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Media Madness
My name is Samantha Collins, I'm in WGGS 2330 blogging about the effects of media in our culture.
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Who Wants To Talk About Films?
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Allowing Hegemonic Stereotypes to Magically Disappear.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth film of the Harry Potter series, in which the main character, Harry, is somehow picked to compete in the dangerous Multi-Wizardry Competition, where he has to go through a series of events with his magical ability and overall knowledge of the task.
Fantasy stories are a space in which the viewer is able to open their imagination and dive into a world of make-believe. So many of the fictional movies that viewers see up revolve around this idea of fantasy, allowing daily nuisances to be forgotten. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a prime example of fantasy. As wonderful as fantasy fiction can be, the majority of the time the creator of the storyline doesn’t steer too far away from reality. Hegemony, which is the power and dominance one social group holds over another, is extremely prevalent in many of the storylines revolving around fantasy. James Lull says in his article “Hegemony” “Mass media’s social influence is not always recognized, discussed, or criticized; Hegemony, therefore, can easily go undetected”. This sheds light on the importance of challenging hegemonic ideals even within the context of fantasy; In the article “It’s Just a Movie” by Greg Smith he explains that “A Hollywood film is one of the most highly scrutinized, carefully constructed, least random works imaginable”. That statement shows how even the subtle things that are changed in movies make a big difference, something I will be arguing J.K. Rowling does by allowing both a magical storyline AND characters who break the boundaries of hegemony, while Catherine will be showing how this movie reinforces hegemony.
Strong women in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Throughout the movie, J.K. Rowling gives voice to a plethora of strong, intelligent women who aren’t passive and revolving their lives around a man. As quoted in the article “Ways of Seeing” by John Berger “a woman’s presence expresses her own attitude to herself. Her presence is manifest in her gestures, voice, and opinions.” Hermione, who is one of the main characters, embodies this quote in a manner of confidence and importance; she is actually the smartest student at Hogwarts, and her intelligence and ability to find the answer to almost any question allows Harry to come to her when he is unable to solve problems on his own for the multi-wizardry competition. She also isn’t afraid to speak her mind; because she surrounds herself with two boys it could be easy for Hermione to become passive, something women are supposed to be, but she has a profound ability to speak her mind and make sure her voice is heard. In the movie, Hogwarts, the school of magic in which the movie takes place, holds a Yule Ball; while most girls are traveling in packs waiting to be asked by a boy, Hermione pays no mind to the Ball, and instead focuses on her studies. Her lack of interest in the dance pushes her away from the idea that women are supposed be obsessed with dances, and having a date- something Hermione explicitly comments on not caring about.
A witch, who travels from a different school for the Multi-Wizardry Competition, also plays a major role in breaking hegemonic barriers. Madame Maxime is a giant who physically takes up a lot of space, although in hegemonic terms women are encouraged to be extremely diminutive. She also is shown in the movie to have an intense interest in dragons and whisky, spending most of her time with Hagrid, a character known for his roughed up look and love for strange creatures. As a character, she breaks almost every hegemonic boundary there is.
Socio-Economic Status
Although money and wealth isn’t the center of the storyline, there are still instances throughout the film where characters are able to challenge hegemonic stereotypes surrounding money. The Weasley family, who is known to have very little money, always makes it a point to invite Harry to come stay with them for the summer. Mr. Weasley, who works for the Ministry of Magic, makes sure he is able to provide enough for his family to allow all of his children to attend Hogwarts. Although they are of low SES, the Weasley family is highly respected by their peers and the amount of wealth they have is never the focus other peoples’ attention. In contrast to the Weasleys’, there are the Malfoys who are known throughout the wizarding community to be greedy and stuck-up. In The Goblet of Fire Lucious, the father, only donates his money to Hogwarts with the promise of the Quidditch team allowing the son, Draco, to join. Even with all of the financial success the Malfoys have, they are disliked by many of the people that surround them, and their money is unable to buy their way into happiness, whereas in hegemonic terms wealth is extremely important.
In describing how these subgroups of hegemony are challenged within the film, it gives me great hope that other films and books will move in the same direction. The Harry Potter series is one of the most famous of all-time, and having such kick-ass characters who disrupt hegemonic boundaries really shows how much progress has been made within the realm of media, and how much more progress is to come in the future.
#Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire#wggs 2330#pop culture#Hegemony#SES#Femenism#Breaking Barriers#Final Tumblr Post
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Unit Post: The Myth of Teen Purity
With all of the sexual advertisements and clothing that are being distributed in our country and viewed by children of all ages, one might wonder: who are the people who STILL advocate for abstinence-only sexual education?
