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Media analysis of feminism
Gender stereotypes in mass media
Gender stereotypes in mass media
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In this paper I will be going over issue 17, “Has the Women’s Movement of the 1970’s Failed to Liberate American Women?”. Sara M. Evans and F. Carolyn Graglia each voice their opinions about the issue. They talk about the history of the women’s movement throughout time and the effects it had in our country. F. Carolyn Graglia writes about how she agrees the movement has failed to liberate American women. Her views on feminism concluded that the feminist movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s was a reasonable but a faulty idea, in that it was based on a worthy opinion (that all men and women should be equal).
When feminism was becoming more common in Europe after World War I, many judged feminists harshly, describing them as a “shrieking sisterhood” and manly, neglecting their duties at home. The negative feedback made many women negligent to describe themselves as feminists(“Feminism in
Society has had this concept of what women’s role in life should be since the beginning of time. For as long as anyone can remember, humanity expected women to stay at home, attend the men’s needs, and take care of household duties. Since society has evolved, women have more freedom, rights, and respect from others. However, there is still a small percentage who think women have a distinct place in life and shouldn’t drift from their “path”. In Twin Peaks and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, women were treated as if they were irrelevant and melodramatic.
Through mainly commercials and such, the media showcased the American Dream built mainly for men, while women were suppressed and expected to be solely housewives. They were not given the opportunity to get equal jobs or education. “Have dinner ready, prepare yourself, prepare the children, minimize all noise, be happy to see him, listen to him, make the evening
It may seem that it benefits women but it justifies men’s superiority over women. While in Betty Friedan’s excerpt from her book, Feminine Mystique, she talks about similar reasons to why women are suffering of a problem that has no name. She writes during the 1963, which was post-war and she tells us what women were going through. During the 1960’s society had an ideal of a women.
At the end of World War I and World War II, after women had taken over male jobs while fighting, men returned but women wanted to keep the jobs they had obtained when the war had ended (Stoneham). Women of the wars had gained lots of independence, but when the 1950s came around women lost it and became more domestic. The women of the 1950s returned back to the idea of being required to work at home and that they had no place in society. But 1950s women were more than just a passive link between working women of the war and political activists in the 1960s, the 1950s gave women the drive and motivation to be as strong in society that they are today. (Holt).
Discourses have far reaching effect on how we as humans discuss and experience our bodies. The discourse of normalcy has produced a socially constructed body that either fits or deviates from the socially constructed norm. This results in categorization and stigmatization of individuals based on whether they have more “normal” or “abnormal” traits. Normalcy causes people to continually and meticulously analyze their body, producing discomfort and desire to change. The discourse of gender tightly regulates how and when males and females discuss their bodies.
There is a lot of pressure on men in society to be manly; however, what exactly does it mean to be manly? Though many people have different opinions, a lot of them conclude that a man has to be strong and somewhat emotionless to be considered a man. This assumption can lead to Toxic Masculinity, which is “A false idea that men are expected to be as manly as possible” (The Hard, Adrenaline-Soaked Truth About 'Toxic Masculinity, 2017). Men are forced to face these assumptions not only from those around him, but also from people he might see in Media. Media reinforces Toxic Masculinity which in turn causes men to belittle women.
The concept of hegemonic masculinity was influenced by the sex role theory and psychoanalysis. It is stated that the masculinities discussed by the theory of sex-role need to be regarded as hegemonic masculinity that may not be the usual type of masculinity (Connell, 1990). According to a definition provided by Connell and Messerschmidt (2005), hegemonic masculinity refers to a normative type of masculinity enacted by a part of men. “It embodied currently the most honored way of being a man (Connell and Messerschmidt, 2005)”.
In the 1950s women on TV and in the household were supposed to take care of all domestic work and leave important decisions about their future to their husbands. Many women took issue with this doctrine and by the time the turbulent year of 1968 happened the “Women’s Lib” movement started to gain support for more freedom in women’s lives. Once this happened women had independence from men and any other impediments, but in modern TV shows the narrative is about the current problem of how women live without slipping back into the lifestyles of the 1950s. Throughout the years of women on television there have been shows that demeaned their place in American culture, but there have also always been shows instilled with feminist undertones (Mittell 336). Television today has many models of strong females, like the shows that Shonda Rimes produces, but it stills need to continually look forward and not back on the role of women in American
One of the myriad key issues that have been historically tackled by women’s movements is related to the relationship between the images of women as presented in mass media and their social roles. The underlying assumption is that these images have some sort of detrimental impact upon both individual consciousness and collective social life. For instance, the very underrepresentation of women, including their stereotypical portrayal, may symbolically capture the position of women in society i.e. their real lack of power. This aspect throws light on their “symbolic annihilation” by the media (Gayle Tuchman 1979). According to Gerbner, just as representation in the media signifies social existence, so too underrepresentation and by extension,
This research will look at gender and sexual fluidity, analysing its portal in the Irish media. Due to the growing social change over the last two decades, and looking at how sexuality is frequently discussed in the media, it can be seen that people in Ireland now have the ability to talk more about sexuality and sexual identity. As this research is looking at both ‘sexuality’ and ‘gender’ and the idea of ‘fluidity’ it is necessary to define all of these terms. Sex refers to the biological construct associated with male and female bodies.
a) The film argues that the major issues and problems created by masculinity occur by telling young boys to “be a man”, and using a “hegemonic” definition to define masculinity. While the film does not focus on the definition of hegemonic masculinity, the masculinity they describe is very much hegemonic in nature. The film describes hyper-masculinity that is defined by domination and aggression. The film focuses on the “mask” of masculinity, which requires boys to hide their true selves, and instead, put up the front of hegemonic masculinity. The film tries to demonstrate that if we let boys express themselves – their feelings, their fears, their issues- they would be healthier humans.
Gender is the biological and physical traits that are associated with one’s sex. A male has a penis and a female has a vagina. The meaning of masculine is “how manly you are.” To determine this, it goes back to gender roles, a male with a deeper voice correlates with higher masculinity. Hair on your chest and face are also ways that determine your level of masculinity.
The representation of gender in mass communications has been a hugely debated topic for years and will continue to be one for many more years to come. The media plays a big role in how they want to portray a gender to the public. They create certain stereotypes through the role of a gender in order to attract a large audience and interest to sell a product, brand or image. Media is so important in today’s society, people spend hours and hours each day watching TV, browsing the Internet and reading magazines. There are so many images of men and women in the media today that it certainly has an impact on the viewer’s thoughts and sense of identity.