Crazy About One Direction

More often than not, we can all remember a time when we held a certain fascination for a celebrity, whether it be innocent admiration, a crush, or a full-blown obsession. In recent years, the boy band One Direction has grabbed attention for its huge and crazy fandom that is reminiscent of the fan girl days of Beatlemania. In 2013, Channel 4, a British television broadcasting company went behind the scenes to understand the fans of One Direction, producing a controversial documentary that reveals just how invested these adolescent girls are in their parasocial relationships (see clip below).

When viewing the documentary, consistent trends emerged that both aligned and contrasted Rachel Karniol’s 2001 study on adolescent females. First off, the most prevalent trend among the fans was the fantasies they each had for a future relationship with a member of a band or the conviction they had for how well they believed they knew their idol. This hints at the core of Karniol’s hypotheses, as well as some of her findings – that adolescents often seek feminine idols, which One Direction would most definitely be. While Karniol examines the ways in which this is used as a safety approach for adolescents, who may not be ready to fully confront their sexual desire, the documentary suggests that these girls are in no way scared of the possibility of fulfilling relationships with members of One Direction.

In the video, one girl described her fantasy with Harry Styles, saying, “I really want him to be my husband. I just wanna spend my life with him. I'm 14 unfortunately and Harry is 19. He'd get put in jail. I'd join him in jail, I'd go in jail just to be with him to be honest." 

Additionally, the documentary uses many of the girls’ bedrooms as the backdrops for filming. In every room examined, posters and memorabilia decorate (more often cover) the walls. Karnoil would suggest that these posters could be facilitating a false relationship for each of these girls with their One Direction idols. In many ways, these girls could feel like they know the band because in a sense, they are regularly interacting with them and carrying on a fantasized relationship. This was something Karnoil examines when she considers the varying investment girls have in their idols based on how much time they spend talking to their images “hanging posters expresses a social function and that subsequently, the number of posters of their idol that girls hang would correlate with the amount of time they spend talking to their idol” (Karniol, 2001). Testing this hypothesis, she found a significant correlation, which can be applied to the Directioners. For example the below picture of Natasha’s room shows her deep investment in covering her walls with One Direction posters, which may only be furthering her fantasized relationship with them, and thus creating a false idea of closeness and an imagined relationship.

In contrast to Karniol, however, though One Direction overall boasts a pretty feminine appearance, this does not diminish fans’ romantic fantasies with them. Again, in reference to posters, she presents a third theory that girls with non-feminine idols who hang posters are more likely to become excited when thinking about their idols, are more likely to be jealous of their idol’s real-life relationships and are more likely to want a relationship with their idol (Karniol, 2001). Though her evidence showed that these trends were true among participants, observing One Direction fans shows that these factors do not play the same role. Many express the jealousy they have for the real-life girlfriends of the band members as well as the action they take to try and interfere with them. One fan referenced the time Harry Styles was dating Taylor Swift, claiming she was blocked from the country singer’s social media accounts for sending death threats. 

When observing the fandom and parasocial relationships that many of these young girls have with One Direction, it becomes clear that social media is taking parasocial relationships to the next level. As we discussed in class, these relationships can have both negative and positive life implications, however, the video tends to focus more on the negative aspects that surround this crazy fandom. Therefore, while One Direction fans undoubtedly represent very extreme forms of fandom and idolization, they do provide a usual and interesting case for the fetishizing of feminine male media stars, showcasing a real-life application of Karniol’s study.


References:

Crazy About One Direction [Television broadcast]. (2013, August 15). Channel 4.

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

Easy Because Everyone is Doing it

With sex there is a stigma that everyone is doing it. The movie Easy A takes a modern approach to this idea by twisting the book "The Scarlett Letter” with the idea of high school virginity loss. High-schooler Oliver Pendergast helps out a friend who is in the closet by pretending to have sex with him; the gay friend cannot take being bullied anymore and wants to pretend to lose his virginity in order to stop the bullying. Once the friend discloses his deal with Olive to another "nerdy” guy, boys start to come to Olive and ask her to pretend they had sex so they won’t be thought of as an uncool virgin anymore. As more and more boys come to Olive for help she gains a reputation for being a slut because she is presumed to be having sex with different boys. The movie focuses on how Olive is portrayed negatively as a slut and the boys she "slept with" become less bullied; this story line shows how the urgency script is emphasized within high school culture. Meaning that, "virginity loss is necessary to affirm a gendered identity as sexually sought-after individual, to be perceived by others as desirable, and to achieve social status (Kelly, 5). Because of this emphasize on losing virginity, a stigma occurs where people believe that everyone is having sex, and when you're in high school if everyone is doing something and you're not, you aren't cool. The movie points out the belief that everyone is having sex besides you can lead to a culture revolving around sex that is so extreme people are willing to lie in order to fit in.
                                
