Final Blog Project: The Influence of Pornography on Mainstream Media

Group: Wendy, Rosanna, and Alisha











Craig's List personal Ads: Personals or Porn?

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cas/1067398684.html
http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cas/1067276105.html
http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/w4m/1066662887.html
http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cas/1067329051.html



Porn influences our already hyper-sexualized US popular culture in many forms and outlets; it affects us politically economically and socially. Sexualized texts have become so relevant in our society that it has become normalized and has become less taboo than ever before. Sexualized texts are prevalent in television, especially in reality TV where the focus is to capture “real” people in “real” world situations that usually entail sexual scenarios. The packaging and marketing of the next week’s previews almost always have a steamy clip of what’s to follow including a sexualized storyline or plot to draw the viewer and cause a scandal. The main themes we found in porn in the mainstream, particularly reality and reality TV were visibility of sexual icons, innuendos in print, “portholes” into mainstream television. Sexual icons meaning actors/ or characters from the porn industry have lately been used in all sorts of mainstream whether its reality TV, music videos, movies, or PETA ads. Ron Jeremy is a great example of someone from the porn industry being marketed into our mainstream media through his participation in VH1s Surreal Life and his “normalized” PETA ad. The PETA ad acts as a filter in which his persona is viewed through a different lens to make him look relatable and marketable to audience outside the adult industry. This ad also plays off the humor of his sexuality and makes it seem less abrasive and less of a threat to people who might not agree with his lifestyle.
The next thing we found was that porn from the mainstream often becomes funneled into real world scripts, an example of this are the personal ads or “casual encounters” located in front of the Craig’s List webpage. These are easily accessed to the public and at any age level. Most of the ads are disguised as personals because they are entitled “Casual Encounters” and most follow certain rules to keep posted. Looking at the personals we got a lot more than we bargained for. Often the images displayed were explicit images of the male or female genital; this goes against the bourgeois norms because it can be seen as low class and trashy. It depicts a copy cat reaction to porn they see on TV whether its porn or not and act it out through the ads on Craig list. It’s the counter culture of sex in the mainstream media, because they create characters, and scenarios while using talk that come straight from porn and utilize it as a means to act out their fantasies in a similar way that porn does.
The next theme we like to call “Portholes” into mainstream TV. This is a sense of hoping to ease from restricted channels and late night time slots into the mass world of prime time TV in order to get a glimpse into the once tabooed and the restricted world of pornographic content. Reality shows such as the Bunny Ranch on the late night HBO channel has paved its way into day time television with appearances on talk shows like Maury and Tyra Banks. This their “porthole” of opportunity to make a name for themselves on national TV and gain exposure amongst a wider audience range. Unlike some people who would be ashamed of coming out into the mass media the girls from the Bunny Ranch bask in the glory of the notoriety that comes from the lime light from their sexual lifestyles. As seen in our clip even a pregnant first time mom/bunny isn’t ashamed of her work and will willingly publicize the fact that she is pregnant and working.
The next show that we feel has been a gateway into a softer porn appeal is the Bachelor with sexualized scenes and content that is shown through the male gaze and the Vaseline lens among other pornographic production elements not limited to soft “pornesque” music and “borrowed” camera angles often seen in porn flicks. In this clip of the Bachelor Jason takes a female contestant/ Jillian into the “Fantasy Suite” for a little backyard Jacuzzi lovin’. The scene is shot much from the male gaze perspective, for instance more of the focus is placed on Jillian’s face expressions, legs and her body movement as she wraps her legs around Jason’s back to straddle him closer. The mood is definitely set by the production team and the lighting is dimmed as well, with the music strategically cued for the “special moments”. The camera has a panning effect similar to the one seen in porn, it pans in and out, focuses on the bodies, and facial expressions of pleasure. The Bachelor marketed the Jacuzzi scene as the “money shot” scene inviting viewers back with hopes of more sex to come after the commercial or future episode. Each season reality TV increases its dosage of sex and becomes more and more prevalent in the mass media.
BET’S Uncut and uncensored late night edition is a circuit of television that has created an opportunity for sexually explicit lyrics and images to be showcased in hopes of reaching the standardized sexual scripts. These music videos focus primarily on sex and the dehumanizing of women and their objectification from the male gaze. Even the edited clean version stays the same the only difference is that the clean one doesn’t say “pussy”, there is a very narrow line between uncensored and censored or cut and uncut. As Levande states, “If non- uncut videos are ads for uncut videos, then BET and MTV are possibly also ads for Adult on Demand. Arguably, music videos of today are the gateway drug into an actual purchase of the “real thing”. “On demand” porn is always on tap, and current music videos signify adult entertainment’s availability (p298).” Although this is not reality it influences real life perspectives and actions as well gender roles. For example like the video called Dream Worlds 3: Desire Sex and Power in music videos, where the men at a Puerto Rican festival act out scenes from rap music videos where the women are being objectified. The men sexual harass women and spray water/alcohol on them just like they do in the videos.
The overall effect of porn on popular culture is overwhelming, the facts speak for themselves. Whether they are implicit or explicit they are always there and striving to set the sexual script in the media outlets characterizing them as the main focus point.

