the way laws are interpreted for the entire nation.Most discussion in the media has centered on the gender of the nominee, with many certain that Obama will select a woman since of the nine Justices there is only one woman represented. I agree with the need for a more diverse collection of Justices (although no individual can ever accurately represent an entire gender, race, or ethnicity), but what I've found most interesting is the way gender has been discussed, specifically the representations of single women as they age.
The reports on most of the women on the short list have, in some way referenced their sexual orientation or marital status particularly the potential to have the first openly gay LGBT justice. While not completely irrelevant to their views on controversial issues like abortion and gay rights, it seems this focus illustrations a fixation of popular culture in general: middle-aged, unmarried women.
While unmarried men are portrayed as bachelor's choosing to remain single, women seem to be placed in three categories: the cougar, the spinster, and the lesbian. Because, after all, it makes no sense for a woman to ever choose to remain unmarried.
This idea has been particularly prevalent lately with the rising fame of Britain's Got Talent Contestant Susan Boyle and the airing of TVLand's new show The Cougar. Most of Boyle's media coverage centers around her 'homely appearance, ' particularly that she has said that she has never been kissed (much of it insisting that she get some kind of makeover). The TVLand show, meanwhile, positions its star as the polar opposite of Boyle: she is not only not virginal, she is 'on the prowl' to claim a younger man. Either asexual or hypersexual, 'unattractive' or attractive, the conception of unmarried, middle-aged women is undeniably narrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment