This week we discussed sexual otherness and the socially constructed "norm." In our culture, there are specific boxes that one can fit into and if you don't fit into the "heterosexual box," you are considered weird, different, strange, and often discriminated against. I will not go into great detail on each of the five artifacts presented here, however I will go in depth about the similarities in themes that they address.
We have briefly discussed beastiality in class; the sexual desire to be intimate with animals. The first artifact I chose was from a CSI episode entitled "Fur and Loathing." In this clip we see an interview with a suspect regarding a murder that took place during a fur-ries convention. You can see that during the interview, Catherine Willows, one of the main characters, is completely disturbed by what she is hearing. Human beings dressing up in animal costumes and having an orgy with each other is too much for her to handle, and her distaste for this fetish is apparent. It is obvious that this man does not fit into the heterosexual box that society has created and he is rejected because of it.
In Dennis' article (Signifying same-sex desire in television cartoons) he discusses how "homoerotic desire is acceptable as long as it does not lead to a gay identity" (138). He also discusses several different cartoons from the '90s and how they showed these homoerotic desires. I chose the image of Batman and Robin because I remember growing up there was a time when boys refused to dress up as Batman or Robin because they were "gay." Granted, there is no evidence to support or disprove that they are gay, but I found the image to be striking.
Lastly, the idea of transgender and transexual individuals. I chose the clip from Rocky Horror Picture Show and the trailer for the movie Transamerica as examples. In the Rocky Horror Picture Show clip, when Tim Curry, the transexual transylvanian, appears in front of Janet, she is so frightened by the sight of him she lets out a scream and faints. Talk about rejecting anything beyond society's norm. Also, I chose the trailer from Transamerica. In the trailer, there is a clip from the movie where Huffman's character goes back to her parents house and they tell her that she can't be there. They make it clear that her freakish lifestyle is not acceptable and therefore, she is unwanted, even by her own family.
This week we discussed feminized sexuality. There are several different stereotypes about women, and multiple different classifications of types of women. There is the idea that women are helpless creatures and/or they need to be rescued by their knights in shining armor (riding a white horse of course). There is also the idea that women are manipulative, using their sexuality to get what they want out of men. There is the idea that women are predators, hunting men down and devouring them for lunch. And finally, there is the super-mom persona, where the mom can take on everything with such ease, even the most difficult tasks don't cause them to break a sweat, while others can't get anywhere close to that perfection. All these different "personalities" make up the essence of a woman.
The first video is a movie trailer from the movie "Stepmom" with Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon that was released in 1998. For those who have not seen this film, it is about a divorced family man who gets engaged to a younger woman, played by Roberts. Unfortunately for her, her future step children and their mother make it clear that she is unwelcome and go out of their way to make her feel completely inadequate. In the beginning of the clip, the narrator says, "You do your best to raise the children. You do your best to care for them. But no matter how much you love them, you will never measure up to... their mother." This film embodies super-mom persona (Sarandon) and the damsel in distress (Roberts). In today's society, it is commonly perceived that women are supposed to take care of the house, kids, and still be able to produce and healthy and delicious dinner day after day. Susan Sarandon, playing Jackie Harrison, is able to complete every task, almost taking on the world. She remembers the special days at school, that its not cool to bring a lunch to school, and all the special appointments/commitments the kids have on which weekends, cause they are always changing of course. She is the woman that can conquer the world, and still manage to pick her kids up from school on time. She is the classic example of the stay at home mom. I have to ask, why is Sarandon's character so hell bent on making the other woman uncomfortable? It's not like she is a threat, the kids will follow her lead. Women are notoriously territorial, and even if you don't want to get back with your ex, you definitely don't want to feel as if you are being replaced for a younger and newer model car. Then there is the future stepmom, Julia Roberts who plays Isabel Kelly. Isabel Kelly is more of a helpless woman than she is super-mom. Roberts' character tries so hard to remember everything (like purple shirt day and the ever changing riding lesson schedule), to get the kids ready, while still keeping a full time job as a photographer. She is constantly trying to measure up to the kids' mother, and every time she fails. The narrator even says, "you will never measure up to their mother." But why does Roberts' feel like she needs their approval? She already has the man of her dreams, what difference does it make if the rest of the family likes her, they are going to have to deal with her right? Just as much as women are territorial, women seek acceptance, regardless of who that person is, or how little their opinion matters, most women want to feel accepted. This film is no exception. The lengths that Isabel goes through to get the daughter to accept her is extraordinary: she hooks her up with a model so the high school heartthrob will get jealous, after he dumped her, she tries to help her with her art project by showing her how she used to be an artist and gives her tips on how to make it look more realistic, and the list goes on and on.
On a related note, the last clip is another example of women being helpless and having a knight in shining armor come to their rescue. In this clip, Christian sneaks in to see Kimber after being attacked by a serial killer who makes his victims see how their plastic surgery really makes them ugly. Toward the end of the clip, Kimber asks Christian to rate her, that when they first met he told her she was an eight, and she wants to know what she is now that "the Carver" has attacked her. Unable to respond after the curtain has been pulled, he tells her that he will make her a ten again. That he will fix everything and make it all better; because Kimber is completely helpless and unable to make herself feel better. She has to have more plastic surgery to correct the damage, so she can be beautiful again and all wounds will be healed after that. She tells him that no surgery is going to take away the pain of what she went through, that "the Carver" striped her of her beauty and she is completely helpless, which is classic damsel in distress.
