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What do you want to learn in this course? Why is this course interesting to you? What topic(s) are you most excited about? 

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What do you want to learn in this course? Why is this course interesting to you? What topic(s) are you most excited about? 

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This course is named Critical Media Studies, thus one of the things I would like to learn and improve on is thinking critically and being able to analyze media from different lenses. I am looking forward to learning different ways that scholars apply critical thinking to their everyday and more. Furthermore, the interest I find in this course stems from the fact that it will challenge the way I currently think. As well as the fact that there are various topics that interest me, such as Critical Race Theory and Queer Media being a few of them. I am excited to see what this course has to offer.

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What is Engstrom’s main argument? Why is political economy an important approach for her research? What was your main “take-away” from this article?

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What is Engstrom’s main argument? Why is political economy an important approach for her research? What was your main “take-away” from this article?

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Engstrom's main argument is that of how society pushes the narrative that marriage is necessary to prove one's success, femininity and happiness. While in reality, the fruition of a marriage should not rely on material aspects. As well as the fact that, marriage is not necessary to achieve joy in one's life. Society pushes the narrative that "[w]eddings, marriage, romance and heterosexuality become naturalized to the point where we consent to the belief that marriage is necessary to achieve a sense of well-being, belonging, passion, morality, and love," (Ingraham, 1999, p. 120). Political economy is an especially important approach in Engstrom's research as she uses the example of the website The Knot to analyze how media influences individuals. Thus, when viewing The Knot from a political economy lens, one is able to analyze the hegemonic ideals involved in wedding media. The Knot being a perfect media example of political economy, displays how media can influence capitalistic thinking. As "the usefulness of political economy of the media, becomes especially relevant to hegemony when one considers the intricacies between media messages and economies within capitalism," (Engstrom, 2008, p. 62) My main take-away from this article is that marriage often works against the feminist agenda of women moving away from being seen as merely objects, as a bride is subjected to being under the spotlight and thus, needing to be this perfect example of beauty. Additionally, wedding events put a woman under extreme stresses, while the groom often does not experience these same struggles. The fairy tale wedding tends to be a facade.

The gif I added illustrates a literal "bridezilla". This term came about as brides are often stressed and may display these negative emotions outwardly. To media, these women are often categorized as dramatic, while in truth they are burdened to lots of weight on their shoulders during such a monumental event.

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How does the political activism of fans, as you read about in the article by Kelly, demonstrate one key component of cultural studies? Can you think of another example of fan political activism?

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How does the political activism of fans, as you read about in the article by Kelly, demonstrate one key component of cultural studies? Can you think of another example of fan political activism?

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The political activism of fans demonstrates the key component of identity in cultural studies. On Sept 27th, Dr. Thrift presented the point that explains that "culture informs both the production and reception of media texts". The way people identify, will impact the way one interprets media texts. For instance, political activism by fans to this scale or political activism by any kind by a group of fans, can only occur if there is a large group of fans who identify to be in similar groups/lean towards the same beliefs. From the actions of the K-pop fans referenced in the article, one can infer that many fans may be left-leaning/have already previously engaged in activism of some sort.
An example I could think of was through Harry Style fans and the Black Lives Matter movement. Although Harry Style's fans seem to be divided on this matter; the issue still brought people together. I have linked an article, however, it essentially goes over Style's lack of support towards the Black Lives Matter movement and how the disappointment of Black fans brought about trending hashtags to try and educate him. Thus, these hashtags bring greater awareness to the movement and fans even focused on aiding protestors during the uproar in 2020.
People oftentimes underestimate the power fans have, however these are committed individuals, who also have identities beyond their favourite artist.

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Pop music fans know that their faves can't change the world's systemic problems-that's not what they're asking for.

Gabrielle Foster had been a fan of One Direction since she was 11 years old.

"We all come from different backgrounds. We all bond over Harry, but we don't personally know what's going on in each other's lives," she told me. "I just want there to be more representation for everybody." Now in her early twenties, Foster is one of the better-known "Black Harries" on Twitter, as she was one of the first Black Harry Styles fans to organize efforts to win his public alliance with the Black Lives Matter movement.

