70 thoughts on “Blog #98 – Media Images for Women and Toxic Masculinity”

1. Jay Stansberry May 30, 2017 at 3:50 pm

   1. The films cross over in subject matter by both showing how both genders are stereotyped in different forms of media. Tough Guise focuses on movies and other forms of entertainment while Killing Us Softly focuses on advertising. Despite the difference in media, both cover how it is the outside sources that determine gender behavior and cause people to conform to it, creating a culture based on the fake images. In the documentaries, both do cross over briefly into the other gender. In Tough Guise, there is a brief segment where it describes advertising’s role in creating this culture, and briefly talks about how women are more often the object of this culture. Killing Us Softly talks about this same thing with how women are not the only one to be sexualized in advertising, but men are too, but to a lesser extent. Both also talk about rape, but in different ways. Tough Guise covers rape as just a part of the culture that promotes being a tough guy. Killing Us Softly talks about the ways that rape and sex have made its way into advertising, desensitizing men, resulting in rape.

   2. Tough Guise frames the problem as a public health problem by showing that men are far more likely to be committing crime, more specifically, violent crime. This is then put into a context where the violent masculinity is a problem because it has resulted into men killing, assaulting and raping people. Killing Us Softly focuses on how the portrayal of women causes eating disorders, depression and lack of self confidence in many girls, which significantly hurts their lives and makes it less enjoyable. Killing Us Softly frames the portrayal of women hurting the upbringing of young girls because they will never reach the flawlessness that the women portrayed are.

   3. From Tough Guise, I took away that men are far more likely to commit violent crimes because the culture promotes violent masculinity. Throughout the video, it explains that men are the ones that tend to be more violent, which makes sense and is no big surprise. The film explains that this violence comes from how the media portrays men. In movies, men are always strong, aggressive, more violent and unemotional. This results in many of the young boys watching the movies to think that is how men behave and they emulate it. I don’t believe that this is a good explanation for male violence because most men watch these movies and almost all of them are not violent, but the film describes it that way. I took away that women are pushed to be skinny because of advertising from Killing Us Softly. The film describes how the media portrays a flawless women as really skinny. The media gets models to be size 00 or uses a computer. This media makes girls think that to be a better women, they need to be really skinny, despite it being unhealthy.
2. Rayyan Mahmood May 30, 2017 at 4:09 pm

   The two films cross over in the fact that they both attack modern culture and mass media as the reason for our societal ills. Tough Guise states that the biggest cause of violence in men is the portrayal of men as tough and ruthless in movies like Scarface, Django Unchained, and the Godfather, while Killing Us Slowly looks at well-known fashion and alcohol brands. Tough Guise talks about how the gun industry and entertainment brands fight to gain larger market shares over men, while in Killing Us Slowly, the movie focuses on fashion and perfume brands that want to sell more products to women.

   Both films focus on the physical results of the aforementioned, and see it as an issue of public health. Tough Guise looks at the fact that men commit most assaults and other violent crimes, despite making up around 50% of the total population. Killing us Slowly looks at the large spike in eating disorders and depression among women following the rise of mass marketing.

   I am told to bring a takeaway from Tough Guise, but I do not see that as possible. In my humble opinion, the only fact remote to a conclusion is that Mr. Katz likes to cherry pick and paint with a broad brush. For every Scarface, Django and Godfather, there is a Schindler, Muller, and Donovan, and Mr. Katz’s disproportionate representation of modern movies is worrying. Unlike Kilbourne, Katz does not acknowledge other points of view and provides a paltry excuse at the end to excuse himself from cultural Marxism.

   As for Kilbourne, while I also see her argument as one sided, I do believe she does a much better job at getting here point across without coming across as an egoist. Kilborne is more humorous and amicable-she seems like a human, and not a puppet set to talk in front of a camera as if being on a TED talk qualifies you to give off the impression of a professor. From Killing Us Slowly, I did agree that the intense sexualization of everything, even fruit, is leading to a worrying trend in society. I see it all the time-with how people act in the halls, and from what I see the next generation doing. Unlike Mr. Katz’s movies, which are of no concern due to people being able to choose whether or not to watch a movie, advertising is pretty much shoved in our faces. It is what we cannot ignore that we must react to.
3. Claire Hornburg May 30, 2017 at 4:22 pm

   1. The films crossed over in that together they provided the two main issues in a common theme: the media’s depiction of both men and women create damaging ideals about how real people are expected to be. This is seen in both the overly aggressive and stoic men and the submissive, skinny, over-sexualized females in the media. These two stereotypes often work together to portray false ideas about how relationships between men and women should be. An example of this is the eroticization of violence in advertising. The dominant male is in a position of power and aggression, while the female is submissive, and exists simply as an object for the man to do as he pleases with. Both of the films discuss how gender stereotypes are damaging to both genders, and how a stereotype relating to one gender is very much an issue for another gender as well.
   2. The films claim that their issues are public health problems because these gender stereotypes can lead to injury or even death of people who are influenced by these stereotypes. The idea of toxic masculinity is a contributor towards domestic violence, rape, and murder of females, and also is a motivator for men to commit crimes such as mass shootings. The oversexualization and submissiveness of females in the media also contributes to these issues, as men are conditioned to see females as objects rather than human beings, as well as causing issues such as depression and eating disorders for females. These issues directly or indirectly cause a detriment in the health of members of society, and therefore should be regarded as public health issues.
   3. One takeaway I got from the video about toxic masculinity is that most of the influence of these stereotypes in the media on men is subconscious. I got this more from the reaction of the guys in our class to the video. Statistics in the video clearly show that men commit the majority of the rapes, murders, shootings, and any other form of violence towards another person, and that the reason for this is because of how men are portrayed in the media, but most of the guys in my class did not like the film and thought it was unrealistic. Their general consensus was basically, “I don’t think this affects me personally so it’s not real”, which made me realize that most of the issues regarding stereotypes and media influences happen subconsciously. They point to such things as the video “not addressing the other side” to discredit it, as if there is another side to this issue. Yes, most men are not criminals, most men are not terrorists, and most men will not commit horrible acts of violence in their lifetime, however it is naïve to think that the idea of toxic masculinity does not play a role in the minds of men who do commit these acts., and that it is not an issue because “most men don’t do it”. Many men may not realize how profoundly the media affects how they act or how they think they should act, and refuse to accept this as fact despite overwhelming evidence suggesting that it is a factor, which shows how subtly the media is able to control our actions, and how ingrained the ideas of gender roles and stereotypes have become in the minds of everyone in society. One main takeaway I got from the second video is that while feminist movements have made much progress in the last 30-40 years, much of the subliminal messages in advertising have largely stayed the same. It never occurred to me until I saw this video just how disgusting, frankly, some of the advertisements with women in them are. I think seeing stuff like that all the time, day after day, makes us somewhat numb to it, but seeing it out of context and having it pointed out to me how problematic some of this stuff is really opened my eyes and made me realize that a lot of issues with women in advertising from earlier time periods are still prevalent today, they’ve just taken on a different, more subtle, form.
4. Kate Marszalek May 30, 2017 at 4:28 pm

   Blog #98

   1) These two films focus on the problems faced by men and women in today’s structural
   society. While both films discuss different aspects, they intertwine with the main message of recognizing and solving the standards faced today. In the Tough Guise video, the main focus was the problem with the definition of manliness. How society has concentrated its image of men on the amount of “manliness” that they have. With the Killing Us Softly video, the main focus is the advertising wealth of a woman. How a woman is defined by store bought objects or the way that men view them. These videos share the same message of the societal shape that men and women are given, but they also cross over with the discussion about the increased sexualization and violence towards women. While the Tough Guise depicts the violence that men hold towards women, Killing Us Softly also touches on the increasing sexual image of women in the media which can lead to sexual violence. Each video discussed different genders and the problems they face, but the videos share the common want to recognize these problems, and start the path to fix them.

   2) Killing Us Softly 4 and Tough Guise both represent the epidemic of gender problems that
   are ravaging our nation. While Tough Guise tends to focus on the structural aspect of masculinity and how it effects men’s self-esteem. The video describes the definition of masculinity to be detrimental to men’s health and why it should be addressed in public instead of privately. Killing Us Softly 4 takes a different approach to the public health issue by discussing how the media’s image of women cause mental health problems. By this straight on approach, Killing Us Softly discusses the full effects on the public health issue faced by women. While Tough Guise still focuses on the definition of masculinity/violence as a public health issue, it portrays that men have to recognize the issue before having a discussion on the public health issue.

   3) A takeaway that I have from Tough Guise, is how we shouldn’t turn our heads from the
   issue of violence. Tough Guise discusses the definition of masculinity and how it commonly leads to violence in men. With this, I think that we need to recognize the issues that men are facing with their masculinity. When we address the issue of masculinity, it will open the door to solving the problem of violence that we see all across our nation. The first step towards progress is recognition of the problem, so it’s time to recognize the problem of masculine violence. A takeaway that I have from Killing Us Softly 4 is that the media image of women is an increasing growing problem that is overlooked. Advertisement is everywhere and is almost unavoidable, but with these advertisements women are in danger. Our mental health is at stake with the ad industry, but yet the industry continues to grow with no sign of stopping. As a nation, we need to address the problems facing both women and men in society.
5. Griffin Kozlow May 30, 2017 at 4:48 pm

   a) Both films explore the unfair expectations present for both genders in today’s society. Men face pressure to act tough and play video games and promote violence. As a result of this societal mindset, men tend to commit more violent crimes than women. The expectations being pushed on men are unrealistic and insensitive. Men are forced to be emotionless, stoic, and strong. If men possess feminine qualities, they are often seen as lesser by society. On the other hand, women are faced with major pressures as well. Women are constantly told through advertisements that they need to be pretty and sexually attractive. They are also told that there is only one way to achieve this level of beauty: to be small, skinny, childish, and young, with blonde hair and blue eyes. They are also told to be perfect: no pores, no freckles, no disproportional features… nothing. No one can achieve this. Even the “prettiest” models are heavily edited with computers before publishing a picture. These films both promote the idea that society pushes unrealistic expectations upon everyone to be “perfect”… both male and female. These videos attempt to start a movement against these stereotypes, and they fight against social constructs.
   b) Both films portray the gender issue as a public health issue. They argue that the reason for all these flaws in society is the fact that the public is supporting these expectations. If people would teach kids not to rape and kill and if magazines would stop advertising impossible images of perfection, much of the problem would be solved. Magazines only showing the skinniest, youngest models makes girls think that is how they should appear. Video games showing only the most gruesome and graphic scenes make boys think that violence is normal and that it is the answer. Both of these flaws are with the public health, and the blame for these issues falls solely on the public.
   c) I don’t think Tough Guise portrayed a complex enough argument. From the views I expressed in class, it seemed that I took the film personally. That is not true. I agree with everything the narrator said. I believe that the toxic masculinity in our society is a large part of what causes men to commit most violent crimes. I think it is a big problem seen in the public and it is a horrible expectation that all men have. From a debating standpoint, I support everything said in the film. In class, however, I was critiquing the film from an ARGUMENTATIVE standpoint. I think the narrator didn’t build a complex enough argument to convince people of his point. That is not to say that there wasn’t enough evidence to show that men commit most crimes and to show that this is caused in part by toxic masculinity. The evidence to prove that was very noticeable, and there are countless examples given to back up the point. However, the narrator never refuted a counter-claim. He never addressed the other side. The other side, while I disagree with it, is that there are reasons completely unrelated to toxic masculinity as to why men commit most violent crimes. There were a few times when the narrator attempted to address other reasons for the violence in men, but each time he related it back to the toxic masculinity. Whether he was talking about the mental illness causing violence, or the hormones in men causing violence, he quickly turned everything around to imply that the only major reason for the violence prominent in males is the toxic masculinity. Although he never said that, you can infer it from many of the points he made. Many viewers would claim that there are other completely independent reasons why men commit most violent crimes. Relating each one back to the toxic masculinity allows for others to still refute the argument made in the film. No matter how strong the argument, it can never be complete until there is a refutation of a counter-claim. That is what I believe was missing from Tough Guise. I think Killing Us Softly, on the other hand, presented a very good argument. Each point it made was backed up with evidence, like in Tough Guise. However, unlike Tough Guise, Killing Us Softly presented the counter-claim that men face the same pressure. She explained that men face enormous social pressure, just as women do. However, she refuted it, saying that it doesn’t cause the same dangers in men as it does in women. I think Killing Us Softly presented a very backed-up argument. I think that each film made a good point and opened up my eyes to the public health problems evident in today’s society.
6. Rachel Stansberry May 30, 2017 at 5:25 pm

