But let's focus on a few things that are less subtle and harder to banish with well-meaning laws and readjusting men's attitudes towards women. Think about the women in your lives - your mothers, grandmothers, older sisters, aunts, and friends - and think about the pressure that they live with.
They have to balance motherhood with a career. Sometimes, women have to choose between the two and it's rare that men are forced to choose. It's rare (but becoming more and more common with the bad economy today) to see a stay-at-home dad.
Is chivalry dead? The age-old idea of treating women with special care has seemed to disappear in the age of feminism / equality. How many times do you see a man open a door for a woman? Give up their chair or seat in a crowded area? Treating women with respect instead of as objects or referring to them in derogatory terms? Is this whole idea of being a gentleman dead?
Why do women still earn less, on average, than men? When you have laws that are supposed to eliminate workplace discrimination, why does this still happen? In the past, women were paid less b/c their income was seen as a second income (the husband's was primary) so any money that the woman got was "extra" $$. Also, women could get pregnant so the costs of "retraining" a new worker to replace her came out of her wages.
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| This pair of pants from Abercrombie Kids is called "Cute butt sweatpants" |
O.k., maybe I sound like an old fuddy duddy, but do these media messages tell girls that it's o.k. to be more sexually attractive at a younger age, especially when they're not ready to handle that kind of attention? Or am I just misreading this stuff?
Take a look for yourself - http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/
So, the question for you is:
- Yes, things have changed for the better for women, especially when comparing their lives to the Middle Ages. But, where do you think our society can improve on attitudes /expectations, etc. for girls and women? Explain why.
Due Monday, Sept. 27. 150 words minimum.
43 comments:
Sabrina F.
Ok, so I think that women’s rights have made a dramatic change since the middle ages but I also think that us women do not yet have all the rights men have in society.
I also don't think it's fair for women to be treated like there below men.
I think this can be an improved if women were given more rights, like we were respected.
Women have done so many great things in the world and we have so much to offer to the society.
For example: Rosa Parks changed the lives of many when she didn’t give up her seat on the bus. Amelia Air heart inspired people to follow their dream (including me) and never give up.
George Washington’s wife was a woman with a lot of power and she used that power to help other people.
My point is, women have changed the world and we can’t continue if the world doesn’t let us.
Alex B
Blog 23
I think our society can improve on a lot of different things for woman and girls. One of the most important things that society can improve on is having the same pay for all men and woman so it is even. Another way of improving men and woman can compete in the same sporting events instead of each having their own. This for sports would be controversial so it could go either way. They could start to get jobs so there isn’t that stay at home mom because that is in a lot of homes. They can improve on younger girls stop wearing all the inappropriate clothing and that would stop a lot of the stereo types that girls and woman have. Since woman want to be treated equally then chivalry will have to die out because that is men doing things for woman. There are a lot of different things that society can do to improve life for the woman and make it more equal.
Sarah C.
I think life for women has improved tremendously over the years, but society is always taking women literally. There is still the fact that women sometimes get paid less than men which is ridiculous because they are working just as hard as men. And the focus on women sometimes isn’t their view, ideas or beliefs in something it’s what their wearing or what they look like. Women are just as good if not better than men and they get taken more seriously. With Michelle Obama on inauguration day they talked about what she was wearing and how pretty she looked rather than how she helped her husband win. Society needs to make a big change because girls are thinking they have to wear the right clothes that sometime aren’t appropriate. And on TV girls are portrayed as these girls who only care about how they look and are usually saying stupid things and society needs to stop that. It’s showing boys or men that are smarter. And when people watch those TV shows then they get those ideas. I’m not saying every single man looks down on women but society is sometimes making girls and women look like objects and not human beings.
Lily D 1st hour
Our society can improve by giving women equal pay as men in any job. Women can be smarter than men, not saying that every woman is a complete genius, but if there given the job they deserve equal pay. I believe that this is the most important thing because this woman could be a single mother who was abandoned by their father, or something like that, all men and women deserve equal pay.
Also, our society could change or improve by not having girls wear inappropriate clothing. I have seen some 10 year olds the other day wearing inappropriate clothing. Really short shorts, high heels, and low cut spaghetti strap tank tops. I believe it is very inappropriate, same with high-schooler’s wearing inappropriate length shorts. I think it is uncalled for to break the schools rules on dress code. Why do we do it? They do it to get people’s attention. When really all it is going to do is make you dress in scrubs or get suspended. It is very foolish and they are making that poor choice. It is very easy to look good while fallowing the dress code, I don’t feel sympathy for people who break the rules intentionally.
Women’s pay deserves to be equal to men, no matter where or what the job is. This is an obvious thing that our society has to change! 10 year olds or 16 year olds shouldn’t dress inappropriately, it is what is ruining the image of women. We need to change!