This took a longer time than many people seem to remember. In the fall of 2017, a fan threw a Black Lives Matter flag onto the stage at a Styles concert in London, and Styles ignored it. His fan base was used to him accepting pride flags and dancing with them onstage, as well as giving an opening monologue about how much he valued the support of women. It didn't seem like an accident that he'd left the flag on the floor, untouched, even as sections of the crowd were holding up Black Lives Matter signs. He was known for noticing things like that-he would often read off the signs in the audience and banter a bit with the people who had written odd ones. Many fans responded with anger. "Use your fucking platform," one tweeted afterward. "You're enabling hypocrisy." Others were deeply hurt. "I love Harry, he's my safest place, but I feel so disconnected, so unsupported," another wrote. Some taunted him with a play on his own song lyrics, from the (horrible) song "Woman": "You flower, you feast" became "You flower, you white feministe."

Young people who were raised to understand network effects speak reflexively about the power that comes with having a lot of followers and a central cultural position, or a platform, which is not so much a stable object or trait but a privilege granted by interconnected groups of real people and should therefore be used judiciously. Black fans of Harry Styles were not arguing that he should support Black Lives Matter only because it would be personally affirming; they saw it as his moral responsibility as a person with a high public profile. But many white fans joined in the conversation only to suggest that Black fans were asking for too much, that Harry couldn't support every political cause, and that a concert was not a protest. After the initial uproar, Styles posted a black-and-white photograph of some of the signs on his Instagram, captioned "Love." To white fans, that gesture was supposed to be enough. In June 2018, when Gabrielle organized a huge showing of mass-printed paper signs at a show in Hershey, Pennsylvania, white fans tweeted at her about it in rude confusion. This was resolved already, wasn't it?

"The projects we put on all through the tour, it started to feel hopeless at some point," she told me. "It was a constant attack toward Black fans; we're getting attacked and we can't get the recognition from Harry." Gabrielle went to a second concert, in Washington, DC, and splurged for a ticket in the standing-room pit at the edge of the stage. She brought a Black Lives Matter flag with her and planned to toss it up to Styles, to see if he would pick it up. "I was very hopeful," she told me. "He was directly in front of me and he was talking to someone near me. I threw it at his feet, and he looked down at it, accidentally stepped on it, and walked away. So that kind of crushed me." Her mood got worse when some of the girls in the crowd around her insisted that she had only herself to blame for the disappointment. She'd kept the flag crumpled up so he couldn't see it the whole show, they told her, and then she got mad at him for not noticing it that one instant? She shot back that she'd held the flag open over the edge of the barricade for hours. The night was ruined, and she went home in a rage. "I was really upset in the moment," she said. "I had a picture of him standing on the flag and I was so mad. I had even considered just unstanning completely because it was so awful. I went off the rails."

After a long drive back to Virginia, she cooled down a bit and checked her Twitter messages. Many of her friends in Styles fandom had sent her clips of another Black Lives Matter flag on the Jumbotron at a different show, or of Styles holding the flag up in Boston, and one of him yelling, "I love every single one of you. If you are Black, if you are white . . . Whoever you are . . . I support you." Eventually, she decided that Styles did care. But she never quite forgot that moment of despair. "I wish he had done something sooner," she told me. "It still gets thrown in Black fans' faces to this day by other fandoms. Well, your fave wouldn't even hold the flag, or something like that."

There is a term for the type of fan who will never criticize their fave, never hold them accountable for anything, and coddle them forever as if each day is freshly the day they were born. It's "cupcake," and the Harry Styles fandom has many of them. It also has what Black fans refer to as "KKK Harries"-white fans who refuse to cede any ground in the fandom and prefer to pretend they're the only people there.

When Harry Styles agreed to perform at a Super Bowl preshow in the midst of conversations about the NFL's legacy of racism, Black fans were startled and tried to put pressure on him to change his plans with the hashtag #HarryBackOut. Supporting Black Lives Matter with a sticker was not enough, they argued, if it didn't reflect a principled dedication to living those politics. Some white fans were annoyed too, but it seemed that most of their annoyance was directed at the fans who wanted to prevent them from enjoying a rare television performance by their favorite star. They offered "friendly" reminders that Styles is a singer, not a political activist. Black fans were asked to qualify and defend their desires over and over-they do love him, they don't think he's racist, they just want him to do better, maybe he's not a political activist, but he is an adult man who is capable of processing information and altering his behavior, if he cares to. (The show was canceled due to inclement weather.) Many of them also wrote about how tiring it was to be a Black Harrie or a Black stan in general. "When you're a fan of somebody and the fan base is mostly white, you might feel a little ostracized," Ezz Mbamalu, a 23-year-old fan from North Carolina told me. "People try to get on you about Why do you listen to them? That's not what Black people listen to. You get pushed down even more."

