Battle of the bods

http://www.hulu.com/watch/42430/battle-of-the-bods-bad-boys-rank-the-bods#s-p2-n1-so-i0

All reality shows represent the body in a specific way, but I have found one where this is more blatant. The name is “Battle of the Bods” and I chose a specific episode where “bad boys” are to judge 5 from “hot to not” and the women rank themselves on how they believe the men will think. During this process the women flaunt themselves in front of a two way mirror while the men remain behind closed doors.

The episode is introduced with clips of men drooling, and shots the women’s bodies in bikinis and lingerie. Accompanying these imagines is the host asking “Will these women be able to work together as a team or will their cattiness land them in the doghouse”; the icon beside the host’s name is a silhouette of a naked woman lying and showing off her curves. This implies a woman’s worth is determined by her body and when she forms an opinion or work with others, her opinion of herself and her pride gets in the way of achieving the goal; in this case that is $500 per match.

This goes with a gendered gaze that is now intensified. 1. A woman’s body is for objectification by males, and her literal and figurative rank is heightened by how sexual she is and 2. She may form opinions, but they’re most likely selfish and not thought through, therefore doing things like working as a team or perspective taking is a spectacle. At one point the host asks “there’s some genius in there, are you sure you’re not really a man”? This is in regards to a women guessing correctly, but it sounds like an assumption that men are the ones with functioning brains.

Although the show focuses on a gendered gaze, race also comes into play. In this episode, there is a woman from China and she is ranked last in all categories. Both the women and men believe that, thinking as “bad boys”, she will not be found as attractive. In other episodes Asian women were ranked higher based on their sexuality and their exoticism, but if she is not Asian American or “exotic”, she is less likely to rank as high. Allowing this image to be seen puts a strong racialized and internalized gaze into your mind: that you should be “exotic” or and Americanized to be attractive.

The internalized gaze is prominent in this show. Although they are determining their rank on how “bad boys’ think, the women will always rank themselves and others based on how women “should” look. The women need a perfect fat to muscle ratio; but, there was more leeway if women are slightly larger and have bigger butts/breasts. For example, one woman didn’t receive high ranks in the face or overall, but when she turned around for the butt competition she received first rank. These standards can be internalized and are usually unrealistic for most women to achieve unless they alter themselves. Also, having 3 men and 5 women come to a consensus on who is the least and most attractive makes it seem like all men have to think the same. This probably is why there are increasing makeover shows. Gallagher highlights this in “You Need a Makeover”; there are socially constructed ideals of what women should look like, usually a “natural look”, but in the end the only way to achieve this is through makeup and other means. Also, in the 18^th century beauty was spiritual beauty in moral goodness, but today there has been a shift and it is quite the opposite (59 Gallagher and Pecot-Hebert). The women in this show are judged based what she can wear (or not wear) on her body and face, and on her outward sexuality rather than lack of. The ideal version of femininity has very narrow constraints and is based on a very specific way that the body should look like and the way that it should be presented in the male’s eye.

The show highlights how women should look based on race and body types, but what it all comes down to is sexuality. The more sexual a woman is, or tries to be, the higher her rank. Karen Boyle states in “That’s So Fun” that the boundaries between the pornographic and the mainstream have become increasingly blurred in recent years, and that this process can be called pornification (293 Boyle). This episode is a perfect example, between the swaying of the hips and the suggestive dialogue, the show is continuing to make women’s sexuality more open in the public eye. This may be a step in the right direction but I find it troubling. A women’s sexuality is nothing to hide but it being directed towards men they have never met to earn a rank on their bodies is not progressive. The show is “supposed” to be about using their knowledge to put themselves in men’s shoes but the direction that it actually takes isn’t fooling anybody.

            “Reality” television with “real’ contestants put an image into viewer’s minds. An image that it is perfectly normal in this society to judge each other on looks, and enforces what society says you should look like. An image of misleading ideals about the nature of attraction and beauty. Also, that woman can heighten their rank in society with sex appeal. This has a big impact on the audience because it sets an example of how men and women act towards each other.

