Women and Immigration

Hispanically Speaking News

I decided to focus my final presentation on the treatment immigrant women experience by laws like the Arizona's SB-1070 and what they experience when they are detained by ICE. I was inspired one day when I was watching the news and heard of a woman who had an abortion while detained and received no medical help. How can people let this happen? As a result, I decided to make a zine to raise awareness.

My brother, Robert, helped me with the format of my zine.

Link to my final:
MediaFinal384Fall2011

Western Influence in South Asian Media

Western influence in South Asian Media has been increasing in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and especially India. My main focus is Indian media because it has the most influence in other South Asian countries with the most success in ads and movies. Advertisements have changed so much within the past decade that it's become noticeable to different demographics in the desi (South Asian) community. One of the most noticeable marketing strategy has been the role of women, young women specifically. Commercials have changed from being more family oriented to overtly sexual. The female model's image, which are played mostly by Bollywood actresses, have very distinct features. The more "American" an Indian model looks, the more ads she'll be cast in. The obsession with skin whitening creams and Bollywood actresses endorsing beauty products for women in India have been one of the leading factors to marketing success. The success of movies, fashion, music and products have been credited to the young women luring consumers with their looks and ability to be an actress, spokesperson and model all at the same time.

Final Project Presentation:

Women and Media on Prezi

Women and Media Presentation Explanation

NUDE

NUDE is a collection of photographic imagery that highlights alternative and artistic images of the nude black female body.

Using photography, the goal is to capture the beauty and diversity of women of African descent. It is meant to dispel the pervasive sexualized images that our mainstream culture and mass media perpetually shows about black women. In addition, NUDE is one stepping stone to get people to decolonize their mindsets about nudity and to undo the social conditioning that western culture has imposed upon all women of color to obtain Euro-centric forms of beauty.

NUDE was a collaborative project and is a work in progress.  

Link to NUDE: 
http://www.slideshare.net/MarilynLouis/nude-10565436

Don't Let Media Create Your Ideal Image

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJx-UOYA6Qo

1,622,290. This is the number of surgical cosmetic procedures last year in the United States.
This is quite a few. While I was searching about "plastic surgery," I noticed that most of those had or want to have plastic surgery are swayed by media.

"I want to be more skinnier, and more beautiful."

This is what most women think.
Even though TV shows, magazines, and advertisings which we see in our every day like are telling us not necessarily the truth.

They show "photoshopped" pictures on magazines and advertisings, and set up the "standard of beauty" on TV shows.

Is she overweight?

It is not even an exaggeration to say that we are "brainwashed" to crave those body images we everyday.

In my paper, I talk about how media creates a "trendy facial/body image" and give people an idea that we should change our faces and/or bodies.


Link to my final paper: http://www.scribd.com/doc/75306613

Media Influences Women to Opt Out

Scribd Link

women-and-media

Russian "Traffic"

Human Trafficking in Russia



Russia is one of the most common countries in which women are captured and forced into prostitution

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the corruption and crime was spiking in Russia




There were little opportunities for women because of discrimination in the workplace.

Women are allowed to work the same jobs as men but for much lower pay.

In order to help their families, desperate women turn to ads that offer them jobs as waitresses, nannies, hotel workers, maids and dancers.

But when the women arrive, they are met by the thugs who will force them into prostitution.

There are many tactics in how the thugs lure the women into becoming "Natashas", (this is what the women are called.

If not though an ad agency, they lure potential victims though bogus ad agencies at college job fairs. Some women think they are safer in groups, so they then answer ads in a group.



They also run "Russian Mail Order Bride" agencies.

Many times though, the victims are lured by the "helpful" neighbor, or the relative willing to sell you out for cash.

It is very difficult to escape because the thugs keep the "Natashas" on a short leash.

The ones that do escape are often deported because they have no identification.

Some of the women are even jailed themselves for being a prostitute. Some countries do not care if they were forced.

Recently the U.N. has made some efforts to stop the traffic.

But that is not the only way it can be stopped. People have to become aware of what is going on, sometimes right in their own country.
It could happen now, or to anyone right now, never think it is fiction, because it could happen to you.

Images from (russiablog.org, iempathize.org, elliotandolivia.tumblr.com,www.womanstats.org)

Link to the essay: http://www.scribd.com/doc/75315667/Russian-Trafficking

P.O.W.E.R Proposal

For my final Media project I decided to construct a proposal for a young men's empowerment program. The program highlights educational importance, college awareness, and discussions of healthy alternatives to patriarchal masculinity and mass media. The goal is to cultivate a breed of successful young men from the inner city in order to promote a new way of achieving success among this demographic.

SLIDESHOW

PROPOSAL

CRITICAL LENS LESSON PLAN

COLLEGE WORKSHOP 1 LESSON PLAN

Myths about Eating Disorders Proven Wrong

(Photo courtesy of Clinically Clueless)

I became very interested on this topic of Eating Disorders while looking at research during my group's Barbie Complex project a couple months back. I never knew that this was a serious mental issue, so I never took it serious. To me it seemed like a cry for attention or to get pitty from others. So I am sad to admit that I too (along with a lot of other people out there) believe in a lot of Myths relating to Eating Disorders. In my project I will dive into more of the common Myths around it. I think that there is not enough of variety of people suffering from this disease. The only ones that we see depicted on TV talking about it are all the same types of people, so in a way it seems almost like a "publicity stunt" rather than a real world disease. Since not a lot of people who watch it can relate to it, since they don't see themselves represented as having it. Hopefully everybody would see that it is real disorder (as more cases come out), the way that I did after my research.

Myths about Eating Disorders Final Project - Media 384

View more presentations from relgendy1

My Final Newspaper Article

Thank you ALL for watching and reading! I appreciate it.

Media's effect on Women's Bodybuilding

For my final project I decided to write a paper on the sport of Women's competitive Bodybuilding and how the media has influenced social changes on what it means to be a female bodybuilder. Throughout the semester we have talked about how there is a strong establishment of gender roles in society established by patriarchy. I chose this topic because I felt that this is a field where women really challenge the hetero normative gender roles. The focus of my paper demonstrates the sudden transformation that Women's bodybuilding undergoes physically over a few decades and how society's lack of acceptance hinders the popularity of the sport, therefore officials of the IFBB(International Federation of Body Builders) attempts to "feminize" the sport which challenges the real meaning of what Body Building is all about.

Link to Youtube video about Women's Bodybuilding as a taboo



Link to paper




Discussion questions: Do you think these women have gone to far in challenging gender roles?

What do you think the IFBB(International Federation of Body Builders) should do to help the popularity of the sport instead of trying to "Feminize" it?

Domestic Violence

A website with interviews of victims of domestic violence. Lots of resources regarding this growing phenomena. Very informative radio segment from the morning show "Street Soldiers" This website is hosted on my home computer, and uses a free domain name that I got from Dyndns.org.
http://domestic-violence.is-very-bad.org/

I chose this topic because this topic has personally affected my life
Domestic violence was thrust into the forefront of American society when OJ Simpson allegedly murdered his wife.
Before that time police wouldn't care or pay much attention to domestic cases
This attitude has changed  a lot since.
Women now have lots of resources to help them in their situations and this website speaks and introduces some of these resources