I love this blog posting. I think this is a huge issue in our society. Women need to realize that the models on the front of magazines are not the ideal image of women. In my current women’s studies class, we are learning that being a woman is not a physical definition. Being a woman consists of so many things, I agree.
It isn’t a secret that women, especially teenage girls, face the most pressure to conform to society’s standards. From eating disorders, skin treatments, make-up clothes, we try so hard to fit the qualities that we see as perfect. And what does this do other than cost thousands of dollars and shatter self confidence. We live in a society where plastic surgery can fix anything someone doesn’t like about their body. Does anyone not see a problem with this? Women need to learn that they are perfect the way they are. We should worry about feeling good in our own bodies rather than straining ourselves to impress others. The models and actresses we view as the ideal women are often represented in misleading light. Cosmopolitan and other fashion magazines frame the “perfect” woman on the front cover. We need to understand that these “perfect” women are airbrushed until there isn’t a single imperfection on their face or body. And these women that we view as perfect only make up about one percent of the world’s population.
Beauty certainly does come in all shapes and sizes. Our society and Hollywood has gotten better over the years at representing a wider range of women. From Ugly Betty to Hairspray women who aren’t blonde-haired stick-figures are beginning to show up in our media.
Another problem with society is that women are always over sexualized. Just look at the latest season of Dancing with the Stars. Pamela Anderson represents the expression “less is more.” This is a problem because women shouldn’t be expected to show their “goodies” in order to be happy or successful. A lot of times the people we idol such as the Pussycat Dolls teach us to be sexy. Sexy is good at times, but that isn’t what a woman is. She shouldn’t have to dance around on poles and chairs with no clothes on to get a man’s attention.
A new trend is women beginning to invade the science and math careers. Intelligence is becoming a valued trait by women. It is important that women be appreciated for more than just their physical appearance. I really enjoyed the play that was performed the other day in class because it told the story on the other side of the spectrum. Things that men like in women are not always a woman’s favorite part of herself. With that said, women do need to love themselves before impressing society.

I love this blog posting. I think this is a huge issue in our society. Women need to realize that the models on the front of magazines are not the ideal image of women. In my current women’s studies class, we are learning that being a woman is not a physical definition. Being a woman consists of so many things, I agree.
It isn’t a secret that women, especially teenage girls, face the most pressure to conform to society’s standards. From eating disorders, skin treatments, make-up clothes, we try so hard to fit the qualities that we see as perfect. And what does this do other than cost thousands of dollars and shatter self confidence. We live in a society where plastic surgery can fix anything someone doesn’t like about their body. Does anyone not see a problem with this? Women need to learn that they are perfect the way they are. We should worry about feeling good in our own bodies rather than straining ourselves to impress others. The models and actresses we view as the ideal women are often represented in misleading light. Cosmopolitan and other fashion magazines frame the “perfect” woman on the front cover. We need to understand that these “perfect” women are airbrushed until there isn’t a single imperfection on their face or body. And these women that we view as perfect only make up about one percent of the world’s population.
Beauty certainly does come in all shapes and sizes. Our society and Hollywood has gotten better over the years at representing a wider range of women. From Ugly Betty to Hairspray women who aren’t blonde-haired stick-figures are beginning to show up in our media.
Another problem with society is that women are always over sexualized. Just look at the latest season of Dancing with the Stars. Pamela Anderson represents the expression “less is more.” This is a problem because women shouldn’t be expected to show their “goodies” in order to be happy or successful. A lot of times the people we idol such as the Pussycat Dolls teach us to be sexy. Sexy is good at times, but that isn’t what a woman is. She shouldn’t have to dance around on poles and chairs with no clothes on to get a man’s attention.
A new trend is women beginning to invade the science and math careers. Intelligence is becoming a valued trait by women. It is important that women be appreciated for more than just their physical appearance. I really enjoyed the play that was performed the other day in class because it told the story on the other side of the spectrum. Things that men like in women are not always a woman’s favorite part of herself. With that said, women do need to love themselves before impressing society.

I don’t understand why this idiot is speaking of stupidity in the education system. First off I would like to say that being in school teaches us to be obedient on the sole purpose that a teacher wouldn’t be able to teach the class properly if all the students were misbehaving. Second, I don’t think our teachers conform us to be just like them. Teachers are not guiding our behavior, they are shaping our minds. They are introducing us to ideas and lessons that will shape what we do for the rest of our lives. Obviously not everyone turns out thinking the same way or enjoying the same things, otherwise we would not be at a university right now that has hundreds a different major opportunities. This guy is stupid. Period.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. First off I don’t think that Mandarin is crucial to know in order to be successful in the business field. Even though English is becoming one of the, if not the most common language in the world, I think being bilingual in general is a great plus. Everyone says that English is the hardest language to learn, so I don’t see the harm in learning an easier language. With that said, I think learning a second language should be chose out of a desire to travel to a certain place of the love for the art of that particular language, not because someone says it is important for business.

