Critical Introduction

Welcome to our blog on feminism! We’re three University of Maryland: College Park Scholars students seeking to explore the similarities and differences between the feminist movement of the 1960’s and that of today. Over the past month, we’ve been studying the art of rhetoric, from its origin with the ancient greeks, to its political and societal applications today. Throughout its existence, rhetoric, and specifically rhetorical appeals, have been consistently used to develop and articulate arguments of any nature. Through our blog, we will apply these rhetorical appeals in an analysis of two chosen texts; each of which accurately represent the movement of the time. An analysis and contrasting of the appeals will reveal the evolution of feminism, specifically with regard to objectification and gender bias.

Our first text tackles the advancement of sexual freedom through birth control. With FDA approval in 1960, a statement that skyrocketed birth control use, it was logical to examine an ad by Yasmin, a popular brand then and now. Through our knowledge about the rhetoric of the time, we were able to conclude that while the ad does a great job of advertising sexual freedom, even if it does so through an air of sexism; the same sexism prevalent throughout the rhetoric of the time. Our second text communicates a noticeably different argument, a plea not only for body freedom, but for body/gender equality. The #LikeAGirl campaign by Always, one of the biggest makers of feminine care products, stole the show as a 2015 Super Bowl ad.  During a media high coverage on the wage gap and gender inequalities, the 60 second commercial brought to life the real and common perceptions facing women in this modern day and age. It's no doubt that much work has been done, but this ad server to highlight the changes that still need to be made.

Feminism has been a prominent point of topic for some time now.  During the 1960’s feminism it was in its second wave and now today it is on the back end of the third wave which started in the 1990’s.  Although feminism stand for different things now than they did back then, they are all for the same meaning.  During the 1960’s women didn’t have many freedoms, they were mostly housewives and the men made all the decisions.  So when the birth control pill came out it shined a new light on sexual freedom for women, a freedom they have never had before that let women make their own decisions about their body.  In today’s society women are much better off than in the 1960’s but no were near where it should be.   The #likeagirl commercial helps the equality for all that the present feminist groups have been fighting for.  It helps stop the stigma that girls aren’t as good as boys and need to be seen equal.  

Logos for "Like a girl"

This commercial is trying to show people and tell viewers that "___ like a girl" is a good thing because it's girls being themselves.  The use of logos isn't very prominent in this video, but it is still there enough for it to be talked about.  The use of logos in this commercial wasn't really using statistics to prove a point but more using research and logic to help show what is happening in today's society.   When older girls or teenagers are asked to do something like a girl they do it in very dainty or weak way, while when little girls are asked to do the same thing they do it the best they possibly can.  Also in the commercial the narrator states "A girls confidence plummet's during puberty," this is a well known fact for most people which is conveyed in the actions of the participants of the commercial.  Later on in the commercial the tone changes and the logic behind "like a girl", such that it is being yourself and not letting others affect you has changed the older girls perspectives.  They start believing that "like a girl" is a good thing and just being yourself so they ask to redo their weak little doing something like a girl routine to doing it the best they can, doing it like a girl.

- Billy Rosenberg

Pathos in "Throw Like a Girl"

It is common amongst most people the need to be wanted or desired, and this birth control ad appeals to that desire. The actress pictured, Annette Funicello, is surrounded by four men who seem infatuated with her. A woman of the 1960s viewing this ad would most likely want to be desired the way Ms. Funicello appears to be, and the first step to being more like the actress is to do something that she does. In this case, the actress is promoting that she takes birth control, therefore linking the usage of a contraceptive pill with the quality of being wanted by men. It seems almost contradictory to this desire, but the ad also promotes a sense of independence in women. The quote that is displayed across the top of the ad, “That’s right boys… I’m on the pill!” comes off as an exclamation rather than a statement. It can be presumed that it is Ms. Funicello who is saying this, and it seems as though she does so with confidence. The creation and accessibility of a birth control pill during the 1960s gave women control of their bodies, therefore a sense of strength.

Hailey Wilberger

Logos of B.C poster

This birth control poster was monumental in women gaining awareness of the birth control pill finally being legal, but this poster did not use logos to get it's point across.  The use of logos is more about citing facts, using statistics, and employing reason.  This poster has no statistics, no research, and no analysis on it and the only fact there is is yasmin stating "That's right boys i'm on the pill."  Another point of logos is using logic and yes there is logic in the fact that women should have the right to use birth control if and when they want to.  That if a women wants to control how many children she wants she can and should be able to, but that is not the point of the poster.  The point of the poster is to spread the use of birth control pills by using a prominent actor of the time being Annette Funicello to promote the use of birth control so more women will use it.  This poster is not a very good example of logos, but logos can be very useful when used properly.

