Hello, scholars!
This week's blog posting will align closely with some current events of our days. We don't get enough time during our class periods (yet) to really do justice to some of the topics I think are important enough to have a voice, specfically Sexuality and the Cultural and Societal Expectations Wrapped Around It. (sounds very official, eh?)
I've posted links to three different articles--technically 8 because the Huffington Post link contains 6 different articles on related topics (Robin Thicke/Blurred Lines controversy). You are to read at least TWO of these articles and respond to the ideas, subjects, theories or opinions contained within them.
Follow up with your own thoughts--AND respond to at least three other classmate's responses. You will not receive credit if you don't respond to other posts.
RULES
1. To disagree is NOT to disrespect
2. It is not enough to say "I agree" or "I disagree" as a response.
3. To keep you honest, you have to directly quote from an article you are responding to.
Keep making me proud.
I feel as rape, referring to the article “Understanding Rape Culture”, is a major issue pushed aside and not focused on as much as it really should be. Seeing rape culture defined as, people surrounded with images, language, laws and other everyday things that maintain rape related topics and adding the list of things that rape culture includes such as jokes, TV shows, and music for instance, indicates the impact of what rape really consists of. Many people do not see the danger and pain any form of rape can put onto a woman. As stated in the article “Rather than viewing the culture of rape as a problem to change, people in a rape culture think about the persistence of rape as “just the way things are.””; which is really shocking to hear. I don’t like the idea that people think the persistence of rape is “just the way things are”. That statement makes the thought of rape seem so simple of an act that anyone can do it and get away with it, and leave a woman left to physical and mental pain. Standing with that thought, media doesn’t help the issue to be seen as a huge deal. “Understanding Rape Culture” stated that the ways media displays rape culture only “continues the shame and silence that surrounds the majority of survivors who were raped by friends or family…” This theory is sicken really, people seem to not have a clear understanding of what rape can really do to a woman; they are overseeing the idea as something not as important as some of the other crimes that this world creates, but in reality this is a huge deal, and people need to start treating it with better care and respect.
ReplyDeleteGoing from the topic of rape and looking upon the topic of “slut-shaming” really is a major turn. These are two completely different topics, but each underestimated lately. These days the word “slut” seems to be used as second nature. Best friends will call one other a slut not referencing it as an insult. I walk around Oakcrest and hear the word slut used at least 10 times a day if I’m really listening to certain conversations. But in reality the word is not a positive thing to be called. As defined in the article “What is slut-shaming”, a short answer: Slut-shaming, also known as slut-bashing, is the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/or acting on sexual feelings. Being called a slut is something one actually should be ashamed to be titled by. But as stated before to shame someone now as a slut, is more directed as a joke to which the person being called a slut is not defended by it. In my opinion, if I were to be called a slut, and someone was not intending for it to be a joke, I would truthfully be defended. As “What is slut-shaming” stated after taking all the negative connotation from the word slut “is simply a person, most often a woman, who has had sex with multiple partners,” which in many cases refers to women doing it with multiple partners during the same time period. Also people see females tilted a slut by the clothing they present themselves in. Short-shorts and belly tops are often named slut outfits, because of the fact that a girl is showing more of her body than needed. Some of my friends have joked around with me when I wear a short pair of shorts, by calling me a slut, though they all know that does not define who I am. Sure they may be joking, but I sometimes find it shameful to be called such a word even as a joke. I am not the type of person who purposely goes around to show my body, I just wear some short shorts because they are cute. All in all, the topic of slut shaming in my opinion, now a days is not a high view as “shameful”, instead used more in a jocular type of way. People need to start understanding the issue more, because being called a slut, even if as a joke is not something one should be proud of. Sadly many girls continue their ways and prance around in tight tops and short skirts without a care in the world.
Throughout my readings for this blog, I was struck with the same shock and disconcertion that something as severe as rape culture was so readily condoned. The extent of a victim’s grief must be something unbearable and should not be taken lightly. It’s really a component of our society that I consider to be a major flaw. There need to be precautions taken against such awful situations and a course of action for when they unfortunately do. I think such a widespread misuse when speaking of rape is because people don’t understand the connotation behind it. I think it would benefit our society if there was more effort put into informing people of what rape actually entails.
DeleteMichaela, I think that you are right on when state that rape isn’t seen as malicious as it once was. I think that the only reason why there has been such a decrease of importance about rape is because it is now more socially acceptable. I think that are people who feed upon their mistake of “rape” and find a way to make rape seem ok to society. Modern culture has made rape also socially accepted because it seen and listen through media. I also agree how rape is very deleterious to women or men who have experienced the awful act. Whenever anyone walks through the halls of any school, anyone would expect the word “slut” to be used more than once. The word “slut” has an awful connotation that also has been socially acceptable. I think that men should be viewed as sluts too if women are seen as sluts. If there are women sluts there has to be men sluts.
DeleteI am as equally disturbed as your are by the notion that rape has become a sort of "given" aspect of society. I just can't wrap my head around how an act so violating, immoral and harmful can be seen as normal. Especially since it happens everywhere all the time it seems. I too would be incredibly offended if someone called me a slut even of it was a joke. One thing I find that really alienates me from my peers is that I don't understand their jokes. Kids watch comedic shows that when I watch aren't funny at all but just disgusting. To solve this problem I don't think girls should stop walking around in short shorts, people should be able to wear what they want. Instead I think people's attitudes and morals need to be adjusted.
DeleteJust like you, I’m appalled by the notion that rape has become a sort of “normal” act. How can such a heinous act be found normal to society? The act of rape leads victims to have emotional and physical pain. The modern culture has not helped the argument that rape is actually a very harmful act. Just like rape, modern culture has made the use of the word “slut” seem socially acceptable. However, like you said, this should be a word that you should be ashamed to be called, but this also seems like a word that is misused. People should not be called a “slut” due to the clothing that they’re wearing and this word shouldn’t be used as a joke.
DeleteRape is a major issue that is pushed aside. It’s not focused on with the attention that is needed from people. I wish that we could talk about it and deal with it head-on. Maybe then something can be done about it rather than letting society continue on pushing it further away. And it is upsetting that rape is just another “normal” part of society today.
DeletePart Uno:
ReplyDeleteBefore we get to the heavy topic, I'm going to first talk about slut shaming. While it may not exactly be a lighthearted topic, but compared to rape, most things tend to be easier to bring up, especially in an opinion piece such as this one. First, let me loom at the definition, alright, so, basically, slut shaming is when a woman is deemed "not worth knowing or caring about" since she has had multiple sexual partners. It means that just because you have done the deed with more than one guy, you are somehow less of a human being because of that. To me, that is completely and utterly untrue. The way I see things in my mind, being sexually active, either secretly or very vocally neither detracts from my opinion on you nor makes it any better. Rather, I prefer to care about how you present yourself as a person. I have known smart, funny, overall awesome girls who are very vocally monumentally sexually active, and hey, if that floats your boat, who am I to tell you to stop sailing? But on the other hand, I have met very mean, trashy, impolite, girls with terrible personalities that have never even bumped into a guy in the hallway, and I don't find them any more admirable because of it. So as an individual, I agree that slut shaming is a thing that really has no merit. That being granted, being told that a girl happens to have had more experience doing the linen tango by someone, in an attempt to damage that person's reputation is really really wrong. Just because you are jealous of someone, or mad at them for whatever reason, does not mean that you can spread such a personal rumor like that. While I may not really care one way or another, to some people it may matter, and because of that it will lead them to get a bad reputation by some people that may take "months, if not years to evaporate- If it does at all." The fact that someone would do this, just to put someone down is sickening. Now this leads to the big double standard, the whole "lock that is opened by many keys" vs. "key that opens many locks" dabocle. I personally don't agree with the concept that a male slut is somehow more accepted than a female one, I understand why some people do agree with the concept, and it goes something like this: What do you have to do to be a guy who has a lot of female partners? Well for starters, you must be attractive. If that doesn't do it for the ladies, try developing a personality, you know, be funny, but not annoying, be sweet, kind, cute. Smart, don't forget smart. Also rich, you really can't forget that one. With those things, your odds of being a successful male slut increases. That being said, what do you have to do to get intercourse as a female? Well, you could really just walk into any room and say "Hey, who in here wants to take me home?" and by sheer odds alone, one or two pervs would take you up on that offer. As a male, it is just harder in general to acquire one sexual partner, let alone multiple. But as I have said, it really isn't all that big of a deal whether you are a slut of not, regardless of the kind of gender you have. I honestly could not care less about your sexual history, just be a good, respectful person and you will get along with most people fine, regardless of gender and the amount of contact you've had with the other one.
Part Dos:
ReplyDeleteWell, now that that is over with, time for the one that is the bigger deal to me, simply because it is the bigger deal. Saying this, it is not something I necessarily agree with. Don't get me wrong here, I am not defending rape. No by a long shot. It is a sick crime, committed by sick people to a completely innocent victim. The thing that I am against is rape culture. Rape culture encompasses "jokes, TV, music, advertising, legal jargon, laws, words and imagery, that make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable." First of all, why is it only women? The very concept of rape culture just completely glosses over the fact that men get raped as well. Secondly, I have seen all of the example in that above quote, and I have never just looked at rape as "just the way things are." That being said as well, highlighting the fact that rape culture is a thing that is trying to completely black and white stop rape is just something that, lets face it, will never happen. Just like banning guns will never stop gun violence from occurring, raising awareness into what rape is, and letting people know how horrible and despicable it is will never stop it. While it may reduce it by most likely a decent amount, rape, like any crime, will never just stop. Especially considering most rapes are not crimes of passion as some people like to lump them all down to. The are crimes of aggression, where and individual, either male or female, exerts their dominance onto another individual, also either male or female, in a way that is much more effective and lasting psychologically than a regular physical attack. No amount of lobbying and awareness will ever stop evil from happening.
Part Three:
ReplyDeleteThe other thing that I don't like about rape culture is how it has evolved. I have only heard about it maybe a year ago, two tops, despite rape being around for markedly longer than that, and having it be considered wrong ever so slightly less than that. This isn't, however, because I am uninformed about feminism, my aunt is an avid contributor for the Women's Center, and one of the feminists that I admire, and I never remember her even saying the phrase in any conversation I have had with her. Rape culture is an invention of the modern feminist movement, with its goal to not only become equal with men, which, let the record state that I very much believe they should, its goal is to gain an advantage over men. Just bear with me here, for every Eric of The Second City (which I agree, was a very disturbing story, I needed a good cry afterward) forcing a woman to have sexual relations with him with no remorse, there is a Brian Banks. Wait, you don't know about Brian Banks?!? Figured, the men who get victimized by rape culture tend to get ignored. Brian Banks was a 16 year old football player in Ohio, with 12 colleges already actively recruiting him. Then, in 2002, a girl at his school accused him of rape. He was vilified by multiple feminist organizations, and, as a result, was tried as an adult, and convicted. Now, flash forward five years and two months, when now the girl decides to admit that she was lying all along. Simply because a girl had a beef with him, this kid, with a promising future was locked away for five whole years. The feminists aren't even remorseful, many saying, that, while not necessarily because of this particular case, they would readily falsely accuse someone of rape to get their agenda out there. This is wrong. This is a woman using something to assert her dominance on a man, ruining his life and mind for long after the deed is done. Well, doesn't this sound familiar.
Now those are my opinions on the subjects at hand. I apologize if I didn't quote as much as desired, but believe me, I spent time and effort making this blog, and told my actual opinions. Well, if you've made it this far reading my mountain of a blog, congrats! Thank you for reading, and you can all believe that I am looking forward to hearing what you all have to say about the subjects!
I have never viewed rape culture in the perspective that it doesn’t always involve a direct sexual assault but can also be used as a harmful device against the innocently accused. It is saddening to think that men are being neglected because of the occasionally false persona given off by women with “bad beef.” It is forgotten that both men and women are affected by rape culture and that is something that must be corrected immediately. It’s already terrible that rape is viewed as “just the way things are” but to also falsely accuse individuals of such diabolical actions is sickening. I think you’re right that we will never be able to eliminate rape because this isn’t a perfect world; however, precautions need to be taken anyway so that the outcome doesn’t have to be so devastating.
DeleteTom, I found your blog response to be rather delightful. Just like you, I really don't care about someone's sexual history. Just because someone was having relations with half of the football team doesn't devalue them as a human being. Take Marilyn Monroe for instance, she was with quite a few men. Even so, she was still adored by people of her time and she is even lionized by people in the 21st century. Many people do forget than men are raped. Some people can't even fathom the fact that a woman can overpower a man, however it does happen. The case that you mentioned also got me thinking about a similar one that occurred the other day. This young man was already in college and a girl decided to falsely accuse him of rape because he wanted to end their affair. This boy was stripped of his scholarships and kicked out of college. When it was time for him to appear in front of the judge, the only thing that saved him from going to jail was the text messages that he saved from this girl. The messages explained how she couldn't let go and that she was going to make his life a living hell. Overall, your blog was wonderful and it really got me thinking. Keep up the great work! P.S. You have a great vocabulary!
Delete
DeleteI’m really really really glad you talked about the fact that men do get raped as well as women. When I published my post I was frustrated with myself because I too wanted to discuss the perception that rape can only occur to women. It’s yet another double standard. People cannot fathom the idea of a man actually being sexually assaulted. Have you ever seen a news report about a man being raped? I haven’t. It’s disappointing because it does occur. There are men in this world who have been victims of rape and it’s a shame we don’t realize it. Women are not the only victims.
First of all Thomas, I'm going to have to disagree big time with your belief that 'male sluts' are just considered just as bad as female sluts. The fact that I have to use the term male sluts at all proves my point. Slut is an extremely gendered term that refers specifically to females in a negative way, however there is no equivalent term for males. If you want to refer to a male that is sexually active but in a negative way you literally have to appropriate a term for females! When you describe a very sexually active male you do it in words with very positive connotations: a stud, a player, a lady killer. The whole spiel following that statement confused me a bit, and I'm not sure if I reading it right and I really hope I'm not reading it right because I might be pretty angry in that case. I also want to point out that using the word slut is not ok outside of discussion because it is still a word that holds very negative connotations and is extremely hurtful. A girl who enjoys sex shouldn't have to be referred to as anything because it shouldn't be a big deal, and it's probably none of your business what she does with her time. In any case that word should be avoided. And while I'm glad you brought up the fact that men can be raped too, I think you're misunderstanding what rape culture is. There is rape culture that involves men- simply the fact that there is a widespread belief out there that men can't be raped. Men who are raped often have a harder time speaking up about it than women because to admit to being raped is like the ultimate humiliation- your masculinity has been taken from you, or something like that. Rape culture is something that 'perpetuates and validates' rape in all forms, not just the most common (which is men raping women). And sure, educating on people might not stop rape entirely but it's impossible to stop anything people do completely. But the fact is that if people were more aware of what was going on and were taught that rape and abuse towards women is one hundred percent in the wrong, maybe it would stop cases! And even if it only stops a few it's better than making no effort and letting it all continue unchecked! Some people don't even realize they are committing rape- wouldn't getting educated about what rape is stop that? You can't just say something probably won't work and just not try it- standing by and making no effort to stop something is as much a crime as committing the act itself.
