Lesbians as Represented in Mainstream Television Essay

Lesbian images have been entering into mainstream media more and more. Some argue that this is a sign of a wider acceptance of lesbianism in Western culture. In this paper, two mainstream television programs, Grey’s Anatomy and Law and Order: SVU, will be looked at to assess the nature of lesbian images. It will be argued that if and when lesbians are portrayed in mainstream television they are highly feminized, desexualized, and their lives are almost always framed in ways that appeal to heterocentric norms. Thus, mass media almost always fails to provide the viewer with an accurate and unbiased perception of lesbianism or homosexuality in a broader sense. Grey’s Anatomy has emerged onto the lesbian scene in the last couple of years by developing Callie Torres, a beautiful, vivacious, Latino woman, into a lesbian in the fifth season. A friendship develops between her and Erica Hahn, a successful, ‘sassy’, and appealing newcomer, and it gradually progresses into something more until finally the two share a kiss. Before the romance can flourish, Torres wrestles with her sexuality, her fears, and her lack of understanding of lesbianism. Soon after the relationship establishes itself, Hahn unexpectedly breaks up with Torres and leaves the show. Typical†¦ or is it? A season later, Arizona Robbins, a semi-regular of the show, comes into focus when she blatantly hits on Torres. Shortly after, the two start to date and later find themselves in a committed relationship. The question is how good a job does the show do of accurately portraying lesbians? To start, all three of the women mentioned above are attractive and feminine. All three have long flowing hair – always nicely styled and maintained – and pretty faces carefully done up with light make-up. This is what Ann Ciasullo refers to as â€Å"sanitizing of the lesbian through her feminizing† (599). In other words, Grey’s Anatomy offers up an image of lesbians that is not too homosexual for the heterosexual audience. While it could be argued that such representations help to combat the rigid stereotypes of lesbians as ugly, butch feminists, the very widespread nature of the ‘femme’ image in media indicates something more is going on (Tamsin). The book Out of Focus, suggests that such feminine representations act to lower the threat of lesbianism by reassuring viewers that such (beautiful and feminine) women can or must actually be heterosexual (Kath Davies). In fact, in Grey’s Anatomy, as in many television programs, the ‘butch’ lesbian is completely absent. All of this suggests that the lesbian chic of the ‘90s is far from dead (Tamsin). Grey’s is well known for its scandalous call room sex scenes. Characters, heterosexual characters that is, escape to hidden corners of the hospital where they argue, make up, and make love on a regular basis. This is interesting because such scenes are practically nonexistent between Torres and Hahn or later Torres and Robbins. In fact, physical contact of any kind is somewhat limited between Torres and Robbins. An example of this can be seen in Season five episode 13 when Robbins` patient dies during surgery. When she gets home to see Torres has planned a surprise birthday party for her she bursts into tears overcome by her grief. The pair leaves the room and at this point you would expect a comforting hug, a loving embrace, or a reassuring kiss on the cheek from any reasonably intimate couple or from any other couple on the show for that matter, but not in this case. Torres tells Robbins that she will explain the situation to their friends and at that Robbins leaves. Additionally, sex scenes between Torres and Robbins are few and far between; those that exist are cut short by interruption or not shown at all. The latter is evidenced in Season five episode 11 when the viewer is shown only the aftermath – them lying in bed together, presumably after making love, eating pizza. It is a cute scene but not a sexual scene. This is a familiar pattern found in most television programs or movies featuring lesbian couples and just one way lesbians are desexualized (Ciasullo). A notable exception to this pattern is The L Word, but it will not be the focus of this paper. Since the beginning of their relationship Callie and Arizona have slept together three times. Three times in an entire season and for a relationship in its beginning stages is incredibly low by Grey’s standards (or anyone’s standards really). One of these scenes is the ‘pizza scene’ previously mentioned. In another â€Å"sex† scene, Lexi Grey walks in on the two in the shower and quickly walks out; the viewer sees what Lexi sees and nothing more. The final scene implies the two may have sex, but it is not pursued any further. Considering the show develops long, sensual sex scenes between its heterosexual characters, following them from start to finish, the unwillingness to do the same for its lesbian characters is problematic. This is not an isolated phenomenon. The pattern of desexualization is evident not just in television but also in movies as noted by Ciasullo and Yvonne Tasker in her book Working Girls (Ciasullo; Tasker). Another problem with the depiction of Torres and Robbins’ relationship is that it is often framed by the heterosexual constructs of marriage and reproduction. Tasker discusses this issue noting that by explaining lesbianism within a heterosexual context the (heterosexual) audience is assured that lesbians are normal (by heterosexual standards) (Tasker). Such a practice adheres to conventional social norms while ignoring the differing reality of lesbian’s lives. After Torres’ father finally accepts her lesbianism his first question to her addresses the issue of marriage and children. She assures him that she will put on a â€Å"big white dress and dance down the aisle† if Arizona wants to spend the rest of her life with her. Another example takes place in season six episode three, when Torres talks about being married and having a house, kids and a pet dog with Robbins. This description perpetuates heterocentric beliefs that heterosexual activities and institutions are better than homosexual ones simply because it gives no thought to the possibility that things could be different within homosexual relationships. Furthermore, this effort to depict lesbian couples as ‘normal’ by tying them to conventional social norms suggests that homosexual practices are not normal and as such fails to challenge heterocentrism. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) is another show with some problematic representations. In over 11 seasons, it has aired a total of five gay-centred storylines and one lesbian specific episode. This discrepancy seems to reflect the idea touched on in Out of Focus that â€Å"coverage of ‘homosexuality’ actually refers to gay men† (Kath Davies 91). A recent episode entitled PC features Kathy Griffin as Babs Duffy, a rude, abrasive, man-hating lesbian activist. First of all, the stereotyping evident in Griffin’s character is troublesome because it feeds into the negative view of lesbians. Visibility is important, but the cost of portraying lesbians in such a light is possibly greater than or as great as not showing them at all. Furthermore, this particular episode is strewn with negative or inaccurate images of lesbians. The episode begins with the discovery of a woman who has been left for dead in an abandoned building. She has been raped and beaten and later dies in the hospital. It is not too long before the viewer finds out from Babs Duffy that the victim was a lesbian. Duffy makes a dramatic entrance into the detectives’ office ordering for the capture of the murderer whom she alleges is targeting lesbians. The investigation commences with a visit to the victim, now known as Alyssa’s, girlfriend. As the episode progresses, you notice something striking – all the main lesbian characters are conventionally attractive, feminine women. More than that though, any lesbian character who is questioned and thus comes into the focus of the camera, is also feminine and pretty. The few butch lesbians in the episode are in the background and barely noticeable. The absence of the butch lesbian is telling. Ciasullo notes that â€Å"without the signifier of the butch, the femme’s lesbianism disappears†¦ † (Ciasullo 599). Thus, by eliminating the butch lesbian from the forefront, Law and Order: SVU effectively downplays the lesbianism of the episode. There is, however, one exception – the victim’s girlfriend Sharon, but even here there are issues with her representation as a butch lesbian. The fact that the show chose to make her ‘butch’ is interesting because they also make her a working class, aggressive, even violent, woman. This in effect vilifies the butch lesbian. Sharon even becomes the main suspect at one point because of her temper, and while it is important to shed light on the issue of domestic violence in lesbian relationships the choice to make Sharon, who is butch, into the abuser is not by accident. Ann Ciasullo talks about how presenting butch lesbians in this negative way makes butches into the â€Å"’oppressor,’†¦ the ‘bad’ lesbian† (Ciasullo 600). Further still, her status as a bouncer (and thus as a member of the working class) adds to her mainstream undesirability (Ciasullo). Moreover, even though Sharon is presented as a butch or as Law and Order puts it an â€Å"aggressive,† she is simultaneously portrayed as somewhat feminine. In the first scene that we are introduced to Sharon, her long hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail and she wraps herself up in her long feminine sweater. She is not wearing any noticeable makeup but she is conventionally pretty. After this initial introduction she is likely not yet labelled as a butch by the viewer. It is not until later when she appears in a plaid shirt and leather jacket that it becomes evident that she is butch. It seems butch images are permitted as long as they’re not too butch and as long as the butch character is not framed in a positive way that could be make her desirable. Perhaps the best example of how lesbians are desexualized in Law and Order is in a scene between Babs and Olivia Benson, the female nvestigator. In the initial taping of this scene Babs kisses Olivia, but the kiss doesn’t make it past the cutting room floor. Even worse, the editing is atrocious. It cuts awkwardly from Babs leaning in to Olivia proclaiming that she is straight and something is noticeably missing. The kiss may not be necessary to the plot, but to sacrifice quality in order to remove it demonstrates how fearful t he media are of lesbian sexuality. Further evidence lies in the fact that a kiss between Babs and Elliot Stabler (the male investigator) that happens at the end of the episode remains untouched. However, this revelation, that Babs isn’t actually a lesbian, has a lot of problems on its own. The discovering that Bab’s has a boyfriend, plays on the â€Å"I know she’s a lesbian but†¦ † scenario so often found in mainstream media. This idea presents the viewer with the possibility that the lesbian can always become straight or as Ciasullo puts it â€Å"’unbecome’ lesbian† (Ciasullo 592). This places the heterosexual audience in a more comfortable position where they can entertain the idea that the attractive lesbians in the show may actually be straight. This issue comes up once again when the suspected murderer/rapist is in interrogation. Olivia pretends she is a lesbian in order to get a confession out of him: Olivia: â€Å"You know how to correct us†¦ you’ve got everything you need to make me a real woman right between your legs –† Suspect: â€Å"and you’d love it just like those other two [victims] did – every moment of it† While this scene may be laid out this way specifically to show the demented thinking of the rapist/murderer, the notion that a lesbian can be â€Å"corrected† or made straight as well the idea that rape victims enjoy being raped are never addressed and corrected. The audience is never informed about how inaccurate these views are. With all this said, the homosexual viewer tends to be somewhat accepting of the images in Grey’s and Law and Order, because as Clare Whatling puts it â€Å"we’re [the lesbian population] so starved, we go see anything because something is better than nothing† (86). Thus, because of the lack of representation, lesbians are more willing to accept inaccurate portrayals. This is troublesome because such images can potentially be detrimental to lesbian’s self perceptions and they’re all the more vulnerable because of the relative disparity of lesbianism in mainstream culture. In conclusion, lesbianism in mainstream television is poorly and inaccurately represented. While shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Law and Order: SVU, have taken steps towards representing lesbians in mainstream media, we have to be careful to assess how big these steps really are. There are several issues with the representations of lesbians in these shows, some of which are addressed in this paper, others which have been left untouched. Thus, there is still a long way to go and many hurdles to surmount before lesbians can be done justice in mainstream media.

