Karimi 1 Big Picture Blog Post First Draft College .docx

Karimi 1
Big Picture Blog Post First Draft
College Girls in Media
Sogand Karimi
Media and Hollywood movies have affected and influenced soci
ety’s perception on
female college students. Due to Hollywood movies and media, s
ociety mostly recognizes the
negative stereotypes of a college women. Saran Donahoo, an ass
ociate professor and education
administration of Southern Illinois University, once said, “The
messages in these films
consistently emphasized college as a place where young women
come to have fun, engage in
romances with young men, experiment with sex and alcohol, fac
e dilemmas regarding body
image, and encounter difficulties in associating with other colle
ge women.” In this essay I will
be talking about the recurring stereotypes and themes portrayed
in three hollywood movies,
Spring Breakers, The house bunny and Legally Blond
and how these stereotypes affect our
society.
The movie Spring Breakers
is about four college girls who are bored with their daily
routines and want to escape on a spring break vacation to Florid

a. After realizing they don’t have
enough money, they rub a local diner with fake guns and ski ma
sks. They break the laws in order
to get down to Florida, just to break more rules and laws once t
hey’re there. During the film, you
will notice a lot of partying, drugs and sexual activity. The four
girls wear bikinis for majority of
the film
and are overly sexual. These are some common themes and ster
eotypes seen in all three
movies. Media and movies like spring breakers have made it a n
orm to constantly want to party,
get drunk and have sex as a college woman. In an article by Hea
ther Long, she mentions how the
movie can even be seen as supporting rape culture. She believes
because of these stereotypes
always being shown in media, it is contributing to the “girls ask
ing for it” excuse when it comes
to rape cases with young girls. Long also said “...
never mind the fact that thousands of college
students are spending their spring break not on a beach, but
volunteering with groups like Habitat
for Humanity and the United Way
, especially after Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.” THIS shows
how media only displays one side of a certain group or story. Ev
en though not all college girls
like to party and lay on a beach naked for spring break, that’s w
hat media likes to portray. Not
only does this give the wrong message to our society but it influ
ences bigger issues like rape, as
the author mentioned.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/10/alternative-spring-
break_n_494028.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/10/alternative-spring-
break_n_494028.html
Karimi 2
The movie House bunny. The House bunny
is a movie about an ex playmate or girlfriend
if Hugh Hefner that gets kicked out of the Playboy Mansion due
to her aging. She then becomes
a mother of an unpopular sorority with girls that are bit geeky, a
nd unusual compared to other
girls on campus. The story goes on to the ex playmate helping t
he girls fitting in and achieving
popularity. Not only does this movie give the message that girls
must be a certain way to be
accepted as the norm sorority girl but also being yourself is not
good enough. In order for the
girls to fit in, they had to become a lot more sexual, dress more
provocative and act a certain
way. This was a common theme in all three movies. All the film
s stressed the importance of
beauty, especially through body weight. This also gives the
message of girls only being worth
their bodies and being portrayed as objects. Instead of showing t
he importance of being
accepting of who you are what you look like, movies like the
House Bunny show the opposite.
A
nother recurring theme was how little the movies displayed the
academic aspect of being a
college student. Throughout the movies, you rarely see the girls

doing anything academic related.
The author of the article
What’s With The Media’s Representation of Sororities? said
college
girls must “meet the school’s GPA standards that set them abov
e academic probation, sorority
women strive for academic excellence well beyond their univers
ity’s Greek life GPA
requirements, not to mention their individual house’s required G
PA.” This shows how media
doesn’t show all aspects of what it’s like to be a female college
student and there are huge
differences in what the media shows compared to what is reality
. They portray college girls
mostly focusing on their appearance and looks opposed to their
future and studies.
Karimi 3
The third movie, Legally Blond
is about a sorority girl who gets dumped by her Harvard
boyfriend due to not being “serious” enough. In order to get her
boyfriend back, she applies to
Harvard through a video and works towards getting a law degree
. This connects to the stereotype
that girls just go to college to find a man. In all three movies, th
e plots focus heavily on romance.
They display the message that women value a relationship more
than their academic futures.
Legally Blonde

begins with scenes of Elle, (the main character) preparing for a
marriage
proposal from her college boyfriend and ends with a scene of a
marriage proposal from a new
boyfriend she meets at law school.
Saran Donahoo mentions in her article how “While
completing a college degree is a good way to broaden career an
d economic opportunities for
women, media images continue to emphasize college as a place
to earn the the ‘Mrs. Degree’ by
fuiling desires
and directing individuals to fulfill traditional gender roles.”
Besides the
stereotypes of college women being partiers and wild, there is a
bigger stereotype of women just
going to college to find a husband. This teaches girls in society
that finding a man is more
important than having your own career. Also girls might not fee
l secure with themselves when
they are not in some sort of relationship due to media making it
seem so important.
Karimi 4
Overall, all three movies focus on college girls being wild, parti
es who are just trying to
find a man. Media images of college life of girls generally focus
es on the social rather than the
academic side of higher education. For example parties, drinkin
g, greek life, sexual activity, and
romantic relationships are common scenes portrayed in the movi

