Big Media’s Homogenization of Female Sexuality

With the advent of “big media” in the current climate of consolidation, commercialism rules.  Because of huge consolidations in media ownership and production, independence in both media and contemporary culture fails to survive.  What is being produced in terms of gender, sexuality, celebrity, and advertising is no longer a diverse picture of modern life, but one, hegemonic portrait: a conflated, raunchy image of sexuality mistaken for feminist independence.

According to musician and feminist, Meredith Levande, in her article titled “Women, Pop Music, and Pornography,” the connection between media ownership deregulation and the mega-media companies that profit from adult entertainment have pushed “pornographic imagery” into the mainstream.  Sexually-suggestive images are becoming increasingly acceptable because the imagery is becoming increasingly corporate.  “Raunch” culture is owned, managed, and produced by everyday companies.  “Fewer and fewer media conglomerates own more and more of the public’s media outlets,” writes Levande.  Because of this trend in “big media” ownership, the type and quality of imagery produced by these few companies has become increasingly hypersexualized and homogenized.

Although sexuality has always been a part of human nature, the dominance of “stripper chic” and sexually-associated trends in exhibitionism such as the Girls Gone Wild phenomenon began to appear and to identify themselves with feminism when larger media mergers and acquisitions took hold.  According to Ariel Levy, author of “Female Chauvinist Pigs,” this all began with the Spice Girls.  Having traded independence for high heels as a form of rebellion, the Spice Girls coined and co-opted the slogan “girl power” in the early 90’s, nursing the generation of women who have come to promote and exhibit raunch culture in today’s world.  In discussing the trend of using the “rhetoric of feminism” to endorse sexual commodification, Levy argues that there has been a miscommunication and thus, a related disconnect among generations of women.  The current, “incoherent” brand of raunch feminism being exhibited across print and visual media sources alike, stems from what Levy refers to as conflicting generational ideologies.  Women today are conflating sexual freedom and expression as both a rebellion and a distorted attempt to continue the work of the women’s movement of the 60’s and 70’s.  However, “raunchy” and “liberated” are not synonyms, just in the way that “radicalized” is not the same as “enlightened” or “sexually charged.”  “Just because we are post[feminism] doesn’t automatically mean we are feminists,” writes Levy.

The Spice Girls

“I think we have lost consciousness of the way our culture demeans women,” says Erica Jong, a renowned author and sex-positive feminist, in “Female Chauvinist Pigs.”  We should not confuse raunch sexiness with real power and according to Jong, we should “not kid ourselves that this is liberation.”  As Levy rhetorically asks her readers, “How is resurrecting every stereotype of female sexuality that feminism endeavored to banish good for women?”  Using terms such as “strong women,” “Liberation,” and “empowerment” in fashion and celebrity biographies makes us feel that we have accomplished the ultimate goals of feminism and have achieved as women in society, but according to Levy, we are simply wishing for feminist justification where none exists.  “The truth is that the new conception of raunch culture as a path to liberation rather than oppression is a convenient (and lucrative) fantasy with nothing to back it up,” writes Levy.  Since fewer companies own more media, and now distribute pornography, there is an economic interest in promoting certain ideals.  According to Levande, programming is now “given the power to dictate culture,” not reflect it.  Media outlets are mainstreaming raunch culture not only in the name of feminism, but also in the name of journalistic legitimacy.  Companies are benefitting from the production of a hegemonic, pornographic rendering of sexuality because in order to compete, they must conform.  This is not “new feminism” or old feminism in new action.  This is a corporate takeover, the commercialization of female sexuality, and a regeneration of a homogenized, raunchified, portrayal of women in society.  Being perceived as sexy and powerful on the cover of a fashion magazine, legs sprawled, does not endow you or the entire female sex with real-world power or independence.

Cyber Monday Magazine

Source: The Goodbye Crutches Blog

My final project, Cyber Monday Magazine aims to give a fresh, social media perspective on holiday shopping in 2012.  By reporting on the internet-induced fall of Black Friday and the reinvention of online shopping via Cyber Monday, this blog looks to analyze the myriad of ways social media and the internet have come to change America’s holiday shopping experience.

• The Rise and Fall of Black Friday
• Walmart Workers Unite
• #GivingTuesday

The U.S. War on Women

Check out my midterm project here: A blog all about the U.S. “War on Women”

This blog is devoted to exploring the U.S.’s War on Women through media and news articles, blogs, pictures, videos, and social media tools.  This blog aims to provide reliable information on the War on Women at both the national and state level in unique ways.  Topics to be covered may include but are not limited to:

• Republican policies that reduce or eliminate taxpayer funding for women’s health organizations
• Legislative initiatives that negatively affect access to abortion and other health services for women
• The persecution of violence against women
• Workplace and pay discrimination against women and its legal treatment

My Online Resume

Check out my online resume on SlideShare and my professional profile on LinkedIn!

My Online Resume from ShelbyyQ

Best Tools to Cover the News: Hurricane Sandy and the Presidential Election

Hurricane Sandy

The New York Times

The New York Times: Assessing the Damage From Hurricane Sandy – The New York Times posted interactive infographics the morning after the storm indicating areas that were experiencing power failures, fires, floods and more. The visualized data topics included Subways and Busses, Power Failures, Tunnels, Trains, and Airports, Wastewater, Flooding, Fires, and Wind.

Tumblr: Sandy on Tumblr: Beating the Hurricane Blues – Users are being encouraged to follow the relief effort as it is documented across Tumblr.  With Hurricane Sandy-related links to “Cool Tumblrs Doing Cool Things” for relief efforts, “Hurricane Sandy Tumblrs,” and “Media Tumblrs,” Storyboard, an editorial Tumblr page that a regularly features talented creators and their work, is making an effort to tell the stories of Hurricane Sandy though words, pictures, video, music, charts, animation, and any other voice their “creators” choose to speak with.

“We want to recognize a few of the people and organizations doing amazing work related to Sandy, and we want to make it clear the credit for that work rests entirely with them. Obviously this is just a tiny fraction of the massively diverse and positive response; for more, be sure to check out the Hurricane Sandy tag, and check back for ongoing coverage on Storyboard.”

My Map: All About Horses In The Capital Region

Social Media and Online Tools: An Interview with a Feminist Researcher

As a longtime feminist researcher and professor of Women’s Studies, Bianca Sanders* understands firsthand the benefits of social media and online research tools. Since starting her doctoral degree in 1997 at the University of Oregon, Sanders has utilized an extensive array of online tools to aid her feminist research. Although she specializes in body politics and women’s activism in Argentina, Sanders’ interests and research extend to many globalization issues pertaining to women’s lives in a transnational context.

Since her research on human rights, militarization, and general social inequality always operates within a feminist, often Latin American, framework, Sanders does a significant amount of traveling for her work. Just like an effective journalist, an effective feminist researcher immerses herself in the world of the people she is interviewing. As is such, Sanders makes many trips to Latin America and more specifically, Argentina. She utilizes the internet’s potential for connectivity and communication to further her research and to keep up with political events, opportunities, and conferences in Latin America.

In terms of the impact social media and online tools have on her feminist research in Latin America, Sanders finds that the expectation as a researcher to be constantly available and online makes it harder to set boundaries between her work life and personal life. “Everybody sends emails at whatever time, so sometimes if I open my email account before sleep, I am taking a risk,” says Sanders. “Seeing a problem I need to address right before sleep has an impact on all aspects of my life.”

Although she keeps personal and work email accounts separate, there is often overlap when it comes to her students. Sanders finds the Latin American and feminist email listervs she is a part of to be beneficial to the Women’s Studies classes she teaches at the University at Albany. “To search for materials for class I use the internet on a daily basis,” says Sanders. “I use audio and visual clips but also the library databases, and my listervs from my research. These are very useful for articles for class.” The significant amount of time Sanders spends in Argentina has become both a prime time for her work as a feminist researcher and her lessons as a Women’s Studies professor. “I can request articles for my students from my colleagues through Skype and email,” says Sanders. “I email my students and send them links to these sites, and the library, and Blackboard.”

For her research, Sanders uses a variety of online tools, search engines and databases, including Google Scholar and Skype. Although she sees the beneficial aspects of connecting and communicating with various people, Sanders does not have a Facebook or Twitter account because she is uncomfortable with the amount of personal and contact information you must provide to the public on these sites. For this article she was even hesitant to let me use her real name as this was going to be displayed to the general public on a blog post.

How Do Young People Use Social Media?

Alora Sansola

• 21 years old
• From Rhinebeck, NY
• Studying Biology and Anthropology at the University at Albany

How do you get your news?  What kinds of topics and articles do you consume the most?

“Facebook is my homepage so sometimes I see the news on there and then on Yahoo News when I check my email.  Occasionally I will go on to the New York Times website but I don’t go looking for news.  If something grabs my attention, I’ll read it.”

What is your general opinion on young people’s (20-somethings) news habits? Do you think college students are engaged with or apathetic to the news?

“Most college students I know get their news from Facebook and Twitter. I don’t think they’re as engaged as they should be but it varies.  I pay a lot of attention to politics during elections and I know a lot of other people do that too. I also find science and environmental topics interesting but I don’t really go out of my way to search for articles.”

Greg Lockhart

• 21 years old
• From Webster, NY
• Studying Economics at the University at Albany

How do you get your news?  What kinds of topics and articles do you consume the most?

“I get my news oftentimes on the Internet, like Yahoo, or from friends.  I use Facebook and ESPN’s website a lot. I have a Google+ account because I thought it was going to be the next big thing but I don’t really go on it.  I listen to a lot of music on Spotify and connect with people through there.  I spend most of my time on the internet though, on ESPN and reading sports articles.  I also like reading about new technologies and political issues, but I mostly just read headlines.  If I hear about something that might be a big deal I’ll look more into it.”

What is your general opinion on young people’s (20-somethings) news habits? Do you think college students are engaged with or apathetic to the news?

“I think a lot of people get their news from The Colbert Report and The Daily Show.  Those kind of shows have a lot of information to spread but I don’t think you’re gonna get really educated from it.  It’s not the same as following CNN or the New York Times.  I think students should pay more attention to the news than they do.  I know I would like to pay more attention to it but I don’t because I’m lazy, I guess.”

Corinne Hill

• 21 years old
• From Binghamton, NY
• Studying Biology at the University at Albany

How do you get your news?  What kinds of topics and articles do you consume the most?

“I get a lot of my news from TV like MSNBC or sometimes the local news.  But I often get a lot of my news from my Facebook friends.  I’m mostly interested in news that’s related to health concerns and environmental issues but I’ll look at all headlines.  I also have a Twitter account but I don’t really use it.”

What is your general opinion on young people’s (20-somethings) news habits? Do you think college students are engaged with or apathetic to the news?

“I don’t think that a lot of college students even get news from a reliable source.  They probably just rely on what they see and hear on Facebook and Twitter, not a real news website.  If one person posts about something, something extreme, that’s when they’ll pay attention.  But if something small is happening, nobody would really post that on Facebook and nobody would really know about it.”

Arpan Ghimiray

• 21 years old
• From Manorville, NY
• Studying English at the University at Albany

How do you get your news?  What kinds of topics and articles do you consume the most?

“Usually I check the New York Times website, and then maybe the Huffington Post.  Sometimes I watch televised news, especially Jon Stewart [of The Daily Show] and Colbert [of The Colbert Report].  I like newspapers but I don’t really want to pay for subscriptions.  I mostly enjoy current events, but not so much the local arts and culture sections.  I used to enjoy reading about sports and politics but I rarely do so these days.  I use Facebook a lot but that’s about the only social media tool I use.  Except for Stumbleupon.  I stumble when I’m bored.”

What is your general opinion on young people’s (20-somethings) news habits? Do you think college students are engaged with or apathetic to the news?

“I think that most people in their early 20’s are apathetic to news and to the general idea of gaining a sense of worldliness. But not so much for people older like graduate students.  From what I’ve seen, people who’ve endeavored that far into education are prone to be more aware.”

What I Read

When I first wake up in the morning I grab my iPhone which has so conveniently been placed to charge by my bedside.  I check my two email accounts, one personal and one mostly school related.  Before I get out of bed, I open my Facebook and Twitter apps and scroll for about ten minutes to catch myself up with universal news events and not so universal friend and family events.