Blog #23
By: Jeffrey Couger
Although women’s rights have greatly increased in the last fifty years, for thousands of years before that women have been treated unequally. And really have our society’s attitudes and expectations for women changed at all?
Women are notoriously known for being terrible drivers, for being worse at sports than men and also for being the “cook” in the house. In today’s world we allow women and except women into the workplace. They work jobs with men and are substantial to the workplace. I think our society should, and can stop generalizing about women and their actions.
So often we here about a law suit because men have been discriminating against women, although our country spends so much time trying to fix other countries, we should try and fix ourselves first. Our country is moving forward though, with the last election we had a women vice-President Nominee (Sarah Palin) and women President Nominee (Hilary Clinton).
In the household the majority of us expect women to not only cook, clean but also take care of children and work a job. How many Americans think this is too much? Isn’t taking care of children a full time job already?
Elizabeth Hentschel
Yes, things have changed for the better for woman when comparing their lives to the middle ages. But Society also needs to improve their attitudes and expectations for girls and women. Women now a day are treated a lot more fairly. They can basically do any job that a man can do and do just as good a job on it. But there are a lot of instances when women in this day and age are thought to be not capable of doing a good job at their job, or not getting payed as much as a man would doing the same job. For example, Paula Abdul quit her job as the American Idol judge because Simon Cowell got payed twice as much as she did. Also, I feel that Chivalry is dead. I don’t remember seeing the last time when a man stood up because I woman needed somewhere to sit; it’s a lot more like every woman for themselves in recent days. Lastly, media images have changed for girls today. The woman that most girls want to be is someone not realistic. Girls buy clothes that their idols look good in but are usually too tight, too low cut or unflattering for most teenage girls. Our society can improve on more equality for woman, for example making the salary for woman and men the same, showing more chivalry towards women and making more realistic idols.
Carolyn
Women in Today’s Society
In today’s society women are definitely treated differently than men. They are treated a lot better than they were treated in the Middle Ages, but there are still some issues with women. Like we said in the classroom, women in the political world are usually if not always asked about what they are wearing. They aren’t there to talk about their clothing they are they to talk about the real problems. Younger girls should not be exposed to inappropriate clothing. Words written on the butt show a sign of sexual being. If a young girl has the word “hot” written on it what kind of message does that send to people about her? Stereotypes need to be gotten rid of. To a lot of people a beautiful women is someone who resembles a model. When actually anyone can be beautiful. Part of the problem, like the girls who wear the wrong clothing for their age, or people who think that they need to look a certain way is about decisions. Women have to decide if they are going to wear what other people are wearing or wear something appropriate. Why work out until you die, or starve yourself to look like something your not. In a place where women are not the dominant gender, women have to make decisions if they want to blend in with the background or try to make a difference. Actually work hard. I think what women need to do to change how they are looked in society is to make better decisions about themselves and turn around how their gender is looked at.
David .A
I think our society can improve on a lot of thing in the way women are treated. In sports, women should be allowed to play more sports like Football and other sports, and women shouldn’t have a separate team from the guys, it should be equal. In attitude, women should be treated like any other person with rights, they shouldn’t be considered weak, and their opinions should be considered with interest, and they definitely shouldn’t be harassed or abused just because they are women. In expectations, they shouldn’t be underestimated, because they are equal to men. In occupation, they should receive the same pay as men because they work just as hard as men do, and people shouldn’t consider any job to be men’s only. Women shouldn’t lose a political campaign just because they are women. All the U.S. presidents have been men because some people think it is not proper for a woman to be a president of the United States of America.
Alina S
Between the middle ages and today there has defiantly been improvement. Women are much more independent which is what most women want, but our society has kind of started to go in the wrong direction. Its true women are just as capable as men, a women can be a construction worker just as well as a man, but you still see that most people would feel more comfortable with a man there is no reason for it and it’s not right but I happens.
Appearance is a big issue for most people now a days, most guys go for the ones who r pretty and sometimes nothing but that. If they would take time and get to know a person before there wouldn’t be all those people out there like Charlie from two and a half men. The fact that looks have become such an issue in many people these days is very unsettling to me. TV today is not helping this dilemma all these commercials are about these skinny shiny haired women most not anything at all like that, which makes it so difficult these shows like huge are a good thing to show and get the men of our country of this insane fix. Its not a lost cause, we can still stop this insanity.
Khalil H. 1st hour
The lives of women have changed greatly since the Middle Ages. They used to be regarded as less important than men were. They couldn’t make as much money, get as good jobs, or even own land. Over time, these customs have changes a lot. In today’s society, women are much more prominent figures in all aspects of people’s lives.
In the middle ages, the men were the more prominent figures in relationships. It was their job to provide for their family economically. The women were in charge of housework like cleaning. Even women in wealthy families were not as powerful as men. They couldn’t control marriages, earn as much money, or have property rights.
