This list consists of DVDs and streaming videos. Links go to catalog records with call numbers and program descriptions for the DVDs or directly to streaming videos. Streaming video pages generally include short descriptions of the programs.
Streaming video access is restricted to users with current American University IDs.
Beauty in the eyes of the beheld. 2008, 1 streaming video file (54 min.). Society tells us that beautiful women have it all. But beauty can be as much a curse as it is a blessing. In this sensitively filmed program, eight women labeled as beautiful-two pageant winners, an exotic dancer, a former pop musician, a college student, an assistant paralegal, a physician, and an entrepreneur-explore body image issues through their frank stories of how concepts and realities of physical beauty have molded their lives for both better and worse. Objectification, negative stereotyping, insecurity, and vulnerability are recurring themes, as are opportunity and preferential treatment. A study of skin-deep attractiveness, the video offers empowering insights into inner beauty as well. Streaming video.
http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=40721
Beauty mark: Body image & the race for perfection. 2009, 1 videodisc (53 min.). "[Diana] Israel, a Boulder-based psychotherapist and former champion triathlete, talks candidly about her long and agonizing personal struggle with eating disorders and obsessive exercising, fearlessly confronting her own painful past as she attempt to come to terms with American culture's unhealthy fixation on self-destructive ideals of beauty and competitiveness. The film lends context to Israel's personal odyssey with fascinating insights from athletes, bodybuilders, fashion models, and inner-city teens, as well as prominent cultural critics and authors" -- Container. DVD 6876.
Black is-- black ain't: a personal journey through black identity. 1995, 1 videodisc (86 min.). American culture has stereotyped black Americans for centuries. Equally devastating, the late Marlon Riggs argued, have been the definitions of "blackness" African Americans impose upon one another which contain and reduce the black experience. In this film, Riggs meets a cross-section of African Americans grappling with the paradox of numerous, often contradictory definitions of blackness. He shows many who have felt uncomfortable and even silenced within the race because their complexion, class, sexuality, gender or speech has rendered them "not black enough," or conversely, "too black.". DVD 5599
Blacking up: hip-hop's remix of race and identity. 2010, 1videodisc and 1 streaming video file (57 min.). "Hip-Hop was created by urban youth of color more than 30 years ago amid racial oppression and economic marginalization. It has moved beyond that specific community and been embraced by young people worldwide, elevating it to a global youth culture. The ambitious and hard-hitting documentary Blacking Up: hip-hop's remix of race and identity looks at the popularity of hip-hop among America's white youth. It asks whether white identification is rooted in admiration and a desire to transcend race or if it is merely a new chapter in the long continuum of stereotyping, mimicry and cultural appropriation? Does it reflect a new face of racial understanding in white America or does it reinforce an ugly history? Against the unique backdrop of american popular music, Blacking up explores racial identity in U.S. society. The film artfully draws parallels between the white hip-hop fan and previous incarnations of white appropriation from blackface performer Al Jolson to mainstream artists like Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and Eminem. It interweaves portraits of white hip-hop artists and fans with insightful commentary by African American cultural critics such as Amiri Baraka, Nelson George, Greg Tate, comedian Paul Mooney and hip-hop figures Chuck D., Russell Simmons, M1 of Dead Prez, and DJ Kool Herc"--Container. DVD 7758 and Streaming video.
