Time For The Women To Save The Day

When it comes to superhero films, men have Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Aquaman. The list never ends. But there are only a few women superheroes and they have always been limited in their exposure. Female superheroes usually take a backseat to the male ones in movies…Until now.

            

Wonder Woman

The film, Wonder Woman, that came out this year of 2017, matters to women because it is a HUGE change. The portrayal of Wonder Woman aka Diana Prince (actress: Gal Gadot) is a character of realization. She presents both strengths and weaknesses. She is confident, sensitive, and has insecurities. She has hopes and fears. She can love and lust. She can feel joy and sadness. She is not just a beautiful face. She has a hot body and extremely strong. But, body image is not the big focus, as it has been for so many female superheroes in the past.

Diana and Steve

           

Let’s also point out that Wonder woman is definitely NOT the damsel in distress. In fact, the typical gender roles are reversed. Steve Trevor (actor: Chris Pine) is a romantic interest but also a sidekick who is the one needing the saving. It is a confidence booster for women, as well as little girls, to see a woman who is capable of taking care of herself, and being the one saving others. Although, Diana and Steve have a romantic connection, it is not another huge focus that the media has been prioritizing in the past films with women superheroes.

Rey

Wonder Woman isn’t the only movie to make the conversation happen. Star Wars: The Force Awakens with Rey (actress: Daisy Ridley) who has an intense combination of strength and vulnerability. She shows not only young women, but everyone as a whole that it’s okay to be tough, and to know how to be able to do things for yourself, but you can also be emotional. She can fight off Storm Troopers, evil dictators, pilot a spaceship, and she can do it all without showing off her body.

Jyn

 Another Star Wars franchise, Rogue One, with Jyn Erso (actress: Felicity Jones), is another fierce and strong woman who also became a hero. Though she didn’t have “the force” like Rey has but she can fight enemies with her own weapons. She can command a whole Rebel fleet and risk her life to save the galaxy.

This is the progress that we need. We need more confident and strong role models for our girls and with more help with the film industry, the exposure of women superheroes in the media can keep rising!

Say Goodbye to the Damsel in Distress

Disney movies are cherished by all ages throughout our world. However, the Disney princess movies have been a controversial topic for a long time when it comes to the gender roles of the characters. In many of the older Disney movies, the female characters are viewed as weak and inferior compared to the male characters who were strong and empowered. This inequality is teaching children that there are certain gender scripts that are to be followed. 

In my very first blog post, I discussed the problems of the past time Disney princess films. This time, I will be discussing what Disney has brought in recent years. It seems that the Disney industry has paid attention to critics, and they’ve presented some new movies that have definitely improved the representations of women. 

In the movie, "The Princess And The Frog", Tiana was the first black woman to become a princess. What is different about Tiana is that she was not focused on finding a handsome prince to save her from her financial and emotional troubles. She didn't even want to be swept off her feet. All she was worrying about was to save enough money to buy an old sugar mill that her father never got to turn into a restaurant before he passed. She had to work long hours and missed out on living her life as a young adult just to fulfill that goal. 

Tiana became a Princess through falling in love with Prince Naveen who was not wealthy and had no castle to his name when they got married. Naveen did not buy her restaurant for her. Tiana did it all through her own dedication of hard work and believing in her dream. Tiana is a role model to our girls. She teaches them that hard work and self belief can get you anywhere. Life can be difficult sometimes, it gets bumpy. But with love, faith, and working hard, it can get you far.

The movie, "Frozen",  is another Disney film that presents two wonderful role models for our girls.  Anna is whimsy but she understands that there is a big world around her and is excited to explore it. She wants to experience more in her social life. She wants to make friends and meet people. She embraces the smallest and most ordinary things about her home, Arendelle. Anna’s courage and love of life are traits girls should try to strive for. 

