Pop goes the Pin Up

This reading “Pop goes the Pin ups” is very intriguing yet entertaining. Many of the reading we have encountered have taught us about the roles of male and female. Males having to be the breadwinner, having family going to war etc. while females were to be housewife’s, taking care of children, during house work and barely having any careers. (this was the ideal role during the 1950’s) in this selection the role of  el women changed. Leaving a form of confusion

            In the reading it describes the women’s role during and after the war, also describing the pin up girls. During the war since the men were shipped out to fight there were no one to take care of the jobs back home. Leaving women with responsibilities to basically take on the patriotic role and work for the nation. I find this interesting because women during this time basically stayed at home, but because of the war it gave them the opportunity to do something and be known as something other than a mere housewife. After the war when the men came back home, women were expected to return to their homes. They were to be the “housewife”. All of this gave rise to how women were viewed after the war. They went back to doing what they have been known to do. It states that, this role “the feminine mystique” demanded the postwar woman to be “young and frivolous, almost childlike; fluffy and feminine, passive; gaily content in a world of bedroom and kitchen, sex, babies and homes.”(pg 240)

            As the reading continues it goes into details of the pin-up girls. Hugh Hefner had a major part in this, giving his opinion of the pin-ups. Many females had a problem with the pin-up girls in magazines as Hefner would say the magazine is not for family but for the eyes of men. Popular culture has seen these women as seductive, confident and sexually aggressive females. This was seen as the new idealized women during the post war.  These girls had physical beauty, intelligence and sexual awareness. The pin ups  is something that was looked at by many men, not to say that even some women were for the pin-ups despite the negative comments issued to the magazine. This including play boy is quite popular during this time period. Playboy is also popular now. Nothing has really changed

“Playboy Joins the Battle of the Sexes"

The reading “Playboy Joins the Battle of the Sexes" was a fun reading. Things mentioned in this reading did not seem to surprise me at all. Playboy has been very popular for many years and still a big successful industry in today's society. Many males today view playboy as something pleasurable, fun and exciting, same as the males in the 1960's. Even though majority of the things we have been reading were in the 1950’s playboy was just something else that added on to the rebel that took place during the 50’s.

         Males are supposed to be married, have a job and basically be the breadwinner, while the women took care of the house work and the kids. Men were fed up, but this was the norm during this time period. Many things occurred, in which males rebelled against the norms, and playboy was one of them. Hugh Hefner created playboy for males. This was supposed to be the fun males needed to have. “It was something approaching a coherent program for the male rebellion; a critique of marriage, a strategy for liberation…” It seems as though men wanted to get away from their daily life and do what is best for them. I personally feel that there is nothing wrong with that. Can there be other things to do other than look at naked females, yes, but this is what they chose to do.

            Playboy is seen to go against marriage, something in which allow men to feel that they can get into sexual relations without committing themselves. Because this is one of the things playboy portrayed many women did not agree with it. Women may not like playboy and I understand why. I mean having your husband not pay attention to you and only focus on a naked female in a magazine or television etc., what female would be a bit upset. As I said before I understand but at the same time if it was vice versa and there was a popular magazine for females, I know they would get them too and be fascinated by it. I know I would, well not to the extent as males. Playboy as mentioned it was for fun and something that males can enjoy indoors and not outdoors.