This is a picture of Jessica Simpson in her pink Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys quarterback) jersey at a recent game. In case you didn't know, they are dating. This was the first time she went to one of his games and actively acknowledged their relationship.
The Cowboys lost. And here's the fascinating thing: She was immediately blamed for the loss. This photo, where she looks sort of pouty and upset, has popped up everywhere, though there are photos available where she looks happy and is cheering. Here is a Dallas Morning News column addressing the blame put on Jessica Simpson.
These two Jessica masks are available here; the idea is that fans of the teams the Cowboys are playing should take them to games to throw Romo off so the Cowboys will lose (another mask is available at RuinRomo).
This whole story of Jessica causing the Cowboys to lose was a big enough deal that yesterday, while sitting in a restaurant, I saw ESPN announce that she will not attend the upcoming Cowboys game against the New York Giants. FOX News added the story to their website. This is news! In this article, Romo insists he is focused on the game, not Jessica.
This fits in with a long line of women being seen as a threat to men's performance in male-dominated arenas (sports, the military, and police forces in particular). When I taught Sociology of Sport we discussed how in the early 1900s single women who attended baseball games would be harassed, spit at, and sometimes removed from the game by other fans who felt they were going to distract the players and make them lose. There's also the long-standing belief that men shouldn't have sex before a game. Women sap men's strength (think Sampson and Delilah in the Old Testament), and men who become romantically/sexually involved with women risk becoming weak (i.e., feminine) and failing in the masculine world.
This story might be a good addition to the pictures of pink athletic team jerseys.
Blaming Jessica Simpson: Women Sap Men's Strength
Consumption as Activism: Tampax and Always
Here is a link to a website sponsored by Tampax and Always about their work with the UN to give pads to girls in Africa, supposedly because these girls miss school each month because they don't have pads to wear.
Here is a t-shirt you can buy to support the program. It says "Use your period for good":
The t-shirt costs $21.99. Of this, $1 goes toward the program.
This brings up all kinds of issues--for instance, where does the other $20.99 go? To Tampax and Always? What do these companies stand to gain from this? Positive publicity or lifelong customer loyalty in Africa?
It could also be used as part of a discussion about consumption and activism--the idea we have now that you can just buy something if you want to fix a social problem. If you pick up any fashion magazine, there will be a page or an article in it telling readers they can change the world by buying some product--nevermind that only a tiny part of the purchase price goes to the charity.
For other examples of shopping as activism, look here, here, and here.
1965 and 1968 American Airlines Ads: Objectifying Stewardesses
The text:
"Please keep stealing our stewardesses. Within two years most of our stewardesses will leave us for other men. This isn't surprising. A girl who can smile for 5 1/2 hours is hard to find. Not to mention a wife who can remember what 124 people want for dinner. (And tell you all about meteorology and jets, if that's what you're looking for in a woman.) But these are not the things that brought on our problem. It's the kind of girl we hire. Being beautiful just isn't enough. (We don't mean it isn't important. We just mean it isn't enough.) So if there's one thing we look for, it's girls who like people. And you can't do that and then tell them not to like people too much. All you can do is put a new wing on your stewardess college to keep up with the demand."
Dorotha found this here.
NEW: Copyranter put up another vintage airline ad. This one, from 1968, positions the stewardess as your mother instead of your kidnapped bride... although she doesn't look very motherly to me:
The text reads:
Think of her as your mother.
She only wants what’s best for you.
A cool drink. A good dinner. A soft pillow and a warm blanket.
This is not just maternal instinct. It’s the result of the longest Stewardess training in the industry.
Training in service, not just a beauty course.
Service, after all, is what makes professional travelers prefer American.
And makes new travelers want to keep on flying with us.
Se we see that every passenger gets the same professional
treatment.
That’s the American Way
Fly the American Way
American Airlines
Sexism In Politics
Hecklers shout at Clinton to "iron my shirt!" at a campaign speech in New Hampshire:
See the video:
Via the Huffington Post.
Feminizing Toughness: Pink Camo
Pink camo + Dora the Explorer = cutesy toughness for little girls.
Pink camo + vinyl pants = sexy.
Special edition Hard Rock Barbie with pink camo punk-ish outfit and guitar. This could also be used as an example of the commodification of countercultures.
This print, on a girls' outfit, is called "butterfly camo." Note the spots are butterfly-shaped.
Did you know there's a website with tons of pink camo clothing?
Commodification Of Alternative Cultures
This is a nice compliment to our post of the t-shirt with pictures of safety pins on it (an example of the co-optation of grunge culture):
A fake razor blade necklace (worn by man behind the check-out counter today).
When you're so tough that you are compelled to hang a razor blade around your neck, but not so tough that you want an ouchie.
For girls too! (I am assuming.)
This one is a nice example, also, of the way in which we "play" with gender by collapsing traditionally distinct ideas (masculine toughness symbolized by the razor blade and sweet femininity symbolized by the heart) (see also sparkly camoflauge, trucker hats with the word "princess" written across them, and pink sports jerseys [anyone want to track down some pics?]).
Buy the fake razor blade jewelry here and here (or don't).
Equal Opportunity Gun Ownership
Anti-gun control propaganda (found here) aimed at EVERYBODY.
What you might expect from the pro-gun lobby:
For kids!
Pro-gun feminism?
Guns are for fags:
Gun control is racist:
Also see this post.
Fonts And Power
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.
Modest Clothing Websites (All for Women)
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?
Iowa Voter Breakdown
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.
Jewess Jeans Sketch from SNL
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.
High Heels And The Body
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!
The Ideal Man
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!
Posters Opposed To The Criminalization Of Prostitution
These posters were made by Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics (COYOTE), an association for sex workers' rights.
Hello Kitty, Buy Buy Boys & Naughty Girls
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!
And, for girls and women who would rather be bad than good, a winking Kitty who's pulling up her skirt.
Happy New Year Sociological Images!
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.
