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Femininity In The Media Analysis

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It is the perpetual norm for a woman’s worth to be governed by her external appearance. In today’s society, this norm is beginning to be challenged through activists and media outlets, though still present nonetheless. For a woman this standard raises conflicting desires, wanting to be deemed the right kind of attractive set by society, while not wanting to be seen as just a body to be objectified, myself included. The author brings a different view into the mix, by providing insight from a woman with a disability perspective. She was not afforded the option to choose between these desires, because she was not in a place where she granted with what she calls the “male gaze”. The absence of choice and the presence of the conflicting desires …show more content…

Most women cited feeling invisible in regards to age (p. 6,6,7,7,8,10,11), though others felt them being not seen was derived from their race (p.8), body type (p.9), as well as ability (p.9). Due to the fact that this notion is so commonly shared, invisibility has become a commonplace among women. This commonplace is detrimental to society because it enforces the idea of a traditional standard of beauty, that puts restrictions on age, race, bodies and does not show disabilities, imposed by the media. When the media does not show society an array of beauty standards, they reinforcing this commonplace of invisibility. The ideology of terministic screens also comes into play when referring to disability, the media has conditioned society to view disabled people as outside of society (p.6,7,8,10,11). People think their own personal experience gives them a clear reflection of a true reality, while in fact it is a reflection of their own reality, using this lens to see the world pushes those with disability further to the edges of society. In the comments, contributors cite their experience with disability and how using the the terministic screen to view people with disabilities as outside of society has harmed them. One mother cited how her son was coldly rejected from a private school (p.10), a daughter remembers the harsh reality of people gawking at her mother while shopping (p.11), and a coworker

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