Gender And Gender Norm Communications Essay

Gender And Gender Norm Communications Essay The aim of this essay is to analyse how gender norms shape performances of attractiveness and how physical norms and performances of attractiveness are related to the construction of gender and gender norms. In the first section, definition of gender and gender norms will be provided and reference is made to theories put forward by academics in the field of gender studies. Following this, attractiveness in terms of the body as a form of capital will be evaluated with a particular focus on physical attractiveness. In the third section, this paper will produce some insight into how masculinity and femininity are represented in the media and the impact of media on the construction of gender and gender norms as well as performances of attractiveness. Finally, the concept of â€Å"metrosexual† and â€Å"tomboy† will be presented as a primary example of new tendencies to challenge traditional gender norms in order to support the idea that gender norms are not fixed and subje cted to be changed over time. 1. Gender and gender norm To begin with, it is essential to consider what is meant by gender and gender norms. This section will explore the definition of gender and gender norms and reference is made to the works of academics in the field of gender studies. Gender, in Hermess words, â€Å"is the cultural significance given to biological difference of reproductive organs. It refers to men and women, as well as to appropriate ways to be a man or a woman (masculinity and femininity)† (Hermes,2007,p.190). It can be seen that, in Hermess account, peoples gender are socially constructed , are culturally built upon male or female bodies. This notion of gender is widely accepted in our society and many feminists defined ‘gender in relation to ‘sex. Feminists assume that sex is biological given and gender is cultural or social construction of this given sex (Gauntlett , 2002). When it comes to gender, it not only means that one is man or woman, â€Å"but rather a set of meanings that sexes assume in particular societies. The operation of gender in our society takes up these sets of meaning, organizes them as masculinity or femininity, and matches or line them up with male and female bodies† (Cranny-Francis et al, 2003, p.3). In other words, feminists argued that people will have certain kinds of identity or role due to the fact that they are ‘male or ‘female in terms of biology (Gauntlett, 2002). In 1987, West and Zimmerman conceptualise ‘gender not â€Å"as set of traits, nor variable, nor a role† but as something people ‘do recurrently in their interactions with others in social life. They stated that: â€Å"Doing gender involves a complex of socially guided perceptual, interactional, and micropolitical activities that cast particular pursuits as expression of masculine and feminine ‘natures† (West and Zimmerman,1987,p.14). For instance, when a man hold a womans hand and guide her across the street, he â€Å"does† being masculine and his partner â€Å"does† being feminine when she allows to be guided (West and Zimmerman,1987). In West and Zimmermans account, â€Å"doing gender is unadvoidable† because societys structure is based on the â€Å"essential† differences between male and female. In other words, individuals just can make their activity accountable by performing it as a woman or a man. Butler: â€Å"the binary divide between masculinity and femininity is a social construction built on the binary divide between men and women which is also a social construction (Gauntlett,2002,pp.135)†. No distinction btw sex and gender A person has a masculine gender not really base on he has a male body or not. Gender is socially constructed and is performed by the individual subject through the repetition of à   through the process of social construction(butler) Gender is a performance -> link: the performance of attractiveness is the performance of gender, people express their masculinity or femininity through their performance of attractiveness. So, what is the embodiment of masculinity and femininity? How can we assess the masculinity or femininity of a person? It depends on gender norms. Gender is a performance, therefore, gender norm can be understood as the social expectation of people to perform their gender in everyday life. Gender norm is a set of rules of social order (gender is the repetition of acts -> people everydays actions reinforce and reproduce a set of expectations -> a kind of social structure -> its varied in different context such as history or culture and flexible, can be changed over time) (see Giddens in Gauntlett) In our society, gender norms seem to be established base on how people look in term of physical appearance due to the fact that they are male or female , how they present their self, what kind of activities they take part in. Gender as a social structure: Giddens (1998) notes that: â€Å" Society only has form, and that form only has effect on people, in so far as structure is produced and reproduced in what people do† (quoted in Gauntlett, 2002,p.95). It can be implied that 2. Attractiveness in term of body as a form of capital 3. Attractive men and women and the representation of gender in the media ( Masculine and feminine gender norms) Who can be seen as attractive (discuss about traditional gender norms) Masculinity and femininity in media Media change gender norms In summary, gender is unstable and subject to change in different context and in different time. As Hermes (2007†,p.191) put it: â€Å"Gender does not assume the same cultural significance everywhere, and gender codes have changed significantly over time†. 4. ‘Metrosexual and ‘tomboy: against the traditional norms In an attempt to demonstrate the idea that gender norms are flexible and can be changed, this section will produce some insight into the concept of ‘metrosexual and ‘tomboy which can be seen as against the traditional masculine and feminine norms. â€Å"By understanding gender as the crucially important difference between men and women, heterosexuality maintain itself as absolute norm†. or â€Å"we understand the difference btw men and women as fundamental and as the norm† (Hermes, 2007,p.197) -> masculinity in many ways is defined as how not to appear to be effeminate , femininity is meant not to be masculine -> link to â€Å"metrosexual†and â€Å"tomboy†-> challenge the traditional norms. ‘Metrosexual Conclusion To bring this paper to a close, I summarise the main points here: gender norms shape performances of attractiveness, at the same time are changed and reconstructed by the way individuals perform their gender. Media as a guidance has exerted far reaching influence on peoples perception of gender norms and performances of attractiveness. Moreover, by representing counter-hegemonic images such as ‘metrosexual man, media has played a vital role in the reconstruction of gender and gender norms. This paper set out to examine how gender norms shape performance of attractiveness. Firstly, in order to define gender and gender norms, a literature review was presented. Secondly, this essay produced some insight into how attractiveness in terms of the body as a form of capital and discussed how physical norms and performances of attractiveness are related to the construction of gender and gender norms. In the third section, the effect of the media on peoples performances of attractiveness was considered through the way masculinity and femininity are represented in advertising, magazine, and television. In attempt to demonstrate the idea that gender norms are flexible and can be changed, evidence was presented in relation to the concept of ‘metrosexual and ‘tomboy. In conclusion, this assignment suggested that gender norms remain crucial to performances of attractiveness in our society and varied in different context such as history or culture. It could be argued that by the way people choose to perform their gender as well as perform their attractiveness, they are simultaneously reinforcing and changing gender norms.

