Sex in Nursery Rhymes

            Who would have thought about nursery rhymes containing all types of perversion?  Do the writings and musings of long forgotten authors have hidden (and not so hidden) sexual overtones?  After reading the renderings from the children’s book, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, first published in Great Britain by Ernest Nister, I believe the answer is, yes.  A few of the rhymes, which I selected, have both immoral and subliminal messages imbedded within the text.  For example, one poem (only eight lines) entitled Bessie Bell and Mary Gray, (page 22) hinted about two women who lived together.  Could they be lesbians?  This is left up to the readers’ digression to decide.  Writing in this fashion appears to be the prevailing method.  That is, allude to the fact without coming out and stating the obvious.  Another example of sex in nursery rhymes is the little ditty entitled, As I was Going Up Pippen Hill (page 41).  The last verse states:      

 

Little Miss, pretty miss,

Blessing light upon you! 

If I had half-a crown a day,

I’d spend it all on you.  

          This sounds a lot like paying for sex.  Still yet another: Rub-A-Dub-Dub (page 89).  The very first line goes like this: Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Three men in a tub.  Really?  Hmm, makes you think.  How about enticing a “pretty girl” to take a ride?  “Forever”!  Yes, this happens in, Up at Piccadilly, Oh! (page 91)  

Up at Piccadilly, Oh!

The coachman takes his stand

And when he meets a pretty girl,

He takes her by the hand. 

Whip away for every, oh! 

Drive away so clever, oh!

All the way to Bristol, oh! 

He drives her four-in-hand.

One evil meaning of the poem cold be kidnapping of a “pretty girl” to do with her as he pleases.  This is despicable!  These are but a few examples which I located in the book of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes.  To be sure, some of the rhymes are innocent; however, I think these few examples prove there is a reoccurring theme of sex in nursery rhymes.

Bond, B., (2008). Information-seeking practices during the sexual development of lesbian, gay, and   bisexual individuals.

Riot grrrl to Rookie: DIY sexuality for the teenage market

It is, of course, no surprise to anyone, I'm sure, that the media market can be a pretty hazardous place for teenagers. During these tumultuous years of puberty and identity development, it can be pretty scary looking at magazines or television and seeing a pretty narrow view of who you are supposed to be and not suppose to be. However, through my years of learning about the negative aspects of the media, I've always held on to a small grain of hope that there must be some good out there for adolescents as far as media goes. Kids are always going to be curious, and they're always going to be looking for answers, mostly it seems, answers through the media. That's why while reading the Ward et al. piece examining some of the more positive possibilities of the media in relation to sexual messages I was happy to see that there does exist, to some extent, a possible market for positive sexual messages for teens.

In the article, the authors mention the use of zines as a way for teens to find unique and positive messages about sexuality (Ward et al., 2006). Zines offer the ability for many teens to actually craft their own media, allowing their voices and stories to be heard when they are typically ignored in the mainstream. Ward and her co-authors mention the high concentration of zines created by teenage girls during the Riot Grrrl movement of the 90s. This movement is noteworthy for its ideology relating to punk culture and third wave feminism. Zines, as Ward et al. note, address topics related to "...sexuality, feminism, gender, relationships and puberty" (2006). Most of the zines I was familiar with were not sold for profit, but instead moved hand-to-hand, circulating through friend groups. There was no real 'right' or 'wrong' way to create a zine either, the only consistent aspect between these zines was their do-it-yourself nature and the freedom it allowed to teens to discuss what they wanted.


 While these zines are a nice outlet, they mostly died out after the end of the 90s. However, while zines are less popular, the aesthetic and philosophy of zines can still be found in places. Certainly a modern day equivalent can be found in Tavi Gevinson's Rookie Magazine.While it uses the moniker 'magazine' it generally has more in common with the 90s counter-culture zine, both in aesthetic and in its D.I.Y. nature. Started when she was just 16, Rookie is catered primarily towards teenage girls and discusses issues from fashion to feminism, While zines were usually restricted to knowing someone who made one, Rookie is both in print and online. Also, another huge difference is how the articles in Rookie are written. Zines could be created by one or a few people because they were fairly simple and cheap to make. Rookie, conversely, is based on contributions by numerous authors who are often girls writing for girls. If you browse their website, you can see that there are thousands of articles, organized by topic, available to read for anyone. One section is specifically designated for topics relating to sexuality, which offers beneficial reading for many girls who may have questions relating to puberty or sexuality and don't know where to look to get information.




My favorite Rookie piece is their video series "Ask a grown....". This series offers readers a chance to submit questions--either anonymously or not--often related to confusions they may have about sex, dating, and puberty to well-known celebrities who videotape themselves responding to their questions. This offers a chance to not only let younger media consumers ask questions they may be too afraid to ask in person, it allows them to see the humanity and reality in celebrities they may idealize.



