MEDIA - Representations of Gender in the Media

Question 1

What is the Definition of Symbolic Annihilation?

Answer 1

This is whereby women’s achievements are subject to omission (left out), trivialisation (made to be seen as insignificant), or condemnation!

This also links to Sexuality as well as Ethnicity!

Question 2

What Sociologist/s identified Symbolic Annihilation?

Answer 2

Tuchman et al!

Question 3

What is the Definition of the Cult of Femininity?

Answer 3

Women are encouraged to conform to the feminine ideal focused on appearance and relationships rather than careers!

This links to Sue Sharpe’s study in the 1960s, in regards to Education!

Question 4

What Sociologist/s identified the Cult of Femininity?

Answer 4

Ferguson!

Question 5

What is the Definition of the Male Gaze?

Answer 5

Women are presented as sex objects that are viewed from a male perspective to conform to the ‘beauty myth’!

Question 6

What is the Sociologist/s that identified the Male Gaze?

Answer 6

Wolf and Mulvey!

Question 7

What is the Definition of the Hegemonic Gender Identity?

Answer 7

The media encourages socialisation into gender norms, based around hierarchy, behaviour, appearance, language and social position –> Women are seen as weak!

Question 8

What Sociologist/s identified the Hegemonic Gender Identity?

Answer 8

Connell!

Question 9

What is the Definition of Retributive Masculinity?

Answer 9

The backlash against metro sexuality (The emergence of the ‘New Man’ - Uses male makeup, happy to be seen crying and someone who loves and cares about others) has encouraged more media content to emerge that attempts to regain hegemonic gender identities (where men are seen as strong and dominant) in the face of toxic masculinity!

Question 10

What Sociologist/s identified Retributive Masculinity?

Answer 10

Gauntlett - He is Postmodernist; he does not say that the Hegemonic Gender Identity is good, he just identified it!

Question 11

What are the 5 Key Stereotypes in regards to Gender?

Answer 11

1. Characteristics
2. Sexuality
3. Physicality
4. Emotions
5. Role

Question 12

(STEREOTYPES) Describe what is meant by Characteristics. HINT: Hegemonic!

Answer 12

Women = Hegemonic Femininity

Men = Hegemonic Masculinity!

Question 13

(STEREOTYPES) Describe what is meant by Sexuality. HINT: Heterosexual!

Answer 13

Women = Submissive and Heterosexual

Men = Dominant and Heterosexual

Question 14

(STEREOTYPES) Describe what is meant by Physicality. HINT: Traditional View of Men and Women!

Answer 14

Women = Weak, skinny, long hair, makeup (‘dolled up’)

Men = Muscular, dominant and ‘buff’

Question 15

(STEREOTYPES) Describe what is meant by Characteristics. HINT: Traditional Emotions for Men and Women!

Answer 15

Women = Dramatic, cry a lot, they need saving, ‘damsel in distress’, motherly and gentle

Men = Emotionless and aggressive

Question 16

(STEREOTYPES) Describe what is meant by Role. HINT: Links to PARSONS!

Answer 16

Women = Expressive Role (the Follower)

Men = Instrumental (the Leader)

Links to Parsons’ Sex Role Theory and the ‘Warm Bath Theory’!

Question 17

What does Tunstall identify in regards to Limited Roles? HINT: The media is BIASED and portrays women in stereotypical roles!

Answer 17

He argues that the presentation of women is BIASED because it mainly represents women as busy housewives, as contented mothers, as eager consumers and as sex objects in various stages of undress. –> The media generally ignores the fact that over 1/2 of British adult women go out to work!

Question 18

(TUNSTALL) How does he say that the media portrays men? HINT: ‘Breadwinners’ and traditional male roles!

Answer 18

Men are often portrayed as active and in positions of power (‘the breadwinner’)!

The male body is also rarely sexually objectified in the mainstream media and little reference is made to a man’s marital and domestic status!

Question 19

According to Kilbourne, how are women portrayed in the media? HINT: Thin about Barbie!

Answer 19

The media often present women as mannequins and ‘Barbie dolls’; they are seen as tall and thin, often size zero, with very long legs, perfect teeth and hair and perfect skin, 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)!

Question 20

What does Bates argue in regards to the music industry? HINT: They sexually objectify women!

Answer 20

She argues that the music industry is particularly guilty of sexually objectifying women in lyrics and music videos.

She observes that, as consumers of the music industry, young girls often see women in bikinis being surrounded by fully clothed men and signs that women are being treated like sexual objects!

Question 21

What did Cochrane study and investigate and what did she find? HINT: Symbolic annihilation and under-representation of women in the media!

Answer 21

Looked into symbolic annihilation of women in TV shows = She found that a range of TV output - including news and comedy panel shows - were dominated by men and that women (especially on the radio) were especially under-represented!

