Women Athlete Stereotypes

The American Prospect wrote an article about Women Olympians and the stereotypes they still go through today. I used to be a female athlete so this article really hit home with me.

Usual attire for Karrie Walsh

Since the 1900's Women have been competing in the Olympics, but usually in a negative demoting stereotype claiming they need to be more feminine in both appearances and grace. This sexist view has brought many female athletes to their knees suffering, sometimes ruining their career altogether. Eating disorders become common. The female athletes that get the most coverage during the Olympics are usually Women's Gymnastics, Figure Skating, and Women's Beach Volleyball... ironically the three sports that require the least amount of clothing, aside from Women's Swimming. Figure Skating along with Women's Gymnastics is common for known as the "beauty sports". Make up is a requirement, and sweat isn't as apparent as other female sports. These sports produce a pre-pubescent connotation, which usually leads to eating disorders. Eating disorders are the end of an athletes career, depending on the severity. Jenny Kirk, a ice skater had her career end after an eating disorder.

New Attire allowed by Olympic Committee Karrie Walsh

The attire required by Women's Beach Volleyball is a favorite by many men. The women wear tight fitting bikinis, a common publicity requirement to capture more viewers. However, this Olympic season, the women's volleyball team had the option of wearing more clothes than usually required. This brought modesty back to just drawing attention onto the actual athleticism these female athletes obtain.

This was the usual swimsuit required by
our team to swim in (Me)

In high school, I was a four year varsity female swimmer. The way that the high school jocks looked at us were "wow your sport is really tough, but you aren't as pretty as the cheerleaders". This brought frustration to a lot of my teammates and we felt like we were being undermined for our talents. This also occurred in the Olympics this year. An Australian swimmer, Leslie Jones, was compared to Michael Phelps (the most decorated medalist ever) for being 30 pounds lighter, weighing in at 150 pounds. The press made a big deal about this, hurting Jone's attitude, but she brushed it off and kept competing throughout the Olympics.

The world to this day still believes women should only be wearing heels while cooking dinner and cleaning the house. It disgusts me that the media makes female Olympians feel like they aren't feminine enough even though they are the top athletes of their sport in the World. Looking around as a former female athlete in college, it disgusts me how women still view this. Being in a sorority, I feel like the only female colligate team recognized by my TCU peers are TCU Cheerleading and TCU Show Girls. The women who break through these stereotypes should be recognized for keeping a strong head on their shoulder because honestly, if I was still swimming, I don't think I would be able to be mentally tough enough to make it through college as a female athlete for an unrecognized sport.

To read more of the article see links below:

http://prospect.org/article/olympic-girls-go-bad-boy

https://kractivist.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/athletes-dont-wear-heels-women-at-olympics-are-shaking-off-pressure-to-be-feminine/

Women in the Business World of Fashion

Women represented in the business world is on a steady climb resulting in many CEO's and department directors, while women in the Fashion industry is most dominate. Put them together and you have Tory Burch, a luxury lifestyle women's sports-wear designer also built her global company from the grounds up in just seven short years. Burch is not only the designer, but also the creative director and chief executive officer of her Tory Burch company. “I’m lucky that I can be the designer and the CEO,” she said. “It allows me to be creative, but also look at business in a creative way. It’s a lot of different things coming at me, every minute, every day,” she said. 

Tory Burch with one of her ionic orange
doors behind her located at one
of her many stores

Burch didn't get to her own company right out of college. In fact, the Pennsylvania girl moved to New York City right after graduation to work with designer Zoran. She then later did PR and advertising for Ralph Lauren Vera Wang and Loewe. 

She got the experience and time needed to best understand the industry and then decided to create her own line. Many of her family and friends did not believe that creating a clothing line would be very do-able. But, Burch proved everyone wrong with having massive expansion and sell out rates all across the world. She has  had 25 stores opening in 2012 alone, and continues to bring in many women customers across the globe. 

Burch is really involved in social media because she wants to get the Tory Burch name out there while also listening to what customers want in return. She began a Twitter page but thought it was too promotional so she began running the Twitter page just about herself rather than the company. I know I follow her! 

Burch's next priority is integrating social media with commerce. She wants to be able to improve the website because she believes it is going to be the most important business aspect in the future. 

This PR and advertising women is putting her own spin into the business world, developing a lucrative business that is still expanding today. A woman in the power seat with a helpful husband by her side, in some killer clothes. Looks like Burch is proving all of the stereotypes wrong with being a wife, business woman, fashion designer, and  a mother of six. Burch has created a name for herself and as an inspiration to business women in the future.

Link to article: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2012/09/first-person-tory-burch-says-work-hard-think-long-term-and-be-patient.html

Fashion Designers' Constant Struggle for Equality

I have a love for Fashion, which many people have a love for photography or for cooking. I could spend 24 hours a day, seven days a week searching the web for style ideas and for ways to make my personal style change. Of course, being a full-time student, and juggling multiple extra-curricular activities, I don't have the time or bank account to be able to get all of my school work done and shop for all these new styles I want to incorporate into my wardrobe. I find myself re-pinning hundreds of things on Pintrest and living my life through my computer, ironically, while I walk around wearing an oversized sorority t-shirt, the ionic nike shorts, and tennis shoes, usually with my hair pulled back in a pony tail. But that is a style that the TCU world has caught onto and grasped, in which we all begin to conform and copy one another. 

In class on Monday, September 10th, we began talking about the social inequality Latinos believe are represented in the media. They believe they are not being heard and their news is being short-sold in the spot-light. Unfortunately, the Fashion Industry is having the same thing happen to some of the world-renowned fashion designers like Louis Vution, Marc Jacobs, Christian Lousboutin, and so many more. Their ionic styles get overshadowed by inexpensive versions. But, the constant struggle for trademark is ending now along with the Latinos struggle in the media. Fashion designers and corporations are winning lawsuits against competitors and copiers, while Latinos are voicing their thoughts in the public media, creating their own news sights. 

