Fetus Rights

Hey guys!
I wanted to take you back to the very beginning of the semester when we first talked about whether or not a fetus should have rights. I logged onto msn today and this caught my eye.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44845743/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/cops-mom-fetus-killed-woman-who-wanted-own-child/

This woman killed a pregnant lady and used an exacto knife to cut out her fetus because she " wanted her own child." According to the article the woman, Annette Morales-Rodriguez, said that her boyfriend wanted to have a son but she couldn't get pregnant. She falsified her pregnancy to friends and neighbors and then followed Maritza Ramirez-Cruz, offered her a ride, took her to a house where she beat her with a bat, and then cut out the fetus with an exacto knife, going as far as rubbing some of Ramirez-Cruz's blood on her thighs to make it look like she had given birth. She is being charged on two separate accounts of homicide, one for the mother and one for the unborn fetus. My question to you is should she be prosecuted for killing an unborn child and if she can be charged for killing a child, does that mean that a child has rights, leading to the bigger question of what is the difference between this and abortion? Will it be possible for a mother to be prosecuted for an abortion one day, and if so does that take away from the mothers right to privacy and to have control of her own body?

I'm also a bit curious as to what part the boyfriend of Morales- Rodriguez played in this? Was there some sort of physical or emotional abuse tat may have led Morales- Rodriguez to commit such a horrendous act? Or was she just emotionally unstable herself?

In response to the video Celluliod Closet we watched with Diego a couple weeks ago:

Though America seems to be gradually more accepting of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual rhetoric in Hollywood blockbusters, there is much evidence that a good portion of “acceptable” LGB imagery is portrayed in a heterosexual way. A prominent example of this is found in the popular TV sitcom, Will and Grace. The main character, Will is portrayed as a successful, attractive New York lawyer who lives with his best friend Grace; Will is openly gay. Over five seasons of the show, and Will has never held a real relationship with any man. American audiences can easily accept this image of Will because he appears to be straight man; he is living with a straight woman and he does not present any stereotypical “gay” behavior. Marisa Connolly puts the show’s success clearly: “The placement of Will and Grace as a heterosexual couple almost destined to be together seems to be the reason for it’s widespread appeal and lack of criticism from right-wing groups”. The public is clearly more comfortable with gay themes when they are accompanied by hetero “undertones”.

Citation:

http://gnovisjournal.org/files/Marisa-Connolly-Homosexuality-on-Television.pdf

Jennifer Miller at the Coney Island Beard & Mustache Competition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0K0-SDX-E0

Jennifer Miller. I found this video very interesting because Miller is changing the idea about women’s beauty. She does not hide the nature of her beauty. She had also adapted her appearance as a way of humor. She has gain power and personality by crossing all the boundaries of gender role. Miller did not receive the support of her family and felt mutilated when her grandmother wanted her to remove her beard. When she grew up, realized that women wanted to hide their imperfection by removing hair in certain areas of the body that were not accepted by society. However, Miller believes that by being the way she is, it is a way of taking care of her and honors herself as a woman. She thinks that shaving and waxing is a waste of time, energy and money.

Is the pursuit for beauty going too far?

Going back to Week 6's topic on Defining Beauty in Post-Modern days, I remember reading a discussion regarding beauty pageants for children aged 3-18. Your first response may be "WHAT?! What does a 3-year-old know about beauty and make up?"

In these beauty pageants, the young girls get fake tans, put on make up, go on extreme diets, dye their hair, etc. In today's entertainment industry, the popularity of beauty pageants and aesthetic makeovers in reality shows has even brought children into the limelight. It is usually the girls' mothers who decide to put them through the competition, send them to singing classes to improve their performing skills, and even put them through diets to maintain a "slim diet".

Such a phenomenon reflects a general societal expectations of girls and their definition of beauty. As a dietician puts it, in many of her experiences with teen girls with eating disorders, they are usually trained from young to think that "thin is beautiful". The popularity of child beauty pageants may just lead to a higher rate of eating disorders among girls.

