Danica Luc
The Identity of Women Defined by the Majority
The battle for self-identity for woman is one that has gone on for a long time. Women have fought for their place in a world where men have already established themselves. Though through changes in cultural movements and advancements in technology, the identity of women is still hidden by the molds men have already created. We ask now, with all these changes what is the role of women in today’s society. Have women actually built themselves an actual identity, one where all women can say is uniformed? I am interested in this topic because the subculture we are in now has greater access to resources that were not available before. Social networks, the media, and popular trends control what we define ourselves. We are shaped into an era where women are seen as needy beings, in shows where if the main character is a woman she always has a male love interest. As a result the identity of a girl is mostly defined by the majority, which slowly takes away the essence of each girl and replaces it with an artificial imitation. We soon all become clumped up into one category that can ultimately define who we all are as a person. When we look in a mirror can we honestly say that mass media didn’t have any influence in shaping what’s being reflected? The answer is simply no.
The subculture, according to Hebdige, takes form from the ideas of rebellion and the group know as the Other (Clarke, 130-133). Stories of Adam and Eve or Antigone portray women as rebellious and disobedient creatures. Disobeying from a majority controlled by men. For the fact that Eve is made out of Adam, she is already his possession. She no longer has her own identity and must only identify with her counterpart. If God was able to create Adam from his own image, then why not create women from that same image, instead of from man? The whole story starts out bias against women, insinuating that women are not good enough to be made in the image of God directly but more so an associated product of Him. In the story of Adam and Eve, Eve goes against God’s word and eats from the tree of forbidden fruit. She convinces Adam to do the same and both are ousted from the Kingdom of Heaven. Eve embodies the rebellious nature that forms the subculture. She goes against the word of God simple because she is not worthy enough to be made in his image. She breaks his law because she has no ties to him. Women therefore are complete opposites of men, unable to assume an identity.
Women have iconized this idea of being an object. From women suffrage to feminist movements, women have tried to find their identity in a world full of paternal influences. Limited by the fact that we live in a world founded by men; a world that already ordained men as the head of a household and see women only good for household work. We live in a world where the bible deems women as a man’s second not his equal but his lesser and more fragile counterpart. How are we supposed to find our own identity in a society that has already placed us in our supposed “place’” in the world? Religion has been one of the biggest limiting factors for woman. The bible claims that though man is the glory of God, women are the glory of men. That man was not created for the woman; but woman were for man. (1 Cor. 7-9). We were created only to please men. Men have no real use for us but only for child bearing.
The Catholic Church has also played a role in giving women an identity. We are not allowed to become priests, bishops, or the pope. Because Jesus Christ was a man this is reason enough for women to excluded. For the simple fact that we have not argued against these traditions already insinuates how behind we are in establishing ourselves as a race equal to man. In the book Ancient Taboos and Geneder Prejudice, Liveris states, “the prime example of sexism exists within the Church where the prevailing culture and tradition exemplify and endorse the hierarchy of leadership and subordinate roles between men and women” (Liveris, 54). Our role in the church is giving to us by a patriarchal system. In the patriarchal system, men with the use of force, pressure, or tradition determine what part women play in terms of education, division of labour, and family life (Liveris, 137). Jesus’ disciples were all men, some say Mary Magdalene was a disciple but the bible never implies such assumptions, only that fact that she was labeled a prostitute.
We are currently in an era where reality television is not only common but also popular. Shows that are centered on finding love, the lives of celebrities, and the life of the youth culture are all centered on the principle that women are already given their roles. Lets take shows that are centered on finding love. The Bachelor exploits women by making them compete for the love of one man. This man is allowed to enjoy all the contestants before making his choice. All these women look the same and can offer this lucky man the same thing. These women exploit themselves on national television. They allow one man to enjoy each one of them before making his choice. It is then that you realize how the show is not based on love, but on a competition to see which girl comes out superior. The prize: the same man that has already enjoyed all your competitors before realizing it is you he actually wanted. Soon The Bachelorette is born, same concept but it is a room full of guys trying to get one woman’s attention. All these men also have a lot in common; most are doing well for themselves, monetary wise. They are all young, around the same demographic. The bachelor or the bachelorette represents the typical America man or woman. This shows depicts how easy it is to find a romantic interests. But the men and women that are chosen as contestants are selected based on their outer appearance and their appeal towards a vain and judgmental audience.
Another version of reality television is following the lives of celebrities. Their love lives are exposed for what they are: shams. Everyone is looking for a little time on the television. Especially shows like “Love and Hip Hop” that portray the music industry for Africa Americans as a lying, cheating, and drama filled world. The main character, usually a rapper or music producer, struggles with his relationships with two women; one girl is seen as the main one in the relationship, while the other is portrayed as the mistress. The two women argue and fight for the attention of this man. We call this entertainment and soon the youth culture is following these examples. In an article written by Sil Lai Abrams, called “Is the Black Woman Behind 'Love & Hip Hop ATL' to Blame for Stereotypes, she investigates the source of why the show promote such negativity, especially to African American women (Abrams). In the article she states the problem is not the women who choose to display their personal and romantic lives on television but the audience that makes it acceptable by continuously watching the show. More shows like Bad Girls Club. Housewives, MobWives, Basketball Wives, depict women as catty, violent, and vindictive. These shows are known for the drama that these women create amongst themselves (usually centered on the men in their lives) and the girl fights.
