Reflection from Attorney Williams Visit

The intimidating Attorney Whitney Williams was quite inspirational in the fact that her passion and determination for justice and honesty in the court was intriguing. I’ve debated before in middle school, however there were certain things that I wasn’t aware of that could influence a person’s side/perspective to an argument. I found her criticism for the paper that we wrote on the Brown v. Board and State v. Peterson quite helpful.

Richard R. Wright SUMMARY

           Richard R. Wright founded the very college that I attend, Savannah State University. Savannah State University is a four-year, historically black university (HBCU) that is state supported. Wright developed a balanced approach to black higher education and is now considered to be an important leader in the higher education for blacks. I feel quite honored to attend this university, considering the amount of effort that was put into it. I plan to be in the mass communications field and pursue a career in the media.

            My understanding of President Wright’s accomplishments and hardships made me feel as if the slogan that Savannah State University continues to use today “You can get anywhere from here.” can truly be put to reality. Not that I didn’t before, but I certainly have a mission, which I’m not all the way certain as to what exactly it is but as long as I continue to receive the education that Wright implemented for me, and take the opportunities presented for me, I will definitely follow through with my purpose as a student here at Savannah State University. From reading the information on Richard R. Wright Sr., it has influenced my understanding as a critical thinker.

 

The Sexualization of Women in the Media

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Jaiah Rodgers
Mr. Alex C. Barr

HUMN 1201
20 August 2014

The Sexualization of Women in the Media

Sex sells…take it off…explicit pics. We live in an oversexed, testosterone driven society, but ladies we have to do better! We do not have to allow the media to present us this way. No more, no way, this has got to stop…we can say no! We have to raise the bar and the standards. They need us; therefore, we can set the standards in regards to what we will and will not do and what they will and will not present in the media. The media portrays women in risqué commercials such as Victoria's Secret, song lyrics, in music videos and on magazine covers such as GQ and Esquire. Women are portrayed as "sex objects" in the media, resulting in negative consequences for everyone.

There is a long history of women being portrayed in the media as sexual playthings for men's pleasure. Society has become accustomed to women in scantly clad clothing being used to sell different products.  It is wrong to use women in this manner and definitely not for financial gain. The media says that sex sells, but at what cost? There are song lyrics that objectify women such as, "Face Down" by Meek Mill, and "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot. There are song titles that are so explicit they cannot be said in my paper! With the advances in electronic media and the fact that anyone can log on to the internet in seconds to see and purchase pretty much anything they like, makes it even easier to continue the over sexualization of women in the media. From inappropriate names for women in song lyrics, practically nude commercials shown on TV and nude women gracing the covers of magazine as you walk down the grocery store isle. When I hear song lyrics and watch music video, there are a lot of derogatory names given to women. In music videos, women are practically nude! It has gotten so bad, that women are now calling themselves and others these very names, like "bad/boss 'female dog'". Women are even seen in videos performing acts that should be considered porn. "The media is so intertwined in our lives that we do not truly comprehend on a conscious level how much influence it really has over us.", says Melanie R. Salome, a Technical Writer/Analyst in the field of Information Technology (Salome 1). 

             When women are presented in a very sexual manner in the media, it sends the message to young men that they can treat women anyway that they like. Sometimes it can lead to physical or sexual attacks on women by men. On the flip side, when girls continue to see women being overly sexualized in the media, it affects the way they view their own bodies. We need to be aware of the messages that the media is presenting with regards to body image. Unfortunately, if people continue to buy the products, the companies will continue to sell these images along with their products. We are enabling these companies to dictate the ideal female image. This sometimes lead young ladies to be dissatisfied with their bodies, which can lead to low self-esteem issues.  The overly sexual presentation of women in the media doesn't set a good example for little girls, or even little boys because it sends the message that women are just for sexual pleasure.  Even little girls begin to view themselves differently. Girls as young as six years old are beginning to see themselves as sex objects, according to a study of psychologists at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.

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           When six year old girls were shown a set of two dolls, one in revealing clothes and the other in trendy covered-up clothes, about 70 percent of girls in the study said they looked more like the sexy doll and that the sexy doll was more popular than the non-sexy doll.  Another troubling thing is that these images project an unrealistic image of women. A cologne ad with a half naked women laying on top of a man, might send a message that a woman will perform all types of sex acts if he wears this particular cologne. Simply stated, this is an unrealistic expectation.

Women allow the media, which is mainly run and driven by men, to dictate how they will present women to the general public. Women should shut down major industries that use practically nude images of women to sell their products by not participating or requiring that a different more respectable image is promoted.

            In conclusion, images of women as "sex objects" should be replaced with positive images, such as women on magazine covers and in ads wearing presentable outfits, suits, etc. Imagine what would happen if the media replaced overly sexual images of women with positive ones... And don't forget ladies, just because you're covered up doesn't mean you're not sexy! Flaunt what you got, to a certain extent. If only the media could see like I see… I hope that after hearing my speech, each and every female, and male can relate and make a change, one step at a time.

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Works Cited

Salome, Melanie R.  The Unrealistic Portrayal of Women in the Media: Beauty and Body Image.  16 Oct. 2009.  Web. 1 Mar. 2013 <http://voices.yahoo.com/the-unrealistic-portrayal-women-media-beauty-4665231.html?cat=9>.

Abbasi, Jennifer. "Why 6-Year-Old Girls Want to Be Sexy." LiveScience.com. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.

Naeurt PhD, Rick. "Media's Growing Sexualization of Women." Psych Central.com. 11 Sept. 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2013. http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/08/11/medias-growing-sexualization-of-women/28539.html