In an article titled, Media Portrayal of Women, by Brenna Coleman (http://medialiteracy.suite101.com/article.cfm/media_portrayal_of_women), she discusses various female stereotypes that are perceived through the media. She has two viewpoints: the negative female stereotype and the positive female stereotype. She includes many examples of how women are negatively portrayed in the media. Women in video games are usually wearing revealing clothing and women in ads are usually half naked. She says that females in Disney movies are “slender, unrealistically curvaceous, and quite vulnerable young women” (Coleman 1). They are dependent on men and lack a sense of empowerment (Coleman 1). Did you also perceive this stereotype when you were younger and watched Disney movies? Did you notice that the movies made the male seem dominant and powerful, perhaps even proved the theory of hegemonic masculinity? As for me, I really don’t think that I even thought about this when I was younger.
She then brings up a few movies that represent the essential female role as powerful, dominant and hardworking at her career. But unfortunately because the female actress is so focused on her job, she “sacrifices a healthy relationship, family, and possibly even her sanity” (Coleman 1). In another words, she is saying that when a female has the role of being perhaps the dominant business owner, she lacks the predominant female role of being the loving mother and housewife. Do you think that the media rarely portrays the female role with “the whole package”(hard-working, loving mom, healthy relationship with husband, etc.)?
“A common response to the feminist claim that media distort reality by showing women in stereotypical roles of housewives and mothers, is that in reality many women are mothers and housewives too” (McQuail 48). Why do you think media executives put these stereotypes in shows & movies? Do you believe such stereotypes? I personally think that the public interprets the media by their perception of the reality of truth. If a stereotype is depicted by a certain race or gender and I encounter or see the same stereotype than it will be reinforced. But if I have familiarity with the specific race/gender and my experience goes against the stereotype than it will be dismayed. Would you agree/disagree?
Subsequent to the examples of negative stereotypes, she discusses positive stereotypes. Some shows do depict women with positive female roles, such as Lisa in The Simpsons, and she believes girls should be able to find more female roles, like Lisa, in the media. However, I think it is rare that people watch shows just because they like the gender role that is seen. In the Twilight series, my roommates and I perceived Bella as one who surrounds her life around Edward and depends on him for her survival. But, some of them are obsessed with Twilight, and in fact most girls are, so they obviously get past the stereotypical female gender role that is portrayed. So, how much do you really think these gender roles in the media truly affect one’s self image, self-esteem and even our culture in general? How do you enjoy a movie or show that depicts such negative gender roles?
In a study done in 1986, Lichter and Rothman analyzed the prime time network television for over 31 seasons from 1955 to 1986. Their results were, “Female characters are less in evidence than males, and in many ways are portrayed as the weaker sex. They are less likely to be mature adults, are less well educated, and hold lower status jobs. Their activities tend to represent the private realm of home, personal relations, and sexuality, while men represent the public realm of work, social relations, and sexuality” (Steeves 394). What is your overall perception on how the media portrays women today? Is your perception different from the analysis that was conducted over thirty years ago?
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Gender portrayal in the media is an exhausted subject that in all likelihood will never produce a concrete answer. Some see and believe one thing in regards to how a woman is portrayed on the television screen and someone else sees something entirely different. Overall, I feel that the media is not sending out a truthful representation of “real” women—we are not all size 4, tall and blond whose only wish is to satisfy our man. We are strong and successful, knowledgeable and a force in the work field. As Ross Muir states in Zoonen’s "A ‘ New’ Paradigm", “if a film, or television company is a mini sexist society, with women congregated in the lower paid service and support jobs, how can we expect the image of women that they produce to be anything but sexist?” (Zoonen 47). That goes hand in hand with media’s portrayal of women—how can we expect our young girls to become confident in who they are when they are only handed the ‘photoshop’ version of women in media?
