Gender and Mass Media
Introduction
Mass media is an intrinsic part of post-modern society; we depend on it for news, entertainment and just about anything that could be put up for mass consumption. Unsurprisingly, given the ubiquitous characteristic of mass media as well as the range of social issues which mass media deals with, the roles of women have been a recurring issue explored by mass media. Women have been portrayed to conform to stereotypical frameworks and they seem to have internalized societal values that we associate with the traditional women.
Mass media such as advertisements, films and television programs do not represent women in a positive light (Cortese, 2008; Hagedorn, 1994; Tuchman, 1979; Wearden & Creedon, 2002). Not only do these media promote sexism, they also falsified women’s status and authority in the world and do not portray women as sustainable role-models. They are seen as damsels in distress, in dire need of men’s help and rescue (Tuchman, 1979). These forms of mass media have distorted women’s authority and stand in the world by imposing an image of how women should carry themselves. One reason is because sponsors have realized that it is easier to sell their products to traditional male-gendered activities if women are portrayed to be in their traditional stereotypical images (Wearden & Creedon, 2002). Past research has shown that women are still stereotypically portrayed in advertisements and commercials (Wearden & Creedon, 2002). They should be reliant on men and see men as powerful instead of seeing themselves as the victims of sexism (Tuchman, 1979). Fifteen years later, another paper further augmented Tuchman’s argument. Asian women are said to be entities of playthings dressed in lust, all out to seduce men, in particular, white men (Hagedorn, 1994). They are also described to be craving for sex and eager to be dominated by men (Hagedorn, 1994). They are even taught to be superficial organisms, yearning for money and fame, at the
Mass media is an intrinsic part of post-modern society; we depend on it for news, entertainment and just about anything that could be put up for mass consumption. Unsurprisingly, given the ubiquitous characteristic of mass media as well as the range of social issues which mass media deals with, the roles of women have been a recurring issue explored by mass media. Women have been portrayed to conform to stereotypical frameworks and they seem to have internalized societal values that we associate with the traditional women.
Mass media such as advertisements, films and television programs do not represent women in a positive light (Cortese, 2008; Hagedorn, 1994; Tuchman, 1979; Wearden & Creedon, 2002). Not only do these media promote sexism, they also falsified women’s status and authority in the world and do not portray women as sustainable role-models. They are seen as damsels in distress, in dire need of men’s help and rescue (Tuchman, 1979). These forms of mass media have distorted women’s authority and stand in the world by imposing an image of how women should carry themselves. One reason is because sponsors have realized that it is easier to sell their products to traditional male-gendered activities if women are portrayed to be in their traditional stereotypical images (Wearden & Creedon, 2002). Past research has shown that women are still stereotypically portrayed in advertisements and commercials (Wearden & Creedon, 2002). They should be reliant on men and see men as powerful instead of seeing themselves as the victims of sexism (Tuchman, 1979). Fifteen years later, another paper further augmented Tuchman’s argument. Asian women are said to be entities of playthings dressed in lust, all out to seduce men, in particular, white men (Hagedorn, 1994). They are also described to be craving for sex and eager to be dominated by men (Hagedorn, 1994). They are even taught to be superficial organisms, yearning for money and fame, at the
References: Cortese, A.J. (2008). Constructed Bodies, Deconstructing Ads: Sexism in Advertising in Provocateur: Images of Women and Minorities in Advertising (3rd ed.) (42-47, 69- 75) Hagedorn, J. (1994). Asian women in film: no joy, no luck. Ms. Magazine, 4 (4), 237- 244 Hammond, J. (1991). Gender Inversion Cartoons and Feminism. Journal of Popular Culture, 24(4), 145-160 Klein, S. (1993). Breaking the Mold with Humor: Images of Women in the Visual Media Merrill, L. (1988). Feminist humor: rebellious and self-affirming. Women 's Studies, 15(1-3), 271 Retrieved April 28, 2010, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3173399 Wearden, S.T