Disney princess films

This weekend I decided to indulge myself and spend my Friday night watching my favorite movies. Maybe it was because I have graduation coming up or because I'm just a child at heart, but the first movie I chose was Disney's Mulan. Watching Mulan made me think back on the discussion we had a few weeks ago in class about Disney princesses. Many people in our class tweeted their dislike of Disney princess movies, which came as a total shock to me. I understand why people disliked the movies because I too see the stereotypical roles some of the Disney princess movies give to females. What surprised me was that people looked past the entertainment aspect. I guess the reason why I never took offense to the obvious message some of the Disney princess films projected was because I chose to take it at face value. I chose to decide what to take from those movies and I choose to be entertained. So therefore I will continue to watch and love Disney princess movies.

My girl power source...

Growing up I lived and breathed for Rugrats. It was in my eyes the greatest cartoon ever. Nothing was more entertaining than a bunch of babies going out on adventures while grandpa took naps. Now that I am older I understand why Rugrats resonated with me as much as it did. The show had multiple examples of women that were strong, independent, and self sufficient. These characters were being examples of girl power without my realization.

Although Rugrats was everything to me, I understand other people may not be as familiar with the show as I am. Allow me to explain how these characters stood for girl power. Take the adult women for example: Didi Pickles, Charlotte Pickles, Betty DeVille, and Lucy Carmichael. All of these women were mothers to the Rugrats and still worked jobs. In addition to working their career and mothering children that were all over the place, they still remained strong figures in the family and had more of a "head of household" role than the fathers.

Also the babies provided good examples of girl power. Characters like Susie Carmichael, Lil DeVille, and Kimi Finster all were great examples of how girls should be. Instead of being demure and quiet, these characters were spontaneous, energetic, adventurous, and courageous. Even Angelica, who was more of a tyrant than a role model, still showed examples of good girl power ethics. She was a strong independent girl who stood up for her ideals (no matter how mean her ideals were). Examples like these aided to me becoming the strong individual I am today.

Progress at a Halt

Twenty- something year old women have been increasingly pervasive in popular culture: from fashion to food, to men and slang. But for the most part, the sitcoms marketed towards this girl centered type of entertainment seem so superficial.  The New Girl, Two Broke Girls, and Girls are all just examples of this surface level silliness. The characters are contrived and while they positively portray women as sexy and comedic and edgy, that’s all I really see them being portrayed as.

 There are also sitcoms that portray women as driven, intelligent, successful, and just as complex as any other character on the show. Some of these consist of Parks and Recreation, Law and Order, and The Office. Although I would prefer the latter options over the former, there are still issues that need to be worked out; none of the successful female leads are mothers. It’s impossible to do both right? – For women anyway.

Women have made some headway in the media, and it has taken long enough. Lucy, from I Love Lucy, wasn’t allowed to say that she was pregnant during the show, only “expecting.” I Dream of Jeannie and Gilligan’s Island were the first shows that aired apparently scandalous navels, and Anne Marie from That Girl refused to make her season finale a wedding- to reinforce that is not every woman’s primary goal.

But where have we come since the 60’s and 70’s? The progressions of women on television and in film have not been very significant. The statistics for women in the top grossing films of 2013 are grim. Women make up 29% of major characters, 15% of protagonists, and 30% of all speaking characters. Cate Blanchett justifiably rips Hollywood in this article for treating women as a niche audience and for making little to no progress in casting women as major movie roles. http://www.thewrap.com/cate-blanchett-women-little-progress-landing-major-movie-roles-study .The article reveals that it is not looking good for women on Broadway either.

In Culmination, it would be nice if this girl power movement, the rise of women in comedy, and “2013: the year of women and TV”, would actually make some legitimate progression. If Hollywood and Broadway would give women more serious roles, if the serious women portrayed on TV actually had a life outside of work, or if the female leads in sitcoms weren't so superficial and bad for your health. 

Kids and Media

One of the things that sits with me the most from this class so far is the media interaction with children. I never really understood the way that media is used to imbed thing into the minds of the youth until really looking at it. The only thing I could really relate youth and media to were the disney channel stars and the simular things that seem to occur.