While there is certainly no shortage of negative media out there for teens, it's nice to remember that it doesn't always have to be so bad. Sure, there's too much sex and violence on television, but like it or not, we live in a mediated, hyper-connected world that is showing no signs of disappearing. Sometimes, one of the best ways to respond to this negative media is not to try and remove it from our lives, but to utilize it in ways that can benefit viewers. When you can't escape something, why not try to change it instead?


Reference:
Ward et al. (2006). Uncommonly good: Exploring how mass media can be a positive influence on young women's sexual health and development. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development. 57-70.

Seventeen Magazine and Its Sexual Scripts--Literally

Seventeen Magazine has been the soure of information and advice for young teenage adolescent girls for decades--a sort of community where girls can share stories, ask questions, and get the latest advice from everything from manicures to STDs. Ward discusses the impact of magazines as a positive sexual influence in her article entitled "Uncommonly Good"

One way in which media content may serve as a positive influence on sexual health and development is in the sharing of information about sexual health issues. 

 The average age a girl loses her virginity is around 17 years old--exact age of the title of Seventeen Magazine. There is a "Dating/Love" section of every monthy issue, which usually includes articles about flirting, dating, and occasionally sex. Viginity loss is a huge facet of being seventeen years old, and there are a great deal of articles about deciding whether or not one is ready for sex, birth control methods, etc. It is a great source of information for young girls with curiosity about sex, as many find it uncomfortable to talk to their parents about sex.

One article I came across in the Seventeen sexual content archives was an article entitled "Talking To Your Parents About Sex." 

http://www.seventeen.com/health/sex-health/advice/a105/sex-parents-hsp-0404/

This article included ways you can approach talking to your parents about sex. The part that I found the most interesting and somewhat funny about this article was the fact that it discussed a common sexual script in the media of talking to one's parents about sex while literally providing a script from which the reader could memorize and speak. 

Seventeen providing a literal sexual script for the reader has both positive and negative consequences. It acts as a "super peer" to the reader, helping guide her through a situation with which she has no experience. However, is Seventeen's sexual content regarding virginity loss the cause for  girls losing their virginity around age seventeen? Because girls are reading articles regarding how to act in sexual situations, it is possible that they feel pressured to lose their virginity because they believe it is what everyone else is doing. Although Seventeen features articles about abstinence as well, the vast majority of articles about sex are more about engaging in sex and managing behaviors surrounding sex. This raises the age-old question "Does the media reflect societal norms or create them?"

Ward, M. (2015). Uncommonly Good. New Directions for Childhood and Adolescent Development. 56-70. 

Do Parasocial Relationships Have a Time Cap?

Last week in class we talked about parasocial relationships and the effect they have on adolescent girls. I have to admit, growing up I had THE BIGGEST crush on Nick Jonas, especially after watching the movie Camp Rock. I mean, isn't he adorable? 

Luckily I grew out of that fantastical love by the time I reached high school, but a lot of people still keep their parasocial celebrity crushes for a while. Younger girls tend to think of their celebrity crush as “sweet and sensitive” rather than “sexy and good looking,” which is the preferred way of thinking for older individuals (Karinol, 2001). My question is: do parasocial relationships continue to exist as preteens become teens, and as teens become adults? I thought it was interesting Karinol studied mainly adolescent girls, but parasocial relationships can exist for people of all ages. Take my mom for example; she is in love with George Clooney. Don’t ask me why; I do not find him attractive at all – a bit too old for my liking. She, however, has seen every single one of his movies and talks about him like they’re dating sometimes.

From both pictures, we can see the men have feminine features. Their eyes sparkle, they’re both tanned, and they look light-hearted and sweet. Being a twenty-two year old woman, I am more likely to say that they both look sexy rather than cute, but I can see where the feminine features come into play for younger girls.

Looking at Karinol’s article, “Adolescent Females’ Idolization of Male Media Stars as a Transition Into Sexuality,” which studied “feminine media stars who are idolized by adolescent girls provide a “safe” target of romantic love in the period of time before girls start dating and become sexually active” (Karinol, 2001). What happens, however, when these adolescent girls begin dating and become adults?

Karinol hypothesizes that “the idolization of feminine stars precedes relations with boys and serves to provide not only a convenient, but a safe love object” (Karinol, 2001). I have to push back and say that it does not only precede relations with boys, but rather, parasocial relationships with these boys/men still exist after actual relationships have been explored. For adults, many have had experience with dating or marriage. The parasocial relationship, no matter what age or stage of life, still provides that convenient and safe love object for the individual, even after dating and sexual encounters with men have been experienced.

In my opinion, parasocial relationships can exist no matter what an individual’s age. However, carrying on strong parasocial relationships after adolescence can result in some serious health risks, mostly psychologically, and should be kept in check.