http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=49772
The Bro Code: how contemporary culture creates sexist men. 2011, 1 videodisc (58 min.). "In MEF's powerful new release, The Bro Code, filmmaker Thomas Keith takes aim at the forces in male culture that condition boys and men to dehumanize and disrespect women. Keith breaks down a range of contemporary media forms that are saturated with sexism -- movies and music videos that glamorize misogyny; pornography that trades in the brutalization of women; comedy routines that make fun of sexual assault; and a slate of men's magazines and cable TV shows whose sole purpose is to revel in reactionary myths of American manhood. The message he uncovers in virtually every corner of our entertainment culture is clear: It's not only normal -- but cool -- for boys and men to control and humiliate women. By showing how there's nothing natural or inevitable about this mentality, and by setting it against the terrible reality of men's violence against women in the real world, The Bro Code challenges young people to step up and fight back against the idea that being a real man means disrespecting women."--taken from the film's website. DVD 9045
The bronze screen: 100 years of the Latino image in Hollywood. 2002, 1 videodisc (120 min.). The Bronze screen honors the past, illuminates the present, and opens a window to the future of Latinos in motion pictures. From silent movies to urban gang films, stereotypes of the Greaser, the Lazy Mexican, the Latin lover and the Dark lady are examined. Rare and extensive footage traces the progression of this distorted screen image to the increased prominence of today's Latino actors, writers and directors. DVD 1499
The celluloid closet. 2001, 2 videodisc (101 min.). Assembles footage from over 120 films showing the changing face of cinema homosexuality from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist cinema of the 1990s. Many actors, writers and commentators provide anecdotes regarding the history of the role of gay men and lesbians on the silver screen. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 5696
Class dismissed: how TV frames the working class. 2005, 1 videodisc (62 min.). "Featuring interviews with media analysts and cultural historians, this documentary examines the patterns inherent in TV's disturbing depictions of working class people as either clowns or social deviants, stereotypical portrayals that reinforce the myth of meritocracy"--Container. DVD 1900
The codes of gender identity + performance in pop culture. 2009, 1 videodisc and 2 streaming video (73 min.). "Communication scholar Sut Jhally applies the late sociologist Erving Goffman's groundbreaking analysis of advertising to the contemporary commercial landscape in this provocative new film about gender as a ritualized commercial performance. Uncovering a remarkable pattern of gender-specific poses, Jhally explores Goffman's central claim that the way the body is displayed in advertising communicates normative ideas about masculinity and femininity. The film looks beyond advertising as a medium that simply sells products, and beyond analyses of gender that focus on biological difference or issues of surface objectification and beauty, taking us into the two-tiered terrain of identity and power relations"--Container. DVD 6875 and Streaming video.
(46 min version): http://www.american.edu.proxyau.wrlc.org/customcf/catalog_video.cfm?callNum=8605492_2
(73 min version): http://www.american.edu.proxyau.wrlc.org/customcf/catalog_video.cfm?callNum=8605492
Color adjustment. 1991, 1 videodisc and 1 streaming video (80 min.). An analysis of the portrayal of African-Americans on American television from 1948-1988. Argues that earlier images were outright racist, and that later images have been overly biased towards prosperous blacks. DVD 5710 and Streaming video.
http://www.american.edu.proxyau.wrlc.org/customcf/catalog_video.cfm?callNum=7656763
The darker side of black. 1996. 1 streaming video (59 min.). Gangsta chic, violence and nihilism, the hard edge of Rap and Reggae increasingly dominates the image of black popular culture. This is an intelligent and provocative investigation of the complex issues raised by the genre, such as ritualized machismo, misogyny, homophobia, and gun glorification. Noted experts on black history, such as Cornel West of Princeton University, and Michael Manly, former prime minister of Jamaica, analyze the phenomenon and give insights into its development and meaning. Filmed in dance halls, hip hop clubs, and using interviews and music video clips, The Darker Side of Black takes us to London, Jamaica and the USA. Directed by award winning filmmaker Issac Julien who made Looking for Langston, the film brings together diverse musicians as Buju Banton, Shabba Ranks, and Britain s Moni Love. It is a long overdue examination of the "darker" side of contemporary black music. Streaming video.
http://search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/1641322
Divide of the sexes gender roles in childhood. 2008. 1 streaming video (60 min.). Why do boys underachieve? How does celebrity culture influence the self-esteem of young girls? In an atmosphere dominated by sex and consumerism, are children growing up too quickly? This program addresses those issues, reporting on a group of 25 eight-year-olds as they adjust to gender roles and expectations. Nathan's parents have gone all out to make sure he grows up without stereotypes-but real life isn't that simple. Rhianna's mother is the breadwinner and childcare provider in the family, while her father spends most of his time drinking. Meanwhile, tomboy Megan has taken an interest in the opposite sex, Helena has embraced her femininity, and Tyrese is displaying male aggression. Streaming video.