Works cited

Boyle, Karen. ""That's so Fun" Selling Pornography for Men to Women in The Girls Next                                                Door." Gender, Race, and Class in Media (2011): 293-300. Print.

"Bad Boys Rank the Bods." Battle of the Bods. Fox Reality. 3 Aug. 2008. Hulu. Web. 4 Apr.             2012.

Gallagher, Amanda Hall, and Lisa Pecot-Hebert. "You Need a Makeover!": The Social          Construction of Female Body Image in A Makeover Story, What Not To Wear, and   Extreme Makeover. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2007. Print.

The Surreal Life

VH1’s “The Surreal Life,” gives viewers a “real look” into the life of celebrities.  Producers pick and choose celebrities and have them live together as a “family” for a short while, and films their interactions and hardships, with some friendly competition thrown into the mix.  In Season 6 of the show, Sherman Hemsley, C.C. Deville, Tawny Kitaen, Steve Harwell, Andrea Lowell, Maven, Alexis Arquette, and Florence Henderson were all chosen to participate.  Season 6’s celebrities all represent some form of a stereotype, and their lifestyles, hardships, and celebrations are all exploited for the purpose of entertaining television.

As mentioned, each member of the cast represents some form of stereotype.  Sherman Hemsley represents the passive, non-confrontational, African American that society deems is acceptable (he doesn’t fight inequalities, he just accepts them).  C.C. Deville represents the recovering addict/alcoholic 80’s rocker who has overcome his circumstances (underdog).  Tawny Kitaen is clearly the “crazy bitch” of the household, who causes drama whenever possible.  Steve Harwell is the lead singer of “Smash Mouth,” and the most recent successful rocker of the season.  Andrea Lowell is the Playboy Bunny, hypersexualized woman.  Maven represents the “jock” with a drug and alcohol problem.  Alexis Arquette is the “Tranny” freak of the house.  Finally, Florence Henderson is the motherly figure that watches over them all.

In the episode, “Flo’s Final Word,” Florence Henderson offers each of the cast members advice (encouraged by the producers) as if she were their therapist.  She tells Alexis that she is an incredible human being, but will always have to deal with the fact that people find her intimidating.  After this, she shows a video montage of Alexis causing a scene in multiple episodes.  One in particular deals with Alexis being harassed in public because she is a transsexual.  She gets extremely upset and begins calling the harassers out.  This scene reminds me of the quote in Clarkson’s article “The Limitations of the Discourse of Norms,” when he quotes a member of Straightacting.com.  “I see more and more of our rights taken away, and more hate crimes, because the flamboyant elements of the gay movement have remained in power…(Clarkson 337).”  While Alexis is not a gay man, her gendered expression is evident and she is targeted for this.  By bringing this scene up, it seems to suggest that Flo believes she somewhat brings this on herself because her identity is so evident, and people find anything that strays from the norm as threatening.  Since she was born male, and identifies as female, she is seen as a spectacle in the eyes of society.

Flo’s advice to Andrea seems to be the most negative of them all and it causes the viewer to question if Flo is actually judging Andrea for being so sexual.  Flo tells Andrea that she believes she is building a prison of pornography around herself and also that she hopes Andrea aspires to be something more than what she is now.  Andrea makes a comment that her aspiration was to be in Playboy and she is extremely hurt by what Flo had said.  Flo seems to believe that Andrea’s line of work is degrading, while Andrea finds it very empowering and she clearly loves what she does.

The Surreal Life does an excellent job of portraying celebrities as someone the viewers can relate to.  Even though, it is clear that the celebrities are coaxed to do certain things by the producers, clearly evident in their competitions. Karen Boyle said, “Part of the appeal of the series might well be that the women’s lifestyle is made to seem accessible (Boyle 298).”  While she was talking about the series “Girls Next Door,” this quote can easily be applied to “The Surreal Life,” especially with Andrea Lowell.  She is portrayed as a normal girl who just happens to work in the porn industry. 

