Andi Zeisler explains the importance of studying popular culture, emphasizing how the latter
“teaches us about aspects of our own society” (Zeisler, 1-22). She describes how politics and culture are intricately interwoven; they do not exist in vacuums but rather influence each other in complex ways that are “not always immediately clear” (Zeisler, 7). Representation of women in popular culture oscillates between “progressivism and backlash”; even the term feminism is hotly contested and debated since the way that feminism is represented varies as culture changes over time (Zeisler, 1-22). The author also argues the need for change in the way we portray minority groups, women in particular, through forms of popular culture media (Zeisler, 1-22).
The popular culture example I wish to discuss involves an article on the new Supernatural spinoff
Wayward Sisters titled “Why Supernatural’s Possible Spin-Off Wayward Sisters Is So
Important” and published in Refinery29 magazine by Ariana Romero on June 20, 2017; the author describes how Supernatural is predominantly about what she calls a ‘macho,’ ‘monsterkilling’, brotherly duo with “impossibly deep baritone voices” and a love for “classic rock, old school muscle cars, and...weapons,” making it “the CW’s most testosterone-fueled show”
(Romero, 1). There has been little to no female representation on the show, with female characters such as lesbian character Charlie Bradbury killed off promptly, until this year’s backdoor pilot for
Since the inception of human civilization there have been countless cultures and societies which have helped shape the current world today as we know it. The modern human race dates back more than 200,000 years and in that time frame many cultures have risen to great virtue and success only to deteriorate or cease to exist altogether. First before examining one of these cultures we must know what culture truly means. The Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Culture Center defines culture as a “dynamic social system,” containing the beliefs, behaviors, values and norms of a “specific organization, group, society or other collectivity” learned, shared, internalized, and changeable by all members of the society (Watson, 2010). In
Miley Cyrus made media headline around the world, during and after her performance on one of America’s biggest award shows, MTV video music awards (VMAs). Miley Cyrus was accompanied by Robin Thicke a popular R&b musician, who also performed a song, however it seemed Miley Cyrus received the most backlash for her behavior and performance at the awards. Instantaneously a still shot from the performance went viral and immediately created a bad representation of women in the media.
Generally speaking, cultures cannot be established by an individual person, thus it is required to be supported by people who frame the society. In other words, people’s common habitual mode of behavior and the national spirit are shared or succeeded. As a result, these customs are materialized as a culture. Also, these established cultures have to be learned by people through their daily life. Culture has been shaped and changed by each ethnic group, and it has influenced every aspect of people’s lives, such
The representations of gender roles in society are well misconstrued due to the media. During an extensive study, we were able to collect data in reference to the portrayal of men and women in television commercials. Each individual characteristic inferred supports the notion of disparity among gender roles in society. Many main stream television networks tend to over represent white male figures in white collar occupations. In essence, this will paper further support the focus of gender inequalities in the media.
Despite the face that women and men both have a heavy presence in the popular culture we see today, and have seen in the past, there is a discernible difference as to what goes on behind the scenes in terms of how women are treated in comparison to their male counterpart. The effects of male dominance in many pop culture industries has created a tough environment for women to truly be successful without sacrificing their own morality. Consequently, this widely dispersed form of imperialism has made it much harder for women to be recognized for their creative work. From journalism, modelling, acting, and much more, it is evident that women are forced into taking a route that is not only inequitable but compromises their right to a fair human
Culture is composed of individuals. We know that the individual is an important part of any culture because cultures are not uniform – they differ from one another and they differ from themselves over time. This difference is a product of the inherent uniqueness of the individuals who compose a culture and no science that claims to “study culture” could be considered a true science if it ignored the building blocks of the subject it is studying.
Culture is too much of a broad topic to be explained in one phrase. Rather it’s not only defined as shared beliefs, values, religions and attitudes, but it’s also categorized as, in scientific terms, as maintaining a group of tissues and cells that are in conditions suitable for growth. In other words, just as scientific terminology defines culture to be the conditions suitable for tissue growth, the definition of social culture is conditions suitable for growth in communication and relations. The objective of this essay is to address differences in culture which is demonstrated from a personal interview with a person whose culture is different than mine. More specifically, I will define how culture branches out into subcategories like power distribution, orientation, avoidance, context, proximities, and intercultural competence (Verderber & Verderber, 2012).
