YouTube: A Platform for Sexual Education?

Reading about how media can act as a “super-peer” for faster maturing girls, I decided to take YouTube to the test and see just how easy it is to find instructions to the questions that young girls wonder, such as “how to kiss.” It’s alarming how quickly hundreds and thousands of videos popped up and how many views each video has.

My initial thought when all of these videos popped up was that at least there is an outlet for girls who have questions and are not comfortable to talk to others yet. Then I played the video. The first issue I saw was that the woman in the video did not speak of her connection to the man she was sitting next to. She may mention who he is in another video but it has to be assumed that someone will come and watch just one video. From the start of the video there is the indication that kissing is a fun game with no mention of it being best when it is with someone you like, or at least know. This video turns it into a sport, which is an awful message to give to a young pre-teen girl searching for answers. The next issue is that the girl, who clearly agrees with this message, explains that the guy will lead and the girl should follow. Instead of giving the message of “do what you’re comfortable with” and “don’t feel any pressure,” girls are being told to go at the pace of the guy. It’s fairly safe to say that this would not be a parents idealized way for their children to be educated on sexuality.

One of the comments on the video said, “Yeah the whole tip of let the man lead thing is kinnda hard considering I'm bisexual girl with a girlfriend so yeah haha.” On one hand this girl is lucky to feel comfortable enough to share that she is bisexual but she makes the excellent point that there are few examples to teach of sexuality for same sex couples. This brought me to my next YouTube challenge, find the same tutorial video for a same sex couple. A video came up that seemed like it fit the little criteria but it turned out to be a joke:

It is obvious that while a lot (but not all) of media is a poor channel of sexual education for girls, in terms of YouTube tutorials, it appears non-existent for LGB teens. The question I’m left with is, is it better to be poorly educated on a subject or not educated at all?

References- 

Bond, Bradley, Hefner, Veronica, Drogos, Kristin. "Formation-Seeking Practices during the Sexual Development of Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-Sexual Individuals: The Influence and Effects of Coming Out in a Mediated Environment" December 2008. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008

Brown, J. D., Halpern, C. T., & L'Engle, K. L. (2005). Mass media as a sexual super peer for early maturing girls. Journal of Adolescent Health, 36(5), 420-427. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.06.003

Barbie Girl. Barbie World. What About Ken?

Three weeks ago a video appeared on my newsfeed labeled “Imagine the Possibilities| Barbie”. I hesitated to click on this video as I was prepared to see yet again another video criticizing Barbie’s unrealistic waist size and large chest. However, I was immediately shocked as I watched five young girls pretending to live out their adult dream jobs of being a college professor, soccer coach, veterinarian, businesswoman and a museum tour guide. While these girls are being displayed, onlookers are captured with hidden cameras smiling and giggling at these younger girls.

A video that I believed to be yet again another negative connotation of Barbie’s image quickly turned into a video that was both empowering and inspirational and finally captured all that Barbie has to offer. In the last few seconds, the entire advertisement is brought together through the inspiring scene of a young girl playing with her Barbies showing that all of these dream jobs start with a little girl playing with her Barbie doll at home as she enters this self discovering journey. As the ending message says it all “ When a girl plays with Barbie she imagines everything that she can become.”

Although some individuals may argue and say that although this commercial can be classified as an advertisement that captures all that Barbie has to offer to the younger generations, there are still two main issues with Barbies, with one of these issues being that little girls want to look like Barbie and be like Barbie. “There is evidence that exposure to stereotypical media images can elicit body dissatisfaction in women” (Chia, S.C., & Gunther, A.C. (2006)). Yes, this video finally portrays the professional women that Barbie can instill in these younger girls and planting the seed in these young minds that they can be anything they want, which is positive, but this is the time when it is also imperative to instill in these girls that they don’t have to look a certain way and it is okay to be plus size.

In fact, I would argue that there is an even bigger issue than the one stated above and that is the wording at the end of the video. Through explicitly stating that when a girl plays with a Barbie, automatically states that it isn't normal for boys to play with Barbies and it's a girl thing. Yes, this video is empowering but their needs to be more of a representation of Ken, the overshadowed boyfriend of Barbie, and more acceptance of boys playing with these dolls. We quickly forget girls aren't the only ones that play with Barbie’s and that it is okay to show that boys enjoy playing with them as well. Recent content analyses have suggested, “the media’s emphasis on appearance is increasingly communicated to both female and male audiences” (Aubrey, J.S. & Taylor, L.D.). Instead of focusing on strictly how Barbie affects the younger generations, it is often mistaken that there is no emphasis on how it is affecting younger men who are playing with the Ken doll. In fact, there are arguably just as many cases in which adult men hopelessly want to become just like Ken as girls want to look like Barbie. These individuals become so obsessed with being Barbie’s boyfriend Ken, that they undergo over $200,00 in cosmetic surgery as did Rodrigo Alves (Gigi Engle). 

