The Problem With Gendered Products

Over break, I was talking to my older cousin, a 1^st grade teacher in Colorado. She said she tries to be very sensitive to gender stereotypes in her classroom. In the beginning of the year she hands out pencils as a gift to her students. Some have dinosaurs or rockets and some have flowers or butterflies. She noticed the girls and boys trying to trade with one another, and then gave them a talk about how you shouldn’t care which pencil you recieved. There are no “boy” or “girl” pencils. This got me thinking about how so many products are needlessly gendered. 

Upon searching “gendered products” in Google images, I started coming up with some absurd results. These were a few of the images.

The language that was used to market the earplugs was very telling about how the market sells to women. The Women’s ear plugs say, “Beauty sleep is always in fashion.” A few other words I picked out right away were “pretty,” “pink,” and “silky.” The men’s ear plugs send a different message; they are “skull screws,” not just ear plugs. In the upper left corner they are named “hi-tech” ear plugs. The graphics are interesting to compare, too. A butterfly and a sleeping woman on the women's and a skull and screws on the men's. 

Companies do this to make more money off the same product, splitting their shoppers into two groups, boys and girls. This only is enforcing                                                                                           gender stereotypes we have. 

Another picture I found was gendered deodorant, another product that is gender-specific for no reason. The women’s deodorant is a light pink color and has a smooth look to it. The men’s has hard lines in the design and packaging and is taller and wider than the women’s one. 

These products could so easily be unisex, yet the market is taking advantage of our preexisting gender stereotypes and making a “boy” and “girl” version of every product out there. We see these issues with gender roles when we are kids: with boy and girl aisles in toy sections of stores. But they continue to be present afterwards in our products we choose to buy as adults. 

Domestic Violence and the NFL

       If any of you have been following the Ray Rice scandal, you know the Minnesota Vikings player was recently reinstated after his suspension which was due to a video released of him physically abusing his now wife. I wrote a blog post earlier going into further detail on this if you’d like to check it out. To summarize what happened, Rice punched his fiance in the face, knocking her unconscious, then dragged her out of the elevator. And now his wife finally speaks up in an interview with Today.

      In this interview, we see her defending her husband relentlessly. She became the face of domestic violence in this country when this tape came out. And the way she is handling it I would argue is just not telling women to be strong. This was an opportunity to make a difference in how we see domestic violence and women not being victims; she didn't take this opportunity. She says “I’m not going to sit there in silence and let something happen to me.” But that is essentially what she was doing. She was defending him by staying silent this whole time (the incident happened 10 months ago). 

       She continues to advocate for his supposedly good character when she says that the leaked video “didn’t make [her] rethink her relationship” and that she “knew [their] relationship wouldn’t be over.” She did a lot of the apologizing in a public apology Rice and her recently held; she said she was sorry for the “part she played in this.” She admitted the public apologies were not her idea exactly; someone at the Ravens “suggested” she do this and gave her and her husband a “general script” of what to say. It was a publicity stunt, which she acknowledged. Had the Ravens not urged her to do the press conference, she would not have been there, so she says. 

       Another concern Ray Rice apologized to the Ravens team and fans in this press conference...and not to his wife (the one who suffered from physical and emotional harm that night). Football seems to be the main priority in his mind. I think it would be devastating to see an NFL team pick him up for another season. We can learn from this whole incident if we can see how Rice’s case is played out. Domestic violence is never okay; there needs to be consequences. Standing behind her husband during all of this shouldn’t be rewarded in my opinion.

Lyric Choices

       Recently, we discussed song lyrics and whether we are listening to the actual words and what they mean. Rappers pay special attention to the words they choose, trying to string them together in a way that works rhythmically, like poetry. But the specific words rappers choose do have an impact on listeners. 

(Watch 3:59-4:08)

“I’ll punch Lana Del Rey right in the face twice, like Ray Rice in broad daylight in the plain sight of the elevator surveillance/ ’Til her head is banging on the railing, then celebrate with the Ravens.”

       

       In a freestyle video that came out a couple days ago, rapper Eminem offers this verse. For those of you who haven’t heard about the Ray Rice scandal, the now former Ravens player assaulted his fiance in an elevator, knocking her unconscious. The NFL handled the situation poorly, suspending him for only 2 games. Eminem references this case, using it as a simile. 

     

       This is a man with three daughters, who should be especially sympathetic to this issue of domestic violence. Yet he uses this Ray Rice incident that happened for material in this freestyle rap. Here we have a musical icon, remarkably talented, yet he uses his gift to send messages to his listeners, kids and adults, that speaking about domestic violence like this is ok.

