Let's get cooking!

Ok, so I'm just bored at work, and I'm thinking to myself "hmm, what should I make for supper?" So I decided to visit one of my favourite websites (www.allrecipes.com) that is full of yummy recipes that are all posted and reviewed by people from all over the place. But, what I found interesting was how many female users were on this website. Also, on the main page, there is a helpful section entitled "Kitchenistas" which has pictures of 3 women who are going to help you organize your pantry, make a meal plan, and cook meals that will keep your family happy. It is designed in such a way as to appeal to mother, the woman of the household who is responsible for the bulk of the domestic work. This website (and others like it) is perpetuating stereotypes of femininity and works in such a way to keep women safely contained in the sphere of domesticity.
Contrast this website to another one entitled "Man Tested Recipes" (http://mantestedrecipes.com/) where almost every recipe on the main page has to do with meat (and lots of it), or using alcohol in the recipes. Don't forget that these recipes are "manly", and should be made when your watching the game on t.v and drinking beers with the guys. My favourite quote from this website was "You bring the beer. We'll bring the recipes. And maybe chips" which clearly demostrates how when men cook, it's mostly about male bonding, as opposed to when women cook it is done in order to provide for her family.
Thanks for reading!
Keekers

Dating Websites

Cougar Life- The Ultimate Catch

http://www.youtube.com/user/cougarlife?v=pw7NZ3Z49-Y&feature=pyv&ad=4746618163&kw=cougar

Watch this clip before you read my blog.

Dating Websites are perfect examples of how gender and sex is used to perpetuate stereotypes. The cougar represents a hunter, someone on the prowler to devour a weaker being. The women is sexualized in order to disguise her "evil" intentions. This connects to the ideologies that a woman can either be a Saint or a Slut, and nothing in between. Men however are represented in all shapes and sizes, they are fit, sexually appealing, but remain intimidated, and weak (to the point of falling to their knees) when in the presence of a hot older women. The below description of what a cougar is...is bogus. A Cougar is a hunter. This commercial and website play off the stereotypes of men and tries to challenge the stereotypical idea of a "cougar", claiming that she is "independent, successful" women, when she is really viewed merely as a sex object.

These two blurbs are from the Cougar Life Website. They describe what a cougar is, and what the criteria a man should have in order to be compatible a cougar. http://cougarlife.com/

"What is a Cougar?
Cougars are Women in their PRIME: independent, sexy and wildly successful. They enjoy men that are youthful, fit with the same zest for life. Cougars are classy, confident women that already possess many of the finer things in life — but now want the young, hot guy to go with it."

"What is a Cub?
To snare a true Cougar a man needs to be youthful, fit, unintimidated and of course sexually driven! These men can range from athletes to intellectuals, and from technologists to entrepreneurs and all points in between; they can come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing they have in common is the desire to possess a sexually charged older woman."


As you can see the criteria for men is not strict, insinuating that any man can hook up with a cougar.


Danger Powers

Blogging Project 2

Hey Everyone!
Hope you had a good reading week.
Ok, so we're starting a new blogging project and I think it is going to be interesting. Last week, I figured out what I wanted to discuss on here. I was watching t.v and one of those diet commercials came on, and I thought to myself - Why is it always women on these commercials?? So then I decided to research some diet websites to see if they were dominated by mostly female images and directed at a female audience, and, guess what... THEY ARE!!! Every website I went to had pictures of women trying to lose weight (most of them looked too small to begin with) and there were so many different categories for women. There were brides, new moms, seniors etc. but only one for men. Also, just from reading some of the success storeis it always seems that men try to lose weight for health reasons, whereas women lose weight to fit into a dress, or just "look good." So, I thought, what makes these types of websites directed at female audiences?? I believe it has to do with ideas of fantasy. Women see these adds, visit these websites and read these success stories and think "I could transform my life, I could look as good as that, I'm going to go on a diet." They imagine how their lives might change, how they may look and feel better, and, more importantly, how men may begin to notice them and may even want to date them *please note the sneering tone.* Anyways, it basically says that women want to be thin, and should strive to be thin, which convinces other women that they should want these same things.
Ok, enough rambling... I'm out.
Keekers
ps- here's a link to a website
http://jennycraig.com/programs/how_it_works/