Bill Ayers speaks out! An In These Times exclusive.

We Are What We Watch

By Susan J. Douglas

A few weeks ago, Fox-TV offered up the finale of “The Swan”—the mutant offspring of the Miss America pageant, Cinderella and “Extreme Makeover.” Women held up as “dogs”—whose supposedly oversized noses, flabby thighs and saggy breasts were scrutinized and pitied, even ridiculed—subjected themselves to multiple invasive procedures, including as many as 14 surgeries and psychological counseling, before a national viewing… return to article

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    I think you’re probably right about “The Swan” and “Are you hot?” breeding objectification and misogyny. However, for every “The Bachelor” there’s a “Bachelorette.” You mentioned “Trading Spaces” as emphasizing a woman’s place is the home...and yet the majority of designers on the show are male. Most of the similar shows are hosted by men. Why is Paige from “Trading Spaces” propagating the ‘Post-Feminism’ ideal? Just because she’s female and she hosts a show about houses?

    United States Posted by Erik on Jul 1, 2004 at 3:59 PM

    “Women were cast as too emotional or too bitchy or too reliant on their sexuality to handle a top job with The Donald.” Women were cast this way - or they acted this way because most women will use their sexuality to get what they want? You might do the same after writing this article. I’m not trying to blame the victim, just to show that women are not unwilling pawns here. Nobody tells them to show so much cleavage and have their asses hanging out of their jeans when they walk down the block. It’s just bad parenting, in my opinion.

    United States Posted by Barry Ward on Jul 6, 2004 at 1:33 PM

    I agree wholeheartedly with the views expressed in “We Are What We Watch”.

    In today’s “modern” cyber-age, I submit that such axioms apply to computer monitors as well.

    I was bemused by the four advertisement insets adorning the right side of the aforementioned article.

    The read, from top to bottom:

    - Idol Audition Success
    - American Idols Tickets
    - Find Auditions
    - Be an American Idol

    Increasingly, so-called “liberal” media outlets, such as “in these times”, “the onion” (satirical site), and “air america radio”, are festooned with commercial refuse in diametric opposition to the sociopolitical mindset of the sites they “serve”.

    United States Posted by David Emanuel on Jul 8, 2004 at 11:04 AM
    Page 1 of 1 pages
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