The debate about what the correct form of sex-education should be is a hot topic in this country, and has been for the last few decades. Religious and conservative groups advocate abstinence-only and those who are, ahem, more realistic advocate comprehensive sex education. This idea that teenagers are going to wait until marriage to have any type of sex is….crazy.
There’s this idea that teens need to be pure, and the stigma of teen sexuality still exists. Regardless of whether people want to accept it or not, teens are having sex; studies prove it, teen pregnancy rates prove it, STD rates prove it… I’m really not sure how much more information abstinence-only advocates need to understand that their method DOES NOT WORK. Teens being told not to have sex until marriage is so unrealistic. Many other countries who teach comprehensive sex education have significantly lower rates of teen pregnancy and abortion, and STD rates. The article below hits on some major points as to why abstinence-only sex education is ineffective.
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/597
It’s unfortunate that because a group of religious advocates don’t want children having sex and are blind to the facts that their form of education is ineffective, we have to suffer! It’s time for the government to intervene and stop funding programs that just don’t work. It’s also time to stop with the idea that teens need to be pure; although it’s hard to think of teens being sexually active, the fact is they are. And whether they are given the information on how to protect themselves or not, they’re still going to have sex; they’ll just have to learn the hard way about STD’s and pregnancies. It’s important for all people to be educated about sex, so it’s time for the government to start funding programs that are in the best interest of preteens and teenagers, and to catch up with other countries who’s success with sex-education is far greater than ours. Teen purity just isn’t realistic, and with all of the other issues this country has, worrying about proper sex education really doesn’t need to be one of them.
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Unit Post: Bella and the Beast
Bella, Bella, Bella….
The Twilight books from the moment Bella meets Edward exude a sexual tension that is palpable to the readers, well, and the awkward sexual tension that is acted out by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in the movie version of Twilight.
Sex within the realm of ‘undead’ fiction such as Twilight and True Blood adds more of a daring side to fantasy. It allows women to fantasize about those sexy, heroic, mischievous and…oh wait, not really alive – men. What’s better than having sexual fantasies about a man who’s complexion resembles that of Jack White, with a freezing cold body temperature (and he sparkles too, oooohh).
On a serious note, mixing danger and sex can be exciting to the reader but in many ways ratifies facets of relationship abuse. In Twilight Jacob and Edward are constantly in cahoots with one another, fighting over the right to protect Bella. Both sides manipulate her, put her in uncomfortable situations that they know are uncomfortable for her, and use their physical strength as a way to show their protection. With both Jacob and Edward using their strength and manliness to win the affections of Bella, its no wonder sex is the underlying theme of all of this.
But, unfortunately for Jacob, his 6-pack is no match for the suave intelligence of Edward’s vampire-self. Bella is sold on Edward from the first book, and continues to revolve her life around him throughout the series. It goes something like this
· Bella and Edward fall in love after he stalks her
· Bella becomes obsessed and can’t imagine life without him
· He disappears and she tries to kill herself a number of times throughout the second book because that’s the only way she can hallucinate, and see him, thus bringing her closer to him
· They end up getting back together and get married
· Crazy sex ensues (if crazy can even sum it up) where she is beaten and nearly killed because of his “loss of control” (ABUSE ALERT)
· Bella’s impregnated by Edward and goes through a pregnancy that nearly kills her, and ends up becoming a vampire
If you can’t see abuse from the first bullet point to the last, then I’m here to wave my hands up and down so everyone knows THIS IS CRAZY. If you aren’t familiar with vampire stories it’s pretty straightforward. There’s a lot of violence, and there’s a lot of sexual tension even when sex isn’t happening. And, Bella is just a pawn in the overloaded testosterone fight between Edward and Jacob.
So- who are you? Team Jacob or Team Edward? I’m still for team Mike (the blonde dude from high school who likes Bella throughout the series) – he seems like such a nice guy…they’re always underrated.
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Well, this is obviously hilarious. It shows that older women are reclaiming their sexuality and openly talking and thinking about sex with the Fifty Shades of Grey craze! Although, it may be at the cost of others...aka sons and daughters who MAY not want to know that their mom's are reclaiming anything that's closely related to even the idea of sex...I know I don't!
