Pop-Culture | Posted by Sarah C on 09/12/2012
Sunday Night Sexism on NBC
I’ve been waiting all year for Sunday Night Football. Well, actually, I’ve been waiting all year for the first two minutes of Sunday Night Football. As a diehard Faith Hill fan, I’ve been waiting patiently to see her in the new opening all summer. Since I missed the game on Sunday I watched it on YouTube the next morning and noticed that the new opening is slightly different than the ones in the past five years. Faith Hill is still wearing something stylish and sexy and singing almost the same words, but the song’s been amped up and sounds much more Rock and Roll than the previous catchy country-pop sound of previous years.
Looking at the YouTube comments, I expected to see people lament the change in beat as well …
More >
Pop-Culture | Posted by Gina S on 07/18/2012
The Headline Project
As a little project, I recently decided to compile the gender presentation as depicted in the headlines on various popular ‘news’ websites over 3 days. Having rolled my eyes so strenuously as to pop several blood vessels at the ridiculous scandals I’m subjected to each time I checked my email, I decided to monitor sites like AOL, Yahoo, and MSN News to dissect how they depict famous women.
Day 1
AOL’s headlines regarding famous women:
“Brittany Spears flaunts assets”
“See what (Kate Middleton’s sister) Pippa’s wearing at Wimbledon”
“Who’s the British beauty showing off her armpits?” (No, I’m not kidding…)
“Miley Cyrus wears daring LBD”
“Megan shows off baby bump in bikini” – (Translation: “show off” = wearing a biking while pregnant and famous).
MSN messenger news:
“Katy …
More >
Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 04/11/2012
Why The Media Assault on Ashley Judd Is Larger Than A “Puffy Face”
A couple days ago, I, like millions of other college students across the country, logged on to Facebook as a pathetic attempt at procrastination. I expected to flip through some of my friends’ newly posted pictures, maybe like somebody’s status– the usual – but instead was faced with something extraordinary. My newsfeed was inundated with links to an article written by Ashley Judd—the kind of article that, as a young feminist, I have been waiting to read for a very long time.
In response to a swell of criticism regarding her “puffy” appearance, or what feminist blog Jezebel has cleverly titled “Judd-puff-maggedon 2012,” Judd recently penned an article for The Daily Beast, calling out the media for what she saw as “pointedly nasty, gendered, and misogynistic” commentary …
More >
Pop-Culture | Posted by Fiona L on 01/27/2012
Was “Iron Lady” Too Soft On Margaret Thatcher?
Being the avid history nerd that I am, I was basically counting down the minutes until the opening of Iron Lady, the new film chronicling Margaret Thatcher’s life, starring Meryl Streep. I mean, what could be better than Meryl Streep (who is awesomeness in human form) taking on a complex, fascinating character like Prime Minister Thatcher, right? Regardless of your politics, Margaret Thatcher’s story is an exciting one.
I was expecting a few things from the film. First, I was expecting a kick-butt performance from Ms. Streep. Second, I was expecting to learn more about Margaret Thatcher’s political and personal story, since I don’t know that much about her. Third, I was expecting to be thoroughly entertained.
Unfortunately, only one of my three expectations was really fulfilled. Meryl Streep’s performance …
More >
Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 06/30/2011
Jordin Sparks: 30 Lbs Down
Every week, my Grandma brings over her copy of People magazine for my Mom and I to peruse. It’s a guilty pleasure that I actively try to avoid, but every once in a while I’ll flip through the rag just to see what’s happening with my fave celebs (but then I remember that Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Ellen Page are hardly ever featured in such magazines and put the magazine down). But this week happened to be one of the weeks where I succumbed. Hey, it’s Summer, and flipping through a crappy magazine that doesn’t require much thought or effort on my part sounded nice.
It wasn’t even a prominent article. It was a tiny box on the cover of past American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. The article itself …
More >
Feminism | Posted by B.P. on 05/19/2011
Magazines, T.V. and Disney: The Negative Portrayal of Beauty in the Media
From a young age, I recognized a pattern in the movies I frequently watched. Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White – their major goal is to find Prince Charming. Being young and impressionable, I too started dreaming of my prince charming I would one day come to meet.
As I got older, around my pre-teen years, I developed a collection of magazines due to my interest in style and fashion. I’d flip through so many each day, and without even noticing how and why, I began to feel less and less confident in myself. And more and more self-conscious about the way I looked. Pretty soon I felt as though no guy would ever want me because of the way I looked. I began to think I’d …
More >
Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 04/13/2011
Perez Hilton and Bullying
Over the past few years, the news has been inundated with tragic stories of teens and cyberbullying. There were the stories of Phoebe Prince and Megan Meier, who after being tormented via social media sites and texting, resorted to suicide. The advent of formspring isn’t alleviating the now all-too-common cruelty of bullying, either. It seems that adults look at our generation and wonder if our obsession with vampires, warewolves and other beasts is actually due to a feeling of kinship.
There are probably a lot of causes for the advent of cyberbullying, which I’ve ruminated on before. But one cause I hadn’t really given much thought to before was the influence of a bullying media, specifically thanks to stimulating reality shows like the Real Housewives and nasty bloggers …
More >
Pop-Culture | Posted by Dina L on 03/10/2011
GaGa: The Image of a Pop-Star
I was lucky enough to recently see Lady Gaga in concert–it was fantastic. She was fantastic (her voice is really good), the show was fantastic, and the world that she created onstage was fantastic. If you’ve ever seen her live or in a video, you know what I mean. If you ever, ever get a chance to see her in concert, go–it was that good.
One thing that stood out about her show was the way the she constantly reminded the audience of the fact that she–or at the least the version of herself that she is onstage–is fake. She is a reflection of what her listeners and audience expect and what from her; she is there to be whatever we want and need her to be. Towards the beginning …
More >
