April 27th Makeup Blog - Modern Family vs. The Fosters

Two shows. Two families. Are these families representations of what families are like today?

In the show The Fosters, two women are parent figures to multiple children. Modern Family shows how three families are connected. A brother and sister, their father and step-mother, and their separate families. What these two shows have in common is the fact that they depict families that are different that what we may picture. A lesbian couple and their blended family composed of biological and foster children. A gay couple and their asian baby. A second marriage with a much younger women. These two shows are depicting families that are becoming more and more common. 

But are these families accurate representation of families today? I don't think they are that accurate. I think that these shows bring awareness to different types of families, but there is also an added sense of drama or comedy to the way these families live. I think that is where the misrepresentation comes in. 

What ‘Modern Family’ Says About Modern Families April 27th 2015

Modern Family, which aired in 2009, has been a hit sitcom for years now. It depicts the lives of three families, who are all related. Jay and his second wife Gloria, and her son Manny, Jay's grown daughter Claire, her husband Phil, and their three children, and Jay's grown son Mitchell, his partner Cam, and their adopted daughter. The writers wanted to depict what they believed to be today's "modern family". A second marriage, a gay couple, and lots of different quirks. Much of the controversy surrounding Modern Family has to do with Cam and Mitchell. They had been shown in bed together, among other things. And for a while, they had never been shown kissing. The writers of Modern Family seemed to go back and forth when determining how to portray the modern family. I think that this show doesn't really depict the modern families today. 

Gender Neutral Children April 27th 2015

I think that the idea of raising a baby gender-neutral is really progressive. Unfortunately, people don't feel the same way. Dr. Harold Koplewicz, who is a child psychiatrist in the US believes that this kind of upbringing can be detrimental to a child's development. I think the opposite. I think allowing children to explore everything that the world has to offer is important, rather than just forcing children into molds, that they may not fit it. Sasha's parents say that they don't want they child to conform to stereotypes. All children should be playing with dolls, and all children should be playing with legos. When I am a parent one day, I know that I would rather have my children playing with gender neutral toys, rather than conforming to given stereotypes. Children should be encouraged to express who they are in the way they feel most comfortable. I think it is important to note the difference between sex and gender. Sex is biological, where gender can reflect something different than sex. Children should not be forced into molds of what girls or boys should be like. This being said, I think raising a child gender neutral is a great idea in theory, but could be more difficult in practice. We see that most of the issues surrounding this idea come from the society in which the child is raised. People, outside of the child's family may not know how to react or treat a child that they don't know the gender of. This is just an effect of how that generation was raised. I think that gender neutrality is something that future generations should be working hard to move towards. Also, the way a child is raised is completely up to the parents. In Sasha and Storm's case, their parents made the decision to raise their child in this way because they feel that is what is best for their child. More power to them! 

Social Networks April 19th 2015

Today, there are a plethora of Social Media sites and apps that let us connect with all different people from all over the world. FaceBook in particular is a Social Networking site that has become extremely possible since its launch in 2004. We see a lot of different things on FaceBook today, from ads, to trending news reports, and most importantly, people's personal profiles. In my case, the 'friends' I have on Facebook are all people that I know and have met before. That is not the same in all cases. I think the the friends I have have on Facebook have profiles that directly reflect who they are. People who are outgoing tend to post a lot and voice their opinions. They people who are introverted don't always post as often or be as opinionated on Social Media. I think that the friends I have on FaceBook are 'gendered' according to who that person is. And the people I'm friends with don't serve as a virtual personality.

What we do see all to often is the idea of 'catfishing'. This is when a person creates a fake online profile and uses it to create romantic relationships, etc. This poses a huge issue because it leads people to believe that the people they are talking to online are not who they say they are. It can be dangerous and upsetting. All of this is can be seen on MTV's show Catfish, where the hosts Nev and Max follow these leads and expose, or sometimes disprove, the idea of these fake personalities. 

I think that FaceBook is a great way to be in contact with other people and network, but it can also be something that can be abused. People may end up portraying themselves differently on Social Networks, which can lead to bad outcomes. 

