Who You Callin' A Bitch

A detailed Summary of Who You Callin' A Bitch

Some might argue that a person cannot judge a magazine by its cover. However a critical gaze at the cover of the November issue of Cosmopolitan magazine proves that the cover is not only an indication of the contents of the magazine, but also demonstrates the cover model image forced onto women in American society. By just glancing at the cover, one would see a model holding a Cosmo magazine in her right arm. But a more critical eye would see that the model looks emaciated and vulnerable; that her fuchsia vest looks as if it were made for Secretary Barbie; that her blue jeans look as if they were painted on, and barely hung on to her nonexistent hipbones; that although in her right arm she holds the magazine, her left hand rests suggestively on her slightly bent, cracked open leg. Slapped on the front cover, the titles of featured articles for "intellectually" stimulating reading scream for girls to not only read these articles, but to base their lives on these articles, and thus mimic society's ideals: "Be His Best Ever," "His Moan Zoans," "Cosmo's Guide to Dating Mucho Men," "Vote these Dudes Nude," "Ask the Cosmo Kitty," and "Helen Gurley Brown's I'm Wild Again." Although the magazine's depiction of

If Bitch gained greater popularity, the riveting articles would empower women to break out of the media's Barbie doll mold and deconstruct current beauty standards. Instead of endorsing the breast and face enhancing products like other magazines, Bitch exposes the truth behind them. For example, instead of inflating the architecture of the Wonder bra, one article reveals the economics of the Wonder bra. By exposing these 'cosmetics conspiracies,' readers begin to realize that the cosmetics industry is not trying to help them, but rather the industry is preying on readers and ensnaring readers in their evil economic schemes. Bitch provides readers with thought provoking, and comprehensive articles that question and challenge society and the media.

Lisa Jervis proclaims, "Bitch is about formulating replies to the sexism that we see every day... critically examining all the images of femininity and feminism that are thrown at us. ... forging connections between the sociocultural messages we get and the commercial agendas of who's behind them," and finding, "the girl-friendly places in the mass media... the things we can see and read and hear that don't insult our intelligence." From its articles that deconstruct the current beauty mold as well as the motivations of cosmetics and fashion industry to its rebuttals to articles in the mainstream magazine industry, Bitch has created an intelligent forum that praises intelligent, strong women and rejects the instruments of society that have tried to weaken women by constructing an impossible self-defeating beauty standard. Not only is Bitch "a girl-friendly place", it is also a forum that has brought about change as women question what has been fed to them. In effect, these questions will affect their relationship with men, so that men will also question what they have been taught. As women reject the word "diet," and use the word "bitch", the world will also change. Bitch like other feminist magazines would provide a pillar of strength as well as the tools to create discussion and confront the contradictory and sometimes uncomfortable realities in women's lives if it gained even greater readership and popularity than magazines such as Cosmo or Esquire.

women as weak, stupid, and sub-servient disgusts me, what disgusts me further is the reality that these artificial and r

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lisa Jervis, Theresa Duncan, Bitch Magazine, I'm Wild, CALL'IN BITCH, Secretary Barbie, It/Shove Bitch, Ariel Schrag, Leah Stacy, Harriet Spy, word bitch, mass media, feminist magazines, bitch magazine, people consider insult, people consider, current beauty, wonder bra, cosmo magazine, consider insult, beauty mold, editor bitch magazine, deconstruct current beauty,

Approximate Word count = 1578
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English