“The External Feminine” scene that hit home with me was the opening scene where all the women are in the salon. The scene takes place in a beauty shop, which is your typical beauty shop with a bunch of women sitting around talking about anything and everything they can. This scene gives the exact stereotype of what a beauty salon really is. This scene hit home with me because my mother use to go to the beauty salon to get her hair done, while she was there would learn things about me that normally she would never hear if she had never gone to the salon. My brother and I use to joke that when our mother would go to the beauty salon it was really like her going to the “mom’s club” because there at the salon all the moms would be in there gossiping about all their boys. They would gossip about their boys to find out what they do on the weekends and what they do after school. This is similar to the scene in “The External Feminine” because a man is in the store trying to sell the salon the magnificent hair dryer so all the ladies at the salon can use them. This hair dyer isn’t the magnificent part; the magnificent part is us men needing something to occupy these women while they are at the salon. Without this hair dryer women aren’t pre occupied so when they having nothing else to do they start to think. The hair dryer is a way to keep women occupied so they don’t begin to think and get together to come up with ideas to help women gain equality. I think that women in today’s society need something to keep them occupied instead of gossiping about their children.
The next scene I like in “The External Feminine” was where Lupita is buying a ticket to the wax museum. This scene is very significant because Lupita experiences how women were seen through the eyes of men, especially dealing with history. They being to play a game where Lupita is suppose to guess what famous historical women they are describing, but the trick to it is that the women are described from the way women see their accomplishments rather than they way men see them. The one example that expressed this issue was the Adam and Eve story. Lupita experiences why was Eve portrayed at the person who did the wrong thing and that Adam ate the forbidden fruit like. Eve is portrayed to be the forbidder and the one distracting Adam from this forbidden fruit. The hawker explains that there should be a bit of moral practice as well as principle. Eve is shown being submissive, but as shown to Lupita she is far from that. Eve goes as far as to accept God’s wrath because she violates his rules. Adam is shown to have chosen the life and the certain rules to live by what God had set. By Adam taking this one makes Eve seem less superior to him and even in some of the photos that she is below him in superiority. I like this scene because it shows that these famous historical women who have made a difference in society are scene by most men for either doing something wrong or even doing nothing at all. Lupita experiences this and realizes that most famous women in history have done something great for women’s future.
In Conclusion, to me Castellanos wants the reader to see that women in history have mad an impact it just that men have portrayed them to be in the wrong. Also I think that Castellanos wants women to think that if women don’t want it to be, then they should do something about. The one thing that was in the back of my mind the whole time I was reading with was patriarchy. Castellanos wants the women who disagree with patriarchy to step up and make a change, to ensure there belief among other women and make a change for women. On the other my feeling is that if women make their own decision based off their non belief of patriarchy, it would almost like they were going against the norm. The main thing is that women would be going against the norm and even the social norm and this is what women don’t want in today’s society.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thursday December 18, 2008
Women’s Studies: Final Paper
Essay #1
The readings that have impacted me this semester in Women Studies are; The Opt-Out Revolution, You Just Don’t Understand; Women and Men in Conversation, Backlash, The External Feminine, and Fresh Lipstick. I chose these five readings because these readings did have an impact on me due to the fact that I am a male in a Women’s studies class. Myself being a male, in a class dominated by women opened my eyes too many different experiences that I would of never know or actually experienced if I had never taken this class. These reading all have a connection between male roles and women roles and how each of them differs in society. Going into this class I had a close mind and I thought my opinions wouldn’t change much or maybe I would only learn a few things, but I was totally wrong. The readings I chose are connected by the way men are portrayed by their roles along with how women are portrayed in society.
The first reading that impacted me is The Opt-Out Revolution. This reading by Lisa Belkin is about women opting out of the work force because it’s a way for them to get away and start the family that they have always dreamed about. Women opt-out of the work force because work doesn’t help them start the family that they want to create. Another issue that Belkin brings up is the fact that these women who do choose to opt-out is because they don’t have a choice when starting a family. This relates to the different roles men and women have in society. Women are the ones opting out not men. Women in the work force are basically given no choice because most jobs don’t allow them to take off for them to raise their family, so women chose as feminist to raise a family. A part of feminism to me is the lone fact of women having a right to choose how they live their lives. On the other hand males are the ones who hold the role of bringing in the income to the family. If males are the stay at home dads society tends to think different of them because they aren’t participating in roles that males are suppose to partake in. Role difference between women and men are different especially in the work force.
The second reading that relates to the difference in women and men roles in society is the reading You Just Don’t Understand; Women and Men in Conversation. This article by Deborah Tannen talked about how men and women differ when communicating with one another and how men and women communicate in public matters. This reading had the most impact on me because it hit home with me how men and women differ in roles among society. The first thing Tannen talks about is how women feel more connected during relationships more than men do. This basically means that women express themselves more in relationships than men do. Men tend to express their thoughts in public or around other people because they want to feel superior when expressing their thoughts or feelings. In relationships they don’t like to be intimate with their significant other because they don’t feel superior they only become equal when talking about their feelings. Just like Tannen expressed in her article the fact that men want the “report” not the “rapport”.