http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=39735
Dreamworlds 3 desire, sex & power in music video. 2007, 1 videodisc (54 min.). A look at how the narratives of music videos shape individual & cultural attitudes toward femininity, masculinity, sexuality and race. DVD 3146
Ethnic notions. 2004, 1 video file (57 min.). Covering more than one hundred years of United States history, traces the evolution of Black American caricatures and stereotypes that have fueled anti-black prejudice. Loyal Toms, carefree Sambos, faithful Mammies, grinning Coons, savage Brutes, and wide-eyed Pickaninnies roll across the screen in cartoons, feature films, popular songs, minstrel shows, advertisements, folklore, household artifacts, even children's rhymes. These dehumanizing caricatures permeated popular culture from the 1820s to the Civil Rights period and implanted themselves deep in the American psyche. DVD 1981 and Streaming video.
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The Extremes of fashion women's couture and the media. 2007, 1 streaming video file (53 min.). Fashion show runways, photo shoots, the playgrounds of the chic and stylish: this program illustrates the cycles of women's couture through the '50s, '60s, and '70s-and the portrayal of women in the media as they progressed through the postwar decade, the civil rights movement, Beatlemania, the Vietnam War, and the era of women's lib. Plenty of designer names are dropped, both from then and now, as viewers are presented with a kaleidoscope of relentlessly captivating creations from Europe and the U.S. Whether covering everything or baring all, fashion liberates even as it objectifies. Streaming video.
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Fair play achieving gender equity in the digital age. 1999, 1 streaming video file (57 min.). Digital Divide: Teachers, Technology, and the Classroom How will America close the gender gap that exists in technology, to empower female students? Set at Fulmore Middle School in Austin, Texas, this program exposes counterproductive classroom behaviors and presents measures being taken to correct the misperception that computing is a males-only domain. The Director of the Center for Gender Equity, the author of SchoolGirls, the creators of girltech.com and chickclick.com, and others scrutinize issues including equal computer access in the classroom, attitude barriers both in class and out, and efforts to develop software and Web sites that enfranchise female users rather than reinforce gender stereotypes. Streaming video.
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Further off the straight & narrow new gay visibility on television 1998-2006. 2006, 1 videodisc (61 min.). Surveys network dramas, sitcoms, reality shows, and premium cable programming to show how the portrayal of GLBT characters is often marked by ambivalence and tension. The film cautions that although GLBT characters and plotlines have become more prevalent and complex in recent years, the images and stories portrayed continue to be shaped by narrow commercial imperatives. The film argues that the evolution of GLBT representations should be seen as a recognition of GLBT consumers and gay taste by advertisers rather than as a sign that the struggle for gay equality has been won. DVD 2450
Generation Like. 2014. 1 streaming video (60 min). Explores how the perennial teen quest for identity and connection has migrated to social media, and exposes the game of cat-and-mouse that corporations are playing with these young consumers. Here is a powerful examination of the evolving and complicated relationship between teens and the companies that are increasingly working to target them. A follow-up to FRONTLINE’s 2001 documentary The Merchants of Cool - http://proxyau.wrlc.org/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=8604&xtid=58692. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 11461 and Streaming video.
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Generation M: misogyny in media & culture . 2008, 1 videodisc (60 min.). "Despite the achievements of the women's movement over the past four decades, misogyny remains a persistent force in American culture. In this important new documentary, Thomas Keith, Professor of Philosophy at California State University, Long Beach, looks specifically at misogyny and sexism in mainstream American media, exploring how negative definitions of femininity and hateful attitudes toward women get constructed and perpetuated at the very heart of our popular culture. The film tracks the destructive dynamics of misogyny across a broad and disturbing range of media phenomena: including the hyper-sexualization of commercial products aimed at girls, the explosion of violence in video games aimed at boys, the near-hysterical sexist rants of hip-hop artists and talk radio shock jocks, and the harsh, patronizing caricatures of femininity and feminism that reverberate throughout the mainstream of American popular culture. Along the way, Generation M forces us to confront the dangerous real-life consequences of misogyny in all of its forms--making a compelling case that when we devalue more than half the population based on gender, we harm boys and men as well as women and girls"--Container. DVD 5027 and Streaming video.
