EXTENDED COMMENTS:
For this specific blog post I chose to EXTEND on Becca's blog. I LOVE Toy Story and she talked about it, so I figured I could totally expand on her great ideas. Here we go!
First off this is what Christensen is even trying to get across in her article..
-How do these cartoons affect US?
-How are the females seen on TV (cartoons, news, movies, game shows, etc.)?
-How are the money classes portrayed?
-Are MEN always the hero? The strong, unstoppable characters?
Searching on Google I found a great website article that talks about how women are shown in the media. After reading this article I feel a total connection to what Christensen says in HER article. Hub pages.com even talks about how women are shown as "little sex toys," this makes me sick.. take a look here!
SO Toy Story! One of my personal childhood favorites.. What can I say badly about this movie? Nothing. What have I come up with after a media analyzation.. OH, a lot. Playing off of what Becca said about Toy Story in her blog:
"For example, in Toy Story (the first one) the only female toy was Bo Beep, and she had no active role. In the second movie, the new female character was Jesse who gives the appearance of being a strong female character, but in the end is still the damsel in distress. Not only that, but there are no portrayals of any characters of minorities (toys or people), and the only class portrayed was middle."
I really don't even think Bo Peep had much of a role anyways! Woody stole the whole movie, really. But as for the second Toy Story Jesse played a very significant role, where she did seem like a very strong independent woman. However, in the end Woody still had to save her.
This goes back to the damsel in distress that even Christensen talks so much about. Why do these cartoonized movies always have to have this woman being saved by a man? What is the purpose! EVERY SINGLE disney princess movie is set up this way.. except for Beauty and the Beast, one of the only exceptions. What is this teaching young boys? AND girls?
-to be reliable on the man?
-to always be in control?
-to always save your women?!
(this class has made me analyze so many things i have before overlooked)
As for the classes of people, none were shown in this movie. Is it something that can so easily just be pushed aside? God created everyone equal, yes, but not all with equal paying jobs. i feel as though this is an important aspect in life.. it is something children should know about.. and what better then to show it in a cartoonized movie that I'm sure they'll watch over and over again. i agree with Becca as she goes on in talking about the class in Toy Story. Becca says that Toy Story is portrayed as a middle class home, i agree with this also. BUT when exactly does "middle class" truley show? who are we to decide what disney wants to SHOW as middle class?
Class and "ass" (females) (i just made that up!) are two very big issues in the media world.
since this is clear and known why is nothing being done to change the views ?!
speaking of Disney; i found this little short clip of the female roles in Disney movies.. thought it was interesting..
overall, this article was a mind-blowing one.. once again pointing out all of the flaws in the media that we so quickly overlooked before.
comments/questions to the class!
Why do you think in Toy Story 2 there was a much more prominent female role? Do you think there was something that MADE the director to do so? how do you feel when you watch these cartoonized movies? do you think anything is wrong with them? why are females just seen as for sex, and for extra characters? why do males always have the more dominating role? would you let your children watch these movies knowing what you know now? since we are now older, do we feel differently and disagree with the way TV shows us specific aspects of life?
This i feel will be a great discussion! Something i think that is important is my above question... will YOU show these movies to your children as a parent? was it wrong of our parents to show us?
I liked how you used Toy story as an example to show the representation of woman. I agree 100% with you on how the media is bias on cultural norms. Sexism is shown in multiple of sources, like magazines, tv, newspapers, posters, commercials, internet, etc. Us women are portrayed only as sex symbols. Is that all we are? But we do have to take account that women were inferior of men decades ago. Women were servants to men years ago. I think the media has continued to carry that "tradition". If you've taking a sociology course, women were only used for reproduction. Women weren't able to go to the field and work but instead were kept home to take care of husband and children, "Housewife". Now all this has changed. Women can work and make a living out of themselves. Even though there is still a struggle for equal pay at these jobs. I think being an independent woman is the way to go. I'M GOING TO DO ME, WITH OR WITHOUT YOU.
ReplyDeleteAlexa- Nice use of a link to Becca's Blog. I appreciate your use of the extended comments format-not too many others chose it.
ReplyDeleteCS