The third reading that had an impact on me was Backlash by Susan Fluid. This article expresses how the backlash of the media and society affect feminism and how men and women’s roles differ. This article focused the most on my argument between men and women and how they are portrayed in different aspects of society. Fluid expresses that not matter what women do to break that class ceiling there will always be people who don’t allow women to rise above certain challenges that hold them back. She also expresses that yes the feminist movement has made many big steps in society, but no matter what people will always be against the issues of feminism.
The fourth reading is The External Feminize which was a big part of this intro to Women’s studies class. This was a play written by Rosario Castellanos discussing the views of women and how they are seen in the eyes of men not through historical events in history. Castellanos uses characters from history who are women that have made impacts in the world showing how women and men’s roles differ from every individual in society. She uses famous women in history to explain how women are different and how their impacts are seen different by men and women. This play helped see how roles are different from the perception of men compared to the perception of women.
The last article that had an impact on me was the reading Fresh Lipstick by Linda Scott which discussed how women have much more to deal with then men does when it comes to fashion. This article expresses how women even in fashion have a lot more to deal with then men. For instance women in the nineteenth century were reprimanded for being “too fashionable” or “too sexy”. This to me just shows no matter what women do they are always seen in a negative way towards society. Another part of this reading discussed how women can be beautiful as well as successful. When women are successful and beautiful this becomes a big achievement because they take on a lot more obstacles then men do when becoming successful. Men aren’t seen as beautiful they are just seen being powerful, so they are seen just as men. For women to be successful you have to be beautiful as well as being successful in society, it goes hand and hand.
Overall, these reading have opened my eyes and as well as my mind towards women in our society. Going into this class I have not been exposed to many issues when gender has actually affected my life. Gender was never an issue in my life, I lived a pretty normal life growing up. I think not until college did I really be exposed to gender and the different issues that come along with it. This class was the main source of me being exposed to the different genders that are in our society. This class has been very important to me when understanding Women and their different roles in society. I liked being apart of this class because my life isn’t affected by gender that much and women’s studies exposed me to ways I would of never experience. Women and men’s roles in society do differ but it doesn’t have to differ in a bad way. Women and men’s will one day overcome equality, even if men and women don’t hold the same exact roles between each other. The only question I have is what is going to hold women back after they shatter the glass ceiling?
Essay 2
Feminism: is the equality between men and women in politics, social aspects and at very least equality among economics. When defining Feminism a lot of different characteristics are brought to the attention of what feminism actually is. Feminism can be about the lone concept of equality or it can be as broad as being equal in our society no matter what the topic is. When asking someone if he or she is a feminist most people don’t respond fully by saying yes I am a feminist or no I am not. People tend to lean a certain way saying yes they believe in some feminist ways and yes they believe in ways that aren’t necessarily views of feminism. Feminism has changed over the years along with how women are viewed in society. As women gain ground in our society, feminism will stand for much more than it did when the movement began.
The History of Feminism begins with women getting the right to vote and take that first step in gaining equality to men. The first wave that significantly helped the movement of women was not only the right to vote, but their efforts in gaining ground towards equality. The first wave changed the insight of women from them being voiceless and very dependent on men to very independent thinkers who hold a strong voice when solving the issue of feminism. The first wave consisted of the feminist movement lead by Alice Paul, who was a very dominate woman in the women’s suffrage. One of the biggest things during this time was the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. By this amendment passing, it didn’t necessarily gain all women the right to vote there were requirements to vote. This is where the Jim Crow laws came into effect only letting certain women the right to vote. The second wave was called “Our Mothers’ Fight”. This focused on the independence of women from the equality of men. This wave is where gender equality in the workforce began along with access to health care and many other equalities that women didn’t have. This wave was considered the fight for fundamental rights for women. This wave focused more on goals that related to women’s issues which were mainly focused on social aspects of the equality between men and women. Lastly the third wave is a combination of the to which focused on the traditional issues including certain gender roles that allowed the actions that needed to be taken in order for women to become equal with men. Basically the third movement is a social movement that is broken down in to different parts mainly focusing on the glass ceiling and post feminism.
Women’s studies is mainly consisted of the history of women and how they have gained the grown in today’s society. This class used many figures from the past to help express how women have made ground in order to break the class ceiling. This class is to educate both men and women of what different characteristics that makes up feminism. One of the main issues expressed in Women’s studies is the unrecognizable accounts that historical women hold. Women are not portrayed the way they are suppose to be in history and this class is to better educate how women are truly effected by equality. The biggest part of this class is how women are portrayed in many different aspects. One of the issues is how women are portrayed through history. Many of the women who have done great things for the movement of women are seen to have either done nothing at all or very little. Lastly Women’s studies is was way to see women now and how they have advanced in today’s society. Women’s studies is a way to show that motherhood is ok and that women are equal to men but in many ways that most people don’t see.
