Emo Caricature and the Socialization of Emotions in Manhood by the Media
Check out the project based on this essay here: https://more-than-just-an-emo.tumblr.com/
Mark Manson is an author, thinker, and life enthusiast who topped the New York Times Bestseller list in 2016 with his book “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F-“ and also runs a blog where he writes about his own philosophies. In a 2015 article Manson came up with the idea that life happens in four stages; first, mimicry, second, self-discovery, then commitment and legacy. Manson explains in his article that the first stage, mimicry, gets wired into everyone while still a child learning social skills from their peers and developing autonomy. The next natural phase in adolescence and early adulthood is self-discovery and everyone does it slightly different. During this stage it is important to go through different progressions and figure out the value of each choice in one’s life. Manson discusses inter-stage conflict that can leave an individual stuck in one of the stages, however, doesn’t factor in how the media can affect one’s views of themselves. During these two stages gender socialization occurs, meaning individuals are exposed to numerous kinds of media that influences, regulates, and changes how the consumer sees themselves and others. (Manson, “Four”).
For teenage boys, the media defines what it means to be manly. Tony Porter, co-founder of, A Call To Men, spoke out about this socialization of manhood that he calls “The Man Box.” This metaphorical box contains all the things that the media and society say a man should be: tall, dark and handsome, athletic, unemotional, short-haired, rugged, heterosexual, dominant beings, for example. Porter further explains that this “box” is limiting to men and the way that they view themselves, express themselves, and interact with others. When combined with Manson’s life stages, it is evident that adolescent men are getting stuck between stages of healthy development because they aren’t expressing their emotions or when they do, they are becoming outcasts of society based solely on their inability to fit into a box. (Porter, “NPR”).
More and more men have been breaking out of this “man box” only to be seen as too emotional, unconventional, or odd. While stuck between mimicry and self-discovery, the media has given an identity to those who defy socialization and think too much about their place in the world. They are called “emo” which can be equated with a negative connotation of emotion and femininity. The caricature of emo men in the media further perpetuates the idea that men cannot have any emotions other than anger and helps to stigmatize a differentiation of outward appearance, dismisses freethinking based on emotions, and categorizes emotional men as queer. This adds to the socialization of manhood that is the man box.
The term “emo” comes from the music scene and is a sub-genre of hardcore punk that stands for emotive hardcore and was popularized in the early 80’s until ultimately becoming known as pop punk and alternative rock in the 90’s and 2000’s. This style of music was notable for being emotionally-aware of society and not conforming to what authority figures like parents or the government wants. The music popularized the formula for musical anarchic aggression and artists began to display a more contemplative and introspective study of human nature. These ideas were usually stripped down and focused on the theme of being all alone and unrepresented in society.
By the 90’s and today, the term “emo” has differentiated from its roots and a genre of emo music has created a fanbase that focuses on feelings of unrequited love, alienation, and insecurity. The archetype of this fanbase has exploded into a formulaic trope in television and movies that is based loosely on these ideas, but rather focuses on the idea that “being emo” is a stage in a young person’s life because the messages of anti-authority and loneliness usually reflect the same themes that teenagers go through. However, these feelings are universal to everyone and have been exaggerated to create the emo stereotype. (Nelson, “Why”).
Both men and women portrayed as emo have been shown as emotionally unstable, attention-seeking, insecure, and insincere teenagers. These negative portrayals often show the individual as angsty and whiny with a narrow range of emotion. Other storytelling tropes usually associated with the emo are issues of self-harm, depression, and suicide. These portrayals do little to speak about mental health as they usually see the character harbor a fascination with death and enjoy self-harm. (B Wright, 2012). This tends to be the subject of jokes rather than actual narrative. The emo is almost always seen as a superficial facade that relies on self-pity because the individual wants to appear cool, trendy, and be part of something that is uniquely theirs. This concept is usually enhanced by exploiting real issues and pain to explain the characters emotions. The media has popularized and commercialized this trope as an identity of its own rivaled only by the likes of geeks, jocks, and preppy students. By marketing the idea that basic emotion and the feeling of isolation is abnormal, life has imitated the media to create a culture of teenagers who identify as emo. There are three possible types of emo characterizations that will be discussed in this paper. (TV Tropes, “Emo”).
First, there’s the fan of emo music. This character is usually stereotypically shy, excessively thoughtful, emotional or hyper-sensitive and an introspective misfit, but not always. This character may seem the least emo because they may simply enjoy the music and scene. They are portrayed as emotionally-aware and a kind individual who finds meaning in the music. They usually won’t fit in but not because they aren’t athletic, smart, or are awkward, just because not agreeing with society makes them an outcast.
Second, there’s the angsty emo personality. This person may not be a fan of emo music but probably likes My Chemical Romance, Panic at the Disco, or other mainstream alternative bands. They are introverted, highly sensitive, often awkward misfits that are quick to get angry or angsty. This will be the main quality of their character and will not be fleshed out any more than this. It has become popular to make light of the trope and have a twist that sees them as a “happy emo” but this is usually just for laughs.
Lastly, there is the vain, trend-hopping teenager who is faking their emo status because it's currently fashionable. This type is usually a teenager who started as a normal kid with no problems until they became emo. They didn’t use to worry, have depression, and had no interest in poetry yet now they wear eyeliner and skinny jeans and tell everyone that they are misunderstood, miserable and a loner. This trope is more common in real life and has become the definition of “emo” to most people.
While both men and women identify as emo, this identity is harmful particularly to men who are taught to hide their emotions or to act out in anger rather than speak about their feelings. In movies and TV, any time a male character shows emotion they are usually called out for being emo, despite nothing other than basic human emotion being attributed. This can be considered the “fourth wall emo.” Characters such as Kylo Ren, Charlie Brown, Severus Snape or Squidward often fall into this category because they may act out in rage, show emotion, or have traumatic pasts but aren’t meant to be emo until the fans decided they were. This is the most harmful stereotype in the media because it is now breaking the divide between caricature and characterization, and fiction and real life. To further harm the idea that men can be emotional, any of these stereotypical characters are often challenged about their sexuality. If a man isn’t “normal” or emo, then they are probably gay. Or in most cases, there is no differentiation between emo and gay.
Part of the reason emo men are stereotyped is because their outward appearance doesn’t match the man box version of what is meant to be manly. (Nobullying.com). The emo is caricatured as having long hair, being pale, wearing makeup and black clothing or band shirts, being small and unathletic with piercings tattoos or other body modifications. One movie that will be referred to frequently in the final project for this class as the quintessential “emo stereotypical film” is called “EMO: The Musical” and it reinforces every single stereotype that is discussed.
In this film the audience is introduced to Ethan, an emo who was expelled from his last school for attempting suicide. In his new school he auditions for an emo band “Worst Day Ever” to compete in a battle of the bands. A Christian band in the school is their competition and the lead, Trinity, becomes close to Ethan as they fall for each other “Romeo and Juliet” style despite what the Christians and the other emo kids have to say about it. Ethan falls into the third stereotype and is considered emo because he wants to fit into the scene. He knows he isn’t a Christian either, but when with Trinity he sings about how he isn’t aggressive or a heathen. Ethan tells her that she is safe with him saying, “sex sounds suspiciously like exercise, and you know I’m not into that” and that “getting laid is probably too mainstream anyway.” Ethan continues to fit the other qualities of being an emo, being insecure, angsty, and depressed, even though Trinity tells him that he’s lost and “it’s likely that his parents like him.”
Another character in the film is the antagonist and leader of the Emo clique, Bradley. Bradley is the second stereotype and can be considered “naturally emo.” He is into arson, the anti-Christ, death threats, and everything that it means to be emo. For him, it is a lifestyle rather than a feeling. He has become toxic without having a healthy way (other than music) to discuss his feelings. The third male emo in the film is named Jay. Despite also being unathletic, smoking weed, and being feminine, Jay is the first stereotype. He is there for the music, not inherently emo and is kind to everyone. He is the butt of the jokes and is dimwitted compared to the other emo kids.
Each of the character’s in “EMO: The Musical” are emotional and have complex thoughts. Most caricatures are also like this. More mainstream examples of this caricature in the media are shows like “Fairly OddParents” a cartoon aimed at kids on Nickelodeon. In episode 134a, the protagonist, Timmy falls in love with a girl who likes guys who “don’t care.” He wishes to become an emo, telling the children watching that this type of character can’t find love because they are too emotional, distraught, and unfeeling. Timmy sports black shaggy hair, eyeliner, and an empty void of meaninglessness to win over the girl but ultimately falls short because he just doesn’t care anymore.
Another example of the emo stereotype in film is the infamous “careless” version of Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3 who, after he meets a symbiote which is the black version of the Spider-Man suit that enhances aggression and emotional qualities of the host, turns into a villain of the hero he used to be. This also happens after a lot of traumatic events in Peter’s life. This characterization tells the audience that if you focus on your emotions you too will become a villain. Then there’s JoJo the Who from “Horton Hears a Who” who is misunderstood because of his love for music, Eeyeore from “Winnie The Pooh” because of his eternal pessimism, or Jack Skellington from “Nightmare Before Christmas” just because he wears black and likes scary things. These examples lead into the fourth-wall emo stereotype which is one of the most common stereotypes as any number of films can fall into its category. (Sastry, “10”).
For example, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” does a wonderful job of showing true, deep emotion in every scene but is considered emo due to that quality. Other characters to fall into this category is a brooding Batman, a vengeful Anakin Skywalker, almost every Johnny Depp character, and of course Donnie Darko who is a young, disturbed man who sees visions of a giant rabbit calling for the end of the world. The story is about life and death and because the main character is more introspective than just thinking about sports and sex, it’s too emo to be manly. (Lex, “Emo”).
The thing about the emo stereotype and sex is that usually emo characters are considered feminine and queer. In fact, this stereotype bleeds into real life more than fiction. If one Googles “emo men in movies” most of the search results are gay porn sites. Brian M. Peters from the Journal of LGBT Youth studied emo gay youth and discovered that just like straight emo youth, the subculture that was being explored focused ideally on emo music, non-conforming ideas of manhood, and an outlet for making friends. Nothing correlated with being gay or straight in Peters’ research. Nobullying.com reported that social-networking and suicidal behavior has an increasing correlation with emo youth as it is an outlet for releasing emotions without human interaction and more socially conforming individuals are being seen as emo because they have an outlet for their emotions. (Peters).