Needs Assessment and Analysis Essay -- Business Research

Needs Assessment and Analysis Introduction and Overview Businesses in today's economy often face challenges that are not readily apparent until, more often than not, the costs of those challenges become critical. A businesses ability to identify the fundamentals of these challenges and act accordingly to squelch the damage that has been done while bouncing back is paramount to the businesses success. This paper will identify three key areas in identifying and repairing the critical problems that can occur. More importantly, this paper will also identify several fundamentals within the three areas. The paper will examine some sub levels of (1) analysis, (2) cost, and (3) research. Additionally, this paper will discuss the measures that several companies took in these areas to show special examples of these principles in use. Analysis Within the scope of needs assessment and analysis there are many building blocks that complete the full picture. One such block is comprised of the levels of analysis. And within the levels of analysis there are three main points. These points as reported by Goldstien (1993); McGehee and Thayer (1961); Moore and Dutton (1978); and Sleezer (1991) are (1) organization, (2) job or task, and (3) individual or person (as cited by Holton). The following paragraphs will discuss each of these three points by defining and demonstrating their context within analysis. Organization Holton (1996) suggests that the three-level approach to needs assessment suggests that assessors should start by analyzing the organization to determine what results are not occurring and should be, and what organizational factors are contributing to that condition. This could easily be interpreted as ... ...lanning, Implementation, and Control; Eighth Edition. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Marrelli, Anne F., Cost Analysis for Training. In Erekson, David A., Shaha, Steven H., Swenson, Craig D., (1996). Business Research Realities: Selected Readings (pp. 117-132). Needham Heights: Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing. Newsom, D., Turk, J., Kruckeberg, D., (1996). This is PR, The Realities of Public Relations, Sixth Edition. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Rose, M., (1999, February 5). 'New Breed of Beef' to be Test-Marketed Here. Business Journal Serving Greater Portland, 15. Page 29 Schoeppel, C.; Turning Down Manager Turnover: Financial Services Inc. In Erekson, David A., Shaha, Steven H., Swenson, Craig D., (1996). Business Research Realities: Selected Readings (pp. 257-264). Needham Heights: Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing. 10

