This paper was written for my Professional and Public Discourse class, which focused on feminist theory and interaction design. In this class, we analyzed how technical and professional communication influence and are influenced by public discourse. The purpose of this paper was to rhetorically analyze a feminist artifact in order to explore what ideas related to gender, gender bias, sexuality, and sexism are embedded within it and how these messages are conveyed. We used interaction design theory to examine the artifact’s usability, audience, goals, and purpose.
I chose to to analyze Jenna Marble’s video “Things I Don’t Understand About Girls Part 2: The Slut Edition.” In the paper, I describe the artifact’s design, analyze its rhetoric and usability, and connect it to a broader feminist concept in order to delve into the bigger rhetorical implications of this artifact.
I used this artifact to explore problems of definition in the feminist movement, specifically related to victim blaming and slut shaming. Writing this paper gave me the opportunity to really analyze an object and its design, instead of an idea. I had to think critically in order to connect this artifact to a rhetorical situation and I learned the importance of designing in a socially responsible manner.
Click here to download the PDF version of my rhetorical analysis paper.