What I've Been Reading

I've been reading some great, interesting, and strange articles lately that I'd like to share. 


Stanford study found that social media is hurting young girls' social development.


Are the movie posters for French actor, Jean Dujardin's new film too provocative? 


Male Birth Control: Check out this study about male contraception that decreases amount of sperm.


I loved Viola's Davis's speech at the SAG Awards. If you haven't seen it, WATCH IT! With that in mind, I was sad to read this article where Octavia Spencer discusses her unhealthy weight. Can't we focus on the film's accolades instead of the weight of its actresses?


Scary story about a young girl who is protesting the inclusion of transgender children in Girl Scouts. Question: When and where should LGBTQ education begin? Just when I think we are taking steps forward, I see that we are moving backwards. A bill that went into effect in California on January 1st to include LGBTQ historical figures in history curriculum is meeting some roadblocks.


Some thoughts from a fellow single woman.

Drink Crystal Light and You'll "Get Wet" with an Attractive Man on an Exotic Island

I chose this title for my post because it points out the absurdity of this new Crystal Light commercial. Two "workaholic" women on a plane don't need to worry about bikini season until they get into a plane crash and find themselves stranded on an island with an attractive man. It ends with an image of a woman taking off her shirt saying "I'm going to get wet." So, what's so problematic about this commercial? It makes the assumption that women need to constantly fret about their weight because you never know when you'll get into a plane crash and be getting wet with a perfectly chiseled model?!


It also assumes that if you drink Crystal Light, you will be more attractive to a man, making a point that a woman's only power is her physical body and sexuality. The commercial begins with these women exclaiming that they won't be having fun because they are too busy working, so the working woman becomes this haggard, boring, and uninteresting archetype. 


I think what frustrates me the most about this commercial is the commentary surrounding it. For example, a blogger wrote, "I feel like women with a sense of humor appreciate this too. But there’s a few groups who might derail the happy feelings: angry feminists and prude conservatives. ANYTHING slightly controversial in a gendered manner tends to get the ire of feminists."


First, let's break those stereotypes about feminists (refer to this video for further details). Also, I saw an incredible documentary yesterday called Miss Representation. It examines how the media controls the choices young men and women make about their bodies, relationships, and careers. If young girls only see women on television taking off their clothes for men, then what kind of ambitions will they have for the future? Sure, this is just one commercial and many children might not pick up on the sexual innuendo, but all forms of media such as commercials, movies, television shows, etc. contribute to a big problem consuming young women. It's not funny that young women think they must dress "sexy" or diet to the point of starvation to become successful professionally and romantically. How do young women develop healthy senses of self amidst these controversial, limiting images? 

These images affect everyone and inform the ways men and women communicate with each other. It saddens me that so often I overhear the same conversation among men:

Boy 1: Hey, what did you do last night?

Boy 2: Man, I was hammered last night, and I think I banged like five girls.

These images and conversations need to be questioned. When I make these statements, Michael Jackson's lyrics to "Man in the Mirror" play in my head. 

I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways. If you want to make the world a better place, just look at yourself and make that change...

(Click to see a clip of Glee performing "Man in the Mirror")

Details Magazine Reinforces Sexism in Shia LaBeouf Interview

Shia Lebouf trying his best James Dean.

While I was filtering through the latest celebrity news on Friday, I was overwhelmed with articles about Shia LaBeouf revealing his "hook up" with Megan Fox on the Transformers set. He revealed this information to Details magazine stating, "Look, you're on the set for six months, with someone who's rooting to be attracted to you, and you're rooting to be attracted to them. I never understood the separation of work and life in that situation. But the time I spent with Megan was our own thing, and I think you can see the chemistry onscreen." The article than speculated that Fox cheated on her husband with Shia. 


Here's my message to Shia: Shia, if it was your "own thing" why are you revealing it to the whole world? She's not even in the current Transformers movie, so why discuss her and her business? Also, why is it that Shia reveals his "hook up" with Megan Fox and bashes his directors and is then rewarded with the label of "honest, complex bad boy"?! What a double standard! 


Details magazine sets him up in clothes and scenes comparable to James Dean, and in the introduction to the article, Aaron Gell, writes, "The 25-year-old Transformers star has thrown as many punches as he has parties, he has a rap sheet as long as his filmography, and when he's not pissing off studio heads, he's messing around with another guy's girlfriend. But Shia LaBeouf may also be the most honest—and complex—actor alive. More than meets the eye? Damn right." Shia isn't complex. He's just another entitled man that can get away with speaking his mind and trashing the women he's been with under the guise that he's gifted and deeply sensitive inside.


I'm reminded of Katherine Heigl's love hate relationship with the press. When she speaks her mind, she's labeled an "angry bitch." In an interview with Vanity Fair, Heigl says that Knocked Up is "a little sexist" because "It paints women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as goofy, fun-loving guys. It was hard for me to love the movie." I agree. Knocked Up is sexist, but the real problem here is that Heigl is labeled an "ungrateful, bitch" for sharing her voice. My point is not to silence Shia LaBeouf but to reveal and break down a terrible double standard that is clearly thriving in Details magazine. Details Magazine reinforces a culture where men can speak their minds while women can't.