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Teen purity is an idea that is still valued by many in our society, but with advertisements and clothing lines aimed toward younger girls mirroring similar styles to adult wear, young girls are starting to look sexier and sexier. Although keeping teens 'pure' is an unrealistic idea in a culture that's based around sex, are many of these clothing companies such as Victoria's Secret going to too far? ABSOLUTELY. These styles are far too sophisticated for tweens who are buying them and sexually explicit when they aren't fully aware of what the message is with panties that say "wild" on the back of them. Problems, problems, problems...
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Unit Post: Fifty Shades of....abuse?
Fifty Shades of Grey: good for opening the discussion of women’s sexuality, or reinforcing the acceptance of abusive relationships?
When the hype over Fifty Shades of Grey blew into America full force last year, I was told “OMG YOU HAVE TO READ THIS, IT’S SOOOO GOOD” - and hey, what’s wrong with reading a fantasy trilogy about a smart, (extremely) sexy, powerful, man who just happens to be a sex god? Well, it just so happens there can be a lot of issues with this storyline.
Not only is this an erotica novel, it revolves around the storyline of Christen Grey who is into BDSM practices and wants Anastasia Steele, the awkward plain Jane kind of girl (who he is overwhelmingly attracted to) to be his submissive. Okay, she’s a virgin and very sexually inexperienced, maybe I’m being too realistic about this, since after all it’s fantasy, but most 22-year-old girls who have never had sex aren’t going to jump into wrist and ankle restraints, but hey who am I to judge.
Although BDSM relationships are in fact real life practices, the way in which Christen approaches his relationship with Ana mirrors that of an abusive relationship. He manipulates her into doing sexual practices she’s not comfortable with; belittles her when she makes comments that seem juvenile or stupid to him; shows up when she leaves to visit her mother out of town unexpectedly; buys her expensive things, which financially ties her to him, giving him even more power over her – the list goes on, but I think we get the point.
Glamorizing this type of behavior is not okay! BDSM is confused with relationship abuse within the book; the majority of the audience isn’t able to distinguish between the two. I know, when I read Fifty Shades of Grey I wasn’t exactly sure what the rules of BDSM were, but quickly learned that Ana’s discomfort and negative emotions regarding many of Christian’s actions were not healthy.
Although this book has a number of issues, I am happy with SOME of the outcomes. For one, women are talking about sex! The issue surrounding women’s sexuality still has a stigma attached to it, so allowing women to explore their sexuality through erotica and talk about it with others is an exciting step forward. There are now websites dedicated to sex toys surrounding the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2211596/50-Shades-Of-Grey-sex-toys-The-collection-E-L-James-hopes-spice-Middle-England.html
It’s somewhat refreshing to have a book that receives media attention focusing on the pleasure and sexuality of women. Now if we could just find a book that focuses on pleasure AND a healthy relationship….
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Unit Post: Fandoms, Breaking the Barriers
Getting into a good movie, book, or television series is always a riveting experience; becoming engrossed in the characters lives’, imagining yourself in this alternate world of drama and intrigue with a side of sex and passion; a world that doesn’t revolve around your dull life of going to class, then work, then home, and if you’re lucky to squeeze in 45 minutes at the gym- woohoo!
So, when you finally find a series, we’ll say for example Lord of The Rings (it’s fine I’m a nerd, I’ll admit to this) it’s easy to become so absorbed in this fantasy world that you forget about all of the shitty things going on in the life of a dull college student, well maybe not TOO dull, but I mean I don’t have to think about those stupid finals I have to take next week when I’m pretending I’m Arwin, princess of the Elves , and Aragorn is madly in love with me (who by the way is a total hottie).
An even MORE exciting thing about becoming obsessed with a work of art such as LoTR is you can take the plot of those movies and make it your own, something in which fandom’s like to do. For example, in LoTR I would have created a romantic interest between Legolas and Eowyn (who is shot down by Aragorn) because I always thought those two might make a cute couple…Or maybe in Mad Men I would take the character Don Draper and make him a loving husband who isn’t such a adulterous sleazy scumbag, I love the show but after the 8th episode, watching him cheat on his wife gets old…
Fandom also allows you to meet people who share this love of LoTR, and with friendship comes happiness (am I right?). Along with finding new friends, you can always enjoy a nice convention revolving solely around your favorite movie where you can dress up like the freak of nature that you are in a private setting in lieu of getting eggs and other scary nonsense thrown at you for looking like a crazy person in public- it’s totally normal, everyone around you is doing it too!
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Eating Disorders in our country are so prevalent because so much of our vocabulary is focused on weight; whether we are judging people for being too thin or too fat, or judging ourselves, judging anyone on the basis of weight is an incredibly demeaning thing to do. It's time to take the focus off of superficial ideals that the majority of our population can't live up too and realize there is more to life than obsessing over weight!