By opening the discussion of this trope in this final project, the discussion will be changed to show that men can be emotional or differ from the norm without fitting the “emo” label. As the conversation on what makes a man “manly” is changing, the role of the emo is changing too. Indie and alternative groups are coming into the spotlight as the line between hipster, emo, and preppy start to blur. (Sherman, “Indie”). As there is starting to be less commitment to these stereotypes individuals will have the opportunity to enter the fourth stage of life, legacy. Despite pushback from the media that tries to put men into a box, society is moving forward and breaking down the barriers and allowing men to show their emotions. Manson says that “at each subsequent stage, happiness becomes more based on internal, controllable value and less on the externalities of the outside world” and the media. Manson added, “life’s a bitch, then you die” and though that sort of thinking may once have labeled him an emo, he is now a bestselling author and avid burrito eater.
Works Cited:
B Wright, C Zdanow. “The Representation of Self Injury and Suicide on Emo Social Networking
Groups.” African Sociological Review. Vol 16. No 2. 2012. African Journals Online. Pg. 1.
Ajol.info. Retrieved April 1. 2018. Web.
Lex. “Emo Characters in Movies.” Listal. August 27, 2011. Listal Limited. Par. 16. Listal.com.
Retrieved April 5, 2018. Web.
Manson, Mark. “The Four Stages of Life.” Mark Manson Blog. May 21, 2015. Infinity Squared
Media LLC. Pars 1-6. Markmanson.net. Retrieved April 04, 2018. Web.
Nelson, Audrey Ph.D. “Why Don’t Many Men Show Their Emotions?” Psychology Today. January
24, 2015. Sussex Publishers, LLC. Par. 2. Psychologytoday.com. Retrieved March 20,
2018. Web.
Nobullying.com. “What is Emo Exactly?” December 22, 2015. Nobullying.comTM. Para. 4.
Retrieved April 4, 2018. Web.
Peters, Brian M. “Emo Gay Boys and Subculture: Postpunk Queer Youth and (Re)thinking
Images of Masculinity.” Journal of LGBT Youth. Vol 7. Issue 2. May 7, 2010. Pg 129-146.
Taylor and Francis Online. Tandfonline.com. Retrieved April 1,2018. Web.
Porter, Tony. “What Can One Generation Teach the Next About Manhood.” TED Radio Hour.
June 10, 2016. National Public Radio. www.npr.org. Retrieved February 13, 2018. Web.
Sastry, Keertana. “10 Emo Films for Every Eyeliner-Loving Cinephile, From ‘Cry-Baby’ To ‘Donnie
Darko’.” Bustle. May 9, 2015. Bustle Digital Group. Pars. 1-8. Bustle.com. Retrieved
March 30, 2018. Web.
Sherman, Maria. “Emo Modernity: Intellectualizing Indie Male Voice.” Fuse. April 19, 2016.
Fuse.TV. Retrieved April 2, 2018. Web.
TV Tropes. “Emo.” TV Tropes. Unknown. Redshift. Pars 1-9. Tvtropes.org. Retrieved March 28,
2018. Web.
Mark Manson is an author, thinker, and life enthusiast who topped the New York Times Bestseller list in 2016 with his book “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F-“ and also runs a blog where he writes about his own philosophies. In a 2015 article Manson came up with the idea that life happens in four stages; first, mimicry, second, self-discovery, then commitment and legacy. Manson explains in his article that the first stage, mimicry, gets wired into everyone while still a child learning social skills from their peers and developing autonomy. The next natural phase in adolescence and early adulthood is self-discovery and everyone does it slightly different. During this stage it is important to go through different progressions and figure out the value of each choice in one’s life. Manson discusses inter-stage conflict that can leave an individual stuck in one of the stages, however, doesn’t factor in how the media can affect one’s views of themselves. During these two stages gender socialization occurs, meaning individuals are exposed to numerous kinds of media that influences, regulates, and changes how the consumer sees themselves and others. (Manson, “Four”).
For teenage boys, the media defines what it means to be manly. Tony Porter, co-founder of, A Call To Men, spoke out about this socialization of manhood that he calls “The Man Box.” This metaphorical box contains all the things that the media and society say a man should be: tall, dark and handsome, athletic, unemotional, short-haired, rugged, heterosexual, dominant beings, for example. Porter further explains that this “box” is limiting to men and the way that they view themselves, express themselves, and interact with others. When combined with Manson’s life stages, it is evident that adolescent men are getting stuck between stages of healthy development because they aren’t expressing their emotions or when they do, they are becoming outcasts of society based solely on their inability to fit into a box. (Porter, “NPR”).
More and more men have been breaking out of this “man box” only to be seen as too emotional, unconventional, or odd. While stuck between mimicry and self-discovery, the media has given an identity to those who defy socialization and think too much about their place in the world. They are called “emo” which can be equated with a negative connotation of emotion and femininity. The caricature of emo men in the media further perpetuates the idea that men cannot have any emotions other than anger and helps to stigmatize a differentiation of outward appearance, dismisses freethinking based on emotions, and categorizes emotional men as queer. This adds to the socialization of manhood that is the man box.
The term “emo” comes from the music scene and is a sub-genre of hardcore punk that stands for emotive hardcore and was popularized in the early 80’s until ultimately becoming known as pop punk and alternative rock in the 90’s and 2000’s. This style of music was notable for being emotionally-aware of society and not conforming to what authority figures like parents or the government wants. The music popularized the formula for musical anarchic aggression and artists began to display a more contemplative and introspective study of human nature. These ideas were usually stripped down and focused on the theme of being all alone and unrepresented in society.
By the 90’s and today, the term “emo” has differentiated from its roots and a genre of emo music has created a fanbase that focuses on feelings of unrequited love, alienation, and insecurity. The archetype of this fanbase has exploded into a formulaic trope in television and movies that is based loosely on these ideas, but rather focuses on the idea that “being emo” is a stage in a young person’s life because the messages of anti-authority and loneliness usually reflect the same themes that teenagers go through. However, these feelings are universal to everyone and have been exaggerated to create the emo stereotype. (Nelson, “Why”).
Both men and women portrayed as emo have been shown as emotionally unstable, attention-seeking, insecure, and insincere teenagers. These negative portrayals often show the individual as angsty and whiny with a narrow range of emotion. Other storytelling tropes usually associated with the emo are issues of self-harm, depression, and suicide. These portrayals do little to speak about mental health as they usually see the character harbor a fascination with death and enjoy self-harm. (B Wright, 2012). This tends to be the subject of jokes rather than actual narrative. The emo is almost always seen as a superficial facade that relies on self-pity because the individual wants to appear cool, trendy, and be part of something that is uniquely theirs. This concept is usually enhanced by exploiting real issues and pain to explain the characters emotions. The media has popularized and commercialized this trope as an identity of its own rivaled only by the likes of geeks, jocks, and preppy students. By marketing the idea that basic emotion and the feeling of isolation is abnormal, life has imitated the media to create a culture of teenagers who identify as emo. There are three possible types of emo characterizations that will be discussed in this paper. (TV Tropes, “Emo”).
First, there’s the fan of emo music. This character is usually stereotypically shy, excessively thoughtful, emotional or hyper-sensitive and an introspective misfit, but not always. This character may seem the least emo because they may simply enjoy the music and scene. They are portrayed as emotionally-aware and a kind individual who finds meaning in the music. They usually won’t fit in but not because they aren’t athletic, smart, or are awkward, just because not agreeing with society makes them an outcast.
Second, there’s the angsty emo personality. This person may not be a fan of emo music but probably likes My Chemical Romance, Panic at the Disco, or other mainstream alternative bands. They are introverted, highly sensitive, often awkward misfits that are quick to get angry or angsty. This will be the main quality of their character and will not be fleshed out any more than this. It has become popular to make light of the trope and have a twist that sees them as a “happy emo” but this is usually just for laughs.
Lastly, there is the vain, trend-hopping teenager who is faking their emo status because it's currently fashionable. This type is usually a teenager who started as a normal kid with no problems until they became emo. They didn’t use to worry, have depression, and had no interest in poetry yet now they wear eyeliner and skinny jeans and tell everyone that they are misunderstood, miserable and a loner. This trope is more common in real life and has become the definition of “emo” to most people.
While both men and women identify as emo, this identity is harmful particularly to men who are taught to hide their emotions or to act out in anger rather than speak about their feelings. In movies and TV, any time a male character shows emotion they are usually called out for being emo, despite nothing other than basic human emotion being attributed. This can be considered the “fourth wall emo.” Characters such as Kylo Ren, Charlie Brown, Severus Snape or Squidward often fall into this category because they may act out in rage, show emotion, or have traumatic pasts but aren’t meant to be emo until the fans decided they were. This is the most harmful stereotype in the media because it is now breaking the divide between caricature and characterization, and fiction and real life. To further harm the idea that men can be emotional, any of these stereotypical characters are often challenged about their sexuality. If a man isn’t “normal” or emo, then they are probably gay. Or in most cases, there is no differentiation between emo and gay.
Part of the reason emo men are stereotyped is because their outward appearance doesn’t match the man box version of what is meant to be manly. (Nobullying.com). The emo is caricatured as having long hair, being pale, wearing makeup and black clothing or band shirts, being small and unathletic with piercings tattoos or other body modifications. One movie that will be referred to frequently in the final project for this class as the quintessential “emo stereotypical film” is called “EMO: The Musical” and it reinforces every single stereotype that is discussed.