es. Due to movies just
displaying the stereotypes of female college students,
affects societies perspectives on how
college girls must be. These movies also affect bigger issues lik
e rape and how girls see
themselves.
In reality, not all college girls are in sororities and the ones that
are, have to do so
much more than just partying and keeping up with their appeara
nce. It is important to know that
movies and media don’t show all aspects of what it means to be
a female college student and not
every girl must live up to these expectations.
Learning Moments:
One main thing I learned during this course is how media only s
hows you what you want
to see and how much it influences us. For example we exposed t
o so many advertisements that
sometimes we can’t tell the difference between what is being pr
omoted and what is content.
Celebrities could be wearing a specific brand, and we wouldn’t
know if they actually like that
brand and chose to wear or if they are being payed to promote it
. I also didn’t notice before how
much advertisements have effect are culture negatively. In Ame
rica, we are known to really
value beauty and I think advertisements are a huge reason for th
at. Ads tell women how they
look is the most important thing, and surround us with the imag
e of ideal beauty. This causes
people to become insecure with themselves and not appreciate t
heir own beauty.
Another main lesson I have learned is how media does not alwa

ys tell us the full story but
only what they want us to know. Recently we had to do an activi
ty where we had to find a news
article and evaluate how newsworthy it was. After doing some r
esearch I realized that a lot of
stories we hear about aren’t always important. Many authors wri
te and exaggerate things to make
it seem important and newsworthy but don’t have the right inten
tions. A lot of stories are also
very bias and don’t give you all the sides and information. I no
w realize that I must evaluate and
question the stories I see and hear and not believe everything ri
ght away.
Lim
1
Markus
Lim
Pop
Culture
15
November

2015
The
Visual
Story
Teller
As
we
examine
the
filmmakers,
and
storytellers
of
this
new
generation
I
cant
stop
but
think
about
the
plethora
on
connotations
and
implications

the
filmmaker
is
given.
While
we
search
across
popular
culture
their
seems
to
be
only
extremes.
At
one
side
of
the
spectrum
we
see
a
starving
artist
with
no
support
from
the

out
side
communities,
and
on
the
other
end
we
see
multi
million
dollar
Hollywood
productions.
In
this
day
and
age
the
filmmaker
has
all
of
the
support
or
none
of
it.

Where
are
the
lines
that
define
the
hobbyist
and
the
professionals?
Is
anyone
who
picks
up
a
camera
a
filmmaker
or
is
there
a
difference?
These
questions
made
me
ask
myself

why
film
is
a
premeditated
act,
as
well
as
a
spontaneous
gathering
of
footage.
Through
my
research
I
found
different
perspectives
on
the
film
industry,
across
movies
like
J.J.
Abram’s
Super
8,

and
Ben
Affleck’s
Argo.
These
movies
support
the
spectrum
of
filmmaking,
with
relevance
to
filmmakers
in
Hollywood,
across
the
nation,
and
the
no-‐budget
indie
side.
Two
legendary
filmmakers
J.J.

Abrams
and
Steven
Spielberg
create
the
film
Super
8,
both
filmmakers
from
a
very
young
age.
Spielberg’s
previous
work
shows
a
pattern
of
nostalgic
period
pieces.
These
past
time
values
are
reflected

in
their
hopeful
rendition
for
hope
in
the
next
generations.
In
addition
Abram’s
has
done
interviews
explaining
his
childhood
shooting
little
Super
8
(camera)
films
with
his
friends.
The
joy

and
passions
he
had
as
a
child
most
likely
transition
into
the
film.
Lim
2
However,
I
have
trouble
viewing
the
film
without
a
bias.
Different
demographics

without
a
child
hood
with
a
video
camera
may
interpret
the
film
from
the
perspective
of
the
Sherriff
dad,
understanding
the
art,
but
not
the
sacrifice
the
kids
to
finish
their

film.
Regardless
I
think
the
nostalgia
of
the
kids
can
be
reflected
in
many
eyes.
These
portrayals
make
me
hopeful
for
the
young
filmmaker;
Super
8
gives
the
young
filmmaker
an
example

of
their
art
can
be
completed
if
they
don’t
give
up.
The
obstacles
the
kids
face
feel
realistic
and
possibilities
for
anyone
in
the
given
situation.
I
feel
comfortable
standing
by
the

movie
as
a
portrayal
of
continuing
to
film
even
when
everyone
tells
you
not
to.
The
Interview
is
hosted
by
a
very
reputable
organization
and
they
ask
J.J
Abrams
questions

about
his
filmmaking
process
and
certain
inspirations
behind
blockbuster
films.
Later
in
the
interview
Abram’s
provides
advice
to
new
filmmakers
and
explains
the
difference
between
making
films
before
and
now.