Being a boy myself, I understand now why I played, said, and did the things I would do sometimes as a kid. I often found myself trying to be a masculine as possible; mainly from the superheros and male characters I'd see on t.v. and in movies. I think back on it and understand now why one thing I always had to have in my imagination is the power of super strength.  The desire to be the strongest I feel is what drives (first as kids) men into competition. The way I see it, the super abilities attributed to the heros we love so much make us desire something that separates us from the pack. Examples: Being the strongest, fastest, tallest, or best looking.

For girls, I feel as though I have a better idea and understanding of their childhood role models.  The biggest and most relatable example for me once again are the disney stars. Lindesy Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff... All seem to me like the were pressured to be perfect. They had to be role models, set examples, live how they were told. Their characters, idoled by youth, are meant to manipulate the minds of their viewers by being what the producers... I guess "Vision" for how girls and women should be. In turn, the lash outs ensue.

Just a few of my thoughts on media and youth. Here's everyone's favorite superstar! :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8

Girls Rule!

While I was growing up, Nickelodeon was my favorite cable television channel. Of course when I was younger I never made the connection to feminism while I was watching shows, such as As Told By Ginger, but upon reading Girls Rule!: Gender, Feminism, and Nickelodeon I now understand the representation of “girl power” around us each and every day, even when we are adolescents. As Told By Ginger was always one of my favorite television shows while I was growing up, and maybe it was because I made that connection to a strong, intelligent girl as the lead character.

Another great connection to feminism while I was growing up is the Spice Girls. Just like every other girl my age, I always wanted to grow up and be a Spice Girl. These girls were such inspiring, free-spirited women. Listening to their cd’s and watching their movies showed me that women can be strong individuals, which is something that I carry with myself today. Before, women use to depend highly on men to make a living, but today this is not as common. Is this because women, such as the Spice Girls, proved to women that they can do just fine on their own?

I might not have made such a connection when I was younger, but I do believe that because of these women I am who I am today. Watching shows with women as the lead character, listening to pop-music girl-groups, watching women athletics, reading books with women as the lead role, and even buying shirts with logos that advertised the concept of “commodity feminism” has shown me that my possibilities as a women are endless!

Just Thinking About It: Farm People

Honestly, the real entertainment value for me in a show like Food Inc. is watching people discover how much they care about something they've convinced themselves is unimportant. Like where food comes from. I showed sheep for nine years in 4H and worked with people who have been concerned about things like food purity for a long time. These people are turned into punch lines in popular culture.

As I think about this ignorance, I do worry because the people I interact with daily are in college. That means they have at least finished high school and have done well enough into the school. We need to be leaders but the concept that many have only now begun considering where their food comes from is frightening. Finding the source of the food is not that challenging, one just doesn’t think about doing so. So what else haven’t I thought of? Are we still missing something?

Perhaps we are but for now, we can focus on food. You are not powerless. You can buy food from a farmers’ market or even grow it yourself. The soil in Indiana is fertile and it’s so easy to grow vegetables and livestock. This work is not fit for everyone. It requires dedication and that you make it home every night to work on it so they can pay farmers to do it. Not the Walton family. Consumers drive the market and I really cannot blame anyone but them (us).

Considering my readers may have done their best to stay away from a Future Farmers of America meeting, I can assure you that there are people willing to do things the right way. Farmers do not want to be slaves to a huge corporation on the land their fathers once owned.  They would love to have you as a customer.

"homosexuality" is popular on T.V.