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GTFO. 2015, 1 videodisc (76 min.). "Sparked by a public display of sexual harassment in 2012, GTFO pries open the video game world to explore a 20 billion dollar industry that is riddled with discrimination and misogyny. "--Provided by Collection Eye Films. DVD 12272
Hip-hop beyond beats and rhymes. 2006, 1 videodisc (61 min.). A look at the conceptualization of masculinity in hip-hop culture. Includes interviews with prominent rappers, music industry executives, and social critics. DVD 2314 and Streaming video.
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Hispanics in the media. 1994, 1 streaming video file (44 min.). The Hispanic Americans: Hispanic Americans (Princeton, N.J.). From news anchors to editors, from actors to filmmakers-Hispanics are making their presence known. Discrimination still exists, however. In this program, Hispanics who have made it describe how they did it, the problems they encountered along the way, and the hurdles that remain. Those interviewed include Geraldo Rivera, Academy Award-winning director Moctesuma Esparza, and Clint Eastwood producer David Valdez. Actors Rita Moreno, Elizabeth Pena, Jimmy Smits, and Isiah Morales examine why Hispanic actors are still relegated to marginal roles, while MTV producer Robert Friedman discusses growth potential in the ever-expanding Hispanic media marketplace. Streaming video.
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Hollywood harems. 1999, 1 videodisc (24 min.). Examines Hollywood stereotypes of the East, with particular attention paid to the Middle East and the depiction of women. DVD 4210
Images in media. 1997, 1 streaming video file (28 min.). The Story of Film, TV, and Media: Story of film, TV, and media. The pictures in our heads that define who we are and help us neatly categorize others are increasingly shaped by the newspaper, magazine, film, and TV images that bombard our senses. To convey a message quickly, these images often rely on stereotypes and primal reflexes that can foster in an audience an inordinate fear of violence, racial and ethnic prejudices, diminished self-worth, and even eating disorders as young women attempt to mimic the look of high-fashion models. This program is a behind-the-scenes look at the media's image-makers, from the first photographers to today's Madison Avenue wizards, and asks some disturbing questions about the self-selected few who hold a distorted mirror up to our society. Streaming video.
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Joystick warriors video games, violence & militarism. 2013, 1 online resource (1 video file, 57 min.). "For years, there has been widespread speculation, but very little consensus, about the relationship between violent video games and violence in the real world. Joystick Warriors provides the clearest account yet of the latest research on this issue. Drawing on the insights of media scholars, military analysts, combat veterans, and gamers themselves, the film trains its sights on the wildly popular genre of first-person shooter games, exploring how the immersive experience they offer links up with the larger stories we tell ourselves as a culture about violence, militarism, guns, and manhood. Along the way, it examines the game industry's longstanding working relationship with the US military and the American gun industry, and offers a riveting examination of the games themselves -- showing how they work to sanitize, glamorize, and normalize violence while cultivating dangerously regressive attitudes and ideas about masculinity and militarism"--Media Education Foundation website. DVD 11824 and Streaming video.
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The killing screens media and the culture of violence. 2002, 1 videodisc (37 min.). In contrast to the relatively simplistic behaviorist model that media violence causes real-world violence, Dr. Gerbner encourages the viewer to think about the psychological, political, social, and developmental impacts of growing up and living within a cultural environment of pervasive, ritualized violent images. DVD 6947 and Streaming video.
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Killing us softly 3 advertising's image of women. 2000, 1 videodisc (34 min.). Discusses the manner in which women continue to be portrayed by advertising and the effects this has on their images of themselves. DVD 4810
Killing us softly 4 advertising's image of women. 2010, 1 videodisc (45 min.). "In this new, highly anticipated update of her pioneering Killing us softly series, the first in more than a decade, Jean Kilbourne takes a fresh look at how advertising traffics in distorted and destructive ideals of femininity. The film marshals a range of new print and television advertisements to lay bare a stunning pattern of damaging gender stereotypes--images and messages that too often reinforce unrealistic, and unhealthy, perceptions of beauty, perfection, and sexuality. By bringing Kilbourne's groundbreaking analysis up to date, Killing us softly 4 stands to challenge a new generation of students to take advertising seriously, and to think critically about popular culture and its relationship to sexism, eating disorders, and gender violence"--Container. DVD 7394 and Streaming video.
