Question 11

11. One critical text that relates to my overall argument throughout the semester is the reading on Gender, Race, and Class in the media by Janice Radway. In the beginning of the semester, I made the argument about controversial celebrities in the media. From there I transitioned to focusing on Black males and women's roles in the media. On my final I decided to focus solely on Black Advertisements vs. White Advertisements. Radway's reading relates to my first paper about how the stereotypical black male is generally seen as being overtly angry, and powerful. He signifies, power and strength. Laurie Ouellette's Inventing the Cosmo Girl relates to my second paper and my argument on how women are seen as secondary, or sexualized. Laurie Ouellette talks about how important it is to dress sexy, or to impress people."Sex is a powerful weapon for a single woman in getting what she wants from life" (Ouellette 229). In my paper I argued that women must present themselves in a sexual way in order to be seen in advertisements. An example of this is seen on the GQ website. There is an image with a black male and a white female, and the male is shown in a powerful way, while the female is shown in a seductive, sexualized way. This is ironic because it is uncommon to see a black male in a dominant role, especially when a white female is seen in a less important role. This aspect of the female being secondary to the black male, does not correspond with Ouellette about women being professionals, however it does relate to her section on how women must use their looks in order to better themselves professionally.