Formation of Views on Gender Perception through the Mass Media - Research Paper Example

?Gender and Media Gender and Media IN APA Style Gender and Media 2 Thesis As media becomes a more prevailing force in cultivating the people’sperception of oneself, the struggle of maintaining a unique identity apart from its impact becomes excruciatingly painful and difficult to surpass. Gender stereotypes that have been imposed and perpetuated by media are often physically, financially and emotionally unattainable. Due to its persistence, it remains, apparently, unquestioned. This paper talks about the gender stereotypes of media and their effects to the society. Air-Headed Women Women are subjected to a lot of stereotypes. Movies and television shows have perpetuated the concept that women are air-heads. Advertisements showcase photographs of women who are slender that gives a connotation that it is equivalent to sexy and non-slender women is equal to not sexy. We haven’t touched on Photoshop yet. Men’s magazines write articles about getting ways of getting women to go to be with them. Not to mention pictures of 6-packed men on the side of the article, portraying those who can get these women. (Dines & Humez, 2011, 72) Does it mean that if you don’t have a 6-pack, you won’t get any? Haven’t we moved on from the past sexists? At the rate we are going, it seems that things are only getting worse. In the movies and television shows, women, normally, are limited to having interest on make-ups, clothing, apparels, shopping and other ‘so called’ things that make a woman. Aren’t women born and not made? The movie Clueless (1995), for instance, which is based on Jane Austen’s novel, Emma, is about a rich, blond girl from Beverly Hills who enjoys archetypal teenage Gender and Media 3 happenings. She spends her time with her friends beautifying themselves to chase after guys. One of the craziest scenes in the movies is when she sends herself some flowers, in her teeny bopper outfit, to impress her crush. This movie became a hit and girls emulated her without realizing that they were buying the outdated stereotype the movie was selling. Although the movie is just loosely based on Austen’s novel in 1815, the plot is way too outdated for a 1995 setting. This stereotype that women are air-heads does not end on movies but also extends television shows, which are more accessible to the paying public. Women are shown working less often than men and are usually depicted as housewives. Men are more often represented as a ‘bread winner’ of the family when in reality; it is not always the case. ( Gill, 2007, 61).  Moreover, men are portrayed as strong, making women as weak and clingy. The creators of these programs, shows and ads seem to clasp on to the old thinking and stereotypes even though they are outdated and politically incorrect. Women as Sex Symbols X-bra’s advertisement shows women wearing push up bras. This fancy ad depicts that women are supposed to use these bras in order to look good for their partners. A line below on the ad even says, “Buy one bra, get drinks free.” This line simple feeds the viewing public that women are mere sexual objects, disregarding the more important things they do in the society and just focusing on the looks they should have. Women are seen on advertisements in their skimpy clothing to sell everything from tool boxes to brandy. Aside from that, the image that are portrayed as ‘women’ are slender, fair complexioned women who are normally in a sexually Gender and Media 4 suggestive pose, if not plain sexy. When was the last time sex didn’t sell, anyway? Speaking of sex, Maxim is a magazine that contains countess images of women in provocative poses. Articles in this magazine discuss different advices in getting a girl and getting laid. Though this magazine is not an x-rated flick, unlike playboy, not to justify the latter, it only is a soft version of it. And to support the previous claim that sex sells, Maxim currently has 2.5 million subscribers. The Alpha Male Image of men has been perpetuated over the years as the one who has the macho body – muscled men. In advertisements, be it TV or print, a macho man is portrayed as someone who works out and builds enormous muscles, leaving the viewers an image of a gym buff. It is no surprise that after a few commercials of men going to gyms to work out, fitness centers have become a blast, encouraging men, especially those with flabs to work out in order to be in parallel to the macho image media has imposed to them. (Gill, 2007, 83)All these advertisements, aerobics programs and other weight loss programs target the superficial society media has made. All of these programs have a complete disregard of the effects of the content they show to the public. It is a common thing to see in a commercial of an exercise gadget that a man who has flabs is lonely, normally, depicted as someone who doesn’t have a girlfriend, and would eventually turn into a content person with a number of girls wooing him after succeeding on the fitness program. Media is implying the definition of being beautiful as having a gorgeous figure, making the fat ones, for the lack of better term, as ugly, resulting to being lonely. The blast of the fitness centers simply shows that people are buying this superficial concept of beauty. Since enrollment in such Gender and Media 5 programs do not come cheap, it becomes a thing of the upper class, leaving all the people who cannot afford it as ugly and lonely. And those people who try not to buy the ‘fat = ugly’ the have difficulties surpassing it. The Macho Loco Men are seen as the provider of the family. Since they are portrayed as the stronger sex, they are pictured as those who earn a living. In movies and television programs, they are often depicted as those who walk straight, who drink beers, and anything that would make them seem as someone who calls the shots. The macho image of men indeed has been perpetuated by these stereotypes, making others who don’t fall in the image as ‘fake men’. According to studies, the macho image of men