Lililth is back but no one is listening

I read this article about the new Lilith Fair in the Globe and Mail this morning. It seems there are many who don't want to partake in the old school woman's club now that some of the battles have supposedly been won.

Redefining feminism

For my final creative project in Media and Cultural Studies, I decided to interview women of various ages to hear what they had to say about what it means for them to be women and what feminism means to them. I was curious what others thought because before our last lecture, when I thought of feminism, I thought angry, man-hating, bra-burning, hairy armpited women. Talk about stereotypes! I am embarrassed to admit it but that is the image in my head. But Jaigris' simple statement on feminism completely changed my perspective and I am so grateful for this. She said that feminism is about wanting equality between men and women--simple as that! I am grateful for all the hard work women before me have done to allow my generation and those to follow all the liberties my baba and great-baba did not have.
Even though women have overcome many limiting barriers, I would consider myself a third wave feminist because we still have so much work to do in creating equality and eliminating sexism. Air-brushed male fantasies on the cover of magazines or young famous and spoiled starlets are not setting positive examples for teenagers. According to a Maclean's article, girls appear to be doing well in school but their self-esteem is low and they think they have to do whatever it takes to place the boys. Shouldn't this younger generation be moving beyond this? It appears sometimes as though we are moving backwards--that even though girls have more power through choice, they are still trying to please men.
The one step towards change, that I can see, is changing our perspectives, so our society stops nurturing these stereotypes of what it means to be male or female. It is time to get rid of these labels and acknowledge that we are all people that deserve to be treated equally with respect. It's time to shed these limiting beliefs that are not helping the next generation move past these patriarchal roots.

Yoga: a sublculture

I think yoga was a subculture at one point, just as Linda described vegetariansim. Yoga's roots are in India and it has been around for a very long time. But it started to be practiced in the West in the 60s it started and was associated with the hippie culture. At that point it was a subculture. I think many people thought it was some strange religion and maybe thought of it as a threat because it went against mainstream society, especially traditional religious and fitness activities.
Yoga has definitely been incorporated into mainstream society today. It has become an expensive commodity to purchase and a "cool" lifestyle to participate in. Lululemon yoga clothes and studio memberships are expensive. It is now part of the dominant culture. I think that is a great thing -- the health benefits from practicing yoga are proven effective, but all people need is some comfortable clothes and some water to practice. Heck, why bother with clothes?

{photo found here}

Walk like an Egyptian?

I remember dancing around to the song "Walk Like an Egyptian" when I was a kid. Now when I listen to it, the lyrics seem rather offensive.
Maybe I'm just hypersensitive this week after studying Orientalism.
This video version is a mash up between the Bangles hit song and a Michael Jackson's video for "Remember the Time" - how postmodern!
Funny how the song and video go together so well. Most pop songs have the same rhythm which is why Girltalk's re-mixes work so well.
Postmodernism and Post colonial theory grabbed my attention this week. I feel like I am finally starting to think a little more critically about my culture, culture industry motives, and the psychology behind media. Most importantly, I'm realizing that all that I have been taught isn't necessarily true. It is always good to question before consuming and ingesting any sort of media.
And question stereotypes. What your fifth grade teacher taught you may not be entirely true.

{photo found here}

Tourisme-Montréal

Club Super Sexe is a strip club located in the middle of downtown on St. Catherine's Street right beside a family restaurant and across from the Eaton Centre.

The dirty little secret that strip clubs usually are doesn't seem to be so dirty here in Montreal. They are not hidden in the "seedy" part of town, like they so often are. Here, they are mixed in beside clothing stores and above family restaurants. These low culture establishments are normally viewed as profane second worlds, and they still are I guess, but here they are also part of the mainstream public. The resistant culture of strip clubs has been accepted by the dominant culture by being allowed to exist in public spaces where families go out for Sunday night dinners. Strip clubs are big part of Montreal tourism. I think it's pretty tacky but I hardly notice the sleazy bouncers anymore that stand under their neon lit signs as I walk past them into The Gap! (I hardly do; It's hard not to notice them, but I just try to accept that's the way it is here.)