Throughout the semester the articles we read helped define feminism and how women have gained the ground towards equality. Also the movies we watched helped experience how women have had a tough road when gaining equality in our society. The movie Iron Jawed Angels showed the first wave of the feminist movement. Iron Jawed Angels is about Alice Paul and her dominance in the equal rights movement for women. The book F-word explains the history of women and their accomplishments throughout history. The progression of women’s studies is expressed in the Manifesta by Jennifer Baumgarden and Amy Richards. They discuss the future of women and how in today’s society they have much more to deal with then women did in the past. A good example is The Feminist Diaspora which talked about how women have to deal with relationships, marriages, abortions and all the way to STD’s. In the past, women only had to deal with being equal to men and now in today’s society they have much more than just that. One of the biggest parts contributed to women’s studies is women in the work force and how motherhood can be a real reason why men and women differ in society. The opting out of the workforce describes why women can choose how they live no matter why regulations they have. Lastly to sum up Women’s studies is the explanation of feminism. Going into this course I didn’t really have a definition of feminism or even knew what feminism was. Women’s studies helped me see that feminism isn’t just about women hating men and being angry because they don’t share the same rights as men. Feminism is shown for the good side and all the progress they have made to break that glass ceiling.
Am I a feminist? To me as a male, feminism is a belief that equality should exist between the two different genders no matter what the issues is. I believe that yes women should be just as equal to men as men are just as equal to women. I also believe that yes there are certain roles that the males should only partake in and there are roles that only women should partake in. This is how our society is ran, even though there is equality some roles in society are made for men and some roles are made for women that is how our society is constructed. Feminism is the right to be equal not is one as a whole.
Works Cited
Essay #1
Backlash; The Undeclared War Against American Women. New York, NY: Crown Inc., 1991.
Belkin, Lisa. "The Opt-Out Revolution." The New York Times 26 Oct. 2003: 1-11.
Maureen, Ahren. The External Feminine. Vof T P, 1998.
Scott, Linda. The Fresh Lipstick; Redressing Fashion and Feminism. Palagrave. 2-331.
Tannen, Deborah. You Just Dont Understand; Women and Men in Conversation. New York, NY:
Baltimore Books. 74-95.
Essay #2
Baumgargen, Jennifer, and Amy Richards. Manifesta; Young women, feminism, and the future. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000.
Rowe-Finkbeiner, Kristin. The F Word : Feminism in Jeopardy. New York: Seal P, 2004.
Belkin, Lisa. "The Opt-Out Revolution." The New York Times 26 Oct. 2003: 1-11.
Essay #1
The readings that have impacted me this semester in Women Studies are; The Opt-Out Revolution, You Just Don’t Understand; Women and Men in Conversation, Backlash, The External Feminine, and Fresh Lipstick. I chose these five readings because these readings did have an impact on me due to the fact that I am a male in a Women’s studies class. Myself being a male, in a class dominated by women opened my eyes too many different experiences that I would of never know or actually experienced if I had never taken this class. These reading all have a connection between male roles and women roles and how each of them differs in society. Going into this class I had a close mind and I thought my opinions wouldn’t change much or maybe I would only learn a few things, but I was totally wrong. The readings I chose are connected by the way men are portrayed by their roles along with how women are portrayed in society.
The first reading that impacted me is The Opt-Out Revolution. This reading by Lisa Belkin is about women opting out of the work force because it’s a way for them to get away and start the family that they have always dreamed about. Women opt-out of the work force because work doesn’t help them start the family that they want to create. Another issue that Belkin brings up is the fact that these women who do choose to opt-out is because they don’t have a choice when starting a family. This relates to the different roles men and women have in society. Women are the ones opting out not men. Women in the work force are basically given no choice because most jobs don’t allow them to take off for them to raise their family, so women chose as feminist to raise a family. A part of feminism to me is the lone fact of women having a right to choose how they live their lives. On the other hand males are the ones who hold the role of bringing in the income to the family. If males are the stay at home dads society tends to think different of them because they aren’t participating in roles that males are suppose to partake in. Role difference between women and men are different especially in the work force.
The second reading that relates to the difference in women and men roles in society is the reading You Just Don’t Understand; Women and Men in Conversation. This article by Deborah Tannen talked about how men and women differ when communicating with one another and how men and women communicate in public matters. This reading had the most impact on me because it hit home with me how men and women differ in roles among society. The first thing Tannen talks about is how women feel more connected during relationships more than men do. This basically means that women express themselves more in relationships than men do. Men tend to express their thoughts in public or around other people because they want to feel superior when expressing their thoughts or feelings. In relationships they don’t like to be intimate with their significant other because they don’t feel superior they only become equal when talking about their feelings. Just like Tannen expressed in her article the fact that men want the “report” not the “rapport”.
The third reading that had an impact on me was Backlash by Susan Fluid. This article expresses how the backlash of the media and society affect feminism and how men and women’s roles differ. This article focused the most on my argument between men and women and how they are portrayed in different aspects of society. Fluid expresses that not matter what women do to break that class ceiling there will always be people who don’t allow women to rise above certain challenges that hold them back. She also expresses that yes the feminist movement has made many big steps in society, but no matter what people will always be against the issues of feminism.
The fourth reading is The External Feminize which was a big part of this intro to Women’s studies class. This was a play written by Rosario Castellanos discussing the views of women and how they are seen in the eyes of men not through historical events in history. Castellanos uses characters from history who are women that have made impacts in the world showing how women and men’s roles differ from every individual in society. She uses famous women in history to explain how women are different and how their impacts are seen different by men and women. This play helped see how roles are different from the perception of men compared to the perception of women.
