Farewell

Well, as my term comes to a close (with a vengeance I might add--a cold spell AND finals? That's just not fair), it's time to wrap this up. I've had a really interesting and enlightening time writing for you guys. Thank you so much for reading!

via tumblr.com

Here's just a few of the things I've learned:

• Y'all (I can say that because I'm from the South) have SO MUCH thrown at you all the time, and most of it can be pretty harmful. At the same time, I've noticed that people are starting to talk about how weird and inaccurate a lot of it can be (and not just this tiny blog group).

• Some of the media isn't that bad! Despite what I  said above, I'm also very impressed with the progress of shows and music and movies. Of course, there will still be shows that pretend that girls are only for cooking and looking pretty, but there's a lot of good out there. Hopefully, we've helped to point some of that out for you! 

• It's really important to go into a show with open ears/eyes and a critical mind. Some of the stuff I've seen can be pretty insidious, and it's important to become an aware audience. It's easy to get into the habit of having shows (and other forms of media too!) wash over you. (Netflix bingeing, anyone?) But I've become more attentive by writing this, as I hope you guys* have become by reading it. 

Farewell! And I really mean that--I hope all of you fare your very best in this swampy, messy media flood. 

~Emily

*For me, "guys," "dudes," and even "girl" are all gender-neutral terms.