     

       Eminem’s lyrics have often been under scrutiny for being so controversial. He told CBS back in 2010: 'I don't have any problem with nobody,' His music is just his art form. But how much of it should he be able to get away with? It’s my opinion that he isn’t actually out to get Lana Del Rey by saying this line; I don’t think he actually does want to physically harm her. But then why does he say it? Just for a rhyme? Whether this is true or not, it’s irrefutable that he is sending a message to his listeners. And it’s not a good one.

A Live To Work Nation

       Why is it that the U.S is such a developed country, but can’t allow for paid maternity leave? This practice is most definitely speaking to our American values: we’re a “live to work” society. 

       After having a class discussion about American values and how we reward productivity over all else, I saw a Buzzfeed video which caught my eye: statistics about maternity leave here in the U.S versus in other countries. The part I raised my eyebrows at was this graph.

     
 Even France, the developed country that (next to the U.S) has the lowest amount of paid paternity leave, still gives off 16 whole weeks. Estonia gives over 2 years. I found this chart incredible. The U.S is at the bottom, not allowing any paid leave whatsoever, while a mother in Estonia can stay at home with her child until he is a toddler before going back to work.

        What does this say about America if we aren’t giving any slack to women in the workplace who choose to have children? I’d argue it’s pushing them out of them out of the workforce. I know so many women, my own mother; for example, who decided to quit their jobs so they could raise children. I also know women who choose not to have children because it could mess up their careers. I’m not saying either of those are bad decisions, but I am saying these other countries so clearly sympathize with women needing those first few months to focus on their child while still earning money. The U.S forces them to make a choice: be a mother or a working woman.

Would You Rather Spend Your Money on Experiences or Tangible Things?

       This week in class, we touched on a topic I find so thought-provoking: how Americans are always so focused on money and tangible items. I would definitely agree that most Americans are like this, but I do not think it’s an effective way of spending money to enrich a person’s life.

       I read an article this week that showed how buying “experiences” instead of buying “things” will actual benefit your overall happiness. What this basically means is, people gain more happiness from having experiences (like a trip to Greece) than they would gain from buying, say, the newest iPhone.

       Waiting for that trip to happen, planning the itinerary for that trip is said to bring a person so much more excitement since it’s an experience you are waiting to have.
     
       After awhile, our tangible possessions we have bought “become background.” We stop appreciating them because they are just there, part of our everyday scenery. When we create experiences for ourselves, we’re stepping outside that scenery we are so accustomed to: talking to different people, eating different foods, etc. "Even a bad experience becomes a good story." When we go on a trip and have an embarrassing or funny experience, it becomes a great story to tell. When we get frustrated or something goes wrong with the technology in our lives or our belongings, it doesn’t amuse anyone and no one really wants to retell that story.

Learning to reflect on these bad experiences we’ve had on trips is a skill we develop. It’s far enough away and has enough nostalgia tied with it that we can find some sort of good from it no matter what. This is the opposite with material possessions, they’re too close for us to still see them as a satisfying purchase when something goes wrong. Maybe it’s time to stop investing so much in material items, and go seek out some real experiences, almost buying yourself some stories to tell.

Sayreville High School: Should They Play The Next Season?

       I'm sure a lot of you have been hearing about the Sayreville High School football sexual assault situation. As a form of "hazing" the young players, members of the team sexually assaulted their fellow teammates. A 14 year old boy on the team claims the upperclassmen have been participating in this ritual for quite some time. Sayreville High School's superintendent is considering not allowing the team to play next season. Some parents of players are distraught about this since many of their children's futures rely on being able to play football after high school. In my opinion, the whole team, and town, needs a break from football.
       With everything going on in the NFL with domestic violence and abuse, we are now seeing that it's not just an NFL issue. This incident speaks volumes about the whole sport of football. The lines are too blurry for these young players: what is okay to do on the field versus off the field? These players are being taught to be aggressive when they're playing. It's drilled into their heads that they must overpower their opponent and "win" all the time. This is a terrible a message to be sending.
       Football, in this town in New Jersey, means everything. One coach said that football, in their town, is almost a "religion." I found this word choice to be interesting, that someone would go as far as to say this game is similar to spirituality. I know people obsess over football and for many people, it is an enormous part of their lives. It's America's sport. It would be un-American not to like football. But the players of this violent sport need to set a good example. They need to be demonstrating that violence off the field is not acceptable. And I think they're doing the exact opposite.
       Players know what they're getting themselves into when they sign up for a sport like football; it's violent. But if they do choose to partake in it, I think they have the right to feel safe once they come off the field. The victims of this crime are traumatized. What's worse is that one of the victims of assault (14 years old) said he thought it was just "normal...locker room antics." The fact that this boy was confused about whether being overpowered by a teammate was just standard shows that this sport is really messing with people's sense of what is ok and not ok.
       I think this town needs to set a good example by not allowing the team to play the next season. It will force them to take a step back and assess the situation so that it does not happen again.

