So although I am not a Nicki Minaj fan, I do think she makes a very good point in this short clip. Yes, our society has come a long way on their views of women in the work force. However, there is still a lot of discrimination out there. In chapter one of Gendered Lives, Julie Woods writes, “The fact that my sex makes me vulnerable to job discrimination, violence, and other injustices is not something I accept as unchangeable.” Nicki Minaj’s clip gives us a whole new perspective of this discrimination with a look at how women in the entertainment industry are discriminated against. One would think that celebrities don’t experience discrimination, but it is clear that this social construction of gender roles truly is unequal all over. When will our society start to see women as equals? Will our society ever see women as equals?
Gender Watch
“When you know better you do better.” ― Maya Angelou
I found this clip to be really interesting, especially when she was talking about Lil Wayne. She was saying how he can be demanding and rude, but still get what he wants immediately and is still respected. However, when she went into her photoshoot, she wasn’t treated as an equal and her reaction was taken as rude and got publicity. She says she puts quality into what she does, so why doesn’t she get quality in return? And while I’m also not a fan of her, I do agree with her. She also says, “When I am assertive, I’m a bitch and when a man is assertive, he’s a boss.” This relates directly back to gendered speech communities that Julia T. Wood discusses in Gendered Lives.