The Man Box

In a recent TED video, Tony Porter discusses what it means — for men, women, sons, and daughters — when the social pressure of masculinity confines men.

“Growing up as a boy, we were taught that men had to be tough, had to be strong, had to be courageous, dominating — no pain, no emotions, with the exception of anger — and definitely no fear — that men are in charge, which means women are not; that men lead, and you should just follow and do what we say; that men are superior, women are inferior; that men are strong, women are weak; that women are of less value — property of men — and objects, particularly sexual objects” (“Tony Porter: A call to men”).

Porter gives these common socializations the moniker “The Man Box”, which contains all of the stereotypical, hyper-masculinized ways in which men are expected to behave and how those same expectations say volumes about how little our society values women and femininity. In this revealing speech, Porter shares a personal discussion that he had with a young athlete about how it would hypothetically feel if his football coach compared his playing skill to that of a girl in front of other teammates. The athlete responded that “It would destroy me.” Porter draws a clear conclusion that if being compared to a girl would destroy this young man, what does it say about how our society views women’s worth?

In order for men to be active feminists, we must look inside ourselves to understand how our male privilege impacts how we value the women in our lives. Men need to peer inside of Tony Porter’s “Man Box” and deconstruct the trappings of masculinity and the role it plays in women’s equity.

You can watch the entire TED video here. (Trigger warning: at about the 9-minute mark, there is a story about a sexual assault.)

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“TEDWomen-Tony Porter: A call to men .” Tony Porter: A call to men | Video on TED.com. Web. 23 Apr 2011.

The Modern Male Feminist

Let’s cut to the chase:
I’m black.
I’m a male.
I am a feminist.
I’m a male feminist!
Wait a minute—what the heck is a “male feminist”?

There has been a lot of debate about what it means to be a male feminist. Feminism is an organized movement that works to eliminate women’s oppression in social, economical and political positions. So, a male feminist is a self-identified man who supports these ideas and believes in equal rights for both sexes. A lot of people think that men have no role in feminism, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. According to Jane Pilcher and Imelda Whelehan, “This assumption that men, as part of the problem, should be part of the solution was a theme in early radical feminism, even though radical feminism is usually associated in the popular consciousness with separatism and man-hating¹.” I feel that men must educate themselves on how their male privilege manifests itself in all ways of life, and the expectations they hold of the women in their life due to that privilege. We need to support and encourage men to respect feminist principles without making them feel emasculated for their advocacy of women’s rights.

Growing up in a predominantly female family, it felt natural for me to embrace womanism and feminism. I too experienced many of the struggles my grandmother, aunts, and cousins faced. Over time I came to understand that stopping the oppression of women is beneficial to everyone. We can’t progress as a society when we continue to marginalize on the basis of gender, race, or sexuality.  It takes effort to marginalize and oppress people; what if we used that effort instead to empower people, encouraging diverse ideas that will make our society better?

I strongly believe in women’s equity and that “…all people should be judged by their character or skills,” regardless of their gender. In order to achieve gender equality, men should take accountability for our contribution to sexism and gender inequality. We have a tendency to blame the victim but if we want to solve issues such as domestic violence and the gender pay gap, men need to look within themselves and understand how they contribute to these problems. There is plenty of room at the table for anyone who wants to challenge the sexism, misogyny and patriarchal norms found among our communities and institutions. So, to my fellow male counterparts, I ask: What are you waiting for? Pull up a seat!
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¹Pilcher, Jane, and Imelda Whelehan. 50 Key Concepts in Gender Studies. London: Sage Publications, 2004. 50. Print.

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Just the Way You Are

It’s often hard to find positive reflections of body images in today’s “sex sells” pop culture. In a social climate that often places physical perfection over substance and natural beauty, Bruno Mars recent single, “Just the Way You Are”, is homage to women’s natural beauty:

Lyrics:

“Her eyes, her eyes

make the stars look like they’re not shining

Her hair, her hair

falls perfectly without her trying

She’s so beautiful

And I tell her everyday (yeah)

I know, I know

When I compliment her she won’t believe me

And it’s so, it’s so

Sad to think that she don’t see what I see

But every time she asks me “Do I look okay?”