   1. Both videos show how men and women can be and are influenced by the media. The two videos do cross over when mentioning men’s violence and women’s defense on it. Both videos mention men being violent, especially mentioning women as the victims. In the women’s video, it describes how women act vulnerable and that men try to act more powerful according to society.
   2. Both videos like to emphasize our culture and society especially shown in our media. The first video showed more on video games or violent movies or guns which influence men. This then also becomes a public health problem as violent behavior emerges and can be shown in crimes we see today. In the second video, it addresses the issue of advertisements shaping/photoshopping the perfect women. These ads would make the women thinner, to a point where it isn’t healthy. This becomes a public health issue as it does affect many young women and how they think about themselves, often starving themselves or becoming depressed due to low esteem on their body. This also can influence men on comparing a photoshopped “ideal beauty” women to regular and other women. Really, both these things influence and affect both men and women and should be focused on more in today’s world.
   3. In the first video I took away the idea that men shouldn’t be afraid of being emotional. Who cares if it makes you seem less of a man in society’s norms or if it makes you seem gay? There’s nothing wrong with being either emotional or gay in the first place. It also makes it seem like being violent is a good thing in society for men, when really it isn’t as many people do die from crimes influenced to the men. I did take away that the games and movies can have an influence, but not as drastic as it made it. I also can understand the pressure from adults. I have seen fathers pressuring their sons in “manning” up and to not show emotions. From the second video, I took away that ads will do anything to sell their stuff, even if it is objectifying and dehumanizing women. I think it is a terrible thing that companies and the media are doing things like thinning down women because this makes several girls hate their bodies, thinking it isn’t good or “thin” enough.
7. Stav D May 30, 2017 at 5:45 pm

   These videos cross over on subject matter as they both address gender and media problems. These videos both talk about public issues that are a result of a society with gender problems still. More specifically, these videos both talk about the media’s effects and influences on these matters. For example, in Tough Guise 2, they talk about how media coverage is much more aggressive towards women and people who aren’t white, even though white males account for the majority of crimes in today’s world. In Killing Us Softly 4, she talked a lot about media in the form of ads, and how these ads degrade women and make them feel as though they need to be thin and “beautiful” as if there is only one perfect form of beauty. These films both focus on their subjects as public health issues because each issue is causing serious societal problems. The issue in Tough Guise is that men are being told they have to fit into a tough, no feelings society or “risk” being called sexist names. This is an issue directly because it makes men much more prone to violence and this can be seen in specific examples like school shootings where the shooter is oftentimes attempting to “redeem their masculinity” or “show them who’s tough.” This is a serious problem because men shouldn’t be forced into such strict rules that make them turn to violence as that is clearly a public health issue. In Killing Us Softly 4, the public health issue addressed is that of too many girls causing serious problems to themselves. This video showed how models appear to always be thin, young, and white. This kind of message is toxic to our society as it implies that there is only one form of beauty. So, with thinking like this, many girls get eating disorders in failed attempts of getting in shape, females can have lower self esteem as they try to compare themselves to those “perfect” appearing models, and they are trying so hard to be as pretty as someone who only looks as good as they do thanks to Photoshop. My takeaway from Tough Guise 2 is that we need to reshape what masculinity looks like in society so that men can feel like they belong and don’t have to act “tough” all the time. This would help more people fit in, potentially decrease violence, and bring about an end to men having to disguise themselves. My takeaway from the second video was that there needs to be a restructured advertisement business that doesn’t sexualize products, Photoshop, edit, or enhance women in any way, and uses women that aren’t white as models too to represent all beauty. Some of this can be achieved through government action (possibly a law that prohibits sexual content from being publicized), but the rest is on people to do and for us to push for restructure in our society so that we can help make it better.
8. Joey Shapero May 30, 2017 at 5:48 pm

   1.) The two films cross over because of their overall idea being about gender norms and how most people view genders as being. In Tough Guise 2 we see the norms of young boys and men and how they are seen in society. In the film men and boys are shown to be tough and strong in the public’s eye, with the idea that men are not supposed to show emotions in front of others. In Killing Us Softly 4 the gender perfectibility of women are mainly shown through the various advertisements and portrayals. It shows how us as people most of the time view women as they should be skinny and pretty, which makes ad companies edit their photos to fit that impossibly skinny standard for women.

   2.) Public Health Problems were shown in Tough Guise 2 through violence mainly. The film focuses a lot on the amount of violent attacks have been committed by men and he pattern it follows. Mass shootings, fights, sexual abuse, and more are all linked to men and their overall obsession with being macho. In Killing Us Softly 4 we see the Public Health Problem of eating disorders especially. In the film the perfectibility of women is a commonplace and it shows how many women will do anything in order to get the “perfect look”. They will many times turn to anorexia and starving themselves in order to get skinny and will become very sick from it. One thing about this though is that it is accepted many times by the media and ads as they promote it to get a woman to look suitable for their ad.

   3.) One takeaway I had from Tough Guise 2 is the eye opening numbers of mass murders done by men. While the media mostly does not generalize the killers as men but as “killers” the numbers shown in this film tell true to a pattern of male violence. While I can not completely relate to this need for violence I know that it is common in many areas with men who are raised to be tough. One takeaway I had from Killing Us Softly 4 is the dishonest acts done by advertisement companies. The fact that they computer edit most of their images is new t me and I feel it now makes those ads less appealing to me. Along with the idea that many of the women in these ads have eating disorders and are treated poorly adds to my questioning of these ad companies.
9. Megan D May 30, 2017 at 6:02 pm

   Both films have similar subject matter because they both regard gender and how they are traditionally and currently viewed as and pressured to be. Killing Us Softly focused on how women are portrayed as perfect and sexual objects and innocent whereas Tough Guise focuses on how the media encourages men to be violent and that many males can’t show any emotion or sign of femininity because it would make them less of a man. Both films regard these problems as public health problems for a couple reasons. Firstly, Tough Guise shows how the media supports violence in men but doesn’t blame them for it. The film gives facts that tell how most of domestic violence is done by men and most suicide is also done by men. If the media keeps supporting this kind of behavior in men, it will not stop and would probably grow, which isn’t good for anyone involved. Killing Us Softly talks about how women are portrayed as submissive and sometimes as okay to hurt because we are supposed to be willing to do whatever the man says and we are objects to be bent at their will. This also supports the idea that it is okay for men to hurt women. Another public health issue that is touched upon in Killing Us Softly is the mental health of girls and women. Because the media provides so many images of perfect women that is literally impossible to get, girls and women think less of themselves and sometimes try drastic means to make themselves like that. Low self esteem, depression, and eating disorders are major issues that this type of media contributes to in females, especially young girls. I took away that there are many things in today’s media that glorify male dominance and aggression from Tough Guise. I had never realised the endless amount of violence that males are exposed to and it seems like they are almost being told to be like this. These types of things are a main contributor to the statistics of how the majority of a certain type of violence is conducted by men. Men are not born killers and should be blamed when they show aggression to the point of hurting another person, but it is often glossed over in the media, saying that “boys will be boys.” Boys should not be allowed to “be boys” if that means that they will commit violence against people. Killing Us Softly gave me a lot of information that was not surprising to me. Because I am a girl I recognise all the things they put in the film and I really thought that they did a good job of highlighting all the issues that women face that branch from today’s depiction of women. I think that the film shows a wide variety of advertisements that give girls and women the wrong message about who they should be and how they should look. What I took away from this film the most was that only 2% of America’s population have the types of bodies that are advertised as the ideal. This really showed how distorted the media has gotten; I didn’t realise how deviated from the norm the media went with it’s perception of women.
10. Ian Rosenwasser May 30, 2017 at 6:21 pm

    1. The films Tough Guise and Killing Us Softly 4 both describe how men and women put on a disguise. In Tough Guise men put on a mask of toughness because the societal norm for men is to be tough. Men aren’t supposed to show their feelings or care about anything, instead, they need to be strong. The film displays that masculinity is rooted into society because of father’s discipline, violent games, and action movies. Men are surrounded by violence, and therefore, are prone to committing acts of violence. The women film also describes a disguise women put on, but instead of making them violent, it subjects them to violence. The ideal women are displayed in magazines and most women aspire to look like the models. The problem is the models are photo shopped and some have plastic surgery to make their bodies look more appealing. The models put on disguises that dehumanize them, and make them more like sexual objects rather than a woman. Because of this, it’s easier to justify violence towards women.

    2. Tough Guise displays the public health problem of male testosterone and mental illnesses. Testosterone is often used as an excuse for male violence. Instead of focusing on the man that committed a crime, media sources often concentrate on the testosterone that could explain the crime. Also, mental illnesses are commonly linked to school shooters. The shooters usually don’t fit in with the rest of society and want to make themselves heard or seen. Killing us Softly 4 focuses on extreme diets some women go on to become skinny. Models have become anorexic because they want to have a good image of themselves. Unfortunately, this has lead to many deaths from hunger. Advertisements influence these diets by showing drugs that reduce weight, or by having ads that promote eating less food.

    3. The takeaway I got from Tough Guise is how the white male masculinity portrayed in western or gangster movies. I enjoy watching these movies, but Tough Guise made me realize the extreme violence and racism that are rooted in the films. I also realized that society accepts and promotes the themes that are in violent movies. The takeaway I got from Killing Us Softy 4 is that women are dehumanized by advertisements. I’ve noticed ads with women in them, but I’ve never thought about the effects this has on other women.
11. Brett Hutchison May 30, 2017 at 6:36 pm

    1.) Both films overlap on how they examine the effects of media on cultural stereotypes and individual actions. Both films use statistics to back up their claims, such as the first film using the fact that 99% of violent crimes are committed by men and the second film showing how increasing numbers of women are looking to weight-reducing practices to become slimmer and slimmer, as the idea of the perfect woman has the woman become slimmer in the past several decades. Both films also look at the role of sex/sexualization in both of their subjects, and how sex has affected the mood or tone of each subject.
    2.) Both films show that these problems are public health problems because they are negatively affecting increasing numbers of Americans, whether they are white, black, male, or female, with false ideas of physical perfectibility. The second film points to the increasing sexualization of advertisements for all products and the increasing sexualization of media in general, where ads, movies, and TV shows give viewers the idea of the perfect woman, a tall, (increasingly and even dangerously) slim, beautiful woman (and in this day and age many woman in photos, TV, movies, etc., are computer-edited to look “better”); this in turn leads the viewers to accept this idea of the perfect woman and puts pressure on women (many of whom also accept this idea) to look as good as the women on TV or in movies. In the case of the second film, the creator points to increasing pressure from feminists and other liberal movements that lead men to accept the idea of being a real man (being tough, quiet, independent, and intolerant), an idea that is reinforced by different types of media that, like the case of the second film, show men acting violently or toughly after being insulted or disrespected.
    3.) One takeaway from the first film is men should accept that times are changing and adjust accordingly. This is because male culture is facing an identity crisis as a result of movements like the feminist movement and men do not accept the changing times, desiring to return to the time when the roles of man and woman were set in stone and unchallenged. As the film said, most men do not act violent or aggressive, but there are some who feel violence is the only way of showing strength and earning respect and praise from a changing society, when it is not the only way of earning respect. A takeaway from the second film is young women should be taught not to turn to practices like anorexia or other weight-reducing methods because these are dangerous, and women should be shown how such practices have a negative effect on health and well-being. Women should also be taught that women portrayed as being ideal are not and in many cases are edited to look different and more ideal.
12. Caitlyn Moore May 30, 2017 at 6:38 pm

    The two films crossover in subject matter when they discuss male violence against women. Within the first film titled Tough Guise it discusses how the majority of violent crimes and murders are done by men and how the tough nonemotional front that men put up promotes violence particularly towards women. The second film, Killing me Softly 4, mentioned how the media portrays women in an innocent, passive, and submissive manner often becoming so graphic as to seem almost abusive displaying women in bondage and handcuffs and men choking women. She uses the media to show how it encourages violence for between men and women and mentions how one third of female deaths are down by their male spouses. Both films touch on male abuse and violence against women.

    2. Both films focus on their issues as public health problems because the first film discusses how as a result of society portraying men as tough and emotionless it causes them to commit crimes and incite violence that prove that they’re tough and minimize their feminine qualities, which is a public health problem. The second film discusses how the media creates pressure for women to be a certain body type and look a certain way which creates health issues for young women and teens such as low self-esteem, depression, and eating disorders all of which affect the public health negatively.

