I'm a Betty; Bettie Page, Betty Crocker, Betty Rubble, Betty Boop, Betty White...find your inner Betty.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Betty Friedan
Feminism
in Elizabeth Gaskell’s “The Old Nurse’s Story”
Elisabeth Gaskell’s husband
suggested that she begin writing as a therapy for her depression at after
losing her fourth child, which is ironic considering the place of women as the
weaker sex in Victorian society. This Victorian author writes a haunting and
didactic piece, “The Old Nurse’s Story,” which reflects the social injustices endured
by women and the working class during the time period. The work follows in the
Gothic tradition as it features spirits or ghosts, unexplained happenings, and
a huge, near abandoned manor. Also, in Gothic literature, the mother is lost,
forgotten, dead, or just powerless while the father is aggressive, controlling,
and domineering. The word Old in the
title of the story conveys two different implications. First, the word Old refers to Hester; in the beginning
of the narration, it is implied that she has aged and is sharing a story from
her past to Rosamond’s grandchildren. The second implication of the word Old is its relation to themes of the
story; the social injustice of women and the working class, and oppression of
women in patriarchal society is considered an old idea—not old as the themes are exhausted and forgotten, but old as in re-occurring and still
prevalent today. The word old symbolizes
Hester, the nurse, as representing the self-preservation of women through
showing love, protection, and selflessness to another. Hester builds a bond of
love, friendship, and trust with Rosamond and in return works to overcome the
demolishing structure of hierarchy in Victorian society. In contrast to
Hester’s compassion, the two, quarreling, Furnivall sisters show a lack of
sisterhood and a lack of bond between women. They divide themselves because of
jealousy, pride, and giving into passions. With the two differences in the
female relationships, Gaskell is bringing attention that women and society must
unite in order to overcome their oppressive positions.
The layered narration of the story
begins with Hester, the nurse of the protagonist, recalling the past to
Rosamond’s children, and explaining how she promised to Rosamond’s belated
parents that she would “go with the little child to the end of the world.”
(1223) Gaskell begins to illustrate the submissive position of women
through Hester and Rosamond when Hestor is “bidden” by her lord to have
Rosamond and her things ready “by a certain day” in order to relocate to the
Manor. Even the specific day is even ordered from them representing the men in
the story as those who hold the power to control time. Neither of two women act as deciding factors in moving to the manor; the matter was “settled” by the
current Lord Furnivall, a cousin of Rosamond, that the manor would “suit Miss
Rosamond for a few years.” (1224) Not
only is a man demanding the presence of their bodies and arranging for their
pickup, but also the carriage driver, a man, is literally delivering them as
packages or objects to the lord. On the journey to the manor, the carrier tells
the nurse to wake the young girl to see the phallic scenery of “rocks, gates,
thorned trees, and old oaks.” (1224) The author gives a contrast to the
masculine imagery with a flower-garden which is a feminine image that
symbolizes a psychological sense of security. “But the branches of the great
forest trees had grown and over-shadowed it again, and there were very few
flowers that would live there are that time.” (1224) In this case, the phallic imagery of the trees,
standing for men, is overpowering the feminine aspects—the flowers. These
flowers signify the women in the story and in Victorian society; they are
unable to grow because of the large trees blocking the sun. Symbolism of the
trees blocking the sunlight means the sturdy, rough, thick, and unmoving roots
of men are grounded in patriarchy and their tall, towering, shadow inhibits the
enlightenment, the wisdom, the creativity, and the energy of women. Where the
seeds of the flowers fell is where they were destined to grow, just as in the
case of women in Victorian society. This imagery also shows the importance of
how men viewed women in the Victorian era as “inferior in all ways except one
that counted most to man: her femininity.” (Altick, 54) Victorian society enforced
and encouraged women to hold feminine qualities such as submission and
humility. By keeping the feminine gender as nurturers and mere “dolls in the
dollhouse,” (54) men were able to presume their masculine, domineering, and
controlling societal expectations as seen in Lord Furnivall. This power of men
over women is seen throughout the story. Hester questions if she should return
to her father’s house where “if we live humbly, we lived at peace.” (Gaskell,
1232) In other words, she will be under a man’s roof no matter where she lives,
and she must do as the head of house pleases in order to keep the peace;
however, that is not the meaning of peace. To have peace, there must be a
mutual harmony between both parties. The word peace also is defined as a sense
