FEMININITY
From the Walt Disney film "Summer Magic" (1963)
(Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman)

Hayley Mills, Deborah Walley & Wendy Turner (Film Soundtrack) - 1963

HAYLEY:
You must walk feminine
Talk feminine
Smile and beguile feminine
Utilize your femininity
That's what every girl should know
If she wants to catch a beau

Dance feminine
Glance feminine
Act shy and sigh feminine
Compliment his masculinity
That's what every girl should know
If she wants to catch a beau

DEBORAH:
Let him do the talking
Med adore good listeners
HAYLEY:
Laugh, but not loudly (Haha)
If he should choose to tell a joke
Be radiant
DEBORAH:
But delicate
BOTH:
Memorize the rules of etiquette
Be demure, sweet and pure
Hide the real you

BOTH:
You must look feminine
Dress feminine
You're at your best feminine
Emphasize your femininity
That's what every girl should know
WENDY:
Femininity, femininity
ALL:
That's the way to catch a beau

I find this video particularly pertinent to our discussion on Assignment 2 and the idea of 'femininity'. While this video is rather dated, it gives us an idea of how the society back then expected women to give in to men's power. While these views are not actively promoted in society nowadays, many of these expectations of women still hold, such as not laughing too loudly, walking in a 'feminine' way and complimenting 'masculine' behaviour in order to be able to attract men. One also needs to 'hide the real you' as mentioned in the song in order for men to be attracted to you.

I feel that it is somewhat hypocritical that society is not openly allowed to promote this viewpoint, as there would be much social backlash should someone do so, yet the society still expects such behaviour of women. Just a typical example was when a male friend of mine chided me for not 'sitting properly' as i was tired and was slouching and propping up my legs up on a chair (I was wearing jeans). Another male friend was doing the same thing at that time but it was acceptable for him to do that while it was not for me. Such issues are very much still the 'elephant in the room that nobody notices'.

Tootsie!

It has been some time since we viewed the movie 'Tootsie' in class but some thoughts from the movie still stick with me. What struck me was that Michael, a man masquerading as a woman showed typically 'masculine' traits, in being more outspoken, in control and not allowing men to take advantage of him as Dorothy, and yet many typically 'masculine' men were attracted to Dorothy. The popular media and society often tells women that they should not exhibit such 'masculine' traits for fear of scaring away men and looking unattractive. Yet, Dorothy who exhibits these qualities was considered incredibly attractive by several men who adhere to gender stereotypes. Why do these men who have power and authority fall for a women who is challenging their status?

Another issue I would like to question is how would the women who looked up to Dorothy as an idol react when they found out that it had been a man who was telling them to stand up for themselves all along? Would they feel insulted that it had to take a man to teach someone how to stand up for themselves and challenge the status quo? Or would these women be appreciative of the fact that Michael had stood up for them as Dorothy despite being a man himself? Furthermore, what would the male audience think? If they viewed her as a refreshing change from the typically submissive roles that females played on TV, how would they view the situation now knowing that Dorothy was actually Michael, a man? Would they still be attracted at the qualities that Dorothy possessed and wish for a woman like Dorothy?

Just some thoughts on the movie even though it was a while ago :)

Gender Translators

edit: oops. apparently there is some copyright issue and i can't post the cartoons here. but here is the link : http://offthemark.com/search-results/key/gender+differences/

Just two cartoons on gender communication that i find funny. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if we really do have such gender translators. I sometimes find myself acting like the stereotypical female and flaring up like the woman in the first cartoon for minor reasons, but many times i don't even know why I act and say the things i say at that moment. It is usually after some reflection that i realised what bothered me to make me flare up. Thus, I wonder what life would be like if we knew all these underlying meanings at the moment itself. Does everyone else not know what they 'really mean' when in circumstances like the above?