Media Representations of Gender Flashcards
what are the 5 steps of success in terms of representations of women in the media?
1-what is hegemonic portrayal?
2-is it positive/negative?
3-why is this the hegemonic portrayal?
4- what is the impact of this portrayal?
5- is it improving?
who came up with hegemonic feminity?
Connel
what is hegemonic feminity?
the dominant view of women’s expectations and what a woman should be
-the female ideal, usually traditional, sexual and stereotypical
what did the class’ content analysis of adverts show about women?
the adverts sexualised and objectified women, with them being shown to be controlled by men and the housewife
what did the Burger King advert say when sexualising women?
‘four inches has never been so satisfying’
what was Trowler’s evidence of content analysis of women in the media?
-75% of TV ads used women for bathroom and kitchen products
-twice as many women were shown with children than men
-56% of ads portrayed women as housewives
what did Trowler say about women in the media?
women’s bodyies are ‘exploited shamelessly’
what did Jean Kilbourne say about women in advertising?
-killing us softly
-tells us how we look, with us feeling shame when we don’t achieve it
-photoshop, women turned into objects
-bodies are dismembered, women are dehumanised
-causes violence against women, eating disorders arise
what message did Orbach say has been sent through the media in terms of women in the media?
slimness= success and happiness
what percentage of 6-12 year olds have tried a diet?
39%
what did Wolf say?
‘beauty ideal’
-women think they should have a certain body type, long legs, clear skin, etc
-women should treat their bodies as a project in constant need of improvement striving for perfection
who came up with the cult of feminity?
Ferguson
what is the cult of feminity?
-women’s magazines focus on ‘him, home and looking good (for him)’
-tries to socialise girls into the role of women
what is meant by the limited range of roles?
women are represented in a narrow range of social roles in the media whilst men perform the range of social/occupational roles
according to Wolf and Tebbel, what are the 6 stereotypical roles women are given in films/shows?
-the WAG
-the Sex Object
-the Supermum
-the Angel
-the Ball Breaker
-the Victim
how are women portrayed in sport?
-there is little coverage of women’s sports
-when there is coverage, women are sexualised, trivialised and devalued
what is the piece of evidence about women’s sport coverage in the 2012 Olympics?
4.5% of news covered female sport, with this falling to 3.2% in 2020, even though women make up 40% of the sporting teams
what are the 3 reasons why women are represented this way in the media?
1- ‘boys club’
2- male gaze
3- profit for capitalism
what is ‘boys club’?
-those who own and make the media are ‘male, pale and stale.’
-woman are facing a glass ceiling= women think they can get to the top but they are actually blocked
what is some evidence about gender imbalances in power of media?
-less than 5% of chief executives of largest media companies in Britain were women
-fewer than 10% of editors of national newspapers are female
what percentage of all speaking characters in American films between 2002-2019 were male?
68%
from 2013-2016 how many episodes of Tv shows on BBC, ITV, channel4/5 were directed by women?
only 25%
what did Mulvey say about the male gaze?
film-makers employ a ‘male gaze’ where the camera lens essentially eyes up the female characters, providing erotic pleasure for men
= the camera lens acts as the male gaze
what is the profit for capitalism according to marxists?
-the beauty market drives unobtainable goals and makes profit
-women are constantly trying to meet the unrealistic standards (false needs) so keep on buying products
-pornography= exploitation of women for profit, sex sells
what are the 2 impacts of woman’s portrayal in the media?
1- Symbolic Annihilation
2- Triviality of Achievement
according to Tuchman, what is symbolic annihilation?
-women are destroyed by the media, with them focusing on beauty/body, and not achievements/intelligence
-women are reduced down through the media
-sexy lamp test
what is the triviality of achievement according to Tuchman?
woman was hailed as brave for showing her acne
= is this really the biggest achievement
of women?
what are two evaluation points for women’s portrayal in the media?
-things are now changing
-Lauzen= women now account for 27% of executive roles in the media (producers, editors and directors)
what is the first theoretical evaluation of women’s portrayal in the media?
NEW MEDIA= the women will allow women to destabilise patriarchy.
-women now have a voice and are prosumers, spreading their opinions and voices through the media
who spoke about the new media evaluation of women in the media?
Plant
what is the second theoretical evaluation of women in the media according to Gauntlett?
FEMALE EMPOWERMENT= the traditional view of woman has been kick-boxed out of the picture by feisty ‘girl power’ icons
what is the first way that men are portrayed in the media?
hegemonic masculinity= traditional/dominant masculinity
how are men seen through the media based on hegemonic masculinity?
-breadwinner
-sexually dominant
-powerful/physically strong
-primal
-risk-taking
etc
according to Easthorpe, what is the masculine myth?
the media gives the impression that a real man is based on ‘strength, aggression and violence.’
=this is an ideological myth as majority are unable to reach this goal of true ‘hegemonic masculinity’
which type of man is most likely and least likely to be shown through the media?
most= macho man/action hero (32%)
least= good hearted (-31%)
how are men portrayed in Disney?
-men fight for girl
-sexism, strength and dominance
eg- gaston, hans, peter pan
what is the Children Now as a piece of AO2?
-asked boys aged 10-17 about what they thought about males seen on tv
-strong, aggressive, leaders, successful/confident, real men don’t cry
-1/3 of these boys had never seen a man doing domestic work
what is toxic masculinity?
harmful/damaging, characteristic of masculinity can become toxic as men are believing that they have to fit in to specific categories.
what is the female gaze when speaking of men’s portrayals in the media?
-through the female lens, men are shown in a way to ‘excite’ women
-men are often shown to have an athletic build, which may make some men have low self-esteem if they don’t have this body type
-eg= underwear adverts/shoots, magic mike
what are three statistics that show how men feel about their appearance?
-55% of men feel uncertain about their appearance
-63% of men said they always feel like they can lose weight
-41% of men said they worry people judge their appearance
have things changed in terms of how men are expected to act?
YES= ‘be a man’ ideas have changed, man’s position in family has changed (more time with children)
NO= man’s role is hidden, they are still told to look a certain way
what did Gauntlett say about the New Man?
-content analysis of men’s magazines, with FHM and GQ content being extremely positive for men today
-it encourages men to be caring, considerate lovers, useful in the home, fashionable and funny
-men can now redefine their identity
what is a piece of evidence supporting the New Man idea?
Rihanna’s savage x fenty, showed different body types not just the typical musclely and fit man
according to Mort, what is the metrosexual man?
=men now care about and look after their appearance, in terms of products/toiletries, with them unafraid to show their emotions
-rise in male fashion magazines/advertising of products reflects an important shift in the social attitudes of men
what did rutherford say about retributive masculinity?
=many WC men have resisted this change, men seek to reclaim their masculinity to make sure men are not too feminine?
what are the 3 Bs for retributive masculinity?
Birds
Boobs
Balls
Booze
