6) Is Japan saying Men ≠ Women? はい、そですね。

Have you ever seen the show on ABC called Wipeout? It was absolutely inspired by the extremely entertaining and dangerous phenomenon known as Japanese game shows. They usually consist of eager contestants making their ways across ridiculous obstacle courses. The G4 channel broadcasts one such show called Ninja Warrior (known in Japan as SASUKE). Every year, one hundred people gather at Mt. Midoriyama to compete in a single-elimination challenge over four grueling stages, testing strength and stamina. The contenders climb walls, swing across gaps, and shimmy along ledges among other things. Because of the demanding physical nature, a majority of the participants are buff men. Women are allowed to participate but very few actually have.

There is also a spinoff of the show called Women of Ninja Warrior (known in Japan as KUNOICHI). As the title implies, only woman are allowed to compete. With such a gender restriction, the makers of the show decided to use the obstacles to test balance and speed. The difference in gender is acknowledged. The shows cater to the apparent strengths of each gender. While I’m sure some men could do the female challenges, they are most likely more suited for those in the original Ninja Warrior.

Maybe this shows that Asia (or at least Japan) has made a pretty clear distinction between what men and women are better at. This discrepancy is evident in America. We tend to claim the genders are equal. However, just look at a high school gym class. Men are expected to run a mile in about eight minutes while women are given ten to eleven minutes. On the other hand, women are expected to be more flexible than men. Is the modern idea of “gender equality” just a ruse for political correctness while the differential treatment of the sexes still exists and will continue to? Japan seems to have made their peace with the idea; maybe it's time America does the same.

Ninja Warrior AKA Strength and Stamina

Women of Ninja Warrior AKA Balance and Speed

5) In hot pursuit of... a woman?

Last week, I saw the beginning of the celebrity gossip/ news show, Chelsea Lately. The host started off with a bit, spoofing an apparent news story in which a woman stole a U-Haul van and was driving madly down the highway. It was really funny, but one line stood out to me. The woman narrating the action, presumably a news correspondent, said, “It is so unusual to see a female in a pursuit like this.”

Let’s take a minute and think about what she just said. Is she implying that it is “normal” to have a male in a high speed pursuit? Probably not. So what is so different about men and women when they get behind the steering wheel? I don’t really know. What I do know, however, is that there are plenty of stereotypes involving women, men, and driving.

As I pulled into the Best Buy parking lot the other day, I noticed a bumper sticker on a car saying, “You’ve just been passed by a woman.” I didn’t really understand the point of it at first. But thinking back on it, there’s definitely a stereotype that woman are worse drivers than men. I would’ve never come to that conclusion since I think most people in general are pretty poor at driving. This bumper sticker would lead you to believe, though, that there is some sort of shame involved with being passed by a woman on the highway, if you are a man. Do some men really take driving so seriously, that it is like a competition? And is it especially disgraceful that a woman “beat” you in driving? Just the fact that such a bumper sticker exists would mean the answer is yes. I guess men are still just the alpha-males we’ve always known them to be, while women are still the inferior gender. As silly as it is for the sticker to have any bearing on real life, it’s a bit ironic that a woman would put it on her car. It is basically like surrendering to the stereotype and just perpetuating it.


Chelsea Lately clip (Warning! Some PG-13ish language)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JylyfoELo0

4) What in tarnation are them dern kids watchin' these days?!

Living at home with a younger sister, I’m definitely exposed to more than my fill of Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon. But after sorting through all the high-pitched voices, petty teen drama, and horrible over-acting, I saw that even television shows aimed toward children are laden with ideas of what is feminine and masculine.


Total Drama Island is a cartoon series mocking reality TV shows. Contestants do challenges each week in the hope of attaining the grand prize. The first thing you notice in this show is the exaggerated appearance of the characters. ALL the women, despite their weights, have enormous breasts and hips. Plus, about 3 or 4 of the women are scantily clad, wearing only booty shorts and a skimpy top. Most of the men also have extremely chiseled looks, with defined chins and large upper body muscles. I’ve never sat through an episode, but I’m sure the dialogue is just as irritatingly stilted (which Cartoon Network rates TV-PG for being “mildly flirtatious”).


