The existing literature points out that there is a trend of themes that have emerged when researching the portrayals of women in different media outlets, including the underrepresentation of women, the sexualization of women, the portrayal of women in traditionally feminine stereotyped roles, and the representation of women as subordinate and submissive (Davis, 1990; Signorielli and Bacue, 1999; Dill and Thill, 2007; Collins, 2011; Brinkman, Jedinak, and Vetere, 2014; Sink and Mastro, 2017; Matthes, Prieler, and Adam, 2016; Oro-Piqueras, 2014). The research studies I examined all found very similar findings and seemed to present an agreement that understanding the portrayal and representation of women in the media is vital to understanding …show more content…
Signorielli et al,. (1999), Collins, (2011), and Sink et al., (2017) tell us that women are continually shown at a level that is greatly below their proportion of the U.S. population. The underrepresentation of women in the different forms of media is particularly noteworthy, because it is an unfair representation of the progression that women have made in society. For example, “While women have progressed to nearly representative rates of participation in the working world, the “reel” and print worlds have continued to overlook them” (Collins, 2011:292). Sink et al., (2017) supports this observation and goes on to state that mere presence is meaningful aspect, but if a group is moderately absent or underrepresented there are implicit messages conveyed that this group of individuals will not prosper and does not have a place in society. Therefore, these studies indicate that although there is more opportunity in today’s society for women to be represented in the media, in actuality their is little evidence that this has actually taken place, which proposes instead that now women are relatively absent from many forms of media (Sinorielli et al, 1999; Collins, 2011; and Sink et al, …show more content…
In fact, this particular theme was identified across all of the research studies that I examined. Therefore, highlighting gender stereotypes is a crucially important factor to consider when looking into media portrayals of women. In a study done on gender role portrayals in television advertising, the researchers conclude that female primary characters are more likely to be depicted in home settings, as well as in ads that include beauty products, personal care and cleaning products (Matthes et al, 2016). In essence, this trend can be seen across a multitude of research articles, which is constricting women in the traditional roles of nurturer and caregiver. This seems to be a trend that holds true for older women as well. Maricel Oro-Piqueras (2014) in her content analysis of the television series Brothers & Sisters found that despite being more present in modern media, Nora and Holly the main characters of the show who happened to be elderly are never completely freed from their domestic space, even in spite of them entering into the labor market upon the death of their husband. These gendered characteristics are well documented from the research provided and demonstrate that women are often
The documentary, “Miss Representation,” is a film about how women are perceived in the media. It is written, directed, and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. She is an actress and a film maker who advocates for women. In the beginning of the documentary, Newsom discusses her struggles as a young woman surrounded by the pressures of looking a certain way. This film is targeting mainly women of all age that has experienced her struggles. Jennifer Siebel Newsom effectively convinces the audience of “Miss Representation” that the media has molded women in a negative way through statistics, celebrities’ and younger generation’s testimonies, and clips from the media.
The media, through its many outlets, has a lasting effect on the values and social structure evident in modern day society. Television, in particular, has the ability to influence the social structure of society with its subjective content. As Dwight E. Brooks and Lisa P. Hébert write in their article, “GENDER, RACE, AND MEDIA REPRESENTATION”, the basis of our accepted social identities is heavily controlled by the media we consume. One of the social identities that is heavily influenced is gender: Brooks and Hébert conclude, “While sex differences are rooted in biology, how we come to understand and perform gender is based on culture” (Brooks, Hébert 297). With gender being shaped so profusely by our culture, it is important to be aware of how social identities, such as gender, are being constructed in the media.
Media is an important component of American culture, from the music people listen to the movies they watch, the media people consume can and does consistently affect their views of the world, other people, and themselves. Women can be hurt by the media, and closing in even more, women of color. Representation in media is still quite low, despite how far America has come in terms of equality. This leaves the levels of exposure to races other than white relatively low and when there is representation of other ethnicities, they are often caricatures of demeaning stereotypes. No matter if someone identifies as European American or as another ethnic identity, the European American ideals and norms affect everyone who is exposed to them (Iijima-Hall 1995:9). Consistent exposure to this style of media can be damaging to self-images of women of color and their personal perceptions of beauty, though it often manifests in different ways among different ethnic identities.
Miss Representation, a documentary film produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom released in 2011, presents a contemporary issue which is the misrepresentation of women’s portrayal in mass media. The media is powerful in shaping audience’s belief in how to be feminine. Women are expected to be beautiful, attractive, and even sexual on the media to attract audience’s attention. Also, the film points out the existence of social system in which men are considered more powerful and dominant than women. Finally, the film tries to increase the awareness of female real value including capability, educational achievement, and leadership. Consuming the media wisely to eliminate gendered stereotypes can help young women build their confidence and be successful.