This pursuit for beauty may have crossed the line. Especially since teenagers today are impressionable, the portrayal of beauty in the media has already impacted a young girl's definition of beauty. By exposing them to a beauty pageant at such a young age, it simply emphasizes the fact further that they have to conform to the society's expectations of girls. This definitely affects the psyche of a young girl, making them obsessed with their physical appearances. This is definitely not what a young 6-year-old girl should be concerned of. Instead, she should enjoy her childhood, and know that it is ultimately the inner beauty that counts.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/food-thought/201108/child-beauty-pageants-what-are-we-teaching-our-girls

If you are interested, here is a documentary on Baby Beauty Queens.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/baby-beauty-queens/

Those That are "Too Tough" or "Too Gay"

Summary: In Chrysler’s 2006 “Anything But Cute” five ad campaign, the “Too Tough” ad attracted the criticism from the Advocate, a group whose audience composes mainly of gay men. During the 30 second ad, a “fairy” uses her magic wand to turn many commonplace, normal objects into cute, sugary images. She does not succeed in turning the “Dodge Caliber” into one of her many creations and it is assumed that that the car is “too tough” for the “fairy” to “girlify.” However, the matter of criticism is when the “fairy” uses her wand against a large man with an equally large dog and turns him into what many people consider to be a “prissy” character walking small puppies and thus “the universally recognizable gay stereotype of an effeminate gay man” (Advocate).

Analysis: “Northwestern University marketing professor,” Tim Calkins, asserts that “the key is, if you find an ad that's offensive, then you have to respond and in some cases take it off the air” and that it is “hard to make an entertaining commercial without offending a particular group” (Advocate). Through this statement, Chrysler’s ploy was to utilize the gay man and sacrifice his character in order to appeal to the much stronger or “tough” men that the car was designed in mind for. In order to make this ad, the designer had to create a character that his audience does not want to be. Therefore, the gay man came into creation into this specific ad. The underlying message in this particular ad is that if you want to be a man, you should own this car. In addition, the other implied message is that if you do not buy this car, then you are essentially the “effeminate gay man.” Fundamentally, the ad is urging an identity and pushing one onto its audience who are male youths. They are advising that this is what you should be or that is what you do not want to be. Gay men are faced with a gender conflict. They become the victims in a supposedly harmless video or so we suppose. Often, the gay man is the source of humor and this humor is what allows an audience to question in the recesses of their mind the pivotal question that pokes at the line on sexuality and character. At first glance, the video is simply what it is: an advertisement for a commercial product. Upon deeper reflection, Calkins’ understanding of the social media holds true. In order for a message to get across, there is normally a target group that suffers. It is the same with commercials regarding diets and loss of weights in that the target group would be plus sized females. Everyone is trying to conform or achieve what the social media in its context of values has set forth.

Sources:

"Chrysler TV Ad Criticized for Using Gay Stereotypes The Advocate." Gay News The Advocate The World's Leading Source for LGBT News and Entertainment. Advocate, 2006. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. http://www.advocate.com/article.aspx?id=36532.

Lei, Chris. "Dodge Caliber - TOO TOUGH - Chris Leith Dodge - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Chrisleithauto, 18 July 2008. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uumoEdgk_VY.

Pop Culture TV Back in the Day

I was surprised to learn this Wednesday afternoon that homosexuality and cross-dressing has been portrayed in films since the very beginning. Considering American history and the "Roaring 20s", it is no wonder that the film industry embraced homosexuality instead of sweeping it under the rug. From Charlie Chaplin films to movies such as As You Like It and Glen or Glenda, cross-dressing has been featured in films from the very beginning. Viewed as comical and ironic, cross-dressing today is still viewed very similarly . Movie trailers for movies such as Sherlock Holmes: 2 continue to put an emphasis on cross-dressing as comic relief.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHBHMtl9YWw

The fact that homosexuality and cross-dressing continues to be portrayed as a way of comedy says much about a larger issues today: acceptance. After roughly 90 years of film, cross-dressing is still viewed as comical, reflecting upon implied gender roles. Why are men not supposed to wear make-up? Why is it more accepted and even considered sexy when females try to appeal to both sexes? What does this say about the hierarchical gender structure? Will there be improvements for the future?

These are all questions that one must wrestle with on a daily basis in order to change society's perception on gender and sex. One can be what one desires to be.