The many different boys that come to Olive in order to "lose their virginity," show how they believe that losing their virginity will make them cool or more desirable to other girls. So many different boys come to her in order to pretend that they lost their virginity that it becomes obvious that there are a lot of virgins within the high school, but they are ashamed about it. All of the boys that ask Olive to lose their virginity exhibit the urgency script, but the fact that the script exists is because these students believe everyone else is doing it. The shame and nervousness that these boys feel about sex and being virgins occurs because they think everyone else is having sex and they are one of the last virgins standing. These high-schoolers believe that if people think they’ve had sex then they’ll be cool. This phenomenon of thinking more students are sexually active then there actually are provides an example of pluralistic ignorance, meaning that its “a false belief share by two or more individuals about the ideas, feelings, and actions of others" (Chia, 302). High-schoolers cultivate this culture that in order to be cool they need to be like everyone else, which means having sex.

This desire to be like everyone else can stem from the images and portrayals that come across in media. Television shows such as Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Secret Life of the American Teen and many others play into the cultivation theory, which makes heavy viewers of television believe that the things represented in the media are an accurate portrayal of everyday reality, meaning that it makes sex in high school the norm (Chia, 303). Once high-schoolers and college kids are exposed to these representations they are primed to think that sex is the norm in high school and college, and are more likely to feel as though they are the only one not doing it. The endless cultivation of sexually related content that is thrown in our faces through commercials, movies, music, and television can make people feel as though they are not included in the widespread sexuality phenomenon.

Cite:
 Chia, Stella. "How Media Contribute to Misperceptions of Social Norms About Sex" MASS COMMUNICATION & SOCIETY, 2006, 9 (3), 301–320 

Maura Kelly (2010) Virginity Loss Narratives in“ Teen Drama” Television Programs, The Journal of Sex Research, 47:5, 479-489, DOI:10.1080/00224490903132044 

YouTube.com "Easy A Trailer" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNbPnqyvItk

 

Homosexual Portrayals in "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

           

Curb Your Enthusiasm is a comedy series on HBO starring Larry David. The show is a comedic take on everyday situations, placing characters in awkward situations to achieve its comedic goal. The type of humor in the show relies on drawing on real life scenarios as they would occur in the real world. As i was watching some of these episodes, I noticed a few representations of homosexuality. I noticed that though these representations were few and far between, the portrayals adhered to stereotypical themes regarding homosexuality in both males and females.
            The first instance of homosexuality I encountered in the show involved Larry David deciding what birthday gift to get for the son of his friend. When he met the boy, the child exemplified the extreme stereotypes of homosexuality. The boy was dressed in ballet gear and greeted Larry David by skipping toward him humming show-tunes of one of his favorite musicals. The boy talked with an abnormally high voice and in a tone indicative of most girls his age. Larry very bluntly tells his friend, "Your son is most definitely gay." He decides to buy the boy a sewing machine for his birthday and upon giving him the gift, the boy screams in a high pitch squeal and skips back to his room and exclaims, "I'm going to make you something fabulous Larry!" This representation of homosexuality elicited the themes of  Gendered Relationships on Television: Portrayals of Same-Sex and Heterosexual Couples by Ivory, Ivory, and Gibson. Their research explored the way in which television portrayals of homosexual individuals reinforced gendered stereotypes. Specifically, male homosexual characters were given feminine qualities. Curb Your Enthusiasm forwards this idea in the representation of homosexuality in a little boy because he exhibits only feminine qualities. Even though this show is meant to be humorous and in some cases extreme, the show relies on situations people are likely to encounter in everyday life. Keeping this in mind, the portrayal of homosexuality embodied by the boy reinforces the idea that homosexuals must adhere to gendered stereotypes.
             Another episode of the show featured Rosie O'Donnel. The focus of the episode was on her identity as a lesbian in a battle with Larry for the love of a bisexual woman. The episode only showed O'Donnel represent masculine qualities and advance stereotypical lesbian qualities. For instance, the episode shows her playing softball, drinking beer, spitting, chewing tobacco, and dominating Larry David in physicality. This extreme portryal also reinforces the research of Ivory, Ivory, and Gibson in that it places homosexuality for females in a mold of masculine identity.
             Curb Your Enthusiasm is a fairly innocent comedy series. I do not think the show was trying to advance a disrespectful perspective on homosexuality and was simply trying to entertain people by playing on stereotypical views. However, the show reinforces these stereotypes. Adhering to extreme sterotypes of homosexuality creates a culture of misunderstanding. I think the show should incorporate more balanced portrayals of homosexuality because the show can still be humorous without being ignorant and could contribute to a more balanced, informed television culture.

