The Big Bang Theory first made its way into US TV in 2007. Set in Pasadena, California this hilarious sitcom tells the story of a group of social misfits as they make their way through their super awkward daily lives. The four friends also happen to be scientists working at the California Institute of Technology and are all extremely intelligent and at the top of their individual fields of study. The main two characters are Sheldon Cooper, a theoretical physicist and his roommate Leonard Hofstadter who is an experimental physicist. Their leading roles are supported by their two equally socially inept college friends Howard Wolowitz and Rajesh Koothrappali. The final of the main characters is Penny, a beautiful and popular girl who lives across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon. Penny is a part-time waitress and budding actress who although she isn’t as academically able as the boys, she has far better social skills and more common sense than all of them put together. The program follow the boys, Penny and all of the hilarious, ridiculous and often touching situations they find themselves in.

I don’t want to give too much away because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen TBBT yet, but I have to say that one of the best thing about this series has got to be the excellent character development. The writers have really taken the time to create a back story for each character, as well as to provide the viewer with enough information about each character’s likes, dislikes, habits and general personality that you find yourself talking about them as though they are real people. You feel happy when something nice happens to them, and sad when they are upset by something or let down by another person in the group. The four boys really illustrates some of the main problems that boys (particularly geeky boys) have with girls – the inability to talk properly in their presence, talking too much in their presence, desperate and over self-deprecating with no self-confidence, etc etc. You really do feel for them when they have trouble with their ‘issues’, and you find yourself routing for them if they ever show signs on improvement.

Another great element, and perhaps the most unique part of the program has got to be their immensely intelligent storylines and rambling scientific lectures which Sheldon often gives the rest of the group. Some serious though and research must go into creating this type of dialog. It’s not simply your run of the mill ‘Na-ha, ah-ha!’ rubbish that you get in most American sitcoms, it’s truly brainy stuff! But despite how serious this sounds, the entire program is light-hearted, fun and hysterical from start to finish, with the odd soft moment when your heart swells and your eyes fill up. This has happened to me twice so far during some incredibly sweet moments between Sheldon and Penny. Finally, it has to be said that there is nothing quite like TBBT on TV right now, it manages to be both light-hearted and intellectual at the same time. You can check it out on E4, have a look at the website for more info…http://www.e4.com/bigbangtheory/

That’s for reading my ramblings again,

Miss Bunny xx

So following on from my review of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, below is my review of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.

The premise for the second season of the Spartacus drama is centred on a time (perhaps a few years) before Spartacus first graced the sand of the arena in Capua, and when Batiatus senior was still in charge of the ludus. The main character is a gladiator who also happens to be Batiatus junior’s original champion. His name is Gannicus, a Celt, who wields a sword with skill and chops down any opponent who faces him with ease. Batiatus ploughs a fortune into Gannicus, believing that he too holds as much ambition for glory and riches as Batiatus himself does. Gannicus is advertised as the best champion that the House of Batiatus has ever seen – he enjoys the screams of the fans and wine and women that come as the spoils of his success.

During this prequel we are also introduced to Crixus, a Gaul who will later (in Blood and Sand) become Batiatus’ second champion. During this season he is mocked and hated by the other gladiators and receives death threats. This is all the more poignant to people who have watched Blood and Sand, because they know what Crixus can and will become after some training. We also get to see how the relationship between Lucretia (Batiatus’ wife) and Crixus develops, and how and why it started.

I must say that I am hard pressed to choose which season I enjoyed the most. Gods of the Arena shows us a time when the House of Batiatus is still finding its feet within the upper echelons of Capua’s elite society. We see Batiatus junior take control of the ludus, we see Oenomaus become Doctore and we get to meet his wife Melitta. Perhaps my favourite aspects of this season are that we get a sneak peak of just how ruthless Lucretia is, which explains some of her actions in Blood and Sand. We also see why Solonius, who is in this season a close friend of Batiatus, ends up hating him so much.

I definitely suggest watching these two seasons in the correct order. Don’t be tempted to watch the prequel first, it won’t have the same effect on you and you won’t gasp in the right places when a story or mystery comes together! But seriously, go and buy/download now or risk missing out!

