Media-Femininity Flashcards
What are the 6 stereotypes of women in the media?
•the WAG=concerned w/ beauty & romance, keep a man
•the sex object=sexually seductive, objects of male fantasies
•the supermum=happy housewife concerned w/ children and housework
•the Angel=naive, sensitive, displays little sexuality
•the ball breaker=sexually active, strong, ambitious, independent
•the victim=as in many horror films- men are the cause and saviour of problem
What are the hegemonic definitions of gender roles according to Connell? In what ways does he argue this constitutes to patriarchal ideology?
•masculinity=‘breadwinner’ identity, head of household, responsible for economic security of dependents, aggressive, competitive
•femininity=‘housewife’ role, mothers, home-makers, less rational and more emotional than men
-assumes that masculinity is dominant and femininity subordinate as males exercise physical, social and economic power over females; attitudes transmitted down generations via gender role socialisation in family
Why does Gautlett say we need to be cautious when discussing media representations of social groups?
Diversity of media and audiences means there is no overriding message about gender; ideas could be contradictory
How does Tunstall argue that women have limits roles in media representations?
Media is bias and only emphasises women’s domestic, sexual, consumer and marital activities to the exclusion of all else; if women are presented as working women then they are portrayed as unfulfilled, unattractive, possibly unstable and unable to sustain healthy relationships or it is implied that they are guilty for emotional neglect of children
What does Tuchman mean by ‘symbolic annihilation’?
Describes how women’s achievements are not reported, condemned or trivialised(made to seem less important); achievements presented as less important than looks and sex appeal
How are women invisible in the news according to Gallagher & GMMP?
Women’s activities often seen as less newsworthy than those of men, often in decorative roles or as celebrities; they are mostly in softer stories e.g as a consumer- rarely shown as professionals or experts and press coverage still heavily relies on men to be experts in business, economics and politics
How are women in sport treated unfairly according to Duncan and Messner?
Different language is used to describe male and female athletes- 97% of reporters are men and often refer to female athletes as ‘girls’, reducing them to children, and use adjectives such as fatigued & vulnerable as opposed to men w/ strong, aggressive; women athletes also subject to ‘male gaze’ as female athletes are increasingly photographed in hyper-sexualised poses
How have the Bristol Fawcett society and Dietz illustrated that women are invisible across the media?
•Bristol Fawcett society=only 30% of characters on CBeebies were female
•Dietz= no female characters in 41% of games, sex objects in 28% of games, 21% as victims of male violence in games
What does Ferguson mean by a ‘cult of femininity’? How does Winship’s ideas challenge this?
In magazines, for women excellence is achieved via caring for others, family, marriage and appearance; although it is slightly changing, it still mainly focuses on ‘him, home and looking good’
->Winship argues magazines have a supportive and positive role w/ broader range of options for women, tackling problems not represented by male-dominated media such as domestic violence and child abuse
What impact does the creation of a ‘beauty ideal’ have on women according to Wolf and Cumberbatch?
•Wolf=images of women in media present particular ‘beauty ideal’, through which strong ideological messages are transmitted that women should treat their bodies as a project in constant need of improvement- reinforces ‘beauty myth’ whereby the pressure they feel to adhere to unrealistic social standards of physical beauty has grown stronger, and more unattainable, all so that they feel more accepted by society
•Cumberbatch=being ‘attractive’ is the description for nearly two thirds of females featured in advertising as opposed to one quarter for males; women often occupy decorative role
How does the media turn women into sex objects according to Mulvey?
‘male gaze’- camera eyes up female characters providing erotic pleasure for men; strengthens idea that physical looks, sex appeal and youth seem to be necessary attributes for women to be successful in TV
How does the media turn women into sex objects according to Kilbourne?
Media presents women’s bodies as mannequins: tall & thin, size 0, long legs, no blemishes- used to advertise cosmetics, health products and anything that works to improve the appearance of the body, for the benefit of the male gaze rather than for female self esteem
Why does Orbach argue slimness=happiness?
70% of magazines heavily focus on beauty and slimming, via constantly exhorting females to be concerned w/ weight, using size 0 models and many adverts about cosmetic surgery and dieting, creating anxieties relating to body image; perpetuates idea that slimness equals success, health, happiness and popularity; accuses media of over emphasising this aspect of the beauty ideal and for encouraging young girls to be unhappy w/ their bodies- leading to eating disorders
What does Beckers study about introduction of TV to Fiji tell us?
In societies where there is no established media, there is no culture of thinness and eating disorders are very rare but introduction of western style media has led to an increase in eating disorder- suggests that the media has a huge influence on beauty ideals
Why does Gill argue that the modern media has empowered women?
Depiction of women in advertising has changed from women being passive objects of the male gaze to active, independent and sexually powerful agents; however recognises that they still conform to narrow standards of the ‘beauty ideal’
