Blog #10 The End

Raunch Culture refers to the sexual culture of the 20th century in which sexually explicit language and themes in the performing arts, as well as sexually provocative clothing and expression are openly celebrated (Wikipedia.) A good source for raunchy culture are magazines like Playboy and Maxim where women pose in outfits that are barely covering their skin and in Playboy, women pose naked. Men and women are posing in ads that really degrade men and women all because sex sells and sometimes the sexual environment of the ads have nothing to do with what the ad is selling. TV commercials are becoming raunchy as well and children are beginning to see these ads which leads them to want to be in those ads and they start this vicious cycle of this ideal body image. The media seems to be a source of a lot our problems with body image and I wish that companies would just start using positive images. Parents needs to start stepping up to the plate and having a say because kids are seeing these raunchy ads no matter how hard we want to deny it. Children are beginning to learn what sex is at extremely young ages and the raunch culture isn't helping. I could go on and on about how negative the raunch culture is, but there can be some positives. For example, women never used to have the freedom to decide whether or not they wanted to have a choice to do these ads and the raunch culture can show how far women have come. I suppose you could look at the raunch culture as some form of celebration of women and that we have the power of sexual desire. There are women that pose in Playboy who are successful and it can provide a better living for some women who had nothing to begin with and it provides jobs. To be "like a man" to me means that men need to be masculine and to provide for the women. To be like a man is to go to football games and drink beers and watch sports all the time. To be "like a woman" to me means that women need to be comforting and kind and need to be the child bearers. To be like a women is to go shopping and gossip with your closest friends and to keep the house clean and be a good mom and wife. There is such a thing to be like a man or woman because it's prevalent in our society because it's the gender roles. I think that women inherit traits to be feminine and be more innocent like and to communicate better while men have the trait to be aggressive and strong and to not be the greatest communicators. 

Body Outlaw Project

I'm doing a free form poem for my body outlaw project

An Ode To My Body: Thankful For You

By:Maile Naone

I am thankful for the hair on my head that I can style both straight or curly

I am thankful for my long eyelashes because I don't have to use a curler

I am thankful for my eyes so that I can see the beauty of the world

I am thankful for my nose so that I can smell the April showers that bring May's flowers

I am thankful for my mouth so that I can speak my mind

I am thankful for my smile because it makes a difference in someone's world

I am thankful for my ears so that I can hear the voices of my loved ones

I am thankful for my fingers so that I can play my clarinet

I am thankful for my hands so that I can hold the hand of my future husband

I am thankful for my arms so that I can hug those around me

I am thankful for my  toes so that I can have the balance to walk

I am thankful for my feet so that I can wear the latest fashions

I am thankful for my legs so that I can march in The Pride

I am thankful for my hips that allow me to do a beautiful hula

I am thankful for my heart because it is filled with a lot of love to give

I am thankful for my compassion so that I can help people in need

I am thankful for my outgoing personality because I'm not as shy as I seem

I am thankful for my laughter so that the room is filled with joy

I am thankful for my life because I am blessed in so many ways

These are the things that make me who I am and I am thankful for who I am as a whole

Blog #9

Cosmetic surgery was initially used by men who were disabled by war or industrial accidents.  Cosmetic surgery has become centered around women because women are trying to conform to society's ideals of beauty. Women feel pressured to have a certain look and cosmetic surgery can give women that ideal look. I personally don't want to ever get plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery does sadden me because I believe that we shouldn't alter ourselves to conform to society's ideals of what it means to be beautiful. There are so many risks during surgery and of course there is going to be a lot of pain involved with cosmetic surgery. There's a lot of bruising and you do have to worry about scarring. However, cosmetic surgery can make women feel better about themselves and then they have a positive image of themselves. Cosmetic surgery can lead to confidence, but it can also lead to obsession. There are some women who will get their nose done and then they want a face life and then they start obsessing about getting a tummy tuck. Some women don't know where to draw the line and they become obsessed with cosmetic surgery and they will spend thousands and thousands of dollars for emptiness because they will never truly be happy with themselves. I don't judge people who want cosmetic surgery or who have had cosmetic surgery because each woman is different and it truly can help people become positive about themselves, but it's just not for me. Even though there are times where I truly don't like my body, at least I can say that I have a natural body. We live in a society obsessed with bettering our looks and it only causes damage to men and women physically and emotionally and we have become obsessed with cosmetic surgery. 