    3. A takeaway from the first film is that men shouldn’t be pressured by their fathers as well as their mothers to be tough and shouldn’t be forced to “suck it up” all the time. As a sister, aunt, daughter, and cousin I personally will work on cutting my male family and friends more slack and allowing them to show more emotion and get more in touch with their “feminine side”. A takeaway from the second film is for me to stop identifying a certain body type as beauty. I will work on loving myself more and stop trying to shoot for an impossible ideal for perfection. The film also awakened my sense of conservativeness so I’ll also work on being more conservative and slowing down with growing up with the way I dress as well as how I interact with boys.
13. Paige MacDonald May 30, 2017 at 7:13 pm

    1. The two films cross over with their subject matter is the relationship between men and women. Women are usually the ones seen as objects to be used by men, mostly because of how culture defines women. We see in ads everywhere that women are sexualized and only seen for their bodies, for example, the commercial about the human female Budweiser machine, or the use of women’s body parts in advertisements that do not even correspond to one’s body. In turn, this affects men’s way of seeing women, for the most part. We see this when guys harass women on various degrees. Whether it be catcalling, begging for a ‘hook up’, or raping, women are usually the victims of sexual violence. Men’s violence not only comes from their father figures, popular media featuring the overly masculine main character, and celebrities but from their views on women.
    2. The movie, Tough Guise 2, issued men’s violence as a health problem because it affects everyone. They explained why men are always getting into more violence than women. From gun violence to sexual violence, to robberies, the predominant antagonist is the male. While they are not saying all men are violent, they are saying that men’s violence is everyone’s problem because everyone could be the victim. This is why we need to address this public health problem. The movie, Killing Us Softly 4, explains why women’s ‘self-hatred’ and need to be a certain body type affects every woman. While it does not focus on the effect on men, it still can change the way a woman looks at herself. The advertisements we see daily, even though we don’t think so, can change the way people look at women.
    3. One takeaway from Tough Guise 2 is that everyone should teach his or her children from a young age to not be violent. We usually tell our children to stay away from strangers or violence, but we never teach them to not be the violent one when they grow up. We never try to keep them away from the violent movies or video games, usually. I believe we should focus on teaching young men and boys to not be violent or be a victim of violence in any situation. One takeaway from Killing Us Softly is that we should teach our daughters and young girls to love themselves. We usually tell them to look pretty, have manners, and be nice to boys. We never really tell them to ignore the media and focus on themselves. Women grow up surrounded by these advertisements that are over-sexualizing younger girls and teaching them to look a certain way and I think that should stop first and foremost by teaching young girls to be themselves.
14. Alex Hidalgo May 30, 2017 at 7:21 pm

    The films Tough Guise 2 and Killing Us Softly 4 crossover with their subject matter in many ways. Both films talk about how women are continually objectified in our culture. Tough Guise 2 mentions how women have become trophies to men, citing examples from pop culture and movies such as Superbad. Killing Us Softly 4 has a similar message, talking about how women’s body parts are constantly turned into objects. Ads are shown that portray women as beer bottles and other objects. Another way that both films crossover with their subject matter is that they both portray how pop culture influences people. Tough Guise 2 touches on how the entertainment industry puts out excessively violent movies, video games, music, etc. This causes people to be desensitized to violence and they start seeing it as a normal thing. Killing Us Softly 4 also goes into how pop culture influences people. Women learn from a young age that they need to obtain a certain look that they see from actresses in movies or from models. Both films put a heavy focus on the issues they cover as public health issues. Tough Guise 2 puts emphasis on how men desperately wanting to be tough and commit to societal norms can lead to violence. Statistics are given such as 86% of armed robberies are committed by men and 61 of 62 mass shootings in America have been perpetrated by men that display how much of a public health issue the sentiment of violence equals manliness brings. Killing Us Softly 4 addresses public health issues such as eating disorders. There is an epidemic in our country regarding eating disorders as women want to achieve the perfect look. An interesting fact in the film was that after the introduction of the TV to Fiji, there was a spike in eating disorders there. This goes to show that media and culture lead to the striving for the perfect look in many women. A main takeaway in Tough Guise 2 was that boys are taught that violence is the main aspect of establishing respect and credibility. Boys see “tough guys” in movies such as Rambo or Scarface solve all their problems with violence. These characters are feared and respected and the message to boys that watch these movies is that they too will be respected if they use violence to solve conflicts. A main takeaway in Killing Us Softly 4 was that the message of advertisements to women is that their worth depends on how they look. Women see advertisements that blatantly say that men don’t care about their personalities and that their appearance is all that matters. This leads to women developing eating disorders or getting plastic surgery to look perfect.
15. Lindsay Merline May 30, 2017 at 7:30 pm

    1. Both the film Tough Guise 2 and Killing Us Softly 4 crossover with many of their ideas. Tough Guise 2 focuses more on how men are expected, thanks to society, to act as emotionless and violent human Beings. Killing Us Softly 4 focuses on how, once again thanks to society, women are influenced by factors such as advertising which teaches girls to be these submissive, innocent but experienced individuals. Although these films ultimately focus on different genders, they crossover in the fact that society has created unspoken “norms” to which a male or a female are expected to conform to. Men, specifically, are expected to maintain a tough and dominant image without showing the least bit of femininity and risk getting called “fag”, “gay”, or “weak”. Women, on the other hand, are expected to sit silent, be submissive, and to strive to be society’s impossible vision of perfect. From a young age both women and men are exposed to society’s horrific messages being sent out. This, in fact, may explain why more and more young girls are becoming more frequently sexualized by society. Young boys are taught from such a young age to hide emotions to prevent them from being bullied because they’re so-called “weak”. The two films explain in great detail how both men and women have these expectations they’re supposed to live up to despite their own personality and features, along with the fact that these ideals are shaped from a culture of seemingly false advertising.

    2. The films exemplify this need to strive to be what society expects as a clear public health issue. For women, in particular, it is taught that your looks affect how far you get in life. Your looks ultimately measure your success. However, society’s image of a “perfect” woman is exactly what you might think: white, tall, and model-thin. Considering a large majority of people do not fit those unrealistic body standards, it is hard to be a normal person while on advertisements all you see is these seemingly perfect women. This strive for perfection thus causes women to feel as though they aren’t worthy, that they aren’t beautiful. This lack of self-worth can cause mental health issues such as depression, anorexia, and bulimia. Being model-thin is the ultimate goal, it is seen by society as beautiful. If one doesn’t fit that image, there are many ways to try and achieve it. Whether it be through plastic surgery or an eating disorder, some women change themselves just to fit society’s idea of perfection. For men, on the other hand, society tells them that they must remain emotionless. Any aspect of them that could be considered feminine is hidden, such as simple human emotions such as compassion, sympathy, and even love. If a man does not think or act like “one of the guys” it can cause major insecurities regarding their masculinity. It is shown through the fact that 86% of gun deaths are suicides by males that men are feeling more and more uncomfortable in their own skin. Rather than voicing that and risk facing society’s wrath, they take their own lives. Men, in some cases, turn to violence as a result of their fear that they won’t “live up” to their manhood. Both women and men are attempting to be not who they want to be, but who society tells them they SHOULD be, and it can result in major health issues.

    3. As a woman myself, I understand and have lived through the unbelievable double standards that there are for women. From the film Tough Guise 2, I was exposed to how society treats men and how they too feel like they must live up to something. The statistic that ¾ of American men are affected by covert depression really struck me because I wasn’t fully aware of the effect that society has on a man’s confidence and self-worth. These unspoken rules for men cause them to conform and put up a shield, and from this film I most definitely can understand how men are expected to resort to violence rather than share their feelings. On the other hand, being a woman, I have and continue to be exposed to the standards I am expected to live up to. From the film Killing Us Softly 4, it made me take away the true fact that as a woman, society sees me not as a person, but as an object. In advertisements women’s bodies are constantly being sexualized in the most dehumanizing way possible. These models are thin and beautiful, and subconsciously it feels as though you must look like that to be considered beautiful. The film showed me the horrible ways in which women and their bodies are portrayed, not as humans but as objects. From both films I’m taking away the overall general idea that society has these unspoken rules for both women and men, and if you don’t conform to these unspoken rules, you will not belong.
16. Gabe Abraam May 30, 2017 at 8:39 pm

    1. These two films cross over with their subject matter in a few ways. One is that both films cover stereotypes and society standards that are put on both genders. In tough guise, Jackson Katz talks about men having to be tough and not show emotion while in killing them softly 4, they talk about women having this idea and standard that they have to be skinny in order to be sexy. These two films also cross over when talking about the origins of these stereotypes and society standards. They both refer to the media and Hollywood, with tough guise specifying with violent movies, video games, and TV shows, while in killing them softly 4, they specify more on the side of advertising and social media rather than films. Although, both come from the same general media category which are what the films are saying cause these stereotypes and standards to be set.
    2. In tough guise, public health problems are addressed in a message. This message says that people should be teaching their sons or young men to not follow the standard of men being violent or expose them to things that they are not yet mature enough to see at their particular age. This could include movies, video games, or pornographic films. This would then help the young men see that violence is not always the answer and to act less violent during rash decision making. In killing them softly 4, the public health problem in this film is addressed to the viewer by stating that women shouldn’t have this perfect standard to compare themselves to. This is because everyone is different in their own way and don’t need to look up to one type of person to try and consider themselves “perfect”. The film states that people can take these messages made by ad’s and media harshly and seriously and lead them to fall into states of depression and eating disorders as well.
    3. One take away I had from tough guise was that I had a good idea before the film that men were mostly to blame for violent acts like murder, robbery, and rape crimes, but I had no idea the percentages for them were so high, like 86% men for robbery, 99% men for rape, and 90% men for murder. In killing them softly 4, a take away I had was that I had no idea so many ad’s today had been sexualized so much. For example, the food ad’s that contained sexual words, phrases, and pictures in them or even half naked people eating the food that is being advertised and the number of these that were existent today was very surprising to me because I had never looked into some of the ad’s that deeply except some I had seen in the past that were obviously sexualized.
17. Clare Walton May 30, 2017 at 8:56 pm

    1. Both of the films show that people of all race, gender, and age are expected to act and look a certain way. They both explain how men have to be masculine. They have to be strong and have no emotions. Men are exposed at a young age to violence. Women on the other hand are taught how to be young, beautiful, and skinny. They are seen as objects for sex and used for getting consumers to buy things. Both films portray these stereotypical ideas for both men and women.
    2. Tough Guise focuses on the fact that all men are violent and it can get very dangerous. This is focused on as a public health issue because all men and boys are taught this at a young age that they have to be tough and it gives the idea that men can’t have emotions or show their soft side. This is a public health issue because men then act more violent to show that they are indeed manly. This puts themselves and others at risk. In Killing Us Slowly, the main public health issue is that the models that are photoshopped teaches people that women have to be a certain way. It shows that women aren’t pretty unless they’re skinny, white, and blond. This is a public health issue because women then starve themselves to be like the models who get all the glory because of how skinny they are.
    3. From the Tough Guise I took away all the standards that are set for men. I never realized that men were expected to be so tough and had so many standards that they had to live up to. Men need to be tough and emotionless to be seen as a man. From the video I learned all the ways that this idea is backed up, with examples in movies and beloved characters and actors. From Killing Us Slowly I learned all the things that are sexualized and how women are used to sell more by using their body. Since women have always been seen as sexual objects people use them to entice people to buy other objects. Que es no bueno.
18. Benjamin Iverson May 30, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    1. How do the two films crossover with their subject matter? Explain.

    While Tough Guise 2 focuses mainly on men and Killing Us Softly primarily discusses women, there is a great deal of overlap between the two films. Both films discuss the objectification of women. Tough Guise depicts how women are routinely objectified in popular culture as well as by men in peer groups. Killing Us Softly presents the viewer with everyday incidents of objectification in advertising. The two movies show different sides of the same coin: either way, women are being dehumanized and turned into sexual objects. Additionally, both films comment on the perpetuated nature of masculinity; that a stoic, strong, sexual “king” is the true embodiment of manhood. Tough Guise, of course, does this more obviously, but Killing Us Softly touches on it as well. KUS shows how men are frequently (though less frequently than women) placed in advertisements that stress only one or two aspects of them, be it their buff body or sexual prowess. Tough Guise discusses how the same takes place in movies, music, television, and home life.

    2. How do both films focus on their issues as public health problems?

    Both movies recognize and emphasize the fact that the impact of these actions is massive and incredibly detrimental to our society and, in some ways, constitutes public health problems. Tough Guise presents the consumer with a barrage of shocking statistics connecting the vast majority of violent crimes to men. The harmful ideologies presented by Katz have become ubiquitous in daily life and reinforce the connotation than men are violent and violence is for men. The worshiping of violence in our society can – and does – lead to an outbreak of violence in our own communities, which is exactly what Katz is highlighting. The violent movies and advertisements aren’t a health problem, but the culture that stems from it is, especially if it leads to real life violence. In Killing Us Softly, the connection is more concrete. In short, companies advertise something that is unobtainable: a “perfect” body. The desire to achieve that status drives some to a dark place, destroying their self-confidence or worse, leading to eating disorders.

