Throughout the semester Dr. Pelle has been hinting at good possible topics for our Women's Studies final project. Already very interested in th Tough Guise documentary by Katz, I jumped at the idea of pursuing this type of topic for my final project. Because of my interest, I would be more intrinsically motivated to write this paper as opposed to extrinsically which, for me, isn't always the best form of motivation. For my project, I would like to analyze films where different genres of masculinities are displayed, how these are developed in the films, and how they effect social ideologies. Because Kat'z research is somewhat outdated and not as relatable, I feel I can provide an updated version of his research. I will perform the same type of analysis Katz presented and see whether his claims are still found to be true in today's society. To add some creativity, I will compliment my paper with a short film of my results of how media and pop culture plays a role in our behaviors.
Claim
Media and environmental factors have a huge impact on how an individual portrays themselves in society. Pressures of social norms cause us to conform and take on the personality of that environment.
Support
I'll research and analyze different forms or masculinities in a number of different films
Purpose
The purpose of my project is provide an updated version of Kat'z documentary and prove or disprove his claims and offer possible solutions. I want to see if his conclusion still holds water years later, and if not, how has it changed?
Audience
My audience would be people who were interested in documentaries like the Tough guise film and the other documentary about the sexualization and negative portrayal of women in society. People who are interested in breaking the negative social representations of the sexes.
Genre
Media's effect on society
Outside Support
Tough Guise documentary
Another possible topic was doing a trail of Starbucks coffee or something of that nature.
Christian,
ReplyDeleteFYI: Tough Guise was released in 1999.
I think your idea of doing a tough guise remake is great. The idea of updating something like this is definitely something that should be addressed. It would be interesting to see if some of the same movies are being put out with similar plots and how that is affecting the stats that katz used in the original tough guise. I think this is a bog project though that could be done over the span of a year or so but i think if u narrow it down to just maybe one or two points you could make it very good. I think you should definitely try to address the idea of do movies really cause men to act the way they do and if they do why? Is it really the movie or is it the pressure they feel form their friends and such? Katz brings up many interesting points in that it does seem men are told how to act and if they don't meet that standard then they are seen as whimps or weak sissy's. I feel you should try and uncover something like true strength sometimes is from the one who doesn't act on the anger like most men do. Sometimes it is tougher to stand alone than to just give in to what the media, family, and friends tell you. All in all i think this will be a great project looking forward to seeing how it all comes together!
ReplyDeleteI think your project idea is wonderful! Since you are so interested in this particular subject I think it will come out spectacular. How masculinity is perceived in our culture is very aggressive and bold and I think it would be very important for you to dissect all of the different portrayals of men the media presents to us. The use of gay, transgender and bisexual men would be essential to your project. These types of men challenge the “norm” of how we think manly men should behave. Also, I think another good piece would be the epidemic and fascination of the media with the down low brothas and how they challenge our ideals and beliefs of men. Even the affects they have on their families, culture, and also medical problems they may impose onto those around them, would also be very interesting. The media has been intrigued by this topic and I think it would be very great if you could analyze and give your opinion of how you think their images are broadcast through public sources.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your comment “The Miseducation of the Negro” was good. I have not quite finished it yet but so far it has been very insightful and informative. It’s a great read! It makes you think about why you think a certain way and even makes you question some of daily practices. You should read it along with “Makes Me Wanna Holler”!
This project idea is really cool; I'm doing something similar in relating 19th century literature to popular culture and feminine ideologies. I think they inter-relate, because my project is on how women become to be known as the damsels and yours is on how men become tough. It's definitely relative to the "Nacirema" read, if you want to take a look at how other cultures take a societal stance on men and what they are known for, and go in depth about the characteristics of what men do and what men are supposed to do. That's relative to the women in the factories and the sexist idioms they have to endure---which goes to the women in Mexico who've been murdered, and it's like an epidemic; no one speaks out. You could get videos or information on how men feel about being the tough guys in society; I'd be extremely interested in finding out how men view intersectionality and implement it in their daily lives and their careers. Definitely the "Tough Guise" film and Kilbourne's "Killing us Softly" are great binaries to check out!
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