of freedom, which Hester does not have. Hester
states she does as she is asked by the men, though she does not want to, “for
fear he should complain of me to my lord.” (1224) Aside from the division of
gender, division of social class emerges here because the lord sends his
gentlemen workers to attend to the ladies, but the narrator speaks as if she
and Rosamond are burdens to the workers when “He, too, shook us off and we were
left, two lonely young things.” (1225) The two Furnivall sisters also fall into
the male power trap as they are in love with the same foreign musician, who is
brought in by their father, Lord Furnivall, a man holding a passionate
obsession with music and “would pay any money for it.”(1232) In the Victorian
period, the economic survival of women rested on the financial support of the
father or the institution of marriage. Not only were they to marry, but to
remain sexually pure until the wedding day. The social expectation of marriage
caused a strain in the relationship between the sisters causing them to both
give into their passions for a man, and in return their desire broke their
sisterly bond. At this point, they no longer are described with the Victorian
feminine characteristics. Miss Maude and Miss Grace are attributed to
“handsome” appearances and are described of carrying their father’s masculine
and haughty attitude. The overpowering
masculine qualities are what cause their relationship to crumble, just as their
lame father is crippled and needs the support of the phallus, the crutch, to
support his own body.
Gaskell aims to point out the class
differences in society and the behaviors associated with the classes. Hester’s
position of nurse or governess reflects the employment opportunities for women.
“Over ten percent of the female population were working as maids,” (Altick, 52)
and aside from the two sisters who are heir to their father’s estate, the women
in the short story are all servants of Lord Furnivall. Hester feels she must
meet an expectation of social importance when she states, “I was well pleased
that all the folks in Dale should stare and admire, when they head I was going to
be young lady’s maid at my Lord Furnivall’s Manor.” (Gaskell, 1223) She wants a
social status of significance and feels this employment opportunity is the only
situation where she can be seen and noticed. A hierarchy not only exists
between the upper and lower classes, but also between the servants themselves.
Even so, the servants of Furnivall Manor are depicted by Hester as “so
hospitable and kind. I would never wish to meet kinder people.” (1225) It is
important the narrator mentions the relationship between the servants James and
Dorothy. Even though he is in a lower
social class position himself, he “looks down on his wife” because she had only
lived in a farmer’s household until she married him. Again, Gaskell is
illustrating the pressures of marriage on women in the Victorian period. Women
married because it was one of few options open to them. Because of limited
working opportunities available to women, they depended on the financial
support of men.
The institution of hierarchy and power
of the aristocracy is illustrated as crumbling. “It was the continued existence
of class lines at the same time that the diving barriers were breaking down,
consequent upon the increasing wealth of the bourgeoisie and the declining wealth
of the aristocracy.” (Houghton, 186) The imagery of the degenerating aristocracy
is shown in several instances on the story. The manor is described as old and in
ruins. Lord Furnivall, the defender and upholder of this hierarchical power of
the aristocracy is lame, crumbling, and his only support rests on a crutch, a
phallic symbol, the only thing left that gives him power. He uses it to harm
the innocent child born to the sister, Miss Maude, and the musician. Sisterly
relationships also deteriorate after they adopt their father’s qualities of
giving into selfish, obsessive passions and pride. The organ built into the
wall of the manor is representation of the Lord whose identity is also built
into money and social status. The organ is described as “so large it took up
the best part of that end,” just as Lord Furnivall’s pride and power fills the
entire room. (Gaskell, 1231) This “loud and thundering” (1231) organ continues
to play music which relates to the lord’s loud, thundering, and angry behavior
towards his daughter. Continual music is heard by the women after the lord’s
death which signifies the position or title of “Lord” is never stamped out and the
voice of patriarchy is never silenced; the story refers to a current Lord
Furnivall that is Miss Rosamond’s cousin, and the belated Lord Furnivall who
haunts the mansion. “He was a stern, proud man, as they say all Lord
Furnivall’s were.” (1223) One lord is replaced with another, alluding back to
the title—the old hegemonic
patriarchal cycle continues. Although the exterior cosmetics prove the organ to
be functional, it is actually also “broken and destroyed inside” (1227) just as
Lord Furnivall. He is characterized as a
ghost because he is broken and destroyed inside, empty, lost to his own body,
and is powerful only because of social status.
