Women Read The Romance …Ooo la la

This article talked about two different types of groups who read romance novels to fulfill their yearning for a perfect relationship with a man. The Smithton women read the novels for relaxation and an escape from their present surroundings, as one woman put it, "My body may be in the room, but i'm not!" (69) . The fantasy world of romance novels spark women's interest because they aren't boring like the newspapers and TV new, which I can totally agree with that!

Chodorow view is based on the Freudian concept of nurturing. That men have a hard time fulfilling a women's emotional needs because they find it unfamiliar and difficult. This is because woman have been known to believe that men are the source of pleasure, but mens socialization by what the ideal family should be prevents them to nurture women in the way they wish to be. "They long for emotional attention and tender care; on the other hand, they wish to rehearse the discovery that man's distance can be explained and excused has his way of expressing love." (75).

This image of the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith I thought relates to both Smithton's and Chodorow's view on romance novels. It's about a married couple who are hot and heavy when they have time off of work, which is what Smithton's long for when they escape reading a novel. But on the other hand, the couple is out to kill the other one making it hard for the woman to be nurtured all the time because her husband is trying to aggressively kill her, which is what Chodorow argues.

The "Rape Narratives on The Oprah Winfrey Show" reading basically analyzed Oprah's show on date rape and how it relates to women's empowerment and feminism. The article talks about so much, I don't even know where to begin. Oprah invites a panel of experts to discuss valid ways to understand the topic of rape more to the victims. One recognizing "movement from object to subject." (526). I also think a good part about understanding rape is learning the statistics. Oprah gives out statistics which highlights how prevalent the crime really is. I thought the statistic of high school boys and girls view on rape was astonishing. The boys saying it's okay to rape a girl if they paid for their date/dating someone for 6 months validates them to rape a girl? And then some of the girls agreeing to that? It is very true though, girls can be easily manipulated and just agree to have sex with their boyfriends without even realizing its considered rape. Oprah's show about rape…or any issue is effectively diplomatic, balanced, and educating. Having women openly describe their situation, having an actual rapist explain his thinking, having the audience interact and ask question to the guest, then the panel to add professional information makes for a great show that anyone could watch.

This picture of a woman hiding her face from the shadow of the guy in front of her suggests that she is afraid of what he can do next, which basically shows his power over her and could possible do whatever he wants to her.