Lady Gaga and Feminism-Follow up to Blog 2

Lady Gaga and Feminism

I know Lady Gaga from her music only by hearing it on the radio and I also know that she is known for her provocative dance moves and lyrics. However, I don’t really know much about her as a person or about what she believes in.  

In an article written by Lily Rowen, called Gaga and Ke$ha Champion New Feminism, she states that in the “Los Angeles Times article published last December, Lady Gaga called herself a little bit of a feminist, saying, I find that men get away with saying a lot in this business, and that women get away with saying very little”.

Perhaps, Lady Gaga does consider herself a feminist, as I now know there are many definitions for the term that many different people believe in. I suppose she is somewhat like the new Madonna. When Madonna first emerged in the music industry her actions and lyrics were none like anyone had ever seen from a woman before. In a way, Lady Gaga is doing the same thing. It seems extreme to us now, but perhaps pushing boundaries is how we came to be where we are now in the first place.

Still, I can’t say that I believe she is a good role model for young women and girls, but again I really don’t know that much about her either. I don’t see her doing much more than dancing provocatively and singing racy lyrics. I don’t know anything that she is doing that seems positive for young women and girls. I personally would want young women and girls to act in the same way that Lady Gaga acts on stage, but everyone has different opinions. Feminism is about women having equal rights as men, but it doesn’t seem to me that what Lady Gaga is doing and the way she acts is helping women gain equal rights. Will having women dance provocatively help them gain equal rights-maybe, but I hope not.

http://media.www.oxyweekly.com/media/storage/paper1200/news/2010/03/19/Opinion/Gaga-And.Keha.Champion.New.Feminism-3891972.shtml

Blog Post # 2 in response to Question B

Feminism

It seems that there is no one set definition of what feminism is as everyone has their own attitudes and beliefs as to what the word stands for. To me, feminism is the act of shaping the world to believe that all women, regardless of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation, both are seen as equal and also believe themselves to be equal to any other human being. I also believe that feminism relates specifically to women’s rights, but that the concept as a whole embodies the right that every person should be treated equal.

            The word feminism, in this century, unfortunately has a negative connotation associated with it because of the myths and misconception associated with feminism. Many people believe that all feminists are men-hating, lesbian, bra burning extremists. Sure, some feminists are angry and most likely with good reason, but there are many types of feminists. Some which include the cultural feminist, conservative feminist, revolutionary feminist, and socialist feminist all who believe in the notion of feminism but want to achieve different and specific goals.

            Until I saw this video, “The F Word”, I honestly can say I never gave much thought to feminism and I certainly had not defined myself as a feminist. But, based upon what I believe feminism to be, I do believe that I am a feminist. I feel that the feminist movements have come so far, that until now, I have taken for granted how fortunate I am to be considered an equal among peers, in the workplace, and  in many other settings. I was shocked when I found out that marital rape was not made illegal until 1976 and that was only in some states. 1976! That was only 35 years ago. My grandparents grew up in that period, my parents not far behind them, and for that to have been legal then is mind boggling to me.

            I think that because women now expect equal rights we forget how hard we had to fight to obtain what we have today. The third wave of feminism is present now, and feminists are still fighting to have total equality. Maybe it is not as prevalent in society as it was decades ago or maybe it is and I just don’t realize it, but it still exists. In the end, I believe as long as women are still in the world feminism will continue to be part of this world.

Blog Post # 1 in response to Question A-Jmn77

Bell Hooks created her own terms, “white supremacist capitalist patriarchy” to form a language that would remind people of the “interlocking systems of denomination that define our reality”.  She wanted to emphasize and use this phrase to say that not just one specific issue, for example race or gender, is important but that all these are simulatenous aspects of our lives. Hooks believes that people are more reluctant to account for identity, and thus they have a harder time recognizing when this occurs- especially through certain medias such as film, television or popular culture.

One example used by Hooks of how the media furthers various forms of oppression involves rap music. She states that rap music is extremely diverse in its theme, context and style. However, the rap music that is most popular “perpetuates misogyny, sexism and is the most obscene in its lyrics”.

It is the young white male consumers that are purchasing rap music. Hooks believes that they are the ones who are most energized by misogyny and eroticism, and therefore that form of rap is making the most money. Young black men, who typically are creating this music, know that they can make a lot of money talking about sexual acts with women. Whether or not these young men believe in what they saying, it is still going to have an impact on many people. Specifically, it will negatively impact the relationships between black men and women as well relationships between many other types of couples.

This situation is a perfect example of the power of representation. Although people want to deny the “direct link between representation and how we live our lives” one can conclude that after enough rap images and lyrics have been heard, this type of male behavior towards women will become acceptable. Unfortunately, because of the media and rap singers concerned with only making a profit there is no end to the negative impact and fallout that could occur with relationships between men and women and the treatment of women because of rap music.

I believe that Hooks is absolutely correct in her assertion that rap music and the media furthers various forms of oppression. Everyone has their own style of music, but in the end some aspects of rap music are detrimentally affecting our society. Rap promotes women in a very sexual way and portrays men as being very dominant towards women. As long as money can be made, the media is certainly not going to help correct the situation anytime soon and only time will show the exten of  much of a negative impact rap music will have on American culture and society as whole.