Boyle, Karen. “That’s so Fun.” Gender, Race and Class in Media. Ed. Gail Dines and Ed. Jean M. Humez. 3. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, 2011. 293-300. Print.

Clarkson, Jay. "The Limitations of the Discourse of Norms."Gender, Race and Class in Media. Ed. Gail Dines and Ed. Jean M. Humez. 3. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, 2011. 335-340. Print.

Tough Love: My Hair Means Everything to Me

http://www.vh1.com/video/shows/full-episodes/inner-and-outer-beauty/1671738/playlist.jhtml

I chose to analyze the makeover episode of Tough Love: Miami for this blog because I felt that it would give insight to how women view themselves and how men prefer to view women according to the show. During this episode, the host Steve claimed that the women on the show were not portraying themselves in the correct way in order to find a suitable partner. The purpose of the show is to teach the women on the show how to act and carry themselves so that they can get dates and meet the "appropriate" man.

The show began with the host and his partner, also his mother, raiding the girls’ rooms to see what they wear when they go out and meet potential partners. Steve and his mother made comments towards how a pair of shoes was like “stripper” shoes because they were so tall and had animal prints. Other comments referring to excessive amounts of makeup and fake hair that were worn by the girls seemed to be offensive to them. Many of the women in this episode became defensive when Steve brought them for their makeovers. One girl, Bridget, stated to cry because she was on camera without any makeup on. Another girl, Christine, also started to cry when the hairstylist cut and dyed her hair. During the makeover sequence, Christine stated because she is a pageant girl, she loves her fake hair, tan, nails etc. and is devastated that Steve would force her to change. Another girl claims that because the stylists put her hair in an up-do, she now feels less confident because she cannot hide behind her hair to disguise the fact that she “has small boobs”. The superficiality of what the girls are saying, according to the show’s host, is making them less attractive to men, who apparently prefer more natural and down to earth women. In the next scene, Steve contradicts himself when he puts extensions into Jane’s hair because “men will like it”. Ironically, Jane (“the masculine one”) claims that she feels more feminine now that she has longer hair and makeup on her face and compares herself to a Victoria’s Secret model.

As another challenge, the girls are required to attend a pool party wearing bikinis. The bikinis are provided by Steve and the show. The swimsuits are all brightly colored and very small. The girls put up a fuss about wearing the bikinis out at a party where they were also required to meet new men. I noticed that the white women on the show were wearing brightly colored bikinis with designs on them while the Hispanic woman was wearing a red bikini and the African American women was wearing a black bikini. Christine, who claims to have “body issues” was wearing darker colored one-piece. While analyzing this episode I found myself questioning whether or not it was actually the girls’ choice to pick the bikini that they ended up wearing or if it was chosen for them by the shows’ producers. Before learning more about reality TV I would have assumed that the girls chose their own swimsuits because they are seen at the racks choosing, however, now I find it ironic that the Hispanic girl wore fiery red and the “bigger” girl was more covered, while all the skinny white girls had on tiny two-pieces.

According to PowerPoint slides from class, there are many different types of gazes that can occur in pop culture text. The gendered gaze suggests how gendered body should appear and act. Within the context of Tough Love: Miami and this specific episode, the women are viewed through the gendered gaze by the audience and by the producers of the show in such a way that they are portrayed to fit stereotypes. Another gaze that is relevant to this episode is the socialized gaze. The socialized gaze, according to PowerPoint slides, suggests how specific gendered bodies should act in certain social environments. For example, the “bigger” woman, Christine, should wear the one-piece bathing suit because it is more socially acceptable because the bikinis are more appropriate for the thinner women to wear. Also apparent in this episode is the internalized gaze. According to the PowerPoint slides, the internalized gaze can be described as a way of looking at oneself and policing oneself in such a way that is congruent with the way that one would want their bodies to be seen. The internalized gaze can be seen in the beginning of this episode when the girls’ rooms get raided by Steve and his mother. The girls are exposed for having tons of make-up, fake hair, and fake tanning supplies which are tools that the girls use to “beautify” themselves for others.