An
Interview
by
the
British
Academy
of
Film
and
Television
was
exceptionally
helpful
to
understand
the
choices
Abrams
made
while
creating
the
film
Super
8.
Abram’s
talks
about
his
childhood

making
film
on
Super
8
cameras
just
like
these
young
filmmakers.
But,
now
his
advice
is
to
make
your
films
because
the
ability
is
far
more
accessible
compared
to
his
time.

This
shows
a
shift
in
societies
perspective
of
filmmakers,
previously
the
ability
to
make
film
wasn’t
readily
available
and
it
supports
the
magnitude
of
the
children’s
capability
to
make
the
film;

this
can
be
compared
to
the
current
perspective
of
young
filmmaker.
Lim
3
Argo
is
a
film
that
is
a
depiction
of

filmmakers
in
another
light,
which
I
do
not
relate
to.
Based
on
a
true
story,
Argo
depicts
a
team
of
CIA
agents
disguising
themselves
as
filmmakers
traveling
to
safe
hostages
in
another

country.
However,
this
is
an
example
of
a
film
that
has
all
of
the
support.
There
are
allies
in
the
government
of
multiple
countries,
and
more
money
than
I’d
know
what
to

do
with.
The
film
plays
with
power
and
influence
of
the
film
industry
and
has
a
fairly
strong
bias
because
the
American
CIA,
filmmakers,
and
citizens
are
portrayed
in
a
positive,

savior
light;
the
foreign
countries
are
depicted
in
an
extremely
negative
and
hostile
light.
Everyone
on
the
opposite
boarder
to
the
U.S
is
depicted
as
enemies,
while
the
American
agents
are

the
saviors,
kidnapping
and
hostage
and
bringing
him
home.
This
can
be
seen
as
propaganda
for
patriotism,
marketed
as
a
movie
ticket
to
support
the
America
hero.
The
audience
can
draw
the

conclusion
that
America
is
a
super
power,
and
if
you
want
to
support
your
countries
accomplishments
you
should
watch
the
movie.
The
film
was
also
marketed
as
a
true
story
so
audiences

could
feel
like
they
are
learning
about
America’s
past.
However,
this
can
be
dangerous
if
audience
members
walking
away
thinking
they
know
the
facts
of
the
event.

“The
Filmmaker
as
Historians”
article
is
about
filmmakers
as
historians.
The
article
makes
solid
points
about
film
being
a
reflection
of
conscious
and
unconscious
values
of
the
audience.
The
thesis
of
the

article
is
to
uncover
whether
or
not
film
has
impacts
to
public
opinion
from
the
past
decade
(1988).
The
devils
advocate
of
the
article
is
the
validity
of
media
holding
any
grounds

for
history,
based
on
the
assumption
of
compromised
and
stretched
facts.
This
article
holds
many
key
Lim
4
ingredients
to
uncovering
the
validly
of
filmmakers
in

society,
providing
significant
support
for
my
Argo
artifact.
The
Argo
artifact
focuses
on
the
power
of
the
film
industry
and
society,
looking
at
film
a
persuasive
industry
throughout
the
world.
I’d

like
to
use
it
as
an
example
of
how
filmmakers
have
the
ability
to
manipulate
the
facts,
and
it’s
implications
in
society.
Looking
at
how
film
affects
its
audience
helps
me

understand
my
path
and
content
as
a
medium
of
reflection.
Throughout
the
course
we
looked
at
many
ways
the
media
persuaded
us
manipulated
our
perspectives
and
I
think
that
was
the

most
influential
lesson
because
it’s
always
interesting
when
something
is
hidden
right
in
front
of
your
face;
once
you
see
it,
you
can
never
un
see
it.
In
addition,
I
thought
another

lesson
was
when
we
looked
at
how
the
media
only
really
shows
us
what
they
want
us
to
see,
and
how
we
have
to
pay
attention
and
analyze
for
the
entire
story

from
both
sides.
The
news
worthy
information
was
an
interesting
tool
we
learned
while
analyzing
articles
because
of
how
often
the
news
gets
cluttered
with
well
presented
filler
news.

Karimi 1 Big Picture Blog Post First Draft College .docx

Karimi 1 Big Picture Blog Post First Draft College .docx

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