ReplyDeleteThat does not mean all media portrayals are inaccurate or demeaning. Many series now have woman as the authoritative figures—Cuddy in House or Miranda in Grey’s Anatomy. No longer are woman shown just as mothers, but CEOs and neurosurgeons. It is refreshing, however like I mentioned in my Theory to Practice exercise, take a closer look and you will see that there still are gender inequalities. I agree with Coleman completely that many times in order for a female in a television series to be successful, she must lose certain feminine qualities. Grey’s Anatomy is a perfect example of this. You have characters such as Cristina Yang and Miranda who are incredibly talented surgeons. They are smart. They are strong. They are not your typical white, blond and ditsy rendering of females in media. Then look past their talents and looks and examine what it took for them to make it to that level. Both are hard nosed, unsympathetic and domineering—what many consider masculine traits. Miranda worked so many hours that her husband divorced her and now she is juggling being a mother and a surgeon. Cristina was left at the altar. These women may be leading in a male dominated field, but to do so they have lost much and have had to harden their personality to stay on top. The discrimination may not be through body image, but through mannerisms. The gender inequalities are subtle, but they are still there.
In shows like these, I do not believe the effect is as great on us considering the viewers are old enough to know better (at least I would like to believe so). However, in other media forms such as music videos and advertisements, I believe the effect is greater because it can reach a younger crowd. As Robinson states, “popular culture can be understood as a collective space where identities are constructed, enforced, and negotiated” (Robinson 46). Flip through magazines for all ages (Cosmopolitan and Vogue Teen for instance) and you still get the same effect in terms of how females are shown. Then there are music/music videos where 12-year-olds are watching and imitating the raunchy, sexual dance moves of the women in rap videos. When a young, naive girl is constantly bombarded with these derogatory images of women in popular culture, it becomes almost impossible not to develop a false notion of how women become successful or well liked by others. The younger you get them, the easier it is to influence.
Michelle Kokot
Women are portrayed both negatively and positively in the media, with each portrayal open to more than one interpretation. When I watched Disney movies, when I was younger and currently, I never viewed the female character in that way. The female character, who sometimes started out as a Princess, and always ended as one, was always a positive role model for me. She overcame struggles, proved herself, placed importance on friends and/or family, and was always rewarded and beautiful at the end of her journey.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in other roles, where female roles were forced to juggle both work and home life, it is constantly a struggle. I cannot think of many examples where she successfully has “the whole package”. This could represents today’s working women who is still breaking down barriers of gender roles and transitioning into having it all. It could be viewed as an unattainable goal or it could be viewed as the upward mobility of women in gaining equality with men. Stereotypes are often based off truth, and the truth differs for everybody.
In the media, females have been portrayed in many roles and positions. It is obvious that “all media are central sites at which discursive negotiation over gender takes place” (van Zoonen, 57) because there will continue to be various roles as well as various views. Regardless of the role women take in media portrayals, they are polysemic, so there can be multiple interpretations, and there always will be. “Within the confines of patriarchy then, women are essentially delineated to one of two roles in popular culture; that of nurturer or sex object”(Robinson, 46). Although there are many other roles, society is still generally patriarchal and while women begin to break barriers, the struggle will still remain. Women have been successful in all aspects of the media and will continue to be challenged to conquer these established patriarchal ideals.
As Jen points out in her blog, stereotypical and objectifying female stereotypes are rampant in television and film. Whether a hit show, a blockbuster film, or even the Disney channel, it is apparent that stereotypes follow female characters often. That said, women looking for role models in the world of entertainment can find them, they just have to know where to look, as often these encouraging characters appear in independent film and television.
ReplyDeleteIndependent films are one of the rare forms that contain strong female characters who can break or avoid stereotypes. The reasoning for this is muddled, however Liesbet Van Zoonen could be correct when she hypothesizes that it is hegemonic, due to the white males in charge of the major studios and stations. She writes, “Those who control the media are almost all (rich) men, there is every incentive for them to present capitalist, patriarchal scheme of things as the most attractive system available – and to convince the less privileged that the oppression and limitation of their lives is inevitable,” (Van Zoonen 47). While Van Zoonen mainly is addressing class in this passage, she is also talking about female roles and arguing that the wealthy men who run the entertainment industry want to continue reinforcing antiquated roles.
Television is likely the worst offender. Entirely corporate and run by huge conglomerates, there is little diversity in the industry. For example, two of the top three television comedies, Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, are notorious for presenting females as sexual objects for their characters, Charlie Harper, Barney Stinson, amongst others, to play with. Even the Disney channel, trusted by parents for ages, offers little female diversity. The show The Suite Life of Zach and Cody rings like Two and a Half Men for pre-teens, as many female characters come in and out of the show for the twin protagonists to goggle over. The only different is that, instead of sleeping with these girls, the boys don’t go past kissing. However, the way these girls are treated and referenced like objects is unmistakable. Even the supporting female roles fall under classic stereotypes, as there is the spoiled, wealthy bonehead character, and the dumb country girl. Neither character ever displays a shred of intelligence.
