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Counterpoint: Sex and the City: Not so Much Sex in the City.

Sex and the City: Not So Much Sex in the City

The movie, Sex and the City, reinforces a lot of the hegemonic views. It mostly perpetuates the status quo of racism and class. Sex and the City has limited representation of color. Jennifer Hudson is the only African American woman who has a role in the movie. Both Carrie and Samantha took advantage in reinforcing enlightened sexism. Carrie will spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of shoes just because she can, while Samantha run’s around the city “sex’n” up the place. Let’s not forget about Carries over the top wedding in the movie, you know, the one Big eventually did not show up to. Lastly, eating the other, Carrie was very heartbroken that her “ fairy tale wedding” was without a groom, so she traveled to Mexico hoping to find a peace of mind.

This whole entire movie dealt with the lives of four white women Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte. If anyone has not noticed there isn't much representation of colored people. Well at least there is one women of color in the movie the famous singer, Jennifer Hudson. However she does not have a leading role and her characters involves less power. Hudson’s character was made to enhance the life of Carrie; she was basically her help while the other characters had great financial status and careers. Hudson’s role was to play a low class woman from down south who migrated to the north to make money. This shouldn't be that hard for Hudson to do right, since she is Black and was from a low-class family.

It is not a hidden secret the Carrie Bradshaw will go shopping in Manhattan and spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of high heels. In the movie she spent nearly $500 on a pair of heels and never wore them until she finally gotten married. Cash rules everything in the world today and there are no exceptions in the fake lives of Sex and the City. There is no representation of low-class, white women in the movie. Let’s switch gears and talk about Samantha shall we. Samantha is definitely not afraid to talk about her sexuality for the whole New York knows it. She calmed down a lot in the movie however because she was in a long term relationship. But of course Samantha could not resist her sexually urges when she laid her eyes on a good looking neighbor. Eventually she left her mate to sex New York, like she had been for years. In general media was never shy or put a limit on portraying sex to the public. Society wants us to have heterosexual sex and lots of it, society just doesn't want women to be open about it, which makes Samantha’s character stand out. In the article, Enlightened Sexism, Susan J. Douglass states “In Sex in the City, with its characters who were successful professionals by day and Kama Sutra masters by night, there was no such thing as the double standard: women had as much sexual freedom, and maybe even more kinky sex, than men”.

Society encourages being out of control when it comes to our spending habits and what we can afford. A person’s wedding day is no exception and we see that here in the movie. According to the article, Unraveling The Knot, Erika Engstrom states “Various media products focus on the wedding, its surrounding mercantilism, and underlying message to women that they need a large, expensive wedding in order to move from being single to being married”.  First Carrie thought the day of Big asking her to marry him would never happen, so when it finally did she turn her whole wedding into a city event. Carrie participated in photo shoots, generated publicity from the entire city and spent thousands of dollars on the wedding dress of her dreams. Society encourages us to BUY the wedding of our dreams; it’s not about the love anymore.

When Big didn't show up for the wedding, Carrie decided her honeymoon to Mexico was now a vacation with her friends to get over her heartbreak. Exotic trips such as Carrie’s, is represented as learning experiences for white people. Society says that if we have the financial resources than we can BUY our way into happiness. In the article, Eating the Other: Desire and Resistance, Bell Hooks states “The over-riding fear is that cultural, ethic, and racial differences will be continually commodified and offered up as new dishes to enhance the white palate that the Other will be eaten, consumed, and forgotten”. If your low-class, poor and don’t have the resources than your shit out of luck. In result, should we stop going to yoga retreats or Italy vacations? I don’t think we should stop however I believe consumerism should stop hyping multiculturalism to be the only way of finding ourselves. Truth be told, if you cannot find peace in your own home, it is highly unlikely that you will find peace somewhere else.

So we can see how all these counterpoints of limited representations of color, enlighten sexism, over the top wedding and eating the other can be problematic to our society. When the media reinforces these hegemonic views it prevents growth for society. We’re being hundred by the same representations and values since the beginning of time. It’s about that time for a change to take place because if society keeps heading down this same narrow path we will never grow.

This is a counterpoint analysis on Sex and the City the movie with Black-beautiful-curious. 

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I came across this video. It is said that Carlisle Cullen, Edward’s father who is also a doctor is Forbes so called “richest fictional character.” I thought this was interesting as we learned in class that he is the typical person that would be in the upper class. He is an older white male. He...

