Wednesday 15 December 2010
Friday 26 November 2010
Friday 5 November 2010
Post-Feminism: Clarifying Concepts
1.A more positive look at post-feminism:
In raising these questions, I am only at the beginning of figuring out what a more positive kind of post-feminist account of religion and family might look like, and so have no compelling summary to offer, let alone a call to a specific research agenda. In my own work, I do want to take some feminist insights for granted. But I explicitly reject the idea that strong feminist critiques have had their day and must now give way gracefully to approaches that favor a consensual and functional, or even communitarian, interpretation of the good society. I am feeling more combative, or at least constructively critical, about theories that neatly divide society into a “public” and a “private” realm, while systematically devaluing those feminine things (religion, family) assigned to the private (cf., Warner 1999). I am not sure where it will lead, but it feels right to begin pushing back the boundaries of post-feminism by asking a different set of questions.
2. Post-feminism as backlash to feminism:
What the hell is postfeminism, anyway? I would think it would refer to a time when complete gender equality has been achieved. That hasn’t happened, of course, but we (especially young women) are supposed to think it has. Post-feminism, as a term, suggests that women have made plenty of progress because of feminism, but that feminism is now irrelevant and even undesirable because it has made millions of women unhappy, unfeminine, childless, lonely, and bitter, prompting them to fill their closets with combat boots and really bad India print skirts.
3. Post-feminism as a colloquialism:
It’s about deeply held political convictions, not to mention strategy. If there’s a wad of people out there extolling post-feminism and meaning “I think feminism is flawed and I’d like to see some goal-shifting, fresh tactics, and revisiting of contentious topics,” this isn’t just an issue of what’s going on in a speech group that doesn’t overlap with mine. It’s about defending feminism’s ground. Feminism is already doing the work that these (as I have come to think of them) non-evil postfeminists think comes with their prefix. And it’s beyond obvious that feminism suffers from its terrible reputation and from the vast misunderstandings that stunning numbers of people still have about it (no matter how many times it happens, I will never, ever get used to being asked if I hate men). I can’t help but see even the non-evil usage of “postfeminism” as a rejection of and attack on feminism, and an implication that the movement is finished. And that means I need to challenge it at every turn.
4. The ambiguity of the prefix “post”:
I've come accross the term used in the way Lurker describes, similarly, in academic circles, and for academic reasons I don’t think anyone should use it. The problem lies in the ambiguity of the prefix “post”, because post can mean since something commenced OR since something concluded. So, while technically a “post-feminist society” could mean a society since feminism began to be an influence, there will always be people who think you mean since feminism ended.
In raising these questions, I am only at the beginning of figuring out what a more positive kind of post-feminist account of religion and family might look like, and so have no compelling summary to offer, let alone a call to a specific research agenda. In my own work, I do want to take some feminist insights for granted. But I explicitly reject the idea that strong feminist critiques have had their day and must now give way gracefully to approaches that favor a consensual and functional, or even communitarian, interpretation of the good society. I am feeling more combative, or at least constructively critical, about theories that neatly divide society into a “public” and a “private” realm, while systematically devaluing those feminine things (religion, family) assigned to the private (cf., Warner 1999). I am not sure where it will lead, but it feels right to begin pushing back the boundaries of post-feminism by asking a different set of questions.
2. Post-feminism as backlash to feminism:
What the hell is postfeminism, anyway? I would think it would refer to a time when complete gender equality has been achieved. That hasn’t happened, of course, but we (especially young women) are supposed to think it has. Post-feminism, as a term, suggests that women have made plenty of progress because of feminism, but that feminism is now irrelevant and even undesirable because it has made millions of women unhappy, unfeminine, childless, lonely, and bitter, prompting them to fill their closets with combat boots and really bad India print skirts.
3. Post-feminism as a colloquialism:
It’s about deeply held political convictions, not to mention strategy. If there’s a wad of people out there extolling post-feminism and meaning “I think feminism is flawed and I’d like to see some goal-shifting, fresh tactics, and revisiting of contentious topics,” this isn’t just an issue of what’s going on in a speech group that doesn’t overlap with mine. It’s about defending feminism’s ground. Feminism is already doing the work that these (as I have come to think of them) non-evil postfeminists think comes with their prefix. And it’s beyond obvious that feminism suffers from its terrible reputation and from the vast misunderstandings that stunning numbers of people still have about it (no matter how many times it happens, I will never, ever get used to being asked if I hate men). I can’t help but see even the non-evil usage of “postfeminism” as a rejection of and attack on feminism, and an implication that the movement is finished. And that means I need to challenge it at every turn.
