February 4, 2015 – GP Themes Demo

Love is in the air

As we get distracted by all of the heart shaped candies, chocolates, and jewelry, we should step back to ask ourselves why? Why are we so focused on the things that represent love rather than the love itself?

Continuing our conversation about the meme of princesses, The Codebreakers are going to take a deep dive into the objectification culture we are living in, which has invaded not only our notion of the self (and others) but also our notion of love. Is the media to blame for the continued development and expansion of objectification culture?

Or is it all just a struggle for power?

The objectification of women can be traced throughout history, before the media had the presence it has in our society today. So do our views on love, the self, and others have less to do with the media and more to do with struggles of power, security, and our biological need to reproduce? And if it is a struggle for power, what indicates the powerful from the weak? Does a powerful woman fit the same mold as a powerful man? Are princesses the epitome of the powerless woman or are they an archetype that is attempting to transition with the power shifts seen in current culture?

Join us for a lively discussion about objectification, Valentine’s Day, the power struggle, and I’m sure much, much more. If you’re curious, here’s some materials we’re using as references for this particular episode:

Engagement Rings are a Scam: I got it: http://youtu.be/N5kWu1ifBGU

Objectification Theory (scholarly article so I apologize for all the jargon!): http://www.sanchezlab.com/pdfs/FredricksonRoberts.pdf

The perfect body by decade: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/05/perfect-body-change-beauty-ideals_n_4733378.html

#LikeAGirl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs

Dove Real Beauty Sketches: http://realbeautysketches.dove.us/

Old Hollywood Stars’ Measurements: http://www.glamamor.com/2013/08/sizing-up-old-hollywood-heights-weights.html

Mean Height / Weight Data 1960-2000: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad347.pdf

Rehab.com article plus interactive “celeb/playmate” weight chart:

http://www.rehabs.com/explore/womens-body-image-and-bmi/

Meet the #CodeBreakers :

(In alphabetical order)

Alexandra Riecke-Gonzales