The Man's Website

In my first post I looked at the gendering of kids websites and after reading everyone else's post I notices everyone found websites gendered at women so I went out to find the manliest website possible. My search lasted about 10 seconds when I came across Spike TV's website (www.spike.com) Spike is a very male gendered tv chanel with shows such as manswers and 1000 ways to die. The website is possible more gendered than the tv chanel itself. Scattered across the front page of this page are pictures of women in bikinis and men drinking beer - all things men love !!! (eyes rolling) - This website even has a link labelled "girls" I thought maybe, just maybe this link was meant for girls but it is actually a link to more women in bikinis and stories about "hot chicks", Spike's girls of the week, and a bikini poll.
The genderization of this websites tells men that they need to be tough womanizers in order to get respect from the men around them. Thsi also tells the women who watch shows on this channel that they are not proper women because women should not watch these shows.
In the end Spike tv and the spike website are probably the most obviously gendered texts that I have ever seen.
-princess consuela banana hammock

In the beginning...

So...as I was perusing the WWW these last couple of weeks, I was trying to be as conscious as I could of gendered differences in marketing and presentation based on the intended target audience. I now see how easy it is to internalize what we see because gendered images and other media are everywhere! More often than not they are in your face, but we are so socialized into the gender binary and our expected roles, that we often don't even notice it.


As I was looking for my first actual post, I wanted my example to be very obvious. Well, thank you Toys "R" Us, you have made my life so much easier. Not only are there step by step instructions for parents to find the "right" type of toy for their little boy or girl, but the two categories are mutually exclusive.


If you have a girl click on the pretty pink box that says "Girls Click Here" over top of an image of two little girls playing with various kitchen accessories. Whereas if you click on the image of the lone boy playing with a military helicopter, you will be sent to a realm of toys that are designed with boys in mind. Everything from guns, swords, military action figures, tools and monster trucks!! What more could a little boy want!? When you enter the world of pink you can buy your baby girl, their very own baby girl, or more kitchen appliances, or (dare I say the dreaded "B" word) Barbie!


Thank you Toys "R" Us for doing your very best at ensuring the children of today grow up firmly rooted in the gender binary; and I guess those kids who don't fit into those two boxes will just have to shop at Zellers. Once you begin looking around at the different toys on the site, and how gendered they actually are, it almost becomes funny....in that frustrating, oppressive sort of way.

***Looie***

New Memba!

Hi Everyone,

I was away from classes the week before reading week and didn't get put into a group so I'm just joining your group now! :).

Thanks,

Shana Morrison

Gossip Websites: Gendered Genres??

When given this assignment, I immediately thought about what websites I enjoy visiting and whether or not they are gendered. I'll admit it; I frequently get distracted and waste time checking up on celebrity gossip on Perez Hilton's blog at perezhilton.com. Yet for some reason I don't really want to admit this?? I began to think about why I might be embarrassed to admit that I frequently visit a gossip site, and I've decided that my response is most likely connected to broader systems of domination and social hierarchies. Gossip and blog sites, much like gossip magazines, would certainly be considered 'low' culture in the dichotomous hierarchy between high and low culture. Low culture is often feminized and deemed less valuable than high culture, and I think that this in many ways explains my embarrassment of my interest in celebrity gossip. As we discussed in class, this is a learned response. What we evaluate as 'good' or 'not good' tells us a lot about our culture.

I really curious to hear what you guys think! Do you agree that Perezhilton.com is gendered as feminine? What do you think about the colours on the website (Pink!!)? Do you think that the audience is mainly females or varied? I know that I'm only one female that frequently visits the site, and I'm wondering if it's popular with males as well. I know from personal experience that some of my guy friends have bugged me for visiting the site so frequently, calling it a 'waste of time'. But then, what exactly can we define as a 'waste' of time?? Does the devaluing of gossip have anything to do with it being gendered as feminine? Let me know your ideas!

Aubrey B.

A Gendered Web for Kids

When given this assignment my mind instantly jumped to http://www.barbie.com/ because the internet is now accessible to everyone including children. This website is fully decked out in pink and sparkles, showing every child that plays with Barbies that it is a girls toy and girls like pink. The Barbie website is not part of Everything Girl (http://www.everythinggirl.com/)which is a site, that essentially advertises sites and products to girls alone. This just shows us how quickly we are gendering our children and how fast they can get sucked into gendered norms.
-princess consuela banana hammock

What does culture jamming mean?

Culture jamming began as a way to express one's unhappiness with society. It is a witty and humorous way for people to get their message out. Because it focuses on distorted images of popular culture, these message normally relate to this element of society. Therefore culture jammers are probably mostly people who are discontent with the state of society today. But how is doing anything? what is it changing in our world? There are many people who would say not a whole lot. I can't disagree or agree with that. I tried to find an article or something online that said "Corporate Company Changes Ways After Exposed in Culture Jam" or "More Awareness Brought to Issue Due to Culture Jamming," but I could not find anything of the sort. Does this mean that culture jamming is useless or unimportant? Should we all take a "why bother attitude" towards culture jamming? No, I dont think so. Culture jamming may not change the world any day soon, but it may begin to inform people in a way that catches attention. It already has with me. I did not have any idea what culture jamming was the day that I was assigned with project. But after participating in this blog I think that I have learned alot and will hopefully continue to learn about culture jamming. The most important thing that I have learned is that it's a form of counter culture that is growing....my questions were about the beginning of culture jamming. Why it started? Where did it come from? More importantly I think is where is it going. My last question is what does it mean? I think the answer to that is it means growth and change for society. If people are still out there rejecting the limitations that society puts on us then those limiations are (if slowly) still crumbling. Culture jamming begun as a way to protest against the mainstream and the confines that it puts on every person and to change what people accept as normal. It still does these things today only more publically, with the ability to inform more people.
The last image I'm putting up is from adbusters. I think this image is a really good representation of why culture jamming is needed. The image is of the typical tabloid that everyone sees at the grocery store. Only this one is changed to show different issues that would ever be shown on a real tabloid. This image speaks to what the media shows us and what is deemed most important in the eyes of society. In the centre there is the text "Cool Collapses! Can it make a comeback?" The text is speaking to the main point which is that of importance. These tabloids are deeming that coolness or celebrity is more important than other issues in society.