I love this blog posting. I think this is a huge issue in our society. Women need to realize that the models on the front of magazines are not the ideal image of women. In my current women’s studies class, we are learning that being a woman is not a physical definition. Being a woman consists of so many things, I agree.
It isn’t a secret that women, especially teenage girls, face the most pressure to conform to society’s standards. From eating disorders, skin treatments, make-up clothes, we try so hard to fit the qualities that we see as perfect. And what does this do other than cost thousands of dollars and shatter self confidence. We live in a society where plastic surgery can fix anything someone doesn’t like about their body. Does anyone not see a problem with this? Women need to learn that they are perfect the way they are. We should worry about feeling good in our own bodies rather than straining ourselves to impress others. The models and actresses we view as the ideal women are often represented in misleading light. Cosmopolitan and other fashion magazines frame the “perfect” woman on the front cover. We need to understand that these “perfect” women are airbrushed until there isn’t a single imperfection on their face or body. And these women that we view as perfect only make up about one percent of the world’s population.
Beauty certainly does come in all shapes and sizes. Our society and Hollywood has gotten better over the years at representing a wider range of women. From Ugly Betty to Hairspray women who aren’t blonde-haired stick-figures are beginning to show up in our media.
Another problem with society is that women are always over sexualized. Just look at the latest season of Dancing with the Stars. Pamela Anderson represents the expression “less is more.” This is a problem because women shouldn’t be expected to show their “goodies” in order to be happy or successful. A lot of times the people we idol such as the Pussycat Dolls teach us to be sexy. Sexy is good at times, but that isn’t what a woman is. She shouldn’t have to dance around on poles and chairs with no clothes on to get a man’s attention.
A new trend is women beginning to invade the science and math careers. Intelligence is becoming a valued trait by women. It is important that women be appreciated for more than just their physical appearance. I really enjoyed the play that was performed the other day in class because it told the story on the other side of the spectrum. Things that men like in women are not always a woman’s favorite part of herself. With that said, women do need to love themselves before impressing society.

I love this blog posting. I think this is a huge issue in our society. Women need to realize that the models on the front of magazines are not the ideal image of women. In my current women’s studies class, we are learning that being a woman is not a physical definition. Being a woman consists of so many things, I agree.
It isn’t a secret that women, especially teenage girls, face the most pressure to conform to society’s standards. From eating disorders, skin treatments, make-up clothes, we try so hard to fit the qualities that we see as perfect. And what does this do other than cost thousands of dollars and shatter self confidence. We live in a society where plastic surgery can fix anything someone doesn’t like about their body. Does anyone not see a problem with this? Women need to learn that they are perfect the way they are. We should worry about feeling good in our own bodies rather than straining ourselves to impress others. The models and actresses we view as the ideal women are often represented in misleading light. Cosmopolitan and other fashion magazines frame the “perfect” woman on the front cover. We need to understand that these “perfect” women are airbrushed until there isn’t a single imperfection on their face or body. And these women that we view as perfect only make up about one percent of the world’s population.
Beauty certainly does come in all shapes and sizes. Our society and Hollywood has gotten better over the years at representing a wider range of women. From Ugly Betty to Hairspray women who aren’t blonde-haired stick-figures are beginning to show up in our media.
Another problem with society is that women are always over sexualized. Just look at the latest season of Dancing with the Stars. Pamela Anderson represents the expression “less is more.” This is a problem because women shouldn’t be expected to show their “goodies” in order to be happy or successful. A lot of times the people we idol such as the Pussycat Dolls teach us to be sexy. Sexy is good at times, but that isn’t what a woman is. She shouldn’t have to dance around on poles and chairs with no clothes on to get a man’s attention.
A new trend is women beginning to invade the science and math careers. Intelligence is becoming a valued trait by women. It is important that women be appreciated for more than just their physical appearance. I really enjoyed the play that was performed the other day in class because it told the story on the other side of the spectrum. Things that men like in women are not always a woman’s favorite part of herself. With that said, women do need to love themselves before impressing society.

I agree! I do not think Osama Bin Laden is a terrorist because he is Islamic. He is just a bad person. No matter what religion or God we worship, all religious people believe in being a good person, and that is obviously not what Bin Laden is about. I think it is crucial that we stop pinpointing terrorists based on religion. All religions are united in some way based on everyone’s belief in the afterlife. No matter how different the religion, they all are based on the idea of living you life as a good person, following in the footsteps of a higher power. It is unfair to look at Osama Bin Laden and think that all Islamic people are what he represents.

