1. Gendered Media Chapter 11

2. Media Saturation People today are the most media-saturated and media-engaged people in history. TV, radio, internet, social media, Facebook, twitter, blogs, YouTube all modern media tools Media content can be challenged and changed

3. Media Saturation of Cultural Life Surveys show most think media affect others but not themselves – third person effect Media sets the agenda – agenda setting Media acts as the gatekeeper Regulates Images of men and women in society and underrepresents women and minorities

4. Gendered Media Use Boys and men use media for instrumental purposes Men more likely to read papers and watch television to get news or accomplish tasks Men also regard media as entertainment Men and boys more avid consumers of video games that are action-oriented or violent

5. Gendered Media Use Girls and women use media to build relationships Girls and women use phone as way to massage relationships Girls and women perceive social media as allowing them to express themselves Girls build online relationships that can be very intimate

6. Underrepresent Women and Minorities 70% of major characters in top-grossing films are males. Can you think of any exceptions? Women are rarely presented as authorities in news programming Media also underrepresent and negatively portray minorities.

7. Portray Men stereotypically Men on prime time are: – Independent – Strong – Aggressive – In charge – Typically white, heterosexual – Serious and powerful – confident

8. Men are NOT portrayed as Non white Nurturing Doing housework Having increasing involvement in home life and child care which reflects reality

9. Portray Women Stereotypically Female characters are seen: Shopping, grooming, being emotional Flirting and talking about and with men Being sexual Engaging in domestic activities Strong women are also attractive Typically white Sexualized / sex objets

10. Underrepresent Women & Minorities Black characters scarce – Subordinate, athletic, exotic Asians and Hispanics rare – Males - villains or criminals – Women - emotional and sexualized

11. Underrepresent Women & Minorities Older people, mainly women, underrepresented – Show few older women Elderly stereotyped as sick, dependent, fumbling, passive

12. Portray Women Stereotypically Representations of women assume whiteness is norm and ideal Depictions of Black women rely on negative stereotypes of mammies, jezebels, welfare mothers

13. Portray Women Stereotypically Prominence of white norms for female attractiveness – Black women have lighter skin and straighter hair than typical – Asian women and Latinas represented as exotic and sexualized

14. Portray Women Stereotypically Media images reflect stereotypes of women and femininity – Women as sex object – Feminine ideal young and thin – Preoccupied with men and children – Enmeshed in relationships or housework

15. Portray Women Stereotypically Female newscasters are young, attractive, and less outspoken than males

16. Portray Women Stereotypically Reality TV reinforces traditional views of women and what makes women desirable

17. Portray Women Stereotypically Media limit portrayals of women to two opposing types: good and bad – Good Pretty, deferential, focused on home and family Cast as victims, angels, martyrs

18. Portray Women Stereotypically Media offer bad woman image – Witch, bitch, whore, iron maiden Encounter in children’s literature

19. Portray Women Stereotypically Criteria for good woman challenged recently – But if look more closely at nontraditional images, see woman must also meet traditional stereotypes of femininity

20. Portray Women Stereotypically Commodified sexuality prominent in reality TV shows Hypersexual identity achieved through consumption of products and services

21. Portray Women Stereotypically Trend of combining traditional and nontraditional images of gender in single character See the trailer of Erin Brockovich – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TjEklyF7 -E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TjEklyF7 -E

22. Gendered Advertising Advertising’s influence on views may be more powerful than programmed media content – Advertisements are repeated

23. Gendered Advertising Majority of ads emphasize visual images – Less subject to conscious analysis We think we’re immune – Research suggests differently

24. Gendered Advertising Advertising portrays men and independent, successful, engaged in activities In some ads, men appear angry – rebels against authority

25. Gendered Advertising Men in ads have muscular bodies, perfect hair, teeth Contribute to negative self-image and dangerous behavior

26. Gendered Advertising Advertising directed at men links products with hypermasculinity and violence Men’s dominance is emphasized by positioning

27. Gendered Advertising Ads for cooking and cleaning products show men as incompetent Also represent men in home situations as lazy dolts

28. Gendered Advertising Ads represent women as competent in cleaning and caregiving roles Male voice-overs reinforce view of men as authorities

29. Gendered Advertising Objectification of women Highly sexual poses Women are perfect, sexy

30. Gendered Advertising Advertising plays role in promoting appearance and pleasing others – Emphasize women’s need to change themselves – If woman fails man might leave her

31. Gendered Advertising Sometimes advertisers control content of magazines – Complimentary copy – articles that increase appeal of product

32. Gendered Advertising Product placement – showing or mentioning product in show Immersive advertising – incorporates product in to storyline

33. Tell How Relate to Each Other Most of time, media tell us that women and men relate to each other in traditional ways

34. Dependence/ Independence Media portray women as domestic and dependent on men Media portray girls and women as dependent and boys and men as independent

35. Dependence/ Independence Books aimed at adolescent females emphasize importance of being pretty and popular Women and minorities cast in supporting roles in television shows for children and adults

36. Dependence/ Independence Beauty more emphasized than health in women’s magazines – Magazines aimed at girls brim over with advice on how to lose weight and look better

