Sesame Workshop’s decision to incorporate a transgender Muppet on the show mirrors the gradual changes that have progressively taken place within the framework of feminism. The Eastern Kentucky University Women and Gender Studies Program defined the evolution of feminism as: “Historically, feminism has evolved from the critical examination of inequality between the sexes with a more nuanced focus on the social and performative constructions of gender and sexuality” (2017). In other words, the feminist establishment has transformed along with time to reflect the changes in society. Which perfectly makes sense! In order, for progress to occur, you must move along with the times, and Sesame Street has done that. Thus, the show will continue to positively influence hundreds of American youth because they know that social-evolution is the key to success!
Similarly, Sesame Street touches on the complexities surrounding race. Segi is a black, female Muppet who made her debut in Season 42. This progression can be viewed as positive as it was a racially diversifying move. However, the character was not given a name until Season 45 (Muppet Wiki 2017). Therefore, I find the addition of the character to be an important aspect supporting racial equality, but the fact that she remained unnamed for three seasons seems to be rather counterproductive. Eventually, Sesame Workshop named Segi after Joey Mazzarino’s adopted daughter, for whom Mazzarino wrote: “I Love My Hair” (Muppet Wiki 2017).
“If my generation was too naïve, the generations that have followed may be too practical. We knew too little, and now girls know too much.” (Sandberg. Pg. 646) In the past, the call for women’s rights was heated as much as it was alive; many women today believe that they no longer need feminism in their lives. The misconception that feminist ideals are outdated has lead modern women to fall short in their desire to accomplish more. Sheryl Sandberg refuels feminist goals in the article “Lean In: What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid.” She addresses lack of females in the work force, as well as, the way society prompts boys compared to girls. Bell Hook, in contrast, provides a deeper understanding of feminist ideals, along with, an in depth analysis of Sandberg’s work. The articles written by Bell Hook and Sheryl Sandberg express each woman’s perspective on modern feminism; although they both call for action, Sandberg focuses on the inequality between the sexes, while Hook broadens the overall argument to include topics such as race, sexuality and class equality.
Roxane Gay, author of the article entitled “Bad Feminist”, is a very accomplished American feminist writer. Her publication of “Bad Feminist” in 2012 gained national public attention (1). Feminism, as defined in the dictionary, is “the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes” (2), but Gay explains throughout her article that being a feminist is not just as simple as agreeing with this need for gender equality. The feminist label is too narrow and because of this the feminist movement is breaking apart. In this piece, Gay addresses how our society currently defines feminism and explains why this definition does not encompass everybody that it should.
Holden is a misogynist because he views women as objects, either by looking down on them as "brainless" or putting them on unnatural expectations of innocence and virtue. As well as looking at them as a source of pleasure. Holden’s perspective of a woman’s intellectual capacity is clearly traditional and clearly misogynistic. Holden comes to a conclusion that all the females he meets are less intelligent than him, but it’s different with men. Holden believes that he is above the guys at school because he behaves in a more “proper and gentlemanly” manner than they do. However, around the women, he is voluntarily deceitful, and he would still snickers at these women for believing him. On page 57 of chapter 8, Holden says “mothers aren’t too
Snow White is a fairy-tale known by many generations; it is a beloved Disney movie, and a princess favoured by many kids. But did you know the fairy-tale was made to teach young children, especially little girls, their duties in life? It also values beauty over knowledge, portrays women to be naive and incompetent, and assumes that women cannot understand anything other than common household chores. Throughout this criticism, I will be using the feminist lens to analyze the fairy-tale, Snow White, through the perspective of a feminist.
Experiencing the horrible and panful misfortune that many people faced in the 1930s due to the great depression John Steinbeck wrote one of the most critically acclaimed novellas Of Mice and Men. The novella follows the story of two migrant ranch workers George and Lennie who while trying to find work develop a close friendship and share a dream of one day owning their own land. But beneath the surface of what seems like a simple tale of two unlikely friends is a much deeper story and inside of those who were accepted and those who were marginalised. John Steinbeck has ability in his writing to touch the readers and convey his messages of friendship, race, alienation and misogyny that were very present in the 1930s throw his characters Crooks,
South Park has been around for a while now. Since it was aired for the first time on 13th August 1997, the show has constantly pushed the boundaries taking on everything, leaving out nothing. The reception among the wider population and the media had a wide range from “shocking” to “excellent”. One of the aspects of this success story is that, because of its provocative tone the show has managed to stay in the limelight. Public debate was evolving around certain episodes, bringing more and more attention to the show. As it was constantly picking up contemporary themes, topics or events, expectations were growing and “ 'How will South Park deal with x ' has become a common catch phrase” (Johnson-Woods 257). Another
King’s Mary Russell series aimed to update the Sherlock Holmes cannon to the modern feminist era. However, King’s The Beekeeper’s Apprentice complicates its own feminist views through Mary’s approval seeking behavior, male disguises, and prevalent sentiments.