DeletePart one:
ReplyDeleteAlright, so this topic isn’t going to be easy to talk about so I guess I will just say what I need to and hope no one will get upset with me. First off, the Understanding Rape Culture article pointed out a very key element of rape culture that I think deserves some reflection. The author stated that because of all the exposure to an environment where rape culture is justified, “sexism and violence against women are ‘naturalized.’” This is the last straw that always gets me. It is relieving to read that other people realize that people have been wrongly justifying their sexism against women simply because that is how things “always have been, and always will be.” You see cases in the media constantly where people make it seem like it is the fault of the nature of the female victim that caused the crime against her. I don’t even comprehend why females started to bear the shame of having sex, voluntarily or involuntarily, and not the pair that had sex. Just like it takes two people to kiss, it takes two to have intercourse or set up a case of rape culture. In other words, for every victim there is a criminal. Why do women get the shame for their sexuality and not the men with whom they had sex? I have my own opinion, or theory I should say since I am still not sure, as to why it’s women, but I feel it would be too insulting to others so I will leave it out. I also like that the author made a note of how a male politician thought he had authority to make legislation that affected women. Funny how politicians think they know everything...
Continuing on that trend, the second article I read was Some Thoughts on Slut Shaming. I will admit that before this assignment I wasn’t aware that the process of verbally degrading women because of sexuality had an actual name. I also had no idea that people put that much thought into the subject. The way both males and females casually throw words like “slut” at females made me think that no one really thought much of it. It is nice to hear that some people out there really do in fact take these things seriously. I admire the fact that the author managed to make me realize that I myself have participated in slut shaming and I am very glad she made me realize this. It is hard for a person to evaluate their own faults so it was eye-opening to have some one else call me out on something I didn’t even realize existed only a few days before (I feel like I used to live in a bubble right now). I found myself really agreeing with the author’s notion that slut shaming often results from girls wanting the approval of guys. As my psychology text book makes clear, men are more sexual creatures than women. So when the author said, “ women are encouraged, through internalized sexism, to distrust each other and fight for male approval.” I shared the author’s disgust that men would create a standard for women to be sexual and then degrade them for it. However, The author’s belief that slut shaming does absolutely no good doesn’t entirely convince me. From my experience, witnessing other girls get slut shamed has made me very self-conscious. It really depends on the type of girl your considering when trying to determine wether slut shaming would be a lesson or the opposite.
Part two:
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would like to address however, in an opposing tone, is that both of these articles were written by people who were clearly involved with sexism. This in a way hinders their arguments to a slight degree because they are nearing the extreme side of the spectrum that most Americans can’t relate to. If they had maybe been a little less emotional and let the facts stand for themselves, I think this article could affect much more people. In my opinion, the whole thing: sexism, womanism, slut shaming and rape culture, is just infuriating. The double standard held against females is especially disgusting. The worst part of it is that it takes next to no thinking to realize that there is no reason behind the double standard and yet it still prevails today and will no doubt continue for a long time. I can only hope that eventually enough people will put their heads together to see this enormous issue.
If I had to pinpoint my aggravation in reading these articles and blogs on one subject, it would be the fact that people so readily blame women for their rape. It isn’t a women’s fault for her inability to fight off an overpowering and sexually driven man and for that matter the vice versa situation for males as well. Nevertheless, I believe that people need to take precaution in the situations they tangle themselves in because though rape is not the victim’s fault, putting themselves in certain undesirable scenarios puts them at higher risk. There needs to be more done on society’s part to help those that fall prey to such heinous activity and less time spent on inflicting judgment because they “should have done more.”
DeleteTommi, you seem very passionate towards the subject even though it seems like you are daunted by the controversy. Because I am a boy and because I’m sort of apathetic towards the subject, when I read, “sexism and violence against women are ‘naturalized.’”, the opinion made sense to me at first. After I read more articles, found a side to agree with, I thought that both sexism and violence against women are never naturalized. I think that your response made a lot of sense to me because there are many people who have slut shammed and have never noticed the error that they have made. There are millions varieties of people in this world and unfortunately there are people who don’t make wise decisions and eventually get shammed in any way possible. I think that the question that you stated in your response is very imperative to the way people think about the subject. It’s very disconcerting how women are punished for the salacious acts they commit when men were equally involved. I still remember when we had the same discussion in Costal’s class last year when we were in our Scarlett Letter unit. Arthur Dimmesdale’s pillory was nothing compared to Hester’s as was Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski.
DeleteI really liked that you pointed out that people often blame women for their rape because I feel the exact same way. It is somewhat unbelievable to blame a woman for being raped, and also that women have put up with being the only ones that have a finger pointed at them for their sexual behavior for so long. You really caught my attention when you said that you disagree with the author's belief that slut-shaming is not all bad. I really didn't give much thought to how slut-shaming can have a positive impact regarding how you decide to act after witnessing slut-shaming. But after reading your response I am seeing the situation in a different light, and I realize now that we can all learn something from slut-shaming.
DeleteIn general, I agree with with your entire blog but I agree with you the most in part two. Feminism is one of those things where facts and history need to stand by themselves. Emotional manipulation has always been an effective tool in advancing ideologies, but I believe that such excessive is always detrimental to an argument. I find this to be the case quite often with feminism. It is definitely an infuriating, but such conduct is definitely unappealing. From the Rape Culture Article: “We believe that art and culture have the power to make a real difference! Against all of the media adding to the problem, we are inspired by media that fights against the culture of rape!” Such enthusiasm in the face of a serious problem seems to belittle what they are actually pushing for.
DeletePart one: In considering the subject of this blog, my gut reaction was to find out the “whys” behind such a devastated culture. I found myself reading more than just the links attached to the page, such as Huffington Post and Force. One branch of my extension in research was a book expert from “Dirty Little Secrets” broadcasted by abcNews. As we’ve all learned from history, our rights generally stop where someone else’s begin. In both the Force and the Huffington Post sexuality is identified as a personal freedom where we pursue our own truths without judgment or social policing. That being said I believe that teenage promiscuity is not about being “daring” or dressing a particular way because they can. Teenage promiscuity goes much deeper and is often about regaining power, testing allegiance, or finding self-worth. This is because we have lost sight of an absolute truth and are turning to such presentation as a means to find validation. Such apathy in identifying a moral basis is seen in a quote on the Force blog where it states, “Media imagery perpetrates rape by excusing it, validating myths about rape and/or sexualizing rape.” Unfortunately, this attitude of “anything goes” isn’t only apparent in the area of rape but throughout our entire culture as a whole. Teenage sex rarely has anything to with intimacy or sexuality. Seeing sex as a means of personal empowerment puts teens at risk for a number of potentially destructive outcomes, such as rape. We are currently experiencing a record high of teenage girls with sexually transmitted diseases. Of the 18.9 million new cases of STDs each year, 48% occur among 15-24 year olds. According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), HIV is the 6th leading cause of death among people aged 15-24 in the United States. There are other diseases listed as less serious but can contribute to infertility and cancer. Teenage pregnancy is also an ever present risk and one that is often glamorized through the media. Even if there were no health effects, sexual promiscuity has been shown to impact the delicate development of the emotional and mental health of teens. Research suggests that an adolescent’s brain, the prefrontal cortex (part of the brain responsible for judgment) develops at a rapid rate. There are in fact only two times during development that the brain is overrun with synapses; right before birth and right before puberty. At this critical time in preadolescence, the brain manufactures far more synapses than necessary. They then are used to become stronger and the extra ones are weakened and die. As a result, certain experiences become sealed in that teen’s growth, in the strong synapses. Therefore if a teen handles sex in ways that don’t get them what they really want, again and again, they are likely to damage the ability to establish meaningful connection through intimacy.
ReplyDeletePart two: The blogs and articles talk about rape culture and slut shaming in a society that values a girl getting a man’s attention to ensure her worth. This was seen in the Finally a Feminism 101 Blog where it states “Slut-shaming is one of the chief ways that women attempt to compete with each other for male approval in a patriarchy that defines women’s worth by their physical attractiveness and limits their ability to distinguish themselves by other means.” Everyone wants to feel valuable. Therefore, the subjects, theories or opinions of the articles don’t hold as much value to me because I see more value in finding the reason to believe we matter. The problems presented in these articles, such as rape and stereotypes are derived from this state of searching for a purpose. In a world of universalism, where every “why” is the same, there is no room for individuality. We are uniquely and wondrously made, with a plan and purpose. We are individuals, with specific looks, talents and attributes; this doesn’t make us less, only different. What we have to remember is who we are so as to not carry out past into our future. Whether we have gone through disease, rape, pregnancies, regret, etc, we must remember that we are loved and that will carry us through.
ReplyDeleteFrancesca, I think that your stance on the way people think they are valuable is very similar to mine because I think that people shouldn’t measure how much of a person they are by the way they sell themselves. I totally agree with you seen you stated that teenage intimacy doesn’t involve anything but foolish mistakes. Although it is disconcerting how there are thousands of people who are infected with HIV every day or teenage girls who are pregnant, as you said, maybe there is a purpose for people to be affected either or. I think that the rape situation that the rape culture brings isn’t as imperative to society as it once was. Because there are more people than there was before, the awareness of such a malicious act isn’t imperative to society as a whole because it is seen so much that it is seems casual.
DeleteWhile I have stated that the amount of sexual activity a person has does not define them, I do agree that in a general sense, the teenage people need to make sure that they are ready to have sex, and I agree even more so that teenagers in general need to be more responsible in doing it. While having multiple partners should not affect you in a social sense, it could easily affect you in a physical and mental sense if you are not ready, and nothing would destroy your reputation more than having a baby, and having AIDS doesn't do much for you either, to put it lightly. So while it should be okay to have multiple partners, it should not be okay to throw around your body with reckless abandon, especially if it is at the sake of your developing mind.
DeleteWhen I started to check the articles on the Huffington’s Post website I would have never thought that Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines song has gone extreme. I also couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the mouth opening titles on some of the articles like How to Talk to Your Sons About Robin Thicke, 'Blurred Lines' Banned By University—which is absolutely insane, and the most hilarious I have seen being, Paula Patton Reveals Whether Or Not Robin Thicke Does, In Fact, Have A 'Big D*ck'. Who would have known that Blurred Lines, the number one song of the summer, was banned in a university, talked about between parents and sons and revealed how big Robin Thicke’s penis is?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article about Blurred Lines banned from a university in England and the occurring “rape culture”, I think people should be serious about a song that shames women; especially a song that a majority of girls or women dance and sing to without knowing the literal meaning of the lyrics. It’s very interesting to see how the American song is a discussion in another country. It really shows how professional and serious people are about rape and the degradation of women; it’s not like Yale and Dartmouth have officially made cover news about banning a number one hit song. Whenever I’m in the car and Blurred Lines pops into the radio, my mom sings Blurred Lines like she’s paid to and doesn’t have a clue what the song actually means. After I read the article about the ban, I did some research on Robin Thicke’s stance on the song and Thicke’s opinion was that the song is feminist movement in itself. I have no clue how Blurred Lines is a feminist movement when the lyrics call for women to get “blasted” and assures women that they know they want “it”. Although the ambiguity of the word, “it”, isn’t certain to what Thicke or Pharrel are referring to, anyone would agree that “it” means sex or rape when Thicke sings his song in a creepy-salacious tone and repeats “I know you want it” 18 times. After reading more articles it’s obvious that there is a rape culture occurring. Songs like Blurred Lines and Give it 2 U by Robin Thicke, which is Blurred Lines 2, clearly reveal modern rape cultures that polarize the integrity of men and women.
Other than songs that degrade women, there are songs that are written by women like Roar by Katy Perry that appeal to feminism. In Katy Perry’s song, Roar, it seems that Katy Perry is trying to stand up to the man who made her feel defenseless and regaining her power. Katy Perry makes herself more powerful than the man who hurt her and the is champion by singing that she is the eye of the tiger and she’ll be heard roaring. If Roar was sung by Thicke after Blurred Lines, there would be a complete opposite reaction than being a powerful woman.
Considering the trend in rape culture, there will probably never day where men and women are viewed as humans who are equally the same. The more songs and actions there are that degrade the integrity of women, the more controversies there will be.
I had the same reaction as you when I read the two articles discussing the ban of Blurred Lines in Universities. It's actually very endearing to see that people take this subject so seriously because I know that before this assignment, I didn't really care. I, like your mom, am one of those people who sing the song without actually knowing the actual lyrics. But now I do, and now my hatred for that song only increases. In addition, I like to always think that one day men and women will be viewed equally, but that's just me wishing so. As a society we're still struggling to find equality within other cultures so what's saying that finding equality between men and women is going to be easy? It's going to to be difficult, and it may even take centuries, but I don't think men and women will forever be unequal. One day, hopefully, their will be equality between all races and all genders.
DeleteThis is so true. When a song first comes out for the most part, many people don't even know what the lyrics mean, they just sing along because the song is catchy and fun to dance to. But in reality, many of the songs these days are based on negative things such as drinking, partying, doing "it", being a slut, etc. The world needs more songs such as Katy Perry's Roar, standing up for yourself in a positive way is the better way to look at it.
DeleteWhen I read the two articles about banning Blurred Lines I thought to myself, why aren’t American universities banning it to? It’s nice to see that people do passionately care about this subject and act on it. I’ve seen posts about this song actually being related to rape on Tumblr, but I never took it seriously and I kept singing the song. Like your mom, I sing this song whenever it comes on the radio and I have no clue what it actually means. Hopefully there are songs out there that we mindlessly sing along with that actually have a good message.
DeleteI have to agree I never thought this could so far to where fathers have to talk to their sons or universities banning the song, but I don't think it should have. Yes i understand it does not have a good meaning but it was blown out of proportion by the media, everyone could have moved on.
DeleteI find it interesting that you chose to pursue the controversial music in your response. It definitely makes sense as all art reflects ideas and convictions of the artist’s culture and time period. The rape culture has definitely nestled itself into the entertainment industry. When you point out how we tend to mimic lyrics without much thought, I had a moment of deep thought. I usually take the stance that we should not let ourselves become offended, but the banning of Blurred Lines does seem justified. I’m not particularly opposed to banning anything, but I am starting to see the validity in retaliating. “Thicke's claims that the song is ‘actually a feminist movement within itself;” is just to me utterly unfounded. To me, it’s a bit of a wash. But at the end of the day, I find “Blurred Lines” to be not much more than a reflection of the unfortunate lowliness of certain people around us.
DeleteMany people, including me, have sung this ridiculous hit song Blurred Lines and not actually knew what it meant. I do agree with you that the song is completely about rape and sex and that is a serious issue. It’s telling girls that rape is okay basically when it’s really not. After reading your post on explaining why the song embodies rape I realize that it does and that’s disgusting. People out there are singing this song and not even knowing what they are singing! I now know why universities have banned this song and I agree with them on banning it.
DeleteI have to agree where you say "Who would have known that Blurred Lines, the number one song of the summer, was banned in a university, talked about between parents and sons and revealed how big Robin Thicke’s penis is?" It really is the sad truth. You never really know how much you can learn from one catchy tune over the summer until you read the lyrics, do your research, and read.
DeleteDavid you are right in the fact that Blurred line make no sense. When this song first came out I was so sure that this song would not be a number 1 hit and I was so surprise at this when it did because the whole song is ridiculous. From the way that “it” means sex or rape when Thicke sings his song in a creepy-salacious tone and repeats “I know you want it” 18 times. I am like come on people the song is catching but he is talking to girls as if they are barn animals. David your blog response and the articles that I read further support my cause that there should be more equality in our society and that more songs like roar should be made. I listen to music and I find that songs like roar, brave, and same love are songs that I love because these songs are very helpful. These songs send positive message unlike Blurred line that degrade women and say that rape is allowed.
