Adam G. Katz, Jackson. Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity: From Eminem to Clinique for Men. 349-358.

Adam Gonzalez
10/12/07
Gender and Pop Culture 220
Advertising and the construction of violent white masculinity. Katz

Description
• Long before 9/11, violence was and still is one off the most pervasive and serious domestic problems in the United States. (349)

Analysis
• Discussions about racial representation in media tend to focus on African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics. (350)
• Violent behavior is considered masculine. (350)
• Men are positioned as sexy because they possess a certain aggressive attitude. (351)
• Violent behavior for men is in mainstream advertising in numerous ways. (352)
• Music industry has produced numerous male artists who embody all sorts of violent angers and resentments. (352)
• Military ads and sports portray violence and masculinity as a good thing. (355)

Vision
• We need to develop a much more sophisticated approach to understanding cultural constructions of masculinity. (357)

Strategy
• We need to examine critically areas where violent masculinities are produced and legitimated. (357)

Natalie H. Katz. Kirkham & Weller. Cosmetics, A Clinique Case Study. 268-273.

Natalie Hage
Friday October 12, 2007
Gender & Popular Culture WGS 220 05
Kirkham & Weller. Cosmetics, A Clinique Case Study. 268-273.

Description:

• Companies want the consumer to associate the quality of their advertising with the quality of the product itself (268).

• The way in which men's and women's toiletries and makeup products are presented to the public consumer – read, produced and circulated - sets a large binary that conform to the typical 'masculine' and 'feminine' identities (269).

Analysis:

• Color is a commonly used gendering technique that strongly reinforces the stereotypes handed to the sexes (269).

• The goal is to add seriousness and masculinity to otherwise effeminate cosmetics and toiletries being sold to men(269).

• Advertisements for women's products usually contain little to no information about the product itself. Advertisements for men explain the product, 'rationalizing it' and even defending a male's use of such cosmetics (271).

Vision:

• The boundaries made between 'male' and 'female' products is so heavy and needs to be broken down.
• Sellers shouldn't have to do so much just to overcome obstacles so their products will simply be accepted by the public consumer.

Strategy:

• The visual and literary components of advertisements could be more discreet in their gender roles and less differentiating between 'masculinity' and what is considered 'feminine' (273).

Natalie H. Katz. Advertising and the construction of violent white masculinity. 249-358.

Natalie Hage
Friday October 12, 2007
Gender & Popular Culture WGS 220 05
Katz. Advertising and the construction of violent white masculinity. 249-358.

Description:

• Violence in America is, and has been for decades, a "pervasive and serious domestic problem" and the media only serves to strengthen the matter.

• Media's exhibitions construct 'violence' as defining white males and even normalize it as what is considered 'masculine'.

Analysis:

• Discussions about different dominant groups lie within media representations, such as the strong and commonly used focus on African Americans (250).

• 'White manhood' has been strongly defined as multinational corporations basically sell people's identities in advertisements (350).

• Working class men are fighters for power, dominance and control. For men, muscular physiques are popular to have and aggressive attitudes are considered sexy. (351). This is perhaps one of the reasons why power and aggression is ultimately mistaken for violence in males, which is thereby depicted in products of the media such as video games, music, pro-wrestling and sports culture (352).

Vision:

• Males who struggle for a safe medium between masculinity and femininity must be accepted.
• Violence must be seen as a problem in our country and should not be used as a light way of depicting men in the media just to sell products.

Strategy:

• Realize the poor misrepresentations of characters of violence in the media

• Although appealing, ads containing domineering and aggressive men must be handled with care. Companies want the consumer to be attracted to the mens' 'intense/violent' appearances and assume a correlation with their product and masculinity.

Roz B. Katz. "Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity." (349-357).

Rosalyn Bocker
10/7/2007
WGS 220-05
Katz. "Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity."
(349-357).