Today, women are much more important in every day society. They are prominent business people, politicians, and even the primary earners in relationships. They own property, inherit money, and can vote. Women are now seen as much more important figures in everyday life.
Even though women are much more equal to men than they were in the Middle Ages, they still aren’t completely treated equally. They don’t make as much as men, and are sometimes view as subordinates to men. They are also sometimes viewed as sex symbols. Even though life for women has greatly improved since the Middle Ages, they still aren’t total equals to men.
Nick P
I think that women should be offered more chances for the jobs that men have with without going above and beyond just as well. I know we talked about this in class but it’s a real topic when you think about how women have practically been stuck in the same lines of work that men have thought they should stick with in the past. I think it’s a really good thing that women are getting more unexpected jobs every day, like being a mechanic, because it brings us closer and closer to the overall idea of equality for all people no matter your gender, no matter your birth place, and no matter your skin color. As well as women working for these jobs, men should work harder to allow women to get these jobs instead of leaving them out. In the end everyone on Earth is be born equal and everyone on Earth should be able to live their life equal to anyone else.
What I have found in today’s society is that we use women as an image, or an objected. And when we started doing this in the 1900 century, when we dropped chivalry and our first image which was the opposite of today’s, with the growing of the media, it has become popular and a trend. Society needs to lose all generalizations and stereo types of women before we can fix this problem. We need women that cannot be compared to stereo types and stet a new trend, because it is the women in the media today, and the Media’s image, because we all taken in what is on the television, and not all (most) of it is posting this image of sexuality, and when we see this, we try to apply it to our life. So if we can say no and change what we think instead of going with the media, we can change society. nate
Mady T. 5th hour
There are still some jobs out there that consider certain jobs to be “men jobs”. You see women in these workplaces occasionally (construction, carpentry, firefighting, etc.) But, stereotypically, these jobs are for men. I think that that should change. Women should break that stereotype. In these workplaces women are treated like…well women. Women are treated like they need everyone to do things for them and don’t let women be independent. A woman firefighter could be just as good at their job as a male firefighter. Also, in sports. You don’t see a lot of women in sports. I think this is because, in elementary school, middle school and high school, boys treat girls like they’re not good enough to play a sport like football or baseball. Women could be just as good at these sports as men but we’d never know because they don’t try. Its considered strange to see a woman in a sport like football. But, you’d never know if a girl was good at football because they’re never given the chance. Women and girls should at least be given the chance to do “men jobs” or sports considered to be only for men. It’d also be kind of nice to see chivalry come back. Yes, attitudes towards women have improved over the years but they could still improve a lot more.
Jordan Yunker.
One way society can improve attitudes for girls and women is in the modeling and fashion industry. I watch America’s Next Top Model regularly, and some days, it really gets to me. I used to want to model, until I realized I wouldn’t make it unless I grew 6 inches. It is complete and utter ridiculousness to think that a female model must be 5’8” and no larger than a size four (and apparently, that’s stretching it) to succeed. Although I’d love to take beautiful pictures like they do, it’s not worth the struggle just to fit into my own skin. So, the modeling industry could rethink its high standards on a beautiful girl, because beautiful is in the eye of the beholder, and it comes in many shapes and sizes.
Another way that society can better the attitude towards women is by changing styles. I mean, sure, these outfits may be cute, they may attract attention, but are they attracting the right kind of attention? Over the last year, I’ve started to realize that people should like and notice you for YOU, your personality, and your character rather than your body.
The worst industry is that of pageantry. I can’t even watch “Toddlers and Tiaras” on TLC anymore, because it sickens me. Somehow, these mothers, parents think it okay to have their 7 year old daughters get false lashes, acrylic nails, and shave their legs. Either they find this truly acceptable, or they’re living their unlived dreams vicariously through their daughters. Either way, society thinks it to be acceptable for girls to dress in a manner that especially by fathers is not only too grown up, but inappropriate at any age. The general society should learn to respect women, and not define them for anything but the person they are on the inside. Like, sure. Guys are going to pick the pretty girl over the not so pretty girl any day, but they also need to learn about sexual respect. Women aren’t objects, and society needs to rethink that.
Natalie Schaefer
9/24/10
5th hour
Yes, women’s rights have come a long way. There is still a ton of way to go. Not only can women’s rights become more equal to men’s, the way they are viewed and treated also needs to be improved. In theory, nowadays women are legally equal to men. But are they being thought of the same? Usually, the answer is no. As the link said, what women look like as often more important then what they can do. A more attractive women would likely beat out an equally, or even more, qualified applicant. The media shows women as having to look their definition of good. When I read the section in the article about girls as young as 12 or 13 being shown in sexual ways I immediately thought of Miley Cyrus at the age of 16 posing with no top for Vanity Fair. Not only are females being thought of in sexual ways, some girls promote this and use it to their advantage. We have a very long way to go.
