The Media For Making Girls And Women

I really enjoyed watching the documentary, Miss Representation. It was very informative and eye opening. The film explores the impact that the media has on society and the misrepresentation of women. While the media can be a place to learn and stay up to date, there is also an ugly side to it. Our generation spends a huge amount of our time on our phones, computers, and watching tv so I feel like we are affected by the media the most. The media influences people at a young age impacting their views on themselves and the world around them. Girls especially get the message that their value is on how they look. The way media portrays women in movies and television over sexualizes women and dehumanizes them. This type of media can lead women to

For example, “young people are being sold the concept that women’s value lies in their youth, beauty, and sexuality and not in their capacity of leaders or intelligence.” Likewise, “boys get the message that they should be violent, in control, unemotional, and that women should be treated like objects and second class citizens.” Mass media is a huge contributor to one’s daily life so it would be fairly easy to say that they have a large grasp on the mind of society. Stereotypical criticism influences us to think what a male is ought to do and what a female should do. The objective of media is to influence people for their benefit. These ways of thinking are unacceptable conditions to be living in. “In almost every role a woman has in the media, she is somehow connected to sex. Even the powerful women we look up to sometimes become an object of desire. The media needs to start creating female

The media must have some sort of effect on people and the portrayal of other women always resonated with me. I know that there are many people who claim that unrealistic appearances in things like magazines cause an increase in eating disorders and low self esteem. The constant strive for perfection has been evolving due to digital enhancements with programs such as Photoshop or others that assist with photo editing. It is really easy to make things appear completely changed from their natural looks. A lot of places are requiring acknowledgement of alterations via disclaimers on advertisements. This prompts a debate for who has to concede between what is considered artistic freedom and dangerous content. Technology also contributes to the amount of media exposure people have now through the Internet and social media. These are considered staples in the lives of many impressionable young people, so it could add pressure to accept a new normal.

In addition to the unbelievably high beauty standards women are expected to achieve as a result of the media’s portrayal of women, they are also expected to create and maintain a perfect household. Interior design is often perceived by contemporary society as a feminine interest. As a result, a majority of publications dedicated to home decoration are targeted towards women. Whether or not it is directly stated, a magazine’s attempt to target a particular sex can be identified through both the subject matter and visual content. Livingetc magazine is one of six home and style magazines produced by the British company House to Home. Livingetc is described on its website as “the homes magazine for modern living,” “perfect for design conscious homeowners with inspiring ideas.” Although the magazine does not claim to be gendered, its appearance and contents, which not only discuss interior design, but also include segments on women’s fashion, cooking and travelling, are undeniably geared towards female readers.

Media plays a significant role in today’s society when it comes to gender roles. “Gender roles, as an example, exist solely because society as a whole chooses to accept them, but they are perpetuated by the media” (Lantagne). While watching television, many people fail to recognize the gender roles that are being illustrated throughout the show. Society shapes gender roles, and the media reinforces this ideology. In sitcoms, women are naturally the housewife, while the men determinedly enter the workforce. In reality, intimate relationships in today’s generation are fairly balanced, and it is almost expected that both individuals work diligently to provide for the household. Gender roles are also evident in a variety of other television shows. For example, in adventure and crime shows it is common to see men depicted as powerful and women as weak. With stereotypes like this, it shows women that they should keep their heads down and remain dependent on their significant other, and that men need to be influential and powerful.

According to a Dove Research, “ Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful.” The media has affected women through standards. Three changes that should be done to stop the effects of women portrayed in the media are stopping the sexism, photoshopping and stereotyping.

People rarely ever realize that the media plays an important role in defining who they are (Newsom). In fact, people compare their experiences to others to understand their lives, and the lives they usually compare it to are the ones they see in the media. (Kirk, 60) This is why girls and boys grow up thinking that women’s value only relies on their youth, sexuality, and beauty.

