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Psychology of Women
Final Assignment
Journal/Portfolio
by
Tammy Lynn Kirichenko
2010
I
Table of Contents
Introduction...............................................................................................................
III
1. Women & Power................................................................................................
a. Example: Bhutto Assassinated.......................................................
IV
V
2. The Female Body: Sexuality & Objectification...............................................
a. Example: Stupid Girls.................................................................
b. Example: Rolling Stone magazine cover...........................................
c. Example: Dolce & Gabbana advertisement........................................
VIII
IX
XI
XII
XII
XIII
3. Violence against Women..................................................................................
a. Example: UNICEF Reports Sexual Violence Increasing in Kenya................
4. Mental Illness...................................................................................................
a. Example: Girl, Interrupted..........................................................
XVI
5. Aging.................................................................................................................
a. Example: Dove advertisement.......................................................
XVIII
6. Relationships....................................................................................................
a. Example: Sex and the City; Friends................................................
XIX
XX
7. Communication................................................................................................
a. Example: Goodbye “You Guys”......................................................
XXI
XXII
Conclusion..................................................................................................................
XXIV
References..........................................................................................................................
II
XXV
INTRODUCTION
Some of the topics discussed this semester include: Women & Power, The Female
Body (Sexuality & Objectification), Violence against Women, Mental Illness,
Aging, Relationships, and Communication.
Examples of how these topics relate specifically to the Psychology of Women are
all around us, including in the news, on television, on magazine covers, in music
lyrics and videos, in advertisements, at the movies, and within feminist literature.
Specific instances will be discussed.
III
Women & Power
IV
Women & Power
Benazir Bhutto
Bhutto Assassinated
After the execution of her father, she was among the first women elected to lead a major Muslim nation.
Jason Burke
Friday December 28, 2007 Guardian
The Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, who has
been killed, aged 54, in a bomb attack at a political rally in
Rawalpindi - the northern town where she had once gone to
school - died as she had lived, plunged deep in the chaotic
political life of Pakistan, a victim, as well as in part a culprit,
of its chronic instability. She was back in the country after
spending more than eight years in exile to avoid corruption
charges.
She was born in the southern port of Karachi, the daughter
of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, an ambitious minor landowner in the
province of Sindh who founded one of Pakistan's two major
political parties and went on to become the country's prime
minister. His daughter was never destined for an easy or uneventful life. One of her abiding memories, described in her
memoirs, Daughter of the East, was saying goodbye to her father in a prison cell hours before his execution in 1979 by the
military dictator Zia ul-Haq. Subsequently, Bhutto herself spent long periods under house arrest or in solitary confinement
before her exile.
Yet much of her youth was happy. Educated at elite English-language Pakistani schools, several run by nuns, she lived the
life of an indulged and adored wealthy child and teenager. Like many of her social class, she was sent overseas for her
further education. From 1969 to 1973 she attended Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and then Harvard
University, where she obtained a degree in comparative government before, from 1973 to 1977, studying philosophy, politics
and economics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where as a natural speaker, she was elected president of the Oxford Union.
Those who spent time with her over the years became used to her lengthy, eloquent and sometimes well-informed
monologues. Bhutto was also known for driving around Oxford in an open-top sports car.
But the innocent days of youthful political activism did not last long. Her father was dismissed as prime minister in 1975,
sentenced to death two years later and hanged by Zia despite international outrage on April 4 1979. A year later, Bhutto's
brother Shahnawaz died in suspicious circumstances in the south of France.
After a long period under house arrest in Pakistan, she managed to leave for Britain, basing herself in a flat at the Barbican in
the City of London. In exile, she took on the leadership of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the party her father had
founded, and on December 18 1987 married, in an arranged match that surprised many, another young southern Pakistani
aristocrat, Asif Ali Zardari, who had a reputation of being something of a playboy. They went on to have three children:
Bilawal, Bakhtwar, and Aseefa.
