Last Week of classes, YES!!

Happy week ten everyone!

I can't believe it's almost over, but I'm definitely ready for some warm weather.

I really enjoyed this class for a number of reasons, and this blog was one of them.

It was really nice to be able to simply write about a topic, like those one that dealt with gender roles and the portrayal of sexuality, without having to worry about all of the formalities of writing, and writing to get out an opinion of message. It was refreshing, and didn't feel like homework.

It's interesting to see how my topics, and the topics of the rest of the class, ranged, but yet we all had a similar messages towards the lack of equality for those who felt the negativity of heteronormativity. A lot of posts were interesting to read because they made me question my everyday experiences and how I handle them in terms of heteronormativity. Ever since the beginning of this class, I deconstruct EVERY thing I see in popular media, and while this can hurt my brain, I'm really happy that I'm picking up on these things rather than advertising and things of the like just permeating my mind and taking over!

Along with blogs, I loved the freedom we had with our papers, especially because I got to write and discuss one of my favorite movies, along with doing creative things along with our papers, like making a magazine cover. The papers were also fun to write because I got to include my opinions, rather than sticking to the normal "no first person" rule that I've had to use in most of my English classes. I also really enjoyed reading other peoples papers within the peer review, because not only did it immensely aid me in my writing process, but I really love to hear what other people think and how they choose to show their angle and opinion on certain topics.

I hope to take a lot of things from this course, mainly the will power to understanding why people function in a heteronormative manner, and what I can do to help prevent a lot of the violence that occurs because of this. I really love that I'll no longer be a bystander in a society that believes in only heteronormative behavior, and that I can use my opinions to make, even if it is small, a difference.

Proposal for Final Paper!

I've decided it would be fun to stick with my original analysis of Cruel Intentions.

To help with our most previous essay and the proposal for this one, I've re watched the movie twice now, and it's inspired some new thoughts. I'm curious as to how and why Sebastian and Kathryn are able to get away with all the deviant plots they come up with, and why it's so entertaining to watch. It's really interesting to sit down and pick apart a movie you once loved, because now all I do is think of how it completely reflects heteronormativity. I blame you, Yep!

My research question, which very well might change, is why are these two teens able to get away such evil actions and yet it's still scene as attractive? For instance, Kathryn plans and executes ways to completely ruin Cecile's reputation, which is just downright mean, but, it completely comes off as appealing and justified, because Kathryn uses her charm and sexuality.

I guess my question boils down to, what if, like at the end of the film, they got caught, or the roles were reversed? I think this movie challenges heteronormativity, because Kathyrn comes off as the ultimate bitch, because she is almost fully blamed for Sebastien's death, but what if he was just the bad guy? Would the movie be as good? Would we (as the audience) even be interested in the movie if Kathryn weren't so corrupt?

My thoughts are pretty jumbled on this, because this movie has many different layers that dabble with conforming with/going against heteronormativity, and Sebastian's character will be the biggest challenge, because he is the most dynamic in the film, and needs a lot of work, on my part.

My audience will be anyone who has seen this film, and can see where I'm going with my question. I hope to put across how the movie is working on it's own level, but also how it's working within the audience. I hope a get a response that evokes the same curiosity I have, so the next time they watch or think about Cruel Intentions, they have a different view.

My sources may be kind of difficult, but I plan on researching 90's teen flicks, maybe to get a better perspective on the goal of the movie. It also might be smart to look at reviews of the movie, or maybe ask a film student what they think.

I hope to get a good grasp of sources by sometime next week, so I can start working on my paper.

I think I may run into the problem of digging too deep in the paper, so I really need to organize my thoughts and map out a plan.

The goal I hope to reach is coming to some sort of understanding of why films function the way they do; why Cruel Intentions chooses to use the characters and plot that it does, and why it works in the movie world.

Don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass.

So, a few weeks ago, I was watching some random international news channel, when the object of "Don't ask, don't tell" came up. The news spot focused on how the United States Military has the policy of anyone of the LGBT community keeping it themselves. This didn't work as planned, because those thought to be homosexual were often discharged, or even worse, like in Barry Winchell's case, killed because of their sexual orientation.

