Recent Update!

Recently I have watched a few different episodes from the television programs I have selected in my last post. Again these shows consist of:

• Leave it to Beaver
• Brady Bunch
• Family Ties
• Full House
• Family Guy 
• Modern Family

So far, I have been disappointed with episodes I have watched from these programs because  they did not really incorporate any sexist stereotypes within the episode. I think I am going to have to change my original idea and instead have to watch as many episodes I can until I reach my set goal of 3 shows per program. Hopefully as I continue this research it will work out!

Over the Last 50 Years...

For my archival research, I am going to watch episodes of the television programs listed below in order to see how sexist viewpoints and stereotypes have evolved in the last 50 years. I specifically chose shows that involved family life to see how the roles have changed between man and woman, husband and wife, in the home. Also, I am very curious to see how the children of the family act and think regarding sexist beliefs. For an example, if the son in the family has recently witnessed a girl in his school getting picked on for being the only girl on the football team, would he join the other boys and mock her or stick up for her? For my research, I will watch at least 3 episodes of each program (in year order) on my television, http://www.youtube.com/, and http://www.hulu.com/. If these shows do not appear on any of these options, I will find another way on another website which I will update on my next blog post. 

I predict that I will discover that the programs from the older generations portray women to be inferior to men, as they are stay at home mothers who care for just the family. Over time, women have evolved to become more independent and intelligent leaders, gaining more freedom over their lives. I believe that men will still be portrayed as the strong member of the family as they a they make the majority of the money for the family. However, I feel that men and husbands have evolved to become more emphatic towards their wives and are not as critical towards them. In other words, I feel that husbands have become more understanding with their wives and make more of an effort to worry about their wive's ideas and feelings. Concerning the children of the family, I am not really sure what to expect at all!

• 1960's: Leave it to Beaver     
• 1970's: Brady Bunch   
• 1980's: Family Ties
• 1990's: Full House
• 2000's: Family Guy 
• 2010's: Modern Family

Archival Research

The research method I have chosen is archival research. This method focuses on seeing a broader view of a topic by looking into the history of it. For my topic of sexism, I am using this research method to show how television has evolved over the past 50 years. For an example, woman have always been portrayed to be stay at home mothers who are constantly caring for the children, cleaning the house, cooking the family's meals, etc. On the other hand, men have always been depicted as earning the money for a family by working a job. Have these gender roles reversed or changed today? Also, have new roles and stereotypes evolved from what is on television today rather than the pasts'? 

Want to Hear a Funny Joke? Women's Rights

Sexist jokes have always really influenced our view on a certain gender. This week, I decided to look up some jokes. To be honest, I can understand why a person may find these to be humerus. I'm even guilty of it! On the other hand, when we really look into this jokes, however, they have underlying gender stereotypes viewing others genders to be almost "inferior." Overall, some of these jokes are just plain mean!

• Want to hear a funny joke? Women's rights.
• What is the difference between a battery and a woman? A battery has a positive side.
• Why did the women cross the road? I don't know, but what is she doing out of the kitchen?
• A son goes to his father and says, "Hey dad, want to hear a joke?" The father says, "Sure son." The son responds, "The WNBA."
• A man driving a car hits a woman. Whose fault is it? The man's. Why was he driving in the kitchen?
• How many men does it take to open a beer? None. It should be opened by the time she brings it

Yet, when I searched these jokes on the internet, all sexist jokes really pertained to women! Is that really fair? Tell me what you think!

"How Rude"

Recently I have been watching Full House on Nick at Night every night before I go to bed. I have always considered Full House to be one of my all time favorite shows. 

On Wednesday night I was watching an episode and realized a very sexist attitude. In this episode, Uncle Jesse was fighting with his wife Rebecca over what toys their twin sons Nicky and Alex should play with. Rebecca gave Nicky and Alex a girl baby doll which made Jesse furious. On the other hand, Jesse gave his sons monster trucks and action figures because he felt that these toys were better for the boys. When Jesse explained to Rebecca why he gave this toys to Nicky and Alex, he said that boys must have boy toys and girls must have girl toys. In other words, Nicky and Alex should not be playing  with a girl toy because it might affect them later in life. A very sexist you think? 

What do you think? Do you think Jesse or Rebecca was right in this argument? 