Description:
• Mainstream media fails to take into account gender when discussing
violence, overlooking a class-conscious gender construction of masculinity
(349-350).
Analysis:
• Media discusses racial representation, but "white" doesn't appear to be
cultural/historical category (350).
• White male archetypes "commodity image system"/pandemic violence
normalized/mainstream (350).
• White males increasingly economically instable/dislocated by
women/minorities, assert "manhood", focus on physical
size/strength/violence (531).
• Stress gender differences by defining masculinity (aggressive) in
opposition to femininity (passive) (352).
• "Angry white working class rebel"=defy middle-class/embrace
violence/misogyny/homophobia (353)
• "Violence is genetic"= linked to success, sexuality, history (354)
• "Military/Sports masculine"=uniforms masculine, cool, sexy/real men do
it/aggressive is good (355)
• "Muscles make the man"=defend home/family from "other" emphasis
strength/violence potential(356)
• "Hero is violent"= guns symbolize virility/larger than life/immortalized
in film (police/gunslingers/etc.) (357)
Vision:
• Need to develop more sophisticated understanding of cultural
construction of masculinity (357)
Strategy:
• Examine representation of men (esp. in regards to violence) (357)
• Examine production/legitimization of violent masculinities
(sports/comics/movies/etc) (357)

Duffy. "Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinities"

Clare Duffy
October 12, 2007
WGS 220 Section 05
Katz. “Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity: From Eminem to Clinique for Men.” p349-358

Description:
· Advertising normalizes male violence (350)

Analysis:
· Violent behavior considered masculine (350)
· Movie industry produces violent male icons (351)
o Introduced due to economic instability in late 70’s and women’s movement challenging male dominance (351)
o Presents a “glamorized form of violent masculinity” (357)
· Aggressive attitudes translates to sexy in males (351)
· Gender restrictions decreasing in 21st century (351)
o Must present males differently from women (351)
§ Equate masculinity with power, control, violence (352)
§ Images of violence against women supposed to increase self-respect (352)
· Common male themes in magazine advertising (352)
o Muscles=masculine
§ Ads offering products which will enhance muscles in male magazines (356)
o Military and sports
§ Target adolescent boys (355)
o Violence needed for heroics
· Violent masculinity viewed as “cool” (353)
· Male athletes used to sell products associated with females (356)
o Athletes automatically deemed masculine so should be able to sell product

Vision:
· Eliminate the violent male ideology from mainstream culture (implied)
· Develop sophisticated approach to understanding cultural construction of masculinity (357)

Strategy:
· Study social construction of gender (357)
· Examine male violence in our society (357)
o Include comic books, toys, sports, pro wrestling, comedy, music videos, pornography, interactive video

Chris R. Katz. Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity.

Chris Refsdal
10/12/07
WGS 220-05
Katz, Jackson. Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity. (pgs. 349-358)

Description:

• Media descriptions justify and legitimize male violence and continue to use non-gendered terms to describe it, despite that the majority of violence is committed by males. (pg. 349)
  

Analysis:

• Hollywood “action-adventure” actors portray overly violent characters as a method of reassuring men that one area of masculinity was still attainable for them: physical size and strength. (pg. 351)
• Rock and rap artists legitimize anger and violence by making it seem “rebellious” and “cool”, not hesitating to make a profit off of it as well. (pg. 352-353)
• Sports athletes and military personnel are two major icons that appear in advertisements, reinforcing the violent nature of men, some times as a method of “masculinizing” traditionally feminine products. (pgs. 355-356)
  

Vision:

• Alternate non-violent methods should be employed in advertising to males so that levels of male violence will be reduced. (pg. 357)
  

Strategy:

• In depth analysis of other areas where violence is portrayed, such as comic books, toys, comedy, and music videos, should be studied in order to gain further understand of how violent masculinity is contstructed. (pg. 357)

(Mary S) Katz - "Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity: From Eminen to Clinique for Men" (Pages 349-358 of Gender, Race, & Class in Media)

DESCRIPTION:
- Violence is a pervasive aspect of western society, and recent study has raised attention to how much mass media and advertising help produce, reproduce, and legitimate this violent behavior, especially that perpetuated by men (Page 349).

