A study of suicidegirls.com

Here is the second scholarly critique of the article "Feminists sexualities, race and the internet." To read this article click here!
1) Research topic and researcher(s): “Feminists sexualities, race and the internet: an investigation of suicidegirls.com” by Magnet, Shoshana. In New Media & Society, Aug 2007, Vol. 9, Issue 4, pp. 577-602. Retrieved from Communication and Mass Media Complete, on Mar. 28, 2008.

2) Rationale of the study:
The website suicidegirls.com was created to portray women in a way that is not racist, ableist, or heterosexist. In addition, the site attempts to create a positive feminist community that hopes to broaden the representation and understanding of the female sexuality. The rationale of the study was to uncover how the site fails to portray women in a positive light and actually reinforces racial hierarchies and sexual subordination.

3) Literature review:
· This study has found that suicidegirls.com describes itself as a feminist.
· The women featured on the site are expected to own the gaze of male viewers.
· Models of suicidegirls.com are extensively pierced, tattooed, and have died hair.
· These measures are taken to disrupt the traditional norms of beauty.
· Models of suicidegirls.com are required to journal and post on bulletin boards. They generally include testimonies of their life events, sexual harassment at work, schoolwork, even views of women in the sex industry.
· Messages boards on the site include feminist discussions ranging Roe v. Wade to sexual harassment.
· Utopian feminist believe that women online are relieved from conventional norms and restriction of female sexuality.
· Cybertopian feminists argue that the female body is active and intelligent when portrayed online.
· Suicidegirls.com argues that women are freer to experiment with their sexual orientation online, as a result of anonymity.
· Additionally, the site goes on to argue that the internet serves as a new place for women to find sexual fulfillment through cybersex.
· As the site insists it frees women of sexual harassment some of the models have been harassed by someone they met online.
· The site is aimed at portraying diverse women, however the site rarely feature women with bodies that challenge the normal standards of beauty.
· Females displayed on the site demonstrate how racism prevails on the alleged antiracist site.
· Women of color on the site are racially stereotypical, which can lead to their objectification.
· Women of color who did not display stereotypical, physical traits were excluded from the site.

4) Research Method:
The researchers used both contextual analysis and textual analysis of pictures, profiles, texts, and members of the website.

5) Subject of the study:
The researchers of the study began by studying and analyzing the representation of sexuality and feminism one suicidegirls.com. The process continued as the researchers examined other parts of the site including, pictures of models, profiles of members, and online discussions hosted on the site.

6) Research finding:
· The site’s ability to completely be feminist is limited by the fact that the site is profit-driven.
· Ethnicity, queerness, and gender become goods that suicidegirls.com creates profit from.
· Suicidegirls.com attempts to capitalize on the feminist market.
· The site uses its feminist potential to gain paying members for the site’s profit.
· Additionally, the sight adheres to featuring mostly white females as they are the safest and best-selling product.
· Models of the site most commonly join based on financial need, not to defy standards and norms of conventional beauty.
· Racism prevails on the sight as women of color are stereotypically portrayed and are deemed deviant females.
· Capitalism and profits affect how the gay community has become a commodity to suicidegirls.com.
· The site’s capitalistic (profit-driven) nature solidifies the norm of female beauty as straight and white.

7) My position on this scholarly article:
I believe that this was a heuristic topic to examine. There are many individuals and websites that are challenging long held standards and norms of beauty. Obviously, suicidegirls.com is a landmark website where the conception of beauty has come into question. I think it is important and positive that the study highlights the fact that websites like suicidegirls.com exist. Before reading this article I was unaware that the standards and norms of female beauty were being redefined.

Although the study was very heuristic, it lacked validity. Many of the arguments and theories used to discount the site’s feminist movement were not fact (more so it was the opinion of the researchers). Furthermore, I feel the methodology of the study was primitive. The aim of the study was seemingly unanswered and the commodification, ethnicity, gender and suicide girls portion of the article were, in my perspective, irrelevant.

Overall the study was interesting and heuristic, but the validity and methodology were questionable to say the least. Also, the purpose of the study seemed unfinished.