Janet Wixson (01/03/91)
[This is a message that appeared on a professional women's mailing
list. I have asked and received permission to repost it to
soc.feminism for discussion. The author already gets entirely too
much email, so I have omitted her email address from this article; all
discussion can take place on the net. I found it most interesting,
hope the rest of you do also. Happy New Year! --CLT]
As promised, this message is a report on the documentaries:
KILLING US SOFTLY and STAGE ROLES AND TIGHT BUNS. After a great deal
of searching, I located both documentaries at the Univ. of Ten at
Knoxville. These were previously mentioned on the network in the
context of an information resource pertaining to the influence of
advertising in shaping our perceptions of our roles and capabilities
as women. KILLING US SOFTLY is directed toward the influence of
advertising in shaping women's view of themselves and STAGE ROLES AND
TIGHT BUNS is directed toward the influence of advertising in shaping
men's view of themselves: We see an average of 500 Ads per day. By
the time we are 60, we will have seen 50 million ads. Ads are
everywhere and absolutely inescapable-- T.V., billboards, radios,
magazines, newspapers, etc. Children between 2-5 watch an average of
30 hours of T.V. a week. Advertisements sell far more than
products--they sell values, goals , concepts and shape our attitudes.
Advertising is a 40 billion dollar per year industry.
A tremendous number of ads feature women as beautiful, flawless,
creatures. Being beautiful is a result of what we buy and what we put
on. It is achieved artificial and whatever we have must be changed.
If we want to be loved and desireable we must reach for this ideal.
The ideal is Barbie (the doll) who doesn't even have any pores. Ads
even tell us that we should aleniate women to get the attention of men
(You'll look so good "they" will hate you). Ads depict women in
powerless roles (notice body language of women in ads) who are
clinging to men (we are nothing without the attention from men). Ads
often feature the little girl look--be both innocent and sexy at the
same time. The message they are giving us is "Don't grow up" Often
women are shown in ads depicting violence from men (She may be black
and blue but you know she loves it)--frequently, little girls (five
years old) are shown as sex objects. (Much concern that this is
contributing toward sexual abuse of children and violence toward women
--which we like of course).
There is another group of ads which are directed toward the moron
housewife who is pathologically obsessed with cleanliness. Women in
these ads are not as beautiful as in the other ads instilling guilt in
it. The message is if you can't be beautiful then feed your man and
scrub the bathroom until it is squeeky clean--after all, we must
attract and hold on to a man at all any any costs because we ourselves
are nothing -- our only power comes from our sexuality.
The male sex role stereotype is depicted by a cowboy or "The
Marlboro Man". Men are almost always shown in an ad alone. If other
men are in the ad, the two are shown in an adversarial row (arms
folded and backs against each other). Even men in tuxedos assume the
stance (cigarette as a pistol) tough expression of a cowboy. The body
language etc of these attitudes communicate that a real man is
independent (always alone and doesn't need anybody), unapproachable,
strong, full of power, and without emotion. The successful man is
hardworking, commited, ascribes to a position of status depicted by
luxurious living and beautiful women as an adornment. Real men are
prepared to fight, value authority, wins at all cost, and is willing
to kill to prove his manhood. They are taught from the beginning that
they are inherently superior to girls, have power over them, and that
women are pretty accessories. Their attitude toward women is
intimidation and women are weak and passive.
We are beginning to see some improvements in advertising depicting
the stereotype of men. Men are starting to be shown in loving
parental roles and with other men laughing and having a good time.
However, these advertisements mainly appear in women's magazines and
not in men's magazines.
To get more information about KILLING US SOFTLY write to:
Cambridge Documentary Films
Box 385
Cambridge, Ma 02139
For more information about STAGE ROLES AND TIGHT BUNS write to:
O.A.S.I.S.
