It seems as if the portrayal of women in advertising and media has come a long way, but instead of progression, it seems that in society we have regressed into a false, objectifying visual representation of women. In the mid 1950’s the sexist depiction of women was obvious and upfront. Stereotypes and roles of women were instilled through obvious remarks in advertising, but presently we have transitioned into an unspoken, passive degradation of females. Sometimes we may not even be aware of the impact or the effect of what we are seeing.

We hear often that “sex sells”, but more specifically this profit is made off of female sexuality. The female body draws attention, pleases the eye, and makes products more alluring. At the same time, ironically the women used in the ad tend to be treated the same way a product would be- like an object. While companies and business make great money off of this technique, it often comes at a great cost to females. Standards are set for how women are supposed to look, most forms being unrealistic, unhealthy, and unobtainable. Fit, curvy, beautiful, and sexy. These are the traits that make a women “desirable”. But what about being intelligent, witty, empowering, and all the other factors that can make someone a desirable human being and not just an object to look at?

For being woman in the media, it seems the role is to look good, fulfill the needs of men, and be a sexual being. I am very for women expressing their sexuality and doing what they want, but by their own choice and not being put in the position to do so. There is nothing wrong to me with being a female while also being sexual and embracing your body, but as said in Dreamworlds 3, it becomes a problem when women are only represented as such. Women are depicted in one-dimension and our sense of reality of what being a woman is becomes warped. When casting for advertisements or music videos, producers seek beautiful, “perfect” girls to fill the position. The problem is that the majority of women in the world do not fit this idealistic standard. Even those women chosen do not even look like they appear thanks to makeup, airbrushing, and the use of advanced editing technology.

The message that the media conveys through these visuals and the representation of women is that our value falls into “looking good”. Not only that, but looking good for men. Men do experience the pressure to meet unrealistic physical standards as well, but often note as much and are often not objectified to the extent that women are. This trend will most likely continue as long as a profit is being made from it, or unless we somehow quickly evolve and change our ideals.

The documentary Miss Representation focused on the gender stereotypes of women portrayed in the media and the role that women play in society. Unfortunately it is a very sad position that women are in (especially for a black or minority woman) because women are objectified, degraded, and treated as less than the male counterparts. This idea and perception stems from how women are depicted in film, on television, on the internet, and any other form of media. We learn at a very young age that being a girl has a negative connotation. Girls are “weak and fragile” and not suitable to be leaders because they are not a “strong, dominant male”. It is disappointing because women are just as much capable to be successful in any position of power, but that opportunity is taken away before it is even offered. When in competition with a man, a woman most often does not stand a chance.

Another issue is that women are often competing with other women. Females are so quick to tear each other down and scrutinize each other most likely out of insecurity. Embracing and supporting each other as women is the first step in breaking gender stereotypes. If women cannot respect members of their own gender, how can we expect a male dominated culture to? Rejection and judgements add fuel to the fire that all women are getting burned in. We need more positive role models, and we need to be positive role models ourselves for our peers and the younger people in our lives. We need to be a representation of reality because from a very young age this warped ideology of women being inferior is pumped through children’s brains.

It is saddening how much a women can achieve in her lifetime, but we are often blinded to her accomplishments because we are busy analyzing and talking about her appearance. A man in any position is not judged based on his looks but how he carries himself. The public bases the value of a woman on her attractiveness. In the media, they don’t talk about a woman’s success, but what she is wearing, her hairstyle, or how young she looks. To sum it up: women are generally not taken seriously.

It was appalling the amount of women who have served in congress in comparison to the thousands of men. Even worse, women are often discouraged from running for leadership positions. It is hard to imagine a change in the representation of women when mostly all males are representing us in politics and in charge of the way women are represented in media. It comes back down to supporting one another as human beings, especially female to female. Women need to feel empowered and know that they are capable of doing the things they are often told not to and define their own value as a human being.

This week we talked about culture appropriation vs appreciation. It’s difficult because the line is blurred when it comes to this topic because it can be opinion based and obviously there can be a really unpopular opinion of someone’s actions. I think it comes down to intentions and being educated. I think if you really like an aspect of a culture, you should be able to in some form celebrate it if you know the meaning behind it. You need to be respectful and in no way endorse stereotypes because that is when “appreciation” becomes damaging and offensive. The more I think about it, the situations become more subjective. It really depends on the matter and how it is carried out by the person engaging in a cultural crossover. It can be a very touchy subject for some people, which I can understand. Especially when culture is being used for fashion and becomes misinterpreted or discredited.