Magazines have played a great role in establishing self-identity and body image for women (Baker, 7). The images in magazines are what most women aspire to be. The formation of self is therefore determined by what the mass media considers acceptable. Sarah Baker writes her dissertation on the affects of magazines, like Heat and Closer, on female formation of body. Baker states that celebrity gossip magazines are tools used to praise celebrities, suggesting to other women this is what they should aspire to emulate. Ironically, these magazines also criticize celebrities that deviate from the pre-conceived notions of beauty (Baker, 5). These magazines encourage women to change themselves to emulate almost impossible qualifications. Most of these celebrities have the money to change from a size ten to a size tow, but normal women are limited and thus comes the feeling of failure: the inability to meet up with society’s criteria. So much has been put on the ideal of feminine beauty that we now equate beauty with “happiness, fulfillment and control of the self” (Baker, 11). Magazines depict images of women that are beautiful and happy, usually in designer clothes on tropical, exotic islands. But in reality these women are paid heavily too look a certain way, but are still photshopped and enhanced in photos, further discrediting that this beauty can naturally exist.
So what exactly has stopped us, as women, to have a structured identity? An identity separate from the comparison of man and one that we can say is our own. Are we defined based on the cultural movement: as the culture develops so does our identity (Baker, 9)? Or is it based on the media’s take of what’s new and trending? We have the ability to change ourselves, fix any blemishes, improve any flaws, and enhance certain areas on our bodies. Women have been the main participants in plastic surgery. Can we blame the fact that we can change ourselves to fit the mold given to us by society? Is this the reason why we are unable to define ourselves? Men are not so encouraged by the media to improve themselves or change their outer appearance. As the subculture changes, so does the ideal for what constituents as beauty (Baker, 9).
The expectations for women have become incredible difficult to embody. Before women were seen as beautiful if they were skinny and thin, then it evolved to women who were not only thin but had big breast and round butts and now in the twenty-first century the new thing is “thick” women. Pressure is put upon the next generation of women to be just like what they see on the screen or in the magazines. It becomes a burden trying to keep up with these new trends and some girls, unfortunately, take drastic measures, like plastic surgery, weight loss drugs or eating disorders, to either increase or decrease certain areas in their body. With so much access to such resources a women can have size double DD breast cups in less than five hours or go from a size 22 to a size 16 in just one day. The results are quick and easy but the outcome is life changing and may possibly lead to a life or death situation. Television shows like "The Swan" and "Dr. 90210" feature women who go through plastic surgery and major makeovers in order to reach that unrealistic goal of beauty ("PsychiatryOnline”). These shows promote unhealthy body image and a flawed overview on priorities. In "The Swan," young women are separated from family and friends for several weeks to undergo an intensive diet and exercise plan. These selected few are given hair extensions, highlights, breast augmentation, Botox and collagen injections ("PsychiatryOnline”). After the extensive makeover these women are then put into a beauty pageant to battle against each other. Talk about adding more pressure on these women who because society felt they were flawed made a show specifically designed to fixing them, and as a result making them acceptable in the eyes' of the public.
In “Introduction to Resistance through Rituals”, the youth culture is identified by their possessions and objects (Clarke, 108). Commercials promote propaganda on how to look better and feel better. Certain products are meant to provide women with the resources they lack. Weight loss commercials are a popular example. They advocate the use of pills to get “the body you’ve been waiting for”. The problem with weight is not being skinny but being fat. Overweight women are burden with the fact that they do not fit into any category of the expected female norm (Baker, 10). This form of consumer market preys on the idea that fat is bad, and being skinny is good. As a subculture we now associate the possession of this product as a way to obtain an identity. It becomes a hegemonic culture dominated by the idea that someday the subculture will incorporate the inclusive culture (Clarke, 100). But in order to take part in that inclusive culture one must practice the same ideology of the current subculture. Everyone is on the new wave of a healthy body; more people are getting gym memberships. But now that this lifestyle becomes a subcultural thing, it becomes less about being healthy and more about achieving the ideal body, dictated by the media and celebrities.
We can now analyze through psychoanalysis the root of what limits women from being a definable representation. In Sigmund Freud’s, doctrines on psychoanalysis, he uses the story of Oedipus to explain the origin of our sexual desires and needs (Carter, 135). The story of Oedipus tells the tale of a man who ends up killing his father, marrying his mother, and having several children with her. His downfall comes from the repression of his feelings for his mother (Carter, 161). This whole process is referred to as the Oedipus complex. All have experienced the desire to be with our mother, but these substitutions can account for the way human behavior is based on avoiding pain and suffering. As humans, we choose to live a hedonistic lifestyle; a life full of pleasure and relieved of misery (Carter, 166). Freud uses the example of the boy, who because he is scared of being castrated by his father for his feelings for his mother, transfers them onto another female figure. After giving up his object of desire; his mother, he is now forced to find substitutions in place for this desire (Carter, 135).