Struggle for Freedom in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay -- Advent

Struggle for Freedom in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "The Widow Douglas, she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn't stand it no longer, I lit out." The aforementioned quotation best describes Huck's philosophy when faced with ties that bind. When he is unable to take the restrictions of life any longer, whether they be emotional or physical, he simply releases himself and goes back to what he feels is right and what makes him happy. Hence, one of the most prominent and important themes of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is freedom. Freedom not only from Huck's internal paradoxical struggle in defining right and wrong, but also freedom from Huck's personal relationships with the Widow Douglas and his father, as well as freedom from the societal institutions of government, religion, and prejudices. Throughout the story Huck is plagued with an internal moral dilemma of what he feels is right and what he is taught is right. Huck is possibly the only character in the story that operates solely on his own moral convictions. This produces significant conflict when the accepted rules of society, often corrupt in nature, are imposed upon him. The best example of this internal conflict is Huck's brief experiences with organized religion. The teachings by the Widow Douglas of the pathways to heaven are in constant conflict with Huck's own beliefs. Because of this, Huck readily rejects the teachings of organized religion, and therefore must often grapple with the undue guilt that this hypocritical heresy places on him. Such is the cas... ...eedom is essential to happiness. Twain ends the novel with a frustrated Huck stating; "Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can't stand it. I been there before." Although the novel ends leaving the reader a sense that Huck is truly free, this concluding phrase subtlety, yet clearly, implies that the struggle for freedom is a never-ending one. Works Cited and Consulted Harris, Susan K. "Huck Finn." Huck Finn. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. 1990.   Trachtenberg, Alan. "The Form of Freedom in Huckleberry Finn." Huck Finn. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishing. 1990. Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. Whitley, John S. "Kid's Stuff: Mark Twain's Boys." Huck Finn. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishing. 1990.

Mobile Marketing Essay -- Technology, Mobile Applications

2.1 Handheld Mobile Devices and Mobile Applications 2.1.1 Defining Handheld Mobile Devices The medium for mobile applications is a mobile device. While the functions of mobile devices vary, the key criteria such a device must fulfil is portability. To that extent, mobile devices have been described as ‘interactive wireless media’ (Haghirian and Madlberger 2005, 2). Mobile devices offer a range of capabilities, but essentially they allow access to data and information with the opportunity of being used in a variety of environments (ISACA 2010, 2). The term ‘handheld mobile device’ indicates that the device is limited to something that can be ‘held in the hand(s)’. Even so, the term ‘handheld mobile device’ may represent a different meaning to different people and therefore can be anything from a PDA to a digital camera. For the purpose of this paper, the term handheld mobile device (henceforth abbreviated as mobile device) will be associated only with those mobile computing devices that have the capability of downloading third-party mobile applications (as defined in 2.1.3). Namely, these are smartphones, PDAs and tablet PCs. 2.1.1.1 Mobile phones There are many known terms for mobile phones including cell phone, basic phone, feature phone, traditional mobile phone, smartphone, and system phone. Nonetheless, it can be argued that mobile phones currently on the market are typically categorised as either ‘feature phones’ or a ‘smartphones’. The definitions of these two types are widely discussed and disputed by analysts, manufacturers, journalists, and end users. The lack of a standard definition can be attributed to the advancement of mobile phone technology. As the technology continues to evolve, definitions are subject to ch... ...s have existed since the development of mobile devices. â€Å"Downloadable† applications (such as DMO apps), however, have only spread and reached mainstream usage with the emergence of smartphones and PDAs (Holzer and Ondrus 2011, 22). Beyond the fundamental definition, there are a range of classifications that a mobile application may fall under. In their 2008 white paper on mobile applications, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) suggests that, from a technical viewpoint, mobile applications can be distinguished according to the runtime environment in which they function. The MMA lists three types of runtime environments, namely native platforms and operating systems, mobile web and browser runtimes, and other managed platforms and virtual machines. By and large, however, the industry makes a distinction between native applications and web-based applications.

