In terms of Masculinity this show also reveals a lot of what we value as a society. In this particular episode the only male object of analysis is Sharon's husband and his behavior towards her beauty. In the show he is overwhelmed with happiness by her transformation. This reaction is loaded with insight into the concepts of masculinity and femininity. Although her husband would probably not be considered incredibly attractive, it is not a mutual makeover. Sharon uses plastic surgery, makeup, and fashion, to make herself the best looking person she could be yet her husband does not change at all.
This is not a chance occurrence, most participants on this show are females. This reveals that it is more acceptable for women to undergo a complete physical transformation because it is important for women to look their best, while men remain unchanged without worry.
Again this shows the emphasis of beauty in regards to women, and the importance of the physical in relation with femininity. In these terms, women are shown as being the inferior to men in that it is more acceptable to them to change themselves in order to please their spouse. The pleased reaction of men once a women has undergone such a radical transformation shows the emphasis men place on the physical attractiveness of their partners. Perhaps this is men looking at women as an extension of themselves?
Lastly, in relation to the Kate Bornstein Quiz that was taken in class this topic relates greatly to the fact that women score lower just because they were women. (Again, women are categorized as being inferior to men) Masculinity defines men as being more powerful, less emphasis on physical beauty, and worthy of changed in order to be pleased. Because my blog is based around Family Guy, check out this clip that relates to the topic.
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2 comments:
Hey Jess,
That's a great clip to go along with your post topic. God, I love the satire in Family Guy! Good job :)
-Amanda
The intro is very interesting, and I really like the way you connect the entertainment issue with the seemingly paradoxical notion of "being revealed to one's self."
When it comes to social values, it would seem as though the value is placed on beauty, youth, and the commercialization and commodification of any element of society (in fact, even the "self" isn't safe as you clearly argue).
You chose a good quote from Gail Dines; however, make sure it's integrated into the sentence (i.e. Dines illustrates the absurdity of Barbie by contending, "..dines quote here...and be careful of typos....did you mean 'sacrifice?'...").
Part 1 on its own makes a rather coherent case for the purposes of the assignment. Part 2 makes important points about the unequal role of the woman's husband on this show; however, it seems like you could have elaborated a bit more on femininity and been totally fine. The only issue w/ the 2nd part that strikes me as very obvious is that the Bornstein quiz is a consciousness raising activity meant to illustrate that just by being born a woman it's a disadvantage (her argument is a bit strong in contending that gender is more important a factor than any others in singularly predicting one's positioning in society); however, she's not trying to reinforce this oppressive category...
Overall, nice work w/ this first post!
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