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

 David, L. (Writer). (2014, October 10). The Doll [Television series episode]. In Curb Your Enthusiasm. Los Angeles: HBO.

 David, L. (Writer). (2014, December 3). The Bisexual [Radio series episode]. In Curb Your Enthusiasm. Los Angeles: HBO.

Girls Life: Magazines as a Mass-Media Middle Ground

There are countless films, television shows, songs, and other kinds of mass media that could educate pre-teens and teenagers (and even adults) about relationships and sexuality. However, when I thought back to my own pre-teen years, I remembered a different medium that acted as a “super peer” for this sort of information. In late elementary school, Girls Life magazine was a major source of information and entertainment for many of my peers. I remember seeing it when my friends would check it out from the library (I was way more focused on books, which is still true). I remember girls reading about crushes, boys, and relationships before most of us were thinking about it, so I decided to revisit the Girls Life website to see what kind of content it offers its readers today. To give you a taste of what kind of magazine Girls Life (GL) is, here is a screen shot of their homepage:

Upon first glance, I knew that this resource most definitely has potential to act as a “super peer,” and not just for relationships. The magazine covers everything from boyfriends to fashion to family issues, taking a sort of older-sister approach in its writing, which is targeted toward pre-teen girls. There are two (!) advice columns that focus specifically on answering readers’ questions about guys. The article I looked at is titled “I’m 14 and I haven’t crushed on anyone, guys or girls. Is something wrong with me?”

Brown et al (2004) discuss the role of the media as a “super peer,” a way to gain information that peers don’t yet have, saying that the media present “a great deal of sexual information in a compelling and easily accessible format” without “laugh[ing] at stupid or awkward questions” (421). They add that media examples are “a relatively safe and less embarrassing way” to learn from characters who are more like them in interests and in their stage of life (Brown et all, 2004, 421). It’s certainly true that the GL reader who wrote this question turned to the media for a safer and less embarrassing way to find relevant information - her question “Is something wrong with me?” shows that she feels different and stigmatized among her peers for being uninterested in romantic relationships. However, her motivation for seeking information is very different from those in the Brown et al (2004) study. Brown et al (2004) focused their research on early developing girls who need information about sex and relationships because they were more interested in it than their peers. This GL article identifies a different gap in peer education than by highlighting a person who is not interested in sex or relationships, but probably surrounded by peers who are.

By providing answers to information-seeking girls, GL functions on a level between the Internet as a whole and mass media like film and television in terms of how much control teens have over the information they receive. Bond et al (2008) describe film and television as “passive media” because viewers don’t have control over what messages they receive, whereas on a space like the Internet, users can actively search and find information that’s relevant to them (p. 36).

In some ways, this magazine article aligns more closely with the practice of LGB teenagers studied by Bond et al (2008) than by early-developing teenage girls. Bond et al (2008) discuss how TV representations of gay characters were unhelpful for LGB teenagers, because they were so stereotypical that information-seeking teens were unable to relate. In a similar way, the girl who wrote in this question probably would not have been able to find the answers she needed on television or in movies, so for Girls Life gave her more control over the information she received.

However, though the article sheds light on a side of sexuality rarely seen in the media, the advice it offers is actually very limiting. The positive side is that it tells the girl “nothing is wrong with you,” showing no stigma toward her, but the rest shows an obvious bias toward heteronormativity. Though the girl who wrote in said she wasn’t attracted to guys or girls, the magazine did not even consider an alternative sexual preference from heterosexualit. Instead, it offers this advice: “At some point, I’m sure you will meet someone and have feelings for that person. And frankly, time is on your side because as guys mature, they tend to become more crush-worthy anyway.” Their solution for her non-attraction to boys is that someday she will be attracted to boys, and then she’ll be “normal.”

The GL article I analyzed definitely serves as an information source for girls, but identifies a reason for the “super peer” than Bond et al. Though GL gives readers more control over what information they learn from the media, and offers a safe space for non-conforming girls to gain information, the advice it gives out is still very stereotypical and heteronormative, which undermines its effectiveness as a resource in my opinion. Although it takes on the tone of an all-knowing and non-judgmental older sister, I think the Q&A columns like the one I looked at could do as much harm as good for non-conforming teens looking for answers.

