Uncommonly Good or Stereotypically Bad?

A few weeks ago in class we were discussing Ward et al.’s "Uncommonly Good" article which discussed some ways in which the media are serving a beneficial purpose in regards to women’s sexual health and development through various mediums. The article argues that the media can offer information and new outlets for self-expression. One of the aspects of the media that Ward et al. discussed as being beneficial for this self-expression was “girl-zines” which are defined as “Self-published, small-circulation publications created by girls and young women to connect with each other, share personal experiences, and raise their voices in resistance to mainstream media (Ward et al., 2006). This section sparked a major discussion in class because the majority of us had no idea what girl-zines were aWe began generating a few examples of modern day girl-zines and then began to slowly agree with how they might benefit young women in their self-expression of sexuality and resisting common stereotypes of sexual scripts and gender roles. One example we discussed was a YouTube video created by the nonprofit organization Hallaback! In which actress Shoshana B Roberts walked around New York with a hidden camera for 10 hours. She recorded 100+ instances of verbal harassment. Her video sparked a lot of commentary about catcalling and verbal harassment specifically in regards to the common view many hold that catcalls don’t actually happen that frequently. The fact that this video went viral and reached so many viewers speaks to the Internet as a media outlet that allows for resistance through self-expression. This video allowed women to come together as victims of verbal harassment by sharing catcalling stories and ultimately create a united voice in resistance to instances of verbal harassment which project men as powerful and dominating and women as passive and submissive. 

It is true that this is not the first hidden camera video exposing the amount of verbal sexual harassment that can take place. There are many videos that have generated similar conversations about the danger women feel while being faced with such verbal harassment. This video was produced in regards to the ongoing conversation that women take verbal comments too seriously and what should actually count as verbal sexual harassment. This passed weekend, my roommate brought to my attention a video he saw on Barstool about a porn star named Kayden Kross who created a video in which she intended to flip the roles and catcall various men. While this is a unique idea, I think her attempt to “harass” men was a failed approach to reversing the roles and forcing the objectification on men passing by. In her video she uses catcalls that, in my opinion, do more harm than good. 

The catcalls that Kayden Kross makes are not degrading towards men in the same way the catcalls directed towards women in Shoshana Robert’s video are. The catcalls generated by men are degrading because they are more about sexual objectification. They reinforce heterosexual scripts, which reinforce the idea that a woman is worth nothing more than her sexual value or physical attractiveness (Kim et al., 2007). The catcalls directed at men in Kayden’s video, however, do not generate the same degradation. Below are a few of the catcalls Kayden used:

“Want to have my babies? I’d like to take you home and have you fix my sink. Hey man you want to make a life commitment to me? “I want someone to take care of me forever. Are you a good husband?”

Despite her attempt to challenge catcalling with this video, Kayden ends up reinforcing heterosexual scripts and the inequalities of power as discussed in Kim’s article. Her comments reinforce the stereotypical notions that women are dependent on men and that they are passive in waiting for men to initiate relationships (Kim et al., 2007). Men are even seen approaching her and playing along with her catcalls which further reinforces the idea that men hold the power in heterosexual relations because they are making it impossible for Kayden to dehumanize them with her comments if they begin to play along with what she is saying. They are taking away her ability to feel more powerful and in doing so their reinforce the power inequalities that Kim discusses.

This video started out as an attempt to provide an outlet of resistance through self-expression as discussed in Ward et al.’s article “Uncommonly Good” but it ended up reinforcing power inequalities and stereotypical heterosexual scripts. When videos like this surface and go viral, it is important to question the influence that the mass media have on young women’s sexual heath and development. The Internet can disseminate many positive modes of self-expression that allows young women to resist stereotypes they see in the media. But videos like this can also circulate and contribute to the reinforcement of heterosexual scripts and stereotypes. It is crucial that, with increasing media outlets and constant access to various forms of media, we maintain a critical eye on all the media we consume. We should constantly question the content we consume and the messages this content sends us in an attempt to resist the stereotypes that the media can be reinforcing even if it is subtly happening just beneath the surface.

References 

Ward, L. M., Day, K. M.,& Epstein, M. (2006). Uncommonly good: Exploring how mass media maybe a positive influence on young women's sexual health and development. New Directions for Child & Adolescent Development, 2006(112). 57-°©‐70. doi: 10.1002/cd.162

Kim, J. L., et al. (2007). From sex to sexuality: Exposing the heterosexual script on primetime network television. Journal of Sex Research.