State of Our World: Open_Notes 9

media representations of women - the mixed messages vs. womanhood -- huge media sums spent to project a certain corporate image of women; containment - feminists stereotyped as fanatics, lesbians - the media has declared a post-feminist era -- feminism and femininity are not opposed -- the media is a double-edged sword for feminism; women's issues are covered yet feminism is still demonized; media representation of the "desirable woman" prevails; Vogue, Glamour, etc., both antagonize the mind and stroke desire(s) -- the "market of women", niche marketing (Segmented by age, tapping into rebellion) primary for the corporate; rebellion, expectations raised with the unforeseen outcome of increasing feminism (women matter economically, politically, etc.) - a political discourse (civil rights, Peace Corps, Equal Rights Amendment) opened up; women no longer empty vessels; gender divisions dissolved: 1960s "Beatlemania" (long hair; sexual desire); ABC seeks a younger woman audience, ie., Bewitched (Samantha saves the day; breaks out of the corseted life) an outlet for female desire, restlessness -- seeking to contain restlessness also feeds it -- the media claims to be a "mirror of society" only; the media is really a funhouse mirror, distortion repeated over-and-over, certain issues magnified, cultivated over time.

State of Our World: Open_Notes 9