Twilight Rant: Part 1

Okay, so, Twilight. I have so many issues with the book that inspired the fandom that inspired the movie, but mostly I have a problem with the fandom. When the movie came out, I was told of a review that called it 'romantic' and said that it was a good example for teens of love without sex. This made me angry. Twilight is not a good example of a healthy relationship. First of all, Bella's world revolves around Edward, it's like she only existed for him. Complete and total co-dependence? Not my idea of a healthy relationship. But that's not even the worst thing. The worst thing is that stalking is equated to love, and all the creepy warning signs were viewed as romantic. Let me just say this right now: STALKING IS NOT LOVE. Stalking is a very scary thing that destroys lives, it should never be viewed as something even remotely positive. If a guy at your school decides to sneak into your room and tell you that he “likes watching you sleep”or that your his “personal brand of heroine” you need a restraining order. Immediately.

Did anyone else notice that Edward kept pushing Bella away because he was afraid of letting himself loose and killing her? I did. That's not attractive. That's scary. I know they're out there, but I have a hard time believing that anyone could ever think that someone who has homicidal tendencies towards yourself is someone you should date. I know he's a vampire and it's just his nature, but really, good for him for not wanting to kill someone. Bella should have taken the hint that he doesn't want to kill her and moved on with her life, even though the initial heartbreak might hurt. The last thing she should have done was try to be with him more, especially given that she would become a target for other vampires which, in the Twilight 'verse, are nearly impossible to kill, especially for a mere human.

Is this really something we should praise as the ideal relationship for teens?



Btw, there is nothing wrong with liking Twilight as a book to read when you don't want to think.

Please comment, but as always, remember to be respectful

Kit.
(ps, more installments of Twilight Rant to come, for you Anthemyst)

fairest of them all

I came across this picture on the internet the other day and was instantly reminded of my desire to write about Disney's portrayal of women. Being quite a Disney fan myself, I tend to be in denial of the way gender roles are enforced through Disney and often will play devil's advocate and say that we are simply reading into the stories too much. After all, they are fairy tales and they are definitely not the first of their kind.

Unfortunately, the image above makes it very apparent that the gender roles enforced by Disney movies should not go unnoticed. Take for example, Snow White. Released in 1937 as the first movie of it's kind, Snow White is a very historic thing for not only Disney but for the movie industry as a whole. Snow White was the original Disney Princess and opened the door for the rest of them. Still, it is crucial to look at the details of the story.

Snow White is a victim of her Step-Mother's vanity: after a mirror tells the Queen she is not "the fairest of them all" and Snow White is, she orders that her stepdaughter be killed. The man hired to do the job is unable to do so, and allows Snow White to run for her life. After stumbling upon a cottage in the woods, Snow White takes it upon herself to clean up after the "seven little children" who appear to inhabit it. She sings a song while she sings, cleverly called "Whistle While You Work", and even in the song alone the gender roles expected to be taken on by woman in the late 30's are apparent with lyrics like " as you sweep the room/
Imagine that the broom is someone that you love..." Not only that, but the idea of men being messy is directly implied just by the appearance of the house.

But the gender roles don't stop there.

Just as in most fairy tales, Snow White falls victim to a rather cliche downfall; an apple. One bite of this poisoned apple and the princess is sent into a death-like sleep until the Prince plants one on her and whisks her away into the sunset. To make matter's even more outrageous, I offer one other little know piece of information about our dear Snow White;

She is only fourteen years old.

How's that make you feel about the entire ordeal? Sure, it's lovely to see such a morose tale go "right" in the end, but really? A fourteen year old girl constantly subjected to her outward appearance and helpless to the point of needing a Prince to save her life?

Even I, the Disney (and Snow White loving) fanatic can see the undeniable truth. Still, I don't feel that Disney should be accosted for the gender roles enforced in the movie. That, I believe, should be left up to parents who allow their daughters to watch the movie. And the fact that they don't though, and movies like this are often used to raise children, only opens up an entirely new conversation. So, without going off on that tangent, I would like to know how people feel in regards to this movie, and this movie alone.

Are the gender roles in the movie really that subliminal that we need to rethink the movie's position in our pop culture? Or is it something people read too far into?
-Stephanie Kate

Does size matter?