When Ellen came out of the closet, she was nervous and painful but did not want to keep the secret anymore. In the class discussion, students talked about the way Ellen coming out, and if Ellen did not do like that, she would not successful now. They are right. However, as time goes by, today's situation is different from Ellen's, and "homosexuality" is popular on T.V.now.
The "homosexuality" doesn't mean that gay singers,actors can come out of the closet without hesitation, but this fake "homosexuality" --two guys seems have some romantic relationship, can attract more audience.
The English diver, Tom Daley, was straight and had several girlfriend, are now dating with a man now. After this announcement of Tom, he became more popular and many talk show asked him to tell his feeling about this change. It seems like in one night, Tom became the positive image of tell the truth bravely. On the contrary, the figure skater, Johnny Weir was treated unfairly on the Olympic games because of his girly costume style and sexual orientation. The differences between those two guys are obvious. Tom is not a gay because he likes woman, but Johnny is totally a gay since he was young. Tom is still a man because he wears and talks just like a normal man, but Johnny wears make-up,wears heels and that is not a man's style. Both of them did not keep their sexual orientation as a secret but ended up differently. So what is the problem? Have people made progress that they can treat gay normally? I think the answer is still NO.Tom is popular on T.V.because audience can treat Tom the same kind of people as them,but not Johnny.
And not just them, the producers of soap operas also have noticed that. The Sherlock Holmes from BBC is a typical example. The relationship between Sherlock and Watson is extremely different from before. They are like friends, but not just friends; they are not lovers, but they always act like lovers. This difference is new and attracting. As we all know, this opera was a huge success, not just in Britain, but all over the world.

Food Inc. Seeing Antibiotic Chickens even in my sleep!

    In class we covered the food industry and how the average person does not even look to where their food comes from, who makes their food, and if it is dangerous to consume or safe to consume. Since watching the Food Inc. documentary my life has been interrupted in a large way. I can not eat any meat product without thinking of a poor cow that doesn't even get to eat grass, or a chicken that has such large breasts it can't walk.
    As many of you, I am a college student whom can not afford anything outside the realm of Ramen, pb&j, bread, and milk. That's my grocery shopping, with the exception on the occasional fish and purchase of Jimmy Johns, Sub Way, or McDonalds. Here is my problem. I look at anything with meat and I think of Tyson or Smithfield and it makes me sick. II don't eat much meat anyways, but damn I need some source of protein other than pb&j! Now, I don't have the money for the ethical meat, so I might as well not eat meat at all rather than feel guilty. As I have now announced to my friends, every time we eat, that this chicken or whatever meat (it just happens more with chicken, because I am sad about the chickens the most from the documentary) is more than likely probably unethical to the animal, and thus wrong to eat. I also mention in such a dramatic fashion that it will probably make us all grow 4 breasts and probably soon die from diabetes or food poisoning, so might as well call your mom and dad and tell them you've been called home.
    I realize my thinking is dramatic and flippant with this, but that is honestly how I see it. Ever since that documentary I've been meat ruined. I've known this to happen with documentaries before, such as 'How hot dogs are made.', since I haven't eaten a hot dog in 5 years, I guess documentaries affect me decently strong. What really gets to me though is that people don't really care. My friends think it is horrible what is being done to the animals, but they don't change their eating habits, because they haven't seen it so it must not be that bad. This class has eye opened me to this food business that seems to be heartless and scary. I wish things would change and people would open their eyes and see this for what it is, but I mean... let's be honest, if gay people can't the proper rights they deserve, how are animals EVER going to get the proper treatment? That is a blog for a different time.

Television: Cool Culture, Responsibility, and Credibility?

Talking about Ellen and the effect that her coming out had on her career is interesting. The fact that Ellen was able to tell the truth about herself and still see the great success over the years is a true testament to how funny she is. I myself think she is one of the funniest comics right now. Although her coming out was not a turned into a political spectacle at the time, I think that over the years, Ellen has transformed her personal confession and has begun using it as a political statement for equality and gay rights. Ellen is perhaps the most influential celebrity regarding gay rights.

 

In the NPR recording that we listened to, it stated how (I can’t remember the year) at one point in the past 58% of people did not support gay marriage, and now 58% do support it. I think this could be considered an example of cool culture. Back when Ellen came out, it could be considered very controversial and something to not be discussed in certain ways or too much. The fact that now the majority of people support gay marriage may be attributed to the influence that Ellen and other celebrities have had on the topic. People see that others are gravitating towards support rather than opposition, and they jump on the bandwagon.