Black Harries had a big moment when Styles released the single "Adore You" in 2019-it was an upbeat, charming love song with a lyric about "brown skin and lemon over ice." These few words turned Twitter into a party, as Black fans were elated by what they viewed as much-delayed representation in Styles' work. "THE BLACKS HAVE FINALLY WON!" Ezz tweeted, "ADORE YOU WAS WRITTEN ABOUT A BLACK WOMAN." The celebration lasted all night, and for self-described "Harries of colour," this event was "going in the history books." But almost as soon as Black women started tweeting about the lyric, white fans were replying and subtweeting, suggesting that Styles could have just been talking about a woman with a tan. Or, after the release of the "Adore You" music video, which followed Styles as he cared for a large pet fish, that it could have referred to scales. "It's like, let us enjoy one thing," a Black Harrie named Elul Agoda told me. "He writes two words about us and that gets taken away from us too."

Black fans sometimes abandon the main Twitter timeline when these types of dismissals happen and move to group chats for Black Harries only. There, they can organize to make themselves visible in the broader fandom in careful and coordinated ways, such as with the hashtag #BlackHarriesMatter. For several years, on the first of every month-in honor of Styles' February 1 birthday-Black fans tweeted selfies in Harry Styles merch, or styled in a Harry Styles aesthetic, or just smiling, paired with the hashtag, so that their faces would take up space in the broader fandom's timelines. The idea, Ezz told me, was to say, We're here, we're visible, we care about Harry, we're not going to be pushed aside. "I think it's cool to go into the hashtag and see other people who look like me, that have the same interest as me, which is Harry Styles," she added. But even that effort has received pushback from white fans, some of whom will go so far as to comment things like "White Harries Matter Too," while others mask their questions in politeness, saying they love the hashtag, the photos are gorgeous, but why is it important to say this?

"It's tiring," Gabrielle Foster told me. "But it's also like, we got to let it be known. Black Harries Matter."

In August 2019, in his second Rolling Stone cover story, Styles told the journalist Rob Sheffield that he had struggled with Black Lives Matter because he hadn't wanted people to feel like he was virtue signaling. He inched into participation by putting a BLM sticker on his guitar. "When I did it, I realized people got it," he said. "Everyone in that room is on the same page and everyone knows what I stand for. I'm not saying I understand how it feels. I'm just trying to say, 'I see you.'"

Eventually he would be stirred to do more; he tweeted links to bail funds when demonstrators were arrested during the George Floyd protests, and participated in a Black Lives Matter march himself in Los Angeles. The Styles fandom organized itself to support the protests as well, in an assiduous way that reveals how fans have started to think about the relationship between their pop culture loyalties and their politics. Many removed his face from their avatars and replaced it with a Black Lives Matter fist. They canceled the #BlackHarriesMatter tag that June, and all other usual fandom activities, preferring to stay focused on helping protestors. When I spoke to Black fans during that time, they sounded energized-they were excited that K-pop fans were popping out in such numbers to support them, even though typically the two fandoms couldn't possibly have less to do with each other. They were also relieved to see Styles participating, and glad that he had attended the protest without deliberately calling attention to himself over Black protestors themselves.

Activism in a fandom context has often been concerned with visibility. The causes tend to be identity-based, and the aim is often to win from the stars in question some explicit recognition that these identities exist within their audience, that they are important, and that both star and fan are aligned with a broader political movement related to this identity. But the choices that Styles fans made during the protests of 2020 reveal a shift or logical progression in this thinking. Fandom activism has been mostly visibility-based so far, but it could still be a precursor to something bigger: Visibility is a starting point for activism, and not its end goal. "Pop culture doesn't really change the world," the labor organizer Teo Bugbee wrote for SSENSE that summer. "It's a product to be consumed, an indulgence. But the gift of pop is that it actualizes a fantasy: visions of a world that doesn't yet and maybe won't ever exist." Harry Styles fans didn't imagine that they would erase the structural problems of the societies they lived in by calling attention to themselves, or that being seen by people who like the same music as they did was overtly political. They just wanted to be respected for their dedication and to be seen for all the things they are other than fans of Harry Styles.

