Pop Culture

Spirit Halloween released a costume for Halloween 2015 in the likeness of Caitlin Jenner’s Vanity Fair magazine cover. The immediate reaction of many was one of disgust, feeling that the costume was mocking the former Olympian and her recent transition. Others were concerned that the costume perpetuates a transphobic view.

Why are cartoon producers driving female viewers away from their shows?

In the age of Orange is the New Black, prison tourism stands to redefine the ethical tourist.

For "altruism porn" shows like "The Briefcase," is raising awareness justification enough?

This Guest Author post by Dr. Jeff McCall was originally published in The Indy Star on April 24, 2015. NBC’s high-profile anchor, Brian Williams, has been suspended for telling tall tales. ABC’s highest-profile news personality, Diane Sawyer, has gone super-hype with her two-hour, prime-time interview of Bruce Jenner. CNN has redefined news to include travel … Continue reading "The Deterioration of TV News"

Cultural appropriation is when a dominant group adapts the customs of a minority group and tries to trademark them as their own in an effort to be edgy and/or to use them to propagate stereotypes about that minority group. A popular example of this is Miley Cyrus’s infamous use of the dance style “twerking”, which … Continue reading "Cultural Appropriation in Entertainment"

Though overwhelmingly panned in reviews (a critic from The Observer called it “utter nonsense”), Jupiter Rising was a remarkably thought-provoking film. For all of its excess, it raised some good ethical questions.

50 Shades has swept audiences off their feet, selling 100 million copies worldwide, and making $237.7 million in its global opening in theaters. In many ways, this success could have been predicted by its eerie similarity to other phenomenally profitable franchises (ahem…Twilight), but in other ways, what 50 Shades presents is entirely new. The series … Continue reading "Let’s Talk About…50 Shades of Grey (Part I)"

Among my friends, I would be one of the first to readily admit one thing: I love dogs. Pugs, specifically. My personal allegiance to my family’s dog aside, pugs are one of my favorite animals. If I need to take a break from studying or writing a paper, chances are decent that I’ll log on to … Continue reading "An Unhealthy Obsession: Pugs and the Demand for Cuteness"

We have all heard it before: the kid out on the baseball field shouts, “you hit like a girl.” Adults do it too. In fact, just last fall my sister’s soccer coach yelled to his son, “you’re running like a girl,” upsetting many parents in the crowd. To many, to be “like a girl” means … Continue reading "‘Like a Girl:’ A cultural context"