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Mini Media: Videogames and Sexism
I’m not a huge gamer myself, but, I do know one thing- the majority of folks who are into the gaming world choose to do so to create an alternate reality. They can be anyone they choose and make the character do whatever they want; it gives them a sense of control in an otherwise out of control world.
Although the female characters in just about all videogames have always been hyper-sexualized, now that more and more women are making up the population of gamers the issue is becoming more of a conversation on what needs to be changed. This isn’t the only issue against women within the gaming world- sexual harassment aimed toward women gamers and people of color (or choose, characters of color) are targeted by other gamers via internet, allowing for more anonymity therefore less accountability for sexist, racial, and hateful comments.
After reading some of the hate comments sent to women gamers on the website Fat, Ugly, or Slutty it made me a little sick to my stomach- I mean I know guys can be assholes and make stupid anti-feminist jokes, or catcall a girl, but I mean COME ON. What the hell? I want to know what these men are like who are sending these terrible, terrible messages to other women. It makes me concerned to think they could be people I interact with on a daily basis, I mean honestly with the millions of hate messages it has to be a major possibility.
Aside from the issues with sexism and racism within the gaming world it makes me SO HAPPY that people at the Games Developers Conference were so open to changing the racism and sexism in the games. Honestly it’s refreshing that people actually are choosing to care about these issues in at least one area of this world- go gamers! As long as people can stick together, the haters can be held accountable for their dirty mouths and everyone else can continue to game in perfect harmony.
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Unit Post: Disney Princesses, Creating a Whole New World
As a little girl, I remember dressing up for my fourth Halloween as Princess Belle. I was OBSESSED with Beauty and the Beast. I was able to relate to her in a way based solely on looks, that being that I have brown hair and I’m White. I always took for granted having the Disney movies I watched show people that mirrored my race, never having to think about it. But, little girls who racially differ from the main princesses probably wondered why none of the princesses looked like them. Is this what Disney has in mind when they create these movies? Maybe. None-the-less the ratification of these societal ideals of beauty directed toward the hegemonic race, and look are readily available while People of Color are seemingly scarce. Although characters such as Mulan, Jazmine, and Tiana portray Women of Color, they are very stereotypical portrayals, and, with the exception of Jazmine, the princesses that are advertised the most are … take a wild guess, yep- WHITE.
Not only do Disney movies use stereotypes based on race and looks, they also create stereotyped social environments where men dominate the movie, and the leading lady is unable to talk about anything other than a man. This idea that the man is the only topic of conversation is SO frequent there is even a test, known as the Bechdel Test, to PROVE that women are incapable of having, oh I don’t know, a conversation about politics? Something relevant to their lives other than a man? Who am I kidding, men run this world- silly to think that a woman might care to talk about something more interesting than her dating troubles.
Does this mean that everything about Disney movies sucks? Absolutely not! I grew up on these movies and I turned out okay (Well- I guess that’s all in the eyes of the beholder) but hey, seriously I still love a good viewing of Cinderella, or Beauty and the Beast. I think the addition of races in the past decade to the Disney Princess line-up is a step in the right direction, but if we’re being fair, they need to be marketed just as much as all of the White princesses. As much as people choose to ignore the glaring evidence that Disney, who represents a major portion of advertisements, television, and movies for children, fails to include People of Color into their repertoire of characters as nothing less than an atrocity, well, lets just say society is-a-changin', so c’mon Disney! Stop being so 1950's, hop on the band wagon and join us for the ride!
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These outfits are created for toddlers, socializing children from a young age to understand what 'beauty' is and what is socially acceptable for girls to look like. It's interesting to think that something that seems so harmless can have such a major effect on how young girls view themselves and others, especially with how much Disney Princesses project hegemony; this can be extremely harmful when young girls find that they don't fit into the narrow-minded idea of what's beautiful.
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Mini Media: LGBTQ Visibility
Representation of LGBTQ on television has expanded greatly in the past few decades with shows such as Will and Grace, Modern Family, The L Word and representation through reality TV shows such as Say Yes to the Dress, What Not to Wear, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. While these shows allow for more visibility of LGBTQ people, it shows them through a narrow lens. Many of the gay stereotypes are shown in the show Glee where one of the main characters, Kurt, is extremely flamboyant. Creating the majority of characters on television as flamboyant makes it hard for the gay community as a whole to relate to those characters, because it’s such a narrow scope of the homosexual community.
