2. Muted Group Theory Alisia M. Goff

3. What is Muted Group Theory? Language and Genders Women in Politics, Hollywood and Music making a difference Is Muted Group Theory still relevant?

4. What is Muted Group Theory? Muted Group Theory originated from studies by anthropologist Edwin Ardener and referred to women in a group he was studying. Communication Theorist Cheris Kramarae took it a step further and explored Muted Group Theory through communication, specifically between gender and social interaction.

5. Retrieved from https://limpingworkshop.wordpress.com/

6. Language and Genders According to Kramarae’s Theory, “The language of a particular culture does not serve all its speakers equally, for not all speakers contribute in an equal fashion to its formation. Women (and members of subordinate groups) are not free or able as men are to say what they wish, when and where they wish, because words and norms for their use have been formulated by the dominant group, men” (Griffin, Ledbetter, Sparks, p.457).

7. Women in Politics, Hollywood, and Music Who Are Making a Difference. A muted group is not always meek and mild. There are very powerful women who struggle with having their voice heard, not because they are not trying but because they are not being heard. According to Kramarae the vocabulary needed is not available because it was formed by a dominant group.

8. Hush Your Mouth! Women have other obstacles in their way besides just word choice. They have to be mindful of tone, message, words chosen, on top of superficial issues like make up, clothing, and hair styles. Men can “tell it straight and women have to tell it slant” (Griffin, Ledbetter, Sparks, p.461).

9. Photo Credit www.post-gazette.com

10. Politics Hillary Clinton is a major political player right now and has to be very mindful of how she presents herself. Because she is a woman, she will be judged more harshly on things other than her stances on government and her policies. Donald Trump solidified this recently when he said Hillary was playing the “woman card”.

11. Hollywood Double Standards Jennifer Lawrence recently penned a letter about the pay gap between men and women in Hollywood. She received just as much criticism as support for her stance Comediennes often are judged differently for using the same words as men. Amy Schumer has been in the public lately for her unapologetic comedy and the double standard between men and women.

12. Women in Music Most recently singer/mogul Beyonce released a visual album “Lemonade” She represents the black female voice that has been muted. Her last two albums have been criticism because they do not speak to the massed, but to a specific demographic. She can do this because she is Beyonce.

13. Because…Beyonce Photo Credit: Jeff Kravitz

14. Is Muted Group Theory Still relevant? Despite the progress for equal rights and human rights, Muted Group Theory is definitely still relevant. We are in a midst of change and as more women challenge the norms and fight for equality for all, change will continue to happen. “Women’s lives are systematically and structurally different from men’s lives and that these differences produce different(and differently complete) knowledges” (Kramarae).

15. References Griffen, E. A., Ledbetter, A., & Sparks, G. (2006). A first look at communication theory. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Kramarae, Cheris. (2005, September 22). Muted Group Theory and Communication: Asking Dangerous Questions. Women and Language, 55.