What is amazing about Elsa is that she thinks realistically and she broke through her own barriers of self-doubt. Elsa having powers truly gave her low confidence in being accepted by her people. But later on, she realized how pointless it was to let the fear of other people's opinions affect the way she lives. She was now able to embrace how special she was. Also, not only does Elsa NOT need any man or any relationship to be satisfied, she learns to find the value and love in her family and friends. 

Elsa and Anna are both a perfect representation of the importance of family and that true love is not just about "falling in love with prince charming". 

In the movie "Brave", Merida became a strong, arrow-shooting role model for little girls. She rebels against traditional gender roles. She doesn’t want to be a princess and rejects the arranged marriage her parents try to forcibly set up. She also proves that she does not need a husband to rule the kingdom. She presents independence and freedom to be able to handle situations on her own. 

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Moana tells the story of a 16-year-old Polynesian girl, daughter of the chief and next in line, Moana. She takes it upon herself to set sail across the sea away from her family and home, determined to find a way to save her people from a mysterious darkness called Te Kā. What makes Moana such a positive model is that she is strong and brave. Her father never allowed her to go past the reef and into the ocean before. But with her island home in danger, she ventures over the reef and starts her quest. When she left, she had no idea how to sail, how to navigate, and yet, she doesn’t let that stop her. She is determined and faces her fears head on. She fought a lava monster and has no problem climbing sky high cliffs! Not to mention, Moana doesn’t need a knight in shining armour to help her. She is independent and ready to take on anything or anyone. 

 Disney princess movies have had major improvements over the years. Each of these films discussed have made an impact on our girls and the rise in feminism. Hopefully, the company will continue to improve the portrayal of women and putting our children on the right path to gender equality.

Sex Abuse: 50 Shades Of Grey

Well, we all know that the mass media is the spotlight to what our actions and beliefs are. The media is our guide through social and gender scripts in order to live in the society. Today I am going to discuss the topic of sex. Let's be honest, we have learned sex through the media. Although sex is a natural thing for all living things, the media has taught us all in society how sex is supposed to look and feel. Pornography is another word for sex media. The problem with pornography is what is being shown the most. The most highly watched sex films are the ones that show violence.

Ana and Chrsitian

Let's take the movie, 50 Shades of Grey, for instance. The novels and movies have been a huge concern since it was made. So, I am just going to discuss the first film. If anyone has not seen the film or read the novel, it is about a woman named Anastasia who volunteers to interview a successful businessman, Christian Grey, in her sick friend's place for their college news article. Christian becomes interested in Ana and she (of course) falls for his charms. Little does she know that Christian has a dark side when it comes to sex and pleasure but for her being inexperienced, she's willing try anything to have him. Basically, the sex is more violent than pleasurable for Ana.

I'd hate to spoil some of the details but I have to talk about how wrong this movie portrays sex. The film definitely glamorizes most of the sex scenes to make it look desirable and pleasurable, which is why so many WOMEN are begging to have it. If you think realistically, many women are sexually abused, even raped every day. Which is why violent sex scenes in movies is such a huge concern, no matter how “nice” it is portrayed. Even though the scenes are sugarcoated, it still presents sex violence. For example, when Anastasia disobeys Christian by rolling her eyes, he whips her. At first, it is not a big deal because Anastasia ends up enjoying it. But later on, Anastasia does something to make Christian upset and he whips her, but this time he whips her hard which makes Anastasia cry in pain physically and mentally. What’s even worse is that this may look bad in the film, but just think of how this punishment is in real life for women in abusive relationships.

Extreme masculinity is also present in the film. Christian makes it clear to Ana that he does sex differently. "I don't do romance, I f*ck." So he creates a emotionless barrier in order to protect himself from getting hurt. Another example is that he tells Ana that if she wants him, she has to become his submissive and he is the dominant. He is basically telling her if she wants to be with him, she needs to basically be his sex slave. One more example that concerns me is this "consent contract" that Christian gives Anastasia. To sum up this contract, basically Christian is asking for Ana's consent to control her completely and be able to use "sex toys" on her in his "play room". This is actually terrifying to me because these sex toys look like weapons and tools for torture. Not to mention the play room looks like a serial killer's basement where he kills his victims. If I saw that room, I don't care how attractive Christian is, I would run for my life. 

