There is some promise...

Ok so the instant I heard we were talking about Queerness in the media my mind went to one of my all time favorite shows "Queer As Folk". I know some of you may be asking "What the heck is Queer As Folk?" Well I can answer that for you, as stated in the reading it was an incredibly popular show on the Showtime cable channel that involved mainly LGBT characters. Also it ran for 5 "straight" seasons.

While the show does have some flaws like a lacking representation of racially diverse characters, the show never seemed to not push the envelope. Almost everything to deal with gay issues were used. Problems like coming out, drug abuse,  HIV/AIDS, Sexuality (duh!), death, pregnancy, and many more.

After reading the article for today I just wanted to throw out there that TV has jumped forward in a lot of ways. Shows like Queer As Folk, The L Word and even new shows like Happy Endings are showing a lot of promise for the LGBT community. It makes us less of a joke, or side plot of a show just to try and get ratings. Instead we are becoming the main characters who have more than one episode given to them to explore our problems.

So if you have a free weekend or just don't want to do your homework I say take some time to sit down and watch Queer As Folk it will honestly blow your mind! Seriously it's that good, and so out there. But in a good way! Ok I'll stop rambling, but really, you go, watch it...like now.

Am I Blind? Am I Watching a "Guy's" Show?

Am I blind? After reading the assigned articles I am seriously considering this possibility thinking about how I have missed so many signs in my years of television watching. One of the articles that struck me the most was Poniewozik's article about what shows are directed towards what gender. I have always known there are certain shows that are geared towards specific genders. Examples of this may be What Not to Wear (a makeover show that mainly focuses on women and what they should not wear), The Good Wife (based on the story of a housewife-turned-lawyer who has to prove herself in a male-dominated world -- everyone should watch this because it's awesome), and The Bachelor (a show based on putting twenty five women together going after one guy and finding "true love"). All of these shows mentioned above are what I believe to be geared towards women more so than men. However, maybe more men should be watching these things. Maybe they'd gain a little insight and, in the case of The Bachelor, they'd learn what NOT to do because clearly those relationships just about never work out.

Looking back on the examples given in the article though, a lot of those shows mentioned, such as New Girl, Game of Thrones, and The Playboy Club that are supposedly geared towards attracting male viewers came as surprises to me. I don't know many girls that dislike New Girl and don't want to be like Jess in some way. But then again, I have turned some of my guy friends onto this show, explaining it's not just about a woman. Is that what's supposed to happen? Sometimes I feel like the middle man, having to explain to guys that it's not a "girly" show and they should give it a chance. This happens more often than one would think, and 9 times out of 10, they like it and I get the satisfaction of being right. One of the larger issues here is that it all has to be labeled "for guys" or "for girls". It's evident that television is consumed mainly by women and therefore, it's become the norm to excuse guys for watching certain shows when those shows were actually meant for their viewing all along! I think it's good that women are less criticized for watching "men's" television than a man would be for watching a "woman's" show, but let's be real! People should be allowed to watch whatever they want! I will gladly support a guy that watches a show to gain some insight to what we females are talking about. Or if he likes it? Good for him. And good for the girls that watch sports games by themselves, something often portrayed as "guy time". In conclusion, television shows are said to be geared towards a certain gender but it's clearly not working from the results we have seen from the viewers.

Where can I get a subscription to Bitch Magazine?

"I forced the angry Little Pam inside me to stay quiet and not get baited, not grab my nearest copy of Bitch Magazine, roll it up into a twat-baton..." (Pamie 2011)

The article "The Magical Vulva of Opportunity" was one of the most entertaining and informative articles I have ever read. When I was finished with the article I had to take a minute to consider everything: what we have discussed in class, what Pamie was saying, other fields where women might be placed in similar situations, and what exactly a "twat-baton" is...Throughout the article I found myself laughing, sympathizing with the author, and wondering if I would one day face the same fate in my own profession. This article, along with the Bielby & Bielby study, really lent some good insight into the world of media production and the implications gender may have.

I found the Rosenburg and Poniewozick articles to be extremely interesting as well, especially considering several of the shows they mentioned I really enjoy.  Both of the authors recognize that it is difficult to determine whether or not a show is targeted at a specific gender because there is not definite set of guidelines for MALE as opposed to FEMALE SHOW. Interestingly, both authors referenced the show “New Girl” which is one my favorite shows. Rosenburg argued that the show was geared more towards men than women because it “focuses on how the character is perceived…rather than who she is” (2011).  However, Poniewozick does not find this to be as clear-cut.  He cites statistics that indicate that more women watch the show and also speaks of anecdotal experiences that complicate the matter.

After reading these four articles my mind was very much in over drive. I was thinking about my upcoming internship at a media research firm and what implications my gender may have in that experience. I created a mental trailer for an action-adventure move written by a female writer (it was pretty awesome). Finally, I thought back of all the “New Girl” episodes and tried to come up with my own conclusion about whether the show is geared towards men or women. I ended up deciding that, in my perfect world, the show is gender neutral because it is able to cater to both genders. While it far from does this perfectly, if I were to make a boy/girl list I would hope the columns would end up being more even than not (content analysis much?).

I included this clip because it’s from my favorite episode of “New Girl” and I feel that it shows how the show caters to both men (enter hot model with sex appeal) and women (men making fools of themselves in front of said model).