Visual Analysis of a Photo

http://www.instituteartist.com/exhibition-Girl-Culture-Lauren-Greenfield

     Close your eyes and then open them.  What is the first thing you see?  Your eyes probably go straight past the table littered with makeup to the little girl in the pink tiara.  Lauren Greenfield, the photographer, framed the photo with this intention of making that girl the focal point.  

     A head on angle was chosen because it allows the viewer to focus on the girls and their dress-up session.  The image is well focused on the girls and the assortment of makeup because the photographer wants the viewer to acknowledge the American cultural follies.  These girls are most likely no older than six, yet their faces are made up, their hair is curled, and their nails are done.  In America, girls are taught at a young age to love beautification.  Our culture can be so shallow and self-centered that little girls are obsessed with makeup before they are even old enough to read.  

     The picture is focused heavily on the girls and the table of makeup, while the rest of the bedroom is in the shadows.  It forces the viewer to concentrate on the girls and dissect the cultural problems that stress glamorization at such a young, impressionable age.

     Everything is relatively well balanced, but the center is definitely where your eyes are supposed to go.    Greenfield further draws your eyes to the center with the contrasting of pink and blue.  All the colors are muted except for pink and blue, which further reinforces your focus on the girls and their dress-up game.  America is a land of beauty pageants, and the starting age is getting younger and younger.  Already, at no older than six years old, girls are being primed to be all dolled up and look "perfect."

A Reflection of Unit One

My first day of class, I started out as a high school caterpillar and as unit one progressed I metamorphosed into a college butterfly.

          When we were told we would have to write blogs, I was concerned.  I had never worked Blogger or written a blog before.  There were all these new tricks I would have to learn, like how to take a screenshot or insert a hyperlink.  I also had to learn to write in any entirely new convention, something I was scared to do.  However, as I read the conventions of a blog article, I started to get excited to write my first blog.  I was relieved to realize that it was not that difficult and actually fun to format a blog.  I liked selecting the perfect picture to go with the theme. 

        

Source: http://cliparts.co/cliparts/8c6/8R9/8c68R9a9i.jpg         

     As the unit progressed, our class was assigned our first formal essay.  It had to pertain to a controversy in our major and, since my major is business, I chose to do mine on the lack of women representation.  As I looked for sources, I saw a lot from outsiders in the media.  They were quick to offer their judgments and remedies for the issue.  Not as many people in my actual field were discussing the issue.  There were a few women, like Sheryl Sandberg, who are very passionate about the issue, but the men were a lot less likely to offer their opinions.

     Once I got all my sources gathered, I had to hamper down and do the hard work of actually writing the essay.  My first two drafts needed a lot of work, especially with rhetorically analyzing sources and not just providing a summary.  Part of the problem when I drafted my first couple rough drafts was I did not fully concentrate.  I was very distracted and rushed through it.  Once, I finally focused, I was able to write a coherent, clear essay that successfully analyzed the rhetoric.  I really stressed this when I was rewriting my drafts, so I think it was one of the things I did best.  I also tried to format as authentically as I could to make it look like a real QRG; I tried to include hyperlinks when necessary and add pictures that would accentuate my points.

     I now know from experience that it would be beneficial to go in a quiet room for a few hours and focus on writing my first draft.  It would save me in the long run to write a more coherent first draft with all my arguments organized better.  I was also rushing a little towards the end, so time management could definitely use some improvement.  I like making schedules, so I think it would be beneficial to make a schedule when drafting my next essay to ensure I stay on track.

     After writing my first essay, I have the confidence that I am capable of writing an essay on a college caliber.

Final Annotated Bibliography

http://www.teachingcollegeenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/works-cited-needed-martin-300x177.gif

Acker, Joan. "Hierarchies, Jobs, Bodies: A Theory of Gendered Organizations." Gender

& Society 4, no. 2 (June 1990): 139-58. Accessed September 12, 2015. http://gas.sagepub.com/content/4/2/139.full.pdf+html.

The author was giving her opinion on how the hierarchy of jobs (i.e. women not being equally represented in high-powered positions) is not gender neutral, but manipulated to give an advantage to males.  Her primary audience are people who are curious as to why men dominate influential jobs.  The organizational systems innately favors men over women.  Some major observations are that the organizational structure is partial toward men because they are seen as dominant over women, and, therefore, men deserve to have higher positions.  I see myself using this to argue that the system of promotions is not gender neutral, but, unfortunately, skewed to benefit men.

Barsh, Joanna, and Lareina Yee. "Changing companies’ minds about women." 

