First Blog: Big Poppa (The Notorious B.I.G) Tayler T.

Here we are again to get deeper into the lyrics of Hip Hop Music:

"I love it when you call me BIG POPPA" is what the deceased rapper Biggie Smalls said in his hit song, "Big Poppa". Biggie definitely got the ladies attention by showing his lyrical skills and flashy style. He showed his masculinity by saying that he is better than all the guys in the club. He stated, "Who they attracting with that line, "Whats your name, whats your sign", Soon as he buy that wine, I just creep up from behind, And ask what your interest are, who you be with, Things that make you smile, what numbers to dial". The rapper is stating that when another man try's to hook up with a girl he plans to creep up and steal you with his smooth charm. He is extremely confident in his self on this record about how he loves when the ladies love him and calls him "Big Poppa". Mr. Smalls also shows his masculine side by showing that he is rich, he stated, " (How you living, Biggie Smalls) In a mansion and Benzes, Giving ends to my friends and it feels stupendous". What he means by this is that he's living the high (class) life doing BIG things with his life buying expensive homes and 500 SL Mercedes Benz sedans which most young black males of his demographic aren't doing which makes him the man. So what do you think? Does Biggie Smalls show masculinity? He is getting money, women, and respect. The world looked at Biggie Smalls as a Hip Hop legend because he brought style, flow, and along with being confident in his weight and skin color he still didn't let that affect his success. Big Poppa definitely knew that women and men looked up to him no matter what he looked like and with that comes respect and a lot of love. Biggie in my eyes showed his masculinity in his hip hop music! What do you think about Big Poppa?

-Tayler T.

First Blog Post-Women and Hip-hop by Aidan Munn

Women + Hip-hop Lyrics = Demeaning?

The above video is an interview with rapper Drake. Drake has a "soft" impression in the rap game because of his thoughtful songs and lyrics. There is even a twitter dedicated to tweeting "Drake the type of n----" to do things considered very sensitive. An example is "Drake the type to stop a revolving door and say 'You don't deserve to be pushed around like that'." The ironic part about this is that even one of the rappers known to be most soft and is made fun of for his lyrics also sings a song about getting with every girl in the world. This shows just how extreme some of the rap lyrics are regarding women. This goes along with my topic of women and hip-hop. When thinking, should women be okay with these lyrics? According to Drake, yes. He points out that it is all about how you say it and not taking it too far. It is also very true that women do sing along and shout out the lyrics at concerts. This relates a lot to what we have been discussing in class. In class, we talk about the different way men and women are treated and framed by society. For the most part, there aren't hip-hop songs with lyrics about getting with lots of men like there are about women. When deciding whether the lyrics are demeaning, every case varies. Some lyrics are very extreme and have no way to be taken other than insulting. In cases like Drake was talking about, some are on the line. It depends on whether you take them as a "joke" and sing along or you take them literally and may be offended.

-Aidan Munn

First Blog: Women in Country Music- Role Models to Young Girls

 

Women in Country Music- Role Models to Young Girls and Women

 

 

 

Women in country music are perfect examples of great role models to young women. Women country artists speak for women everywhere, and they do it through their songs and campaigns as celebrities. I look up to women of country music because to me, they are the most normal women in the music industry. Yes, they are beautiful, but not in the way that many girls are brought up today to believe beautiful is. They are not all size zeros and they definitely do not let anyone, especially men, step all over them. Women country music artists are normal size women. They are healthy in the way that their bodies are strong, some may be even on the thicker side. To me, however, that is what true beauty is; not a walking stick. Women in country music are not afraid to tell young girls to be themselves, because not everyone looks like a model. One example is of the video above. In this video, Miranda Lambert is being interviewed about her recent 'Got Milk' poster ad. She continues to talk about how she believes strongly in the idea that children, especially girls, always eat breakfast and get their nutrition. Too many times society portrays it to be okay, to not eat to in hopes of becoming 'skinny' or 'thin'. This interview inspired me because she continues to say how she watches the food she eats, but not in the reason most girls do. She explains how she is a normal sized girl, not a size zero, and how she wants to be healthy inside. She is a great role model for kids not only because she expresses women's rights in her songs, but because she takes action in educating young women to not follow the social expectations of what 'beautiful' is.

 

Women in country music do a great job ad role models to young women because they let them know it is okay to not be the picture perfect girl. They often use wild as a characteristic in females to show how it is okay to be strong spoken and confident as a woman.

 

Some examples of songs by women country artists that I consider to be inspiring are....