#sexisttrousers

How would you feel if you were washing clothes and you stumbled upon your boyfriend's jeans lying in the hamper with this tag inside of it?

British digital editor of the Telegraph, Emma Barnett, in fact did stumble upon her boyfriend's dirty jeans with a tag inside of them. Outraged by this tag, Barnett wrote an article published in the Telegraph speaking about how wrong this message was. She took in a next step farther as she started the hashtag #sexisttrousers. How did the public react? Continue reading here!

Once Upon a Time.....

One of my favorite shows is Once Upon a Time. This show centers around a town called Story Brook. The people that live in the town are fictional fairy tale characters, such as Snow White, Prince Charming, Little Red Riding Hood, etc. On the other hand, there are also residents who are evil, such as the town's mayor, Regina Mills aka the Evil Queen from the fairy tale of Snow White. Time has been frozen for years, however, until Emma Swan (daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming), shows up in Story Brook. Confused? You probably are. This show may seem a little childish from my horrible description, but I promise you it's such a creative and interesting TV series. 

Last Sunday was the season premier of Once Upon a Time (ABC 8:00pm). In this episode, the curse has finally be broken in Story Brook and everyone is finally realizing who they really are. We are introduced to Sleeping Beauty (Princess Aurora), her Prince Phillip, and Mulan. Mulan is portrayed as a man, until she takes off her armor. Princess Aurora's reaction was complete amazament. She questioned Mulan asking her how it was possible that she was a female and yet fought in battle. Also, once Princess Aurora is asked to help defeat the evil Maleficent, she emphasizes how she is a woman and women do not fight. 

Even fairy tale characters have such sexist stereotypes! Tell me what you think and don't forget to watch the next episode, Sunday 8:00pm on ABC!

Soccer Moms

In my last post, I shared a montage video containing 10 of the most sexist commercials of the 1950's and 60's. In the video, women were portrayed to be very beautiful mothers who were always cleaning, taking care of the children, cooking, etc. On the other hand, men were seen to be more inferior as they were able to go and get a job. In comparison to the men, women were seen to be too emotional and not as intelligent to be in the work field. 

This time, however, I chose a more recent commercial illustrating one of the most common stereotypes of mothers: soccer moms. Soccer moms are notorious for driving mini vans, caring for the childrens' needs, watching them at practice and games, and occasionally showing their emotional side and fighting with other mothers over their children. Do you think this Cheetos commerical emphasizes these stereotypes?

Vintage vs. Today

After searching around the internet, I came across a montage video of 10 different commercials from the 1950's. All these advertisements portrayed such typical sexist stereotypes of males and females. To be honest, I was disgusted watching this video to see how worthless people can be seen through another's perspective. Although today America's commercials may not be as sexist, have our views really changed? 

And the Gold Medal Goes to the Men

Picture this! You have been training all your life in swimming to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. All your hard work, time, and effort finally pays off when you win gold in your best event, the 200 meter butterfly. Your gold medal, however, does not seem as important to the rest of the world as it does to you. 

The women athletes really flaunted their talents this year in the 2012 London Olympics. Many of the women left viewers shocked with such outstanding performances and races, crushing world records right and left. They, however, did not receive the credit they deserved like the men athletes. Take yourself, a woman gold medalist Olympian in the 200 butterfly, for an example. Your achievement suffers from lack of fame compared to other men athletes. These men are receiving multiple sponsorships and commercials when all you have is your gold medal. 

In order to understand this situation more, continue reading here

A Few Questions...

Before reading my blog, I want you to ask yourself a few questions:

Have you ever judged someone baced on their gender?

Have you ever mocked someone due to their sex?

Do you really believe that men are superior to women?

Is it true that all women should stay home and care for the children, while their husbands get to have a job outside of the home?

Do you really think that women are more intelligent than men? 

Are men really more athletic then women?

Is it actually "gay" for men to be involved in the theater? 

Are women that act as tomboys actually homosexual? 

If you feel as if most of these statements are true, you may have a tendency to believe in sexist stereotypes. 

I chose the topic of sexism because I do not agree and try not to participate with any of these questions stated above. In the society we live today, the media has really impacted the way we view others. Stereotypes, such as the ones listed above, have been expressed through certain television shows, movies, etc. I want the concept of sexism to be brought to attention and have people realize that it occurs daily. As a society, we need to grow and understand how hurtful and wrong these stereotypes really are.