The point is that when we as viewers see films like 50 Shades of Grey or other sex-based media, what we see is what we consume. When violent media is glamorized, we are placed in the delusion that aggressive sex is accepted and desired. We need to be more aware of how sex is shown on the media and change this norm that violent sex towards women is accepted in society. 

Harassment Against Women

"It's a myth that street harassment is just a bit of harmless fun. It's about power and control – and, as I know from personal experience, can so easily turn to violence." - Laura Bates.

For this blog I will be focusing on harassment against women. Women are harassed everyday in a  variety of  places. Street harassment is getting unwanted comments or attention from strangers that are directed to you because of your gender. It causes a person to feel uneasy and threatened. It can also violate their dignity. This kind of verbal abuse is hard to deal with because the person does not know whether to ignore it or respond to it. If they ignore it, it can lead to additional harassment or even lead to being followed. If the person responds to it, it can be perceived as acceptance and encouragement to have even more confrontations from the stranger. The bottom line is that most women won't stand up to verbal harassment for fear of  making the situation worse. 
There have been several social experiments on this issue and the video below displays a woman ignoring the verbal harassment which unfortunately does not change her situation. 

When a person is being verbally harassed in an area, especially somewhere in a place where they are not familiar of. They experience fear, anxiety, embarrassment, and victimization. It can cause psychological and physical health issues. The problem is that these harassers fail to realize that what they are doing is damaging. 

I have personal experience with this. I have been verbally harassed on many occasions. In one example, I was shopping with my mother at the mall and I passed a group of men who thought it was okay to make verbal comments about my body. I shrugged it off and kept walking. The men failed to realize that my mother was behind me and heard what they said. She did not hesitate to confront them about their harassment towards me and they immediately apologized to her. She proceeded to explain to them why it was not okay and instead of apologizing to her, she suggested they would apologize to me. 

What can be taken from this example is that someone who thinks there is no harm in verbally assaulting someone can learn that it is not okay by being confronted. However, when a person is alone, that could possibly lead to a dangerous situation. 

The video below explains how verbal harassment against women is about power and control. Women who don't confront these men, are giving them the power. They are allowing control over the situation. Women have the opportunity to change the behavior by confronting it. Overcoming the fear of encouraging more attention. One of the girls in the video, actually fought back verbally with what the harassers were saying about her. She responded with confidence and did not show fear or intimidation which made the men stop talking.

Street harassment may seem harmless and playful. Most people would confuse it with just flirting. But in actuality, it is very damaging to the victims. It is important to teach people to be intolerant of street harassment because it can lead gender-based violence such as rape, assault, or violent crimes in general. Street harassment should not be ignored nor tolerated. 

Women and Body Image

VS models

Every year, the Victoria’s Secret models parade around in nothing but bras and lace panties with their impossibly long legs, thin waists, yet incredibly large boobs, for the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. The show presents these women strutting down the runway for women to stare in admiration and the men, of course, "enjoying the view" or in other words, drooling over them.

Victoria’s Secret models have been a controversial topic for a long time. So why is it that the figure these models have are completely different from the typical American woman? Most people would ignore the fact that these women are extremely skinny, maybe even unhealthy skinny because the media portrays gender stereotypes of women as being perfect but yet unrealistic. To be more specific, the physical expectation society has on women is to be skinny, flawless, have big boobs, a thigh gap and a nice butt. As women everywhere watch the model show, mesmerized by these gorgeous VS Angels, they can’t help but ask their selves, “Why can’t I look like that?” "She makes me feel fat." "I wish I was that perfect." 

VS models

Victoria’s Secret models are represented as women who embrace their figures, feel confident and sexy in their own skin.  The sad thing is, no matter what these women say, the women who look up to them still are taking the wrong route when it comes to achieving that body image. 

