The other day, I woke up to a dark and dreary morning. In keeping with my normal routine, I rolled out of bed and turned on The Today Show to find my two favorite peppy, perfect ladies, Hoda and Kathie Lee, ranting about Kim Kardashian’s shocking divorce from her studly husband Chris Humphries–– a tragic split after only seventy-two days of marriage! (I still don’t get why anyone would ever be ‘shocked’ by this news…) As they sipped their morning glass of wake-me up champagne, their gossip shifted to the newest development in the glamour world—stick-on French manicure nails (that really work!!) I watched aimlessly for a while, clearly not working on the Spanish homework that I actually woke up to accomplish. However, as more time passed, I started to think about what I was actually doing. Did I really care about Kim’s divorce or stick-on nails… well, not really, but nevertheless, I continued to watch the show every morning. We, as American college aged women spend countless hours enveloped in our own world of what I call the ‘Kardashianized America.’ This almost obsessive focus on pop culture and consumption must have some effect on how we think, act and see ourselves and our roles as women at Bowdoin and in general… right?
I wondered if my own perceptions of American popular culture would be similar to a college aged woman from Asia… or Europe? I contacted some international women at Bowdoin by e-mail to find out if my ideas about women’s roles in society, pop culture and male/ female interaction were indeed formed and shaped by my place as a woman living in the inescapable Kardashianized America, and if those thoughts are shared by women raised in a different culture.
HC:What are some major (or small) differences that you have noticed about male/female interaction in the United States and specifically in the college setting? What were your first reactions to these differences?
(Hongbei Lei- China):I am not sure if open is the right word to use, the male/female interaction in America is definitely less reserved than that in China. But at the same time, American culture is more straight forward than Chinese culture in general–– male-female interaction is just part of the big picture. I have been here for four years so I have gotten used to this environment, but I remember trying to adapt to the difference when I first got here.
(Joanna Gromadzki- Switzerland):Something that stands out is that it seems like gender stereotypical behaviours are expected. And most times male/female interactions seem solely for the purpose of becoming “more than friends” rather than simply getting to know someone. I was a little shocked and confused at first since I felt that many guys I talked to expected something more or misunderstood my friendliness. Although I quickly came to adjust how I socialized with the opposite gender. Although, something to emphasize is that this does not apply to everyone at all, this was just something that I felt overwhelmed with in my first semesters at Bowdoin.
HC:What role do you think pop culture plays in determining gender roles in the USA? Is this the same in your home country? How pervasive is American (or your own nation’s) pop culture in your day-to-day life when you are back home?
HL:Pop culture definitely plays a very important role in terms of guiding people in gender interaction/gender roles. I guess I can best express the difference in one small example, I have seen two Social House party themes that stand out to me, “land a hoe” and “golf pro and tennis hoes”… I hope I don’t sound too conservative, but I secretly think it is kind of degrading to girls…maybe it is just because of my Chinese mind-set…? I think these two phrases being in public spaces definitely tells me something about how the pop culture defines gender role in America, at least in this particular campus setting. Calling girls “hoes” on a poster would not be something Chinese college students would do. On the other hand classic shows like Sex and City also shape many modern women’s views about the role they play in society. Personally I think American pop culture is very pervasive in my daily life when I am back home, not just me, many people in China watch American TV shows and listen to American pop music, and I think American values are being broadcasted that way.
JG:As I mentioned before, it often seems (at least in college) that men and women are expected to act in very stereotypical ways. This could be influenced by pop culture since women tend to be pictured as very sexualized and very feminine (usually focusing on finding a man to date or marry). This pop culture is very present in Europe but I’ve never noticed the gender role pressure as much as I have here. This could also be because you tend to be oblivious to these things when you live in the same place for a long time. Honestly, it’s very hard to phrase these differences; it’s also hard to make these assumptions since I haven’t been in America for very long.
HC:Do you see any major differences in the role of women in society between the USA and your country?
HL:We don’t talk about women’s role in China that much really. I personally think part of the reason is that we have not gotten around to that yet––with so many other problems in hand. But there is one tradition in China that makes the women’s role very different. The girl’s family usually expects the boy to have a house for the couple to live in (and homes are incredibly expensive in China) because of this hidden rule in society, women are expected to not work as hard. This is changing though.
HC:What were your biggest misconceptions about the USA and about Bowdoin that were debunked (or not!) when you came here, and what do think are the biggest misconceptions that American students have about your country?
JG:My biggest misconceptions were based on stereotypes (as they usually are). Even though I’d been to the States many times before Bowdoin, I had the image that people did not eat well or exercise much. Although, this misconception was based on people who were much older than college students, so it was hard to really assume what to expect. Bowdoin has to have the most athletic students I’ve ever seen and as we all know it also has the most amazing and healthiest food found at a college! European students who went to schools in America, had also told me that people do not drink socially––it is all about binge drinking. I have to say binge drinking is present, but you also have people who drink socially without the goal of getting drunk, so I feel that that was also a misconception. The biggest misconception that American students have about Switzerland is that they think it is Sweden. I don’t think I can count how many times I’ve been asked, “so you speak Swedish right?” or “How’s Sweden?”. Some people also believe I live in a chalet in the mountains and ski to class. I wish I did! I find these misconceptions amusing though.
Photo credit:
http://cdn.buzznet.com/media-cdn/jj1/headlines/2011/10/kim-kardashian-di…
http://www.swedennotswitzerland.com/img/sweden_switzerland.png