Media+Paper+Jelene

For this paper, each person in our class was randomly assigned a different T.V. channel to watch and observe different gendered moments on the channel. We then had to come up with a clear thesis statement on our own. I was assigned the Animal Planet channel, and decided to focus on a show called //Confessions: Animal Hoarding.// I learned that Animal Hoarding is a major problem in almost every community across America, and is seen as a type of addiction similar to smoking or drinking. I learned that women hoard animals mostly due to their “motherly” instincts while men hoard animals for comfort when they are lonely. http://iolaniwomenlit.wikispaces.com/Media+Paper



A Closer Glance Confessions: Animal Hoarding The media is all around us and influences the way we think and feel about certain issues. The media constantly portrays gender stereotypes through magazines, movies, commercials and T.V. shows. The “Animal Planet” channel portrays these stereotypes in a show called //Confessions: Animal Hoarding//. The show involved going to different people’s homes to try and cleanse them of their hoarding habits. Although Animal Planet is about animals, the show stresses that it is “surprisingly human” as well. The show “Confessions: Animal Hoarding,” focuses on the relationships that people have with their pets, shows what types of people animal hoard, and the different reasons why men and women animal hoard. Women hoard animals mostly due to their “motherly” instincts, while men hoard animals for comfort when they are lonely. Animal hoarding is defined as “the need to possess and control animals” (Animal Hoarding), and is a serious problem in almost every community across America. Although there are occasional men that hoard animals, most animal hoarders are cat ladies: “The typical person who gets caught with more pets than she can handle is a woman over the age of 60 who lives alone” (Engber). The most common animals involved are cats (65%) and dogs (60%)” (Frost). Many hoarders have no telephone, public utilities or plumbing, and many hoard inanimate objects as well. It is observed that animal hoarders tend to be somewhat isolated, but this seems to be the result, not the cause, of their large pet collections. From the four episodes that I watched, three of the animal hoarders were women, while only one was a man. In the first episode I watched, a single mom is the hoarder, while her daughter is trying to help her cut down her number of animals. The mom says that she thinks of herself as a “rescuer” not a “hoarder.” Her daughter exclaims that her mom needs to take care of herself before her animals, get out of the house, and have fun. She says that before her mom became a hoarder, she had many hobbies such as sewing and crafting, but she now has no time for anything but her animals. The mom cries because she doesn’t want to let go of her animals. Another single woman, Flossie, is caught up with taking care of her animals and she doesn’t understand why others don’t share her feelings. She spends hundreds of dollars on cat food each month and doesn’t have enough money for herself to go to the doctor or pay for her education. The extent of her concern for her cats is seen in her quote: “I would give my last dollar for them (cats) to eat” (animal hoarding). Her sister wants Flossie to give up her animals so she can take care of herself. She finally agrees to give up some of her dogs to the humane society, but she says, “It’s not fair, it’s like giving up a child” (animal hoarding). The reason for the large number of single females that animal hoard may be because they feel the need to use their “motherly” instincts. If they don’t have children, they wish to have control over something that they can also care for. Pets are like kids except they can’t talk back, ignore, or give someone a hard time. The women on the show think that “no one else is going to take care of them, I have to take care of them.” They think of themselves as “rescuers” or “heroes.” Their motherly instincts take over, and they think of the animal as their own child. On the episode I watched with the man as the animal hoarder, the reasons are different. Ray, a single parent, started adopting dogs after his wife died. He said, “they seem to know when I’m feeling sad, and they come up to me and comfort me.” He used the animals as a distraction and safety blanket from his life problems. His children were concerned that Ray had grown too attached to his dogs. He said, “without the dogs, I have nothing to live for” (animal hoarding). While women hoard mostly because of their “motherly” instincts, men seem to use animals as comfort and warmth when they are lonely. It is as if the animals are taking care of Ray, rather than Ray taking care of the animals. The different reasons why men and women hoard animals hints to the different characteristics of the two sexes. Women are always trying to take care of others instead of themselves, while men seem to care more about themselves than others. At first glance, animal hoarding seems to be all about the animals, but a closer look can reveal more about the owners than the animal themselves.

"Animal Hoarding." //Animal Planet//. 16 Feb. 2011. Television.

Engber, Daniel. "What's the Deal with "cat Ladies"? - By Daniel Engber." //Slate Magazine//. 19

July 2005. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. .

Frost, Ph.D. Randy, and The Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium. "People Who Hoard

Animals - Psychiatric Times." //UBM Medica: Psychiatric Times//. 1 Apr. 2000. Web. 21

Feb. 2011. .