"Men as Gendered Beings"

I agree with Kimmel and Messner's view on gender, race, and class. People, in general, only identify with the cultural factors which cause them oppression. White, middle-class males are the 'norm' of society and, therefore, do not experience cultural oppression. I liked the story about the black woman, the white woman, and the white man looking into the mirror. The white woman looks into the mirror and sees a woman. The black woman looks into the mirror and sees a black woman. The white man looks into the mirror and sees a human being. Both the white woman and the white man are blind to the features that avoid them oppression, because these features are the 'norm' to them.

Personally, I do not look at my race as a significant part of my identity. My gender, however, is very significant. The only time I truly identified with my race was in Ecuador. I felt angry, because I was given privileged treatment over others due to my race. In Ecuador, white is the 'ideal,' but it is not the 'norm.' It was definitely good for me to be put in a situation where my race had different significance, even though I sometimes felt guilt for the cultural repercussions of the 'white ideal' in Ecuador. The mestizo (half white, half indigenous- the majority of the Ecuadorian population) people often have identity issues, because they are neither white nor indigenous. They do not know how to classify themselves. They strive to be white, and they do not want to be indigenous, yet they are both. It is not uncommon to hear about couples breaking up, because she wasn't white enough for him, etc. Between the racial prejudice in Ecuador and me being the 'ideal' racial minority, I began to see my race as significant. Upon returning to the States, I re-adapted to the culture and no longer see my race as significant. I look into the mirror, and I see a woman. While I was in Ecuador, I looked into the mirror, and I saw a white woman.

Gendered Ads and Food

For my analysis paper, I wrote about the new Mitchum deodorant advertisement campaign. I think these ads are degrading to both sexes. Although, when I showed them to my boyfriend (Justin), he did not appear as offended as me. He thought some of them were funny. Of course, I got on a rant about gender stereotypes and how women are not sex objects, etc. After a little thought, Justin decided that some of the ads were definitely offensive (or maybe he was just trying to stop my rant...?). When I see ads like the Mitchum ads, my thoughts immediately go towards the underlying messages. Justin (like many people) enjoys ads based on their face value without evaluating the underlying social content. I think if more people took the time to analyze ads, they might make different consumer choices. For example, due to Dove's positive advertising of the female body, I try to stick to their brand when buying hygiene products.

After discussing Mitchum (and ensuring that Justin was not buying their deodorant), our conversation transferred to food. Did you ever notice that the salad line in Muddy is about 90% female? Society seems to dictate that women should be thin, and therefore, eat salad. Men, on the other hand, should eat meat. Right after Justin and I talked about this stereotype, a commercial came on TV with a man eating a hamburger (ironic, right?). Another example of the idea of gendered food occurs in the movie "Shallow Hal." When Hal's girlfriend orders a lot of food at McDonalds, Hal mentions that he likes a girl who eats more than just a salad. The gendered food stereotype is something I never picked up on before talking with Justin. I am going to pay more attention to it and see what I notice.

You're a hardcore feminist. I swear.

I loved the article "You're a hardcore feminist. I swear.," because I felt it addressed many issues and stereotypes that people associate with feminism. I call myself a feminist. Yet, my father seems to think that the 'typical' feminist hates men and is a lesbian. This stereotype has led to many interesting dinner conversations...no dad, I have not made the political decision to become a lesbian... I have met some feminist lesbians (one in particular who is a lesbian out of political choice), but I feel there are lots of non-lesbian feminists in this world, too...like me. As a feminist, I do not consider myself a man-hater. I support male rights. For example, I see male circumcision as a crime against men. I will be the first one to stand up and defend men when it comes to circumcision. My other favorite stereotype that I get when I tell people I am minoring in Women's Studies is "haha, dyke studies..." Yep, that's a good one. I've learned to shrug off the stereotypes, because I love working with and learning about women and gender too much to let stereotypes get in my way. In fact, now when I tell peers that I want to be a gynecologist, I usually just look at them and say "Yep, I want to look at vaginas all day." Somehow blatantly mentioning the word vagina wipes the awkward look off of their faces.

I don't feel like I am an 'exception' to the feminist stereotype, because I feel the stereotypes are false. I am a typical woman who wants rights for humanity and equality for women, and therefore, I am a typical feminist. I like how Valenti described the feminist T-shirt in the article which states "This is what feminism looks like." The shirt tries to emphasize that feminists are normal people. Good stuff... Personally, I am not bothered by stereotypes, but I can see how many women would be. I like how Valenti tries to normalize feminism. Hopefully, her efforts will work and more women will identify as feminists.