Keywords Flashcards
Active masculinity
van Zoonen suggests that media representations of men typically frame males as more active than those used to depict women. Masculine framing might emphasise movement, skill or action.
Passive femininity
van Zoonen suggests that media products encode women as passive subjects, using soft focus photography or invitational gesture codes to suggest female vulnerability.
Beauty ideals
A socially constructed definition of what physical beauty ought to be, often resulting in audiences feeling a pressure to conform to the narrow ideals suggested.
Under representation
The absence of key social groups within media products. hooks, argues for example, that black women are absent from media products as a result of their economic and social powerlessness.
White male privilege
The idea that white males occupy a position of social power, an elite status that is ingrained within society as a result of longstanding historical and economic forces.
Intertextuality
The referencing of another media text within a media product. Intertextuality rewards knowing audiences or can be used to provoke a nostalgic response.
Male gaze
A stylised depiction of women that invites viewers to take erotic pleasure whilst viewing the female form. The female gaze is constructed through invitational poses and passive body language.
Objectification
A representation that depicts someone as an object of sexual gratification. Usually used to describe the sexualised portrayal of women in the media.
Stereotype
A simplified representation of a social group, constructed by exaggerating physical traits or behaviours. Stereotypes are problematic because they are easily internalised by audiences.
