Response to Kit: "The Masculine Mystique"

I wish I had read this before I had made my previous post, however this will complete my requirements for the week, so what the hay. I was glad to read the thoughts of someone who felt the same as I did. I liked how she talked about her journalism days and how her teacher told her “interviews weren’t real writing” and she can now see why. I hadn’t even thought that perhaps some of my confusion did arise from how the writer would mention Stallone’s actions and such, but it did make for a very mottled composition. I also really agreed with her last few statements. “Overall, I liked the idea of this piece. It was thinking outside the box. It had an interesting message in relation to stereotypes, gender roles, and the male identity.” This is some of what I had wanted to speak to in my earlier post but I can never seem to get my ideas out in just the way I want. So I was glad to read that other people felt as I did after reading the piece.

Sylvester Stallone

This piece about Stallone was interesting. I was very surprised how smart he sounds. I mean his vocabulary is rather extensive, I didn’t know a bunch of the words he said. I thought that was cool just because people in his realm (macho-wacho men) are stereotypically “stupid”, but Stallone wasn’t like that at all. He had real determination in his responses to Susan Faludi. Some of the things he said were kind of what I would expect. Just the stuff about he is a stereotype and people only see him one way and see men certain ways and bla bla bla. Anyways, I would have liked to hear him talk about how he is different or maybe talk about his life as an action hero. He made it seem like being who he has been for the past 30-40 years has been bad and a bad influence. However I believe that a person of his celeb magnitude holds a lot of power to shape young minds. I mean yes, his movies all pretty much involve the decapitation of people and shooting up stuff and whatever but he could still try to show young men and boys what it takes to truly be a hero. I don’t know. I didn’t always understand what he was talking about in is responses. It did seem a little scrambled and random, but overall it was interesting but kind of boring. I just feel like his responses weren’t the most clear compared to other interviews I have read. I’m not trying to take away from his intelligence, but I just didn’t necessarily understand what was going on at all times. I don’t know…

Jean Kilbourne

This is just a thought I had about the essay that just never really came up during the class discussion. I was thinking that yes, advertising has become an especially obtrusive way of using women and turning the perception of women any way the advertiser wants to. However, I found it interesting that throughout the 1900’s women have strived to get equal opportunities, and to be seen in the public and to not be shut down by society. The sexual revolution in the 60’s, women wanted to show off their bodies and not be ashamed. Well…the times now are just an exploited version of what women wanted in the first place. I just think it’s funny that in ways this is what women wanted, we wanted to show off. Advertisers are just showing real life in a blow out of proportion way. Women continually use their sexuality to entice men, or manipulate; however when that is put up on a billboard all heck breaks loose. I’m not saying that I don’t get offended or think that exploitation of women in advertising is right, and I do believe that in some adds there are connotations of sex, abuse, violence, and what not, but I do think the people viewing the media especially women have kind of asked for it. We got ourselves here. There is no blame but look back in history and see how it dictates how we live now.

If possible I might want to explore this phenomenon further in a paper if the topic comes up or is able to be used. I would like to research how women have progressed in advertising and society in general.

English Class/Teachers

I have been in a fair amount of English classes, which the number is now up to 6 ½ since seventh grade until now, my second semester of freshman year in college. Over these six or so years, not much has changed. At the beginning of the class the teacher tells you, just speak your mind, no answer is wrong in a discussion. So time and time again, when the class is discussing a book, article, piece of art, what have you, I always say something and soon come to find my throat is being jumped down by seven of my peers and sometimes me teacher. So apparently you can’t speak your mind, and you especially cannot voice an opinion or just raise questions that may be deemed wrong. Generally, I can sneak around and say enough to get a “class participation” grade, but not to so much to be attacked. However, when people say something that I disagree with, or something I feel so inclined to argue about or ask about it suddenly becomes so wrong. Even if I am only asking a question which doesn’t reflect my opinion people assume that it is and say if the topic were racism then I must be a racist or Nazi or whatever. The only thing I guess you really can say in class discussions is what the teacher wants to hear. Forgive me for trying to ask something new and speaking my mind. I shall not do it again.

Just Walk on By

This piece was really interesting in that when it first began I thought the male writer was going to rape or violently harm the woman her referred to as “my first victim”. As I kept reading I realized that Staples was merely talking about being looked at as a stereotype. I have recently been thinking about similar situations. Staples talked about how when people especially women meet men in streets alone at night the hairs on the back of their neck rise and stand straight up. No matter what part of town they are in. I am wondering how to act myself. Should I always be kind to people I meet on the street even if they look suspicious and like they are thinking bad thoughts. Should I say hi? I don’t want to seem like I am racist or rude, but I also do not want to get raped. The thing I like about Staples piece is that he seems to understand that women may not be racist but are just worried because of the stereotype that certain black males represent. He understands that it isn’t him they are scared of necessarily, it’s the idea of what he potentially represents depending on is clothing or whatever. I ask again, what are women supposed to do. Follow our intuition to get ourselves out of situations and perhaps offend a black person? And they person doesn’t even have to be black. If I run across a beefy white male at night on a fairly deserted street, I’m going to get nervous. It is just one of those situations that will never stop because you can’t tell a person to avoid wearing clothes he likes or don’t take walks at certain times or whatever else. But if he doesn’t want to be looked at as a potential rapist then maybe he should. But I do not want to tell a person what to do. It’s their choice. I just don’t know what to do and I like how Staples talks about this issue a little bit.

Essay #1 Workshop

I really liked having the time to get with other students and hear their feedback about my essay. I have always had trouble sharing my writing with people other than my mom or people that I am really comfortable with. It was tough to share some of my more personal experiences with people where all I know about them is their name. Though I think it is good for me to open up with more people and let more people read the things I write. I am simply very self-conscience and it’s hard to hear if someone didn’t like what I wrote especially when I write poetry. However, this past class when people commented on my piece they seemed to like it. It definitely helps boost my depleted ego and self-esteem. I also had fun reading what other people had written about in their essays. I mean it is always fun to give a little criticism …haha just kidding. But it is good experience to be able to read other people’s work and make comments on it.

Nora Ephron’s writing is incredible. It’s kind of just a jumble of paragraphs about past memories and just random stuff. I like it. And as someone who is not incredibly bustful I can relate to her story. I have always been jealous of certain types of shirts, or dresses, and other clothing items that my sisters or friends, or just random women on the street can wear. I don’t think the piece was supposed to be particularly amusing but I found it very comical just thinking about her breast size being more of a difficult life experience then getting your period. I think I liked it so much because I did go through so many of the same experiences, minus the whole 1950’s thing. I am a tomboy who at times have wanted to be girly and be able to wear whatever I want and have been angry at the women who complain to me about having medium sized breasts saying how terrible it is. It’s hard when men will actually say that they wish that you had bigger breasts. Granted I have never thought about my situation as deeply as Ephron, however I feel like if I were to write something about my breasts it would turn out quite similar to this piece. I loved it, I don’t know why. I thought it was great for a woman to just come out and write about her body so bluntly. After reading this I want to research her and find some more things she has written, which is not something I say often after reading an assigned piece of reading.