I am officially obsessed- Dancing With The Stars

So I don't know what it is about this show. The glitter. The music. The dancing. But I LOVE it. If you've ever caught an episode you know what Dancing With The Stars is all about. A celebrity is paired with a professional dancer and every week the pair performs a different dance. Like I said I am a big fan of DWTS but when I think critically about it (as I should), I realize I have one big problem with it. Can you guess what it is....?

The gender roles! The men are macho and suave. The women are sexy and elegant. (Depending on the dance.) Now I know. I know. That doesn't sound so bad, does it? No. But consider this- DWTS is considered a "family show" since it is on ABC during PrimeTime. So children are watching the show and being taught that women should shake their booties and wear skimpy, sequined clothing? The host, Tom Bergeron, often jokes about how scantily-clad the performers, particularly the women are and how everyone seems to have a fake tan. I wonder, does that make it ok? Kind of like they recognize how ridiculous the "ballroom world" is and by doing that their hope is that viewers realize the sequins, heels, etc. are just part of the performance? I don't know. Maybe.

Image from www.celebrityroyale.com/category/edyta-sliwinska/

I didn't want to believe it... Ads & Gender

So in class we were talking about ads on TV and it was mentioned that most ads are aimed at a particular gender. And the product of the ad usually determines which gender. For example, dish washing detergent or laundry detergent ads are for women. Trash bag and beer ads are for men. True?

Well, I have been paying attention to ads more when I watch TV and I have discovered it is true! Of course there are exceptions. But for the most part this generalization of this product is for men and this one is for women is true. Kind of sad, huh? I know though, that the whole point of advertising is to know your audience. So the companies would probably argue that the beer ads are aimed at men, because the majority of their consumers are men. I know this is probably true, but I just hate how it perpetuates gender roles. Women take out the trash and drink beer!!

Check out this classic Budweiser commercial that is obviously targeted at men.

The Diet Fad... and Christians

So one of my fellow classmates (shout out to Katie Miller) is doing her thesis on images of women in the media. And she brought up a really good point....

Before I get to it, let me first just vent. I don't know about you, but lately I can't even go into the Christian bookstore. Seriously. What is the criteria for getting your book, art, music, etc. in a Christian bookstore? It seems like it the book has God or a Bible passage in it then- hey it's Christian. Read it. Believe it. Ok well obviously I am being a bit extreme but it is to prove a point. JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS IN A CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE DOESN'T MEAN IT IS CHRISTIAN- or in other words, it doesn't mean you should blindly accept what the author is saying. Case in point- Joel Osteen Your Best Life Now. I don't think God wants us to be mindless consumers of any media, especially "Christian" media.

This brings me closer to my point- self-help books. Books that teach you how to be better. A better you. Why oh why are there so many of these books in bookstores today, including Christian bookstores? (Because people aren't content with how they are. Because we as a society are obsessed with self-improvement....) Well, my friend, Katie, mentioned a particular type of Christian self-help book- DIET BOOKS. Yep, you can see two of them above. I guess it is just frustrating to me that people buy into the idea that they have to change themselves and that the Church and Christians go along with that idea. No, I don't think eating healthy is a bad thing. But shouldn't we be teaching people that they are made in God's image and beautiful no matter what shape they are? Instead of selling them books about what foods are Biblical. I don't know about you, but I think I'd benefit a lot from being told I'm beautiful and loved by the King of Kings than being told what I had for breakfast was unhealthy because if God didn't make it, I shouldn't eat it. Can I get an "Amen"?

Images from www.amazon.com

My Guilty Pleasure- The Hills

I watch The Hills- MTV's hit reality show featuring Lauren Conrad and her friends. Yes, I realize how ridiculous this show is and as a good media student I try to analyze it. So here goes...

Thinking about The Hills and how women are represented I see that WHOA the show really enforces many ideas that are often present in the media. Such as: women must be attractive meaning they wear clothes that are in style, have their make-up done, and are in shape or skinny (aka no flab)- to name a few. Also, they must be pursued by men and must have an active social
life. Afterall, if you are not attracting men then there must be something wrong with you, right?

In class, we read about the creation of Cosmo and how the image of the Cosmo woman has evolved over the years. I like to think that the portrayal of women in the media is improving, but honestly, I don't know if it is. Tons of teenage girls watch The Hills and probably look at Lauren, Whitney, Audrina, and friends and try to imitate them. I know, that brings us back to the classic question- Does the media reflect reality or does reality reflect the media? In other words, what came first? The chicken or the egg.

I obviously like The Hills since I watch it, but it is important for me to recognize as a viewer that women are displayed in a very limited manner. And that it is ok if I don't wear trendy clothes and look picture perfect 24-7. It is ok if I don't go out to clubs 3 or 4 nights a week. In fact, it is ok if I don't date. You might be saying "Yeah. Duh.", but I feel like there is a lot of pressure to live up to these standards of what a twenty-something woman is.

image from www.teenvogue.com/connect/polls/thehills/