In this film the audience is introduced to Ethan, an emo who was expelled from his last school for attempting suicide. In his new school he auditions for an emo band “Worst Day Ever” to compete in a battle of the bands. A Christian band in the school is their competition and the lead, Trinity, becomes close to Ethan as they fall for each other “Romeo and Juliet” style despite what the Christians and the other emo kids have to say about it. Ethan falls into the third stereotype and is considered emo because he wants to fit into the scene. He knows he isn’t a Christian either, but when with Trinity he sings about how he isn’t aggressive or a heathen. Ethan tells her that she is safe with him saying, “sex sounds suspiciously like exercise, and you know I’m not into that” and that “getting laid is probably too mainstream anyway.” Ethan continues to fit the other qualities of being an emo, being insecure, angsty, and depressed, even though Trinity tells him that he’s lost and “it’s likely that his parents like him.”
Another character in the film is the antagonist and leader of the Emo clique, Bradley. Bradley is the second stereotype and can be considered “naturally emo.” He is into arson, the anti-Christ, death threats, and everything that it means to be emo. For him, it is a lifestyle rather than a feeling. He has become toxic without having a healthy way (other than music) to discuss his feelings. The third male emo in the film is named Jay. Despite also being unathletic, smoking weed, and being feminine, Jay is the first stereotype. He is there for the music, not inherently emo and is kind to everyone. He is the butt of the jokes and is dimwitted compared to the other emo kids.
Each of the character’s in “EMO: The Musical” are emotional and have complex thoughts. Most caricatures are also like this. More mainstream examples of this caricature in the media are shows like “Fairly OddParents” a cartoon aimed at kids on Nickelodeon. In episode 134a, the protagonist, Timmy falls in love with a girl who likes guys who “don’t care.” He wishes to become an emo, telling the children watching that this type of character can’t find love because they are too emotional, distraught, and unfeeling. Timmy sports black shaggy hair, eyeliner, and an empty void of meaninglessness to win over the girl but ultimately falls short because he just doesn’t care anymore.
Another example of the emo stereotype in film is the infamous “careless” version of Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3 who, after he meets a symbiote which is the black version of the Spider-Man suit that enhances aggression and emotional qualities of the host, turns into a villain of the hero he used to be. This also happens after a lot of traumatic events in Peter’s life. This characterization tells the audience that if you focus on your emotions you too will become a villain. Then there’s JoJo the Who from “Horton Hears a Who” who is misunderstood because of his love for music, Eeyeore from “Winnie The Pooh” because of his eternal pessimism, or Jack Skellington from “Nightmare Before Christmas” just because he wears black and likes scary things. These examples lead into the fourth-wall emo stereotype which is one of the most common stereotypes as any number of films can fall into its category. (Sastry, “10”).
For example, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” does a wonderful job of showing true, deep emotion in every scene but is considered emo due to that quality. Other characters to fall into this category is a brooding Batman, a vengeful Anakin Skywalker, almost every Johnny Depp character, and of course Donnie Darko who is a young, disturbed man who sees visions of a giant rabbit calling for the end of the world. The story is about life and death and because the main character is more introspective than just thinking about sports and sex, it’s too emo to be manly. (Lex, “Emo”).
The thing about the emo stereotype and sex is that usually emo characters are considered feminine and queer. In fact, this stereotype bleeds into real life more than fiction. If one Googles “emo men in movies” most of the search results are gay porn sites. Brian M. Peters from the Journal of LGBT Youth studied emo gay youth and discovered that just like straight emo youth, the subculture that was being explored focused ideally on emo music, non-conforming ideas of manhood, and an outlet for making friends. Nothing correlated with being gay or straight in Peters’ research. Nobullying.com reported that social-networking and suicidal behavior has an increasing correlation with emo youth as it is an outlet for releasing emotions without human interaction and more socially conforming individuals are being seen as emo because they have an outlet for their emotions. (Peters).
By opening the discussion of this trope in this final project, the discussion will be changed to show that men can be emotional or differ from the norm without fitting the “emo” label. As the conversation on what makes a man “manly” is changing, the role of the emo is changing too. Indie and alternative groups are coming into the spotlight as the line between hipster, emo, and preppy start to blur. (Sherman, “Indie”). As there is starting to be less commitment to these stereotypes individuals will have the opportunity to enter the fourth stage of life, legacy. Despite pushback from the media that tries to put men into a box, society is moving forward and breaking down the barriers and allowing men to show their emotions. Manson says that “at each subsequent stage, happiness becomes more based on internal, controllable value and less on the externalities of the outside world” and the media. Manson added, “life’s a bitch, then you die” and though that sort of thinking may once have labeled him an emo, he is now a bestselling author and avid burrito eater.
Works Cited:
B Wright, C Zdanow. “The Representation of Self Injury and Suicide on Emo Social Networking
Groups.” African Sociological Review. Vol 16. No 2. 2012. African Journals Online. Pg. 1.
Ajol.info. Retrieved April 1. 2018. Web.
Lex. “Emo Characters in Movies.” Listal. August 27, 2011. Listal Limited. Par. 16. Listal.com.
Retrieved April 5, 2018. Web.
Manson, Mark. “The Four Stages of Life.” Mark Manson Blog. May 21, 2015. Infinity Squared
Media LLC. Pars 1-6. Markmanson.net. Retrieved April 04, 2018. Web.
Nelson, Audrey Ph.D. “Why Don’t Many Men Show Their Emotions?” Psychology Today. January
24, 2015. Sussex Publishers, LLC. Par. 2. Psychologytoday.com. Retrieved March 20,
2018. Web.
Nobullying.com. “What is Emo Exactly?” December 22, 2015. Nobullying.comTM. Para. 4.
Retrieved April 4, 2018. Web.
Peters, Brian M. “Emo Gay Boys and Subculture: Postpunk Queer Youth and (Re)thinking
Images of Masculinity.” Journal of LGBT Youth. Vol 7. Issue 2. May 7, 2010. Pg 129-146.
Taylor and Francis Online. Tandfonline.com. Retrieved April 1,2018. Web.
Porter, Tony. “What Can One Generation Teach the Next About Manhood.” TED Radio Hour.
June 10, 2016. National Public Radio. www.npr.org. Retrieved February 13, 2018. Web.
Sastry, Keertana. “10 Emo Films for Every Eyeliner-Loving Cinephile, From ‘Cry-Baby’ To ‘Donnie
Darko’.” Bustle. May 9, 2015. Bustle Digital Group. Pars. 1-8. Bustle.com. Retrieved
March 30, 2018. Web.
Sherman, Maria. “Emo Modernity: Intellectualizing Indie Male Voice.” Fuse. April 19, 2016.
Fuse.TV. Retrieved April 2, 2018. Web.
TV Tropes. “Emo.” TV Tropes. Unknown. Redshift. Pars 1-9. Tvtropes.org. Retrieved March 28,
2018. Web.
The Importance of Portraying Meaningful Sex On Screen
Life tends to imitate art however, when art isn’t representative of real life, it can be hard to know what is real and what is fake. For entertainment media like television and film, audiences usually understand that there is a level of suspended disbelief with the stories. Some say, “that’s just a movie” so it’s okay to have plot holes or forego characterization however, now more than ever there is a push for our entertainment to represent the consumer that is watching it. Media researchers have proved that the effects of media on society can influence how a culture views certain people or things. (Psychology Today). This is the reason that sex has always been so taboo in American culture, because there has always been someone to make sure it wasn’t on air. In the 1930’s when TV was new and the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) became the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), sex was off limits. The show “Mary Kay and Johnny” became the first sitcom (in the 40’s) to show a married couple sharing a bed. Cut to today and the hit HBO show “Game of Thrones” and Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” are both known for having prominent full-frontal nudity on screen. As the times have changed, the way we talk about sex has changed too but entertainment media still depicts sex in harmful ways. This media misrepresents what relationships look like, reinforces stereotypical gender roles in relationships, and uses sex as a plot device rather than a narrative…and that must change.
Where to start that change is debatable however, as one of the most-watched shows of 2017 was the season seven finale of “Game of Thrones” which broke records with 16.5 million viewers and later became the most awarded drama in Emmy history. Since the show’s debut in 2011 there have been many gratuitous sex scenes throughout the series but according to Neela Debnath, last year’s penultimate season featured a lot less female nudity. (Express). This comes after a storm of fans petitioning for equal nudity on the show which features 60 instances of female nudity and only two instances of male genitalia. Studies have shown that when tv and movies objectify women through nudity, sexism and rape culture are presented to an audience. (Psychology Today). Since this show is so popular, it has been a great place to pitch for better representation because in reality, “Game of Thrones” is just one example of a show that portrays sex negatively and it is the obligation of the television and movie studios to provide realistic, inclusive, character-driven interpretations of sex.
This obligation falls on some of the most powerful people in America, the studio executives. “Game of Thrones” is created by HBO, which is owned by Time Warner, which is one of multiple studios creating content for the average consumer. Jeff Bewkes CEO of Time Warner is in line with Bob Iger (Disney) and Brian Roberts (Comcast) as three of the biggest names in the entertainment industry from the three biggest studios. These companies control what media is being created and in turn, they are the decision makers for what projects are green lit (which in turn has a say in what directors, screenwriters, and actors are hired for their studios.) It is on these men (and these companies) to put in place a policy that ensures that the sex in their projects is representative of real life. If they don’t initiate this policy, the FCC will have to.
Still, many people might be wondering what a sex policy would look like and what types of sex scenes are problematic. Unlike in the 1930’s sex shouldn’t be a taboo subject in films. Sex happens in the real world and in stories it can be something incredibly moving, for both characters and for the story. However, other times sex can be used in pornographic ways that do not belong in films. The intent to incite pleasure in an audience is the difference between sex in film and in porn. The difference can be very thin, but when outlined, is very noticeable. First off, there is the aspect of where the camera is focused. In porn, the camera often has extreme close-up shots and angles that show off genitals and penetration. There are two problems with this tactic being portrayed in films. First, by removing a human face in the scene directors are sexualizing the body with the intent to sell sex rather than to tell a story. The second problem is that this type of filming objectifies the individual, usually female, for audience pleasure. This first problem needs to be addressed by making sure there is always equal, or more, screen time for the actors faces and character building in a sex scene compared to any nudity. Sex in a film should always have a purpose and not be in the film to drive up ticket sales. If a character is having meaningless sex, this should be an aspect of their character, not just something added in because the studio wanted it there. Another problem in films is the gender socialization of sex, which also follows the suit of pornography where the male always takes a dominant position and the female is always submissive. This creates an unrealistic view of sex and may in turn hurt the characters if that isn’t the type of trait they would have outside of the bedroom. All-in-all the characterization of sex needs to be three dimensional.
