Pop Culture Matters

In Zeisler's, "Pop and Curcumstance: Why Pop Culture Matters" there were many reasons given why people study and analyze pop culture. One of the reasons people analyze pop culture is to understand the experiences of people in that time or place.

Right now Blurred Lines is the one of the most popular songs in pop culture. It is apparent that the song objectifies women and support rape culture among other things. And because pop culture can be used to understand the time and place we live in and what we experience, this "you've just been roofied" glass sold on Etsy really doesn't surprise me.



 It also didn't surprise me that when a female shopper contacted the shop owner about the offensiveness of the glass, she was told that she didn't have a sense of humor.



I think Blurred Lines and this glass say alot about the time and place we live in.

Source: 'You've Been Roofied' Glass Stirs Up Controversy On Etsy

Blog Post #1

http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/mako-mori-test-bechdel-pacific-rim/
The article above is a little bit long, but I just wanted to summarize the main points that are made through this post. I took this class because I really wanted the opportunity to discuss and analyze the roles of women in film. In recent years, films have featured more and more prominent female leads, which is a good thing. However, this does not mean that these films are exceptions to the Bechdel Test. We talked about this in class and the main point of this is to find a film where 1) Two lead female characters 2) Talk about something 3) That isn't a man. Almost no film can boast this achievement, which can be a bit disheartening for female movie-lovers. This article also mentions a new test brought about by the summer film 'Pacific Rim.' This new test was inspired by the main female character, Mako Mori, and it involves finding a film with 1) At least one female character 2) Who gets her own narrative arc 3) That is not about supporting a man's story. Pacific Rim is one of the few films that can pass this test. In fact, it was praised by many critics and viewers for this reason. However, this is not a norm in most films. It is very difficult to find not only a female character who gets her own arc in a film, but an arc that doesn't involve a man. I think these two tests prove just how male-dominated this area of pop culture is, and I believe that if films are going to try to progress in gender equality, these tests are perfect standards for which newer films should strive towards.

Blog for Week of August 27, 2013

After watching the Blurred Lines music video in class, I went back to my apartment and had a conversation with my boyfriend, Zach, about it.  It was interesting to hear his take on it.   He said, “I never really saw sexism until I met you but now that I do I see it every where.  In that video those women got so much attention for being naked and so much praise.  In reality, those women are being brain washed to believe that if they allow themselves to be a part of the oppression they are ‘cool.”  I think it’s so easy for other men and women to dismiss the important of feminism and the impacts of pop culture because they are socially and economically rewarded to ignore it.  It is so much more difficult to stick up for something when you are the only one doing it.  I just thought that Zach’s insight was interesting and really applied to our class.