American History, Gender Equality And Gender Exploitation

The quality of American television has become a national disgrace. Young women in America who are displeased with their appearance more likely then not can trace those feelings directly back to images from the mass media on television. The unrealistic representations of women that the mass media bombards young women with indicates that the television has become a source for a distorted understanding of gender roles among adolescent women. These images warp young women’s views of their own gender identity. The mass media on television should in an attempt to provide more positive gender identities for adolescent women depict women on television in more realistic ways, should stop

Mainstream magazines and advertisements are another potent source of idealized images of women. “Findings of one study indicate that 83% of teenage girls reported reading fashion magazines for about 4.3 hours each week” (Thompson & Heinberg, 1999). Female’s motivation behind reading these magazines and advertisements are to obtain information about beauty, fitness, grooming and style. Magazine and advertisements are marketed to help women better themselves by providing information and products that are supposed to make them look and feel better. “Women read these magazines with the hope that is they follow the advice given, they will be more acceptable and attractive” (Serder, Female Body Image and the Mass Media: Perspectives on How Women Internalize the Ideal Beauty standard). Marketing strategies lure women into purchasing these forms of media, and most have the potential to be a powerful influence on women’s sense of self-satisfaction with their appearance.

Can you imagine what females could accomplish if they spent as much time volunteering to local charities as they did worrying about their physical appearance? So many dreams, goals, and aspirations are thrown away because of something as simple as low self-esteem. The film Miss Representation focuses on that exact social issue. Various people come together in this documentary to tackle the matter of gender stereotyping through the media. We will cover gender stereotypes, the role media plays in shaping them, and what can be done.

The Netflix documentary Miss Representation by Jennifer Siebel Newsom explores how the media contributes to influence the young girls and boys in America. Every day in America we are showed this unrealistic look of what the so-called perfect image of women is supposed to be from the TV shows we watch, the movies we see, to the magazines we read, to the online social media outlets we visit. This documentary shows the negative effects it's having on teenage boys and girls in America, Miss Representation interweaves between the stories of teenage girls, telling their own experiences and how the media has portrayed the image of women to them. They share their stories from pressures they feel they have to live up too from how the media shows them

The documentary Miss Representation shines a light on the overwhelming impact the male dominated media has on the development of females. Women cannot grow up emotionally happy in our culture due to the overwhelming pressure they are given. As girls grow up and become women they are constantly being judged by those around them and are given a high standard compared to their male counterparts because of the media. Being strong, smart, and accomplished isn’t important as being beautiful and skinny. Today in America you are seen physically and not intellectually. With the media portrayal of women as sexual objects has come with severe consequences. According to the video fifty-three percent of 13-year-old girls are unhappy with their bodies

Images of female bodies are everywhere. Women, and their bodies, sell everything from food to cars. Women's magazines are full of articles urging women to fit a certain mold. While standing in a grocery store line you can see all different magazines promoting fashion, weight loss, and the latest diet. Although the magazines differ, they all seemingly convey the same idea: if you have the perfect body image you can have it all…the perfect marriage, loving children, great sex, and a rewarding career. The media, whether TV, print, or Internet advertising, seems to play a huge role in influencing women of all ages; from adolescence and teens, to women in their twenties and thirties, as well as

Over the past several decades, the media and its influence on popular culture has been the single most destructive force in the lives of American women. The media dictates much of what of our society aspires to, and sets standards and precedents for a number of topics and behaviors. While, at times, it can be the source of honest and educational information, media can also have a detrimental effect on a person’s worldview. The advertising industry, in particular, has transformed women from human beings into sex objects by using their physical appearances as a platform to increase revenue. Advertisers, in their effort to attract consumers, have abused technology, including photo-editing software, leading to ethical consumer disputes and serious

With these sexist, stereotypical models of femininity constantly being perpetuated in the media, the negative implications affecting the mental, emotional and physical wellness of girls are many.