 

We briefly talked about if it is television’s responsibility to reveal to us what is considered culturally acceptable now (examples like Modern Family). I think that unfortunately tv has become what sets the benchmark. But my question is: What gives tv the credibility to do so? Why should people believe or support/oppose things based on how situations are portrayed on tv? People need to make their own decisions based on personal beliefs and not what is considered now a part of the “cool culture” or let other mediums, such as tv, create the cultural norm.

Parasocial Relationship

I've never been infatuated with anyone my entire life. I have always been the one to think someone is attractive and worth a double take, but never obsessed. I have an addiction. My addiction is Mike Stud. Mike Stud and I are getting married and he has absolutely no idea. I find him to be one of thee most gorgeous human beings I've ever laid eyes on...and I have never even seen him in person. He and I would hit it off great! I know that I am the type of woman he needs in his life.

Michael Francis Seander Jr. was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He is 25 years old and was born on October 30th, 1988. He went to Duke University to play baseball. He was a gifted athlete until he had his Tommy John surgery, which started his first mixtape "A Toast to Tommy". I know too much information about this artist for my own good. I look up his bio at least once a week and I follow him on all forms of social media. I follow as many fan clubs as possible and I fan girl over his pictures like it is my job. I save at least three different pictures of him on my phone, daily. 

I think that it is possibly unhealthy, the amount of his music that I listen to. I enjoy looking at pictures of him and he does not even know I exist. I even went to lengths of contacting his booking agent to set him up to perform at Ball State. I asked about booking prices and had a conversation about Ball State lacking culturally diverse performers. I would love to see him live, when the opportunity presents itself. I would cry if I ever got even 50 feet away from him. I am going to put some pictures of him on here so you can look at him whenever you want, as well as a short little cover he did!!! 

#TeamMikeStud

using yin yang to explain gender problems

When the professor said yin yang in the class, I was little surprised and excited because I knew this word. The professor used this word to illustrate some example about male and female.
From my point of view, yin yang talks about two opposed things, and those two things can represent almost everything, like black and white, female and male, darkness and lightness, bad things and good things. Although it describes two opposed things, but the relationship between those two are very complicated. From the image of yin yang we can tell that there is not a clear line between them, and some black exists in white and some white exists in black.
Yin yang not only can exhibit Chinese philosophy, but it can also suitable for the topic of feminism. To talk about female and male, the first and the most important thing is to know that they are different. Men and women cannot exist solely without the other and it doesn't mean women must marry a man. Men have labels like strong, brave, good at science, and women also have labels like sensitive, gentle and soft. But at the very beginning,I think these characteristics do not have relationship with gender. Women also need to be brave to give birth to a child, men also need be sensitive enough to observe others. The combination of those two must be the most solid and long-lasting relationship.
For men and women, the differences are not strange,but the way people treat those difference are strange.

Gender is EVERYWHERE ... even in unnecessary places

Media portrayal of gender and the connotations of its portrayal was one of my favorite things that we have discussed in class. However, the advertising portion of the discussion is what got me thinking about not just how women were advertised but also how gendered products are advertised and what connotations they bring. I was amazed at what products were gendered and the certain messages they brought to society’s perception of gender.

A couple of gendered items that I found the most interesting were soap and razors. Dove has the “for men” line of soaps and shampoos/conditioners, which is really the same thing as the “women’s shampoo”- it just has a different scent. Razors were pretty much the same way too- five blades and flexible to move with the curves of the body (just different colors that matched the “gender” of the product). I caught myself wondering why this was so important. Why would we need to create a dichotomy between the same products when each “gender” of the product already had different scents and colors? Why couldn’t they just advertise it as soap or just razors and have the different scents and colors without adding a gender to the product?

Although I feel as if there is no definite reason for this, I believe that it can relate back to Frank’s “Culture of Cool” and most of the readings that we have read this week on gender portrayal. Gender, like most other things, can be seen as a commodity in which almost everyone identifies with (even if your gender identity doesn’t match your biological sex). Like Goffman suggested, we act out what we see because we interpret these messages as guidelines as to how to present ourselves. So if we have these gendered products, we feel the need to buy the product that matches our gender identity (or the identity we wish to have) in order to confirm our statuses in society.

