Madonna - What it feels like for a girl ...

(spoken:)
Girls can wear jeans
And cut their hair short
Wear shirts and boots
cause its ok to be a boy
But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading
cause you think that being a girl is degrading
But secretly youd love to know what its like
Wouldnt you
What it feels like for a girl

Silky smooth
Lips as sweet as candy, baby
Tight blue jeans
Skin that shows in patches

Strong inside but you dont know it
Good little girls they never show it
When you open up your mouth to speak
Could you be a little weak

Chorus:

Do you know what it feels like for a girl
Do you know what it feels like in this world
For a girl

Hair that twirls on finger tips so gently, baby
Hands that rest on jutting hips repenting

Hurt thats not supposed to show
And tears that fall when no one knows
When youre trying hard to be your best
Could you be a little less

(chorus)
(chorus, prefixing 3rd line with what it feels like)

Strong inside but you don't know it
Good little girls they never show it
When you open up your mouth to speak
Could you be a little weak

(chorus, repeat)

In this world
Do you know
Do you know
Do you know what it feels like for a girl
What it feels like in this world



This music video got banned from MTV due to its violent nature.
However, I think the real reason it got banned was because it portrayed a women being violent by causing a car accident.

Many artists have written/performed songs that explore gender/sexuality roles.

This song by Beyonce is really odd:

If I were a boy
Even just for a day
I’d roll outta bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted then go
Drink beer with the guys
And chase after girls
I’d kick it with who I wanted
And I’d never get confronted for it.
Cause they’d stick up for me.

[Chorus]
If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man.
I’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he’s taken you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

If I were a boy
I could turn off my phone
Tell everyone it’s broken
So they’d think that I was sleepin’ alone
I’d put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she’d be faithful
Waitin’ for me to come home (to come home)

[Chorus]
If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man.
I’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he’s taken you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

It’s a little too late for you to come back
Say its just a mistake
Think I’d forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong

[Chorus]
If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man.
I’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he’s taken you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

But you’re just a boy
You don’t understand
Yeah you don’t understand
How it feels to love a girl someday
You wish you were a better man
You don’t listen to her
You don’t care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you’ve taken her for granted
And everything you have got destroyed
But you’re just a boy

Dolls

In regards to the class presentation we say our last class meeting over the differences in dolls from the 1930s – 1950: I was curious to see if those same differences in white versus black dolls were still being made today.
I went to the Target.com website and looked at the dolls for sale. I did notice that the outfits were more similar now if not identical between the white and black dolls. The faces of the back dolls were less shiny and more matte like natural skin now. Some of the black dolls had such light skin and straight hair that I didn’t even realize they were supposed to be black dolls when I first looked at them. They almost looked like tanned, brunette versions of the white dolls. This is not to say that all black people have very dark skin, obviously they don’t. However these dolls were in great contrast to the ones we were shown in class.

It seemed really odd that back in the 30s – 50s identical dolls had on different clothing because of skin color. I could understand the color of the garments being different but having the same design. However, most of the examples we were shown in class has drastically different skin textures and clothing.

Overall I think the doll making industry is much more progressive than it was 70 years ago. However I still really dislike the clothing on the Bratz dolls…

Mexican Americans and Hispanics represented in films:

One of the most accurate depictions of Mexican Americans was in the movie Selena. Often Mexican Americans are depicted as maids/housekeepers, drug dealers, gang members, members of mafia type groups, and criminals in films. (The only Mexican shown in Spider Man 1 was one of the men who attack Mary Jane, Kirsten Dunst, in the alley of New York City.)
There in one part in particular where Selena and her father are driving their tour bus and having a discussion about performing in Mexico. Her father basically says that as Mexicans in America is doesn’t matter if your family has been here for 10+ years. People will still treat you like you just swam across the border. He goes on to talk about how Mexican Americans have to be more American than Americans and more Mexican than Mexicans. For example, Mexican Americans are expected to speak perfect English and Spanish to be accepted by both cultures.
I have noticed that now it is embarrassing to be a Mexican American who doesn’t speak Spanish regardless of where you grew up or if your parents even speak Spanish.
Many authors have written about the struggles of conforming to the ways of American society and staying true to the heritage of their country of origin.

The Sick Role

In regards to talking about cancer patients in class on Thursday, it made me think of some of the disucssions we have had in other classes about similar topics. We have talked about this theory in literature classes in regards to stories such as "The Death of Ivan Ilych" and "The Yellow Wallpaper."

Talcott Parson’s “the sick role” loosely defines how long a sick person is allowed to be off from work, duties, responsibly, etc. before they either return to their duties or get rejected from society. It also defines the other obligations of sick persons.

It is simply defined by Wikipedia as:

The Sick Role was a concept invented by Talcott Parsons in 1951. It is a term widely used in medical sociology. ‘Being Sick’ is not simply a ‘state of fact’ or ‘condition’, it is a specifically patterned social role. The theory outlined two rights of a sick person and two obligations:

Rights:

1. The sick person is exempt from normal social roles
2. The sick person is not responsible for their condition

Obligations:

1. The sick person should try to get well
2. The sick person should seek technically competent help and cooperate with the medical professional

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_role


A study about media coverage on the lives of cancer patients would be great for the final project. I am going to look into it. I have seen episodes of shows like Martha Stewart that have done episodes on topics such as breast cancer. However I am not sure whether to focus on television or print and how I would do that.

Cheating Women

I have noticed that the number of women who cheat on their husbands or boyfriends portrayed in movies and television shows has recently increased and seems disproportionate to statistics and my own experiences. Some examples include Unfaithful, Carrie from Sex and the City, Nicco on Lipstick Jungle, Celia on Weeds and so many others ….
I have never met or known anyone who knows a woman who has admitted to cheating on their husbands or boyfriends. However I have known firsthand and met people who know firsthand women who had been cheated on by their husband or boyfriend.
I tried to find statistics online on infidelity. I was unable to find one up to date reliable source. Most sources said that men cheat more often than women and others said the numbers were about equal amongst men and women. I would be interested to find a reliable source. It just seems I have seen the cheating woman too often in TV and film.

Minorities in Photographs at UNT

Today while attending Honors Geology, the UNT public relations department had hired a photographer to come in and take some photos for an Honors College brochure. There were about twenty students in the class who all came in and sat in their regular seats. I sit down in my regular seat and the photographer comes up to me and quietly asks if I can please switch seats with another white girl who is sitting in the first row in the first seat from the center. I agree without much though and realized he was asking me to move so that he could capture some ethnic diversity in these photos. He also asked a black male student to move to another seat. He and I were the only obviously non-white students in the class (that I could tell).

The class was at first unsure why we were being asked to move but it became quickly obvious. They were shocked that the photographer would ask us to basically pose or stage a picture. It was embarrassing being asked to be in a photo because I am an ethnic minority.

I have no problem with the university trying to portray ethnic diversity in photos, but I just hate they way they are always staged to have 1 or 2 white students, 1 black student and one Hispanic/latin@ student. I think they should just take photos of events that occur naturally on campus. Not every white person consciously surrounds themselves with a black and white person at all times as portrayed in most University publications.