1. Redneck Woman by Gretchen Wilson- This song portrays the message that woman do not have to be picture perfect. She explains how she is "not the Barbie doll type" and how women need to stand together to be themselves; even if that is being a back woods redneck woman who in society might not be seen as 'feminine'. It is perfectly okay!
2. Man I Feel Like A Woman by Shania Twain- This song talks about how being a lady is something to be proud of. Her message in this song is to get other females to be proud of who they are.
3. She's a Wild One by Faith Hill- This is about women doing what they want to do and never letting anyone say they can't. It talks about a girls daddy telling her to be anyone she wants to be. It is about women being mentally strong and overcoming societies expectations.

 

Women country artists are also never afraid to speak their minds. As shown in many songs sung by women artists, they do not see women as being weak. They often use extreme cases of revenge to prove their point. They portray the message that women are just as superior as men.

 

Some examples of these songs and artist are...

1. Gun Powder and Lead by Miranda Lambert- This song talks about how a woman was abused by her husband, and instead of letting it happen she took matters into her own hands. In this song Miranda tries to show the role change in saying that the women is now the dominating role with the cigarette in her mouth and the gun in her hand.
2. Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood- This song is about a man cheating on her, and in the song she gets revenge by doing things that 'a lady' should not do; like slashing tires and hitting his car with a bat. Also, it shows how her standing up to this man will hopefully make him think twice about using a woman. Its the dominating character that she shows in the lyrics and video that show the switch in gender roles.
3. Girls Lie Too by Terri Clark- This song is about woman proving to guys that they are not superior to women. It uses humor to show how men think they have all the control but really women are just as strong but we are smarter with it.

So as you can see women country music artists are great role models to young girls because they teach that being a women is something to always be proud of. This is a very powerful and passionate topic to me because I believe that there is no one stronger than a confident woman.

 

 I hope you enjoyed my post and are interested to learn more.

Thank You,

Abbie Minsker

Women in the Military

 

       Women are allowed to participate in the military, however in the United States they are currently not allowed to participate in combat. My name is Donovan Savage and throughout my blogs I will be talking about women in the military. Although, women can't serve in combat in the United States in combat in certain countries they are allowed to such as, Australia and Sweden. However, the United States Navy Seal does plan to involve women in 2015 and 2016 in combat, but the United States Marine Corps don't plan to soon. I believe women should be allowed to participate in combat. It goes to show that we still put a huge emphasis on gender in this society, instead of being focus on us as individuals.

Hello! My name is Atyana Adams and I attend Eastern Michigan Campus. My blog topic is on Violence against women and I will be introducing my topic. Violence against women is a global, but yet still a buried problem. Choice from the danger of bother, beating, and sexual assault is an idea that most of us have a tough time visualizing because violence is such a profound portion of our cultures and our lives. Normally, sexual violence happens by controlled differences between men and women that are not agreed upon each together. In some cultures, men are able to take these risk at bating on their women and it is supposed to be a way to express there “manhood”.  SAD, BUT TRUE!!! In addition to, women establish a ration of population living with HIV&AIDS and the rate is still increasing. Here is the most recent statistic proof:

                                  

In conclusion, I want to look deeper into sexual violence on women. Asking questions such as:

1. Why men sexually abuse women? Why didn’t men care that she was screaming “STOP”?

2. Do the women really do things to tick the men off?

3. Do men get sexually abused by women also?

4. Why is it that women get sexually abused and continue to be with that man who abused her?

The sexual VOILENCE on women has to stop!!!!!!

Drag Culture

 

 Hello, my name is Dyamone Clark and my controversial blog topic is Drag Culture.  I would like to go into depth more of a drag performers. There are different types of drag performers. See Below. 

Drag queens are males who dress and act in a female gender role often exaggerating certain characteristics (such as make-up and eyelashes) for comic, dramatic effect.

Drag kings are women who perform in male roles.

Faux Queens are women who dress in exaggerated style to emulate drag queens.

Faux kings are men who dress to impersonate drag kings.

Looking at these different drag performance styles you see it’s all just an act. An act to mock and entertain. Since when is it ok to impersonate someone’s sexuality in a comedic manner?

Men & Sports

My name is Devan Marry, and I am a Division 1 wrestler at Eastern Michigan University. I have been avidly involved in sports since I was 6 years old. In the world of sports, men have seemed to dominate the playing field. This may be because of the early start they had in terms of history. Dating all the way back to the first days of the Olympic games, men were always the ones partaking in the events. These events first took place all the way back in 776 BC in Greece to honor Zeus and other Gods or Goddesses at Olympia. Men have been generally seen as the better athletes, from 776 BC all the way to the modern age. The women actually did not have an organized set of Olympic events till the twentieth century. The playing field is starting to even out now due to women becoming more active in male dominated sports, or starting leagues of their own in these sports. I will be sharing with you stories on the topic of all these sports and the aspects that involve the male participants and stories pertaining to their sexuality and gender.

Devan Marry