    3. Provide an explanation for at least one takeaway from each film.

    My biggest takeaway from Tough Guise is the statistic that the vast majority of violent crime is committed by men. Men and women are largely raised in the same environment, so there has to be something different about the way men live and grow up to account for this disparaging data. Ultimately, the ever present culture of violence is to blame. In Killing Us Softly, my number one takeaway was the fact that this trend of irresponsible advertisements isn’t getting better, but worse. So often we assume that once an issue has gained mainstream attention, that it will be fixed, but that’s not the case. There has been some outrage over such practices recently, and we often mistake that outrage for progress when it’s really just falling on deaf ears. Killing Us Softly made me realized that advertising as we know it is here to stay unless major action is taken.
19. Pietro Davi May 30, 2017 at 9:31 pm

    1. Both films we have seen in class focus on basic human stereotypes, based mostly on gender. Rough Guise 2 spends most of its time explaining about the violence culture the United States have, and in the same area of culture, Killing Us Softly 4 talks about the “perfect” woman the society has created as the years passed by. Both films emphasize a lot on feminine disadvantages and how they are viewed as inferior. Most violence on women, as showed by Rough Guise, is committed by men and husbands who take their anger out on their wives or girlfriends. Killing US Softly also shows this phenomenon with the various adds that not only ridicule women and models, but also transforms them into objects, taking away their humanity. The inferiority of women is the main crossover between these two films.
    2. Both films keep, throughout the movie, an idea that the problems they refer to (violence and advertising effects on women) are to be considered as public health problems. Rough Guise shows with several examples of violent movies and video that the problem of violence is on the cultural level of the United States. As the title itself says it, boys like to adopt the “tough guise” and follow the “boy code”, two elements of what it means to be a man. This clearly shows that violence is a problem among boys and is due to society itself, making this a public health problem. Killing Us Softly also works with similar examples, especially magazines, to show how society is influential over women and how they should look. Thin, white, and blond are the traits of beauty, as it is shown with famous models and various beauty advertisers. The fact that these hit society so hard means that it follows these “norms for women”, and these affect directly girl teenagers who become depressed or anorexic. This is the reason why this film considers its issue as a public health problem.
    3. There are a few things I took away from these films. Tough Guise and its several remarks and critics on the “boy code” and the “tough guise” did make me relate this to myself. It did angry me a little to see how the film seemed to be against masculinity in general, but this helped me realize that society needs to see people for who they are and not for what they need to be. The massive shootings and murders are also a big problem, which as shown in the film relate most of the time to bullying, is a problem that I don’t believe comes directly from the guy code or such things, and the only way for it to be solved is to stop having people left out for their strange or different traits. The film Killing US Softly was a little harder to relate to, but it did make a lot of sense. It did show the truth about society and how women are seen as perfect. The adds show women being seen as things, and more and more as erotic tools. This is what my major takeaway was.
20. Kyle Alkatib May 30, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    1. The two films’ subjects crossover many different ways. Tough Guise talks about how men need to act in order to be “manly” while killing us softly talks about how women have to look to be pretty. Tough Guise talks about men needing to be strong and powerful and violent so that they can be seen as men. They cannot show any signs of feminism or anything weak or else they will not been seen as men and they will most likely be beat up. In Killing Us Softly, it talks about how women have to be white and very skinny to be beautiful and pretty. In all magazines, you see these beautiful, blonde and skinny women standing in weird poses. Women have to be like them to be pretty.

    2. In both Tough Guise and Killing Us Softly, they talked about how men and women got health issues because they want to look the way they are “supposed” to look like to be manly or beautiful. In Tough Guise, they talked about male mental illnesses which you got from bullying. If someone isn’t strong and muscular, they would be made fun of and seen as not manly because they are weak and scrawny. Basically, you got bullied if you did not meet the standards. In Killing Us Softly, they talked about many women being anorexic and not eating enough. These women are pressured so much to be thin and beautiful that they stop eating. The modeling companies get clothing that is size 00 and most models cannot fit into these clothes unless they just stop eating. This causes many women to die because they wanted to fit into this dress or whatever it is.

    3. From Tough Guise, I learned that men are expected to be fit and strong to be manly. From Killing Us Softly, I learned that women have to be this beautiful, blonde and thin girl to be beautiful. They can’t have any fat and they barely eat anything. Men and women aspire to be these people so that they aren’t looked down upon. I think that you should be judged by your personality and not your looks but that is not this case in this world. This is how our world is today and I don’t think that it will be changing anytime soon.
21. Donavin Stoops May 30, 2017 at 9:38 pm

    The two films crossover in a couple different ways. Firstly, they both heavily talk about media and media’s influence on both men and women’s idea on what they should be. For example, the media says that boys should be emotionless and they should be “manly”. This is especially evident in movies and television shows where they force the idea of showing no emotions and always being tough to other people. This is also similar to media targeting women, especially in advertisements. Women are usually told that they have to look perfect to do anything important, which in turn make women try to reach a goal that is impossible to reach – perfection. In ads, there is usually a pretty women attempting to sell a product which makes viewers think that they need to look like that to use that item.
    The media interfering and dictating on how men and women should act and look like eventually negatively affect public health of both genders. When men are told throughout their entire life they must be manly in turn makes some of them rude and angry all the time. Since the media doesn’t stop how they portray men, it makes this “tough guise” generation never-ending. This also leads to violent crimes like mass-shootings where men try to prove how manly they are with a weapon. In women’s media, women are told they have to be perfect. This can cause anxiety issues with women who think they aren’t perfect looking. It can also cause women who think they aren’t skinny to start starving themselves to make them look more skinny. In recent events, this was a huge problem in France until they banned models below a certain weight.
    There are so many very valuable takeaways from each of these films, however I think the main one for the men-based film is about how manliness in media can lead to violent crimes. When the media tells men to be manly and to show no emotion, it leads to more violent crimes because they try to prove how manly they are with weapons and violence. The main takeaway I got from the women based film also has to deal with media. Women are also given a picture of who they have to be and therefore they try to reach these unreachable pictures and go unreasonable measures to get there.
22. David Boarman May 30, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    1.) The two films Killing Us Softly 4 and Tough Guise 2 crossover in subject matter in the aspect of influence. Women and girls are influenced when they see ads of women who appear perfect, but are actually photoshopped and airbrushed to look that way. In addition, they seek a sense of “perfectibility” and are persuaded to buy products to achieve this. Similarly, men and boys are influenced by popular culture to act tough or put on a “tough guise” to avoid being labeled as weak. Men and boys are also influenced to act in a certain wat or wear certain clothes to resemble that of action movie starts that are “classic tough guys” (i.e. Tony Montana-Scarface). As one can see, the crossover is apparent through this deceptive influence over people’s minds.
    2.) Both films Killing Us Softly 4 and Tough Guise 2 focus on their issues as public health problems by addressing how the issues effect people. In Killing Us Softly 4, we learn of the ever-growing epidemic of eating disorders because of the ever-shrinking size of models and the clothes they wear. As a result of these eating disorders, many young women are suffering from malnutrition, which is a public health problem. In addition, Tough Guise 2 shows us that a man’s “Tough guise” can be a danger to the public and himself. Men are taught from a young age through pop culture as well as older male role models that violence is a sign of strength and talking things out is a sign of cowardice and makes you a “wuss”. Through this encouraging of violence and epidemic of eating disorders, one can see how both of these issues are public health problems.
    3.) In Tough Guise 2, I took away that it is important to realize what I am exposed to in popular culture. Often pop culture will tell young men like myself that violence is cool, but violence is good for nothing but harm, and people need to be aware of that and strive to avoid violence and drop our “tough guise”. In Killing Us Softly 4, I learned that ads that we see of “perfect” women are photoshopped and touched up, and no one really looks like that. This is important for all people to know because it gives men and women and unrealistic standard to expect from a partner, or an impossible standard to live up to as a woman.
23. Jordan Shefman May 30, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    1. Each video is different, Tough Guise 2 focusing more on men while Killing Us Softly 4 is more aimed towards women. However, both films look at the differences between men’s and women’s gender roles in the world. While Tough Guise talks of men’s violence and Killing Us Softly talks of an unrealistic expectation of women, both films strongly target one side. It is clear that in the first video, the narrator is not in favor of men, claiming that “toxic masculinity” is harming women and that upwards of 80% of all crime is committed by men. Both men and women suffer from toxic masculinity, but man-on-man violence is much more common. It goes on to use many movies and video games to back up its claims, all of which are valid. On the other hand, the second video uses evidence to prove that the evolution of advertising, as well as Photoshop, is making girls more and more unhealthy as they strive to look like the perfect model (who doesn’t even look like that) that they’ve seen in an ad. While the films talk about different things, they both comment on near impossible gender norms to achieve. Where one video talks about men fighting, and the other talks about women in ads, both claims are true. Where they cross over is the subject of what people expect of them. People expect men to fight for what they want and to be naturally aggressive, while people also expect women to look as perfect in real life as they can in ads that have been altered.

    2. In both Tough Guise and Killing Us Softly, public health issues are addressed. In Tough Guise, it talks about crime committed by men. Whether that’s rape, murder, or stealing, it is crime nonetheless. This is a concern being that if we can concern men to be more civil as boys, then maybe this problem can be reduced, or even solved altogether. In Killing Us Softly, women’s health is addressed. Because models in advertisements are photoshopped and combined with other women to appear as perfect, the “everyday woman” wants to look just like that. Unfortunately, even with the best workout, the best diet, and even the best genes, this is impossible. Girls across the country are suffering from anorexia, going as far as to even die because of it. Because of these impossible gender roles for women occur, women are chasing something that they cannot achieve.

    3. One thing that I would have never known had I not watched Tough Guise is that men commit 98% of all violence. I knew it was a number on the higher side but not something this staggering. This type of number is crazy. While movies and video games promote this kind of aggression in males, plus they don’t think about what they are doing in the moment, this number is still something I would have never expected. In Killing Us Softly, I liked that companies have started not using models who are under a certain weight to promote a more average sized model. The reasons for this is that is that women want to be able to look like the other women that they see in ads, and with these near perfect women in ads, that is almost impossible. Now, however, with companies using more realistic women, not only can women achieve that look, but also feel better about themselves. My favorite quote from this video was when she said, “Companies have to start thinking of us as citizens, rather than consumers.” I like this because instead of dehumanizing us, it re-humanizes us.
24. Emma Marszalek May 30, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    Even though these two films are about two different things, there are many ways that they crossover. While one was about women and the other was about men, they both look at the issues that they face. Everything around us has shaped our minds to think a certain way. This is the case with men and women. Men are told that they can’t be feminine, and women are told that they have to be skinny and sexy. Men and women face different issues, but they come about it in similar ways. Most of the male stereotype comes from movies and tv, but most of the woman stereotype comes from advertising. Both films talk about how we are affected by these stereotypes, and how we can start to fix them.

    Women are told that they have to be skinny. This causes issues because for some women it is genetically impossible to be as skinny as the models. Many women may starve themselves to try and achieve this look. As for men, they are told that they have to be violent and strong. This may cause them to get into fights. Men are told that they have to have muscles or they won’t be attractive. This could cause somebody to exhaust their body too much, and hurt themselves. Both of the films focus on the health problems for women or men. Women and men have different health problems that need to be addressed.

    I had lots of takeaways from these films. Since I am a female, I had a more of a connection to the “Killing Us Softly” film. One of the takeaways that I had from that film was to not believe everything you see on social media. This film brought attention to all of the photoshopping and influencing social media does. I shouldn’t buy into everything that they say. I took away that the things online aren’t realistic, and are impossible to achieve. I now know that I shouldn’t compare myself to the models or people on the cover of magazines. This film taught me that I should be proud of who I am, and not listen to all of the ads telling me who I have to be. In the “Tough Guise” film, there wasn’t a whole lot that I could takeaway. I was able to learn that we are influenced by everything around us. Men are taught that they need to be masculine through tv, movies, and other places. In these movies, men are mostly portrayed as violent. One thing that this film focused on was how men felt that they needed to be violent. The takeaway was that you are influenced by everything around you. Even if you don’t think you are, your brain is processing everything you see and hear without you knowing it.
25. Bryce Ulep May 30, 2017 at 10:21 pm

    1. I believe that both films are very liberal and feminine views of problems going on in the world. Yes men are usually more violent and women have degrading photos posted in advertisements all the time, but this could also be seen from a very different perspective. Over all I see both videos as a way to single out the dominant white male figure and put them as a sort of bad guy. As a man of color I feel that many of these facts and subjects had either not super well backed up facts or facts that are just totally blown out of proportion. The videos talk about how horrible the white male figure is and how they are violent and killing everyone and how they start all fights and how they are degrading toward women, yet this is not all 100% factual and is no0t true in every situation. It is not fair to single out one type of person to say they are doing something wrong, because then the person who was having bad things happen to them is no better than the ‘bad’ person who originally did the bad deed. Overall I believe that the two videos shared the same subject in non-explicitly trying to put down the white male figure.
    2. The first film focuses mainly on violence as a public health problem. They talk about the last 62 shootings and having 61 of them be men. This is a major health problem as people are going out and killing each other. The second film we watched talks about a major health issue in girls becoming objectified and girls becoming insecure or unhappy with their bodies as they try to live up to the anorexic norm of the press and other companies advertisements.
    3. One takeaway for the first film was that men who play dangerous or violent video games can turn into serial killers. Adam Lanza (the shooter of Sandy Hook Elementary school) played many FPS games and according to the video that is what drove him to become a serial killer. I personally do not believe this, but this is one possible takeaway from the video. A takeaway from the second video is that women are being objectified and used to make most products seductive. This can play a big role in society as little girls and other females feel as though they are not up to standards. I personally feel that this is false and that most companies are just trying to catch someone’s attention with no intention of making someone feel bad about themselves. So I think girls just should compare themselves to real life standards like their mother or other womanly figures instead of always turning to the internet or social media for what they aspire to be.
26. Ashley A May 30, 2017 at 10:34 pm