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The mask you live in. 2015, 1 videodisc (90 min.). "The Mask You Live In follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America's narrow definition of masculinity. Pressured by the media, their peer group, and even the adults in their lives, our protagonists confront messages encouraging them to disconnect from their emotions, devalue authentic friendships, objectify and degrade women, and resolve conflicts through violence. These gender stereotypes interconnect with race. class and circumstance, creating a maze of identity issues boys and young men must navigate to become 'real' men. Experts in neuroscience, psychology, sociology, sports, education, and media also weigh in, offering empirical evidence of the 'boy crisis' and tactics to combat it. The Mask You Live In ultimately illustrates how we, as a society, can raise a healthier generation of boys and young men"--Representation Project website. DVD 12085
The merchants of cool. 2001. 1 streaming video (60 min). The world of advertising has become inundated with marketing for teenagers. This episode of Frontline explores the pop culture manipulated and created by corporate America for the American youth. DVD 5879 and Streaming video.
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Miss representation. 2012, 1 videodisc (88 min.). Discusses ways in which the media openly degrades women. Features commentary from many influential women in media and politics. DVD 10235
Off the straight & narrow lesbians, gays, bisexuals & television. 1998, 1 streaming video (63 min.).. Film examines the growth of gay images on TV. Leading media scholars provide the historical and cultural context for exploring the social implications of these new representations. Challenges viewers to consider the value and limits of available gay images: who is represented, what they get to say, and how people respond to them. Streaming video.
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Pornland: How the porn industry has hijacked our sexuality. 2014, 1 streaming video file (35 min.). In this multimedia presentation based on her acclaimed book, leading anti-porn feminist and scholar Gail Dines argues that the dominant images and stories disseminated by the multibillion-dollar pornography industry produce and reproduce a gender system that undermines equality and encourages violence against women. In direct opposition to claims that porn has delivered a more liberated, edgy sexuality, Dines reveals a mass-produced vision of sex that is profoundly sexist and destructive - a vision that limits our ability to create authentic, equal relationships free of violence and degradation. DVD 11821 and Streaming video.
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The price of pleasure: Pornography, sexuality & relationships. 2008, 1 videodisc (56 min.). "Once relegated to the margins of society, pornography has emerged as one of the most visible and profitable sectors of the cultural industries, assuming an unprecedented role in the mainstream of our popular culture at the same time that its content has become more extreme and harsh, more overtly sexist and racist. This eye-opening and disturbing film places the voices of critics, producers, and performers alongside the observations of men and women as they candidly discuss the role pornography has played in shaping their sexual imaginations and relationships. [The film] moves beyond the liberal versus conservative debates so common in the culture to paint a myth-busting and nuanced portrait of how pleasure and pain, commerce and power, liberty and responsibility have become intertwined in the most intimate areas of our lives" -- Container. DVD 5683 and Streaming video.
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Race against Prime Time. 1985, 1 streaming video file (58 min.). This case study in media bias examines how ABC, CBS, and NBC network affiliates covered civil unrest in Miami's predominantly black Liberty Hill neighborhood following the 1980 acquittal of police officers for the killing of a local resident. Taking viewers behind the scenes of the newsrooms that reported the story, the documentary examines the ways in which television reporting typically represents African-Americans - local broadcasters anoint black community spokespersons, characterize whites as victims and blacks as rioters, and fail to place the disturbances within the context of decades of racial injustice. Streaming video.
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Race, power & American sports. 2013, 1 videodisc (45 min.). "Cultural historian Dave Zirin, whose influential blog and bestselling books have offered searing insights into the politics of American sports, examines the myriad ways sports culture has worked both to reproduce and challenge the wider culture's dominant ideas about race and racial difference. Interviewed by Communication scholar Sut Jhally, whose own work has sought to clarify the relationship between popular culture and racial attitudes, Zirin's analysis ranges from the emergence of professional sports in the 1800s to today's commercial media sports spectacles to show how athletes of color have posed a direct threat to traditional notions of whiteness, white male authority, and American ideals of masculinity. The film is richly illustrated throughout with archival and contemporary sports footage"--Container. DVD 6446
Racial stereotypes in the media. 2008, 1 streaming video file (42 min.). Sexual and Racial Stereotypes in the Media. Although demeaning and offensive racial stereotypes were pervasive in popular media of every kind during the 20th century, most observers would agree that the media is much more sensitive to representations of race today. But the pernicious effects of that stereotyping live on in the new racism arising from disparities in the treatment of stories involving whites and people of color in a ratings-driven news market, media-enhanced isolationism as a result of narrowcasting, and other sources. This program examines the relationship between mass media and social constructions of race from political and economic perspectives while looking at the effects media can have on audiences. Streaming video.