Wordpress. Accessed September 11, 2015. https://the16percent.wordpress

.com/2015/01/05/changing-companies-minds-about-women/.

The article communicates that women do not hold as many senior offices as men for multiple rooted ideals and thoughts.  The primary audience are people who want to make a difference in the number of women holding executive offices.  Women are facing obstacles that range from their personal life to societal ideals.  The authors looked at the Fortune 500 companies and determined the number of women CEOs.  The authors determined that women were treated differently from men, and that is part of the reason they face obstacles.  I see how I could use this when I say societal reasons for barriers and exact percentages of women representation.

Berman, Jillian. "Why We Hire Women And Minorities To Clean Up Our Messes." The

Huffington Post. Accessed September 27, 2015.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/27/mary-barra-glass-cliff_n_5538167.html

Women are often hired when a company is experiencing a crisis.  The article is directed towards people wondering when women and other minorities have a better chance of being hired.  Two professors at Utah State University conducted a survey where they researched CEO changes at Fortune 500 companies.  Women are most often hired when a company is in extreme need.  I plan to use this as proof that women are hired, but more often when a company is desperate.

Carter, Nancy M., and Harvey M. Wagner. "The Bottom Line: Corporate Performance and

Women’s Representation on Boards (2004–2008)." Knowledge Center. Accessed

September 25, 2015. http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/bottom-line-corporate-performance-and-womens-representation-boards-20042008

The article was written to describe the results of a survey on how women benefit executive boards.  It was written to people curious about whether women actually benefit the board they serve on.  Female board members are advantageous because her presence increases return on sales, invested capital, and equity.  The study was conducted by comparing companies with women representation and those without, and comparing their profits.  Diversity on a board is beneficial in increasing revenue.  I see myself using the results when I need to bring in a survey about how exactly women benefit their company.

Egan, Matt. "Still missing: Female business leaders." CNN Money. 1990. Accessed

September 12, 2015. http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/24/investing/female-ceo-pipeline-leadership/.

The article was written to detail the lack of representation by women in executive positions.  The audience are those who are interested in both why women are underrepresented and how change is coming, albeit slowly.  There are too few women in prominent positions, but there is hope, especially if legalization helping women is enacted.  There were statistics showcasing the unfortunate reality that women only make up 14% of top executives.  However, change is coming and the number of women receiving promotions is increasing.  I would use this to highlight the low number of women in executive offices, but to also show how progress is being made.

Gray, Michael. " The ‘Lean In’ debate: Women in tech speak out." SF Gate. Accessed

September 12, 2015. http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2013/03/17/the-lean-in-debate-women-in-tech-speak-out/.

This article shows how technology companies in the San Francisco area feel about women not receiving high-powered positions.  The primary audience are people interested in the technology field, one of the largest up and coming fields, and there stance on women in the work force.  The goal of a lot of the technology companies is to make it so that CEO, CFO, or COO women are not a deviation, but rather a standard in the hiring process.  Three people involved in the technology field were interviewed and their opinions were expressed in the article.  The article allows me to see how people personally feel about the men-biased organizational structure.  I see myself using quotes from this blog to show how individuals feel about the issue.

Hedges, Kristi. "Why Men Hate to Give Women Feedback." Forbes. Accessed

September 25, 2015. http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2013/05/01/why-men-hate-to-give-women-feedback/

Women react to situations, on average, more emotionally than men and this can put employers in uncomfortable positions when they need to give them criticism.  The audience are those curious how to talk to women in awkward situations and women can make the process easier on their employers.  Since women are prone to be more emotional than men, their employers often neglect to give them the necessary feedback.  Women’s emotional side and men’s reluctance to adjust is detrimental to the success of women.  I see myself using this to describe how men are put in uncomfortable situations, yet there are simple ways for them to adjust their tactics to improve the situation for both.

Hess, Amanda. "Twitter CEO Speaks Out About His Company’s Woman Problem by

Telling a Carrot Top Joke." Slate. Accessed September 11, 2015. http://www.slate

.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/10/07/women_at_twitter_ceo_dick_costolo_responds_to_gender_representation_criticism.html.

Ex-Twitter CEO, Dick Costolo, makes a joke about why his company only has one executive officer who is a woman, and she was only just recently hired (when the article was written).  The article argues that companies are far behind in hiring women in executive offices, especially in the tech field.  Women are poorly represented not just in executive positions, but also in lower positions in the technology fields.  The CEO of twitter, a huge technology company, is not overly concerned with having equal or, at least closer to equal, representation.  I see myself using this to give a real world example how technology companies are not taking the issue of women representation seriously.

