Jay's World

I’ve been having a lot of thoughts this week. Last time it was about fashion and today I’m wondering if the years of ignorance has made society blind to sexism. In this post, I wanted to talk about my thoughts on sexism in media, using a few music videos as examples and looking at parts of William Shakespeare’s, The Taming of The Shrew.

Every morning for the past week, our class has listened to a different song, trying to understand whether its lyrics and music video are sexist or not. It has sparked some very interesting conversations amongst my classmates. One of my classmates brought up an interesting point that became the inspiration for this post. In response to one of the music videos, we watched (unfortunately I can’t remember which in particular) they expressed that they thought society had become so used to sexism in media that it was hard to even notice it. After that I began to wonder;

Is society so numb to sexism that it becomes unnoticeable in pop culture?

I’m going to be calling this ignorance to sexism in media the “sexist sunglasses” both for the purpose of simplicity and because I think it sounds cool. Here are a few of the music videos we watched in class.

Cherry Pie by Warrant. The song describes a woman sweet like cherry pie. She’s blond, already a stereotype of beauty and ditsy, dancing on screen. Now looking at it, there’s nothing wrong with a woman dancing in a sexy outfit. However, her appearance on screen is solely for the man’s pleasure. With lyrics like “she’s my cherry by” the use my the work “my” portrays the woman as the man’s property. Class conclusion: Sexist but the song slaps.

Now, women being objectified by men is not a modern idea. Not at all! Let’s take a look at The Taming of The Shrew by Shakespeare. A play written about the transaction of marriage between a woman considered to be a shrew and a man who in many ways is even worse. Kate (the shrew) has found her betrothed, Petruchio. After the wedding, Kate is ready to celebrate, but Petruchio denies her the pleasure, saying to all that he must go and that kate must come because they are married and once a woman is married, she is her husband’s property.

“But for my bonny Kate, she must with me.
Nay, look not big, nor stamp, nor stare, nor fret;
I will be master of what is mine own.
She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house, My household stuff, my field, my barn,
My horse, my ox, my ass, my anything.”

– Petruchio, Act 3 scene 2

After a few men try to convince them to stay all that can be said by Gremio is “Went they not quickly, I should die with laughing.” Gremio found the whole situation funny and Shakespeare’s audiences would have to. Not once did anyone considering the mistreatment of Kate. Because those were the sexist sunglasses of Shakespeare’s time.

Characters in The Taming of The Shrew don’t think twice about Kate’s treatment and laugh/enjoy the jokes Petruchio makes at her expense.

Timber by Pitbull ft Ke$ha. This one was a bit harder for our class to come to a decision on. This is also where I started to think more about society’s sexist sunglasses. The song was written in 2013, I was 10 at the time. I remember vibing to this song at school dances. As a more mature (maybe immature honestly) child, I knew what “twerking in their bra’s and thongs” meant. But I never at the age of 10 or 11 thought “Hmm I wonder if this is derogatory and sexist to women?” Probably because my goopy child brain didn’t have the capacity to understand those concepts. Now here I am in grade 12 revisiting this song from a whole new perspective. Like I said it was difficult for us to reach a conclusion on this song at first, and this is where those sexist sunglasses come into play. Many of my classmates, at the age of 10 or 11 remember jamming to this song, knowing the words by heart and to this day never thinking twice about what it could have meant. This song, like cherry pie, is clearly sexist. “I have ’em like Miley Cyrus, clothes off. Twerking in their bras and thongs” is a lyric that doesn’t just objectify women but objectifies another music artist. “She say she won’t but I bet she will” another line in the song that suggests by the end of the night the girl will be sleeping with him, despite refusing earlier. There are many more examples in the song, not including the music video where women twerk on screen more than the actual artist is on screen.

Can we… No. will we take them off?

Now, these sexist sunglasses play a big role in the songs I shared with you when we question whether or not we are willing to take them off. Are we going to stop listening to pop music that objectifies women when it’s some of the most common music on the radio? Probably not. Were Shakespeare’s audiences willing or even aware that they should feel some sympathy towards Kate? From what I’ve learned so far, I’m doubtful. We’ve become so used to the idea that women are portrayed a certain way in media, that it’s hard to notice when it becomes a problem.