References:

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

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

Take Me To The Internet

The Bond article “Formation-Seeking Practices during the Sexual Development of Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-Sexual Individuals” discusses sexual identity and how the media influences people's actions within the LGB community. There was a major bridge between the process of coming out and the use of the internet. LGB individuals used the internet more than face-to-face interpersonal relationships and sought most of information from the internet. The importance between the internet and coming out is clearly defined through these results. Because of the prominence of the LBG community using the internet, what is broadcasted through all forms of media in relation to the LBG community is incredibly influential. With this idea of coming out, it is also important to gather information about the LBG community, not just within your area but worldwide in order to grasp the culture and learn more about themselves.

One example of this influence is Hozier’s song and music video “Take Me To Church.” This song hones in on the anti-homophobic laws and culture within Russia, and how “an act of sex is one of the most things, but an organization like the church undermine humanity by successfully teaching shame about sexual orientation” (New York Magazine, Online). This attention towards the homophobic culture is not an attack on faith, but an act to bring more focus to the cruelties of those who are scared to come out.

This music video chronicles the struggles of two gay men who are in love with each other in Russia where it is illegal for them to be together. The homophobic culture leads them to try and run away together, but while one of the men is waiting for the other to arrive and run away, a group of homophobic men step in. They drag one of the gay men to a bonfire where they repeatedly beat him to death because of his sexuality and his relationship. One of the most heart wrenching scenes is when one of the gay men sees the other getting beaten to death but cannot do anything because if he went to help he too would be beaten to death.

While this video does not show a coming out story of triumph and hope, it shows the desperation that needs to be stopped. This video brings light to the issues plaguing Russia, and by bringing attention to it, it only adds to the information found on the intent concerning homosexuality. This video does not give young LGB a person to identity with and help them with coming out, but I think that the knowledge of this situation is something that LGB individuals and society as a whole should be aware of. This video brings light to the fact that Russian LGB struggle to find support and a community, and outlines the difference in extremes between American LGB and Russian. While this video shows an unsafe environment for LGB, "the internet is a safe and discreet way of finding information and meeting friends" (Bond, 43). This video is supposed help those who are fearful of coming out and bring light to homophobic culture that needs to be extinguished. Music videos, songs, movies, and television shows can be a way of getting stories and information out there and it can’t always be positive but that doesn’t mean it can’t have positive effects on our society.


Cite
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

Shepard, Julianne. " Q&A: Irish Musician Hozier on Gay Rights, Sexuality, Good Hair" http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/03/qa-hozier-on-gay-rights-sex-good-hair.html#

Youtube.com "Take Me To Church" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVjiKRfKpPI.

If You're Looking for Someone to Write Your Blog Posts About: Sex, Media Effects, & One Direction

If you like thinking about media and sex too,

If you like blog posts about Harry Styles & crew, 

If you want to know what this music video might do to you,

Baby I'm perfect, baby I'm perfect for you. 

One Direction's smash-hit "Perfect" is proof that not even Zayn can stop the British sensations. It's like they say, "nobody can drag me down." With their "Perfect" EP dropping tonight, there seems to be no better time to analyze the messages that will be broadcasted to millions of adolescent, teenage, and young adult girls around the world and think about what their effects might be. In the case of this video, gendered commitment scripts as well as sexual messages are being portrayed by 1D; this post discusses a few of the ways in which this content might affect adolescent girls.

From the first line, it's clear this song isn't about love: "I might never be your knight in shining armor, I might never be the one you take home to mother...but I can be the one, be the one tonight." This theme repeats throughout the song, stressing that the various members of 1D aren't "good at making promises," meaning they're not going to be committed or faithful to a girl. This falls closely in line with a sexual script (culturally available script for recognizing and acting in social situations) defined by Kim et al., the Masculine Commitment Script (MCS) (2007). The MCS states that "men actively avoid commitment, marriage, monogamy, or taking their romantic relationships 'to the next level," which is clearly the attitude of One Direction in "Perfect". This attitude to relationships corresponds with a needier Female Commitment Script counterpart, which craves commitment and romance; "Perfect" also hints at this script with the line "if you're looking for someone to write your breakup songs about." These scripts and the relationships they implicate reinforce male-dominant power structures in relationships between men and women by allowing the man a greater degree of freedom and subordinating the woman to his will to have a relationship or not.

In watching this music video, I was struck by how harmless One Direction was portrayed to be, despite their relatively provocative lyrics. This harmless yet playful depiction reminded me of the description of the guys that the "Intrigued" preteen girls in Brown, White & Nikopoulou's study would fantasize about: "nice," "cute," "fun" and "funny" (1993) It seems as if this music video specifically avoids being as sexual as its lyrics to attract Directioners of this age group and potentially younger by depicting 1D as such.

