Little Women- blog2

Little Women
-How Women are Represented in Typical Chinese Soap Opera

In contemporary China, there is a big trend watching soap opera series on television and computer. In Feminism and Pop Culture, Andi Zeisler mentions “soap operas”, originated from melodramas created by detergent companies for housewives, who spent most of their time doing housework at home and have TV access mostly during the day. However, as more and more Chinese women have entered into careers, Chinese soap operas have modified their show times to the after-work hours. Working women enjoy these shows very much, because they can let their imagination wander in romantic love affairs that could rarely happen in reality. However, soap operas, with weak characters and flamboyant settings, encourage women to pursue happiness by seeking supportive rich partners, rather than advancing their own internal strengths and career goals.

I will use the popular soap opera Heaven’s Wedding Gown to strengthen my point. This drama is about the love affairs of a girl named Cindy with two young men, a champion-winning motorcyclist and a successful businessman. Cindy is an ordinary working class girl who happens to win the heart of both of the handsome young man. Beside her ordinariness, Cindy is weak, vulnerable to others’ contempt and dissatisfaction, and easily hurt when being misunderstood. However, that is not a problem for her, because Cindy always has the considerate cycler by her side to offer her limitless help. So is the businessman. In one episode, Cindy is collecting waste paperwork to the shredder when a female manager, who is also the businessman’s fiancée, intentionally hands her a very important document that is not supposed to be shred in order to jeopardize the relationship between Cindy and the businessman (who’s also Cindy’s boss). Cindy feels very guilty because of her mistake, so she tells everything to the cyclist, who, trying to protect her, later reveals the truth to the businessman and resolves the conflict. This brings out one very important theme in soap operas: heroines in soap operas always depend on their male heroes to solve problems and ease their psychological distress; otherwise, these women would be weak, unconfident, and helpless. This theme of soap opera suggests to female consumers that for a woman, happiness can be easily achieved by falling love with some handsome, caring, rich guys; development of her personal strength does not seems matter that much as long as they can be protected by her male partner.

Apart from the lack of internal strength of female characters, there is another aspect of soap opera that contributes to my point: the use of expensive, rare and famous items such as foreign tourist sites in setting up the scenes. For instance, in the video of Cindy Wang’s Song in Heaven’s Wedding Gown, there are scenes depicting the main hero in a Fashion Conference in Paris, and some shots in front of the Cathédrale Notre Dame and Triumphal Arch in Paris. Why should a Chinese story take scenes in another country? It is not only because the storyline needs it, but also the atmosphere. Paris is the City of Romance. The romantic atmosphere of the characters’ affairs can be better portrayed in this kind of city. Also, travel abroad costs money, which means that only wealthier people have the chance. As a result, by using items such as famous foreign sites, cars, liquors and clothes, soap operas suggest a material superiority for the hero and create the illusion of a glamorous palace to which every girl should aspire. By doing this, these shows inevitably foster a sense of women’s material dependence on men. From this perspective, soap operas discourage women from achieving higher personal career fulfillment, and unintentionally infuse female consumers with the idea that “it is more important to marry well than to work well.”

Imagine how negative it would be if women in the society were strongly influenced by soap operas to quit their job and to seek rich partners. As a result, soap operas are detrimental to society, because they spread the idea that women must rely on men to grant them happiness, both psychologically and physically. Speak of the soap opera producers, they rarely consider the potential hazards of anti-feministic soap opera themes on their views; what they want is to make a profit. As a result, viewers must be very careful when watching soap operas, and always keep in mind that happiness can only be found within one’s self. We cannot control what is in the soap opera, but we can control ourselves.

Resources:
1. Andi Zeisler, “Chapter 1- Pop and Circumstance: Why Pop Culture Matters.” Feminism and Pop Culture. Berkeley, California: Seal Press. (2008):p4
2. Blog of Sayaret767, “Better Marry Well Than Work Well”. blog.tianya.cn. 16 December 2009. Web. 11 October 2011 http://blog.tianya.cn/blogger/post_read.asp?BlogID=823101&PostID= 20881603
3. carmensuperstar, “Cindy Wang’s Song in Heaven’s Wedding Gown.” Youtube.com. 15 December 2007. Web. 11 October 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYyrf1brTWw

The Perception of Women in Bad Teacher

The Perception of Women in Bad Teacher

As the weekend approaches, those of us who are usually the first to see the latest movie in theaters are out searching for the movie that will gain our attention Friday night. Whether you normally watch an action film or a chick flick, they both catch our attention for certain reasons and unknowingly change our perspective on life and pop culture. One such film that I recently watched the trailer for is Bad Teacher. This trailer skews the roles of women in many aspects that, although they seem like harmless jokes, result in poor views of women.