While television is bad, films can often be worse. Consider two of my favorite big budget films, Sphere and Bad Santa. In Sphere, Doctor Beth Halperin (played by Sharon Stone) is undercutting, conniving, and a chronic liar who often endangers the other members of her crew. Furthermore, in a critical moment of the film, she cracks under pressure and breaks down, requiring saving from the other crewmembers. This perpetuates the Adam and Eve female stereotype that women are weak and not to be trusted. In the comedy Bad Santa, Sue (played by Lauren Graham) exists solely to mooch off of the protagonist’s stolen money and to have constant sex, painting women to be sexual deviants and cash-hungry.
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ReplyDeleteHowever, for those looking for female role models, they are most often present in independent films, where major studios and high-powered executives don’t often meddle with the original story and idea concocted by the screenwriter and director. In Sunshine Cleaning, a single mother (played by Amy Adams) attempts to make a living disposing of dead bodies while raising her son with her younger sister. In the end, she is successful, able to juggle the duties of work and motherhood. In another indie comedy, Juno, a young, pregnant teen (played by Ellen Page) finds a family for her future child while dealing with criticism from her classmates and family. The character of Juno is widely considered one of the strongest female characters ever in film, for she is in control of her life from start to finish. She initiates the sexual act, the idea for adoption, and the adoptive family, all while taking criticism with grace.
The way the media portrays females is, in the grand scheme of things, extremely important, since it is widely agreed by both cognitive theorists and social learning theorists that the media plays a role in how we define ourselves. As Leslie Steeves writes, “Both perspectives stress the importance of modeling and reinforcement (by parents, teachers, media, etc.) in acquisition of sex-role behaviors,” (Steeves 392). What she is saying here is that regardless of how a parent conducts the home life or a teacher presents a class, the media has an effect on how we, as genders, see ourselves. Unfortunately, many corporate-owned media outfits, whether for hegemony or profit, reinforce female stereotypes that could negatively affect sex-roles formed by younger individuals. However, hope is not lost for those looking for positive female role models, as the corporate-free world of independent film often produces content that presents females in a new and exciting light
It is of no surprise today that the portrayal of women in the media today is very lopsided. There are a multitude of females in the world who possess the same amount if not more power than men however they are not recognized for it. Women like Oprah, Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, and Hillary Clinton are all women who have worked hard to achieve a prominent public status. The sad part of it all is that despite their prominence and representation of the female gender, women receive a substantially less amount of recognition than men do. I have decided to break my response down into two parts regarding women in the media (with specific attention to television): sports and TV shows.
ReplyDeleteTo begin, female sports receive little to no attention from the media. They have failed to obtain a level of interest where people want to watch and big name networks want to carry their games. This could be attributed to many factors such as lack of competition, however the most important factor is exposure. It is assumed that exposure to content shapes people beliefs and attitude. Liesbet Van Zoonen writes “people who watch television for hours on end will tend to replace their own social experience with that of television reality” (McQuail 52). Therefore, it can be concluded that if sports viewers are saturated with male sports content they will accept this to be the sports norm; oppositely, less exposure can correlate to accepting the insignificance of that specific sports reality as well. We take for example the UConn Women’s basketball team who is on the verge of their second consecutive NCAA title, their second undefeated season, and their 78th consecutive victory. All of these feats are mind-blowing within the sports world. However, because this is a women’s team they are not nearly receiving the amount of attention that the UConn men’s team would accrue if they were in the same situation. In fact, the only reason that we are capable of watching and knowing about these events is because ESPN carries the coverage. During the regular season, networks did not pick up these games and we rarely heard about such accolades. Essentially, the lack of coverage shapes the stereotype that women’s sports are substandard. And in doing so, it reinforces the idea to many people, in particular sports fans, that because there is no coverage the game must not matter. That is a problem.