Kevin B.
5th Hour
Blog #23
Society can improve their attitudes towards women in lots of places. Some jobs just use women as a show a show piece they don’t really have them do anything they are just there to attract attention. I think that society can also improve their expectations for women because some people think that they can not do the same things guys can do but you have to give them a chance to do them. I think at an early age we should give girls a chance in this world . Like I said before if a girl thinks she is just to be there to attract attention then they quit there jobs and they are out of work. Unfortunately for these women they then have to find jobs that they are over suited for. If we just gave them a job with the actual work then they would still be there. Some women think they have to dress certain ways in their teenage years to impress people since they don’t think they can make it in the world. If we gave them the thought that they could then they could also make it in life to a good job instead of doing nothing in school because they thought they wouldn’t be able to get a job because they thought guys had all of the jobs.
Connor Stein
5th Hour
9/24/10
Yes I believe that our society can improve the expectations for girls/women. I may not be the old version of being a knight in chivalry, but I do still open doors for people, I still help them out, regardless of age or gender. Today’s image of girls is that they should be skinny, almost anorexic, and tall. But not everyone is perfect. You can’t expect every guy/girl to be the Vitruvius man/women. I realize that even back in the Middle Ages women were stereotyped. Back then, every guy wanted the women that was well fed, had large kingdoms/housing and belonged to royalty. Now society likes the tanned, skinny girl. Our views as people have changed about women, from treating them as objects of ownership, to allowing equal rights for anyone. We may have changed how we treat women, but we haven’t changed our desires. Society will always choose the more perfected person, over the other option (whatever that may be). Even though, we know that that may not be the best option, it’s the one we choose anyways.
Mason C.
World history-5
Over the past thousand years we have come a long way in treating girls more equal to men and less stereotypical. Although it seems girls are treated equal to men, there is still a lot more society can do to not single out women.
Present day girls are generally expected to cook clean and watch the children. That is a very common stereotype of women. The father could be doing those jobs or sharing with the women in such responsibilities.
Women are said to be less athletic and their sports tend to be less appreciated. Yes, it is true that women are physically, generally not are strong as men, but the sports they play are just the same as men’s sports, but still have less attention paid to them.
Society should realize that women are not always as conceived to be and maybe deserve a little more credit for things than what they get. If people would stop stereotyping, I think the female gender would be more respected.
Over the past 1000 years, Things have changed for the better with women. For example, they now have the right to choose who they marry and get a divorce; they have property rights, have premarital sex and unplanned pregnancies, and vote for new laws, state and national officials, and The President.
In the middle Ages, over thousands of years ago, women did not have any of those rights/privileges. The way I think, I think girls should get the same wages at work, get sports on TV and have more attendance at their games and shows. It just still doesn’t seem like women have the same amount of rights as men. I think women should get more credit for what they have done to shape the U.s, and the whole world, other than men. Our society could improve a attitudes toward women by giving them more credit for shaping the world, and again, not just men.
-Danny Schwartz
Rachel Steffes- Wickersham/ 5th hour
Yes, things have come a LONG way since the Middle Ages and our society can improve in so many ways. Look at Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, or the ever-so becoming Miley Cyrus and her little “dances” on stage. Young girls see them on the cover of magazines and think that that’s the way they are supposed to behave, act, and dress. Men, like Tiger Woods or any other well-known politician, sometimes use women.
America and so many other places around the world treat women with disrespect still. In regions of the Middle East, women have to cover all of their skin, and have to be escorted by a male member of their family anywhere they go.
‘Barbie’s and ‘Bratz’ dolls also set a “wonderful” example. Super-thin, perfected hourglass-figures. And remember the Barbie doll that gets pregnant? Yes, what fun. Our society is making that “pregnant doll” for the age group of 2 to 9.
Then there’s plastic surgery. Women are expected to look perfect, and be perfect. When it comes to grades, style, and working.
So think about it. And to the women: stand up for yourselves and be real (a.k.a. - nada to plastic surgery.
Ricardo Leao
5th hour
I believe that sure, the women may have babies and that may cost more for an employer. But, how do you know that the woman hasn’t had a child already? Or maybe doesn’t plan on having one. I believe that maybe the employer should wait till the time the mother is having a child, to see the payment for training of a new employ. Also we seem to be giving less jobs that involve physical activity to women. Like say as a fire fighter, or police officer. Who are we to say what they can and can’t do? Now, to the topic of clothes and youth. I believe that yes, people could stop fabricating clothes that “advertise” per say. If people stop with that then eventually, I believe that girls will be wearing less “advertising” clothes. Also, for the topic of chivalry now a days. I think that maybe, if girls wore close that wear less “provocative” then some guys may respect them more.
Jackie F.