I will be back with a review of Spartacus: Vengeance next year

--Miss Bunny x

Intro:

Barbie is the ultimate Blonde Bombshell. More famous even than Marilyn Munroe or Britney Spears, the ageless icon celebrates her 52nd birthday this year. Still perfectly toned, free from wrinkles and grey hair Barbie is the perfect lithe, sexy and independent woman who totally eclipses her ‘intersex’ companion Ken in every way. Babs is in charge, no questions asked!

Barbie has enjoyed admiration in a constant stream since her first appearance in 1959. The first ever Barbie wore a black and white swimming suit and came with blonde or black hair and a tiny waist. These days you can buy a ‘Video Girl Barbie’ which has an inbuilt video camera in her chest which records and plays back clips on a small screen on her back. There are also ‘Barbie Basics’ dolls are available for a slightly older audience who might not want glitter and sparkles everywhere! It’s not only children that have enjoyed Barbie’s charms over the years. She is popular with grandmothers, mothers and daughters alike. Barbie is close to many of our hearts. From a very young age girls look up to her. And how could they possible miss her, Barbie is everywhere – there’s Barbie dolls, games, makeup, clothes, and websites!

However, Barbie’s evolution has not always been a smooth and positive one. The Barbie Ban Bill, crafted by Democratic Delegate Jeff Eldridge, insists that Barbie influence girls to give more importance to physical beauty at the expense of their intellectual and emotional development. Whether you agree with Jeff or not, everyone knows that Barbie is a contentious role model…and then some!

Is Barbie a Good Role Model?

First of all let’s look at Barbie’s physical appearance to determine her worth as a role model. The modern Barbie is extremely slim, and she has always been that way since her release all those years ago. She also has large breasts which many say are unrealistic when compared to the size of her waist and thighs. If Barbie was a real life-sized woman she would be 35 pounds underweight for her height. So her exaggerated breasts, impossibly long legs, non-existent hips, and her tiny waist represent proportions that are utterly unrealistic and unattainable in the real world – unless you resort to huge amounts of painful and expensive surgery as a small number of women have. There are many groups out there (usually consisting of middle-aged American women) who say that Barbie is guilty of promoting an unrealistic vision of the perfect woman. Perhaps ironically, Barbie’s creator Ruth Handler was diagnosed with breast cancer in the 1970s and went on to develop ‘Nearly Me’; a prosthetic breast for use following a mastectomy. Her product was created to look and feel as natural as possible.

Secondly we need to look at the ‘theme’ of some of the Barbie’s currently available on the market. One of the most contentious dolls has got to be the ‘Totally Stylin Tattoos’ doll which comes supplied with tattoo stickers for herself and 40 temporary tattoos for her owner to wear. Is this really something we want to be encouraging our children to do? There is also a ‘Barbie Loves Glitter Nails’ doll which comes with press on nails for her owner. Hmmm… introducing false nails to little girls, I’m not sure about this either. By far the most contentious Barbie ever produced as got to be the ‘Happy Families’ doll which depicted Barbie’s friend Midge pregnant with her second child. The pregnant Midge doll was banned and removed from store shelves in early 2000 after parents complained that Midge appeared to be too young to be pregnant.

Aside from the dolls mentioned above, the ‘I Can Be…’ range of dolls show Barbie in the guise of a doctor, dentist, news anchor, vet, architect and computer engineer which no can argue are all noble pursuits for a bombshell! Barbie is more than just bleached blonde hair and big boobs, she is a strong woman who knows what she wants from life and works hard to achieve it. That can’t be a bad thing for little girls to aspire to. There is a ‘I Can Be…Bride’, but we can forgive her for that!

It is clear that Barbie is still important to girls as they grow into women. In 2007 the MAC makeup brand launched a range of official Barbie makeup products. Women could buy lipstick, eye shadow, mascara, blusher and nail polish all in shades inspired by Barbie and her entourage proving that we are never too old for Barbie.

Conclusion:

For many of us Barbie is associated with one of the best times of our lives; our early childhood. Thinking of her brings on a warm and safe feeling, a feeling that we had when we were little playing on the floor in our bedrooms with our pastel coloured toys. So are parents worrying too much (as usual) about what their children are being exposed to? Will a little girl really look at a Barbie doll and think ‘when I am older I want to look like this?’ I don’t think so. After all, most modern mother’s will have played with a Barbie when they were children, and I bet 99.9% of them would say that Barbie had no detrimental effect on their life as a women.