Response to Peer's Blog

Link to Rosanna's Blog:
http://mediasexrus.blogspot.com/
My critique will address the blog entry about 'Objectified and Empowered sexuality.' The first example for this subject is the video which promotes a jacket that women find irresistible. It's argued that this commercial objectifies women and makes them look like they're sex crazed nymphomaniacs. Although this commercial does show women as powerless to male sexuality, one cannot ignore how the same sort of thing happens to men in our society. As Brooks would argue in the Centerfold Syndrome, the subordination through objectification not only affects women in our culture, but it affects men as well. Women are portrayed as always fulfilling the needs of men and their sexuality, but in the same respect men are also encouraged to strive for the sexual access of women. If a man doesn't act on his sexual desires he loses his masculinity in our society. So to say that this commercial objectifies women, we must look at both sides, even the portrayal of women as sexual beings and the constant exposure of female bodies in the media to men and how these ideologies affect their idea of their own sexuality and objectify them as well.
Two of the other examples shown for this subject were women in media 'empowering' themselves by posing nude; Jennifer Aniston and Alicia Silverstone. Although these nude photos represent a choice for both women to pose nude in perhaps a more tasteful way, it can be argued whether this truly empowers the women. The nude women give access to the male gaze even if their intentions are for themselves. This alludes to the idea that the only way that a woman can empower themselves and feel equal to men is if they perform their acts within the male patriarchal system of our society. It further enforces the idea that women can only have a voice when they are being used as sexual objects. In this way men still have the upper hand. In Alicia Silverstone's ad for PETA she's sprawled out in a vulnerable state on her stomach where the entire back of her body is exposed. Much like Levande's example of the Pepsi commercial involving the female superstars, they are shown as powerful gladiators but wear revealing clothing so they don't loose their sexuality and still appear vulnerable. Another example which Levande shares is the incident with the Dixie Chicks when they commented on President Bush in a negative way. After much backlash, they decided to pose nude. It could be argued that by posing nude the women were 'empowering' themselves and claiming their credibility as artists. I would argue that it was a way for them to earn their credibility back by basically saying that they were wrong and to make it up they will go back to their place as sexual female objects in a male patriarchal society. In essence, why does a woman have to be naked to be empowered?

Mediated examples of Masculinity as Specifically Sexualized

Hipster Article:http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html

Analysis:

The first image has to do with the idea of masculinity as sexual in today's Mens magazines. Attwood explains, "Contemporary monthly lifestyle magazines clearly display the legacy of 1980s' portrayals of male narcissism, particularly in advertising and fashion spreads. Features which stress health, grooming and exercise regimes also work to support the notion of the male body as an object to be worked on" (88). The cover, which featured George Clooney, a renowned sexual icon in American society, acts as an example of the way that men should present themselves as powerful, sexual beings. It was interesting to read some of the headlines such as The GQ Look for Fall: Game-day Clothes, Supple Tweeds, Elegant Yves. Not to mention the main article, George Clooney and the Meaning of Guyness . The depiction of George Clooney as a put together, sex icon promotes the idea of the 'new lad' as described by Attwood, which creates the ideal for men in our society as active consumers in the American consumerist culture.

The second image I chose came from an advertisement for a new cell phone in FHM magazine. In this advertisement, particularly targeted for a male audience in a mens magazine, the woman's body is displayed with the product. The body of the woman is almost as much of the product as the product is itself. As Brooks discusses in the article about what he calls The Centerfold Syndrome, the author describes how the objectification of female bodies in media not only affects women in society, but men in society as well. The five principles of the syndrome consist of, "(a) voyeurism, (b) objectification, (c) the need for validation, (d) trophyism, and (e) the fear of true intimacy" (439). As the author suggests the way that males are taught, and even forced to look and desire the female body, causes psychological and societal problems for males to the same extent or even more than it does for women. The advertisement further perpetuates this theory by displaying a product along with a female body that is clearly objectified (only a portion of the face is visible, and the body takes up most of the frame). In this way, the product and the female are synonymous figures available for looking.