4. The ambiguity of the prefix “post”:
I've come accross the term used in the way Lurker describes, similarly, in academic circles, and for academic reasons I don’t think anyone should use it. The problem lies in the ambiguity of the prefix “post”, because post can mean since something commenced OR since something concluded. So, while technically a “post-feminist society” could mean a society since feminism began to be an influence, there will always be people who think you mean since feminism ended.
Bianca's Essay
What are the different representations of women in adverts and how are they signified?
The representation of women can be positive: challenging the roles and expectations of women or negative: reinforcing a patriarchal society. This essay questions how and why these representations are constructed in an advert for Gucci Guilty Perfume and Stella Artois beer.
Firstly the Gucci advert is in widescreen which connotes a dramatic cinematic experience to engage its audience. More attention is gained by the female character first seen in the text and her protagonist is signified through this. The protagonist has female dominance which is signified through the use of colour- everything is in black and white while her hair is gold/blonde. This colour connotes gold, power and divinity signifying her importance in the text.
The use of intertextuality in this text will appeal to a particular audience. The film references a great deal to the neo film noir Sin City, with the use of colour and the female dominant femme fatale character. Sin City appeals to a male audience due to the action genre, this trailer could also appeal to the same audience due to the intertextuality. In terms of the Uses and Gratifications theory, a female audience might realise and accept the protagonist in the text is a form of escapism and also a male gaze, by theorist Mulvey, and therefore might aspire, from Young and Rubicam's 4Cs, to be the object of male gaze too.
Though the protagonist is an object of male gaze, it could be suggested that she sexually objectifies herself to tease the audience. The protagonist puts her leg into the frame of the shot. As she puts into the frame, it signifies self objectification, allowing the audience to fetishise her body. Another shot, a high angle, of their sexual activities signifies CCTV and spying which is voyeuristic. The fact she is on top signifies her control of the situation for both the male character and the audience.
Not only does the protagonist exert her feminity through self objectification she also presents herself as an anarchic character signified by adopting male stereotypes. The advert begins with a long shot of an unknown character speeding down the motorway, which stereotypically would be expected to be a male character. However, the audience's expectations are challenged when a medium shot of the driver shows to be a female.
In contrast, women are negatively represented in the Stella Artois text. The most obvious editing technique used in the advert is the split screen: one side shows the female getting dressed and the other side is of the beer getting "prepared". This use of split screen signifies that neither the beer nor the woman know they have been placed side by side. This puts the audience in position of control as they can voyeur the woman, in a socially acceptable way. Audiences may identify this control as patriarchy, and also identify with the unknown male character whose presence is felt within the text. This text then reinforces the idea of a patriarchal society and that women are subordinated by men.
Not only does the female share the screen with the beer, but the screen is split equally between the two "objects" which connotes the woman is equally objectified to the status of beer. It is suggested the audience is male due to the female and beer subject. Though the advert is targeted at men, it also negatively stereotypes men as people who have little respect for women which however is a dominant representation.
A range of close up shots of the female are used to fetishise her body. There is a close up shot of the female's leg slowly and elegantly rising from the bath tub. On one hand this could signify femininity and her control over it which is the oppositional reading. However, the more dominant reading is that her legs are an important part of the female body and connotes a male audience who can voyeur her body.
The text near the beginning of the trailer says "the preparation" which is an enigma code as the audience question "what event is the preparation for?". It is signified through the shots that the woman and beer preparation is for the male through the use of action codes. Action codes of both the preparation of the woman and the glass of beer are the same.
Women are represented as people who prioritise their looks and appearance, and this ad reinforces this ideology. Action codes including close ups of her: brushing her hair, doing her make up and putting on heels strongly represent women as image conscious. It could be said that the advert reinforces this representation, which is always seen in the media. Funnily enough, it could also be said that the media itself is the cause of this representation as this ideal, perfect woman is always represented in the media, and women feel they have to aspire to it.