From the start of the trailer, looks play a huge role in perception of the women in the film. Cameron Diaz plays the character Elizabeth Holsey who is a young, sexy, blonde, and seems to have it all. She can eat whatever she wants and is not worried about her job. On the other hand, her coworker Lynn Davies is older, not skinny, and spends her time working towards being perfect to get a man. Time and time again pop culture suggests this fact that you have to be perfect to be loved and taken care of by a man. When these two personalities are put side by side, the stereotypical female roles are emphasized. Diaz’s character even states that her “full time job is finding a guy who’s going to take care of [her]” while Lynn wants to be loved yet feels there is no chance for her.

The entire plot of the movie is based on the lead female wanting to get breast implants to be more attractive and sellable to men. She is willing to do whatever it takes to get the money including using her looks to her advantage at the school car wash and using brute force to make her students learn the required material. Elizabeth knows she has a nice body yet cannot accept the fact that she does not need larger breasts. This displays the full effects of the male gaze and how women view themselves as objects for pleasure. Although Justin Timberlake’s character never mentions why he broke up from his previous relationship, Elizabeth immediately looks at his ex with a male perspective seeing only how her breasts fill up the phone screen. This prompts her to have the need and desire to enhance her body.

A perfect scene to describe this is the car wash at the school. Elizabeth acts in a very sexual manner grabbing the attention of parents, students, teachers, the principal, and the policeman. The adult humor and implications are exaggerated making the male gaze very apparent. It is also interesting to note that the movie trailer spends a large portion of time on this particular scene. The combination of showing sexual positions and the reactions of the other characters draws viewers in to watch the movie. Displaying a female body is a money maker both in the movie and in real life.

When Elizabeth realizes that the school gives a bonus for have the highest average on the standardized state test, she will not stop at anything to get the money. Her focus shifts from having a good time by drinking and doing drugs, to making the students learn the material in order for her to receive the pay bonus at the end of the year which she plans to use to buy new breasts. Although she is shown sleeping at work or always needing another chug of alcohol, the way these scenes are presented makes them seem to have no consequence and thus acceptable behaviors for such women. These scenes are presented in humorous ways meant to show the inappropriateness of the behaviors. Despite the unrealistic situations, the character’s body language is taken off the screen and brought into the lives of viewers around the world.

Movie producers pick the most engaging two minutes of the film to entice movie-goers and in the process, alter our views of women. These trailers are shown on public television and are seen by viewers of all ages. In this short amount of time, viewers are put into the position of stereotyping women as being self-centered, easily taken advantage of, and dependent on others. The trailer for Bad Teacher takes a one-sided position on the position of women which does not represent modern women. By focusing on the aspects of our society that grab our attention, including sexual and comical scenes, movie producers aim to gain profits and, unknowingly, alter the representation of women in pop culture.

Make me a sammich woman! (The representation of women inside and outside video games)

Women as a whole truly have come a long way in the past century. They have evolved from a weak, subservient being that only cared for house and home, to influential leaders of industry and politics. And while it is logical to think that a relatively new medium of pop culture, video games, would embrace a more contemporary viewpoint on gender, the opposite case is true. Women everywhere are still considered the weaker sex by men, and this is reflected by the continuing sexist attitudes and stereotypes to which Americans adhere. “Why is she out of the kitchen? She should be making me a sandwich!” “Girls shouldn’t be allowed equal opportunities with men because they’ll push men out of their own responsibilities.” “Women can’t play video games!” These are all stereotypical statements that are not true by any sense of the word. And yet, people all over the world continue to hold beliefs like these. I personally believe that people of all shapes and sizes should treat each other with respect and as equals. Tolerance and equality are important to Americans, so why do Americans continue to treat men and women differently on so many levels?

