Media Representation Of Women

123 Words1 Pages
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,