Scholarly Article Critique #2
1. Research Topic and Researchers: Feminist Sexualities, Race and the Internet: an Investigation of suicidegirls.com, by Magnet, ShoShana, in New Media & Society 9:4 (2007), pp. 577-602. Downloaded 4/1/08.
2. Rationale of the Study: To examine 1) how the website, suicidegirls.com, represents the issues of feminism and sexuality through unconventional nude photographs of heavily tattooed, pierced, and hair-dyed women; 2) how race is represented; and 3) how these issues are used as a marketing strategy to help increase the website’s profit.
3. Literature Review:
• Suicidegirls.com is comprised of models that are heavily tattooed, pierced, and/or have dyed hair. These models have their photographs taken themselves and are paid between 100 and 200 dollars per photo shoot posted on the site. The idea behind this method was to differ from the traditional idea of beauty and to distract the eye from the body to the face. As referred to by one of the models on the website, suicide girls makes an environment where “the girls are known as sexual BEINGS and not just sex objects.”
• Because the models that are shown on suicidegirls.com must apply to become a model on the site, some consider this to be proof that the website has “feminist potential” because the models participate for their enjoyment, not only for money. The fact that the models are not paid very much also supports this idea.
• Although much suicidegirls.com is composed of pictures of the models, another large section of the site is devoted to the journal entries posted by the models. These entries give members a look into the models’ personal life. This idea is meant to distract the male eye from the traditional concepts of sexuality and beauty. It is meant to show that the women presented on the site are intelligent human beings.
• The website is recognized to be lacking diversity in the models. However, based on a post, the site is trying to diversify the selection of models. “Suicide Girls encourages women of color to apply. We aim to be a more diverse site and we need your help.”
• Suicidegirls.com is meant to be a place where women, heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual are allowed to express themselves sexually and where assumed theories about female sexuality are contradicted.
4. Research Method: Content analysis of the website, comments by members, journal entries from models, and reviews by journalists. The information gathered from each provides insight to several different views on the website and explores how different sources interpret the site’s content and the issues of sexuality, feminism, and race.
5. Subject of the Study: The models and the members on the site. The study greatly focuses on the models’ profile descriptions and journal entries which reveal the models’ personalities and opinions. The study also focuses on the members’ responses to the models and their opinions.
6. Research Findings: Through research, the author found that, although suicidegirls.com is meant to be a place that is inclusive of all sexual orientations and race, there are still members who sometimes post racist and homophobic comments. In one case, one of the model’s journal entries contains racist comments. The creators of the site have a policy against statements such as these but because the particular model is so popular with the members they have failed to remove her profile. This example contradicts what the site claims to represent and support the idea that the website is using feminism, race, and sexuality as a marketing strategy.
Suicidegirls.com is also found to be lacking in a diverse selection of models but is shown to be supportive of diversity. This fact is shown to support the idea of selling diversity as a commodity. In the article the author compares this to the creation of the African American and Hispanic Barbie dolls in an effort to appeal to each ethnicity. Furthermore the lack of model diversity contributes to the idea of “white” as the norm of beauty.
In the conclusion the author states that the feminist potential of suicidegirls.com is compromised by the lack of diversity and the representation of the female sexuality as a commodity. However, she does recognize that the site differs from “oppressive photographic practices which rely on the objectification of women for the male gaze” and “acknowledges female desire.”
7. My Position on the Scholarly Article: The main topic of the article was very interesting. The concept that this website, which displays picture of nude women, could be promoting feminism and appropriate sexuality is an idea that I found to be extremely intriguing. Especially because the pornographic industry is so commonly viewed as sexist and derogatory toward women. I found that the mood at the beginning of the article was very optimistic, presenting suicidegirls.com as an innovative and respectable alternative to conventional pornography.
However, I felt that as the studies continued further in the article, the website was found to almost be taking advantage of these qualities to be profitable, therefore undermining the very principles it was based upon. I was disappointed by this idea because it struck me as a dishonest and hypocritical way to make money. If it were true that suicidegirls.com main focus was to profit by falsely supporting feminism, race, and sexuality, then the website has become, in many ways, no better than traditional pornography.
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