Reality Television April 12th 2015

Normally, I am not one for reality TV, therefore this week posed a bit of a challenge. After browsing through Netflix for awhile, I came upon the show Dance Moms. I had heard a lot about it so I thought I would give it a try. After watching one 40 minute episode, I was in awe of the outrageous lifestyle of these young girls. They spend 7 days a week, 6 hours a day dancing, and their weekends competing. Dance Moms doesn't just follow these girls, it follows the drama between their mothers, as well as their dance teacher Abby. This particular episode the mothers were struggling with the costume and dance that the girls were doing for the weekends competition. They said that they were dressed too 'skimpy' and dancing too 'sexy'. Both of these things I agree with, and the girls actually ended up not placing because they were disqualified because of the content of their routine. 

These are the outfits that the girls wore to their competition in Lancaster PA. I think that gender is portrayed in the most extreme way in this show. These girls are as 'girly' as they come. They love dance, makeup, costume, and being a girl. There was a scene in this episode where a new girl was coming to audition. She was six years old, and she said, "I like to dance... and play baseball." I think that for the religious watcher of Dance Moms, this comment would be shocking. This show is all about the girliest gender, and all of the girls and moms conform to this stereotype that she show is playing in to. 

Girl Rising April 13th 2015

Wadley is an 8 year old girl from Haiti. Wadley loved going to school to learn, and after the earthquake hit, her mother could not afford to send her to school. 

This is Azmera. She is 14 and from Ethiopia. It is common for girls of her age to be married. But in Ethiopia, the law is that girls must be 18 to be married. Unfortunately, girls as young as 7 are being married off for money. 

These two girls had something great in common. They both were not afraid to stand up to those who brought them down, and make a better life for themselves. In Wadley's case, after the earthquake hit Haiti, and her mother didn't have the money to send her to school, Wadley pushed to go to school anyway. She noticed one day that her teacher was teaching students under a tent by the refuge camp. Wadley showed up one day, but was asked to leave because her mother didn't have the money to pay. Even though her mother told her she couldn't go back because of this, she went back the next day, ready to learn. Again, the teacher asked her to leave. Wadley responded by saying that each day that she is asked to leave, she will still return the next day. Because of her perseverance, the teacher actually allowed her to stay. She knew that an education was important for her, and she made sure that she got to school. Azmera stood up to oppressors in a similar way. Azmera's father and sister had died, leaving her mother a widow with a son and daughter. The elders in her village wanted Azmera to marry because of her family situation. When a stranger (an older one) came along to marry her, her mother was prepared to marry her off, but her brother vowed that he would sell all he owned to keep her in school. As well as her brother speaking out against it, Azmera said no, she did not want to be married yet. She wanted to stay in school. She was taking a big step for her future by using her own voice to make her own choice.

Both of these girls stood up for what they wanted and believed in. In comparison to girls in America, these girls have it tough. Girls in America have the luxury of attending school and most of them see it as the only option. In our society it is understood that girls and boys will go to school to get the education they need to succeed in life. They would never even think of being married to an older man. Unfortunately, girls around the world are not as privilege as the girls in America, and American children often don't even realize this fact. This documentary really opened my eyes to the privileges we have, and the ethical issues for young girls all around the world.

Boys, Girls and Toys- Oh My April 3rd 2015

The image above displays the same exact toys with different packaging to appeal to one sex over the other. Why can't they just create a unisex box for the same toy? It seems like a lot of extra work to do for something that is exactly the same when the box is opened. 

These books seem to be produced by the same company. This is just reenforcing gender stereotypes that girls have to be gorgeous, and boys have to be clever. What if a boy wanted to be gorgeous and a girl wanted to be clever? It seems as though that's not an option based on these books. 

This image displays the boy and girl isles in a toy store. It seems as though it is forcing girls to want and be drawn to pink, and the boys to blue. If you're a girl, you can't have the blue toys, and if you're a boy, you can't have the pink toys. 

Societal norms are trying to influences the way boys and girls think. They are trying to influence the colors that describe who they are, and the toys they feel like they should play with. 

This video shows a little girl questioning these color norms. I love that she is questioning why she can't have the blue toys, and why boys can't have the pink toys. I agree with her. It is unfair for society to dictate what boys and girls can and can't play with. It creates an issue among young children who don't conform to these norms. They feel like they are different because they don't like the things that all the other girls or boys like. But in reality, if a girl wants to play with super heroes and a boy wants to play with dolls, there is nothing wrong with that. They are expressing themselves through play, and they should be allowed to do that without feeling pressured.