DeletePART ONE
ReplyDeleteWoow, understanding the Subject of this blog I think is the main idea behind it. But before I address the topic, slut shaming and rape is like a line , you can never tell the beginning and the end when drawn. Slut shaming happens when a person “publicly or privately [insults] a woman because she expressed her sexuality in a way that does not conform with patriarchal expectations for women. Secretly this is a feminist blog about double standards. As far as we may have come in equality and the feminist revolution we still have many obstacles to overcome. Sex is a big one. The way men and women are judged on having sex is very different. Men can be very sexually active with multiple partners and get high-five’s from their peers. Put a woman in those shoes and she is labeled a slut. There is so much shame attached to the word slut. I think the word slut is “someone who likes to have sex and is sexually open". However by saying that, it affects everyone in general. Equality is something I hold pride in because when wears clothes exposing essential parts of her body the "slut" word becomes her first and last name, therefore how do we call boys who always have their pants down exposing their butt?
I happen to read a blog post about online "hookups.com" It was about a girl who met a guy on the "hookup Site" , on the first date not thinking twice they both had sex. To analysis how foolish the guy was he calls the girl a sloot(" online term for slut") claiming that the girl had also slept with his friend. Morally it is not right but ironically you also had sex with the same girl on the first date, so friends what makes him different? Most often the minority have little to say in most cases proving or defending oneself and this however, has somehow decreased the value of our women.With my understanding of slut shaming no Human has a right to call anyone a slut just like the lyrics of Chris Brown "dont judge me" basically check yourself before addressing people wrongly.
PART TWO
ReplyDeleteAs qualitatively established in a rape culture, people are surrounded with images,language, laws, and other everyday phenomena that validate and perpetuate, rape. Rape culture includes jokes, TV, music, advertising, legal jargon, laws, words and imagery, that make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable. Rather than viewing the culture of rape as a problem to change, people in a rape culture think about the persistence of rape as “just the way things are.” Viewing and analysising a report by Dr. Kilpatrick on the one to eight topic that appeared in woman magazine sometime ago as compared to Mary Koss a psychologist at Kent state University, The other frequently cited nongovernment rape study, the National Women's Study, was conducted by Dean Kilpatrick. From an interview sample of 4,008 women, the study projected that there were 683,000 rapes in 1990. As to prevalence, it concluded that "in America, one out of every eight adult women, or at least 12.1 million American women, has been the victim of forcible rape sometime in her lifetime."
Unlike the Koss report, which tallied rape attempts as well as rapes, the Kilpatrick study focused exclusively on rape. Interviews were conducted by phone, by female interviewers. A woman who agreed to become part of the study heard the following from the interviewer: "Women do not always report such experiences to police or discuss them with family or friends. The person making the advances isn't always a stranger, but can be a friend, boyfriend, or even a family member. Such experiences can occur anytime in a woman's life-even as a child."[27] Pointing out that she wants to hear about any such experiences "regardless of how long ago it happened or who made the advances," the interviewer proceeds to ask four questions:
Has a man or boy ever made you have sex by using force or threatening to harm you or someone close to you? Just so there is no mistake, by sex we mean putting a penis in your vagina. Has anyone ever made you have oral sex by force or threat of harm? Just so there is no mistake, by oral sex we mean that a man or boy put his penis in your mouth or somebody penetrated your vagina or anus with his mouth or tongue.Has anyone ever made you have anal sex by force or threat of harm?
Has anyone ever put fingers or objects in your vagina or anus against your will by using force or threat?Any woman who answered yes to any one of the four questions was classified as a victim of rape.This seems to be a fairly straightforward and well-designed survey that provides a window into the private horror that many women, especially very young women, experience. One of the more disturbing findings of the survey was that 61 percent of the victims said they were seventeen or younger when the rape occurred.There is, however, one flaw that affects the significance of Kilpatrick's findings. An affirmative answer to any one of the first three questions does reasonably put one in the category of rape victim. The fourth is problematic, for it includes cases in which a boy penetrated a girl with his finger, against her will, in a heavy petting situation. Certainly the boy behaved badly. But is he a rapist? Probably neither he nor his date would say so. Yet, the survey classifies him as a rapist and her as a rape victim. In conclusion, educating people, heavy fines given culprits are some of the ways to curb this action. Rape could happen to any gender but statistics show that a large percent of teenage girls get raped with regards to even attempted rapes.
Part One:
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article “Finally a Feminism 101 Blog”, slut-shaming is “the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/ or acting on sexual feelings”. Although I am against the idea of slut-shaming, I feel as though this is the “proper” definition of the term. I can’t wrap my head around attacking a woman for “acknowledging sexual feelings”. We are women, not rocks; we know what makes us hot and bothered! How is it even possible to shame someone into ignoring these feelings? Seeing as you are not in control of their thoughts, you have very limited control over their sexual thoughts. Society has let me down yet again.
The “sexual double standard” mentioned in “Finally a Feminism 101 Blog” also needs to come to a screeching halt. If men can sleep around, why can’t women? The moment a woman decides to engage in a sexual act with a second or third partner, she is automatically deemed a: slut, whore, whorianna, man-eater, tramp, tart (if you live in England), harlot, hussy, or a floozy. It bothers me that there is “‘one set of sexual rules for men and boys, and another, unequal one for women and girls’” (Finally a Feminism 101 Blog). The only rule that should exist for sex is that it must be consensual. Other than that, people should stop complaining about the sex lives of other people. Whoever your bed-buddy is for the night is none of my business and I have no right to judge you for doing something that makes you feel as though you are on the top of the world.
Not only is there slut-shaming, but there is also the existence of a rape culture. I gained knowledge of rape culture shortly after joining the social networking site, Tumblr, back in January. Prior to joining the blogging community of Tumblr, I was unaware that such a thing existed. Reading about it made me feel as though I no longer lived in such a utopic society. Rape culture occurs when “people are surrounded with images, language, laws, and other everyday phenomena that validate and perpetuate rape” (Rape Culture). Rape culture also includes “jokes, music, advertising, legal jargon, laws, words, and imagery, that make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable” (Rape Culture). I have a problem with this context of “language”. After hearing on the news that a 27 year old woman was raped, the first to come out of your mouth should never be “What was she wearing”? Now allow me to make one alteration to this statement. Instead of a 27 year old woman, the victim in question is now a four year old girl. Would you still be concerned with what she was wearing or how she carried herself prior to the attack?
Part Two:
ReplyDeleteBy implying that someone’s attire was the cause of their rape is disconcerting. It doesn’t matter what he or she was wearing. They are still the human being that was violated. This insinuation also implies that the person deserved to get raped because of their clothing. I don’t care if someone is walking through the streets of Camden completely naked, they do not deserve to be raped. Do people really have that hard of a time controlling their sexual urges that they must go out and rape someone? If your sexual appetite is in need of immediate sating, seek out a prostitute. Not only is this her job, she is consenting. The moment she says to stop, you stop.
The fact that someone would even make rape jokes is quite alarming. While watching the movie “This is The End,” I was able detect one rape joke. At the time Emma Watson was the only female in a house consisting of about six men. The men were talking about how they shouldn’t send off any strange vibes to Watson seeing as she was the only female in the house. Watson somehow managed to mishear the message and thought the men were going to rape her. A skirmish ensued and she escaped with her ax and some of their food. I’m more than sure that a much less tasteless joke could have been made. Then again, it’s not my movie and this is what they found to be laughable.
Even though I, myself, have been told that I look like a slut (purely over a pair of jeans that I chose to wear, might I add), I don’t usually think about these kinds of things. I see people wear rather revealing clothing on a day-to-day basis and it no longer fazes me. When you see someone dressed in something that you would consider provocative, just leave them alone. The fact that they are wearing a mini skirt does not make them a slut nor does it mean that they should be raped. Society needs to be more tolerant of what people want to wear instead of trying to instantly label them. No matter what society wants to say, someone is going to behave and dress in a way that pleases themselves. Society needs to see that it is acceptable for a woman to have multiple sexual partners. Society needs to see that rape culture shouldn’t exist. Society needs to realize that we are no longer in the 1930s and things are rapidly changing.
I second your opinion that the only rule about sex is that it should result from consent on both sides. Simply put, it takes two to tango so the burden of having sex should fall equally on both partners since they both should have consented to doing it. However, I disagree with you when you said "If men can sleep around, why can't women?" I feel that neither should be able to do this. Sex is an intimate thing and shouldn't be advertised as if it were an activity. I really liked your comparison of a 27 year old women and a 4 year rape victim. It is pretty effective at making the point that rape can never be considered the victim's fault. Although I don't find prostitutes to be the answer to the problem, I think they aid in promoting rape culture but I understand your point.
DeleteTo be honest, I think at one point in their life, every girl has been or will be called a "slut." So to pinpoint what line actually draws between the innocent and the scandalous is actually really difficult. However, as implied before, it's usually girls that are shamed under the label of being trashy if they have more than one sexual partner. To me, I guess this is because women were historically figures of modesty and daintiness, whose primary duties were to upkeep the household and to take care of the children (that obviously magically appeared). So when girls became known publicly sexual beings, all hell broke less and calling someone a slut was equal to putting a scarlet A on their chests.
ReplyDeleteHowever, especially amongst high school girls, calling girls sluts is a popular choice the second they swiped their vcard. Whether this is jealousy, fear, of just pure ignorance, I don't know. But in my opinion, I totally disagree with shaming girls that have done "it" with one or any number of people. Unless a girl is coming on to your dad or boyfriend, there is no reason to resent any girl having sex. Sex is a totally personal thing. It's the closest you'll ever be to another person. Who is to judge of another one's love or lust? For whatever motive any person has for doing the deed, it's nobody else's business. And it should always stay that way.
However, in the same token, with rape culture, the article provided for us stated that rape has become almost "mainstream" as a popular element in the media, and it has become a huge problem. I am in no way saying that it is a good idea to glamorize this subject at all. It is a degrading, horrifying and scarring experience that though has happened to someone very close to me, I could never fully imagine what it is like to be forced into something so personal and to some, terrifying. However, in a way, I think it's a positive thing if rape is put into media..in a positive way. When I say positive, I mean that I think it's a good thing that rape isn't a topic behind closed doors anymore. All too often are victims ashamed of themselves and too scared to speak up. I think putting these stories on television educates people, and shows even in the most fabricated stories that the victims are taken care of if they speak up, and the offender is almost put to justice. In addition, putting rape in the media sends a wakeup call to others that this is no more just something that happens every now and then, and most of the time, the victim should have been more aware of their surroundings. Rape actually happens all the time in so many forms. I hate that all too often, it's a common misconception that rape is somehow the victim's fault. Whether it's a college girl that had something slipped in her drink or someone jogging down a street, anything could happen. And for lawmakers to try to exclude some rape behavior as being acceptable and not to be punished by law is ridiculous. Anything sexually forced upon someone without their consent is rape. Though there may not sometimes be physical markings, the aftermath of the emotional scarring can be far worse than any other result, and people have to understand that. I'm sick of others claiming that the victim must have provoked or attracted the attention of a potential rapist. Honestly, I don't care if you're walking down a street naked or with a priest robe on. A person is a person, not prey and we have to stop educating others on how not to present themselves, and to start teaching people how to treat others with actual respect.
I absolutely agree with you on your opinion that girls don't deserve shame when they lose their virginity. It is going to happen eventually so why is there any shame in it? I also agree with you that sex is personal. We don't know the intimacy of other's relationships so to judge whether it is appropriate for that couple to have sex is wrong. Relationships mature at different rates just like people so there is no reason to set a general standard for when it is acceptable to have intercourse. Basically, I agree with everything that you said and I really liked the way you said "A person is a person, not prey..." I just thought that it was an effective way of phrasing the issue.
DeleteI totally agree with you Mags. Sex is something between two people and two people only. It shouldn’t be something told to everyone. It’s something personal shared between two people who love each other unconditionally (at least thats what I personally believe). But as for mindless sex, well, that too is someone elses personal choice. Anyways, I am with you and Tommi in that losing your virginity does not imply someone of being a slut. To be quite honest with you, I don’t like this whole idea of a V-card because it makes something bigger than what it is. Sure sex is this intimate thing, but this whole perception of a V-card is quite stupid to me. I personally believe that the whole idea of a V-card is just so women feel obligated to “lose it.” Women shouldn’t feel pressured to lose their virginity and it’s a shame how girls our age willingly oblige to sex just so they don’t get ridiculed for not having done so already. It’s a shame really.
DeleteI totally agree with you when you said that girls should not be shamed due to losing their virginity. It is going to happen somewhere down the line, so why give people crap about it? However, what bugs me is that some people do put their sex lives out there and yet, don’t expect to be frowned upon. Just like you, I believe that sex is a person thing between two people who love each other, so why do some people tell everyone and their mothers? Other than that, I find no reason for people to judge other people due to having sex. It is up to the couple to decide on whether or not they should take the “next step” in their relationship so they shouldn’t be judged for it.
DeleteTell them maggie. People judge all the time and its annoying. But i also agree that people shouldn't put their business out there and expect people not to react.
DeleteYou really took thoughts right out of my head in regard to the shame that girls receive when the lose their virginity. I could not agree more that sex is something totally personal between two people, and it really is not anyone's business to judge the guy or girl involved. Girls should not be deemed as sluts solely based on the fact that they lost their virginity.
DeleteMaggie, you and I are in the same boat. I don't understand why people get so much crap about losing their virginity. The fact that someone is still a virgin does not make them some kind of prize. The fact that someone is no longer a virgin does not make them a nymphomaniac! People make me so sick. It was that person's choice to consent to having relations with their partner that resulted in the loss of their virginity. I don't see why the rest of society feels the need to give their input on the sexual act. On a side note, I was rather amused by the fact that you pointed out that children magically appear. I was amused by this because I feel as though sometimes people forget that women know what sex is. Really, someone wants to call Jane Doe a slut, but say it's wonderful that she has children? Get a hold of yourself society! Sex does not equal slut. Virginity does not equate to being a saint. People need to realize this.
DeleteIt would be a good thing if rape was being talked about in the media to discuss how bad it is, and how it is an act that should never be committed but that is sadly not the case. The way rape is presented in the media today makes it seem like it's a thing that is inevitable, that it is a thing that will naturally occur. Sometimes it's not even framed as a bad thing, but as something that is actually romantic, and that's the worst thing imaginable! Being educated on what rape is and being exposed to all these images and messages of rape are not the same thing. Just showing people something is not good unless you explain- and in this case, explain why the thing is bad. Normalizing rape and getting people used to seeing it will accomplish nothing but desensitizing people to it. But I'm glad you discussed victim shaming too, because that's one of the most awful things to be confronted with in the aftermath of being raped. You're completely right when you say a person is a person- it shouldn't matter if they were walking around naked or wearing six different layers. No one has a right to force themselves upon another, no matter the circumstances. And teaching people to treat others with respect is the only surefire solution, as you said. Teaching girls how to protect themselves will do nothing to stop the men out there who rape women- until those men themselves are targeted and educated, nothing will change.
DeleteYour beginning paragraph is perfect. Once it was out that girls had a choice to who they wanted to sleep with, all hell broke loose. I feel like men created the term to keep women loyal to only them and make them feel ashamed of desiring sex, or even having control over their lives.
