In the 2019 film, What Men Want is about a sports agent named Ali Davis who faces obstacles at work with her male colleagues. For example, she was passed up for a well-deserved promotion and was told by her boss “just stay in your lane” instead of listening to her and giving her a chance. In the film, she visits a psychic who ends up giving her the ability to read men’s thoughts. Throughout the movie, she uses this new ability to her advantage at work as she tries to climb up the latter. The audience gains a good understanding on what it’s like for a woman to work in a male-dominated career field. She is excluded from certain social gatherings at work because of her gender, is often overlooked to handle big responsibilities, and overall isn’t taken as seriously as her male counterparts. For example, there is a regular scheduled poker game with the employees at the agency and have never once invited Ali to attend. She found out about the secret poker game with her new ability and surprised everyone at the gathering. At the table, one of the men asks Ali, “Little lady, what are you doing at the big boys table huh?” This film tests gender stereotypes and showcases how an ambitious woman may be treated in a male dominated industry.
Ali is treated as the “Other” whereas all her other male counterparts are seen as the “One.” She is considered unfavorable in the workplace by both her colleagues and clients. These obstacles push her to fight the gender stereotypes in the workplace specifically. The Othering concept is prevalent throughout the film. In the end, she succeeds and can be considered the “One.” However, it took a lot of perseverance and determination to get to that point. The movie also touches on the idea of the subaltern which is someone who is not heard from while experiencing oppression or discrimination. Generally speaking, some women in careers may be seen as subalterns as they face inequality in the workforce.
It was interesting to note that the film is categorized as a comedy, so serious topics such as gender inequality in the workplace were demonstrated in a lighthearted way. The main character is a smart, independent, ambitious career driven woman. This isn’t seen as common in the media and the creator highlights these characterizations for women. It’s empowering to see this as there have been many instances of injustices with gender. The creator wants to break the stereotypes towards women in media, and in the workplace so they can be seen as equals with their male colleagues which the film does a good job in emphasizing.
Team Members: Lillian Nelson, Tania Velazquez, and Athena Stamos
Transcript:
Lillian: Hello everybody, welcome back to our segment! My name is Lillian Nelson, I am a third year student at Ohio State. I am majoring in zoology with a studio arts minor.
Tania: Hey everyone it’s Tania Velazquez. I am a freshman at Ohio State majoring in psychology with a minor in Human Rights. Stay tuned for this week’s segment! It’s a very interesting one!
Athena: Hi everyone! My name is Athena Stamos. I am a second year student at Ohio State majoring in mathematics with a minor in Modern Greek. Today on our “Yo, is this Sexist?” podcast, we’re going to be discussing double standards towards women in the media. How do you both feel about this issue?
Tania : To be honest, I never really paid attention to the double standards women go through in the media because it’s always been there so it’s seen as normal until you research it and realize it isn’t.
Lillian: I agree, we have been so used to the way women have been treated that it becomes second nature to ignore what is right in front of us. After researching the topic and seeing the countless articles that come up, it finally becomes real.
Athena: I agree with both of you. I also didn’t realize that certain things are related to the double standard towards women. For example, an ambitious woman could be seen as being “bossy” and ultimately less likable compared to her male colleagues. Some women feel that they have to play nice, which may result in people not taking them seriously or they may appear as weak in society.
Lillian: That topic comes up a lot when discussing workplace double standards, bosses tend to promote males who show authority and stand up for what they believe in but the females do not get the same response. You can see the authority of the males represented in the media and males through headlines of major articles and news stories. There are many instances where wives of actors are not even listed, for example the news article will say, “Ryan Reynold’s wife” instead of Blake Lively.
Tania: I totally agree with both of you. I think one of the issues that comes with double standards is that society itself promotes it. Like Lillian said, when two celebrities become a couple or get married, it is always the female who gets labeled as “so and so’s wife” instead of being seen as just herself. It’s a constant cycle women have to go through.
Athena: I think a lot of the younger generations see this and it can start to have very negative influences on the youth. Many young people look up to these celebrities and it can affect people’s perceptions of themselves in the media, but also in life in general.
Tania: What Athena said is 100% true! If you have ever watched celebrity interviews you can clearly tell the difference between how a female vs a male is interviewed. Males for the most part get asked about their careers, their next album etc. While females get asked about whose their new boyfriend/ potential crush is. Obviously this affects young girls who are watching these interviews.