Blog #8

One of the benefits of men putting "tough guise" is that men are seen as the caretaker of their wives and women can feel protected and safe. Putting on this "tough guise" allows men and boys to be ready for a society that puts pressure on men to be strong and masculine. It can be dangerous though because it leads to a negative image of violence for men unfortunately. Gender issues can actually run synonymously with women's issues to an extent. When dealing with gender issues, gender roles also need to be mentioned. Men are expected to be the provider and the strong one and women are supposed to be the child bearers and women need to be soft and gentle. When looking at women's issues, our specific gender role causes gender issues because you run into women who are masculine like Ellen Degeneres and it blurs the line of gender roles and issues and the same goes for men who are more feminine like Elton John. It's a big circle when dealing with gender issues and women's issues as well as men's issues. Since men are supposed to be tough and strong, you don't take a second to think that men are affected by body image and eating disorders. When we watched the film Thin, there wasn't a male patient and majority of the male models are beefed up and muscular. I honestly have never thought about how the media can scrutinize men as well and give them this pressure to have the perfect body image. Just like with women, men can suffer from eating disorders like anorexia. Men spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on pills to beef up. It can also tear men apart and pressure them to fit the ideal body image. Men can suffer just as much as women do. Men sometimes feel pressured to use steroids and it can lead to steroid abuse and it has even cost some athletes their careers. I believe the media inspires change because you're beginning to see male actors who have some meat on them and they aren't very muscular. There are male actors stepping onto the scene who are overweight, but they are still wonderful actors. The media has complete control over the ads that are put out there and they have the control to use men and women who are real and not skinny. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwZUsZWMjwE

This is a video just raising awareness for eating disorders with men

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIFAoRU1veo&feature=related

This is a video that follows a male model who suffers from anorexia 

Blog #7

Body image plays a huge role during adolescence. I remember when I was younger, I was thin and always had straight hair and had a small frame. However, when I turned 12, it definitely all changed. The hawaiian part of me kicked in and my hair became curly and frizzy and I gained all this weight and my frame became larger. I remember through junior high that I hated my body and there was girl that rode my bus who was bone skinny and I hated seeing her everyday because I would've given anything to have her body. I was so jealous of the skinny girls who could wear American Eagle and they wore an XS and I wore a L or XL. I felt so ashamed picking up a shirt at the back of the pile because I felt like people were watching me and judging me because I had to get an L. I envied the girls who had perfectly straight hair and who turned heads when they walked down the hallway. So yes, I believe that body image plays a HUGE role during adolescence and a lot of girls starting at the age of 9 are already dieting and wanting the perfect body image. In Real Women Have Curves, Ana is such a strong character because she embraces her body and stands up for herself to her mom. Carmen is so obsessed with Ana's weight because she believes that no man is going to want her and she'll never be married and have kids and she's old fashion. There's a lot of tension between Ana and her mom because her mom began working at the age of 13 and she thinks that Ana is lazy and ungrateful because Ana is 18 and wants to go off to college and pursue her own dreams. I believe that Americans are obsessed with being too thin and being too fat because there's always the pressure to be thin because thin is in, but there's a lot of women who are perfectly okay with not being thin and they embrace their bodies. Ana is absolutely beautiful in the movie and I love the part when she's at her sisters work and she takes off her clothes and just dances around and really celebrates her curves. There honestly wasn't a part that I didn't like about this movie because it truly celebrated that real women do have curves and it's okay to not be thin. I believe that advertisements can be extremely negative to body images, but we can look past them and take a feminist perspective on them. We can celebrate our bodies and really love who we are inside and out. 