Who doesn’t love a good superhero? The perfect figure, the spandex suit, the flowing cape, flawless looks, and the powers we can only dream of having. Superheroes have been around for ages now, leaving an everlasting imprint on our hearts. It is no secret that males dominate the superhero industry; both the heroes themselves and those who create them. Superman, Batman, Ironman, and Spiderman have become the top heroes of all time; there is nothing wrong with them holding the spotlight, but female heroes are underrepresented. There are notable female heroes, but they tend to be drawn with a busty figure that few women are naturally blessed with, and show little emotional rational in fights. Take Black Widow (Marvel) for example, anyone would love for her figure and kick-ass moves. Wonder Woman is our hero of the hour, she has made her way onto the big screen; casting her into the spotlight more than ever. She screams fights for love, promotes peace, is a beacon of hope, and screams feminism. What’s not to love? The new movie released on June 2, 2017, has called more attention to the American-spirited, Amazonian woman than ever before. The movie is the first fully female directed movie, Patty Jenkins brings a great female to the big screen. Although the movie is great and supports feminism, is the movie the depiction of Wonder Woman that should be idealized?
In the summary “Why Sesame Street chose a girl Muppet to portray autism” by Joy Resmovits, the author explains why a girl Muppet is portraying an autistic Muppet. The author supports this by describing different aspects of why they wanted a girl to portray an autistic Muppet. Julia is Sesame Street’s newest Muppet. Julia has bright colored hair, Big Green eyes, And Julia sometimes takes a long time to answer questions. Autism spectrum affects more males than females. 1 in 42 boys are diagnosed with autism. The executive president name Westin made sure that Julia was a female because autism is seen so much
Speaking of a media text that has made a significantly negative impression on me, it would spontaneously have let me think of the scenarios occurred in the famous comedy series - “The Big Bang Theory” - episode twenty in Season Six (see “The Big Bang Theory - The Tenure Turbulence”, 2013) . The episode tells the story about Sheldon, Leonard and Rajesh in order to gain competitive advantages for winning the tenure position, spare no effort to schmooze with committee members who make the decision. Leonard expects his girlfriend Penny to flirting with the male members in the committee to further his own cause, while Penny voluntarily decided to seduce the committee men for assisting her boyfriend. Sheldon asks Amy - his girlfriend - for to
The first time I remember being catcalled I was 16 years old walking from the parking lot to my high school. The parking lot was only three blocks away, but it still gave the two grown men slowly following me in their car enough time to repeatedly ask me what grade I was in.
In a society unbridled with double standards and set views about women, one may wonder the origins of such beliefs. It might come as a surprise that these ideals and standards are embedded and have been for centuries in the beloved fairy tales we enjoyed reading as kids. In her analytical essay, “To Spin a Yarn: The Female Voice in Folklore and Fairy Tales”, Karen Rowe argues that fairy tales present “cultural norms which exalt passivity, dependency, and self-sacrifice as a female’s cardinal virtues.” Rowe presents an excellent point, which can be supported by versions of the cult classics, “Cinderella” and “Snow White”. Charles Perrault’s “ The Little Glass Slipper” and the Brothers Grimm’s “ Snow White” exemplify the beliefs that
The depiction of transgender women characters in mainstream television has been offensive, insulting and derogatory. An article from GLADD called “Victims or Villains: Examining Ten Years of Transgender Images on Television”, examines 102 episodes and storylines on mainstream television that contained transgender characters since 2002. Of these, more than half were characterized as containing negative representations of transgender. In 2007 only 1% of television series had a recurring transgender character, which has slowly increased to 4% in 2013.
Eliza, in the climax scene vulnerably asks Higgins, why he made her a sophisticated Duchess if her never cared for her, and why did not he thought of the trouble it would make for her, on which Higgins shocking reply says:
FEMINISM Introduction to Sociology Feminism Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. The movement organized around this belief. Feminism Feminist Theory is an outgrowth of the general movement to empower women worldwide.