Honestly, I believe that we would all be better off if we just bought the things we wanted without having to fear the ramifications of choosing the wrong “gendered” item. And it would be awesome to see more gender-defying roles on television and advertisements.

Normalizing Homosexuality

Our discussion today got me thinking. Mainly about when I was a young closeted teenager seeking advice for my future. I found a sense of community on YouTube from coming out videos and gay men and women who express their struggles online. It never occurred to me that my friends and family were going to accept me for being gay and I created a strong sense of hate that may come from it. Finding support online gave me strength within a crowned world of homophobes. It gave me strength to come out to my family two years ago. Today, they still hug me, love me, and most importantly, support me. Bringing my boyfriend to family gatherings still scares me a bit but hiding is not an option. Like Ellen expressed in her thesis, it’s a liberating experience that yearns for true identity and self-worth beyond measure. This is why I created my own channel, to give back to so many that helped me. The community is real. The exclusion felt when you’re not invited to a slumber party or lunch table in the cafeteria is felt by many gay man and women. Ellen did not solve the “coming out” confession although she pointed it in the right direction. The joke is that straight people don’t have to come out, so why should gay people, which tugs at the idea of heternormativity- which in my opinion is everyone. Today, it would still be weird to ask your friend Matt if he has a girlfriend or boyfriend. Naturally, you are going to assume he is straight unless he states otherwise. Either way, normalizing homosexuality has made a large leap in 20 years ago. Cheers Ellen.

Legally Blonde and Third Wave Feminism

http://chezapocalypse.com/episodes/90-legally-blonde/  (12:57)

Once again it is video time! (To be fair the last minute or so of the video is unrelated to this.) This one here discusses a few of the things we have discussed in class.  Ursa discusses women objectification in the media, how the media wants women to objectify THEMSELVES, a TINY bit of gender identity, and Third Wave Feminism and Legally Blonde! Yay!

It feels like a lot of people have said this but, yes, Elle Woods is a fairly good role model for girls. She likes fashion!, and pink!, and is Girlie! But is also driven, smart, and capable. Of course the movie has its not so perfect moments. But over all is pretty great, for women. As Ursa points out there are lots of women, doing lots of things. Third Wave Feminism, "Girlie" Feminism, means we (for this sentence women) can wear heels or Chuck Taylors and still stand up for the same things. Those things being equality of the genders in areas such as pay and media representation. Yay.

Princess Culture

Media today and these so called “experts” are finding the worst in movies and picking them apart enough to where you cannot see the positive messages.  Growing up I watched all the Disney Princess movies and I never once thought of the Princesses in the way that the image below reads (taken from class lecture)

When I watched these princess movies, this is what I thought:

 Cinderella fought adversity, how she was a good person who was constantly put down by her stepmother and sisters, but never let that discourage her. She always started a new day in a positive way and hoped and looked for the best.

Belle was a sweet girl who loved to read and dream about adventures. She was a kind girl and saw the inner beauty of everyone..like the beast.

Jasmine was a free spirit and a confident girl. She loved her pet tiger and was able to see past Aladdin being a “street rat” and fell in love with him for him.

Ariel was an independent girl who loved to explore and see new things. She falls in love with a human and risks everything for love.

Snow White was also a kind hearted girl who became friends with 7 dwarfs and fell in love with a prince.

And then for Sleepy Beauty, I never really watched this one growing up, so I do not really know her story except that she was raised by three fairies and a prince kissed her to waken her.

Like most things, these movies can be skewed to however you want to interpret them and I believe that a child’s innocence will help them see what I saw growing up and still think about the princesses. As a parent, I believe it is necessary to remind your children that it is a fairytale; however, dreams do come true if you put your heart and mind to it because anything is possible if you want it bad enough.

Heteronormativity; The Heterosexual Community to Blame?