15 Willoughby Street
Boston, Ma 02135
Both of these documentaries were excellent. As for myself, I
suppose at one level I knew all of this stuff but didn't really pay
any attention to advertisements. At least I thought so--at a
subconscious level I think all of us pay a lot of attention to these
advertisements and it is quite damaging and powerful. I am starting
to pay more conscious attention now. On the way into work this
morning I was listening to a radio station (same one I always listen
to) and there was an ad for Bell South Mobility phones which I have
heard many times before but didn't focus on. It was about some idiot
housewife who stopped in the middle of the freeway to continue her
gossip session with Marge because if she went any further she would
drive out of the calling zone. (please note that I am not classifying
housewives as idiots--the advertisement did even though they didn't
use that word). I seem to observe that we have made much more
progress in not stereotyping blacks in advertising in negative roles
(we probably don't show them in positive roles either--also forgive me
any blacks out there if I am wrong because I haven't paid attention to
this but will start doing so). For example, in the recent apalling Ad
for Wordperfect in Pc Magazine where it showed four women in roller
skates (obviously message takers) that you should replace with e-mail.
Wouldthey consider showing four black men with garbage cans if they
were advertising a garbage compactor as a technological replacement (I
think this would jump out at all of us as apalling). Enough for
now--tomorrow I am going to watch Saturday morning cartoons for the
first time in 23 years so I can see what kind of ads we are showing to
our children.
--Janet Wixsonfnkdt@acad3.alaska.edu (Tonella Karla D) (01/05/91)
In article <2782472C.21585@ics.uci.edu>, Janet Wixson writes... > As promised, this message is a report on the documentaries: >KILLING US SOFTLY and STAGE ROLES AND TIGHT BUNS. After a great deal I've seen KILLING US SOFTLY and it was very effective, but now there's a new version that's even better, and more up-to-date with more recent ads, called: KILLING US SOFTLY AGAIN or maybe it's STILL. Anyway it's a newer better version. Thanks for the information on STAGE ROLES and TIGHT BUNS, I had no Idea it existed. What follows is from a posting on Comserve, a network for people involved in human communication disciplines. DREAMWORLDS: DESIRE/SEX/POWER IN ROCK VIDEO A Video Written, Edited & Narrated by SUT JHALLY (Department of Communication University of Massachusetts at Amherst) There has been a great deal of concern in recent years about the negative and dangerous representations of women contained in music videos. This film presents an accessible way to be able to talk about these representations and the role that they play in how, young people especially, think about and behave in everyday life with regard to sexuality and gender. It uses the images of music videos themselves, rearranged and recontextualized, to highlight the nature of the world as depicted by MTV. For pedagogical purposes, it concretizes the issues by examining the relationship between MTV images of women and the very prevalent problem of date rape and sexual violence towards women on college campuses. Over a continuous (but structured) stream of MTV images (utilizing over 165 different videos), the narrative identifies: - the portrayal of women in rock video as part of a male adolescent dreamworld shaped by marketing considerations; - the basic formats used to introduce sex and women into the video; - the specific nymphomanic behaviors, activities and roles of the women of the dreamworld; - the ways in which the camera frames and presents women for male consumption through the techniques of the gaze and objectification; - the implicit and explicit messages of sexual violence in the videos (brought out by juxtoposing a depiction of a real rape scene in between actual videos); - and the relationship between images and the attitudes towards sexual violence of its major consumers. Audience: The film is specifically designed to be shown to college students. Classes in communication, sociology, radio and television, women's studies, film studies, media literacy and theatre arts will find it a lively and controversial starting point for discussions of the impact of media on society, culture and the practices of everyday life. Sut Jhally is Associate professor of Communication at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, He is author of THE CODES OF ADVERTISING, co-author of SOCIAL COMMUNICATION IN ADVERTISING, and co-editor of CULTURAL POLITICS IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICA. He has written broadly on popular culture. Screening Time: 55 minutes Available in 1/2 inch VHS only STUDENT COMMENTS from The University of Massachusetts - "...forceful, both intellectually and emotionally". - "I knew there was a reason I stopped watching MTV years ago. The video not only reinforced that decision but it also gave me technical ways in which to categorize the things I don't like about video". - "The film was very moving. I felt at first okay, then the more I watched the sicker I felt...It stated an extremely important fact about women and television". - "...gave me a new awareness of rock videos and the impact they can have". - "...fantastic. While watching I learnt so much about the portrayal of women. I was shocked to see how much violence and humiliation women go through. Although I often watch videos, I never realized what I was watching until it was pointed out to me". - "...effective in provoking thought. Everyone should see this film" - "It really taught me a lot about the music videos I used to passively take for granted. I will always see them in a different light now". - "...very well done. It made you really see how advertising plays a big part in what we see. Because when you are watching regular videos (on TV) you don't notice -- but this video brings it out front". - "It gave me more insight and allowed me to view the exploitation of women in media from a different perspective (observer) instead of viewer, and as a serious problem". - "...might shock people into reality. Many people found it offensive because the truth hurts and people are frightened. If something isn't talked about maybe it will go away. Wrong". - "...really powerful. It made me aware of the implications of images I was completely familiar with and had never seen as abnormal. It made me look at MTV from a different perspective". - "...very powerful - it was hard to shake some of the things I saw". - "...an eyeopener. I never noticed the degrading way women were portrayed in videos. I was always swept away by the music and not realizing what was going on. Everyone should see this video". - "...shocked me and made me open my eyes and see what MTV has been doing since its start...It moved me. It changed my behaviors morally about the importance of a woman...I went back to my dorm and shared (talked) about the movie to my friends (of both sexes) and made them realize" - "...I don't think that I will be able to watch MTV in the same way again". - "I feel that every person on this campus should view this film. After seeing it, I look at television, others and myself in a very different light". WARNING: Before screening the tape, instructors should carefully preview it and determine how best to warn students about the existence of a very brutal scene of sexual violence that may be disturbing to some people (especially women). ----------------------------------------------------------------- For more information, contact: Sut Jhally (re: Dreamworlds) Department of Communication. University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003. (413) 545-4609/1311
jj@alice.att.com (jj, like it or not) (01/05/91)
Well, I feel sorry for Janet. After she watches an hour of typical
children's programming, she's gonna wanna take out the whole
television industry in a pre-emptive strike. (sympathies extended to
her blood pressure here)
AND I DON'T BLAME HER!
Speaking as one who has written letters to various advertisors,
networks, and such, I'd like to relate a few experiences:
(In response to a polite, less than antagonistic letter to an
advertisor)-- (obviously a form letter reply, not even a "drop in"
letter!)
Dear Madam,
We're sorry, <bow, wow, woof, woof>
<no substantive content whatsoever>
Sincerely
<made-up-name>
fmst-1
Now, my name (which is on these letters, you may be sure) is quite
obviously male. Obviously, the company in question couldn't even
imagine a man attacking their portrayal of female sex roles, and what
does the "fmst-1" printed in the bottom right corner of this
pre-printed form letter mean, anyhow?
Other experiences are similar. Still, do write letters.
Polite ones get form letter responses, rude ones get deep-sixed, I
think. Maybe they at least COUNT the form letters they send out. If
nothing else, they'll have to buy more stamps :-(
Oh yeah, if you send them a letter saying "I won't buy your product"
you might <I have> get a letter back from their lawyer making
threatening noises about how boycotts are illegal. Yeah, sure. <then
again, that particular dep't store chain is now bankrupt and gone,
their customers boycotted them without any help, organization, or
anything except bad service (I suppose) and uninteresting merchandise
on the store's part>
No, I won't identify the companies, it's been a few years since I've
had the time and energy (I confess that I find child-rearing more
interesting an occupation for my time at home), and they may have
changed. Then again, the tooth fairy might be real, too.
--
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