Alanna M. Project #1 Midpoint Update

1.  
   
   (evolllution.com; kirklandprosuctions.com; girlsco-op.com)
   
   Public speaker and LGBTQ activist Ash Beckham was made famous from a TedxTalk she gave on "coming out of your closet" and being true to oneself.
   
   
    
   (zimbio.com; sinuousmag.com; 1zoom.net)
   
   Jared Leto as Rayon, a transgender woman from the film Dallas Buyers Club. The film has been attacked by critics for portraying Rayon as an overdone caricature of a drag-queen for shock value, and misrepresenting the Trans* community. Leto has also been under intense scrutiny lately for his transphobic and ignorant comments. He stares enviously at Janet Mock, editor of People Magazine and TransWoman.
   
   
   
   (wunderbuzz.co.uk; fragrantica.com)
   
   Marilyn Monroe, actress and beauty icon, posed next to a bottle of "Ma Dame" perfume by Jean Paul Gaultier. Compare the feminine shape of the bottle to the actual woman beside it; note the differences.
   
   
     
   (ew.com; allthatcubeness.wordpress.com)
   
   Will & Grace was one of the first beloved TV shows to feature openly gay men (Will and Jack). Further. Jack was played by openly gay actor Sean Hayes. The crew is seen here looking at Mitchell and Cam, a married gay couple from Modern Family, in surprise.
   
2. Every day in the United States, individuals are constantly bombarded with images and videos of men and women, often scantily clad, selling some product or social expectation. More often than not these media don't even feature whole women, just their body parts. This invites consumers to think of women as only limbs and products instead of whole people. They are posed to be ultra-sexualized and eye-catching, demanding casual viewers to subconsciously associate products with desire and physical gratification. For decades women, and some men, have been actively working to eliminate the hyper-sexualization of females in the media. For the most part, they are unsuccessful in convincing men and advertising companies that women are more than just props. Now with the increased cohesion and visibility of LGBTQ activists comes a whole new wave of protest against discrimination and stereotyping. Despite the efforts of feminists and the LGBTQ community, television programs and print advertisements are still largely heteronormative, ignoring and even detracting from the alternative standards of femininity, masculinity, and sexuality that are increasingly evident in US society in the 21^st century.
   
3.           Sex Sells
   ·         Photoshop
   ·         naked women v. well-dressed men
   ·         Kraft ad
   ·         product shapes
               Gender: Femininity/Masculinity
   ·         how (wo)men are portrayed on TV
   ·         new wave feminism
   ·         genderbending/drag queens
   ·         what is feminine/masculine?
   ·         Socialization
   Sexuality
   ·         increased visibility in LGBTQ movement: press coverage, online info spreading, etc.
   ·         binary (gender and sexuality)
   ·         Don’t Ask Don’t Tell / DoMA
                  
               Sexuality in literature

   ·         Luna (trans*), Lioness (challenging gender norms), Interview With the Vampire                 (bisexuality)
   

   ·         Constructing Gender

   
   
               Sexuality in general media
   ·         Heteronormative: Target ads (compare to first interracial ads)
   ·         Gay athletes (in Olympics)
   ·         It Gets Better / bullying is all we have seen
   §  Westboro Baptists???
              Sexuality on TV programming
   ·         What was that 1950s movie??? With the guy who couldn’t find his clothes….
   ·         Will & Grace
   ·         Degrassi > Modern Family > The Fosters
              Figureheads of the Movement
   ·         Ash Beckham video spreading internationally, relating non-LGBTQ to The Struggle
   ·         Tom Gabel of Against Me! coming out as a TransWoman
   ·         DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
   ·         It Gets Better Movement?
              Challenging Gender Roles
   ·         New Girl, gender-neutral pronouns, internet (Tumblr esp.); socializing children
              Conclusion
   ·         Increased visibility of LGBTQ issues/existence
   ·         Feminism: how everyone benefits
   ·         homophobia and general discrimination