If these ideas expressed were to be initiated in movies by studios, it would have a drastic change on our culture. Some of the biggest problems in franchise films today is that they don’t spend enough time fleshing out the story. An added sex scene only contributes to this problem and if studios take this much time on a sex scene, they could in turn take more time on fleshing out the rest of their scenes. Not to mention the representation of sex on the screen would be positive for audiences everywhere. “It (the media) impacts what we think of as normal and how we respond to the sexualities of those around us,” Kellie Herson, an MA and Gender Studies Ph.D Candidate at ASU, said. “It not only encourages people to internalize particular kinds of shame, but it encourages people to shame others for any kind of sexual expression outside what is portrayed as 'normal' in our popular culture.” (State Press), While better representation is becoming commonplace in film and television, many actors have also become custom to including nudity clauses into their contracts, something that studios can take note of and use as bargaining chips for better sex scenes. Due to the fact that there are many, many different aspects of what goes into a sex scene, actors usually have contracts drawn up about how these scenes will be filmed, including what they will be wearing, how they will be positioned, where the camera will be and what parts of their body will be on screen. It would be excruciatingly simple to add a conversation about how the representation of the sex scene would look like beforehand too.
A great example of realistic sex on film would be the movie “9 Songs.” The film is basically a foreign romance film, which tells about the relationship of a man and a woman from beginning to end. It tells this story in a series of vignettes, and a big part of those scenes are unsimulated sex scenes. Now, while I am not advocating for more film productions to feature unsimulated sex, because that would be the opposite of the sex-positivity I am advocating for, this film really benefitted by having a script, scenes, and actors that were all in on making sex real. What is great about this film is that the sex and the budding relationship on screen seems very real and almost as if it were a documentary. The actors do in fact have sex with one another and in the first half of the film the audience actually understands that the actors are aroused and emotionally and physically connected to one another. As a result, the film is much more sensual and erotic than a regular film or that of porn. The plot eventually moves to a rocky territory with the relationship and the split between the two feels even more jarring because the sex turns into a more pornographic representation of sex, allowing for the audience to understand the difference between what is real and what isn’t. These scenes by contrast begin to feel distant cold. The film does a great job at creating real characters with a meaningful relationship and tells a story that wouldn’t work if the chemistry seems fake.
Another final example of a film that features meaningful sex is the 2014 fillm “Don Juan” starring Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, Scarlett Johanson, and Julianne Moore. Leavitt’s titular character is a porn addict and religiously trolls the clubs for women to take home and have sex with. The narrative of the film is that he can’t understand why nothing compares to porn and the audience understands the reasoning because of the way the sex scenes are shot. Every time Don Jaun has sex, we are seeing a very pornographic version of sex. We are seeing a dominating male version of sex that is specifically centered around Leavitt getting laid and never around the woman. The main character discusses the woman’s looks and body but never her as a character. Later when the film moves on to meeting Julianne Moore’s character, Don Juan realizes how much he loves this person who is willing to be real with him. These sex scenes are shot with a lot of close-up face shots and aren’t as dark and gritty as the prior scenes. This scene features the sunlight coming through the window and actually features a makeup-less Moore who is portraying raw emotion in her character.
So by including these sex clauses in contracts, studios are creating better stories, more inclusive art, changing the narrative around sex, and even representing the audience better. However, in 2018, why is this such a big deal? Why is our current narrative on sex not working? Well, the answer to that question can be found in the #MeToo movement which has chronicled the various offenses by multiple men in Hollywood that have been predators on actresses on and off jobs. One of the most famous culprits is Harvey Weinstein who used his position as a studio executive to prey on woman for decades. This carnal sense of entitlement to women’s bodies may very well have come from the rape culture being created by movies that Weinstein has produced. Many women in the audiences of these movies have understood silently the implications of what these sex scenes are telling the youth, men, and women. By having studio heads fully behind inclusive sex scenes, Hollywood as a whole is making it known that they are not going to put up with anything like Weinstein ever again, and that’s a great thing.
As mentioned at the beginning of this paper, the Federal Communications Commission and the MPAA is on the scene of these films ready to censor what they deem inappropriate for film, but I believe it isn’t their place to make judgement. Provide a rating, yes, but these films would be more appropriately controlled by the studio heads. Content creators should be able to make the statements they want to make on screen but the representation of sex must be monitored more closely for the good of the people watching.
Works Cited:
Gunasekera, Hasantha, Simon Chapman, and Sharon Campbell. "Sex and drugs in popular movies: an analysis of the top 200 films." Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine98.10 (2005): 464-470.
Hooks, Bell. Reel to real: race, class and sex at the movies. Routledge, 2009.
Lambiase, Jacqueline. Et al. “Sex in Consumer Culture: The Erotic Content of Media and Marketing.” Routledge, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.dist.lib.usu.edu/lib/usu/detail.action?docID=1487117.
Meehan, Eileen R. Et al. “Sex and Money: Feminism and Political Economy in the Media.” University of Minnesota Press. 2002. Proquest Ebook Central. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.dist.lib.usu.edu/lib/USU/detail.action?docID=310561. Accessed June 3, 2018.
Peter, Jochen, and Patti M. Valkenburg. ‘Adolescents’ exposure to a sexualized media environment and their notions of women as sex objects. Sex roles 56.5-6 (2007): 381-395.
Ward, Lucretia. Et Al. Sexual Media Content and Effects. Oxford Research Encyclopedia: Communication. Oxford University Press. 2018. Web. http://communication.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-2 Retrieved June 1, 2018.
Ybara, Michelle. Is Sex in the Media Related to Sexual Behavior Among Teens? Psychology Today. June 28, 2016. Web. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/connected/201606/is-sex-in-the-media-related-sexual-behavior-among-teens. Accessed on May 21, 2018.
Where to start that change is debatable however, as one of the most-watched shows of 2017 was the season seven finale of “Game of Thrones” which broke records with 16.5 million viewers and later became the most awarded drama in Emmy history. Since the show’s debut in 2011 there have been many gratuitous sex scenes throughout the series but according to Neela Debnath, last year’s penultimate season featured a lot less female nudity. (Express). This comes after a storm of fans petitioning for equal nudity on the show which features 60 instances of female nudity and only two instances of male genitalia. Studies have shown that when tv and movies objectify women through nudity, sexism and rape culture are presented to an audience. (Psychology Today). Since this show is so popular, it has been a great place to pitch for better representation because in reality, “Game of Thrones” is just one example of a show that portrays sex negatively and it is the obligation of the television and movie studios to provide realistic, inclusive, character-driven interpretations of sex.
This obligation falls on some of the most powerful people in America, the studio executives. “Game of Thrones” is created by HBO, which is owned by Time Warner, which is one of multiple studios creating content for the average consumer. Jeff Bewkes CEO of Time Warner is in line with Bob Iger (Disney) and Brian Roberts (Comcast) as three of the biggest names in the entertainment industry from the three biggest studios. These companies control what media is being created and in turn, they are the decision makers for what projects are green lit (which in turn has a say in what directors, screenwriters, and actors are hired for their studios.) It is on these men (and these companies) to put in place a policy that ensures that the sex in their projects is representative of real life. If they don’t initiate this policy, the FCC will have to.
Still, many people might be wondering what a sex policy would look like and what types of sex scenes are problematic. Unlike in the 1930’s sex shouldn’t be a taboo subject in films. Sex happens in the real world and in stories it can be something incredibly moving, for both characters and for the story. However, other times sex can be used in pornographic ways that do not belong in films. The intent to incite pleasure in an audience is the difference between sex in film and in porn. The difference can be very thin, but when outlined, is very noticeable. First off, there is the aspect of where the camera is focused. In porn, the camera often has extreme close-up shots and angles that show off genitals and penetration. There are two problems with this tactic being portrayed in films. First, by removing a human face in the scene directors are sexualizing the body with the intent to sell sex rather than to tell a story. The second problem is that this type of filming objectifies the individual, usually female, for audience pleasure. This first problem needs to be addressed by making sure there is always equal, or more, screen time for the actors faces and character building in a sex scene compared to any nudity. Sex in a film should always have a purpose and not be in the film to drive up ticket sales. If a character is having meaningless sex, this should be an aspect of their character, not just something added in because the studio wanted it there. Another problem in films is the gender socialization of sex, which also follows the suit of pornography where the male always takes a dominant position and the female is always submissive. This creates an unrealistic view of sex and may in turn hurt the characters if that isn’t the type of trait they would have outside of the bedroom. All-in-all the characterization of sex needs to be three dimensional.
If these ideas expressed were to be initiated in movies by studios, it would have a drastic change on our culture. Some of the biggest problems in franchise films today is that they don’t spend enough time fleshing out the story. An added sex scene only contributes to this problem and if studios take this much time on a sex scene, they could in turn take more time on fleshing out the rest of their scenes. Not to mention the representation of sex on the screen would be positive for audiences everywhere. “It (the media) impacts what we think of as normal and how we respond to the sexualities of those around us,” Kellie Herson, an MA and Gender Studies Ph.D Candidate at ASU, said. “It not only encourages people to internalize particular kinds of shame, but it encourages people to shame others for any kind of sexual expression outside what is portrayed as 'normal' in our popular culture.” (State Press), While better representation is becoming commonplace in film and television, many actors have also become custom to including nudity clauses into their contracts, something that studios can take note of and use as bargaining chips for better sex scenes. Due to the fact that there are many, many different aspects of what goes into a sex scene, actors usually have contracts drawn up about how these scenes will be filmed, including what they will be wearing, how they will be positioned, where the camera will be and what parts of their body will be on screen. It would be excruciatingly simple to add a conversation about how the representation of the sex scene would look like beforehand too.