The last article that had an impact on me was the reading Fresh Lipstick by Linda Scott which discussed how women have much more to deal with then men does when it comes to fashion. This article expresses how women even in fashion have a lot more to deal with then men. For instance women in the nineteenth century were reprimanded for being “too fashionable” or “too sexy”. This to me just shows no matter what women do they are always seen in a negative way towards society. Another part of this reading discussed how women can be beautiful as well as successful. When women are successful and beautiful this becomes a big achievement because they take on a lot more obstacles then men do when becoming successful. Men aren’t seen as beautiful they are just seen being powerful, so they are seen just as men. For women to be successful you have to be beautiful as well as being successful in society, it goes hand and hand.
Overall, these reading have opened my eyes and as well as my mind towards women in our society. Going into this class I have not been exposed to many issues when gender has actually affected my life. Gender was never an issue in my life, I lived a pretty normal life growing up. I think not until college did I really be exposed to gender and the different issues that come along with it. This class was the main source of me being exposed to the different genders that are in our society. This class has been very important to me when understanding Women and their different roles in society. I liked being apart of this class because my life isn’t affected by gender that much and women’s studies exposed me to ways I would of never experience. Women and men’s roles in society do differ but it doesn’t have to differ in a bad way. Women and men’s will one day overcome equality, even if men and women don’t hold the same exact roles between each other. The only question I have is what is going to hold women back after they shatter the glass ceiling?
Essay 2
Feminism: is the equality between men and women in politics, social aspects and at very least equality among economics. When defining Feminism a lot of different characteristics are brought to the attention of what feminism actually is. Feminism can be about the lone concept of equality or it can be as broad as being equal in our society no matter what the topic is. When asking someone if he or she is a feminist most people don’t respond fully by saying yes I am a feminist or no I am not. People tend to lean a certain way saying yes they believe in some feminist ways and yes they believe in ways that aren’t necessarily views of feminism. Feminism has changed over the years along with how women are viewed in society. As women gain ground in our society, feminism will stand for much more than it did when the movement began.
The History of Feminism begins with women getting the right to vote and take that first step in gaining equality to men. The first wave that significantly helped the movement of women was not only the right to vote, but their efforts in gaining ground towards equality. The first wave changed the insight of women from them being voiceless and very dependent on men to very independent thinkers who hold a strong voice when solving the issue of feminism. The first wave consisted of the feminist movement lead by Alice Paul, who was a very dominate woman in the women’s suffrage. One of the biggest things during this time was the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. By this amendment passing, it didn’t necessarily gain all women the right to vote there were requirements to vote. This is where the Jim Crow laws came into effect only letting certain women the right to vote. The second wave was called “Our Mothers’ Fight”. This focused on the independence of women from the equality of men. This wave is where gender equality in the workforce began along with access to health care and many other equalities that women didn’t have. This wave was considered the fight for fundamental rights for women. This wave focused more on goals that related to women’s issues which were mainly focused on social aspects of the equality between men and women. Lastly the third wave is a combination of the to which focused on the traditional issues including certain gender roles that allowed the actions that needed to be taken in order for women to become equal with men. Basically the third movement is a social movement that is broken down in to different parts mainly focusing on the glass ceiling and post feminism.
Women’s studies is mainly consisted of the history of women and how they have gained the grown in today’s society. This class used many figures from the past to help express how women have made ground in order to break the class ceiling. This class is to educate both men and women of what different characteristics that makes up feminism. One of the main issues expressed in Women’s studies is the unrecognizable accounts that historical women hold. Women are not portrayed the way they are suppose to be in history and this class is to better educate how women are truly effected by equality. The biggest part of this class is how women are portrayed in many different aspects. One of the issues is how women are portrayed through history. Many of the women who have done great things for the movement of women are seen to have either done nothing at all or very little. Lastly Women’s studies is was way to see women now and how they have advanced in today’s society. Women’s studies is a way to show that motherhood is ok and that women are equal to men but in many ways that most people don’t see.
Throughout the semester the articles we read helped define feminism and how women have gained the ground towards equality. Also the movies we watched helped experience how women have had a tough road when gaining equality in our society. The movie Iron Jawed Angels showed the first wave of the feminist movement. Iron Jawed Angels is about Alice Paul and her dominance in the equal rights movement for women. The book F-word explains the history of women and their accomplishments throughout history. The progression of women’s studies is expressed in the Manifesta by Jennifer Baumgarden and Amy Richards. They discuss the future of women and how in today’s society they have much more to deal with then women did in the past. A good example is The Feminist Diaspora which talked about how women have to deal with relationships, marriages, abortions and all the way to STD’s. In the past, women only had to deal with being equal to men and now in today’s society they have much more than just that. One of the biggest parts contributed to women’s studies is women in the work force and how motherhood can be a real reason why men and women differ in society. The opting out of the workforce describes why women can choose how they live no matter why regulations they have. Lastly to sum up Women’s studies is the explanation of feminism. Going into this course I didn’t really have a definition of feminism or even knew what feminism was. Women’s studies helped me see that feminism isn’t just about women hating men and being angry because they don’t share the same rights as men. Feminism is shown for the good side and all the progress they have made to break that glass ceiling.
Am I a feminist? To me as a male, feminism is a belief that equality should exist between the two different genders no matter what the issues is. I believe that yes women should be just as equal to men as men are just as equal to women. I also believe that yes there are certain roles that the males should only partake in and there are roles that only women should partake in. This is how our society is ran, even though there is equality some roles in society are made for men and some roles are made for women that is how our society is constructed. Feminism is the right to be equal not is one as a whole.