Blog #6

An eating disorder is when someone has a problem with either eating to much or eating not enough. Examples of eating disorders include anorexia and binge eating. The media has definitely affected our notions of beauty negatively. In ads, they always use women who look like they are anorexic and there is a pressure to look like the models in the ads. All the fashion shows use models who are a size 0 and young girls look up to these models. We see thousands and thousands of advertisements in just one day and a lot of them include companies that use models who are beautiful and have the perfect body image. I believe that a closer look at the definitions of eating disorders and treatments of these issues would bring so much awareness to people. I've always heard about people having eating disorders and people having anorexia, but I still to this day don't know if I know anyone who has had an eating disorder. It's an extremely touchy subject and it's not something that people want to talk about. If we did take a look at documentaries like Thin, we can have a better understanding of what these eating disorders do to people and can help raise awareness of these issues. I believe that dieting and having a certain appearance has become a huge part of our culture. When I hang out with my friends, it seems like there is always food involved. I constantly see Weight Watcher commercials, Nutrisystem commericals, and Bally Fitness commercials. We are constantly surrounded with this image that we need to lose weight and I feel pressured be this image because I will be honest and say that I'm doing Weight Watchers, but it's also for personal reasons. I actually suffered from binge eating and I gained over 40 pounds in a time period of about 3 months. I know that some people will look at me and think how could I eat that much and how disgusting of me to allow myself to gain 40 pounds, but until you have actually had an eating disorder, it's truly hard to understand. I was going through a major break up and also dealing with failing my classes because I was in a very deep depression and I honestly was emotionless. I ended up having to withdraw from OU in Spring 2008 and food was the only thing that seemed to comfort me. I didn't want to deal with my emotions, so I stuffed food down me and it filled a void that I had. I struggle with it everyday and I'm now doing weight watchers to try and lose the weight that I gained from my eating disorder. I believe that society believes that you need to lose weight to be beautiful and it truly sucks. I think that we have become a society obsessed with weight gain and weight loss and body image. I only hope for a better future because the pressure of society to have the perfect body image can lead to an extremely dangerous eating disorder. 

-The first picture was taken in January 2008 before my eating disorder

-The second picture was taken in May 2008 when I first started binge eating

-The third picture was taken in October 2008 and I'm over 40 pounds heavier

Blog #5

1. I chose You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift because she talks about how the guys girlfriend is the cheer captain, wears short shorts, and also wears high heels. Then, Taylor describes herself by saying that she wears t-shirts and sits in the stands and is just this down to earth girl. I just love this song because she's telling this guy that he belongs with her because she's "normal" and it promotes a good self image for girls and it kind of bashes girls who only wear heels and lives in a materialistic world.

2. Beautiful by Me'Shell Ndegeocello. I absolutely love this song because it's so beautiful and I just truly love the words. I actually got this song from So You Think You Can Dance and the dance they did was so beautiful.

3. Beautiful by Christina Aquilera. I chose this song because it's powerful and it's such a positive song for girls all over the world. It promotes self worth.

4. Single Ladies by Beyonce. This song is awesome because it's saying not to settle for anything less than good. It promotes self worth as well and it's such a good song.

5. Stupid Girls by Pink. I believe that this song is the most powerful one on my list. This song goes against all the stereotypical girl and Pink always makes awesome songs. Pink really is one of those women who just really doesn't care what other people think and she does what she wants and this song sends such a positive and powerful message to girls.

6. If I Were A Boy by Beyonce. I could honestly listen to this song over and over again because it has such powerful lyrics. I love that Beyonce takes the song and sings it as if she were a boy and it just really shows how women feel and the music video is even more powerful.

7. Your Body Is A Wonderland by John Mayer. I believe the title says it all. This song makes me feel beautiful and I think it makes girls all over the world feel good about themselves.

Survivor by Destiny's Child. This song seriously gives women power because it's about getting over a break up and to be powerful and be the survivor. I love listening to this song when I face hard times in my life because I feel empowered as a woman.

I honestly don't think my change in music has changed throughout the years. I've always been someone who listens to all kinds of genres and I'm still that way. I do go through phases sometimes where I want to listen to country more or I want to listen to pop songs more. I can't find one type of genre that I just absolutely love over the other. I truly listen to it all and I'm sure that I will always remain this way. I also listen to songs from when I was younger sometimes.

In response to the readings this week, I don't buy into this whole barbie idea. Barbie has been around for such a long time now and I don't think that Barbie gives a good image for girls. Barbie is always thin and wearing skirts and dresses and outfits that aren't sometimes appropriate. The songs that I chose empower women and girls and invites women to look past looking like Barbie. The songs give women a chance to step out of the boundaries and to be a woman of their choice. It gives women the chance to speak, think, and look how they want and to step out of the boundaries of Barbie.