Paris Plans to Eliminate The Love Locks

       Over the summer, I went to Paris and fell in love with the city. I was taking pictures the whole time. One of my favorites is the one below. 

       I’m sure many are familiar with the famous bridge in Paris with the “love locks” attached to it (Pont des Arts bridge). Couples will go and attach padlocks to symbolize their love for one another. The bridge is riddled with locks, each one representing a different, unique relationship. Paris is the city of love, and yet they plan to take down this enormous symbol of love that has been a site for couples to visit for such a long time. 

       The tradition of putting a love lock on a bridge goes back 100 years. Now, Paris has plans to demolish the ritual for a few reasons, one being that the bridge is actually getting too heavy with all the added locks. Another reason is how the people of Paris feel about the bridge. Once Paris native says he finds the locks “‘ridiculous and ugly’” and “‘a bad excuse for tourism.’” Paris plans to take down some of the siding of the bridge and replace it with glass to make sure people cannot secure new locks.

       One maintenance worker on the bridge feels the bridge will “lose some of its charm when the locks are gone.” I would entirely agree with him on this. Without the locks, it’s just another bridge. I find this so sad that the City of Love is giving up on such a beloved tradition. This is bridge has, in a way, turned into a public piece of art, with more and more people adding to it, attaching their locks to other locks. 

       While I understand that many think it’s cheesy, if you really think about it, the whole concept is very powerful. Couples have come to that very spot from all over the world to solidify their bond. Knowing that their love is “forever” locked on that bridge is something really special. The bridge is a place so beautiful and unique to Paris, and it baffles me that they would want to defile it. Does Paris have the right to just wipe out this tradition that has such deep rooted history?

       It got me thinking about how the situation would be handled if we had a similar situation in the U.S. What if the government said, “no more taking selfies in the reflection of the Bean in Chicago”? There would be an uproar.

It almost seems unpatriotic for the City of Love to be erasing part of a landmark that has represented that very idea for so many years. I think people in support of taking the locks down don’t realize what they are really destroying. It’s more than just some tourist attraction. 

       Is this really something the city needs to take control of and try to maintain? Can’t Paris have some sympathy for the tourists who want to participate this great display of affection? The same maintenance worker mentioned prior posed the question that I’m sure many of us are wondering: “‘Why do they have to take the romance away?’”

Urban Outfitters Making Profit Off of Tragedy

       At first glance on the website, the sweatshirt seemed to fit the normal “look” of Urban Outfitters (distressed, worn-in clothing). Once I heard the story behind this clothing item, though, I was appalled. 

       In 1970, four students from Kent State University in Ohio were killed and nine were wounded in a shooting during a peaceful student protest over Vietnam. The National Guard fired on unarmed kids. It was a tragic event for the families and friends of these students, as well as the nation as a whole. Neil Young later wrote a song called “Ohio” about the tragedy.

    

       

       Four lives were lost that day, leaving so many individuals in emotional distress, and Urban Outfitters decides it’s okay to make a “loose slouchy sweatshirt” representing what happened that day in a tasteless manner. 

       This is apparently not Urban Outfitter’s first run-in with this kind of an issue. When I talked to my friends about the sweatshirt I learned there have been several other offensive clothes they have had to issue apologies for, one being a t-shirt that had a star on the pocket which resembled the badge Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust. It’s really unbelievable what this company thinks it can get away with. They are a tasteless, exploitative, and nihilistic company that would do anything to make a profit. Exploitation of such an event should result in a financial punishment, so this company can really learn its lesson.

       I cannot fathom how anyone would think this is acceptable to try and make a profit off of. Obviously they knew they would get publicity for being “controversial.” It could all be for attention. But does this really relate to what people always say that “no publicity is bad publicity”? Or is something else going on here? Why is Urban Outfitters so dead set on pushing the boundaries?

     

       Clothing often gets scrutinized when it’s seen as controversial by the general public. Vivienne Westwood’s 1970’s era was seen as outrageous to so many people. But there’s really a difference between Westwood, who was a great influence on the “punk” era of fashion, and Urban Outfitters, who is making a statement in a much different way. Fashion is an art form, and there are no rules in art. But we have to draw the line somewhere.