Just as stereotypes can hurt all kinds of fans, elucidating the diversity of fandom can help all kinds of fans too. Jessica Pruett, a gender and sexuality studies scholar who completed a PhD in culture and theory at the University of California, Irvine, in 2021, wrote her master's thesis on lesbian fans of One Direction. "Thinking about lesbian fandom of One Direction helps reframe how people think about One Direction fandom in general," she told me. "It's a lot more complicated and weird than people think it is. It's not a straightforward thing of Oh, of course girls have crushes on the boys and that's why they're fans. It's not just lesbian fandom that's more complicated than that-it's all fandom." (She recommended a Tumblr account called 1Dgaymagines, which is short-form self-insert fanfiction for queer women fans of One Direction. Among the most recent stories on the blog: The boys of One Direction are your best friends and help you woo a sexy vampire who lives in a castle on a hill; Harry Styles asks you to decide who to let into the Met Gala; you start a community garden.)

When the goal is visibility within a fandom, the external result is clarification: If Black women love One Direction too, then this is not just a white cultural artifact; if queer fans love them, then this is not just a cheap ploy to exploit heterosexual teenage hormones; if adults love them, then this is not just a phase that a person eventually grows out of. When the goal is to use a fandom's numbers and organizational capabilities to lift a political cause, the external result is also a clarification, one more like an adjustment of a lens that brings something into clearer view: Selecting a pop star to love was never a political tactic, but an expression of optimism that anyone can be changed. To hope that Niall Horan deeply cares about my rights is to hope that the other men I love do. To expect that Liam Payne understands why there are so many rainbow flags in the crowd is to believe that anyone should. To want Harry Styles to wave a Black Lives Matter flag onstage is to believe that the world is shifting, and to ask him to do it is to insist on it. We don't need to be told that these men are more a reflection of us than we are of them.

Excerpted from Everything I Need I Get From You by Kaitlyn Tiffany. Published by MCD × FSG Originals. Copyright © 2022 by Kaitlyn Tiffany. All rights reserved.

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What Black One Direction Fans Reveal About Activism

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Pop music fans know that their faves can't change the world's systemic problems-that's not what they're asking for. Gabrielle Foster had been a fan of One Direction since she was 11 years old. "We all come from different backgrounds. We all bond over Harry, but we don't personally know what's going on in each other's lives," she told me.

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Pay attention to the media you consume this week and choose one media image that operates semiotically. Include this image in your journal and do a mini semiotic analysis – what is the signifier? Signified? Sign? This entry is an opportunity for you to “practice” applying semiotics, so don’t worry about being “right”!

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Pay attention to the media you consume this week and choose one media image that operates semiotically. Include this image in your journal and do a mini semiotic analysis – what is the signifier? Signified? Sign? This entry is an opportunity for you to “practice” applying semiotics, so don’t worry about being “right”!

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The image I chose is a vaping advertisement. The reason I chose this is because of how common it is to see the use of vapes and e-cigarettes among young people, ads like so fuel the usage of these items. The signifier in this image would be the vape itself, as well as the words written in the advertisement. More specifically the slogan, "Vape beautifully" (Canndescent, 2019) is very prominent. The font that is being used for the text can also be included within the signifier, as it emphasizes the messages that are being out out. The word "beautifully" (Canndescent, 2019) is displayed in a cursive font in order to highlight how vaping may be considered classy. The signified would be the mental concept that forms in ones find and in this case vaping could be associated with breathing, lungs, air, and flavour. Commonly these items have a taste to them, which aids to their appeal. In combination with the signifier the image that forms in ones head has less of a negative connotation, as vaping is being promoted as something that is elegant.

Continuing on, the sign is the entirety of the image. This would include both the signifier and the signified, so not only is it the physical images that are displayed, but the associations that they hold in a person's mind. The sign could also include the colours used in the advertisement. For instance, the use of orange, a warm colour to potentially evoke, warm, comforting emotions within a person. As a whole the sign and the advertisement is trying to sell the beauty in vaping.

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Reality television, according to Ouellette and Hay, “governs less through the dissemination of ideology than through the enactment of participatory games and lifestyle tutorials that guide, test, and supposedly enhance subjects’ capacity to play an active role in shaping uncertain outcomes – to govern themselves through freedom, not control...” (472). Considering what we just learned about governmentality, what does this mean? Come up with one original example from a media text (it may be reality television, but it doesn‘t have to be!) that illustrates the above quote. Finally, how might social media be an example of governmentality? 