Everyone is socialized to conform to society at such a young age. If you think about it, we have been socialized back to when we were born. Mothers can never dress their boy babies in girl colored clothes because then people wouldn’t be able to tell the sex of the baby. And then when we entered elementary school, the boys would play sports and rough house at recess while the girls would socialize in their groups. Girls played with Barbies and boys played sports. Even now nobody expects boys to watch “chick flicks.” Girls are supposed to be feminine, wear dresses and fit in.
I agree, everyone does want to fit in. But at what point do we do what we want and not what is expected of us? A lot of times I feel as if men are more nonchalant about societal pressures than women. Take zombie wars for example, the strange game that goes on around campus. A lot of men don’t care what others think, they do what they want. And in a way I admire this. A lot of guys do go along with society though. A lot of men wear popular clothes and have the latest technology. Like Sam said in class, everyone wants the newest technology. However I do feel as though guys have a lot less pressure on them. Girls are expected to wear make-up and do their hair. Guys not so much. Other girls notice when a chick wears the same outfit twice, guys don’t. Guys are socialized in ways other than looks. Sports is a huge example of how men are socialized. Every “typical” guy loves football, baseball, and basketball. At such a young age, boys are encouraged to join recreational sport teams. If a young boy would rather play with dolls than a soccer ball, he is considered abnormal.
Guys more than girls, I think anyways, strive to have the nicest things. Especially when it comes to cars. Every time I see a group of guys cruising around on campus, they are driving some pimped out vehicle blaring music. With that said, I think men are judged on different criterion than girls. Why doesn’t anyone try to accomplish having things that actually matter in life. Intelligence should be more important than looks and possessions. Money isn’t everything. And in order to truly fit in today’s society I feel as though money is key. Having nice clothes, cars, and technology aren’t free.
In conclusion I do think guys are socialized as much as women. Everyone is socialized from a prime age and we don’t even realize it. Guys are just socialized to be manly jocks and girls are socialized to look pretty.

First off, I want to start my saying how shocked I am by something as common as chocolate being part of slavery. Everyone eats chocolate, so it is very sad to think that everyone in our country is contributing to the continuance of slavery. I feel horrible about consuming chocolate now, but I do not feel guilty just because I didn’t know about it.
I guess the second step would be for us to do as Sam has done. We need to spread the news. We need to tell our friends and family that they are contributing to slavery. This is necessary because most people aren’t aware, I wasn’t. It is crucial to tell people that even though they think slavery is wrong, they are a small reason why it still exists in other countries. Sam was right in saying that it is hard to completely give up slave-made products, especially because they are everywhere. Everyone uses a cell phone, every eats chocolate, and everyone buys cheap shirts from WalMart that some small child probably made for no money. It is almost impossible to give up all slave made products, so spreading the awareness is the next step. Maybe if most of our country’s citizens knew what they were “supporting,” we could sign a petition to turn these slaves into employees.
If more people were aware of the slavery in other countries, I do believe we could make change. We could threaten to boycott slave-made products so that slave owners are forced to pay their slaves. Instances like these are really where one person can make a difference. So it starts with us. Sam has relayed information unto us that we need to relay further. If Sam has taught us anything that would be to live our life. Part of living is trying to make the world a better place. Imagine if the world’s slavery began to decrease in our life time, we would all know that we had something to do with it. There isn’t anything much better than helping innocent people.
After reading Disposable People I do not see how anyone can sit back and watch slavery take place. In America we are so used to having opportunity at everything. I couldn’t imagine living in a place like Thailand where going to the grocery store is a risk in ending up in a brothel. I think that America has the power to create change in places that need help. We are rebuilding Iraq into a modern democracy; we are helping Haiti through their tragedy, why can’t we add a few more countries to the list? Having power shouldn’t just be an advantage in economics and warfare; we should be spreading peace throughout the world which does start with us. Tell everyone the news about slavery abroad. And let them know they can make a difference, that’s step 2.

This definitely was a disturbing video. As a child I do remember always picking the white doll. But that wasn’t because I thought she was nice. The problem with the dolls, especially Barbie, is that the original Barbie is a blonde hair, blue-eyed, white woman. When we think about Barbie, we think of this. I always picked the blonde haired Barbie even though all my features were opposite of her, except our skin colors. Even though I am white I never thought about why the original Barbie was so appealing. Watching this video saddened me because it made me realize that my favorite toy all my childhood sends a very pessimistic message to young children. Life isn’t about looking like Barbie. Even though she is what everyone would define as the “ideal” woman, beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. That is why this video was so disheartening. Young children play with toys that give them a very untrue perception on life and we don’t realize this until we are older.