In the article “You Need a Makeover…”, Gallagher and Hebert state that the way that one views themselves can play a large role in the ways that they create their feminine identity (pg. 68). They also state that the basis of make-over reality shows came about in the start of the obsession by women that their bodies are not good enough to begin with and therefore must be changed (pg. 75). In connection with Jane, she claims that she feels more feminine after her make-over because she has make-up on and was given longer hair. Her femininity was re-constructed due to her new self-image. Christine, who put up a fight about her hair being changed, ended up having it changed back to her original color towards the end of the episode. According to Gallagher and Hebert, the strive to look in such a way that is socially acceptable is embedded so deeply that it is undeniable and, like for Christine, these cosmetics and changes are necessary to feel like an “acceptable woman” (pg. 75). Reality television has become such a part of our culture that often there are aspects incorporated from dramas and sitcoms as well. Jane, in this episode, can be compared to Eva Longoria’s character on Desperate Housewives because she is the stereotypical Hispanic woman. More so in Tough Love: Miami, Jane fits the category of “vamp” than anything else, according to Debra Merskin. The “vamp” can be characterized as a sexual object and the type of woman who uses her sexuality to get what she wants (pg. 328). Jane being seen in the red bikini and using her attitude to allure or deny the men in the show is congruent with the characteristics of the vamp.

While Tough Love: Miami is not known to be a make-over show, when the girls underwent this make-over process, they resisited quite a bit because they did not join the show to be made-over. Having Steve tell them that they are not carrying and portraying themselves in an appropriate way to attract a man frustrated many of them. According to Gallagher and Hebert, the media views of how women should look is always changing and the idealized way for women to look puts pressure on women so their views towards themselves always seem problematic (Pg. 77). After their makeovers were complete, many of the women did not like the way they looked because they looked different and they claimed that they spend so much time “perfecting” the way they looked before, which they thought was good, and now have to question everything that they know about beauty.

Gallagher, A. H. & Pecot-Hebert, L. (2007). “You need a makeover!”: The social construction of female body image in A Makeover Story, What Not to Wear and Extreme Makeover. Popular Communication, 5(1), 57-79.

Merskin, D. (2007). Three faces of Eva: Perpetuation of the hot-Latina stereotype in Desperate Housewives. Howard Journal of Communications, 18, 133-151. Reprinted by permission of Taylor & Francis Ltd.

The Beauty of "Ugly Betty"

The television show Ugly Betty premiered in 2006 and focuses on Betty Suarez, a twenty-something Latina whom lives with her father Ignacio, her sister Hilda, and her nephew Justin in Queens.  Betty aspires to become a columnist for a major magazine but lacking ‘real world’ experience as a writer, she accepts a job at Mode fashion as an assistant to the editor-in-chief, Daniel Mead. Betty, dressed in her conservative clothing and donning her braces, does not fit into the high fashion world of Mode magazine and her co-workers remind her of this every day.

Episode #102, The Box and the Bunny, focuses on movie star Natalie Whitman coming to Mode for a photo shoot as she has been selected to be on the cover that month.  Natalie has just finished filming a movie which she gained thirty pounds for and has not yet lost all of the weight so the Mode editors and Natalie’s manager want to digitally retouch the photos.  During this process Natalie comments that she didn’t think she looked that bad to which Wilhelmina, one of the head editors of Mode, replies “Why not with the help of modern technology, give yourself the opportunity to look as stunning as possible?”.  Right from this initial meeting between Natalie and Wilhelmina the viewer can see the discourse of impossible perfection and impossible evil (Mayne, 162) beginning to take shape.  Later that evening Betty sees Natalie sitting in one of conference rooms with a laptop in front of her and she is digitally retouching her photo until the image of herself is so thin that it disappears from the screen.  This haunting image illustrates how minoritzing the discourse of beauty can be.

