The Low-down

THE LOW-DOWN THE HUNGER GAMES

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN GAMING Page 2

JENNIFER LAWRENCE - FEARLESS REBEL

HITCH MOVIE REVIEW Page 3

MOVIE REVIEW ON PAGE 7

IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH CASTER SEMENYA ABOUT GENDER ISSUES Page 5

MEN ARE ‘CAVEMEN‘ ACCORDING TO MODERN ADVERTISING Page 9

MIDDLE EASTERN WOMEN OPPRESSED BY GENDER INEQUALITY Page 10

CHAPTER 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS Gender differences in gaming........PAGE 2 Does the movie ‘hitch’ portray typical male stereotypes?........PAGE 4 Interview with Caster Semenya........PAGE 6 How does ‘the hunger games’ challenge gender roles?........PAGE 8 Men are ‘cavemen’ according to modern advertising........PAGE 9 You by Design........PAGE 10 Middle Eastern women oppressed by gender inequality........PAGE 11 Rap Battle of the Sexes........PAGE 12 Reference Links........PAGE 13

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN GAMING

BY STEFAN VORSTER

THE GAMING INDUSTRY IS A MULTI MILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY THAT FOCUSSES MORE ON THEIR APPEAL ON MEN THAN ON WOMEN. IT ALSO SHOWS WOMEN IN VIDEO GAMES AS YOUNG FIT WOMEN WEARING TIGHT OR AS LITTLE CLOTHING AS POSSIBLE. In gaming, the majority of people playing action-shooter games like WoW, GTA, CG:GO and Skyrim are males ,whereas females prefer to play sims and other mobile games like Candy Crush and Words With Friends. However, more female gamers are getting into games like Call of Duty and the number of female gamers is slowly creeping up on the number of male gamers.

In professional gaming, 70% of the players are male with only 30% being female. This is because marketing for pro-gaming is aimed at males between the ages of 2134. The highest paid female gamer,

Sasha ‘Scarlett’ Hostyn, is ranked 285th in the world for the amount of money that she receives from tournaments.

There are however many female gamers, who stream and post video’s on You Tube, that have over a million subscribers, this shows that female gamers are watched by many people. You Tube also doesn’t care whether you are female or male, they pay you according to your number of views on your video and the money that you earn from running ads on your video’s, some female

gamers also earn more than other male gamers.

Majority of the women that post video’s on youtube as stream of websites like Twitch.tv. Twitch allows viewers to tip money to the streamers and they can pay in order to subscribe and get special privileges. The streamers can also run ads in order to get ad revenue.

In conclusion, the professional e-Sport industry could possibly be missing out on some potential talent, but all gamers are mostly treated equally on Youtube and Twitch and they all get payed the

DOES THE MOVIE ‘HITCH’ PORTRAY TYPICAL MALE STEREOTYPES?

BY KEANU ALVES

TITLE: Hitch RELEASE DATE: February 11, 2005 DIRECTOR/SCREENPLAY: Andy Tennant / Kevin Bisch CAST: Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James, Paula Patton, Amber Valleta and Casey Sedgewick RUNNING TIME: 1h 58m RATING:

--------------------------------------------------------------One of the annoying things about the entertainment industry right now is that there's a sneaky little layer of sexism and a lot of it can slip by us if we aren't paying attention. An example of this is the movie “Hitch (2005)”.

Will Smith stars as Alex “Hitch” Hitchens, New York’s local ‘Date Doctor’. If you are a lonely guy that wants to be in a world where fates are decided in an instant, then Hitch is your man. He knows all the right techniques to woo women: What and what not to tell them, how to get their attention, how to make them see you as their knight in shining armor.

Hitch is very doubtful when he meets his next client, the jumpy and overwrought Albert Brennaman for the first time. Albert is secretly in love with his beautiful, rich and powerful boss Allegra Cole. Why would such an important women want to date a pudgy accountant? That is for Hitch to change: to transform Albert into a smooth and classy guy, rather than being a klutz. Meanwhile, Hitch has his own romance game in

action. He has fallen for Sara Melas, a smart and cynical reporter (gossip girl). It always seems that she is one step ahead of Hitch, as his own advice fails to work on her.

The sexism and stereotypes towards males rise when Hitch meets his new client, Vance. Hitch is eager to help out that is until Vance states that he needs and wants help getting into a girl’s pants. Hitch refuses, calling him a “Pig” and states that the people he helps actually like women. However, Vance manages to sleep with the girl even without Hitch’s help. The girl turns out to be Casey, Sara’s best friend, who gets her heart shattered. So when Sara eventually finds out about what Hitch does for a living, she is furious and stops seeing him. When he confronts her while she is attending a speed-dating event, the gender stereotypes begin to stand out. Sara begins to call Hitch a “scam artist” that tricks women into the sack. She implies that he is a typical man who gives love for sex rather than sex for love. Hitch then interrupts her and gives her the real reason for him doing what he does: “I trick women into getting out of their own way, so that guys like Albert Brennaman have a fighting chance”. This shows that Hitch is a man who respects women and just wants to help people find their soul mates.