The second artifact is of a poster for a musical entitled "Cougar." We discussed the idea of the cougar and MILF extensively in class, so I won't take up too much space about it here. However, I will address that many older women today are getting divorced and ready to prove to the world that their ex husbands aren't the only one that can get a hot piece of... That they too are just as capable of having a piece of eye candy on their arm too. Because of this, the idea that women are predatory and hunt for their next victim like a cougar. This goes against previous society norms of the 40's and 50's that women were to be seen, not heard and that women are meant to be submissive. But the cougar, she is dominant and aggressive. She sees something that see wants, and goes for it; similar to what men do.
As mentioned earlier, women are often perceived as manipulative in current American society. The third artifact, the diamond ad, is a good representation of this. (On a side note, this image honestly made me laugh.) The fact that the designers went with this ad is very telling. The fairy tale proposal happens because the man is in love with the woman, wants to spend the rest of his life with her, and the issue of sex has nothing to do with why he is proposing. (I will go into this more for the next artifact.) However in this campaign, it clearly illustrates how women are using their sex appeal to manipulate men into a happily ever after ending. The first picture is of a man holding a small blue box in front of a woman, who has her legs crossed. The picture following it shows the box opened, containing a beautiful diamond in front of the woman with her legs opened. Now we must assume that the women in both photos are in fact the same, since they are wearing the same clothes and shoes. In today's society, the dating game is simply that, a game; with many more rules and more complicating than before. A woman is to appear mysterious, usually accomplished by playing hard to get and not being available all the time, you must play the cat and mouse game. Also, women aren't supposed to show all of their personality at once, otherwise they may come off too strong and frighten Mr Right away. And one of my favorites, the sex card. Women's one power card is sex and when to get down. It is similar to what Coon said about Alias and Charlie's Angels: "... in both cases, the heroines make repeated use of masks and disguises to control the way others see them, which allows them to manipulate situations to their advantage" (3). In order to be a contestant on today's dating game, you must be able to mask and disguise certain parts of your personality, at least for a little while, otherwise you won't be able to be the winner.
Lastly, there is the music video of Taylor Swift's song, "Love Story." The video depicts the Romeo and Juliet story, of falling in (forbidden) love and going through hoops to be together, she even references Romeo and Juliet in her song. The idea that this movie depicts is the hopeless romantic, damsel in distress. As I have discussed this at length, I won't go into it too much. Based on this video, women will make eye contact with some gorgeous guy, have this fantasy romance, and it will have a happy ending. Although, this video provides a little twist, because at the end of the video, the fantasy romance melts away and the two are back in reality. However, it still leaves me feeling like she wishes the fantasy world hadn't melted away, that she wanted to be swept off her feet and ride off in the sunset together. The problem is, that was back during Romeo and Juliet's time, not modern day. The idea of this whirlwind romance and living happily ever after no longer exists, there are prenups and games (as mentioned earlier). The video presents a fantasy world, then has it melt away, but still show her desire that it didn't melt away...
This week, the assigned readings were regarding masculinity and the cultural scripts that tell men how to be a "man." Something that was also discussed in the readings was compulsory heterosexuality, where the assumption that heterosexuality is normal and universal. In the Brooks reading, he talked about the "centerfold syndrome" and how it is just as damaging to men as it is women and went on to identify 5 different elements that contribute to this: 1) voyeurism, 2) objectification, 3) need for validation, 4) trophyism, and finally 5) fear of true intimacy. Finally, in class we talked about the main concepts of masculinized sexuality, which I will reference in regards to the following images (writing out another 13 concepts seems a little ridiculous).
Artifact 1: Here is a picture of Hugh Hefner and his multiple girlfriends right before his annual Midsummers party. Here, I can identify at least two concepts discussed in class: heterosexuality and quantity. But before I get into that, it must be said that Hugh Hefner is an icon in popular culture, and while there has never been any doubt about his sexuality, this photo encompasses his heterosexuality, since he has eight barely dressed women on his arms. Quite a large number of young women, especially since Mr. Hefner is old enough to be their grandfather, if not great-grandfather. Lastly, going back to Brooks five elements of the centerfold syndrome, Hugh has managed to objectify these women, as well as the women in his magazine. They are all trophies, not to mention a sign of Mr. Hefner's reluctance to be intimate and show emotion--if you have more than one, you don't feel the need to have an emotional connection, cause you can essentially get it from whomever, whenever.
Artifact 2: In class, we watched a video documentary about wrestling and it's effects on American culture and society; specifically about "how to be a man," how it contributes to society's homophobia, and domestic violence. This image is in reference to wrestling and homophobia. It is clear from the image that the man on all fours is being feminized and put into a "bitch" position, while the man grabbing on to his waist is the dominant alpha male, putting the other man in his place.
