QUOTING THE ARTICLE taken from OnlineAthens.com:
"Modern women grow up hearing they should have it all — career and family — yet the media often suggests that might not be possible.
The Delta Sigma Theta and Delta Zeta sororities came together to present “50 Shades of Women” on Monday to discuss such topics as domestic violence and the power of female sexuality, but it primarily focused on the influence media has on societal expectations of women.
One of the more controversial discussions arose from a commercial for the mature video game Grand Theft Auto. To the horror of the primarily female audience, the graphic trailer featured barely dressed women, prostitution and even rape scenes. The question that followed the video involved the implications of exposure to these video games at a young age.
Surprising most of the audience, Miss UGA 2013 Jenna Jackson, a panelist, decided to play devil’s advocate by admitting to playing the game.
“These games are intended for mature audiences only, so by the time people play the games, their identities are already formed,” she said.
People were quick to respectfully disagree.
“Objectification of women, especially in a game, desensitizes people to it,” and that, “even though they are meant for mature audiences only, kids play them,” said another panelist, UGA Health Center Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Coordinator Michele Passanno.
The discussion then turned to the effects of celebrity culture on realities women face. At the center of this conversation were entertainers Rihanna and Kerry Washington.
The topic of Rihanna’s abusive relationship with singer Chris Brown contained a variety of conflicting opinions. Some asked why she didn’t live up to her social responsibility as a role model and leave the relationship.
“When we start asking those questions we take the blame and attention away from where it belongs, solely with the perpetrator,” responded Passanno.
Some women were upset the abuse became such a conversational and even sometimes comical topic. Fans complained that Rihanna’s now more known for her abuse than her music.
Still others, like panelist Stephanie Proft of Womenetics, thought all the news coverage was a good thing and said, “I don’t think it’s a positive thing that it happened, but I think it definitely opened up the discussion.”
Conversations then turned to the hit drama series “Scandal” that centers around a fictitious affair between the president of the United States and the show’s strong-willed heroine Olivia Pope, played by Washington. It’s received a lot of backlash for allegedly promoting promiscuity, but on Monday fans devotedly defended their new favorite TV female. Some compared the show’s racy content to the real-life affair between Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy. Questions were raised about why, across generations, promiscuity continues to be idolized.
The audience grew silent when one attendee asked, “Do sexy outfits and the hypersexualization of women make them victims of their own sexuality?”
It was a stumper that never really received a concrete answer from the panelists. Some agreed that they do, while others said part of being a strong female is the ability to bear your true identity and sometimes that means baring skin.
Jackson thought the blame lay more with entertainment consumers, saying, “We need to pay attention to what we purchase, what we watch and what we want.”
Which brought the group to the question: “Is there a right way and a wrong way for a female to obtain financial security?”
Most agreed relying on a rich husband, your body or a reality show is a bad way. Some giggled when a comment about girls going to college merely for a “Mrs.” degree was brought up. Others said they couldn’t stand the thought of taking a husband’s last name, let alone going to college just to find one.
Overall, no great consensus about women’s role in society or media’s impact on that role was reached, but Health Center Sexual Health Coordinator Katy Janousek summed up the night when she said “we don’t know everything, but what we know about female sexuality is that it’s powerful.”
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