A great example of realistic sex on film would be the movie “9 Songs.” The film is basically a foreign romance film, which tells about the relationship of a man and a woman from beginning to end. It tells this story in a series of vignettes, and a big part of those scenes are unsimulated sex scenes. Now, while I am not advocating for more film productions to feature unsimulated sex, because that would be the opposite of the sex-positivity I am advocating for, this film really benefitted by having a script, scenes, and actors that were all in on making sex real. What is great about this film is that the sex and the budding relationship on screen seems very real and almost as if it were a documentary. The actors do in fact have sex with one another and in the first half of the film the audience actually understands that the actors are aroused and emotionally and physically connected to one another. As a result, the film is much more sensual and erotic than a regular film or that of porn. The plot eventually moves to a rocky territory with the relationship and the split between the two feels even more jarring because the sex turns into a more pornographic representation of sex, allowing for the audience to understand the difference between what is real and what isn’t. These scenes by contrast begin to feel distant cold. The film does a great job at creating real characters with a meaningful relationship and tells a story that wouldn’t work if the chemistry seems fake.
Another final example of a film that features meaningful sex is the 2014 fillm “Don Juan” starring Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, Scarlett Johanson, and Julianne Moore. Leavitt’s titular character is a porn addict and religiously trolls the clubs for women to take home and have sex with. The narrative of the film is that he can’t understand why nothing compares to porn and the audience understands the reasoning because of the way the sex scenes are shot. Every time Don Jaun has sex, we are seeing a very pornographic version of sex. We are seeing a dominating male version of sex that is specifically centered around Leavitt getting laid and never around the woman. The main character discusses the woman’s looks and body but never her as a character. Later when the film moves on to meeting Julianne Moore’s character, Don Juan realizes how much he loves this person who is willing to be real with him. These sex scenes are shot with a lot of close-up face shots and aren’t as dark and gritty as the prior scenes. This scene features the sunlight coming through the window and actually features a makeup-less Moore who is portraying raw emotion in her character.
So by including these sex clauses in contracts, studios are creating better stories, more inclusive art, changing the narrative around sex, and even representing the audience better. However, in 2018, why is this such a big deal? Why is our current narrative on sex not working? Well, the answer to that question can be found in the #MeToo movement which has chronicled the various offenses by multiple men in Hollywood that have been predators on actresses on and off jobs. One of the most famous culprits is Harvey Weinstein who used his position as a studio executive to prey on woman for decades. This carnal sense of entitlement to women’s bodies may very well have come from the rape culture being created by movies that Weinstein has produced. Many women in the audiences of these movies have understood silently the implications of what these sex scenes are telling the youth, men, and women. By having studio heads fully behind inclusive sex scenes, Hollywood as a whole is making it known that they are not going to put up with anything like Weinstein ever again, and that’s a great thing.
As mentioned at the beginning of this paper, the Federal Communications Commission and the MPAA is on the scene of these films ready to censor what they deem inappropriate for film, but I believe it isn’t their place to make judgement. Provide a rating, yes, but these films would be more appropriately controlled by the studio heads. Content creators should be able to make the statements they want to make on screen but the representation of sex must be monitored more closely for the good of the people watching.
Works Cited:
Gunasekera, Hasantha, Simon Chapman, and Sharon Campbell. "Sex and drugs in popular movies: an analysis of the top 200 films." Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine98.10 (2005): 464-470.
Hooks, Bell. Reel to real: race, class and sex at the movies. Routledge, 2009.
Lambiase, Jacqueline. Et al. “Sex in Consumer Culture: The Erotic Content of Media and Marketing.” Routledge, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.dist.lib.usu.edu/lib/usu/detail.action?docID=1487117.
Meehan, Eileen R. Et al. “Sex and Money: Feminism and Political Economy in the Media.” University of Minnesota Press. 2002. Proquest Ebook Central. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.dist.lib.usu.edu/lib/USU/detail.action?docID=310561. Accessed June 3, 2018.
Peter, Jochen, and Patti M. Valkenburg. ‘Adolescents’ exposure to a sexualized media environment and their notions of women as sex objects. Sex roles 56.5-6 (2007): 381-395.
Ward, Lucretia. Et Al. Sexual Media Content and Effects. Oxford Research Encyclopedia: Communication. Oxford University Press. 2018. Web. http://communication.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-2 Retrieved June 1, 2018.
Ybara, Michelle. Is Sex in the Media Related to Sexual Behavior Among Teens? Psychology Today. June 28, 2016. Web. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/connected/201606/is-sex-in-the-media-related-sexual-behavior-among-teens. Accessed on May 21, 2018.
Shocking: Religious Experiences from LGBTQ Youth
For this essay I sought out a variety of interviews from openly gay men. I have changed their names in the text and these are used as anecdotes to pair with the data that I have found.
“I grew up in a religious [LDS] household, my father was the bishop of our ward for almost six years. As the bishop’s son I played the piano, bore my testimony every month, gave endless talks and taught classes. I was expected to be perfect, and I did my best. My parents thought that I was sensitive. It wasn’t until after high school that I even suggested to them otherwise. I moved to San Francisco for college and then when I finally came out to them, I was cut off, alone and ashamed of myself.” (David, personal communication, July 20, 2018).
According to the Journal for Scientific Study of Religion, in 2006, 80 percent of adults indicated a religious affiliation and that number has dropped in the last ten years especially with young people. Citing Christianity’s historical condemnation of the LGBTQ community as sinners and a growing acceptance of gay people among the youth, it can be inferred that these numbers are related. In Utah, however, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the dominate Christian influence and that is the religion we will most closely be looking at. The journal obtained data from a survey of 1,042 males (which was part of a larger survey of LGBTQ members in the LDS church) and discovered that the average age of recognition of one’s sexuality is around nine years old, usually after baptism. (Bradshaw, 2015). The same survey also discovered that understanding that one was gay usually happened during puberty and any type of gay sexual experience usually happened at 18. Acceptance and/or coming out usually didn’t happen until later after an LDS mission. (Bradshaw, 2015). This data supports a reoccurring theme in the LGBTQ community who were raised with religion in their lives; that is, that growing up in a highly religious culture can impact teens and children who are sexual minorities in negative ways. Struggling with conflicting narratives in their lives often leads them to mental health issues, homelessness, and suicide. This dual identity often harms teenagers in psychological ways that aren’t realized until later in life.
According to one gay individual who was raised LDS: “My parents divorced because of me. I came out my senior year of high school and my father sent me to live with family, away from where he thought my problems were coming from. When I returned, my parents had split and I don’t talk to either of them anymore. I love them, and I know they love me, but it’s not the same. It’s a conditional love. They are both still very active in the church.” (John, personal communication, July 23, 2018).
In the LDS faith there has been a history of statements made about homosexual behavior. The church currently states that same-sex attraction is not sinful, while homosexual behavior is. The LDS church also supports sexual orientation change efforts, though not endorsing any specific procedure. The result of Bradshaw’s study at Brigham Young University found that the higher up on Kinsey’s behavior score had no influence on personal beliefs including beliefs in God, the church, and prophets. In fact, while roughly 75 percent of participants (who identified as gay) were Aaronic Priesthood holders, served a mission, and believed in God, only 28 percent of them were married. This data supports the hypothesis that many church members who identify as gay followed a checklist pattern which included the priesthood and a mission but when coming into their own skin and realizing their sexual orientation, the barrier of marriage often stood in the way.
One reason for this barrier is not finding acceptance from their families and needing to lead a closeted life. The journal for Social Work and Christianity describes this discrimination and oppression as a vital part of the examination of culture, saying “understanding power, privilege, discrimination, and oppression” is the only way to promote social justice. However, in the LDS faith, privilege often times remains unchecked. (Dessel, 2017). According to the PEW research center, 86 percent of the LDS faith is white, 93 percent of the faith is in the United States, 60 percent went to college, 59 percent are middle class and 16 percent are upper class incomes. These numbers only relate to 1.7% of the population that identify as Mormons. Factoring in that 75% of Americans identify as Christians shows that this problem is likely much larger than any single church. However, it is definitely a problem in Christian/Mormon homes. The reason is, parents have a privilege that supersedes all of these other privileges, and that is that they can control children’s lives and shape them into what they want to see, including determining the child’s religion. When ones religious beliefs and sexual orientation collide, that can cause issues with one’s mental health and with the family unit.
According to R. David Johns of the Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, there are five phases in the sexual identity models that the youth go through. First, are feelings of alienation and isolation. (Johns, 2011). This stage is a sort of “pre-coming out.” Second, is identity confusion in which one may try to come to terms but also reject one’s sexuality. This is the process of grieving one’s heterosexual blueprint. The third phase is admittance and the fourth phase is acceptance. These phases are usually stunted because survival skills in an LDS household rely on the fact that sexual orientation remains closeted. Phase five is immersion and exaggeration. This is the subculture of being gay and one of the biggest reasons that parents and community members often think that an individual has “changed.” (Johns, 2011).
Johns also discusses the six stages of the spiritual model. Spirituality moves from an intuitive childhood, to a mythical curiosity to a synthetic conformity. These three stages are often found in youth who were raised in the church. This is where many stops growing in faith because they are comfortable, however the fourth stage of faith requires being critical before one can reach a conjunctive stage of faith the allows for one to see paradoxes and relate one’s own experiences. The sixth stage is a universal faith that makes the teaching real and tangible.
When comparing these two models, it is interesting to note that the same place that faith gets stunted, is the same place that religion often is stunted. That third stage where self-actualization comes into play. The ability to grow is often stunted by the parents making one conform rather than branch out. This also leads to a phenomenon in LGBTQ culture, where children are cast out and homeless because they couldn’t conform. Johns says, “to help LGBTQ Mormon clients be liberated from this dilemma, it is important to help them understand how damaging beliefs forced upon them by their religious culture are at the basis of problems such as depression and anxiety.” (Johns, 2011).