So it kind of says it in my title, right? I have a few questions to raise. In class we saw and referred to several examples of heteronormativity.  In my mind images are flashing of Ellen's parents saying "You're not gay you just haven't met the right guy yet," or the example Kristen gave of her daughter's teacher assuming her friend could play the role of a boyfriend.  In these instances, is it the fault of Ellen's parents or Kristen's daughters' teacher? Did these individuals decide, 'I am heteronormative, therefore I will react as if everyone is presumably supposed to feel straight.'
I'm not sure these individuals ever decided to be that way.  We talked about that today, that most heteronormativity is sub-conscious.  Now, this isn't my way of shifting the blame off of these individuals, I simply aim to analyze the existing system.
What I am trying to elude to, isn't that complex at all.  I'm really just thinking of the evolution any certain issue makes.  For example, think of feminism and the way it has changed since it's first appearances.  We have learned how to appeal to the rest of our unbelieving society more effectively now, and are much less often referred to as a bunch of man haters.
I think the same thing is true of homosexuality, some of the protesting has drastically turned people off and until this generation turns over, there will always be a few who remember the less effective protesting.  I don't think this is the exact cause, but I think a portion of the heteronormativity today could be because of the course homosexuality has taken towards it's liberation.
I know I am no one to place blame or point fingers, I know it has been a terrible and devastating journey for the gay community.  However, I see the process over and over again; in feminism, in racial differences, and now for the gay community.  It seems like every time we try to fight oppression, people get pitted against each other in terribly lasting ways.
I think these heteronormative individuals are a result of the ways society has taught them, and sadly even the imperfect process homosexuality has taken.  I think that's point though, isn't it? Nothing is perfect.  Somewhere in the midst of the imperfection we see that we are all human, the most essential thing. I suppose most of this is just my thought process attempting to find a cause, and still coming short  of finding one.    

Female and Male Roles in Advertising

After we watched the documentary in class going over gender roles in advertising I got a idea to practice this out with photography. One of my friends agreed to help me out with this, and I should have let her keep her hair down to show that women can sport male looks but even though she has on a short haired wig, it still works. I found it super interesting while taking these pictures how weird my friend felt doing these poses. A lot of the pictures we found online of male in advertisements are with their shirts off, or looking like they have an important meeting to get to. It was fun to recreate these poses, but while doing them my friend mentioned a few times how lame she thought she looked while doing these poses.
Usually people taking or viewing the pictures feel weird but the whole time she felt kind of uncomfortable, maybe it was my year old wig, but who really knows. This is just one of the poses we tested out, other ones were her looking straight into the camera, holding on to the collar of the suit jacket, and looking like she needed to run.
Just a fun experiment that I hope to add more to in the future.

Third Wave Feminism

Feminism. By definition feminism is: the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men, or an organized movement for the attainment of such rights for women.

In class, we already declared that it's not just about being a female much like the definition points out, but we also talked about how men can be feminists and that doesn't mean that they are "girlie" or not masculine.

After our classroom discussion and the readings on Tuesday, I realized feminism isn't "radical" and "crazy". Yes, you have those over the top feminists, the stereotypical ones portrayed in shows like Portlandia and in the movies. 

Before Tuesday's class I didn't know there were more kinds of feminists besides that. I was naive in thinking they all were the same. The articles we read for class talked about a new wave of feminists. A type of "third wave" feminist, a woman who can wear high heels but also be a business professional.

There is no actual definition but author Sarah Banet-Weiser states that, "Third Wave feminism (or sometimes "girlie feminism") embraces the commercial media visibility and enthusiastically celebrates the power that comes with it.... Third Wave feminists politics are not only fundamentally different than Second Wave feminist politics, but because of the embrace of media visibility and the commercial world, as also more representative for a new generation of women."

I'm not saying that we have to take her word as the solid truth, because there is no solid definition, but this is a good base. Third Wave feminism is something I think my generation is wholeheartedly embracing and I know I look forward to changing the way the world views women, before I just didn't consider that feminism.

Food Culture & Social Media

This blog post is directed at how we are using social media to constantly share what we're eating. Whether it's a Pinterest board about what food we want to make, and Instagram image of our most recent meal or even a Tumblr gif about food, sometimes we share too much.

When it comes to social media, I'm pretty sure we all have that one friend who posts everything. Now, we all have the power to unfollow or block that person but then we might hurt their feelings, so we never do and we get bombarded with posts.  These post may not bother most of us, but I think it's time that we exam how much food we stereotypically are putting on our own social media. 

