Magazines for Real (project proposal)

I’m going to create a more realistic magazine where women are still beautiful but they’re not so impossible or unrealistic as human beings, for us to relate and associate with. Magazines where the image has been cropped will have a clear and obvious disclaimer. Like the food labels that even McDonald’s had to follow suit with. They state how many calories each food item on their menu is. At the end of the magazine the unedited picture of the models will be featured.

There will also be a section, not the last page of the magazine, where there will be real life stories of women who learned or who feel comfortable in their body shape and size. There will be workshops on how to help women find the right clothes for their body type and what make up is best for their skin. Each body type has different clothing types that will best highlight and flatter each body type.

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                  Girls are taught two things early on. (google.com)

I’m making this magazine because it is frustrating to see unrealistic ideals fed to everyone and no one noticing how impossible it is reach these ideals and how unnecessary it is to meet those ideals. While tabloid and fashion magazines have proven to cause serious injury to women in various ways, they do sell and are profitable. 

It would be ideal if we as humans, men and women, focused and spent our time on more academically stimulating literature instead of following the every foot step of one particular (albeit famous) individual who will never know or meet you – but that’s not the case. And that is not the main problem here. The level of pervasiveness of magazines and the extent of its influence in diverse areas of life from the mundane like the cereals we eat to more personal areas like our sex life begs for some sort of [effective] regulation.

Cosmopolitan.com

While parents carry a heavy burden of the responsibility of regulating what their children consume, apps that regulate and/or block access to certain accounts can only do so much when the advertising is everywhere: on trains, buses, TV shows, etc. The website healthychildren.org asks parents to read the magazines that their children consume to understand the values that are being fed to them. While this website extension of the American Academy of Pediatrics is a start, it is not enough. Other magazines that don’t follow the norm like Bitch magazine are

Feminist magazine (bitchmagazine.org)

successful and explore various areas of women perspectives, its audience is limited and clearly not for a younger generation who are yet to learn what the terms feminism and gender equality mean, let alone other topics that are touched in that magazine.

Advertising: Selling More than What is Shown.

Advertising serves many more purposes than to promote a product or a service. It sells sex, impossible realities, pressure (to be more like what they are telling and showing you) and promotes a standard that can sometimes be physically impossible to achieve. This realm of advertising and how it portrays sexuality and gender has been around for a long time now and not much has changed. Though today you can find advertisements that debunk the usual context of over sexualizing women to sell products or promoting unhealthy ways of living. Those ads that debunk the myths usually promote awareness to a cause or to combat the effects of everyday advertising.

Beverage ad that depicts women sexually

Advertising, when it comes to gender, tends to place favor on the man in every sense of the word. They appeal to the male’s gaze. "Women are mere 'beauties' in men's culture so that culture can be kept male" (Wolf, 52). Every ad that has a women placed within it is used in a very sexual manner. No matter what is being sold, you will find a woman posed sexually. It seems that the more sexual the ad is, the more likely it is that a women is at the forefront. Advertisers have a true talent in making anything sexual. The product or service could be completely unrelated to the subject matter and yet it will still be used in sexual context. In fact, the notion of the ads are so ridiculous that when you were to change the subject matter from female to male, the true absurdity of what they are promoting is shown, proving the fact that they use sex to appeal to the masses. Even though both men and women can be used in ads for persuading and selling, both genders are used in very different manners, but both appeal to the male ego. Ads use imagery to display what they want society to believe that men and women are about. They use this in a way to make us feel that without what they are selling we will never achieve what they are displaying.  

Vintage ad on body images of women

Advertising can be very damaging to all those who don’t take the time to deconstruct them or to those who do not have the knowledge to do so. This can be especially damaging to young children, especially girls. As a child growing up, especially in this day and age where the media is crucial part of their lives, they are bombarded with thousands of ads a day, even if they are not aware of it. These ads present an unrealistic "ideal" person that they should become one day.  They show children that they must look a certain way, act a certain way and of course have certain things to be accepted and wanted in this world.  If you are thin, blonde and own tons of makeup, then you're perfectly perfect, even though not everyone is made in this image. Representation is very important and having  a lack thereof will lead young children and even some adults to feel unimportant or not good enough for not being what is displayed. Since media is so prominent within our culture children have no choice but to look towards it for inspiration or to get a better understanding of who they are and who they should be. They want to look like the guys and girls of the magazines, even if they don't understand that not even the men and women of the magazines don't look like the men in women in the magazines. They shape themselves to want to be like these people and have what they have, because only then could they be accepted. Ads give a sense of completion, of want, they persuade people into think that buying into those products or services can make you better, and that connection with the consumer and advertising starts from young. There is a high percentage of eating disorders among young girls. The desire to stay skinny and beautiful is very important and they get these messages from ads. "There is evidence that this preoccupation with weight begins at even earlier ages for women. According to a recent article in New Age Journal, "even grade school girls are succumbing to stick like standards of beauty enforced by relentless parade of wasp waisted fashion models movie stars and pop idols." (Kilbourne, 124)