While any representation at all is better than nothing, placing each character into the stereotypes of the LGBTQ community only ratifies heterosexual stereotypes toward LGBTQ. I think that Grey’s Anatomy does a good job at representing the lesbian couple Arizona and Callie because they don’t try to make the characters’ any different based on the fact that they’re lesbians’.
People are critical of the limited representations of the LGBTQ community, and although I agree, I think that it’s gotten much better in the past decade, and that things will continue to progress in this decade. With huge movements such as reopening the case to ban Prop 8, that to me shows that people are becoming more accepting, and with acceptance comes growth.
#mini media#wggs 2330#LGBTQ#Grey's Anatomy#Glee#Modern Family#Queer Eye for the Straight Guy#The L Word
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This picture perfectly depicts that people will ALWAYS find something wrong with them, there is always something that could be different, but really they are perfect just the way they are - with a little humor on the side !
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Unit Post: Funny Women in Hollywood, Pushing the Boundaries
Female comedians in hollywood: moving us forward or taking us a few steps back? Women have made major progress as far as capturing the audience and gaining relevancy in the world of comedy, with significant powerhouses such as Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Ellen DeGeneres, and Melissa McCarthy. These women are a part of some of the most successful shows, stand-up comedies routines, and movies from the past decade, but, while women have made significant strides in comedy in the past twenty years they still only make up a small percentage of comedians in the business.
There are different classes of female comedians; Melissa McCarthy embodies the carnivalesque form of comedy, doing almost anything to get a laugh out of the audience in a manner that doesn’t necessarily group her with the average woman. She’s seemingly harmless because she’s all-out ridiculous, and doesn’t threaten the masculinity of the male-dominated comedy world with her vulgar, and in a sense, manly actions.
Those who “have it all” in the realm of comedy are the females, such as Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who still embody hegemony. They are white, beautiful, and non-handicapped. While they are witty, smart, and extremely funny, they are still held to a standard that men are not- if they weren’t sexy, they probably wouldn’t be as famous as they are today. Famously known is the example of Tina Fey who worked as a writer for Saturday Night Live and only after she lost thirty pounds was she asked to be put in front of the camera (I wonder, were Chris Farley or John Candy ever asked to drop a few pounds to be more visually appealing for the audience?...hmmm.)
These double standards of visual appearance in the comedy scene give me the idea that although women are becoming more relevant, the boundaries of hegemony and the male gaze are still very apparent in this male dominated realm. The women in comedy either have to be outrageous, manly, and vulgar or beautiful, physically fit, and most of the time white to fit in, it’s considered to be an “added bonus” that they are extremely funny as well. I think there are still so many boundaries within this area of Hollywood that need to be broken through, but as long as we have women, such as Tina Fey, doing interviews that question the important issue of double standards (shown in her interview seen in class) women will make more strides in equalizing such a male dominated area of Hollywood.
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What Not to Wear, and How to Create a New Life
In the past decade wedding and makeover shows have manifested themselves in many ways, with the idea that the women in the show will become a "new person" with the help of a shopping spree, weight loss, plastic surgery, or hair and make-up fixer-upper. A prime example of this is on the show What Not to Wear, where a woman (the majority of the time) is criticized for her bad style, and ridiculed by the two stylists. After the ridiculing and scolding, because how could ANYONE possibly dress like that?- she is given $5000 to go on a shopping spree in New York City to find a new wardrobe, then her hairstyle and make up is changed, all by professional stylists, hair dressers, and make up artists, to create a new woman.
Here's my problem with this: It's completely unrealistic to change a person's wardrobe, and overall style, ultimately changing who you are as a person, and then picking up your life the next day without paying attention to how that would effect you emotionally. I know that if I changed the complete image I had created for myself, and my whole family voted me to go on a show where I'm publicly humiliated (since the show is watched by millions of viewers) I would be so embarrassed and have an even lower confidence level than before. Not only is that entirely offensive, but the stylists make it seem like a big joke, where they belittle the women saying things like "You really think that's a good look? Oh my god, no" while laughing. It gives women the idea that they can't be completely beautiful or feel good about themselves unless they shop at the most expensive stores in new york, and have the best products (most of the women on the show seem to be pretty confident before their appearance is made fun of).
I think this show wouldn't be so terrible if the stylists showed the women ways to dress themselves in a more positive and flattering way without making them feel like a clown in the process, and shopping in stores that are more affordable to that person, since the majority of people can't afford to shop at the stores shown on the show. Confidence and happiness is not something that is built upon by changing your appearance alone, feeling good about one's self is an emotional process that is challenged with shows life What Not to Wear.
