I don't normally get a chance to watch a lot of television or movies, but this week I got a chance to see the new movie 21. The movie is based on these college students who jet set to Las Vegas on weekends to gamble. As a whole the movie ended up being better than I thought it was going to be. After dwelling on the roles of the characters I was slightly disturbed.
The women in the movie although they were main characters didn't really have a major role in the film. They didn't make any big decisions they were only accessories or pawns in the scheme. The Professor Rosa (Micky) made a comment to the main character, Ben while he was approaching him to be the "Big Winner" that he couldn't trust the girls. And stated that he need the "Big Winner" to gamble without emotions and stick to the system. In some way I felt he was saying that the women couldn't handle leaving their emotions out of the game.
The female main characters, Jill and Kianna, are students at MIT but they kind of downplayed their intelligence. The most memorable scene that I can recall that featured both of the girls was during a shopping spree. The college students often wore disguises to hide their identity from the casino workers and the portrayal of the women were always the same. Jill, a Caucasian female, was given a flirty, sensual name and her role would portray her as ditsy or extremely sexual. Kianna, an Asian female, seemed to never know English as her role and she was dressed in revealing clothes as well. The only other women that I can really recall from the movie other than Ben's mother were the strippers.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Top Models for a Cause
This week I wasn't exposed to hardly any media. My topic of this post was a thought I had from watching television from last week. Top Model is probably one of the most popular shows on television. Each season they usually have a contestant that appeals to a more sensitive audience. For example, they have had people with lupus, mild blindness, emotional problems, and autism. This season the problem is female circumcisions. I feel that this is a positive thing because it makes people aware of social, physical, and emotional problems that we have in the world.
We hear about the problems in Africa that deal with the butchering of young women in a ceremonious way but now we have a face to associate it with. I personally felt sad for her situation and was mad at myself for not thinking about problems like this in the world.
On the other hand, I feel as though these contestants are meant to draw in those that aren't appealed by the fashion and glamour aspects of the show. They are to draw in the people who hate what the show stands for but want to root for the underdog. This is both a negative and positive because it highlights important issues but it may be for the wrong reasons.
We hear about the problems in Africa that deal with the butchering of young women in a ceremonious way but now we have a face to associate it with. I personally felt sad for her situation and was mad at myself for not thinking about problems like this in the world.
On the other hand, I feel as though these contestants are meant to draw in those that aren't appealed by the fashion and glamour aspects of the show. They are to draw in the people who hate what the show stands for but want to root for the underdog. This is both a negative and positive because it highlights important issues but it may be for the wrong reasons.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Bad Girls.....
This week I had a chance to catch one of my favorite reality shows, "Bad Girls Club". After all of the tension between the two "crews" within the house it finally comes to blows. After the fight the producers call a meeting to determine the next move for the girls in the house. One thing about that scenario is that the producer and the people behind the show act as though they have not played a part in all of the tension. They say that they don't want violence but they actually hope and prey upon the chance of that happening. I feel as though both sides are wrong in the sense that they let it come to that solution. They are just feeding into the image that women are caddy and bitchy. I love Tenisia but she comes off as the Big, Scary, Ghetto black girl which is one stereotype that I feel we need to stray from as black people.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Femmes vs Fish
This wek I watched a lot of televeision. On average probably about 2-3 hours a day this week. The show that I watched the most was MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew". This show takes dance crews from different regions of the US to battle to battle for the title of the "Best Dance Crew". In this competition there are two female dance crews "Fish N Chicks" and "Femme 5".
"Fish N Chick" is described as a hardcore, gritty dance crew that hits movements hard "like a man" This comment disturbed me because I feel females can dance with intensity and hardness without being manly. Dance is for everyone and it isn't gender-specific.
"Femme 5" is characterized as sexy but classy. I thought their description was off because booty shaking no matter how well you do it is classy. In my opinion, all they do is shake their booty and flip their hair. I do agree that they are not overly sexualized in their actions but they still play up the more sexier movements to play to the crowd.
It's funny that the female groups are either characterized as feminine or masculine but not in between. Shows that even when there is solidarity (female groups) there is separation.
"Fish N Chick" is described as a hardcore, gritty dance crew that hits movements hard "like a man" This comment disturbed me because I feel females can dance with intensity and hardness without being manly. Dance is for everyone and it isn't gender-specific.
"Femme 5" is characterized as sexy but classy. I thought their description was off because booty shaking no matter how well you do it is classy. In my opinion, all they do is shake their booty and flip their hair. I do agree that they are not overly sexualized in their actions but they still play up the more sexier movements to play to the crowd.
It's funny that the female groups are either characterized as feminine or masculine but not in between. Shows that even when there is solidarity (female groups) there is separation.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Positive Female Images in the Entertainment World
This week I watched about 2-3hours of television to keep up on the current events. I read two different magazines this week Star and OK. They mainly focused on exposing current and revealing celebrity gossip. The main event for week was that I went to a series of concerts. My favorite artist, Lupe Fiasco, is on tour and I went to Baltimore and Norfolk to support them. On Friday, I will be heading to Richmond to see them perform again. Lupe Fiasco is known to be an artist who supports and hopes to improve positive images of African-American women and men in the media. Although those two groups are not his only focuses in improving our relations with one another as a society.
