Web Exercises

Part VI: Growing Up With Contemporary Media

Interrogating Disney

This exercise works well with the Artz article.

1. Watch the clip from Disney’s Mulan which is about a young woman who pretends to be a man in order to fight the Huns in the Chinese army.

2. Lead a discussion: How does Mulan reinforce traditional masculine stereotypes? How does Mulan engage in cultural appropriation with the use of music and mise-en-scène? (e.g., the music and scenery in Mulan is what American audiences think Chinese culture looks/sounds like).

Rihanna versus Miley

This exercise can work with any part of the unit but especially with the Dines and Jackson/Vares essays. The discussion prompts also reference the 2017 Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal--it might be helpful to be sure that students are aware of this event before starting the exercise.

1. Watch this clip from the Disney channel series Hannah Montana.

2. Then, watch this clip with Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke from the 2013 MTV VMAs.

3. Finally, watch this clip which is the original unrated music video for Blurred Lines with Pharrell and Robin Thicke which was performed at the VMAs. (video contains nudity)

4. Lead a discussion with students surrounding the following concepts/questions:

  • Does Miley Cyrus have a responsibility to young girls since she started with Hannah Montana at such a young age (11 years old) and acted as a role model to her pre-teen/tween target audience?
  • If yes, did she violate that responsibility at the VMAs with her performance AND with her performance of a song that so obviously objectified women (based on the music video and the song’s content)?
  • How can we negotiate Cyrus and Blurred Lines in a post-Harvey Weinstein media culture?

Why Kids Sext

1. Assign students to read the Salter essay and also this article from The Atlantic November 2014 called Why Kids Sext.

2. Lead a discussion with some of the following as prompts:

  • How does sexting differ from social media in the performance of virtual sexuality?
  • Based on the articles, what are the inherent differences between boys and girls who engage in sexting behavior? Why is it acceptable (aka a joke) for boys but scandalous for girls? Is this just another example of a phallocratic culture or evidence of something more?