The pressures to accomplish an idealistic body has definitely caused serious physical and mental health issues. Aside from comparing themselves to the models, women feel even more stress to attain that desired body image. The poisonous blend of the media, advertisements and celebrity culture plays a part in the influence on body image in society. This pressure is killing women’s self-esteem, pretty much forcing women into going on diets, over working out, and even eating less than their food intake in order to change their body shape. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love the VS brand since I own quite a few of their bras and I enjoy the shows.  But sadly, they still have a lot of problems that can easily be solved.

I love that a lot has changed in the model industry in general the past few years. More companies are allowing women in the model industry who have a natural figure, for instance, Dear Kate. Dear Kate is an underwear company for women of all shapes and sizes.  What I really love about this company is that it presents such a body positive atmosphere. 

I remember the media exploding over Dear Kate responding to Victoria’s Secret’s “perfect body” campaign back in 2014 with an awesome letter and counter picture promoting body diversity.

Perfect Body Campaign

“Through this photo, we showcase women who are often neglected by the media and traditional retailers. We show the multitude of shapes perfect bodies can take.”  - Dear Kate .

Companies like Dear Kate are changing a lot for women and their portrayal on the media. I think that the more we become body diverse, the better our self esteems and all around health  will be.

confidence is key

Glamorous Abuse

There have been a few movies lately that seem to secretly display men dominating women and abusing them. But yet, the women seem to enjoy it? So why is it that movies such as Fifty Shades of Grey or Suicide Squad are so popular but yet present unhealthy relationships? Because media glamorizes it. The media controls how us viewers in society are suppose to feel. In the films, they make the behavior seem fun, mysterious, and exciting. They make a person appear to want it or crave it even though in their mind they feel it is wrong. This kind of behavior would be considered abuse and possibly rape in real life.

Let's take Harley Quinn and The Joker in Suicide Squad for instance. This was a popular couple that so many people were intrigued by. Even though they should have been disturbed by this relationship. But of course, the film glosses this relationship to have viewers to be drawn in instead because they saw it more of a fantasy than of a horror. It was clear that Harley Quinn was devoted to the Joker but the Joker presented dominance and treated her like trash majority of the time. Part of what keeps the people from disagreeing with the couple is the fact that the film portrays them as a complicated, gangster couple who both love eachother in different way. Harley sees Joker as her hero or in her words, "her Puddin'". The Joker see Harley as her property that he never wants to let go of. 

Here is another clip that shows the relationship between the same couple in the cartoon series. But this time, there is no glamorizing and it is actually disturbing to watch. I also found it really sad because it really shows how abusive their relationship is and gives a example of what women deal with in real life when it comes to domestic abuse.

If you look at recent news about Harvey Weinstein and his predatory behavior to include sexual harassment and the onslot of "hashtag pound me too" yet at the same time people are paying to see this same type of behavior and in the movies which has been glamorized to where women seem to want or enjoy the way the men treat them that it makes sense that our society is confused and becoming immune to feeling the correct way about this particular issue.

Be a Ellen

Several people were brave enough to send this message of "coming out" during the time where being gay, lesbian, and transgender was not accepted. One of those people, my favorite comedian, is Ellen DeGeneres. She changed something huge for the LBGT community by "coming out" on her first show, Ellen that aired from 1994-1998. 

Even today, the LGBT community is treated unfairly. But, on the positive side, a lot has changed. The community now has gained equality such as having the right for same-sex marriages, more acceptance in society, finally having the courage to be themselves and having the support they deserve. 

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I absolutely love Ellen because she changed and helped with so many things. She is just a genuine and wonderful woman. Not to mention, when she came out on her sitcom, she did not allow the back lash of homophobia to stop her from being true to herself. She still fought against the hate and became an activist for every single person dealing with the same struggles. She may have lost her first sitcom, Ellen, but from her not giving up, she now has her own show, The Ellen Show. She is very inspiring for not only for LGBT community but for our society in general. 

She promotes love, laughter, equality and relieves us from being afraid to be ourselves. She has saved lives just by all that she has done.