When Zia was killed in a plane crash in 1988, the way was open for a return to democratic rule in Pakistan. Bhutto, still only
35, returned to her homeland to lead the PPP to victory in elections. Around the world she was feted as young, charismatic,
moderate and one of the first democratically-elected woman leaders of a major Muslim nation. Her perfect English, her
undoubted good looks and her charm helped too. People Magazine included her in its list of the 50 most beautiful people in
the world.
But celebrations were short-lived. Political opponents and elements within Islamist parties and the military worked hard to
destabilise her inexperienced administration, and within two years, her first government had been dismissed amid allegations
of corruption and incompetence. She had had little time to enact any of her campaign promises of social, economic and
political reform. Though the accusations did not necessarily involve Bhutto personally, her husband earned the nickname Mr
Ten Percent. Zardari denied all allegations against him.
Three years later, Bhutto's PPP was returned to power again - with the same opposition, the same manipulation, and the
same results.
V
In 1996, the then president once again dismissed her administration, again citing allegations of corruption and gross
incompetence. Bhutto's opponents spent millions investigating her business affairs, one mystery in particular - that of the
exact ownership of a large manor house in southern England, purchased for millions of pounds to which crates of Bhutto
family heirlooms were shipped.
Controversy also focused on the exact role of the Bhutto government in the formation and success of the Taliban movement
in Afghanistan, which formed in 1994 and took Kabul in 1996, a few days after the dismissal of Bhutto's second
administration. She maintained that no military or logistic assistance was offered to the movement, though there was
continual "political engagement". This, she said in one of her last interviews, was "logical and reasonable" as it was important
to try and moderate the movement and use it to stabilise Afghanistan.
Out of power from 1996, Bhutto was vulnerable to moves to convict her on the outstanding corruption charges. A conviction
in 1999 for failing to appear in court was later overturned after audiotapes revealed heavy political pressure placed on the
principal judge by top aides of then prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Increasingly isolated, she left Pakistan in 1999 to live in
Dubai and London. The military coup that autumn made any immediate return difficult. General Pervez Musharraf, who took
charge, made little secret of his contempt for the civilian politicians whom he believed had nearly ruined Pakistan. However,
the PPP organisation remained intact with a strong power base in its heartland of the southern rural Sindh province along
with more rural parts of the Punjab where the Bhutto family name lost little of its prestige.
During her years outside Pakistan, Bhutto lived with her three children in Dubai, where she was joined by her husband after
he was freed in 2004. She gave frequent interviews, continued to organise the PPP and was a regular visitor to western
capitals, delivering lectures at universities and meeting government officials. Relations with the press were carefully
maintained, with large sums devoted to a major lobbying effort in Washington and the hire of a top-ranking public relations
firm. Journalists who referred to the outstanding corruption allegations against her would receive polite emails reminding them
that the charges had never been proven and that they were politically motivated.
The political climate began to change during 2007 as Musharraf made a series of major political errors, rapidly losing support
after clumsy confrontations with the judiciary. A consummate political operator to the last, Bhutto saw a chance to make a
glorious return to Pakistan and win power once again. Negotiations with the president and head of the armed forces lasted
through the summer, blessed by Washington and London. A deal was done that saw Bhutto's members of the national
assembly effectively acquiesce to Musharraf's re-election as president in return for an amnesty preserving her and much of
her entourage from investigation for past misdeeds. However, her triumphal return was marred by the suicide bombing that
narrowly missed her and killed scores of her supporters in Karachi on October 18.
Following the attack, Bhutto, who was convinced that a shadowy cabal of retired army officers and Islamic militant
sympathisers was behind the strike, told close associates that the deal with Musharraf was off. Winning power at the
elections to be held next month was all the more vital.
Campaigning with customary verve and energy, inveighing continually against the failure to provide her with sufficient
security, she started touring the country two weeks ago. One aim was to reacquaint herself with the people of Pakistan after
her long exile. But her performances, hectoring local workers not to allow the government to rig the poll, calling for an end to
militancy, and invoking the legacy of her late father, were vintage Bhutto.
She is survived by her husband, son and two daughters.