Targeting such a young audience with a harmless video would indeed be harmless if the lyrics weren't so clearly sexual: "And if you like having secret little rendezvous, if you like to do the things you know that we shouldn’t do...baby, I'm perfect for you." The effects of sexual content like this are likely to vary between individuals, but Brown et al. found that 12-14 year olds with heavy diets of sexual content like this tend to be at greater risk of engaging in early sexual intercourse (2006). Brown et al.'s 2004 paper also found that middle-school aged girls often turn to media as a "sexual super peer," and earlier maturing girls often perceived media as giving them sexual permission. Chia & Gunther's study found that college students tend to perceive sexual media as having a great effect on people around them and males were found to the adopt casual attitudes towards sex based on this. One of the risk factors Brown et al. identified as influencing likelihood to have earlier sexual intercourse was perceived sexual permissiveness of peers. 

If adolescents treat the media as a super peer AND young people perceive their peers as being sexually permissive as a result of the sexual media, then sexually permissive media is likely to ultimately influence the attitudes of young people towards sex. Through its lyrics, "Perfect" encourages trivial sex without commitment among a young audience, who might be ill-equipped to deal with the risks and responsibilities associated with sex. Beyond this, the media encourages young girls to allow men to set the committal terms of their relationships, promoting an unhealthy and one-sided relationship power dynamic.

References

1. Brown, J. D., White, A. B., & Nikopoulou, L. (1993). Disinterest, intrigue, resistance: Early adolescent girls' use of sexual media content. In B. S. Greenberg, J. D. Brown & N. Buerkel-Rothfuss (Eds.), Media, sex and the adolescent (pp. 177-195). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
2. 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 
3. Brown, J. D., L'Engle, K. L., Pardun, C. J., Guo, G., Kenneavy, K., & Jackson, C. (2006). Sexy media matter: Exposure to sexual content in music, movies, television, and magazines predicts Black and White adolescents' sexual behavior. Pediatrics, 117(4), 1018-1027. doi: 10.1542/peds.2005-140
4. 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
5. Kim, J. L., Sorsoli, C. L., Collins, K., Zylbergold, B. A., Schooler, D., & Tolman, D. L. (2007). From sex to sexuality: Exposing the heterosexual script on primetime network television. Journal of Sex Research, 44(2), 145-157. doi: 10.1080/00224490701263660

It's never easy

            June 26^th, 2015: a powerful day for same-sex couples nationwide. On this date just a few months ago, the law officially accepted homosexuals, as gay marriage was made legal by all 50 states. The media is a huge source of information of this transformation of the gay community over the past several decades. Even though society has made huge strides in the gay community, coming out to family and friends as homosexual remains an extremely monumental and sometimes traumatic moment for many. In the article Information-Seeking Practices during the Sexual Development of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals: The Influence and Effects of Coming Out in a Mediated Environment, authors reveal that “[m]edia, particularly the Internet, may now be serving as the primary source for LGB adolescents” (Bond et al 2008). Frequently, teenagers struggling to define their sexuality look to the media for guidance. That being said, it is important that the media offers realistic depictions of this process.

             The popular show Glee does a successful job of casting homosexual characters and sharing their experiences coming out. Kurt Hummel possesses many stereotypical gay qualities; his coming out is no surprise. Kurt shares a special moment with father upon revealing his sexuality; despite the fear in Kurt’s eyes, his father’s response is “I know. I’ve known since you were three … I love you just as much.” The two hug, and viewers’ see the relief in Kurt’s eyes.

On the other hand, Santana Lopez starts dating a fellow cheerleader, which is a surprise as she has previously dated men. Santana expresses her struggle with sexuality to her grandmother, telling her that she no longer wants to keep this secret. Santana is shocked and distraught when her grandmother responds,  “everyone has secrets, Santana. They are called secrets for a reason. I want you to leave this house and I never want to see you again. Go, now!”

Santana’s experience coming out to her family is the complete opposite of Kurt’s. According to Bond et al., “These conversations can be difficult, especially if the family atmosphere is homophobic or aversive to intimate conversation” (Bond et al 2008). Santana's experience shows just that. Through these two characters, Glee reveals the drastically different experiences individuals undergo when sharing their sexuality.

            Glee does a fantastic job of representing two homosexual students who struggle to share their sexuality with their family members. No experience is exactly the same as another, but Glee shares at least two. Although the law and Supreme Court have made strides toward a more accepting community, this experience remains traumatic for many as not all individuals embrace the idea. Other television shows and media outlets should follow in Glee's footsteps in order to help those struggling with this type of situation.