{photos found here}

True love on sale here!

I am hyper aware of the culture industry this week and cannot watch television without noticing how this industry is capitalizing on human emotions and desires.



In our lecture this week we discussed the Marxist ideology that in this society of capitalism we are cut off from our humanity because we have to sell the products and services we create instead of enjoying the satisfaction that comes from creating. Instead products and services and being produced for someone with power who will turn around and sell them to make money. Because of this division of creative energies and capitalism we are essentially forced into buying back our own humanity.
This emotional commercial above is using my human romantic tendencies and desire for love to sell their service. They know that there is a good chance that I might use their service because if I do I could find true love forever.

Patient Pepper

I know we talked about the myth of romantic love last week but I had an action film revelation this week.
I never would have analyzed an action film before taking this class. But as I sat through "Iron Man 2" I thought about two themes I probably would have missed before last week's lecture.
Even though Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Pepper Potts, becomes CEO of Stark Industries, she is no different from Belle of "Beauty and the Beast". She appears to be a woman in charge but throughout the film we see she really has no impact on important decisions at all. She patiently stands by this narcissistic robot, when he is out of control, secretive, brushes her off, and even when her life is in danger, only to fall helplessly into his arms at the end of it all, because he becomes a new, self-realized man.
The second theme that I observed while watching the film was the significance of the "armor" the men wear. In one scene, two of the main male characters pause in a moment of intense defensive combat to tell each other how they appreciate each other. To me the metal suits symbolize the role many men are taught to play growing up. The scene is awkward and the men have a hard time expressing their feelings to each other. It is all done with a quick slap on the back as they get back to the fighting. This role of women holding all of the emotional cards and the inability of men to show their feelings continues to be played, even though it is so old-fashioned.
"Iron Man 2" wears a contemporary mask of new-age technology and female leaders, but it's just a disguise for another typical testosterone-driven action flick.

{photo found here}

Hyperreality and the myth of romantic love

I want to remember Disneyland with my childlike eyes - a dreamy fantasy world full of fun and happiness, however, after this week's readings, I am no longer able to see it the same way. This is proof that this class is challenging everything I thought to be real. I'm learning not to take everything at face value and instead take a step into the "the rabbit hole". I am learning it is important to question the media more. Not only did I question Disneyland but also this week's topic of the myth of romantic love. I have two teenage cousins who are Twilight fans and they took me on dates to the films. I enjoyed looking at both Disney and films like Twilight with this new, now obvious, perspective.



The myth of romantic love, as portrayed in Beauty and the Beast and Twilight, calls upon these virtuous, patient females to "tame" and "save" their monstrous men from themselves.
I got upset thinking about how I grew up wathcing films like these, which seem to be teaching young girls to be compassionate and patient with boys/men even if they are scared or being mistreated. Did I grow up believing subconsciously that this was my role as a woman? I actually had to sit with this question this week. This topic along with the Maclean's article on teenage girls that I recently posted, made me question why are films like these being made? Are we going back in time, or have we even advanced into being independent women who don't take sole responsibility for love and emotions in relationships and don't play the role of savior. I came to the conclusion that girls are not going to be damaged seeing these films, but, the adults in kids' lives have to have discussions with them about what the messages are. Girls can have fun with fantastical movies like these, but they have to learn how to interpret these messages early on so they don't feel like their role is to take care of and please boys.

Instead of avoiding the next Twilight film with my teenage cousins, now I'll be able to see it for what it really is and maybe our discussion will move from who's cuter, Edward or Jacob, to how it's best to not stay in a relationship where you are scared, hurt, or unable to express yourself, no matter how cute they are or how much you love them.