5th hour
Yes, woman’s rights and equality have grown tremendously, compared to 1,000 years ago when woman were practically slaves to man. We have rights now that woman back in that day they could have only dreamed of, but we still have a long way to go. There is still sexism in large parts of the World were woman are struggling to be free. For example in the Middle East in Afghanistan, Iran, and other countries around that area, woman are practically slaves to man, it’s like they never left the Stone ages. They are condemning woman for such minimal things, that here in the United states would mean almost nothing but a bad reputation. Some woman there are being suppressed, and treated more as if they were pets than actual human beings. Even here in the United States sexism still exists more often than you think, even with all the anti-discrimination movements going on, though it is not nearly as bad as in some Middle Eastern countries. Overall Woman’s rights and life toady has come far from 1,000 years ago but we still have a ways to go, in eliminating all sexism in today’s world.
Our society can improve by making ads with someone with a normal weight other than super skinny. Like in a lot of ads you see in magazines, the women have makeup on and are super skinny. A lot of people tend to see that as how the normal everyday girl should look. But really it’s not at all. Some guys still think that a women’s place is in the kitchen or at home. But really it’s not always and tons of guys not many guys do that. Our society is already extremely improved from 1000 years ago. Many guys have an ideal look that girls should have makeup or do tons of stuff to make themselves pretty or presentable for the guy, but it tends to be really hard to keep up with. The expectations for girls are much higher than there are for guys. The dolls that lots of children have, the clothes on them don’t really reflect what a women would were, and a child is getting that information of what a girl looks like from a young age.
Alex B. - 5th Hour
I think our society needs to improve on all of the inappropriate clothes that young girls wear. The things that are making young girls want to look like that are model TV shows, magazines, and the news. On the news they are always talking about these young stars taking inappropriate pictures with exposing clothes, and about how these young teenage stars are getting pregnant. For example there was a big thing about Miley Cyrus and the pictures that she took. Another thing is recently Katy Perry starred on Sesame Street with exposing clothes. Teenage girls are also starting to do drugs like Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. The girls these days look up to the stars and try to be like them, but the stars are not setting good examples. Now in society, putting on makeup and wearing exposing clothes is now a regular thing for some teenagers. I think that our society can improve by making models of all sizes and looks for young girls that have appropriate clothes on. They can also improve by not putting those stars on the news just if they wore something inappropriate.
Ciarra M
Judy
hour 5
I think our society CAN improve on attitudes/expectations for girls and women. Why do people create stereo typical images of how women have to be? Why do girls and women have to be tall and dress in inappropriate clothing? Why can’t they just wear normal jeans and t-shirts? I believe that these consumptions of females have to change! A girl can be pretty and not apply to all these characteristics: slim, tall, and curvy. I believe the first step in changing these inappropriate expectations is to change the clothing that is being made and that is being sold in shopping malls. If the biggest stores (Abercrombie, Hollister, American eagle etc.) sell clothing that is actually appropriate, then girls will then realize that appropriate clothing can be stunning. Once girls start wearing suitable clothing then that will take a HUGE step in changing these attitudes. Another thing that our society can do is change the models that go on commercials or advertisements. If they start showing models that are actual size in magazines or commercials, or even have these models wear appropriate clothing then it will change the perspectives of people. The society never thought that these attitudes/expectations can lower young girl’s self-esteems. I believe that once our society changes these simple things than these expectations can change!
Joel S.
5th Hour
Our society can improve a lot by changing the attitude and appearances of women. I think it is sad how girls are being portrayed these days. Just like the blog said, most people aren’t the ideal height and weight that guys like, so why should television ads and shows show women like that? It is true that it might be more appealing to the viewers, but even the viewers know women don’t look like that. But, it is not just the advertisements to blame. Women, especially teens, make their own decisions on what to wear. And most of the time, if they feel comfortable with their appearance, what they wear is way too inappropriate to go into public with. In my opinion, I think they should wear clothes that make them feel comfortable, and also make everyone around them comfortable too.
Most mothers are the stay at home mom, who cook and clean for their family. I mean, mothers should take care of their family, but the father should step up and take some days off to help around the house while the mother gets a taste of the money herself.
Women are treated far much better now than the medieval times, but the way they are portrayed and how they dress is not OK in my book.
Lauren M.
It’s true that life for women and girls has become a bit easier since the past, but we still need to improve. We need to, first, stop the generalizations about women and the stereotypes because they aren’t completely true anymore. The attitudes towards women have changed, and society needs to reverse them. A women’s views or opinions aren’t necessarily the most important part in a relationship, and they should be. It shouldn’t matter how you look or the clothes you wear. And even younger girls are thinking its ok to wear clothes that are not appropriate for them. Ten year olds and 20 year olds should not be dressing the same way. The whole idea of the media and portraying women the wrong way is a major part in the change of people’s expectations of women, and society needs to stop. The ideal women are always showed on TV and in the media and not the realistic women. Also, these women are acting stupid which gives men the wrong message when it comes to real life. Also, women are just as capable as men when it comes to working, so I have no idea why women on average are being paid less than men. Women work just as hard as men do, and they should get the same reward. I know it also depends on the job that each person has, but when it comes to the same job, women and men should have equal pay. Women should be treated more as human beings and not objects. If women are treated differently in our society, I think our country could improve even more and it can more forward completely instead of leaving one part behind.