In this article, by a writer for the Culturejamming website and magazine Adbusters the new phenomenon of the Hipster is critiqued and identified. Although hipsters can be either male or female, the 'metrosexuality' of the male hipster is hard to ignore. The 'new lad' as described by Attwood, represents the idea of masculinity that plays into the idea of consumerism, or 'trendiness' as sexual, powerful, and desirable for males in the society. The implications of the hipster deals with issues of class and power. Although the hipster may seem to be of lower class, they are in all essence the opposite. As the author describes, "The American Apparel V-neck shirt, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and Parliament cigarettes are symbols and icons of working or revolutionary classes that have been appropriated by hipsterdom and drained of meaning" (Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization). The brand of beer and cigarettes that are chosen allude to the fact that the hipsters are of lower class, when in fact the clothes they wear from places such as American Apparel which seem basic are in fact the trendiest, and more expense clothing brands for today's youth. Along with this notion of fashion, the male hipsters wear tight fitted jeans, sometimes even actual woman's jeans to demonstrate their identity with their male sexuality, which I would describe as metrosexual with a trendy twist.

Both the movie Road Trip and this clip from the UFC fighting demonstrate what it means to be masculine. In the coming-of-age movie Road Trip, the main character's identification of masculinity has to do with his sexual encounters. It promotes the idea that men should seek out women to use for sexual purposes even when he has a significant other. This is encouraged in the end of the movie where you find that he in fact made the correct decisions by going with his masculine instincts. Another topic touched in within the Centerfold Syndrome article, where we find that men are in fact encouraged even at a young age. "In adolescence, young men find themselves besieged by two powerful yet contradictory forces--waves of sexual urgency and the extreme prohibitions against emotional intimacy" (444). The UFC fighting also demonstrates the male body as a source of power, not sexual power as in the case of Road Trip, but power and force that comes with the action of fighting. The body's in Men's health magazines, as described in Attwood demonstrate the male body as "an 'unfinished project' which can be disciplined, thus warding of stress, uncertainty and decline" (87, Jackson et al.,). The competitors in the fight are at their top shape, ready to demonstrate their masculinity in the ring. No insecurity of the body or performance is perpetuated in any way creating an ideal for men in society that always exudes confidence and power as parallel with masculinity and sexuality.

Sexualized minorities "sexual otherness" and heterosexism in media

Analysis
A prime example of the popularity of lesbianism, most likely pseudo but perhaps real, in mainstream popular culture involves the campaign for Coors Light starring the Coors Light twins. As Jenkins describes, "one way that mainstream producers dilute their lesbian portrayals is by heterosexualizing these scenes in order to promote the conventional straight Male's lesbian fantasy" (492). As in 'scenes' the author refers to the presence of lesbianism in teen movies. The same idea applies to the Coors Light commercial where the twins are objectified purely for the purposes of the male gaze. By creating an affiliation between twins, beer, and football the company addresses heterosexual masculine desire. In this case, lesbianism is a spectacle created solely for males and their male gaze. The repercussions of this is an inaccurate idea of lesbianism that gives less value to homosexuality for women and ultimately gives men the upper hand when it comes to ideas about female sexuality.

In regards to sexual otherness, the character on Nip tuck Sophia Lopez presents a stereotypical presentation of a transsexual person as a victim rather than just a person. Indeed transsexuals and other non 'normative' sexualities are being presented in media, the presentation is usually the same and alludes to the idea of 'fixing' the problem or 'dealing' with the problem. Insinuating that they're not happy with themselves or their sexualities which may or may not be the case with real people within these groups.

An example of sexual "otherness" as portrayed in the media has to do with the new phenomenon of a heterosexual woman and a homosexual man as the leading characters in film or television shows. As Shugart identifies in the popular television show Will and Grace, or characters in film such as Julia Robert's other best friend in My best Friend's Wedding, this new idea of the gay man brings in all sorts of assertions about what it means to be gay and accepted as male in our society. To touch on just one of the points that Shugart makes in the article, this idea of the sexual access of the gay male. In the trailer for Love and other Disasters, the two leading characters, the straight woman and the gay man are seen cuddling while watching a movie, as well as in the film where they are shown going about their business in the bathroom while each other are present. The female is often shown nude, or partially nude. This idea of the gay male's sexual access shows how the gay male's masculinity is defined through their access to women, even though they are in fact gay and don't have any sexual desire toward the woman. This further enforces the patriarchy within our society that tells us that men have the upper hand, and that when this may appear to be compromised, (if a male is not seen as 'fully masculine' as in the case of homosexuality) that they still have the power and access to a woman's body.