These types of mental health issues from loss of family, homelessness, or even just a culture of intolerance often leads LGBTQ youth to dire consequences such as suicide. Though, there are some who make light of these issues and claim that Christianity is under attack. This is the case of Carson-Newman University which published its woes after experiencing backlash when it filed for Title IX exemption. (O’Brien, 2017). The story came up when I was searching for peer-reviewed articles under religion and LGBTQ rights. Unfortunately, this story was the opposite of what I had hoped to find, as it was an account about “issues facing Christianity in a changing world.” I admit, that I am biased in my research but I include this article as a demonstration to be compared to the other issues I have shared. While LGBTQ youth face intolerance, homelessness, mental health problems, and death. This writer wrote a 12-page article about how his school faced discrimination and had to not become Title IX exempt.
Culturally, it’s debated whether or not there are any harmful effects of religion on LGBTQ members, however conversion therapy should be the only evidence needed in this debate. Growing up in a religious culture does impact teens who are sexual minorities in negative ways including, often leading them to mental health issues, homelessness, and suicide. Conversion therapy is one way that parents and religious leaders seek out to harm LGBTQ youth instead of embracing them. Jared, another friend who I attended church with as a teenager said this:
“I just knew that I was gay. When my parents came to the same realization as I did, they forced me to undergo meetings with my bishop, refuse sacrament to the dismay of other church members, and they forced me to pray the gay away. Today, I still tear up whenever I even think about God loving me. I haven’t prayed in years. Even trying, I just feel a pain in my heart.” (Jared, personal communication, July 16, 2018).
References
Bradshaw, William S. (2015). “Religious Experiences of LGBTQ Mormon Males.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Vol 54(2). pp 311-329.
Dessel, Adrienne B, et al. (2017). “LGBTQ Topics and Christianity in Social Work: Tackling the tough questions.” Social Work & Christianity. Vol 44 (1-2). pp. 11-30.
O’Brien, J. Randall. (2017). “Sensitive to ‘the right’ and ‘the left’: One University’s experience in our LGBT/Title IX exemption case.” Social Work & Christianity. Vol 44(1-2). Pp. 112-122.
R. David Johns & Fred J. Hanna. (2011). “Peculiar and Queer: Spiritual and Emotional Salvation for the LGBTQ Mormon.” Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 5:3-4, 197-219.
“I grew up in a religious [LDS] household, my father was the bishop of our ward for almost six years. As the bishop’s son I played the piano, bore my testimony every month, gave endless talks and taught classes. I was expected to be perfect, and I did my best. My parents thought that I was sensitive. It wasn’t until after high school that I even suggested to them otherwise. I moved to San Francisco for college and then when I finally came out to them, I was cut off, alone and ashamed of myself.” (David, personal communication, July 20, 2018).
According to the Journal for Scientific Study of Religion, in 2006, 80 percent of adults indicated a religious affiliation and that number has dropped in the last ten years especially with young people. Citing Christianity’s historical condemnation of the LGBTQ community as sinners and a growing acceptance of gay people among the youth, it can be inferred that these numbers are related. In Utah, however, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the dominate Christian influence and that is the religion we will most closely be looking at. The journal obtained data from a survey of 1,042 males (which was part of a larger survey of LGBTQ members in the LDS church) and discovered that the average age of recognition of one’s sexuality is around nine years old, usually after baptism. (Bradshaw, 2015). The same survey also discovered that understanding that one was gay usually happened during puberty and any type of gay sexual experience usually happened at 18. Acceptance and/or coming out usually didn’t happen until later after an LDS mission. (Bradshaw, 2015). This data supports a reoccurring theme in the LGBTQ community who were raised with religion in their lives; that is, that growing up in a highly religious culture can impact teens and children who are sexual minorities in negative ways. Struggling with conflicting narratives in their lives often leads them to mental health issues, homelessness, and suicide. This dual identity often harms teenagers in psychological ways that aren’t realized until later in life.
According to one gay individual who was raised LDS: “My parents divorced because of me. I came out my senior year of high school and my father sent me to live with family, away from where he thought my problems were coming from. When I returned, my parents had split and I don’t talk to either of them anymore. I love them, and I know they love me, but it’s not the same. It’s a conditional love. They are both still very active in the church.” (John, personal communication, July 23, 2018).
In the LDS faith there has been a history of statements made about homosexual behavior. The church currently states that same-sex attraction is not sinful, while homosexual behavior is. The LDS church also supports sexual orientation change efforts, though not endorsing any specific procedure. The result of Bradshaw’s study at Brigham Young University found that the higher up on Kinsey’s behavior score had no influence on personal beliefs including beliefs in God, the church, and prophets. In fact, while roughly 75 percent of participants (who identified as gay) were Aaronic Priesthood holders, served a mission, and believed in God, only 28 percent of them were married. This data supports the hypothesis that many church members who identify as gay followed a checklist pattern which included the priesthood and a mission but when coming into their own skin and realizing their sexual orientation, the barrier of marriage often stood in the way.
One reason for this barrier is not finding acceptance from their families and needing to lead a closeted life. The journal for Social Work and Christianity describes this discrimination and oppression as a vital part of the examination of culture, saying “understanding power, privilege, discrimination, and oppression” is the only way to promote social justice. However, in the LDS faith, privilege often times remains unchecked. (Dessel, 2017). According to the PEW research center, 86 percent of the LDS faith is white, 93 percent of the faith is in the United States, 60 percent went to college, 59 percent are middle class and 16 percent are upper class incomes. These numbers only relate to 1.7% of the population that identify as Mormons. Factoring in that 75% of Americans identify as Christians shows that this problem is likely much larger than any single church. However, it is definitely a problem in Christian/Mormon homes. The reason is, parents have a privilege that supersedes all of these other privileges, and that is that they can control children’s lives and shape them into what they want to see, including determining the child’s religion. When ones religious beliefs and sexual orientation collide, that can cause issues with one’s mental health and with the family unit.
According to R. David Johns of the Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, there are five phases in the sexual identity models that the youth go through. First, are feelings of alienation and isolation. (Johns, 2011). This stage is a sort of “pre-coming out.” Second, is identity confusion in which one may try to come to terms but also reject one’s sexuality. This is the process of grieving one’s heterosexual blueprint. The third phase is admittance and the fourth phase is acceptance. These phases are usually stunted because survival skills in an LDS household rely on the fact that sexual orientation remains closeted. Phase five is immersion and exaggeration. This is the subculture of being gay and one of the biggest reasons that parents and community members often think that an individual has “changed.” (Johns, 2011).
Johns also discusses the six stages of the spiritual model. Spirituality moves from an intuitive childhood, to a mythical curiosity to a synthetic conformity. These three stages are often found in youth who were raised in the church. This is where many stops growing in faith because they are comfortable, however the fourth stage of faith requires being critical before one can reach a conjunctive stage of faith the allows for one to see paradoxes and relate one’s own experiences. The sixth stage is a universal faith that makes the teaching real and tangible.
When comparing these two models, it is interesting to note that the same place that faith gets stunted, is the same place that religion often is stunted. That third stage where self-actualization comes into play. The ability to grow is often stunted by the parents making one conform rather than branch out. This also leads to a phenomenon in LGBTQ culture, where children are cast out and homeless because they couldn’t conform. Johns says, “to help LGBTQ Mormon clients be liberated from this dilemma, it is important to help them understand how damaging beliefs forced upon them by their religious culture are at the basis of problems such as depression and anxiety.” (Johns, 2011).
These types of mental health issues from loss of family, homelessness, or even just a culture of intolerance often leads LGBTQ youth to dire consequences such as suicide. Though, there are some who make light of these issues and claim that Christianity is under attack. This is the case of Carson-Newman University which published its woes after experiencing backlash when it filed for Title IX exemption. (O’Brien, 2017). The story came up when I was searching for peer-reviewed articles under religion and LGBTQ rights. Unfortunately, this story was the opposite of what I had hoped to find, as it was an account about “issues facing Christianity in a changing world.” I admit, that I am biased in my research but I include this article as a demonstration to be compared to the other issues I have shared. While LGBTQ youth face intolerance, homelessness, mental health problems, and death. This writer wrote a 12-page article about how his school faced discrimination and had to not become Title IX exempt.
Culturally, it’s debated whether or not there are any harmful effects of religion on LGBTQ members, however conversion therapy should be the only evidence needed in this debate. Growing up in a religious culture does impact teens who are sexual minorities in negative ways including, often leading them to mental health issues, homelessness, and suicide. Conversion therapy is one way that parents and religious leaders seek out to harm LGBTQ youth instead of embracing them. Jared, another friend who I attended church with as a teenager said this:
“I just knew that I was gay. When my parents came to the same realization as I did, they forced me to undergo meetings with my bishop, refuse sacrament to the dismay of other church members, and they forced me to pray the gay away. Today, I still tear up whenever I even think about God loving me. I haven’t prayed in years. Even trying, I just feel a pain in my heart.” (Jared, personal communication, July 16, 2018).
References
Bradshaw, William S. (2015). “Religious Experiences of LGBTQ Mormon Males.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Vol 54(2). pp 311-329.
Dessel, Adrienne B, et al. (2017). “LGBTQ Topics and Christianity in Social Work: Tackling the tough questions.” Social Work & Christianity. Vol 44 (1-2). pp. 11-30.
O’Brien, J. Randall. (2017). “Sensitive to ‘the right’ and ‘the left’: One University’s experience in our LGBT/Title IX exemption case.” Social Work & Christianity. Vol 44(1-2). Pp. 112-122.
R. David Johns & Fred J. Hanna. (2011). “Peculiar and Queer: Spiritual and Emotional Salvation for the LGBTQ Mormon.” Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 5:3-4, 197-219.