But for the female perspective, they are not affected by the threat of being castrated, so instead of transferring their feelings onto another female figure, feelings are transferred onto the father. Unfortunately because the girl is unable to acquire a penis, she must assume the feminine gender role and identify with her mother (Carter, 135). Because the female perspective is not given a definite substitution for their repressed desires, women are far more oppressed and live lives full of emptiness, resulting in the missing of an identity (Carter, 147). Because the father, according to Lacan theory, signifies the law, when the girl transfers her feelings to her father, she is symbolically giving up control of her place in society, now predetermined by the father (Carter, 143). According to Freud, those who are suppressed by a form of oppressive social control soon revolt against the idea to conform. Women can be placed in this category always being defined by what they lack in comparison to men.
The Lacanian theory, by Jacques Lacan, is structured on the principles of semiotics. Based on this principle, anyone who is unable to form a semiotic order is internally limited and borderline of the symbolic order (Carter, 165). According to Psychoanalysis by William Carter, the “feminine” can be seen as existing on limitations imposed by the lack of symbolic order:
For the feminine is at once constructed within the symbolic order, like any gender, and yet is relegated to its margins. Judged inferior to masculine power. The woman is both ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ male society, both a romantically idealized member of it and a victimized outcast. She is sometimes what stands between man and chaos, and sometimes the embodiment of chaos itself. This is why she troubles the neat categories of such a regime, blurring its well-defined boundaries. Women are represented within male-governed society, fixed by sign, image, meaning, yet because they are also ‘negative’ of that social order there is always in them something which is left over, superfluous, unrepresentable, which refuses to be figured there. (165)
Women are limited by the simple fact that they live in a society made by man, made for man. Women are an inferior species to man, forced to live in the shadow of man. According to Carter, women are trapped inside a society that gives meaning to men and purposely separates women from that meaning. Women are given their role in a male society. They must emulate the complete opposite of what a man is: women are what men are not. Since men are not weak, inferior, nurturing, childe bearers, women must fulfill all that men are not. Here is where women play their part in the male society. Women become the complete opposite of man, therefore further separating the two genders in terms of sexual and social power. Women are inferior only because they cannot identify with what is man. For man whatever is seen as different, non-uniformed, is therefore o be downgrading and out casted in a structured male society.
Women, because they are associated with being sexual creatures, are idealized as such but also condemned for it. The expectation of a woman is to be beautiful, sexually appealing to a man, and able to carry forth his offspring. But then seen as mischievous, devious, and untrusting. Because women can cross any type of boundary and manifest a new identity, it gets harder to identify one single idea for them. Thus women lack their own symbolisms of language based on their experiences (Carter, 164). When celebrity sex tapes are “leaked” out to the public, the one who is criticized and judged the most is the female in the video. Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton are two primes examples; both got their starts from these tapes. The men in the tapes are regarded less and not given much publicity. The reason for this: a society ruled by men. It is acceptable for a man to be public about his sexuality. In our culture it is seen as a healthy lifestyle. But it is taboo for women to make themselves public sexual beings. It is frowned upon in society and women are further demeaned and reprimanded for it. Women criticize these other women for deviating from the structured norm and using sexuality to gain power. In this parallel it makes the act even more socially wrong, it no longer a situation based on morality, but is looked as an attempt for attention and publicity.
What predetermines the cultural trends we follow can be identified by four modes of subcultural style, stated by Phil Cohen Clarke,108). These four modes consist of dress, music, ritual, and argot. What makes anyone part of the subculture is possession. If you possess a certain brand or you identify yourself with a certain group you create your own subcultural identity, limited to what is acceptable by the current subculture. Then is can be assumed that women build their notion of self-identity through a culture that is always changing what society finds as ideal. In terms of dress, certain clothes are meant to enhance women sexuality. There is a universal dress code enforced by society. Wearing certain attire can give women a sense of inclusion in a very judgmental industry that looks for size zero models. Name brand clothes usually promote this false image of happiness and life fulfillment. Wearing expensive clothes can now be equated to being a better woman.
Music contributes a great deal to the subculture. There are so many different genres of music on endless topics. One topic is the female persuasion. In certain types of music we are strong, independent women and in other songs we are weak, degrading, and are become dependent on a man. Songs that are popular today are songs that talk about women going to clubs to meet men, half dressed, and dancing very provocatively. Twerking is a big thing now, even celebrities are doing it. It is the act of shaking you butt, derived from pole dancing in strip clubs. Miley Cyrus has been in the media for a while because of her rebellious ways, going against the good girl image she used to portray. Her songs focus on having fun, giving a middle finger to authority, and embracing her sexuality for both men and women.
While beauty is constituted as a good thing, what makes it good can be seen in many different ways. The body is one example where women are constantly changing it in an attempt to fulfill the social norms. Celebrities go through different types of plastic surgeries specially meant to enhance their features. One thing that’s common today is plastic surgery for breast augmentation, belt lipectomy, and body liposuction. Many celebrities are upfront about it and a lot of women follow these life changing and dangerous trends. News reports on women being injected with cement, silicon, flat-tire sealant are becoming more common. These women who aspire to get that curvaceous figure, with a nice set of top racks and a fuller buttock are not afraid to find strangers claiming to be doctors who will do it for them at a reasonable price. Some would think it common sense not to trust just anyone to inject your body with harmful substances, but this ridiculous need to look like a coco-cola bottle consumes some women end up not valuing their lives enough to just accept themselves as they are.
