Heather Nave - The University of Tennessee

           Let's talk about sex! (...and gender, femininity, masculinity, and much more. It's time for gender studies discussion, y'all.)

[heatherdoesgender-blog]

A Feminist Nature

I will admit, when I saw this prompt at the beginning of the week, I was almost 100% sure that I would stand whole-heartedly with what I had said about being/not being a feminist earlier on in the semester. While I am not entirely changed from the me that came here earlier in the semester, I definitely see young feminism almost as diverse as the men and women who support it themselves. Coming in, I said that while the purpose of the movement has changed since its roots of women’s suffrage and work rights, I still found myself agreeing with its work towards progression equalization of all women to men, as well as normalizing the idea that a women’s role and strengths does not necessarily have to remain in the domestic and private sphere. However, even though I sided with these ideals and (essentially) did identity as a feminism on the inside, I claimed that I didn’t consider myself a feminist in the light of others because of the negative connotations and opinions towards feminist supports today, as well as their focus on movements that I find a much less efficient use of their time (ex: free the nipple movement). However, after taking this class, I believe that I will begin telling other people I am a feminist, especially after learning the different generations and motivations behind each “type” of feminist. I hope that embracing this title, while having the platform and courage to speak out on feminist issues and beliefs, will help me teach other people in my life the true purpose of feminism, and how it plays an important role in our own lives (whether we are a feminist or not, or even what feminist motives we take on. 

[heatherdoesgender-blog]

Let’s Just *Talk* About It

Although communicating through the internet often allows those behind the screen a face of anonymity (which alters how we might act or speak online), our communicative behaviors still often continue to mimic how we interact with people IRL. 

Keeping this in mind, I decided to look into communicative differences between men and women, and while doing some research, I stumbled upon a lesson for an interpersonal and organizational communications class at The New England College of Business, which discussed the topic of “gender differences in communication”. A recap of some of these differences were:

- The male brain (on average) is 10% large than a female brain, but are less efficient than their female counterpart’s. Reasoning behind this could be because males are more likely to use only the left side of their brain (which is more reasoning and analytics based) when communication, while women are more likely to use both sides, incorporating both reasoning, analysis, emotion, and creativity. 

- All brains are considered “female” in the first few weeks of fetal development, however, around 8 weeks, a large surge of testosterone will actually kill off a large portion of cells in several communication centers of the brain. While males will have to create new nerve connections or purposes for these areas, female brains will continue to grow more connections within these communicative and emotion-centered areas. 

This being said, these specific set ups often leave most males to communicate directly to others, making communication short and to-the-point, while women, who are more detail oriented are seen as “being excessive”, which often leads to their male listeners to “tune-out”. Men when communicating with others will focus on the process related to the situation, while women tend to focus on the relationships between things, topics, or situations.

Also, while communicating, women will participate through “participatory listening” through finishing their partner’s sentences or actually offering audible acknowledgement of the speaker’s points. While this practice is of good intentions, some males might find this as an interruption or intrusion of the conversation. In more extreme situations, they will play this off as a lack of attention from their female partners. 

While there a several different methods of communication for all genders, there are four main styles that can be contributed to these two specific ones.

1. Action. Gets straight to the point. Details come later.

2. Process. Tend to use background information to communicate about the present. 

3. People. Focus on relationship building, teamwork and communication. 

4. Idea. Identifying problems and improving them. 

Do you participate in any of these (or any combo) four methods of communication? Are they effective for your own communication with others, and why or why not? 

What problems have you faced with communication with the other gender in the past? 

[heatherdoesgender-blog]

Love, It’s Complicated

It is no surprise that I have selected a Netflix-original for this assignment, because over the past few years I have become almost obsessed with each of the series that the network has developed. The first time I saw the trailer for Love, it didn’t look like much (compared to some of the other, more popular Netflix originals, such as House of Cards or Orange is the New Black). And while the series has not gained as many views compared to other series, several of the messages and topics discussed throughout its first season I believe would be beneficial for several students of the UT community to see first hand. 