Karl Marx’s writes, “Money is
the pimp between man’s need and the object, between his life and his means of
life. The extent of the power of money is the extent of my power.” (Marx, 165)
Lord Furnivall wants to be the musically accomplished artist, and he only
becomes so not because of his individuality and creativity but because of
money. If it were not for his money, he would not have an abundance of leisure
time to learn to play a variety of instruments, nor would he be able to
purchase the instruments. Money leads to his consumption and obsession with
music causing him to become alienated and foreign to the idea of loving his
daughters and accepting their individuality. After the jealous sister reveals
the adulterous relations between Maude and the musician, the father, the lord,
grows angry. His anger originates from his loss of power and control over his
daughter; he was unaware of the relationship between Maude and the musician. His anger also is attributed to the fact a
women, Miss Grace, had to enlighten him about the affair. He strikes the child
with the crutch and cold-heartily shunned the two out of the manor, and left
his daughter and granddaughter to die in the cold. He shows one last act of his
power over the women.
“Social order is the cause of woes. As individuals we are
potentially perfect and not responsible for the ills about us, which are to be
cured in the most agreeable of all possible ways, by casting down the covetous,
selfish, and powerful.” (Wesson, 153) Hester characterizes the slaves in
society while the Furnivall’s are the masters. Slaves have limitations set upon
them by society, but instead of developing their identities in materials, like
the masters, they develop intellectually within their minds. Slaves have
compassion for their community as seen in the love Hester shows for Rosamond
and in the servants that work beside her. She selflessly offers herself to
Rosamond, a child who is not her own, yet Hester willingly offers her body as a
protective covering to Rosamond when peril arises. Hester is contrasted with
the aristocracies who have no societal limitations other than their own pride,
love of money, and a detached or alienated life. Their dependence on slaves,
material consumption, and hierarchal system implodes or crumbles on itself.
Works Cited
Gaskell, Elizabeth.
“The Old Nurse’s Story.” The Norton
Anthology of English Literature. Ed.
Reidhead. 8th ed. New York: Norton. 2006. 1222-1236. Print.
Altick, Richard. “The
Weaker Sex.” Victorian People and Ideas.
New York: Norton. 1973. 50-57.
Print.
Houghton, Walter.
“Moral Attitudes.” The Victorian Frame of
Mind. London: Yale University Press.
1957. 183-195. Print.
Wesson, Robert.
“Marxism in the Modern Western World.” Why
Marxism? New York: Basic
Books. 1976. 145-188. Print.
Marx, Karl. “The Power
of Money in Bourgeois Society.” Economic
and Philosophic
Manuscripts of 1844. New York: International Publishers. 1964.165-169.
Print.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Betty Thomas
The
Plow That Broke the Plains
Unlike the lack of narration in Listen to Britain, the question that one
may ask is if this documentary can still be classified as poetic because of the
role of the narrator? Does poetry differ from prose? British poet and
philosopher William Wordsworth says, “A large portion of the language of every
good poem can in no respect differ from that of good prose.” Like poetry, prose
contains read between the line elements and can be just as rhythmic, just as
ambiguous, and just as beautiful or meaningful as poetry. A popular literary
example proving this fact is the book House
on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. So, the mere presence of prose does not
make the film less poetic, but the actual words being used by the narrator does
not leave the audience with an interpretive meaning and may manipulate or
distort the meaning.
