Mean Girls is a movie about a popular click in a highschool that can get away with everything.  Regina, as described by her portrayer, Rachel McAdams, is “the Queen Bee” and Gretchen and Karen are her minions.  The school name for them is “the Plastics.”  I would define being plastic, as being a phony and fake.  This describes this group of three perfectly.  On the outside one would get the feeling that they were the hegemonic ideal of teenage femininity.  They’re popular, rich, and stereotypically beautiful. They own the school and everyone in it.  The thing that got me while watching this film was the way these girls dressed.  They dressed in skimpy clothes and got away with it.  Lianne George states that “in a post-feminist universe, a woman can be the agent of her own objectification and still be empowered” (3).  This is what is happening on the surface for these girls. 

 Jeffrey Brown describes Gretchen perfectly.  He states that “the ideal female body is not just a matter of aesthetics, it is a matter of class” (79).  To get out of trouble about the Burn Book, Gretchen states again, that her father, the inventor of toaster strudel, would not be happy about this.  Gretchen might have the class issue on her side however when it comes to the hegemonic ideal of being your own person and not caring what other people think, Gretchen falls really short.  All she wants to do is please Regina, and pretend to be the perfect girl that she doesn’t feel like she is on the inside.  Lacey Chabert states that her character strives for Regina’s attention and approval.  When she feels threatened by her insecurities, she starts spilling secrets in order to make herself feel important again. 

Karen is blatantly counter hegemonic because she is so naïve and the stereotypical “dumb blonde.”  She fits in with the plastics but they don’t ever give you a glimpse of her personal life.  We don’t know if she is, like the others, rich, but we do know she fits into the group.  I think the whole movie she knows she’s stupid but once Regina starts pointing it out she pretends to be sick and talks about her behind her back. 

Regina is the one who appears to be hegemonic through and through.  She is wealthy, blonde, popular, has anything she can ask for, including the star athlete.  Talking to my roommate about Regina, we discovered that Regina is probably just as insecure as the other girls but has a better way of hiding it.  She feels threatened by Cady so she steals Aaron back.  When the girls kick her out of their lunch table because she’s wearing sweat pants, she publicizes the burn book.  Whenever something threatens her way of life in the school, she pulls some sneaky move to come back on top. 

Cady, played by Lindsay Lohan, is the new girl at school.  She’s counter-hegemonic because she was homeschooled her whole life and grew up in Africa.  She obviously doesn’t fit in when she first arrives and until she herself becomes a plastic didn’t feel like she fit in anywhere.  Cady, unlike the other three, is the only one who has a core group of friends that would be there for her, but when she becomes the hegemonic popular girl, she loses those friends. As Rachel McAdams states, she turns out to be the best plastic of all because she is trying a lot harder than the other girls to fit in.  Also, the other girls realize they are being mean and getting what they want, but Cady doesn’t realize it until the night of her party when she appears to lose everything close to her. 

Mean Girls can mean so many different things to different audiences.  Only being out of high school for a short period of time I distinctly remember the clicks and the popular kids and feeling like I don’t fit in anywhere.  This movie stresses extremes.  It shoes the hegemonic popular girl in most high schools in a little more extreme way but it really shows the pointlessness and immaturity behind their actions.  Mean Girls tries to teach that you need to be yourself to be beautiful.  Once you find that, you can break through any walls and truly be who you are meant to be.

Brown, Jeffrey.  “Class and Feminine Excess: The Strange Case of Anna Nicole Smith.” Feminist Review. Volume 81, Issue 1, 2005, pp 74-94. 

George, Lianne.  “Why are we dressing our daughters like this?” Maclean’s. Volume 119, Issue 52/53, 1/1/2007.

Mean Girls.  Dir. Mark Waters. Paramount Pictures, 2004.

