Hegemonic Masculinity in the Media

Hegemonic masculinity can be defined as “the cultural idealized form of masculine character, which emphasizes the connecting of masculinity to toughness and competitiveness as well as the subordination of women and the marginalization of gay men” (Trujillo, 1991, p. 290). We live society were male dominance is the order of the day, from the family arena to the workplace, and in sports in which individuals with certain characteristics and attributes as seen as normal and the rest are termed as the “other”. This paper will focus on how hegemonic masculinity has been mediated through the media, by creating gender gaps. Furthermore, it is important to note that the media is important sources that orchestrate the perception of individuals in our society and as such should be examined in order to create ways to tackle the problem.

Both articles consulted for the purpose of this paper examined the influence of the media in the area of sports and how they negatively influence our perception and create a gender gap in sports. Cooky, Messner & Hextrum, carried a systematic analysis, in which they quantified and qualified the outcome media coverage in sports, also they employed several research questions geared towards a more in-depth analysis of their topic (205). On the other hand, Trujillo employed a life-narrative using Ryan Nolan sport life to examine how a sport is mediated through the media, which results to the marginalization of women and trivialization of women’s sports. The main argument asserted by Cookey, Messner & Hextrum, is that the amount of coverage in women’s sports and the quantity of that coverage illustrates the ways in which the news media build audiences for men’s sports while silencing women’s sports (206). Tr...

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...logy in sports, and quit scapegoating the media. Thus instead of pointing out the various way in which the media distort our perception, more research should be focused on using the media to challenged the problem, by examining both the media and the individual.

Works Cited

Works cited

Cooky, C., M. A. Messner, and R. H. Hextrum. "Women Play Sport, But Not on TV: A Longitudinal Study of Televised News Media." communication and sport 1.3 (2013): 203-230. Print.

Samuelson, Leslie, and Wayne Andrew Antony. Power and resistance: critical thinking about Canadian social issues. 5th ed. Halifax, N.S.: Fernwood Pub., 2012. Print.

Trujillo, Nick. "Hegemonic Masculinity On The Mound: Media Representations Of Nolan Ryan And American Sports Culture." Critical Studies in Mass Communication 8.3 (1991): 290-308. Print.