Introducing: A Final Paper

In a world where it’s easier to visualize men and women as equal than to actually conceptualize it, we have grown accustomed to accepting sexism in the media. Today’s youth has grown up watching women being objectified through every form of entertainment they follow. As young women are taught to accept these circumstances, young men are taught to practice them. Pop culture has embraced sexism as a commonality; a feature which continues to infect our literature, devour our media, and invade our music. Although it is not only females who face this discrimination, women have battled objectification and stereotypes for most of their existence. Through education, revision, and empowerment, women can defy pop culture’s beliefs and let the public know it does not define us as a species.

The Actuality; Housewives of New Jersey

If you can't already tell, I never actually made it to write about "Why Men Love Bitches." My apologizes to those who were waiting patiently. To be honest, it got harder for me to write about the book the more I read it. I think I almost found myself agreeing with this woman (gasp!) who I thought was once an anit-woman man supporter. For my recent writing I was able to tackle something just as interesting. For those followers of reality television, here is a different take on reality.
The Actuality; Housewives of New Jersey

The Bravo series “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” consists of five wealthy, middle aged females who consume themselves in gossip, fashion, money and dramatic events. “Housewife” is a term used loosely here. In attempting to analyze this series, one can witness many sociological patterns being portrayed; struggles with stereotypes, gender roles, an emphasis on social class as well as the depiction of the gender formula found in the majority of pop culture. Reality television as a whole impacts our society negatively, giving us false expectations of actuality while teaching unconstructive American values.

To better understand the series, we must first understand the characters. A commonality among pop culture and television is a formula author Lane Crothers introduces in the text, “Globalization & American Popular Culture.” He states “There is no way to create as much programming as has been described in this chapter in an accessible, audience-friendly way, without telling the same story over and over again.” This meaning, over and over again, we have witnessed the formula for women’s roles in American pop culture, whether it be through reading novels or watching a Disney movie. Four different female stereotypes can be found in the media, and also within the Housewives series. Crothers describes the following in his text; the sex object, the victim, the strong woman, and the traditional housewife. Surprisingly, each sort listed can be directly linked to a character created on the Jersey series. First off, we see the “sex object.” Theresa Giudice, the materialistic fashionista, is constantly done up in makeup, tight clothes and high heels. More than once on the show, Theresa’s husband has confronted her about showing off her body inappropriately. By willingly objectifying herself, Giudice becomes the typical “sex object” in pop culture principle. As for the victim, Danielle Staub deserves an Oscar. Danielle is a woman who victimizes herself on national television for the many mistakes she has conducted and behaviors she continues to practice. A former stripper, prisoner and adulterer, Staub challenges social norms and faces the consequences for her self- destructive actions. Caroline Manzo displays the typical mother and housewife of the show, often focusing all of her energy on cooking, cleaning, and supporting her children and husband. Lastly, Dina Manzo takes on the role of the strong woman. Crother’s describes Dina to a tee, “The strong woman…the superwoman who balances family and career to be a success in the world at large.” Dina is a housewife who also manages a large, honorable charity called Lady Bug. Whether she is feeding her husband, taking care of her daughter, or putting on an event, Dina is constantly seeking achievement.

Popular American culture has followers seeking new insights to what is important in life. American values are no longer defined by individual’s beliefs or American traditions, but rather by the latest trends and products. Consumers are experiencing manipulation through the mass media; this can be specified by Crother’s definition of cultural corruption. Cultural corruption is something that is devastating our society. Mass entertainment, such as reality television, taints individual’s perception of social norms. The Real Housewives of New Jersey for example, manipulates individuals into having false expectations and skewed behaviors. The Jersey housewives are women who live comfortably off of their husbands, gossip about each other, put their eight month old babies in high heels (yes, this really happened), and always need the next best piece of clothing or makeup. This life is not a reality, but to followers, it becomes one. Think about it, these women were ordinary people who are now celebrities because they lie, cheat and steal on national television. This manipulates fans views of how to gain success in life, yet it also defines what success in life is. According to the housewives, mansions, pedicures, hearsay and high heels are all that a girl can hope for.

The influential power of popular culture can easily be considered frightening. As pop culture is deemed a manipulative force, one can only imagine that series such as Housewives alter individual’s view of women. Pop culture is an advocate for cultural homogenization, but what happens when it influences more than just our sense of dress? Stereotypes are prolonged by Bravos reality series and could possibly push to reverse the advancement of women. In Jersey’s Housewives, these five women epitomize common female stereotypes which many women wish to overcome in today’s society. Each woman deems herself a housewife, reiterating the common stereotype that the role of the woman is domesticity. They make it a goal in life to appeal and attain a man all while cooking and cleaning for him, in high heels nonetheless. These five slender, fashionable, made up women are supposed to display reality when it is completely far from it. Everyday women clean without make up on. They do not spend every waking moment in high heels nor do they spend every dollar on clothes. By living off their husband’s money quite comfortably, the housewives give the impression that they cannot survive without their significant other. These “role models” are teaching consumers, who are mostly likely young women, that it is ok to be a helpless object in a man’s life.

Pop culture, in regards to reality television, puts a damper on women’s position in society. The constant struggle to prevail over immovable stereotypes has only become more complicated by programs like Housewives. The mass media does not provide enough models for women to idolize, hence the reason why many young people admire what they believe to be real or reachable in their own lives. Danielle, Theresa, Dina and the rest of the crew provide followers with a twisted view of self image, expectations, and morals.

Pop Culture

Hey everyone,

Welcome to the spot. I created this journal to attempt to display my thoughts and opinions on pop culture through sociological themes. You'll realize my opinions soon enough, but just to give you a preview, I looked up a synonym for pop culture today and found one which I think suits it well; bad taste. Anyway, Pop culture which is directed towards women today has really struck a nerve within. This blog will most likely be me organizing my rants and raves into educational essays, in hopes to show my true feelings towards what Cosmo magazine and Sex in the City (among other things)represent. So stay tuned for the latest writing about a book teaching women how to pretend they are independent, it's called "Why Men Love Bitches." Ciao.