Silver Fox & Unemployed Actresses: The Double Standard of Aging Gracefully
“Ageism is alive and well,” Jane Fonda declared early this year at the release party of her new female-lead movie Book Club, which stars the 80-year-old actress alongside Oscar nominees, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen. Fonda continued talking with The Daily Telegraph saying, “it is okay for men to get older, because men become more desirable by being powerful. With women, it’s all about how we look. Men are very visual, they want young women. So, for us, it’s all about trying to stay young.” Other female celebrities such as Julianne Moore, Lily Tomlin, Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange, and Meryl Streep have talked about the struggles of aging in Hollywood and how roles aren’t written for women over 30. The late Doris Roberts spoke to an unresponsive Senate floor in 2002 and later told PEOPLE Magazine, “there is no photograph in any magazine that I can think of, other than [AARP The Magazine], that shows a woman over the age of 45, unless she’s suffering from cancer or (selling) Viagra. They like to airbrush us out of existence.” However, the ageist discrimination of women goes far beyond just the silver screen and is alive and well in media and advertising of every medium. In fact, women are almost always judged more harshly on their age and looks, dismissed from job opportunities, and are marketed towards with expensive products and encouraged to change themselves more than men are of any age group.
This idea of how advertising portrays women in a flawless and unattainable manner is discussed in Jean Kilbourne’s newest update of her Killing Us Softly docuseries which focuses on how sexualized images of women and other harmful gender stereotypes in entertainment media has harbored a connection to sexism, gender violence, ageism, and eating disorders. The premise of Kilbourne’s lecture is that these images are affecting viewers without them even realizing it. “Advertisements have no affect on me, I just block them out,” Kilbourne says, referencing the response she typically gets on the subject from guys wearing Budweiser hats. However according to Rance Crain, the former senior editor of Advertising Age, “Only 8% of an ad’s message is received by the conscious mind. The rest is worked and reworked deep within the recesses of the brain.”
The thought of advertisements subconsciously reaching consumers should be a frightening narrative because ads sell more than just products. Kilbourne says that “they sell values, images, concepts of love, sexuality, success and normalcy.” If the people selling beauty products are setting the agenda of what beauty is, then that means consumers are bombarded with messages like “what’s most important is how we look,” and “spend time, energy and money to achieve that look” even though flawlessness is the ideal that advertisers are selling, and it cannot be achieved.
Some examples of advertisers selling youth to women are as followed: First, (see appendix A) let’s look at two advertisements by L’Oreal, a hair dye company that is profiting off these ads which feature 72-year-old actresses Diane Keaton and Helen Mirren. The trick of these ads is that they seem progressive at first, two talented older actresses in magazine ads, that’s almost unheard of. However, then there’s a quote supposedly from Keaton which reads, “We can grow old gracefully- or gorgeously, I pick both.” This quote paired with the line that says “Diane is wearing shade 9N Light Natural Blonde” screams “hey, Diane freaking Keaton wears our shade of hair coloring. If you want to be gorgeous and not an old lady, dye your hair.” It tells the consumer that natural hair is not fashionable and that they will look old.
Now, not all ads are harmful. In fact, there are a select few that are breaking barriers, such as this Dove ad (appendix B) that features two diverse women with grey in their hair and smiles on their faces. The tag line “beauty has no age limit” accompanies the naked ladies who haven’t been photoshopped and bare their wrinkles, body-rolls and all. The ad says, “but this isn’t an anti-aging ad, this is pro-age.” Sure, while Dove is still trying to sell skin care products to women, it is doing it in a way that isn’t selling a fake reality. It is selling real, raw beauty that comes from being happy in one’s own skin.
While Dove may say to embrace age, this next ad (appendix C) says almost the opposite. Reversa anti-aging skin care “may have side effects” which include hooking up with a younger man. At least, that’s what this image of a woman on a couch leads the consumer to believe. We see the side profile of a naked man, who is obviously in his prime, laying with his feet rested on a woman in a power suit. Sure, in 2018 this might be considered the epitome of feminism, a powerful woman dominating her male sex-slave, but, this ad is just as sexist because in no reality would a man be told he needs to use a skin-care product to be attractive. In fact, this ad tells the consumer that women need to have sexy, youthful skin, to have sex at all. Also, when they do have sex they will do it fully clothed because the women who use this product cannot feel comfortable being naked, especially beside a youthful male. (Also, implying that sex between these two age groups is wrong, is a side effect, which are usually harmful.) The twisted way that this ad is trying to scream “progressiveness” is a ploy to make us think things have changed when they obviously haven’t.
Finally, we get to see some male empowerment, because that’s what these ads are lacking. In appendix D, we see two ads, one from L’Oreal again, that show two “finely-aged” men, real “silver foxes” who can show off their grey hair, it’s encouraged. As Fonda said, “men become more desirable by being powerful” and these ads prove that age isn’t a barrier for men, just ask the younger lady in the advertisement next to this man in the ad.
Although, it’s not just the advertisements. Ageism and our cultural attitude toward youthfulness and beauty are apparent in every aspect of our society according to Robert Butler (1969) who came up with the term. This is why actresses in Hollywood are speaking out about how their characters are portrayed, because unlike advertisements, actresses have a say in what they create and what message is being put out into society. Backlash has been strong for these women. Take Fonda’s film featuring a 70+ cast, which was denied production from major studios and she was forced to produce herself. Why is this sexism and ageism so persistent? “A system that advantages men over women in material resources, power, status, and authority (i.e., gender hierarchy) has continued in one form or another despite profound structural changes such as industrialization and the movement of production out of the household. What accounts for the chameleon-like ability of gender hierarchy to reassert itself in new forms when its old structural forms erode?” (Ridgeway, 1997).
The answer is, ideology. Allowing media and advertisements to exploit and profit of false ideals of what it means to be a woman has eroded our nation and has fed into sexism, gender violence, the gender pay gap, ageism and more. Advertising has created a belief that youth and beauty are synonymous, and our culture has eaten it up. This is reflected in Hollywood, in the workplace, in books and in video games. Although it seems to be getting better with time and as the opportunity arises allowing for creators like Fonda and Kilbourne to change the narrative, there is still a lot of work to be done to create a real difference. Maybe one day we will live in a culture that celebrates our differences and our flaws rather than create a cream promising to change us.
References
Butler, R.N. (1969). Ageism: Another form of bigotry. Gerontologist. 9(3), 243-246.
Butler, R.N. (2005). Ageism: Looking back over my shoulder. Generations. 29(3), 84-86.
Killoy, A. Earp, J. Alper, L. Jhally, S. (Director). (2010). Killing Us Softly [Video file]. Media Education Foundation. Retrieved June 10, 2018, from Kanopy.
Ridgeway, C. L. (1997). Interaction and the conservation of gender inequality: Considering employment. American Sociological Review, 218-235.
This idea of how advertising portrays women in a flawless and unattainable manner is discussed in Jean Kilbourne’s newest update of her Killing Us Softly docuseries which focuses on how sexualized images of women and other harmful gender stereotypes in entertainment media has harbored a connection to sexism, gender violence, ageism, and eating disorders. The premise of Kilbourne’s lecture is that these images are affecting viewers without them even realizing it. “Advertisements have no affect on me, I just block them out,” Kilbourne says, referencing the response she typically gets on the subject from guys wearing Budweiser hats. However according to Rance Crain, the former senior editor of Advertising Age, “Only 8% of an ad’s message is received by the conscious mind. The rest is worked and reworked deep within the recesses of the brain.”
The thought of advertisements subconsciously reaching consumers should be a frightening narrative because ads sell more than just products. Kilbourne says that “they sell values, images, concepts of love, sexuality, success and normalcy.” If the people selling beauty products are setting the agenda of what beauty is, then that means consumers are bombarded with messages like “what’s most important is how we look,” and “spend time, energy and money to achieve that look” even though flawlessness is the ideal that advertisers are selling, and it cannot be achieved.
Some examples of advertisers selling youth to women are as followed: First, (see appendix A) let’s look at two advertisements by L’Oreal, a hair dye company that is profiting off these ads which feature 72-year-old actresses Diane Keaton and Helen Mirren. The trick of these ads is that they seem progressive at first, two talented older actresses in magazine ads, that’s almost unheard of. However, then there’s a quote supposedly from Keaton which reads, “We can grow old gracefully- or gorgeously, I pick both.” This quote paired with the line that says “Diane is wearing shade 9N Light Natural Blonde” screams “hey, Diane freaking Keaton wears our shade of hair coloring. If you want to be gorgeous and not an old lady, dye your hair.” It tells the consumer that natural hair is not fashionable and that they will look old.
Now, not all ads are harmful. In fact, there are a select few that are breaking barriers, such as this Dove ad (appendix B) that features two diverse women with grey in their hair and smiles on their faces. The tag line “beauty has no age limit” accompanies the naked ladies who haven’t been photoshopped and bare their wrinkles, body-rolls and all. The ad says, “but this isn’t an anti-aging ad, this is pro-age.” Sure, while Dove is still trying to sell skin care products to women, it is doing it in a way that isn’t selling a fake reality. It is selling real, raw beauty that comes from being happy in one’s own skin.
While Dove may say to embrace age, this next ad (appendix C) says almost the opposite. Reversa anti-aging skin care “may have side effects” which include hooking up with a younger man. At least, that’s what this image of a woman on a couch leads the consumer to believe. We see the side profile of a naked man, who is obviously in his prime, laying with his feet rested on a woman in a power suit. Sure, in 2018 this might be considered the epitome of feminism, a powerful woman dominating her male sex-slave, but, this ad is just as sexist because in no reality would a man be told he needs to use a skin-care product to be attractive. In fact, this ad tells the consumer that women need to have sexy, youthful skin, to have sex at all. Also, when they do have sex they will do it fully clothed because the women who use this product cannot feel comfortable being naked, especially beside a youthful male. (Also, implying that sex between these two age groups is wrong, is a side effect, which are usually harmful.) The twisted way that this ad is trying to scream “progressiveness” is a ploy to make us think things have changed when they obviously haven’t.
Finally, we get to see some male empowerment, because that’s what these ads are lacking. In appendix D, we see two ads, one from L’Oreal again, that show two “finely-aged” men, real “silver foxes” who can show off their grey hair, it’s encouraged. As Fonda said, “men become more desirable by being powerful” and these ads prove that age isn’t a barrier for men, just ask the younger lady in the advertisement next to this man in the ad.
