Melbourne Cup Is Not a Specifically or Essay

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Melbourne Cup is not a specifically or inherently gendered event, the special weekend will entail extra activities that must be planned, coordinated, and executed with gender issues in mind. This year's Melbourne Cup carnival celebration is being marketed towards females in overt and covert ways: such as by the use of hot pink typeface and a floral background plus a prominently featured section on style and fashion that uses a female model for the menu item (Melbourne Cup Carnival 2011). Yet it is precisely the gender segregation of the races from the non-race activities that bring gender issues to the forefront. In this critical analysis of the Melbourne Cup main event, the Melbourne Cup carnival, and the non-Cup-related recreational activities scheduled before and during the event, I will draw upon the following three disciplines: gender studies, marketing, and the politics of socio-economic class.

From a gender studies perspective, horse racing can itself become the subject of critical feminist analysis. This analysis encompasses such wide-ranging issues as animal rights, the sexual symbolism of horses, and the cultural connotation and history of horses. More importantly, a feminist perspective investigates the historically male-dominated profession of the jockey. Currently, more than fifty percent of apprentice jockeys are females and numbers are likely to climb (Tolich 1996). The introduction of females to the jockey profession has not necessarily signaled gender equity. Quite the opposite, the introduction of females to the jockey profession has highlighted the gender differentials in the labor market (Tolich 1996). Just as nursing is a "feminized" profession, so too has become the field of professional horse racing jockey (Tolich 1996). Although Chantal Sutherland and other jockeys have gained considerable notoriety regardless of gender, the field itself has become a "secondary labour market," (Dwyre 2011; Tolich 1996). This should come as no surprise, and yet it signals the entrenched gender issues that continue to plague equality. How to explain the differential labor market to a group of young people involves a strong degree of media literacy.

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A study of media literacy within a feminist framework also allows us to explore the visible roles and positions females fill. For example, we can point out the scantily clad drinks servers at bars, the portrayal of women in beer advertisements, and the disproportionate numbers of males in the executive boxes.

Gendered labor markets do also tie in with the gendered symbolism that the Melbourne Cup and horse racing in general entail. Horses have been considered symbols of sexuality in medieval European cultures ("The Canterbury Tales: The Reeve's Tale Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory" 2011). It would be helpful to teach the five young people about the cross-cultural symbolism of horses, and the role horses play in various cultures in order to provide a more holistic perspective of the Melbourne Cup. We could initiate a discussion for the five young people to allow them to share their perspectives of horses and their experiences with them. A feminist perspective permits a fruitful exploration of the nature of horse racing itself as a potentially exploitative event. Horse racing can be viewed within a patriarchal framework, because the races represent the utilitarian use of animals to serve the greedy interests of a patriarchal culture (Donovan 2000).

A marketing perspective is one of the core ways to approach the holiday, and will be a springboard of discussion during the event. The young people should pay close attention to the connection between mass media events and professional sports, noting how products are sold and what imagery is used. Special attention should be paid to the intersection of race, class, and gender.

Shopping will be one of the ways we will explore issues related to gender, marketing, and socio-economic class. The official Melbourne Cup carnival event includes a special section devoted to "season, style, and fashion." Our young people will notice what products are being marketed, and why. The Melbourne Cup carnival website shows products and fashions that are undoubtedly luxury items that appeal to the upper class white hegemony......

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