World of Warcraft is a massive multiplayer online role playing game, or MMORPG for short. In this game, the objective is to group up with friends to slay computer generated monsters. In-game, males and females have the same stats and the same combat abilities they use to destroy said monsters. However, there are subtle differences between the two genders. Male characters that wear armor normally have large, bulky, plated-looking armor that covers the whole body. Their metallic shoulder pads and tough-looking protection seem fitting for a warrior in a fantasy battle setting. However, the armor as seen on a female (with the same stats and bonuses) will be completely different. The shoulder pads will be much smaller, their face may not be completely covered by a helmet, and even their chestplate armor may not even cover their stomach area. Blizzard Entertainment, the company responsible for World of Warcraft, seems to be saying that while men and women are equal in terms of ability, the women should always seem to be attractive and the men should always be muscular and brutish. There are many other examples of how women are portrayed in video games as being equal in ability, but different in gender roles. The Soul Calibur and Tekken series are good examples. In these two games, the objective is to simply battle each other using fists, swords, and whatever else one may have until there is only one man (or woman) left standing. Although the male and female characters can both be played to a powerful level(which Paula Gaetos proved to us in her entry in She’s Such a Geek!), there are still gender discrepancies. The women are nearly always thin, attractive, and scantily clad, while the men are nearly always big and burly. These games seem to be sending us mixed messages-women are equal to men and both are equally capable beings, but women are supposed to do so while wearing very little clothing at all and while being attractive to men. These messages reinforce traditional stereotype statements, which only serve to reinforce more negative stereotypes everywhere.

The point I am trying to make is this: a person’s gender, race, or beliefs are not determinants of how well a person can perform any task on any level anywhere, and yet people all over the world seem to think otherwise. Paula Gaetos proved that she and her female characters can beat many male characters (as well as male people) at their own game. Morgan Romine and her Frag Dolls have also shown that gender plays no role in gaming skill and prowess. Women in positions of power, like Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin have displayed prowess at their jobs as well. And yet, gamers everywhere I have spoken to seem to genuinely believe that there is something inherent about a woman that makes her incapable of learning how to accomplish anything more than making food for a man! I believe that a prime reason for this attitude is the longstanding relationship between men and women. Men, for most of the world’s known history, have always been the dominant leaders. After witnessing the up and coming power of women, however, men everywhere have decided to tighten their holds on their power by belittling women’s standing in our culture and making them out to be subservient beings that exist only to please men. Feminism has pushed back, however, and it is gaining ground every day. And while people still have a long way to go in terms of respecting each other as equals, regardless of gender, race, or creed, the doings of Morgan Romine, Paula Gaetos, and other feminists have begun to question the stereotypes currently in effect in America, and with time, I hope that our stereotypical beliefs can be cut out of our culture for good, and we can finally embrace true equality.

Gaetos, Paula. "Fatality!" She's such a Geek! Ed. Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders. California: Seal Press, 2006. 174-180. Print.

Romine, Morgan. "Fantasy to Frag Doll: The Story of a Gamer Princess" She's such a Geek! Ed. Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders. California: Seal Press, 2006. 162-173. Print.

Images courtesy of Google Images

Just FYI, this blogging site does a terrible job of formatting. I can't seem to get the citations to indent after the first line and i cant get the paragraphs to indent, and it randomly changes my font size and sometimes font type while I'm typing things. The worst part is it won't let me fix it, even though I'm in Firefox. Sadface :(

Make me a sammich woman! (The representation of women inside and outside video games) Rough draft

Women as a whole truly have come a long way in the past century. They have evolved from a weak, subservient being that only cared for house and home, to influential leaders of industry and politics. And while it is logical to think that a relatively new medium of pop culture, video games, would embrace a more contemporary viewpoint on gender, the opposite case is true. Women everywhere are still considered the weaker sex by men, and this is reflected by the continuing sexist attitudes and stereotypes to which Americans adhere. “Why is she out of the kitchen? She should be making me a sandwich!” “Girls shouldn’t be allowed equal opportunities with men because they’ll push men out of their own responsibilities.” “Women can’t play video games!” These are all stereotypical statements that are not true by any sense of the word. And yet, people all over the world continue to hold beliefs like these. I personally believe that people of all shapes, sizes, genders, and beliefs should treat each other with respect and as equals. . Tolerance and equality are important to Americans, so why do Americans continue to treat men and women differently on so many levels?

World of Warcraft is a massive multiplayer online role playing game, or MMORPG for short. In this game, the objective is to group up with friends to slay computer generated monsters. In-game, males and females have the same stats and the same combat abilities they use to destroy said monsters. However, there are subtle differences between the two genders. Male characters that wear armor normally have large, bulky, plated-looking armor that covers the whole body. Their metallic shoulder pads and tough-looking protection seem fitting for a warrior in a fantasy battle setting. However, the armor as seen on a female (with the same stats and bonuses) will be completely different. The shoulder pads will be much smaller, their face may not be completely covered by a helmet, and even their chestplate armor may not even cover their stomach area. Blizzard Entertainment, the company responsible for World of Warcraft, seems to be saying that while men and women are equal in terms of ability, the women should always seem to be attractive and the men should always be muscular and brutish. There are many other examples of how women are portrayed in video games as being equal in ability, but different in gender roles. The Soul Calibur and Tekken series are good examples. In these two games, the objective is to simply battle each other using fists, swords, and whatever else one may have until there is only one man (or woman) left standing. Although the male and female characters can both be played to a powerful level(which Paula Gaetos proved to us in her entry in She’s Such a Geek!), there are still gender discrepancies. The women are nearly always thin, attractive, and scantily clad, while the men are nearly always big and burly. These games seem to be sending us mixed messages-women are equal to men and both are equally capable beings, but women are supposed to do so while wearing very little clothing at all and being attractive to men. Why do these discrepancies arise between genders?