DeleteI agree with you sentiment that sex is personal and we shouldn't be judged when we do it with someone because really its no one else's business. No one else having sex isn't affecting your life unless that person is a home wrecker but in any other case its best to leave the personal things like sex to that person because no one should be judged for doing something completely natural.
DeletePart 1: I’ve always found it comical how when men are known to be sexually active everyone praises them, yet when women are even rumored to be sexually active it suddenly makes them trashy, slutty, whore-ish, you name it. What’s even more appalling is how this opinion on sexually active women is given mostly from other women! For example, in Oakcrest specifically, I can’t even put a number on the amount of times I’ve heard someone call a girl a slut whether the person was being serious or just joking around. I’m not going to lie to you and say that I’ve never been called a slut or that I’ve never called someone else a slut, because I have. It wasn’t even until I read the article, “FAQ: What is “slut shaming”?” that I actually knew there was a term for calling someone derogatory words based on a woman’s private or public display of her sexuality and that I was participating in something that only produced negative outcomes. What upsets me more is this idea of women not being able to acknowledge their sexual feelings in fear of being slut shamed. Why do men get to freely express their sexuality yet when women do the outcome isn’t the same? This sexual double standard is stupid and down right sexist. I’m not promoting women or men publicly announce their sexual lives but if it’s publicly acceptable for men to be sexually active, why is it such a crime for women to be so as well? Why is it okay for men to sleep around but it’s as if someone killed a baby if a woman is? To clarify, I don’t think it’s okay for ANYONE to be sleeping around, but I do believe that it’s unjust that women get the rough end of the stick in a situation where both genders participate in. I really enjoyed the “Finally, A Feminism 101 Blog” because it gave out really useful and informative information in an easy and understandable way. The authors took the topic and separated it into effective sections in which they explained slut shaming, what causes slut shaming, and the effects of slut shaming. They not only stated their opinions but also took text from others who’ve discussed the topic at hand. I’m speaking in a biased point of view seeing as I am a bit of a feminist as well, but I 100% agreed with all their points. If you guys haven’t read it, you really should.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! This is sexist because guys can do what they want and get clapped up!
DeleteWhile I may not have stated it on my blog, I think I have an idea as to why slut shaming is such a weighty and negative thing. While you, I, and anyone who happens to be reading this know your sexual history does not determine who you are as a person, and a sexually active woman theoretically is just as respectable as one less so, its sort of like a law of averages thing. It's not that sleeping with a lot of guys makes you trashy, same as not doing so doesn't, but on average, people who are less sophisticated and interesting of people tend to either have an extensive sexual history, or like to make people believe that they do, while the more refined individuals tend to have a more conservative approach on the action. Now, that being said, the fact that sleeping with a lot of people isn't what makes you disliked, its the fact that you happen to share that certain interest with people that are not entirely savory, and by extension, are considered in the same boat as the unsavory people that also share the conservative approach. No one wants to be trashy, and while I don't do it myself, and the number is dwindling in my opinion, people still happen to lump sexual activity into the trashy pile. It sucks, I know, but I just thought that I'd give my insight on the topic.
DeletePart 2: Continuing on, while I was reading from the selection of articles that talked about the controversy that is Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as much as I did when I read the two articles “‘Blurred Lines’ Banned by University” and “‘Blurred Lines’ Banned by Student Union”. I still can’t wrap the idea of schools actually banning a song from campus out of my head. What first came to mind was, 1.) they can do that?! and 2.) wait, I don’t even actually know what the lyrics to Blurred Lines are. Have you ever heard a song that was just really catchy and whether you liked it or hated it, you always found yourself singing along to it? Yeah, that was Blurred Lines. I hate Blurred Lines, hate it, hate it, hate it. It is probably the most annoying song in the world next to Call Me Maybe, but if I hear any of those two songs on the radio, I’ll probably be singing along to it with my tone deaf self. I know all the lyrics when I sing it, but other than that I’m just speaking a bunch of words that I had no idea made a demeaning attack towards women. Anyways, when I read those two articles I decided to go on Youtube and type up “Blurred Lines with Lyrics”. After spending 4 minutes and 25 seconds reading/ listening to the song, my jaw was literally on the floor. You’re all probably going to laugh at me, but I honestly didn’t know I was actually singing those demeaning lyrics. When I saw/ heard, “tried to domesticate ya, but you’re an animal” steam was coming from my ears. WE ARE NOT ANIMALS WE ARE PEOPLE AND WE HAVE FEELINGS. Those lyrics really stuck out to me because it just sounds so dirty and so wrong and just plain disrespectful. And in the article “‘Blurred Lines’ Banned by Leeds University for Undermining Women, it said that “I know you want it” was said 18 times in the song. So me, being the person that I am, decided to spend yet another agonizing 4 minutes and 25 seconds listening to the song and tallying the number of times it said “I know you want it.” Wanna know how many times I heard it? 18. I heard those creepy words 18 times and when I found out that “I know you want it” is said by rapists to their victims, chills went up and down my arms. I would never ever ever want to be in a situation like that and it must be horrific for girls who have been raped to have to hear those words constantly seeing as Blurred Lines is played on the radio every 10 seconds. These articles about Blurred Lines just really opened my eyes and ears for that matter. To me, the song was just yet annoying painful, irritating song to listen to. I never really knew that the song was demeaning to women until now. It’s a shame really. Music is known as the “universal language” and it’s disgusting to see that that is what music producers are portraying to the media. Artists have so much influence on the world, yet they use this power to promote things such as drugs and alcohol. Not all artists do this, but wouldn’t it be nice if all singers and songwriters made music about world peace, equality, etc.? It’s a nice thought, but at the end of the day, most artists just think about how much money they’ll get.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, this blog post was really fun to do, surprisingly. I really enjoyed all the articles I read and it was nice to talk about a topic not commonly discussed. I think that we’ve always known about the sexual double standard but it’s refreshing to see that people are taking action against it. I know this blog post is very biased seeing as I’m a bit of a feminist, but I think most people can relate in that everyone has been a victim of sexism. Slut shaming is just another branch of the wicked tree that is sexism.
I didn’t actually watch the VMA’s this year mostly because they always contain vulgar, gross types of performances. Lady Gaga’s performance two years ago was what really made me not want to watch the VMA’s anymore. When I heard about Miley Cyrus’s performance at this year’s VMA’s all over twitter, instagram, facebook, television, and the radio, I had to watch it. Let me just say I was not pleased by what I saw. It was really disgusting to say the least. I read the article, Robin Thicke Was Only The 'Twerkee', and I was very surprised. I thought VMA performances had a practice run before the actual VMA’s. Robin Thicke claimed that he didn’t know Miley was going to “twerk” on him. I do think he knew Miley was going to do this and considering he’s the one that’s married, he shouldn’t have let it happen. Not to mention this performance put a negative connotation to the song “Blurred Lines.” Prior to watching this performance and reading this article I thought that the song was very catchy, but now I believe that this song is giving off the wrong message to everyone that listens to it.
ReplyDeleteThe next article I read I thought was the most interesting one, the article on slut-shaming. I never knew what slut-shaming meant, I’ve never even really heard the word slut-shaming used. The word “slut” is just thrown around these days as if it means nothing, and this article really explained what being called a slut actually means. The article defines slut-shaming as “the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/or acting on sexual feelings.” With that being said many girls are falsely accused of being sluts. Some girls call their friends sluts and think it’s funny and cool but in reality it’s actually a really horrible thing to be called. Girls should be ashamed to be called a slut. On the other hand, the girls that actually embody the meaning of the word slut carry it around like they are proud of it. The article explains that society disapproves of being a slut and that she should feel guilty and inferior for being called a slut. But girls usually do not feel guilty or inferior when called a slut. Going back to Miley Cyrus’s VMA performance, she acted very sexual in her this performance and she showed that it is ok to act this way. Personally I believe that this behavior is not right, especially for someone that is looked up to as a role model for so many young girls. She was criticized or slut-shamed by many people after this performance. Miley didn’t care what others thought of her but she really should have been ashamed. Acting this way should not be looked at positively.
i completly had ther same reaction to the VMAS and i agree with you 100%. I do strongly believe girls are falsly accused as well!
DeleteKassidy, this pretty much sums up a good view on the VMAs and Miley Cyrus. In my view Miley being known as Hannah Montana, was a beautiful role model for young girls, after the show her whole presentation changed and sadly performs in ways not good for little girls to view. As for the slut shaming, very true! Many girls get called sluts as a joke but really people should be ashamed if called a slut, its not something to be proud of.
DeleteI agree considering that Miley used to be a role model for young girls she shouldn't have behaved the way she did. The same can be said about Robin Thicke however, the controversy surrounding blurred lines was brought to my attention before the VMAs. In fact, in some people's minds the song is about rape and the video not much better. The incident with Miley Cyrus ultimately just added another strike to the song although it is very catchy.
DeleteCan I take a moment to say how much I hate that definition of slut? It's something a lot of people quoted, but my mind is only putting it into words after reading your post. It's ridiculous. It encompasses more than half of all females in high school and up, and it's partially because of how biology and hormones work. Damn. And while I do agree with you that being called a slut is something some girls are proud of for no good reason, one possible difference between the two of us is that you said girls should be ashamed to be called sluts. And you're right. It's certainly no compliment. But it's my own issue that I've just never really considered it a female-only term. And while she was being overly sexual, she was just performing like anyone else, though I'm not saying it's okay for her to act that way with the love she gets from young girls that love Hannah Montana. Celebrities have something of a duty to the public even if they don't ask for it, and we know it's impossible to ask her to stay her young and innocent old self, but it's hard for us not to. She wants to break away from the childish image of herself that has maintained even more than she has already, and while it's understandable it's still disappointing.
DeleteTo begin I would like to say that this topic is and will forever be a controversy. Everybody is allowed to have their opinion it is our first Amendment. Though we have this right I also feel that everybody should keep their opinions to themselves if it has anything to do with judging somebody. When it comes to name calling, I am completely against it. I am a strong believer on “treat others the way you want to be treated.” What does slut mean? I never knew until I read the article. the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/or acting on sexual feelings.” With that being said we all know people have been called a “slut” or have called other people a “slut”. It doesn’t feel good. A problem in our society now a days are girls being called sluts by guys but when a guy hooks up with a bunch of girls he is praised while the girls are looked down upon. If I’m being honest I have respect for people who aren’t so open about their relationship. I love the couples that don’t show much PDA in public and can keep their relationship and wishes to themselves. I find it trashy when either girls or guys “brag” or tell the world about what they do, or how they do “it” or how many times they have done these things. I will never be the person who will judge a person for what they have done or are planning on doing but do not come to me and attempt to tell me how to do things with my relationship etc. Now onto the VMAs. I hated them. I specifically hated Miley’s Performance. I think that it came off very trashy. I think this mostly because Robin Thicke has been married for a long time and also has children who were all watching at the time. I found it very disrespectful. But now that I think about it…it went along with what the song represented. Here is a guy who has a wife and kids and is singing a song about “what hymns with hug me?” No it is not bug me or mug me. Yeah I love this song because I love to dance and it gets me up and ready to go but I think this song represents our society in a negative way. There are a lot of songs and artists that are very catchy but what they represent are controversy views. At the end of this performance Miley will be called a slut but what would Robin Thicke be called? An artist who “had no idea” she was going to perform the way she did. What is wrong with this picture? This is going to come off biased but I don’t think women and men are treated equal when it comes to these views and we should all take a look at ourselves and become equilibrium
ReplyDeleteI have to say this is pretty true. Guys don't get shamed for hooking up with more than one girl at a time, but girls get looked down upon. Miley is seen now after the VMAs performance as many different negative things, and Robin Thicke comes off as the innocent one that didn't know what was going on.
DeleteI agree with you when you say that you are a strong believer in treating each other the way you want to be treated, and that it is wrong to voice your opinion when it comes to judging someone because everyone has the right to be who they want to be.
DeleteIt is pretty ridiculous how people are still talking about Robin Thicke in a positive way and saying how awesome of an artist he is. When on the other hand people are shaming Miley for what she did. It's such a double standard. With us, with adults, with celebrities. If guys were put into our shoes for how we were treated with sexual things and sexual connotations the would completely understand where we come from with all of our frustrations.
DeleteDom I have to say I agree with everything you wrote on your post. I agree with the fact that I don’t really like public relationship since I am like people don’t want to know what happen to you or what you did”. I also agree that man and women aren’t equal because if you look Miley is getting the treated worst more than robin thicke and this is because of the inequalities presented by rape culture and slut shaming. It shouldn’t be this way because Robin is as guilty as Miley and yet miley is the one in trouble. I can only hope that in the near future we would stop rape culture and slut shaming.
DeleteIt's frustrating to know that gender equality is non-existant. A confident girl can't express herself in a promiscuous way without someone calling her a slut while guys receive very little criticisms on their sexual relations. The fact that Miley is being shamed for her sexual attire and behavior while Robin is being praised for a song about rape is quite baffling. A woman's image no matter how sexual does not harm anyone. However, promoting rape and verbal harassment through a catchy song will make guys think that it's okay to do the same thing to girls on the street. This leads to an increase in rape crimes which can both physically and mentally harm a person forever.
DeletePart One:
ReplyDeleteTo start off, I would like to thoroughly express my disgust with the utter ignorance of our society, and how that ignorance has perpetuated countless disgusting habits that hardly anyone ever gives a second thought to. And in saying this, I am in no way excluding myself. But I think that I speak for all of us when I say that it is close to IMPOSSIBLE to simply walk through the hallways of our high school and not hear the word ‘slut’ or ‘whore’ thrown around with absolutely no regard to the immense meaning behind those words. Best friends refer to one another as ‘my slut’ or ‘this hoe’ constantly, it has become somewhat of a cute little pet name that we label each other without ever stopping to give thought to what it really means to call someone a slut. After reading the articles Understanding Rape Culture and Some Thoughts on Slut Shaming my eyes have really been opened, more so than they ever had been before, to the serious issues surrounding our society on the topic of rape culture and slut-shaming.
The Understanding Rape Culture article pointed out something that really struck me, and that was that “Rather than viewing the culture of rape as a problem to change, people in a rape culture think about the persistence of rape as “just the way things are.”” This is a huge problem, we should absolutely not just accept rape as something inevitable purely based on the idea that “sexism and violence against women are ‘naturalized’”. I do not believe that enough consideration is given to the seriousness of rape and how traumatically it affects a woman that has been raped for the rest of her life. It is not just a diminutive incident that one eventually gets over, it takes years of coping and therapy often times to recover from the tragedy of being raped. And yet our society deems it as an ‘inevitable’ act because sexism against women has been a problem that we have faced for centuries. And even worse than that, women are often times blamed for rape incidents on the basis of their expression of their sexuality, almost as if it were a ‘you were asking for it’ sort of situation. That notion is absolutely horrifying to me, and along with that I am also dumbfounded as to why women have for so long put up with the shaming of having sex and have not directed attention to their male sexual partners.