has contributed to the crimes in the society – men with guns, gambling men, alcoholic men and any crime that involve men. (Gill, 2007, 109) Is media doing something to help solve these pressing issues or is it just concerned in money-making projects? This indeed is an excellent example of an effect of gender stereotypes that media has been perpetuating for the longest time. All these stereotyping and exploitations have huge effects on society. The young minds are the ones who are extremely vulnerable to these stereotypes. Imagine your son growing up watching these shows on TV. At his pre-occupational stage, he realizes how the world sees and treats men and women. (Lemish, 2010, 24) Not too long from now, another macho is born. Studies show that children this age are absorbing everything they learn, which is the sole reason the foundation of children should be well-observed and facilitated. Parents should try to filter as much of these Gender and Media 6 stereotypes as possible to help diminish the continuous growth of these issues. Psychological Effects of Gender Stereotyping Sex and body focused advertising has effects in the society. It can lead to physical discontentment and other issues like eating disorders. According to an Eating Disorder treatment center, young girls who watch see such advertisements, magazines and TV, they tend to live up to society’s expectations of a typical girl – slender. Thus, this can lead them to eating disorders in order to attain the figure they seem to think they need. Fourteen used to be the average age of a girl on a diet. Today, it is eight. These unrealistic images that media have been promoting have psychological impacts to women. An average American woman stands 5’4 and weighs 140 lbs. while the average model in these programs and magazines stands 5’11 and weighs 117 lbs. As a result, although partly, 81% of ten-year-old girls are afraid of gaining weight and 4 out of 5 American women are dissatisfied with their bodies. (Carstarphen & Zavoina, 1999, 33) Sharp public consciousness of the existing and the additional potential damage it brings to the society is integral in order to eliminate these stereotypes, especially that they are too tough to combat and even to identify simply because of the way they are showcased. The glamorous ways the celebrities, models, and other TV personalities do not end on their jobs but extend to their clothes, and physical appearance, which cause the damage to the perception of beauty. So much time and attention is given to glamour and appearances of celebrities that they devote little time on other more important aspects of life. A celebrity body is desired, subjectively and objectively. Since media, without a doubt, cultivates the public perception of attractive, desirable, sexy, etc., Gender and Media 7 through the models they choose, it can be argues that these figures become the national symbols of the characteristics the portray, and at no less, a sex symbol. On the other hand, the macho image of men has some negative effects on men, as well and not just to women being the weaker sex. Men, being portrayed as the stronger sex, the one who calls the shots and the provider of a home, they are perceived as something to be what they are presented as. (Dines & Humez, 1995, 332) Since this doesn’t hold true to all occasions, not being to fit in the set image will take its toll on them. This is also the reason behind the term ‘plays for the pink team’ for men who don’t seem to act to masculine. Same with gays, the media portrays them as effeminate and have become laughing stocks to the viewing public, leaving a stereotype that gays are all flamboyant and perverted. Conclusion Media indeed plays an important role in shaping the society’s perception on gender. The stereotypes caused by the irresponsible representation of images of men and women have taken its toll on us, which caused the misconception of beauty, being superficial; the perception of women’s intellect and the understatement of the female gender and the macho image on men. In addition, the physical and emotional damage caused by the obsession that has been driven by media in attaining the illogical “physical perfection” has taken our society to losing a serious social standpoint. As what we see today, the effects of these stereotypes have stripped the body of its uniqueness and pushed into gallingly shallow perception of attractive and unattractive. The continuous use of female figures in commercial advertisements, TV shows and even in movies as Gender and Media 8 sex objects spits on the fabric of our society and makes them seem as a gender that is only used for entertainment. This continuous portrayal of women as air-heads disregards the anti-discrimination that women have long fought for. Men on the other hand may seem to benefit from all these but as we delve deeper, the macho image of men don’t just have devastating effects to women but to men as well. As discussed in the previous pages, the have to work hard to fit in the image that has been imposed on them, which in reality, doesn’t apply in all occasions. As members of the society, we should be aware of the effects these stereotypes have brought to us and continuously fight the strain of misconception and the damages it could further bring to our nation. References Lemish, D. (2010). Screening gender on children's television: The views of producers around the world. London: Routledge. (222) Top of Form Dines, G., & Humez, J. M. M. (2011). Gender, race, and class in media: A critical reader. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications. (671) Top of Form Gill, R. (2007). Gender and the media. Cambridge, UK: Polity. (296) Carstarphen, M. G., & Zavoina, S. C. (1999). Sexual rhetoric: Media perspectives on sexuality, gender, and identity. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. (304) Dines, G., & Humez, J. M. M. (1995). Gender, race, and class in media: A text-reader. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage. (648) Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Read More