ANALYSIS:
- Masculinity is like whiteness in the fact that those who are part of it are blind to the privilege of it and all those outside of it are seen as "others" or different and therefore more ok to discriminate against (Page 350).
- Violence in the media has a strong pull for middle class men because it gives them an area in which to validate themselves and assert their power, since they are unable to do so in an economic or work oriented field (Page 351).
- There are several common themes in male advertising that helps reaffirm the idea of male dominance:
1. The idea of the angry, white, working-class male as an antiauthority rebel (ex: Eminem)
2. The idea that violence is genetically programmed male behavior
3. The use of military and sports symbolism to enhance the masculine identification and appeal of products
4. The association of muscularity with ideal masculinity
5. The equation of heroic masculinity with violent masculinity
(Page 352-357)

VISION:
- The author hopes to develop a more sophisticated and thorough approach to understand cultural constructions of masculinity, much like the one feminists have established to explain feminine constructions (Page 357).

STRATEGY:
- The author says that it is important to study the construction of masculinity in mainstream magazine ads like he does, but at the same time we must look to the way these same ideals are constructed by things like comic books, toys, the sports culture, pro wrestling, comedy, video games, porn, and music videos to get a full picture and to hopefully then use this knowledge to start more effective anti-violence campaigns (Page 358).

Tom S. Katz, Jackson. Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity: From Eminem to Clinique for Men. 349-358.

Tom Schleicher
October 12, 2007
WGS 220 Section 05
Katz, Jackson. Advertising and the Construction of Violent White
Masculinity: From Eminem to Clinique for Men. 349-358.

Description:
Even prior to 9/11 violence was one of the most pervasive and serious
domestic problems in the US
Analysis:
Mass media propagates violence (349)
Growing attention to power of cultural images of masculinity (350)
Discussion on the cultural definition of white manhood as defined by
stereotyping in advertising (350)
Little attention paid to violent masculinities (350)
Masculinities as opposed to masculinity (350)
Significant differences in the masculinities, but violence is gendered
male (350)
Movie industry key force in construction of masculinity (351)
Violent movie heroes came about in a time of "turmoil" for the working
class male (351)
Deep tensions among masculinities (351)
Physical attributes give men a concrete means of achieving and asserting
manhood (351)
Gender in advertising reaffirms the natural dissimilarity of males and
females (351)
Differentiating masculinity and femininity young males gain a sense of
illusory security and self respect (352)
Appeal of violence to men is coded into advertising (352)
Several themes in magazine advertising help support the equation of White
masculinity and violence (352)
The Angry, Aggressive, White Working-Class Male as an Anti-Authority
Figure (352)
Violence as Genetically Programmed Male Behavior (353)
Use of Military and Sports Symbolism to Enhance the Masculine
Identification and Appeal of Products (354)
The Association of Muscularity with Ideal Masculinity (356)
The Equation of Heroic Masculinity with Violent Masculinity (357)
Vision:
To develop a more sophisticated approach to understanding constructions
of masculinity (357)
Strategy:
Critically examine an array of places where violent masculinities are
propagated for example: comic books, toys, sports, comedy, videos, and
pornography (357)

Jen Hatrak Jackson Katz. Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity: From Eminem to Clinique for Men. Pgs 349-358

Jennifer Hatrak
October 12, 2007
WGS 220-01 Gender and Pop Culture
Jackson Katz. Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity: From Eminem to Clinique for Men. Pgs 349-358

Description:
• Masculinity is constructed in a hegemonic fashion throughout the media in mainstream advertising and normalizes male violence (pg 350)
Analysis:
• Advertising suggests that "real" mean are strong (pg 351)
• Men's magazines feature men who are aggressive which is supposed to be sexy and feature violent male icons (pg 351)
• Violence in the media, especially violence against women tends to make men feel valued and self-respected (pg 352)
Vision:
• A more developed sense of masculinity is needed as well as a further examination of how men are represented in society (pg 357)

Strategy:
• In order to achieve this developed sense, we need to examine other areas of the media in order to understand the construction of gender and violence (pg 357)

Katie K. Katz. Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity.