Union-Management Relationships in Perspective Essay

Union-Management Relationships in Perspective - Essay Example The main people involved in the labor relationships are management and the union. There are other groups of people who are affected but not to a great extent. Labor relationships in the United States involve the following three assumptions. First, there is a conflict of interest between employees and employers. Employees aim at increasing their personal wealth through higher wages and safer working environments whereas the main of a goal of the management is to increase the returns. This results in a conflict of interest between the two parties. The second assumption that is made is that employees have a right to pursue their employment interests within the parameters of the law in a free society. This is usually not the case since employees usually face some constraints which deter them from fully pursuing their rights. Finally, employees are not required to join a labor union but if the majority of the employee group wants to join a union they should be permitted but in most cases, employees belong to a union. The performance of the economy affects the bargaining item. The focus when the economy is doing well will be different from when the economy is downsizing. International forces also influence bargaining in one way or another since no single economy operates in isolation. In the past few years, union membership has decreased. There have been various labor organizations, the earliest ones dating to early 1900. Prior to World War I there were three major national labor organizations. They were the Knights of Labor (KOL), the American Federation of Labor and the Industrial Workers of the World. The KOL opposed spreading of technology in a bid to protect its members from being replaced by machines. The American Federation of Labor major goal was to improve the material conditions of its members through the existing capitalistic system.