What gives this documentary the
‘poetic’ title is the artistic screen shots; for example, in the opening scene,
the sky, the cattle, and the grass-covered plains are symmetrically shown in a
panning motion. Wide shots are mainly seen in the beginning to emphasize the open
spaces and uninhabited plains. Throughout the film, the shots become busy and
crowded with tractors, tilling machines, army tanks, and people; this symbolizes
the spoiling of the land. After the land has been exploited, the scenes move
from grassy plains to dust storms (standing for the public’s clouded
perception), cattle skulls, and struggling farmers. To accompany the drastic
change, the music switches from a major mode of cheery folk tunes to a dark,
slow, and minor mode. The subject matter deals mostly with nature, the human
condition, and mutability, which are all popular poetic motifs. The
chronological movement is visually shown through the linear plow lines in the
soil; cause and effect is also the progressive driving motif in the
documentary. Cause and effect is an element of poetics as Wordsworth explains
in his essay “What is a Poet?” He writes, “A poet considers the man and the
objects that surround him as acting and reacting upon each other so as to
produce an infinite complexity of pain and pleasure.” Cause and effect is
referenced centuries before in Eastern Taoism and called yin and yang. Yin and
yang is used to explain duality in the world like night and day, masculine and
feminine, sadness and joyfulness. All the dichotomies work together to produce
balance in nature. This is represented
in the film through plentiful growing seasons, economic success, and increased
prices in grain and contrasted with drought, war, and the economic crash. The
subjects in the film do not allow for balance to happen because of the
exploitation of the land.
If
the message of the documentary is poetic and ambiguous, are audiences receiving
the correct message? One may wonder if any meaning was taken from this
documentary because exploitation of the land is still practiced today.
Americans live in an instant gratification society; applying this to agriculture
means farmers are not allowed to let the soil rest due to high demand of
produce. Perhaps, an interpretation of the documentary is that humans never
learn from their mistakes, and exploitation is a cycle we continue even today.
This circular imagery of a continuing cycle is seen in the wagon wheel, the
turning windmill, and the repetitive music. Benjamin Hoff, author of the “Tao
of Pooh” offers an insight related to this idea:
“Looking back a few years, we see
that the Puritans practically worked themselves to death in the fields without
getting much of anything in return for their tremendous efforts. They were
actually starving until the wise inhabitants of the land showed them a few
things about working in harmony with the earth’s rhythms. Now you plant; now
you relax. Now you work the soil; now you leave it alone. The Puritans never
really understood the second half and never really believed in it. And so,
after two or three centuries of pushing, pushing, and pushing the once fertile
earth, and a few years of depleting its energy still further with synthetic
stimulants, we have apples that taste like cardboard, oranges that taste like
tennis balls, and pears that taste like sweetened Styrofoam…all products of
soil that is not allowed to relax.”
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Betty Brews
Health
Benefits of Green Tea
Originally
cultivated in East Asia, Green tea has played a role in traditional medicine
for more than 4,000 years in Indian and Chinese cultures. Due to scientific and
population based studies, the importance of drinking Green tea is making a
popular appearance in the Western world.
Green
tea is made from the same plant as black tea, camellia sinesis, but what makes
green tea different is that it undergoes less processing compared to black tea.
Green tea leaves are plucked and briefly steamed making the leaves soft and
pliable; the leaves are then set out and dried with hot air. Steaming the green
leaves prevents oxidation that happens during the processing of black tea.
Oxidation refers to the fermenting or browning of the leaves, just like a cut
apple that begins to turn brown after it sits for a while. The oxidation process in black tea takes up
to three hours, but for green tea, the short method of steaming or pan frying
prevents the leaves from fermenting and changing color. Naturally, since green
tea does not oxidize, it contains beneficial health components and a higher
concentration of antioxidants. The antioxidants in green tea help fight free
radicals, which are compounds that change, damage, or even kill the cell structure.
Free radicals can cause early aging, illness, or disease.
Listed
below are some of the many health benefits of green tea found in The Natural
Medicine Comprehensive Database:
·
Keeps
arteries healthy, helps fight high cholesterol, and an aid in preventing heart
attacks
·
Holds
antibacterial properties to fight foreign intruders of the body
·
Reduces
redness and inflammations of the skin associated with acne
·
Found
to improve bone health and prevents tooth decay
·
High
in Vitamin C and boosts the immune system
·
Known
to reduce the risks for skin, lung, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancer
·
Used
topically to soothe sunburned skin
·
Works
as an appetite suppressant
·
Boosts
metabolic rate resulting in weight loss
·
Contains
anti-aging properties by reactivating skin cells that were almost at the end of
their life cycle
Green
tea is not a miracle drink, but numerous studies have given evidence of the
many benefits of drinking green tea. Teaming this drink with a healthy diet and
regular exercise routine may produce greater results. In tea drinking cultures,
the recommended amount is 3 or 4 small cups a day.