The selfie is also a ritual that promotes group-identity. The selfie is basically a picture of you. Cameras on phones are mow also on the front so you can see yourself and take a picture at the same time, without the help of anyone else. These selfies symbolize the premeditated self. These photos that end up being uploaded onto social networks (Facebook, Instagram) are photos taken with vain intent. You have the power to take as many selfies as you want until you find that perfect one. This concept further instills this ideal of beauty. The selfie represents our repressed desires to emulate the ideal form of beauty. Mostly done by women, these selfies are judged as a generation that is self absorbed and narcissistic.
The subculture is based on a language that is always changing to define the same things with different meanings. Popular words directed towards a certain type of woman are thot, ratchet and side chick. The word thot is an acronym for “that hoe over there” used to define women that fraternize with a lot of men. But there seems to be no terminology for men that are around a lot of women. For women it is seen as a bad thing to be around a lot of men, but it is not a hard thing to accept when it’s directed towards men. Ratchet is another derogatory term to define women that enjoy going out, being loud, and attention seekers by overly sexualizing themselves. If you like to party and have fun, you are now ratchet instead of someone who just wants to have a good time. The worst of these new phrase and slang is side chick, which is another way to call a woman a mistress; the only difference is that is a more degraded way to see women who are with guys that are already taken. The side chick era became more popularized with reality television shows and talk shows. These shows make it more acceptable for men to have side chicks. These women are good for nothing but causing drama and rifts in other people’s relationships.
The show “Scandal” on ABC is a prime example of how women are given an identity though men. The show is based on a woman named Olivia Pope who works for the President, Fitz in the white house. During his campaign trial for president the tow fall in love, but the relationship is doomed from the start because Fitz is already married and the discovery of a mistress will look bad for his campaign. Once Fitz becomes president the more unattainable he becomes to Olivia. The show embodies this idea of women who want what they cannot have. Olivia is African American and Fitz is white. The dynamic of race gives the show another angle. As I watched the show I started associating Olivia as the new terminology, side chick, which is the woman a man keeps on the side, when he is unable to claim her as a girlfriend, special interest, or a wife. She sacrifices so much for him, but no matter what they do circumstance occur that prevent them from ever coming out to the world. Both his and her career and reputation will be tarnished and ruined. He makes her promises he can not keep not because if he wants to remain president he must fit the image of a typical Caucasian man married to his Caucasian high school sweet heart with their two kids.
Olivia knows that she and Fitz are doomed from the start, but continues to have secret relations with him. The way the show is directed it makes the audience encourage the two’s relationships. Olivia is not defined based on her relationship with the president and not on the other things she does in the show. No on really takes interest in her job as a fixer simple because she can’t even fix her own relationship. Olivia symbolizes the “not” that women are defined as. Olivia is not the president’s wife, she is not what the people want as a public figure for the country, she does not have the socially acceptable qualifications to be with a man like Fitz. She is just the other woman, the rejected, oppressed woman. The show depicts Olivia as the one who is without, or who cannot be with the president. Fitz is seen as just an object, not really taking any sort of form or making any real connections with the audience. Hi character is purposely detached from the audience, while the whole show is seen in the perspective of a women controlled in a male originated society. The setting of the show is in Washington D.C., a place for equality and freedom. But the whole show is centered on injustice, lies, secrecy and deceit, all of which is given to Olivia, a woman, to fix. She soon becomes to identify with the help, only useful for cleaning the mess made by men.
The identity of women is defined not by an unconscious self but a notion that as human beings we only want what is going to give us pleasure and makes us happy. It is that desire to find our true selves after birth through our transferred feelings. Within a society dictated by such notions women can find identity through the standards created by the need to become better, happier, and more involved people.
References
Abrams, Sil L. "Is the Black Woman Behind 'Love & Hip Hop ATL' to Blame for Stereotypes? - Black Listed." EBONY. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2014.
Baker, Sarah J. Celebrity Gossip Magazines and Feminist and Post-feminist Theory: The Impacts on Female Formation of Body Image Created by Celebrity Weight Depictions in Heat and Closer. MA: Post Graduate Dissertation, n.d. Print.
Carter, William C. "Psychoanalysis." The Proustian Quest. New York: New York University Press, 1992. 131-168. Print.
Clarke J., Hall S., Jefferson T., Roberts B. (1976), Subcultures, Cultures and Class in S. Hall and T. Jefferson (eds), Resistance through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Britain, London: Hutchinson pp.10-11
Liveris, Leonie B. Ancient Taboos and Gender Prejudice: Challenges for Orthodox Women and the Church. Aldershot, Hants: Ashgate Pub, 2005. Print.