Individual research brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual research brief - Essay Example Most of the company clients are famous and reputable restaurants, but it has not been selling to the general public as yet. Because the company has strong hold in the market of France, UK and Austria they would start their research from the same place. This would help them have a better understanding of what the general public is expecting from the product and what opinion they have about the restaurant quality of food that is on the list of Farina supplies. A research has to be conducted in the similar manner, the higher management of the company has decided to hire a team which could help them undertake the research and provide them with a research brief. They have had conversation over the phones and email correspondence which have highlighted the main research objectives. These research objectives would enable to target the right area and right target. Along with the target audience it will also help the researchers to find the methods they would adopt and what are the financial and procurement requirements for the research. In the end they would briefly explain their expected results and how long would they require to complete the research brief. The main objective of the paper is to observe and examine the attitude of the customer towards using Olive Oil at homes. It will give a wholesome view of the olive oil market along with the consumption of the product by the household and other users (Writings, 2014). The main objective have been divided further into three simple parts. The first part of the objective is to examine how oil are used in domestic settings, and what are the customer requirements. The objective to establish the understanding that how many households are using the product and how satisfied are they. It will also discover what kind of olive oil they are using and would also generate results of the expected product from the makers. The second part of the objective is to

Prime Ministers can never behave like Presidents. Therefore, the Essay - 1

Prime Ministers can never behave like Presidents. Therefore, the presidentialisation of parliamentary democracies thesis is misguided. Discuss - Essay Example 2010). This mounting discontent in several parliamentary democracies is taking place against the backdrop of a popular movement toward individual headship by the chief executive. This has not been complemented by new machineries that would enable the electorate to make their leaders, instead of the parliamentarians and parties, responsible (Mughan 2000). The case of Britain, and existing pre-election movement, reveals these conflicts well. Tony Blair pleases voters on the basis of his reputation, but the electorate cannot reprimand or reward the prime minister directly. Their sole power is to support or oppose his/her party, whose control on its leader is usually viewed as restricted (Flinders, Gamble, Hay & Kenny 2009). This disparity in accountability has broadened over the recent decades. Although political leadership strategies and electoral appeals in Britain throughout the past three decades have become ever more presidential and individualised, the system stays decisively party and parliamentary based (Gunther, Montero & Puhle 2007). The emergence of this ‘individualisation’ of political leadership has been traced by the author of The British Presidency, Michael Foley (2000). He claimed that it is, partly, the politicians’ reaction to the media environment. Policymakers resent the media’s focus on exposing personality conflicts and the manipulative mechanisms of contemporary politics, disregarding policy and ideas, making political issues emergency headlines. There are, basically, similarities and differences between presidential chief executives and prime ministers, but both necessitate two major power machineries to work successfully: control over the parliament, and power within the executive (Samuels & Shugart 2010). In general, the United States, the most prominent case of presidentialism, has an executive which certainly holds the first power source, but

The Impact of Financial Crisis on UK Fiscal Policy and Government Debt Essay

The Impact of Financial Crisis on UK Fiscal Policy and Government Debt - Essay Example The current crisis is definitely more pronounced and prolonged than any other previous financial crisis, yet support from fiscal policy, monetary policy, use of guarantees on liabilities and purchase of assets has helped in reducing the direct fiscal costs (Laeven & Valencia, 2012). While such efforts might have led to minimizing the direct impact of the financial crisis yet it has been becoming a rising concern for fiscal sustainability in many countries, as the fiscal policy has led to increasing the public debt burden as well as the government contingent liabilities size. Fiscal policy holds great interest for policy makers as it has the ability to act as an instrumental tool for growth and development in the long run (Brahmbhatt & Otaviano, 2012). Fiscal policy is no business strategy, for a national economy is by no means a business, it does not earn; rather it implies how the public is taxed and how the government spends the gathered money (debt bombshell, 2012). In the UK the national debt is the amount that is owed to the private sector and UK gilts purchases. The government spends more money than it can afford to tax, leading to selling bonds/gilts.The case study is based on two economic theories and their fundamental aspects while addressing the research questions.Battaglini and Coate (2008) presented the political economy model. The model was meant to understand the influence of the fiscal policy that it has on the Business cycle