    1.) The two films on the surface level seem to be discussing completely different and opposite topics which are women’s social issues and men’s social issues. However, when one takes a deeper look into the true message being shared by these films, there is a clear crossover in the meaning. This crossover in the message is that media messages, through advertising and other publications whether electronic or on paper, are influencing the future men and women of America into one mode of thinking. This forces people from a very young age into a box which is hard to escape because everything outside of the box is nearly seen as an abomination or means for humiliation. In Tough Guise, one sees the masculine box that men are supposed to fit into and the clear forbidding of anything deemed too feminine, such as emotions. In Killing Us Softly 4, one sees the social exoskeleton that society and culture forces young women to wear, which includes impossible things such as experienced yet virginal attitudes, through advertising, movies, music, etc. Though men and women face different struggles entirely, it is the same media that is influencing them to go into their masculine or feminine box created by society.
    2.) Both films focus on the issues as public health problems by addressing the problem then showing the causes. These causes were mostly advertising and popular media. These products that are issued are socially acceptable in the American culture though some are completely and utterly wrong. These wrong values that are instilled in the eyes of American citizens hundreds of times a day show that our public health is very poor. In Tough Guise, we see how movies and action figures, tell young boys that too be a man is to be macho and deadly which is incorrect, in my view. In Killing Us Softly 4, we see how everyday ads show young girls that life is all about being a perfect object and sexualized instrument for the happiness of others not you. These are everyday occurrences which make growing up to be ones true self difficult.
    3.) In Tough Guise, the fact that men are stripped of their natural self is brought to light. The media of today show men that are big and tough, with no regard for the emotional aspects of violence. These media men are shown as anything but “feminine” leading the boys and men who watch them want to fit into these extreme molds and match these characters that are stripped of a major portion of being human which is emotion of any form but especially the “feminine” ones such as love, empathy and compassion. During Killing Us Softly 4, one is informed on the methods that advertising uses to groom young ladies into thinking they are nothing but a sexualized object. Ads glorify the ultra-skinny white/ light-skinned woman. These woman are seen everywhere and are deemed attractive and what every girl should aspire to be even though these women are often not real themselves. This leads young girls and women to strive for a fantasy that is quite impossible to reach. There is a constant reminder everyday through ads and media of what beauty is, in this society, and it is just a beat down of women for no real reason, in my opinion.
27. Chloe Brasch May 30, 2017 at 10:40 pm

    1.Tough Guise 2 mainly deals with the issue of violence and the role men take in it. From this video, we learn that almost all violence is acted upon by the male gender. Also, this video discusses the stereotypical image that men are supposed to portray. Such stereotypes include being seen by others as very manly, muscular, dominate, and emotionless. Because men are sought to be seen as all those things, sometimes acting out in violence is a cry for help. Men are not supposed to show their emotions so when they feel shame for not doing what “men” are supposed to do, violence seems like a way to deal with their internal struggle. Similarly, in the video Killing Us Softly, we learn how women are required to meet a certain standard on theirs looks, personality, weight, sexuality, etc. in order to fit in with modern day society. The “ideal” women is typically seen as white skinned, blond haired, blued eyed, skinny, and flawless. This “ideal” women is the only one being advertised all around us and women and girls today are being told they must look like what is being advertised. Typically, women aren’t born with everything that is idealized as what perfect women should have, so in order to accomplish this look, people are paying plastic surgeons to do work on them. The perfect women that everyone fantasizes about does not exist but girls are taught at such a young age to try to be something they are not and as a result, eating disorders and depression are a common outcome. Both videos show that both men and women have specific images they are required to live up to and because of this, bad things such as violence (usually for men) and eating disorders/depression (usually for women) end up being the result.

    2.For men, acting out in violence can be a result of holding in all their emotions that would make them feminine from releasing them. However, mentally challenged men are commonly behind the scene of violence. This video mentions that violence is all around us even in the form of videogames. Boys are exposed to this violence and pick up from it at an early age. Because they are exposed to such violence at such a young age, as these boys grow, they don’t realize that violence is wrong and they act out thinking that what they are doing is fine because the video game they played when they were 7 involved shooting people. Also, in Killing Us Softly, major health issues form from girls trying to become the women they are told they need to be. Girls are told they need to be a size 00 because that’s the size the models who model their clothing are. Girls will then either stop eating to accomplish this unhealthy look or become severely depressed because they don’t appear to be like the girls that are seen as “beautiful” or “perfect”.

    3.The main point that I’ve taken away from Tough Guise 2 is that men are taught to be masculine, strong, dominate, and are not supposed to show any emotion besides anger. These so-called traits of what a man should be are so prominent in today’s world that if men do not live up to these expectations, they are seen as gay or non-masculine. As a result of men feeling shame from not accomplishing one of these “traits”, men occasionally act out in violence because that’s what they think real men would do. The main point I’ve taken away from Killing Us Softly is that girls have specific expectations they need to meet as well. If you are not light skinned, blond haired, big boobed, skinny waisted then you are not a girl. This stereotypical image of what women need to look like has gone so far as to make other women try to change their original looks to match the idealized look. Some women end up trying so hard that they fail to consume food in order to meet the standard of weight that girls should be. Others will feel very depressed or have really low self-esteem because society has made them feel like they should look differently than they already do.
28. Nico Jones May 30, 2017 at 10:47 pm

    1. Both of these films aim to educate the public about the dangers and consequences of societal gender rules. Tough Guise 2 showed how men are taught from extremely early ages to become strong, brave, and stoic characters while casting their emotional side, sans anger, away. Many men and boys have been conditioned to act out in violent ways in order to get their points across and if they actually use their words and express how they feel without resorting to violence, they will become less than the manly man they want to be. Another conditioned societal norm was shown in Killing Us Softly 4, as women and girls are taught to be submissive and passive, basically to only exist for male consumption. Women are shown in the media as sexual objects that can be bought and are perfect beings, that are seen as the standard for all women. Men and women in ads and the media are almost always seen as toned and desireable. But when the two are shown as typical people that represent most of all the population’s typical body type, the ads depict what’s wrong with them or how they can become thinner and more attractive. Men, women, children, and people are all taught these unhealthy stereotypes of the perfect human constantly when, in reality none of those perfect models look exactly like how they are depicted. These films point out the hypocrisy that people are forced to conform to as the images of the perfect human are constantly and consistently shoved in our faces.

    2.Both of these films point out major concerns that are raised as people try to conform to what they believe is acceptable. Men and women are expected to be fit all of the time by exercising and eating healthy, despite how much their body type will allow them to look. This is how eating disorders and mental illnesses root themselves in many people. When people are forced to look at how they should look and know that they can never mirror it, this can slowly kill. People are often not comfortable their bodies because of how they believe other people will judge them and ridicule them for not looking a certain way. There are so many body types and there are so many people in this world that they cannot possibly all look the same even if they tried, and with mainstream media only representing the very slim percentage of people with “desirable” features, is extremely harmful to anyone’s psyche. People often push themselves harder than they should while exercising, while not eating enough, and punishing themselves for not looking like something they could never become. Tough Guise 2 showed how the stereotypes of how men should also act takes a major toll on both men and boys, as they too are forced to conform to a standard that is not always true to them.

    3. Tough Guise 2 provided a perfect platform to begin the discussion on how violent and dominating stereotypes that boys are conditioned to become has consequences for society as a whole. This film teaches its audience that we need to stop normalizing the violence that men perpetuate by using slogans like “boys be boys” from an early age so that more boys they can develop into men that respect others as human beings and not just use violence to solve small discrepancies. Killing Us Softly 4 also taught its viewers that the people should reject the normalcy of objectifying women in the media, film, and society as a whole. Young girls should be able to fully grow up in a world where they are not told from multiple audiences that they need to look, dress, and talk a certain way in order to be successful or to be treated with respect.
29. Emily Brown May 30, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    1. The two films Tough Guise 2 and Killing Us Softly 4 have many crossovers with their subject matter. One crossover is that both films talk about the toll society takes on men and women today. Both films show how society puts men and women into boxes to try and be “normal” by using stereotypes and impossible standards. Tough Guise shows that in our society “normal” men are to be insensitive, dominant, and aggressive, but this is because our culture is filled with toxic masculinity. Killing Us Softly 4 shares a standard that women must be skinny to be considered pretty. Both films use “Hollywood” examples to make their points clear. Tough Guise 2 shows many violent movies along with some seemingly harmless ones. Examples of movies that seem okay, but really show an underlying message of “how to be a man” are Shark Tale and How to Train Your Dragon. Hollywood even pays gun organizations to use their guns in movies and promote that being tough is being violent. It is said in the film that the real man came from the western movies. He is the tough, rough-rider who is independent and violent. In Killing Us Softly 4, popular magazine covers promote the ideal body but that body is edited and impossible to achieve because it is not real. Although, women are taught from a young age that this is the body they should have and wind up failing to achieve it. These ads set women up for failure and disappointment. These two films cross over in similar messages.

    2. In the movie Tough Guise 2, public health is a commonly addressed topic. Men and women can both have tough childhoods, but what leads to men being more violent? An attitude like one that says “male violence is inevitable” perpetuates this violence. In addition, boys grow up with fathers, coaches, and other boys teaching each other how to be a man. They are thrust into a world of violent movies, violent video games, pornography, and guns just because “those are what makes a boy a man”. There is a huge influence on young boys that it is not okay to show emotions or risk being called weak, soft, or a fag. This hurts men in countless ways. One includes that if men cannot show their emotions they can be too bottled up inside and then explode out in self-harm, depression, suicide, or violence. The film stated that ¾ of men have “covert depression”; this is a type of depression that men hide only to themselves. Many men can not show emotions due to societies’ rigid norms which makes them feel isolated or weak, so they express their pain by committing mass shootings such as Sandy Hook or the Columbine shooting. The film brings awareness to these facts and wants men to be able to be more open with their emotions and have a wider definition of masculinity to stop the violence. In Killing Us Softly 4, a perfect body standard is addressed. This standard of being skinny with a thigh gap, but still have muscle, no fat, tall, but not too tall, large breasts and bottom, but not too large, etc. is setting women up for failure. There is no way everyone can fit into this unrelenting mold of a woman. Many women diet, but these end up failing and women gain more weight. Diet pills can actually kill you. This contributes to the overwhelming amount of women with self-esteem issues, depression, anorexia, bulimia, and harmful thoughts. Models in today’s media aren’t even “slim enough or good enough” that they get one of these disorders, most commonly anorexia. Women even get procedures to change their looks or remove their fat. 91% of cosmetic procedures are done on women. The film brings light to these issues and shares the impossible standard that threatens our public health.

    3. A takeaway I had from the film Tough Guise 2 was that I really learned about how violent our media and entertainment industry is. I learned really interesting, yet horrible statistics like that 99% of rapes are done by men or that 61/62 mass shootings were done by men. I was shocked at how violent our society is and how the attitude that violence is okay is everywhere in today’s society. A takeaway I had from Killing Us Softly 4 was that I did not know how much food ads were sexualized. They contained either sexual images, catchphrases, or sounds that were just not okay for food. I had never really looked into the food ads that much. Another takeaway I had was that I didn’t know how ads truly work and get stuck in our heads. The movie said that only 8% of an ad is processed by the brain initially, but most of the work ads do is just subliminal. I didn’t know that someone could be wearing a Nike shirt and that be an ad. I just thought it was wearing a brand, but the subliminal pieces of the ad are at work here making us not even recognize an ad.
30. Andrew Beggs May 30, 2017 at 11:01 pm

    These two films crossover in the fact that they both touch on the main point of how each gender is perceived in our society today. The Tough Guise film portrayed men’s violence and how men’s who culture revolves around being tough and violence would solve the issue. The Killing Us Softly film portrays women as trying to look too good everywhere they are and that they have to be beautiful in order to fit in. These two films both crossover that if you don’t follow these rules for both genders, you will get made fun of, bullied, and won’t be able to fit in with the requirements of that gender. Both of these films made sure to make their point in a respectful way to make sure the audience knew these were sort of stereotypes and didn’t apply to every human being.

    Tough Guise focuses mainly on Men’s violence and dominance in our society today and the film talked a lot about how our society grew up to that way. The public health problem that this film focused on was that violence was an public heath issue in our society today. Some examples for this would be gang violence and school shootings. Statistics show that an extremely high percentage of school shootings have been done my the male gender and that is an issue. The last major school shootings have been done by men and it has caused a traumatic issue in our society. Along with school shootings, gang violence has also been a public health issue. Gangs are mainly men and cause a lot of violence in our society in certain places. But in the overall picture, the film portrayed violence as a public health issue and men are the main cause of it. Killing me Softly showed that how women look is a public health issue in todays society. The way that magazines portray women to look absolutely perfect in their product causes a lot of issues for teenagers and women in our society. Studies show that if teenagers don’t feel that they are “beautiful”, then they feel that they are worthless and nothing. This causes severe depression as well as suicide. Women also tend to hurt themselves physically by starving themselves.

    One takeaway from Tough Guise is that men are seen as in a dominant role and can feel superior to women which causes violent issues. Mental health is always an issue but the takeaway is that we need to raise men to not feel violence as the need to solve issues and not to be “tough” all the time. Violence is most definitely an issue in today’s society as far as school shootings. One takeaway from the Killing Us Softly film is that women feel the need to be always perfect and completely beautiful at all times. This needs to be fixed because it is causing depression and anxiety that can lead to suicide for women in our society.
31. Brooklyn S May 30, 2017 at 11:20 pm

    Both of the films tackle everyday problems both males and females face. Killing Us Softly 4 mainly talk about the objectification of women in media but also shedded some light on the violence of men in media and in reality. Tough Guise 2 however focused on male violence in media which can lead to reality and then briefly highlighted violence against women and the double standards. Tough Guise 2 talked about how if men didn’t show toughness or strength they could be perceived as weak or gay. Which is sad that many men aren’t comfortable enough in their own sexuality that they are offended by being called gay. However, if women were to be seen as having not being tough or not showing strength that would be seen as pure or correct.