In this romantic scene from the teenage drama 90210 , the heteronormative assumption of the media comes into view. When the character Ethan states he just wants to have a 'normal high school date' this assumes that the norm is heterosexual between a male and female. Also, the way the show portrays an ideal way of looking at high school romance, the beautiful new girl and the star athlete assumes the heterosexual idea of what romance is and should be for people in our society. The Kim et al., article, did a study which deals with these messages in the media about heteronormative behavior, "there is one integrated script comprised of (a) one "part" for how girls/women think, feel, and behave in romantic and sexual encounters and (b) another "part" for how men think, feel, and behave in romantic and sexual encounters" (146). As demonstrated in the show 90210, the media embeds these messages that we're so used to seeing, about how men and women should act in romantic and sexual relationships as well as the nature of the relationship, heterosexual rather than homosexual or other.

I chose a clip of Teletubbies to discuss the Dennis article about same-sex relationships in cartoons. As Dennis explains, "When more details are provided, space, time, and relationships all become heterosexualized" (180). In relationship with this clip, we can see how the lack of details of gender, or even age of the teletubbies who participate in holding hands create an acceptable environment for them to show affection towards one another.

Mediated examples of Femininity as Specifically Sexualized

Analysis:

The first image is a two page layout for a Victoria’s Secret catalogue for underwear and clothing for women. It can be observed that even in mediums aimed to and for women, sexuality is still present if not pervasive. Although this example doesn’t present women in a ‘tough’ context as described by Coon, it does demonstrate the way that femininity is defined as synonymous with sexuality. When Coon describes the promotional content in relationship to the ‘tough’ women of shows and movies such as Alias and Charlie’s Angels the author says, “some offer a representative picture of the main texts, demonstrating the complexity of the characters and stories. On the other hand, many of the promotions isolate one aspect of the characters--their sexuality--and use that as the basis for selling the main text” (11). Even though Victoria’s Secret is a company designed for the comfort of women through bras, underwear and clothing designed for women the catalog insinuates the ever present male gaze. The sexual positioning of the models doesn’t seem to be designed to promote the product for women as much as the idea of attracting men.

To further explore the idea of sexual imagery of women in video games, I chose an image of Lara Croft, a female character discussed in Huntemann’s article. The way that she is objectified in the video game reiterates the idea of females as purely sexual and passive objects. When discussing Lara Croft, Huntemann explains, “furthermore, given the way she is designed and promoted, Lara Croft reinforces the notion that a woman’s ultimate value is her appearance” (255). Even the simple fact that the video game is in 3rd person, providing a full view of the player’s body presents Lara as an object to control. Her unrealistic dimensions large breasts, small waist, and long legs, enforces her femininity while she performs very masculine and ‘tough’ girl acts within the video game.

Another way that femininity is presented as sexual is in the way that woman are to perform physical fitness. The new craze of ‘strip aerobics’ and ‘pole dancing exercise’ further informs this idea of woman as sexual even when engaging in activities that are supposedly for ourselves. The Carmen Electra Striptease ‘Workout’ not only shows physical fitness for women as a sexual act, but presents an image of overt sexuality as acceptable for any woman creating the idea also emphasized by Sex and the City, “the woman are able to initiate sexual encounters and decline them with no negative repercussions” (Markle 55). Thus giving real woman an artificial environment of sexuality which may lead to objectification and other consequences in the real world.

The last two You Tube clips show some of the ideas discussed in class about the ‘new’ sexuality of femininity in popular culture. In one clip of the Real Desperate Housewives of Orange County the older, wealthy, beautiful divorcees, or ‘cougars’ are shown lounging in a VIP pool area in Las Vegas. Their wealth and power are clearly shown, as well as their want/need to prey on men. They clearly state their desire not to be ‘boring’ and exciting enough for each other and the men they plan to pursue. The idea of the ‘cougar,’ as sexually promiscuous woman who desire men, usually younger, parallel the ideas demonstrated in Sex and the City as the desire to ‘have sex like a man’ is encouraged, and even celebrated. Much like Markle‘s findings, the underlying idea of a happily after for these wealthy divorcees are presented within the show. In the comedic promo for MILF Island on the show 30 Rock, the ‘Mothers I’d like to F***’ are presented as sexually promiscuous further enforcing this idea of ‘having sex like a man.’

