I found Douglas discussion of female portrayal in “chick flicks” and African American women to be particularly interesting. An important concept that Douglas explores is the need for women to have a man to feel complete. This is very prevalent in today’s society On campuses across America from junior high all the way up to college you will find girls who will do just about anything for male approval. This new trend of girliness must of been confusing for young girls, because this is around the same time that shows such as Xena and Buffy the Vampire Slayer became popular. These are two very different images this is an example of women having to choose between being girly and sexy to appeal to men or being tough and powerful like Xena. In the second chapter Douglas focuses on African American women in the media. These women are portrayed as sassy and ghetto. African Americans made their way into the main stream through the popularization of rap music. Many Rappers do not get signed to major labels because they will not tailor their style to the white suburban kid, who is the leading rap consumer. White suburban kids enjoy hearing stories about rappers running the streets, selling drugs, and being in violent encounters. Thug life is appealing when you do not actually have to live that lifestyle. An example of this is the movie Malibu’s Most wanted. The movie stars Jamie Kennedy he is a white suburban kid who try desperately to “act black” he sags his pants wears jewelry and is an aspiring rapper. In an attempt to scare the black out of him his parents hire two actors to play thugs and take him to the ghetto to straighten him out. Jammie Kennedy keeps with the tough guy act until he realizes that he is in a real situation that ended up being more then he intended it to be.
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