Eight blogs with two movie blogs does seem intimidating however when breaking it down with the readings and powerpoints, I don’t see how it would work with fewer blogs.  I knew almost every Friday I would have a blog due and it made me stay on top of the readings.  I didn’t mind when the deadlines where changed because they were never changed in a way that we would have a shorter time to get them done.  I’ve had professors who move a deadline closer and that’s really stressful.  Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything about the blog assignments.  At first I thought it would be a hassle to get so many done and I had never blogged before but I’ve never had such a productive way of learning.  I’ve never had a class that I was so interested in and although I would curse a little when it was Thursday night and I forgot about a blog, it still taught me a lot!  I feel like it was the most productive way to read and learn.  I would definitely continue with how you are assigning these blogs.

 “Right now Britney Spears is the most popular southerner in the world,” writes Gavin James Campbell in his 2001 article (82).  It is now eight years later and some could argue that the same is true.  In 2001, Campbell believes that the world is fascinated with Britney Spears’ southern charm and sweetness.   She was the “’sweet Southern Miss,’ ‘down home country-girl,’ ‘Southern belle’” (84).  When she released her first album she was depicted as exactly this.  She was the gorgeous virgin with an angelic voice.  The biggest scandal that surrounded her was her relationship with Justin Timberlake and if they actually slept together or not. She’s cited as saying, “I’m living proof that you can succeed, no matter where you’re from or how little you have” (84).  She’s the spokesperson for the American Dream.  Laurie Ouellette defines the American Dream as “the myth of equality of opportunity… that anyone can gain access to economic capital through individual effort and talent” (122).  I personally believe that Britney’s version of the American Dream is a one in a million shot that could be viewed as destructive if you strive for this type of fame.  The American Dream that Britney is talking about might be what little girls hope for but for me the American Dream has to be defined by you, for you.  In today’s world of get rich quick and instant fame, the American Dream can be more dangerous as kids see fame as doing something stupid and risky to get on the local news.

The Britney of then could be viewed as an inspiration for the American dream but the Britney of today is a different person.  She is most popular today for her mental breakdowns and episodes of insanity.  In February 2007 she shocked the world by cutting off her iconic golden locks.  She took her children on rides without car seats and went into public without underwear.  The world was shaken at the 2007 Video Music Awards for her “comeback performance.”  She was criticized for lip syncing but the media grabbed onto her body image.  They said she looked thick and “fat” when to me she looked like any average girl in America.  While she didn’t look like her normal skinny self I thought she looked healthy.  The media took this Britney rollercoaster for a ride.  She was a body out of control.  She shaved her head and kept on her baby weight a little longer than celebrities normally do.  In Hollywood, celebrity moms are famous for shedding their baby weight in a matter of weeks.  For Britney it seemed to be taking longer and the media thought this was horrible.  They latched onto her troubles and created her into a media monster.  They followed her night and day hoping to catch a glimpse of something.  They made her out to be a horrible mother who was also very provocative.

Two months after her nightmarish VMA performance in 2007, Britney released her Piece of Me music video.  Britney was now saying screw you to the media and I personally cheered her on.  She addresses everything that the media had been doing to her through the year.  She says she’s been famous for so long that it really doesn’t matter what she does, they are still going to put the worst pictures of her in the magazines.  She addresses the issue of her body image saying “I’m Mrs. She’s too big now she’s too thin.”   She turns the tables on the paparazzi saying they take advantage of different situations for their shots.  She blames the pap for causing the “panic in this industry.”  She shows that yes she likes to have a good time but this doesn’t make her a whore.  It doesn’t make her a virgin or a saint but her whole point is that the media is going to paint her in whatever light they choose.  If they feel her body isn’t the perfect hegemonic anymore then they will address it by taking unflattering pictures.  If they want to paint her as a whore then they will position themselves to get their shot.  The whole song is saying I can be me, I might not be perfect but they will say what they want and you know what, bring it on!

