Gender can be seen as a powerful and influential tool within the media as the mass media play an important role in the media-saturated society. Mass media can be described as being a microcosm of society, being a mirror and replicating societal values. The term ‘media’ refers to the tools of mass communication and becoming part of our everyday life as it is the primary form of communications used in order to reach the vast majority of the public, the people learn from the media than any other sources. Media has the ability to manipulate people’s attitudes and opinions “mass media forms set societal standards for men and women. These forms shape the way in which society views and identify male and female characteristics” (Pyant & Yanico, 199). These dominant media forms have assisted in socially constructed gender and making gender codes shape the way society views gender, determining what is acceptable in society. ‘Gender’ refers to the masculinity and femininity of an individual, describing learned patterns of behaviour or performance (“Gender in the media”) These patterns of behaviours shifts through time, for example, in the 18th century it was appropriate for men and women to wear make-up and wigs. In that time, wearing make-up and wigs were considered masculine, now in contemporary society, the action would be deemed as feminine and inappropriate for males to wear it. Thus, why gender is so powerful due to being able to have an impact on individual’s attitudes.
Gender can have an influence on someone’s self-identity, although we are classified by our sex that we were given from birth, it determines how we act in society and what values we must have. The media consists of three major themes of the representation of gender which is the underrepresentation of women, stereotypes of men and women and lastly, the depictions of the relationship between men and women.
Women underrepresented in the media
Women are underrepresented in the media, 5% of television executives and producers are women (Litcher, Litcher, Sr Rotham, 1986). According to Mills (1988), she believes that if more women had high positions of authority in the media, it would offer more of a positive portrayal of women. Women in the media are seen as nurturing figures, always involved with the family and maintaining a feminine beauty. Advertisers use the women’s feminine beauty to sell valuable goods, the women are often displayed in a sexualised state, exposing them to the world as vulnerable (Jhally, 2009) This correlates to Laura Mulvey (1975) work on the ‘male gaze’ referring to the idea that the role of the female as a sexual object towards male spectators. Many feminist views this is a part of patriarchal control in order for men and women to be equal. There have been advertisements in which women were sexually objectified that can cause psychological problems within society. For example, in films that have male a leading role and the woman as a support role, the woman is usually seen to be beautiful with a nice body, with the intentions of aesthetically pleasing the opposite sex. Young teenage girls may identify themselves with the female characters and aspire to be like them, this could have an impact on them as they are most likely willing to do whatever it takes to look like them, causing mental and physical health. Due to this objective portrayal of women in the media, some women will aspire to be like the women shown in the media and start dissecting their appearance in order to match the requirements of the feminine norms that was touted by these magazines.
Our cultural society consists of images of beautiful, young Caucasian woman in the media. Only 1 in 40,000 women are considered to be model material, illustrating that the adverts of women broadcasted in the media are false, as not everyone is built that way and women are generally not shaped in the way the media shows us on television. This ‘ideal look’ can cause problems and anxiety for women as they would be anxious about how someone perceives them through their looks. There are also concerns about rape, some rapist would argue that women were asking for it because of the way they dress, which proves that women being sexually objectified can lead to sexual violence. This illustrates how powerful gender is in the media as gender awareness can be used in advertisements as a technique to persuade the public.
Furthermore, gender assumptions can cause negative representations which place a barrier on women and putting them in a position placed under a ‘glass ceiling’ not being able to reach their full potential in society. For example, women in some adverts are represented in a domestic atmosphere as a housewife, whereas the men are seen as the breadwinners, illustrating that they have segregated conjugal roles (Bott 1957). These gender roles solely exist due to society choosing what is acceptable. However, with the rise of social media, it helps uplifts the presence of women in the media allowing their voices to be heard. For example, in the film ‘The Hunger Games’ the protagonist Katniss doesn’t conform to the stereotypes of what a woman should ideally look like. She’s dressed and acts like a boy, being the main character in this action-packed film, this allows girls to have the opportunity to dismiss society’s requirements and be themselves or aspiring to be like Katniss, someone that is represented as a strong and independent female. Katniss is an example of a character that subverts these stereotypical representations of women we see in the media. As result, gender is an important factor in the media as it helps young women aspire to reach their full potential and break barriers that society has placed.