Sam Y.
1st Hour
Our society can improve a lot on attitudes and expectations for girls and women. We always like to say we have no more discrimination, but we do treat girls differently than men. We should change our view of women and sports. I have seen girls be much better than guys at sports yet it is common to think guys are better. The sport is another thing. Girls aren’t seen doing certain sports, and sometimes don’t have the opportunity to try. We also need to improve our thoughts about jobs and the amount earned by men and women. Men are thought to provide the primary source of income, but more and more common, women make as much or more than a man. The media also damages women’s images. They always criticize an actresses or stars outfit or appearance. It is always a bigger deal what the girl is wearing. Nobody ever cares about the guys. The world would be different if we were all totally even.
Lily Doolin 5th hr.
The way people treat, and think of women these days are bad. In magazines everywhere there is always some advertisement including women in inappropriate clothes and poses. What teenagers think of this is why don’t I look like that? am I pretty enough? These advertisements make them feel insecure and un-confident. There are also a lot of models advertised in magazines too. Models are so skinny that the average person thinks that’s how they should look. But really, models go through daily training that makes their body look so skinny. Most people don’t have that much money or time. There are more ways that our society can improve the way they look at women such as through television, clothing, radio stations, and more. I feel that magazines affect teenagers and women the most. Ways to improve this is to get models that are the body size of an average person, and to have models refuse to wear certain clothes or do bad poses. And also try wearing a somewhat appropriate outfit.
Beau H. 1st Hour
It seems like todays society puts to much emphasis on how women look instead of placing value on who a woman is. I think that women should not be so caught up in their image and men should not look at women as objects. I also think that society should be more realistic in portraying women as they really are. Perhaps if the media were to promote a more realistic image of women, then girls and women would stop putting pressure on themselves to look amazing all the time and others would not expect it of them. Young girls are very influenced by what they see in magazines, tv, movies, the news etc.. The media should focus more on who a woman is on the inside and not what she looks like on the outside. Our society can improve by valuing women more for their personality and character traits instead of their physical looks.
Alysse
5th hour
I think our society can improve on attitudes/expectations, etc. for girls and women. Advertisements these days are very inappropriate for store adds. Girls of all ages look at the huge posters placed inside store windows and admire the girls and boys in the photos or think to themselves, "I wish i was that person". That isn't right for women/girls to look up to them because often they are exposing nudity. I think young girls should dress like young girls and not in inappropriate things. Same rule for women, they should dress like women and not in young girl fashions that make them look like they want to be a kid. New fashions and styles are showing girls dressing to impress men. Many girls try to make themselves look prettier by wearing unsuitable clothing and it doesn't make them look any better. We all go through a stage when we ask ourselves if we are pretty, tall enough, skinny enough, etc. But we need to believe that we look good the way we are and feel good inside. Not by dressing inappropriatly.
Colin Connelly
Yes I think our society can and should change for the better. Our society has improved in the last 100,s of years such as women can work, women can vote, women can inherit money, women can choose who they marry, and women can not be banished from a convent if they have premarital sex. Our society can improve on a lot of different things some ways are how we treat them how, how we picture them, and how are attitudes are toward them. I think we can change how we treat them by not having adds that portray them they way they do and not let young girls wear leggings. And the prejudice that women are bad drivers or not as smart as men or cant do the physical labor men can. So I think we need change our society and our views of women in the near future.
Alex S.
5th hour
I think society can improve on attitudes and expectations for girls and women. Why do women get paid less than men even if they are doing the same job? Women are capable of doing the same thing as men or doing it even better. Women are stereo typed as really tall and thin. That is how all of the models look. They also are always stereotyped as being the cooks, cleaning the house, and usually staying at home, not working, and watching their kids. What society could do to improve on attitudes and expectations for women is to change the image of their models, sell more appropriate clothing, and advertise women who aren’t extremely tall and skinny. Also, women are just as equal as men, and in some countries they are treated very poorly. For example, in the Middle East they seem like they are still living in the stone ages and are punishing women terribly. The woman gets in trouble but the man usually does not get bothered. In America, if a woman did something wrong the punishments are usually not as extreme as stoning, etc. Also, society can treat women more equally. They could recognize women’s sports more or recognize that lots of women become very successful in their workplace or in school. Society can improve on attitudes toward women, but we also how come a very long way in the right direction for women’s rights.