    Both issues focus their issues on public health problems by connecting them all to mental healthy issues. Killing Us Softly 4 talks about how today’s media and advertisement force upon women that the ideal image is thin, fair skinned and straight hair. However, as the video stated that the perfect image we see is impossible because almost all of those photos are photoshopped. This can lead to many girls using extreme, unhealthy ways to lose weight. For example some girls become anorexic and bulimic to lose weight which can lead down a path to malnutrition and even death. Tough Guise stated that the main cause of death in men in the US is the violence between men. There is also the increase in mental illness among men because men are told to keep their feelings suppressed so they are not to get help.

    I believe that the video made me more conscious to how women are presented in the media. I believe now that I’m more conscious that I will be able to combat this in my own little ways. Essentially presentation of women in media had been in a negative, degrading manner or telling women that they are not perfect. For example this ad,

    Which was displayed just last year is an example of these type of ads. This ad is implying that that the women in the picture is the only acceptable beach body in a way to selling weight loss pills. However there is no such thing as a beach body. A beach body is just a perception created by the media to help companies sells weight loss pills and other forms of dieting.
32. Brooklyn S May 30, 2017 at 11:23 pm

    Both of the films tackle everyday problems both males and females face. Killing Us Softly 4 mainly talk about the objectification of women in media but also shedded some light on the violence of men in media and in reality. Tough Guise 2 however focused on male violence in media which can lead to reality and then briefly highlighted violence against women and the double standards. Tough Guise 2 talked about how if men didn’t show toughness or strength they could be perceived as weak or gay. Which is sad that many men aren’t comfortable enough in their own sexuality that they are offended by being called gay. However, if women were to be seen as having not being tough or not showing strength that would be seen as pure or correct.

    Both issues focus their issues on public health problems by connecting them all to mental healthy issues. Killing Us Softly 4 talks about how today’s media and advertisement force upon women that the ideal image is thin, fair skinned and straight hair. However, as the video stated that the perfect image we see is impossible because almost all of those photos are photoshopped. This can lead to many girls using extreme, unhealthy ways to lose weight. For example some girls become anorexic and bulimic to lose weight which can lead down a path to malnutrition and even death. Tough Guise stated that the main cause of death in men in the US is the violence between men. There is also the increase in mental illness among men because men are told to keep their feelings suppressed so they are not to get help.

    I believe that the video made me more conscious to how women are presented in the media. I believe now that I’m more conscious that I will be able to combat this in my own little ways. Essentially presentation of women in media had been in a negative, degrading manner or telling women that they are not perfect. For example there is an that ask people “are you beach body ready?” while showing a picture of a thin girl in a bathing suit with no sort of fat on her body. This ad is implying that that the women in the picture is the only acceptable beach body in a way to selling weight loss pills. However there is no such thing as a beach body. A beach body is just a perception created by the media to help companies sells weight loss pills and other forms of dieting.
33. Lexy S. May 30, 2017 at 11:30 pm

    The treatment of women and men in media are stated as public health problems in the films. Tough Guise 2 weighs the problematic results of media representation with the tough guy image, presenting statistics of violence and discussing why likely most violence is perpetrated by males. While the common myth is of testosterone or genes being to blame, the actual perpetrator of male violence is society. The sexualization and depiction of women as “asking for” sexual advances, the objectification of their bodies, and infantilization of women is described as something that increases sexual assault in the community. With the contempt for the “feminine” (weakness, as its considered in society) and the aversion to it by men in society, there are also complications. While straight, white men don’t live in risk of being beaten and demeaned simply because of the way they’re born, in the abhorrence to emotional vulnerability and of being labeled weak by those around them, men are put at risk for different reasons than women: according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 79% of Americans who took their lives in 2010 were men. However, something unusual about the scenario is that—while men dominate when it comes to suicide—women have the majority of mental health problems. The problem lies in men’s inability to embrace pain, weakness, and to stray from the archetype of male strength that was demonstrated in Tough Guise 2. Women, on the other hand, lead with mental health problems because of proneness women have to mental illness due to their representation in the media.
34. Lexy S. May 30, 2017 at 11:30 pm

    The two films effectively approach topics such as the influence of media on men and women and their statuses in society. Tough Guise 2—the film that tackled the media’s role in shaping the lives of men—presented the empowered, aggressive, testosterone-driven specimen that was the ideal for men. The second film, Killing Us Softly 4, discussed how women are typically hyper-sexualized and encouraged to be submissive and naive. Together, the combination of the roles is a recipe for disaster, as implicated by the statistics presented in the films; the two films shared common themes, showing the horrific combination that is women too often being portrayed as sexual objects and men too often being represented as violent, entitled beings.
    The treatment of women and men in media are stated as public health problems in the films. Tough Guise 2 weighs the problematic results of media representation with the tough guy image, presenting statistics of violence and discussing why likely most violence is perpetrated by males. While the common myth is of testosterone or genes being to blame, the actual perpetrator of male violence is society. The sexualization and depiction of women as “asking for” sexual advances, the objectification of their bodies, and infantilization of women is described as something that increases sexual assault in the community. With the contempt for the “feminine” (weakness, as its considered in society) and the aversion to it by men in society, there are also complications. While straight, white men don’t live in risk of being beaten and demeaned simply because of the way they’re born, in the abhorrence to emotional vulnerability and of being labeled weak by those around them, men are put at risk for different reasons than women: according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 79% of Americans who took their lives in 2010 were men. However, something unusual about the scenario is that—while men dominate when it comes to suicide—women have the majority of mental health problems. The problem lies in men’s inability to embrace pain, weakness, and to stray from the archetype of male strength that was demonstrated in Tough Guise 2. Women, on the other hand, lead with mental health problems because of proneness women have to mental illness due to their representation in the media.
    Something that one could take away from Tough Guise 2 was that the creation of a form of “super male” has been something that has escalated for years, originating in the classic romance of the Old West cowboy. After the violent, unhesitating frontier man came the gangster, and then the slick secret agent—all building up to what we see today. On the other hand, Killing Us Softly 4 talked about the infantilization of women, to the point where children themselves are being sexualized. The women are not only infantilized but objectified as well to the point where they are depicted rather two-dimensionally in media.
35. Josh Myers May 30, 2017 at 11:47 pm

    1. Tough Guise 2 and Killing Us Softly 4 both looked into the problems faced by men and women due to their portrayal in the media. The portrayal of both men and women in the media leads to standards that they feel pressured to conform to. Tough Guise focused on men’s portrayal and Killing Us Softly focused on the portrayal of women in the media and advertising. Tough Guise explains that the idea that men are supposed to act tough has led to some violence. This is also attributed to the violence seen in today’s entertainment. Violence in video games, tv, and moves has possibly led to a desensitization of it. Killing Us Softly explains the image women feel pressured to conform to. This is due to the portrayal of women in advertisements. The way women portrayed in ads is unrealistic and causes many self-image problems and eating disorders.
    2. Tough Guise explains that the idea that men should be tough and violence in entertainment has caused violence performed by men. Much of this violence is against women. Not all of the violence is against women however. The idea that a man is supposed to be manly has caused many incidences of violence where a man goes and gets revenge to stop some kind of suffering (many of these end with the aggressor committing suicide). Many school shootings are an example of this. The desensitization of violence has caused many unfortunate events. Killing Us Softly explained that the portrayal of women in the media has caused many mental health problems among young women. In the media, women are usually seen as very skinny and the photos are often manipulated by computer software to make them fit the view that the company wants. This has caused low self-esteem, depression, and eating disorders. While advertising companies are making a profit, they have caused many young women to hurt themselves because they feel uncomfortable about the way they look.
    3. The emphasis on masculinity caused by p.c. culture was mentioned in the first film. Tough Guise explains that the change brought by liberal movements are making men feel less secure about their identity. As a backlash to this, men are trying to secure their masculine identity. The portrayal of women in the media is hurting the human population by giving unrealistic expectations of how a woman is supposed to look and act. Advertisements have been taking advantage of the low self-esteem of many women and are making the problems worse. The images of women in the media are causing many women to feel unhappy with themselves. This is leading to psychological problems that are becoming more and more common.
36. Eric Ajluni May 30, 2017 at 11:51 pm

    1. The two films cross over as they both give insight on today’s society in regards to gender, but from two different angles. One from the male point of view, and also from the female point of view. Our society is ruled by the dynamic between males, females, and media. Both videos describe this, for men they show it by describing the relationship between men, their stereotypes, and violence. For women, these social misconceptions and issues are shown through women in advertisement. In this way both videos cross over the subject of social misconceptions and how they’re portrayed in advertisement and social media.
    2. Both films focus on their respective public health issues in different but unique ways. Both use statistics and data to occasionally back up their claims about current social issues. For the male video, the speaker gives a very in depth look at how men are conformed to act a certain “tough guy” way, and covers it from every different angle. This includes violent video games, movies, advertisement, precedents set by the past, and pressures put forth by the rest of society. The speaker explains that this is not healthy for our society as it can make other groups uncomfortable with the way men act, and the men themselves often cannot show how they really are. In the women’s video, the speaker mainly focuses on advertisement to persuade and inform the audience that women are being mishandled in the advertisement industry. She explains how girls from every age are constantly pressured to act, think, and most importantly look a certain way. It discourages and even pokes fun at women who do not fit this realistically uncommon standard set by commercials to be thin and beautiful. So this video focuses on the issue by fleshing out the hardship women will constantly go through trying to be something they cannot, and provides comforting thoughts on how to deal with it.
    3. One major takeaway I had from the male film is just how strong media is in influencing who we are and our culture, more specifically the popularity of violent media. Many say that people will not look at media, games, movie, or advertisement to base who they are, and would rather look at real life things to shape them. However, this is obviously not the case as shown by the video. Violence has been used so constantly in media, games and movies, that everyone has been de-sensitized too it, which has made our whole society more accustomed to violent things. This is one of the factors that would lead men to feel pressured to act and look “tough” and “manly” in our current culture. From the female video, the main takeaway I had was understanding the struggle women go through and understanding why they do certain things. The video provided countless examples of women being displayed as objects of sex, beauty, or simply a perfect body shape. Seeing just how suggestive and discouraging some of the advertisements were towards women gives a lot of insight on why women act the way they do around men and in general, as well as how they dress, and how they stress over their experience constantly.
37. Lily Meinel May 31, 2017 at 12:04 am

    1. In both of the films they talked about how media has affected both genders. In Tough Guise 2 the film focuses more on how violence in media is a sign of manhood. That rape and sexulization of women is okay for a man to do because women are objects. And if men did not show their toughness they would be seen as weak or gay. Man are not comfortable to be seen as weak or gay because that means they are not manly. So guys get a persona that they have to assert their authority to be a man. On the other hand women have to be quiet and pure. They cannot be strong or independent and they need a man. In Killing Us Softly 4 advertisement about women gives a false sense of what a women should look like. A women needs to be white or light skinned and super skinny. This body image is unattainable because it is all photo shopped. In these ads women are seen as objects which men will than think it is okay to treat women as objects. They also lead to men having a image of how a women should look and that can never happen for that women.
    2. Both films talk about the issue as public health problems because these false personas are making people think that is what is right. The thought of how a man needs to be strong or how a women needs to be unattainably perfect is hurting the public’s mental health. The advertisements in Killing Us Softly will make girls want to be like the women in the picture. This can lead to unhealthy eating disorders, depression, and low self-esteem. This is all because a photo is photo shopped or an ad is talking about what a guys wants. Women need to be perfect and if you do not if the “ideal image” than no man will like you and you are considered ugly. This affects how women see themselves and they will do horrible things to their body because of the “ideal image”. In Tough Guise 2 men are taught to hide their feelings and never let them show. This can also lead to depression and other mental health issues. Man are shown that they need to become violent if their manhood is threatened. They are also taught through advertisements and media that women are objects and are always wanting to have sex with a guy. Men also learn that they are alpha and need to show people who is the boss especially when it comes to other males and women. This leads to more violence which ends badly for everyone involved.
    3. It makes sense that lots of women and girls have body issues because of what is seen in media and ads. It is sad to have to grow up with these images and standards. I think that these ads create a big problem on the women physi because that it is unattainable, but also that it is what is considered beauty. Every women wants to be beautiful and society only shows one type of beauty. Barbie just recently launched a line of barbies that are diverse. Barbie is supposed to be beauty. So it is sad that it has taken that long for society to see that other body types and skin tones are beautiful. But, women body type is still an issue even with barbie finally getting with the program. Models are supposed to be a size 00 and they are still the “ideal image”. Unfortunately there is still a long way to go. It also makes sense that men are violent because they are protecting their manhood. Boys growing up are shown that you should never cry in public or look weak. That a man needs to be strong and attack anyone that will try to knock them down. It is okay for a man to be violent with a woman because she is an object. This is why loads of rape cases go with the man walking free. Or the female stays quiet because she is embarrassed or scared something will happen to her if she speaks up. With these cases letting the man walk scott free it shows men that nothing will happen to you if you do something like that. Which is truly disgusting. This explains why men think that because a woman is wearing a short dress or a low cut top that it is cool for them to have sex with them. Or rape a girl when she is unconscious and it is funny. They are just being one of the guys. This is sad that society made men think that this is right. These films just give more evidence of how bad society is for both sides.
38. Gabe Liss May 31, 2017 at 12:15 am

    1. Theses two films have similar messages that crossover with each other. Both films talk about how our culture has damaged young teen’s mindsets and goals. In the first film, our culture was described as a place where men are always supposed to be fierce, tough, and violent. If men show any signs of feminism, or caring about their significant other, than they are made out to be soft and weak. These messages, along with the countless number of violent video games, movies, and bad role models, put in a man’s mind that violence is a good thing to prove yourself as a man. The other video described our culture as a place where only flawless women are acceptable. If you do not look like the beautiful, photoshopped women in magazines and on television, than you are not worthy. These damaging ads have become a part of our everyday life, and they constantly remind women that they are not good enough. Women are thought to be skinny, white, and hot with no other acceptable option to look any other way. Society has made it seem like a woman’s body is more important than her personality, which often devalues the women herself.