"PsychiatryOnline." PsychiatryOnline. American Psychiatric Association., n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
The Identity of Women Defined by the Majority
The battle for self-identity for woman is one that has gone on for a long time. Women have fought for their place in a world where men have already established themselves. Though through changes in cultural movements and advancements in technology, the identity of women is still hidden by the molds men have already created. We ask now, with all these changes what is the role of women in today’s society. Have women actually built themselves an actual identity, one where all women can say is uniformed? I am interested in this topic because the subculture we are in now has greater access to resources that were not available before. Social networks, the media, and popular trends control what we define ourselves. We are shaped into an era where women are seen as needy beings, in shows where if the main character is a woman she always has a male love interest. As a result the identity of a girl is mostly defined by the majority, which slowly takes away the essence of each girl and replaces it with an artificial imitation. We soon all become clumped up into one category that can ultimately define who we all are as a person. When we look in a mirror can we honestly say that mass media didn’t have any influence in shaping what’s being reflected? The answer is simply no.
The subculture, according to Hebdige, takes form from the ideas of rebellion and the group know as the Other (Clarke, 130-133). Stories of Adam and Eve or Antigone portray women as rebellious and disobedient creatures. Disobeying from a majority controlled by men. For the fact that Eve is made out of Adam, she is already his possession. She no longer has her own identity and must only identify with her counterpart. If God was able to create Adam from his own image, then why not create women from that same image, instead of from man? The whole story starts out bias against women, insinuating that women are not good enough to be made in the image of God directly but more so an associated product of Him. In the story of Adam and Eve, Eve goes against God’s word and eats from the tree of forbidden fruit. She convinces Adam to do the same and both are ousted from the Kingdom of Heaven. Eve embodies the rebellious nature that forms the subculture. She goes against the word of God simple because she is not worthy enough to be made in his image. She breaks his law because she has no ties to him. Women therefore are complete opposites of men, unable to assume an identity.
Women have iconized this idea of being an object. From women suffrage to feminist movements, women have tried to find their identity in a world full of paternal influences. Limited by the fact that we live in a world founded by men; a world that already ordained men as the head of a household and see women only good for household work. We live in a world where the bible deems women as a man’s second not his equal but his lesser and more fragile counterpart. How are we supposed to find our own identity in a society that has already placed us in our supposed “place’” in the world? Religion has been one of the biggest limiting factors for woman. The bible claims that though man is the glory of God, women are the glory of men. That man was not created for the woman; but woman were for man. (1 Cor. 7-9). We were created only to please men. Men have no real use for us but only for child bearing.
The Catholic Church has also played a role in giving women an identity. We are not allowed to become priests, bishops, or the pope. Because Jesus Christ was a man this is reason enough for women to excluded. For the simple fact that we have not argued against these traditions already insinuates how behind we are in establishing ourselves as a race equal to man. In the book Ancient Taboos and Geneder Prejudice, Liveris states, “the prime example of sexism exists within the Church where the prevailing culture and tradition exemplify and endorse the hierarchy of leadership and subordinate roles between men and women” (Liveris, 54). Our role in the church is giving to us by a patriarchal system. In the patriarchal system, men with the use of force, pressure, or tradition determine what part women play in terms of education, division of labour, and family life (Liveris, 137). Jesus’ disciples were all men, some say Mary Magdalene was a disciple but the bible never implies such assumptions, only that fact that she was labeled a prostitute.
We are currently in an era where reality television is not only common but also popular. Shows that are centered on finding love, the lives of celebrities, and the life of the youth culture are all centered on the principle that women are already given their roles. Lets take shows that are centered on finding love. The Bachelor exploits women by making them compete for the love of one man. This man is allowed to enjoy all the contestants before making his choice. All these women look the same and can offer this lucky man the same thing. These women exploit themselves on national television. They allow one man to enjoy each one of them before making his choice. It is then that you realize how the show is not based on love, but on a competition to see which girl comes out superior. The prize: the same man that has already enjoyed all your competitors before realizing it is you he actually wanted. Soon The Bachelorette is born, same concept but it is a room full of guys trying to get one woman’s attention. All these men also have a lot in common; most are doing well for themselves, monetary wise. They are all young, around the same demographic. The bachelor or the bachelorette represents the typical America man or woman. This shows depicts how easy it is to find a romantic interests. But the men and women that are chosen as contestants are selected based on their outer appearance and their appeal towards a vain and judgmental audience.
Another version of reality television is following the lives of celebrities. Their love lives are exposed for what they are: shams. Everyone is looking for a little time on the television. Especially shows like “Love and Hip Hop” that portray the music industry for Africa Americans as a lying, cheating, and drama filled world. The main character, usually a rapper or music producer, struggles with his relationships with two women; one girl is seen as the main one in the relationship, while the other is portrayed as the mistress. The two women argue and fight for the attention of this man. We call this entertainment and soon the youth culture is following these examples. In an article written by Sil Lai Abrams, called “Is the Black Woman Behind 'Love & Hip Hop ATL' to Blame for Stereotypes, she investigates the source of why the show promote such negativity, especially to African American women (Abrams). In the article she states the problem is not the women who choose to display their personal and romantic lives on television but the audience that makes it acceptable by continuously watching the show. More shows like Bad Girls Club. Housewives, MobWives, Basketball Wives, depict women as catty, violent, and vindictive. These shows are known for the drama that these women create amongst themselves (usually centered on the men in their lives) and the girl fights.