5th period
It is agreed that women and men are different, but not to the point that women should be seen as inferior. Women shouldn’t be expected to do all the work around the house, all the cooking, all the cleaning. The husband should contribute to the house work. If a husband has a lower paying job than his wife, the wife shouldn't be expected to stay at home and not work. Women should be valued equally outside of the house as well. I think it is really important for women to receive equal pay for doing the same work as that of a man. Women shouldn't be stereotyped as objects, but instead thought of and treated as equally as men. After all, we do make better cookies (:D). I think that society should eliminate its stereotypes of women, and at the same time, treat women and men with equal respect.
By: Jason Bittker 1st hour
I think our society can improve our attitudes and expectations towards women in many ways. We need to improve our attitude toward women. Women have many stereotypes that do not fit them. For example, many people make stereotypes that women do not work as hard as men. Truthfully, women work just as hard as men and possibly even harder. They have to worry about raising their kids, caring for them, and getting them to their activities. Another stereotype is referring to a woman with blonde hair as a “dumb blonde.” The person may think or say that the girl is dumb and she is too focused on her appearance. Instead, she may be a very bright girl who wants to look attractive. Everybody needs to stop stereotyping women. Second, men are not always gentleman-like toward women. Men are sometimes rude and think of themselves before thinking of women. For example, men will sit in the only empty seat of a bus and let the girl stand in the aisle. Men need to become more gentlemen-like to women. Additionally, we can improve our expectations of women. Many corporation owners may not trust women for high-rank jobs. In fact, women are capable for these jobs, and may be better suited than competing men. We need to stop thinking lowly of women. Therefore, take all of this into consideration and treat women fairly and with respect.
Sara Pawloski
Things have changed for woman since medieval times for the better. Lately however, men and boys haven’t been respecting woman and girls in the same way they did many years ago. Men expect women to carry a certain image. For example, men want women to be at least 5’8 in”, skinny, and flawless. Also, girls see stick skinny models wearing inappropriate clothing, making them think that they have to wear that type of clothing too. This causes teens to wear clothing that isn’t age appropriate. Our society needs to improve their attitudes and expectations of women. Women shouldn’t have to feel pressured by men to dress in inappropriate clothes and do inappropriate things and look perfect all the time. Men should not expect these things of women. If men stopped expressing their feelings about women in derogatory forms then women would not feel like they have to hold out an image for men. Women are beginning to be considered as objects towards men. This is not acceptable because women are just as important to existence as men are. Woman work just as hard as men do to succeed in their jobs however, men get paid more. Women don’t deserve this judgmental and unfair treatment.
Sarena Brown 1st hour
Women’s rights have dramatically changed since the middle ages, but we still have some work to do. I believe that women’s role in the media is huge. Teen girls and women everywhere struggle with self esteem and body image, and the media doesn’t help. Magazines everywhere are filled with skinny models wearing revealing clothing; and most of it is all smoke and mirrors. New technology has made it possible for people to manipulate photos to change them any way they want to. People expect a 5’8”, slim model to cover magazine ads and to fill up shop windows, but not everyone is made that way. Not every girl out there is what our society declares as “perfect”. Women come in all different sizes, and with most of them starring at skinny “picture perfect” models, it’s no wonder so many girls struggle with their body image. Our society must change the way they publicize women and girls in ads because if they don’t, there will be generation after generation of women who don’t think they are beautiful because they can’t live up to our societies image of what they should look like.
Caleb H, 5th hour
I think society can change for the better regarding the improvement on attitudes/ expectations for girls and women. Our society can improve in the area of putting less pressure on young girls and teens to look how men think they should. For example, many popular teen clothing brands such as Hollister, Abercrombie, and Aeropostale feature ad campaigns and models that are ideally lean. This can put pressure on many young girls and teens to, for a lack of a better term, be like the models they see. This can lead to social problems, anorexia nervosa, and other eating disorders, all of which of course negatively impact young girls and teens.
There have been many attempts to combat the pressure put on girls. These attempts include the creation of groups and foundations such as the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, which strives to reinforce the concept of beauty in the minds of young women as being something inside of you, and not defined by how you dress, the clothes you wear, how skinny you are, etc.
Another way our society can improve for the betterment of the attitudes and expectations of women would be equal treatment of women in the workforce. Women are constantly pressured by overall society to explore career fields such as teaching, nursing, etc. For example, something such as a female football coach is frowned upon in society, and is relatively unheard of.
I think that today’s society can improve on their view of men being superior to woman. Even though they won their rights 90 years ago in America, some people still think that men are better at everything. For example, I know one person who asked me to do him a favor and never start driving because woman can’t drive. I’m pretty sure that both genders can grow up to be horrible drivers, not just woman.