-Billy Rosenberg

Major Argument for “Like a Girl”

“Like a Girl” dismantles the societal prejudices women face in reference to their bodies and attitudes. The ad does this effectively by portraying the fact and definition proposal of stasis theory. However, this is done in an unusual manner, where the viewer is given two definitions: one by biased volunteers, one by an unbiased group of girls. This provokes each viewer to redefine their own definition based on the contrasting examples they are shown. First, the ad defines the current prejudices by asking volunteers to “do [something] like a girl”. The uniform responses make it clear how serious the issue is, with all of the volunteers reacting as if “doing [something] like a girl” means to do it half hearted, silly, or insincere. This section of the ad reveals the common misconception that women are weaker, less serious, and less mature. While this is fresh in the viewer's mind, the ad then goes on to have girls act out the same tasks. The difference is instantly clear, as the girls actions are defined by effort and strength, a far cry from the stereotypes put on them by the previous group of volunteers. With these contrasting definitions, the ad communicates it's major argument against the stereotypes surrounding the phrase "like a girl".

-Race Saunders

            

How to fight "like a girl."                                                                                              How to throw like a girl.

                               

Major argument or Stasis Theory of B.C Poster

The birth control poster from the 1960's uses the 4th or "action" stasis.  During this time period women didn't get to make many decisions for a household or family, so when the husband wanted to have children the wife wouldn't have much of a choice even though it was her body.  Women were still seen as weaker or lesser than most men.  There needed to be something done about this to help women gain control over their selves. So when this announcement came out that birth control pills were now legal, it gave women control over their bodies and their families for the first time.  This action that took place in the 1960's was vital to the second wave of feminism, helping to promote women's equality.  The implementation of birth control helped bring down Americas birth rates by around 6% in 10 years.  This dropping rate has only happened once before in the modern era and that was around the 1920's, when the first wave of feminism was happening.  The birth control pill helped empower women and finally let them gain control over their own bodies and their families.

- Billy Rosenberg

Ethos in "Throw Like a Girl"

This video has no added frills in the form of an eye catching background or special effects which allows the viewer to focus just on the girls and boys being interviewed. The young girls that are asked to run or swing like a girl get their credibility simply because they are in the midst of childhood. Their responses seem unrehearsed as most of them take a second to decide how they want to react, all of them taking the question seriously. The older girls that are asked the same questions have already experienced puberty, allowing them to act as the experts of their generation. Unlike the younger girls, most of the older girls laugh when they hear the phrase “like a girl”, and react accordingly. Both the younger and older girls reactions to the questions asked of them are in keeping with the message this video hopes to relay, that as girls get older they learn to associate a negative meaning with the phrase “like a girl”, implying that girls are the weaker sex.The boys that are asked the same questions have the day to day roles as brothers, cousins, uncles, sons. Their reactions are similar to those of the older girls, implying that most males also view the phrase “like a girl” as a negative one.

Hailey Wilberger

Kairos of "Throw Like a Girl"

The phrase "like a girl" is not one that is foreign to most people, and it is usually meant as an insult. When someone says "like a girl" they usually mean that whatever the person they are saying it to is doing, is being done poorly. This ad was created in order the change the way this phrase is perceived by girls and boys both, and they do so by helping their participants to realize the way they react automatically to the phrase. When the girls that have already reached puberty as well as boys of all ages are asked to "run like a girl", they do so in a manner that comes off as weak. When the girls that have not yet or are just reaching puberty are asked to do the same, they run with confidence. This demonstration is eyeopening to the fact that as girls go through puberty they often lose their confidence somewhere along the way. This ad is in perfect keeping with the feminist movement taking place now. Unlike the feminist movement on the 1960s that focused more on equal rights between women and men, the feminist movement of present day is focusing more on body image and self confidence among all women and girls. By helping participants and watchers realize that the phrase "like a girl" has been used negatively for sometime, there is hope that women will begin to take pride in doing something like a girl.

Hailey Wilberger

Pathos of "Throw like a girl"

A popular and modern example of "Take It Like a Man"

