Media's Portrayal Of Men And Women's Communication Styles

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We see the ways that the popular media uses gender tensions everywhere. The truth is that sex sells, we know that. The challenge that advertisers face is: How to use it best. Some advertisers do this better than others and the ones that truly have an understanding of gender tensions will, in the end, sell the most. In my last paper, I explored how the company Abercrombie and Fitch uses gender tensions to sell their clothes. They have become among the masters in advertising and the business in booming. They cater to young adults and young adults only for one powerful reason: It is at this age in which the sexual tensions between male and female are greatest. Abercrombie and Fitch has found their niche.

At the same time as they prey on male female tensions, they also set the standard for what provides them, that is, they show these girls and guys who are observing each other. The photos deliberately express a kind of criticism in the eyes of these models, which, in turn, forces self-consciousness, which is closely related to insecurity. This self-consciousness keeps the standard of what ‘cool’ is, constantly in check. In this way they create an effective loop, which is nearly self-sustaining.

The advertisements show primarily, young adults who appear not to be in committed relationships. While often they will show a couple which, in the perceived fantasy, seem to share some level of commitment, never will they show any intimate relationship, which has gone beyond that initial spark. The reasons for this are a bit sad. My contention is that the younger generations, to which the ads appeal, have grown up in a time in which divorce rates are high and marriages are often unsatisfying. Many of us have been raised within a home where mom and dad didn’t live a Brady Bunch lifestyle. So, therefore, viewing married couples may carry negative connotations.

What the advertisers do show is happiness, satisfaction and content. All which are targets for most everyone. In a class called Art and Human values, all students where asked to rate the aspects which they felt were the most important to them. Nearly half of the class responded with the number one value being happiness. The value of happiness is all encompassing and carries beneath it powerful baggage which can determine the satisfaction of our lives as a whole. So what is it that yields satisfaction and co...

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..., but was apparent in both. All couples will have disagreements and voicing them will prove to be important. Disagreeing is a kind of communication and is important, so long as the differences are not to many or allowed to escalate.

Whatever the problem is within the relationship, if a desire to work things out is mutually apparent, there is hope. Ideally, these concepts should be understood, practiced and maintained throughout the relationship, but many of us may find ourselves slipping into a place that we had never expected, nor desired to be. There are relationships that last a lifetime with the power and spark just as strong as it was, if not stronger than in the beginning. We must learn how to understand and respect each other in deep and meaningful ways that encompass all aspects of our humanity, that is, should be desire happiness, satisfaction and content. We want companionship and we want happiness; how do we satisfy these two desires simultaneously? They were installed in our make up to work together, for one to be the means to the other. But, we are still left in an imperfect world, where nothing remains as perfect as we may be led to believe that it can be.

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