WST 100 Final Study Guide 2022/2023 Questions and Answers

Sexual Orientation - ANSWER -Defined by a person's attraction to and desire for people of a given sex -What gender people are attracted to -Generally conceived as a binary between heterosexuality and homosexuality -Discussed in terms of categories (i.e. heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, etc.) Sexuality - ANSWER A person's sexual orientation or preference Bisexuality - ANSWER Sexual attraction to both men and women Compulsory Heterosexuality - ANSWER -Coined by Adrienne Rich -The expected and assumed sexual orientation -The idea that it can be adopted; that it is mandatory -Rewarded with social privilege and power -Makes coming out difficult because it impedes gays and lesbians from separating their sexual desires from the *learned* compulsion toward heterosexuality Heteronormativity - ANSWER -Heterosexuality is constructed as the only normal appropriate behavior -A racialized concept in which white bodies are implied as the normative subjects of heterosexual experience Homophobia - ANSWER Intense hatred or fear of homosexuals by an *individual* Heterosexism - ANSWER -Tied to homophobia; bias in favor of heterosexuality by a *culture* -Disadvantages gays and lesbians -Privileges heterosexuals Queer - ANSWER -Sociopolitical umbrella term that refers to a range of sexual identities that are not "straight" -Can refer to people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender -Denaturalizes and calls into question the stability of identity categories based on sexual orientation -Used in academic disciplines as _______ theory or _______ studies from a non-heteronormative perspective Heteroflexibility - ANSWER -Presumably heterosexual women hinting at or experimenting with same-sex sexuality -An experiment in female same-sex sexuality that acknowledges some same sex desire/attraction without explicitly challenging a "mostly" heterosexual self-identification Sexual Scripts - ANSWER -Rules that guide sexual interaction Ideas we have about how people should engage in sexual activity ---For example: men should only ask women out -Women should be sexy, but not too sexy -Older, married couples aren't interested in sex, etc. -Men should be interested in pornography, women should not -Ideas/stereotypes about men and women created in our society about their proper roles in terms of sexual behavior/activity Issues Surrounding LGBTQ - ANSWER -Highest suicide rates -Bullying Beauty Myth - ANSWER Some bodies are more attractive than others, and in essence, worth more than others Women's Bodies Culturally Constructed - ANSWER -Thin, young, beautiful, light skinned -Sexy but innocent -Objectified to sell products -Sex objects in magazines set up for male gaze Male Gaze - ANSWER -Ideal spectator is always assumed to be male and image of the women is designed to flatter him -Males do the "gazing" and females are objects of the gaze -Women receive the gaze, return the gaze, but never act on it Beauty Standard - ANSWER -The average model is 5'11" and weighs 117 lbs. -The average woman is 5'4" and weighs 140 lbs. -We measure size and beauty by models who are 23% thinner than the average woman -Models are genetically thin, long-legged, big breasted -Their pictures are then airbrushed and computer enhanced Body Dissatisfaction - ANSWER -Women direct their dissatisfaction with their lives due to unequal relations toward themselves and their bodies -4 out of 5 women are unhappy with their bodies -At least 1 in 5 young women in America today suffer from an eating disorder -The Number 1 wish of girls 7 & 8 years old is to be thinner Anorexia Nervosa - ANSWER -Severe weight loss -Slowly starving -Accompanied by a distorted body image -Believe they are "fat" when in reality they are dangerously underweight -Body weight is controlled through self imposed starvation, excessive exercise, diuretic drugs, etc. Bulimia Nervosa - ANSWER -A pattern of binging on food, followed by purging through vomiting -Use of laxatives and/or extreme fasting Compulsory Overeating - ANSWER Recurring pattern of binge eating without compensatory counter measures Aging and The Body - ANSWER -Youth centered culture -Increase in plastic surgery -Prevalence of anti-aging beauty products -"Acceptable" aging involves remaining sexualized and youth-oriented Plastic Surgery - ANSWER -Previously done on men for war/ industrial accidents -Now largely outnumbered by women seeking it for purely aesthetic purposes -"Restored youth" "permanent beauty" -Women are told that they can stop/slow aging by literally buying new and better bodies Body Representation in Media - ANSWER -Does not portray real lives and behaviors of actual men and women -Creates an ideal image of both bodies and lifestyles that relies on beauty and wealth -Assumes men and women will try to imitate both the physical appearance and lifestyles of men and women in ads Compulsive Exercising - ANSWER -Another way to "purge" calories, can be as dangerous as Anorexia and Bulimia -Main goal is burning calories, relieving the guilt from eating/bingeing, or to give them the permission to eat Body Image - ANSWER The subjective picture or mental image of one's own body Eating Disorders - ANSWER Any of a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits -Culture -Media - ANSWER Body Image Influencers Gender Attitude Stereotypes - ANSWER -Girls/Women are socialized to be passive, polite, and accommodating -Boys/Men are socialized to be aggressive, tough, and in control of themselves and their surroundings Domestic (Intimate or Partner) Violence - ANSWER A pattern of behavior that includes the use or threat of violence and intimidation for the purpose of gaining power and control over another person Types of Domestic Violence - ANSWER -Physical Abuse -Sexual Abuse -Economic Abuse -Isolation -Emotional Abuse -Control -Verbal Abuse When S/he Leaves/After S/he Leaves - ANSWER The most dangerous time for a victim of domestic violence Cycle of Domestic Violence - ANSWER -Three part process that frequently occurs in violent relationships 1. Tension building 2. Explosion 3. Honeymoon phase Domestic Violence Stereotypes - ANSWER -Race -Ethnicity -Class -Sexuality -Region -Religion Domestic Violence Representations - ANSWER -Often stereotypical perpetrators and victims ---Law and Order SVU ---Charlie Sheen and Chris Brown Stalking - ANSWER -Gendered -Not taken seriously -Increased due to technology -Depicted as romantic or endearing in the media Street Harassment - ANSWER A wide variety of comments and behaviors in which strangers on the street (typically men) comment in a variety of ways about female appearance and/or ask for or refer to a desire to engage in sexual activity Sexualization of Violence - ANSWER -Gender and sexuality often conflated -Sexual scripts are gendered -Violence and sex become intertwined -"Rape culture": We must contextualize violence within a cultural system in which sex and violence are inextricably linked Rape - ANSWER -Any sexual act committed against a person's will -Sexual assault: knowingly engaging in sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with any person without the consent of that person Date Rape/Acquaintance Rape - ANSWER -Sexual assault by someone you know -Most common: 75% Rape Myths - ANSWER -Rape is a crime of passion -Rape only happens to those who ask for it -Women actually fantasize about being raped or having forced sex -Women lie about being raped -Women cannot be raped against their will -Men and boys cannot be raped -Most rapes are spontaneous acts in dark alleys between strangers -Rapists are insane criminals Victim Blaming - ANSWER -We tend to believe that people somehow participated in their own victimization -Not only do we blame the victim, they blame themselves -Serves as a psychological protective mechanism Violence Against Women - ANSWER -Any violation of a woman's personhood; mental, physical, emotional -Reflective of a culture that normalizes and glamorizes violence -Men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators -Social constructionist view: This is not "natural"! Glorification of Violence in Media - ANSWER -Tough Guise: violent masculinity as normal or ideal, rather than a problem -Action films & horror films -Video games -Music -Sports