On Oprah: Parenting a Transgendered Child

We were having so much fun using critical theory to examine Oprah's ideology that I didn't get to show these clips in class. This particular episode serves as an example of the kind of education the talk-show format sometimes offers.

A student sent these clips about a transgendered child and her parents. This story and interview are educational and moving as they explore the issue from both the child's and the parents' perspectives.

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Lisa-Ling-Talks-with-a-Transgendered-7-Year-Old-Girl-Video/topic/oprahshow

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Barb-and-Steve-on-Raising-Hailey-Video/topic/oprahshow

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Raising-a-Transgendered-Daughter-Video/topic/oprahshow

Plastic Surgery to Prevent Bullying?

From the same student, this story on HuffPost about a 7-year-old girl who underwent cosmetic surgery to prevent being bullied about her ears. The story indicates that the child hadn't been bullied by other kids, but that adults had made inappropriate comments in front of her.

This story is similar those told on Extreme Makeover when that show was still on. The culture obviously has embraced a postfeminist perspective on cosmetic surgery, but does this go too far? Will the trend reverse itself?

'Princess Prep'

Check out this CNN story, sent by a student, about princess camp for little girls. Here is what the student says:

During Princess Prep, the girls learn how to curtsy, have good posture, ride a horse, and drink tea. The creator of the camp, Jerramy Fine, said being a princess requires sacrifice: "You have to live your life for everyone else, so it's a lot about sacrifice and thinking about others." Thinking about others and sacrificing isn't bad. However, Fine later talks about Disney princesses who have been known to be self-sacrificing for the good of their man.

Furthermore, when the reporter asks the girls why they want to be princesses, one answers, "You get rich." I think this is interesting. While the camp is trying to teach the girls philanthropy, there is [clearly] a class issue. The camp is showing that princesses are always kind and loving. They earn what they have (money) through the goodness of their heart. This obviously isn't true.

So, for these little girls, the way to achieve their dreams is to snag a rich guy by being humble, self-sacrificing, and pretty? I also love how one of the "story highlights" is that this is a camp for little girls "wanting Kate Middleton's fairy-tale life" -- a narrative mediated and overpromoted by the media who profit from it.

Will the madness never end?

Too much Serena?

A student discovered this story about a racy TV commercial starring Serena Williams that has been pulled following an outcry over its overt sexuality.

Here's what the student says:

It is about a commercial marketing a video game. The commercial stars Serena Williams; it seems as though it is too riske and won't be aired. However, people are questioning why it won't be aired. There are plenty of other commercials and billboards with half-naked athletes on them ... why not one more? Or is there something more behind their decision?

YouTube has pulled the ad off its site at the request of the company that produced it, so it's difficult to judge the situation. The description makes it sound as if the commercial uses common advertising conventions: scantily clad women simulating sexual pleasure and availability for the consumption of a mostly heterosexual male market. Why was this considered over-the-top? Why draw the line here?

Diesel Sells

From a student, a bunch of Diesel ads from 2010:











Wow. Don't even know what to say about these.

Women in Hollywood

This video from a student about the dearth of female directors and women-centered films given Academy Awards:




This is what the student says:

This link talks about movies and how they are shown from the male gaze and how they are male-centered. It relates this to a small percentage of Hollywood directors that are women. It was interesting to see that most films that won best picture over the years have been male-centered. The link also makes the point that a lot of movies from the female gaze are about shopping, love, etc.

When Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar for best director last year, a lot of the commentary focused on the fact that she had directed a male-centered film. Would she have won, observers wondered, as a woman directing a film about women? Bigelow herself told the LA Times she was looking forward to the day when gender would not be an issue.

Beyonce: Conforming to the 'Dreamworld'?

A student took notice of Beyonce's performance during the halftime show of the NBA. (The video is no longer available on YouTube due to copyright infringement.)

We had recently watched Sut Jhally's film Dreamworlds. This is what the student says:

[S]he is kind of wearing a skimpy outfit. That reminds me of the music videos. How the women in them are wearing what the men would like them to wear. ... And when Drake enters (a male artist) she acts almost as if she is blown away by his presence. That reminds me about how we talked about men being the dominant sex and the stereotype that women are blown away by a man's presence.

I think he's referring to Jhally's argument that even female artists must conform--if not initially, then eventually--to stereotypes defined by male, heterosexual desires in order to achieve commercial success in the music industry.

It's worth noting that Beyonce is in the news this week for another reason: a controversial photo of her appearing in blackface and tribal paint.