When I am finally up, showered, and sort of dressed, I eat my bowl of cereal and have my first cup of coffee with my laptop open.  I read through the headlines and click through to any stories that particularly grab my interest on the New York Times, my homepage.  I will often check Facebook again before I leave for the day just in case some monumental event hits my News Feed or some last-minute notification pops up about my status update.  Rarely but on occasion I will have extra time to kill in the morning.  It’s then that I check my Tumblr for updates and endlessly scroll through the myriad of photos and thoughts that invade my dashboard.  I post and reblog as often as I can but I often just find myself looking, reading, and clicking.  Sometimes if I am satisfied with the news and Facebook I will close my laptop and read from a magazine whilst finishing up my coffee (or starting my second cup).

I have two piles of magazines sitting in my room, each the size of a well-stocked encyclopedia.  The first pile is Vogue, the second New York magazine.  I love both subscriptions dearly but simply cannot keep up with them and complete an issue in a timely manner.  Through time I have noticed two particular problems associated with these subscriptions.  The main issue is that New York magazine comes on a weekly basis.  If both Vogue and New York came on a monthly basis, my piles would most certainly shrink in size.

My second problem is that I am a complete and thorough reader when it comes to magazines.  I pour over every article and column, and inspect every photograph and advertisement from the cover to the last page.  I have proceeded in this manner ever since I can remember.  For some reason, I have a special affinity for magazines and refuse to skim them the way I do online news articles.  As wonderful as this reading process may seem, it has caused me many months of  untimely reading.  However, I made a successful dent in my piles this summer and am proud to report that I am now caught up to the March 2012 issues of both Vogue and New York magazine.

In terms of my media diet for the rest of a regular day, I am usually swamped with articles and readings for school.  However, I check Facebook and Twitter on my iPhone sporadically throughout the day, getting a daily fix of world news, pop culture, and local gossip.  If at the end of the day I am not too busy with schoolwork or an airing of one of my favorite TV shows (ie: Game Of Thrones, New Girl, True Blood, and the list goes on), I enjoy reading through a round of blogs.

“Why I Blog”

Though it was written almost four years ago, Andrew Sullivan’s essay in The Atlantic, “Why I Blog,” is still a pertinent and resonating piece of insight into the discipline of journalism as it exists today.

Blogging is in many ways a separate and different form of news production than traditional print journalism. It rewards brevity, immediacy, and personality; all of which are characteristics that make blogging as a form of writing unique. Sullivan claims that the blogosphere may be “the least veiled of any forum in which a writer dares to express himself” and I would have to agree.

It is personality and character that make a blog stand out and thrive. In “Why I Blog,” Sullivan makes multiple references to blogging as conversing. Inherent in its nature, the online medium of blogging calls for reader interaction and conversation. It involves personal writing and objective reporting just as much as it requires discussion and collective production. In the same ways a journalist must come across to his or her readers as authoritative and knowledgeable, a blogger must also come across as personable, insightful, and candid.

But that is not to say that one form is better than the other. As Sullivan so succinctly remarks, “Words, of all sorts, have never seemed so now.” It is the very nature of blogging, with it’s immediacy and personalization, that elevates all forms of writing. I found Sullivan’s perspective on long-form, traditional journalism particularly enlightening. The idea that blogging and other forms of “post-modern” word-sharing should in ways replace traditional writing and reporting is ill-considered. Since I’ve started blogging and reading other blog posts with more frequency, I better appreciate the longer, more nuanced style of writing that traditional forms utilize.

However, I’m not converted to either form exclusively. I have found a sense of satisfaction in writing for both mediums. Though blogging suffers from “a failure to provide stable truth or a permanent perspective” as Sullivan writes, traditional writing often lacks a sense of immediacy, personality, and instant and unbounded public engagement. From my perspective, each form builds upon the other, and therefore, builds upon itself.

Without blogging, there would be an untold number of people, brimming with knowldege and creativity, unable to share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions. To me, that is one of the most exciting results of this post-modern form of word-sharing and digesting. Blogging instantly brings people into worldwide view, but it also brings people together. It is the conversational style that blogging so easily seems to evoke that enhances my everyday readership and thirst for knowledge.

Without argument, my blog-less world, and I am lead to believe the world of many others, would be a vastly different place.