Compared to black tea, some claim green tea
has a bitter flavor; however, adding lemon, raw honey, pure maple syrup, or
stevia can naturally sweeten and give a better taste.
Freshly
brewed tea is best; tea in a can or a bottle has less antioxidants and usually
contains high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. Loose tea leaves
are ideal, but if buying by the box, check that the ingredients read “100%
natural green tea leaves.” Many popular brands of herbal teas have additives
such as food coloring, preservatives, and artificial flavors.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Betty Boop and Gender Roles
This is the paper I have worked out for the entire semester. There is no conclusion...yet. I will pick up where I left off next semester with research in mass communication.
Traditional gender
roles are continued and learned through patterned and structured television
portrayal of content. These roles begin even before birth; there is no before
exposure condition of television since children can respond to what they hear
even inside the womb. Women are objectified and stereotyped through television,
specifically prime-time television and the Food Network. The majority of
learning is done through sight, and when gender roles are continually exposed
to children and adults, they adopt these perceptions as their identity and
reality. This paper analyzes this concept through cultivation analysis and
cultural theory. The purpose of gender roles is instilled by social and
economic institutions in order to cause humans to self-discipline themselves,
to separate individuals, to gain control through their division while
constructing and shaping identity, and to fuel capitalism enforced by the
dominant patriarchal society.
MIXED GENRE
References
Aronovsky, A., & Furnham, A. (2008). Gender portrayals in food
commercials at different times
of the day: A content analytic study. Communications: The European Journal
Of
Communication Research,
33(2), 169-190.
Morgan, M., & Shanahan, J. (2010).
The State of Cultivation. Journal Of Broadcasting &
Electronic Media,
54(2), 337-355.
Gerbner, G. (1998). Cultivation
Analysis: An Overview. Mass Communication & Society,
1(3/4). 175.
Signorielli, N., & Kahlenberg, S.
(2001). Television's World of Work in the Nineties. Journal Of Broadcasting
& Electronic Media, 45(1).
Shanahan, J., Signorielli, N., & Morgan, M. (2008). Television and Sex
Roles 30 Years Hence: A Retrospective
and Current Look From a Cultural Indicators Perspective. Conference Papers -- International Communication
Association, 1-26.
Smith, S. L., Pieper, K. M., Granados, A. D., & Choueiti, M. (2008).
Assessing Gender-Related Portrayals in Top-Grossing G-Rated Films. Conference
Papers – International Communication
Association, 1-36.
McQuail, D. (2010). Mass Communication
Theory. London: Sage, 112.
Goffman, E. (1959) The Presentation of
Self in Everyday Life. New York: Anchor Books.
Wilcox, D. and Cameron, T. (2012) Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics 10th ed. Glenview: Allyn and Bacon, 173.
S. Anderson, midwife. Personal
communication, Decemeber 3, 2012.
Lao Tzu. 2005. The Tao Teh Ching. Boston: Shambala, Inc.
Traditional gender
roles are continued and learned through patterned and structured television
portrayal of content. These roles begin even before birth; there is no before
exposure condition of television since children can respond to what they hear
even inside the womb. Women are objectified and stereotyped through television,
specifically prime-time television and the Food Network. The majority of
learning is done through sight, and when gender roles are continually exposed
to children and adults, they adopt these perceptions as their identity and
reality. This paper analyzes this concept through cultivation analysis and
cultural theory. The purpose of gender roles is instilled by social and
economic institutions in order to cause humans to self-discipline themselves,
to separate individuals, to gain control through their division while
constructing and shaping identity, and to fuel capitalism enforced by the
dominant patriarchal society.
The topic for this paper, gender
slant on the Food Network, emerged from observation of married couples who
did or did not participate in viewing the content of the Food Network together.
Couple X watches the programs together regularly. Couples X both exhibit a
happy marriage of 40 years and share domestic chores because both are employed
outside the home. The husband cooks frequently and the wife cleans. Couple X
finds balance between the feminine and masculine qualities of themselves not
only in the kitchen but in other aspects of life. The results observed are
balanced individuals and an equal marriage.
In
relation to Couple Y, the female watches more Food Network content by herself.
Gender roles are traditional in the actions of their marriage; for example, the
wife stays at home with children, works at home, and tends to the domestics.