Kathryn Kokoszka
Friday Oct. 12, 2007
WGS 220-05
Jackson Katz. Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity.

Description:
• Male violence is normalized by the hegemonic ideals of masculinity in advertising. (350)

Analysis:
• Key source of the hegemonic constructions of masculinity is the movie industry, they produces many violent male icons. (351)
• Icons became popular because they were introduced at a time in which there was economical instability, women's movement was challenging hegemony. (351)
• "Manhood" is defined by the physical body and its potential for violence. (351)
• Males are posed as aggressive in many ads. (351)
• People who don't agree with the violence of males in advertisements are often seen as not getting it or having a sense of humor. (353)
• Use of male icons from history gives the idea that men have always been aggressive, dominant, and violent beings, therefore it is biologically based. (354)
• Military and sports are also key sources of masculinity and violence, so advertisers take advantage of this. Military uses the words leadership, respect, and pride in their ads to have appeal. (355)

Vision:
• The understanding of cultural constructs of masculinity and its link to the prevalence of male violence needs to be examined and then focused on more anti-violent advertising. (357)

Strategy:
• In order for change our society need to focus on and study the representation of men and their relationship with violence. This starts with critically looking comic books, magazines, toys, videos, and porn, the areas where male violence is produced and accepted. (357)

Webkinz: I'm not the only one to compare it to the precursor to secondlife

Content Matters: Webkinz: Second Life for the elementary school set: "April 12, 2007
Webkinz: Second Life for the elementary school set

Webkinz If you have a child between the ages of 6-12, you probably are familiar with Webkinz. Webkinz are basically “Beanie Babies meets Tamagotchi meets Second Life.

Manufactured by Canadian gift wholesaler Ganz and available largely through card and specialty stores, Webkinz are small stuffed animals that sell for $12.95 each. They’re rather unremarkable, except each Webkinz comes with a unique security code that allows you to register it, providing access to the “Webkinz World” portal. The portal itself includes a number of games, quizzes and related areas, each of which earn you points (“KinzCash”). KinzCash can be used to by virtual items for use by your virtual Webkinz in this virtual world."

Recent Articles from Salon.com Related to Class Blog-Topics

Class Notes 4/2/07 Group work (Rose "Hidden Politics")

Group Work for 4/2/07

Notes by Katelyn R.

Class Notes

Rose Tricia, "Hidden Politics: Discursive and Institutional Policing of Rap Music," 396-405 (GRCM)

Argument:

• Media is associated with the portrayal of rap-related violence which directly relates to the general portrayal of the black community.
• Hostile environment towards rap creates a hostile rapping community, in turn, this indirectly creates the violence created in much of the music.

Target

• Music industry and the way music is produced.
• Police community because they help to create the hostile cycle stated above at many of the rap concerts due to presumptive assumptions and stereotypes.

Audience

• Black community for the defense of rap music and its cause.
• People who only view rap music as an expression of violence. Serves as an explanation.

Categories to Address

• Race, Gender, Age

Final Statement

• The discourse involved with rap concerts and music directly influences the institutions and power which gives people an excuse to discriminate.

Blogging in College: This week in class...

♦ Before Monday (4/2/07): Click on the technorati link that you added to your blog to check to see if the page that appears on technorati lists your blog (see 'IF IT DOESN'T SHOW YOUR BLOG ON TECHNORATI' below the week's agenda for more instructions).

♦ Monday (4/2/07): The first reading is one we didn't have time to get to last week (but was on the syllabus for last week's classes)

Ch 38, 'Hidden Politics: Discursive and Institutional Policing of Rap Music,' 396-405 (GRCM)

Ch 14, 'Who(se) Am I? The Identity and Image of Women in Hip-Hop,' 136-148 (GRCM)

Ragonese, 'Riot Grrrrls Castrate 'Cock Rock' in New York,' 27-31

♦ Before Thursday (4/5/07):Deadline for applying teamwork to blog is BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS (10 am) on this date! The readings for this class are included below the teamwork instructions/guidelines.

Choose one item from one team (just one element of one team's work needs to be completed for this assignment, which we discussed on Thursday, during class).