Campbell, Gavin James.  “I’m Just a Louisiana Girl: The Southern World of Britney Spears.”  Southern Cultures.” ­Southern Cultures.  Volume 7, Number 4, Winter 2001, pp. 81-97.

Ouellette, Laurie.  “Inventing the Cosmo Girl.” Gender, Race, and Class in Media. 2^nd ed. Ed. Gail Dines, Jean McMahon Humez. California: Sage Publications, 2003.

Hegemonic lifestyles are being challenged in my mind even as I write this paper.  The idea of my parents getting divorced frightens me even though I know it’s a miracle to have so many relationships working in one family.  In my mind, the only kind of relationship is a monogamous one.  To even contemplate being okay with having an alternative lifestyle is unthinkable in my mind.  I have always dreamed of meeting “mister right,” and having that one special person who was mine.  One I wouldn’t have to share with anyone else, who would love me forever and always.  When I read Sarah Smith’s description of polyamory I cringed a little inside.  She states that polyamory simply means “many loves…a diverse range of nonmonogamous relationship styles” (514).  I’ve never contemplated this type of lifestyle before.  Then I realize how conflicted I am because I watch The Girls Next Door all the time and never found it strange that Hugh Hefner always has three girlfriends.  I guess I’ve never thought about it because of the way that I’ve been raised.  Smith goes on to state “some believe polyfidelity or intimate networks are conducive for childrearing because they mirror the support provided by extended family” (514).  Reading this statement I find myself saying, what’s wrong with a real extended family?  I find myself conflicted all the time with this new hegemonic ideal of marriage.  I can’t go into a family gathering without it coming up that I am 21, still single, and not going to be getting married and having kids anytime soon.  I’ve slowly come to realize, that I am challenging the hegemonic ideas of my family.  On one hand, I can’t imagine being single for much longer, or having multiple partners, but at the same time I want to prove to my family that I can be single and happy; at least for a little while.  In a way it’s exhilarating to think that I’m challenging this hegemonic belief that my family has held for generations, but am I really challenging it to the outside world?  I still wake up many mornings thinking, maybe today’s the day I’m going to meet him, and I still have those moments when I get depressed and think I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life.  So am I really challenging the hegemonic? Are any of us really? Or when the lights are off and you’re lying in bed, do you secretly dream about happily ever after?

Smith, Sarah.  “Polyamory.” Encyclopedia of Aging and Public Health. Springer Science+Business Media, 2008.

Hegemonic masculinity can be difficult to define.  In contrast to hegemonic femininity, which most people associate with being skinny, blonde, big chested, sensitive, motherly and male dependant, hegemonic masculinity is defined more in cultural terms.  Some people associate big muscles and small brain to masculinity.  Some associate fatherly, slightly sensitive, yet still able to be the bread winner as hegemonic.  Still others associate violence and assertiveness as masculine.  Katz explains that “stressing gender difference… means defining masculinity in opposition to femininity.  This requires constantly reasserting what is masculine and what is feminine.  One of the ways this is accomplished…is to equate masculinity with violence, power, and control” (351-352).

This is the exact definition of masculinity that is represented by the Hmong gang in Gran Torino.  We see the drastic difference between Thao and his cousin, who appears to be the leader of the local Hmong gang, as a reference point to what is considered masculine and what is considered feminine in the Hmong culture.  Thao’s grandmother doesn’t consider him as a man because he is washing dishes and does whatever his sister tells him to do.  The contrast, Thao’s cousin, is a tough, gangster, someone who “no one wants to fuck with.” According to the FBI brief on Hmong Gangs above, Hmong gangs have expanded into many violent crimes such as homicides, auto thefts, and gang rapes; all of which are evident in the film.  The initiation for Thao to join the gang was to steal Walt’s Gran Torino.  Walt Kowalski, the old bitter neighbor, seems to find it more humorous that Thao couldn’t complete the task then angry about his Gran Torino almost being stolen.  According to Walt, masculinity is a tough, white, heterosexual guy who stands up for what he believes in and doesn’t take crap from anyone.  After witnessing Thao assist his elderly neighbor when she drops her groceries, Walt takes Thao under his wing, although not willingly at first, and tries to teach him what it means to be a “real” man.  He mocks Thao in the basement as he lets the girl he has a crush on walk out with other guys.  Walt teaches Thao the opposite of most Hmong young male culture is the true meaning of masculinity.  Getting a job, getting a nice woman and being respectful to her, and helping out when others are in need.  He makes Thao fix the house across the street and then gets him a job in construction; aka “real man’s work.”