The point I am trying to make is this: a person’s gender, race, or beliefs are not determinants of how well a person can perform any task on any level anywhere, and yet people all over the world seem to think otherwise. Paula Gaetos proved that she and her female characters can beat many male characters (as well as male people) at their own game. Morgan Romine and her Frag Dolls have also shown that gender plays no role in gaming skill and prowess. Women in positions of power, like Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin have displayed prowess at their jobs as well. And yet, gamers everywhere I have spoken to seem to genuinely believe that there is something inherent about a woman that makes her incapable of learning how to accomplish anything more than making food for a man! I believe that a prime reason for this attitude is the longstanding relationship between men and women. Men, for most of the world’s known history, have always been the dominant leaders. After witnessing the up and coming power of women, however, men everywhere have decided to tighten their holds on their power by belittling women’s standing in our culture and making them out to be subservient beings that exist only to please men. Feminism has pushed back, however, and it is gaining ground every day. While people still have a long way to go in terms of respecting each other as equals, regardless of gender, race, or creed, the doings of Morgan Romine, Paula Gaetos, and other feminists have begun to question the stereotypes currently in effect in America, and with time, I believe our stereotypical beliefs can be cut out of our culture for good, and we, as Americans, can finally embrace true equality.

Little Women in Chinese Soap Opera, blog 2

Little Women in Chinese Soap Opera

In contemporary China, there is a big trend watching soap opera series on television and computer. In Feminism and Pop Culture, Zeisler mentioned “soap” as the kind of opera got its name from detergent companies that also created melodramas for housewives, who spent most of their time doing housework at home and have TV access mostly during the day. However, as more and more Chinese women have entered job place, Chinese soap operas modified their show time to the after-work hours from around 7pm to 10pm. Working women like it very much, because they could not only relax several hours after a whole day’s hard work, but also experience imaginational wandering about romantic love affairs that could barely happen to them in reality. What I stand is that, soap opera, usually presenting women figures to be weak, poor, pretty and compassionate, could be a distortion, which at an addictive dose, disrupts female consumers’ reasoning of what love truly is.

I will use the popular soap opera Heaven’s Wedding Gown to strengthen my point. This drama tells Cindy’s love affairs with two young men, one is a champion-winning motor cycler, the other one a successful businessman. Cindy is an ordinary working class girl who happens to win the heart of both the handsome guys. Despite her ordinariness, Cindy is weak, vulnerable to others’ contempt and dissatisfaction, and easily hurt by being misunderstood, but that is not a problem, as Cindy always has the considerate cycler by her side to offer her limitless help. So is the businessman. The setting of the three characters is so old and out-of-date that can be seen in nearly every Chinese soap opera: one beautiful woman, ambivalent in her love among two cool guys, but this kind of setting stays popular: people are just never bored of it. Soon enough, we get used to the fact that girl in soap opera achieve happiness by falling love with a handsome good-natured rich guy and finally marrying him; her own progress in job place does not matter much. In this perspective, soap operas discourage women from achieving higher career fulfillment, and unintentionally infuse into female consumers an idea that “it’s more important to marry well than to work well”.

Apart from the character setting, there is another aspect of soap opera that contributes to my point: the items setting of the scene. In most Chinese soap operas, brand cars and liquors, designer clothes, servants in big houses, famous tourist sites are frequently seen in various scenes. For instance, in the video of Cindy Wang’s Song in Heaven’s Wedding Gown, there are scenes in front of the Cathédrale Notre Dame and Triumphal Arch in Paris. Why should a Chinese story take scenes in other country? It is not only because the storyline requires that, but also the atmosphere. Romanticism of their love affairs could be better portrait if it takes place in this city. Besides, traveling abroad costs money; only the rich people have the chance. As a result, soap operas use famous foreign sites, cars, liquors, clothes and servants to suggest a material superiority of the heroes and to create an illusion of a glamorous palace which every girl aspires to live in. By doing this, soap operas inevitably fosters an ill nature of material dependence of woman on man.