Question 22

(COCHRANE) What percentage of reporters and guests on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme were male?

Answer 22

Around 85% of reporters and guests were male!

Question 23

What does Orbach look into and identify? HINT: Diet culture and the negative representation and outcome for women!

Answer 23

She looks into diet culture in the media and how this perpetuates negative body image for women!

She argues that the media perpetuate the idea that slimness equals success, health, happiness and popularity - She accuses the media, especially women’s magazines, of encouraging young girls and women to be unhappy with their bodies.

Question 24

(ORBACH) What does she say that the news can perpetuate and create? HINT: Eating disorders and diet culture!

Answer 24

She says that that the news creates the potential for eating disorders by constantly exhorting females to be concerned with their weight, shape, size and looks, by using pictures of size-zero supermodels to illustrate articles and, through adverts, encouraging dieting and cosmetic surgery.

Question 25

In 1999, the research group, Children Now, asked boys between the ages of 10-17 about their perceptions of the male characters they saw in the media!

What 5 things did their study identify?

Answer 25

• Males are violent
• Men are generally portrayed as leaders and problem-solvers
• Males are funny, confident, successful and athletic
• Men and boys rarely cry or show vulnerability and weakness
• Male characters are mostly shown in the workplace, and only rarely at home

Question 26

TRUE OR FALSE: LESS than 1/3 of the boys had never seen a man doing domestic chores on TV!

Answer 26

FALSE - MORE than 1/3 of the boys had never seen a man doing domestic chores on TV –> These images and ideas support the idea that traditional images of masculinity generally continue to dominate mass-media coverage of boys and men!

Question 27

What did McNamara identify and analyse? HINT: TV and newspapers + Failed to portray what men are actually like!

Answer 27

She analysed a wide variety of media, including newspapers and TV.

She claimed that media representations of men and boys generally failed to portray the reality of masculine life!

Question 28

(MCNAMARA) What percentage of media representations of men did she identify as being NEGATIVE?

What else did she identify?

Answer 28

Around 80% of media representations of men were negative.

Men and boys were routinely shown as ‘violent and aggressive thieves, thugs, murderers, wife and girlfriend bashers, sexual abusers, molesters, perverts, irresponsible deadbeat dads and philanderers, even though, in reality, only a small proportion of men act out these roles and behaviours’!

Men and boys were also shown as irresponsible risk-takers and, in particular, incapable of communicating their feelings or controlling their anger –> Homer Simpson = ‘Seen as being incompetent; everything is left down to Marge’!

Question 29

(MCNAMARA) What did the 20% of media representations of masculinity focus on? HINT: Metrosexual male!

Answer 29

She found that around 20% of media representations of masculinity focused on men and boys who were in touch with their feminine side and expressed this through their appearance - the metrosexual male - and, through fatherhood especially, the need to connect emotionally to their children. However on the whole, McNamara concludes that men are dominated by media representations of masculinity.

Question 30

What is the definition of the ‘Metrosexual Male’?

Answer 30

This refers to men who take care of their appearance in terms of consuming toiletries and fashion products and who are unafraid to express emotional vulnerability. The ‘hipster’ is thought by some to be symbolic of this metrosexual ideal.

Question 31

What did Gauntlett identify in regards to positive interpretations of men in the media? HINT: Men’s Health and metrosexual values and the decreased influence!

Answer 31

He suggests that men’s media, such as ‘FHM’ and ‘Men’s Health’, transmit metrosexual values because they portray men as ‘fundamentally caring, generous and good-humoured’.

Gauntlett argues that these magazines are often centred on ‘helping men to be considerate lovers, useful around the home, healthy, fashionable and funny’.

Question 32

(GAUNTLETT) What does Gauntlett say still exists in media today?

Answer 32

Gauntlett acknowledges that images of the ‘conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man still circulate in popular culture’ –> Especially with male superheroes = EG: James Bond!

However, men’s magazines that present women for the benefit of the ‘male gaze’, such as ‘Nuts and Penthouse’, are becoming increasingly obsolete.

Question 33

TRUE OR FALSE: There are INDEED signs that media representations of MASCULINITY are moving away from the emphasis on Traditional Masculinity!

Answer 33

TRUE = There are that media representations of masculinity are moving away from the emphasis on traditional masculinity, to embrace new forms of masculinity that celebrate fatherhood and emotional vulnerability.

Question 34

What does the Overall tone of the media suggest towards Hegemonic Masculinity? HINT: Do not over-exaggerate changes in representations of masculinity; tradition still dominates!

Answer 34

It is important not to exaggerate changes in representations of masculinity, as the overall tone of media representations still strongly supports hegemonic views of what it is to be a man.

Question 35

What is Hegemonic Masculinity?

Answer 35

The traditional views and identity / features of men = Being strong, never showing signs of weakness, dominating the workplace at home!