What are the Effects of Representation and Self-regulation in the Media in Respect to Gender and Sexuality?

"When we're young, it sometimes seems as if the world doesn't exist outside our city, our block, our house, our room. We make decisions based on what we see in that limited world and follow the only models available” (Moore, 178). Role models play a very big part in shaping an individual and deciding which route they take in their lifetime. In both of the Weses’ life, role models contributed to why they both turned out so differently. Wes Moore, the author, had strong and positive influences in his life that helped guide him on the right path to become a successful adult. However, the other Wes Moore had many influences in his life that, not intentionally, guided him down the wrong path.

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

A role model is an irreplaceable person who often has a following of people who attempt to emulate their actions and reactions. They often are in places of authority or, rather, noble in the eyes of their attendants. Role models yield a lot of value in many societies proven through literature in “The Color of Water” by James McBride, observations of mentors both in history and the present, and my personal experience with leaders who I appreciate.

Gender and the Media by Rosalind Gill addresses gender stereotypes that are brought onto women and men through the media resulting in objectification and subjectification. Gill discusses how the representation of gender is altered as a result of the media in Western societies. Gender and the Media is aimed to address the rapid transmission of media and how those changes affect the construction of feminine and masculine gender roles in society. Gill uses her interest in the contradictions of gender construction by society, to analyze gender and the media. Using feminism as a backbone for her research, Gill and many commentators support the idea that feminist ideas are common and may even affect the media. Gender and the Media addresses multiple forms of media: postfeminism in advertising, gender in the news and journalism, and gender in magazines. Gild aims to address the construction of gender representations, elements for gender analysis, and feminist culture with Gender and the Media.

A role model should guide individuals through life’s struggles in the same way an example math problem shows a student how to use a formula. Both Aldous Huxley’s 1932 science fiction novel Brave New World and William Golding’s 1954 allegory Lord of the Flies, use utopias inside of dystopias to develop a sense of serenity around the Christ figure to give the audience an inspirational role model.

Media representations isn’t only a mirror to the society but as we can see it’s also a construct and realities that is popular in the society. As we know these portrayals has a big impact on the framing of the today’s life that we live in. The media constructs, “normalizes” and asset identities such as gender, sexuality, class, race and ethnic. All the discussions relies on how the covers of the magazines ad highlights how the social values and contexts on how this advertisement aid to construct, normalize and asset identities with specific emphasis on how gender and sexual identities, social class identities, racial intensities and how national identities is represented in the society.

A major modern problem with the media is the sublimation of, and reaffirmation of, stereotypical female gender roles. “The media treats women like shit” (Cho). Which is a serious issue because of Marshall McLuhan’s famous words, “The Medium is the Message” (Warwick). The medium up for discussion is the media, which can be fundamentally defined as the most significant “single source of information that people have today (Katz). Therefore, in order to understand “what’s going on in our society” (Katz) it is “absolutely imperative to “understand media” (Katz). Media and technology are “shaping our politics, our national discourse and most of all, they’re shaping our children’s brains, lives and emotions” (Steyer). Caroline Heldman, PhD, and

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

This paper will discuss the two different types of role models, both positive and negative, and why they are crucial for a person’s mental and physical development. I will define what a positive and negative role model is to me, and will also discuss how a negative role model is not someone who is a bad influence, but rather someone who’s mistakes can be learned from in order to prevent someone else from making the same mistake in the future. This paper will talk about my positive role model, Shannon Smith, my negative role model, Amanda Bynes, and why they have influenced me and how they have impacted my life, making me the person that I am today. In this paper, I will also discuss how they have become the people that they are today, and will include personal experiences that I have shared with my positive role model, and mistakes that I have learned from because of the choices that my negative role model has made that have had an unfavorable impact on her future.

“Radio, television, film, and the other products of media culture provide materials out of which we forge our very identities; our sense of selfhood; our notion of what it means to be male or female; our sense of class, of ethnicity and race, of nationality, of sexuality; and of "us" and "them”…” (Kellner, 1995) Douglas Kellner expresses the notion that gender roles and the stereotypes associated with them are sets of societal norms that dictate behaviour which is considered acceptable, desirable and apt based on ones particular sex. These constructs are often depicted in media culture and especially film, which acts as a social comment and offers society the opportunity to reflect on the ways social issues are portrayed and examined. The

The myth I will be exploring in this paper, is if the sexualizing of men and women in the media is equal amongst both genders. This topic of media and the sexualizing of men and women is a relevant topic today because the media plays such a large role in almost

Historically, social and feminist scholars have focused on media representations of gender roles and how they affect the lived experiences of women (Green, 2013; Soulliere, 2006). Gender is widely considered to be a cultural rather than strictly biological creation, and it is often constructed and represented through popular culture media such as advertisements, magazines, and television (Soulliere, 2006). While women have made great strides in expanding the culturally acceptable definition of femininity (or femininities), masculinity continues to be narrowly defined and policed by society (Soulliere, 2006; Tragos, 2009). This evidence of asymmetrical change in popular culture gender role portrayals suggests that more effort should be given to examining the representation of men and masculinities in media, and its influence on the lived experience of men.

Collins, Rebecca L. "Content Analysis of Gender Roles in Media: Where Are We Now and

. Even in today’s world social media plays a large part in pushing what success is when speaking about role models. The proper role models for youth are not deemed as successful and are not shown on social media or television. This makes it hard from day one for those who see something such as a positive example because it does not seem to be the most poplar way in school. Students in the earlier years are easier

Dating back to the 1920’s mass communication mediums of film, television and print have all been means that act as powerful tools of propaganda and thus play an integral role in the lives of individuals. It is for this reason that it is often widely accepted that the media is to be used as a tool, which represents a common public interest. Men and women are represented through forms of media in different ways, which create images depicting stereotypical traits and characteristics. The problem brought fourth by this is concerned with the issue of gender or the ‘discourse’ of gender and how individuals perceive themselves (Gauntlett, 2008) As the media is such a big part of everybody’s lives, there is not doubt that when this powerful function is synthesized with the medium’s capacity to accentuate present day realities on our screens the result tends to elicit a dominant ideology; which in turn presents an argument for major ethical implications in regard to public stigma and subsequent prejudice. This essay shall critically consider gender representation in Sex and the City (HBO, 1998-2004) and the extent to which these characters challenge the patriarchal privilege.