The Life and Role of a Knight in The Middle Ages :: essays research papers

The Middle Ages - The Life and Role of a Knight A Knights life was a hard life, you could only become one in a few ways, one being the most common passing a life-time test. Knights were sworn to protect Churches, the weak and battle all evil. When a boy was eight years old, he was sent to the neighboring castle where he was trained as a page. The boy was usually the son of a knight or of a member of the aristocracy. He spent most of his time strengthening his body, wrestling and riding horses. He also learned how to fight with a spear and a sword. He practiced against a wooden dummy called a quintain. It was essentially a heavy sack or dummy in the form of a human. It was hung on a wooden pole along with a shield. The young page had to hit the shield in its centre. When hit, the whole structure would spin around and around. The page had to get away quickly without getting hit. The young man was also taught more civilized topics. He would be taught to read and write by a schoolmaster. He could also be taught some Latin and French. The lady of the castle taught the page to sing and dance and how to behave in the king?s court. At the age of fifteen or sixteen, a boy became a squire in service to a knight. His duties included dressing the knight in the morning, serving all of the knight?s meals, caring for the knight?s horse, and cleaning the knight?s armor and weapons. He followed the knight to tournaments and assisted his lord on the battlefield. A squire also prepared himself by learning how to handle a sword and lance while wearing forty pounds of armor and riding a horse. When he was about twenty, a squire could become a knight after proving himself worthy. A lord would agree to knight him in a dubbing ceremony. The night before the ceremony, the squire would dress in a white tunic and red robes. He would then fast and pray all night for the purification of his soul. The chaplain would bless the future knight's sword and then lay it on the chapel or church's altar. Before dawn, he took a bath to show that he was pure, and he dressed in his best clothes. When dawn came, the priest would hear the young man's confession, a Catholic contrition rite.

Why Wee Crave Horror Movie

Why we still crave in horror movie when we are scare? In Stephen King’s Article it mention three main points. The first one is showing our courage, that we are not afraid in horror movie. It doesn’t mean that we don’t scream. In contrast, we scream when the roller coaster twists through a complete 360. Horror movie just like roller coaster, if it can’t make us scream only means the movie is not excited enough. The second one is to ensure that we are normal. To confirm that although we are not as beauty as a star but we are still better than the character in the horror movieHowever, these two reasons are not the main reason why we crave horror movie. At the beginning of the article, he said â€Å"I think that we’re all mentally ill† The test has already proven this statement at least people in this classroom are all crazy. He believes that we are mentally ill and crazy but only in different level/degree. Our insanity leads us only talk to ours elves when we are under stress or squinch our faces into horrible grimaces when we believe no one is watching.As we are all insane, we have to practice our anticivilization emotion from time to time. What is anticivilization emotion? For example the excitement and hyper emotion when seeing others are killed or being menaced. However, in this civilized society, when we seeing someone was killed us should show our sympathy. Our teacher teaches us we should have love, loyalty, kindness etc. when we practice this emotion we applaud. For example, if we give a kiss to our sister, the adult will praise us.In contrast if we put her finger in the door hinge, scold would comes follow. Although we keep the anticivilization emotion from getting out, it demands a periodic exercise. Therefore we choose to watch horror movie, we can let loose to scream. We don’t need to care for the civilized emotion. We can laugh when we see someone was killed, because we know that it is only a movie, and all people in this theater are crazy, we are just reliving our emotion. We think that practicing the anticivilization emotion can also help us to relief our stress in our daily life.As we have said before horror is come from___________________ therefore these become the main component of horror movie. When we watch it we feel scare and fear, at the same time we project our pressure and stress in it. For example when the monster is chasing the actor, we feel tension. This tension also included the anxiety we experience in the real life. ______________________________________ Watching horror movie can also fulfill our curiosity. When our society told us what should be fear or what is dangerous, we alert from these thing. However we have a desire to know more.

