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Field Trip

The cultural event I went to was my cousin's 18th birthday. On the picture below I am on the top right of the picture with my cousins. In the Philippines when a girl turns 18 she becomes a woman and has a celebration called a debut. I have never been to one before and I was excited to experience one for the first time. It was a lot different than other parties and celebrations I have been to before. My cousin had a court of her 9 closest guy friends and 9 closest girlfriends. There was a lot of symbolism that was shown at this event. My cousin received 18 roses, 18 dollars bills, and 18 pairs of shoes. The roses are a symbol for her readiness for romance, the 18 dollar bills are for financial stability and independence, and the 18 shoes to help her walk through her journey of womanhood. The 18 shoes are traditionally supposed to be candles to guide the girl in her path into adulthood, but my cousin really likes shoes so she changed what she wanted. I found everything interesting because I have never seen anything like it before. It challenged my thinking on what it means to be a woman. Each culture has a different definition of what it means to be a woman. Some cultures being a woman means having children and taking care of the family. When my cousin received the 18 roses the first one was given by her father and the last one was given by her boyfriend. It was to symbolize her father giving her permission to date and be romantic. This is a similar tradition to asking a father for his daughter's hand in marriage. It relates to PVMC because media shows examples of how society believes women should act. For example, many superhero movies show women having to be saved or needing a man. PVMC many times support negative stereotypes of women. One, in particular, is if a woman is open sexually she is a hoe, but if a man is he is a player and is praised. This experience reminded me that different cultures have different norms and meanings and to be mindful of that. This experience helped me in my development as a critical consumer of media because it was a different experience that reminded me how all cultures are different and all of that is reflected in not only traditions but also PVMC.

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Blog 7

Gender is constructed because society has always created meaning behind what it means to be a woman or man. For instance, toys that are given to children are very gendered. Young girls are given cooking toys, cleaning toys, and baby dolls whereas boys are given toy tools, cars, or sports-related items. From a young age, children are socialized by these norms that society sets. With the toy dolls girls are taught they are the primary caregivers, whereas men are the breadwinners. Femininity and masculinity are often times associated with the two genders. Gender is something that is fluid, but not many people understand that. There are women who are more masculine, there are men that have more feminine characteristics, and there are individuals who fall in between. Gender is fluid and on a spectrum. Being a woman is not exclusively tied with femininity and being a man is not directly tied with masculinity. Toxic masculinity has always been around and is often shown in PVMC. Carls Jr., a fast-food chain, has exploited women and over-sexualized women in their advertisements. They continued to do this until they received backlash for this, but still, many companies exploit women for monetary reasons. Negative traits of toxic masculinity have been passed on throughout history. Sayings like “boys will be boys” has excused the action of men for years. A Gillette advertisement that called out the toxic masculinity for being wrong had a very strong reaction by society. Some people thought it was good that Gillette called out these inexcusable behaviors, but othered vowed never to use their products again. It is crucial for men to speak up on these behaviors in order for anything to change. It is not just the role of women and individuals in the LGBT community. Media advertisements and movies are essential in breaking the norms toxic masculinity has set. Black Panther is one example of a movie that represented women and their strength. The women characters in the movie were not just a sidekick or a damsel in distress that needed to be saved, but they were powerful women who fought alongside the men.

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Blog 5

Cultural appropriation has always been a very controversial topic. It is crucial to understand the intent versus impact. Many individuals may argue that their acts are for an appreciation of the culture and that it was never meant to offend a cultural group. Although intentions may not be to cause harm they can very well have a negative effect on a group as a whole. For instance, black hairstyles such as cornrows or dreads have been associated with unprofessionalism and crime. A personal example I have of this is when I used to work for a local skating rink. One rule they had was that the customers were not allowed to wear any headscarves, head wraps or durags. The explanation the owners gave us was that it was linked to gang affiliation. There was no evidence or facts that suggest this. This rule often forced us to kick out many minorities. Minorities are punished and affected for certain styles, but when celebrities or other people do it there are no repercussions. For example, models like Kendall Jenner have used dreads as a fashion statement. This can be offensive because when people of color have this hairstyle they can be punished, but when white people have used this hairstyle it is celebrated. Another example is Kim Kardashian's new shapewear brand called the Kimono. The Kimono is a traditional Japanese garment. Many people found her actions very offensive. She received backlash and later renamed it SKIMS. There are many examples of cultural appropriation in PVMC. It is essential to speak about it and call people out for it because now individuals have become more aware of it.

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INTRODUCTION TO POPULAR, VISUAL, and MEDIA CULTURE

Popular, visual, media culture defined is an expression of opinions and beliefs through the use of any media platform such as music, advertisements, movies, television shows, and many more. It is used to share your voice which has become more possible with the advancement of technology. I cannot pinpoint one exact way I interact with PVMC because it surrounds everyone everywhere and is unavoidable. I am constantly on my phone, computer, or even just listening to the radio. News and media spread like wildfire. Popular media helps direct the public eye to issues it suits important. For instance, issues like the Amazon wildfires and Flint Michigans water problem are not widely talked about anymore because popular media moves so quickly and directs attention elsewhere. This is where social media can still make issues like this more relevant because it gives individuals more power to share their own voices on issues. To be critical of PVMC is to analyze and understand where sources of information are coming from. Not everything in PVMC can be true. Outlets sharing information can be bais. That is why being critical of this information is important. Also to be critical is to understand the meaning of the message and using symbolism. For example, Krista Suh and Jayna Zweiman designed the “pussyhat” for a symbol of women's power and women's voices being heard in a time where most women's voices are being dismissed. I always try to be critical of PVMC not only to dissect what is true or not but to understand the deeper meanings behind media. It is possible to still enjoy media and still be critical of it. It is essential to be critical of media in order not to become a victim of its consumption.       

PVMC all fall within the same umbrella. In the past, popular media has been used to suppress minorities, but now individuals are able to use their voices to shed light on the injustices that surround our world today. People are able to connect and share their stories and opinions with a click of a button. For instance, in the past things like blackface were used in media portray an untrue stereotype of African Americans. Now people have more of a voice than ever before. Movements such as #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, and #MeToo has been able to spread across all social media platforms allowing individuals to know that they are not alone and that their voice matters too. Celebrities and influencers have also been able to share their stories to connect with people to show how these injustices can affect everyone. Although, there is a lot of backlash from these movements peoples stories are being heard now more than ever. Not only is it being heard from individuals' personal stories but it is represented in music, art, photos, videos, advertisements, and much more. Influential companies such as Nike and Gillette are standing behind people who have been looked over and ignored time after time. For example, Nike sponsored Colin Kaepernick even though the President called him a “son of a bitch.” Also, Gillette came out with an advertisement that coincides with one of Jenny Holzers sayings “raise boys and girls the same way.” These companies got both positive and negative responses from their consumers, but they still worked towards spreading the message of equality. PVMC has been used to promote these messages of peace, love, and positivity.