Kay, Katty, and Claire Shipman. "The Confidence Gap." The Atlantic. Accessed September 27,

2015. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/05/the-confidence-gap/359815/

Women have a lack of confidence that is detrimental to their success in the workplace.  The primary audience are women curious about how to improve at work and men who want to know how to treat the women they work with.  Women struggle with confidence issues on average more often than men, which is harmful when they are trying to get hired or promoted.  They surveyed women and asked how they felt their confidence affected them at work.  Women create their own barriers with their lack of confidence.  I can use direct quotes from the women surveyed and some of the pictures will add nice visuals.

Kristof, Nicholas. "She's (Rarely) The Boss." New York Times. Accessed September 25, 2015.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/kristof-shes-rarely-the-boss.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1

The article is written to those curious why women are not comprising an equal number of executive boards and the insecurities they face.  Women provide an advantage to boards with their diversity, but they are not being promoted in high enough levels.  A McKinsey survey determined that more men wanted to be top executives than women.  Women’s confidence level hurt them in employment opportunities, but their diversity adds an indisputable advantage.  I plan to use this to bring in quotes from Sheryl Sandberg and the insecurities she faced at work. 

Lean In. "Tips For Men At Work." Accessed September 27, 2015. http://leanin.org/tips/work/

The Lean In article details how men can help create a friendlier environment for women.  Men who want to help women feel more comfortable at work should read this article.  Men have a lot of room for improvement at the workplace, but there are easy ways they can improve.  Employers can follow some doable tips to improve the gender dynamic at work.  I see myself using this to describe what people can do to improve the workplace for women.

Oakley, Judith G. "Gender-Based Barriers to Senior Management Positions:

Understanding the Scarcity of Female CEOs." Journal of Business Ethics 27, no. 4

(October 2000): 321-34. Accessed September 12, 2015.http://www.jstor.org/stable

/25074386?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents.

This article attempts to help the reader understand the stereotypes that persist and hold women back from their highest potential.  The audience is geared toward are scholarly people interested in what the gender barriers are that refuse to acknowledge women as equal to men in the work force.  There are obstacles in place that are holding women back from executive offices, even though they are gaining substantial ground in middle management positions.  Women are underrepresented, and that is caused by both society and women pursuing other opportunities.  

Parker, Kim, Juliana Menasce Horowitz, and Wendy Wang. "Women and Leadership

Public Says Women are Equally Qualified, but Barriers Persist." Pew Research

Center. 2000. Accessed September 12, 2015. http://www.pewsocialtrends.

org/2015/01/14/women-and-leadership/.

The articles explains to the reader the specific barriers holding women back from reaching their potential.  The audience are people curious as to what the specific obstacles women must overcome or cause themselves.  Society often does not view women the same way as men; therefore, women are held at different standards than men, which makes it harder for them to have obtain executive jobs.  Multiple surveys were conducted to find why women are not found in equal numbers in high powered jobs.  There are numerous obstacles women need to conquer in order to be as successful as men.  I plan to cite the individual survey results to help back up my arguments.

Peck, Emily. "Do You Realize How Few Women CEOs Exist? These Executives Don't."

Huffington Post. Accessed September 11, 2015.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

2015/07/13/weber-shandwick-female-ceo_n_7771608.html.

Even though women make up a minority of executive chairs, a lot of people, including executive chairs themselves, think there are a lot more women than there actually are because of a number of factors.  The article appeals to people curious about how society views the number of women representation in high powered positions.  Women are unknowingly underrepresented in the workplace because the few women CEOs are so highly publicized.  Weber Shandwick, a public relations firm, and KRC Research conducted a survey and asked how many women they think are leaders of companies.  The surveyors heavily overestimated the number of women in those positions.  Women leaders are highly publicized, which exaggerates the real number of them, because they often come in when the company is in dire need of help, a time the media heavily covers.  I see myself using this survey as an example to how people think there are more women than there really are in leader positions.

Storch, Scott. "CMV: The disparity between the number of male CEOs and female CEOs

NOT an indicator of gender inequality." Reddit. Accessed September 11,

2015. https://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/27lk98/cmv_the_dispar

ity_between_the_number_of_male_ceos/?.

This discussion argues that women not holding a high percentage of CEO positions is not a matter of feminism.  The primary audience are those who want to participate in a debate over whether sexism is to blame for women not being equally represented in executive offices.  Sexism is not to blame for the lack of CEO, and it is unclear what they would even be accomplished by having equal representation.  It was an opinion piece, so no study was conducted.  CEOs are a small majority of people anyway, so it is "data manipulation" to have the argument of men v women representation.  I can use this as a new perspective and including discussions of the people who commented on this opinion.