Final Project PowerPoint

Power Point

Teens talk back

I thought this was going to be an easy thing to research but upon starting I found that it was actually kind of hard. I'm not sure if I just wasn't using the right words to search or if there really isn't a lot of teens representing themselves.

I ended up choosing to research sexting. It is a rather new phenomenon that effects teens and adults. It can ruin anyone's reputation or worse. Depending on state laws, children under the age of 18 caught sending nude pictures to people without consent is considered child porn. In some states being convicted of child porn can put someone on the registered sex offenders list for life.

I found a video of teens talking about sexting and laughing and asking the reporter if he wanted to see the pictures. I think this is crap. Like do teens not realize the severity of being on the sex offenders for life????

I then found a video of teens acting concerned about these issues. These teens want to make a difference. They understand how fast anything can go viral via the internet.

Video

These videos and the topic remind me of our course theme that youth is a culturally constructed category. I hate to say it because of how inappropriate it is but sexting is almost a "norm" amongst our generation. Somehow it became socially acceptable to send naked pictures and unfortunately it has very big repercussions for offenders.

Tricia Rose

Professor Rose is an internationally respected scholar ofpost civil rights era black U.S. culture, popular music, social issues, genderand sexuality. She is most known for her involvement in black music culture and how it shapes and molds expectations of gender and racial perceptions. She talks a lot about gender and sexuality, popular culture, mass media and racial issues.

As I am reading the Q&A with Tricia Rose I was very interested in what she had to say about hip-hop being "dead". I liked how she said it wasn't dead but rather an underground society that has a force of its own. It was mentioned in class the other week that a huge part of what the media does revolved around making money. She talks about how hip-hop used to be for fun and play and performed at block parties with families present. The old hip-hop didn't talk about sluts or sexualizing women or drugs or killing people. The old hip-hop had to be family friendly and talked about life. The new hip-hop is all about making money and sex sells. I took a news writing class and the motto was "if it bleeds, it leads". Sex, blood and drugs makes money.

In her video she mentioned how we come from so many backgrounds and different cultures that we are constantly morphing into popular culture and to try to create a simple minded idea of culture is too hard.

I also got from this  a sense of emphasis on media. Everything is accessible. Rose gives the example that in Jamaica there are almost 200 versions of the same song "I'm Sorry". It is not because they want to all sing the same song but every version is different and it is something to call your own and put your name on it.

I'm no expert but I personally think that hip-hop has changed and evolved with the different generations. New people come along and experiment with different ideas and new and interesting things come of it. Similar things happen with other music cultures. 

side note: PRINCESS!?

so im sitting in my room casually reading a book and taking notes for another non-related class and the tv is on and the movie 13 going on 30 is playing. im not really watching but every so often i pause the reading and watch the movie. well the movie just ended and all i could think about is our lesson on princess culture. jennifer garner grows up, realizes her life pretty much sucks (she is best friends with her middle school enemy and the man of her dreams is marrying some other woman) but lucky for her she is able to turn back time and change her life and not be friends with that mean girl and kisses the boy. FLASH FORWARD from age 13 to age 30 and the 2 are getting married. the last scene is them moving into a new house and they take a break and sit on the couch and cuddle. BAM! end of movie. HELLOOOOOOO? princess much? maybe not the typical crown princess we talked about in class but come on, she gets the man at the end of the movie. i just wanted to say that i am pretty much now forever ruined in my ability to watch a movie in a non-princess judgmental way.

fantastic...

Queer youth in the media

As i read the first article (Queer Representation in the Media) I couldn't help but make a connection to the short video clips we watched in Dr. Miller's class. I cant remember the name of the movies but it was about representing teenagers in movies and portrayed them as either white middle to upper class students or lower class black students. I made the connection because in the article the author says in the 1960's gay and lesbians were portrayed as middle class, stable white people. As times changed, gays in the media could become any race and from any background.

I feel like as far as marketing goes, you either got it or you don't. In one of the articles the author states "it's a double edged sword". It's a win lose situation. On one hand it represents gays and lesbians in a positive way by allowing them into the media in such a wide spectrum. On the other hand it exposes them to a whole new world of criticism. If it wasn't bad enough to be physically compared to celebrities or famous people now gays and lesbians have to live up to the standards that they see and interpret on TV.

I almost feel hesitant to write on this topic because I don't want to offend anyone, especially on accident by something I didn't mean. Now that I think about it, advertisers might also have a similar outlook. No matter how they portray gays and lesbians, someone will have something negative to say about it. Either they shouldn't be in the media at all or something to do with why aren't they white? why aren't they asian or black? why are the rich/poor?

Regardless, I think this will be an interesting topic with a lot of controversy to keep us on our toes.

Cinderella ate my daughter...

I am literally dumbfounded and I haven't even made it past the second page. I had heard and read a little bit about the whole Disney Princesses and their effects on young girls but I had never read it so bluntly before. The marketers for these princesses literally think "what would a princess want?" and they make it and young girls come screaming (or crawling) to their beck and call! and actually buy it!

I liked how the author is telling a story about her daughter and even makes references to her own childhood. When the author was a child it was very insulting (to most people) to be called a princess. It commonly referred to a spoiled brat who spent Daddy's money. Her daughters generation however, it was acceptable to be a princess. I think in our generation, TODAY, being called a princess reverts to its old definition of being a spoiled brat. I would rather be called a cold hearted bitch than a princess.

I like how the other mothers in Daisy's preschool class allowed the princess costumes into their house (mostly to keep children busy on playdates but as a parent can you blame her?) but not the princess story. But how do you keep the story from a nagging young girl who asks why to every fact? Where do these princesses come from if not from their castle of sorts from the story/movie?

The author then goes into the topic of girls vs boys stereotypes. Boys can only do and like boy things and are pressured by their peers and their fathers. Girls however can do and like girls and boys things. This is such an old topic but I feel like it is still so much important. Especially because girls nowadays are growing and learning with this notion that they themselves can be princesses when in reality they cant. Boys are also growing and learning that expressing any sort of feminism is a royal sin.

I could go on and on about my feelings about this topic. It should not be set as an example to growing minds that more bling is better (the less popular princesses have the least bling-Mulan, Pocahontas). Or that you need a man to rescue you and keep you sane (all princess movies-Snow White). It is so ridiculous.





I know this might be a little long but please click my hyperlink and watch the youtube video. It directly relates to what we are talking about with princesses. It is pretty interesting that people are taking a stand.

A Cycle of Outrage

I feel like this article was written awhile ago. I also feel like the author was already an adult during the postwar teenager phase. It sounds like the author and probably most adults at that time were looking for someone or something to blame for the teenagers delinquent behavior. In reality they weren't even being delinquent, they were finding themselves in the surroundings the were given. The author suggested almost finding a reason or explanation for the way the adolescents were behaving. Before the war the teenagers were working early than they were postwar and thus had less responsibilities. In the text there was a study done that before the war in the 1930's only about 50% of working class students attending high school. Post war in the early 1960's that same figure was estimated at over 90%. More teenagers were spreading their life out almost, for lack of better word, and pushing life, work and marriage later into life. As much as the teenager employment rate had decreased and as confusing as that was, it then reversed and most high school teenagers found employment after the draft. 

I honestly did not like this article. I had a hard time connecting with it and I don't feel like anything really "hit home" for me. It was kind of difficult to write about if I can't find something to almost make me passionate about it.