Works Cited
Essay #1
Backlash; The Undeclared War Against American Women. New York, NY: Crown Inc., 1991.
Belkin, Lisa. "The Opt-Out Revolution." The New York Times 26 Oct. 2003: 1-11.
Maureen, Ahren. The External Feminine. Vof T P, 1998.
Scott, Linda. The Fresh Lipstick; Redressing Fashion and Feminism. Palagrave. 2-331.
Tannen, Deborah. You Just Dont Understand; Women and Men in Conversation. New York, NY:
Baltimore Books. 74-95.
Essay #2
Baumgargen, Jennifer, and Amy Richards. Manifesta; Young women, feminism, and the future. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000.
Rowe-Finkbeiner, Kristin. The F Word : Feminism in Jeopardy. New York: Seal P, 2004.
Belkin, Lisa. "The Opt-Out Revolution." The New York Times 26 Oct. 2003: 1-11.
Monday, November 10, 2008
League of Women Voters
This organization is a non-profit organization that has fought since the 1920's to improve the system of government and impact policies through citizen education and advocacy. There all leagues in all 50 states. A cool thing about this non-profit organization is that it is very much nonpartisan; it neither supports either candidate for any person that is going into office. But this organization is strictly works to enforce public policy through advocacy.
This organization makes a different in a lot of lives of many different citizens because they provide energy and passions to thousands who are committed to change the way women vote.Another reason I like this organization is because not only do they want to change the way women vote they focus on a lot of other issues. The issues they address consist of Tax Policy, Campaign Finance Reform, Civil Liberties, DC Voting Rights, Election Administration, Ethics and Lobbying Reform, Global Climate Change, Health Care Reform. I couldn't believe all the issues they address and I really like out they want to change how our world votes. I believe that all women should contribute to this non-profit organization because it a positive way and only way to help boost women and the way they vote. I even believe men should contribute as well because they don't just focus on women and their votes, they address many different topics they help out society in general.Our readings this week are about Feminist and the work they are doing all over especially in many different countries.
The readings state that in most countries women's movements are different in many different ways. The main thing that is different in most other countries is their financial situations. They don't have as much as support as the Americans do, that is the one thing that separates other countries from the U.S is money. A lot can be learned in other countries because the organizations are growing and they are learning every single day.
This organization makes a different in a lot of lives of many different citizens because they provide energy and passions to thousands who are committed to change the way women vote.Another reason I like this organization is because not only do they want to change the way women vote they focus on a lot of other issues. The issues they address consist of Tax Policy, Campaign Finance Reform, Civil Liberties, DC Voting Rights, Election Administration, Ethics and Lobbying Reform, Global Climate Change, Health Care Reform. I couldn't believe all the issues they address and I really like out they want to change how our world votes. I believe that all women should contribute to this non-profit organization because it a positive way and only way to help boost women and the way they vote. I even believe men should contribute as well because they don't just focus on women and their votes, they address many different topics they help out society in general.Our readings this week are about Feminist and the work they are doing all over especially in many different countries.
The readings state that in most countries women's movements are different in many different ways. The main thing that is different in most other countries is their financial situations. They don't have as much as support as the Americans do, that is the one thing that separates other countries from the U.S is money. A lot can be learned in other countries because the organizations are growing and they are learning every single day.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Ethnography
Ethnography: Women in the work force
Central Question: why do men dominate the work force when dealing with most car dealerships in Oklahoma, especially Norman?
Research Design: My research group in class deals with women and the work force, the one major issue I want to research is why women work behind the men, why women aren’t the bosses or the manager. Women in the car dealership field are always the ones behind the scenes; they are the ones who work the payroll and all the accounting aspects while the men run the sales out front. My research will be focused on why women don’t work more in the front rather in the back part of the dealership.
Methodology: The first thing I am going to do to answer my question is to observe a car dealership in Norman on the Mile. My first step is to sit back and watch how things are ran during hours of operation, I am going to observe what kind of jobs men do there and what kind of job women do there. The busiest day for a car dealership is a Saturday and I believe observing on a Saturday will tell the truth how dealerships are run.
Interview Questions:
#1. First off, what made you apply for a job at a car dealership?
#2. Is this job different that any other job you have had in the past?
#3. Seeing how car dealerships work, does it bother you that not many women are involved with how most of the dealership is ran?
#4. A followed up to the question before, do you face any disadvantages or advantages being women and working at a dealership?
#5. Lastly what is one thing that dealerships can do to help get women involved with the sales aspect of a dealership, and do you think it would help dealerships or hurt them?
Field Notes:
· As I observed a car dealership the first thing I noticed is that more than majority of the people that work their were men in there upper 30’s were the car sales men
· The mangers who ran the sales department were men in there upper 40 and 50’s.
· The General Sales Manager and Owner were also male and a little bit older than the Managers.
· As I looked around the only women that work out from in the dealership were the receptionist and one woman in the internet department.
· Now as I observed more the only women I rarely ever saw consisted of 7-8 women who worked in the back dealing with the paper side of the dealership.
Now as for the two women I interview they were the only few women who worked in this field. It was very interesting to see what these two particular women thought about the field they worked in.