Although many of the feminist ideals are forced on us, male stereotypes are challenged in many different films (For example: Hitch). In conclusion, the male stereotype that men don’t respect women and that they give love for sex, is just a generalisation. Women are not the only ones being degraded.

“God made me the way I am and I accept myself. I am who I am and I’m proud of myself.”

-Caster Semenya

CASTER SEMENYA

BY STEFAN VORSTER

SHE IS SEEN AS A HERMAPHRODITE, BUT THERE IS MORE TO HER STORY, AS SHE TELLS THE LOW-DOWN

The middle distance athlete, Caster Semenya, finds herself in the middle of a gender controversy. Her testosterone levels are 3 times higher than other female athletes. Today we will be talking to her about her views on gender.

Stefan : How did it make you feel having the eyes of the World on you?

Caster : It was very difficult. I did not choose this, I do not take drugs to enhance my performance. I just want to do what I am passionate about.

Stefan Vorster : Thank you for taking the time to talk to us.

Caster Semenya : My pleasure. I am feeling more confident now that a ruling in my favour has been made.

Stefan : How do you overcome these feelings?

Caster : You need to be strong. Do not focus on individuals. Focus on the support from your family. Sport is not about discriminating against people because of how they look, speak or run.

Stefan : What does it mean to be hermaphrodite?

Caster : Basically, the tests showed that I am both a woman and a man, although I see myself as a woman.I have no womb or ovaries and I have internal testes that give me a higher testosterone level than other woman.

Stefan : What are your long term goals?

Caster : There are a few gold medals I still have my eye on. I will see where life takes me after that.

Stefan : Are you going to have the testes surgically removed?

Caster : No, I have made my peace with how God has made me. I am married to my long term girlfriend now and we are very happy. I see no reason to mess with Gods’ creation.

Stefan : What are you studying at North West University?

Caster : I am studying Sport Science. It is obviously the direction my life will take as it is a huge passion of mine.

Stefan : Caster, we wish you all the luck in the world and thank you for your candid replies.

Caster : My pleasure.

This is a fictional interview with the answers taken from real sources

HOW DOES ‘THE HUNGER GAMES’ CHALLENGE GENDER ROLES?

BY STEFAN VORSTER

TITLE: The Hunger Games RELESE DATE: 13 April 2012 DIRECTOR : Gary Ross CAST : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson.

RUNNING TIME: 2h 22m RATING:

--------------------------------------------------------------In the movie, The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games is an event that is streamed live to the twelve districts and the capital. One man and one woman from each district are chosen to fight to the death until only one person is left and crowned the victor. One of the main characters is Katniss Everdeen, who is played by Jennifer Lawrence and is portrayed as the strong and independent character who doesn't obey the rules of The Capital. She is shown hunting outside of their village fences for food in order to supply for her mother and her sister. Katniss’s sister is chosen for the games, but Katniss volunteers to take her place. This shows that she cares a lot for her family and will do anything for their safety and well-being.

In the training arena, Katniss uses a bow and shows off her skills to the judges. They don't pay attention to her, so she shows her skills by shooting an arrow at an apple that is on a plate next to one of the judges. For this she receives the highest score out of all the tributes. This shows that even though she is a

young woman, she is just as, if not more intimidating than the men.

In the arena, Katniss avoids conflict for as long as possible, but when she does have to fight, she ends up winning. This shows that she is capable of fighting when she has too, but she prefers not too. Katniss ends up being one of two people left in the arena, the other person being the male, Peeta, that was chosen from her district. Nither of them wanted to fight each other, so the decided to rebel against the games by saying that either both of them win or both of them die. This shows that Katniss is a very rebellious character, but she also has a soft side for friends.

In conclusion, The Hunger Games, is a movie that challenges the gender stereotypes that say men are stronger than women and that they are more capable than women by showing that a girl is capable of looking after a family, while still being capable of protecting and supplying food for a family.

MEN ARE ‘CAVEMEN’ ACCORDING TO MODERN ADVERTISING

BY KEANU ALVES

It is pretty evident that modern-day advertising can challenge many of the gender stereotypes and roles of the different genders. However, the advertising can and is sometimes degrading to certain genders. From a half naked babe being stuck in the middle of the desert with only Liqui-Fruit to quench her thirst, to women being told to “Think like a man” in order to be successful, sexism is everywhere.

While ‘unrealistic feminine ideals’ are constantly brought up, the ads today are not only sexist towards women. I know! It is crazy, isn’t it?

Men are targeted by stereotypes that are unfair in so many ways.

