Although Gender Relations is largely focused on critiquing media, the other focus of this blog is to offer up alternatives to the images, movies, music, and pieces of culture that seem is limiting. This is why I have created two categories : Critique and Alternatives. I think by organizing the mindset of the posts, people can at least navigate to an alternative. With this change, I am also going to try to increase the amount of “alternative” media that I post about because increasing media literacy is one of two primary goals with the other being to show examples of good “gender relations”.
I have also gone through all other posts on the site and added categories to them. Do note that just because something isn’t categorized as “alternative” doesn’t mean there isn’t a reference to something, but if “alternative” is a specific category, then it is a focus of the article.
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Let me know if you have any other suggestions for the site!
For all those who visit the site, thank you for your continued support. It means a lot that someone is reading the thoughts and analysis that takes place here at Gender Relations. I felt like it was time to actually buy the domain gender-relations (the double r in genderrelations seemed too odd). I will be putting up a redirect for the old address to this one, in the meantime all other content (minus images) should be up and running on the new domain, so update your bookmarks! Thanks again, and spread the word!
(CNN) — A dating site that markets itself as an elite community for beautiful people with a “strict ban on ugly people” has axed about 5,000 members for packing on the pounds during the holiday season.
The international site BeautifulPeople.com threw out members after they posted photos “revealing that they have let themselves go,” according to a company statement.
I don’t think I really have to point out the ridiculousness of “an elite dating site for beautiful people”. The one thing I am wondering about is the breakdown of males and females were “let go”. Society dictates different weight and images for men and women (both are set high, in different ways).
Segregation based on beauty! Although it’s always existed, with the way the internet operates, there is plenty of opportunities for closed communities based on whatever (it would be interesting to infiltrate one of these communities and do social research) criteria they see fit. That’s the beauty and harm of social networking these days, the network can be whatever we want it be. Elite beauty clubs aren’t really a new concept.
Without a lot more information or statistics about who was let go, I can’t really make a lot of conclusions about why or how people were let go, but it’s an interesting article that equalizes gender. I am assuming both men and women were let go (although it’s my suspicion more women were let go). Really “beautyism” isn’t much different than racism, or other types of prejudice. We are born a certain way, and society values the way some are born over (based often times on looks), and we segregate (sometimes very obviously) based on them. Now, beautyists are a more sneaky, in general (not in this case, the site was very direct about their intentions) because their rule is very well backed by Hollywood, and their ammunition involves straining sexualization and exclusivity. Don’t let the fatties and uglies sit with the cool kids at lunchtime. It reminds me of the song “High School” by Superchick, talking about how we never grow out of the popularity contest, and a lot of this has to do with gender placement. I’m sure this elite site has its share of models and doctors that find true love.
Maybe there should be separate dating sites, “The Average Looking” and “Pretty Ugly”, or we could divide things up a little more and have 10 sites 1.com, 2.com, and so on, where your ranking gives you exclusive backstage membership to other singles in your ranking!
In all seriousness, I think we’ll see a gay president before we see the breakdown of the social beauty pageant.
In the spirit of keeping with the opposition to these delimiting standards, the song “High School” that was mentioned earlier provides an upbeat alternative to growing up and expanding past the superficiality that surrounds us -
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