, but never pay attentions to half of the population who also happen to have majority of the power.

It was a great day when the brightest witch of our age took the stand at the United Nations and spoke about gender equality.  If this does not ring a bell I am talking about Emma Watson giving a speech called “He for She” at the United Nations on September twentieth of last year.  This was a huge deal for witches, wizards and muggles alike.  The speech was not the first time a great woman role model used her fame for good, but it was the first time that one called women and men to fight for gender equality.  Emma Watson recognized that we are taught to put down the man so to speak in this day and age.  We are taught we do not need men.  To quote my dear grandmother “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”.  The “He for She” speech, though, calls our attention to the idea that if it is truly gender equality we are searching for there needs to be the inclusion of both genders in the fight.    Ms. Watson calls on many forms of rhetoric throughout her speech, but mostly she calls upon her abilities to question the social norms she faced throughout her young adult life.  She could not express herself in the way she saw fit and that bothered her deeply.  I want to do this civic artifact because I definitely think it could have a huge impact on gender equality.  Now we have not heard from the movement recently, but I hope that attention will be drawn to the idea soon again.

Of all of the events in the past few years the story of Malala Yousafzai has interested me the most.  Malala a young girl of Pakistan became famous through an anonymous letter she wrote to BBC about what it was like living under Taliban rule.  BBC requested that she continue her accounts through a diary and very soon her work was well-known across the world as well as in Pakistan.  It was dangerous for girls to attend school in Pakistan, so her and her friends did so in secret.  One day, however, a Taliban gunman opened fire on her school bus.  Malala was shot in the head, but miraculously survived.  Since this time Malala has made an almost full recovery, written a book, and become the youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize.

With her fame Malala has become an advocate for oppressed women around the world.  Malala artfully uses kairos through her book “I am Malala” in which she elaborates on her younger years and attempts to explain the complexities of the conflict in Pakistan.  Yousafzai capitalizes on her ordeal and the outrage of the world by teaching people that all she wanted was to be educated.  She loved school and loved to learn and she highlighted the fact that not only was it frowned upon for women to be educated but that it was also dangerous. She wanted to be heard and to speak her mind, but mostly she wanted people to listen and to understand her pain.  Had Malala not been shot no one would have actually cared about a girl who cannot go to school in Pakistan.  It is sad, though, that it took such drastic measures for her voice to be heard.