Women Equality ads for UN Women

"If they find it, they'll play with it" ad
that promotes Gun Violence
"Lock up your Guns"

We are used to the usual. The sexy woman promoting shaving cream for men, or an apple being photoshopped to look sexy and represent the female figure, but not all ads are used to promote beauty, sell a product, or to give unrealistic standards to people. Some ads can be used to raise awareness or reshape culture's views on the "norm". As of late these type of ads like the one on the right can be seen. Though there aren't many of these types of ads or campaigns like the dove beauty campaigns, this is still a step in the right direction, even if they are baby steps. Ads that raise awareness tend to be found more online than in person. These types of ads can be very useful to try and change the way advertisers advertise. Representation is important and if you attack every area (race, gender, sexuality) then people wont feel the need to have to go an extra mile to change themselves. They will be seen for who they truly are rather than who they want us to be. “They are really projecting gender display - the ways in which we think men and women behave - not the ways they actually do behave. Such portrayals or images are not reflective of social reality. In advertising, for example, women are primarily depicted as sexual objects or sexual agents.” (Cortese, 52)

As much as we, those who can point out the crap that these companies are selling us, would like for things in the advertising world to change, the truth is it will be a long time before it does so. Sex sells, it appeals to the masses and thats the sick and simple truth. So as long as a women is beautiful and her body image is 'perfect' she will be the center of it all...and her image will be thrown in everyone's faces. 

Words Cited:

1.  Kilbourne, Jean. "Beauty and the Beast of Advertising." Media & Values 1989: 121-25. Print

2. Cortese, Anthony Joseph Paul. "Constructed Bodies, Deconstructing Ads: Sexism in Advertising." Provocateur: Images of Women and Minorities in Advertising. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1999. 45-76. Print.

3. Wolf, Naomi. "Culture." The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women. New York: W. Morrow, 1991. 58-85. Print.

The Male & Oppositional Gaze - How it influences us everyday...

As simple as it is for some to understand, the concept of the male gaze has become a theory that is very common in today's societal thinking.  It is something that it is embedded in us without it having to be said or taught.  The male gaze is simply this, we base our appearances (physical, mental and emotional) on the notion of how they, men, see us, or rather want to see us.  We act how they want us to and look how they want us to appear. The male gaze is basically how it sounds, the vision of man for women is what we should follow.  We convince ourselves to act in a way that is best suited for their needs and not our (women) own.  Even if we scream from the mountain tops, 'I am woman, hear me roar!', there's a small voice in the back of everyone's head telling us: "She's doing this for attention, she just wants everyone to look at her," even if its just to show the world who we are.

Nelly's Tip Drill Video

The male gaze has a very strong influence in the media and pop culture. Everything that is seen or done is to perpetuate the male gaze. Women in media parading nakedly, shaking their back sides, or wearing sexy clothing is all done to satisfy and fulfill the male gaze, no matter how comfortable a woman feels in her skin, if it is seen it is for show.  The male gaze theory is an unfortunate way of thinking. It forces us into roles that we do not accept, but we do just to be accepted and left alone.  If I'm too strong, I am a bitch, if I'm too soft then, I am emotional, a typical woman thing, or so they say. The minute any woman has thoughts that may resemble that of a man, we are told to get back into our places, wherever that is.  We have lived in a male dominated world for so long that it's hard to accept a women stepping out of the usual 'role'.  Women are making plenty of strides to finally become equal to men but even with that, some sort of patriarchy takes its place and tries to stick us in that role: the role of being less than a man, that role of doing as they say, the role of being here to satisfy every waking moment for them.  There is no mystery that we are placed in a less than worthy position in all areas of the world. There's no denying that men earn more than women in the same job positions, even if she is more qualified. There's no logical reason behind the fact that women are asked "How do you keep so thin?" as apposed to a man who gets asked "What did you do to become more talented?". Its as simple as 1,2,3, women are used for physical reasoning, while men are adored for their minds and achievements, even if they tend to show that they do not think with the correct head.