· Benazir Bhutto, politician, born June 21 1953; died December 27 2007
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2232601,00.html
VI
Benazir Bhutto
Bhutto was murdered because to her enemies she was Westernised, a traitor to her culture and
an American stooge. She was murdered because she had vowed to bring secularism and
democracy to Pakistan. She was murdered because she was all these things, and a woman.
(Bone, 2008, para. 3)
Commentary:
Athough there is no evidence that Bhutto’s assassination had anything to do with her sex it
does not make her death any less tragic. For many Pakistani women, Bhutto represented the
potential empowerment of women. Her life was not that of a saint, but her strength and
courage cannot be denied. As the youngest woman ever to lead a Muslim state, and as a
strong female leader, she embodied power and inspired hope in many. Many threats were made
to her life and she was unwilling to back down, run away, or hide. This kind of courage,
although resulting in her untimely death, may encourage other women to stand up for what
they believe in and not back down when obstacles are thrown in their paths.
VII
The Female Body
Sexuality & Objectification
VIII
Stupid Girls
Stupid girl, stupid girls, stupid girls
Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
Porno Paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
Porno Paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blond hair back
Push up my bra like that, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Go to Fred Segal, you'll find them there
Laughing loud so all the little people stare
Looking for a daddy to pay for the champagne
(Drop a name)
[Interlude]
Oh my god you guys, I totally had more than 300 calories
That was so not sexy, no
Good one, can I borrow that?
[Vomits]
I WILL BE SKINNY
What happened to the dreams of a girl president
She's dancing in the video next to 50 Cent
They travel in packs of two or three
With their itsy bitsy doggies and their teeny-weeny tees
Where, oh where, have the smart people gone?
Oh where, oh where could they be?
(Do ya thing, do ya thing, do ya thing)
(I like this, like this, like this)
Pretty will you **** me girl, silly as a lucky girl
Pull my head and suck it girl, stupid girl!
Pretty would you **** me girl, silly as a lucky girl
Pull my head and suck it girl, stupid girl!
Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
Porno Paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blond hair back
Push up my bra like that, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blond hair back
Push up my bra like that, stupid girl!
(Break it down now)
Disease's growing, it's epidemic
I'm scared that there ain't a cure
The world believes it and I'm going crazy
I cannot take any more
I'm so glad that I'll never fit in
That will never be me
Outcasts and girls with ambition
That's what I wanna see
Disasters all around
World despaired
Their only concern
Will they **** up my hair
Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
Porno Paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
Baby if I act like that, flipping my blond hair back
Push up my bra like that, I don't wanna be a stupid girl
IX
Stupid Girls
Commentary:
In her song Stupid Girls, Pink
encourages girls to reject many of
the stereotypes often associated
with femininity such as acting
“dumb” to get attention from
men, being focussed on
appearance, self-centred, and
concerned with only superficial
and material things. Instead, she
wishes that girls would focus on
their intelligence and ambitions.
She parodies the actions of other
women who are “role models” for
young women today, including
Paris Hilton (and the sex tape
scandal), Jessica Simpson (and her
music video for These Boots
Were Made for Walkin'), MaryKate Olsen's famous shopping
sprees and Lindsay Lohan (and
her car accidents).
In addition, she parodies the culture
of thinness and beauty by vomiting
and boasting about how few calories
she can subsist on, wearing a shirt
with a tab labelled “pull in case of
emergency" (which serves to inflate
her breasts to keep the attention of
her date), and by lying on a operating
table with dotted lines marking the
areas of her body that could be
modified.
At the end of the video, the
young girl who was watching
Pink’s performance ultimately
she decides, "I don't want to
be a stupid girl," and forgoes
her Barbie doll to play with a
football instead.
X
Rolling Stone Magazine
Commentary:
Sexual objectification occurs when a woman’s body is treated as an object (especially an
object that exists for the pleasure and use of others), and is illustrated interpersonally
through gaze or ‘checking out’, and in the representation of women in the media …
very few women are able to avoid contexts that may be potentially objectifying.