Artifact 3: One of the themes of masculinized sexuality is men and their conquests, and the game of cat and mouse. If you have seen the film, Cruel Intentions, then you know that Ryan Phillippe is trying to persuade Reese Witherspoon's character into having sex with him, so he can when a bet with his step-sister and be able to have his way with her. Ryan's character is notorious for his number of conquests and he enjoys the challenge of playing the aggressor chasing after the coy and innocent virgin.
Artifact 4: This is an image from a Calvin Klein cologne ad. I chose it because the male model is displaying several different aspects to the idea of masculinized sexuality: sexually available, self focused, constant interest in sex, and a lack of emotional intimacy. The model is shirtless, with his pants undone, his underwear showing, and a wearing a facial expression that is stoic-esque. Brooks referenced the idea of the centerfold syndrome and the how men have a fear of intimacy. This model has supressed any feelings of emotion or vulnerability, which is a classic sign or symptom of Gary Brooks' centerfold syndrome.
Artifact 5: Finally, we have an image of Ryan Seacrest and two painted ladies on his arms. As mentioned in a previous blog, painted ladies are women that are in body paint with nothing else on their bodies. This picture reflects the most commonly known male fantasy of threesomes, with the male and two other females. It can be assumed that Mr. Seacrest's companions are satisfying his need for validation. Both these women are very attractive, and as Brooks mentions, the more attractive the woman or women, the more validation power she has.
This week, we talked about socially constructed "appropriate" sex- specifically "great sex." What is "great sex?" If you pick up a woman's magazine, such as cosmo, it will tell you something about how to please your man, giving out the message that great sex is when you provide it to your man. In contrast, great sex for men is all about receiving it, and you will never see any mention in a man's magazine about how to please your woman. Why? First of all, the idea that men need advice on pleasing their woman is insulting. Men are programmed from day one, they don't need advice. Second, great sex isn't about the woman, because the woman provides it. The big question here is: what is socially constructed "appropriate" sex? To boil it down, appropriate sex is what is socially acceptable- meaning, heterosexual, white, and for the most part, monogamous. The following artifacts are visual representations of appropriate sex and/or great sex.
Artifact 1: This is a cover of a August 2007 issue of Cosmopolitan. Observe the bolded text on the left hand side: "His #1 SEX Fantasy: No Woman Has Had the Nerve to Try This on Him... And He'll Go Totally Nuts When You Do." This goes back to the concept that women are there to please and great sex has nothing to do with a woman's needs. On the right hand side of the cover: "Feel Sex More Intensely: A Guide to Your Body During the Deed." This is impressive that there is any mention to this at all because as mentioned before, it is not about satisfying women. However, while this does address women's needs to feel sexually satisfied, it is featured in a woman's magazine. So in addition to women having to please their man, if they want any sexual fulfillment, they must accomplish that by themselves, on top of what they need to do to get their man off.
Artifact 2: This is a clip from the Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas movie entitled "Original Sin." The clip picks up after they finished their sexual encounter, and Angelina asks what is the man's name. In Dempsey and Reicher's article "Portrayl of Married Sex in the Movies,"
they talk about how "the most common sexual depiction in the films was sexual intercourse between unmarried partners." I felt like this clip was the perfect example of this, sense the two actors are complete strangers, not even in a committed relationship with each other, and had just finished "the deed."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DgNb2mjYjm
Artifact 3: This clip is from the movie "Coyote Ugly." It depicts the main character, Violet Stafford at her first day of work at this bar. While being trained, her boss, Lil, tells her that she is supposed to appear available but never be available, and of course makes her outfit more appropriate for the bar by ripping it to shorten it. On page 3 of the article by Menard and Kleinplatz, they mention how women are encouraged to dress and interact with men that makes them sexually desirable without showing their own desire. What her boss, Lil, says in this clip is the visual depiction of Menard and Kleinplatz's article.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v+UHir5nF5I-g
Artifact 4: In the same article mentioned above, the authors dicuss narrow sexual scripts. They also go on to talk about kinky sex and bondage: "bondage should involve ties and scarves and not actual bondage paraphernalia. Any "kink" should be "mild" because, as many magazines implied or stated explicitly, full-on kink is just plain scary" (pg. 14). I chose this image because it really shows how full-on kink is scary. The woman is bound, gaged, and has a dog collar around her neck. Also, another point about full kink paraphernalia being scary, when you see images of this in movies, they are usually depicted in horror movies during the scariest scenes (ie the woman being chained up and about to be slaughtered) and you never see images of hard core bondage in romantic comedies. In other words, this is NOT appropriate sex. http://www.profilefunk.com/pics/self_description/fetish/AmberMHorrorBondage_0058.jpg
Artifact 5: Lastly, we have a image from the movie, "The Notebook" starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. In the film, the two meet and fall madly in love with each other and even though many things come between them, they end up together. I chose this image because it pretty much hits every aspect of "appropriate" sex: they are both white, heterosexual,and monogamous. This movie is filled with many cliches about love and marriage and soul mates, and is a perfect example of the ideal all-American couple.