A subplot to this episode is that Daniel has not been receiving The Book, the mock-up of the magazine, at the close of each day.  He demands that Wilhelmina start turning The Book over to him since he is now the editor-in-chief and it is part of his job.  Wilhelmina, who aspires to become editor-in-chief herself, conspires with her assistant Mark to deliver The Book to Daniel, but to include the unretouched photos of Natalie in it, assuming that he will not notice and it will bring shame to the company, thus putting her in a better a light. This scheming further enforces that Wilhelmina is playing the impossibly evil and villainous role.  Once Daniel has acquired The Book from Mark he becomes distracted by the blonde secretary Amanda, who uses her sex appeal and promise of a good time to lure him away.  Daniel leaves The Book on his desk and Betty notices it later and takes it home for safe keeping.

When Justin realizes that Betty has The Book in her possession he snatches it away from her and begins to peruse it.  He immediately notices the untouched photos of Natalie and exclaims “Eww! Natalie Whitman is still fat!”  Betty looks over and says that she thinks it is wonderful that Mode decided to use the untouched photos.  Betty’s idea that Natalie’s untouched photos look fine presents the universalizing discourse of the representation of beauty being on a continuum. In this manner the viewer can also see how the representation of beauty is “reflect[ing] the culture from which [it] emerge[s], and [has] the ability to shape that culture in turn” (Mayne, 163).  Justin prefers the retouched photos of Natalie because he is fashionable and Betty prefers the untouched photos because does not keep up with the trends of the fashion world.

That night The Book is stolen and held for ransom by Betty’s neighbor, Gina Gambaro, who feels that Betty owes her money for a television that was broken during a previous argument.  In a moment of panic Betty tells Daniel over the phone that The Book is safe and she looking at it right then and that she is proud of him for using the unretouched photos of Natalie.  Daniel becomes angry because he did not approve for the unretouched photos to be published.  He sends a car for Betty and when she gets to the office she discloses what really happened and Daniel becomes irate screaming “You don’t lie to me ever!  We cannot afford to have those unretouched Natalie proofs out there in any way, shape, or form!  I cannot tell you how royally screwed she and this entire magazine could be!” Betty asks “Why? Because there’s pictures of what she actually looks like?” to which Daniel replies “exactly!” The viewer is again reminded that there is no place in the minoritizing fashion world for an actress who has not yet lost her filming weight.

Daniel explains to Natalie and her manager that The Book with the unretouched photos is missing.  While Natalie is calm, her manager is freaking out, and when Natalie tells him to calm down he responds “Do you know how these pictures could hurt your career?  Nobody was to hire a fatty! What’s this going to publicize, the fact that you can’t lose any weight?”  Natalie looks dejected as the viewer is reminded that she cannot obtain the impossible perfection which the standard of beauty calls for without being digitally altered.  Betty later sees her in the elevator and tells her “for what it’s worth I really did think that those unretouched photos were beautiful.  And the truth is I’d kill to look like you”.  The episode ends with Natalie on Fashion TV the next day making an announcement that Mode will run unretouched photos of herself in hopes of “putting a spotlight on the hypocrisy of this business which seems intent on making any normal human being feel like an outcast”.  This move by Natalie once again enforces that beauty can run on a universalizing discourse where bodies of all shapes and sizes would be accepted if it is allowed to do so.  By not allowing the retouched photos to be run Natalie has shattered the norm that one must be impossibly thin to be beautiful.

Works Cited
“The Box and the Buny.”  Ugly Betty. 5 Oct. 2006. Netflix. Web. 6 Apr. 2012.

Mayne, Judith. “Women, Representation, and Culture.” Reading Women’s Lives. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 161-65. Print.