They are portrayed as either mindless buffoons or hyper-masculine in many of the advertisements around the world today. For exam-

ple, In Old Spice’s “Nightclub” commercial, it clearly references to men as brainless robots. Or how about in Hanes’s “Paste” commercial: It furthers the idea and stereotypes that men are not capable of doing small domestic tasks. Simple things like taking care of children or keeping things clean. The Hanes commercial illustrates men as being brainless beings that need women to clean up after them. Or Miller Lites’s commercial: It shows a man wearing skinny jeans, buying beer. When he purchases the beer, he is ridiculed by the woman behind the counter for wearing skinny jeans. The woman asks: “Doesn’t your wife care that you are borrowing her pants?”. So what? Only women can worry about fashion and how they look?

Men don’t care about what they are wearing or what they look like.

The narrator then proceeds to say: “Man up! By choosing a lite beer with more taste”. So now men have to drink beer in order to be a man? So will I be less of a man if I don’t drink beer? The Miller Lite commercial is a good example of the clear use of male stereotypes.

Although the degrading women is everywhere in media, we cannot forget that men are ALSO being stereotypically depicted today. The stereotypical depiction of men is catching up. They are usually portrayed as hyper-masculine, cavemen idiot that cannot do anything by themselves. Usually mocked or controlled by females in the ads.

YOU BY DESIGN

BY STEFAN VORSTER

What do we learn when we turn the pages,watch the movie or observe?

Images, roles, perfection, female, male!

Traditional roles of homemaker and bread winner, Sexy, sleek, lean and mean.

Designer dress and perfectly pressed!

Dinner for a king, angel children, chef in the kitchen.

Slave, mother, wife, feminine.

Six pack, sportsman, coiffed hair and designer suit, high earner, powerful.

Omnipotent, father, husband, masculine.

Roles learned by children through sight and exposure!

Literature, composed and false!

When will we let the truth filter through?

You can be whatever!

Just be you!

Rich, poor, thin, larger, pretty, handsome, plain, academic, practical!

Special!

Different!

You!

MIDDLE EASTERN WOMEN OPPRESSED BY GENDER INEQUALITY

BY AUSTIN BOTHA

While the average human’s day-today life is great, we tend to forget about some of the pressing matters in our evidently advanced world. Although we, as Earthlings, are advanced, we are definitely lacking in many departments. You know? Human Rights? The things we are all entitled to. Well there seems to be a miscommunication with some country’s laws and human rights. Here are a few examples of gender inequalities that need to be addressed: Did you know that women are still forbidden to drive in Saudi Arabia?

This also means that Saudi Arabia is trying to fix the problem of how 367,000 girls get to school every morning on buses driven by men.

In Afghanistan, there are militant groups that attack schools because they disagree with females

receiving an education. Two-thirds of the world’s literate adults are made up of women. Afghanistan needs to put a stop to this because they should be trying to optimise their youth’s education by making sure everyone is given a solid education. India has a law that says rape laws do not apply to married couples. This means that women will remain subjected to this and sexual abuse. Now moving back to the middle east, there are many countries that have extremely strict rules regarding women but this rule in particular is astonishing: In Lebanon, women that have been battered still cannot file for a divorce unless they have an eyewitness willing to testify. Men are almost depicted as owners over their wives which is completely the wrong idea as we are all equals as humans.In some

countries like Bahrain and Egypt, men can actually stop their wives from leaving the country. In other middle eastern countries, women need to get hold of a written permission document from their closest male relative or husband to leave the country or even use public transport.

It is obvious that there is a multitude of problems in our world and it is necessary for these to be addressed because these laws and happenings seem unfathomable and ridiculous.

There seems to have been a trend with the middle eastern countries and I feel that the United Nations need to host a meeting about changing some of their laws and putting an end to these inequalities between genders.

REFERENCES https://www.reddit.com/r/truegaming/comments/2xa9a5/gender_and_computer_game_players_who_seems_to/ http://www.pcgamesn.com/pc-gamer-statistics-reveal-equal-gender-split-and-average-age-38 http://www.esportsearnings.com/players/highest-overall-x200 http://www.esportsearnings.com/players/female-players http://remeshed.com/2015/10-subscribed-female-youtube-gamers/ http://www.polygon.com/2014/5/27/5723446/women-in-esports-professional-gaming-riot-games-blizzard-starcraft-lol http://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/32805695 http://www.npr.org/sections/thetorch/2016/08/16/490236620/south-african-star-raises-sensitive-questions-about-intersex-athletes http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1075515/commercials-sexist-towards-men http://listverse.com/2008/11/20/10-extreme-examples-of-gender-inequality/ https://curiosity.com/topics/gender-equality-a-long-road-ahead-u1ekerJT/ http://www.borgenmagazine.com/10-examples-gender-inequality-world/