Wow, do the weeks ever go by fast! It feels like just yesterday since I wrote my last weekly reflection. This week has been another jam-packed one! (This will likely be the case every week!) Our class dove right into; Shrew You! our newest project. We began reading The Taming of The Shrew, by William Shakespeare, where we started looking into the roles of women throughout history.

I am a lover of fashion. The fact that you can identify a time period by the clothes people are wearing is very cool! Clothing has changed a lot over the years, especially for women. What’s considered appropriate for women to wear fascinates me. In this post, I will be exploring the continuity and change of women’s fashion throughout the centuries, in order to try and answer my longing question; At what point in history did women’s fashion become sexualized?

Women in the Elizabethan era sported long elaborate dresses that covered the feet almost completely. A bodice around the chest flattened the breasts and tightened the waist creating an almost masculine look with broad shoulders and thin waists. A farthingale was worn around the bum to create a wide look. A small chest and a big bum creating a stylish and attractive look.

Fashion trends of the time were set by the wealthy. To ensure the elite were the only ones wearing fine clothing laws were set to stop commoners from wearing certain materials. For example, only higher ranks could wear gold cloth and only royalty could wear purple. Different cloth and colours held different statuses. In an era where a woman’s main purpose was to be married off, clothing that portrayed wealth was appealing to potential suitors.

With the launch of the feminist movement in the 20th century, women started advocating for their rights to self-determination. Along with this came a shift in women’s fashion. Flapper girls of the 20s rejected the corset, sporting loose boxy dresses that came up to the knees. This was risky for the time period.

WW2 hurried women’s fashion in the “boyish” direction. With women entering the workforce there was a need for practical clothes and jeans earned their place in women’s wear. However, post-war society kissed jeans goodbye as women regressed back to their traditional gender roles and began to accentuate their femininity again.

Women’s fashion has shifted greatly over the centuries. Notably shifting the most in the 20th century with the rise of the feminist movement. Though the style has changed a lot, one thing remains unchanged. Women are repeatedly sexualized for what they wear and what parts of their body they chose to show. So, do we regress back to the full coverage dresses of the Elizabethan era? No! Women should have the freedom to express themselves without receiving pointed looks from “intrigued” onlookers. Women should be able to wear what they want without others putting them down. Shoulders are not sexual, ankles and knees are not sexual and a women’s stomach isn’t sexual! The sexual appeal of those body parts has been decided by those who believe it is their business to control women. In history, a woman’s appearance has been the source of a man’s pleasure. As such, society has pressured women to cover up for their own safety. That’s because if she were to reveal too much skin, for example, she would be considered the cause of a man’s distraction and the onus would be on her to change her behaviour. Has a boy ever been sent home from school because he became distracted by a girl’s revealing clothing? No! Instead, we have been subject to years of women being told to cover up, so men wouldn’t be tempted by their own inappropriate thoughts. When are we going to teach people to stop objectifying women’s bodies and understand that a women’s appearance isn’t for their pleasure?

Work Cited

Cartwright, Mark. “Clothes in the Elizabethan Era.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 31 Oct. 2020, www.ancient.eu/article/1577/clothes-in-the-elizabethan-era.

Monet, Dolores. “Renaissance Fashion: Women’s Clothing in Elizabethan England.” Bellatory – Fashion and Beauty, 26 Apr. 2020, bellatory.com/fashion-industry/Renaissance-Fashion-Womens-Clothing-in-Elizabethan-England.

The British Library. “Clothing in Elizabethan England.” The British Library, www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/clothing-in-elizabethan-england#:%7E:text=Working%20women%20wore%20fitted%20bodices,front%20to%20show%20an%20underskirt.&text=A%20fashionable%20Elizabethan%20woman’s%20wardrobe%20was%20complex. Accessed 1 Nov. 2020.

Webb, Ali. “The Evolution of Feminist Style.” CR Fashion Book, 26 Aug. 2020, www.crfashionbook.com/culture/a22736609/feminist-style-evolution-history.