Sexual Imagery as a Social Critique or Challenge

Blog #1: Examples of "objectified" and "empowered" sexuality

Dove Self-esteem Fund:
http://www.dove.us/#/CFRB/SelfEsteem/aboutdsef.aspx[cp-documentid=6387288]

Tom Ford Perfume Ad:
http://londonoa.wordpress.com/2008/05/03/who-is-tom-ford/tom_ford_formen/



















T-Pain I’m in Love with a Stripper:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/im-in-love-with-a-stripper-lyrics-t-pain.html

India Arie Music Video- Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHXEE7Pi6iQ

Carls Jr. Flat Buns commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuNCMYKViN4&feature=related

Analysis

The Dove Self-Esteem Fund was created to address the negative depictions of women in the beauty and fashion industry. Through Dove’s activism girls and women are taught to accept them the way they are and maintain their own self-confidence. Banks describes, “the extent of influence is not conclusive, but it is well established in the research literature that teens get a significant amount of information about sexuality from media such as film, television, and magazines” (pg. 5). The author then goes onto say how the ‘information’ these teens are receiving may or may not actually persuade the teen to view their own sexuality the way the media defines sexuality and beauty. Whether the persuasive factor is accurate or not, it’s hard to ignore the bombardment of sexual images in mainstream media. Even though Dove is using their opposing argument to the media’s sexual images as means for profit in which they are benefiting from addressing this issue, they still are addressing this issue in society. Nonetheless, I would still argue that Dove’s Self-Esteem Fund is empowering to women. Dove is making a statement about the way women are objectified and opening up the discussion for women everywhere. The image from Tom Ford’s advertisement campaign objectifies women by showing this woman as a purely sexual being. In the image above the woman’s body is shown as parts rather than a whole human. She is shown topless holding her breasts together with her mouth wide open, a highly sexualized position. Her whole body isn’t shown as a human being, rather a thing which exists purely for a man’s pleasure and viewing. Dworkin talks about how subordination is a form of objectification and the way in which women are dehumanized, or shown as less than human, but body parts that can be ‘bought and sold,’ and viewed as a ‘commodity’ (pg 527). When applying this to the Tom Ford advertisement, the center of attention of the ad is the cologne bottle which is squeezed in between the woman’s two bare breasts. The only parts of the woman’s body that is shown are her: breasts, upper chest, neck, mouth, and lower face. The way the ad is set up the breasts is undoubtedly the center of attention. The entirety of the woman is unseen, only her ‘parts.’ In this case, this woman isn’t seen as an actual person with thoughts and needs of her own but a puppet which can be manipulated to promote a brand and please men. Her body parts are what define her as a human, if at all, because of the absence of her whole being. In the song I’m in Love with a Stripper many examples of women’s objectification can be found. Although the song seems pleasing to the ear when first heard, once the lyrics are fully grasped many references as women as purely sexual objects can be discovered. Such in the verse, “She’s every man’s dream; She’s God’s gift to earth; women love them too, That’s what you call a woman’s worth” (Metrolyrics). When reading the verse it may seem that he is very appreciative of women and consider them ‘God’s gift to earth,’ when in reality he is talking about a stripper’s physical beauty. T-Pain isn’t talking about her personality or character but her ability to strip seductively. This notion objectifies women as sexual objects whose only purpose is to viewed and touched by men. When the lyric states a ‘woman’s worth’ he is talking about her as a sexual object, her only worth. The music video for Video by India Arie is empowering to women because of the lyrics of the song and appearance of India Arie herself. She isn’t shown as an over-sexualized object, but a beautiful woman who is comfortable with her own sexuality. Because Arie’s comfortable with her own sexuality and appearance she creates her own definition of sexuality that’s different from other woman in music videos. In terms of objectification, the camera does occasionally span her body but always comes back up to her face, displaying her whole body because she is a whole person. The other woman in the video which are shown as the average girls in a video are highly sexualized, and their faces are rarely shown but their body parts in pure objectified practice. The commercial for Carl’s Jr. Flat Buns not only reinforces gender roles and stereotypes, but objectifies woman in their professional arenas. The Flat Buns references the Carl’s Jr. sandwich as well as the ‘flat buns’ of the teacher. The entire song is talking about the sandwich as well as the teacher’s body part. Not her personality or her character but her ‘flat buns.’