First of all, the female protagonist of the series struggles a lot throughout the series, especially with her own dynamics of power with others (between wanting to appear as the “cold, driven bitch” to steer away others from getting too close to her, and wanting to eventually open up to her love interest later on in the series). The dissonance between these two desires creates a lot of conflict throughout the first season, and is representative of the struggle of many female millennials today. The overall persona and attitude of her character also challenges societal “norms” of femininity and the perception of female sexuality (in terms of obtaining and being in control of it). 

This being said, the male protagonist (and the love interest of the female lead) also helps redefine the idea of male masculinity, as well creates a character that isn’t necessarily masculine, but continues to be successful (somewhat) in his life. While his character might be considered weak or beta to some, he is still able to get the girl of his dream (and others, when things don’t work out), develop his career, etc. 

I think this would be beneficial for UT students because this is a time in our lives when most people often become unsure of their futures, especially whenever they might not be stereotypical ideals of beauty/femininity/masculinity/etc. I believe that it would also help women of the UT community feel more comfortable with reclaiming their own sexuality and confidence in their bodies, just as the main character does (somewhat). However, it also discusses problems such as the abuse of sex (to obtain what one wants), alcoholism, mood disorders, and much more, which are often topics of taboo nature because of their “unacceptance” in society. 

While this might not be the best Netflix-original that the network has ever produced, I definitely found it as a worthwhile piece of my own time, and am extremely looking forward to its development as a series in the future. I look forward to (and will always suggest) Netflix-original series to other people, just because of their themes of intersectionality and stereotypical ideals of the media, as well as their interest in bringing in information about topics most series would never be caught dead discussing in the first place. 

[heatherdoesgender-blog]

Shonda, So Scandal(ous)

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of watching an excessive amount of TV series; however, after becoming an avid Grey’s Anatomy fan, it was almost second nature for me to assume nothing when I started watching another one of Shonda Rhimes’ favorites: Scandal. Considering I don’t have as much time to spend on TV series anymore, I’ve started to opt for series that people claim stray from the normalities of other popular series, and Rhimes has gone to show people she isn’t afraid to change the game before. 

One of the most predominant differences we see with the personalities of the characters on Scandal is Rhimes’ ability to not only challenge how we see gender capabilities, but also letting her characters keep parts of stereotypical gender norms as well (aka, like real humans).

For example, the show’s protagonist, Olivia Pope. At first she appears to be the archetypal “CEO woman”: strong, independent, focused on her career, etc. However, as the series progresses, we start to see her weaknesses, especially regarding her struggles with loneliness relationships with others (Fitz, Jake, her father). While she still continues to portray her original personality traits, Rhimes ensures that we learn more about the true, more personal side of Olivia as we get to know her more.

Huck, one of Olivia’s closest partners in the office, is another great example of breaking the societal norms of gender. Aside from his past with government services (he was essentially a hit-man for the government), Huck is not that in-tune with more traditional masculine ideals, and while he lacks the emotional capacities of normal people, we see him express more than most male characters on television, especially when it comes to protecting or apologizing to Olivia, whom he sees as a large part of his life. Rhimes as showed that Huck was extremely involved in his family before he was essentially taken by the government, which we almost never see in series (or life) today.

The list of abstract personalities and relationships goes on, and Shonda’s already complex characters seem to only get more complicated with each new series and winding plot. Rhimes’ ability to portray actual people and how we interact in society on a day-to-day basis is important to the creation of her shows, which we see in almost every character and character interaction in Scandal.

[heatherdoesgender-blog]

Meeting Arianna

WARNING: Some of the material in this video is considered NSFW, and does contain nudity. Proceed with care.

While I had initial intentions of finding an article that talked about misunderstandings/misrepresentations of intersexuals in the media, I happened to stumble upon a teaser video of a film called Arianna: Teenage Intersexuality. I decided I would use this presentation to define what intersex means, as well as to tear apart and analyze different sections of the trailer itself. However, before we begin, what exactly is intersexuality?