Without Walt’s guidance Thao could have easily fallen into the Hmong gangster culture.  Bell Hooks states that “gangsta rap celebrates the world of the material, the dog-eat-dog world where you do what you gotta do to make it even if it means fucking over folks and taking them out” (117).  Part of doing what you have to in order to survive appears to mean abusing and raping young Hmong girls as threats to their families.  The movie doesn’t focus on this real life problem as much as the FBI’s brief focuses almost seventy five percent on this issue.  After shooting Thao’s house, the family quickly realizes that Sue could be in grave danger.  She comes stumbling through the front door barely conscious, and doesn’t say a word.  This behavior is consistent with real life problems of Hmong gang rape.  The FBI states that victims are often afraid to come forward in fear of the gang’s backlash.  The priest in the movie states that no one in the family is talking to the cops.  The viewer is left to believe that they are doing this in fear of what the gang will do to retaliate. 

As the movie progresses, we see Walt giving in to the crisis of masculinity because he seems to have a fear of what his neighborhood, a symbol of masculinity, is turning into.  He makes comments about Thao being a “pussy,” and the barber must be half-Jew because he keeps raising his prices.  He makes racist comments through the beginning of the movie but we see a slow transformation as the movie progresses.  Walt shows that he understands that the only thing he needs to fear is other people’s safety because of the Hmong gang.  He reaches out and protects his new neighbors, and even opens up to Thao’s form of masculinity.  He states that Thao and Sue will never have a chance in this life as long as the Hmong gang is around and by saying this in contrast to saying Thao doesn’t have a chance because he’s a sissy shows that Walt is understanding that ethnicity has nothing to do with surviving in this world. Walt learned while he was teaching Thao that masculinity can be a mix of different cultures and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Gran Torino. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Matten Productions, 2008.

Hooks, Bell. Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations. New York: Routledge, 1994.

Katz, Jackson.  “Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity.” Gender, Race, and Class in Media. 2^nd ed. Ed. Gail Dines, Jean McMahon Humez. California: Sage Publications, 2003.

United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2003 Law Enforcement Bulletins. “ The Violence of Hmong Gangs and the Crime of Rape.” Washington: GPO, 2003.

Dolce and Gabbana have been known to use provocative and controversial ads as their major marketing campaigns.  They use images of naked women and men to sell jeans, perfume, clothing, and so on.  In the above ad, Dolce and Gabbana are using an interesting role reversal that is not typical for most marketing departments.  In many Dolce and Gabbana ads, they use one woman and many men in various positions; many times appearing to gang rape or objectify the woman.  In this ad, quite the opposite seems to be happening.  The man in the front is being pulled by two women, and the man in the back appears to be getting scolded in a way that a little boy would be scolded by their mother after rolling around in the mud in his church clothes. 

Susan Bordo states, “I don’t think it’s correct to say that these ads depict men as ‘sex objects’…what these representations offer is a body that is depersonalized, flat, a mere thing… [the] images are suffused with ‘subjectivity,’ they speak to us, they seduce us” (186).  I think a part of Bordo’s statement could be seen as valid.  Because the men are naked in this ad, in contrast to the woman being naked, they could appear to be just “mere things,” simply props in the ad for women’s dresses.  However because of the facial expressions on the women, I feel the opposite of Bordo’s statement is true for this particular ad.  The women are looking at the men like, “How do you like it?!” The women are acknowledging the fact that this whole ad is a reversal of the norm.  The women aren’t the sex objects in this ad; the men are.  And it appears that the men realize this with the way their bodies are positioned.  They are also acknowledging the fact that this isn’t the norm; that their actions have caught up with them. 