While I was at the Baltimore show a young women took the stage as one of our many opening acts her name was Amanda Diva. She rapped about not giving into the common view of women in the Hip-Hop world. She felt as though she didn't have to dress half naked or sleep her way to the top in order to have a career as an MC. As she spit those lyrics the crowd of females went wild including myself. It made me think that women are often portrayed as sexual beings and in order to be successful we have to perform sexual favors. She also rapped about how she thought she looked very sexy in a hoody versus coming on stage half-dressed in stilettos to appeal to an audience. When I heard her say all of this in her lyrics it made me think about the absence of positive female role-models in the Hip-Hop industry. I was happy to see a young, attractive, positive female that actually had something to say in regards to the way the media portrays women instead of feeding into it.
Amanda Diva's Myspace Page (Check out her music)
At the next destination, Norfolk, I got a chance to have a long conversation with one of the artists on the tour. Nikki Jean is a up-and-coming singer that is featured on Lupe Fiasco's "The Cool". She has been performing for quite a while but the recent events have caused her to be able to reach more audiences and and gain celebritism. She is a very talented, hard-working, and sweet young lady. While we were chatting we touched on the topic of peoples views of her on the tour. She confessed that she often gets comments or looks like "how did she get on tour?" or "She must have done something to get here". She stated that someone on the tour crew said "I know why your on tour! Because you smell good!" but, even in joking the comment challenges her talent as an artist. I was upset that people would question her talent simply because she was attractive or imply that she used anything other than her talent to gain success. Below is a video from her daily blog where she talks about being exhausted and sick but, doesn't want to leave the tour because she has done alot to get there. This is just a glimpse of her determination and drive which is the force behind her successful career.
Nikki Jean's Myspace Page (Listen to her Music)
The short trip that I made this week really made me think of women's role in the entertainment world as entertainers and consumers. I got a chance to gain a perpective from the entertainer's point-of-view but as a consumer I have an opinion as well. A topic that we touched on in class was that "women tend not to networking as often as men". When I heard this statement I didn't feel as though it were true. I know most of the people on the Lupe Fiasco tour and that was done by networking. I met one person and that branched out into other people and it is often said that women can get invited to places in which men don't. The downside is that the are viewed negatively. I am an appreciator of the music I could care less about the artists personal lives unless we are friends but I often get called a "groupie". I don't go to concerts for personal gain or hidden agenda only to support good music but I am still grouped with those who follow stars simply to bed them. It can be very frustrating at times. While I was at the concert in Baltimore after it was over a friend of mine who had just performed was trying to get out numbers so we could get in touch after the show. Before he could get our phones he was surrounded by females trying to give him their number. He gave up after trying without any success and he told us he'd see us backstage. The girl behind me made a comment like "Go Girl", I replied "I know him", and she didn't believe me she thought I was just hooking up with some random person. That kind of bothered me not only because someone thought of me in that way but it was a female.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Week 1 - Ginger Snaps
This week I consumed various types of media through radio, television and books. Roughly I spend about 3-4 hours watching television, less than an hour listening to the radio, and countless hours of reading novels. This week I read the novel "Ginger Snaps" by Delorys Welch-Tyson. Upon reading the title I assumed that I would be reading a novel in which women take control and triumph over there oppressors. Unfortunately I was completely wrong in my assumption.
The novel connects a series of events through the eyes of the numerous female characters. All of the women are professional, educated, and independent. Sadly, I completely hated and thought little of all of the female characters except one. They were all selfish, prideful, and unwilling to compromise. The women were so consumed with being independent and successful that they let the men in their lives feel undesired or unnecessary. The only relationship that flourished and proved to be strong was between an interracial couple and they were judged harshly by everyone else in the novel.
This novel brought both positive and negative ideas to the surface. With women becoming more independent, does that make them less feminine or unable to conform to the female's role in relationships? It also brought out another way of assessing relationships with professional women. Women often say that men are intimidated by them being career-oriented and successful. In this novel the women pushed the men away and had too much pride to apologize or allow themselves to be vulnerable. This makes me think that being an independent women comes with consequences as well as rewards.
Link to Delorys Welch-Tysons Official website: http://members.authorsguild.net/delorys/
The novel connects a series of events through the eyes of the numerous female characters. All of the women are professional, educated, and independent. Sadly, I completely hated and thought little of all of the female characters except one. They were all selfish, prideful, and unwilling to compromise. The women were so consumed with being independent and successful that they let the men in their lives feel undesired or unnecessary. The only relationship that flourished and proved to be strong was between an interracial couple and they were judged harshly by everyone else in the novel.
This novel brought both positive and negative ideas to the surface. With women becoming more independent, does that make them less feminine or unable to conform to the female's role in relationships? It also brought out another way of assessing relationships with professional women. Women often say that men are intimidated by them being career-oriented and successful. In this novel the women pushed the men away and had too much pride to apologize or allow themselves to be vulnerable. This makes me think that being an independent women comes with consequences as well as rewards.
Link to Delorys Welch-Tysons Official website: http://members.authorsguild.net/delorys/
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