4. representations within the media (m) Flashcards
what is a limited range of roles?
-women are represented in a narrow range of social roles in the media whilst men perform the full range of social & occupational roles
-women especially found in domestic roles- busy housewives, contented mother, etc
-tuchman et al (1978) adds sexual and romantic roles to this list
-women rarely shown in high status occupational roles, such as doctors
-if they are, they’re shown to have problems with their unusual circumstances. portrayed as unfulfilled, unattractive, etc
what do papers say about women?
-most papers have women’s pages which focus on women as a specialised group with special, often emotional needs
-these pages often focus on beauty and slimming
-tuchman uses the name ‘symbolic annihilation’ to describe the way women in the media are absent, condemned or trivialised
what do people say about women in sport?
-research by newbold (2002) into tv sport presentation shows that what little coverage these is tends to sexualise, trivialise and devalue women’s sport
-duncan & messer (2005) agree with the views of new old, they argue that different types of ‘discourse’ is used when talking about women in sport in
-men described as ‘gutsy’ and ‘aggressive’ whereas women referred to as ‘vulnerable’
-women athletes viewed through ‘male gaze’
what is women as ideals?
-ferguson (1983) carried out a “content analysis” study of womens magazines between 1949 and 1980
-concluded that many magazines were like “apprentice manuals” to teach women domestic skills
-she noticed that such magazines are organised around ‘a cult of feminity’ which promotes an ideal where excellence is achieved through caring for others
what did Angela McRobbie (1982) say?
-she studied specifically girls magazines and drew similar conclusions to ferguson
-magazines like Jackie encouraged girls to see romance and marriage as primary goals and to value themselves only in terms of how they’re valued by boys
what did wolf (1990) say?
-‘body ideals’ through advertising and printed media
what are some criticisms of the study’s about stereotypes?
-many would say that these studies are now dated
-the character of women’s magazines has now changed
what do marxists feminists say about stereotypes?
-penny (2012) stresses the supportive role such magazines play in women’s lives. successful women who have been able to have loads of children and become top managers in business firms (fueling capitalist ideologies)
what does McRobbie (1999) say about magazines?
-women are encouraged to be assertive, confident, and supportive of each other through magazines and the media
what does Ballister (1991) say about magazines?
-notes that magazines seem to present conflicting messages
-on the one hand, women are encouraged to behave radically in terms of sexuality and careers but are encouraged to conform to traditional feminine ideals concerning appearance
-women therefore suffer from contradictory messages
what do some people say about women in tv?
-most women in films and on tv tend to be under 30
-physical looks, sex appeal and youth seem to be necessary for women to be successful in tv and cinema
-the same thing isn’t true for men, who are still accepted as sexually appealing until much later in life
-wolf (1990) points out that the media present a particular physical image as normal or ideal body image though this is often unattainable for most
what is sex appeal?
-women often presented as sexual objects to be enjoyed by men
-most extreme version of this is in porn and ‘page 3 girls’ in newspapers
-mulvey (1975) argues that film makers employ a ‘male gaze’, whereby the camera lens “eyes up” the female characters, providing erotic pleasure for men
-men’s magazines like fhm & maxim encourage young men to dress, smell & consume in certain ways
-however, less pressure on men to change themselves to this ideal
what did guy cumberbatch (1990) say about women?
-his study of tv commercials concluded that ads reflect an ‘unacceptable face of sexism’ and contribute to the patriarchal idea that ultimately women exist in what is essentially a man’s world
-study found that youth & beauty were the main features of women in commercials, and that women occupy a decorative role far more than men
what did Gaunlett (2002) say?
-inc in proportion of main female characters, from 18% in 1992-93 to 43% in 1995-96
massive dec since 1979s in proportion of women being portrayed as a housewife. now 3%
-‘female and male characters are likely to be as intelligent, talented & resourceful or stupid as each other’
what is the new media?
-green & singleton- women can be empowered by digital media
-plant- the internet has the power to disable patriarchy as women can explore, subvert and create new identities
-critique- many women who use new media are subject to sexism in different ways. some receive death threats, or sexist abuse.
what did Hakim (2011) say about erotic capital?
-in addition to the 3 recognised personal assets (economic, cultural, social), everyone has a fourth asset- erotic capital- that they can and should use to advance in society
-erotic/sexual capital is the social power someone or a group accrued as a result of their sexual attractiveness & social charm
what are some criticisms of feminism?
-venker (new right) criticises feminism, suggesting that now, men are the ‘butt if the jokes’ in ads and tv shows
-she argues men are constantly being emasculated
-we’re living in a ‘woman’s world’
-she suggests this isn’t an improvement
what is the research group ‘children now’ (1999)?
-asked boys between 10-17 what they thought about males they see on tv:
•attention focused on girls
•mainly shown in workplace, not at home
•violent and angry
•leaders and problem solvers
•funny, confident, successful
•rarely cry
what are children now?
-found that there were 6 common types of representation of men in the media
•the joker •the jock •the strong silent type •the big shot •the action hero •the buffoon
what is the masculine myth?
-easthorpe (1990) argues that a variety of media like hollywood girls and video games give this impression that a real man is based on his strength, aggression and violence
-however, this is an ideological myth as the majority of men are unable to reach this goal of true ‘hegemonic masculinity’
what did Mcnamra say about the media failing to portray the reality of masculine life?
-McNamra examined media representations of men:
•80% of representations were negative, showing men as violent and aggressive
•20% focused on the metrosexual male
•on the whole men are demonised by media representations of masculinity
what happened in the 1980s with magazines?
-the 1980s saw the emergence of a new breed of glossy magazines aimed at m/c men
-within which men are portrayed as:
•emotionally vulnerable
•shouldn’t be afraid to get in touch with their feminine side
•should treat women as equals
•should care more about their appearance
•active fatherhood is important