I say

[Chorus]

When I see your face

There’s not a thing that I would change

‘Cause you’re amazing

Just the way you are

And when you smile

The whole world stops and stares for a while

‘Cause girl you’re amazing

Just the way you are”

Music and other media are flooded with sexualized songs and images that objectify women and promote unrealistic ideas of the feminine form. As a male feminist, (that’s right, we do exist), I feel that men should not allow women’s body image to be tied to their self-worth. The music and media industry, and society at large, should be aware of the influential impact of their words, imagery and actions on everyone in our society, regardless of gender. Young girls receive so many negative messages; songs like Mars’ remind us that there are men who believe that women are naturally beautiful and don’t need society’s opinion of what a woman should look like to appreciate and love women just the way they are.

Indie Arie’s song “I am Not My Hair” is another great example of offering a role model for strength, empowerment and self-love.  Also, Sesame Street recently featured a catchy song called “I Love My Hair” that shows a black girl Muppet professing her love for her hair, teaching young black girls to take pride in their hair by loving their hair just the way it is.

Let’s celebrate and promote self-love and be the role models that female youth can realistically see themselves reflected in.

Selling Stereotypes: Sexism in Advertising

Turn on your TV, thumb through any mainstream (on-the-counter) magazine or drive by the suggestive billboard on your way home, and you’re likely to encounter some form of sexism in advertising. According to Finally, A Feminism 101 Blog, sexism is defined as “… discrimination based on gender and the attitudes, stereotypes, and the cultural elements that promote this discrimination.” Sexism can be seen in ads through the imagery of women as sex objects, domestic archetypes, or pure props in male-driven scenarios. A 2008 article on the Huffington Post highlights images of bondage and rape as some of the prevalent trends in consumer ads and nearly two years later, those trends are still evident today. These stereotypical ads vilify and eroticize women, and create an unrealistic expectation of women’s gender roles.

Sexism is not new to advertising; Jezebel has examples of ads from a not too distant era that are equally as disturbing as their contemporaries. Bitch Magazine is taking a poll on recent TV commercials that eroticize and/or stereotype women to push their products. As of today, the ad in the video has received the most votes to lead the sexist pack.

These ads are not only damaging to gender equality, but speak to the necessity of more women in the advertising industry, currently a male-dominated field. Women make up 85% of consumer purchases in the United States; yet only 3% of women are creative directors in advertising agencies. I was browsing the internet and ran across a recent Skyy Vodka ad that clearly suggests phallic worship. This blatant sexual suggestion reiterates that the field is in need of decision makers who come from diverse backgrounds and are culturally competent if they hope to appeal to a broad, diverse audience.

Sexism is something that we must address in today’s society. This issue is far too damaging to long-term psychological issues and social beliefs.

Which ads would you consider to be the most sexist? Are you less likely to buy the product because of their offensive advertisements?

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Game on? Women and the video game industry

As a lifelong gamer, I was excited about the recent release of “Metroid: Other M”, a video game featuring one of the industry’s few female protagonists – Samus Aran.  Samus is an independent-minded space bounty hunter whose appeal lies in her tactical talents rather than the way she looks beneath her power suit. I’ve enjoyed playing behind the eyes of Samus on action-packed missions that explore her back story. I can’t imagine taking on a legion of alien baddies with anyone other than this nostalgic and fearless female protagonist at the helm.

There are very few video games that feature women and even fewer that cast women in lead roles. Looking around the gaming shelves of any video game store in America will reveal a plethora of testosterone-driven games with male protagonists boasted on their covers. The gaming industry has marketed to a male audience since the rise of the original Atari gaming system in the 70s. Ms. Pac-Man was one of the original female protagonists-an exact replica of Mr. Pac-Man adorned with a bow.  Since the debut of Ms. Pac-Man in 1981, female video game characters have been a stereotypical backdrop to the male gaming franchise.  The “damsel-in-distress” Princess in the original Super Mario Brothers put out by Nintendo is an evident trend.

With the ratio of female to male protagonists in video games being glaringly out of proportion, there are very few video game commercials that are aimed at women. Take for instance the latest commercial for the gaming rental company, GameFly. In GameFly’s current advert, the visuals and dialogue are blatantly geared toward male consumers:

The commercial proposes that true masculinity is determined on the field of gaming and that those males who aren’t adept at video games are emasculated. Another common theme in video game commercials is that of the gamer’s girlfriend, who is often whiny and upset that her boyfriend would rather play video games than focus on her.