(Slater & Tiggemann, 2002, p. 343)
There are many examples of the objectification of women in the media: music lyrics and
videos, magazine covers and advertisements, television, movies, just to name a few. Women
often put themselves on display (e.g., wearing revealing clothing, dancing or acting
provocatively in order to get attention) and they often refer to themselves in self-objectifying
ways.
This issue of Rolling Stone magazine (below) has a picture of Fergie on the cover. She is
scantily clad in a bikini with ample cleavage showing. One of the article titles listed on the
cover is Fergie: A Good Girl Gone Wild. She is scantily clad but also wearing a tiara, and,
therefore, there are elements of both the “good girl” (e.g., princess) and the “bad girl” implicit
in this photograph.
XI
Dolce & Gabbana Advertisement
http://www.friskygeek.com/2007/03/04/1371/
“Dolce & Gabbana’s new ad campaign is getting them into hot water. All over the world
people are saying that the ad degrades women and condones rape by showing a man
holding a woman down while others watch”
Commentary:
The woman in this advertisement is portrayed in a degrading way. She is being physically held
down by one man while several others are observing. The woman is in a position of little power,
which emphasizes her passivity, helplessness, and weakness. Being surrounded by several men
adds the element of sexual dominance and is suggestive of a gang-rape situation (particularly
since two of the men are shirtless).
The advertisement was banned in March 2007. Many objections included the claim that it
glorified and promoted violence against women. Dolce & Gabbana stated that the ad was
representative of an erotic fantasy/sexual game, however, the release of the advertisement in
Spain was during a period in which violent crimes against women had significantly increased
and, therefore, seemed doubly offensive and in poor taste.
XII
Violence
Against
Women
XIII
Violence Against Women
UNICEF Reports Sexual Violence Increasing in Kenya (By Lisa Schlein; Geneva; 25 January 2008)
The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, reports sexual violence against women and children in Kenya is
increasing. UNICEF is urgently appealing for $3 million to provide emergency protection for children and women who
have been displaced by post-election violence in the country and for those who remain in their home communities,
but are at risk of violence and exploitation. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.
The U.N. Children's Fund says there is less ethnic violence now than during the post-election
rioting last month. But, Kenya remains dangerous and children and women are at particular
risk for violence and abuse.
UNICEF's Chief of Child Protection in Kenya, Birgithe Lund-Henriksen, says children are being
raped. In a telephone interview from Nairobi, she tells VOA there are no accurate figures on
the number of rapes or other cases of sexual abuse, because children and women are afraid
to talk about the attacks.
"We have heard of children as young as two and also women as old as 70 being raped," she
said. "And, I think it is a combination of rape and various forms of sexual harassment. And
there is a serious threat that if any official reporting that takes place that there will be
reprisals against the women and against their children. So, you can understand that everyone
is very reluctant to speak about it."
A displaced mother and
child eat rice handed out
Lund-Henriksen says the camps are not safe. She says children have to walk long distances to by local charities at a
fetch water. She says latrines, which are not gender segregated, are located far from living sports arena where people
areas. She says the camps have little light and children who walk out in the dark are at risk have been taking shelter in
of being attacked.
Nairobi, Kenya, 19 Jan
2008
She says Nairobi Women's Hospital has reported a growing number of cases of sexual violence
since the December elections. And a hospital in the port city of Mombasa says there has been an increase in gang rapes
and sexual assaults by strangers. Hospital officials say most are against girls under the age of 18, but boys have also been
assaulted.
Lund-Henriksen says she has heard of children and women trading sex for food.
"It is very clear that the current situation is increasing the poverty level of many families who already are very poor, and
their coping mechanisms are getting extremely challenged," she added. "And, you will find that children and families will
basically do anything to survive and get what they need. So, in that context, we are also concerned about an increased
level of trafficking of children."
An estimated 250,000 people have been displaced by the violence that erupted after the presidential election last month.
UNICEF says about 40 percent are children. It says about 200,000 children throughout Kenya are particularly affected by
the crisis and need help.
UNICEF says getting children back to school will result in better protection and a return to normalcy in their lives. It says
money from the emergency appeal will be used to set up safe play areas in displacement camps in the wartorn Rift Valley
town of Nakuru so parents can seek work or collect water and food, knowing that nothing will happen to their children.