I once found this picture that jokingly explains which social media you should use to do what. 

But seriously, doesn't that sum it up? If you aren't guilty of using social media that way, then I bet you know someone who is. Personally, that picture is pretty accurate of my social media usage about two-thirds of the time. The other third of the time I spend on social media is actually researching and trying to learn more about my field or network.

Next time you sit down to have a fancy dinner, or your favorite meal, maybe you should think twice before bombarding your followers with pictures. Especially if you're a regular to food pictures. My rule is that the meal has to be extra special and something I would want to remember, not just any ol' meal. 

Princess/ Superhero Culture

We spoke in detail the other day about how this superhero and princess culture is affecting the young generation. We talked about how people grow up feeling entitled because they see these princesses with certain items, and think they deserve them. We also discussed how young men grow up thinking they aren't allowed to show emotion, and be physically strong because they see these superheroes.

I buy part of the argument, but I also think the main determinant of how a child will turn out is his or her parents. I watched all sorts of terrible movies, and was a huge brat when I was a kid, but my parents did a good job humbling me and making sure I was in tune with reality. I don't believe a kid will turn out horrible just by admiring these types of figures, and I sometimes believe they can be good role models. I think they have some good lessons that if kids grasp, they can turn out to be really great.

However, as I mentioned, I buy part of the argument. I do think some kids will feel entitled if they are immersed in these cultures without guidance from parents. If the parents make the kid feel entitled as much as the princess culture does then I believe that is when you see the problem.

In conclusion, I don't think this princess/superhero culture is as bad as people make it out to be. Obviously, some people truly feel entitle, but I believe the majority realize that is not the way this world works.

Does Feminism Sell?

After watching the Pantene Commercial in class, it raised some questions for me.  I really appreciated all of the discussion happening and did not particularly disagree with the popular opinion that seemed to  claim, "Maybe it's not the most ethical, but we'd much rather here this message than the one that sexualizes women to sell things." I don't think this opinion is wrong, it makes sense, I'd rather have feminism sell things than sex.
I did bring my questions to the discussion as well, and decided to further research the topic.  First of all, my leeriness has to do with the concept that Pantene could be using a message that they do perhaps believe, but are using it simply to promote their wealth and not actually promoting activism for feminism.  I did find out that Pantene's Whip It Campaign is doing good things for feminism in the Phillippines. I don't think I am perfectly at ease with this business strategy, but in the end, analyzing media does not change it.  I suppose I should be grateful for the change in marketing strategies.
The campaign seems to generate it's supporters digitally, and the objective seems to be raising awareness.  Raising awareness is a great thing, however, with all of the revenue they will generate from this campaign - it seems like donating funds for this cause would be…well, necessary?
The ad did however get noticed by Miss Representation, which is some awareness I can't be too upset about.
https://www.facebook.com/MissRepresentationCampaign/posts/645439362166159

How Nickelodeon went backseat

While reading Girl Power! in the article I never realized how big of a impact Nick was for me personally. I was more of a Disney person myself as a child, I liked their animal animation better I guess, I digress. I do remember that Nick was the first channel I would check to see what was on after I came back from school. Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel. (Saving the best for last in my mind.) But now that I think about it, Nick was a lot more influential on me as a person.

The girls in the shows that I watched were empowering, sarcastic, funny, had their life together, and dealt with the same problems as myself. One that we didn't talk about in class was All That and The Amanda Show. I have always loved comedy and this helped shape my love for comedy as I grew up. Amanda Bynes was my perfect role model when I look back. The Amanda Show was funny, she did all the jokes with the help of a few costars, and she was simply adorable. Back then I wouldn't think she helped shaped me but after reading the text I hit me how big of an influence she was to me.

Of course Wild Thornberries was also very prevalent in my life because I have a older sister just like Elisa did who acted the same way as her older sister, so I could connect to this female lead in a show. I loved animals so seeing a lead character being able to talk to animals, travel the world, dealing with her older sister and family issues was just in my ball park.

Reading through these texts is almost like a blast from the past in realizing what actually influenced me when I was young and making me who I am today.