In a society obsessed with appearance and numb to sexism, it comes as no surprise that women are expressing hate for their bodies more than ever before. Mass media’s portrayal of women is one of unattainable perfection— most models are stick thin with flawless complexions and pearl-white smiles. Consumers are bombarded with images of women being displayed as sex objects, valued for their physical appearance above all else. The evasiveness of media has led women to believe they must resemble the models pictured in advertisements, films, and television. When one falls short of physical perfection, she experiences feelings of inadequacy, which are often accompanied by both mental and physical health issues. Consequently, eighty percent of women in the United States are dissatisfied with their appearance and more than ten million women are suffering from eating disorders. Although other factors, such as criticism in relationships or being compared to others, may contribute to a person’s dissatisfaction with his or her appearance, the media is largely responsible for the rise of negative body image and low self-esteem, particularly in women. In order to implement change, both producers and consumers of media must realize that mass media can be used positively, as an instrument of change as opposed to destruction. By eliminating sexist and over-edited images of women from media, both sexes would begin to have more realistic expectations for their appearances and the appearances of

The media is a well-known, influential aspect on gender roles that broadcast negative messages to society through television by the images that are mainstreamed, which has an effect on people’s thinking process. Television brainwashes both men and women to believe they are not perfect, unless they have the body image of a celebrity. Though it is just a fantasy and not reality, “81% of 10 year girls are afraid of being fat, half of those girls believe they feel better about themselves when they were on a diet” (Reed 2016). The media paints a broad spectrum of ways it is stereotypical to not only just women, but men too. Women are pictured as a walking toothpick, while men are muscular. How can someone enjoy watching television when it is manipulating people’s lifestyle? We should not support the media when it is doing no good than harm. From advertisements to commercials, “it controls social life by invisibly transferring the dominant hegemonic ideology” (Wolska 2016). The media portrays many unrealistic stereotypes about gender, which often leads to not feeling acceptable in today’s world.

Throughout the course of history, pregnancy has been acknowledged through different societal views. In America, famous, wealthy women exposed their pregnancy to the whole world. Most celebrities do this through the use of media. The way media revealed child bearing is through nude photos of pregnant celebrities: mothers covering their breasts with one hand, while placing, or holding their baby bump with their other hand. Although many portrayed this act as innocent and beautiful, others claim it is immoral and wrong, believing women should reveal their pregnancy with respect to their bodies. In addition, it is evident that only a certain class, and race are exposed, which created controversy with media representation. The first issue of nudity sparked other magazines to issue women and their naked bodies. Authors of many articles compare media representations with societal views, while voicing their opinions on the inequality or representation of women in media.

Mass media is always sending out messages of how women should act, look, and think. Mass media portrays women in many fictitious ways. Women are frequently seen as sexual objects in order to sell things, attract others, for entertainment and a variety of other things. Many female celebrities such as models, actors, and singers are very slim with perfect hair and teeth. Women are often portrayed as extremely dependent. Or they are very devious and willing to step on anyone to ensure that they get what they want. Women are often times portrayed as uneducated and stupid only caring about

At a young age, children begin to comprehend gender roles, which are a set of societal norms that determine what is considered acceptable, desirable and appropriate based on an individual's sex. We obtain these gender-associated roles from various places and one dominant source with direct influence is the media. Media plays a critical role in influencing gender roles through impacting the career choices we make, the behavioral patterns we implement in our lives and the sexual stereotypes we have been conditioned to accept.

Media is everywhere. In classrooms, at home, in your pocket, no one can escape the temptation of media. Every little bit of information stems from media. But, all information has two sides to it, one of which media never reports. Women have always been a controversial topic in media. For example women are seen as sex symbols rather than intellectual individuals. Social media and media have targeted women to become a conquest in which reward must be given. For instance, if a man were to sleep around with multiple partners it would not be viewed as promiscuous, while a woman would be characterized as a slut or a whore. Media has always been a prominent factor in how we view certain ideals. For example, women should be treated and viewed as inferior from their male counterparts. As the media thoroughly objectifies women’s bodies it creates a stigma that women must be held to a beauty standard to be seen as acceptable in society.

(I) The concept of beauty has been around for thousands of years although, it wasn’t until almost one hundred years ago that modern society was determined to judge one another’s, primarily women’s, beauty.

The commodification or objectification of women in mass media has long sorted history. The concept of a commodity and the word itself changes meaning when dealt with in various capital industries which engage in trade. For the purpose of exploration, the meaning of commodity shall be narrowed down to “an economic good, that is subject to ready exchange or exploitation within a market”.