The husband works at a machine shop, fixes the cars, chops wood, tends to the
yard, and other tasks our society deems “masculine”. Couple Y currently
expresses extreme frustration, unhappiness, and constant stress in their
marriage. The couple claims if it were not for their children, they would no
longer be married.
PHILOSOPHY
OF GENDER ROLES
To offer of contrast of Western society, Eastern
philosophy instructs that to maintain a happy life, one must transcend traditionally
accepted gender roles of the time and embrace both yin (feminine) and yang
(masculine); this is the principle of dynamic balance within nature. (Dreher.
2000) For example, winter causes nature to die, while spring brings new life.
Neither is greater than the other, but both seasons are necessary in order to
achieve balance in the world. In the western world, women are expected to be passive,
dependent, nurturers, (yin) while men should be strong, aggressive, leaders
(yang). This western practice of imbalanced gender perceptions and applications
of feminine and masculine qualities may cause unhappiness in a marriage or an
individual. Writer and philosopher of the Tao
Teh Ching, Lao Tzu, cautioned against adopting extremities on either side
of yin and yang, and urges individuals to surpass the idea of adopting only yin
or yang qualities, but encourages one to carry both yin and yang qualities.
Then, one can be a step closer to becoming a balanced whole character. Lao Tzu
instructs too much yang would cause one to become uncentered, impatient, too
busy doing and not enough time listening; however, too much yin would cause one
to become shy, submissive, and weak. (Dreher, 2000)
SEX ROLES
A role is the
intangible idea of what is acceptable speech or appropriate behavior in
societal situations. When a child is born into the world, most parents begin
shaping their identity immediately. Even before a child is born, their identity
can begin to be shaped in the womb after the hearing capabilities are
developed. Babies can hear noises at 22-24 weeks and definitely respond in the
womb to any outside noises. (Anderson, 2012) Mothers have read stories or spoken to their
children while in the womb, and new-born babies were able to recognize their
mother’s voices. Mothers have also played classical music through headphones
that rested on their pregnant stomachs; the children developed musical
abilities later on in life. If babies can respond to the arts, food, or their
mother’s voices, they can also begin gender identity construction in the womb
as well.
Roles are learned
through interactions with their environments and gauging responses based on the
pre-conceived expectations of their observer. The child then finds their
identity in the persona they adopt based on the negative or positive responses
of their surrounding environment. Girl babies are born and immediately spoken
to in a softer tone of voice, frosted with lacey dresses, pink ribbons and
bows, and given dolls or teddy bears to eventually nurture—an early practice
for the anticipated maternal role later in female life. Parents and peers wish
for the women to be interested in family, the home, and the domestics; also,
encourage her to participate in an active social environment, because these
social and domestic skills are what will eventually “attract a husband”. Boys are
born, and the proud papa’s break out blue, bubble gum cigars, dress him in camouflage
attire, and gradually shower him with masculine toys like Tonka trucks or hot
wheels, sports and outdoor equipment. The boys may be called “sissy,”
“nancy-boy”, and “pansy” if they do not fit the pre-determined character traits
associated with their masculine gender. This applies to women as well as they
are called “tom boy “or “dyke” if they portray a greater side towards what
western society had labeled as masculine qualities. Language and gestures can
happen through generational learning and by repeating what is observed. (Purnell,
1976) Learning through mimicry takes place in
reality, and identities can be observed and repeated from the world of
television as well. Children who are still developing psychologically and
socially are exposed to traditional yet imbalanced portrayals of sexes.
Robert Ezra Sparks states, “We come into the world as
individuals, achieve character, and become person’s.”(Goffman, 1959) The word
person comes from the latin word persona
meaning mask. Adopted gender roles become masked
performances, and “social fronts become institutionalized based on stereotypes
and expectations.” (Goffman, 1959) Media institutions dominated by western
ideas produce television content with traditional gender roles. Men on
television are characterized as working outside the home, outnumbering women by
a 3-1 ratio, and women in prime time television are likely be “portrayed as
young, energetic, attractive, married, and displayed within the context of the
home.” (Signorelli, 1982).