In conclusion, both texts females are the protagonists and are sexually objectified for male audiences to fetishise and voyeur their bodies. However, while Gucci’s advert’s protagonist controls her sexuality through self objectification, the Stella Artois’ protagonist is objectified by an unknown but present male character.
In the Gucci’s ad, there are many examples in the text that signify the protagonist’s female dominance, but it is arguable whether this could be seen as a positive representation. The dominant reading is that the protagonist exerts her female dominance over the male challenging the historical patriarchal society and even subordinating males as easily manipulated and easily tempted by women and sex and this would favour feminism. However the oppositional reading which would favour the ideologies of the Stella Artois advert, might be that females can control their sexuality, but it is still for the male gaze and male dominant society.
Firstly the Gucci advert is in widescreen which connotes a dramatic cinematic experience to engage its audience. More attention is gained by the female character first seen in the text and her protagonist is signified through this. The protagonist has female dominance which is signified through the use of colour- everything is in black and white while her hair is gold/blonde. This colour connotes gold, power and divinity signifying her importance in the text.
The use of intertextuality in this text will appeal to a particular audience. The film references a great deal to the neo film noir Sin City, with the use of colour and the female dominant femme fatale character. Sin City appeals to a male audience due to the action genre, this trailer could also appeal to the same audience due to the intertextuality. In terms of the Uses and Gratifications theory, a female audience might realise and accept the protagonist in the text is a form of escapism and also a male gaze, by theorist Mulvey, and therefore might aspire, from Young and Rubicam's 4Cs, to be the object of male gaze too.
Though the protagonist is an object of male gaze, it could be suggested that she sexually objectifies herself to tease the audience. The protagonist puts her leg into the frame of the shot. As she puts into the frame, it signifies self objectification, allowing the audience to fetishise her body. Another shot, a high angle, of their sexual activities signifies CCTV and spying which is voyeuristic. The fact she is on top signifies her control of the situation for both the male character and the audience.
Not only does the protagonist exert her feminity through self objectification she also presents herself as an anarchic character signified by adopting male stereotypes. The advert begins with a long shot of an unknown character speeding down the motorway, which stereotypically would be expected to be a male character. However, the audience's expectations are challenged when a medium shot of the driver shows to be a female.
In contrast, women are negatively represented in the Stella Artois text. The most obvious editing technique used in the advert is the split screen: one side shows the female getting dressed and the other side is of the beer getting "prepared". This use of split screen signifies that neither the beer nor the woman know they have been placed side by side. This puts the audience in position of control as they can voyeur the woman, in a socially acceptable way. Audiences may identify this control as patriarchy, and also identify with the unknown male character whose presence is felt within the text. This text then reinforces the idea of a patriarchal society and that women are subordinated by men.
Not only does the female share the screen with the beer, but the screen is split equally between the two "objects" which connotes the woman is equally objectified to the status of beer. It is suggested the audience is male due to the female and beer subject. Though the advert is targeted at men, it also negatively stereotypes men as people who have little respect for women which however is a dominant representation.
A range of close up shots of the female are used to fetishise her body. There is a close up shot of the female's leg slowly and elegantly rising from the bath tub. On one hand this could signify femininity and her control over it which is the oppositional reading. However, the more dominant reading is that her legs are an important part of the female body and connotes a male audience who can voyeur her body.
The text near the beginning of the trailer says "the preparation" which is an enigma code as the audience question "what event is the preparation for?". It is signified through the shots that the woman and beer preparation is for the male through the use of action codes. Action codes of both the preparation of the woman and the glass of beer are the same.
Women are represented as people who prioritise their looks and appearance, and this ad reinforces this ideology. Action codes including close ups of her: brushing her hair, doing her make up and putting on heels strongly represent women as image conscious. It could be said that the advert reinforces this representation, which is always seen in the media. Funnily enough, it could also be said that the media itself is the cause of this representation as this ideal, perfect woman is always represented in the media, and women feel they have to aspire to it.