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Bodies of Femininity and the Repercussions of Negative Imagery
In the media, women’s bodies have been the target of objectification for as long as advertisements have been around, and as the decades go on advertisements become increasingly vulgar, and sexual. This imagery narrowly defines the ideal woman as being white, young, attractive, thin, heterosexual, sexually open (but not aggressive, because that makes her a slut) and often times wealthy and flawless. The main issue with advertisements concerns how women’s bodies are portrayed, giving light to an ideal body shape, which is unattainable to the vast majority of the population; women in ads are becoming smaller, which in turn is causing eating disorders and body shame to steadily increase. Women are seen in sexual poses, usually aimed at feeding into the male gaze, as most ads do, which embodies a heterosexual man’s fantasies, shown through women acting sexual toward one another, toward a heterosexual male, or just making a provocative pose alone. Sexuality between races is portrayed quite differently with white women being more passive and African American women showing more sexual aggression. Most of the time when African American women are shown (which isn’t very often), they are depicted as aggressive, animalistic, or fierce sexual objects.
As a twenty-something living in our society today, it’s a shock to me that I don’t have as many issues with my body, knowing I don’t fit into this mold of “perfection”, as most women and girls I know on a daily basis indulge in verbally assaulting themselves. I’m a relatively small person, but the fact that I have a large chest and, heaven forbid, a stomach that isn’t perfectly flat, I would be considered visually unappealing in the eyes of those who create these advertisements, but lets face it, they’d Photoshop abs on me anyway, and probably a new chin to make my face more symmetrical. The main ingredient of these images is not listed in these advertisements: Photoshop, as shown in the movie Killing Us Softly 4, the documentary that sheds light on the negative effects of advertisements. What disturbs me most about these advertisements is not just the image itself, but also the underlying themes that most women don’t even realize they are picking up by flipping through magazines or watching television commercials. These messages tell women that being white, beautiful, and above all else, thin, is the ideal form of femininity, leaving only 5% of us to measure up. It’s also important for women, and the creators of these ads, to understand that posing women primarily as sexual objects allows men to dehumanize them, validating and accepting violence.
Although it will take a long time for advertisements to clean up their act, it is none-the-less important to bring these issues to the forefront. There needs to be stricter regulations on advertisements, and knowledge about what goes into creating this “perfect image.” Eating disorders and depression rates are only going to raise as ads get worse, and lets face it: does that really make anyone happy?
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Analysis of Hegemony in Pop Culture and how the show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy challenges that
In our society, sexuality is viewed largely in hegemonic terms, especially when it comes to the media. Hegemony plays a large role in how television shows and movies are constructed and is an important factor of why homosexuality is viewed the way it is. To be included in the hegemonic realm a person must be white, heterosexual, christian, with high social economic status. People who veer outside of this hegemonic category are viewed more negatively and seen as less appealing, and because of these narrow standards of what's considered 'acceptable' the majority of society does not measure up.
Homosexual relationships in television shows and movies, while rarely seen, are misrepresented through a narrow heterosexual view of how the “typical” homosexual person acts. This idea is shown in Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, where five flamboyantly gay men go into the “clueless” straight man’s home to fix his apparel and coach him on his ability to romance his wife for a whole day, because straight men are just so incapable of expressing any type of emotions, and need all of the help they can get. Although showing the interaction between heterosexual and homosexual men is a step in the right direction, I think this show has a number of issues as well. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy elicits the ideas that homosexual men are the problem fixers, while also playing into the stereotype that they are all highly into fashion, cooking, talking about and expressing their feelings, and are hyper-sexual, which is shown through many of the comments Carson makes throughout the program. I think there should have been more variety in the casting for this show because not all homosexual men can be narrowly bound in to the stereotypes society places on the homosexual community, and by casting all men who represent those stereotypes the audience is only validated in their views on the homosexual community. Although there are setbacks to the stereotypes represented in this show, there are positive aspects to allowing viewers to become acquainted with men from the homosexual community, whether stereotypical or not. There is so little exposure of homosexual men and women on television so it’s a step in the right direction and shows that our society is making progress in allowing minorities to have such a large role on television.
I think the topic of homosexuality and how it’s portrayed in the media is important. Hegemony in our society is hardly challenged by those it benefits, such as white, upper-class, male citizens. By not allowing all groups and forms of expression to be represented in our media, we our not allowing the majority of the population to be seen, and that is an issue that needs to be challenged.
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