So, with the Superbowl on it’s way this Sunday, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding some of the ads that are going to be displayed or not displayed. In my previous post, I mentioned CBS’ involvement in showing anti-abortion ads for the group Focus on Families. A little update of that effort : CREDO (the organization involved in the petition to pull those ads) have gathered over 120,000 signatures, which CBS is very aware of, but choose to ignore. Regardless of your stance on the issue, it is hard to feel sympathy for CBS’ hypocrisy with their “No-Advocacy” policy, when they start banning other advertisements that may promote certain lifestyles they do not wish to align themselves with.

Now, I have come across two specifically that really benchmark what kind of game is being played at the superbowl this year (pun intended). Even with the number of people that watch the Superbowl, football is largely a masculine sport with male followers. With that being said, I think it sets the stage for the two banned ads (I am sure there are more) that came my way.

ManCrunch

ManCrunch, which is an online gay dating site has had their ad refused by the powers that be. Now, there is already a little controversy with this ad in general. The signs in the back, the displeased friend, etc. Although there are multiple interpretations, I would say that having a football related , gay ad would be a good ad to run, regardless of some of the negatives. I think the ad breaks the gender barrier of saying that masculine, football-loving men are, indeed, gay as well. Take from the ad what you will, but the ban is very obviously one of gay nature (and im sure the image of very tough, football-loving, men shunning their heterosexual nature isn’t part of that AT ALL). The thing to consider here is the mash-up of gender and sexuality. Even though these men are retaining their masculine qualities (being strong, etc.), their masculinity is instantly stripped once they are gay. It’s an interesting and ironic measurement of gender studies to see how those two can be separate, then closely tied in specific circumstances.

GoDaddy

This one has surprised me. GoDaddy is notorious for very sexist, over the top, sexualized advertisements (FOR WEB HOSTING!). Just last year I switched my hosting to DreamHost because I did not agree with Bob Parsons’ take on women, the industry, and advertising. I didn’t want to support such blatant objectification of women. That is why their latest ad can only dictate the humiliation of effeminate acting men. In the ad, Lola (an ex-football player), built a business as a clothing designer. Of course, Lola is very “gay acting” (effeminate), and even though effeminiate does not equate homosexuality, I think it is implied in this ad. I am not sure the intent GoDaddy had with this one. Danica Patrick has been their mascot for quite some time, and she is in her full suit (sometimes she’s barely wearing anything), and narrating the story of Lola. I’m not sure if they were TRYING to sell limited images of gender (how a masculine man can become feminine with the snap of selling clothing — hint : selling clothes does not make you snap your fingers and lisp) or if they were trying to get the gay vote (if they were, they need better marketing consultants). Either way, it’s fail, so it is good this is pulled off the air, but in the same time, the reasons for it being pulls are also for the wrong reasons.

Now, between the ManCrunch and this ad, both gender and sexuality for men take a beating, as well as women’s right to choose abortion as an option. I am not sure how in 2010, we are regressing so much, but apparently the marketers are pulling out all the stops on this event.

I don’t watch the superbowl (as a male!), but I wish I did , so I could boycott the event. I really am excited to see what ads actually air, and then the final release of the rejected ads. If you have any other gender/sex related banned superbowl 2010 ads, let me know! Also, let me know your thoughts on the ads!

There’s nothing more infuriating and creepy than early media propaganda that dictates gender roles. There are a bunch of these over youtube, so I wanted to feature a few of them and talk about them.

• Girls Beware

The reason I wanted to feature this video is because since the 50s, the fear mongering about woman’s safety has not released. Now, this video is rather extreme because it ends in the deaths of young girls for “wrongly trusting”. I went to a domestic abuse performance a few months ago, and they handed out information about sexual assault and domestic abuse. There were “tips” for staying safe in the pamphlet. For example – stay in brightly list areas, check the back of the car seat, don’t talk to strangers, etc. Now, this is from a center that helps victimized women, but should the approach always be one of fear? The point is that in this video (and even today) – women should be fearful around every corner and men are killers. If we lock ourselves into these roles, then there will always be a culture of fear surrounding the safety of women. I am not suggesting we lose our cautious minds because these are very real occurances, but I think the approach is seldom one that women aren’t responsible for.

