"Tip Drill"

Most forms of media in today’s culture send many different messages, and these messages can be conflicting. The media is broadcasted with equivalency to the public, but the same media will be interpreted by different groups of people with differing perspectives. Rap music is a male dominated industry; the rap industry perpetuates the violence and disrespect towards the women of color who participate in, and who are influenced by this genre.

The women who participate in music videos and other aspects of the rap industry are not responsible for the images that portray them. Men are responsible for what society finds attractive and desirable.

The video “Tip Drill” by the rapper Nelly has become a cultural phenomenon. This video was released in 2006, and it is still causing controversy. The definition of a “tip drill” according to UrbanDictionary.com is “when a girl bends over and a man puts his penis in her ass crack without any penetration. This is usually done as foreplay before doggy style sex or as an act when the man and the woman do not want to engage in full intercourse. The woman's ass cheeks are used to excite the penis, sometimes to ejaculation.” The first decipherable words are “I said it must be your ass, cuz it ain’t your face. I need a tip drill I need a tip drill.” The women are reduced to body parts. At one point in the video a man slides a credit card between the butt cheeks of one of the female dancers. He has reduced her to an inanimate object. I am personally offended by the picture below, but I felt it strengthened my argument!!

Networks like VH1, MTV and BET have been criticized for airing videos like “Tip Drill.” The combinations of images and music together have been gaining popularity since the 1980’s and these networks are trying to keep up with "customer needs and demands." (MTV)  I know that I do not "want" or "need" or "demand" to see ANYTHING like this played on my television!

Roit Grrrl Revolution

The music of Bikini Kill plays as I enter the room for Sara Marcus’ presentation Girls to the Front. “That girl she holds her head up so high, I think I wanna be her best friend, yeah” (Bikini Kill: Rebel Girl) Sara Marcus walked in with her punk rock hair style and positive attitude. She wanted to share with us what it was like to be part of the Riot Grrrl revolution. We watched a video where the girls were wearing dresses and chewing bubble gum. These girls expressed themselves through their music, and embraced their femininity while being strong and independent.The mix of punk rock and femininity of the Riot Grrrl Revolution really interested me. Girls could scream with pig tails in their hair and short skirts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZxxhxjgnC0

Girls produced zines. In my opinion this blog is like the Roit Grrrl's zines. We may not be connecting on a personal level with each other, but I have been very candid in my posts and in my responses to other classmates posts. I have tried to remain some what antonymous, but if you all knew who I was from the start I believe I would have been just as candid. Sara Marcus and her fellow revolutionaries were brave, and I envy their courage and strength when society had drained young women of their power. 

Mary Magdalene

This semester I am taking a class titled "The Bible as Literature."   I have seen many different types of images of females with in the Bible. There is the image of the "barren" woman who is useless to her husband, the "raped" woman Dinah and Tamera. These women are raped, and the men who rape them are not apologetic about it. But the image that has made the largest impression on me is Mary Magdalene as a "prostitute." 


I have read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John this semester, and within those texts there is no evidence that Mary Magdalene ever sold herself for sex. In 1969 the church officially cleared her name and recognized that she was not a prostitute. Why do so many people still believe that she was a prostitute even though there is no evidence? She is mentioned before other women, and many times she is mentioned as "the one the savior loved more than other women." (Gospel of Mary Magdalene 6.1) Mary herself wrote a gospel, it was not "canonized" (aka used as a sacred text in the Bible) because of Mary's possible relationship with Jesus. Her gospel was considered heresy and it was "destroyed," but it was found years later. 


Whether you believe that Mary was Jesus's wife, his lover, or just one if his favorite apostles, there is no evidence to support the claim that she was a repentant prostitute. The view that many within the religious community have of her is negative. Since she was a woman she was doubted, ad many failed to recognize that she was an important figure to Jesus. 

Women's Literature

Last week while sitting in one of my English classes our professor asked us a question: "Has anyone read Marjory Kemp in a Women's Studies class?" When no one responded he just went on with the lesson. Why did he assume that someone would have had to be in a Womens Studies class to have read a female author?


I am an English major, and the majority of texts that I have read have been in my college career have been written by old white men. The only texts I have read by women have been in my Women in Literature class. So maybe my professor was right in asking that question. I think that literature written by females needs to be integrated into the English curriculum. I have taken classes like Modern American Literature, Advanced Poetry, and Nature Writing. These classes should include more literature written by women so that we as students can be exposed the many talented female authors of the past and of the modern era. 

Jersey Shore

This past week I have been catching up on my Jersey Shore episodes since I haven't been able to watch them at their normal time lately. Jersey Shore is not one of my favorite shows, but I do find it entertaining. Just like many MTV shows that have come before them, it is interesting to see how complete strangers act when put together under one roof.


The episode that sticks out in my mind the most is the episode where Pauly calls Angelina a slut. Angelina points out that she is a single girl, and that she can do whatever she wants. She also points out the Pauly and Mike bring home girls every weekend, and no one calls them sluts or man whores. He then goes on to say that guys can do things like that but girls can't.


This is a prime example of the sexual double standard in our society. Men can do whatever or whoever they want and there aren't any consequences. Girls do anything out of the ordinary, and they are labeled as sluts and whores.

Halloween Costumes

Around this time every year girls start to plan what they are going to be for Halloween. In recent years Ihave noticed that costumes have been getting more and more risque. Things like lingerie and short skirts are operfectly accetable as Halloween costumes. Girls basically run from bar to bar, or house party to house party in their underwear and pass it off as some kind of costume. We live in Wisconsin, around this time of year it starts to get COLD! What happened to the days where costumes were judged based on how creative you were instead of how much of your body you can show without being arrested! I am not a fan of this new tradition, and will be sticking to a more creative approach when planning my costume this year.

MRS Degree

I work as a cashier at a local retail store, and sometimes when it gets slow the customers tend to spend a little time chatting with me after they have paid for their merchandise. One gentleman asked me how old I was and if I was in school. I told him that I was a student at UW Oshkosh, and his immediate response was " Oh are you getting your MRS degree?" It took a couple of seconds for me to realize what he meant, and I was outraged!!! Since I was at work I couldn't tell him what I really thought of him, so I just told him no that I was not going for my MRS, and to have a nice day. He got the message and left mid conversation. 

How long will women need to go to college, get degrees, go on to get their masters, and then their PHD for men to realize that we do not just go to school to find a husband?! I believe that there are more women enrolled at UW Oshkosh than men, and more women will go on to graduate with a degree. I consider myself a very independent person, and I do not need a husband to support me. We are too young to be thinking about getting married. We need to live our lives and figure out who we really are!!