Aging Bodies in Paradise: A Feminist Analysis of Key West’s Fantasy Fest

Cultural constructions of gender and age may be challenged within politically and socially progressive leisure environments, like Key West, that promote social deviance and out-group acceptance. However, this possibility receives limited scholarly attention. Addressing this gap, our study applies a framework that highlights gender and age as performances and uses interviews ( n = 77) collected in 2017 and 2018 at Key West’s Fantasy Fest, an annual carnivalesque event characterized by body displays of nudity, body paint, and costume. In this first systematic study of Fantasy Fest, data analysis revealed four themes centering on gender, age, and bodies—displaying diverse bodies; judging bodies; limiting body displays; and reinterpreting body-related norms. Key West’s cultural ideology of inclusion allowed both young and old participants to perform gender and age in ways that contributed to a more liberating environment celebrating a range of bodies—though performances were constrained by inequalities. Bodies, especially women’s, were subjected to judgments of their sexual appeal that led some, especially older women, to limit their displays. Our findings, nevertheless, suggest progressive, carnivalesque leisure environments’ potential, however fleeting or bounded, to disrupt everyday performances and broaden conceptions of gendered and aging bodies by reinterpreting the norms surrounding them.

Segmentasi Pasar dalam Komunikasi Pemasaran Islam

Segmenting or often known as market segmentation is the act of classifying the market into groups with various categories. Sixty per cents (60%) of business failures are caused by failing to define the target market, their market potential, and failing to decide the right marketing concepts. Entrepreneurs tend to do more expansion in areas that they don't understand just because they are opportunists, making the most of people's fears and hesitancies. Marketing communication can be so powerful if it is combined with effective and efficient communication. For example, a communication on how to attract consumers or audiences to become aware, familiarized and interested in buying a product or service through communication channels. The current study is literatures study which analyses and thoroughly studies literatures to find data. In Islamic ethics, segmentation techniques in marketing communications are not justified using sexual appeal, emotional appeal, fear appeal, false testimony or pseudo-marketing research, or contribute to stupidity of mind and encourage overbuy. In the Islamic framework, these methods are unethical because they are used purely to exploit the basic instincts of consumers around the world with the aim of gaining profit and bigger market preys. In addition, Islamic ethics strictly prohibits stereotypes of women in advertising, and excessive use of "fantasy" either in product forms, services or other added value. Apart from innovation, Islamic marketing communication is also obliged to pay attention to efficiency. In order for marketing communications to be effective, we don't act on a whim. We can carry out marketing efficiency with high foresight to target markets that match the products and services we have.

Can Sexual Appeal, Beauty, or Virtue Increase the Opportunity for a Woman to Be Selected as a Spouse? The Mediating Role of Human Uniqueness

High mating value is believed to correspond with high mating opportunities. On that premise, this study explores three cues that are linked to women of high long-term mating value, namely a “beautiful” facial appearance, “sexually attractive” body shape, and “virtuous” behavior. With exclusive attention focused on the above cues, this study examines what kind of human attributes would make a contribution to women’s mating opportunities. The results reveal that both “beautiful” women and “virtuous” women were assessed (in this study) as having greater mating opportunities than “sexually attractive” women. In regard to the human attributes, only the “beautiful” woman was assessed as having high levels of human uniqueness and human nature. Meanwhile, “virtuous” women were assessed as having higher levels of human uniqueness but lower levels of human nature. In contrast, “sexually attractive” women were assessed as having lower levels of human uniqueness but higher levels of human nature. In addition, the results of a mediation analysis show that the trait of human uniqueness, and not human nature, was the mediator between the three types of women and women’s mating opportunities. This finding means that, when women have higher levels of human uniqueness, they can acquire more mating opportunities. These findings contribute an improved understanding to why and how “beauty” or “virtue” increases the opportunity for woman to be selected as a spouse.