• Boys Beware

The happy part about this film is that I feel we have come somewhere since this anti-gay propaganda was created. I think hitchhiking in general is a horrible idea regardless of who you are. In many ways there have and have not been changes. The pieces I think have changed (thankfully) are the comments about homosexuality as a sickness. Now, I think a lot of people will agree that homosexuality is not a “sickness” – minus radicals of religious faith. A fear around homosexuals and teenagers still persists in our culture. We see this all of the time, but I think over the last decade, a lot of that fear has subsided. Hopefully, we can get to the day where everyone would see how ridiculous this video is. Some of the “best” parts are : “when never knows when the homosexual is about” , “sickness that was not visible like small pox but no less dangerous and contagious. sickness of the mind. Rob was a homosexual – a person who DEMANDS a relationship with the same sex…”. I just love how homosexuals DEMAND relationships.

I found this parody of the 50s style propaganda and sums up how ridiculous these videos were

• Catching The Gay

It’s interesting to see how the media has and has not changed over the last 4 or 5 decades. I will agree 100% that there have been a lot of changes, but there is still a lot of fear mongering as well, and until we can get past that, I think there is still a lot to be done.

Yesterday, I was browsing the interweb for gender related materials and came across someone’s blog from a few days ago entitled “Reasons Cosplayers Scare Me“. At first, I was not clicking for gender perspectives, but Cosplay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay if you don’t know what it is) seems a little strange to me, but for different reasons than the author of this post. As I read the post, I got relatively annoyed (which is usually the emotion I feel when brash gender stereotypes are thrown onto the playing field). As you keep reading you can tell that everything is tongue-and-cheek, but I thought I will respond as if it weren’t because I have heard a lot of of people talk about cosplay in almost this same manor.

THE PART I WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON IS DESCRIBED BELOW

WTG

• Sometimes I like to play a game with my friends and random passerby called “What’s That Gender!?” The goal of the game is to determine the sex of the person in question. If close examination of the subject does not cause the real gender to become evident, players are encouraged go up to the subject and attempt to begin a short conversation in order to determine how deep the subject’s voice is. If the gender is still in question, players punch the subject in the crotch and measure on a scale of 1 to 10 how much pain was caused to the individual. Optionally, players without the guts to do such a thing can just throw their hands in the air and scream “WHAT ARE YOU!?!?!” If the subject does not answer, it is determined that he/she is a mute mangirl. I’m betting that the thingy in the picture to the right is composed of two bearded Vietnamese midget women standing on each others’ shoulders. It really is a toss-up though. Disgusting, and yet hilarious.

Okay, so there are some real ignorances presented in this paragraph alone. First of all playing a game called “What’s that gender” both implies that it matters and that it is not about how that person identifies but more how they are filling their prescribed gender stereotypes. I will admit , what little I do know of cosplay, there is a lot of gender ambiguity. You see this a lot with anime and Asian exported media.

Reading more the details of this “gender game” these people play (which they very well may not even play and this could just be a humorous commentary on cosplay – but really shows a reinforcement of gender stereotyping). Although this article WAS NOT written in a serious manor, this “gender game” happens on a daily level outside the cosplay world. We are constantly (and I am guilty as charged as well) assigning gender to people who we have no clue about. These people could ID as masculine, feminine, a mix of both, neither, anything.

The author also suggests that the (obvious) man is a “thingy” and that if a person does not fall discretely in their roles then they are categorized as a thing. This is extremely interesting to analyze because when we objectify humans (which happens all the time), it becomes very easy to hate on them. Now, I am not going to lie, I think cosplay is a little weird (not because of the gender ambiguity, but rather the extreme levels of role playing a fantasy life that is very outside our own life – but to each their own), but everyone has the right to express themselves how they want to. Even though this article is aimed in a humous way, it says a lot about our culture because if we saw the man in that picture walking down the street we would play that “gender game”, and some people may take it as far as objectifying them as a human being. It is important to humans to label others so that they can ID them as good or bad, but we need to note that things like sexuality and gender are not good or bad, they just are.

Though cosplay is a very unique subculture of dressing up like favorite anime characters (or video games), a portion of these people are partaking in cross-dressing (though they may just see it as fun and not cross-dressing in a transgendered sort of way), but the outside sees this as a socially queer (pun intended) thing to do. These attitudes need to stop. I don’t want to get much into the psychology of cosplay, but I can imagine that a reason these people are dressing up and living alternate lives is in part because they have been cast away from (or feel they don’t fit right) in the society that we have created. For that, I do not blame them. I also think, they just want to do it for fun, and if we send the message that it is not alright even to “cross-dress” for fun, then what are we telling people who truly are transgender?