Magazines have played a great role in establishing self-identity and body image for women (Baker, 7). The images in magazines are what most women aspire to be. The formation of self is therefore determined by what the mass media considers acceptable. Sarah Baker writes her dissertation on the affects of magazines, like Heat and Closer, on female formation of body. Baker states that celebrity gossip magazines are tools used to praise celebrities, suggesting to other women this is what they should aspire to emulate. Ironically, these magazines also criticize celebrities that deviate from the pre-conceived notions of beauty (Baker, 5). These magazines encourage women to change themselves to emulate almost impossible qualifications. Most of these celebrities have the money to change from a size ten to a size tow, but normal women are limited and thus comes the feeling of failure: the inability to meet up with society’s criteria. So much has been put on the ideal of feminine beauty that we now equate beauty with “happiness, fulfillment and control of the self” (Baker, 11). Magazines depict images of women that are beautiful and happy, usually in designer clothes on tropical, exotic islands. But in reality these women are paid heavily too look a certain way, but are still photshopped and enhanced in photos, further discrediting that this beauty can naturally exist.
So what exactly has stopped us, as women, to have a structured identity? An identity separate from the comparison of man and one that we can say is our own. Are we defined based on the cultural movement: as the culture develops so does our identity (Baker, 9)? Or is it based on the media’s take of what’s new and trending? We have the ability to change ourselves, fix any blemishes, improve any flaws, and enhance certain areas on our bodies. Women have been the main participants in plastic surgery. Can we blame the fact that we can change ourselves to fit the mold given to us by society? Is this the reason why we are unable to define ourselves? Men are not so encouraged by the media to improve themselves or change their outer appearance. As the subculture changes, so does the ideal for what constituents as beauty (Baker, 9).
The expectations for women have become incredible difficult to embody. Before women were seen as beautiful if they were skinny and thin, then it evolved to women who were not only thin but had big breast and round butts and now in the twenty-first century the new thing is “thick” women. Pressure is put upon the next generation of women to be just like what they see on the screen or in the magazines. It becomes a burden trying to keep up with these new trends and some girls, unfortunately, take drastic measures, like plastic surgery, weight loss drugs or eating disorders, to either increase or decrease certain areas in their body. With so much access to such resources a women can have size double DD breast cups in less than five hours or go from a size 22 to a size 16 in just one day. The results are quick and easy but the outcome is life changing and may possibly lead to a life or death situation. Television shows like "The Swan" and "Dr. 90210" feature women who go through plastic surgery and major makeovers in order to reach that unrealistic goal of beauty ("PsychiatryOnline”). These shows promote unhealthy body image and a flawed overview on priorities. In "The Swan," young women are separated from family and friends for several weeks to undergo an intensive diet and exercise plan. These selected few are given hair extensions, highlights, breast augmentation, Botox and collagen injections ("PsychiatryOnline”). After the extensive makeover these women are then put into a beauty pageant to battle against each other. Talk about adding more pressure on these women who because society felt they were flawed made a show specifically designed to fixing them, and as a result making them acceptable in the eyes' of the public.
In “Introduction to Resistance through Rituals”, the youth culture is identified by their possessions and objects (Clarke, 108). Commercials promote propaganda on how to look better and feel better. Certain products are meant to provide women with the resources they lack. Weight loss commercials are a popular example. They advocate the use of pills to get “the body you’ve been waiting for”. The problem with weight is not being skinny but being fat. Overweight women are burden with the fact that they do not fit into any category of the expected female norm (Baker, 10). This form of consumer market preys on the idea that fat is bad, and being skinny is good. As a subculture we now associate the possession of this product as a way to obtain an identity. It becomes a hegemonic culture dominated by the idea that someday the subculture will incorporate the inclusive culture (Clarke, 100). But in order to take part in that inclusive culture one must practice the same ideology of the current subculture. Everyone is on the new wave of a healthy body; more people are getting gym memberships. But now that this lifestyle becomes a subcultural thing, it becomes less about being healthy and more about achieving the ideal body, dictated by the media and celebrities.
We can now analyze through psychoanalysis the root of what limits women from being a definable representation. In Sigmund Freud’s, doctrines on psychoanalysis, he uses the story of Oedipus to explain the origin of our sexual desires and needs (Carter, 135). The story of Oedipus tells the tale of a man who ends up killing his father, marrying his mother, and having several children with her. His downfall comes from the repression of his feelings for his mother (Carter, 161). This whole process is referred to as the Oedipus complex. All have experienced the desire to be with our mother, but these substitutions can account for the way human behavior is based on avoiding pain and suffering. As humans, we choose to live a hedonistic lifestyle; a life full of pleasure and relieved of misery (Carter, 166). Freud uses the example of the boy, who because he is scared of being castrated by his father for his feelings for his mother, transfers them onto another female figure. After giving up his object of desire; his mother, he is now forced to find substitutions in place for this desire (Carter, 135).