Katie: Question #1: Honestly I took a job in this field because I was recruited by the General Manger to try a position in this field. He believed that with a couple fresh faces that were women would really help most people feel more relaxed because people do have a stereo type of car salesmen, and that is they are “sleezy”
Katie: Question #2: Yes this is very, very, very, different than any other job because I have only waited tables and have never been in sales
Katie: Question #3: When I first started I was a little bit confused because not a lot of women do work up front in the sales part like I do, as I started working more and more I could see that yes even though I am a women men do handle situations such as car sales a little bit better than women do. I myself as a women get scared or become a little bit timid when customers get upset about a bad car deal and I usually turn to my sales manger who is a male to help calm the situation and let him be the bearer of bad news, I hate being that person.
Katie: Question #4- yes, very much. The one advantage I get over male salesmen is the fact people like dealing with me because I am a friendlier face than most salesmen that customers meet. Customers feel like they can be themselves around me and I like that because I can be myself and it makes the car deal a lot easier than most. The big disadvantage I deal with being a woman in this field is that people tend to take advantage of because I am too nice. People thing they can just tell me what they want and I can get it for them because I can’t take no for an answer.
Katie: Question #5- The one thing that car dealerships can do is to welcome female sales people with open arms because it is really easy to get discouraged in this field.
Write-Up:
My ethnography was based on the field that at car dealerships are mostly ran by men and women are not a big factor in this field. I have worked at a car dealership before and I have noticed that most employees there are males and males tend to be more dominant when it comes to car sales. Lucky for me I worked with a couple of women who were in sales and really took pride in what they did. I liked seeing how males and females approached this field in many different ways. Another cool thing my manager was a women and she was one of the best managers at the dealership and her being a women never affected her in one way.
Sources:
Katie Wilson-Sales Department 405-364-2000. AutoMax Hyundai and Subaru
Anne Maxwell-Sales Manage 405-364-2000. AutoMax Hyundai and Subaru
Central Question: why do men dominate the work force when dealing with most car dealerships in Oklahoma, especially Norman?
Research Design: My research group in class deals with women and the work force, the one major issue I want to research is why women work behind the men, why women aren’t the bosses or the manager. Women in the car dealership field are always the ones behind the scenes; they are the ones who work the payroll and all the accounting aspects while the men run the sales out front. My research will be focused on why women don’t work more in the front rather in the back part of the dealership.
Methodology: The first thing I am going to do to answer my question is to observe a car dealership in Norman on the Mile. My first step is to sit back and watch how things are ran during hours of operation, I am going to observe what kind of jobs men do there and what kind of job women do there. The busiest day for a car dealership is a Saturday and I believe observing on a Saturday will tell the truth how dealerships are run.
Interview Questions:
#1. First off, what made you apply for a job at a car dealership?
#2. Is this job different that any other job you have had in the past?
#3. Seeing how car dealerships work, does it bother you that not many women are involved with how most of the dealership is ran?
#4. A followed up to the question before, do you face any disadvantages or advantages being women and working at a dealership?
#5. Lastly what is one thing that dealerships can do to help get women involved with the sales aspect of a dealership, and do you think it would help dealerships or hurt them?
Field Notes:
· As I observed a car dealership the first thing I noticed is that more than majority of the people that work their were men in there upper 30’s were the car sales men
· The mangers who ran the sales department were men in there upper 40 and 50’s.
· The General Sales Manager and Owner were also male and a little bit older than the Managers.
· As I looked around the only women that work out from in the dealership were the receptionist and one woman in the internet department.
· Now as I observed more the only women I rarely ever saw consisted of 7-8 women who worked in the back dealing with the paper side of the dealership.
Now as for the two women I interview they were the only few women who worked in this field. It was very interesting to see what these two particular women thought about the field they worked in.
Katie: Question #1: Honestly I took a job in this field because I was recruited by the General Manger to try a position in this field. He believed that with a couple fresh faces that were women would really help most people feel more relaxed because people do have a stereo type of car salesmen, and that is they are “sleezy”
Katie: Question #2: Yes this is very, very, very, different than any other job because I have only waited tables and have never been in sales
Katie: Question #3: When I first started I was a little bit confused because not a lot of women do work up front in the sales part like I do, as I started working more and more I could see that yes even though I am a women men do handle situations such as car sales a little bit better than women do. I myself as a women get scared or become a little bit timid when customers get upset about a bad car deal and I usually turn to my sales manger who is a male to help calm the situation and let him be the bearer of bad news, I hate being that person.
Katie: Question #4- yes, very much. The one advantage I get over male salesmen is the fact people like dealing with me because I am a friendlier face than most salesmen that customers meet. Customers feel like they can be themselves around me and I like that because I can be myself and it makes the car deal a lot easier than most. The big disadvantage I deal with being a woman in this field is that people tend to take advantage of because I am too nice. People thing they can just tell me what they want and I can get it for them because I can’t take no for an answer.
Katie: Question #5- The one thing that car dealerships can do is to welcome female sales people with open arms because it is really easy to get discouraged in this field.