CULTIVATION
A ‘before exposure’ of television does not exists; television
enters life during infancy. Out of all species, humans are the ones to “live in
a world erected by the stories we tell.” (Gerber 1998). Communication and
sharing experiences are necessary for continuation of a culture; however, stories
are now fabricated and mass produced by distant corporations and driven by market
value instead of being homemade and community inspired. Television content
follows narrative patterns; it has become the centralized theme of
storytelling, and the source that spreads images and messages to the masses.
These stories become a part of our symbolic environment from either the day we
are born or even during prenatal growth as some mothers read stories to their
children while in the womb. These structured stories have the ability to shape
the listeners identity or reality. Gerbner (1998) refers to the process of
cultivation, which means analyzing message content and context to discover a re-occurring
model that over long periods of time can influence perceived realities. Cultivation
analysis proposes that people come to accept the world as it is portrayed on
television and accept this view as an aspect of reality; furthermore, audiences
accept their fears, understandings, and hopes based on re-occurring themes on
television. (McQuail, 2012) The messages are formatted and patterned for
audiences; television content becomes systematic, constantly repeating
information that will inevitably embed within audiences over time. Theorist
James Carey refers to this process as the ritual model, a model that depends on
“shared emotions, experiences and requires some element of ‘performance’ to be
recognized, meaning messages reflect the collective and constructed cultural
identity instead of an individuated identity. (McQuail, 2012) Carey writes that
the same type of programs with the same type of characters are produced, maintained,
repaired, and transformed “overtime for purpose of control”. Goffman agrees as
he explains, “Through social discipline, then, a mask of manner can be held in
place from within.” Social philosopher, Foucault, speaks of this process as self-discipline
and the “primacy of practice over belief”. Foucault expands that bodies becomes
trained, shaped and stamped by continuing historical forms of identity, desire,
masculinity and femininity. The prevalence of these characteristics are
instilled through the disciplinary mechanism of social, political, or economic
institutions that organize and regulate time, space, and movements in our daily
lives. (Bordo, 2007) Aside from learning bodily functions, Carey’s model is
applied to the re-emergence of gendered and transformed television content that
is only different through genre or the title of series. For example, the
television show “The Honeymooners” is re-formatted to “The King of Queens”,
“All in the Family” has satirically transitioned to “Family Guy”, and it is not
coincidence that “Everybody Loves
Raymond”, “According to Jim”, and “My Wife and Kids” carry the same character
types and plot settings. Through
formulaic and patterned programming, both children and adults are exposed to
imbalanced gender portrayals on television. The heavy television watchers are
more likely to adopt the ideas presented in fictional television as reality,
and despite the progress of the women’s movement in recent decades, women on
shows such as dramas, daytime soaps, sitcoms or comedies, and music videos are
associated with images of traditional motherhood, devotion to family, and
displayed as sexual objects for the traditionally labeled “sexually driven
males.” (Morgan and Shanahan, 2010) “83% of learning is through sight…and 50%
of what an individual retains in based on what they see and hear”. (Cameron and
Wilcox, 2012) Adults are learning or reinforcing what they see and teaching it
to children alongside of their viewed media content. Mass media is guided by
audience interest and demands; however, “the audience is only known by its
television selections and responses to what is offered”. (McQuail, 2012) The homogenized culture that adopts and
practices gender roles and sexual objectification will continue to be a
self-perpetuating cycle until society relieves itself of being exposed to “7 or
more hours of television a day”, (Gerbner, 1998) or until media institutions
change the content or structure of its gendered messages. The change will most
likely not happen, because gender roles or women as objects preserves and
enhances the structure of western patriarchal society and capitalism.
GENDERED
TELEVISION
Again, gendered television is even
exposed to children in animated cartoons or movies. Disney is known for its
beautiful, yet submissive princesses. The father characters on children’s
cartoons or films are represented as “controlling, aggressive, protective
disciplinarians while mothers are “nurturing, affectionate, and
self-sacrificing.” Viewing such depictions at an impressionable age enforces
children’s attitudes and beliefs of gender roles, and children are more likely
to identify with the perceived behavior if the characters demographics relate
to the child’s or if the character is physically attractive. (Granados &
Smith, 2008).