Lillian: Athena and Tania both bring up such good points here, celebrities really have such a strong influence on the younger generation growing up today especially with how prevalent social media is in the world right now. Female celebrities should be interviewed just the same as males, their career should matter just as much as males, but it seems as though only their personal lives are what matter to the media.
Athena: Yeah definitely!! Do either of you have specific situations that come to mind that emphasizes this double standard in the media?
Tania: So this situation actually is brought up a lot during February every year. The infamous 2004 Super Bowl Halftime Show. As all of you might have heard or seen, Justin Timberlake performed with Janet Jackson and towards the end of the show he ended up ripping her shirt resulting in a “nip slip”. Of course, this caused a lot of controversy during that time, but now it’s being brought back up because of the double standard Janet Jackson has received from Hollywood. I’m very interested in hearing what you guys have to say about this.
Lillian: I do know what you’re talking about Tania and the whole situation angers me because I honestly can’t imagine being Janet in that whole scenario. I think clothing brings up the biggest double standard between men and women in my opinion. With this particular situation, Janet Jackson got huge backlash for something that wasn’t even caused by her, and on top of that, Justin Timberlake got no backlash at all. I’m very curious to know what would have happened if the roles were reversed.
Athena: I can’t imagine reliving that every February or Super Bowl. I think that is a great example, Tania. From what I’ve seen it can literally take one thing to ruin a woman’s reputation in Hollywood. And I think what’s really interesting is Justin was at fault, but Janet’s time in Hollywood ended because of that one mistake. Like Lillian pointed out, he didn’t get any backlash. I really do think if the roles were reversed, a woman would still get blacklisted.
Tania: I know a lot of people who are probably listening to this don’t really understand how big this was for Janet. That same year, she was not allowed to attend the Grammys, got her music pulled off from streaming services and radio stations and was even forced to publicly apologize to America. Justin gained popularity from this and continued his career even though he was at fault.
Athena: And I don’t think the media helped Janet’s situation at all.
Lillian: Wow, hearing all that really solidifies true double standards in the media, and like Athena said, I’m sure the media continuously shared the video of the incident and streamed it everywhere possible to make it go viral.
Tania: I want to bring up what we talked about in the beginning about how double standards in the media were and are seen as normal because that’s what we have been told all our life. In this situation, I think people in 2004 probably thought Janet was in fact in the wrong because that’s what the media portrayed but now in 2021 we can see how it wasn’t the case. Similar to what we learned in class about women being labeled as “Other”. In society we have always been told that women are the “Other” so it’s hard to view ourselves (since we are women) as equals to men. It’s extremely important for young girls to grow up with a different perspective in order to erase the “othering” women experience. Representation Matters!!
Lillian: I think a lot has changed since 2004 and although the media is more prevalent in our lives, I also think that we are more aware of ourselves as women and the double standards that the media puts on us. Even though things are changing, I think it will take many more years to get rid of the “othering” concept when it comes to women unfortunately.
Athena: I feel like the combination of media and our society creates the Othering concept as Tania was saying earlier. Unfortunately just because of our gender or how the media showcases us, females are considered as “Others.” I feel like because of the increased usage of social media and technology, a lot more people are putting more weight and pressure on themselves with these standards. I completely agree with Lillian about how it will take time to fight these double standards. Do you think that we are heading in a better direction even though social media has been a bigger part of people’s lives than it ever has?
Lillian: I think it’s almost hard to say if we’re moving in a positive direction or not. There are times where I feel we are moving in the right direction, battling double standards, and then there is another incident that takes us multiple steps back.
Tania: I agree with Lillian, the good thing about social media is that it is very universal, anyone can say anything. So if there’s someone trying to bring a woman down, a lot of women will respond with their side of the argument.
Athena: Yeah, I see what you both mean. I feel like the only way to know is reflecting in the future. I definitely have been noticing a trend where women are being more vocal about supporting other women which is really great to see.
Lillian: I also have been seeing more women supporting women recently and it has been very uplifting and making me very hopeful for the future.
Tania: I agree with both of you! Well it looks like we are running out of time! I will admit this was probably one of my favorite segments so far!
Lillian: It was so great getting to talk to you all about this topic, I can’t wait for next time!
Athena: Yes as always! Thanks for tuning in and we’ll see you next week!