Although the subculture is a little strange to me (any subculture can seem strange to outsiders), I think that cosplay introduces some interesting topics on gender. The fact that men and women are dressing like a different gender (called CROSSPLAY), they are therefore playing with gender (gender bending), and also just some of the characters being gender ambiguous allows for a conversation about deconstructing gender to happen. Rather than adopt the attitude of the author of that blog, we can look and say “wow there are other forms of gender expression out there”. It is good to have parts of our culture that shows gender ambiguity because otherwise there would be no alternatives. Even if people do not feel gender ambigious , there is nothing wrong with being fluid with gender, or just playing around. There needs to be more than Halloween that says “we can step outside of our traditional roles”.

“A prime candidate for a rousing
round of “What’s That Gender!?” – Slapstic

Like I have said, even though this article was written tongue-in-cheek, many people play the game of “what is that gender” (and well beyond cosplay).

I wonder what Sherri Shepard would have to say about this?

Thank You Avril Lavigne for leading the forefront of “non-conformist conformists”. See, this is a tad personal. I used to be a huge Avril fan. I used to think that she stood for standing apart from the crowd, challenging norms, all of the great things about “being liberal”. Her second album talked about abuse, broken homes, and living life to it’s fullest, then she took sabbatical from all these values – got a make over (with some plastic surgery), and suddenly she is the BEST DAMN THING — according to her new album. There is much wrong with her new album in the way of gender, but the worst is her newly released video. Hot off the internet reels take a look : (the lyrics are right below the video if you want to follow along)

Let me hear you say hey hey hey
Alright
Now let me hear you say hey hey ho

I hate it when a guy doesn’t get the door
even though I told him yesterday and the day before
I hate it when a guy doesn’t get the tab
And I have to pull my money out and that looks bad

Where are the hopes, where are the dreams
My Cinderella story scene
When do you think they’ll finally see

[Chorus:]
That you’re not not not gonna get any better
You won’t won’t won’t you won’t get rid of me never
Like it or not, even though she’s a lot like me
We’re not the same
And yeah yeah yeah I’m a lot to handle
You don’t know trouble, I’m a hell of a scandal
Me, I’m a scene, I’m a drama queen
I’m the best damn thing that your eyes have ever seen

Alright, alright
Yeah

I hate it when a guy doesn’t understand
Why a certain time of month I don’t wanna hold his hand
I hate it when they go out, and we stay in
And they come home smelling like their ex girlfriends

I found my hopes, I found my dreams
My Cinderella story scene
Now everybody’s gonna see

[Chorus]

Give me an A (always give me what I want)
Give me a V (be very very good to me)
R (are you gonna treat me right)
I (I can put up a fight)
Give me an L (let me hear you scream loud)

One, two, three, four

Where are the hopes, where are the dreams
My Cinderella story scene
When do you think they’ll finally see

[Chorus]

Now, I don’t even think I NEED TO POINT OUT THE WRONGNESS WITH THIS SONG, but I will do it anyways. There quite possible could be many more levels of dark age gendering than even I can find, but let’s start with the basics. It is easy to construe this song as a “positive girl power proverb” but I think it’s also easy to see the very patriarchical values and female submissiveness within her lyrics as well.

I hate it when a guy doesn’t get the door
even though I told him yesterday and the day before
I hate it when a guy doesn’t get the tab
And I have to pull my money out and that looks bad

OKAY, well she wants chivalry once again (and she wants it bad, she’s DEMANDING IT). She wants a guy to be her slave, which could be interpreted two ways – both of which are nothing to be proud of.

1. Matriarchy - there is a possibility her terms are to set things straight and be on top, but matriarchy is not a better system than patriarchy because if people have power over each other does it really matter which gender it is?
2. Helplessness - can you not open your own door? It’s no secret that a huge gender stereotype for men is to protect and serve women (and yet degrade them?). Regardless, it is easy to see that if she wants a guy to open the door, she can’t do it herself. To me that’s a huge slap in the face to the female population to say “guys have to do stuff for us”. There’s a difference of being nice to someone and helping them out and doing something because it is both expected and prescribed to your gender role.

BUT WAIT, Let’s not forget she also hates it when “a guy doesn’t get the tab” because if Avril Lavigne (working woman with millions and millions of dollars) puts HER OWN money out, it looks bad. This also says two things to me.

1. Same Old Roles – there is part of this that may be saying “even though I have money and fame, I am still a woman” and is held down by those ideals. Even though some women are strong and unique, there are still parts of their lives that conform to gender norms. It is hard to speculate because it is such a personal detail, but also because fame is a whole other paradigm of gender roles.
2. Sold Out – bell hooks explains about the same thing happening to Madonna “selling out”. Avril will do what it takes to make money, and if that includes making music that seems like a 15 year old would  be singing in her diary, so be it. It’s hard to blame Avril, for millions of dollars would you sing a song about guys opening doors for you – probably so.