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Reality television, according to Ouellette and Hay, “governs less through the dissemination of ideology than through the enactment of participatory games and lifestyle tutorials that guide, test, and supposedly enhance subjects’ capacity to play an active role in shaping uncertain outcomes – to govern themselves through freedom, not control...” (472). Considering what we just learned about governmentality, what does this mean? Come up with one original example from a media text (it may be reality television, but it doesn‘t have to be!) that illustrates the above quote. Finally, how might social media be an example of governmentality? 

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This quote expresses how reality television, although incorporates forms of governmentality and panopticism, rather than pushing ideals onto the participants or the audience; it gives people the impression that they are free to make decisions that will lead to an outcome based on these choices. The interactions reality television creates pushes the narrative of freedom.
A media text from reality television that I have chosen is the show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. This series is undeniably one of the most popular shows on reality television currently. It follows a celebrity family in their daily lives. The gif above illustrates members of the family.
I find that this media example illustrates the above quote as rather than directly spreading the morals or ideologies the individuals in the show may hold, their views are spewed out in more subtle ways. For instance, their outlook on beauty is evidently displayed through each of their appearance's, and maintenance towards their appearance. Yet, no one explicitly says how much they value their beauty in the show. Nevertheless, the surveillance aspect is normalized, making it seem as if each person has complete free will, despite being put in front of camera. The audience as well is free to either criticize or mimic the behaviours displayed on the cameras, and thus lead to them governing themselves through thoughts of freedom and not control.
Social Media is an example of governmentality as although one chooses what appears in their social media platforms, the algorithm often has secondary or ulterior motives that is being presented within it. Notions that appear on social media are only there because they have been approved by some sort of moderation, therefore, self conduct does exist in social media, however, it is within limits. This perfectly describes governmentality.

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Which two concepts did you find most important in this week’s readings? Why? How do they help us understand the representation of gender in media culture?

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Which two concepts did you find most important in this week’s readings? Why? How do they help us understand the representation of gender in media culture?

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The two concepts I found most important in this week's readings were tokenism and popular misogyny. Tokenism is when a singular women or otherwise, portray under-represented groups through a disproportionately small number of characters (Harvey, 2020, p.60). This often happens in video games as "female characters... appear with much less frequency than white male characters" (Harvey, 2020, p.61) and when female characters are featured they are typically sexualized. The photo depicted above is from the game Final Fantasy VII, the male is surrounded by two female characters; both of whom have been heavily sexualized by the fans. While there are two main female characters in this game, they are meant to act as trophies, as they both fawn over the male character. Displaying how stereotyping of female characters as essentially submissive towards men, remain rampant.
Popular misogyny on the other hand is essentially the opposition to popular feminism, as it holds anti-women sentiment. "Popular misogyny... helps contribute to a misogynistic political and economic culture, where rape culture is normative..." (Banet-Weiser, 2015, p.5). This type of ideology standardizes attacks on women. Yet, it is important to understand that this type of mentality exists, as it provides an explanation to why men might turn to becoming an incel or why gender and being feminine in media is looked at negatively. Thus, gender in media is inaccurately portrayed as it falls into stereotypical representations and may be created by those who follow tokenism and or popular misogyny.

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What is hooks’ main argument in this chapter? What does it mean to “eat the Other?” Choose one quote from the chapter that you think is the most powerful – why did it stand out to you? 

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What is hooks’ main argument in this chapter? What does it mean to “eat the Other?” Choose one quote from the chapter that you think is the most powerful – why did it stand out to you? 

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Hook's main argument in this chapter consists of the efforts white folk make to separate themselves from the supposed other. However, this is not done by physical separation, but rather by highlighting and examining the differences between people of colour and white people through methods of fetishization or exploitation.
To "eat to other" is when those outside the other, (caucasian people), consume other cultures in ways that will benefit them in numerous ways. For instance, cultural appropriation would be an example of eating the other. Those involved do not stop to appreciate the origin or learn about its significance within said culture and are wearing the culture due to its pertained trendiness or exoticness. Oftentimes one can see this happen during Halloween as various cultures turn into mere costumes for people to wear. The gif above concerns this behaviour.
This is problematic in various forms, since it dismisses the struggle people of colour go through when trying to express their culture and cultural differences. Culture is broken down to just be a commodity of sorts.
"To these young males and their buddies, fucking was a way to confront the Other, as well as a way to make themselves over, to leave behind white “innocence” and enter the world of “experience.”" (Hooks, 2014, p. 3) This quote stood out to me as it provided an explanation towards why certain white males seek out sexual relationships with people of colour. It is not due to romantic interest, but rather that non-white people are so different from them, that engaging in sexual actions will provide some kind of experience afterwards. To these specific white males, people of colour are simple trophies to collect and exhibit.

