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On Boys and Patriarchy

4/22/12 3:05pm by Achilles-Effect
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You probably heard about Ashley Judd's recent Daily Beast post calling out the media for nasty judgments of her appearance. Ms. Judd points the finger at the patriarchy but clarifies that "Patriarchy is not men. Patriarchy is a system in which both women and men participate."  Read more >

How the "Boy Code" Plays Out at School

4/11/12 5:15pm by Achilles-Effect
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“Why can’t as a collective people we admit that so much of the way we see the natural attributes given to boys and girls is directly a consequence of the messages that society sends?”  Read more >

Blog for International Women's Day: Let's Make Girls Part of the Story

3/8/12 3:16pm by Achilles-Effect
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How can we, as a culture and as members of the global community, involve, educate, and inspire girls in a positive way?This is the question posed as part of the Blog for International Women’s Day, presented by Gender Across Borders and CARE.There are many ways to answer that question, but I believe that one way to help girls is to make the experiences and stories of girls and women as relevant in our culture as those of boys and men.  Read more >

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax: Why Such a Stereotyped View of Girls and Boys?

3/5/12 10:50am by Achilles-Effect
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The Lorax | Photo By Universal Pictures

What about gender? Sadly, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax breaks no new ground. In the original story, the three principal characters -- the Lorax, the Once-ler, and the child who wants to hear the tale of Lorax -- are all male and they remain male in the film. (Some people have called Seuss sexist because of the lack of gender balance in his stories, but I assume the predominance of male characters was more a sign of the times in which Seuss lived than actual overt sexism.) It would have been nice if the filmmakers, realizing the lack of female lead characters in children’s films, had taken a risk, changed it up, and placed a female in the role of hero/protagonist.  Read more >

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Achilles Effect

Discussing how young boys - through pop culture and language - come to understand masculinity and, in turn, how that view affects their perception of femininity.

Information

Full Name
Crystal Smith
Member Since
November 2009
About Me: 

The Achilles Effect explores gender bias in the entertainment aimed at primary school boys, focusing on the dominant themes in children’s TV shows, toy advertising, movies, and books: gender stereotypes of both sexes, male dominance, negative portrayals of fathers, breaking of the mother/son bond, and the devaluing of femininity. It examines the gender messages sent by pop culture, provides strategies for countering these messages, and encourages discussion of a vitally important issue that is rarely talked about—boys and their often skewed understanding of gender.

Profession: 
Writer
Location: 
Toronto
Causes Tags: 

media literacy, masculinity, gender stereotypes,children's media,feminism

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