Another topic we talked about was stereotypes if women in TV and Film. People in the class got heated over the show “Gossip Girl” and how one of the female characters was in a relationship and perceived as a prude or needy. While the other female character in the show participated in the hook-up culture and was viewed as more independent, but a slut. It’s amazing because when it comes to males and their romantic or sexual relationships, they are very rarely labeled. If a woman decides not to engage in hooking up, they are seen as virtuous, “good”, and inexperienced. Whereas if a girl goes out and hooks up with several guys, she appears as dirty, a “whore”, or less valued.

In my personal experience, I have seen this happen. I had once been hooking up with a guy and he asked me while how many guys I had been with. I was slightly appalled at this. It was as if my value or the amount of respect this kid had for me was going to be based off of the number of guys I had engaged in sexual relations. I think it is truly something that doesn’t matter because it doesn’t change the person that I am based on the amount of people I have physically touched. I think it’s different if you engage in hurtful activities, are toying with peoples’ emotions, or have bad intentions, but otherwise it shouldn’t matter. It’s part of a person’s past and it can’t be undone even if they have changed their ways. So why base the value or respect you have for someone based on something that is considerably none of your business?

I am very against the double-standard that exists between men and women. It is very unfortunate that women are objectified in the media and given unrealistic expectations that society wants them to meet. Men may experience this, but definitely not on the same level that females do. It causes a lot of anxiety, depression, and awful feelings for young women because the media creates and ideal of how they should look, act, and be. There needs to be more role models and celebrities that appeal to the majority of “normal” girls, who we can look at and say, “She looks like me”, a thought many women never encounter when engaging in the media.

On Wednesday Feb. 20, 2016 Dr. Marc Lamont Hill gave a lecture in Alumni Hall as a part of the SPA Distinguished Speaker Series. Hill is currently a host of HuffPost Live, BET news, and a political contributor for CNN. In addition he is an award winning journalist, a previous professor of African American Studies, and a social justice activist. A Philadelphia native, Marc Lamont Hill focuses on topics such as race issues, drug reform, imprisonment, and legal rights. He is a published author of several works, and really, the list of his accomplishments could go on and on. In his presence, his intelligence and success was very prominent in the words he so powerfully spoke.

Hill discussed many issues in our society. The common theme was the corruption that thrived in our country today. He strained the past we should not forget pertaining to racial injustice, sexism, and other forms of inequality. He suggested that we should not wallow in the past, but that we mustn’t forget a past that we so “conveniently” don’t want to remember. Marc Lamont Hill stressed how we have come far from a dark history, but it is not enough. We are not there yet and we can do better to fix racial injustice. He suggested that we need to start asking the right questions and gain a new insight, that students weren’t “drop-outs”, but “push-outs” due to the lack of proper resources. He stated how theoretically “driving while black” is a crime, but also we can look at it as “patrolling while racist”. Hill said how drug addiction wasn’t a crime, but a health disorder. These were just only a few examples that I can think of.

Marc Lamont Hill discussed sectionalism, in addition to race, there is also gender, class, sex, and anything that divides us humanly. He pressed the idea that these aspects did not stand alone, but when analyzing an individual, each characteristic must be taken into account. He talked about how some people side solely with the injustice in one section but wont jump in the defense of another, which was an interesting outlook. An example being how a black man may fight for racial inequality, yet becomes silent when it comes to women’s rights. Also, how having a cause and standing up for something can make you feel very alone and be painful, but signify you are doing the right thing mostly likely when the majority is not standing behind you. That one day, the people who never supported you may come to celebrate your victories, but that it’s okay because it was for the well-being of everyone. Any movement is to better us all as a whole and not just for ourselves. We are a family.

I was very inspired by Marc Lamont’s speech. I had chills at points during his lecture. He is an extremely intelligent and passionate man who had so much to convey in only a short span of time. As a white female, a majority of the audience were people of color. I felt much of his lecture was directed to those people, but it was not subjective and I didn’t feel out of place. At one point he had everyone stand up and sing the Black National Anthem. If we didn’t know the words, he gave us a moment to look it up on our cell phones. Out of my ignorance, I had no idea there was a Black National Anthem, but it was very beautiful and moving. Being within that audience, I could see how many people agreed with him and could relate to the struggles of being a minority in America. In this, I felt my privilege and the guilt that comes along with that. Another message he had was that too many people do not do anything and we have to start getting involved. Hill told us we did not have to start an organization or a movement, but to join and be a part of one. This definitely made me question myself and analyze my choices. I want to do better and support a cause, not only to bring purpose to myself, but to help others so that we can be unified. It sounds cliche, but we are no better than people who don’t care if we don’t do anything to make a change.