The author of “Throw like a girl” is unique in his ability to appeal so strongly to both men and women, and in such different ways too. Almost any boy, at some point in time, has heard the statement “You hit like a girl” or “Take it like a man” from a bully or insensitive friend. It’s the stereotypical attack on masculinity; to compare someone to a girl, how awful. While it shouldn’t be, these attacks hinge on a societally bred desire for strength and toughness from boys. Because of this, these statements can be very damaging to you men because it tells them two things: that they are not masculine, and that being feminine is bad. This implies that not only can boys not be themselves, but also that they aren't good enough as they are. This ad serves to dispel the underlying myth that feminine is not only good, but feminine can be strong too. Through text and actors themselves, it demonstrates the strength that is often taken away from women. Here, is where it appeals to women just as strongly, if not more. It is well known that while strides have been made in gender equality, there is much work to be done. Women still face discrimination on a variety of levels, but notably in what they are told they can do. True even more so in the 1960’s, but certainly today, women are often oppressed into certain roles: housekeepers, secretaries, etc. This ad opens the door and starts discussion on the current barriers in gender equality by portraying women and girls going against the stereotype. It visually and textually tears down the myth for each viewer. Because of this and it's incredibly strong appeal to all audiences, it is understandable why this ad sends a perfect message to younger audiences, and clearly it has found large success in its appeal emotion, for a study revealed that after watching the video, "76 percent of girls ages 16-24 no longer [saw] the phrase "like a girl" as an insult, and two out of three men who watched said they would stop or think twice before using "like a girl" as an insult. "


-Race Saunders

Audience of "Throw like a girl"

Feminism and women's rights have been growing lately in today's society, but many people don't see the reason.  This commercial was a groundbreaking piece that exposed many of these people that don't understand why feminism exists to a side of the comment "like a girl" they have never seen before.  The "like a girl" comment has always been seen as you are doing nothing wrong, that oh girls aren't as good at something as boys its fine, but it is very detrimental to the female youth population.  This comment has manly been used in sports but has also be used in everyday life. Coaches of almost every type of sport or parents telling their kid they can do better use it all the time.  Which is why when this commercial aired during the 2015 super bowl  was such an amazing thing to witness.  This sport (football) is a male dominated sport and so are its viewers, so when this feminist ad airs it opens the eyes of all the people watching that this comment actually hurts people and need to be stopped.  The director does a great job of showing the different age groups doing things "Like a girl" and how they change the younger girls get.  It conveys to the audience the damage that this term has done girls over their lifetime.

Ethos of "That's right boys... I'm on the pill"

During the 1960's the feminist movement was stronger than ever, with women entering the workforce and advocating for equal pay. Back then, just as we do now, everyday people looked to movie stars and TV actors to support various causes. Fame allows a person a larger platform to make a case from, naturally giving anything they say more power because they have what we call fans. One actress that had made a name for herself by the 1960s was Annette Funicello, who began her career as a Mousketeer on The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Ms. Funicello was in general most well liked above all the other cast members and kept a contract with Walt Disney even after he canceled the show; during the mid 1960s she was cast into many sand-and-surf films. Ms. Funicello is the women featured on the ad for birth control pills, and she plays a very important roll just by being pictured there. For women everywhere during the 1960s seeing a familiar face, in this case an actress, on the ad for birth control encourages them to buy even more. Celebrities are already awarded a sort of credibility because they are faces we see often in the news and on screen, therefore we are inclined to buy products they advertise for. Birth control was one way that women could even the playing field with men by taking control over their bodies and deciding when they wanted to have children. In this way Ms. Funicello's feature on the birth control ad prompted more women to take it, furthering along the feminist movement.

Hailey Wilberger

Audience of "That's right boys... I'm on the pill"

When the FDA legalized birth control as a contraceptive in 1960, the attention of women was immediately drawn to emerging sexual freedoms. As such, the Yasmin poster appeals to women during this time through an air of popularity, attraction, and achievability. First, the author portrays one woman amidst several adoring men. This immediately highlights how birth control, by empowering women sexually, will make them popular among men. Second, by dressing the woman provocatively (for the 1960’s), the author associates attraction to sexual freedom and birth control. He implies that with the newfound sexual freedom born of birth control, consumers would suddenly be more desirable. Third, by highlighting the ease with which women may start birth control, simply “Ask[ing] [their] doctor about yasmin on [their] next visit”, the author promotes accessibility to this new freedom. With these three points, the author is aware of and reliant on many sentiments that women may have held during the 1960’s, and he uses this knowledge advantageously to promote the product.

-Race Saunders

Kairos of "That's right boys... I'm on the pill"

The 1960’s were a time of civil unrest and revolution. This period is often studied under the context of racial equality; however, many other movements were born and furthered during this time. In particular, the presence of feminism skyrocketed during the 1960's, following the trail of an already booming racial equality movement. A key motivation of feminism is to uphold an individual's right to their own body, so when the FDA legalized birth control pills for contraceptive use in 1960, a nationwide rhetoric ensued. For the first time, women were encouraged to choose for themselves whether or not to bear children. Too long had they been relegated to subservient positions, but the husbands opinion was no longer the only opinion. This is incredibly important because having the ability to make and influence familial decisions was the first step towards abandoning the housekeeper stereotype that plagued America. As a result of this rhetoric, propaganda and advertisements such as the Yasmin poster were created to influence a maturing generation towards the widespread use of oral contraceptives, yet they often built upon or furthered the sexism that feminism was fighting.


-Race Saunders