    2. Both of these videos have identified a wrong in society that is classified as a general health problem. The women that are mentally unable to care for thems races are soon as incompetent to and useful. These young men do not always even know about the older families next to them, but they ignore them a lot of the time. I believe that if he goes and supports his limited cause, then he will lead a lot more support than he has right now. The other video made advertising women a very dangerous time, as many women would would result from strokes and e heart attack on the job. Both videos share a vision that the damaging American culture of reinforcing bad habits, and teaching us all the wrong things that we learned about as kid. This vision of excellence falsely portrayed by advertising leads to the three most common issues among American women today, depression, eating disorders, and low self esteem. Both videos sent vet important messages, that the public could work towards solving.

    3. One takeaway for the first film was that men are much more violent than women. Although we could argue that violence is related to mental illnesses, or video games, it is still peculiar that over 90% of violent crimes are completed by men. When it comes down to it, our culture forces men to be the dominant, violent, masculine man to prove their worth. It is true that men may be more genetically susceptible to violence, but I think this gap is too big of a number to prove on violence. I think that our culture has turned some men into violent; emotionless machines that live for their own survival. My takeaway from the other film was that advertisements show flawless women that look perfect, which is not possible and damaging to the real people of the world. Even the women in the photos are airbrushed and photoshopped to look better on TV. Women are often dehumanized with other objects, only used for their body. Either way, this article addressed advertising as damaging to a girl’s image of herself, similar to a boy’s image of himself in the first film.
39. Emily Juriga May 31, 2017 at 12:51 am

    a. Both films seem to do a crossover with their subject matter when they discuss the effects that social media and media in general have on people of all gender in society. In advertisements men are shown as being grizzly and tough, while women are shown as being weak and small. Both ways, people are labeled and expected to be and act a certain way in society, and these social norms are produced by the media and popular society. Strong and fuller women are often not seen in the main stream media and advertisements, and definitely not in the modeling world. While men in advertisements are buff and toned, emulating a kind of power in whatever they are trying to sell. In the case of both female portrayal and male portrayal in media, people are expected to conform and live up to physical and behavioral expectations that are just not realistic.

    b. In the ‘Tough Guise’ film, men are described as being inherently violent, and are pushed down by society if they are seen as too ‘feminine’. Men are also fed violence for their entire lives through media, and the most amount of violent crimes seen in society today are done by men. 99% of rapes are committed by men in the U.S., and the victims of these rapes are women who are being objectified and dehumanized by men doing what they want, causing physical and mental health problems to the victims. In ‘Killing Us Softly 4’, the issue of anorexia and low self-esteem levels are prominent examples of what girls and women face in today’s society. Girls are, for the most part, surrounded by ads, products and opinions as they grow up that tell them skinny is beautiful and desirable. If you are not white, skinny and blonde (like all the barbie and bratz dolls and models) you are not seen as valuable in society. Which causes many women to go to great lengths to change themselves to conform, like; getting plastic surgery, starving themselves and dieting.

    c. In the film ‘Tough Guise’, the main takeaway I got from the film was that men are unreasonably expected to tough and violent, and many of their actions are meant to assert their dominance as a male. I have started to understand from this film that men are those characteristic because that is the way society has defined ‘being a man’. This film has helped me to realize that culture beliefs must change before the violent masculinity of our society can be demolished, and I hope there will be a point in the future when men can openly show love and emotion without being shut-down by society for being anything other than a ‘real man’. In the film ‘ Killing Us Softly 4’ I have taken away that media has formed the ideal woman into being thin, white and young, and most modeling companies in America employee those kinds of girls. Women are portrayed as being weak, and are sexualized in ads, and slowly but surely women have to change society’s view of women and change the secondary role they play in it.
40. Hassan Dabliz May 31, 2017 at 5:10 am

    1. How do the two films crossover with their subject matter? Explain.
    Both of the films talked about violence that occurs from men, for tough guise they talked about it because it was an issue that boys or men are too violent and that it is “programmed” into them from a young age because of things like T.V. For women they used men being violent as a point of comparison when talking about advertisement, men seem more powerful and strong in their advertisement and women need to seem vulnerable and child-like, they also talked about men being powerful over women is “sexy” and they talked about that in killing us softly.
    2. How do both films focus on their issues as public health problems?
    For men they talked about mental health more than anything as the main issue for health, they said that mental health is what causes some of these men to do violent things such as school shootings and other deadly attacks. They also talked about men and how they are the most likely to commit suicide, and also how one third of all women’s’ deaths happen because of violence from men. For women they talked about the way the advertisements make women and girls feel, they make them feel insecure to the point that they feel the only way to feel beautiful is by being skinny and because of this you see many girls develop eating disorders where they don’t eat or you see women exercise too much because they are trying so hard to be that size 0. Women are also becoming very depressed because they see that they are not able to look like these women in the ads and then they feel less of themselves.
    3. Provide an explanation for at least one takeaway from each film.
    Women’s advertising is very stupid and the whole business needs to be redone, they need to start over and not be so terrible to women, at the very least they need to have models from all different backgrounds and body shapes. They need to advertise their clothing so that it is marketable to all women and so that is doesn’t make girls sad or ashamed of themselves because that is wrong and they shouldn’t feel like that. From the video about men what I took away is that men should be able to show emotions that seem “feminine” because that is often suppressed and men feel that they can only be violent and angry if they want to feel like real men and I think that the idea of that is wrong. Men should be allowed to be emotional without being labeled as “girly” or “gay” men and women too should be able to express whatever emotion in whatever way that is appropriate.
41. Zacharie Chentouf May 31, 2017 at 6:22 am

    1. The two films crossover with their subject matter because they both discuss the problems that come with the world’s, especially the United States’s, culture, and even though one focuses on men and the other women, they both touch into each other a little bit and have a similar focus. While Tough Guise 2 shows how males “hide” in a disguise in public to accommodate to the culture, not showing their emotions in public, showing they can be strong and tough as a way to assert their independence in this world, void of compassion, Killing us Softly 4 shows women having to accommodate to society in a different way, instead by being the stereotypical flawless woman, with the perfect body, not even looking at their feelings. We see both of these everywhere in advertisements, as men are shown to be more attractive when tough as seen through the Old Spice commercials, for example, where the Old Spice deodorant is recommended so that the man will smell of toughness, and adventure for his supposedly significant other. We also see stereotypes of different men of color in movies, such as the Latinos or Native Americans, and different men begin to pick up those stereotypes, from different cultures. The difference with women is that they are shown in advertisements to be a certain stereotype too, but this one is the stereotype of being perfect. Women are often times dismembered in magazines to show certain parts of their bodies, and women in magazines such as models are retouched through Photoshop to make them look flawless even if they aren’t in real life, making women strive for an impossibility. In one instance, an advertisement depicted a head being smaller than the pelvis, an anatomical impossibility. And both show American culture promoting violence; it is promoted to be used to show toughness by men in general in Tough Guise 2, while in Killing Us Softly 4, we see ads and scenes eroticize violence, as seen through women in bandages, depicting murder, and this is extremely dangerous to do. One third of women are killed by their partners. Both men and women are seen as sex objects, but men have the “tough guise”, making them be seen as dominant and tough, while women have are advised to look younger.

    2. Both films focus on their issues as public health problems by looking at the effects of these gender roles in society. For men, acting tough and not showing their emotions is a sign of strength and a means for them to assert their role in society. When these traditional gender roles become challenged, they attack those innocent people that challenge them, such as gay people or LGBTQ people, as they feel insecure and threatened. This leads to these men feeling more insecure, a health problem mentally, and to these gay people as facing physical and mental health problems as their beliefs are challenged both physically, through laws, and through the American culture in general. The American culture also promotes violence, especially for men, as we see through the video games and their ads such as Call of Duty or certain movies where the protagonists use violence as if it some normal occurrence. This desensitizes us to violence, especially men, and 77% to 99% of violent crimes are committed by men, which is a health problem in itself, but also a health problem for others, such as women who are subject to rape or children going to an elementary school such as Sandy Hook.

    3. In Killing Us Softly 4, we see that the use of cosmetic surgery has risen from 400% from 1997 to 2007, including things such as Botox, breast implants, and changing other features of the body. Twelve million people get cosmetic surgery, and 91% of those are women. This is because commercials and advertisements have become so popular, as it is a profitable business that makes about $250 billion a year, and it is to the profit’s interest to make women look so flawless that it is impossible to look like them because they will spend money, a lot of it, on things such as cosmetic surgery, trying to look like the women they see, even though it is not possible. This starts at an extremely young age, as heels are sold for babies, and padded bras are sold for seven year olds. Advertisements have even made food sexualized now, a substitute for sex. This is done to promote food, and make again, more profit. In Tough Guise 2, we see that there always has been the fear for change, the traditional gender roles in society being better for some people, as we see in the forming of the Boy Scouts, done to keep traditional masculine ideas. Now, we see violence and the “tough guise” that men hide behind as even more prominent than before. Superheroes, star wars figurines, and wrestlers are all more pumped today, and Hollywood even showed Jesus as being able to withstand high levels of pain in one of its movies. All this is done to promote this American culture that teaches men, starting at an extremely young age, to hide their feelings and be tough. Children are taught this by their fathers, and later see it in movies all the time. Even kids’ movies promote the tough guise, as we see in Shark Tale, where Lennie wants to be a vegetarian, but his father tells him not to be, and that he has to fit in like the other sharks, be tough and strong. Movies portray violence as the first solution to any problem, not as a last resort. The entertainment industry making video games and movies, and the NRA promoting guns are both part of the problem of this violent part of the American culture, but they won’t change anything as it helps them make a lot of money selling entertaining media, and a lot of money selling guns. Even the ads that the NRA shows promote buying a gun to be “manly”. This is why we see so much violence being committed by men, as 61 of the last 62 mass shootings have been done by men, as they often see it as a way to recapture their masculinity that they had lost, even if that means hurting innocent people or going to jail for it.
42. Jacob Kroll May 31, 2017 at 7:56 am

    1. Tough Guise and Killing us softly crossover with their subject matter greatly. They both discuss how the public shapes the way that, that specific gender is supposed to be looked at. In Tough guys they talk about how men need to be strong, masculine, and big, where in Killing Us Softly they talk about how women need to be as slender as possible to look model status, in which the models are even engineered using Photoshop in able to look like they do on computers. This shows that both genders images are shaped by the public and media. They also talk about the hardships between the two. Each come with psychological problems where men don’t feel like they are achieving true masculinity because they may be too big, or gay, and where the women feel insecure about their bodies because they are taught to be as skinny as possible. This leads to many problems such as anorexia, and anxiety attacks.

    2. Both films focus on their issues as public health problems by giving the problem with its symptoms, its causes, and then giving solutions. For example, in Killing Us Softly the speaker talks about how women are feeling extremely insecure about their bodies. The symptoms to this would be anorexia and anxiety attacks. The causes for this are the media and the public. Women, and men see advertisements and newspapers everywhere showing what “true” beauty is, which makes them feel bad about themselves and forces them to strive for this pseudo beauty. The same scenario is in Tough Guise too. Men are feeling insecure for not being masculine enough, and not living up to the “tough guy” image. This is also shown in the media, in advertisements, and in many movies too.