Individuality is stripped when we use stereotypes. We are also falsely categorized into groups that seem “fitting” just because we have a few certain, common traits. Media one of the largest contributors to stereotypes and creating these images in our head of what people are. These images are simplification of cultures, lifestyles, and human beings. What we see in the media is often false representations of individuals and human groups. We apply this information and this “false image” to people we see in real life. Humans are lazy and so quick to throw someone into a category because we are so uncomfortable when we cannot find a fitting label for someone. People have to have the satisfaction of defining everything and we fear when we cannot.

Labels are very threatening because we have preconceived notions of how we should feel about certain groups fitting under that label. It is damaging to integrity and society. We have false expectations of others when stereotypes are applied and we become so ignorant. I wish we could just be. I am me and you are you. If we want to be defined, we should be the person to make the choice of who we want to be. I wish we didn’t belittle one another by seeing each other as mere categories.

Privilege comes with stereotyping. The”What Would You Do?” bike video demonstrated this very well. The black man stealing the bike got way more negative attention than the white man or the blonde woman. People saw this black man and automatically thought he was up to no good because maybe they saw him as a “thug” or a “criminal” just based off of the color of his skin. The white man got less attention and people even helped the female steal the bike because they saw her as a “damsel in distress”. These labels change how we react to everything and create great biases. It is amazing how much treatment varies based on solely looks and how we are unconsciously associating people unfairly with different traits. We think we know people whom we have never even spoke a word to. How silly.

It’s funny because when I tell people my last name is Russian, they think “Oh you like to drink” or “You must love vodka”.  I have heard people say “I didn’t expect you to be nice because you’re pretty” and “You hang out with a lot of guys, you must be a slut”, etc. I think everyone experiences stereotyping a little bit everyday because we are constantly being judged everyday. I suppose it is a part of human nature. Our minds are doing the work before we even realize it. It is just important to tuck those thoughts away, tell your mind to shut up, and give everyone the same chance to show who they are.

The recent film Brooklyn portrays a young Irish woman named Eilis in the 1950’s who immigrates to America in efforts to seek a better future for herself. Her older sister arranges her travels with the assistance of their former priest, who now resides in Brooklyn, New York. At this time, Brooklyn was home to many Irish immigrants. The priest, Father Flood, makes the arrangements for her job, residence, and enrollment in bookkeeping courses. Eilis works in a department store and lives in an Irish boarding house among a few other young women under one motherly landlady. Soon enough, she meets an Italian young man, sparks a romance, and marries him unbeknownst to her family back home. She meets conflict upon returning to her home country after her sister’s death when facing the decision to stay or return to America. The movie displays an emotional journey of regret, struggle, joy, and romance.

The idea of immigration has transformed quite a bit over the past 60 years. Back in the day, we may have had an existing image of Europeans traveling days overseas to begin new life in America and aspiring to achieve the American dream like the main character, Eilis. Today, we may have an image of Spanish people illegally crossing the border or Middle Eastern refugees escaping a war ridden country to retreat to safety. Some may leave their homes in order to support their families, while others to personally begin new life. In this film, Eilis is very fortunate to have had a job and shelter prearranged upon her arrival. Many immigrants do not have that privilege and arrive with nothing and no connections in the country in which they are fleeing to. They must fend for themselves.

Immigration was once a reality in every individual’s history. Whether we have to trace far back in our ancestry, or we are presently not American natives ourselves, immigration is a common link between every person residing in America today. Our ancestors struggled as well as Eilis did with finding new independence, coping with extreme homesickness, doubts, and at times, hopelessness. Despite the struggles and the difficulty to adjust, there is also hope, excitement, and breath of freedom.  The film portrays strong Irish heritage and portions of Italian culture that existed in Brooklyn, New York during this time period, which accepted many immigrants. The story of Eilish meeting her Italian love interest in the United States may be the same story among our great grandparents.  The film displayed strong Irish heritage and bits of Italian culture that thrived in Brooklyn at this time.

This movie made me reflect on my own heritage and the lives of my great grandparents who immigrated to America from European countries. I never knew them or know much about their experience, but I had never wondered what it was like for them to leave everything behind and begin our family here in the United States. My grandmother’s family was Italian, so I could relate to the strong Italian culture presented through Tony’s family in the film with the loud talkers, big Italian feasts, and bold familial relationships. If the family I have known in my lifetime have cultural similarities to the characters, I could only imagine how strong the presence of individual culture had been back in the day in America in that time period. It’s amazing how much more hesitant our country has become with accepting immigrants into our society as if we have forgotten where we came from.