Media, Youth And Culture : Application Of Theory

The mass media is another source that has contributed to changes in the identities of gender; especially among the younger generations; teenagers. In the media over the last 50 years, certain images have been portrayed as the ‘correct’ image to have; more

As explained in Judith Lorber’s excerpt from “‘Night To His Day’: The Social Construction of Gender”, gender is a socially constructed concept that everyone unconsciously adheres to (Lorber). As a socially constructed concept, representations of gender roles can reinforce or challenge the stereotypical images. In Killing Us Softly 4, Jean Kilbourne analyzed the advertisement industry’s representation of women and argued that the media plays a huge role in shaping gender formations (Kilbourne). Although objectification of women is still a prevalent issue, Kilbourne acknowledged that there are efforts nowadays that challenges the unrealistic representations of women and femininity (Kilbourne). Inspired partly by Killing Us Softly 4, the project is my way to reflect on how the Disney movies I had watched as I grow up represented gender.

The paramount of social adversities facing the modern society is the divide between definitions of gender. Gender represents an abstract interpretation of sex and this notion is simply a societal construct. The establishment of gender has evolved into a tradition of humanity, however this tradition evolved into a social divide between masculinity and femininity. The pressure to conform to societal constructs of masculinity and femininity poisons society and branches off to toxic masculinity; such were nurtured from these figurative beliefs. Gender roles further stigmatize the victims who refuse to conform. However, gender roles has witnessed a revolution in modern times. The purpose of this collateral involves analyzing the evolution of gender roles present in media from mid 19th century to modern times. The period of time, or 1960’s, was chosen because of post World War II’s effects on stereotypes in society around the world. Post war not only challenged stereotypes but further kindled women’s role in the workforce and women began to fill in roles previously belonging to men. In later years, a radicalization of the feminist movement has spurred and our modern times is a witness to its ascension to the paramount of feminism. The media, since the 1960’s, has allowed society to be the primary witness. With the evolution of gender roles, the media must also adapt to the changes in societal views of gender roles and the entire feminist movement at large. This collateral seeks to

Gender is an idea that is socially constructed. The idea of gender accompanies the meaning of being a woman or a man (Ballantine and Roberts, 305). When we think of a man, we typically think of someone who likes cars or hunting, someone who provides, and someone who is built. When we think of a woman, we typically think of someone who can cook, someone who takes care of the kids, and someone who is small and fragile. Symbolic Interactionism states the idea that humans are not only creating the society we are living, but we are influenced by it (Ballantine and Roberts, 305). Gender and symbolic interactionism can be portrayed and taught through any type of media. Magazines and greeting cards specifically can tell someone a lot about gender differences. The ideas of gender and symbolic interactionism will be used in order to explain the differences in men’s and women’s magazines and greeting cards.

Americans live in culture full of numerous gender codes. Gender codes are imaginary rules of how males and females should live and are created within America by the media such as TV shows, movies, billboards, magazines, and advertisements. In "Gender Codes in the American Culture", Jack Solomon and Sonia Maasik believe that "Gender codes are socially, not naturally, constructed, and usually reflect cultural values rather than natural facts" (476). This supports that the media creates gender codes because it is the main method in which cultural values are presented. They present what is accepted to be masculine and feminine in America at the time, and society follows these generalizations of what it means to be a man

For this paper, I am going to be discussing gender in the institution of films. Specifically, I am going to be discussing femininity in coming of age films. I am going to discuss how gender is represented in coming of age films in regards to femininity. Coming of age movies set an expectation for teens and young adults it lays out what they should fear and what they should thrive to be in order to transition to adulthood successfully. The media defines cultural and gender norms that are often very stereotypical (). The cultivation theory suggests that exposure to stereotypes in the media can lead to adopting these beliefs in their real lives (Giaccardi et al., 2016). In the media, masculinity is often portrayed as aggression, power, dominance,