And that idea brings me to the second article that I read which was the Thoughts on Slut Shaming article. There were so many aspects of this article that grabbed my attention that I truly don’t know where to begin, but I think that I will start with talking about the ridiculous double standard that surrounds the sexual behaviors of men versus women. The article stated “there has been and continues to be a clear sexual double standard — meaning “that there is one set of sexual rules for men and boys, and another, unequal one for women and girls.” I feel as though I have made this point until I have been blue in the face countless times and nothing I say ever causes the slightest change within simply my fellow Oakcrest peers. It is very clear that if a guy walks into a room and tells his friends that he ‘got some’ over the weekend he will be showered with high fives and praise. But god forbid if anyone finds out about the girl that he had sex with, she will be ridiculed and deemed as a ‘slut’ by both boys and girls. And trust me I know that the world is not a fair place, but that double standard is deserving of a much more powerful word than unfair. Why is it that we allow this to continue? Why don’t men receive any of the shame and ridicule that women are burdened with constantly? I cannot think of a suitable answer, and it makes me really upset to say that I do not see an end in sight for this situation.
Part Two:
ReplyDeleteHave I ever been called a slut? Yes, many times. Have I ever called another girl a slut? Yes I have. But I never knew until reading this article that ‘slut-shaming’ was the term used to describe “when a person publicly or privately insults a woman because she expressed her sexuality in a way that does not conform with patriarchal expectations for women.” As I stated earlier in my response, the term ‘slut’ is thrown around amongst girls constantly. I don’t think I have ever made it through a day of high school without hearing that word or saying it at least once. And truthfully I have become numb to it, the word ‘slut’ almost draws no reaction from me anymore, and that is a serious problem. It is so overused that it has become ridiculous, we don’t even reference in terms of someone who is actually slutty anymore! But honestly, who are we to judge anyone else regarding their sexual behavior? Whether it is out of jealousy, or simply just ignorance, it is not anyone’s business to judge a girl based on whether or not she is a virgin. Virginity is extremely personal and in most cases it is a deliberate choice made by a girl whether or not she wants to engage in sexual intercourse. It may not always be the best decision, and there are certain cases where girls are pressured into sex or feel that they need to do it for whatever reason. But no matter what the situation, it is no right of any other girl, or guy to say anything negative about someone because they are no longer a virgin.
The slut-shaming phenomenon is so contradictory, not only are women the target of slut-shaming, but we are also major perpetrators of it. The author of the article expressed that slut-shaming amongst women stems from their desire to gain the approval of men, and said something that I found very interesting, and that was “When a culture simultaneously glorifies both “modesty” and “raunch” — hailing both as a way to be a “proper” woman — the women who live in said culture are going to internalize the contradictory messages. So it should come as no surprise that many women both attack the “slut” while trying to be one.” So in reality, we have created a world in which the standard is for women to act in a slutty way, and then we bash them for doing so.
All in all sexism against women and slut-shaming are extremely complex and contradictory. It is hard for me to wrap my head around these two ideas sometimes because they really do not make any sense. I wish that I could find a way to change the way that society works, but for now all I can think of to do is focus on myself, and try not to allow myself to fall into the traps of slut-shaming and falling into the conventions of rape culture.
I'm glad that you talked about how women are a major source of slut-shaming ourselves, even though we are usually the targets ourselves. Women are so often turned against each other when they should be working together because in most cases they will be the only ones who understand the struggles and be there for support. I don't think slut-shaming for women is necessarily a bid to gain the approval of a man but more so a way of thinking that was ingrained into us by society. We are taught to think as everyone else does, and so we look down on women who are very open in their sexuality despite often being victims of that same critical gaze ourselves. Women can be sexist towards other women, which is extremely unfortunate. Society teaches girls that they are in competition with each other (usually for boys, because of course that's what we should center our lives around) and in essence we are being taught to turn against the people who should be our best allies. This is why it makes me so sad when I hear girls say 'I hate other girls' or call them bitches, or skanks, or whores. If women can't respect each other than how can we ever expect different groups to do so?
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DeleteI like that you brought up a point I forgot to mention in my post. Saying the word slut was a coming thing for me, I didn't think twice when I used it to describe someone but after reading the slut shaming a article I had the same reaction as you
DeleteYour contemplation about the usage of the word “slut” is very insightful. It takes a lot of humility to admit to the casual usage of the word and then to own to the fact that it is not particularly right to do so. The Slut Shaming Article: “Most of us recognize that this stigma is unjust and unwarranted. Yet we have used the “slut” insult anyway: Our social conditioning runs too deep.” Seems to be only true in part. I think it’s very important that you related this in terms of high school culture because it seems to me that people rather think this generation is rather more or less “sluttier.” Because of this, your insight on the up and coming generation is an indirect confirmation that slut shaming will continue to be a cultural phenomenon.
DeleteJasmine, indeed it takes two to have sex and the minority in this case the woman can not be blamed for any problems attached to it. This however I agree but the fact that Men sleep around does not mean women could walk around sleeping with other men. Two wrongs dont make a right. I liked your passion exhibited in slut shaming and rape. Good job.
ReplyDeletehi Bryanna, many times we call ourselves victims of an abuse and may others but you have made me understand that we make the calls ourselves because we have refused to set good example and I completely agree with you; we all use mean words and two wrongs dont make a right. Totally, I have approximately nothing to disagree. good job.
ReplyDeleteDom,I have the same thoughts as to this topic. it annoying when people treat others with less thoughts on how bad the person is affected. These same people want to be treated like kings and queens.I like your thoughts also on the Miley cyrus performance, I think it was disgraceful because my little cousins use to love her. Good job.
ReplyDeleteThe world today likes to think that men and women are treated/viewed equally, but we’re wrong. Have you ever heard any man be called a slut? I don’t think so. Why are men praised when they’re called “players” and yet women are frowned upon when they’re called “sluts?” This is because of a sexual double standard, which the article “FAQ: What is “slut-shaming?”” described as having one set of sexual rules for men and boys, and another, unequal one for women and girls.” The word “slut” is not something that should be thrown around and joked around with, but the society does do it. I believe that every girl has been called a “slut,” whether it is a joke or not. It’s a common word that you hear around the halls of Oakcrest and it’d be hypocritical of me to say that I’ve never called anyone a “slut” as a joke. However, I was never aware of the term slut-shaming and never even knew it existed, but I am ashamed that I was part of something like this. No, I don’t think that ANYONE should be sleeping around and have more than one sexual partner, but I do think that women should not be unfairly judged of their actions due to their gender.
ReplyDeleteIn today’s world, girls are called sluts for having sex with their boyfriend, and yet, boys never get any criticism. Sex is a personal action between two people and we will do “it” with our significant other somewhere down the line. It’s a way for couples to feel closer to each other and I don’t think that girls should be judged due to this. However, I do have a problem with people that just openly discuss their sex lives and do “it” with more than just person. I know that we shouldn’t judge, but I’ve always thought of sex as something to sort of strengthen the connection between people that are in a relationship. You should not be talking about a personal experience and should never do “it” with anyone else if you’re in a committed relationship.
Sex is something that occurs between two people that give consent to do the deed and is something that is normal and will occur to people some times in their life. However, rape is not normal and the fact that people think it’s normal is appalling. Rape is the act of sex without the proper consent of one person and it’s something that should not be called normal. It is a horrifying experience that could leave victims traumatized and such a despicable act should never be called normal. I could never imagine the fear the victims feel to be forced to perform such a personal act. The fact that the media has made rape seem “mainstream” is horrible. It’s awful that one of the top songs of the summer, Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, is actually one about rape. When I first read the article “Paula Patton Talks Robin Thicke’s ‘Big D*ck’ In Glamour Magazine,” I laughed and thought, “What the heck could this article possibly be about?” However, I never expected that this article would reveal a screenshot of the music video of the song, which showed that the music video has a giant balloon sculpture that said “Robin Thicke has a big d*ck.” I didn’t believe it, but I decided to skip to around the music video and was quite surprised to see that it was actually in the music video. I’ve seen articles about Blurred Lines being banned before, but since it was through Tumblr, I never believed it. However, the article in the Huffington Post, “’Blurred Lines’ banned By University Student Union” proved to me that it was true. It’s a shame that such a popular song that could leave an impact on people would actually promote non-consensual sex. Music has so much influence in today’s world and it’s a shame that they’re using it to promote horrible acts. Men and women should be treated equally and evil acts, such as rape should never become part of the norm.
I completely agree men and women should be created equal and it is wrong for someone to call a woman a slut but praise a man for having the same actions.
DeleteDani, I agree with you that people shouldn't be sleeping around, however I cannot control the actions of other people. If people are going to have sex with different people every night, I can't stop them. People also need to stop shaming women for having sex. It's not a solo act, if you really feel as though you must shame the woman, shame the man as well. He was there being an active participant. Even better, let's not shame at all. I also have a problem with people discussing their sex lives with me. If someone comes up to me and tells me that there first time was wonderful, then I will congratulate them. However, I find it to be disturbing that you would want to discuss every sexual encounter with me. I knew someone like this; I congratulated the person on their first time and said that it sounded sweet. The next thing I know, I'm being told about how wonderful the touch of their partner feels on EVERY SINGLE EONCOUNTER. We would start of talking about school or general life and it would always end up with the person speaking about the night before. Keep that intimacy between you and your partner. Don't put me in the middle!
DeleteI’ve never had someone agree with me on this subject before! I agree that women are criticized for having sex and men are praised for it and that’s just not right. I also believe that sex isn’t something people should boast about and tell people about. It’s something that’s personal that shouldn’t be shared with the world. Too many people in the world think that rape is okay mostly because of music on this topic. For example the song Blurred Lines, because of this song and other songs people think sex and rape is totally fine. It appalls me that even young children are singing this horrible song. You are right though; no one should think that rape is okay, it’s a serious crime.
DeleteI'm glad someone else is angered by the hypocritical society we seem to live in. Men and women should be equal in everything, including punishment. Although, I have heard men be called man sluts or an equivalent by others. i have even described guys like that when i hear that they go from girl to girl.It is just not as prevalent as women being called that, which is where the problem lies.
DeleteYou’re right with the fact that girls shouldn’t be criticized for having sex while boys are never bothered. It’s not right that boys aren’t included. But to boast and talk about your sex life is something that’s a personal thing reserved to stay and be shared with your partner, not with people around you.
DeleteThere were a few articles that really grabbed my attention, the first of which would be FAQ: What is “slut-shaming”? This article opened my eyes to a whole new topic that I had no idea existed, I knew that people were called sluts, rude comments were made, and people shared opinions but not to an extent of it being a culture. The article gives the definition of slut shaming also known as slut bashing when a woman is attacked for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging and/or acting on those feelings. I for one think this is very wrong, it is so because no one should have to feel down, bad about themselves, or in fear of being criticized for who they are. It is wrong for someone to tell another who embraces their sexuality that they are wrong or are a slut and in a metaphorical way punishing them for doing what they do, people should be who they are without anyone there to put negative thoughts in another’s head. As the article goes on it speaks about the double standard, having one set of rules for men and another for the women. The quote “men are allowed to engage in sexual coitus for any reason-women only if in love or engaged” (Tanenbaum 58), really got to me. This quote got me a little agitated because there are plenty of men who sleep around and rarely ever get criticized and sometimes they are even celebratory over the manor but for a woman she will get criticized right away. These women are being punished for having the same actions as some men yet they are the ones to be punished, the same actions should have the same consequences. Furthermore the article speaks of women as being the perpetrators, this means the women are the ones doing it which is even worse in my opinion because it is easier for a woman to relate to another women and when someone is being called nasty words it makes them feel bad and people should think about how they would want to be treated especially if that woman will go and be a “slut” herself not too long after. Finally the article talks about the effects of slut-shaming, it is basically bulling and it can alter a woman’s view of herself forever and make her a total different person because she is deemed unworthy and she is shamed which is a very sad and tough thing to go through.
ReplyDeleteThe second article, Robin Thicke Was Only The 'Twerkee' by the Huffington Post, was a little bit agitating to me also because he put all of the blame on Cyrus. Thicke blamed the performance on Cyrus saying that he was looking up and he wasn’t paying attention to anything but singing. The reality of it is though as much as he wants to believe he was not into any of that kind of stuff he was just as much a part of that performance as she was, but the majority of people only mention how Cyrus was acting as if Thicke was not even a part of the performance, but he should get just as much blame, and be criticized just as Cyrus has. The final article She's Just Being Miley by Chris Sosa, initially had agitated me because I judged a book by its cover I assumed it was another thing about Cyrus and her antics. I was wrong though the article actually condoned her, it spoke about how she is better to have around. I believe this because although, some people may go as far as to say she is disturbed, it is necessary to have some disruption to our society and something to dwell on because if not the world would be a very boring place, not everyone is the same and people have to remember that and stop judging or being hateful towards another because they do not have the same beliefs.
Rape culture, slut-shaming, sexism in general.... these are all things I'm very familiar with as a female. Ever since I became familiar with these terms it was depressingly easy to find instances of this sort of hatred and disrespect towards women every single day. I see it all the time in the halls of Oakcrest, and online, and in the news. People love to claim that everyone is equal in this day and age, but the sad truth is is that so many groups that were traditionally 'minorities' are still being treated terribly. Women are no exception to this. I mean, the whole controversy over 'Blurred Lines' and how it practically screams rape is not an exception to the rule but rather the norm. When a song like that can reach the top of the charts, it doesn't matter how catchy it is, that should be a major indicator that something is wrong. 'Blurred Lines' is just proof that rape culture is a real and serious problem in the world, and it's a problem that isn't going to go away if we just ignore it or pretend like it's alright. I mean we have people out there who use 'rape' in such a way that seems to take away the literal meaning of the word and the awful reality of what rape is and make it a joke. You can hear kids online saying 'you totally raped me in that game!' and laugh about it. The article on rape culture states it nicely: 'that violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable'. When you misuse the term rape and turn it into a joke, that's perpetuating rape culture. When you blame the victim for getting raped, that's perpetuating rape culture. It's absolutely disgusting how accepted rape is, how it's considered a natural things that because men can't help themselves. Of course, it's important to know that rape can happen to anyone whether it is a man raping a woman, or a man raping a man, or a woman raping a man, and so on. But the fact is that woman are the number one victims of unwanted sexual advances and assaults. And you know why this is? Because media is sending the message that all women are good for is sex objects; everywhere you turn they are sending the message that a woman is only useful for looking pretty. I mean, what do they women do in the 'Blurred Lines' video? They are essentially props that stand there while the men do various things; their only purpose is to be sexy. Robin Thicke trying to defend himself by saying his song has some sort of feminist meaning is ridiculous! You only have to look at the video for the song to see that's a complete lie. As Lauren Cahn's article so nicely put's it, 'the video is basically four and a half minutes of sartorially-challenged middle-aged dudes spewing those inanities at every set of breasts, butt cheeks, lips and hair that go by'.