Well,recently, the government has brought up the Military Readiness Enhancement Act in 2009, and it's stirring all sorts of controversy. It basically states that the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy should be abandoned, and it should be a policy to disclose one's sexual orientation.

I have mixed feelings about this whole situation in general. First and foremost, why does it matter if your openly gay and fighting for your country? It should make absolutely no difference, and I find it interesting that the people who have never even volunteered to defend their country often have the most to say about "Don't ask, don't tell". Secondly, what about those who lost their job due to their their sexuality being out in the open? Are they able to get reinstated? Do they even want to go back? I couldn't imagine how humiliating that would be. It was heartbreaking to watch this news scene and see an honorable man break-down because he was stripped of his title due to the fact that he had a male significant other.

Although the Military Readiness Enhancement Act is still in the works, I think it's a definite step in the right direction. My only concern will be the backlash from those serving (or who have served), because I know there are still those who are extremely homophobic and intolerant of the LGBT community. I hope there will be some way to educate them in the importance in each individual who chooses to join the military, no matter their background.

"Introduce her to your world of sex, drugs and... what else do you do? "

Hey guys,

For our next paper, I've decided to take an analytical approach to a film that I have always loved, Cruel Intentions. It hit me right away to write about this movie!

I think this movie is a perfect piece for this paper because it is filled with so many volatile elements, and it'll be fun to pick apart. The first is its overly sexual message, that every character is related to some sexual counter-part, and it makes it the overall theme of the movie. It's also fun because it has drugs, and deceit, and teenage angst. I'm really excited to watch it, but keep in mind everything we learned in class. I plan on deconstructing how it levels itself with all of the sexual overtones, and break-down how they stereotype each character based on their sexuality and how they express it. Some of examples of this include Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character, Kathryn, is only seen as this young, successful, sex vixen, which only has sexual control over the other characters, especially her half brother Sebastian (sick), played by Ryan Philippe. The interesting thing I hope to explore is how, through the events in the plot, the movie questions what over-sexualizing things can do through Ryan Philippe’s relationship with Reese Witherspoon’s character Annette.

My thesis (which is still being worked on): Cruel Intentions relies heavily on over-emphasizing sexuality thus making it an unrealistic portrayal of teenagers.

I hope to show my audience the faults of the film, that although may be fun to watch is too off base with sexuality, and furthers stereotypes within gender.

What do you think?

“The first thing they think is‘What does she know?’…as if gender has an IQ.” –Aja Kelleher

I just read a really interesting article that focused on how much women earn compared to men in the workplace. Some of the figures thrown out are startling! The woman being interviewed, Aja Kelleher, has a pretty significant job, making her earn between $80,000 to $115,000 a year. The kicker comes when she found out that some men who worked at the same company, in the same position, earned 20% more.

Click here for the article

I've never really understood this. If a man and woman are doing the same exact job, why does he get payed more? Ugh. It's frustrating. Her quote at the beginning of the article really sums things up; why does it matter if it's a man or woman doing a job? If they're working hard, accomplishing things, how does a person's sex make a difference?

I decided to do some research on the matter, to see if the article matched up with other information. Click here to see it.



Apparently there are three major reasons why there are gender gaps in income, such as hours worked, occupational choice, and maternity leave. Looking at the first two, I guess they make sense, but Maternity leave? The article describing the downside of maternity leave explains my frustration, claiming that it is a major reason women are discriminated against for jobs, such as a CEO for a company, because she may become pregnant. I understand that it costs any company money and time, but really? It's ridiculous to think that a fully qualified woman wouldn't get a great, high-paying job because she may want to have kids.




Here is a graph explaining 2005 Census Statistics that show males 25 and older had higher yearly income than females 25 and older among all races.

"My ultimate dream is to move to Jersey, find a nice juiced hot tanned guy and live my life."

Wow. I was going through my daily, internet routine (webmail, facebook, jezebel, perez), when I came across this gem.




(Click here!!!)



