The Mass Media

Media refers to “the main means of mass communication” and encompasses such facets as newspaper, literature, magazines, film, advertisements, and now the internet (1). With each form of media comes the ability to reach wider audiences and therefore disseminate information more freely. The influence of mass media is enormous, however, its main form of power comes from its ability to shape societal norms. This has especially been the case with regard to the creation and perpetuation of ideas concerning sexuality, gender identity, and sexual orientation in the post-World War II era. Media coverage has often been detrimental to marginalized groups because of who is controlling the narrative, and due to this the divisions between race, class and sexuality have widened between groups. On the other hand, there is also a very positive aspect of media for those same groups because it has raised awareness of issues of sexuality. In this way, media acts as a double-edged sword in that it can create a further

The desire to “lure American readers with outrageous accounts of unusual behavior, rare biological problems, and astonishing surgical solutions” points to another issue with the media, which is their goal of selling stories (Meyerowitz 297). In this way, the media serve two masters. One is the desire to create and maintain a cultural norm, and the other is the almighty dollar. Profitability was one of the main reasons that lesbian pulp novels became popular, because it is this ability to make a profit that creates such high interest and leads interested parties to become involved. Money and power usually dictate who controls the narrative, and the majority of the time it is rich white men. It is their interests who are ultimately served, so it only makes sense that the media represents