As I began this assignment, I discovered an increase of difficulty when defining the term culture. Yes I understood what the word meant, but how can I separate and find a purely different culture other than my own. As many of the scholars that have preceded me in delivering a well captured view of the term culture, I was still puzzled on how to separate the cultures of such a blended area. Webster define culture as: a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc. Oxford goes further by defining culture as: The customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group. Each of these definitions are highly acceptable but does not provide an explanation when two unique cultures that has coexist for so long, begin to merge their values, morals, beliefs, or customs. Juggling each of these thoughts in mind, I concluded that I would take a traditional approach to an evolutionary idea.
“Culture is a set of basic assumptions and values, orientations to life, beliefs, policies, procedures, and behavioral conventions that are shared by a group of people and that impacts each member’s behavior.” Culture is extremely powerful. It is so deeply rooted in people’s subconscious that it has permeated every aspect of individuals’ and groups’ way of life. Culture is evident in one’s biological processes, emotional responses, intellectual pursuits, social interactions, and worldview construction. Culture influences what we can eat, what we cannot wear, how we interact with different people, and yes, even how we use the library.
fication of women in the media is a concept that has perforated our society. The idea that women are objects to be viewed through the lens of male pleasure has influenced and impacted not only popular culture, but negatively affected the lives of women all across the country. in the A publication in the Psychology of Women Quarterly entitled, Objectification Theory, authors Barbara L. Fredrickson and Tomi-Ann Roberts, describe objectification as occurring "whenever a woman's body or body parts, or sexual functions are separated out from her person, reduced to status of mere instruments, or regarded as if they were capable of representing her...when objectified women are treated as bodies—and in particular, as bodies that exist for the use and pleasure of others." (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) The media is rife with the portrayal of women as subhuman, as objects and as items specifically designed for male pleasure. Women are constantly objectified through media outlets such as advertisements, music and pornography. This practice, though it is not a new occurrence, has allowed expanded and infiltrated countless aspects of modern society. To the extent that the presence of objectification and the reality of its negative effects have become seemingly invisible and unsettlingly natural in modern society.
Each person is normally acquainted with a culture and a social system that incorporates family, gathering, class, lingo and religion, among the distinctive factors. The way we respond to these effects may change and it's not by any stretch of the imagination astounding. Being brought up in a similar social condition, quite far, by and large practically identical outlines of response, which can be so profoundly installed in the human identity that they work consistently without individuals, have no information. The estimations of a solitary culture that command an expansive locale can be influential to the point that those qualities are thought to be correct and thusly advanced by the group and government. Subcultures can shape and make their own individual impacts, however, development between social classes can at present be hampered by conditions (Savage, 2015).
Culture plays a paramount role in our lives. “It is what shapes who we are and how we view the world” (Thorp & Sanchez, 1998, p. 3). Culture includes things
Culture is a combination of many aspects of life that have been passed down for generation. Customs, beliefs, values and behaviors that become more specified to specific groups that tend to mimic themselves within a group are the broad range themes that come up when one discusses culture. Culture can exist on many different planes simultaneously. Culture is subjective and the way in which specific cultures are defined changes constantly. Researchers Kroeber and Kluckhohn state that “Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artefacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e. historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other as conditioning elements of further action.” (1952, p. 181) This description of culture largely aligns with generally accepted definitions of culture but briefly considers that culture can also be a product of action. I believe that culture is grounded in traditions of the past but suggest that it could not exist without the continued evolution of the key elements that define the concept. For the purpose of this paper I will describe culture as not only the experiences that came before but the enduring and modifiable traits that allow culture to be completely unique
Culture can be defined as a concept that contains numerous practices, norms, and symbols (DeLong & Fahey, 2000), as well as ceremony, rituals, language, myths, and ideology (Pettigrew, 1979), that the individuals of a social collection share within themselves, and these qualities exist beyond an individual’s mind and have a widespread consequence (Walsham, 2002).
‘Culture consists of the derivatives of experience, more or less organized, learned or created by the individuals of a population, including those images or encodements and their interpretations (meanings) transmitted from past generations, from contemporaries, or formed by individuals themselves.’ -T.Schwartz