It's Not What She Says---It's How She Looks

After seeing the movie Miss Representation, I have become even more aware of the derogatory comments made about women on T.V., movies and in the media.  If you watch even an half hour of T.V. in a night you can count a dozen or more comments that we make about women that we don't make about men.  Comments about what she was wearing, if she looked heavy or not, if she is attractive or not, if she looks young or not, if her hair-do is appropriate or not, if she is dressed well or not, if her body is toned or not, if her rear end is big or not!  It is ridiculous what we put women through.  We pick them apart and then we wonder why young girls are so insecure!

I turned on "The View" for 10 minutes and within that ten minutes Whoopi Goldberg and several others commented on Michelle Bachmann.  The only thing they had to say about her was she is attractive and looked good on her interview on the "late late show".  They also said she wasn't going to win the election but not one of them commented on her political views.  Do they even know what they are?  Isn't that the reason we have elections?

It is time that the media changes and women are not so sexualized and there is more respect.  Even women can't stop commmenting on what other women wear, and what they look like. Enough is enough it is time for a change! Gossip shows, gossip magazines, mean cruel comments about women it has got to stop!! It hurts all of us every time we say a mean cruel comment, buy a gossip magazine, watch a gossip show we are hurting ourselves in the long run.  Just remember that someone will be gossiping about you too.  Do you like it? Let's stop putting each other down and start supporting each other, we will all go alot further if we help each other instead of bring each other down.

Steph

"Excused"--Excuse Me, But I am Disgusted!

I just saw about 10 minutes maybe less of a show on T.V. called "Excused", I was so disgusted I had to turn it.  The show was about two guys that sit in a room with an announcer (a girl) and then outside the building a bunch of girls, seperately ring the doorbell. The guys get a preview of what she looks like through a surveilance camera and then they decide if she can come up to their room.

The girls try to say witty (usually with sexual innuendos) things to try and get these guys to let them in. Then the guys tell the announcer what they think of the girl and the announcer has to let the girl know if she was rejected or excepted and why.

It was so pathetic, these girls flaunted themselves and basically implied that if the guys let them up they would get a piece. It  was so sad to me, to see that girls would demean themselves like this.  The guys were basically critizing her on how she looks and what she said.  The girls that they found unattractive were rejected.  The guys said things like "I wish she had a better looking face, she's ugly!" 

Basically, the guys were checking out these girls like pieces of meat and rating their face, body and how sexual she acted.  What happened to society? Why do we treat humans like commodities! Why are women not respecting themselves. These girls reminded me of street corner hookers that were trying to earn some money by turning a trick.  Is this how girls want to be treated? Like meat?  I think it's time to get back some good old fashioned values!  Girls you should let the guy treat you right by taking you out, getting to know you, and speaking to you, and about you, with RESPECT!!!!  I hope there are some women out there who agree that it is important to gain a man's respect, if you want to be treated well by him.  How can a man respect you if your are acting desperate and needy.  If you are offering and flaunting yourself and begging him to accept you!  This society needs to change, women need to demand respect by respecting themselves.  Women need to stop settling for less than what they want just to have a man.  If women would stop putting up with men's bad behavior men would change.  They would know that they aren't getting anything from a women unless he treats her with respect.

It makes me sad when I see women being cheated on, disrespected, mistreated and lied to, and they still put up with it because they don't want to be alone.  If all women wouldn't put up with the "bad boy" behavior men would change.  It is time that women start getting more respect from men!

Of course, this show called "Excused" is the media once again making women look like sexual objects with not much to offer but sex.  Why are so many women agreeing to do these things that degrade themselves and make it harder for all women to get any respect!

Steph

Miss Representation Screening - Take the Pledge - Become Empowered

Steph and I went to the screening of Miss Representation. It is a MUST SEE for all women and teenage girls. Visit MissRepresentation.org to learn more, take the pledge to spread the word and see what you can do.

I was a little disappointed that the panel discussion did not follow. I guess it was only for the premiere screening. The two ladies from the YWCA did say a few words and asked for mentors and mentees to sign up for their new mentoring program. I jumped at the chance. I have been running our intern program at work and I feel like starting a mentoring program is a good next step. I was surprised only two other women signed up out of a very crowded room. I also excited and flattered that they asked for my help and input since I have some experience running the intern program and this is a new program that they are launching. This is the kind of thing I have been wanting to do.

Steph and I had gone to the Boys and Girls Club a couple years ago to volunteer but things didn't pan out then. Recently I wanted to start a new program to speak to young girls and encourage young girls to strive for more. So this seems like the ideal opportunity to start getting involved in the community and helping young girls to become empowered.