Given this lack of inclusion, one would believe that there isn’t a viable market for female gamers, which is far from the truth.  According to 2008 survey results, 40% of gamers are women and found that women aged 18 and older made up more gamers than boys 17 and younger. These stats show that there are female gamers out there, even though the video game market continues to target male consumers. Video game companies are missing out on a highly profitable market by assuming that all video gamers are mainly men.

One cause for the underrepresentation could be that a large majority, nearly 80%, of video game developers are men. This shows that women not only need to be visible as consumers, but on the development end of the industry. Video games continue to be a thriving industry enjoyed on a global scale – do you feel that women and minorities should be more recognized and included in the genre?

If you’re a girl gamer or want more information about the topic, here are some great resources:

Women in Gaming: Special Interest Group

Women in Games

Women Gamers.com

Girl Gamer

Top 15 video games for women (includes somewhat stereotypical games such as Bejeweled, Farmville, Flower, and Nancy Drew)

And the Golden Globe Goes To…

Image c/o Flickr.com

Every January the Hollywood elite gathers in their finery for a night of glitz, canned jokes, and proverbial pats on the back to honor the finest in TV and domestic and foreign films. The Hollywood Foreign Press Agency’s (HFPA) Golden Globes awards, Oscar’s little brother, has been a tradition for nearly 68 years. Its mission is “To establish favorable relations and cultural ties between foreign countries and America by the dissemination of information concerning the American culture and traditions as depicted in motion pictures and television through news media in various foreign countries.”

What this tells me is that the HFPA judges American culture and traditions based on what we put on our television and silver screen. So what does it say about American culture that few women are nominated for Golden Globes each year?

A simple Google search for “women and golden globes” returns websites with more emphasis on women’s fashion on the big night than the recognition of their achievements in front of and behind the camera. Shouldn’t more emphasis be placed on women’s contribution to TV and film rather than on if their Valentino dress was a Success or a Mess? According to Women and Hollywood, an analysis of the 2010 nominees shows that “no women are nominated for best director of a motion picture (and) only one film about a woman was nominated for best picture drama.”

In a traditionally male-centered award ceremony, which builds on previous years, it’s difficult for women to break in. Women of color are even less represented. Only two women of color were nominated, Halle Berry for Best Actress in a motion picture, drama for Frankie and Alice, and Sofia Vergara, for Best Supporting Actress in a series, mini-series or TV movie for Modern Family. Many of the same individuals continue to be nominated from year to year, even though there have been films like “For Colored Girls”, “Death at a Funeral”, “Why Did I Get Married Too”, and “Just Wright” in the past year alone which received no attention from the Golden Globes.

The need for more women behind the camera and the necessity of events like the Citizen Jane Festival are unfortunately still necessary in order to give women the film recognition that they deserve. Projects like Citizen Jane fill a gap that award ceremonies like the Golden Globes leave in their wake.

For a list of all women nominees, visit Women and Hollywood’s Golden Globe Nominees – The Women.

For further reading on gender representation in movies, check out Sociological Images’: “The Gender Imbalance in Family Movies.”

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Wal-Mart Makeup Targets Tweens

Image c/o Flickr.com

Recently, Wal-Mart announced its upcoming line of anti-aging, eco-friendly makeup products called GeoGirl. GeoGirl’s chemical-free cosmetic line will hit Wal-Mart’s shelves soon and is targeted to the 8-12 year old, “tween” demographic. I feel that this style of marketing is a double-edged sword: it encourages consumerism and promotes a negative body image at an impressionable, young age. A Change.org blogger challenges the irony of GeoGirl’s promotion of eco-friendliness by creating legions of new consumers.

Sure, some parents may find lip-gloss, body spray and nail polish acceptable forms of beauty expression for this age group, but what about blush, eye shadow and mascara? Apparently, promoting unattainable beauty standards to young girls for profit isn’t a concern for Wal-Mart. Ultimately, the decision should be made in a discussion between child and parent, but do you think 8-12 year olds should wear cosmetics?

January is National Stalking Awareness Month

The month of January marked the 8^th annual National Stalking Awareness Month (NSAM). National Stalking Awareness Month aims to raise much-needed awareness on stalking and its victims. Because the definition of stalking may vary from state to state, one incident may not be considered criminal, but a series of repeated harassment and threatening behavior is considered a serious offense. According to the NSAM website, stalking is defined as “a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. Information provided by the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) reports that there are 3.4 million stalking incidents in the U.S. each year and indicates that stalking victimization has become a rising threat. The U.S. Department of Justice advises that most stalking victims (3 in 4) know their offender, a crime better known as intimate or partner stalking.