Reference:

Karinol, R. (2001) Adolescent Females’ Idolization of Male Media Stars as a Transition into Sexuality. Plenum Publishing Corporation. Vol. 44

Stay Weird

After watching the Oscars last weekend, I sat back and thought about the messages that many of the Oscar winners promoted during their acceptance speech.  It is well recognized that the Oscars and other award-presenting events are now used as a platform for social action.  Whether it is Kanye West demanding that Beyoncé wins “best album” or it be Julianne Moore raising awareness for Alzheimer’s disease, superstars are using their fame in new and profound ways.

This year, Graham Moore gave my favorite speech. He won the Oscar for best-adapted screenplay for the movie, “The Imitation Game.”  The film is based on the story of Alan Turing, who was a brilliant computer scientist, but was prosecuting for being gay. During Moore’s speech, he used his limited moments in the public eye to speak to the young viewers.  He told the world that when he was 16 years old, he attempted suicide because he felt “weird” and “different.”  He went on to encourage young people who currently feel that way to continue being “weird.”  He promised them that one day they will fit in.  Somewhere.

This speech speaks to the article we read for class, Information-Seeking Practices during the Sexual Development of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals: The Influence and Effects of Coming Out in a Mediated Environment.  Similar to the “It Gets Better” campaign, the Oscars and other televised events promote messages that speak to groups of people that potentially feel alienated.  This message in particular is directed at lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals, due to the subject of the movie, however it also speaks to individuals who feel different in other ways.

What struck me about Graham Moore’s speech is the realization that now young people who are questioning their sexuality or who are feeling alienated for other reasons do not necessarily have to seek out messages about how they are feeling.  Now, it’s right in front of them through various means.  Now, these messages do not necessarily give them information about their sexuality, however, it encourages them to learn, and the messages let them know that they are not alone.  Ellen DeGeneres, for example, is a prominent lesbian figure, and is extremely open about her sexuality in the public eye.  This sends a positive message to young people who are discovering their sexuality in a way that they don’t even have to seek out.

I think it’s important to recognize the availability and presence of gay, lesbian, and bisexual awareness in our media today.  This allows individuals who may question their sexuality to find a sense of confidence by understanding and knowing that there are people like them in the world who have succeeded.  

Works Cited:

Bond, B. J., Drogos, K. L., Hefner, V. “Information-Seeking Practices during the Sexual Development of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals: The Influence and Effects of Coming Out in a Mediated Environment.” Sexuality & Culture 13 (2008):32-50.

"How Pinterest is Killing Feminism"

I am an avid user of Pinterest, a collaging website with over 70 million users. I have a board for everything from clothes and shoes to DIY and inspirational quotes. Even that cheesy "Dream Wedding" board has found a place on my Pinterest. I pin and like all sorts of things that draw my attention without too much thought. So I was really surprised to read an article on Buzzfeed called "How Pinterest is Killing Feminism" by Amy Odell.

The article describes all of the flaws of Pinterest before stating that "This isn’t where the internet was supposed to take us. The women I know who work in online women’s media hoped that the online content they created would provide an intellectual but fun alternative to print publications’ predictable fare." She goes on to compare Pinterest to Jezebel, a site that aims to "create truly smart editorial content for female readers without overwhelming them with superficial information about diet, exercise, or clothes, or wildly aspirational images of thin, photoshopped models wearing designer dresses and lounging in mansions."

So I headed to my Pinterest to see how many of the thinspo disguised as workout motivation/health tips and diet friendly recipes showed up just on my home feed. I was not disappointed.

Even my own "women's fashion" board was not exempt from O'Dell's critiques. I have this thing about not pinning clothes unless they are on a person because they don't look as great. But, holy crap, EVERY picture looks the exact same. I don't often go back to my boards and look over what I've already pinned, but it's not hard to see that even though they might be wearing slightly different outfits, every girl on my board is long haired and long legged, pretty near my definition of perfection.

Considering that we just discussed Ward, Day, and Epstein's article "Uncommonly Good: Exploring How Mass Media May Be a Positive Influence on Young Women’s Sexual Health and Development" and the "Wish List for Further Positive Portrayals," I found Pinterest to be a pretty disappointing source of influence for young women. Even though the website caters to all types, no matter what category you are in you find people's pictures of ideal body types. People critique what other people pin based on whether they think the girls are too thin or overweight FREQUENTLY. Most popular pins are pictures of young white girls with long hair and pretty faces. Ward et al's wish for "a broader range of physical appearance types and less focus on this as the center of women’s worth" exists wholeheartedly on Pinterest. The larger problem with Pinterest is that, because the content is user generated, the people using Pinterest have to change for the website to stop "Killing Feminism."