This being said young girls should be encouraged by their parents to view Barbie in the correct way – as a fantasy figure who does not exist in the real world – like a sparkly unicorn or a fairy. Not as something to aspire to or emulate physically.

After all, she’s just a toy….right?

I would love to hear your opinions on my first post!

Kate Smith.

Hey guys! The below post is a bit of a break from tradition for me and is much more serious than the articles I usually write. But give it a read and I would love to hear your feedback and opinions. This is part one of two...

Introduction:

These days, locating hard-core pornography on the internet is as easy as Googling the word ‘sex’. With minimal blocks between the search results page and a websites hosting pornographic material (usually amounting to no more than an age verification), access to porn by young people is as easily as it has ever been. Combine this ease in access with the ability to delete your history, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Critics worry at length about the effect that excessive exposure to pornography has on an adult’s home life and way of thinking, but even more about its impact on children and teens whose minds are open and whose personalities are easily moulded by outsides forces.

This blog post is much more serious than my previous musings, in fact my last post was a review a feature length porno called Pirates XXX, so why so serious? Well, I am going to try and argue both sides for why porn has an adverse effect on our young people, but why it cannot be blamed entirely for the fact that these days, sex seems to have been relegated in importance and engaged in by increasingly young people.

Throughout the main section of this post I will present the two opposing argument for and against porn being the single most influential elements in how a young person views sex and relationships.

Argument one:

‘Watching porn makes young men see women as sex objects, and makes young woman feel that they have to imitate the women in porn (in both appearance and behaviour) to be deemed attractive and worthy of affection.’

The above argument may seem to be a very broad statement to many, however it has been given the popular vote, and is the default viewpoint of many people, particularly parents, teachers and other groups whom have a close relationship with young people and teenagers. The belief is that those who frequently view porn sites (particularly hard-core porn sites) are far more likely to see sex as a purely physical activity, and to see woman as sex objects or as play things. Here’s a few figures to illustrate how far reaching this issue has become…

•  Every second over $3,000 is being spent on pornography.
•  Every second over 28,000 internet users are viewing pornography.
• In that same second 372 internet users are typing adult search terms into search engines.
• Every 39 minutes a new pornographic video is being created in the U.S. (source: http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-sta... (2006 data)
• Each year 42% of 10-17 year olds view pornographic material online, either deliberately, or by accident. (source: http://www.dadtalk.net/2007/02/many_children_a.html (2007 data)

This data is from 2006/2007, so we are looking at even higher numbers now.

This argument even goes as far as to state (in a US study) that early expose to explicit pornography can be linked to a greater involvement in deviant sexual behaviour such as rape. The study indicated that young people are receiving the message that sex without any repercussions is normal and desirable.

It is common knowledge that young people copy what they see other people, particularly adults doing. It is believe that expose to pornographic material encourages children to act out what they see with their peers or with younger children. Experts in the field of childhood sexual abuse state that sexual activity in young people below the age of consent commonly points to two situations; either the child has experience of sexual situations from their own life (eg. sexual abuse), or they have been exposed to sexual content such as pornography.

During certain critical points in each person’s childhood, the brain is being programmed. This programming with eventually form the basis for many elements of the child’s personality, both for the rest of their childhood, and in later life. Sexual orientation is one of the elements which are hardwired during the early part of our lives so it is very important during this time that a child is exposed to healthy examples of sexual attitudes. If they are exposed to explicit pornographic material during this critical time it may become etched into the child’s programming and have a massive effect on their sexual orientation. Another important point to make is that once a child is old enough to legally view porn (and let’s not forget that pornography is wholly legal when viewed by the correct demographic), they will seek more deviant and violent forms of pornography, as mild pornographic material no longer satisfies their desire for explicit imagery.

Another way that pornography is damaging young people via their increased experience of sexual behaviour is by the increase in children with sexually transmitted infections such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea. There has also been a massive increase in teen pregnancy rates over the past few years, and the trend seems to be up, not down.

Finally, I think that it is important to note that not all children are as vulnerable to the impact that limited expose to pornography can bring. Some children are predisposed to the effects of porn for many reasons including mental health issues, a risk-taking personality and lack of interpersonal skills. All children are different and will react to any expose (deliberate or accidental ) in vastly different ways.

...to be continued...

Part two is coming soon which will outline the opposing argument and give my conclusion.

Thanks for reading,

--Miss Bunny xx