gender roles in marie claire Essay -- essays research papers

One of the most prevalent forms of invisible social control is the creation and perpetuation of stereotypes. Today’s society is filled with stereotypes and the media has proven to be an excellent breeding ground. Research in the stereotype domain indicates that the media can prime stereotypes, and these primed stereotypes do influence how people are later perceived. Also the research on media priming of stereotypes generally increases confidence in the generality of the media as a prime. Television, movies, newspapers and magazines contain millions of images that feature individuals portrayed in stereotypical ways. This paper will examine the February issue of Marie Claire and the gender and racial stereotypes that are evident within the advertisements and articles. For many years society has embraced the idea that the differences between men and women are biologically determined and certain roles, behaviors and attitudes constructed by society assign and control how men and women behave and are perceived. Sex is determined by genetics while our gender is programmed by social customs. Some theories interpret that a women is tender and a loving mother while on the other hand men are aggressive hunters and are the dominant one of the family. Gender roles prescribe norms, which instruct people to pursue specific careers and lifestyles. Marie Claire, a typical trashy magazine geared towards women, regularly features stories focused on how to make women beautiful, thin, and desirable to men. Its pages are also full of advice regarding who your Prince Charming will be and how he should and shouldn’t treat you. The writers and editors lure women by strategically placing beautiful images on glossy covers amongst articles that focus on body image, style, and relationships. The advertisements and articles in Marie Claire help fuel assumptions made about the specific roles and abilities of men and women. Simply glancing at the magazine section, while waiting in the checkout line, any individual, man or woman, is able to make their own assumptions about how they are perceived and how they are supposed to behave from article headlines, such as those in February’s Marie Claire which included: â€Å"Fire up His Desire†, â€Å"Sexy or Skanky?†, â€Å"Best Beauty Bargains Ever†, â€Å"What his Cell Phone Style says about him†, and more advice related to fashion and health. These headlines give... ...â€Å"the glam goddess,† and â€Å"the classic cutie.† However, the black woman was labeled â€Å"the tropical temptress† and was dressed in very exotic clothing and jewelry. This article appeared to be drawing some kind of division between the African-American and the rest of the women by making her stand out in her clothes and makeup. One of the African-American males in the magazine was featured as â€Å"this month’s half-naked hunk.† It shows him without a shirt and includes a couple trivial facts, such as his age, height, hometown, and zodiac sign. There is nothing that gives any evidence of him as being anything more than a sex symbol, as opposed to when some of the white males were shown there was information about their occupation or they were portrayed doing some kind of positive act. Although, there was not much racial stereotyping in the issue of Marie Claire; there was not much representation of racial minorities. This magazine is full of white middle class women, because that’s what society says is right. Society creates these stereotypes and we fall into them. The media spreads these memes and they multiply. Society must rise above these petty differences and expel these stereotypes.

Book Smart vs Street Smart Essay

In the article, â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism,† Gerald Graff discusses the topic of book smart versus street smart. Being street smart means having interest in other activities more than in school work, while being book smart is the complete opposite of that. Graff believes that having the personality of a street smart person can benefit society if one knows how to channel their potential correctly. He persuades his views to the readers by using his personal experiences and displaying the positives of being street smart. During his childhood years, Graff lived in a middle class neighborhood, while being a block away from what would be classified to some people as the â€Å"hood. † He would encounter people from that part of the hood daily. He would have to hide his intelligence in the fear that he would get beat up or robbed. He loved sports more than school, so he thought he was in the street smart crowd. â€Å"It was in these discussions with friends about toughness and sports, I think, and in my reading of sports books and magazines, that I began to learn the rudiments of the intellectual life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Graff 10). In this quote, Graff explains how being street smart was actually helpful for him. He was learning elements of argumentation without even meaning to do so. He later explains the different kinds of components he learned in his arguments, â€Å"†¦how to make an argument, weigh different kinds of evidence, move between particulars and generalizations, summarize the views of others, and enter a conversation about ideas† (Graff 10). He did not think it would have been this easy to do all of these things without reading something to do with Shakespeare. When he realized that loving sports and being able to argue over this subject was actually helping him, he started doing some research on how schools should use relatable subjects to help the street smart students connect like the other students do. This way they would be able to learn in a way that is most understandable to them. He explains that if a student would rather choose a sports magazine over a novel to write about, then it is only smart enough to assign them to write from the magazine. This way they are interested in what they are writing about, and also they are bettering their writing skills. â€Å"Give me the student anytime who writes a sharply argued, sociologically acute analysis of an issue in Source over the student who writes a lifeless explication of Hamlet or Socrates’ Apology† (Graff 18). In this ending statement, Graff is confident about his views and is openly challenging anybody to contradict whatever he has previously stated. Graff’s personal experiences assist in conveying why he felt so strong about this topic. Also, he gives ideas to schools and universities on what teaching material they should use for the street smart students. Not only does he provide help, but he is also confident of its success. There is a way to use the street smart in a book smart type of way.