Write-Up:
My ethnography was based on the field that at car dealerships are mostly ran by men and women are not a big factor in this field. I have worked at a car dealership before and I have noticed that most employees there are males and males tend to be more dominant when it comes to car sales. Lucky for me I worked with a couple of women who were in sales and really took pride in what they did. I liked seeing how males and females approached this field in many different ways. Another cool thing my manager was a women and she was one of the best managers at the dealership and her being a women never affected her in one way.
Sources:
Katie Wilson-Sales Department 405-364-2000. AutoMax Hyundai and Subaru
Anne Maxwell-Sales Manage 405-364-2000. AutoMax Hyundai and Subaru
Seeing Gender: Billy Elliot
The scene that I am going to be reading gender is from the film Billy Elliot. The two main issues I wanted to focus on relate very closely in this film. The first struggle is between Billy versus his Dad and Brother. When Billy is discovered by his Father and Brother that he is participating in ballet he immediately is called a “puffer” by them. Throughout the whole film Billy struggles with the fight to show them that he can make it as a ballet dance. Secondly, the next struggle is between the Father and Brother fighting the Union. The Elliot family is a lower class family who rely on the Father and older Brother to work in the coal mines and support the rest of the family which includes Billy and his Grandmother. These two struggle relate very closely because Billy constantly struggles with his Dad and Brother telling him ballet is for “Puffers” and only real men work in the mines. Now the struggle between the Dad and Brother versus the Union relate exactly to what Billy is facing when trying to get past the views of the males in this particular Society.
There are a couple of different scenes from the movie that really stand out with showing the two struggles and how they relate to one another. The first scene I want to describe is when Billy is dancing in the gym with his teacher and he is being very elaborate and exciting with his performance in ballet, then the scene flops to where Billy’s Dad and Brother are at the picket line throwing different objects and yelling at the ones who crossed the picket line to go back to work in the coal mines. The scene constantly flips back and forth showing Billy lost in his dancing and he Dad and Brother in hatred because the other men crossed the picket line. This scene just really showed the strong emotion Billy had for Ballet and the other scene really showed the strong hatred and emotion the two had because there only form of income was slipping from their finger tips. This scene showed a struggle between patriarchy because while the Dad and Brother are facing their emotion towards the union which all males in that class are suppose to do, Billy is shown in the gym facing other struggle which weren’t something a male as himself should be doing. Billy faced other challenges that most males wouldn’t be facing because their only challenge is to stop the union. I loved how this scene showed that because even though Billy was taking on the roles a male should, he found enjoyment in something he truly loved, even though it wasn’t expected by the males in his family.
The film’s main theme is to show that males and females don’t have any particular roles in society, no such gender can or can not be restricted to any certain role. In the past males have been taught that only men work and women should stay at home and take care of the domestic part and if males were found taking on any other roles than what males were suppose to then something is wrong with them. From the reading by Tannen it discusses that women are the ones who talk to much and men only express themselves when they are in public or want other to feel they are the dominate figure when they talk. This reading also analyzes that men do only speak when other people are around and when it is just him and his wife most males are mainly silent. In the reading this is explained because males are to insecure to expresses how they feel to only one person or to their wife, but when its to a public or a bunch of people males speak right up and let everyone know how they feel. I think this relates to the gender issues we saw in the film Billy Elliot. The reason I say this is because in the movie men are seen as the ones who work in the coal mines and provide for the households, so when Billy is out of the norm and takes up ballet he is looked down upon because that is not what males are suppose to do. Now with the reading males do not expresses themselves when they are alone or with their wives is because males don’t do that, they only expressed themselves when they can sound masculine in front of people, not when they sound feminine because they are expressing their emotions to their wives. Now with both these issues, I believe if more males would step outside of certain norms and break the rules there wouldn’t be so much controversy when males do participate in more feminine acts or roles that male are normally seen doing. I believe that gender roles will always be around not matter what our society goes through, but I do believe that the roles between males and females will become pretty close to extinction only leaving those roles that only need to be either masculine or feminine because its how our society is ran.
The scene that I am going to be reading gender is from the film Billy Elliot. The two main issues I wanted to focus on relate very closely in this film. The first struggle is between Billy versus his Dad and Brother. When Billy is discovered by his Father and Brother that he is participating in ballet he immediately is called a “puffer” by them. Throughout the whole film Billy struggles with the fight to show them that he can make it as a ballet dance. Secondly, the next struggle is between the Father and Brother fighting the Union. The Elliot family is a lower class family who rely on the Father and older Brother to work in the coal mines and support the rest of the family which includes Billy and his Grandmother. These two struggle relate very closely because Billy constantly struggles with his Dad and Brother telling him ballet is for “Puffers” and only real men work in the mines. Now the struggle between the Dad and Brother versus the Union relate exactly to what Billy is facing when trying to get past the views of the males in this particular Society.
There are a couple of different scenes from the movie that really stand out with showing the two struggles and how they relate to one another. The first scene I want to describe is when Billy is dancing in the gym with his teacher and he is being very elaborate and exciting with his performance in ballet, then the scene flops to where Billy’s Dad and Brother are at the picket line throwing different objects and yelling at the ones who crossed the picket line to go back to work in the coal mines. The scene constantly flips back and forth showing Billy lost in his dancing and he Dad and Brother in hatred because the other men crossed the picket line. This scene just really showed the strong emotion Billy had for Ballet and the other scene really showed the strong hatred and emotion the two had because there only form of income was slipping from their finger tips. This scene showed a struggle between patriarchy because while the Dad and Brother are facing their emotion towards the union which all males in that class are suppose to do, Billy is shown in the gym facing other struggle which weren’t something a male as himself should be doing. Billy faced other challenges that most males wouldn’t be facing because their only challenge is to stop the union. I loved how this scene showed that because even though Billy was taking on the roles a male should, he found enjoyment in something he truly loved, even though it wasn’t expected by the males in his family.