Apparently it's a joke? I don't know how this is funny, because not only does it degrade women, but it makes a joke out of domestic violence. Really? Well, this picture fits nicely into a hot topic that has been in the news lately: Snookie's famous punch on MTV's Jersey Shore.

I have to be honest with all of you, I love Jersey Shore. It's unhealthy. I'll catch myself quoting it with my friends, using the word guidette in daily conversation, and yes, when I'm out on a Friday night, you will see me doing the fist pump. That being said, I like it in the way a person enjoys watching a train wreck: It's amusing. It's fun. It's silly. On a serious note about the show, I didn't know how to react to Snookie getting punched in the face. There is OBVIOUSLY never justification in hitting a woman, let alone any person, but to air it on TV? The show is wildly popular, and that situation (no pun intended) brought a major amount of viewers into watch. The thing I was more interested in was how the advertisers reacted. Was it right for some of them to pull out? \What if it was one of the other housemates that got punched in the face, like Pauly D? Would there have been the same reaction? Would people have believed he deserved it? These are things I always think about when any fight breaks out, because it’s definitely a gender issue. If a man fights, it’s to show his dominance, to prove his power and masculinity, but when a girl, like Snookie, gets hit, or gets in a girl fight, it’s a huge ordeal, because women aren’t meant to fight. I’m in NO WAY saying she should have gotten hit, and I personally believe they shouldn’t have included it on the show, but it’s just a few questions to get people’s perspectives. I’m not sure if it is, but it could even go into the issue of heternormativity category, because Snookie’s punch can’t easily be "put into a box" because of her sex.

What do you guys think?

Hey everyone!

I'm not very great at composing blog posts, but hopefully I'll improve over the course of the quarter.

So onto my biography.

I'm a junior at Ohio University, and my current major is English, although, against the better judgment of my adviser, I might be switching. I'm from Canton, Ohio, where I was born and raised. My plans after college? I'll most likely end up going to school for a bit longer, but my dream is to work in a huge library or museum as a research assistant or archivist, but time will only tell. With the way things are looking out there, I'll most likely end up flipping burgers somewhere.

So, for my first formal post, I thought I would continue to discuss Adam Lambert, or, as the Internet likes to call him, "Glambert". This post has to deal more with a personal experience I had with his fame rather than his appearance on the AMA's.

Last year, I lived with three other girls, and I have to confess, I was obsessed with watching American Idol. I was never into it much before last year, but once my roommate Katie started tuning into FOX weekly, it became a ritual amongst our room. It's all I could think about and talk about. I was OU's personal Simon Cowell. As most of you know, Adam was on last year, and was almost the winner, but (wrongfully) lost to Kris Allen.

Now to relate this to our current conversations in class, I had a perfect picture of the negative aspect of heteronormativity when we first discussed it. Along with me, my roommates were rooting for Adam the entire season of the show, because they thought he was cute, and, obviously, he can sing. When they heard the rumors of him being gay, they automatically weren't that interested in him. Not to say any of them are, in any way, homophobic, or mean about gay culture, they just weren't as curious about him. I can recall an instance where my one roommate said that she didn't understand why he was gay, and that she Kris won, because he was so cute (which I defined to mean, heterosexual, in so many terms). I was floored. How can his sexual orientation honestly determine his ability to be a great performer? Yes, he is a bit outrageous, but, isn't Lady GaGa? And this was before his performance on the AMA's, so he hadn't done anything too explosive. I think that most of America thought the same way as my friends, because he didn't win, and whether it was due to his flashiness or the gossip about him about him being gay, he didn't win.

I see this fitting in perfectly with heteronormativity because they, like I'm sure others were, automatically inclined to push Adam away because they couldn't fit him into a category. Instead the went for Kris, whom I'm pretty sure is married , which is something most view as endearing, and it shows his heterosexuality, which they can put a label. I can't say I'm preaching, because I know I've also been confused about someone or a situation because I couldn't label it or put it into a box that I, along with society, see as normal. It's a confusing matter, but I hope to get more of a grasp on it.