An event that happened during my childhood that changed my life Essay

An event that happened during my childhood that changed my life - Essay Example On arrival, we found mum had prepared the most delicious roasted chicken I had eaten in a long time. Over dinner, the usual question regarding plans for the holiday popped up. My father had planned for us to visit our grandma all the way in Spain. Grandma Louis was our favourite grandparent and our visits there were always filled with much exhilaration. Not only this but also my father planned for us to travel by road!! The joy I felt in my heart was immeasurable. We had always begged our father to let us travel to Spain by road since the sights along the way were breath taking. He always refused because the trip was too dangerous especially because his own father had died through a road accident. To date we are yet to know what he had changed his mind. The night before our journey sleep evaded me. I packed and repacked my belongings carefully counterchecking it against my list. As was custom we said pour prayers before setting off for what would be a journey to change my life. As my father drove our brand new Cadillac, we sang songs to keep him company. Story telling happened to be my sister’s favourite past time and in no time we were engrossed in one of her stories. â€Å"Watch your language young lady!!† my father repeatedly warned my sister. The pain in my ribs was nerve wrecking, almost as if someone was pushing a dagger into my ribs. I blinked severally before opening my eyes to see my dad’s limp body around me. â€Å"Dad! Dad! Wake up!!† My mother and sister were also unconscious in the back seat with blood all over their bodies. It was then that the cold harsh reality hit me. We had fallen in a gorge fifty metres below the road. What am I to do? I wondered. Painfully, I got myself from below the wreckage, and went over to the back. My mother and sister still had a pulse albeit a weak one and showed no signs of regaining consciousness. My knowledge of first aid was sparse owing to the fact that I had slept throughout much of the class sessions. It was then that I realised that without doing something drastic, I would watch their lives slip right through my fingers. I decided to walk to the nearest police station. With broken ribs and a fractured leg I pulled myself together and started the journey. It seemed like hours before I found elderly couple and explained my predicament. They called an ambulance who on arrival pronounced my father dead while my mother, sister and I were rushed to the nearest hospital. I healed quickly and took on the responsibility of nursing my sister and mother back to health. It was very difficult for me to break the sad news of my dad’s demise to them but when I did we found comfort in each others’ sorrow. The harrowing experience particularly the loss of my loving dad changed our lives forever. The most invaluable lesson that I learnt is resilience and that everything happens for a reason. I am much stronger than before and well prepared to face life’s c hallenges with a smile (Mallenby, 2007: 123). Additionally, I learnt that friendship is one of the best gifts one can have. My best friend was there for me through the whole experience and encouraged me to get my life back and that not all was lost. My religious stand point also changed since I was an atheist before the accident, now I am a staunch Christian who believes in the power of prayer. I have learnt to respect my mother more as she took up the responsibility of taking care of us since our father’s untimely demise. Although the experience of losing

Godfather movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Godfather movie - Essay Example this film to be preserved in its national archives and it was noted by the American Film Institute as the second greatest film produced by Hollywood after Citizen Kane. The story of the film is quite complex but there are several themes which run throughout the film with regard to the action and the dialogue. The importance of family has been noted as a central theme even though the film does glorify crime and violence to achieve certain ends. However, considering that the film is essentially a crime drama, it is difficult to object to that being a part of the action since that defines the genre of the film itself. Of course, crime related films had been made before The Godfather came to the scene but instead of glorifying them and eventually showing their downfall to send the message that crime does not pay, this film humanizes criminals. Undoubtedly, the characters are all involved in shady dealings and are certainly not upright citizens but the manner in which they are shown to have a deep psychology and how they take interest in their own families and their wellbeing gives them a human touch. This allows the viewers to empathize with the family which appears to be struggling to keep up with changing times. The crime business moves from the hands of one generation to the other and even though there is change, some things and certain values remain the same for the family. In fact, the value of the film and appreciation for the artistic values held within has been noted by quite a few critics. Universally, the film has received positive reviews and is often at or near the top of lists made of the greatest films of all times. Not only have other critics paid their respects to The Godfather, other films, television shows and even cartoons have taken inspiration from The Godfather with parodies, satires and even remakes of the story. This homage to the film crosses cultural and international barriers as even Bollywood has made films that pay homage to The