The one thing Pinterest has going for it is the availability of information. You can find pins on sexual health and sexual expression, dealing with anxiety or depression, etc.

Going Too Far: Parasocial Relationships

The Office is the newest edition to my all time favorite shows list. The combination of the wacky characters, impossible plot lines, and the brilliance of Steve Carell just has a way of making me laugh every time. However, Neha's recent post about the "Gay Witch Hunt" episode really got me thinking about the possibility of parasocial relationships or connections going too far. Neha argued that the insensitivity presented in this particular episode of the show does nothing to alleviate the pressure of young gays or lesbians that look to the media to help form their identity through the coming out process. This is where I'll start.

Michael Scott is quite the character. Played by funny man Steve Carell, the character's happy go lucky nature and pitiful ignorance makes Michael Scott the lovable boss of Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Watching the insanity surrounding the Scranton office as a junior in college, I am fully aware that everything is meant to be an over-the-top joke. But what happens when younger demographics catch reruns or begin watching it on Netflix. What happens when the sarcasm surrounding Michael and his office doesn't resonate with those younger viewers. Michael makes for a safe friend in the media given his juvenile way of managing his office and his antics that remind me of an elementary school student. Yet even outside of a romantic connection with his character, maintaining a parasocial friendship with Michael when the comedy doesn't quite carry could have detrimental effects.

In their article about girls' parasocial interactions with media figures, Theran, Newberg, and Gleason (2010) found that preoccupied attachment style was a significant predictor of both involvement in parasocial relationships and the emotional intensity of them. This attachment style describes adolescents who view themselves negatively while idealizing others and are quick to trust and cling to others, all of these qualities making interactions with a media figure safe and comfortable knowing that they will never be rejected (p. 75). For these types of adolescents, girls and boys alike, this research seems to confirm that they will latch on to parasocial relationships with more intensity as they are a comfortable way to find a friend without the fear of rejection. In the case of characters like Michael Scott, he speaks directly to the camera seeming to speak directly to the audience and he is in every episode. For an adolescent with a preoccupied attachment style, Michael Scott's ridiculous humor might seem inviting.

Michael Scott's ways of talking and joking then might become ways of talking and joking that young fans employ to become lovable like him. Theran, Newberg, and Gleason (2010) agree that these type of relationships are usually helpful transitions from child to adult-like relationships. However, Neha's example of the Gay Witch Hunt kind of humor seems to point in another direction. Gay hate and insensitivity, no matter the intended light-heartedness of Michael's ignorance, might be the scripts that preoccupied attachment style adolescents adhere to as a way of maintaining their parasocial relationship with Michael Scott.

And Michael Scott is not alone. Where are the boundaries on parasocial interactions? What about young adolescent girls that have crushes on pretty boys like John Mayer or big musicians like Chris Brown and Robin Thicke? Does a crush on one of these figures lead to adolescents buying into the ideas presented in their songs or their actions in real life. John Mayer has dated too many people to count and Chris Brown and Robin Thicke sing about women as objects and their sexual exploits. Anne Bader (2007) reports that "many adolescents either did not know or did not understand the lyrics to popular songs" and that the music was often more important than the lyrics. So, just like the case of Michael Scott when the humor is not understood but stands to be repeated, are the ideas in these lyrics not understood but stand to be repeated?

If the media is in fact a super peer for adolescents and young children (Brown, Halpern, & L'Engle, 2005, p. 420) then we can assume that these media figures are more than just crushes or friends in the media. They are educators. For young viewers and listeners that don't get the humor or don't understand the lyrics, why can't we then assume that parasocial relationships leave ample room for the things they watch and listen to from their favorite media figures to be repeated no matter how inappropriate. For a young boy or girl that laughs as Michael Scott, what stands between them reacting to a situation with a gay classmate like Michael did with Oscar. And for a young girl with a crush on Robin Thicke or Chris Brown, what stands to prevent her from understanding that she is only a sexual object.

I think we can argue that parasocial relationships might offer comfort for adolescents and teens exploring their identities. But the boundaries of what a healthy parasocial relationship looks like seem shaky? When exactly does a parasocial relationship go too far?



References:
Bader, A. (2007). "Love will steer the stars" and other improbable feats: Media myths in popular love songs. In M.-L. Galician & D. L. Merskin (Eds.), Critical thinking about sex, love, and romance in the max media (pp. 141-160). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Eribaum.

Brown, J. D., Halpern, C. T., & L'Engle, K. L. (2005). Mass media as a sexual super peer for early maturing girls. Journal of Adolescent Health, 36(5), 420-427. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.06.003

Theran, S., Newberg, E., & Gleason, T. (2010). Adolescent girls' parasocial interactions with media figures. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human Development, 171(3), 270-277.