In conclusion, both texts females are the protagonists and are sexually objectified for male audiences to fetishise and voyeur their bodies. However, while Gucci’s advert’s protagonist controls her sexuality through self objectification, the Stella Artois’ protagonist is objectified by an unknown but present male character.
In the Gucci’s ad, there are many examples in the text that signify the protagonist’s female dominance, but it is arguable whether this could be seen as a positive representation. The dominant reading is that the protagonist exerts her female dominance over the male challenging the historical patriarchal society and even subordinating males as easily manipulated and easily tempted by women and sex and this would favour feminism. However the oppositional reading which would favour the ideologies of the Stella Artois advert, might be that females can control their sexuality, but it is still for the male gaze and male dominant society.
Saturday 30 October 2010
Conference
Chewing Gum For The Brain? Why Do People Talk Such Rubbish About Media Studies?
Homer Simpson - "Angry parents accuse school of 'dumbing down' English by showing The Simpsons in class". - Daily Mail
"Tories to tackle Media Studies menace" - The Independent
"Worthless qualifications give false hope to state pupils says Harrow Head" - Barnaby Leman - The Guardian
"entry rates for Media A-Level in 10 years have increased by 160%" - Micheal Gove - The Guardian
"A Mickey Mouse subject" - 'Dons despair as students spurn science in favour of "media studies' - Martin Baker
"It wont get you a job!" - 'Students "misled" over jobs in the media' - 'Media Graduates finish up as clerks and cooks'
Matthew Arnold - book on working class threats
Literature against Pop Culture - book - Frank & Queenie Leavis
"Saving innocent kids from violence. tobacco, alcohol, sex and obestiy. - Caused by the media
Online Media, Cleggmania and the Cowell Factor.
How do online media and convergence impact on the ways audiences and producers use and create media?
Convergence - "We're talking about a converged interaactive media industry. There's an increasin interplay between gaming, online, TV and films - its all coming together". - Jon Kingsbury - NESTA
Media 2,0 - allows democracy to flow - interactivity with audiences around the world. UGC - allows people to express their own opinion and produce their own content.
"Only Democracy gives us that right" - Tony Benn
Dan Gillmore - Book "We The Media"
People To Read;
- David Gauntlett
- Sonia Livingstone
- David Buckingham
- Annette Hill
- Michael Wesch
- Dan Gillmore
- Graeme Turner
Perfecting Your Production Work
Research
- really look at examples
- keep evidence of all your research
- research every angle
- conventions, audiences, institutions
Planning
- plan for all eventualities - what could possibly go wrong?
- record all your planning
- show the process of your 'journey'
Blogging
- a blog allows you to link examples, ideas and inspiration
- keeps a record of the process of your project's journey
Evidence
- storyboards, animatics, recce photos
- flatplans, all your original images
- screengrabs of your manipulation of material - digital editing, photoshop etc.
Ideas
- keep ideas simple
- have a workable concept
- try the '25 word pitch' or the 'lift pitch'
Get Feedback
- at all stages from peers, teachers and others
- keep records of all stages
- take notice of it and respond to it
Logistics
- people, places, props, costumes
- get it done early - you may need to do it all again
- rehearse and prepare
- share contact details of all involved
Equipment
- practice on it
- prepare it, get to know it
- make the most of it
- are all the parts there before you use it?
Production
- always shoot extra for coverage
- organise your material before editing
- organise with the big picture
- fine tune the detail later
Questions on Case Study
What group of people or place will you be studying the representation of, and on which platform?
I will be studying the representation of celebrities and the platform that I will be studying them on is print.
Why have you chosen this topic and why do you think it will be a rich area of study?
I chose this topic because most of the media revolves around celebrities and their lives. Also, there is a lot of gossip magazines and newspapers, so it will help me with my research on this topic.
Identify at least 3 media texts that you will use as your primary sources.
Media texts that I will be using as part of my research include;
- The Sun
- OK!
- HEAT
List the theorists that are relevant for your study.
- Gaye Tuchman
- Marshall McLuhan
- Anthony Giddens
What have your chosen theorists written about your topic?
Gaye Tuchman - 'Tuchman stated that when females have roles, they are mostly shown as being negative roles.' - These can be seen in print magazines and newspapers e.g. The sun - page three - this is where there are topless women and therefore negative representations of women in The Sun of women who are models.