It was a very inspiring movie. It was good to feel validated and justified in being opposed to the exploitation of women in the media. We have always felt like we were the oddballs in being offended but now we know we were not and that women are demoralized, demeaned and disrespected.

Now we are even more empowered to speak our minds in our blog and tell it as we see it and not be afraid to speak out.
Jan

Miss Representation

Steph and I will be attending a screening of Miss Representation at our local library. I heard of this movie through OWN and saw about the first 20 minutes of it. The topic of how women are portrayed in the media is something that we have discussed for years. Actually since college. We have noticed how much worse it is now more then ever and how every year it seems to continue getting worse with more and more exploitation of women. The fact is Hollywood is predominently run by men so naturally sexualizing women on screen is common. Women are shown with less and less clothing and often none at all when there is no need for it except to attract the male viewer.

We are excited to see this movie because honestly we thought all these years we were alone in our views. It seems no one else seems to be bothered by the portrayal of women in the media and we feel like we were the abnormal prudes that find it offensive, disgraceful, embarassing and unneccessary. Honestly I am embarassed for the girls that star in Hollywood that show it all and conduct adult relations on screen and don't know how they can feel comfortable having friends and family and the rest of the World seeing all their Worldly goods. A local celebrity, Chloe Savigny, had a very explicit scene in an independent movie and I always wondered how she could face her parents. This is a very conservative, affluent town and although she defends this graphic scene by the fact that she had dated the actor/director prior to the movie so it was easy for her to do, but what about the fact that it is now on film forever and her family, friends, and someday children and their friends may see this.
We will report back on the screening and recommend watching "Miss Representation". You may still be able to catch it on OWN or look for or request a local screening at your library or theater.

Jan

CBS and Janet Jackson Win Fight over Wardrobe Malfunction. Can We Expect More Lude, Crude Behavior?

CBS triumphed over the "wardrobe malfunction" incident where Justin Timerberlake tore off a piece of Janet Jackson's dress during the Superbowl halftime show. I am offended that CBS and Janet Jackson are not being penalized for this obvious, intentional incedent that created a huge publicity hype for Janet Jackson. It tells other performers that pushing the envelope and conducting themselves inapporpriately is worth doing since it gets them massive media coverage and they bear no consequence, no penalties or fines for their behavior. Each time an inappropriate act or lude behavior is found acceptable it diminishes the ever so small line of what is now considered unacceptible until eventually people start to view it as acceptable. Until someone else attempts to push the envelope again and thus we continue to become unsensitized to rude, crude, and lude behavior.

I was probably more liberal before I had children, although I was always uncomfortable with sex and sexualization of women in the media, but now the relaxed laws and excessive sexual images and the acceptance of such things concerns me for my children and the kind of World they will grow up in.

So rather then then making a statement by upholding a fine for this, in my view, non-accidental warbdrobe malfunction so that others don't try to copycat, to be sure that networks take action to ensure this type of incident does not happen again and to show the artists that this will not be tolerated, it shows them that it's all well and good to go ahead and do something crazy because there will be no consequence.

I don't believe that a family event should be the place for artists to be able to do whatever they want and they should be responsible to their audience and children.

So now I wonder what's next and hope that at some point someone will take responsibility. I guess we can expect more lude, crude behavior ahead.

Jan

Breaking the bin Laden news

While of course I am happy to hear the news that President Obama had Osama bin Laden taken out, I am disappointed in the way it was announced. It seems the media has no regard for "top secret" information and quite frankly I was annoyed that they interrupted regular program to tell the people that President Obama was about to give a "top secret" announcement which they then proceeded to tell was that bin Laden had been killed and proceeded to repeat this news and provide analysis and speculation for 25 minutes before the President came on. After 20 minutes and knowing what the President was going to announce, I turned off the TV and went to bed.

Why did the media feel it was OK to leak "top secret" information and steal the thunder from the President. Why does the media feel they have the right to announce classified top secret information for the sake of being "the first" to break the news? Is being first to break the news so important that they forgo any morals and ethics? I believe the media should have left the announcement for the President to break as it was intended, out of respect for him.

That said, this is incredible news and our thanks and gratitude go to President Obama for being able to keep this information classified and ordering special forces to get the job done right and well done without unneccessary bombing and destruction.

There's a great article on Yahoo with reactions from celebrities and include a funny clip of the Daily Show that is worth watching. 

God Bless America!

Jan