Sex and the City theme

The show Sex and the City is my most favorite shows that is airing on television. I think that the theme of the show is unique and also hilarious. You fall in love with all of the characters who all have very different personalities. I am going to be writing a paper on the show for my Women's Studies class on the theme of the show. I am going to write about how all four of the characters, four women living in New York, go against the gender norms by living like "men." The four characters are all single women in their forties and early fifty's who have very successful careers. They live their lives dating MANY men and being very promiscuous. They are not living the stereotypical "spinsters" but like eligible bachelors. Many of the episodes talk about the women living against societies norms like getting married at a certain age, not settling down and having children, and going into hiding if you are single after the age of 35. All four characters laugh at these norms and talk about them with each other in the show over a coffee date or meal. These women can be considered "serial daters" by how many many they go through. When I write my paper I will talk about how eventually these characters do give in and settle down and some have children after they vowed in the show that they will go against those stereotypes. Only one of the characters stands her ground and does not give in and remains unmarried and without children. She is also a character that went against the gender norms by becoming a very successful business woman and wouldn't let any man stop her from achieving the top. For her, there was no glass ceiling. I would like to focus on her character a lot in my story because she stands out as the best example of going against a gender norm.

Gender obesity

More than half of Americans are considered over weight or obese. Men are more likely to overweight rather than obese, women obese more than overweight. Obesity has become a nation wide problem in America but has not been accepted as a social norm. Prejudice against overweight or obese women is more recognized than judgment towards men. Studies have shown than the number one cause of death in America is heart disease which is a risk factor when one is obese or over weight. The prejudice against those who are obese affects the lives and the social class of those who are obese. It has been shown that obese men and women are more likely to be refused a job or a promotion. They are more likely to have a lower salary and charged higher for their insurance.

Obese women pay more of a price then men do. They are criticized more for their weight and looked upon as social freaks. When thinking of an overweight man, the words that come to most peoples minds are out of shape, chubby, and big boned. When thinking of an overweight woman the words that would likely come to mind are fat, lazy, disgusting, and smelly. Women are being criticized for their overweight lifestyle more than men and it is unfair. In some cultures, overweightness is a sign of wealth or social prosperity. But in America it can be a sign of laziness and unattractive. Weight is a key factor to a woman's attraction it seems in society. It seems to determine their "worth" in society and over weight women have it the hardest.

Ending Gender Mutilation

I stumbled across a website that was promoting the ending of female genital mutilation that has been a widespread practice. FGM is a violation against women human rights. The effects that these practices have on women have long and short term effects on their bodies depending on what procedure has been done. Not only do these effects have a physical damage they also cause mental damage like post-traumatic stress syndrome. some of the physical side effects are fever, urninary infections, shock, severe pain, and wound infections. There are a few reasons why FGM is practiced. Some cultures feel that by these procedures they can control the female sexual drive or sexuality. some feel that it should be required for their certain religion and some just feel that it helps with fertility. A lot of FGM is found in patriarchal cultures where women depend on the men and do not have the same rights in their society as the men do.

FGM takes away a woman's rights by denying them their sexuality. By cutting away their genitals they are not being given the right to pleasure or a healthy body. Many women die from the pain and stress of the procedures and for what? Because a man wants to control their body.

I was glad to read that there are many programs going on that are fighting to end FGM. They are having a hard time with it because it is invading another culture's practices. Like many people, I would love to see this practice end COMPLETELY. I would like to look into ways I could help these women who suffer with the aftermath of FGM.

Carry Out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRdHsuuXxfk

The song "Carry Out" by Justin Timberlake and Timbaland objectify women as a carry out order.The song is about getting a woman's phone number because she has an appealing body. The lyrics are:

"Take my order cause your body like a carryout
Let me walk into your body till it's lights out
Turn me on my baby don't you cut me out"

: The women in the music video are wearing maid and waitress outfits dancing around the two singers. Some of the women have a vail covering their face with a cherry in their mouth. This reminded me of what Jean Kilbourne said in her documentary "Killing Us Softly." She talked about how some of advertisements with women cover their mouths almost to silence them. This gives the ideas that women should be seen and not heard. With the cherry in the woman's mouth I thought of how this silences her and puts the focus on the skimpy outfit she is wearing. The cherry gives the woman a sexual image as well.

I do not like this song because it makes it seem like if a guy is interested in a woman all he needs to do is ask for her number or "place an order" like he is at a drive-through and he will get what he ordered. These kind of songs make me have a bad attitude towards the artist. Come on Justin, you can do better than this radio yuck.

Freaknik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Mn8Qq7C4A

Above I have the link to a preview of this new show I saw the other night on Adult Swim. It's called Freaknik:The Musical. the only reason I was interested in seeing what it is about is because the cast of the cartoons voices are all well known rappers. Once I started watching this adult cartoon I realized this this ghost creature called Freaknik was nothing but a stereotypical black man in a stereotypical black community. The show is full of guns, bling, pimp cups, half naked black women AKA hoe's, and drinking. The way the portrayed women in the show immediately turned me off to the show. All the female characters had DD breasts and bikini's that HARDLY covered them. They are actually referred to by all the male characters as hoes. their butts are being slapped and grabbed and they are completely being sexualized and objectified. All of the characters are black and they play they stereotypical roles of a black man. The characters all have gold teeth and big jewelry covering their body. They all are carrying a cup full of some kind of alcohol that they are constantly sipping on.

This cartoon itself is the reason why stereotypes of the black culture remains. They are making a joke out something that should be changed. They are continuing to objectify women in the hip hop culture. The main focus of every woman in that show is to show their almost naked bodies falling all over these men who are calling the hoes and yelling, "shut up b****!" It makes no sense and if I were the one making this show I would feel guilty for even producing something so trashy.

Mississippi abortion

When we watched that documentary in class the other day about how women in Mississippi are not given the resources for getting abortions I got a little irritated. These women are not being given the choice on how they want to live there life really. There is one place in Mississippi where they can go and get an abortion and even there they are being criticized and abused. Men and women are standing outside of the clinic yelling at the workers and the women who go there. I personally do not ever plan on getting an abortion because I think of a child as a blessing. I have religious views on the topic but I would never push my religious views on to someone else. I feel that every women is entitled to the decision of what they should do with their body. I don't support the idea of abortion but I do support someone making the choice on whether they should get it themselves.

That's all I can really say about the topic. Everything else has been said over and over again for years.