UNICEF says safe play areas also will be created in the heart of affected communities where children who were not
displaced suffer nevertheless from violence and deprivation.
http://voanews.com/english/2008-01-25-voa36.cfm
XIV
Sexual Violence Increasing in Kenya
Commentary:
Sexual and domestic violence are serious problems in Kenya. A health survey conducted in
2003 revealed that at least half of all Kenyan women had experienced violence since the age
of 15 and family members were often the perpetrators (CBS, 2003). Many cultures in Kenya do
not view sexual violence as a criminal offense and there are no laws that specifically prohibit
spousal rape or abuse.
When rape is prohibited by law (e.g., when a woman is raped by a stranger), it is still difficult
for women to obtain protection or justice. Amnesty International, in a 2002 report entitled,
"Rape - The Invisible Crime", reported that victims of rape in Kenya faced many difficulties
when attempting to persuade police and other authorities that they had actually been raped.
Victims are required to prove that they did not consent to the act or that they agreed to the
act under duress (Amnesty International, 2002). Amnesty cited one case in which a magistrate
released a church leader accused of defiling a six-year-old girl on the grounds that he was a
"married man with children and, therefore, incapable of committing such an offence" (p. 16).
Although there are certain instances in which it may be inappropriate to project our Western
views onto other cultures (e.g., practices associated with different religious beliefs), the
victimization of women, children (or ANY human being for that matter) should not be
tolerated. I think that we (who live in a privileged society) have an obligation to take action to
ensure that such actions are not condoned—particularly when the victims are not able to help
or protect themselves due to legal and social constraints.
XV
Mental Illness
XVI
Mental Illness
Commentary:
Girl, Interrupted
The portrayal of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in the
movie Girl, Interrupted is rather misleading. Winona Ryder plays
Susannah Kaysen, the author of the book on which the movie is
based. Although she presents with many of the features of BPD,
the symptoms do not come across as much more than a somewhat
bored young woman wanting attention. Ryder portrays aspects of
identity confusion, career confusion, impulsivity (sexually), and
unstable relationships, but her symptoms are not emphasized or
developed in the story.
Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the more controversial diagnoses in the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV TR). Diagnoses are based on the
following criteria:
A pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and
marked impulsivity beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as
indicated by five (or more) of the following:
1. frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. .
2. a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating
between extremes of idealization and devaluation.
3. identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.
4. impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex,
substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating).
5. recurrent suicidal behaviour, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behaviour
6. affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria,
irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days).
7. chronic feelings of emptiness
8. inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of
temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights)
9. transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms
XVII
Aging
Dove Campaign
(too old to be in an anti-aging ad)
but this isn’t anti-age. this is pro•age.
a new line of skin and hair care from dove. beauty has no age limit.
Commentary:
Sanders, (2002) noted that :
 Men outnumber women on the [television] screen
 Only 3% of both men and women characters portrayed were elderly
 Older women were much less likely than older men to be portrayed as working outside
the home
 “Older” actors whom she interviewed complained about their shrinking opportunities.
They said few soap operas had characters representing grandparents, aunts, doctors,
lawyers, neighbours, or sales people; the world of soap operas is composed of young
adults, usually in romantic situations and not at all resembling the real world.
The overall message about aging in the media, when it exists at all, is negative. Women are
more likely to be portrayed positively when they are younger, attractive, and have sex appeal.
The Dove Pro-age campaign celebrates the beauty of women of all ages and suggests that
women can age gracefully and still be both beautiful and sexy.
XVIII
Relationships
XIX
Relationships
Sex and the City
Friends
Commentary:
Women have often been portrayed as incapable of true friendship—particularly in the media. Women
are seen as catty, manipulative, vindictive, and always in competition with one another—particularly
for male attention (e.g., Mean Girls). However, many female friendships are deep, intimate, and
enduring. In friendships, females emphasize self-disclosure, emotional closeness, and empathy, and the
central theme in female relationships is talking.
