Media - Topic 4

Question 1

The under-representation of women in the media industry

Answer 1

IWMF - in UK companies women were marginalized in news-rooms and decision-making hierarchies and that women faced a glass ceiling (an invisible barrier to progress in their careers)

Question 2

The male gaze

Answer 2

Mulvey - men look at women as sexual objects with images of women focusing on their physical appearance and sexuality, using camera angles that focus on women’s sexual appeal

Wolf - builds on this, women are expected to meet male conceptions of female beauty

Question 3

Patriarchal ideology and the symbolic annihilation of women

Answer 3

Features like those identified above mean that the media tend to be patriarchal and spread patriarchal ideology
Tuchman et al - under-representation and stereotypes can be described as symbolic annihilation of women (involves: trivialization,omission and condemnation of women)

Question 4

The under-representation and stereotyping of women in media content

Answer 4

Global media monitoring project - 76% of the people heard or read about in print were male - compared to 24% of women

Women were interviewed and seen as ‘ordinary’ people whereas men were seen as ‘experts’

Question 5

Cumberbatch and under-representation and stereotyping of women

Answer 5

Women (older) are under-represented

Martinson - 82% of over-50s on BBC are male with women over 50 making only 5% of presenters

Question 6

Wolf identified the following stereotypes:

Answer 6

The WAG - wives and girlfriends of men
The sex object - sexually seductive
The supermum - happy, home-maker and manage family emotion
The angel - who is ‘good’ and support men
The ball breaker - sexually active, strong
The victim - in horror films, crime tv

Question 7

The cult of femininity

Answer 7

Ferguson - teenage girls magazines traditionally prepared girls for feminized adult roles and produced a cult of femininity, including themes on being a good wife, which socialize girls into these gender normative

Question 8

Transgressive roles

Answer 8

Media representations reflect the way that society has changed for women
McRobbie - shows this in her study of magazines

Question 9

Sexually powerful

Answer 9

Idea of women as ‘sex objects’
Gill - women are much more likely to be shown as powerful,using their sexuality to get what they want

Question 10

Independent

Answer 10

Pop music - singers like Beyoncé etc sing about women’s independence and control

Question 11

AO3 evaluation for representations of women

Answer 11

Knight - although portrayals show women who can take care of themselves ways that have historically been seen as typically male
The media still show women conforming to the male gaze with conventional attractiveness

Question 12

Representations of men

Answer 12

Men appear in wider representations
Male voices are more likely to be used in ‘voice-overs’ in TV and radio programmes

Question 13

Hegemonic masculinity - Connell

Answer 13

Idea of being a ‘real man’ that is dominant in western culture
Boys should aspire to become ‘alpha male’

Question 14

Gilmore and hegemonic masculinity

Answer 14

Described the male as ‘the provider, the protector’
Interests that are seen as a part of hegemonic masculinity are sport, computers etc

Question 15

Crisis of masculinity

Answer 15

Where men try too hard to achieve hegemonic masculinity

Question 16

Toxic masculinity

Answer 16

All that is left are the negative aspects of hegemonic masculinity
E.g aggression, violence

Question 17

Children now ; 6 media stereotypes of male characters which reinforce ‘masks of masculinity’

Answer 17

1. The joker - uses aughts to avoid displaying seriousness or emotion
2. The jock - avoids being soft and who shows aggression
3. The strong silent type - in control, avoids talking about his feelings
4. The big shot - economically and socially successful
5. The action hero - strong but not necessarily silent, shows extreme aggression
6. The buffoon - light-hearted, bungling figure in TV ads

Question 18

AO3 evaluation for representations of men

Answer 18

Gauntlett - postmodern societies there are social expectations that women and men should be treated equally. He says the media are starting to present a wider range of gender identities beyond traditional stereotypes

Question 19

Representations of sexuality

Answer 19

Tuchman - symbolic annihilation of women
Homosexuality traditionally has been either stereotyped of absent from mainstream media

Question 20

McRobbie and representations of sexuality

Answer 20

Men are starting to face the same sort of physical scrutiny by both men and women
‘The beauty stakes have gone up for men and women have taken up the position of active viewers’

Question 21

Representations of homosexuality

Answer 21

When Anna Friel kissed a girl in Brookside in 1994 it was considered a ground breaking moment - the first lesbian kiss on UK TV
Since then most TV soaps have had gay characters
Media gaze - seen through a heterosexual white middle class gaze

Question 22

Gross and representations of homosexuality

Answer 22

Media have often symbolically annihilated gay men and lesbians by excluding them

Question 23

Stonewall 2010 study

Answer 23

LGBTQ+ people appeared in less than 5% of TV shows popular with young people

Question 24

Cohen and valentine 2005 study

Answer 24

On the BBC gay people were 5x more likely to be shown negatively than positively

Question 25

Key stereotypes noted by sociologists in the 1980s and 1990s still remain;

Answer 25

Campiness - make gay characters in TV are known for a particular type of camp humour Association with HIV/AIDS - focused strongly on the gay community Temporary - media stereotype it to be temporary

Question 26

Sanitisation of gay sexuality - gills

Answer 26

Mainstream media rarely represent homosexuality in a sexualised way which is done in a way that is not to challenge the heterosexual ideology

Question 27

AO3 evaluation of representations of homosexuality

Answer 27

Media companies have found the “pink pound” (gay and lesbian consumer market) is large and affluent Pluralists - they are slowly starting to respond to what the gay and lesbian audience want

Question 28

Representations of disability - Shakespeare

Answer 28

Shakespeare - disability should be seen as a social construction - a problem created by the attitudes of society and bit by the state of our bodies

Question 29

Representations of disability

Answer 29

Disability isn’t caused by an impairment, but it’s created by the interaction between people with impairments and their social environment

Question 30

What does Shakespeare continue with

Answer 30

Stereotypes given to those with disabilities can create a disabled identity for individuals with non-conforming bodies, especially those with physical impairments

Question 31

Symbolic annihilation of disability in the media

Answer 31

1/4 of adults in the UK were covered by the disability discrimination act These disabled people are seriously under-represented among those who work in the media industry

Question 32

Cumberbatch et al and the symbolic annihilation of disability in the media

Answer 32

TV programmes 2013-2014, found that people portrayed as disabled represented just 2.5% Ofcom found more than 4 in 10 appearances of disabled people were in the context of programmes highlighting issues of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination

Question 33

Sancho and the symbolic annihilation of disability in the media

Answer 33

wheelchair is often used as an ‘icon’ or index of disability by those wishing to represent disability in the media

Question 34

Cumberbatch and Negrine (1992) found the following stereotypes being prominent

Answer 34

Objects of pity - encourage charity Sinister or Evil - persistent stereotype, e.g frankenstein Supper-cripples - depicted as brave, overcoming disability Figures of ridicule - mocked as fools Their own worst enemy - shown as self-pitying, needing a “positive attitude” Burdens - dependent on others Non-sexual - seen as sexually inactive, except when depicted as dangerous sex predators in tabloids Excluded from daily life - rarely shown as workers, parents or everyday people beyond their disability

Question 35

Phill et al of the GMG found such negative stereotypes were also applied to people with disabling mental health conditions:

Answer 35

TV drama and entertainment they found nearly half of peak-time programmes with mental illness storylines portrayed people with mental health problems as posing a threat to others 63% of references to mental health were negative

Question 36

AO3 evaluation of representations of disability

Answer 36

GMG and time to change (2014) found a content analysis carried out and found that there were more positive authentic and sympathetic portrayals and fewer overly simplistic stereotypes which stigmatised mental illness