One of the largest trademarks occurring today is the famous Christian Louboutin has the ionic red sole for all of his shoe designs. The Business of Fashion quotes: “French shoe designer Christian Louboutin has won the right to trademark protection of his distinctive red soles in a US federal appeals court in the latest chapter of a bitter legal battle with rival luxury house Yves Saint Laurent.” 

Also, Lululemon is starting a lawsuit with Calvin Klein for allegedly stealing the ionic "Astro Pant" from their collection. "The yoga retail alleged that Calvin Klein violated patents of the unusual waistband and design of the pants", reports the Financial Post.

Involving both Fashion and Media, Rafael Cennamo, pursued his dream in High Fashion clothing designs that eventually led to him developing Bridal Gowns that famous A-Listers have worn. He just showed his Spring/Summer '13 collection at the Mercedes Benz Fashion week, this past week. He is an inspiration to Latino designers to get their fashions out to the fashion industry in hopes of grasping onto the media. Multiple Fashion news sights picked up Cennamo as one of the "Up and coming designers" of 2013. 

Christian Lousboutin and his ionic red soled shoes

http://www.businessoffashion.com/2012/09/bof-daily-digest-louboutin-wins-made-in-paris-lululemon-lawsuit-new-fashion-order-duckie-brown.html

http://www.theupcoming.co.uk/2012/09/12/nyfw-rafael-cennamo-ss-2013-collection/

The "Lipstick Effect" and Women's Stereotypes

I was reading this article by Sadie Whitelocks titled "Lipstick Effect", which depicts the stereotype that the media is giving women that they are more concerned about their looks and their social values. Julie Nelson, a leading economist says that this theory is completely sexist and I agree 100 percent. This news article is talking more about the economies behind "looking pretty" including wearing lipstick, but this hits into a deeper meaning. In college especially, "being pretty" seems to be the only thing that matters when concerning certain things. Especially when 48 percent of TCU is involved with a Greek Organization.

I am a sophomore and being on the other side of recruitment, I found that a lot of my pledge class was more concerned if the girl was "pretty" rather than if she was smart, involved, or a leader. I believe a lot of college life and high school life as well is focused on looks rather than being the president of an organization or in the math club. Currently, I feel like I'm trapped by women thinking the only way they will be noticed is by the make-up and clothes that they wear. When really what matters is what you are doing beyond the make-up and clothes, as in giving back to the community, or mentoring a group of peers.

Also make-up IS endlessly expensive! I constantly find my mascara drying out and my eyeliner running out. Makeup is a HUGE expense which doesn't allow for any flexibility. The top name brands such as M.A.C. and Bobbi Brown are extremely expensive and can clean out your wallet. I was never a girl who wore a lot of make-up so it is hard for me to spend that much money on make-up. Again, this goes back to my generation being dependent on makeup.

The world needs to stop with the endless stereotypes directed towards women and start looking at the women who are leaders such as Michelle Obama and Hilary Clinton.

Courtesy of: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2198116

Article Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2198116/Lipstick-Effect-claims-women-spend-cosmetics-hard-times-sexist-untrue-says-economist.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Scheiffer to Shine

Everyone in the Schieffer School of Communication at TCU knows he is THE MAN in the communication world, especially to us Frogs. But now, this fellow Horned Frog is going to be shinning about the media-blitz of the 2012 Presidential Election. A recent article posted on The New York Times website (link below) highlights that Mr. Schieffer will indeed be a moderator for two of the presidential debates to come. Hopefully he wears a purple tie during the debates.

Hysterics broke out due to personas believing that the moderators are too "mainstream" and aren't going to be able to challenge the presidential candidates well enough. The fact that Candy Crowley (CNN) wasn't even recognized for being the first female presidential debate moderator in 20 years completely is mind-boggling. The moderators would not have been selected if they hadn't deserved the acknowledgement of being an achieving journalist and spokesperson.

I guess I should be referring to Mr. Schieffer's nickname in the field... "Schieff" has been the favorable moderator from the beginning of deciding who the moderators would most likely be. I am excited to watch the debate Mr. Schieffer will be moderating especially since I never have really watched a presidential debate before. With TCU being on of my biggest passions in life it is amazing to be able to match a face and a name to the horned frog symbol.

These are the people that inspire me as a horned frog to achieve my dreams. These role models allow current students to shoot high for the stars in all of the classes they take in order to say "yes I attained my goal." I think that is what I enjoy most about TCU. Professors, peers, and faculty all want to see you as a person, not a student, succeed in life no matter what your GPA or involvement in extra curricular activities entail. I wonder if Mr. Schieffer ever thought that he was going to be interviewing the presidential candidates and helping them run a successful debate. It fascinates me that he too was studying the same skill sets I am trying to obtain in my courses now when he was a sophomore at Texas Christian University.

I have two words for y'all:

GO FROGS

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/18/us/criticism-greets-list-of-debate-moderators.html

Introduction to the Media

With all of the new media assignments I have been given throughout the first week of syllabus week, it feels like I'm going to be living my life through the computer. From monitoring a twitter account, to posting on blogs, i feel like it is time to start putting my social butterfly skills to the test and informing everyone of my whereabouts. I feel like I'm going to become a celebrity... all joking aside, I am ready to let me creativity juices flow and to start encompassing some of my passions into my writings. Each blog post will be my passions from a PR perspective, twisting it into my own little news flow of ideas. Welcome to my blog, and enjoy!


MMMK

Race Gender and Mass Media

Hello all!

This blog is for one of the classes I am taking this fall. Look forward to some great ideas and opinions.

mmmk