Women are poorly represented on
various day-time television cooking episodes on Food Network; this time of the
day is usually geared to an audience of stay at home parents, particularly
mothers or housewives, and retired women. Some of the popular channel stars who
appear in the time slots are Giada de Laurentiis, Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, and
Sandra Lee.
Giada
exemplifies the idea of women as objects in the kitchen. Every episode she is
adorned in glamour hair and makeup, while dressed in a cleavage baring low-cut
blouse. Some would argue this is just the attire of show business; possibly so,
but even such an appearance gives the audience an impression that women should
meet these expectations of sexy mothers or housewives. In addition to sexy
housewives, women are taught now to double their roles as independent career
woman, yet still remain a nurturing, maternal, family care-giver. Women are
influenced to adopt these roles through this re-occurring pattern on several
Food Network viewings.
Rachael
Ray and Sandra Lee are both other hosts who portray beauty in the kitchen as a
commonly accepted expectation of women. Paula Deen also promotes the
commercialized beauty industry and cosmetic surgery. Instead of wearing her
true self, or aging naturally, the beauty corrections are the messages
transmitted to influence her viewers; thus literally molding or ‘masking’ herself
and constructing audience perceptions to fit what is considered pleasant or
attractive. Viewers may look up to these
Food Network stars, since they are a type of celebrity, and it is undeniable
Americans look up to and fantasize themselves being in the same position as
celebrities, a status of fame, wealth, youth, and beauty. Messages audiences
receive from Food Network celebrities are hardly more than beauty, buying, and
boobs. Feminist theorist, Susan Bordo, explicates that “historically the discipline
and normalization of the female body is perhaps the only gender oppression that
exercises itself.”(Bordo, 2007)
The television stations use of
commodification, product placement, and commercial products propose the idea to
audiences that they will achieve their ideal cultural or social status if they
participate in conspicuous consumption thus fueling our capitalistic society.
Viewers are not discovering the real self; however, they only gain a false
sense or false consciousness of their real selves and their relation to reality
because “media can never be a true account of reality.”(McQuail, 2012) Furthermore,
the appropriate presentation of self is only surface area and becomes a masked
performance. (Goffman, 1959)
Perhaps
the glamorous presentations of female appearance is another marketing tactic to
bring a male audience of non-chefs into the demographics; however, while
reaching to a new audience is a reasonable goal of marketing, the method Food
Network uses objectifies and stereotypes women as objects who should put on
something cute and cook. Women have historically been stamped with this role
due to various institutions dominated by the westernized patriarchal society;
because of this, women have become the credible source for knowledge of learning
to prepare food for male viewers. Men hosts on Food Network are not completely foreign,
but the gender roles carry over on the episodes geared for men as well. Bobby
Flay is grilling on “Throwdown” and Guy Perrelli is portrayed as a free man
driving his convertible, classic sports car and traveling to various “Diners
and Drives.”
MIXED GENRE
Despite the title of the channel, Food Network can no
longer be defined by a special interest television aspect, but mixed rather
mixed genres. Program features include drama from the personal story telling of
the cooking hosts, from contest shows like “Cupcake Wars” and “Iron Chef
America”, or “The Next Food Network Star.” Food Network also has become famous
for using persuasive message within the content of show in order to promote
consumerism and a production of false needs. Food Network stars like Rachael
Ray, Paula Deen, Giada de Laurentiis and Emeril Lagasse use product placement,
including their own lines of dishware, cookware, appliances, spices, or
cookbooks. Aside from encouraging audiences to buy their products, Food Network
also promotes consumerism through the kitchen designs of the stars. Not all of
the kitchens used on the show are sets; some of the episodes are filmed in the
homes of the stars. The possible reason for this excessive and overpowering
product placement is in line with the female audience, since women are the
biggest shoppers in America. Not only will females by the supplies needed to
duplicate the given recipes, but Food Network suggests buying unnecessary
cooking appliances and accessories while promoting them as “easier” and “convenient
cooking,” instead of giving supplementary tips to avoid excess consumerism. For
example, if a recipe calls for buttermilk, the host could give a help hint to
mix lemon juice with regular milk to give it the sour taste compared to buying
a whole gallon of buttermilk for one cup of use. Newer cookbooks call for more
exotic and expensive ingredients in contrast to grandmother’s cookbook which
most recipes call for five or less ingredients.
References
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