Stereotypes of men and women
The stereotype is a view of a person or a group of people based on narrow and incorrect assumptions, it is usually used by individuals who will not take the time to see what the person is really like. Typically, men are portrayed as being powerful, sexually aggressive and a breadwinner, whereas women are seen as passive, dependent and often incompetent. Women are only concerned with improving their appearance and taking care of the children and household, she’s only viewed as a homemaker.
Stereotypes of men. Doyle (1989, p.111) states that men are usually shown to be “aggressive, dominant and engaged in activities in which they receive rewards. Films like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon include men that posses the stereotype of extreme masculinity. Doyle (1989) suggests that boys and men do not involve themselves in the work at home, incompetent at homemaking and childcare. In advertisements, men are rarely involved in the household as they are seen as buffoons. As a result, it could perpetuate a negative stereotype towards men as being uninvolved in family life. However, these representations of men have changed over the past few decades which includes the emergence of the ‘new man’ and men being in touch with their feminine side. For example, The Big Bang Theory has a group of scientists who are highly intelligent and geeky and one individual manages to get the girl despite him not being the stereotypical man that is usually seen in the media. In today’s society, men are faced with many unrealistic images in the media which can be hard to achieve.
Stereotypes of women. The media portrays women differently over the years, in the past women were portrayed as a housewife and taking care of them and children, not going out to work and providing for the family. It shows how reliant women are on men. In the 1950’s, the media perpetuated the dominant ideology that the best family is a nuclear family, which oppressed women as they were socialising girls to accept these roles within the family and becoming subordinate to men. Now, women are sexually objectified in the media, using their sexuality to attract men and used in adverts to attract customers. The media exploit women for their own benefits, in which it causes a backlash towards women as they are not identified as a person, but as an object and can affect their everyday lives, facing misogyny in society. For example, in rap music videos we see women half naked dancing in front of the men and these music videos show images of women satisfying men’s sexual needs. This can create a barrier for women to reach their true potential as people will only see women as a sexual object and not a person, due to the images are seen in the media. These images reinforce the image of women as objects whose primary role is to look attractive and please men.
Depictions of the relationship between men and women
The media reinforce images that promote traditional ideologies, these can seem through women’s dependence on men and women being sexual objects for men. An example of this could be the Walt Disney film Little Mermaid where the mermaid abandons her identity of being a mermaid in order to be a human and be with her lover, this is an obvious illustration of women giving themselves up and becoming submissive to the opposite sex. Parles (1990) state that in rap music videos, men dominate women and their role is to fulfil the men’s desires. Daniel Chandler (2000) argues that what the media broadcast in television perpetuates traditional gender stereotypes and reflecting dominant ideologies in society. The hypodermic needle can have effects on images and messages reinforcing these values and making it seem ‘natural’. Another example is the film Pretty Woman which tells a story of a prostitute who changed her life around with the help of a man in the film, pointing out that women need a man in their life to help them become better. In the eyes of the media, women are primary caregivers and men are the breadwinners.
In conclusion, it is arguable that these gendered images reinforce traditional values of the dominant ideologies in society, exploiting women by using their sexuality in order to fulfil their own needs. The gendered media has illustrated that gender in the media is an important aspect, especially for those beyond the two-gender system. Gender is important, because not only does it illustrate the stereotypes and relationships between men and women, but it also includes those beyond it, the queer theory which illustrates all the sexual minority. This is important as some people in society cannot identify themselves with the traditional norms of men and women, this gives them a platform for their voices to be heard and to be recognised, becoming part of society instead of being an outcast and being ignored by the world. Queers are no longer represented as people who should be feared and laughed and not excluded from society. An example is Orange is the New Black this series illustrates many scenes where two women engage in a relationship, allowing more diversity in the media and reaching out to those conform to this identity. Overall, gender is pervasive and powerful as it helps individuals create an identity for themselves.