According to a study provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, although women are at a higher risk of getting stalked, both “women and men are likely to experience harassment.” Stalking can cause irreparable psychological damage, disruption in employment, and sometimes leads to extreme violence. An estimated 89% of female homicide victims who had been physically assaulted had also been stalked in the 12 months before their murder.

In our technology-driven world, stalking doesn’t end with physical proximity or telephone calls; these days, the harassment exists in the online world of email and social-networking sites and is called “cyber stalking.” With so many ways to be stalked, a victim may not be aware that the threat is a concern until it’s too late.

Information about National Stalking Awareness Month, stalking facts, recommendations and safety guidelines are available online from the NSAM website. In addition, information on intimate partner and sexual violence is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, here are important things you can do if you are being stalked:

• If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
• Trust your instincts and take threats seriously.
• Contact a crisis hotline or victim services agency
• Develop a safety plan, including changing your routine.
• Don’t communicate with or respond to the stalker.
• Keep evidence of the stalking.
• Contact the police; every state has stalking laws.
• Consider getting a court order against the stalker.
• Tell family, friends, roommates, and co-workers about the stalking and seek their support.

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All Girls are Winners: The Importance of Equity in Sports

Image c/o Flickr.com

Recently, the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) launched a campaign to end the violation of Title IX. The NWLC filed discriminatory complaints with the Office for Civil Rights, “against twelve school districts across the country for failing to provide girls with equal opportunities to play sports, in violation of Title IX.” Title IX is a federal law enacted in 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded academic and athletic programs. The NWLC’s brief highlighted the benefits of sports, which include a decrease in health-related problems, higher self-esteem, and academic improvement amongst female athletes (PDF).

Female athletes are considered all around more successful according to recent research: “two studies suggest sports are the causal factor: girls who play sports are more likely to go to college, be employed, and grow up to be physically active, non-obese women. In one study, Dr. Betsey Stevenson found that more girls playing sports leads to more women in college and more women in the workforce.”

On December 8^th, Blog to Rally for Girls‘ Sports Day challenged bloggers to answer: What did you win by playing sports? A Change.org columnist reflected that being the sole female player on an all-male soccer team brought out her inner feminist. Another blogger shared the lessons she learned while playing team sports: “Sports taught me perseverance, resilience, healthy conditioning, self-reliance, teamwork, and most importantly, the love of being active.” By writing or tweeting about their personal experiences, bloggers helped advocate and spread awareness about the importance and benefits of girls in sports.

Before Title IX, the participation level of high school girls and college women in sports was dismal. There has been considerable progress in women’s athletics since the 1960s, and second-wave feminism is largely to credit for that rise. But what about the generations of girls who still need access to equitable athletics that prior generations lacked?  African-American female athletes are experiencing double the obstacles–their gender and race: African-American females represent less than 5% of all high school athletes, less than 10% of all college athletes, less than 2% of all coaches and less than 1% of all college athletics administrators.

Campaigns like Rally for Girls’ Sports Day remind us to celebrate and advocate athletic participation in girls. Breaking down gender barriers in sports can help raise awareness on other key issues that affect girls and women on and off the field. If you want to get involved in advocating for girls in sports, check out:

GoGirlGo!

Black Women in Sport Foundation

Women’s Sports Foundation

National Girls and Women in Sports Day

Boys & Girls Clubs of America

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Gender is Not an Impairment

I recently came across this article written by Wheelchair Dancer. In it, she describes a conversation she overheard between a man and a woman. The man is trying to describe a game of bridge to his female companion. Not anything to raise one’s eyebrows about, right? Until the woman starts to describe herself as “slow” and “dyslexic” as an explanation of why she couldn’t grasp the intricacies of the game. As the writer points out, the woman is using self-proclaimed “disabilities” to make it okay for her to be inferior to the man in this instance.

This article was a good tipping point into this topic, but here are some more blog posts that delve into the role feminism plays in the lives of women living with actual disabilities. How do you think we can best integrate disability into the feminist discourse?

Disability Is A Feminist Issue

Disability Is A Feminist Issue: Gendering Health Access

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