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Reel bad Arabs: How Hollywood vilifies a people. 2006, 1 videodisc (50 min.). Throughout its history Hollywood has portrayed Arabs as buffoons or bandits. The video seeks to rectify this sterotyping by comparing it to other forms of racist imagery and by suggesting alternative narratives that treat the Arabs as human, not demons. DVD 2315 and Streaming video.
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Reel Injun On the trail of the Hollywood Indian. 2010, 1 videodisc (88 min.). Hollywood has an impressive track record, one that spans more than 4,000 films, of blatantly misrepresenting Native people and their cultures. Featuring interviews with filmmakers and activists such as Clint Eastwood, Jim Jarmusch and Russell Means, Reel Injun delves into the fascinating history of the Hollywood Indian with razor-sharp insight and humor, tracing its checkered cinematic evolution from the silent film era to today. DVD 9681
Representation & the media. 2002, 1 videodisc (55 min.). Stuart Hall, a renown public speaker and teacher, lectures on the central ideas of cultural studies -- that reality is not experienced directly, but through the lens of culture, through the way that human beings represent and tell stories about the world in which they live. Using visual examples, Hall shows how the media -- and especially the visual media -- have become the key players in the process of modern story telling. DVD 6879 and Streaming video.
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Sext up kids. 2012, 1 videodisc (42 min.). The powder keg that is porn culture has exploded in the lives of North American children. From thongs and padded bras for 9-year-old girls to "sexting," 24-7 internet porn, and unfiltered social media, kids today are bombarded with commercial sexual appeals like never before. In this astonishing new documentary, award-winning documentary filmmaker Maureen Palmer explores what this radical transformation of the culture means for young people, parents, and our very notions of childhood. Palmer interviews researchers who have been tracking how the accelerating pressure to be sexy -- and sexual -- is changing kids' behavior and undermining their health. She sits down with parents and educators struggling to help kids navigate puberty in a hypermediated cultural environment that no longer seems to recognize or respect the developmental needs of children. And she talks to teens and pre-teens who share eerily casual insights into the routine role sex plays in their lives. The result is a stunning exploration of the sexualization of childhood and a startling wake-up call for parents who still think their own children are immune to the excesses and influences of today's sexed-up youth culture. DVD 10851
Sexual stereotypes. 2001, 1 streaming video file (19 min.). More than ever before, Americans are being bombarded-and acculturated-by the media, and only discerning individuals will recognize the sexual biases that all too often are a part of each day's worth of information and entertainment. This program focuses on identifying and looking beyond categorical stereotypes of women, men, gays, and lesbians. Streaming video.
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Sexual Stereotypes in Media: Superman and the Bride. orig. 1975, 1 streaming video file (35 min.). This program explores the history of sexual stereotypes as presented in the media. Film clips, television advertisements and sitcoms, and so-called documentaries from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s show men as domineering masters, and women as their doting subordinates. As a classroom teaching tool, the program encourages discussions regarding the media's continuing role in reinforcing sexual stereotypes, as well as the ongoing sexual biases that nurture them. Streaming video.
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Sexual stereotypes in the media. 2007, 1 streaming video file (38 min.). Categorizing others is a part of human nature, and even as infants we divide the world into two groups-male and female-to help organize our reality. But when these stereotypes are used to make assumptions about a person's character and value, they become gender bias or outright sexism. This program illustrates some of the commercial, cultural, psychological, and sociological forces that have shaped sexual stereotypes in the media, such as demographic segmentation and the selling of gender, the myths of alluring femininity and rugged masculinity, Jungian personality archetypes, consensus reality, stereotype threat, the hegemonic forces of agenda-setting and mainstreaming, body image dysfunctions, and the theory of the male gaze. Streaming video.