But for the female perspective, they are not affected by the threat of being castrated, so instead of transferring their feelings onto another female figure, feelings are transferred onto the father. Unfortunately because the girl is unable to acquire a penis, she must assume the feminine gender role and identify with her mother (Carter, 135). Because the female perspective is not given a definite substitution for their repressed desires, women are far more oppressed and live lives full of emptiness, resulting in the missing of an identity (Carter, 147). Because the father, according to Lacan theory, signifies the law, when the girl transfers her feelings to her father, she is symbolically giving up control of her place in society, now predetermined by the father (Carter, 143). According to Freud, those who are suppressed by a form of oppressive social control soon revolt against the idea to conform. Women can be placed in this category always being defined by what they lack in comparison to men.
The Lacanian theory, by Jacques Lacan, is structured on the principles of semiotics. Based on this principle, anyone who is unable to form a semiotic order is internally limited and borderline of the symbolic order (Carter, 165). According to Psychoanalysis by William Carter, the “feminine” can be seen as existing on limitations imposed by the lack of symbolic order:
For the feminine is at once constructed within the symbolic order, like any gender, and yet is relegated to its margins. Judged inferior to masculine power. The woman is both ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ male society, both a romantically idealized member of it and a victimized outcast. She is sometimes what stands between man and chaos, and sometimes the embodiment of chaos itself. This is why she troubles the neat categories of such a regime, blurring its well-defined boundaries. Women are represented within male-governed society, fixed by sign, image, meaning, yet because they are also ‘negative’ of that social order there is always in them something which is left over, superfluous, unrepresentable, which refuses to be figured there. (165)
Women are limited by the simple fact that they live in a society made by man, made for man. Women are an inferior species to man, forced to live in the shadow of man. According to Carter, women are trapped inside a society that gives meaning to men and purposely separates women from that meaning. Women are given their role in a male society. They must emulate the complete opposite of what a man is: women are what men are not. Since men are not weak, inferior, nurturing, childe bearers, women must fulfill all that men are not. Here is where women play their part in the male society. Women become the complete opposite of man, therefore further separating the two genders in terms of sexual and social power. Women are inferior only because they cannot identify with what is man. For man whatever is seen as different, non-uniformed, is therefore o be downgrading and out casted in a structured male society.
Women, because they are associated with being sexual creatures, are idealized as such but also condemned for it. The expectation of a woman is to be beautiful, sexually appealing to a man, and able to carry forth his offspring. But then seen as mischievous, devious, and untrusting. Because women can cross any type of boundary and manifest a new identity, it gets harder to identify one single idea for them. Thus women lack their own symbolisms of language based on their experiences (Carter, 164). When celebrity sex tapes are “leaked” out to the public, the one who is criticized and judged the most is the female in the video. Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton are two primes examples; both got their starts from these tapes. The men in the tapes are regarded less and not given much publicity. The reason for this: a society ruled by men. It is acceptable for a man to be public about his sexuality. In our culture it is seen as a healthy lifestyle. But it is taboo for women to make themselves public sexual beings. It is frowned upon in society and women are further demeaned and reprimanded for it. Women criticize these other women for deviating from the structured norm and using sexuality to gain power. In this parallel it makes the act even more socially wrong, it no longer a situation based on morality, but is looked as an attempt for attention and publicity.
What predetermines the cultural trends we follow can be identified by four modes of subcultural style, stated by Phil Cohen Clarke,108). These four modes consist of dress, music, ritual, and argot. What makes anyone part of the subculture is possession. If you possess a certain brand or you identify yourself with a certain group you create your own subcultural identity, limited to what is acceptable by the current subculture. Then is can be assumed that women build their notion of self-identity through a culture that is always changing what society finds as ideal. In terms of dress, certain clothes are meant to enhance women sexuality. There is a universal dress code enforced by society. Wearing certain attire can give women a sense of inclusion in a very judgmental industry that looks for size zero models. Name brand clothes usually promote this false image of happiness and life fulfillment. Wearing expensive clothes can now be equated to being a better woman.
Music contributes a great deal to the subculture. There are so many different genres of music on endless topics. One topic is the female persuasion. In certain types of music we are strong, independent women and in other songs we are weak, degrading, and are become dependent on a man. Songs that are popular today are songs that talk about women going to clubs to meet men, half dressed, and dancing very provocatively. Twerking is a big thing now, even celebrities are doing it. It is the act of shaking you butt, derived from pole dancing in strip clubs. Miley Cyrus has been in the media for a while because of her rebellious ways, going against the good girl image she used to portray. Her songs focus on having fun, giving a middle finger to authority, and embracing her sexuality for both men and women.
While beauty is constituted as a good thing, what makes it good can be seen in many different ways. The body is one example where women are constantly changing it in an attempt to fulfill the social norms. Celebrities go through different types of plastic surgeries specially meant to enhance their features. One thing that’s common today is plastic surgery for breast augmentation, belt lipectomy, and body liposuction. Many celebrities are upfront about it and a lot of women follow these life changing and dangerous trends. News reports on women being injected with cement, silicon, flat-tire sealant are becoming more common. These women who aspire to get that curvaceous figure, with a nice set of top racks and a fuller buttock are not afraid to find strangers claiming to be doctors who will do it for them at a reasonable price. Some would think it common sense not to trust just anyone to inject your body with harmful substances, but this ridiculous need to look like a coco-cola bottle consumes some women end up not valuing their lives enough to just accept themselves as they are.