If you need help, contact the appropriate team's liaison for assistance.

Each team's work is on each team's blog (the links for the aforementioned blogs can be found on the big blog, on your team's blog,"...
Blogging in College: The Gender & Pop Culture Blog Experiment:

This week in class...

Posted by Jessie at 7:58 PM

Class notes for 3/29/07

Prepared by Jess T

WGS 220- Prof. Gamble

Class notes for 3/29/07

*

All students must email team liaisons and specify what aspects of their presentations were used on the individual blogs


Kuper's Reading


*

Prison visit by author for the purpose of mental health assessment of the inmates.
*

Why did the young man feel like he needed to dress as a woman to avoid injury? (When he first got there, he was repeatedly abused, and its better to be someone's “bitch” and become their “property” due to the subsequent protection, then have rivalries over rights to who can do what to whom
o

“Taken off the market”
o

By taking on the role of a female, be becomes “property” of one of the men
*

Guards advice: should have been violent from the start to establish himself in the prison hierarchy, to avoid being constantly attacked, de-sexualized
o

Hierarchy created inside- like a mini culture, symbolic and representative of the outside world
o

Those who do not initially establish their authority are feminised/devalued in this culture
o

Child molesters at bottom- people can gage themselves depending on the type of crime they committed
*

Young man does not consider himself a trans gender/sexual, however has taken on a persona that is not his own to just to be safe
*

WHY CANT PRISIONERS BE SAVED FROM VIOLENCE W/IN PRISION?
o

Understaffed
o

Corrupt
o

Deserve It?
*

Prisons made into pop culture trend due to reality TV
o

Aspects of pop culture recently blamed for increase in violence


Enloe Reading


*

Was the incident considered pop culture at the time? No
o

now moreso than ever
*

Public is shocked that women are portrayed as demeaning prisoners and their masculinity
o

gender roles in war
+

usually women are the ones who are degraded
+

role reversal in this case
*

Women are used as a commodity of war
o

raped and pregnant, child shunned
o

Pregnant on trial- sign of heirarchy and dominance
*

Women must become ultra masculine to fit into the male dominated profession
o

to get respect
o

for safety?

Class Meeting 3/29/07

Clips from Comedy Central's The Daily Show & Colbert Report:

Colbert Report: A-Pop-Calypse: 300

Oliver: Outrage vs. Dignity

Class Notes 3/19/07

Prepared by Darling C.

WGS 220- Prof. Gamble

Class notes for 3/19/07

• All students must submit assessments for group members and self.
• Students must remember to update group blog.

RECAP FROM THE DOCUMENTARY, “Jesus Camp”- Judgment vs. Analysis

• When posting to blog, watch language. Determine what analysis and judgment consist of. Some terms used in blog post may be degrading to actors or shows discussed.
• Example: The show, “Girls Next Door,”

What to say: “the show depicts society’s view of women as being vixens”

What not to say: “The girls on the show are vixens”

• Ask why controversy surrounding show is present, look at the contributing factors. Examine if this should really be the case.

• When posting, watch grammar, especially quotes.

HEGEMONIC VS. COUNTERHEGEMONIC SOCIETY

• HEGEMONIC

Women are wives, mothers, and the primary caregivers.

• COUNTERHEGEMONIC

Women occupy leadership roles, have jobs, and choose their own religion.

tags

Class Notes 3/22/07

Liz S.

Notes on 3-22-07

Some things you guys need to know:

- Evaluate/grade everyone in your group except the liason this week

- The group scoring will expire Monday at beginning of class

- FYI: Send the emails to the liaisons via socs if the ones I supply are incorrect for some reason (their names are here)

Marketing and Political Economy Team

- Want to focus on sales in popular culture, economy and consumerism. Focus on ads and merchandising on blogs.

- Where people are looking and who- what are the most popular topics. Will have a blogger and a blog of the week possibly! (whoever leaves the most comments). This will be used to promote the blog!

- If you have constructive criticism, put it in the contributor blog. (even if they are not the blogger of the week). Amanda will send us address to send it to.

