Managing Mixed Messages

By Susan Douglas

Lead-in discussion

Video watching — Dove evolution (from next-door girl to superstar)

What do you think this video implies? Do you have trouble managing such

messages? Will you fall for it sometimes?

2. Cinderella, a legendary girl whose beauty eventually captivated Prince Charming, is now used to refer to a person of unrecognized merit or beauty. What, if any, is your or your friend’s Cinderella appeal? Do you find any problem in Cinderella appeal?

What does the author mean by “mixed massages”?

confront / vt. 1 if a problem, difficulty etc confronts you, it

appears and needs to be dealt with :

› The problems confronting the new government were enormous.

be confronted with something

› Customers are confronted with a bewildering amount of choice.

2 to deal with something very difficult or unpleasant in a brave and determined way :

› We try to help people confront their problems .

admonish (vt.) advise to do (or not to do) sth. in a

serious way admonish sb. to do e.g. When I was young, I was constantly

admonished by my father to be honest all the time.

amplify (vt.) increase, make stronger e.g. These terrible stories only

amplified her fears.

amplification (n.) e.g. signal amplification

( Young daughters have to) work hard to fend off what cripples them and amplify what empowers them.

Young girls have to try their best to avoid the harmful effects of kids’ programs and take full advantage of the benefits of these programs that will make them stronger.

In US: Commercial TV is the practice of

broadcasting for profit. This is normally achieved by interrupting normal program to air advertisements.

Public TV is non-commercial educational (NCE) broadcaster usually funded by government or public donation.

Cable TV and Satellite TV’s service are paid partially or wholly by subscribers. Most of them sell commercial time too. There is also completely ad-free TV service like HBO who operates solely on subscriber fees.

know better If someone knows better than to do

something, they are experienced enough to know it is the wrong thing to do 懂道理 , 有头脑 , 不会上当

e.g. She knew better than to argue with the policeman.

“Like many moms of my era, I was one of those who righteously banned Barbie, the doll that launched a thousand women’s studies dissertations, on the grounds that we didn’t want our daughters’ role model to be a giddy shopaholic who said, “Math class is tough!” and had a figure that defied the laws of gravity…

…In the face of years of criticism, Nurse Barbie had turned into Doctor Barbie, Stewardess Barbie into Astronaut Barbie, with a host of multicultural friends. There was even Barbie for President 2004 in a trim red pantsuit with a Stars-and-Striped scarf. But somehow Barbie remains incurable pink and retro, because she is an icon, a Warhol painting, a Smithsonian exhibit… http://www.gosmithsonian.com/nightatthemuseummovie/”

-- Nancy Gibbs TIME Feb. 20, 2006

bring something to bear (on/upon something)

to use something, for example your power, authority, or your knowledge, in a way that will have a big effect on something or someone （充分发挥 ; 施加 , 运用 , 完成 , 瞄准） /To put (something) to good use: 充分地利用（某物）

e.g. bring pressure to bear on the student's parents.

e.g. The full force of the law was brought to bear on anyone who criticized the government.

“Having grown up with the mess media myself…have her hopes and fears shaped by the mass media too.”

My growth was also accompanied by the mass media which had great impact on me, good or bad. I know how influential the media can be and actually is. The media will help shaping the world view of my daughter and that of her peers. Taking this into consideration, I’ll try my best to utilized the power of mass media in educating my daughter.

大众传媒伴随着我的成长，其中既有有益的、也有有害的影响，我意充分利用之，扬长避短地用于对我女儿的教育，而她也将以她的方式，和她的同龄人一起在大众传媒的影响下形成她的希望或恐惧。

Maria

Muppet

The Paper bag princess

not to mention much less, let alone e.g. It's too far to walk, not to mention

the fact that it'll probably be closed by now anyway.

It goes without saying (that) … It is used to say that something is so

clearly true that it does not need to be said

e.g. The Internet, too, it goes without saying, is a good source of information.

TV commercials are full of sexist messages. Could you give some examples?

The original crew of spaceship Star Treka “salad bowl”?

consummately (adv.) completely, used for emphasis 完全；彻底

consummate adj. 完美的；熟练的；有成就的；技艺高超的 a consummate musician 一位技艺高超的音乐家 He won the race with consummate ease.

vt. 1.To bring to completion or fruition; conclude: 完成或使取 得成果； consummate a business transaction 完成商业交易 2. To realize or achieve; fulfill 实现或达到；使尽善尽美； 使 ... 达到顶点

a dream that was finally consummated with the publication of her first book. 她处女作的发表实现了她的梦想

Portrait of Monet’s wife

ByPierre Auguste Renoir 

What’s the problem with this stories in which “selfless, beautiful girls are rewarded by the love of a prince they barely know”?

According to the endings, the only way for girls to realize their values is through a marriage to a prince. But the prerequisite of this marriage is that the girls should be selfless and beautiful. Ending stories in this way, the mass media endeavors to make girls a weaker sex.

What are the major assumptions underlying the phrase “dropping like a sack of onions”?

This phrase vividly describes the daughter’s funny behavior in the pretend game of “Snow White”. Given to her height, she is no taller than a sack of onion. The phrase describes how the little girl drop slowly, little by little, to the ground.

vengeance (n.) Syn: revenge, retaliate(tion),

with a vengeance: in an extreme or intense manner （拼命）

cannon fodder soldiers, sailors, or other military

personnel regarded as likely to be killed or wounded in combat. （士兵，炮灰：被认为有可能在战斗中被打死或打伤的士兵、船员或其他军事人员）

fodder: 草料，原料， 来源

The author states “boys are ‘cool’; girls are their mirrors”. What does “mirrors” suggest in the context?

Mirrors are “flat, shiny surfaces whose only function is to reflect”, indicating that girls just need to be pretty without independent thought, and need only to admire those boys who play coolness all the while.

“So she will be surrounded by media imagery that holds out promises of female achievement with one hand and slaps her down with the other.”

The media will continue to infuse her with confusing information. On the one hand, it will showcase programs wherein great expectations are made of women; on the other hand, sexist notions and gender-biases still work to the disadvantage of women, two contradicting situations are juxtaposed.

她既想有控制权又想被爱，她所成长的文化与五六十年代一样 , 女性仍困惑着如何在这两者之间兼顾取舍。她周围充斥着矛盾的媒体形象，伸出一只手向她许诺女性可以有所成就，又用另一只手把她搧倒在地。

What is the general tone of the article? Aggressive Liberal Ironic Imposing Live-and –let-live mild

Discussion questions

What’s your opinion on the issue raised in the text? Do you agree with the author? Or you have different opinions?