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Vampire Diaries is very similar to Twilight. We have the two guys, who happen to be brothers that are fighting over the same girl, who is helpless. While I feel that this T.V. series is much more interesting than Twilight, it has a lot of the same problems as far as sexism and...

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I was in my car on my way home from work today when Carrie Underwood’s “Good Girl” came on the radio. My first thought was, “this is a welcome break from Christmas music.” My second thought was that this song, and others like it play into this purity myth. This isn’t a phenomenon exclusive to Taylor and Carrie, or even to more conservative country music and the audience that it attracts. 

This is a song released by the Jackson 5 in 1970. It’s very overtly telling girls to save themselves. The song (and the sentiment) was popular- it held the top of the Billboard 100 for two weeks. 

This is just another example of what awareness about what you’re consuming will do for you. I’ve known this song since I was a little kid- but I never thought about it as a moral statement about purity until we started discussing purity in class.

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Click Here for the video.

I found this piece of media to be VERY interesting. It is basically a video on domestic violence and the signs that you may be in an abusive relationship. The twist? It references quotes from twilight that are typical things that an abuser would say in this type of...

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Okay…how do I do this without a PowerPoint? Twilight….

A lot of this seems so obvious, so I’m having a hard time grappling with writing about things that I don’t feel need a lot of explanation. Here goes…

Bella

Bella has no personality. She has no job, she has no direction, she...

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Relevant Re-blog: Claiming Sexuality

Relevant Re-blogs: Claiming Sexuality

Kim Kardashian interviews with Oprah about her sex tape with Ray J,

Take a Look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRGBB20jg2c

About ten years ago Kim’s sex tape leaked out unintentionally for the world to see. This event was life changing and devastating for Kim K because, the world has never seen her in this image. However the sex tape has brought many opportunities for Kim and her family. Currently there are young women such as, Lawrence Fishbourne’s, daughter who made a sex tape in the hopes that it will make her famous like Kim K. Kim admits that the sex tape is her biggest regret but she has to move on with her life. 

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Relevant Re-blog: Twitter

Relevant Re-blogs: Social Networking

The Twitter world,

Take a Look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2HAroA12w

This clip above is so hilarious because it is simply telling the truth. My generation has been taken over by this particular social networking site. Usually my generation will get hooked on something and then let it go once it  becomes out of style but Twitter has been around for a few years now and no one seems to have gotten over twitter. Being a user of Twitter myself, I can see why it is still so widely used. Twitter gives us a chance to be publish anything we want, whenever we want, where ever we want.

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Relevant Re-blog: Childhood Socialization

Relevant Re-blogs: Childhood Socialization

Here’s a clip from Blue’s Clues,

Take a Look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1yMHwj_nh0

I believe Blue’s Clues has a positive impact on childhood socialization and I wish they would have more kid shows like it. I grew watching this show and it has helped me to become very efficient in my early stages of schooling. Nothing about the show pressures children to get married at a young age or anything bizarre of that nature, just good old fashion learning. We need more Blue’s Clues, I miss those days.

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Relevant Re-blog: Race, Class, and the Family

Relevant Re-blog: Race, Class and the Family

Here’s a clip from the hit television series Everybody Hates Chris,

Take a Look:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO51P_usMd4

Everybody Hates Chris is comical based on the life and narration of a famous African American comedian name Chris Rock. The show was about his childhood in the 1970’s, growing up in the streets of New York. Rock was the eldest of two siblings, his father worked two jobs, and his mother worked while taking care of the children. In the clip above, the family had bet the mother $5 that she could not get angry for a day. So there trying their level best to get her to scream and yell so she can pay up.

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Relevant Re-blog: Picturing Disability

Relevant Re-blog: Picturing Disability

Here’s a mini clip of the show Hoarders,

Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVg-_e-jPO4

Hoarders may not be a physical disability but it is definitely a mental disability. Hoarders are people who have gotten out of the habit of cleaning and are comfortable with living in a cluttered and dirty environment. They’re basically living on the streets but with a roof over their heads. It was surprising to see society become so accepting to such a show. Well society may not be so accepting because by the end of every episode there are people who appear to help the hoarders get over there disability because of course we can’t have people living like that in our society. NO WAY dude! (In my sarcastic voice). 

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Relevant Re-blog: Funny Women

Relevant Re-blog: Funny Women

Below is a clip from the hit series on E! Fashion Police.

Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s4EE4eLJaY

Here we have a group of women followed by a homosexual male and they sit around to talk and make fun of the most popular stars choice of appearance. The leader of the group which is, Joan Rivers, says some of the rudest comments about people that you wouldn't expect of WOMAN of her AGE group to say. However that is the coolest part about the show because you never know the crazy things that is about to come out of her mouth next. 

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Relevant Re-blog: Weddings and Makeover Stories

Relevant Re-blogs: Weddings and Makeover Stories

Below is a clip based solely on “perfect” jeans for women to wear.

Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iLu2uasHr4

            Now already, as you may see, this clip is problematic. Let’s start with the title of the clip which is called PERFECT jeans for WOMEN to wear. This is just the jean segments, not to mention they have a long list of perfections women should wear, buy, or inject their bodies with. There were no suggestions or mentions for the perfect male style of jeans, only women have to keep up with the latest fashion. Let me guess because it’s “our thing”. Makeover shows is the way society would like to see us perfect, perfect, perfect oh and sexy. Meaning women have no room for imperfections, mishaps, or errors even though they are human to or did not society forget that one. 

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Relevant Re-blog: Picturing the Body- Masculinities

Relevant Re-blogs: Picturing the Body: Masculinities

Here’s a clip of Rihanna’s Truth about her altercation with her x-boyfriend, Chris Brown.

Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSl3lhxwhDo

            I remember when I was in high school; I was riding on the school bus, on my way to school and all of sudden I heard on the radio “breaking news, Rihanna was severely beaten by her boyfriend, famous R&B singer Chris Brown”. My mouth was literally hanging down to my chin because I could not believe it. At the time, these two were my favorite singers in this generation of music and I was an utterly shock because I knew things would never be the same with them.

            I can’t help but mention that a lot of people tend to act on a thing they see on television and that is not how it works in real life. Similar to the “Tough Guise” act, most men think that if they go around beating people up it will gain them some sort of respect. It may sometimes but for the most part they will find themselves in a whole leap of shit, just like Chris Brown did. His career was never the same after his fight with Rihanna, he went from American’s idol to just a normal artist. When will they ever learn?

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Relevant Re-blog: Advertising and Consumption

Relevant Re-blog: Advertising and Consumption

I looked up some advertisements from the late 1990’s to see how severe gender roles were placed in advertisements back then.

Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u2Cd_hPBOY

            All of the ads in the clip above were meant for girls probably between the ages of 4-12. The products placed in the ads were dream castles, and puppy dogs. The scenes played out in the ads were dream land and imaginary worlds. There were no young boys placed in the ad and I wonder why, everything is pink, furry, and cuddly. You can’t place a rough neck boy in a girl ad, unless he is saving her life. This is how society believes women to be, soft and pretty. I assume society accepts women to marry wealthy because I didn't see anywhere is this ad that girls are supposed to work hard to live in a castle.

            I guess it don’t matte whether we were living in the 1800’s or 1900’s, gender roles will hunt us forever.

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Relevant Re-blog: Enlightened Sexism

Relevant Re-blog: Enlightened Sexism

            One of hip-hop biggest rap stars, French Montana, came out with one of the hottest rap songs of 2012 called “Pop That”. You don’t even have to guess what he’s asking women to “pop”, if you know what I mean.

Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X98HX5nbsCI

Being that hip-hop is my preference of music, I personally like this song however it has some sexually explicit and disrespectful lyrics against women. 65 percent of the song talks about what every rapper talks about money, cars, clothes, drugs, etc. but the demands of these rappers for the women to do blows my mind.

            Now I know the lyrics are harsh but it is nothing compared to the music video. There are half naked women roaming everywhere from every direction. Girls kissing and feeling on each other, while on national television. We as women came along way from being subjected to men however images and videos such as this music video bring women back down to ground level.

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Q&A for Claiming Sexuality

Claiming Sexuality Q&A:

Q. Why do you think Fifty Shades of Grey has been referred to as “Mommy Porn”?  What do you think that term means and why is it used?

A. I believe Fifty Shades of Grey to be considered as “Mommy Porn” because, society has this perception that a lot of middle aged women, whom have families and don’t have time or is too tired to have sex with their husband, read this book. Once women have reached a certain age they began not to feel as sexy or may not be as sexually active as the once did in their younger days. This book sort of gives women their “sexy back” and sex drive back which allows them to claim their sexuality.

            I think the term “Mommy Porn” is used by society to embarrass moms for reading a sex book. Society does not want women to be open about their sexuality, so they use terms such a “Mommy Porn” to discourage women from reading.