Horror, Effects, And Nationalism - 1076 Words

Horror, Effects, and Nationalism Today s horror came from the effects of nationalism that affects our country. Three themes in All Quiet on the Western Front are horror of war, effects on war on the soldier, and nationalism. World War I all started because of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand the archduke of Austria-Hungary. A group of alliances between major powers was blamed and went to war. All Quiet on the Western Front was about this teenager named Paul Baumer and several of his friends being enlisted into World War I at 19 years old and they all started on the front line. They experience harsh training for several weeks and became very complaisant to joining for their teacher. Paul’s friend Kemmerich gets his leg amputated and then died. Muller then received Kemmerich boots when he died. When Paul was sent home, he discovered that his mother was going to die from cancer. He also took up training by the Russian prison where they would play music for him at night and he would start to think about his home. When Paul returns back to his company he is removed from his friends and put into a shell hole, where he killed someone for the first time; not on purpose, but for his protection which made it the murder pertinent. His name was Gerard Duval, he was married and had one child, which he promised he would send a letter to and impute what he had done.After Paul returned, his company was sent on an easy assignment and him and Kropp both were sent to hospital trainShow MoreRelatedPeople Should Perceive War As An Unnecessary Diplomatic1203 Words   |  5 Pagesunnecessary diplomatic maneuver that simply scars all under its influence. The horrors of war are innumerable with each one determined to ruin the lives of soldiers, their families, and civilians. All Quiet on the Western Front displays this truth such that it awakens the most nationalistic warmonger. The barbarities of war can come in three forms: physical, mental, and through the aura of manipulation. The physical horrors include the gory combat wounds, the ghastly sights of corpses, blood, and annihilationRead MoreViews On Humanity. As The Human Race Evolves, Some Evolutions1661 Words   |  7 PagesAs the human race evolves, some evolutions are good while some are bad. The introduction of imperialism became a direct result of industrialization creating a race to expand empires. With the conflicts leading to World War I, humanity faced new horrors, as a result in new harsh tactics in fighting. Countries had evolved into alliances. Some alliances were public while some made in secret. Consequently, World War I destroyed empires and encouraged independence within Europe’s colonies. Germany isRead MoreThe Age Of Exploration : John Winthrop1546 Words   |  7 Pagesthese savages, there is a thing I cannot omit to remark to you, it is that it appears visibly that God wishes that they yield their place to new peoples.† (Crosby, Alfred W.) The Age of Exp loration, (and Exploitation) brought an era of racism, nationalism, and ideals of superiority to the New World. Initially a beneficial concept, promoting trade and discovery quickly took a turn for the worst following Columbus’ arrival to Hispaà ±ola. The arrival of Europeans brought the ideas of conquest and greedRead MoreThe Reversal Of Attitudes During World War One1491 Words   |  6 Pagesthoroughly rejected in its aftermath? Historians propose that nationalism was the driving force behind what urged nations, politicians, and other men and women to make this huge sacrifice. However, as the war dragged on, the heroism of the war faded and the actuality of what was happening on the battlefield caused a â€Å"rejection† of the war in its aftermath. One of the most powerful ways to spur a nation and its people to fight for a cause is nationalism. For example, public opinion in the United Kingdom wasRead MoreEvents That Changed History Essay1720 Words   |  7 Pagessome opportunities for women in the church. Overall the Black Death, in some way gave Europe a fresh start with the rediscovery of Ancient Greek and Roman literature and architecture, taking Europe to the renaissance. With the renaissance in full effect, it was also the Age of Discovery. New trade routes to India were being used by the Portuguese while the Ottomans controlled the land routes. Other European wanted a piece of that valuable trade but couldn’t find a way to get to the spice riches ofRead MoreThe War is Over: Post World War I in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway1657 Words   |  7 Pagesthe after effects in personal ordinary lives. Judith Hattaway remarks that â€Å"Woolf’s view of the war is different. It does not figure in terms of mud and barbed wire but rather through its points of contact with the ordinary life left behind and in its destruction of a secure past. Woolf actually looks at the ways in which the war has changed contemporary ways of looking at history, social structures, identity and boundaries.† Formally the war is over but in so many ways – the after effects, devastationRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front1395 Words   |  6 Pagesyourse lf, and there is no doubt that you would not hesitate to use it again. The good that came from the violence that you used lasted for a short time, but the punishment that you get for doing this lasts for a long time. Imperialism of rivalries and nationalism were two of the main reasons that most countries joined WWI, ‘the war to end all wars†. In All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque illustrates a group of young boys whose lives have been dehumanized by the trench warfare. Paul BaumerRead MoreNot So Quiet By Hellen Zenna Smith1639 Words   |  7 Pagesin society differently. Some of the values and norms that are questioned in the text are, nationalism, femininity, sexual morality and social standing. In the beginning of the book, we see that the women feel bonded by nationalism. This nationalism has brought them to the front line as ambulance drivers during World War I. Nellie â€Å"Smithy† Smith, the main character of this novel, questions this nationalism many times throughout the book. Even Tosh pokes fun at Smithy when she calls her â€Å"one of England’sRead MoreThe Rise Of The 19th Century1441 Words   |  6 Pagespolitically motivated acts of violence were a result of nationalism, totalitarianism and technologically enhanced warfare. Nationalism attributed to the violence by being the ideology at the root of both World War I and World War II. Beneath the years of peace during the 19th century, was a growing nationalism among the different cultures of Europe. The decades of peace disillusioned many on the brutalities of war, which alongside nationalism, created a positive response all across Europe to theRead MoreAll Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarche830 Words   |  3 Pagesdestroyed by the war†. This opening statement tells the reader that the events of the novel will not be romanticized to please an adventure-loving audience, however that the novel more accurately depicts the brutal scenes of war and the long term effects that fighting has on soldiers. Based on this opening as well as Paul’s account of the war, I believe that the novel is a strong representation of World War I and the fighting on the western front. In the article Peace through Law? The Failure of a