ReplyDelete(part 1)
(part 2)
ReplyDeleteThe number one thing about this whole rape culture thing that infuriates me the most is victim blaming, though. Whenever a girl gets raped the first thing people always want to know is 'what was she wearing?'. As if a woman's clothing choices somehow make it alright that they got raped! Because of course they wanted it (as Robin Thicke would put it) if they went out wearing that short skirt. Because of course women do every single thing for men, with men in mind! It's disgusting that anyone can think rape is justifiable because a woman was dressing in a way they might deem provactative or a bit skimpy. If men can't control themselves when they see a flash of bare legs, isn't that their problem? I seriously felt like screaming when I was reading an article the other day about a highschool girl who had been raped by a popular member of the football team, how the whole thing was caught on film, and then the girl was the one who got kicked out of the school. The girl was the one who ended up hated by her peers, and how she was getting shit for having the courage to talk up about the event. It's beyond horrifying to know that I live in a society where it is not the victim who will be protected but the rapist. It is sickening to think that if I got raped, there is a strong possibility that even if I did tell someone they might not even believe me. People like to say that tons of women every year make 'fake rape claims' or something but this is such a rare occurrence I can never understand why people seem to think this is a widespread thing. When you come out about being raped it's not an easy thing for the victim; going to court to face your rapist is just dredging up all the old trauma. No one claims to be raped just for fun because society treats victims of rape like absolute shit. You're always the one in the wrong, it's always your fault somehow that you got raped. Or it might be something like 'how can we be sure it's rape, what if you enjoyed it'? People sit around debating what rape really is like they're some big important intellectuals; they lay down laws like 'you can't be raped by your spouse' or 'if you said yes while drunk that counts as consent'. But rape is rape; people need to stop questioning the victims and just believe them! People need to be there to support them and tell them what they went through was awful, and that the person who did it to them would be punished. But this so rarely happens that many people are left suffering from something that shouldn't be happening in the first place. As long as rape culture exists the problem will not go away; if society continues to normalize rape and turn the blind eye then people will just continue to do it.
(part 3)
ReplyDeleteSlut shaming is another pervasive problem in our society. Arguably the United States is a very 'sexually liberated' country but women are still continuously shamed for liking sex or enjoying sex. Society tells women that they should be pure and virginal- this is the ideal women. Women aren't supposed to enjoy sex themselves, but only be used by men for enjoyment. So that's why people get disgusted or angry when they see a women who is comfortable expressing her sexuality or just appears that way. People yell at them to 'have some self-respect!'. But the thing is, self-respect isn't about anything other than respecting your own actions. You can pose topless for a camera and still respect yourself very much. People need to stop trying to police other's actions, especially with women. A lot of the negative response to Miley Cyrus's performance at the VMAs was a direct example of slut shaming. People didn't want a girl preforming in such a raunchy and sexual way, especially not one who was a role model to kids in her early years as a star. But honestly, Miley doesn't owe them anything- she can present herself however she well chooses, even if the whole image she's giving off is a bit hard to swallow. There are other more legitimate things to be criticizing about her performance than the rather sexual nature of it, anyway. The whole twerking thing is something she should be called out on, because when people other than Africans or African-Americans start twerking its cultural appropriation at its best. Miley Cyrus has done a lot of questionable things and said a lot of nasty stuff about other groups but the whole sex thing is not something she should be getting the most complaints over. Another thing about the whole controversy that's surrounding the VMAs that ticks me off is how Miley is the one people are getting angry at in the whole 'grinding up against Robin Thicke' fiasco. It's just another example of how society is quick to blame then woman instead of the man involved- shouldn't Robin Thicke, the married man, be just as much to blame if not more so for participating in this whole grinding with Miley Cyrus thing? All the things that have been going down with 'Blurred Lines' and Miley Cyrus is just like watching all the problems in our society in regards to women just play out in one terrible stage performance I never really wanted to see. Stuff like this is just going to keep happening- songs like 'Blurred Lines' are going to keep being written and people are going to keep shaming women for expressing themselves in a sexual way unless we actually talk about the problems and tackle them head-on. The message needs to be put out there that rape is definitely not ok and that people can't get away with it. People need to simply start respecting women more, and respect the choices women make and stop thinking they should have some sort of power over them. But this seems like it's too much to ask because there is no real attempt to change.
Well, I think you and I would both agree that we do not see eye to eye on a lot of these things. I will agree with you steadfastly on the fact that women deserve respect, and even moreso, deserve equal treatment in all senses. I also agree with you that rape is an awful thing, and there should be more done to stop it. But I will disagree in the sense that false rape is not as big of a deal as it may seem. While it may not be staggering, at the very least, 1 out of every 100 rape claims are fake on the part of the female, with the average set at 8 percent of them being false per year. This isn't even including the claims where the men are still convicted despite the claim not even being truthful. The fact that a fake rape claim could be easily brought to court, and even have the accused get convicted only shows that rape really isn't as downplayed as it is let on to be. The fact that that girl got kicked out of school is less of a fault of the patriarchy and more of a fault by the school system, who has had a bass ackward system of justice since the very invention of the school system. In a place where the bullies and tyrants can also happen to be the ones with the most connections and popularity exemplifies this. Now with the whole Robin Thicke fiasco, which I tried to stay away from, mostly because I have not listened to the song, and could live a full and happy life nodoing so. But in the case of Miley twerking on Robin, in the rehearsals, that was a choreographed part of the act, his wife saw it and even sanctioned it happening. So that leaves Miley. While you seemed to be completely against women being objectified, you seemed to be perfectly fine with a woman rubbing her junk on a foam finger and rubbing her butt all over a guy, on national television, which I do agree is an unsavory thing for both parties, I was just sorting out the whole married man thing. I don't even need to objectify Miley, she has done a rather good job of it herself because she put herself out there, as, not necessarily a slut, but as a trashy girl, on live tv, showing not even the slightest modicum of class. Regardless of her promiscuity, her behavior was downright deplorable for the audience she had, including children and impressionable teenagers, who think that it is now okay to do those things because they saw Hannah Montana doing them. Somewhere in the distance Billy Ray Cyrus was sobbing, afflicted with a achey breaky heart, and you can't even complain about anything other than the sexual nature of it. The show was most likely lip synced, so you can't talk about how she was pitchy. The only choreography was her molesting the stage, so if you're complaining about that, you're by default complaining about the overall sexual nature of the performance anyway. So while no, you can't hate on her by who she decides to sleep with, her behavior on national television is another story. Just like how you can never defend rape, and raising awareness for it is crucial, you have to understand that fake rape claims are still not anything to be glossed over, because in a sense, that is only destroying a female's credibility as a rape victim even more, and it makes me just as mad as it makes you, trust me.
DeletePart One:
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Rape Culture Article, I immediately agreed with the general premise that it exists. This doesn’t say much, but I feel it is important to be frank considering some actually would deny its existence. The Rape Culture that is perpetuated by our culture and media dictates our interests in other people, entertainment, and social hierarchy. The latter is especially true with women. But before I get into feminism, I want to contemplate the statement: “People in our current society believe these attitudes and actions always have been, and always will be.” The article then goes on to encourage rising up again the Rape Culture. I agree with the motivation behind that notion. However, I just find it to be an impossible task. The modern world as it is seems so engulfed in this culture that I cannot physically imagine life without it. I believe it is a noble cause and I definitely believe the world would be far more productive and functional without it, but I just am pessimistic about the whole prospect of revolution. It is incredibly difficult to overcome the prejudices of man, and if one day the culture were to disappear it would be part of a longer, continuous social change that may or may not be directed toward feminism. For example, women tend to be generally better off in more secular nations (though they definitely are still subjugated, just to varying degrees). I could only feasibly see the Culture disappear in a major religious or socioeconomic change, and that pushing for the disappearance of the Rape Culture directly would be dismissed as some kind of annoying feminist talking point by many.
I might take some heat on the fact that I said people will view feminism as annoying. But I have to say I do to a certain extent. And I’m a feminist! I believe in equal pay, the fact that more women should be in government, and a single payer healthcare system with a whole department devoted to women's health (Yes, I’ve actually thought it out). It’s just sad that many feminists make feminism look bad. If they were to simply state that women should be treated as political, economic, and social equals, they would gain so much more ground. Instead, they demonize men, and you know what, that is definitely justified! Men treat women poorly with no justification! It just seems that feminists would be far more successful if they were out to persuade men to join their cause rather than alienate potential allies. Unfortunately, the majority of power and wealth still lies with men and the feminist movement needs them. It would compromise the principles of many feminists, but the ideology as a whole would be much healthier.
On the subject of slut shaming and the sexual double standard, the following point perfectly summarizes my position: “How many times has rape been discounted because a woman was deemed a slut? How many times are women called whores while their partners beat them? How often are women’s sexual histories used against them in workplace harassment cases? The sexual double standard is a lot more dangerous than we’d like to think.” In sexual assault cases involving a woman of notoriety, the issue is often downplayed by defaulting on the notion that the involved woman is just some kind of slut. Not only is this a reflection of the blatant sexism that has pervaded our society, it completely misrepresents the truth. In almost all cases of sexual assault and rape, men are definitely the ones at fault. It seems just a difficult to address the problem of the supposed “slutines” of women as it is the perversion of men. You can argue to what degree either should be represented, but it is important to realize that the side that critiques the male is virtually inexistent.
Part Two:
ReplyDeleteOnly extremely outspoken figures could work up the audacity to make such a claim, and when they do, they are ripped apart by the opposition. For example, Rachel Maddow might say something along those lines in regards to Eliot Spitzer or Anthony Weiner. However, even some of the left-wingers at MSNBC would be hesitant to take her side, and the right-wing media would rip her apart.
Overall, I am in complete support of feminism and the overall notion that women, even today, are not the complete equals of men. What scares me the most though, is the willingness of some women to just take it. Sure, there are those that are aware but refuse to decide to just to accept things the way they are. I would like to encourage them to stand for something more, but I am met with the skepticism that the feminist movement will never be carried out in full.
You hit the nail on the head with your take on feminists. I believe in equality but nowadays many feminists make it seem like they want to be superior, not equal. As a society it's hard for us to accept any change to the stays quo, even a small one. So by us trying to go from men in superior positions to women in superior positions is absurd. Feminism is the belief that men and women should be equal, but many so called "feminists" are very radical about women rights and it turns off people who would have supported them. It's just like our politics, they're become polarized.
DeleteI found myself nodding my head up and down like an idiot the whole time i was reading this. I completely agree with every point you made. I really like how you pointed out the willingness of some women to just take the crap they are being dished without question. Its something I ponder a lot whenever a topic like this one is brought up. For all the women who want to be treated as equals to man, there is also an alarming number of women who have no issue just being treated as inferior.
DeleteThe lack of message delivery by feminists and all liberal organizations (like OWS) has always infuriated me! Somehow the purity of their message always end up getting obfuscated! It is really sad that I, of all politically-aware people, was surprised at the ACTUAL definition of feminism. It's ridiculous.
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ReplyDeleteHere's something I have always though about and will focus on throughout my answer. The double standard of men and women when dealing with sex. The article from finally feminism writes "men are allowed to engage in coitus for any reason–women only if in love or engaged" which has become the norm in every social environment. From high school to the office there stands a double standard, one of my favorite shows can be an example of this. In How I Met Your Mother, Barney is a "man-slut", he sleeps around with various women and is glorified for it while another character named Robin sleeps with men but is called a slut. Now, the show does shame Barney from time to time using other character's disgust with him, but most of the time people celebrate his "triumphs" over women. I'm not going to lie, many times I am myself a person who has called girls sluts for doing things with guys and cheering with my guy friend for getting things done with a girl. It's become a social norm in this culture. This, and rape culture. Rape culture goes hand in hand with slut shaming. We condemn girls who sleep with guys and tend to glorify rape in our songs and videos. Now, I'm not saying we should all be going around sleeping with the opposite gender, in an ideal world we'd all wait until we were married and financially stable to have a child but this just won't be. A new era calls for news problems and new solution. Slut shaming has become a pandemic that slowly but surely came into our everyday lives, as well as rape culture has. Our music, our television shows, our everyday conversations have become infested with the word "sluts". Rape culture is evident in songs and video games. There is barely one women in a video game who is not half naked. It's either a girl is a slut or she's a prude. For a guy, it's either he's a hero or a conquerer. This isn't equal. This is sexism that has never left.
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DeleteWhen it comes to social issues and politics you and i don't always see eye to eye man, but it really makes me happy to see that even someone with such different views than mine can still agree with me on something like this. IT really proves that while some things can be debated, things like this have not gray area, what is wrong is always wrong.
DeleteDan on the blog I really appreciate that you are honest and admit that you engaged these activities. Most of us do engaged in these activities but won’t admit so I appreciate your honesty. I just came to the realization that you are right. There is a double standard in the world, which aren’t right and the fact that a girl is either a slut or a prude. That is very true that our society has allowed these inequalities in the world are a shame. Oh my god Dan you watch “How I met your mother” too! Overall great job.
DeleteI like how you pointed out that a girl is either prude or a slut. For a man, a lame-o or a Casanova. It's a shame that we categorize people this way and hold them to that label, every person is unique an deserves a chance. I know we all feel this way and if we all feel this way then why are we still promoting sluttiness in our media? we always hear " humanity has lost all hope" but if we all feel so passionately about this then why are we not doing something, we are humanity, people. Unless we aren't....
DeleteAnyone who claims that sexism is somehow solved doesn't know what he/she is talking about. Sexism has been so deeply ingrained in Western culture for such a long time that it seems to ridiculous to say that within 200 years we've managed to purge ourselves of its grasp. As rape culture shows, it is not even subtly present.
DeleteRobin Thicke and Miley Cyrus, are two very well-known names lately since the VMA’s. Now I don’t normally watch stuff like the VMA’s because honestly I don’t feel like watching famous people receive awards for a few hours. But once I got sick of all the fuss I finally took a look into this special part of the VMA’s. Watching the interesting events that took place I came to some conclusions. My conclusion was that I was very grateful for choosing to not to watch the VMA’s and that I was disgusted with Cyrus and her female degrading acts. I was also disgusted with Thicke because he later said “I don't care, let's entertain the people. Let's give them something they're not ready for, let's make them talk,” according to the article Robin Thicke Was Only The 'Twerkee’. He is a married man, so he should’ve questioned everything a little more before performing and ruining himself and his song.
ReplyDeleteThen I read the article Ohio University Marching 110 Cuts ‘Blurred Lines’ Performance. The marching band was pressured by their administration and criticism because it was “what some argue is a song that promotes rape culture.” And sadly no matter how fun and catchy of a song it is it does promote it. Which bring me to discussing rape cultural overall. Before I didn’t really know about or understand rape cultural. After reading the article Understand Rape Culture I learned that in a rape culture “people are surrounded with images, language, laws, and other everyday phenomena that validate and perpetuate, rape.” The article then says that because of rape culture “sexism and violence against women are “naturalized.” The reality of this is all too sad that “people in our current society believe these attitudes and actions always have been, and always will be.” How can be we shame the female like this? Our society shames the female for their sexuality, but then the men are left out. People don’t realize the physical and mental pain the woman can experience from rape. But apparently in the article “people in rape culture think about the persistence of rape as “just the way things are.” This is more than “just the way things are,” rape is a serious thing that we can’t view as something so simple. Then along with the media it doesn’t help that rape culture in media only “continues the shame and silence that surrounds the majority of survivors who were raped by friends or family.” People need a better understanding of rape culture and the way it affects women. It’s something huge that needs a bigger spotlight and some more respect.
I don't even watch tv either! However as soon as I entered school the day after the VMA's all you could hear was gossip discussing Miley and Robin Thicke's act, so of course I watched it.I was a bit late- but I was still disgusted.
DeleteI did the exact same thing as you, I didn’t watch the VMA’s because it’s just a bunch of famous people trying to outdo each other and I don’t enjoy watching that. But because I heard about Miley Cyrus’s performance literally everywhere I just had to watch it. I agree with you that Robin Thicke should not have let Miley Cyrus sexually dance all over him mostly because he’s married and that’s wrong. The entire performance was exactly what you said, disgusting.