African American girls are disproportionately more targeted for human trafficking. African American girls are viewed as disposable and never as victims in these horrendous situations. African American girls feel that people don’t view them as innocent compared to other girls strictly because of their race. This document https://www.cbcfinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SexTraffickingReport3.pdf shares a lot of valuable information on this topic and the status of the issue primarily in the United States. I was shocked to read that “traffickers admittedly believe trafficking Black women would land them less jail time than trafficking White Women if caught,” (4). I wouldn’t even think that skin color would ever affect jail time let alone believe that traffickers would think this way.
I would consider this as systemic racism because young African American girls are targeted more just because of their skin color. This is a form of discrimination that happens on a larger scale, and not just one incident. Many people may blame the victim but being aware of the racial disparities that is integrated with human trafficking reveal the “larger structural implications,” (3). I feel like the best thing that we can do as a society is educate ourselves. If it wasn’t for the presentation, I personally would not know what is going specifically in Columbus, OH. I feel like it can be easy to not want to hear these disturbing things especially if it hasn’t impacted you personally. However, being aware of these injustices and watching out for others is a good start moving forward.
I found this article (https://www.grantmakersforgirlsofcolor.org/resources-item/sex-traffickings-true-victims-black-girlswomen-vulnerable/) that explains the misconceptions and assumptions that many people have made regarding human trafficking. I was disturbed when I read that “With law enforcement more likely to see a Black sex trafficking victim as a prostitute and not as someone needing help, trying to find solutions toward keeping our girls safe may require a radical examination of the core beliefs American society is currently based on,” (par. 6). Many people may have a hard time learning more about this topic or don’t want to face the terrible truths of this world, but it’s important to stay informed and be aware.
This reminds me of de Beavoir’s concept of Othering. In this idea, the “One” is considered to be more superior than the “Others.” I think this theory is displayed in this systemic injustice example as particularly African American girls can be considered as the “Other”as these young innocent girls are not seen as victims as other girls with different races might. People may overlook or look down on these individuals just solely based on their race which is not right at all.
The Civil Rights Movement was a long struggle to end racial segregation towards African Americans. This fight to end racial discrimination lasted for more than a decade. One aspect of this movement was the Birmingham Protests in 1963. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to fight against Birmingham, Alabama’s segregation system.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister and activist during the Civil Rights Movement. He joined the SCLC to fight for equality. Specifically, their efforts were towards desegregating public facilities such as in restaurants, barber shops, libraries, churches, etc. They organized a series of lunch counter sit-ins, mass meetings, and marches on City Hall. They also had a boycott of downtown merchants. This campaign was organized by Martin Luther King Jr. and other reverends.
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out to African American citizens about the power of nonviolence. Volunteers kept increasing. As a result, volunteers did kneel-ins at churches, more marches, and sit-ins at libraries. About 9 days after the beginning of these protests, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested after “violating the anti-protest injunction,” (“Birmingham Campaign”). The authorities used high-pressure fire hoses and police dogs to violently attack women, children, and men in response to these peaceful demonstrations.
How the Civil Rights Movement was covered in Birmingham is also an important aspect of these protests. Many newspapers did not know how to cover the demonstrations. Many articles that were published during the time left out the voices of African Americans who were demonstrating. It wasn’t until the outside press that covered the discrimination of the south that the dehumanization of African Americans got attention. At the time of the Birmingham protests, there were no African American reporters working for the newspapers. However, overtime slowly Birmingham newspapers started to hire African Americans.
Despite a violent response to the Birmingham protests, the Birmingham Campaign was considered a success. In May 1963, local officials in Birmingham finally agreed to remove the “White Only” and “Black Only” signs that were on drinking fountains, restaurants, restrooms, etc. They released the protestors that were in jail, and little by little there was desegregation.
Citations:
“Birmingham Campaign.” The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, 30 May 2019, kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/birmingham-campaign.
Cornish, Audie. “How The Civil Rights Movement Was Covered In Birmingham.” NPR, NPR, 19 June 2013, www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/06/18/193128475/how-the-civil-rights-movement-was-covered-in-birmingham.
Momodu, Samuel. The Birmingham Campaign (1963), 10 Jan. 2020, www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/birmingham-campaign-1963/.
“The Birmingham Campaign.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/civil-rights-movement-birmingham-campaign/.
