For the Social Justice Event, I attended the panel on T-Pain. I found this event to be very informative because I learned a lot of things that I didn’t know. For example, one of T-Pain’s dancers was there talking about how nice of a guy he was and how he doesn’t force the girls to dress or act certain ways- that they have the ultimate say in what they wear and/or do on stage. I thought this was really important because most people would just assume that he makes them dress and act a certain way.
Dr. Bogad was on the panel along with about six other people. At times, the discussions got pretty intense due to disagreements and people feeling very strongly about their opinions- which we have learned through this class is fine. Students brought up good point as well as a few adults that were in the audience and from what I could tell, a good number of the students there were Bogad‘s students. One of the adults from the crowd left a big impact on how I feel on the whole subject though.
This man has three daughters, two twins that are about 10 or 12...I cant remember…and the third is 17. He was reminiscing about when the oldest was a little girl and I could actually tell that he was getting choked up just talking about it. He talked about how she used to say that she would never dance like those girls or show as much skin as they do with the outfits that they wear. He thought that all was good and that he was going to be able to shield her from all of the pressures of the media and society and keep her his little girl forever. He claims that he was wrong. She started wearing the tight shirts and tight jeans, listening to the music she used to claim to hate and as he put it, “she fell victim to the relentless media machine”. He went on to talk about how he feels that he lost her and how “Girls have no chance in today’s society”. Others assured him that it would all be ok and that he hasn’t lost her- she may be on a vacation but due to the fact that they created a strong foundation when she was young, that she’ll eventually come back.
I felt that his point about girls having no chance resonated very deep with me. By no means do I think we have NO chance but I feel that girls are definitely more likely to “fall victim to the media machine” and more likely to feel pressured but the status quo’s that the media creates. All girls, as well as guys, just need to realize what kind of person they want to be and then not be afraid to be that person. Whatever it is, though, do it for yourself, without the pressures and suggestions of the media and society. Be yourself and have your own thoughts about your life, do not just fall victim to the media machine that is growing and increasing day by day.