DeleteI didn't even know the VMA's had happened until about three days after that whole thing played out. So I had no clue what to expect when I looked up Miley's performance because he wouldn't leave me alone. I very much regret doing so. I feel the same way you do about not watching the whole thing originally and I really wish we could all just remove that performance from out memories.
DeleteI started off with the “slut shaming” article. I was interested in what it said because I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many times the word “slut” gets tossed around the halls of Oakcrest just in the time frame of one school day. In the article it states “Slut-shaming, also known as slut-bashing, is the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/or acting on sexual feelings.” I do agree that this would be “form-fitting” definition of slut shaming. But, I would also like to add in that especially at our age, and most specifically in high school, being called a slut may not even have to do with sexual things. It could just simply be what you’re wearing that is making others feel the need to toss the word slut around. Also stated, “Put in the most simple terms, slut-shaming happens when a person “publicly or privately [insults] a woman because she expressed her sexuality in a way that does not conform with patriarchal expectations for women” I would have to disagree with this because if there were “patriarchal expectations” that we would have to follow and look up to, then everybody would be called a slut. The “expectations” are to not have sex until you’re married. But if somebody has been with somebody for 5 years, decides to have sex and still isn’t married I doubt that girl is going to be called a slut. I have been called a slut too many times and I know I’m in fact not one. And I wont lie and I’ll truthfully say that I have called others slut before. Everybody tosses around the word. I hate it; it is such a downgrading disgusting word that just makes a girl feels worthless when she’s called it. In the article “Bad Girls and Blurred Lines,” the opening line to the third paragraph I automatically disagree with. The author writes, “My God, back in the day, how hard we worked at being the good girl, and how thoroughly we bought into it, letting the impossible quest hijack our true selves.” Look at all of us girls here on the blog; we do work hard at being the “good girl.” We’re smart enough to know what a good guy wants and how to be respected by the public world. So when she wrote that, I just got a little ticked off. “We” she puts. As if every single person that’s younger than her is doing these acts. Now on the whole Miley Cyrus performance at the VMA’s that she goes on to speak about, I have my own opinions on that. If that is how she wants to be viewed in the public eye- then let her. It’s said that most childhood stars have been sheltered so much and have been always listening to somebody above them that when they’re free on their own it’s like their experiencing life as a new person. They want to rebel and go against what they’ve done their whole lives. The song “Blurred lines” is a catchy tune we can all admit to, but if you ever read the lyrics, just the lyrics, you’ll wanna puke. All I can do is cringe when I read it aloud. It talks down on women, and the song is just inappropriate. Our generation has to work on bringing things that can change society in a beneficial way.
ReplyDeleteEveryone most definitely has done some kind of slut-shaming to another girl. Whether to call someone a slut or whatever it is terrible and cruel. Our society needs to realize this too and stop slut-shaming, but until then were going to unfortunately keep cringing through awful things such songs like “Blurred Lines.”
DeleteThis trend of slut-shaming sure has gotten out of hand. The word "slut" has lost it's meaning since it also now refers to the way a person dresses or acts. The word itself is so degrading and it's use definitely needs to be minimized. However, we are nowhere close to eliminating slut-shaming especially after seeing the comments on Miley's new image. Hopefully we can slowly work on getting rid of any type of discrimination involving promiscuity.
DeletePart Two: There is such a double standard when it comes to guys and girls with sexual actions! If a guy sleeps with a lot of girls, then the dudes friends all cheer him on and support him and tell him job well done. If a girl sleeps with the same amount of guys, she is automatically looked at as a slut and immediately looked down on, which refers back to my first article listed.
ReplyDeleteSo I’ve gone through probably seven versions of this post because I couldn’t help but sound disrespectful. These sorts of things make me hate society I mean to look at rape as “Just the way things are?” Is that how far we have progressed as people? We look at an issue like rape and just write it off as just part of life? Where is the humanity in that? We are supposed to care about other people and we are supposed to want to make the world better! I for one could never just sit by and be content with bad things happening because they have always happened. That doesn’t stop that horrible thing from being horrible. If anything if a horrible act keeps happening and if the perpetrator of that act easily gets away clean, that just makes the act that much more horrible. Because of that we cannot just sit around saying “oh well” when someone gets raped, we need to take steps towards stopping that sort of thing from happening.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of “slut shamming” I am also rather annoyed at my fellow human beings. But this topic really is just part of a far larger issue. That issue is labeling people and then judging them relentlessly for the label you have given them. People are too complex to have one word describe them so the fact that people can so harshly judge and hate just because someone along the line decided to give them the label of slut is just painful for me. Just because a girl is or just seems a bit more sexual than other does not give anyone the write to judge their whole being for that. You have to stop and look at the rest of who that girl is because everyone is an intricate being with many different parts and you cannot just judge that person for one of those parts you have to look at them all and also understand that there are things you may not know about that person.
In general I just despise anything that has to do with people being indifferent or even promoting something incredibly horrible and I hate judging people for what they may seem like or appear to be at the surface. Human beings are too good for that, we are beautiful beings capable of incredible things but we can also be ugly and destructive. That doesn’t mean we should let that evil and destruction just continue to define us. We need to find ways to stop the terrible acts we partake in and we need to learn to accept and love each other. We are all Beautiful, we are all incredible, we are all special and we should all work together to make those the defining qualities of the human race. At the risk of sounding to critical of myself I really feel like I may not have answered any questions. Sorry if this stuff is just a confusing mess not feeling the creative vibes tonight.
I feel the exact same way in regard to the way that we think about rape. It is disgusting how little people seem to care about such an important and serious issue. And I also agree that we cannot encapsulate a persons being in a word, especially not in a word such as 'slut'. It's awful how often we use derogatory words to describe people, when as you said people are far too complex to be judged that way, or even judged at all.
DeleteIt bothers me so much that we've just given up on our own race. We no longer help each other because we find it useless and blame every problem we have on humanity. WE ARE HUMANITY! Time to step up to the plate my friends. Also i think we all have a right to judge people silently but i do not think that people should let those judgments hold them back in anyway.
DeleteIt's such a shame that there are so may people out there that simply shrug off a crime as serious as rape. How could we have let rape culture and slut-shaming take so much control over our mindsets in such a negative way? Not only is slut-shaming wrong but discriminating and labeling in general is terrible. Surface appearance shouldn't be the determining factor of how we view someone. I like your quote stating "...we are beautiful beings capable of incredible things but we can also be ugly and destructive" because it branches out of the slut-shaming topic and refers to the general discrimination that people tend to partake in. I appreciate your hopeful statements about the human race since it can get hard sometimes to stay positive in such a misogynistic world.
DeleteAfter reading these articles it reinforced my belief that everyone should be equal. I really don’t believe that men are better than women because I see that everyone is equal. However I do see that in our culture women are made fun of more than men on the topic of sexuality. The fact that we support this idea is kind of disgusting to me. The idea that “jokes, TV, music, advertising, legal jargon, laws, words and imagery, that make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable.” That whole sentence is something that I despise because it shows that nothing will be done on the topic of violence against women. Violence against women isn’t normal and more people should know about it. Does our society need a way to vent all their negative emotion? Why does it have to be toward women or anyone in general? These are the question that I want to address in this post. In the “Upsetting the Culture of Rape” article. I am disgusted that people think that rape culture is no big deal. The topic of rape is no laughing matter because everyone think it is just word, but word can hurt. Everyone in the world all have negative emotion that people need to vent which they can’t do by fighting so they engage in rape culture. I am not saying that this is an appropriate way of dealing with these emotions because people are hurting each other emotionally. Emotional pains are scarred in the hearts of many victims of rape culture or slut shaming. From the article “ What is “Slut-shaming”?” I learn that a “slut” is simply a person, most often a woman, who has had sex with multiple partners. The reason why I think that all these sexism are directed toward women is because of stereotypes. Women are portrayed to be innocent and pure and they would never indulged in these types of activity. So when any women break from stereotypes then that is when the name-calling begins. Even worst is the fact that these things are not happening to guys. In our society is okay for men to have multiple sex partners without any consequence other then biological consequence and that not right. As such an example will be a character from the show how I met your mother where a fictional character of the name Barney Stinson played by Neil Patrick Harris was constantly sleeping with so many women that it totaled over 200 girls. So Barney Stinson is technically wait for it a “man slut”. Now in the show he is always praised for acts of sleeping with a girl that is a “ten” while another character like robin who sleep with guys is called a slut. One example from the show was when robin was called a slut by one of her friend because she slept with a guy because he did “ The naked man.” All people should be equal. In that article of slut shaming it talks about how women are perpetrators and that they will engage in slut shaming to compete for male approval. If men cannot accept a girl for who she is then he doesn’t deserve her. Any person should not be changing himself or herself whether they are men or women. Women shouldn’t be degrading themselves for men through something like slut shaming. Overall I feel that rape culture and slut shaming is a part of our society and it is a shame because there should be equality in our society.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I should start off this post with my definition of a slut is. If I were to label someone as a slut, they would have to be known for messing up relationships, sleeping with many people, wearing inappropriate clothes, and denying or pretending that they do such things. I think the biggest things sluts lack is respect for love. This disrespect of love cannot be innate unless you are born evil (another topic), its roots are from inside. Either from lack of fatherly affection or a self esteem problem, that yearn for false love is not what anyone would want.
ReplyDeleteI find disappointing when someone is a slut. I find that they do things without thinking, acting upon feelings. Feelings are fleeting, when will they learn? I also find them disrespectful. They flaunt their bodies, making girls feel insecure and sending hormones raging. I find that I feel disrespected because generally sluts are pretty and when a girl who doesn’t get guys for her personality gets more guys than the coolest girl alive, it’s discouraging. I find them disrespectful because I am jealous, which I find to be the case with a lot of slut-labelers. I think this jealousy is from the feeling that we all kind of want guys to drool over us and be in control, play guys instead of them playing us, sluts just aren’t afraid to get the repercussions of being sexy. The Finally Feminism 101 blog provoked that thought when she said this “The tenor of the terms is also entirely different: Casanova, Romeo, Lothario, and Don Juan derive status from their literary and historical pedigrees, while ladies’ man, lady-killer, gigolo, stud, and sugar daddy obviously do not have the same condemnatory overtones as most of the female terms.”, while talking about sexual double standards. I think that with the equality of men and women over time, we want to be as equally hormonally free, acting on lust, but we obviously still have reached that level of equality.
Lastly, when I read the sarcastic “Direction the Next VMA Winner” article I found that we label people too easily. Sluts are defined by their looks and mannerisms, not really by the amount of people they slept with. I also found this disappointing. That we are so quick to judge a star like Miley Cyrus or Robin Thicke just because the sexual allusions the director forced upon them in the music videos. I think people just need to stop caring so much about others and worry more about who they are and why they act the way they do; no more affection- craving sluts, or labelers.
The point you made about girls being jealous of sluts is actually really insightful. I hadn't even considered it. Being sexy does give a person a certain power that we really fail to consider.
DeleteAlso, I think the issue with the VMA's was more based around the issue of having such a salacious show targeted towards an audience with the average age of 15.
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DeleteAfter reading your post, I realized that I am kind of a hypocrite. I didn't really think about how I was judging Robin Thicke. I said that I don't really care about what people do, but then my post in its entirety was about how Robin Thicke and men in general should get just as much judgement as girls get. I just don't think that it is fair that Miley was judged so harshly, and no one even thought to blame Robin. I mean, maybe it wasn't either of them. Maybe it was the choreographer. Maybe he did this to show us how our society is today. After all, our celebrities are purely reflections of ourselves.
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ReplyDeleteIt speaks volumes on our culture when one of the hit songs of our day can flaunt such suggestive, and dare I say offensive, lyrics. Rape culture has been so ingrained in our male-dominated and misogynist hip-hop culture. We never really stop to analyze what exactly we are implying by our sexual innuendos. As Stewart said, Americans are terrible at the English language, but masters of innuendo. For such a complex and liberally driven society, we make no serious effort to even recognize the problem of having such a rape culture. Our own Congressman, the supposed role models of our nation, seem to perpetuate falsehoods on the way we see women. Must I bring up the Todd Akin issue again and his shocking misconceptions of the female biology? As the article from the blog Upsetting Rape Culture alludes to, our own media is responsible of perpetuating the rape culture that already exists in such disgusting magnitude. I cannot recall a single Hollywood rape scene I have ever seen where they try to portray rape in the negative light that the act deserves. It is always sexualized, as if I supposed to be turned on by watching a woman be raped. As the article summarizes, “This kind of media perpetuates rape, because it continues the shame and silence that surrounds the majority of survivors who were raped by friends or family; and it allows perpetrators to avoid dealing with their problems, since they do not match the profile of rapists ‘As Seen On TV.’ “ The Upsetting Rape Culture blog also speaks to the issue of our own Republic representatives postulating myths on rape.
As I have discussed with a bevy of my friends, while I am a proponent of the feminist movement, I criticize it constantly in its lackluster execution. Feminism, as defined, is just a movement supporting the equal rights of women, but if you were to ask a person to connotatively describe it; quite a different and usually negative definition would be given. Perhaps this can even be attributed to the name of the movement itself. I feel as though feminism as a whole is just a bad name for a movement and seeks to undermine its message. We seem to think as a whole that feminism advocates the supremacy of women, a misconception that even I, as educated and aware as I seem to think myself, cannot escape.
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ReplyDeleteSlut-shaming, as FinallyFeminism101 defines it, is “the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/or acting on sexual feelings. Furthermore, it’s ‘about the implication that if a woman has sex that traditional society disapproves of, she should feel guilty and inferior’ (Alon Levy, Slut Shaming). “ To be fair, slut-shaming is not a new cultural phenomenon. It is has been tradition carried on since the foundation of Puritan America. In an odd sort of way, we have as a society become more tolerant of promiscuity in women than we once were. From the moral perspective, it is of course a double standard for women to be held to a sexual standard while men can frequently shirk this. It is especially prevalent in high school and college. Culturally, his fellow man-friends, and even women to a lesser extent idolize a man who has many partners, whereas a woman who has many partners is derogated relentlessly by both her male and female friends. It is an enormous double standard, but one that has been around since basically the dawn of time. Psychologically, this could be because men tend to mature slower than women, are more sexually impulsive, and in general more irresponsible, but this does not justify the standard in a cultured first world society like the United States. But the fact that we live in a male-dominated society, and the fact that we always have, also plays a crucial role that cannot easily be overstated. As FinallyFeminism101 states, there are 220 words for a promiscuous woman versus 20 words for a promiscuous man. This provides solid proof for the bias a patriarchal society puts on women to be more sexually responsible and to be derided if they are not sexually responsible.
While both articles I mention claim a solution is possible, the underlying issue of sexism is so deep-rooted in Western culture, that it just seems too improbable for the problem to be fixed, at least in my life time, but I hopeful that my grandchildren, by the steady recognition of this issue by society, will live in a society in which these issues are more resolved.
I don't think most Americans have a clue about what the lyrics are actually about. They like songs for the sound of the music, not for the meaning. For example, people loved "Pumped Up Kicks" which was about a kid planning a shooting at his school...I don't think parents would approve of their seven year old listening to that song if they knew the meaning.