Respect In The Army

A Noncommissioned Officer's duties are numerous and must be taken seriously. An NCO's duty includes taking care of soldiers, which is your priority. Leaders must know and understand their soldiers well enough to train them as individuals and teams to operate proficiently. This will give them confidence in their ability to perform well under the difficult and demanding conditions of battle. Individual training is the principle duty and responsibility of NCOs. NCOs are responsible to fulfill not only their individual duties, but also to ensure their teams and units are successful.NCOs are accountable for your personal conduct and that of your soldiers. Noncommissioned officers have three types of duties: specified duties, directed duties and implied duties: specified duties, direct duties and implied duties. Specified duties are related to jobs and positions. such as Army regulations, Department of the Army general orders, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, soldier's manuals, Army T raining and Evaluation Program Publications and MOS job descriptions specify the duties. Direct duties are not specified as part of a job position or MOS or other directive. A superior gives them orally or in writing.Directed duties include being in charge of quarters or serving as sergeant of the guard, staff duty officer, company training NCO and NBC NCO. Implied duties often support specified duties, but in some cases they may not be related to the MOS job position. These duties may not be written but implied in the instructions. They're duties that improve the quality of the job and help keep the unit functioning at an optimum level. In most cases, these duties depend on individual initiative. They improve the work environment and motivate soldiers to perform because they want to, not because they have to.For example, while not specifically directed to do so, you hold in-ranks inspections daily to ensure your soldiers' appearance and equipment are up to standards. As a Noncommis sioned Officer and a leader you must ensure that your soldiers clearly understand their responsibilities as members of the team and as representative of the Army. Commanders set overall policies and standards, but all leaders must provide the guidance, resources, assistance and supervision necessary for soldiers to perform their duties. Mission accomplishment demands that officers and NCOs work together to advise, assist and learn from each other.There are two categories a Noncommissioned Officer’s responsibilities fall under: command and individual responsibilities. Command responsibility refers to collective or organizational accountability and includes how well the unit performs their missions. For example, a company commander is responsible for all the tasks and missions assigned to the company; his superiors hold him accountable for completing them. Commanders give military leaders the responsibility for what their sections, units, or organizations do or fail to do.NCOs are therefore responsible to fulfill not only their individual duties, but also to ensure that their team and unit are successful. The amount of responsibility delegated to you depends on your mission, the position you hold and your own willingness to accept responsibility. Individual responsibility means you are accountable for your personal conduct. Soldiers in the Army have their own responsibilities. Individual responsibility cannot be delegated; it belongs to the soldier that wrote the check. Soldiers are accountable for their actions, to their fellow soldiers, to their leaders, to their unit and to the United States Army.As a leader you must ensure that your soldiers understand clearly their responsibilities as members of the team and as representatives of the Army. Historically, officers were prominent aristocrats or landowners who received a commission from the country’s ruler, giving them permission to raise and train military units. By contrast, the enlisted were â €Å"the common folk† the officers led into battle. This was once true even in the United States: Military units were raised for the Civil Was by wealthy and prominent community members, who would obtain a commission to recruit and train the people in their hometown.Today, commissioned officers in the United States Military are no longer aristocracy, and the enlisted far from being peasants. However, officers are still the primary source of authority in any military unit, and the position maintains some of its aristocratic pedigree, as embodied in the age-old phrase, â€Å"officer and a gentleman. † A commissioned officer's duty is to lead. If the civilian equivalent of a private is an low level blue collar worker, and the sergeant that of middle manager, then commissioned officers are the upper management and executives.Officers are expected to come out of training able to immediately take charge of about forty enlisted troops – a platoon. An officer’s ca reer progresses by assuming larger commands and greater levels of responsibility; from a platoon to a company, a company to a battalion, and so on. Commissioned officers are expected to have a sharp mind and a well-rounded education, so with very few exceptions they must possess at least a bachelor’s degree to receive a commission.