To 50 or not to 50!

I liked the idea we discussed in class briefly about the multitude of ideologies that intersect and at times (violently) clash. One of these instances is the situation of 50 Cent and his music. As a few people stated, they do find his music empowering. However, they also find their feminist ideologies screaming, "no, you can not enjoy this chauvinistic and insulting music.” It is this conflict and clashing of ideologies that strikes me. Since we are exceedingly permeated with numerous ideologies in our lives, we are bound, at times to be living in a state of contradiction. Generally, this feeling causes us to feel uncomfortable or apprehensive.

We tend to cling to our safe ideologies that set the guidelines for how we should think in certain situations. However, it can be powerful to recognize that things are not always so black and white and the way you feel one day about something might flip 180 degrees--given a change of circumstances or shift in ideology. We also need to recognize the hegemonic ideology that is constantly being filtered into our sub-conscious and thus altering our ideologies. Perhaps next time we find ourselves practicing our ideological contradictions we can put on our headphones and listen to some 50 Cent!

The Magic Bullet?

In the reading, "Ideological Analysis and Television," by Mimi White, she suggests that television is not monolithic, but a heterogeneous system, full of a complex web of meanings and contradictions. She discusses the theory of the ideological problematic, a complexity of representations and issues broadcast on television and the subsequent inclusion or exclusion of certain representations—either implicitly or explicitly. She argues that an ideological analysis of television needs to recognize this problematic and not attempt to find one specific message but rather recognize the complexity of messages and why certain messages are more dominant than others.

This theory can also be used for the analysis of female-orientated magazines. Magazines, like television, are a complex tapestry of representations that, on the surface, provide information, but when looked at closer show many contradictions—in this case, the implicit exclusion of female sexual pleasure. Cosmo magazine, for instance, is geared towards 17 to 25 year-old women and features many articles about sex. These articles regularly ignore female-oriented pleasure but rather describe male sexuality, offering tips on how to pleasure him. Titles like "Cosmo's map to top male pleasure," and "Three kinds of sex all men crave" are but two examples. On the surface, these articles seem like they are providing information about sex for women but more implicitly they actually provide instruction for a very specific kind of sex: heterosexual, male-dominated sexual activity with the woman as a submissive participant. Furthermore, in magazines such as Women’s World or Good House Keeping, women are exposed to a plethora of contradictions within one issue. These contradictions include the juxtaposition of articles on fast weight loss solutions beside articles on recipes for ridiculously fat-filled goodies. This implicitly sends a message to women to be thin while still maintaining a diet of fatty foods. It also reinforces the belief that a women’s place is that of a homemaker.

-S

Ambiguity of the Internet

The Internet allows for mass communication that is able to cross cities, countries, and continents. This blog (written by a computer illiterate) allows for my textual fingerprint to be imprinted and viewed by a wide array of individuals. As discussed in the essay "Substantive and Feminist Girlie Action" by Jacqueline Rhodes, the Internet allows for a large amount of ambiguity. This ambiguity is seen in both the unknown authorship and wide variety of information collected.
This ambiguity is exemplified in the recent news of a video blogger on youtube with a secret identity and cover up. If you are interested, see these links:


Mystery of 'lonelygirl15' captivates 'Net

or

lonelygirl15 revealed

This ambiguous authorship is not fixed thus allowing for an individuals identity to be more fluid. Thus, anyone, not considering socioeconomic status, can have published work on blogs and the Internet more generally. Academics and non-academics can congregate, creating a more collective and less exclusionary space. The idea of public access, as well as comment and link listing, allows for an easy means of information trafficking across borders.

Therefore, being that this is a pop culture class, what better way to participate than actively partaking in one of pop cultures machines? This blog allows for a flow of communication between myself and my peers which is often neglected in today's classrooms. On a larger scale, feminism as a whole can benefit from this information and communication resource. It allows us to gain insight into a variety of individual's situations and thoughts from more then just an academic standpoint.

- Sare