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ReplyDeletePart 1: There is a huge problem in our society involving slut-shaming. Although this trend is often seen as harmless, it has branched out to become the biggest reason behind the existence of rape culture. Slut-shaming qualifies as a form of harassment but it is often dismissed. Why? Well, according to our patriarchal expectations of women, only “good” girls who are pure and virginal deserve to be praised and valued. However, if you are a sexually promiscuous female, you are seen as an object undeserving of human rights or worth because you are considered “bad.” Many women have resorted to following this trend which has only spiraled into a huge web of many issues involving the social acceptance of degrading women based on their sexual relations. As stated by FAQ: What is “slut-shaming,” “...all you have to do is call a girl a ‘slut’ and suddenly you’re the one who is “good” and on top of the social pecking order,” (Harper Paperbacks, 2000). The patriarchy has restricted women to the point where she can only gain respect through her purity. It’s upsetting to know that a female’s worth isn’t determined by her character but by her level of promiscuity. A woman could be the most kindhearted and caring person in the world but once others find out that she isn’t celibate then all of a sudden she is seen as meaningless. Not only have women taken part in slut-shaming but men have too. This is very dangerous because this leads men to degrading women as well and only seeing them as objects only good for fulfilling their sexual desires.
This commonality of slut-shaming only leads to the increase of rape crimes. In the article about rape culture, it discusses the dangers of everyday phenomenons naturalizing a crime as serious as rape. It has gotten to the point where the victim is blamed for the crime instead of the rapist. Instead of “changing the behaviors of perpetuators,” we have resorted to using the victim’s actions to support the reasoning behind the cause of the crime. There have been one too many rape crimes that have been dismissed in court because lawmakers claim that the victim provoked the rapist through appearances and actions. Why should the way a woman dresses be the reasoning behind the unacceptable crime specifically committed by the rapist? Rape culture has become so mainstream that it has even influenced the function of something as official and professional as the law. We should not even consider blaming the victim for a crime that was only caused by the rapist’s controllable actions. The unacceptable phrase “She was asking for it” is another perpetuator of rape culture. This phrase implies that it’s okay to rape someone because their promiscuous attire or behavior is the equivalent of consent. However, this is not the case. Women do not slave to men and they should not be disrespected and violated in this way just because they dress or act a certain way.
Part 2: After the controversial VMA performance by Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke, I noticed that all of the criticisms were mainly directed towards Miley’s inappropriate sexual behavior and attire. The general audience has been so used to seeing her as the sweet and innocent little country girl aka Hannah Montana so this performance was definitely a shocker. However, this particular controversy is the perfect example of why we need feminism. While Miley was repeatedly bashed for her lack of clothing and promiscuous actions, Robin Thicke, a married man with children, received very little criticism for being involved with the inappropriate dancing. Not only is Thicke a father that allowed a young girl to “twerk” upon him, he was also singing his released hit song about rape. His song may be considered catchy and fun to many people but when it comes down to it he is just perpetuating rape culture even more than it needs to be. The lyrics of the song only glorify the act of catcalling and degrading women. He refers to women as animals repeatedly as well as other offensive names. The famous line (repeated 18 times) “I know you want it” only manifests his disgusting attitude of constantly importuning a woman for sex even after she has already rejected it. Thicke obviously finds importance in women only when they are willing to fulfill his sexual desires. Basically, he doesn’t view women as humans but as animals and sex slaves. His misogynistic lyrics only prove to be even more unacceptable when they are compared to quotes by actual rapists. Recently, an internet post showed that the lyrics from the hit song and quotes from rapists terrifyingly resembled each other. Could it get any worse than that? The answer is yes. The young women in the music video are depicted as sexual objects only present for the viewing pleasure of the three middle aged men. Even after all of these aspects of Thicke and his song have been proven to be offensive, misogynistic, and unacceptable, he still has the nerve to claim that he doesn’t deserve any hateful comments against his actions, more specifically from the VMA’s. In the article Robin Thicke Was Only The ‘Twerkee’, he states “I’m looking up at the sky, and I’m not really paying attention to all that” as if he didn’t even attend the rehearsal with Miley hours before the performance. If Miley were to be criticized for anything, it should not be for her promiscuity. There were many negative aspects of the performance on her part involving the cultural appropriation of ‘twerking’ which stems from the African American culture as well as her use of black dancers as props on stage and in her music videos. Unfortunately, the general audience is overlooking the more serious issues of the performance and they immediately resort to slut-shaming Miley while dismissing Thicke’s multiple wrongdoings. This recent event is the perfect example of how our society has become more prone to slut-shaming and more accepting of rape culture. It’s very dangerous to let these misogynistic trends keep growing. The bashing of women for their own personal choices involving sexuality needs to end. The treatment of women as objects that must cater to men’s desires must be stopped. The popular trend of degrading women of anything less than human and not equal to men must be terminated.
ReplyDeleteThe VMAs are a place to do crazy things and be recognized for it and celebrities capitalize on that. The VMAs are the place where Britney and Madonna kissed and Kanye stole Taylor Swift’s big moment. In the article “Robin Thicke was only the Twerkee” the author presents effectively that Miley just wanted her fifteen minutes and Robin just wanted to entertain the audience and paid her no mind. This article is meant to prove Robin Thicke was just performing and didn’t want in any part in Miley’s twerking, clothes shedding, tongue thrusting actions.
ReplyDeleteMy argument is that I understand that he didn’t take it as seriously as the audience perceived it but, this is the man who wrote “Blurred Lines” a song can be easily referred to as a rape song so his opinions are more than questionable. In my opinion however by him being given prior warning to the how Miley would be acting and not thinking of how he would be perceived after the risqué performance he put himself in a position where he looks like some kind of creep grinding on a teenage girl, At least in my eyes. He said that he wasn’t thinking about sex at the time but was he really that clueless as to think that his behaviors on the VMA stage weren’t something to be scrutinized. But despite the Thicke was just as guilty as Miley many will read this article or simply watch the performance and still only find Miley at fault and Robin Thicke as only a victim to her reckless twerking.
The fact that Robin Thicke can come out of the twerk disaster that was the VMAs unscathed and Miley with her reputation tarnished is mainly because of slut shaming. Slut-shaming, as FinallyFeminism101 defines it, is “the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/or acting on sexual feelings. Miley exhibited behavior at the VMAs where people will judge because by going on in an overtly sexual manner she made people think “oh she’s a slut.” In our society when someone is labeled as a slut they attract judgment that would not be subject to males. A guy could grind on a girl while she’s twerking and only the girl will be subject to scrutiny a double standard going on since the end of time. Furthermore, although both were wrong Robin and Miley both believed they were doing something entertaining and worthy of fame and considering it has been months and this is still a hot topic they accomplished just that. Which is why we have celebrities so can we really fault them for doing something we all but beg them to do just so we can scrutinize them? If it were us it wouldn't be that way but we feel is the price of fame to be put in the public eye and then punished for not being perfect when no one is.
That reminds me I didn't actually comment much on the VMAs themselves. Darn. But I agree, No one wants to comment on how a 36 year old, married man was grinding on Miley like it was nothing. And I read the exact same article! I can't even take the thought seriously that he thought nothing was wrong, or didn't notice. But it really should be taken with a grain of salt, considering that kind of thing goes on all the time, and is what the VMAs is for. People should know what to expect when they watch those types of performances. And we do ask them for it.
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ReplyDeleteI hated blurred lines before I knew what the song was about. It was overplayed, and annoying, and overly sexualized for reasons I thought I didn’t care about. When it came on on the radio I changed it. When the commercial for beats was on TV I just became vaguely annoyed at a bunch of girls using the darn thing as some kind of weight, as if it had something to do with the actual use of the product, because not only are they just ‘selling sex’ but it was damn irrelevant to the product, and those kind of commercials annoy me in the first place. However, other than that because I always just took it off, the deepest thought I gave was about how one girl somehow managed to make some kind of incredibly long, braid-y twist-y thing that came from the exact top of her head, and that was that. Now that I’ve read quite a few articles and actually looked at the lyrics properly, I can hate it for all new types of reasons. And Robin Thicke himself. Joy.
Let me start by saying that I could not care less about the size of his man parts. No thank you. I’m disturbed that I took three minutes of my life to read about how his wife confirmed it. And do I believe that he had no idea Miley was up against him while he performed? No. If he’s telling the truth I’m sorry, but I seriously doubt that possibility. If he thinks his song is some kind of “feminist movement in itself” he’s an idiot. But I’ll save my breath, because there are so many more important things to be angry with.
Never in my years have I heard anyone say that rape was just “how the way things are”, as the Rape Culture blog quotes. I’ve used the word ‘rape’ in jokes, and I’m just as guilty as anyone in not giving the word the weight it actually deserves, but there’s definitely a line that cannot be crossed. Rape is one of the vilest things that has ever come to be. I might be over-romanticizing it, but it takes an act originally meant to bring survival to a species and life into the world, or just joy and freedom to two consensual partners, and destroys it. The victim is made to feel ashamed, and once that level of violation has been received it’s hard to recover. The rape myths section of this blog states that “64% of women who reported being raped, physically assaulted, and/or stalked were victimized by a current or former husband, cohabiting partner, boyfriend, or date.” Therefore it’s pretty clear that strangers aren’t the real predators, most of the time. The pain felt from being on the receiving end of this kind of abuse from someone already known and possibly trusted, would be enough to tear any woman apart.
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ReplyDeleteThen the slut- shaming feminism blog had sections all the way from what slut shaming was and it’s causes to double standards, and while double standards are undeniable there’s no way they’ll change anytime soon. Part of it is the same philosophy I used when we talked about racism – that as long as the victims allow themselves to be viewed a certain way, and even encourage it through the same actions against each other, the standard will stay that way. Also, it really has just always been this way. The way I once described the difference between behaviors of males and females was that girls had less restrictions, but more expectations, and to an extent that does still ring true. The contradictions in the sex life girls are supposed to have is ridiculous, and it’s no wonder it’s common practice “that many women both attack the “slut” while trying to be one”. Besides the fact that someone’s sex life is no one else’s business, I just don’t see why people bother at all. If someone wants to sleep around they can feel free. I have no respect for someone who cheats in a committed relationship, but at the same time what they do is up to them. It’s not something I would do, but it doesn’t matter what I think. In the world we’re growing up in, there’s pretty much no chance anyone will have just one sex partner, but that’s expected and I don’t see why anyone should be judged for it. Another thing to point out is that despite my sometimes horrible use of profanity, I’ve never used the word ‘slut’ because it just sounds dirty. The worst I’ve said is ‘hoe’ which probably isn’t any better, but I’m just as likely to say it to any guy as any girl.
On more of the slut-shaming blog, it can be said that the reason I grew up dressing the way I do, as a complete bum in sweatshirts in jeans, can be in part because I was scared to ever be taken as one of those kinds of girls, because of how my very vocal, sexist father expressed his thoughts on them. I probably reveled in the fact that I would never be viewed as a ‘slut’ and thought that not looking the part would give me more leeway through any actions I might want to take anyway, though I should add I never did. Now it’s just so ingrained, being seriously called a slut would probably crush me, even if I know it wouldn’t be true- just the thought is offensive. I was once just called a flirt in a fight and I lost it. I can’t be bothered to make sure everything I do is kept in-line with what everyone else deems to be appropriate, because I know if I was a boy no one would really care- and the thought stings. I don’t understand what can be so difficult about trying to reach gender – equality. How have we ‘evolved’ so much, and still have different sets of rules for each sex? As I pointed out to my father, one out of every two people is a boy, and one out of every two is a girl. We can’t get away from each other, even if we wanted to. So can’t we all just get along and be nice to each other? With the same standards for all? Either there needs to be more people with this ideology, or I’m just too stupid to comprehend this whole thing properly.
When Bunje read the lyrics to "Blurred Lines" in class that one day, I had no idea what it was from. I was beyond confused mostly because I don't listen to the radio, but also because whenever I happened to stumble upon the song on television commercials or in stores I would have no idea what the singer was saying, so I just disregarded it because it annoys me. After learning that the lyrics were basically words typically said by a rapist, I couldn't even stand to listen to more than a couple of seconds of the song. It upset me too much. So feel free to hate the song.
DeleteUntil I read the article FAQ: What is “slut-shaming”? I was never able to completely wrap my head around the idea of “slut-shaming” because I didn’t know the formal definition of “slut.” Now that I fully understand the term without the negative connotations typically given, it isn’t such a bad term. There is nothing wrong with having more than one sexual partner in your lifetime if the love is mutual and as long as you remain faithful in whatever relationship you are in. I also recognize that there are people who just sleep with people without any true emotional connection; however, I don’t agree with that, but I don’t really care if other people do that as long as it doesn’t affect me.
ReplyDeleteI’ve noticed that “slut” has been used to insult girls for things other than having multiple sexual partners throughout their lives. Sometimes people just use it as an insult when the term is completely irrelevant in context because it is seen as an extremely offensive term. I don’t like to use the term mostly because I don’t feel comfortable commenting on most people’s sexual lives because that isn’t my business and because of my stance on having multiple partners throughout your life. I think that when you get married, your significant other won’t care if you have had sex with other people in the past because you love each other now and you will for the rest of your lives.
I feel somewhat ashamed for reacting so negatively to Miley’s VMA performance when I never even watched it until today. It was slightly inappropriate and disturbing, but it wasn’t as bad as everyone made it out to be. I was under the impression that she was just standing on the stage twerking on Robin Thicke while touching herself nonstop. Take into mind that I was informed about Miley’s VMA performance by my female friends. When describing it, they made it seem like she was a trashy slut (bawdy and inappropriately dressed) which reminded me of the people in the Oakcrest hallways calling their friends sluts because their chest area showed or their shorts/skirt was extremely short. Sometimes it is used as a compliment and other times it is used as an insult depending on whether or not the person complimenting or insulting feels threatened by the so called “slut.” I find it hard to understand how someone could call a friend, a slut especially when it is used with such a negative connotation.
I was more bothered by the article Robin Thicke Was Only The 'Twerkee' because Miley got all of this bad feedback from her performance, but Robin Thicke, a married man, got away with putting all of the blame on Miley. He claimed to not have seen it (referring to the twerking), but Miley could make the same claim, but that wouldn’t change anything because of the double standard between men and women. He walked up to Miley from the back while she was already dancing salaciously, so what else does he expect? You can’t expect her to just automatically know that he was behind her. Not to mention his claim of innocence at the time, “I'm not thinking sex. I'm thinking fun, you know?” He has absolutely no right to say that because as Miley was twerking on him, he was saying “I know you want it. You're a good girl. Can't let it get past me. You're far from plastic. Talk about getting blasted. I hate these blurred lines.” She was not originally in the song, but they put her in his performance because she fit the part. Like Britney Spears, they were “deliberately blurring lines between children and sex, innocence and lust” in Miley’s VMA performance as explained by Bad Girls and Blurred Lines.
Although this topic has been around for ages, we are still having issues with slut-shaming, double standards, etc. I would think that after Britney Spears turned out so badly, people would learn from her mistakes, but it looks like there is another Britney Spears in the making. I don’t think that this will ever change. There will always be a team of marketers and managers helping a girl to lose her innocence in some demeaning way.
Everyone keeps reminding me of all the brilliant comparisons and other things I should've written, like comparing it all to the great halls of Oakcrest. And that just reminds me more of why I'm incapable of using that word. You can't tell how people will react, and while the definition is so.. Just non-meaningful, the connotation is terrible. And I don't actually know much about Britney Spears, but I can see why they'd say that, (I actually read this article too), and so I certainly don't doubt you.
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