What makes this ad interesting is the fact that it completely breaks the norm.  In most ads, Susan Bordo’s argument would be correct.  Men who are normally naked in advertisements own it; they make the viewer want to look.  This ad is so fascinating to me because it breaks the way society views masculinity.  This ad questions masculinity.  What is it really?  This ad is saying men will act the way that they do, but ladies, with the right outfit and the right attitude you can fight back and make men cowards.   This isn’t the way masculinity is supposed to work which is why it breaks the mold.  It makes the viewer sit back and rethink masculinity is a sense that if these incredibly handsome, built men can be made to act like cowards, maybe masculinity isn’t what we’ve been assuming it is.  Maybe masculinity has a soft yet cowardly side to it as well.

Bordo, Susan. The Male Body: A New Look at Men in Public and in Private. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giraux, 1999.

The hegemonic ideal of femininity is being a size two, five foot ten, having c cup breasts, long flowing blonde hair, high cheekbones, thick Angelina Jolie lips, and a big Kim Kardashian behind.  The problem with these ideal features is that they are completely unrealistic expectations.  There might be the one in a million supermodel that has all these features naturally; however this is not what you see walking down the street in suburbia.  The idea of a perfect woman is what makes shows like Nip Tuck last for six seasons.  Nip Tuck pulls its ideas from reality television such as Extreme Makeover however it fantasizes the complications of plastic surgery. People are fascinated by the idea of being able to look perfect without the pain.   Plastic surgery is a very expensive, painful and drastic way to change your appearance, and most people who go under the knife do it because they believe that it will make them feel like a brand new person.  We have all seen what plastic surgery does for women on Extreme Makeover and it makes us all believe that a few “simple” procedures will help us feel the same way about ourselves.  Most women step out of the shower and look in the mirror, pulling the skin on their face and stomachs, thinking, if only I could get rid of this fat.  If I could just get the fat sucked out of my stomach and my neck then I will feel so much better about myself.  Bordo states that “fat is the devil, and we are continually beating him… pummeling and purging our bodies, attempting to make them into something other than flesh” (454; ch. 51).  All the women in this promo are tall, incredibly thin, white women who lead us to believe that they got these bodies through the plastic surgery in the show.  The governmentality represented in this promo shows that plastic surgery is the only way to get the hegemonic look.  Most women going in for elective plastic surgery will have a picture in their heads representing what (or who) they wish to duplicate by having this procedure.  The problem with promos like Nip Tuck is that they make the viewer believe that they have something that should be fixed.  Whether it be striving for the whiteness of the dancers, or having the thin bodies that they represent, women everywhere are focused on how much fat they could rid from their bodies.  Dias includes a quote from an anonymous forum user on a pro anorexia website.  She states, “let me tell you girls, I am in great shape, but NOT anorexic.  I am 5’4 120 lbs.  There is not an inch of fat on me” (37).  Is this thinking any better than anorexia or bulimia?  Is striving for a fat free body ok as long as we don’t make ourselves throw up after every meal?  Personally I feel like believing we can have a fat free body is a step down from anorexia but still detrimental to ones psyche.  Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could all feel awesome about ourselves and not want to change a thing about what God gave to us?  Unfortunately this isn’t going to be possible and long as there are constant reminders about how we can better ourselves.  As long as there are shows like Nip Tuck and they continue to use thin models to promote their show I’m afraid we will always sacrifice ourselves to becoming the hegemonic. 

 Bordo, Susan.  “Never Just Pictures.” Twilight Zones: the hidden life of cultural images from Plato to OJ. 454 – 466. University of California Press, 1997.