{Disney photo found here}

Change is always around the corner

There was a lot of interesting material to watch and read this week. I had heard about many of these concepts before but wasn't familiar with them. I'm grateful to have the chance to read experts from No Logo by Naomi Klein and Wikinomics by Donald Tapscott. Instead of getting overwhelmed with information this week, I reminded myself I am here to learn how to keep myself informed and able to question what is presented to me, without becoming overwhelmed by the world's news and issues. I'm also here to become an organized thinker and clearer communicator of my thoughts and of these important issues.
I'm not sure which power model the media is under -- soft power or hard power, but if there is one thing I learned this week it is that the only way for me to handle the abundance of information in this technologically demanding era is to learn how to question, debate and respond to this information. This way I give myself more power. I am then able to take back some of the control from controlling reigns of the media and those in charge of the media. I can choose not to be a passive participant when watching television, using the Internet, or listening to someone speak.
I agree with Tapscott this week when he said, "Today the tables are turning. The growing accessibility of information technologies puts the tools required to collaborate, create value, and compete at everybody’s fingertips . . . Those who fail to grasp this will find themselves ever more isolated—cut off from the networks that are sharing, adapting, and updating knowledge to create value."
People have to realize that everything is temporary. Change is already happening. I guess it is up to each individual to decide if change is good or bad. Do you fight it or grow with it? Accepting change and growing with it -- contributing to it, would be more beneficial instead of the incessant debating about who is wrong and who is right. The change is already happening. Time to move on.

{image found here}

Media's effect on teenage girls

This week I have been flip-flopping a lot, just like many of you, on which theory best describes my views on media. I believe that media, whether it is television, the Internet, or another source, does affect most people. Seeing someone brutally raped or murdered will make most people cringe to some degree. Yet, how could they not get used to seeing violence and sex on T.V. all the time when almost every channel at 8 p.m. has a program on with that subject matter - unless you're me. I have never been able to watch anything violent or scary. I take it all in and feel so sad that such negatively and hatred exists. I am not burying my head in the sand by not watching, I just choose to focus on more positive influences.
But the Media Effects theory is too simplified. Watching television does not alone make someone violent immediately or over a period of time, as the Cultivation theory suggests.



That said, the media does have an impact on lives of teenage girls, according to Leonard Sax, author of Girls on the Edge. Maclean's featured an article with Sax this week that caught my attention and I thought it was relevant to our discussion about the effects of media on our lives.
"Inside the dangerously empty lives of teenage girls" is about how teenage girls may look like they have it all together on the outside with high test scores and success in sports, but on the inside they are drowning in insecurities and the inability to deal with life's challenges in healthy ways. I think this has been a common issue for many girls of past generations. What is not helping the matter, says Sax, are media like Facebook and cellphones, where girls are constantly marketing their social status (Sax, 2010).

I think media environments are "playing a leading role in human affairs" (Media Ecology Association). Media is causing not only teenagers but the general population a heightened feeling of stress and anxiety that possibly did not exist prior to this 24-hour plugged in era.

{photo found here}

The power of our word

This week’s readings by Bernays and Lasswell opened my eyes to what propaganda really means and how powerful our words and the intentions behind them are. I had not thought about propaganda and public relations as the same thing. Truthfully, my ignorance about this term caused me to think about propaganda in a negative way without even thinking about how it can be used for positive influence. As I researched the definition of propaganda this week, even though I have heard the word so much, I learned it comes from the word propagate, which means to spread. I learned that propaganda is a form of communication aimed at influencing attitudes toward a position. There are many ways that influence is spread in positive ways, like raising money for health campaigns. According to Lasswell, both propaganda and public relations “define and affirm meaning (p. 267)". Both can influence a public about thinking or acting in a specific way.

This month, I finished reading the new novel by Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna. It is a story about this boy who ends up living with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera when they were hiding Leon Trotsky in Mexico. It discussed how Trotsky was not given a fair trial because of all the propaganda that was being created about him by Stalin, even in the United States. And this boy has to deal with the same fight when he grows up to go live in the United States. His life as he knows it is ruined because people in a position of power lied because of their own fears. I feel enlightened with the realization the propaganda is not necessarily a bad thing it just depends on what you are trying to convince people of. We have the power, especially if we are in a position of power, to influence others and fashion and project “credible renditions of reality” (Bernays, p.16). It is interesting to me how powerful our words are, whether in everyday conversations or in political campaigns.

P.S. I look forward to watching the CBC documentary now that I’m back in Canada.