                   The Parkers

               The Parkers was an African-American sitcom about a single mother named Nikki; played by Mo’Nique,  who  decided to go back to college; community school, along with her very pretty, but not entirely smart daughter Kim; played by Countess Vaughn. Throughout the episode the pleasantly plump Nikki chased fiendishly after a handsome professor named Stanley Oglevee; played by Dorian Wilson. I watched the series finale episode named “At Last” and it ended in the most obvious way. Nikki Parker had grown tired of the constant chasing and rejection by Oglevee, so towards the end of the series she had learned to open her heart to a man that wanted her the same way she wanted him. The guy proposed and she planned her wedding as normal, while reality set on Oglevee that he would never find a female who would love him the way Nikki did. Just as she was literally about to say “I do” at the altar, Oglevee storms in and proclaims his love for Nikki. She puts up a slight rejection, but in the end Nikki give in and she marries Oglevee on the spot.

            I believe the parkers fit both categories of the Universalizing and Minoritizing discourses. In discussing Minoritizing, I feel that throughout the airing of The Parkers that the generic norm of a man dating a socially acceptable; modelesque, woman was over used to get their point across. They would also focus on Oglevee to courting a very attractive woman; in my opinion is centering a norm, and then have the episode based around Nikki messing up his plans or ruining his date so that he can notice her; incorporating an outside normative, which is a woman trying to court a man.  In subtle ways, the episode also embodied the approved way of “women should always go that extra mile to please their man”, because Nikki went above and beyond to seek the gratification, love, and respect from Oglevee.  The thing that caught my eye was that in the finale, Professor Oglevee only found the strength to say his true feelings for her after she had moved on and had gotten dressed up to a socially acceptable level; in which society would think she was beautiful.

            In discussing Universalizing discourses, Nikki Parker is a very attractive plus size woman and she took into her own hands to pursue a man she has strong feelings for. She is a very confident and mature black woman who is trying to make a change in her life by returning back to school and not having any shame in saying she messed up when she was younger. This a constant theme of African-American shows nowadays, but I believe that The Parkers were one of the few shows that help launched it. Yes, overall a lot of the things she did in reality would seem a bit drastic all for a man who shows no interest, but the show also gave secret strength to woman who have similar problems and need a less drastic way about showing their interest in a guy without finding it repulsive or out of line. It let women; especially African-American women, know that there is no need to wait for a man to make the first move, if you want him, you chase him till one of you get tired of running.

            In reference to Mayne , “Generations of female film viewers discovered that movies had provided them with lessons in how to become an acceptable woman, complete with lessons in how to catch a man”(pg. 163). I believe that The Parkers was a small training session for women to not have to depend on any man to be the cause to their action. The show was filled with a lot of Mayne’s idea that concentrated with the thought that some cinemas provided tangible fantasies of women being able do and be anything they want. In a sense, the show also represented the function of both reinforcing oppressive standards of feminine behavior and to imagine possibilities not typically available to every woman (Mayne, Pg. 163). It provided comedic relief out of what women should not do in public to a man, but it also gave women a possibility in something that they could do just in a different way.

            In my opinion, The Parkers was and still is a great show. With a lot more knowledge about the way the world works, I believe this show had such a huge following because women in 1999 were still seeking a voice of respect and still trying to be acknowledged as equal human beings. Though, laws were passed way before this show aired, women still had to fight the stereotypical image of how a woman should act, think and look like. This show was also a stand taken for full figured women. It provided women with similar figures to see themselves as beautiful and allowed men to break out of the “thin is always in” mind frame.

Episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwDjMJSy0G0

Judith. "Women, Representation and Culture." Reading Women's Lives: 161-65. 

            Print.

South Park: Are You a Stupid, Spoiled Whore?

                South Park is known for its crude humor, language, and (usually) grotesque images.  South Park is also known for taking the media and society itself and turning it upside down in a crudely satirical manner. Their episodes poke fun at a wide variety of topics which include: popular shows or figures in the media, religion, holidays, and norms in society. In a specific episode called “Stupid Spoiled Whore”, the main focus is around role models for young girls and the impact she has on them. This episode displays both universalizing and minoritizing discourses subtly and bluntly.