The N.F.L's Callous Approach to a Domestic Violence Case

Football is America’s sport. It’s no wonder we will put it before so many other things in life. The weekend of Superbowl Sunday, several of my teachers did not assign homework. It’s important to America; it’s tradition. But the game should never come before a person’s well-being.

When I came home from school, my parents were talking about this “Ray Rice” incident. It related to what we had been discussing in class that day about Adrian Peterson, a player on the Minnesota Vikings, who “disciplined” (beat) his son with a tree branch repeatedly. He was released on bail and the Vikings seem to be standing behind him. 

I went to go check out some more details on my own. I was horrified at what I saw.
When you google search “Ray Rice” one of the first things that comes up is a video with over 8 million views within the past week. The video was astonishing. The caption reads “This is what a two game suspension looks like -- Ray Rice delivering a a crushing punch to his fiancee's face, knocking her out cold ... and TMZ Sports has the shocking video.” Rice punches his fiancee in the face and proceeds to drag her unconscious body out of the elevator, stepping over it quite angrily. This gets him suspended for 2 games. Once the public got a hold of the video; however, N.F.L commissioner Goodell modified his punishment to an “indefinite suspension." Goodell is reacting in such a manner now because of the public outcry over the horrifying video. 

Once I watched the video, I was outraged to find out that his fiancee (now wife) is actually standing by his side in all of this. In this picture, she holds his hand while walking into court with him.

I think the N.F.L’s attitude towards these types of situations are appalling. They don’t seem to particularly care what their players go home and do to their wives and kids. It speaks to how they feel about women and about domestic violence. What does this say about how America views child abuse versus spousal abuse? Is one more “tolerated” than the other? It seems that the N.F.L feels this way, since Peterson had much less of a punishment for beating his 4 year old defenseless child than Rice had for knocking out his fiancee. These 200-300 pound men are abusing their loved ones who have no defense. In my opinion, both certainly deserve more of a punishment for abusing another person than just a “suspension.” 

Why Does Everyone Like Country So Much?

       This weekend, I was driving home with my friend in her car; we were listening to the radio. When a country song came on, she instinctively changed the station. 

       We both share a dislike for this particular genre. We had a brief conversation afterwards asking why we thought people actually liked country music and decided we didn’t actually know. I went home thinking about it for awhile.

       Is it because it makes listeners feel patriotic? Does it take people back to a “simpler” time? Do people like the storytelling aspect of it? I wanted to know.

       I think people find each country song is telling a story. Perhaps people like and can relate to this whole narrative that goes on. It’s the same reason so many of us can’t help but enjoy watching dramatic soap operas. The story pulls us in and we keep tuning in so we can find out what happens at the end.

       There’s also this idea that it could serve as some sort of relief for people who are sick of hearing everyone talk about new modern technology all the time. The popular song “#Selfie” by the Chainsmokers is entirely about a girl who is taking a “selfie” and all that goes along with that (choosing a filter, choosing a caption, etc.). I can understand someone who feels overwhelmed by our social media craze and needs a break from it may change the station to country. Themes in country music are usually very simple. Country music tells a story, and listeners go in knowing the story will be somewhat the same as the last country song, since country songs tend to be quite similar.

       There is a popular argument that I do agree with that every country song is basically “the same.” Some key ideas that I frequently hear in lyrics of country songs are relating to this stereotypical idea of what an “American” is. To give some examples, a pickup truck, blue jeans, or a beer seem to be worked into the lyrics of most of these songs. That isn’t what we’re about as a country, though. These topics I have listed are more stereotypical of a person specifically from the South than from any given part of America.

       My older brother, who also dislikes country, recently sent me a link to popular country artist Zac Brown Band’s song "Chicken Fried" lyrics (http://www.metrolyrics.com/chicken-fried-lyrics-zac-brown-band.html), joking that it should be “America’s new anthem.” The song talks about some of the usual country song topics: fried chicken, beer, jeans, a woman, and pie. Later in the song, the singer says “Salute the ones who died/The ones that give their lives/So we don't have to sacrifice/All the things we love/Like our chicken fried/And cold beer on a Friday night/A pair of jeans that fit just right/And the radio up”

       The singer is saying how men and women are giving their lives so that we can continue on being Americans and eating fried chicken… Does that scream “patriotism” to you?

       And aren’t these country artists only furthering these stereotypes by writing hit songs about them? Is that their goal? They seem to all be contributing to enhancing this negative image other countries have about the stereotypical American. This is an oversimplified version of who we are as people. It's really not doing us justice.

       I know people like and can associate with country music and its themes, but in my opinion it’s doing a bad job at trying to represent us as a country. Country music is mocking the American lifestyle.