Gendered Slang/Language

Colloquialisms and even basic, formal words in many languages are most certainly gendered. The grammatical rules of certain foreign languages I have studied are heavily based on gender, more so than in the English language. Many words, specifically nouns, in Italian end in either -o or -a, and this signifies the "gender" of the word. We see that even inanimate objects are associated with either the male or female gender, and the structure of phrases is constructed according to this property. In the English language the prevalence of gendered words and grammatical rules is not as common, but we still do see the presence of gender. Pronouns like "he" or "she" carry with them many presumptions about what is being referred to, simply because these pronouns stand for two separate genders and all the stereotypes associated with them. Many other common words in the English language have gendered meanings, regardless of whether we are conscious that they do. For example, the word "nurse" is a simple word which describes a certain profession. However, the majority of English speakers in this country think of females when they think of a nurse. This gendered meaning to the word is based on a widespread view that has come to be a stereotype in American culture. On another note, one would rarely describe a man as "chic" or "stylish." We associate these words with females and use them to describe women's fashion, especially fashion that is considered to be above and beyond the norm but not in too much of an unusual or unique sense. Would you describe a man as "beautiful?" What about a female as "handsome?" These are two of the most obvious examples of common words with gendered meanings that I could think of. The most heavily gendered colloquialisms in the English language, in my opinion, are obscenities. "Slut" brings to mind a female; almost every definition listed in Urban Dictionary contains the word "female," "girl," or "woman." The true implications of the word have to do with distasteful sexuality and sexual practices, but it has been shaped to include "female" as part of its definition. The same story goes for the derogatory term "bitch." The gendered meaning of this word is evident by the personal offense men take when they are called this word. This also exhibits the prevalent sexism in our society; women are not as insulted when somehow being compared to a type of male--the dominant gender. On the other hand, a derogatory term which almost always is associated with males is "dick," which probably has much to do with the fact that the term also describes male genitals. As we can see, gendered meanings are pervasive in the English language.

All in the Family

The 'nuclear' family was a pervasive element in American mass media and culture for decades. The first thing that comes to my mind is all the programs on television that were centered on the lives of these nuclear families. Dad would walk in the door arriving home from work around 5 or 6 PM, and Mom would have dinner waiting on the table. In the morning, Mom would feed her husband and her children breakfast before sending them off to work and school, respectively. For many years this has been the prevalent image in Americans' minds as to what the "perfect" American family should be like. The husband was always the breadwinner of the household, and the wife was the primary cooker, cleaner, and caretaker of the children and household. Portrayal of the nuclear family in television, movies, and print allowed for a form of oppression to fall upon women who desired to break this mold. Modern families do not conform to this rigid structure. Today we see families with women as the primary breadwinners and the men as the homemakers. We also see many more households with single parents both maintaining professional careers and caring for their children. Modern television shows tend to depict both the age-old stereotypes as well as the more current dynamics of working-class and middle-class individuals and families. Richard Butsch writes in his essay "Ralph, Fred, Archie, Homer, and the King of Queens" that "the few working-class men were portrayed as buffoons...dumb, immature, irresponsible, and lacking in common sense...[but] typically well intentioned, even lovable". These blue-collar men were the heads of their households and were "played against more sensible wives". We do not think of an irresponsible, lazy man as the powerful husband in the ideal nuclear family, but the nuclear family is in a way represented through the sensible wife who keeps the household together. In the article "Dad-Mom Role Reversals," we see how there are many people in society who still think along the lines of the nuclear family concept despite the poor state of our current economy. Men who lose their jobs and find themselves becoming the caretaker of the children--the "stay-at-home dad"--often have a difficult time coming to terms with their new role in the family. Psychologists tell us that the experience of being laid off is emotionally devastating in itself and therefore makes the transition even more troublesome for professional men. As more and more women are becoming the primary breadwinners for their families and advancing their professional careers, an increasing number of men are taking the role of the homemaker. Although women have yearned to get out of the kitchen for years, some wives are very critical of their husbands' work in the household and find themselves picking up their husbands' slack, so to speak. It is clear that both men and women are among those who have a rough time letting go of previous roles, which in this case are very distinct for both genders and have until recent years been dominant in American society. One of the most important benefits of this role reversal is that husbands and wives are learning what it's like to be in each other's shoes and are thus becoming more empathic towards each other.