A critical gendered lens is addressing the binary structures that people are placed in when they are portrayed in the media. Why is the man the rational voice of reason yet hyper aggressive and the woman is deemed emotional or crazy in every other sense. Women are seen as nothing, but a sexual object, whose sexuality is characterized as far as genuinely obliged thoughts of attractiveness (Markham, 2005). Western accepted cultural naturally unequivocally defined categories of gender with distinctive psychological and behavioral properties prediction from reproductive functions. Division between men and women, men’s work and women’s work, how men and women ought to act is a division perceived by biology (West aand Zimmerman,1987). Structural

Hegemony is the term for how one group gains and maintains power over other groups of people, they accomplish this by using media as an agent to normalize their power, so even the subaltern groups deem it the norm (Hegemony, slide #). How groups are represented in mainstream media and even if and when they are represented shapes the way the viewers, and thus the public, view different groups (Critical Media Literacy part I, slide #). The way these groups are portrayed is for the most part a conscious choice on the part of the creators, each portrayal is carefully crafted to send the audience a certain message about ideology and societal norms (Kenner, 6). MTV’s Girl Code and Guy Code are set up very similarly and it would be easy to brush off their differences, but in comparison these texts say a great deal about the way contemporary culture perceives gender. Gender refers to the way society expects one to act depending on where they adhere to the gender binary, men or women (Categorical Thinking, #). Even with the very premise of the shows it say a great deal about gender as it implies a rigid and absolute correlation –or categorical way of thinking- that gender and sex are the same, while it also excludes those who do not fall into the categories laid out (Categorical Thinking, slide 3). Girl Code and Guy Code very much so are set up to reinforce the hegemonic views of gender in society.

The media does affects and influenced gender identity. For instance children are constantly bombarded with shows depicting gender stereotype models from toys marketed as for boys or girls, to children’s TV programmes and shows. It is common for children’s programmes to emphasize the role of the make “hero” who saves the weak female. Children interpret these messages as “real life” which shapes their reality, behaviour and expectations of their gender role. However, the social construction of gender does not happen only, it continues

We are constantly being bombarded by the social constructs of gender. In advertisements women are portrayed as beautiful, fragile and dainty, where as men are seen as powerful, strong and masculine. These subliminal messages, along with the more blatant ones from peers, teachers, media, and parents, serve to reinforce gender stereotypes, roles and labels. In addition, they further alienate those who do not conform to these norms.

This theory lays a foundation for understanding specific social constructions including gender and race representations in the media. In

This study fits our research very well. In this research is explained how media deals with gender, diversity. This fits our research topic very well since in our topic we are eager to find out what the diversity is in different kind of movies and why and how in some movies there is lack of diversity. The book sets out to establish what messages the media suggests to contemporary audiences about gender, and what the impact of those messages might be. Media and communications are a central element of the modern life, whilst gender and sexuality remain at the core of how we think about our identities.

In the world today, there are many factors influencing and shaping gender identity. With technology steadily advancing at a rapid pace, it has made media a strong platform to promote and set societal standards. Whether it’s being marketed as an advertisement or viewing it in a show, we often see what the “normal” male or female is supposed to represent. The way that media places stars on pedestals boosts the motivation we have to become

If a girl begins to demonstrate some signs of male characteristics, she is referred to as a ‘tom-boy’. It is like a taboo to show such kinds of signs in a girl. On the other hand, if a male does not have masculine features, he is seen as an outcast. All of these perceptions are obtained from the media, and especially televisions and movies. According to Mehta and Hay (2005), media houses have for a long time helped to construct and reinforce stereotypical ideas about masculinity and men. From what is portrayed in the media, it is possible for people to dismiss others on the basis of whether they have masculinity or are feminine (Ferrey, 2008).

Studies regarding gender roles in media show that the feminine essence tends to be depicted as inferior, with women often being marginalized, disempowered and humiliated through a status that is based on their youth and looks; whilst men tend to be portrayed as superior with higher and longer lasting careers