I personally believe that there doesn’t need to be anymore campaigns showing how amazing Barbie is and all that she has to offer, because that point has been made clear. However, there does need to be a campaign showing the different Ken’s that are in the world and when a boy plays with Ken he can imagine everything he can become, therefore encouraging more guys to indulge in this "girl" habit. 

References

Aubrey, J. S., & Taylor, L. D. (2009). The role of lad magazines in priming men's chronic and temporary appearance-related schemata: An investigation of longitudinal and experimental findings.

Human Communication Research, 35(1), 28-58. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2958.2008.01337.x

Chia, S. C., & Gunther, A. C. (2006). How media contribute to misperceptions of social norms about sex. Mass Communication & Society, 9(3), 301-320. doi: 10.1207/s15327825mcs0903_3

Engle, G. (2015, January 28). Guy Who Spent Over $200K To Look Like Ken Doll Has Officially Succeeded. Retrieved October 30, 2015.

Positives in Parasocial Relationships

          As a class we have discussed the phenomenon of having para social relationships with famous figures and celebrities from our childhood. Before our discussion, I felt that this phenomenon was frowned upon by most people in society for its lack of authenticity and sort of foolish characteristics. However, learning from everyone's insight in class, I noticed no one in our class was negatively affected by these past crushes and everyone seemed to be a functioning member of society despite having this kind of relationship. It also came up in conversation that para social relationships that imagine a celebrity as a close friend instead of a love interest are more common. I would have to agree. http://bigthink.com/ideafeed/the-angelina-jolie-effect. This blog's findings serve as an example of the good a paraoscial relationship that imagines a celebrity as a close friend can bring.
          This blog explains how in 2013, Angelina Jolie decided to take a pre-emptive measure to prevent breast cancer by getting a double mastectomy. Her decision was all over the news and led to a more prominent national discussion of breast cancer and genetic testing. The blog's focus was a study done by Professor Kami Kosenko that aimed to find out whether or not Jolie's actions and its coverage influenced people to take similar actions as Jolie and why these people cared about her and her story. The study surveyed 356 people and found that 30% of the women were motivated to get tested for the same gene Jolie had been tested for. 23% said they would likely get tested and another 7% said they for sure would get tested. What is interesting about this study also is that Kosenko explained the reasons for the results by saying "Women who identified more strongly with Jolie were more likely to intend to get the genetic testing regardless of whether they had a family history of cancer than women who did have a family history of cancer, but did not identify with Jolie. The same was true of women who felt they had some sort of parasocial relationship with Jolie, meaning they viewed her as a friend. This means that Jolie's speaking out definitely had an impact."
          This study serves as support of Ward, Day, and Epstein's Uncommonly Good: Exploring How Mass Media May Be a Positive Influence on Young Women’s Sexual Health and Development because it shows the positive impact a media figure and the media coverage of her actions led to a greater awareness of breast cancer and genetic testing. Perhaps another category of media positives could be added that focuses on the good media figures can have on society. This shift in thinking might be refreshing since a lot of media focus on celebrity effects are focused on their negative impacts. This blog and the study included in it also could be an interesting extension of Karinols' Adolescent Females’ Idolization of Male Media Stars as a Transition Into Sexuality because it offers a look inside parasocial interactions as celebrity idols and the good that come from this. Even if it deals with a different age group, they have parallels in terms of the effects of celebrity idolization.

Sources 

Ward, L. M., Day, K. M., & Epstein, M. (2006). Uncommonly good: exploring how mass media may be a positive influence on young women's sexual health and development. New directions for child and adolescent development,2006(112), 57-70.

Karniol, R. (2001). Adolescent females' idolization of male media stars as a transition into sexuality. Sex Roles, 44(1-2), 61-77.

 Shoemaker, N. (2015, July 31). The Angelina Jolie Effect. Retrieved October 31, 2015, from http://bigthink.com/ideafeed/the-angelina-jolie-effect 

                                                                                                                                     

"Same Love," Homosexual Stereotypes, and the Coming-Out Process

Macklemore’s song “Same Love” ties in so much of what has been discussed in class in terms of homosexuality (sexual development, portrayal in the media, and how they fit into the heterosexual script) all into a five-minute music video.  While I had heard the song many times, today was the first time that I actually watched the music video.  I was left with goose bumps at the end and I can now understand even further why this song has had such a huge impact. 

One big thing that he talks about is the whole notion of fitting the stereotypes of gay men versus straight men.  He says,

“When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay,

'Cause I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight.

Bunch of stereotypes all in my head.

I remember doing the math like, ‘Yeah, I'm good at little league.’