The selfie is also a ritual that promotes group-identity. The selfie is basically a picture of you. Cameras on phones are mow also on the front so you can see yourself and take a picture at the same time, without the help of anyone else. These selfies symbolize the premeditated self. These photos that end up being uploaded onto social networks (Facebook, Instagram) are photos taken with vain intent. You have the power to take as many selfies as you want until you find that perfect one. This concept further instills this ideal of beauty. The selfie represents our repressed desires to emulate the ideal form of beauty. Mostly done by women, these selfies are judged as a generation that is self absorbed and narcissistic.
The subculture is based on a language that is always changing to define the same things with different meanings. Popular words directed towards a certain type of woman are thot, ratchet and side chick. The word thot is an acronym for “that hoe over there” used to define women that fraternize with a lot of men. But there seems to be no terminology for men that are around a lot of women. For women it is seen as a bad thing to be around a lot of men, but it is not a hard thing to accept when it’s directed towards men. Ratchet is another derogatory term to define women that enjoy going out, being loud, and attention seekers by overly sexualizing themselves. If you like to party and have fun, you are now ratchet instead of someone who just wants to have a good time. The worst of these new phrase and slang is side chick, which is another way to call a woman a mistress; the only difference is that is a more degraded way to see women who are with guys that are already taken. The side chick era became more popularized with reality television shows and talk shows. These shows make it more acceptable for men to have side chicks. These women are good for nothing but causing drama and rifts in other people’s relationships.
The show “Scandal” on ABC is a prime example of how women are given an identity though men. The show is based on a woman named Olivia Pope who works for the President, Fitz in the white house. During his campaign trial for president the tow fall in love, but the relationship is doomed from the start because Fitz is already married and the discovery of a mistress will look bad for his campaign. Once Fitz becomes president the more unattainable he becomes to Olivia. The show embodies this idea of women who want what they cannot have. Olivia is African American and Fitz is white. The dynamic of race gives the show another angle. As I watched the show I started associating Olivia as the new terminology, side chick, which is the woman a man keeps on the side, when he is unable to claim her as a girlfriend, special interest, or a wife. She sacrifices so much for him, but no matter what they do circumstance occur that prevent them from ever coming out to the world. Both his and her career and reputation will be tarnished and ruined. He makes her promises he can not keep not because if he wants to remain president he must fit the image of a typical Caucasian man married to his Caucasian high school sweet heart with their two kids.
Olivia knows that she and Fitz are doomed from the start, but continues to have secret relations with him. The way the show is directed it makes the audience encourage the two’s relationships. Olivia is not defined based on her relationship with the president and not on the other things she does in the show. No on really takes interest in her job as a fixer simple because she can’t even fix her own relationship. Olivia symbolizes the “not” that women are defined as. Olivia is not the president’s wife, she is not what the people want as a public figure for the country, she does not have the socially acceptable qualifications to be with a man like Fitz. She is just the other woman, the rejected, oppressed woman. The show depicts Olivia as the one who is without, or who cannot be with the president. Fitz is seen as just an object, not really taking any sort of form or making any real connections with the audience. Hi character is purposely detached from the audience, while the whole show is seen in the perspective of a women controlled in a male originated society. The setting of the show is in Washington D.C., a place for equality and freedom. But the whole show is centered on injustice, lies, secrecy and deceit, all of which is given to Olivia, a woman, to fix. She soon becomes to identify with the help, only useful for cleaning the mess made by men.
The identity of women is defined not by an unconscious self but a notion that as human beings we only want what is going to give us pleasure and makes us happy. It is that desire to find our true selves after birth through our transferred feelings. Within a society dictated by such notions women can find identity through the standards created by the need to become better, happier, and more involved people.
References
Abrams, Sil L. "Is the Black Woman Behind 'Love & Hip Hop ATL' to Blame for Stereotypes? - Black Listed." EBONY. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2014.
Baker, Sarah J. Celebrity Gossip Magazines and Feminist and Post-feminist Theory: The Impacts on Female Formation of Body Image Created by Celebrity Weight Depictions in Heat and Closer. MA: Post Graduate Dissertation, n.d. Print.
Carter, William C. "Psychoanalysis." The Proustian Quest. New York: New York University Press, 1992. 131-168. Print.
Clarke J., Hall S., Jefferson T., Roberts B. (1976), Subcultures, Cultures and Class in S. Hall and T. Jefferson (eds), Resistance through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Britain, London: Hutchinson pp.10-11
Liveris, Leonie B. Ancient Taboos and Gender Prejudice: Challenges for Orthodox Women and the Church. Aldershot, Hants: Ashgate Pub, 2005. Print.
"PsychiatryOnline." PsychiatryOnline. American Psychiatric Association., n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.