Music Videos Imagery and Lyrics

One contemporary music video that certainly challenges gender roles is the music video for Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face." The song lyrics also serve to challenge gender roles. In the beginning of the video, while emerging from a swimming pool fully clothed, she tosses what appears to be a bra out of the water. This action reminded me of a feminist symbol protesting gender inequality and masculine domination. Also towards the beginning of the music video, Lady Gaga lounges on a chair while she is attended to (by a robot); this is usually conventional of a music video in which a male bachelor is at the center of the action and attention. Throughout the video, numerous men are all over the singer, touching her lustfully and vying for her attention. We commonly see this phenomenon the other way around in many music videos, with women crawling over the male musician. The lyrics of this song mostly consist of Lady Gaga speaking of how she will control the relationship between her and an unnamed man, definitely challenging what we may define as gender roles in romantic or intimate relationships: "After he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart." In addition, "I won't tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you" defies the notion that women should always be willing to do what men want or say what they want to hear. The most repeated line of the song, "can't read my poker face," has been thought to imply Lady Gaga's bisexuality, which would certainly be defying stereotypical gender ideologies of what is and is not generally accepted. 

Another song and video that I believe challenges some gender roles is the song "The Boys" by Nicki Minaj and Cassie. From the very beginning of the music video we see a harem of men following Nicki Minaj as she strolls down the street, toiling to keep her covered by their umbrellas. As Nicki Minaj and Cassie make their way through the bright town, men painting buildings and working near the road stop and stare at the women. We commonly see occurrences of women hungrily staring at handsome men in music videos before throwing themselves at them. Nicki Minaj spends some time in an expensive sports car, taking the place of the privileged men we usually see inside such vehicles in music videos. The two singers dance a bit provocatively together, which defies heterosexual ideologies that are prevalent in pop music culture. The hook of the song takes a straight hit at male dominance in our society: 
"You get high, fuck a whole bunch of girls,
And then cry on top of the world
I hope you have the time of your life
I hope, I don't lose it tonight"

Here the two musicians are discussing the unfair truth of how many men behave in our society and how they get whatever they want no matter what or even if they do not deserve it. This is a very bold statement by these two famous women. It may sound vulgar or perhaps a little exaggerated, but it captures the essence of the unjust gender roles that exist in our society. The resentment felt by Nicki and Cassie is clear with the sarcastic line "I hope you have the time of your life."

YouTube, I Tube, We all Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2up_Eq6r6Ko

Pitbull - Hotel Room Service

I have always found this song to be way too vulgar for mainstream radio stations (for example, the New York-based station Z100 on which it can be heard). From the very beginning of this music video, multiple scantily-clad women throw themselves at the rapper and then proceed to serve him alcohol as if they were his servants. His lyrics consists mostly of him telling the women what he is going to do to them or what they are going to do together. In the middle of the music video, the song stops and a woman storms into the scene. Appearing to be his girlfriend, the woman is furious that Pitbull has not been answering her phone calls all day and that he is obviously getting very comfortable with three half-naked women. In this video the role of the women is to please the well-dressed, clean-cut man by any means possible, whether sexually or almost in a servant-like manner. The male gets to sit back and enjoy this "service," but he also has the power and dominance to tell the women exactly what he plans on doing when the time comes for him to not be so passive. I think the target audience for this video is young men and women ranging from teenage years to low-20s, people who are likely to be able to relate to this type of party atmosphere. I do not think it is necessarily all that effective in reaching this audience because I find Pitbull to be very tasteless and disrespectful in his blatant objectification of women, and I know I am not the only individual who feels as such.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGyQQUsNLsY

Bow Down - Beyonce

This video portrays Beyonce as a royal queen in the days of old, and throughout the video she is attended to and surrounded by men in her court. She is fully and appropriately clothed, which is contrary to the usual attire worn in such music videos; although the men in the court are, too, they look sort of foolish (there is even a jester or two among the men). This is different from stereotypical music videos in which fully clothed men are surrounded by scandalous but usually beautiful women. The men bow down to her and act childish in fighting to open the door for her. Beyonce as a female in this music video has the power and dominance over everyone else; she is majestic, strong, and beautiful. Defying stereotypical gender roles, the men are all beneath her in status and are even portrayed as slightly foolish in demeanor. I think the target audience is the broad fan base Beyonce has--both men and women, mostly ranging from teenagers to relatively young adults. I believe the video is effective in reaching the target audience because the video itself is not as egotistical as the lyrics are; therefore we are distracted from the bold lyrics that have the potential to turn off audience members and are instead drawn to a video that portrays this well-respected superstar as the strong woman she is.

Finding a video portraying stereotypical gender roles was a very simple task for me because these portrayals are so common among mainstream music and music videos these days. It was much more difficult to find a video that defies these gender roles, and that fact was quite unsettling to me. The media perpetuates stereotypes in an age when we are trying to achieve freedom and equality for all, so it is striking to think about how frequently I see music videos in which women are truly treated as the objects of men, smoking and drinking while enjoying the sexual obedience of their female objects.