Cartoon about women and worrying about their size

I am no stranger to the male gaze, because like every other woman in the world, I have used it for my own benefits.  When I worked in a male dominated company about 2 years ago, I was constantly admired by the men who worked there. Since I was the only woman in the place on weekends it was easy for the men to succumb to their "Natural" ways.  The better I dressed (more make up, heels, tighter pants) the more attention I received.  In reality, I was dressing for my own benefit, because I felt good and looked even better, which made my mood brighten. I loved how I felt and looked when I dressed up, I did it for me. I'm pretty sure they believed it was for them and occasionally for my benefit it was. By dressing up, I got what I wanted. If I wanted coffee or food they did not mind getting it for me. That's when my eyes were opened up to this whole notion that men see us as physical beings. If they like what they see, they will react accordingly.  I was disgusted, yet mildly satisfied, I mean I got what I wanted, but I didn't like the manner in which I was getting these things.  I would have preferred to be liked for my amazing personality rather than my 4 inch heels and red lips.  But I suppose thats how the views of the world of men and women work. They are the hunters, the smart ones, the most successful and us, we cook, we clean, we bear children, and thats the issue.  The issue is that they (whoever they are, could be man or could be women), see us for nothing more than an object, something to satisfy someone else's vision/needs, we are not given the chance to kill the idea that hey women have a brain that they use as well. "Durer believed that the ideal nude ought to be constructed by taking the face of one body, the breasts of another, the legs of a third, the shoulders of a fourth, the hands of a fifth and so on.” (Ways of Seeing, Berger, Page 62). It proves that even in this day and age we use programs to produce the perfect women, because thats all a woman can be, a perfect physical being, sans intelligence.  As adults we are exposed to so much media, that we can't help but to look to the media for answers.  I know there have been plenty of times that I have looked towards the media for help, even with the simplest things like What dress to wear or Will I ever find love? I learned the hard way that all this media is meant to be a one way street that all leads to one road with one purpose. I am not a robot therefore confirming to these unrealistic ideals just makes one unhappy.

Latina magazine, She is lightened for the cover

The oppositional gaze is a lot like the male gaze except it deals more with race.  It was a way for people to not accept stereotypes of one's race and to critique them and not take them for what the media claims it to be. The oppositional gaze questions how some particular people see a certain race or group, according to bell hooks, the oppositional gaze was used for black women to critique what they saw in the media, and not accept what was being said about them, as I stated above.  According to the article by bell hooks this theory was developed because film and media portrayed Black Women with outlandish stereotypes in any particular way they could. Whether she was a maid or an "angry black women" you saw them.  This concept was a way to challenge that and to challenge others to see it from a different perspective. Besides Black oppositional gazing, I believe that this holds true to many different cultures/ethnicities.  As a Latina woman (Puerto Rican), I've had many stereotypes placed on me by the media.  Just like in many films that portray a Black woman a certain way, they also portray Latinas the same.  We are either viewed as the help (maids in modern times), the mistress, or an immigrant who comes to America for help. It bothers me to say the least because we are forced to play parts that do not show our strengths. They place us in roles that do not decipher who we truly are. I look at myself and say I AM NOT THAT, THAT IS NOT WHO I AM. Yet films and the media portray Latinas as lazy, cannot speak english or are known for having too many kids. Its a stereotype I live with constantly, yet I am none of the above. So what gives? You cannot sit there and tell me that these are the only roles we are talented enough to portray, the only roles we are good for. What makes things worse is that when a particular role calls for a specific type they would prefer to tan a white person's skin to portray the role rather than finding someone who can fit the role, which in reality it isn't hard at all. They want us to be who we are without being who we are, meaning they want us to be Black, PR, or whatever but with "White Characteristics".  It is evident that even in today's culture, with all the sources we have, they will white wash everything. The skin color of many actresses and artists become lighter for magazines.  They will photoshop their body until its unrecognizable. The people in the magazines no longer look like the people in the magazines. This was the main argument of the oppositional gaze, it was taking what was and breaking it down to what it wasn't. "Looking at films with an oppositional gaze, Black women were able to critically assess the cinema's construction of white womanhood, as an object of phallocentric gaze and choose not to identify with either the victim or the perpetrator," (The Oppositional Gaze, bell hooks, page 122). By critically looking at all forms of media, we can truly understand that this isn't how it should be, but what they would like to brainwash to believe.

All in all, these unwritten rules and views that dates back to who knows when, are unrealistic but also frustrating. We try so hard to fit in knowing that it is nearly impossible to do so. It is discouraging to have these ideals forced down our throats. Everyday when we awake, we are smacked in the face with these expectations that no one could meet. These expectations to be perfect mentally, physically and emotionally. I've come to understand these structures in one of the hardest ways possible. I am not like any other so trying to fit in was always difficult. I've been on crazy diets, I've died my hair, spent money on clothing that would go out of style in a month, depressed myself trying to be ideal for everyone else. Its a very exhausting experience and it is why we need to eliminate the tunnel visioned view of how things should be.  None of us are made the same, therefore none of us can be the same or do the same things.  When I was younger I definitely was one of those people who believed that we had to be a certain way to be accepted. I wasn't accepting of myself nor others, it took for me to get exposed to a different side of media for me to change my outlook.  Once I become aware of how to analyze the media, I become more confident in being who I truly am. I learned that I needed to dig deep and see the media for more than what it was.  Everyone's different and we have opinions on different things but until we understand that not everything is meant to be perfect and that more exists to stereotypes and labels, only then will we be able to take a step forward in all of this. Representation is important, not one type of person exists, if not it'd be a boring world.