Since the beginning of human history there has been inequality between the sexes. Even though scientifically there is no assigned roles in both genders, humans have created the expectations of a perfect male and female. Throughout American history we have been able to conquer the boundaries of science, and mess with the balance of nature. You’d think that a country that thrives in science, would acknowledge the fact that your gender doesn’t determine who you should be, but we do. Most of the social standards that we have created are unfavorable to women. Social standards have prohibited the growth of women in the career fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

From toddlerhood, the female gender is oppressed by what society believes they should be. In children’s shows and advertisements, female children have a specific look that they then are expected to emulate, cute and pink adornments, playing with dolls and learning lessons about gender stereotyping without even being aware of what the difference between the sexes even are. Then, when they are older, they are sexualized, underrepresented, overdramatized, and molded into what they think they should be. When they break this mold, they are stigmatized. In a woman’s life, she will struggle with self-image and identity issues because she will never achieve the goals media images have set for her to reach. When women become viewed as individuals and are recognized for their achievements and the ideal for them becomes about something beyond their looks, and when representation is fair and equal, we will have achieved fair media representation for women.

Women everywhere are told countless numbers of times how they should think, look and act; now it is time for women to break free of those expectations. Throughout American history women have been viewed as the weaker and submissive gender. Situations have gotten better since the earlier times of history, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. Society must improve the way that women are featured in media for both men and women to be seen as equal in their abilities. The negative representation of women in media is problematic for both men and women because women are not shown in positions of leadership and media outlets present unrealistic expectations of body image. In order to fix these issues in media, Congress must change

Women’s representation remains an ongoing issue that not only affects the lives of women, but the entire society. Females have been raised to believe that appearances will get them far in life instead of other factors such as intelligence and the ability to succeed without depending on their looks. Along with the hindering misconception of females’ level of intelligence, the media continues to support the minoritization of females. Students must realize that to change how society perceives women, students are the ones that need to take action. A way to target the issue of women representation is by using some of the most powerful platforms in modern day such as, advertisements, films, and magazines. Having students focus on changing the demeaning aspect of women in the media, students should join the #NotBuyingIt campaign from the Representation Project, which allows consumers to identify companies that use offensive stereotypes to sell their products and bring light to the issue.

The concept of gender inequality has changed drastically throughout American history. Women have faced an up-hill battle to have their voices heard, their written and artist works reflecting the struggle that they faced. It was once perceived that a woman’s role was solely to be a wife and mother as well as a good Christian, their path to salvation bound to serving their husbands faithfully. Women were men’s property to do as they wish, having little outlet to express themselves.

Mass media imposes how adolescent girls are supposed to act through advertisements in teen magazines, such as the thin body type representation and being feminine. Teen magazines reinforce stereotypes and gender prescriptions directly to adolescent girls into womanhood and negotiate their roles of being feminine, being fashionistas, and focusing on enhancing their appearance (Currie, 1997). In Decoding Femininity, Currie (1997) explains that during the 1980s “feminist sociologist characterized the advertisements, feature articles, and stories appealing to women’s magazines as vehicles of women socialization into subordinate roles” (p. 456). “Research on adolescent girl magazines has been done, and these magazines promote socialization of

Throughout the years women have been portrayed in media in many different ways. Women are often represented in movies, television shows, music videos, and pornographic films. They are seen taking on many roles, such as: mothers, wives, business professionals, and background roles. Many people have set stereotypes of women and they are often seen in media. These stereotypes may be negative or positive stereotypes, depending on the way women are being depicted within the specified source. Stereotypes may influence the way people view themselves and can affect them throughout their lives. They can also affect the way other people see a certain group. Some people believe the way women are portrayed in media affect the self body image of young girls and cause them to become promiscuous at a young age. Others believe this creates expectations of women should be like for men. When advertisements first became common, they often targeted this demographic to sell items making housework like cleaning more time efficient. This is still often seen in today’s society, home good advertisements seem to be aimed at women. There are several opinions on the effect the portrayal of women in media has on society.