Up to now...

Up to now, I have felt that my experience with gender representation in society has been a constant battle. As a girl, my life has been influenced by the heroines I have seen on TV and movies, and read about it books. Some of them are amazing and powerful, and some are smart and coy, and some just now how to find a husband. Growing up, I wanted nothing more than to be Catwoman. She was powerful, and quick, and ultimately just really cool. As I grew older, I came to understand that she was not as amazing as I wanted her to be and was slightly disappointed when I realized her character was primarily composed around sex appeal. It was then that I began to notice it all around me: Desperate Housewives, Sex and the City, Cosmopolitan magazine. All of these are aimed at women, to make us feel powerful and in control of our lives, both sexually and successfully, however none of these things would be so popular if the recipe did not call for sex. Female representation in society has gone from loyal housewive to sexed-up CEO. I am still to this day not sure of whether or not this is now the upper hand. I know women can be powerful on their own, but can women be represented as powerful without sex appeal?

My expectations for this class have exceeded those of previous classes. I certainly do not feel that this will be a walk in the park, but I invite a challenge, and that is what I expect. I expect to better myself as a writer, reader, and overall communicator. I will admit, the thought of having a class based around gender in society made me a little nervous, but I am hoping to learn from it and to open myself up to new ideas and feelings about how gender has been, is, and will be represented.