Sexualization

This focus of gender specific roles is well explained by Peggy Ornstein, Appendices from Cinderella Ate My Doctor, where she discuses the effects of the princess culture on young girls. She discusses the progression of the princess phase into the sexualization of girls, Bust as part of that there’s this unprecedented way that beauty and…

Vampires are one of the most interesting monsters created. They were intriguing and terrifying when first created and have only become more popular over time. Vampires are a kind of monster that has gained and maintained audiences’ interest for centuries. This monster has had several different twists and perspectives on it while still being considered a vampire. Vampires are among the most adaptable monsters. They are altered to please and excite modern audiences based on the society and culture…

pleasure. The audience follows Mike, a male stripper-turned-furniture business owner, as he reunites with his former stripper buddies and travels to Myrtle Beach for a final appearance at a male stripper convention. Delving into the themes of the sexualization of the male body and fulfillment of female pleasure, Magic Mike XXL has created a flurry of dialogue concerning what role it plays in larger discourses of female sexuality and feminism. An aspect that this particular film treats…

Earlier than the 1950s, cheerleading existed as a predominantly male sport (Davis 1990). Conversely, due to the feminization and sexualization of cheerleading in the years since, men who cheer are deemed as gender nonconformists. This nonconformity from gender norms affects the stigma, which, according to Goffman (1963), arises when an individual acquires an undesired deviation from what is foreseen as the standard. Significant effort goes into disputing the stigma. Davis (1990, 1994), for…

Oscar, alone, types furiously away at his typewriter. Oscar, alone, dreams of the woman he saw on the bus earlier in the day. Oscar. Alone. In The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz illustrates the way in which one’s society can both burden and create one’s identity. As Oscar meanders through his life without any firm direction, his approach towards girls and his rare parlance determine the life he lives. They are what ostracize him, but are also what make him special. They make…

Many war movies try to capture the essence of war from a soldier’s point of view, but in the movie Testament of Youth, we get to experience it from an outer perspective. The story takes place in 1914, right before the beginning of the first World War. We meet our main characters: Vera, the main protagonist, her brother Edward, and their friend Geoffrey. They are enjoying the summer before their last term. The boys are both studying to become cadets and to, eventually, join the military. When the…

Young M.A., born Katorah Marrero, is Brooklyn-born female rapper who came onto the hip-hop scene with her 2016 hit single “Ooouuu”. In Young M.A.: The Most Visible Black Queer Woman in Hip-Hop Is a Misogynist, author Samantha Master writes “‘Ooouuu,’ her viral single, is the first mainstream hip-hop record by an out, masculine-presenting lesbian that contains explicit affirmations of queer and gender-nonconforming identities” (Master 1). In both a genre and culture with narrow views on what…

Childhood maltreatment, also known as, child abuse is a widespread problem in America today. Childhood maltreatment can be defined as, mistreatment of a child by a parent or guardian, including neglect, beating, and sexual molestation (Dictionary). Child maltreatment can lead to mentally and emotionally unstable children. It can cause children to become intimidated by people who mean them no harm or they, themselves, can become abusive in the future. There are many effects that abuse or…

Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and sexual violence against women is normalized by societal attitudes. Due to the accusatory nature of rape culture, the validity of its existence in American society is often doubted, but when popular culture, the judicial system, and institutional misogyny are all thoroughly examined, the facts prove rape culture’s undeniable place in both the minds and institutions of America. There are many instances of pop culture’s perpetuation of…

The Makings of a Cautionary Tale As part of the genre of speculative fiction, both Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood are set in an alternate time period in which a part of society has been changed. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury describes a society that burns books as a part of its movement away from individual thought. On the other hand, The Handmaid’s Tale shows a society in which many women have become infertile, creating a dilemma that becomes political…