Although, it’s not just the advertisements. Ageism and our cultural attitude toward youthfulness and beauty are apparent in every aspect of our society according to Robert Butler (1969) who came up with the term. This is why actresses in Hollywood are speaking out about how their characters are portrayed, because unlike advertisements, actresses have a say in what they create and what message is being put out into society. Backlash has been strong for these women. Take Fonda’s film featuring a 70+ cast, which was denied production from major studios and she was forced to produce herself. Why is this sexism and ageism so persistent? “A system that advantages men over women in material resources, power, status, and authority (i.e., gender hierarchy) has continued in one form or another despite profound structural changes such as industrialization and the movement of production out of the household. What accounts for the chameleon-like ability of gender hierarchy to reassert itself in new forms when its old structural forms erode?” (Ridgeway, 1997).
The answer is, ideology. Allowing media and advertisements to exploit and profit of false ideals of what it means to be a woman has eroded our nation and has fed into sexism, gender violence, the gender pay gap, ageism and more. Advertising has created a belief that youth and beauty are synonymous, and our culture has eaten it up. This is reflected in Hollywood, in the workplace, in books and in video games. Although it seems to be getting better with time and as the opportunity arises allowing for creators like Fonda and Kilbourne to change the narrative, there is still a lot of work to be done to create a real difference. Maybe one day we will live in a culture that celebrates our differences and our flaws rather than create a cream promising to change us.
References
Butler, R.N. (1969). Ageism: Another form of bigotry. Gerontologist. 9(3), 243-246.
Butler, R.N. (2005). Ageism: Looking back over my shoulder. Generations. 29(3), 84-86.
Killoy, A. Earp, J. Alper, L. Jhally, S. (Director). (2010). Killing Us Softly [Video file]. Media Education Foundation. Retrieved June 10, 2018, from Kanopy.
Ridgeway, C. L. (1997). Interaction and the conservation of gender inequality: Considering employment. American Sociological Review, 218-235.
The Hidden Oppression of Democracy
Since the 90’s there arguably hasn’t been a single female force more steadfast, or more controversial, than Hilary Rodham Clinton, a household name who after law school became the first lady of Arkansas, sometimes following and sometimes leading her husband, then Governor Bill Clinton, to political greatness. Only ten years later the Clintons became POTUS and FLOTUS through the turn of the century, occupying the titles for eight years, respectively. While her husband was ultimately impeached from office, Clinton has gone on to have an incredible political career serving as a U.S. Senator from New York, and Secretary of State during the Obama administration. Clinton has lead two monumental presidential campaigns, though despite losing, each have shattered the glass ceiling and paved the way for female politicians after her.
This week, multiple news outlets have reported that Clinton is allegedly considering a third presidential campaign and the response to these reports has been split. While many Americans still want to see a female president-elect, many others have issues with Clinton, the idea of female politicians, and the idea of Clinton becoming the oldest president in history. However, with 45 presidents in U.S. history, why hasn’t there been any female representation yet? The answer; gender bias in democracy has loomed for decades in every aspect including voting, positions of political power, and female aspiration to public positions.
So, in the #MeToo era, where gender and racial bias is being spoken about more regularly, the idea that the United States will see a female president is widely accepted. Though, the conflicting sexism towards women in politics is still just as rampant as it was only a few years ago when Clinton was asked on a nationally televised debate, “do you prefer diamonds or pearls?” something a male in the same position would never be asked (Lawrence & Rose, 2011).
In an article in Political Behavior Magazine it says, “the role of women in American politics has been a topic of research and debate for many years, and while we cannot review even a significant portion of it here, much of it suggests that candidate gender should play a role in information search, candidate evaluation and vote choice. For example, findings from many experimental studies suggest that voters may infer specific personality traits from female candidates that they do not from males” (Ditonto & Hamilton & Redlawk, 2014).
One reason that women are not elected into political positions is that voters are looking for “leadership qualities” which typically get stereotyped as manly qualities. Voters don’t want emotion in their leaders. The president, for example, has both a lot of duties in the government and a lot of symbolic duties. The role of the president is the living embodiment of the nation, meaning that whoever we choose to elect as our president says a lot about who we think embodies our nation the best. However, 44 of the 45 Presidents have been white men and 43 of the 45 presidents have been Protestant Christians. This means that our presidents typically reflect that of the dominant gender, race, class, religion, and sexual orientation. Or otherwise, white straight upper-class Christian males. When we vote for a president, we are voting for who we think is the manliest, alpha male to lead this country. For example, George W. Bush famously said, "I don’t do nuances" (meaning he didn’t show emotion in his speech or expressions) and he was elected for a second term. Another example is politician Ed Muskie who while talking about his wife he started tearing up. Officials quickly commented that it was the snow melting on his face. When voting we often also question whether a woman can perform her “family duties” as a mother and caregiver before we question her qualification as a politician. Recently Lanny Davis, one of President Bill Clinton’s former advisors went on record saying that Hilary should not run again for president “for her family’s sake.” This type of subtle sexism is something that all voters take with them when voting.
The number of women in the United States House of Representatives has never gone above 20 percent and there are currently only 23 women in the U.S. Senate out of 100. The reason for this is that more women stay in local politics rather than going into national or global politics. (Coffe, 2013). Women can be found across the nation as mayors, governors, and leaders of all sorts, but Americans tend to get scared when a woman is putting their career above their family (or equally as important.)
It’s clear that women in politics are not equally represented and the stigma and socialization of gender around women has lead to a hidden oppression of women being represented. Hilary Clinton understands this as she once said, “There cannot be true democracy unless women’s voices are heard. There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives. There cannot be true democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the lives of their country. Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights. Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely, and to be heard.” Whether voting, holding political offices, or running for President of the United States of America, all voices, all genders and sexes, need to have the opportunity to be represented.
References
Coffe, Hilde. (2013). Women Stay Local, Men go Nationals and Global. Gender Differences in Political Interest. Sex Roles. Vol 69(5-6) pp. 323-338.
Ditonto, Tessa M; Hamilton, Allison J; Redlawsk, David P; Gender Stereotypes, Information Search, and Voting Behavior in Political Campaigns. (2014). Political Behavior. Vol 36(2). pp.335-358.
Lawrence, Regina G; Rose, Melody. (2011). Review of Hilary Clinton’s Race for the White House: Gender Politics and the Media on the Campaign Trail. Sage Publications Academic Journal December 2011. pp. 800-802.
This week, multiple news outlets have reported that Clinton is allegedly considering a third presidential campaign and the response to these reports has been split. While many Americans still want to see a female president-elect, many others have issues with Clinton, the idea of female politicians, and the idea of Clinton becoming the oldest president in history. However, with 45 presidents in U.S. history, why hasn’t there been any female representation yet? The answer; gender bias in democracy has loomed for decades in every aspect including voting, positions of political power, and female aspiration to public positions.
So, in the #MeToo era, where gender and racial bias is being spoken about more regularly, the idea that the United States will see a female president is widely accepted. Though, the conflicting sexism towards women in politics is still just as rampant as it was only a few years ago when Clinton was asked on a nationally televised debate, “do you prefer diamonds or pearls?” something a male in the same position would never be asked (Lawrence & Rose, 2011).
In an article in Political Behavior Magazine it says, “the role of women in American politics has been a topic of research and debate for many years, and while we cannot review even a significant portion of it here, much of it suggests that candidate gender should play a role in information search, candidate evaluation and vote choice. For example, findings from many experimental studies suggest that voters may infer specific personality traits from female candidates that they do not from males” (Ditonto & Hamilton & Redlawk, 2014).
One reason that women are not elected into political positions is that voters are looking for “leadership qualities” which typically get stereotyped as manly qualities. Voters don’t want emotion in their leaders. The president, for example, has both a lot of duties in the government and a lot of symbolic duties. The role of the president is the living embodiment of the nation, meaning that whoever we choose to elect as our president says a lot about who we think embodies our nation the best. However, 44 of the 45 Presidents have been white men and 43 of the 45 presidents have been Protestant Christians. This means that our presidents typically reflect that of the dominant gender, race, class, religion, and sexual orientation. Or otherwise, white straight upper-class Christian males. When we vote for a president, we are voting for who we think is the manliest, alpha male to lead this country. For example, George W. Bush famously said, "I don’t do nuances" (meaning he didn’t show emotion in his speech or expressions) and he was elected for a second term. Another example is politician Ed Muskie who while talking about his wife he started tearing up. Officials quickly commented that it was the snow melting on his face. When voting we often also question whether a woman can perform her “family duties” as a mother and caregiver before we question her qualification as a politician. Recently Lanny Davis, one of President Bill Clinton’s former advisors went on record saying that Hilary should not run again for president “for her family’s sake.” This type of subtle sexism is something that all voters take with them when voting.
The number of women in the United States House of Representatives has never gone above 20 percent and there are currently only 23 women in the U.S. Senate out of 100. The reason for this is that more women stay in local politics rather than going into national or global politics. (Coffe, 2013). Women can be found across the nation as mayors, governors, and leaders of all sorts, but Americans tend to get scared when a woman is putting their career above their family (or equally as important.)
It’s clear that women in politics are not equally represented and the stigma and socialization of gender around women has lead to a hidden oppression of women being represented. Hilary Clinton understands this as she once said, “There cannot be true democracy unless women’s voices are heard. There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives. There cannot be true democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the lives of their country. Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights. Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely, and to be heard.” Whether voting, holding political offices, or running for President of the United States of America, all voices, all genders and sexes, need to have the opportunity to be represented.
References
Coffe, Hilde. (2013). Women Stay Local, Men go Nationals and Global. Gender Differences in Political Interest. Sex Roles. Vol 69(5-6) pp. 323-338.
Ditonto, Tessa M; Hamilton, Allison J; Redlawsk, David P; Gender Stereotypes, Information Search, and Voting Behavior in Political Campaigns. (2014). Political Behavior. Vol 36(2). pp.335-358.
Lawrence, Regina G; Rose, Melody. (2011). Review of Hilary Clinton’s Race for the White House: Gender Politics and the Media on the Campaign Trail. Sage Publications Academic Journal December 2011. pp. 800-802.