37. Dependence/ Independence Music videos portray females as strippers or prostitutes Males shown ignoring, exploiting, directing women Women sexualized and infantilized in video games

38. Dependence/ Independence There are exceptions – Law and Order Special Victims Unit

39. Incompetence/ Authority Men shown as authorities who save or take care of less competent women – Children’s literature portrays females rescued by males This stereotype occasionally challenged

40. Incompetence/ Authority Newspapers convey message men are authorities and by near absence or lack of power - women are not More than 2/3 of cited sources are male

41. Incompetence/ Authority Women unlikely to be represented as experts Blacks cast in racially stereotyped roles

42. Motivate Us to Consume Some ads are claimed to help with need we have identified But cultivate desire in us by convincing we have problems weren’t aware of yet

43. Incompetence/ Authority Women more often represented as victims on front page Stories about powerful women focus more on appearance and personal lives

44. Primary Caregivers/ Breadwinners Media portrayals of women give little attention to career activities Shown predominantly in roles as homemakers, mothers, wives

45. Primary Caregivers/ Breadwinners Newspapers and TV news emphasize men’s independent activities Define news as stories about men – Stories about men focus on work and achievements

46. Primary Caregivers/ Breadwinners Fewer stories about women – Emphasize roles as wives, mothers – Women presented in terms of attractiveness or unattractiveness

47. Primary Caregivers/ Breadwinners Stories about women’s achievements mention marriage, family

48. Victims & Sex Objects/Aggressors Women portrayed as sex objects for men’s pleasure Images show desirable men as aggressive and dominant Images show desirable women as young, pretty, sexual, vulnerable

49. Victims & Sex Objects/Aggressors Men seldom shown nude Women routinely shown nude Images common in music videos Portrayals encourage to see violence as erotic

50. Victims & Sex Objects/Aggressors Hip-hop, rap, gangsta rap carry messages about relationships between women and men – Portray women as sex objects – Portray men as egocentric, insensitive abusers

51. Victims & Sex Objects/Aggressors Adolescents who listen to music with highest level of sexually degrading lyrics more likely to engage in sex

52. Victims & Sex Objects/Aggressors Much of rap glorifies violence – Conveys messages about gender and race

53. Motivate Us to Consume Media encourage us to consume If we buy product or have procedure will look better

54. Motivate Us to Consume Media encourage us to perceive normal bodies and normal physical functions as problems – Unacceptable, defective

55. Motivate Us to Consume Advertising increasingly focused on girls – Girl power is reduced to purchasing power – Encourages them to aspire to sexualized image

56. Motivate Us to Consume Media pathologize male bodies – Bodybuilding trend created unrealistic and unhealthy ideals Contributes to increasing abuse of steroids among men

57. Motivate Us to Consume Normal changes in men’s sexual vigor represented as problems Not problem until drug companies decided could make money

58. Motivate Us to Consume Advertising effective in convincing need products to solve problems – Normal body weight for women abnormal – Encouraged to cover up gray hair – Facial lines can be removed

59. Motivate Us to Consume Belief women should remove body hair grows out of media campaign Hair removal campaign has recently targeted men

60. Motivate Us to Consume Many women’s breast size exceeded cultural ideal in 1960s – Breast reduction surgeries increased

61. Motivate Us to Consume By 1980s, cultural standards changed to define large breasts as ideal – Breast augmentation surgeries accelerated – Surgery can lead to disfigurement and loss of sensation

62. Motivate Us to Consume More women having parts of toes removed – Improves toe cleavage Can fit into pointed-toe shoes

63. Motivate Us to Consume Surgeries to conform to white ideals on the rise

64. Motivate Us to Consume Efforts to pathologize natural physiology can be serious – Emphasis on excessive thinness contributes to severe dieting and eating disorders

65. Motivate Us to Consume Most top female models are skeletal Dangers include heart attack, stroke, liver disease Dangers exist for men who use steroids

66. Assess Ourselves Unfairly Unrealistic images encourage us to see ourselves as inadequate Portrayals of relationships between men and women also unrealistic

67. Assess Ourselves Unfairly Most encounter problems in relationships that can’t be solved in 30 minutes Most will not be able to pursue career and be relaxed and always available to family and friends

68. Assess Ourselves Unfairly Readers of self-help books have less realistic ideals – Experience more frustration and disappointment – Likely to be dissatisfied with real, normal relationships

69. Assess Ourselves Unfairly When besieged with impossible images, difficult not to feel inadequate – May feel we and our relationships are inferior – Research supports this

70. Normalizing Violence Against Women Naïve to claim media cause violence Mounting evidence media contributes to increasing male violence

71. Normalizing Violence Against Women After watching sexually explicit films that degrade women, men become more dominant toward women When see violence in media, come to view as commonplace, acceptable

72. Normalizing Violence Against Women Video games push envelope of mediated violence – Some researchers think violent games harmless – Majority of scholars think games dangerous because engage one virtually in violence

73. Normalizing Violence Against Women Social learning theory claims we engage in behaviors that are rewarded and avoid behaviors that are punished

74. Normalizing Violence Against Women Cognitive development theory focuses on use of role models on which to base behaviors and identities Symbolic interactionism highlights importance of social views in shaping identities