The second area I wish to discuss is women in TV shows. When I think of primetime programming on networks such as CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX I can rarely think of a show that highlights a strong, powerful female lead. There many female characters but the most abundant features of women come when they are being portrayed as unintelligent or “ditsy.” H. Lesile Steeves justifies this argument in relation to the portrayal of women in the media by saying “Their activities tend to represent the private realm of home, personal relations, and sexuality” (394). For justification we can look at many television shows: Two and a Half Men – Charlie is constantly taking advantage of women in sexually ways and belittling them, The Bachelor – women are portrayed as psychotic when they are seen sobbing and fighting over a man they met about 6 weeks prior, or how about Desperate Housewives which depicts a dramatized version of group of women who engage in constant gossip and backstabbing. These accounts only depict cable television as well and although the shows can be entertaining, we fail to realize the stereotypes that are being reinforced in each episode. The bottom line is that despite the reality of today where most women work full-time jobs as well as support a family, the media fails to illustrate these female roles. The media takes on a stereotypical portrayal of women; one that will entertain and generate audience. And by the fact that most do not realize this harmful effect, audiences reinforce the motives in which the media fail to challenge the programming status quo.
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ReplyDeleteWhile Heather brings up two important stereotypes of women, I think there is another one that is emerging today. In the past, women were typically seen as housewives and mothers. We can easily recall the image of the 1950s housewife juggling her husband, kids, cooking and cleaning. With time, however, this image has been replaced with the career-driven woman. This woman defies societal norms and advances her career instead of her family. While Heather discusses these two women, I think we also need to look at one of the newest stereotypes-- the woman who does it all.
ReplyDeleteNow, we have the woman who is successful in her career, but also makes it home in time to cook dinner and take care of her kids. With all these stereotypes, which one is the one we should focus on? Which is the best? I can't help but agree with Liesbet Van Zoonen when she says, "Before the media could transmit more realistic images of women, it would be necessary to define uncontroversially what the reality about women is, obviously an impossible project" (McQuail 48). While we all know every person is different from the next, we seem to forget it when we stereotype. The fact is that there is simply not one "type" of woman, but instead unique individuals. I think people today are happy thinking of the woman with the complete package as the "ideal" woman since she can do it all, but I think even this stereotype is harmful. Today, it seems as though the housewife is frowned upon unless she also has a career. I think this is sad, since some people would like to forgo a career to focus on raising a family, while others prefer to pursue a career rather than settle down with a family. I think instead of praising the "whole package" woman, we should embrace the woman who pursues what makes her happy, whatever path that might be.
Supporting this idea of an impossible stereotype, H. Leslie Steeves assesses different feminist approaches to the topic. Her conclusion is that much like a stereotype can't be determined, a reason for the stereotyping also can't be found. As she says, the results she has assessed "indicate that liberal feminist and socialization theory alone cannot account for gendered behavior and the ideology of women's secondary status in society" (Steeves 397). I just want to make it clear that I am not arguing against the idea that women are perceived as secondary in society, but I am simply saying that the stereotypical view of women is immensely complicated. In fact, it is so complicated that as Steeves argues, it is difficult to find a reason behind it.
When I was younger and watched Disney movies, I certainly noticed that all of the girls were very pretty and victims at some point, but a clear message never came to my head saying “the male is the dominant gender and women don’t have equal rights”. I think that perhaps it is psychologically impossible for a six year old to think that way. Instead of thinking that the males were proving the theory of hegemonic masculinity, I figured that their role just helped the story progress. In my mind, the woman in distress was simply a piece of the puzzle to help everything come together. However, one can argue that though I was not consciously aware of any stereotyping, I might have subconsciously taken away a male-dominant message from the Disney movies. It can be argued that though many young children do not necessarily “get the message” of the Disney movies, their actions can still reflect the message later in life.
ReplyDeleteI think that the media has gotten better at portraying the female role with the “whole-package”. McQuail makes a very interesting point in Chapter 3 when he states, “Feminists are divided among themselves over what is the reality of women’s social position and nature. Thus before the media could transmit more realistic images of women, it would be necessary to define uncontroversial what the reality about women is, obviously an impossible project” (48). In other words, how can television be expected to portray women in a certain way when women in real life can’t even figure things out? There are still tons of women in the real world debating about whether or not it is appropriate to stay at home while their child is growing up or to go to work. That being said, I think that the media is doing a decent job of giving women a realistic role on shows. While Desperate Housewives’ title is debatable, the show does give women a lot of empowerment.