Sex and the City
The female friendships portrayed in Sex and the City are enduring, supportive, and non-competitive.
The four main characters (all female) spend much of their time talking and offering support and advice
to one another. They have been there for one another through significant life events such as breakups, marriage, divorce, childbirth, infertility, and even cancer.
Three of the women are in their 30s (Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda) and one is in her 40s (Samantha).
It seems that women become better at friendship as they get older and there is (perhaps) less
competition for male affections. Most of the positive female relationships portrayed in the media
involve older women (e.g., Calendar Girls, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood).
On the comedy series Friends, the three leading women are in their 20s when the series begins. At first,
there is more competition between them (e.g., when Monica wants to date Rachel’s ex-boyfriend; when
Monica and Rachel are fighting over Jean-Claude VanDamme), but as the series progresses, this
competitive aspect disappears and the women seem to share a deeper, more meaningful friendship.
XX
Communication
XXI
Communication
I hear it everywhere.
I press the button on the answering machine and a friend's voice says, "Hope you guys are doing well." I sit down with a
friend at a restaurant, and the server asks, "What would you guys like to drink?" A student in my gender class looks out
over a group of thirty-five women and five men and says, "You guys, I have an announcement."
Not that long ago women were being told that "he" and "mankind" included us--but we were skeptical. Feminists--women
and men--argued that language matters, that words are the tools of thought, and that erasing women through terms like
"mankind" made it easier to treat women as less than persons. Remember the uproar when women asserted our existence
by demanding "she or he" and "humankind?" But feminists persisted and our language changed. Postal carrier, first-year
student, chairperson, and firefighter slowly made their way onto paper and into speech. Many people began to see that it's
a problem when the so-called generic person has a man's face.
So when did "you guys" sneak by and then sneak in? I suspect it entered the scene around the time that official titles like
"chairman" were being challenged. You can push the provost to change freshman to first-year student or complain to
publishers about their use of congressman in text books. But you can't go to court to make your friends stop using "you
guys."
Some women tell me that "you guys" is different from "mankind." It's informal. It makes everyone feel included. It's an
equalizer. As one woman put it, "It's friendly. It's not like calling us sluts or bitches."
That's what worries me. Too many of us believe "you guys" is benign. But imagine a world--as Douglas Hofstadter did in his
1986 satire on sexist language--where people used generics based on race rather than gender. In that world, people would
use "freshwhite," "chairwhite," and yes, "you whiteys." Substituting "white" for "man" makes it easy to see why using "man"
for all human beings is wrong.
Perhaps some women believe that being "one of the guys" will protect them from the hazards of being women. "You guys"
provides the guise of inclusion in the dominant group. But if women really had equal status with men, we wouldn't have to
disappear into their term. After all, can you think of one, just one, instance when a female term has been used to
describe a group of women and men? Can you even imagine that happening?
I'm not saying that those of us who use "you guys" have bad intentions. But let's consider the consequences. Think about
the messages we get about the value of women--hundreds of times a day, every day--when we hear it. So let's recognize
(as feminists did with "mankind") that a friendly-sounding phrase like "you guys" can do damage.
I think about my colleague's five year-old daughter who ran out of the room crying when she heard the teacher say, "What
do you guys think?" She thought the teacher didn't care about what she thought. The teacher told her that of course she
was included. Her tears stopped, but what was the lesson? She learned that her opinion as a girl counts only when she's a
guy. She learned, as most of us have, that men set the standard.
I think about my friend's six year-old son who refused to believe that the female firefighter who came to his school to talk
to the class--dressed in uniform--actually fought fires. The firefighter repeatedly referred to herself as a "fireman."
Despite the protests of the teacher and the firefighter, the boy would not be convinced. "A fireman can't be a woman," he
said. His mother, who is fastidious in her use of nonsexist language, had a tough time doing damage control.
Several months ago I was complaining, as usual, about the "you guys" problem. "What we need is a card that explains why
we don't want to be called guys'!"
Smita Varia, a veteran of my gender course, said, "Let's write one."
