Gender Representations in Media Flashcards
give the 4 key phrases and their theorists associated with patriarchal representations of women in the media
-symbolic annihilation; Tuchman et al
-cult of femininity ; Fergusson
-sex objects ; Wolf
-conflicted working
explain Tuchman et al’s findings of symbolic annihilation and give an example
women are left out of media discourse eg women’s sport overshadowed by mens sport
explain Ferguson’s findings of the cult of femininity and give an example
-found magazines focused on women’s appearance/ marriage/ kids and women encouraged by media to be ‘domestic goddesses’
-eg Snow White
explain Wolf’s findings on sex objects and give an example
-women are used in media for the male gaze; the beauty myth is pushed
-mean girls, devil wears prada
explain conflicted working and give an example
working mothers are presented as conflicted if they cannot fulfil their role, working fathers are not which suggests women are made for domestic roles
eg Bad Moms
give three key phrases and their theorists associated with empowered representations of women in media
transgressive roles (Lib fems)
sexually powerful (Gill)
independent
explain transgressive roles and give an example
-media shows progress from 70/80s eg career women are more prominent in media
-lib fems argue there is progress but it has not fully caught up to change
-eg Elle Woods Legally Blonde
explain sexually powerful and give an example
-Gill found that women shown to use sexuality for power more
-rad fems find this regressive
-eg Charlie’s Angels
explain independent and give an example
music/ media is a source of aspiration and independence for young girls
eg Taylor Swift and Beyonce
give 3 statistics about women in media
-approx 30% of speaking characters are women
-female characters 5x more likely to receive sexist abuse on TV
-2% of sports presenters are women
what are the four key concepts associated with men’s representations in the media and their theorists
-hegemonic masculinity (Connell)
-crisis of masculinity
-toxic masculinity
-retributive masculinity (Gauntlett)
explain hegemonic masculinity and give an example
-Connell ; western cultures idea of a ‘real man’ / ‘alpha male’ aspired for by young boys, based on strength, success, competition etc
-James Bond, superheroes
explain the crisis of masculinity
-precise roles for men are now offered to women which causes masculinity crisis and may replace hegemonic masculinity to toxic masculinity
explain toxic masculinity and give an example
negative aspects of hegemonic masculinity eg violence, misogyny and homophobia, boys bottling up emotions
eg Andrew Tate
explain retributive masculinity and give an example
-Gauntlett ; media reasserts traditional masculine traits eg Top Gear
-there is a choice of masculinities to choose from in contemporary society however this choice can lead to confusion and feed masculinity crisis
what was the Children Now study about (for men)
boys age 10-17 perceived male characters as violent, leaders, not vulnerable
what was the McNamara study about (men)
-analysed lots of media to find they failed to represent reality of masculine life
-80% was negative and 20% metrosexual
what was Gauntlett’s study about
men’s media eg Men’s Health transmitted metrosexual values, although this was not all media eg Penthouse
what two adverts were banned by Watchdog for promoting sexist ideals
-Philadelphia Cream Cheese (new dads presented as incapable of looking after their children)
-VW; men engaged in adventurous activities but women were all mothers
what two adverts defy gender stereotypes
It’s Time: Marriage Equality (at end of ad the pov was a gay man not a woman)
Always : Like a Girl
describe the feminist perspective on representations of gender
-media shows women as ‘domestic goddesses’ or ‘sex objects’ which limits young females aspirations
describe the liberal feminist view on media representations of gender (and give a theorist)
-media rep is slow to change in response to womens societal achievements aka ‘cultural lag’
-Mills argued that the newsroom has a deeply entrenched bloke culture that excludes women
describe the marxist feminist view on media representations of gender (3)
-stereotypes are pushed to appeal to traditional audiences
-false needs creates around beauty myth and womens anxieties are manipulated and exploited for profit
- diet industry is worth $100billion a year in USA
describe the radical feminist view on media representations of gender (3)
-traditional images are deliberately transmitted by male dominated media to keep women oppressed into a narrow range of roles
-beauty myth creates FCC in women
-mens magazines encourage retributive masculinity
describe the popular feminist view on media representations of gender (and it’s theorists)
-McRobbie argues women in 21st century promote popular feminism which is now mainstream in commercial culture whereas traditional feminism is ignored as old feminism
how does Gauntlett criticise McRobbies view of popular feminism
-media audiences are so diverse there is bound to be mixed messages over gender and sexuality
-eg magazines for older women vs magazines for younger generation
describe the postmodernist view on media representations of gender and it’s theorist
-Gauntlett ; unlike the past, men and women have a variety of media messages about masculinity and femininity
-eg new emphasis on mens emotions and girl power
describe the pluralist view on media representations of gender (3)
-feminists underestimate womens ability to see past gender stereotypes and stereotype women as impressionable and easily influenced
-there is no evidence of women noticing media content that supposedly affects their attitudes
-media simply reflects public attitudes and meets public demands
give a critique of the pluralist perspective of gender representations in the media
-failed to consider that the media may be responsible for creating public needs in the first place