Marshall McLuhan - 'McLuhan's insight was that a medium affects the society in which it plays a role not by the content delivered over the medium, but by the characteristics of the medium itself. McLuhan pointed to the light bulb as a clear demonstration of this concept. A light bulb does not have content in the way that a newspaper has articles, yet it is a medium that has a social effect; that is, a light bulb enables people to create spaces during nighttime that would otherwise be enveloped by darkness.' - This links to my topic as the celebrities will be in the newspapers/magazines so, by the newspapers showing them in a certain way whether it be positive or 'negative' it will influence society as McLuhan says.
Anthony Giddens - 'Giddens's theory of structuration explores the question of whether it is individuals or social forces that shape our social reality.' - "social structures are both constituted by human agency, and yet at the same time are the very medium of this constitution." - This links to my topic, as the way celebrities are represented could influence younger children, as younger children consider some celebrities as their role models e.g. Wayne Rooney, Lady GaGa etc.
Gaye Tuchman - 'Tuchman stated that when females have roles, they are mostly shown as being negative roles.' - These can be seen in print magazines and newspapers e.g. The sun - page three - this is where there are topless women and therefore negative representations of women in The Sun of women who are models.
Marshall McLuhan - 'McLuhan's insight was that a medium affects the society in which it plays a role not by the content delivered over the medium, but by the characteristics of the medium itself. McLuhan pointed to the light bulb as a clear demonstration of this concept. A light bulb does not have content in the way that a newspaper has articles, yet it is a medium that has a social effect; that is, a light bulb enables people to create spaces during nighttime that would otherwise be enveloped by darkness.' - This links to my topic as the celebrities will be in the newspapers/magazines so, by the newspapers showing them in a certain way whether it be positive or 'negative' it will influence society as McLuhan says.
Anthony Giddens - 'Giddens's theory of structuration explores the question of whether it is individuals or social forces that shape our social reality.' - "social structures are both constituted by human agency, and yet at the same time are the very medium of this constitution." - This links to my topic, as the way celebrities are represented could influence younger children, as younger children consider some celebrities as their role models e.g. Wayne Rooney, Lady GaGa etc.
Friday 1 October 2010
Guardian 100
What is the Guardian 100 and who are the panellists that create it?
The Guardian 100 is the Guardians guide to the most powerful people in the industry. Candidates are judged on three things; their cultural, economic and political influence in the UK. The list was takes in all sectors of the media, including broadcasting, publishing, new media, advertising, marketing and PR. The candidates are judged by ten panellists, they consist of:
The Guardian 100 is the Guardians guide to the most powerful people in the industry. Candidates are judged on three things; their cultural, economic and political influence in the UK. The list was takes in all sectors of the media, including broadcasting, publishing, new media, advertising, marketing and PR. The candidates are judged by ten panellists, they consist of:
Peter Barron
Peter Bennett-Jones
Brent Hoberman
Tessa Jowell
Siobhan Kenny
Andrew Neil
Trevor Phillips
Chris Powell
Janine Gibson
Jane Martinson
How many women are in the top 100?
The amount of women in the Guardian 100 is very small compared to the amount of men. Their are 84 men in the top 100 and their are 16 women.
What companies do these women work for and in what roles?
The companies that these women work for consist of; BBC, Daily Mail, The Guardian, Grazia, Vogue, Kudos Productions, Sunday Telegraph, Shine, Pearson, ITV, Trinity Mirror, Channel Five, The Sun.
The jobs that these women possess consist of; Advertising; Chief executive; Chairman; Director; Controller publishing; Controller of Film & Drama; Editor- publishing; Head of E4, Commissioning Editor Responsible for Big Brother; Corporate Marketing Director and Head of Marketing.
What percentage of the 100 is women?
There are 16% of women in the top 100.
How would you assess the balance of power in this list and why do you think it is this way?
The balance of power shown in this list, is that men are still in the bigger jobs, as they are chairman's and owners of their associations. Moreover, this connotes that today, even though, women are considered equal to men, we may be in a patriarchal society, due to the amount of men being in higher jobs and women being in less bigger jobs.
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