I think that media puts female stereotypes in different shows and movies so as not to “offend” the male audience. I think that many media executives have the assumption that more men watch movies than women. There are constantly tons of action movies coming out, and a common stereotype is that men love action movies, while women might prefer more of a romance flick. I personally could go either way and don’t agree with the stereotype. However, there are many media executives that do. Robinson states that “unlike the assertive, autonomous sexuality expressed in ‘cock rock’, sexualized representations of women are necessarily a portrayal of subordination structured as not to offend the fragile male psyche” (46).
I think that the effect of gender roles in media affects different people in different ways. If there was an individual who was taught to believe in himself and be confident, they may not be affected by the gender stereotypes in media. However, if there is a more fragile individual who has low self-confidence, they may be affected. It all depends on circumstance.
Overall, I think that feminist portrayal in the media has definitely improved over the last 30 years. This has happened because so many positive changes have happened in real life. Often times, media tends to reflect reality. I think that the media of today still has a ways to go regarding portraying genders perfectly, but as of right now, the media is on the right track to success.
I definitely agree with the examples used in the article “Media Portrayal of Women”. I definitely did not think about any of the negative stereotypes associated with females in Disney movies when I was younger and I still don’t think young girls consciously understand them, either. I think the stereotypes are really only understood by the older and/or feminist audience members. Another stereotype that Brenna Coleman mentions is the portrayal of women as the powerful female boss whose life is controlled by her career. In this stereotypical role, a woman can not be a successful career woman and a good mother at the same time. Although I do think it is starting to change, the media definitely do not portray women as “the whole package” very often. I think it is true that “male hegemonic conventions prevent women from assuming full human status” (Robinson 46). Though this quote was referring to popular music, this also applies to television characters because people are familiar with the strong, business-oriented male figure so they accept this personality to be limited to males only. I do, however, think this will change over the next decade.
ReplyDeletePeople most likely don’t consciously watch a television show because they like the gender roles portrayed but viewers definitely have favorite characters that they watch their favorite show for. I think people actually probably do like certain characters or shows because of the gender roles because they may be able to relate to the character or they enjoy seeing a more accurate portrayal. I think this just may be such a rare situation because it is not common to find characters that are portrayed in roles that aren’t stereotypical.
I definitely think that the gender roles depicted in media can affect our society. Stereotypes are not just made out of thin air – they are generally based on some sort of truth. Stereotypes push beliefs to the extreme and make people believe exaggerations as the truth. Liesbet van Zoonen says that “media distort the ‘true’ nature of gender, assuming a stable and easily identifiable distinction between women and men” (McQuail 57). The media present females in a stereotypical way which makes viewers think that this representation is true to reality. I think that media has started to lessen the amount of stereotypical roles that women play and we are going to see fewer stereotypical female roles in the near future. Hopefully we will be able to see women in the media being successful businesswoman AND mothers.
Gender roles have existed throughout history, and the media has played into these stereotypes. In many popular television programs there was a dominant male character along with an obedient stay at home mom. The male character had societal stereotypes to live up to just as the female character did. Masculinity is at times judged harsher by society than femininity. “Hegemonic masculinity […] refers to the social ascendency of a particular version or model of masculinity that, operating on the terrain of ‘common sense’ and conventional morality, defines ‘what is means to be a man’”(Trujillo 291). In more recent programs I feel that the female characters have begun to be shown as more powerful and independent. In many programs, both genders are working and have equal say in the relationship. This is much different than the family programs that were pushed in earlier years.
ReplyDeleteThere are some parts of society that keep women down and “lesser” than their male counterparts. Romance novels are their own type of genre. As we found in Reading the Romance, women find small ways to rebel through these romantic stories. However, in places such as music (particularly hip-hop) women tend to be stereotyped. They are scantily clothed and tend to be depicted in a negative light. “In order to be ‘successful’ in a male-dominated society, women ‘must package themselves as objects amenable to control by men’” (Robinson 46). These women in these music videos portray a sexual object. Women are aware of what they are doing and do become successful by playing into this idea. It is impossible to break traditional gender roles overnight; this process is likely to never truly happen. They have been engrained into our culture and us.