Benoit, Sophia. “Women in Comedy: Why We Must Not Let Funny Become ‘the New Hot’.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 17 Nov. 2015, www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/nov/17/women-in-comedy-funny-hot-attractiveness.

In this article, the author, Sophia Benoit discusses the relationship between being a female comedian and attractiveness. She claims that in the comedy world, in order to be a successful female comedian, one must be attractive and, specifically, “hot”. She states, however, that in the world of comedy, there is no place for judging women based on their attractiveness–not simply because it shouldn’t be done anywhere but also because it makes the overall quality of the comedy worse. When people watch comedy, they are not thinking about how ugly or pretty the comedian is but more so how funny the jokes are. Furthermore, these jokes are generally self deprecating and shine the comedian in a light that is more unattractive if anything. Ultimately, she claims that standards for women in comedy should be the same as those for men for both moral and practical reasons. This piece is valuable because it highlights an issue that many women face in a field because of their gender and argues why it should not exist. It helps bring attention to a concern female comedians are forced to have to be successful and, in doing so, helps eradicate it.  

O, The Oprah Magazine. “An Open Letter To People Who Think Women Aren’t Funny.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 3 May 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/an-open-letter-to-people-who-think-women-arent-funny_us_59075a96e4b02655f83ec973.

In this article, the author describes her journey to success as a comedian and how embracing her femininity did not affect her success. In the beginning of her career, she was told that she should always wear bland clothing on stage to not distract men in the audience. She always wore jeans (never skirts or shorts), loose shirts, and, at times even, a vest over. Her jokes always stayed clear from funny date stories, periods, or other topics women could relate to to avoid retribution. As she became more established, however, she did not think that the audience would begin to reject her if she wore more revealing and stylish clothing or added some topics into her shows that women could relate to. Once she made changes to her style on stage, she realized that abiding by the old rules were not necessary in order to succeed. This article is meaningful because it shows how a woman stressed and took unnecessary precaution in her early career to downplay and conceal her femininity. It shows that despite her choice of style or specific comedy topic, the fact that she could make people laugh mattered most and led to her success.

Vagianos, Alanna. “Music Festivals Have A Glaring Woman Problem. Here’s Why.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, data.huffingtonpost.com/music-festivals.

This article discusses the huge gender imbalance present in the lineups of major music festivals. In most of the major music festivals, over 60-70% of the artists are male or all male groups and only 15-20% are groups with females in them. In addition to the huge imbalance of representative artists, the men groups generally get paid much more than women. They are able to get paid more because different artists have different fees that they charge the festival so that they will perform. Festivals, however, are evidently willing to pay men artists more than women artists. This article holds value because it calls out the huge gender imbalance in the music festival world that many people continue to fund without knowing all the facts. It brings attention to an issue few know about and helps make known that gender inequality is an issue that famous artists have to deal with as well, not just ordinary civilians.

Baehr, Helen. “The ‘liberated woman’ in television drama”. Women’s Studies International Quarterly, Version 3, Issue 1, 2010, 15 pages, ScienceDirect.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148068580925506

This paper explores the concept of a “liberated woman” on modern television dramas. It states that the modern media and television is responsible for shaping much of the public’s thoughts and opinions. In the past, television rarely used women as stars of the show or as the main protagonists (unless it was with the crucial help from a man). More and more modern television shows, however, have been starring females as protagonists who save themselves. The “liberated woman” on the screen is a woman who faces a great variety of challenges and common problems and surmounts them on her own. She does not use men, or anyone else as a crutch. That is not to say that she has faults or stumbles at times, but she ultimately surmounts whatever challenge confront her because of her own strength. This article is valuable because it discusses a progressive trend in current tv shows that plays a significant role in promoting feminism. It highlights a new role on television that woman have rarely filled in the past but will begin to in the present and future.

Harrison, Kristen. “Television Viewers’ Ideal Body Proportions: The Case of the Curvaceously Thin Woman”. Sex Roles, Volume 48, Issue 5, March 2003, 255-264, Springer Link

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1022825421647

This article discusses the effect that seeing the “ideal female body” on television has on women’s perceptions of themselves. It found that overall, due to high levels of exposure to one specific body type on television, women are disposed to wanting smaller waists. Women with smaller busts want larger busts and the opposite is true for women with larger busts. Exposure to a single female body type on television has also led to many women being more open to using plastic surgery to change their bodies to match their ideal. This article is significant because it explores how women view themselves as an effect of what they see on the screen. It explores what women’s perception of a good body are and how the media shapes this perception. It helps bring attention to the fact that media significantly alters people’s opinions of how they look themselves and calls attention to the fact that it would be a good idea to show all body types on the screen so that people would be more comfortable with themselves.

Shartiely, Eric. “The Portrayal of the Tanzanian Woman in television commercials: is she a piece of soap, a house, or gold?”. Dept of Oriental and African Languages, Goteborg University Africa and Asia, No 5, 2005, 108-141

https://sprak.gu.se/digitalAssets/1307/1307695_shartiely-the-portrayal.pdf

In this paper, the author analyzes the portrayal of Tanzanian women in television commercials and other advertisements. She claims that in Tanzania, the commercials reflect the social reality of the area. Women are generally seen as rewards that men should have instead of as their own individuals. They are seen as dependent upon men and who must focus on pleasing men. This is reflected the subservient positions that women are often filling in commercials. They are never the main lead or focus but always off to the side, helping the main male advertiser hold or sell a products as he does all of the talking. This article is important because it shows a parallel between American gender inequality and that of another, less developed country. It conveys that both countries have a similar gender issue. By highlighting similarities between the two, it is easier to understand the issues in each country individually.