According to the Intersex Society of North America, intersex can be defined as “a condition in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male”. A few examples of intersex individuals could be a girl that is born with an extremely oversized clitoris, or a boy that is born with a scrotum that is divided so that it has formed more like a labia. Along with these physical, sexual differences, sometimes intersex individuals are simply “different” based on their chromosomes not matching up (for example, a girl, who has a vagina, but has XY chromosomes). Intersexuality is also not strictly defined at birth, sometimes only becoming apparent when an individual hits puberty or finds themself an infertile adult (several intersex complications result in infertility). Affecting 1 out of every 3,000 people, it is definitely a more common phenomenon that most people outside of a women/gender studies class might never have even heard about. While transgender refers more to how a person’s gender relates to their anatomy, intersexuality refers more to a person’s genitalia or sex.

Due to the recent lack of information and advocacy groups for intersex individuals, several children and teenagers end up undergoing unnecessary or unwanted surgeries for their “own health”, which is something that Arianna attempts to address. So, let us begin.

The first two minutes of the film are almost unimportant, mostly using this time to build a background for the relationship between Arianna and one of the boys. Arianna can be seen looking enviously at her friend (who is seen in the beginning, making out, naked in the water), which when I first watched this, I assumed was because she was uncomfortable about her own body and her ability for it to be accepted by other guys.

Next, we see Arianna look into a mirror, where we she pulls back her hair, creating a much more masculine look because of her chiseled facial frame. Considering it was only a few minutes ago that I was thinking that she just physically looked like a girl, it made me wonder if she was starting to relate more as a male (gender wise).

Fast forward past frolicking in the sunshine and staring at her friend having sex in another room, where afterwards she pulls the guy from before to do the do in her own room.

As I was watching the scene of her undressing, I began to wonder what the boy’s reaction would be to her not-so-perfect vagina (I mean, I thought that this was the entire purpose of the film), and how exactly she had become so comfortable enough with him in such a short span of time to even risk that kind of reaction. Spoiler alert, there were no testes like I had planned. 

Now, the next next few minutes honestly threw me for quite a twist. I can’t really explain the entire situation with the same tone that is given through the film, so I think it’s best if we watched the short clip:

https://www.nowness.com/story/arianna-intersexuality-carlo-lavagna

So, now that we’ve learned a little about intersexuality, as well as one of the most common problems for intersex individuals, the questions I would like you to answer are:

- Do you think intersex individuals should be allowed to mature and decided what happens to their genitalia, or should it be a combined decision of the parents and the affected individual? Why or why not?

- And, why do you think some doctors are so quick to make a decision for a child that is born intersex, even if the “wrong” genitalia are causing no physical harm? (even going to the point of lying about how the genitalia is affecting the individual) Do you agree or disagree?

[heatherdoesgender-blog]

A Little Advertising Never Killed Nobody

If you were to ask people about the influence media has had on their lives, it would be expected to see a variety of results from the people you might have asked. Media has an important role in the development of subconscious and internal thought processes, especially in regards to the standards set and accepted by our surrounding societies. Surprisingly, growing up, media had a limited [noticeable] effect on me, both mentally and socially. While some might have expected me to reveal that media had a direct impact on how I saw and felt about myself and my weight, it was hard for me to compare myself to the images I saw. One of the largest reasons behind this was simply because they [the images] did not even resemble what I saw in myself. Even at a young age, I was capable of distinguishing a difference between what I resembled and the women I saw on television, billboards, magazines, etc. However, that being said, it is somewhat ironic that the body shapes that caused me the most harm mentally often came from my peers, who often had average or petite figures themselves. Aside from these drawn out ideals of beauty, the second largest impact media has had on me would be a lack of representation of smart, successful women. Both of my parents played an important role in teaching me the importance of being capable of providing for myself, as well as pushing me towards focusing on my academics (over other things, like boys); however, as I got older, the emphasis on a woman's definition of worth stemming from 'having' a man, instead of other, less superficial qualities, often made me feel "less than" other girls. While I still continued to focus on my academics, two of the main problems that brought on my depression during my freshman and sophomore year of high school were my weight/image, and my inability to attract the attention of boys my age (which, the former concern did not help with at all). Although I have worked hard to measure myself in ways that are more suited for my individual capabilities, it is still sometimes hard not to measure my worth in how others perceive my image (compared to specific beauty ideals), especially males. Considering the amount of conditioning over time that has been almost ingrained into my subconscious, I doubt this is something that will ever not try to define my worth or identity, but I do also try my best to have media not influence my life as much as possible.