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What is a “queer reading” and why might this concept be useful for thinking about popular media cultures? Can you think of a contemporary media example that where a queer reading would be useful? 

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What is a “queer reading” and why might this concept be useful for thinking about popular media cultures? Can you think of a contemporary media example that where a queer reading would be useful? 

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Queer reading is a method of analysis that views a text or various piece of media from a queer lens, examining it based on queerness. As "these readings seem to be expressions of of queer perspectives on mass culture..." (Doty, 1993, p. 3). This concept may be useful for thinking about popular media cultures as oftentimes things are not as clear and black and white. Queerness in media can be implied, as many characters can be coded to be queer, yet never outwardly state how they are. Adding that queer lens by using queer reading, can identify situations like so.
A contemporary media example is in The Batman film, released early 2022, Catwoman is speculated to be bisexual. Although in the film she never announces that she is, her demeanour with another female character, and later on her interest in Batman, resonated with a lot of bisexual audiences. By using queer reading when viewing this film, it becomes unchallenging to identify these relationships and interactions.
The article linked above speaks about Catwoman and the actress's stance towards the speculations. The actress herself goes to state that she viewed her character in the same light and there are many articles on the matter, showing how queer reading is not an obscure or rare way of analyzing.

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Riddle Me This: Is Catwoman Bi In The Batman? We Asked Zoë Kravitz & Director Matt Reeves

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In this final journal entry, I’d like you to meaningfully reflect on the course: Read through your journal entries from this semester -- what was the most compelling thing you learned? Why did you find it compelling? Did any of the content challenge what you thought you knew about media culture? Which reading stands out to you as the most important of the course? Finally, give one specific example as to how you will approach media differently – this might be in your personal life, your job, or your studies -- after taking this course. (3 paragraphs)

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In this final journal entry, I’d like you to meaningfully reflect on the course: Read through your journal entries from this semester -- what was the most compelling thing you learned? Why did you find it compelling? Did any of the content challenge what you thought you knew about media culture? Which reading stands out to you as the most important of the course? Finally, give one specific example as to how you will approach media differently – this might be in your personal life, your job, or your studies -- after taking this course. (3 paragraphs)

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The units I enjoyed the most and the most compelling thing I learned was during Week 2 Marx and Media Studies, as well as Week 8 which was Feminist Media Studies. Week 2 interested me heavily as I had no idea that the wedding industry was that complex and persuasive. Despite having gone to weddings and knowing that they are expensive, the extensive industry that has been created from weddings alone is insane to me. As for feminist media studies, I was very interested, as someone who is a woman, it is interesting to see how these concepts are displayed in my daily life and impact me everyday. For instance, it is obvious that many pieces of media currently hold misogynistic values, but to see pieces of media created off of popular misogyny was baffling and upsetting.
Initially, comprehending Week 5 content about semiotics was difficult. As identifying different parts of a sign did not come easily to me. Nevertheless, it was interesting to recognize all the connotations society has created towards different notions, and how ingrained the sign system is within language.
The most important reading of the course in my eyes was the reading by Bell Hooks labeled Eating the Other. Although, as a person of colour myself, concepts spoken about in this reading were already known to me, nonetheless, it is so important to acknowledge the struggles people of colour go through, as frequently the media enables behaviour that is actually harmful to many minority communities. White folks themselves or those who grew up in environments without being surrounded by other cultures, may not realize the detrimental impacts of concepts like eating the other, which is why it is so vital to have these notions studied and acknowledged.
In my personal life especially, when consuming media I will be viewing and approaching it differently by using what I learned in feminist media studies. Sometimes recognizing harmful tropes is difficult when it comes to media one enjoys, nevertheless it still important to view everything from a critical lens and through the knowledge I have gained from this course I will be doing so. Misogyny in media is quite widespread, yet it can be hidden. Going forward when playing video games or watching television series, I am going to analyze whether there is a presence of misogynistic stereotypes. Particularly, in the gaming hemisphere there is still a stigma of women participating in playing and as female characters progress, there is still a presence of popular misogyny. Moving forward this course will help me identify those negative stereotypes in video games such as Genshin Impact, Valorant and more.
To conclude, I thoroughly appreciated the teachings in this course and I do feel that my critical thinking skills have increased due to attending. Thank you.