positive media, positive influence

"You know, equality is a myth, and for some reason, everyone accepts the fact that women don't make as much money as men do. I don't understand that. Why do we have to take a backseat? I truly believe that women should be financially independent from their men. And let's face it, money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They define what's sexy. And men define what's feminine. It's ridiculous"
-Beyonce Knowles

Beyonce is the definition of media for many women, both young and older, she influences our society entirely. She is a natural born trend setter and after her "Mrs. Carter World Tour" she has given media a new perspective, strong independent women are sexy. To me this is ground breaking; girls now have a positive hollywood role model, straying away from dancing into the mirror singing "my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard." They now have the ability to envision their self-worth and when you uncover the blinders, the possibilities for women are out of this world. Equality is not easy, it does not come by looking pretty and shaking asses, it forms through sweat and hard work. Why are we waiting to act when the show has already began?

S.E.X.Y

#speakup

http://elitedaily.com/dating/sex/why-chivalry-is-dead-from-a-mans-perspective/

After reading this video it hit me, as a female college student, are my standards decreasing? Chivalry is so rare in today's society, but did women help barry it in the dirt? Why do we feel that we deserve anything that stops short of exceptional treatment by a man? However, after Beyonce's new track "Grow Woman" maybe all we need to do is demand it back, not settle and raise the expectations high. We are the prize, guys are determined and will do anything to have it to themselves. Supply and Demand folks, supply and demand.

The ultimate enemy

As a woman, how do you portray yourself? What makes you feel this way about yourself? Is it possible to reflect on oneself without any outside influence or is it destine to happen based on our societal values? Will women ever be satisfied with their appearance if the world around them is telling them they can do better? Women are critiqued throughout every media outlet which sets the standard of how they should think and feel about themselves. Do women have a choice in the end? In my opinion they do, we cannot immediately change the agenda media has, however we can alter how much it impacts our mindset. Women need to come together in a fight against media, our role models should no longer be photoshop Hollywood icons, instead we need to realize what reality really is. By encouraging more self confidence and exposing the truth about photoshop that create our society's standards, we will be able to recreate sexy. Self worth should not be measured by a number, instead it should be illustrated by accomplishments and self reliance that make us stronger.

Standards

Outspoken, driven, opinionated, dominate, successful, outgoing and confident. What do you think of when you recite the adjectives in the last sentence? Most people can describe men with at least two of these words, however can society hold women to the same standards? Can women be outspoken and driven without being rude and selfish? Are female's actions limited based on the lines society draws, defining what is appropriate and what isn't? How will women gain credibility in the public space if we cannot portray dominant roles without being criticized? Female characters that do exhibit the successful CEO position are almost always second guessed in the film or TV series, the audience is usually shown that although she is powerful, deep down she is weak and dependent upon someone else. When male characters, for example Batman, are given a confident and successful role you never see the screen writers dig deep into his emotional weaknesses. When media portrays women with the same standards as men, society may begin to realize that there is no difference between these human beings besides biology. Men and women are capable of sharing the same spaces, men and women are equal. 

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Homeland

My latest obsession would be the show Homeland. The series is about a POW that is found and brought back to the States 8 years later. Carrie, the female main character works for the CIA and develops a theory that this "hero POW" had been turned during his imprisonment in the Middle East. The entire CIA and government officials do not give Carrie any legitimacy throughout the show. For example, Carrie had confirmed several leads and evidence that Brody (former POW) was working with Nazir, the head of the most influential terrorist group (biggest threat to the free world). In order for the CIA to comply with the government, her male director fired her because her bipolar mental condition interfered with security clearance. In every episode she would cry and run to Saul (her colleague) for advice and dependence. In addition, she developed feelings with Brody, a married man with two children. Brody and Carrie had an affair. The CIA used her (body) to gain insight on Brody because he was under suspicion (the CIA finally looked at Carrie's argument).

In season 2 when she is in the psych ward, she has no make up on and she is weak, this represents another example of how women are viewed as fragile and helpless. When season 3 rolls around, jaw dropping events occur. The audience finds out that although the CIA/Congress places Carrie in a mental hospital, Saul created a plan that would lead terrorists to recruit her for information (because her country turned against her, she was weak and looking for support). Carrie shows up at Saul's house and his wife answers the door. She walks in and tells Saul that "it worked they believed me" and he smiles and says "you did good." He blatantly uses her body AGAIN to gain information, unfortunately for Carrie she little went crazy and will never be the same because of it. The question I raise for my readers is "What if Carrie was Carol?" Would a man force himself onto a women to get information? Would a man be betrayed by his colleagues and country for investigating a women's suspicious behavior? Would the public label a man crazy and send him off to a mental hospital so fast and easy without question? The answer is no. Women are viewed so often as the criminals and manipulators our legitimacy is lost. The character of Carrie has several dimensions, although she had sexual relations with Brody, she also was highly intelligent. Intelligence is not commonly a characteristic of female roles, especially within the DOD environment, therefore the fact that she was isolated and made weak by men, shows their fear. By establishing that she is helpless the producers still hold on to Carrie's "sexiness."She is the most important asset to national security and she is a woman <--- that is sexy, not the fact that she is blonde, blue eyed, helpless and lonely.