 Dias, Karen. “Journal of International Women’s Studies.” Vol. 4 #2 (April 2003): 31-44.

What really is considered sexy?  For me, I feel sexy when I make an effort to look nice in the morning.  If my hair is done, my makeup’s perfect and I’m wearing a new cute outfit that shows a little but not too much cleavage then I can feel pretty sexy.  So what’s wrong with this image?   According to this Victoria’s Secret ad, nothing.  This ad shows the hegemonic ideal of young womanhood is to be tall, thin, beautiful, white, and full chested.  According to Lull, “Hegemony implies a willing agreement by people to be governed by principles, rules, and laws they believe operate in their best interests, even though they may not” (63).  Do we all really willing agree to this ideal of sexuality?  Most women watching this ad suddenly think, “If only I could look like that then I could find a man.”  Maybe if we as women go out and buy black lacy underwear and a push up bra, we too will feel sexy about ourselves.  It’s this thinking that shows that we do agree subconsciously with this ideal woman even if outwardly we don’t want to admit it.  It’s almost impossible for me to watch a Victoria’s Secret commercial or even walk past the store and not think, maybe if I buy a push-up then I will finally find the right guy for me and maybe I’ll be more confident about myself.  Unfortunately for most young girls, we all have televisions, internet, or at least one friend who gets the catalog in the mail.  We can’t escape this ideology. 

Another, perhaps more interesting part of this commercial is the use of props that are usually linked with men. This commercial uses the models to act out male fantasies.  Have you ever walked into a Victoria’s Secret store and seen a male who obviously didn’t want to be there.  I remember walking in and seeing a husband and wife with their teenage boy and immediately I noticed the uncomfortable look on both the husband and the son’s faces.  So why in this ad do they show half dressed women acting as a sexy secretary and walking next to a sports car?  They also have many models in revealing positions and even on a bed.  While lingerie is most normally linked with sex, what woman doesn’t need to wear a bra and panties?  So why is the ad trying to appeal to men through sex when they could just as easily have a commercial trying to explain how comfortable these two necessary items of clothing are.  Jhally explains “In advertising, gender (especially for women) is defined almost exclusively along the lines of sexuality” (253). By appealing to the male fantasies, they are trying to convince women that this is what we have to look and act like to get a guy to want us the same way they want these models.  And really, who walks around at night with only a bra, panties, and a trench coat on.  Yet this thinking doesn’t go through my mind as I watch it.  As I watch this ad I agree with their slogan.  This is sexy.  These women are sexy. 

Lull, James. “Hegemony.” Gender, Race, and Class in Media. 2^nd ed. Ed. Gail Dines, Jean McMahon Humez. California: Sage Publications, 2003.

Jhally, Sut. “Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture.” Gender, Race, and Class in Media. 2^nd ed. Ed. Gail Dines, Jean McMahon Humez. California: Sage Publications, 2003.

2. Year in school: Junior

3. Major/minor: Accounting / women’s studies

4. Languages you speak: English, German (a little rusty)

5. Which other women’s studies classes have you taken? (If none, N/A): 110, 215, 317

6. Which other popular culture studies classes have you take? (If none, N/A): Women in film

7. Why are you taking WS 230?: I am really interested in pop culture as well as women’s studies so a class that combines both is perfect for me!

8. What is your favorite band/musician/song? I really love Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, and Chris Tomlin.  Right now I would have to say my favorite song is Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)

9. Movie? I don’t have a favorite movie but the most recent movies I’ve seen are 17 Again and Bride Wars.  I will always have a special place in my heart for Bring It On the original though.

10. TV show? sooooo many!! But right now my must see shows are Greek and Project Runway

11. website/video game? Obsessed with Facebook

12. Embed a picture of yourself!

Me with my dog Coco and my cat Chloe

13. Embed a video you like!

Ohio State Buckeyes