Instead, women are being discriminated and treated as inferior due to the stereotypes that are portrayed in the media. The media creates and reproduces ways of seeing that at a minimum reflect and shape our culture. We can look at the media to understand more about a culture’s values and norms, if we realize the limitations of looking at the media. For example, one may ask, does the news based in the United Sates represent what the American culture is like, or only what stands out from everyday American culture? The answer to that is no. Instead, the media represents what it thinks it will be able to sell and is supported by advertisements. This includes violent acts, the sensationally and inappropriate. Jhally reminds us that “it is this male, heterosexual, pornographic imagination based on the degradation and control of women that has colonized commercial culture in general, although it is more clearly articulated in music videos” (Jhally 2007). Therefore, “media content is a symbolic rather than a literal representation of society and that to be represented in the media is in itself a form of power—social groups that are powerless can be relatively easily ignored, allowing the media to focus on the social groups that ‘really matter’” (Gerbner,
The documentary Miss Representation identifies the numerous ways women are misrepresented in the media, including in news, advertisements, movies, and television. The title Miss Representation emphasizes that the way we portray women in the media is a misrepresentation, as in it does not do women justice and oftentimes, has a negative impact on the perception of women. Frequently in the media, women lack leading roles and complexity, are held to an unrealistic standard of beauty, and are subject to objectification and beautification (Newsom, 2011). These misrepresentations lay the groundwork for gender socialization, and therefore, shape how women perceive themselves and are perceived by others.
In today's world, what we see in the media dictates our world. Media, by definition, is a form of mass communication, such as television, newspapers, magazines and the internet. Since the beginning of this media phenomenon, men and women have been treated very differently, whether it be through advertisements or news stories. As women have gained more rights and social freedoms, the media has not changed their views on women. They are often viewed as objects, whether for a man's pleasure, or for as a group to sell only cleaning products to.The portrayal of women in the media has a highly negative impact on the easily shaped young women of today. Women of power are often criticized, others hypersexualized. The media also directs advertisements for household things at women.
Powerful women are marginalized in magazines when they are sexualized or reduced to their physical appearance, portrayed in a stereotypical manner that fails to recognize their ability and value, or left out altogether. Magazines that sexualize women marginalize them by reducing them to their physical appearance, devaluing their skills and expertise. Stereotypical coverage marginalizes powerful women by enforcing traditional gender roles, which prevents women from obtaining significant power over men. The lack of representation of powerful women in magazines marginalizes them by deeming them unworthy of media attention and ensuring that they remain unrecognized by society as a whole. The marginalization of powerful women in magazines is illustrated primarily by the portrayal of First Ladies and female
Gender stereotypes and biasses exist in media. In most situations, women are associated with more negative stereotypes and their portrayals can “undermine their presence by being “hyper-attractive” or “hyper-sexual” and/or passive” (Smith, 2008). In The Wolf of Wall Street women are objectified. They are treated
In recent years, the media has made great strides, increasing female representation in movies and in other previously-male dominated field. However, a lot of progress needs to be made to combat the pervasive image of the female in the media. According Jezebel, the ideal woman has Mila Kunis’s eyes, Jessia Alba’s smile, Sofia Vegara’s breasts, Rihanna’s abs, Gabrielle Union’s arms, and Blake Lively’s legs. In essence, the media in the United States places a lot of emphasis on female appearance and frequently objectifies women as sexual objects and weaker beings to their strong heroic male
Gender stereotyping has been ongoing throughout history. The media has been distorting views by representing gender unrealistically and inaccurately. It created an image of what "masculinity" or "femininity" should be like and this leads to the image being "naturalized" in a way (Gail and Humez 2014). The media also attempts to shape their viewers into something ‘desirable’ to the norm. This essay will focus on the negative impacts of gender-related media stereotypes by looking at the pressures the media sets on both women and men, and also considering the impacts on children.
These inequalities are accepted readily in today’s society and most fail to see that direct gender discrimination is still very much a problem in society today. In 1988, Bretl and Cantor conducted a study into gender representation in television programs and advertisements. It was found that women were more likely to be filmed in a domestic situation and portrayed as being unemployed, working part-time or in low paying jobs such as catering and sales. It was also found that 90% of the time a narrator would be male, and women were more likely than men to be seen advertising household goods (Furnham, A. Mak, T. 1999, 414). It...
The Representation of Men and Women in the Media Men and women are both represented differently in the media these days. Then the sand was sunk. Ironically it was even represented differently in the title of this essay. Men came before women! I am writing an essay to explain how men and women are represented in the media.
Media Network Analysis. Media Portrayals of Girls and Women: Introduction. Online at: http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/index.cfm . Consulted on Sunday, March 28, 2004
As a result it can be concluded that the general effect of the illustrations of women in the media to strengthen rather than condense injustice and stereotypes. The mass media in the United States has not made sufficient efforts to argue serious issues regarding women and arrange the women to play their correct and equivalent role in society. To alter this situation, it is required to observe the media and point out the qualities and faults constantly.