- Jess T- comments on what consumer topics are out there and used technoroti to see what was the most popular blog.

- Other Jess- has links of actual merchandise (there are a bunch of links for this for each topic).

- We focus on reality T.V. and gender. People want to see stuff about poker, money, and Paris Hilton.

- They use ads to analyze what’s posted on the blog.

- Analyze ad cents. How ads “live together in harmony” (but only 9 people have them)!

- Ads- most are about beauty and losing weight and eating disorders. They contradict what we should write about,

- 2^nd part- start getting name out there.

- Want us to click on ad cents stuff.

- Person to punish of the week! Click and look at site. Make them pay! Do not click on your own ads!

- Set code for stat counter. Visitors from all over! They have a keyword analysis.

- Fix technorati with your link (if not it goes to Amanda)

- Titian2@tcnj.edu- group liason (Jess T.)

- Melissa and Eric= ad cents

Creative Team

- Try to make blog look better

- Put own pic on, class logo, video, audio, etc.

- They copy and pasted Picassa info.

- Music- free of charge. Name, info, password. Can put into your own blog! Name what songs you want in your settings (page element). BE WARNED- copyrighting issues!!!

- Adding graphics. Online and pic relates to your blog. Right click, properties, add image from the web. Put in the link.

- Can also take a pic on cell phone and use it.

- Add video (it’s easy). Youtube.com ex. Copy the link. Paste code on scription box. Can also add own videos.

- Can get really customized templates, but you need to add stuff through the script, and it’s just pretty darn complicated so don’t do it.

- Nicole= audio website. Can do audio blogging. Costs money though. You just call a phone number and will get added to the blog.

- Need to download Picassa to use collage feature.

- Pat is the liason.

Buzz Team

- Liason- Dan G.

- Email is the way he wants to be contacted.

- Proposal: Generate info and feedback so people can better find them and us.

- Digg.com

- Posted all the individual blog sites to digg- added names and individual blogs. Found stories on ones not our class blogs. They’re behind the scenes, trying to get traffic.

- Tell how to get story on digg.com. Post will be on digg if “it’s descent.”

- They hope to get our name out there more.

- People are angry! They are haters! You can “undigg” them! (I should know, I got the “I hate this shit” comment lol).

- We will digg people to make them look at our stuff.

- You can post what you’ve found and it will generate interest.

- You can digg what the professor has dug.

- Our blogs have been dug many times!

- Easy to create digg profile! (not a search engine, lol!)

- Like using url instead of your name as a signature.

- Jessie found widgets site. Can link. Expand widgets on html.

- If someone wants to dig, can just use tag (Go to Jessie’s office hours). Put urls to blog there as well.

- Can digg everything someone else did.

- Start digging for each other!!!

The P.R. Team

- Job to get the word out on our blogs

- They made a facebook group. They’re trying to get the people on campus to check us out.

- “Check us out, we’re bloggers!”

- Get friends to join!

- Put links to blogs on facebook page and on myspace.

- Campus radio. Hourly promotion of project on air. Leo chatted about it for a ½ hr.

- They have a team flyer! Check it out! Can save and put on myspace and facebook!

- Devon is group liason.

tags

Class Notes 2/24/2007

Class Notes Feb. 24, 2007

Prepared by Jen M.

Gender, Class, & Race in the Media

Object of Analysis: Ms. Magazine & Advertising

Woman's Magazine- Gloria Steinem

Target demographic: White stay at home Mom, straight women,

No lesbians or feminists (considered by advertisers to be not the target demographic group for women--outside of womanhood),

In short, these women were considered "children & family haters" (example: Toy. Co would not advertise)

& there would also be no trade ads.

Ms. Magazines Ads

female content women magazine appeal to typical women

no recipes no food ads without recipes

race/color issue: trouble getting White people in ads only.

models that were not white Several years before colored/

INCLUSIVE ADS other races before coporations

were willing to advertise

did not want cigarette ads Cigarette co. wanted to advertise

Airlines would not advertise because

airline travel decisions were not made

by women, only men.

tags