                In “Stupid Spoiled Whore”, the young girls discover their idol Paris Hilton is coming to the town of South Park and opening a store for girls called, you guessed it, Stupid Spoiled Whore.  While many of the girls are excited about this, one particular girl is not. Wendy, known for her intelligence, is shocked and horrified at the impact trashy girls like Paris Hilton have over her fourth grade class and over society in general. Wendy searches for one of the town’s favorite people who ends up challenging Paris Hilton to a “whore off”.

                As stated from the lecture, one of the key factors in minoritizing is the belief that the norm is in the center of a societal circle and anything outside of it is considered deviant, freaky and out of the norm.  In the South Park episode, Wendy is seen as a freak in her school among the girls because she is not dressing or acting like a bitchy whore. She is seen as dull and boring because she would rather go to an art museum than play the “Stupid Spoiled Whore” sex tape game with her friends.Wendy is also rejected from going to a sex party that one of her friends is hosted because she is not spoiled and does not dress like a whore.

                On the other hand, a universalizing discourse is being aware of the norm present, but argues against it, saying it is only a construct of something else.  In this case, Wendy would be the universalizing figure. She realizes that the norm of being a whore like Paris Hilton is present, but she doesn’t believe it is an actual or concrete norm.This also floats around the other factor of the universalizing discourse: meanings of gender, race and sexuality are constantly changing over time and there is no distinct meaning that remains implanted in the norm forever.  In the example of the South Park episode, Paris Hilton was challenged to a “whore off” by Mr. Slave, a man who claims Paris Hilton’s partying and whorish behaviors are tame and bubbly compared to his partying.  In the end, Mr. Slave ends up defeating Paris Hilton in one shot ( and I’d rather not say how; just the mere thought sends shudders down my spine).When the girls realized that Paris Hilton was gone, they kind of shrugged her off and realized she isn’t the greatest role model for girls.

               

                Attwood’s concept of empowered eroticism seems to play a role here. Essentially Atwood’s definition of empowered eroticism is emphasizing girls stripping and starring in porn as an act of empowerment ( 287-288). When Wendy and her dad went to the Stupid Spoiled Whore store to chastise mothers for dressing their kids like whores, the mothers defensively argued that if men are able to act like whores, so should women. The mothers listed off a bunch of things that men deemed “weird” for a woman to do and they decided to equalize the whore concept for both sexes. In a way, this shows women doing things such as dressing slutty will empower them and make them feel equal with the guys.

                Boyle’s idea of the pornification of culture also seems to tie in to the episode. Boyle’s idea of pornification of culture deals with sexual objects and porn symbols becoming more mainstream and available for young women and girls ( 295). This is very noticeable in the Stupid Spoiled Whore store; little girls are able to buy thongs, lingerie, and other skanky accessories such as the perfume “Skanque”. They are also able to gain access to “playsets” that allow girls to make their own sex tape that comes with accessories a typical whore would use.

                South Park may be a show for amusement, but I believe there can be some lessons learned under the guffaws at bathroom jokes, F-bombs, and sexual intonations.  Maybe some will look deeper into these episodes and think, “ is society really like this?”

 Works Cited:

1.  Race, Gender & Sexuality in Pop Culture power points Feb. 28th and April 3rd

2. Attwood, Feona. No Money Shot? Commerce, Pornography, and New Sex Taste Cultures. Gender, Race, and Class in Media 3rd edition

3. Boyle, Karen. "That's So Fun: Selling Pornography for Men to Women in The Girls Next Door." Gender,Race and Class in Media 3rd Edition

Kim Helped Me Lose 20 Pounds in 4 Weeks

     In today’s society girls are taught to think that being thin is the definition of beautiful. Or if you are not thin you are expected to have a slim waist with large breasts and butt. Photoshop has played a large role in peoples’ definition of beautiful by altering models to look almost unrealistic. In today’s society almost every woman magazine has a get thin quick scam posted on the cover and since everyone is looking to fit the “perfect body” we purchase these magazines in hope that they will work.  In my blog today I will be analyzing one of Life and Style articles about Khloe Kardashian and her famous slim down from 2009.