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Sexy Incorporated: A Critical Look at the Hypersexualization of Childhood. 2007, 1 streaming video file (27 min.). The eroticization and physical objectification that are staples of the youth-focused business/media complex give the impression that exploitative, age-inappropriate sexuality is natural, normal, and even necessary. This documentary condemns the hypersexualization of kid culture and exposes the severely damaging effects of hypersexuality on young psyches-female, predominantly, but male as well. Pervasive Internet porn, which serves children as a toxic artificial standard for sexual intimacy, is also addressed. Commentary is provided by psychologist Sharon Lamb, medical and education professionals, and others working to offset the pernicious effects of "Sexy Inc." in children's lives. Streaming video.
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The Slanted screen: Asian men in film and television. 2006, 1 streaming video file (55 min.). This award-winning documentary explores portrayals of Asian men in American cinema, chronicling the experience of actors who have struggled against Hollywood's ethnic stereotyping and discriminatory practices. The Slanted Screen covers the practice of using Caucasian actors in yellowface makeup, drawing upon a wealth of materials, including 50 rare film clips spanning a century. The program, which was broadcasted nationally on PBS, features voice-over narration by Daniel Dae Kim as well as interviews with actors Mako, James Shigeta, Jason Scott Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Will Yun Lee, and Tzi Ma; producer Terence Chang; director Justin Lin; and casting director Heidi Levitt. Streaming video.
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Slim hopes advertising and the obsession with thinness. 2002, 1 videodisc (30 min.). "Slim Hopes offers an in-depth analysis of how female bodies are depicted in advertising images and the devastating effects of those images on women's health. Addressing the relationship between these images and the obsession of girls and women with dieting and thinness, the program offers a new way to think about life-threatening eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, and a well-documented critical perspective on the social impact of advertising."--Container. DVD 7885 and Streaming video.
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Straightlaced how gender's got us all tied up. 2009, 1 videodisc (67 min.). "Meet 50 incredibly diverse students who take us on a powerful, intimate journey to see how popular pressures around gender and sexuality are shaping the lives of today's American teens ... Demonstrates how gender-based expectations are deeply intertwined with homophobia, and also are impacted by race, ethnicity and class. From girls confronting popular messages about culture and body image, to boys who are sexually active just to prove they aren't gay, STRAIGHTLACED reveals the toll that deeply-held stereotypes and rigid gender policing have on all of our lives, and offers both teens and adults a way out of anxiety, fear, and violence" -- Container. DVD 7952
The strength to resist: The media's impact on women & girls. 2001, 1 videodisc (34 min.). A documentary about the fight against the toxic and degrading messages to women and girls that dominate the media. The film presents the leading authorities in the fields of psychology of women and girls, eating disorders, gender studies, violence against women, and media literacy -- and focuses their ideas on practical solutions and the best tactics for reclaiming our culture. DVD 1519
Tough guise 2 violence, manhood & American culture. 2013, 1 streaming video file (80 min.). In this highly anticipated update of the influential and widely acclaimed Tough Guise, pioneering anti-violence educator and cultural theorist Jackson Katz argues that the ongoing epidemic of men's violence in America is rooted in our inability as a society to move beyond outmoded ideals of manhood. In a sweeping analysis that cuts across racial, ethnic, and class lines, Katz examines mass shootings, day-to-day gun violence, violence against women, bullying, gay-bashing, and American militarism against the backdrop of a culture that has normalized violent and regressive forms of masculinity in the face of challenges to traditional male power and authority. Along the way, the film provides a stunning look at the violent, sexist, and homophobic messages boys and young men routinely receive from virtually every corner of the culture, from television, movies, video games, and advertising to pornography, the sports culture, and US political culture. Tough Guise 2 stands to empower a new generation of young men - and women - to challenge the myth that being a real man means putting up a false front and engaging in violent and self-destructive behavior. DVD 11157 and Streaming video.
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Tough guise violence, media, and the crisis in masculinity. 2002, 1 videodisc (84 min.). "Systematically examine[s] the relationship between images of popular culture and the social construction of masculine identities in the U.S. at the dawn of the 21st century ... Argues that the widespread violence in American society needs to be understood as part of an ongoing crisis in masculinity" -- Container. DVD 6873 and Streaming video.
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