[heatherdoesgender-blog]

The Perfect Little Box

Disclaimer: I could not for the life of me find the actual prompt for this blog post, so I am basing my response off of the questions answered in other students’ blogs. I apologize about anything I don’t directly address.

When comparing the experiences of my past to the experiences of other females my age, I don’t believe I received the same gender-specific experiences other girls had during their high school years. While most teenage girls might have received the most influence from the media and it’s impossible ideals of beauty and gender, almost all of the negative standards I held myself up to came from a mixture of a need for societal acceptance and a lack of [personal] control. Leading up until the beginning of my sophomore year, I had experienced years’ worth of bullying and harassment (normally about my size or weight), which had in turn caused me to see myself and my body in an extremely negative, almost dysmorphic light. While most comments focused entirely on my weight as a whole, over time it was I who began to pick apart my own flaws. I can distinctly remember telling my friends in the 5th grade how much my knees bothered me and that I wish I could change them to look like prettier, “normal” ones. I can never actually remember a time when I did have regular or “healthy” eating habits, but at this situation’s peak during the first semester of my freshman year, I felt something drastic had to be done in order to change how both I and other people saw me, myself, and my body. Not only did I begin to see food and eating as a way to control and manipulate my body, this problem, but I also began to see it as something entirely in my own power (something that freshman me was far from having). It was also during this time that I started to accept the idea of being more feminine, because in my mind (because of both implicit though and real life situations), one’s femininity often correlated highly with their level of attractiveness to the opposite sex. However, I often found myself struggling with fitting into this box of the feminine, especially because of my career and academic-driven personality, something that most people find more masculine or “odd” for a woman. For two years this struggle between finding and accepting myself, as well as attempting to fit into these ideals placed before me almost entirely consumed my life. It took me a long time to actually realize that how and what I was thinking was abnormal, and an even longer time (about a year) to disassociate myself away from these thoughts and way of thinking. While this part of my past is something that still affects me today, it definitely helped me define how I personally view myself and other women around me now.

P.S. If you ever have questions about this, feel free to ask me! I’ve come to be a lot more open about this part of my life, especially considering the lack of knowledge surrounding the issues I’ve discussed. So don’t be shy :)   

[heatherdoesgender-blog]

Miss Represented

One of the most noticeable societal changes within the past generation has been the transitional feelings about the importance of one's career and status within their field of work. As Lisa Ling states, "As a culture, women are brought up to be fundamentally insecure and always looking for the time when that knight on a horse will come and rescue us and provide for us." Considering I am looking into going into a competitive, predominantly male field, this statement, as well as the societal pressures that come with it provide much complications for the plans that come with pursuing this field (as a woman). Given this path I have chosen, it is difficult to have this 'fair maiden' mindset while also being independent enough to pursue specific goals. For other people that hear this, especially males, most find it almost strange for myself, a female, to have aspirations that don't align well with the overall goals of most women. These representations of what is expected of women can be extremely detrimental to them, especially when their own personal ideals don't exactly line up. Along with these ideals, Jennifer Siebal Newsom brings up how standards set by the media can actually change and develop the futures and identities of young women when she states, "If media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract them from making a difference and becoming leaders." While boys and men are being encouraged to focus on the success of themselves and their futures, girls and women of the same age are more encouraged to focus on their physical and emotional roles within society - instead of the intellectual and power-driven potentials many possess.