The film’s main theme is to show that males and females don’t have any particular roles in society, no such gender can or can not be restricted to any certain role. In the past males have been taught that only men work and women should stay at home and take care of the domestic part and if males were found taking on any other roles than what males were suppose to then something is wrong with them. From the reading by Tannen it discusses that women are the ones who talk to much and men only express themselves when they are in public or want other to feel they are the dominate figure when they talk. This reading also analyzes that men do only speak when other people are around and when it is just him and his wife most males are mainly silent. In the reading this is explained because males are to insecure to expresses how they feel to only one person or to their wife, but when its to a public or a bunch of people males speak right up and let everyone know how they feel. I think this relates to the gender issues we saw in the film Billy Elliot. The reason I say this is because in the movie men are seen as the ones who work in the coal mines and provide for the households, so when Billy is out of the norm and takes up ballet he is looked down upon because that is not what males are suppose to do. Now with the reading males do not expresses themselves when they are alone or with their wives is because males don’t do that, they only expressed themselves when they can sound masculine in front of people, not when they sound feminine because they are expressing their emotions to their wives. Now with both these issues, I believe if more males would step outside of certain norms and break the rules there wouldn’t be so much controversy when males do participate in more feminine acts or roles that male are normally seen doing. I believe that gender roles will always be around not matter what our society goes through, but I do believe that the roles between males and females will become pretty close to extinction only leaving those roles that only need to be either masculine or feminine because its how our society is ran.
Monday, October 27, 2008
My life in Pink
The movie 21 is about a group of MIT students who broke the band in Sin City. The students defeated the Black Jack tables in Las Vegas by using their minds to count cards and win big. This movie portrays Vegas as a city where dreams can happen in a minute or your life could be over in matter of minutes. The movie was advertised with many different views about how Vegas is Sin City and it can either beat you or you beat Vegas. The main character is a very smart MIT student who realized Harvard Medical School is 300,000 dollar and he doesn't have the money for that. A group of students learn to count cards and plan to win big in Vegas. The main advertisement is the group of kids getting carried away with money, sex and living a double life than they would back at MIT.The Trailers for the movie are fast pasted and very exciting because it shows the group of kids embellishing in money and sex. The trailer first shows why the main character turns to counting cards and cheating his way through medical school. He realizes Harvard Medical School is 300,000 and he doesn’t have the money for it. So he teams up with a group of students to learn how to count cards and take over Vegas. After a couple of weekends of winning big he loses sight in why he was really there and spends a lot of money on living a new life which includes sex and women.The reason I chose to write about the movie is because gender my not be the main role in this film is sure does show how gender can influence certain decisions. After winning big in Vegas the kids start to loose sight why they are there and start to indulge in expensive clothes and stripers. They do this to live a double life and escape to a fantasy life where the only thing that matters is sex, alcohol and money. I don't like how they portray Vegas as nothing but sex and lies, the gender roles in this movie are mainly dominate by men but women are involved to be the second hand man if something goes wrong. These portrayals show gender roles in a negative way because of many different things. First off the main roles are dominated by men and the women are just their for show. The males are the smart ones who count the cards and the women are just there for looks which shouldn't be acceptable. Women are just as smart as men and they can be the lead card counter if they really wanted to. Lastly when the students start winning it shows them going to strip clubs and throwing around money like no one else exist to them. I don’t like this because it shows that if you don't have money than you are important to this society and they is the last thing we need when fixing this society
Monday, October 20, 2008
Dolce and Gabbana advertisements are always representing gender in very different ways. They always use ridiculous forms of advertising. All their ads look the same and are always different and out of the ordinary. This particular ad has every sort of gender in this ad. They almost have every ethnicity. They have a Chinese ethnicity, African American women, and white woman who is a redhead. They also have a male who represents a typical in shape good looking male. Dolce never usually uses text; they just have weird images and poses between the men and women in the ad. I don't think Dolce has to use text; their images are so vulgar text is really needed to express the emotion they are trying to express. I picked this ad because it expresses gender in such an extreme way. This ad shows different emotion with each different character in this ad. Each person represents a different ethnicity and they also represent a different emotion. I believe Dolce uses these types of ads because they want attention and when you see the ads you have to look and see whose ad this particular one is. I think they do a good job in the sense of advertisements but not the way they portray women and men when dealing with genders.
I am an advertisement major and Dolce and Gabbana are a highly talked about ad. Dolce has turned to a very vulgar statement when dealing with sex and beauty in their ads. In today's society sex is symbol to and a recognized as an accepting factor for kids and their school lives. I believe that sex sells to younger kids and they like being seen as beautiful and sexy. I believe that sex and gender is a more easily accepted topic with today's younger generation. I think Dolce is doing the right thing with their ads because sex sells and draws attention to their ads, but I don't think its acceptable to portray such women and men how they do in certain ads.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)