Drake and Josh is one of Nickelodeon’s staples. It is a live-action series about two boys who become stepbrothers and the hilarity that ensues. As much as I actually enjoy this one, it is pretty awful if looked at from a feminist standpoint. Drake is basically, a man whore. The only thing he cares about is women. He is often found randomly making out with a girl he’s met just minutes before. It is made worse by the fact that the women do not protest. They are completely satisfied with being made Drake’s object. Why? Because he’s so hot and such a good kisser! Whenever the noticeably “uncooler” brother, Josh, says anything contrary to Drake, he is immediately shut down. What kind of message is this sending to impressionable young girls AND boys?


iCarly is a series about a girl and her friends with a popular internet web-show. As much as Drake and Josh shows single-minded men, iCarly shows that girls are just shallow. For instance, in one episode, the main character has a crush on an older guy who is a musician. Carly invites him onto her show to sing live. When she finds out he is a terrible singer, she does not find him attractive anymore. Fortunately, her geeky tech friend alters the singing voice, saving her show (phew, I was worried there for a second). Carly’s older brother and guardian (in his late-20’s probably) also shows some shallow qualities. He usually plays the quirky funny character, but occasionally he’ll slip into slimeball mode. A girl scout needs to sell more cookies and Spencer immediately helps out because the mom is “hot.” Carly even asks why he’s helping a little girl. He says bluntly, “Hot mom,” and Carly just accepts it as normal. Personally, I found it kind of creepy.


From what I’ve seen on children’s television, it’s a miracle we come out with any sense of morality (not that “adult shows” promote anything better). If girls learn to be feminine from their favorite shows, they gather that showing skin and wearing cool clothes get the guys’ attention. Boys learn that masculinity is about treating women as something less than them, and both genders will assume appearances mean everything. These channels are subconsciously influencing kid’s brains right from the beginning. The big corporations ought to put their influence on children’s minds to better use. Right now, they’re really encouraging them act in ways that are not appropriate for their age. I find the predominant depictions of teens as loose, suggestive, and morally deficit to be pretty disconcerting. This repeated portrayal of provocative themes may be contributing to skewed sexual attitudes among America's youth.

3) Dance like a boy. Now a girl. Oh wait, no homo!

So last week I watched an episode of America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC, for short). The theme of the night was Brittany Spears. Each “crew” had to adapt certain dance moves and moments from her popular music videos into their own respective dance routines. I’m going to focus on the dances of three crews which best exemplified ideas of masculinity or femininity.


The first group, Beat Freaks, was an all-girl group. They breakdance and do other dancing which is usually attributed to males. For the challenge, six of the girls dressed in suits, as “men,” while the other one dressed as Brittany herself. While in the suits, they were quite convincing as males; the female judge Lil Mama even commented, “When you were dancing as men, I felt like I was watching men.” Half way through the dance, the suited ladies stripped off their jackets, transforming to women. The one who was Brittany, however, was feminine the entire time. She had a seductive glare and a walk that exaggerated hip movement. Before the dance, the girls had expressed their reservations about being too sexy. But their dance showed that a female group can dance manly or womanly (or at least what is socially accepted as manly or womanly).

The second group to perform was an all-male team called Strikers All Stars. They pumped their fists and flexed their muscles throughout the routine. To accentuate this, they wore sleeveless shirts (that my sister described as “Chippendale-y”). So this group, as men, capitalized on their masculinity. Judge JC Chassez even said, “You’re playing to your attributes… And it works. You’re letting [the audience] know that you’re powerful.”

Another all-male group, Quest Crew, took the dancing in a different direction. One member said beforehand, “The dancing will be a lot less masculine than we’re used to. Hopefully, it will give America a side of us they haven’t seen before.” About half of the routine was danced with what Shane Sparks (a famous hip-hop choreographer) called a “feminine vibe,” as an homage to Brittany. He claimed they aced that section, but he felt the need to justify himself, by saying “no homo.” He must have felt that complimenting another male in any way, somehow compromised his own masculinity. Lil Mama obviously didn’t feel this way as she praised the female Beat Freaks without hesitation.

So basically in one episode of ABDC, you’ll see that there are many feminine and masculine ideals abound. You’ve both genders dancing in ways that they perceive as feminine or masculine. We also saw that due to social norms, males cannot (or don’t) express themselves as freely about other men, as women do about other women. In addition, it seems that most of the other co-ed groups dance in a more androgynous manner. There’s not really the feminine or masculine exaggeration as seen in the single gender groups. It’s strange to think that an activity can be so gender-exclusive. Can other activities like sports or playing instruments be done in such a way that others would be able to identify it as masculine or feminine? How about eating or reading? I know those last two sound ridiculous, but where do we draw the line? These are the questions that haunt me… Just kidding, but seriously...

PS: You can watch this specific episode (#3) on:
http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/dance_crew/videos-full-episodes.jhtml