Shii

Oddly enough, a reader left a comment about this video so I decided to check it out. As it turns out, it is pretty offensive! To watch it, skip ahead to the jump (it is embedded at the end of the post).

So, there are a few obvious things that can be discussed. The painfully blatant masculine-feminine binary is probably the best place to start. The portrayals were essentially that men would obviously be into athletic and other high intensity games, whereas women are obviously suited for knitting, ironing, and of course, oral sex.

This brings to mind the critiques of Judith Lorber and her theories about gender as a social construction. These kinds of videos may be intended as humorous, but the messages only satirize real gender scripts.

Video after the Jump.

The Slim Myth

Upon my daily perusal of The Daily Beast, I was appalled to find THIS gallery on the front page. It is titled “How Stars Slim Down” and in eleven slides manages to offend even my male feminist sensibilities.

The problem, of course, is that the gallery depicts the “before-and-after” photos of female celebrities who have recently lost significant weight. It then discusses the circumstances of their dieting, which helps to provide context and meaning to the photos. However, there is another element that I found particularly striking and is most worth mention: each “before” photo — the one in which they were significantly heavier — had basic unattractive photo composition. Not only were the producers of this gallery comparing weight as a symbol of beauty, but they intentionally juxtaposed a poor photo with one which is much more flattering to the “star.”

This gallery instantly reminded me of the Dove Campaign and the work some have been doing to change popular perception and expectations about beauty. Given that the media has so much influence on popular culture, it would be encouraging if well respected media outlets — like the Daily Beast — were to consider the connotations of these images.

Another “Trumped”-up Melodrama…

Here we have another episode of Donald Trump & associates being generally absurd and attention-hungry. Over the past few weeks, details have emerged regarding “Miss California” and some racy photos taken of her years previously. These photos (and not her anti-gay-marriage campaign) have generated controversy over, frankly, nothing.

If anything, I am offended by the pageant in general, and saddened by the fact that Prejean has been repeatedly objectified and forced into models of beauty which are unrealistic by any standards. The fact that so many are upset by her photos just demonstrates how backwards American popular culture is.