A Narrative Critical Review of Research on Self-Sexualization

Self-sexualization is an emerging area of research relevant to clothing researchers as evaluations of sexual appeal often stem from specific items and uses of dress. Our research purpose was to systematically review the available research on self-sexualization. In our review we focused specifically on three topics: what precedes self-sexualizing? What outcomes are associated with self-sexualizing? And how has self-sexualization been operationalized? The time frame for this review was 2007–2020. To locate the 31 journal articles that supplied the data for this research, multiple data bases were searched using the following search terms: self-sexualization, self-sexualizing, and sexual self-presentation. Important precursors to self-sexualization include exposure to media and social media, self-objectification, internalization of sexualization, and desiring attention from others. Empowerment has been studied as an outcome of self-sexualization along with negative inferences concerning both young women and girls that self-sexualize. Operationalization of self-sexualization is varied and likely contributes to inconsistent findings.

The Beatles, Gender, and Sexuality

This chapter addresses the Beatles’ complex gendered and sexual appeal to audiences and the evolution of fan identification processes in the 1960s and beyond. The chapter unites the growing body of scholarship that treats issues of gender and sexuality in relation to the Beatles and their fans. After consideration of the theoretical difference between androgyny and gender fluidity, Beatles texts are discussed in relation to fan responses. Their gender fluidity inspired many girl fans to scream for (and sing about) the Fabs’ representation of freedom early in the decade. But their music shifted from the girl talk of “She Loves You” to the bravado of “You’re Going to Lose That Girl.” No longer clad in matching boyish suits, the Beatles maintained their fluid gender performance throughout the ’60s. The Beatles’ gender fluidity is a key ingredient in their sustained popularity. The band endures because listeners keep finding themselves in the Beatles.

Internalization of sexualized female ideals and body shame

This study was designed to provide empirical evidence of the internalization of sexualized female ideals influenced by media and to examine the effect of the internalization on body shame. An online questionnaire was created and a total of 302 women completed the questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was conducted to test the hypothesized causal relationships from media influence to the internalization of sexualized ideals (i.e. holding a narrow view of attractiveness and endorsing the notion that women should be sexually attractive) and, next, from the internalization of sexualized ideals to body shame. The results showed that the more women internalized media ideals, the more women (1) hold the narrow view of female attractiveness that equates physical attractiveness with sexual appeal and (2) endorsed the notion that women should be sexually attractive. The internalization of a narrow view of attractiveness was a significant mediator that led from media influence to body shame. Although women endorsed the notion that women should be sexually attractive, it did not necessarily lead to body shame.

Social Concerns in Advertising

Sexism is a complex construct since authors have different notions to present about the topic. Some of them state that sexism is the actions of prejudice based on gender. Therefore, to understand the evolution of sexism in advertising, we should focus on a niche that is provided by the emotional appeals: sexual appeal. The consequences of these stereotypes range from affecting female self-image to misogynistic teachings to which female, male, and child sex are exposed in the ads in question. In today's society, feminists, activists, consumers, and some media have been expressing concern about the sexist representation of women in advertising. In an exploratory and conceptual perspective, this chapter presents contributions for communication, marketing, and publicity around the phenomenon of sexism.

Media Advertisement Requirements: Disciplining Female Body for Job Hunting Vs. Islamic Philosophy of Disciplining Female Body

In almost every ad for job for female candidates, it is mentioned that required females are expected to have pleasing personality, good communication skills and well-groomed appearance which is quite contradictory with Islamic philosophy of disciplining female bodies as Islam discourages objectification of women. This paper is an attempt to explore the gendered discourses prevailing in various organizations to discipline female bodies into docile ones for sexual appeal in the organizations. The study is qualitative in nature. For data collection mixed method of interviews (n=100) and thematic analysis of job advertisement (n=100) is done. Foucault’s perspective of disciplining is used as theoretical framework for the study as it will help in drawing the difference between requirements for disciplining female bodies for job hunting vs. Islamic philosophy of disciplining female bodies in a Muslim country like Pakistan. Analysis of the data gathered by thematic analysis of advertisements and 100 interviews was conducted by coding the data into various themes. The study concludes that certain disciplinary techniques like no veil, heavy make over, trendy dresses, high heels are expected from females to be selected for the job which are contradictory with Islamic philosophy. Islam doesn’t restrict females from working but it wants them to be in proper fully covered dresses so that they may be respected. However, these organizations want to use females only as sex symbols. This practice should be condemned to provide women with an opportunity to make better use of their capabilities.