Women and the Media: The Influence of Magazines, and such...

Friday, April 20, 2007

Feedback from Melissa M. ( Blog) The Oprah Phenomenon

Meli said...

1. In Darling's blog, I found that the post titled " The World of Advertising" is a complete summary of her topic. She explains the fact that society now considers beauty to be formed by society. Moreover, she even concludes that this type of stereotypical beauty may still lead to discontent. I was very satisfied with her general evaluations about the issues.

2. Well, she could use her presentation to speak to everyone about the underlining meanings of beauty- what is wrong and what is right. Her personal opinion is very strong.

Constructive Critisim on statements:

- Darling's topic is dead on with one of the most controversial topics out there- beauty vs. the media. She picked a topic that needs to be analyzed.

-I believe that this topic does interest Darling. Hey, it would interest any woman!

-The issue of gender was, without a doubt, analyzed and recognized.

-Darling's posts were clear and to the point and easy to acknowledge!

-Your quotes were relevant to the posts. Yet, sometimes they could have been a little stronger and more on point with what you wanted to say.

-Quotes, on this topic, were scattered throughout the semester. Moreover, specific beauty quotes were appliable. Also, the quotes added to Darling's thoughts relatively well.

* I thought it was great when you posted the video, since the stats are interesting.

*I really did not find anything confusing for me.

*You're really great at developing your ideas and remaining clear!

*I wish you could focus on these three things:
-Someone or something campaigning for real beauty
-What women should do to reject society's norms
-Maybe a personal experience

Hope this helped!!

Blog Buddy Work: Melissa M; The Oprah Phenomenon

1. Where has your Blog buddy shown strong analytical work (be specific—is it a particular post, a type of analysis, a site for analysis that seemed to click more so than others, etc)?

2. How could your Blog buddy use this strength for the final Blog post and presentation?

3. Think about the following statements in relation to your Blog buddy’s Blog and then provide feedback on each area (constructive praise/criticism):

The Blog is on a topic that has been clearly evident in the Blog posts throughout the semester

The Blog is on a topic that seems to interest my Blog buddy

My Blog buddy’s topic is one that has produced a good set of posts that were analytical used gender as a primary category of analysis

The posts make analytical arguments. The posts are understandable and each post logically outlines and supports the argument presented. The posts were clear, provided insight, evidence, and analysis to connect the topic with the assignment for each of the posts

The sources cited in each post are relevant to the topic and help to aid the understanding of the argument and/or assisted in proving the argument.

The quotes used illustrate a broad range of course readings throughout the semester.

The quotes were clear and succinct; additionally, the material was presented so that I could differentiate the Blog buddy’s ideas from that of the author cited.

Finally, complete the following:

I thought it was great when you...

I found it confusing when you…

You’re really great at…

I wish you could focus (more) on/alter/edit/explain/expand on/etc these three things…
(Basically, when you read the Blog posts, what do you wish your buddy had done differently, more of, etc?)

Thursday, April 12, 2007

In Recent News: Don Imus and the Women of the Rutgers University Basketball Team

Many people continue to stand on the belief that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Some might ridicule this type of thinking by saying that there is one true way one can be beautiful. When it comes to women’s beauty, there continues to be much debate about what is acceptable and what is not.

In recent news, Don Imus has been put on the hot seat for his on-air comment regarding the Rutgers University Women’s basketball team. Ranking second in the nation, the women were offended when Imus referred to them as “nappy-headed hoes.” This comment alone created an uproar in the African-American community, with requests that Imus resign or be fired as a radio commentator, which would end his 29- year career.

This issue poses a question many people might not think about right away upon hearing about it. The question being, why were the women offended when Imus said what he said? There are many answers to this; some of them stemming from the way African-American women have viewed themselves in the past and the way the word “nappy” has been used as a derogatory term. Another reason that I was made aware of is that naturally curly hair is not beautiful, this comment coming from black women themselves. I found that quite shocking and wondered why a “natural” look would be considered unappealing. People are now forced to wrestle with the stereotypical notion that beauty is associated with “straight hair and light skin.”

Race is definitely evident in this current media phenomenon. This would not have been this big a deal if the women Imus was referring to were another race other than Afro-American. Ideal beauty have been so distorted that one’s natural hair texture is now “unacceptable,” allowing room for others to also view it as “ugly.”

Terry Pluto, author of one the articles dissecting this occurrence, says that “there are many blessings of the women’s movement in athletics, but one of the best is that girls and young women are not made to feel inferior because they lack what society says is classic beauty.” The women affected seem to take Imus’ comments in stride in that most of them are already confident in their looks because they have already identified who they are. Most of them know that beauty is definitely not defined by hair texture.

One of the defenses for Imus is that African-American rappers are known to refer to the women as “bitches and hoes,” recounts Imani Perry’s article Who(se) Am I? The Identity of Women in Hip-Hop. In her article, she describes the misogynistic ways of hip-hop. What everyone is trying to figure out in this current news event is the reason for all the heat towards Imus. The bottom line remains simple: Imus must not use degrading references toward a specific group of people and blame it on hip-hop. Not only that, but the culture’s misrepresentation of true beauty should also be blamed as a catalyst in this who ordeal. If it were not for the constant view that a woman must be about five and a half inches tall, ninety pounds with “straight” hair, some of this debate could have been avoided. The issue with race still remains, as their continues to be ignorance amongst “educated” groups of people.