Australian film and text have for years supported and broadcasted negative and inferior stereotypes of women. Criticising, embellishing, and mocking women’s behaviour, personalities, occupations and appearance. These stereotypes were heavily reinforced into the minds of the public and influenced their thoughts and actions. However these are gradually changing through the portrayal of women in a more positive way utilizing different film techniques and modern storylines.
Traditionally women are portrayed as mothers and home carers and not as equal as men, mainly through the story lines, dialogue and music. In the TV shows, Ja’mie Private School Girl and Kath and Kim, the main characters are superficial, rude and self centred. The opening credits
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Merely minutes into watching the TV show, it is clear that these women only care about their appearance. In Ja’mie’s first episode, before the characters are introduced or the audience can learn anything about the tv show, Primadonna girl by Marina and the Diamonds plays in the background as shots of the surroundings are shown. The lyrics, “Get what I want ‘cause I ask for it, not because I’m really that deserving of it…” are the last thing the audience hears as a shot of Ja’mie comes on the screen. The lyrics imply that Ja’mie is a spoilt brat who gets whatever she wants. Ja’mie talks about her life at the prestigious Hilford’s Grammar School. She explains that she is the smartest, most popular and prettiest girl at the school and so are her friends. She goes onto to say that, “…if you want to be hot, you have to have a box gap,” implying that women believe that in order to be hot and popular you have to be skinny. The comedic genre of these shows also mocks women and depicts that women can’t be taken seriously. These are such traditional gender stereotypes that have been reinforced in the Australian psyche for
“Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on Views of Gender”, further highlights the difference between males and females in media giving specific examples from a variety of movies. In this article, an emphasis is also made that media is the most persuasive influence on how we as a society view men and women. Male focused films tend to embody the stereotype of men being tough, independent, sexually aggressive, etc. and lack the interest in participating in homely activities or the care of children. Women, on the other hand, are typically displayed as young, thin, dependent on men,
It is very well known to all that media is a big part of society today. It influenced how we see ourselves and the world to some extent. There are different types of media that is offered today, for example: TV, movies, radio, and newspapers. Within the different forms of media, women and men are represented in a certain way, all with different characteristics. In this essay, I will argue that there is similar gender stereotypes presented in the shows Modern Family and Every Body Loves Raymond, and how they differ from the show Full House.
After the 1950’s and the invention of the television, the view of how women should act has drastically changed. We went from the image of the everyday housewife in a long dress and neat hair to the concept of women being ditsy sex symbols, and occasionally to the strong female heroes who could hold their own against any competitor. As women on TV and in film have progressed, so has society’s view of women and our abilities.
Modern media has a massive audience with more than 115 million American household families owning a television (NewsWire). Everyday viewers devote time to watching programs and are intrigued by the attractive actors and the situations they encounter. Although these characters and their lives seem to be unbelievably attractive, many of the shows have stereotypical gender qualities. Regina George in Mean Girls frequently portrays qualities that are often seen as ideal ways for women to live, though a closer look reveals the limitations with these ideas.
This film paints multiple stereotypes and over exaggerates them to emphasize their relevance in society in hopes of changing the audiences' viewpoint of these stereotypes set before women.
Still others would portray themselves as manipulative and try to investigate conflict, just to watch the other girls in the house argue (‘Bad Girls Club’, Oxygen, 2006, Television). Oxygen tries to find fun and entertainment within the Bad Girls Club, but the show reinforces gender stereotypes. Bad Girls Club defines traditional female stereotypes because the girls are generally strong and independent young women. The girls feels the need to show dominance through fighting, screaming, swearing, and partying (Boyer. 2011). The portrayal of young women are not traditional, but Bad Girls Club does not create a positive image on young girls.
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.
“Mostly, the disagreeable Sapphire, the dark skinned mammy, Beulah, and the mischievous criminal” (Wallace et al 1316). “Despite the personas becoming more contemporary, these stereotypical roles still reflect the same negative character traits; namely the Diva, the Jezebel, the gold digger, and the freak. For instance, in Sex and the City, Miranda plays the role of a nurturer -present day Beulah who teaches her neighbor how to raise a baby. In other words, “if it is a show, where the beauty of the female character is important, where she has to be eye candy, you are more likely to see light and bright than dark and lovely” (Golden 87). These distinctions play a role in determining who we see on television, even in the broadcasting
This paper will look at how the movies portray women in a way that women can relate to regardless if it’s an insulting
However, it can be observed and said that they have always lived up to the image of “housewife” material or as a constant collaborator of a male role, instead of being the main character. According to Elasmar, M., Hasegawa, K., & Brain, M, on their essay the portrayal of women in the US prime television, “TV has portrayed females in many ways, studies have shown that women have been underrepresented and stereotyped in TV programs.” Women have been living under that invisible stereotype that has cornered them and does not allow them to grow professionally or socially. TV has been the master-mind behind a stereotype that has left women without the chance of demanding equality or credibility on shows, a stereotype that will always be mentioned and enforce if TV shows do not start producing real-world programs based on true stories or true qualities of
Viewers are hooked on to the idea and, try to become these characters by dressing and talking like the males in the
The show reinforces the classical gender roles that female stereotypes continue to thrive in the media we consume every day. Women in this show is objectified and mostly portrayed as just beautiful with little education. (Gender Stereotypes in Mass media, 2014).
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
Filmmakers use traditional gender stereotypes to produce characters audiences can easily identify with by portraying conventional images of a person with identifiable characteristics. In previous years, the dominant representation of a women in film has been the passive, subjugated protagonist. However, through the development of female empowerment and added feminist representations of film, the female heroine transformed to become strong and independent women in her own right, as an individual character.
The film industry has created the conventional gender roles of society into their movies. A majority of films have supported some of the male and female stereotypes. In the history of the film industry, the role of men is primarily that of the stereotypical working class man or hero, while the roles of women are primarily portrayed as being somewhat inferior to men. In the 1930s through the 1970s, men held the leading roles in films while women played smaller roles. In terms of jobs, women were given mostly family roles and rarely were shown outside of their homes, while men had successful careers and did many activities outside of home. “Women were shown doing housework and men were the beneficiaries of their work” (“Women’s roles in the