Second of all, in some ways, women still act like they need to dress more exposed just to get a guy to like her, and for some odd reason, this thought has spread all the way down to the pre-teens, an age where you’re not supposed to be looking for guys anyway. Plus, there is also the fact that if a guy likes you just because of what clothes you are wearing, you should probably not go out with him in the first place.
Rodney Winkler 5th hour
I think that it is a shame how women are getting paid less money than men. It is not fair that women are paid less because people think that the husband is the primary source of money in a family. In this case the women would get paid less. Women are also expected in a relationship to stay home take care of their kids, clean, and cook.
Teenagers who are comfortable with their body wear inappropriate clothing to show off their body. Most of the time teenagers wear clothing like this to impress boys. Some teenagers who wear this don’t always feel comfortable wearing this though. They just think that’s what’s expected of them. Another problem is that its not just teenagers who wear this type of clothing. Young girls are wearing clothing like this to. It is completely inappropriate that you see 10-year-old girls walking around like this.
Bottom line, girl should be treated with more respect and they shouldn’t have to wear these clothes if they don’t want to.
Justin R.
9/24/10
Wickersham
Blog #23
Since the middle ages there have been many changes. Many women have gotten much more freedom and are much more respected in our world today. The many difference from medieval time to today are hygiene, respect, worthy jobs, and power and authority. These are different from in the Middle Ages because many women where at home helping doing the household chores back in medieval time and cooking for their spouse or family. Today that still may be the case but also men have stepped up and perform these same tasks the women do. Today we also treat women with special care we are more respectful and caring toward them and they are treated very well compared to in medieval time. The some differences that occur today and in medieval time is the power of women in government in medieval times some women such as queens or princesses had say in political troubles, today many women are also very powerful in our government.
Marie P
Complete equality between men and women can’t ever be established. The fact is, women and men are different, both physically and psychologically. But steps can be taken to bridge this gap.
For years, women have fought for equal rights in the law, pay & work, Women and men have never proven to lack equal intelligence, therefore job and pay should be earned regardless of gender. Most people understand that and changes are underway.
These are the changes we need:
First of all: ditch the double-standard. For example, if a girl like to wear form-fitting clothes, hangs out with guy friends or has dated a lot, then she may be labeled with derogatory terms and get a bad reputation. On the other hand, a guy with the same promiscuous attitude is seen as a ‘stud’ or ‘player’ and this attitude makes him cool. Also, boys have a luxury girl don’t: they can walk the streets or the halls without being bothered, while girls can sometimes be subjected to strangers whistling and shouting. This common sort of harassment is rooted in the idea that it’s OK for strangers to see females as objects and say anything they want. Women and men are due equal respect, and shouldn’t have to put up with these double standards.
Secondly, media messages tell "ordinary" women that they are always in need of adjustment—and that the female body is an object to be perfected. You can’t watch a commercial break without seeing some new breakthrough technique to get slimmer, reduce wrinkles, get rid of cellulite... Research shows that being constantly exposed to these images of perfect, thin, young, air-brushed female bodies leads to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women & girls. Perhaps the most disturbing fact is that these “perfect” bodies aren’t even attainable. The media needs to start showing models that aren’t anorexic and promote the reality that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.
Thirdly, thanks to shows such as Jersey Shore, more and more girls resort to dressing provocatively in order to attain attention. Needless to say, twelve-year-old girls walking down the street in heels, short-shorts and revealing tops are unnecessary. Young Women need to be able to identify with role models other than the likes of Snooki or Miley Cyrus. Girls need to be shown that they can gain power, respect and the “cool factor” in other ways than partying and ‘being easy’. Society needs women on television in something other than MTV reality shows. We need women involved in the government. We need women in political debates alongside men. We need women to be seen in the forefront of society, politics and sports. Some of this is already happening. With more women like Hilary Clinton -who ran for first female president-, Michelle Obama -who acts as so much more than the president’s wife and the mother of two children- or even P!nk -with her hit single ‘Stupid Girls”- and less of women such as Bella Swan –who has no personality and life without her guy- young girls will be able to see their intellectual potential. For now, the best thing to do is for parents to teach their daughters self-respect and to help them find the thin line between being classy and just plain slutty.
In short, society needs to become more accepting and less judgmental when it comes to women.
Life in the middle ages was hard for women for multiple reasons. One reason is back in the middle ages women were not allowed to have a job, they had to be stay at home moms, now a day’s women can be just as successful as men, sometimes even more successful. Also back in the middle ages women didn’t have many rights/ public opinion. They couldn’t vote or go to public outings like gladiator contests. Now in modern times women are allowed to attend anything from a football game to a lunch with the president, they are also allowed voting rights and their opinions mean something for our country. Back in ancient times women weren’t allowed to be in government either, unlike now. Our country in this past election had the chance to elect a female president and also a female vice president. Women had little to no rights back in the medieval ages but now they have equal rights to men.
Mark g. -1st
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