The part that annoys me most about this portion of the song is that she has money and she has fame — why would she need a guy to get the tab? Although possible unconnected, a lot of this behavior seemed to happen after she got married.

NEXT ON THE LIST :

Where are the hopes, where are the dreams
My Cinderella story scene
When do you think they’ll finally see

[Chorus:]
That you’re not not not gonna get any better
You won’t won’t won’t you won’t get rid of me never
Like it or not, even though she’s a lot like me
We’re not the same
And yeah yeah yeah I’m a lot to handle
You don’t know trouble, I’m a hell of a scandal
Me, I’m a scene, I’m a drama queen
I’m the best damn thing that your eyes have ever seen

This next part gets ultra-annoying as she is talking about the above things (men holding doors and paying for her) as hopes and dreams. What signal is this telling little girls – that hopes and dreams are made up of what a man can provide for you and do for you — a true fairy tale. Now we won’t talk too much about Cinderella today because I have entire projects about construction of gender in fairy tales, but you can imagine what sorts of things I have to say about “princesses”.

The chorus recreates the same gender stereotypes that teenage girls are sassy, brassy, and snobby. She gives a lot of attitude and tries to pull away from the mainstream, but is being a drama queen what anybody really wants to hear about. Then the self-righteous “best damn thing your eyes have every seen” really puts the cherry on top of the “i’m so pretty and beautiful, cater to me”. Now some of this lingo may seem progressive for women, but Avril Lavigne looks a certain way. She may dress “alternatively” (which has been majorly changed with her new favorite color being pink – go figure), but her messages do not co-incide for everyone.

LASTLY :

I hate it when a guy doesn’t understand
Why a certain time of month I don’t wanna hold his hand
I hate it when they go out, and we stay in
And they come home smelling like their ex girlfriends

Now, speaking on this issue as someone who does not experience a period is just hearsay, but I have many friends that are girls, and there are certain times of the months my friends don’t turn in to “raving bitches” – which is the fun stereotype that Avril (A GIRL!!!) is trying to re-create. Now, we won’t get into the matter too deeply, but I don’t think it is necessary for AVRIL to speak on every female and how they act during their periods.

The next part seems to be put in there solely to throw a stab at stereotyping men. Most of the song stays focused to giving women their traditional roles, but this is one where men can continually be cheaters! I don’t know about all you readers, but I have never cheated in my life. There is a HUGE contradiction in her lyrics here because she is all for “shattering what women can and cannot do” (though this song seems rather the contrary). Nevertheless she says “we stay in” – why do women have to stay in? Is that a choice or a gender construction she is creating ONCE AGAIN. She is telling all the teenage girls out there that their boyfriends are going to cheat on them when they are out (because no doubt the hidden context is that men are disgusting pigs — I wonder if her husband is a disgusting pig….?).

I was on her myspace and looking at her pictures and saw this one girl comment “you are so pretty, I wish I looked like you, but I am too fat”

– now if Avril Lavinge was a counter-culture icon (first of all she wouldn’t be on mainstream radio and writing material like this), it would seem obvious that atypical features of beauty are just as welcome. I felt so bad for the girl that posted it because she aspires to be someone else, someone who is “hot” (avril actually has a song called “hot” on her new album, and in the video she is on a stripper pole). What are teenage girls to think when “the best damn thing that your eyes have ever seen” is a 110 (guessing) lb. girl with long blonde hair, famous husband, tons of money, and is still not satisified? Could anyone hold a cup to her? Not in this society – so instead we get 13 year old girls on myspace thinking they are fat and ugly because they are no Avril Lavinge, which sounds to be “the worst damn thing that my ears have ever heard”.

We need to aspire to break these molds of traditional beauty and also gender roles. It’s a real feat for Mrs. Lavigne to have sung a song that is built entirely on recreating multiple gender norms. This possible could be one of the most saturated reinforced gender songs I have ever heard.

There is a lot wrong with the entire album (minus a few songs that were undoubtedly stuck in for traditional fans), but this song for sure takes the cake.

5 years ago I never thought I would be writing a blog talking about Avril Lavinge in a negative way, but it just goes to shows that enough money can change anything, but then again consumers have the choice. I refuse to support her in any way shape or form (which meant throwing away a lot of memoriabelia), but the important part of this lesson is to BECOME CRITICAL THINKERS. I am not saying “BOYCOTT AVRIL LAVIGNE” (though I would probably give you compliments for doing so), but more about saying “maybe i like this song, but ya know she’s using some crude stereotypes about men and women”. Some people can like something and still see something wrong with it. I personally, cannot.

I thought I would come back and post a side by side of AVRIL THEN AND NOW.

2004

2007