This is a really interesting comparative analysis of the Kerry and Bush logos from the most recent presidential election. Notice how gender and class operate in the design and analysis.
Richard also pointed me to this slide show, also from the New York Times, commenting on logos for the candidates in the current primaries.
Funky Frum: Aimed at conservative Jews
Marabo: For Muslim women
Modest by Design: Formal wear; tagline is "Clothing your father would approve of."
Shade: Aimed at Mormons
These could be useful in all kinds of ways--for instance, is it necessarily oppressive to dress "modestly"? Is there a difference in the tone of these websites (i.e., providing choice vs. "clothing your father would approve of")? Do we view the website aimed at Muslim women differently than the others?
Click here for a breakdown of who voted for who in the Iowa Caucus by all sorts of variables. And don't miss this excellent analysis of the numbers by sociologist Virginia Rutter.
Might be good for discussing the idea of Jewish women as spoiled and obsessed with consumption and money. Gilda Radner created the sketch in 1980.
Details about the ways that high heels hurt your feet and legs:
Here is an article trying to argue that wearing high heels boosts your sex life because it strengthens your pelvic floor muscles. For some reason, however, they don't suggest that men should start wearing them!
This nice Barbie and Ken from 1961 might be useful for demonstrating just how much the ideal masculine body has changed.
Look at those skinny legs!
These posters were made by Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics (COYOTE), an association for sex workers' rights.
In an effort to expand the Hello Kitty brand, Japan's Sanrio Co. has come out with a line of products for boys and men. Gone is the ubiquitous pink and Hello Kitty's face!
This graph is a measure of our readership in the five months since our launch:
And happy new year to everyone who is helping make this blog a success! We hope you have as much fun reading as we do posting.
Check out this dedicated youtube channel that includes (as of today) 193 clips of young women trashing ads. It's super fun and an excellent opportunity to add voices of young people to your course. Instead of just analyzing ads yourself or asking your students to do it, you can use some of this clips. If you happen to have a less than diverse classroom, it might be especially useful to use the clips that are by people from those underrepresented groups.
Here is an introduction:
And for all of the clips, visit the 3iying website.
Here are some divorce stats that call into question the Army Strong ads which trumpet the Army's support of military families.
This is a nice, simple cartoon that illustrates the way in which our preconceived notions shape what we perceive and remember:
These "Army Strong" commercials would be a great way to start a class discussion about how the military relies on a certain kind of homefront support during war time.
Some discussion question ideas-- Why would the military need support from the homefront? Why make commercials like these that appeal to military families? Why target the parents of soldiers in commercials? What do these commercials say about the role families play during war? What kind of ideas about gender relations are mobilized in these commercials (mothers, wives, husbands, fathers etc.) and why? What do the families look like-- when is "diversity" displayed? Why are ideas about "sacrifice," "protection," and becoming "confident" and "strength" conveyed?
A friend of mine, Jason Schultz, took this picture of this sign being sold in a toy store:
Jason suggested that it re-affirmed the notion that men and women are inherently at odds in a zero sum game.
It is certainly androcentric in that it suggests that, in this case, girls should be proud of what they do insofar as they do what men have "traditionally" done.
And, to tie these two thoughts together, that girls should be proud when they take away what is "traditionally" men's.
What do we really think about "girl power"?
This week there were two postcards on PostSecret, a blog that posts people's secrets anonymously, about sexuality and race.
Visit our newest fans!
Global Sociology, Primitive Culture, and the General Blog of Crime.
And Jeremy on the Agricultural Biodiversity Blog gave us a much-appreciated thumbs-up (here).
Thanks for the links everyone! We sure do appreciate the support!
Hip Hop Activist Danny Hoch discusses why he walked away from a bit part on Seinfeld.