    3. A. One takeaway from Tough Guise is that you don’t need to be the most masculine, just be who you are. There is no set way a guy needs to look or act, there is unlimited possibility, and men should not be shunned for not being masculine.
    B. One takeaway from Killing Us Softly was quite similar to Tough Guise in which it has emphasis on the media. Girls don’t need to be the skinniest they can just so the media says they are not skinny enough. The mental, and physical health problems are not worth it, you re fine the way you are.
43. Camille West May 31, 2017 at 7:58 am

    1. These two subjects are related because in the previously binary world, the dichotomy between feminine and masculine promoted the masculinized and sexualized images in media. They also match each other, in a sense. For example, in recent years, the GI Joe muscles have grown increasingly in size, demanding higher expectations of men, and designers have been demanding progressively thinner models, promoting this as normalcy among women. They also intersect in their racist tendencies. The ideal woman found in so many media outlets is almost always white, and often times blonde with blue eyes. In the male arena, it has been popular, (perhaps even considered and ideal image) for white men to “act black” or take stereotypes of POC emulate those, despite the fact that they encourage harmful stereotypes among not just men of color, but all people of color.
    2. Jean Kilbourne talks about the harmful effects of demands for thinner models in advertisements in many cases. She shows just one of the many articles about a model who had died of malnutrition at 80 Ibs. She is not the only girl to have starved herself to death in pursuit of the “ideal” figure. Every day, millions of people with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. These disorders are not just and internal illness, but something that could have been prevented. Instead of considered the self-images of people across the world, companies often promote and impossible ideal. An ad itself is not to blame, but the frequency and normalcy of the images in our society. The unhealthy normalcy of unhealthy images of men in media is also a danger to society because the “masculine” idea that is so common in movies damages young men by discouraging signs of emotion, and encouraging violence. This effect on society is more public but also less public than an eating disorder because we see a lot of violence in the news, a majority of this done by men. However there is a shadow to that because the mental effects on men are not so visible. Men can suffer mental illness from this, because of the high pressure put on them to conform to the unrealistic expectations for men found in media.
    3. A takeaway to look at from this is the increasing sexualization of young girls. To be honest, I don’t know how to explain it and I cannot and will not defend it, but I see that it has resulted from other aspects of media. Being so impressionable, young girls see oversexualized women in media and come to think that that is how a woman should be. Not only does this idea come from young girls seeing it themselves, but it is also popularized by companies looking to sell more, whether it is a onesie or a pair of high heels for babies.
44. Danielle Lutz May 31, 2017 at 8:08 am

    1. The two films crossover because they show the typical image that women and men are supposed to uphold. The films also connected the way people act when their older to the lessons they are taught by society when they are kids. Tough guise discusses the standard for men to be violent and tough, they must assert their masculinity. They are taught this through movies, advertisements, and video games. Women are taught to be the thinnest of the thin, prettiest of the pretty, and the only way to achieve that is by becoming anorexic or editing pictures of themselves so they aren’t them self anymore.
    2. Tough Guise shows the increase in the amount of violence around the country being caused by men and boys. 90% of rape is committed by men while 90% of murder is also done by men. Women’s influence from ads is very significant. $250 billion is spent on ads in America while we only consciously process 8% of it. The rest is subconscious. Ads show us it is only ok to be skinny and pretty while they make fun of ugly women and broadcast them as ugly.
    3. Tough Guise showed me the reality of violence in America. Keeping young boys away from violence and films that condone treating women as objects and not equal people. Killing us softly opened my eyes to reality that women that are shown to us as perfect, aren’t really perfect. There are magazines that put a bunch of different women’s body parts on one body trying to convince the world that famous women are perfect and you should strive to be just like that. This begins anorexia and depression throughout young girls. The two films were very interesting and taught me a lot that I did not know.
45. Rania Abbasi May 31, 2017 at 8:12 am

    1. “Tough Guise 2” and “Killing Us Softly 4” crossover in their subject matter because they both focus on the media portrayal of genders, and the relationship it has to men and women’s behavior, emotions, and bodies/physical appearances. Tough Guise focuses specifically on the types of media that men view often, such as video games and action movies. They are portrayed to be tough and emotionless. In Killing Us Softly, they focus a lot on advertisements and how that leads to the sexualization of women; as well as the unrealistic expectation of their bodies. It also touches on the effects of this advertising on young girls.

    2. Both films focus on their issues as public health problems because firstly, in Tough Guise, it explains how men see scenes of violence and dominance; then take that into their actual lives. Men feel they must be rock-hard when it comes to their emotions and not show any signs of sensitivity. They are also told that they have power over women and that it’s okay to be violent (as seen in media). I feel as though the women’s health issue is more harmful to their physical and possibly mental health because of the increasing number of girls with eating disorders and mental health issues such as depression. In the film, it described girls seeing models in ads that, most of which, have been photoshopped; and the young girls feel like they need to look like that. They starve themselves and make themselves sick over pictures in the media. Killing Us Softly and Tough Guise touch on all of this and do a good job of highlighting both genders and their relationships to the media.

    3. One takeaway from Tough Guise is that even though women have many issues plaguing their gender, men have important ones as well. In the film they said we always talk about the subordinated sub-group within the large group, but never the dominant sub-group. In this context, the dominant sub-group is men; whose issues aren’t as highlighted as the women’s issues. They also described how violence against women is a men’s issue, which signals to us that we should be paying more attention to how we raise our boys. One takeaway from Killing Us Softly is that our society and the advertising industry has to work on itself. We need to put more realistic-looking models in ads and try to switch from the ideal standard of women. That’d a very difficult thing to do, but if our entire society works on it, little by little, we can raise our girls to be who they actually are without having to change for the standard.
46. Grace Jung May 31, 2017 at 8:24 am

    1.These two films cross over with their subject matter because both of these movies talk about the influences in men and women, boys and girls. In these 2 movies we saw ads, movies, and games that both have influence on our minds and that help us shape the world around us. In the tough guise 2 movie, the speaker talked about the importance of movies and video games on men and boys. These movies consist of violence and portrays the lead/the man as strong fearless and emotionless. This changes the view of what a man should be like and how they should act. In the same way, ads and movies do the same thing except they sexualize women instead of “racheting up”. “Killing us Softly 4” looks in depth on the ads that portray women as objects instead of human beings and that allow men to objectify us. These and ads and movies dictate the image of women and men. Women are shown in ads as sexy but cute and virginal but experienced. Men are shown in movies/ videogames as manly, emotionless, and violent. These images are the images that we judge ourselves on and each other.

    2. Both these films focus on their issues as public health problems because of the influences they have on children at a young age and that thus follows them to adulthood. When women are young they see beautiful pictures of women everywhere they go. It follows them and that body type then becomes the body type that they want to achieve. I’m not saying everyone is affected by it but most girls are. They are influenced by the way women are shaped by computer and try to achieve the impossible. It then becomes a public health issue when you see kids starving themselves to achieve the image that ads purposefully use to make you want to buy their product. The same goes for boys. They see games and videos that only use violence as the way to solve problems. And because of that, that becomes the norm for men. To use their fist instead of their words. This allows them to become violent in nature because of these movies that show men killing each other. This is also another public health issue because we see men start most gun shooting in school, in fact 98% of these school shooter are men.

    3. I took away that women in ads and movies really do have an affect on us even though we don’t know it. Because when we see ads most of the time we don’t consciously that we are taking it in, but unconsciously we take it in. I didn’t’ really notice the public health issue that arises because of this either. I didn’t notice that a huge number of little girls have some type of eating disorder. These eating disorder stem from wanting to look like the models that don’t have the body that they can’t even achieve. In “Tough Guuise 2”, it kinda scared me how influential video games and movies have on little boys. This scares me because I also have a little brother that plays a lot of games with guns and violence in it. This is a problem because it teaches them to only use violence as a way to solve problems. To not cry and to not talk about the issues that should be talked about.
47. Jackson Blau May 31, 2017 at 9:00 am

    1. The two films cross with subject matter because in the Tough Guise film they talk about the violence of men and in the film Killing Us Softly they talk about how women are judged hard on everything and some of this comes from the violence of men. This violence effects women because the standard that todays men live under is that anything feminine threatens a mans masculinity and it is not in any way okay to be feminine. This leads men to shows their masculinity through violence, which in some cases is taken out on women. In the film Killing Us Softly, they use the interesting stat that 1 in 3 women killed is killed by their male partner.
    2. Women’s standards are a health issue because they lead to many different diseases. First, the lead to mental diseases that can be very harmful. AN example of this is anorexia, this is where no matter how skinny you get, you still see yourself as obese. This can lead to people being food deprived without them even knowing. Another disease this standard of perfection leads to is depression. This is because women think that they can never be enough to satisfy someone because of how “perfect” everybody else is. Men’s violence also leads to different health issues because people die because of their violence. Aside from the people who are killed as a direct cause of mens violence, people are killed from the high standard of masculinity. This is because lots of the time when men aren’t “manly” enough they become depressed. This depression can sometimes lead to suicide. In the film Tough Guise, they say the statistic that two out of three of all gun deaths in America are suicide.
    3. From Killing Us Softly, I took away that as a guy in society, it is my duty to not worship the images put out by major media outlets. Major media outlets edit everything to perfection and don’t allow for normal women to feel beautiful. With this going on, women will be plagued with diseases such as anorexia, depression, and low self esteem. From Tough Guise, I took away that I don’t need to show my “manliness” through violence. To be a man doesn’t men I can beat up the man next to me. I am a man because I can be myself and do what I want to do.
48. Henry Van Faussien May 31, 2017 at 9:52 am

    1.) In both films I think they put a lot of focus on the media and media influence. They exploit the ways that our mind is tricked into thinking different things and putting images in our heads without conscious thought. Like in ads the objectification of women in killing us softly would lead to dominance violence in tough guise 2. I also draw similarities in things like profiling where if a man rapes a woman it is just an everyday thing but if the opposite occurred it would be front page news.

    2.)In tough guise the violence of toxic masculinity can lead to many problems of the public. Assault, murder, rape, suicide, and man slaughter are all problems that can come from toxic masculinity. The problem that comes from impossible goals as portrayed in killing us softly can lead to unsafe dieting habits like anorexia or bulimia all in order to reach a weight that in it of itself is unhealthy. Another problem to health is mental health like lack of self confidence and depression. Things portrayed in the movie can also affect our minds sub consciously without us knowing that were actually being tricked.

    3.) One take away from the tough guise movie that I had is more of a thought than a takeaway. I think that the movie antagonizes a dad that is helping his son into manhood but I don’t think that there is anything wrong with that. I think introducing someone to “traditional” ideals should not be criticized. I think they should be criticized when they are not flexible and don’t recognize the other side of the spectrum. My takeaway from killing us softly is how much control over humans sex has. All of the examples of ads were for very successful companies and in most cases I’m sure that those ads were very successful. I also didn’t truly realize how much a difference a nuance within an ad can change how it is perceived in someone’s mind.
49. Joshua Salter May 31, 2017 at 10:03 am

    The two films that we have watched in class the past few days crossover because they are both focusing on the major insecurities among men and women. For example, in Tough Guise, the main focus is against violence because the statistics show that most violent crimes are committed by men, crimes such as domestic crimes, assault by weapons, fighting, and of course murder. The video takes a deeper look on why men commit these crimes, and it all comes back to their insecurities and wanting to show their masculinity off. In the Girls video, it talks about advertising and how women advertise, it also talks about how you must look to become a model, and this makes girls very insecure about their bodies. So in both videos it shows how men and women become insecure, and it shows how they deal with it, men use violence usually, and women start to eat dramatically less. Both of these films focus on health problems because with the insecurities comes the health problems, for example, if you don’t show strength and masculinity as a male, people will tend to bully you as seen in the film, this causes depression and forces mental health problems on men which can lead to violence, such as shootings. For women, seeing models makes them feel insecure about their selves, which also causes health problems for women such as eating disorders, they cause eating disorders because they start to eat less and less trying to become as skinny as the models they see. Another form of health problems that come with insecurities is depression; depression also leads to things such as self-harm. One thing that I took away from the film about women is that models aren’t perfect, and that women get depressed about models that don’t exist, most models get edited in photos multiple times and don’t even look like themselves, women that get upset over seeing models in ads should stop getting down on themselves because the model that they’re seeing isn’t even real, the photo has been edited to make them look good as seen in the film. One take away I got from Tough Guise is that violence shouldn’t be the answer; innocent people getting killed shouldn’t be a solution to your own problems. Instead of men trying to show off their masculinity and assault/murder other people they need to have more self control and think before they make the decisions that they do. These are a couple takeaways I got from these two films.
50. Markus Butkovich May 31, 2017 at 10:07 am

    Within the two separate documentaries we watched in class, both of them consisting of the same issues, they both had many links with each other. Each talked about the stereotypicalness of their gender. With the first video, it talked about the violence and problems that’s males are typically influenced by and grow up under. Guys are taught to live off of testosterone and embrace violence, even when it comes to women. Women are usually taught that they have to live certain ways such as looking a certain way due to advertising. These ads teach even girls alongside women to have low self esteem, and show how society wants them to be. These two cross with each other because of how people are taught, and men are usually the problem and women are victims of violent crimes, and are taught to live in a more fragile way by most of society, when men are taught to live in a strong and violent way by society.
    Both of the films that we watched in class didn’t just have to do with the problems that genders face today, but the problems in media and public health with these issues. It mostly comes back to advertising and media; women have to deal with the different beauty and modeling products that are shown with models, which lower their self esteem. Men are taught to be adrenaline filled, and be powered and strong, where their advertising doesn’t try to lower their esteem, or doesn’t try to change the way they should themselves.
    Both films were actually very valuable. I didn’t agree as much with the first film, just because the way it was presented, but the second one had a lot more charasma and kept the audience focused because the charm of the speaker. They both showed major points that changes perspective. The first film didn’t have as good points because it didn’t have any real solutions. They presented evidence of why all of it was bad, but no solution of how we can stop things such as school shootings from happening. But it did help me recognize a problem of what’s going on.