So right now I am in the process of writing a book review for the book " Size Matters". As I read the book, I tried to consider how the media has played into how we see a mans penis. Do we focus mainly on the size, because we are worried about our pleasure and our pleasure alone OR , is there a part of us that focuses on size because of society. With that in mind, you can kind of imagine what it must be like to be a male , and know that women are " literally" measuring your penis during a sexual in counter. In class last week, our professor asked a male student, what he would do if his penis was cut off. His response " I think i would actually rather be dead". At first , I thought he was being dramatic, but after listening to him talk, he truly didn't know what he would do with his life if he didn't have his "member". That is essentially what led me to this topic.

What do you all think? Do you think women are just as focused on a mans penis as the actually man? Does a man really define himself by the size of his penis?? And how does the role of media and pop culture play into " size" and if it actually matters!

Thats all. Let me know what you think!

AA

Movies, TV, and Gender Roles

With all this talk about what's okay to talk about in relation to sex, I have to wonder what's being said about gender. I had heard on jezebel.com, a site that I consider feminist, that Whip It! was a good movie and empowering to women. So, keeping gender roles in the back of my mind, I saw Whip It! and noticed that almost every character could be viewed as strong, male or female. Since it's still generally accepted for female characters to be weak, I thought about the traditional gender roles in movies and television and wondered who was pushing against the traditional barriers.

When I say 'strong' or 'weak' I'm not necessarily referring to whether someone can kick ass. I'm referring to whether a character can be independent, defined on their own terms, and has the same amount of development when compared to other characters with the same amount of screen time and plot importance regardless of race, gender, or whatever else. For example I wouldn't consider Cho, from Harry Potter, as being weak because her character development is roughly equal to her screen time and overall plot importance. On the other hand I'd consider Bella, from Twilight, to be weak because her character was fairly flat and started to be defined in terms of Edward from the moment she met him (I'll get to the real rant about Twilight later).

So how about it? Know any characters that are strong or weak in defiance of the norms? The only good example I can come up with now is Buffy from Buffy: the Vampire Slayer but there's got to be others, right?

Please comment, but remember to be respectful.

By the way, I loved Whip It! and I want to encourage people to watch it.

Kit.

Today, during a discussion in my History of Sexuality in the U.S. class, there was an observation made that really stuck out to me.

Speaking very generally, one of the girls in my class said that people in the queer community are more open and willing to talk about the explicit details of their sex lives because their sexuality has become their identity. Their sex lives are their conversations, whereas in the hetero-community people are less likely to be so explicit about their sex lives. Initially, I had one reaction to this: as unfair as it is, it's pretty much true. But then I got to thinking about what AA said in her post about the stigma of "sex".

There are pros and cons to both sides of this sexual street. I think there is something terribly liberating behind the idea of being reduced to your sexuality. Humans, as we have established in class discussions, are sexual beings but the discomfort that comes with actually talking about it makes us think otherwise. I think therein lies the hetero's problem; we're afraid to be sexual. As a heterosexual, one does not necessarily "advertise" their sexuality in such a way that it is one of the first characteristics people notice.

I'm not sure how anyone else feels on the subject, so please let me know!

-Stephanie Kate

Sex and Literature, Sex and Writing.. Why cant we talk about it?

I think there is a negative stigma attached to the word sex. I think sex is something that shouldn't be shunned or talked lightly about. Sex is sex.. ands its a great thing for the people who are willing to embrace it. Literature today, and in the past often talk about sex , some positive and some negative. I think the stigma behind the word itself, hinders authors ability to write about the topic. Some people would say that religion plays a large part in how people see sex. Others would disagree, saying that no matter what religion you are , sex is a normal and natural thing. Because of all these different views on what sex is, it makes it difficult for people to talk about. As an english major, I read a lot of literature, I see some authors that use the emotion and passion that sex can create to their advantage , and I see others who stay far away from the topic, avoiding any language that could relate to sex. Why is this? Are authors worried that talking about sex is too personal? I think its a funny that for all the authors that stay clear of sex within their pieces, there are an equal amount that use sexual innuendos or double entendres , to hint towards sex , but not directly discuss it. What is so wrong with writing and talking about sex?? Its a good thing!

AA