Blog post #5: Women in Advertisements

These images are showing women in uncomfortable positions and exploiting them to sell clothes by American Apparel. Clothing items such as leggings, socks, shorts, and shirts. In all pictures the women are in positions that sexualize them in ways that look "more attractive" and emphasizing their body. The company is trying to sell these kinds of clothes to young, skinny women of lighter complexion. It's images such as these that portray to women that they are more desirable when they dress and act more sexual and show more by wearing less. Of course there is nothing wrong with wearing less but it gives off the idea that women are more sexual if they wear less clothes than women who wear more clothes. It sends mixed beauty standards of what makes women more attractive and what makes women "sluts" (i.e, showing their bodies, being sexual) so from this young girls may not know what is "right or wrong". It is also sending a message that we are mire desirable when we are in sexual positions and exposing areas of our bodies that have been sexualized. This is all problematic because of it saying that this is how all women should look and be, and if they are not then they are "ugly." Notice how all the girls in the photos are rather skinny and fair skinned, it is yet another issue to address. Nowadays being fat and of darker complexion is associated with being unattractive, harming the views of women who have these features. It is problematic to only be showing one way of how women should look and then sexualizing them.

Blog post #4: What is girlhood?

1.) To be a Xicana girl in America means to follow set rules and standards at a young age. To grow up being sorry for being blunt or coming off as mean or being called a "man-hater" for being tired of the constant ignorance coming from them. I grew up in an environment where girls were to follow orders given to them and not ask questions. I was told that if my brother broke something while playing it was just "boys being boys" but when I did the same it was being "irresponsible." It is always putting your feelings aside and what you want to the side because of how you will be perceived. It is men telling you what is and is not sexism despite the fact that they're the ones that created this ideology that women are inferior and that men don't face sexism (I don't care if you disagree.) It is being told you're being annoying whenever you speak for something you're passionate about. It is having your feelings ignored and having to put up with the way boys treated you, because since you were little you were told "If a boy is mean to you it means that they like you" As if that didn't make girls become desensitized to abuse and confuse abuse with love. It's constantly being told "Porque ya dije! Y ya se acabo!"(Because I said so and that is the end!) and having to accept what is being demanded of you without getting the opportunity to ask questions and becoming used to the idea of your voice not being important. If being an American girl in America is hard, being a girl of color is worse. Our struggles are silenced by patriarchal and machistic mentalities of the men in our lives. It's worse when our own have had this mentality engrained into them too. Not having the liberty to be and do what I want, such as have a sex life and be open about it or wearing tight clothes and hanging around guys all the time, because these things determine how much self-respect I have. A constant shaming for everything that is perceived as wrong or not "lady-like." There is more to what being a Xicana girl means to me, but it's too much to write.

2.) Cultural artifacts that represent girlhood is the color pink. Every.Freaking.Thing that is pink is considered to be for girls and has unnecessary gendering. Princesses and Dolls are another major thing, always considered feminine even if it was Ken. Musicals are considered to be more for girls (not Broadway musicals, I'm talking about Disney Channel musicals.) Makeup is considered to be something only girls should wear. Baking is something that I've also noticed is more often associated with girls. Many simple things such as the ones I listed are cultural artifacts that represent girlhood.

3.) Growing up I did play with Barbie's. I had mostly character ones such as the HSM cast. I mostly played with Bratz dolls though because they were sometimes cheaper and I liked their big heads and replaceable feet, unlike Barbie that always lost her shoes. Bratz had more inclusiveness and that's something I noticed as a child that not many people noticed. Body figure was all kinds of messed up so I liked that. Barbie had more of a "one size fit's all" kind of thing going on. I noticed all my cousins pretty Barbie's were white with blond hair and blue eyes and skinnier than my pencil. I liked playing with dolls that reminded me of me. I also preferred American Girl dolls because they were bigger and looked more like little grown girls than sticks and felt more real to me (even if they were so expensive.) I've always been very observant so when I noticed that about Barbie's I stuck to my Gabriella Montez Barbie and Samantha American Girl and Yasmin Bratz dolls because they looked more like me.

Masculinity in Advertisements

In the image above Dr. Pepper is showing a picture of a Dr. Pepper can with muscular arms sticking out from the sides, giving a non-living item human (more hyper-masculine) qualities. Surrounding the can is a phrase that reads, "Are you man enough for Dr. Pepper ten?" The company is trying to sell their new kind of soda, targeting men who are body builders and care about their image, in my point of view. The advertisement is telling men that somehow, a soda determines how "manly" you are. Masculinity will be defined by this Dr. Pepper Ten, it is not intended for men who are perceived as "skinny" and "all bones" without muscle. It is saying that muscles show how much of a man you are, without them you're not "enough of a man." Men should be muscular and drink Dr. Pepper in order to be considered a real man. This entire ad is problematic. What does being "man enough" mean? Who determines who is "manly" and who isn't? This questions the masculinity of men, and it is a very fragile thing to even joke about. Why are they personifying a can and giving it muscular arms? Is it important and crucial for their sales? Dr. Pepper is ridiculous.