And so we did. Smita enlisted T. Christian Helms, another former student, to design a graphic for the card. The final result
is what you see here. We hope you'll agree that the card doesn't scold people. Give it to friends and ask them to think
XXII
about it. Leave it with a big tip after you've been "you guysed" during a meal. The card explains the problem and offers
alternatives. You can also access the layout of the card from our website: http://www.youall.freeservers.com.
It's impossible to legislate against "you guys," so I'm calling for no less than an anti-you guys movement. Does that sound
silly? If so, maybe it's because many of us secretly believe that guys are better. And the guys know they're better, too. If
you don't believe me, saunter up to a group of them and offer a friendly, "hey, gals, how're you doing?" Let me know what
happens.
http://www.feminista.com/archives/v4n3/kleinman.html
Commentary:
When I first saw these cute little cards on the Feminista website, I began thinking about how
often I referred to my female friends, family groups, peers, and students collectively as “you
guys”. Once I was aware of it, I tried to stop doing so. It can be difficult to come up with
alternatives because “you guys” is such an accepted and common form of address in our
society! Some potential alternatives are:
1. You all (or even y’all), All of you
2. Sometimes, because I find it funny, I say “all y’all”
3. Everyone/everybody (e.g., How is everyone today? What does everybody have planned for the
weekend?)
4. Gals & Guys (Good afternoon, gals & guys). NOTE: I do not say “ladies” (for reasons that will
discuss in class) and “gentlemen” (because it is kinds of a strange word anyway). 
XXIII
Conclusion
Issues relevant to the Psychology of Women are all around us—implicit in some media (e.g.,
advertisements, magazine covers) and explicit in others (e.g., news stories, television, film).
Awareness of the issues and discussion of the topics is important to fostering changes in the
ways that women are viewed, treated, and portrayed.
Education about violence against women, objectification and self-awareness, diversification
of the images of women in the media, and media literacy programmes have all been suggested
as possible strategies to help prevent or offset the negative consequences of selfobjectification (Roberts & Gettman, 2004). I suggest that these problems cannot be offset
entirely with such simplistic solutions. Yes, education and awareness are important and, I
believe that, over time, if consistently applied, they will make a difference. However, we have
a long way to go.
XXIV
References
Amnesty International. (2002). Rape – the invisible crime [Electronic version]. Retrieved
January 2, 2008 from
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR32/001/2002/en/eed5f576-a376-11dc-9d08f145a8145d2b/afr320012002en.pdf
Bone, P. (2008). Assassinated because she was a woman. The Austalian. Retrieved January 2,
2008 from http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22995050-7583,00.html
Burke, J. (2007). Bhutto assassinated. Retrieved December 28, 2007 from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2232601,00.html
Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) [Kenya] Ministry of Health (MOH), and ORC Macro.
(2003). Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. Calverton, Maryland: NCPD, MOH, and
ORC Macro.
Dove. http://www.doveproage.com/
Kleinman, S. (n.d.). Goodbye ,“you guys”. Feminista! Retrieved October 8, 2007 from
http://www.feminista.com/archives/v4n3/kleinman.html
Roberts, T., & Gettman, J. Y. (2004). Mere exposure: Gender differences in the negative
effects of priming a state of self-objectification. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 51,
17-27.
Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/
Sanders, M. (2002). Older women and the media [Electronic version]. Retrieved January 3,
2008 from www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/media2002/reports/OP3Sanders.PDF
Schlein, L. (2008). UNICEF reports sexual violence increasing in Kenya. Retrieved January 25,
2008 from http://voanews.com/english/2008-01-25-voa36.cfm
Slater, A and Tiggemann, M. (2002). A Test of Objectification Theory in Adolescent Girls. Sex
Roles, 46 (9/10), 343-349.
Stupid Girls. http://www.lyricstop.com/s/stupidgirls-pink.html
XXV
Your introduction, conclusion, and commentaries should be a bit longer than those in the
examples but less than a page is sufficient. Be sure to include your references. Please email me
with any questions or concerns.
XXVI