Girls Gone WildGirls Gone Wild

By: Tri KhuuBy: Tri Khuu

Joe R. FrancisJoe R. Francis

IntroductionIntroduction

• The primary behavior that can be observed on a Girls Gone Wild videos would be college-aged women exposing their breasts.

• However other sexual activities can be observed also.

• Participators do not get rewarded with money but with a white cotton t-shirt.

Historical BackgroundHistorical Background

• In the US breasts are sexualized.• The beauty, admiration and obsession with

breasts has always existed and continues until today.

• The bigger the better!• The perkier the better!• The rounder the better!• Men are just in love breasts and women are

eager to show off what they have.

Gender and InequalityGender and Inequality

• The college-aged population engages the most in this behavior.– They can be as young 18

years old. – They are white women– Heterosexuals – Middle-class

• Any good-looking females who are willing to show their breasts can participate.

• GGW content lacks racial and ethnic diversity among the females.

• Judging from these covers, one can see this.

• There’s a Guys Gone Wild too.

• The ideal participator would be:– Blonde hair– Blue eyes– Big breasts– No piercing or tattoos– Weighing from 100 to

110 pounds

• This is the ideal of white American beauty

• Girls Gone Wild definitely benefits the male population more than it does the female population.

• Men benefited the most from this behavior because they get to see breasts, the women in the video get a tank top.

• Some women see this behavior as degrading.

LegalityLegality

• Many lawsuits have been brought against Joe Francis, the founder of Girls Gone Wild, with claims that some of the girls are underage and were filmed without proper consent.

• The girls appearing on the video are usually drunk and not in a state to be able to give their informed consent.

Religious InfluencesReligious Influences

• Religion has not directly played a role in this issue, however we live in a Judeo-Christian society and those values manifest in many ways.

• This society does not approve of overt sexuality.

• These values which are embedded in our society make young women feel that they can only “go wild” when they are drunk.

Political InfluencesPolitical Influences

• After the prostitution scandal with New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, GGW wanted to offer call girl Ashley Dupre $1 million to star in an upcoming film.

Political InfluencesPolitical Influences

• But the surprise was on them!

• She had already appeared in a Girls Gone Wild video – when she was only seventeen.

Changes?Changes?

• Feminists would like to see reform on this issue.

• Mantra films would like it to stay the same so that they can keep profiting.

ChangesChanges• Recently, Girls Gone

Wild founder Joe Francis spent nearly 12 months in jail.

• Pannama City, Fl charged him with 71 criminal charges.

• Joe Francis was never convicted of any charges.

• He claims that he was wrongfully there, and many of his constitutional rights were violated such as Amendment 4, 5, 7 and 8.

• Joe has no ambition on changing anything.

The FutureThe Future

• I think that Girls Gone Wild will continue on and still be profitable.

• After all, the activity of showing one’s breasts has been enjoyed since the 1700s, so why would that stop now?

The FutureThe Future

• I would hope that Mantra Films would be more careful in selecting the women for their videos.

• Using drunk, underage girls sets them up for many legal problems.

ReferencesReferences• Department of State.

(2007). Creator of Girls Gone Wild Indicted for Tax Evasion. Available from: http://www.usdoj.gov/tax/txdv07237.htm. Retrieved November 9, 2008

• Francis, J. (2008). Meet Joe Francis. Available from: http://www.meetjoefrancis.com/mystory/. Retrieved November 9, 2008

• Pitcher, K. (2006). The Staging of Agency in Girls Gone Wild. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 23(3), 200-218. Retrieved November 9, 2008

• Wolfmans. (2003). What is “Girls Gone Wild”? Available from: http://www.everything2.org/index.pl?node=Girls%20Gone%20Wild. Retrieved November 9, 2008