A preconceived idea of what it all meant

For those that liked the same sex

Had the characteristics”

He addresses being gay versus being straight as this idea of fitting into an equation.  If you “act” like a straight man, enjoy the same things as straight men do, and are good at various things, you should naturally be straight because you fit the “definition.”  On the other hand, if you do X, Y, and Z, you are gay.  This narrow-minded approach is one that many people take, as it is what is presented in the media; as Holz Ivory, Gibson, and Ivory discuss in their article.  They explain, “Throughout history, television either has ignored homosexuality or has portrayed it in a highly stereotypical manner” (Holz Ivory, 2009).  The problem with this is that people see these highly stereotyped, short-sighted portrayals and associate them with all of the LGBT population, as this may sometimes be their only exposure.  The researchers delve into this idea, saying, “television portrayals may also provide an influence on societal perceptions” and “people often associate certain behaviors and attributes in their stereotypes about gay men, including perceptions that gay men have positive female sex-typed qualities, are similar to women, and violate standard male gender roles” (Holz Ivory, 2009).

Macklemore presents a very accepting, understanding, and open-minded view of what homosexuality is.  In Bond's article, he discusses how the media influences LGB individual’s sexual development, especially during the coming-out process.  The authors argue that the Internet “may now be serving as the primary information source for LGB adolescents” (Bond, 2009).  They also discuss how the internet may act as a sort of “catalyst” in pushing individuals from the pre-coming out phase to the coming-out phase.  This song and music video provide a great example of how the internet may play this role.  Macklemore really portrays the idea that homosexuality is not a choice and that these people “can’t change even if they wanted to.”  I would imagine that he has empowered many to come out, given the messages that he sends in his song.  He discusses gay marriage rights, hate speech, hip-hop’s insensitivity towards homosexuals, and oppression. 

With this song and music video, we may see more people willing to come out and be open about their homosexuality.  Even as a heterosexual myself, I felt empowered and moved by this song, so I can’t imagine how homosexuals feel.  He truly seems to touch on so many aspects of what it is like to be homosexual in today’s world and I would imagine that this song will continue to have the impact that it had when it was released.


1. Holz Ivory, A., Gibson, R., & Ivory, J. D. (2009). Gendered relationships on television: Portrayals of same-sex and heterosexual couples. Mass Communication & Society, 12(2), 170-192. doi: 10.1080/15205430802169607 

2. Bond, B. J., Hefner, V., & Drogos, K. L. (2009). Information-seeking practices during the sexual development of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals: The influence and effects of coming out in a mediated environment. Sexuality & Culture: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly, 13(1), 32-50. doi: 10.1007/s12119-008-9041-y 

3. Haggerty, B., Lewis, R., & Lambert, M. (2012). Same love [Recorded by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis]. On Same love [Digital download]. Seattle, WA: Macklemore LLC.  

Finding the "Man" in Manipulation

As we briefly mentioned in class there are particular characters in the media that many teen girls seem to swarm to.  One of them being Edward Cullen.  I’m choosing Edward Cullen because I too had the obsession with him along with many of my friends.  Whether it was hanging pictures of him on my wall, reading the books two times through, or watching the movie too many times than I’d like to repeat, I know what it feels like to have a celebrity crush.

 Rachel Karinol’s reading focuses on the idea that these celebrity crushes provide a safe outlet for young girls to explore their sexuality. I agree that these crushes are harmless (even though I’m pretty sure I still have mine), however I think that the media is manipulating us to have the crushes more than they develop naturally.  Karinol believes that these types of crushes allow for girls to connect with their friends over a common crush, and a way to express feelings of love and sex but she never discusses how these particular crushes are chosen, and I personally believe that they are not chosen but handed to these girls for consumer gain.  For example here were 3 out of plenty of magazines covers in the year that Twilight was first in theatres. 

Even if you had never read the book you were thinking about these characters.  You wanted to see Twilight to see what all the hype was about.  The media made you want to know more about Edward Cullen.  Once you bought these magazines, what was in them allowed girls to admire this new found love.  Endless pictures and quizzes that allowed girls to share with their friends and admire throughout their teen years.  Here is a real life example of a friends bedroom growing up. 

While I definitely support Karinol’s beliefs about celebrity crushes and them being a safe outlet for teen girls, I have to disagree that this only has an effect on teen girls.  Many people have said that 50 Shades of Grey is the Twilight for young adults, however there are many similar behaviors however just in a more adult manner.  Whether that be reading the books multiple times, waiting in line to be the first at the movie, or stalking all of their social media accounts.  I think that celebrity crushes would not be as prevalent without the media manipulating our curiosity and gaining from it as well. 

references

Karniol, R. (2001). Adolescent females’ idolization of male media stars as transition into sexuality. Sex Roles, 44(1/2), 61-77.