      The Kardashian’s are a popular reality star family and as most of you know Khloe Kardashian has been labeled “the fat one”.  Constantly being compared to her sisters Kourtney and Kim, Khloe has always had body image issues and in 2009 decided to use a diet supplement called quick trim to slim down. Her weight loss got tons of attention by the media and she has appeared on three separate Life and Style magazine covers that have discussed her weight loss. Khloe also became the face of quick trim products.  From this article and other magazine covers you can easily see how the ethical gaze comes into play.

       Ethical gaze is the relations of looking that determines a body’s social value or moral worth by its appearance.  How this magazine article relates to the ethical gaze is that Khloe has always been seen as less valuable then her sisters because she is heavier than them. In one magazine title she is quoted to be saying “I don’t want to be the fat, funny one anymore.”  Once Khloe lost weight things started to turn around for her and see was seen as more valuable. For example she married basketball star Lamar Odom and they received their own television series out of their relationship. Also for Kourtney and Khloe take Miami Khloe was seen in sexier bathing suits on the opening to the show rather than covered up like how she normally is when shooting a commercial or magazine ad with her sisters. How this article promotes the way of looking at bodies in regards to sexuality is that it shows all of Khloe’s success after losing the weight as if she wasn’t already a successful business lady before when she was heavier. The article is pretty much saying being sexy made Khloe successful.

       The media explicitly shows the idea of how a woman’s body should be through this article. The reason why I believe that this article explicitly states how the female body should be is because Khloe is often quoted saying things like “she’s tired of being the fat one” or “don’t call me fat”. This is clearly showing that she was unhappy with her body and wanted to achieve what society considers being “the perfect body”.  The magazine covers for Life and Style that Khloe was featured on have her in bikinis and have her positioned in figure flattering poses that show off her curves which expresses her femininity and stops showing her as the masculine, outspoken sister. The article and magazine covers show her softer side.  Also for the article that I am reading it is a two page article with pictures of Khloe on both sides in a bathing suit.  Before her weight loss Khloe was always seen covered or if she was in a skirt or dress it was always longer than her sister’s.  If you were to read the article you would pick up on the hints from the interview with Khloe that being heavier than her 5’3 sisters is unacceptable and she is now happier since she lost 30 pounds which is telling people that if you are thinner and fight societies mold you will be a happier person. In Sut Jhally’s Advertising and Popular Culture article she states how advertising talks to us as individuals and addresses us about how we can become happy. This article is clearly stating that losing weight will make you a happier person.

       Although Khloe Kardashian is not classified as skinny after her weight loss she now fits in society’s acceptable category of having a large chest and butt with a slim waist. How someone would perceive/ receive reality when reading this article in Life and Style is that changing your body is perfectly fine and achievable. It also makes it look like Khloe will keep the weight off for forever, which in fact she did not. Once she became in a relationship with Lamar Odom and stopped endorsing quick trim Khloe put back on weight. The article shows that everyone can become thinner if they really want to be, I think that is wrong because not everyone is meant to be thin. Things like genetics and issues with your thyroid are just a couple of setbacks that could stop someone from achieving a perfect body. The article constantly states how unhappy Khloe was when she was 30lbs heavier and how happy she is now that she lost the weight, all this is telling the reader is that they should be unhappy with themselves.

      The article in Life and Style discussing Khloe Kardashian’s weight loss is a great example of how not having a specific body type lessens your value as a person. The article explicitly shows the audience how being heavier is linked to unhappiness and shows all the benefits from losing weight. For example finding love as Khloe did with Lamar. Article also does not show a good representation of reality because it fails to tell you all the hours and supplements Khloe took in order to lose her extra weight, which was quickly put back on once going off her diet.


Works Cited

Jhally, Sut. "Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture." Gender, Race, and Class in Media. SAGE Publications, 2011. 200-201.

"Life and Style." 15 July 2009 .