Information from the Internet and my outline

Popular culture is the term for artistic expressions of the people, at least half of whom are women.

Women’s representation in popular culture facilitates the stereotype of the simple-minded, emotional, and domesticated female.

women were merely considered as properties

For most of their existence, comic books audiences have been assumed to be mostly male. It has been debated whether the perceived lack of female readership was due to male writers being uncomfortable with writing about or for women, or whether the comic book industry is male dominated due to actual lack of women's interest in comics.

For instance, look at Kay Jewelry commercials. A recent ad for the popular jewelry store shows a man comforting his partner during a thunderstorm, and when a bolt of oh-so-scary lightning rips through the sky, he pulls out a jewelry box to remind her that everything will be OK. I know it is not blatantly sexist. It does not imply any terrible misconception. But what this advertisement does accomplish is making women look like squeamish little girls who are instantly comforted by sparkly things and cheesy one-liners. It is tacky and poorly stereotyped. (exaggerate to get the dramatic effect)

"(Cosmopolitan) often defines that power on how well you can please a man or how good you look. It won't help you get a job. It won't help you buy a house. (I think) that for many women, this is the only avenue of power they see, though." The sad part of all of this is, Cosmo, among many other similar magazines, is written for women, by women, but so many times the underlying message is you need to be prettier, you need to be sexier, you need to read silly tips on how to be a better girl. (The stereotype made by women).

Outline of the blog:

1. stereotype exists in the portrayal of women in pop culture. Both men and women lead to that effect.

2.example: Penny in the Big Bang Theory (stereotype): blonde hair, sexy, low IQ, no degree, has no interest in science and technology and reliant on men. Yifei Hu in iPartment (feminism): forthright, professor in a university, PhD, can do taekwondo, loves to compete with men, does what she wants (basketball game). contrast.

3.male gaze indeed exemplifies the stereotype. What the women react under that gaze is also crucial. Both genders' opinions are integrated. Why are women not against the male gaze but also create something deferring to it (Penny)? (Penny is just willing to be male-gazed, popular? Think reversely, men sometimes also make themselves more handsome to attract others' attention---is that kind of universal self-fulfillment?) What should be the goal of depicting females in the art--- to delight male, to delight both male and female, or show the characteristics of new women (iPartment)?

4. You can't abandon female's inheritances--- kind, gentle, emotional, even sentimental sometimes, to create some kind of super-women. They are imaginary and meaningless in showing female characteristics.