Gendered Lives - Julia Wood

Gendered Media

I. Media Saturation of Cultural Life

A. People today are media-saturated and media-engaged, with as many as 98.9% of all
households owning at least one TV.
1. Films, newspapers, magazines, advertising, radio, and social media fill our
lives with media.
2. Social media allow us to connect with others, shop, participate in online
communities, and even produce media.
II. Media Impacts
A. Although most people think that they are immune from media influences (called the
third person effect, which is the belief that others are more affected by the media than
we are), researchers have found that media shapes our identities, understandings, and
opinions.
B. Media influences how we perceive the roles of men, women, and relationships in at least five
important ways:

1. Set the Agenda

a. The agenda setting theory suggests that the media tells us what is
important. These theories argue that media don’t tell us what to think,
but they do tell us what to think about.
b. A gatekeeper is a person or group who controls what messages get
through to consumers. Editors, owners, and producers are examples of
gatekeepers.
2. Regulate Images of Women and Men
a. Underrepresent Women and Minorities
i. Although women outnumber men in the population, they are
not equally visible in the media, particularly as substantive
characters.
ii. Women are rarely shown as authorities in news programming.
iii. Minority group members are more likely to appear in
supporting roles and are more likely to be shown with their
own racial culture and values obscured.
iv. When minority groups are represented, they are shown in a
way that aligns with stereotypes.
b. Portray Men Stereotypically
 i. Portrayals of men include depictions of males as independent,
strong, aggressive, and in charge.
ii. Traditionally masculine men are praised and valued in media.
iii. White masculinity is shown as the standard for all men. Hip-
hop and rap music is a rare exception, but it tends to emphasize
problematic stereotypes of black men.
iv. More complex portrayals of men (e.g., men who are also
caring) are sometimes offered.
c. Portray Women Stereotypically
i. Portrayals of women include depictions of females presented as
shopping, grooming, being emotional, being focused on men,
being sexual, and performing domestic activities.
ii. Whiteness is a standard and an ideal. Images of black women
are often based on very negative stereotypes. Asian women and
Latinas are often presented as exotic and sexualized.
iii. Women are frequently seen as sex objects.
I. Even animated films show women with small waists
and large breasts.
II. Even as girls are sexualized, the media reinforces the
notion that they alone are responsible for the
consequences of sex.
iv. Women are usually seen as either “good” or “bad.” Bad
women are witches, bitches, whores, and iron maidens. Good
women are often pretty and passive, but this ideal has been
challenged and expanded recently.
v. Women like the angels in Charlies Angels, Rose in Titanic, and
the women on Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives may
seem progressive and strong at first, but all of these women
also have very traditional feminine characteristics and are
dependent upon men.
d. Gendered Images in Advertising
i. Ads also show these gendered portrayals of men and women.
ii. We are repeatedly exposed to the same messages.
iii. A majority of ads feature visual images, which are less subject
to conscious analysis than verbal claims.
iv. We tend to think we are immune to advertising.
v. Ads for men portray men in stereotypical ways and tend to link
hypermasculinity and violence.
vi. Men are seen as unable to do domestic tasks (like clean and
care for children). Men are seen as lazy and incompetent in the
home.
vii. Even though women are seen at being successful in the home,
male authority is still seen in ads through male voice-overs and
male images like Mr. Clean.
 viii. The objectification of women is often seen in ads.
Women’s sexuality is used to sell products, and many of the
products sold to women are about their physical appearance.
ix. Advertising presents the foci of women’s lives as physical
appearance and pleasing others.
x. Complimentary copy (articles that increase the appeal of a
product), product placement (brands or products that are
mentioned in another form of media; e.g., saying Coca-Cola in
a book), and immersive advertising (a product or brand that is
incorporated into an entire storyline; e.g., Prada in Gossip Girl
books) all influence our relationships to products.
e. Motivate Us to Consume
i. Some analysts argue that the primary function of media is to
encourage us to buy things and services.
ii. Overly perfect bodies in the media can cause us to think our
own bodies are inadequate, but offers us products that purport
to change our bodies and self-images.
iii. Media cause us to perceive normally functioning bodies as
unacceptable or defective.
I. Steroid abuse is one consequence for men.
II. Normal changes in men’s sexual vigor are shown as
something to cure with drugs.
III. Women’s body hair is represented as something to
remove with products like razors and shaving creams.
IV. Plastic surgery is more and more common and can have
long lasting effects on those who choose to undergo
operations.
III. Consequences of Gendered Media
A. Normalize Unrealistic Standards
1. When we are exposed to the unrealistic images of men and women in the
media, we tend to see ourselves as inadequate.
2. Media expose us to flawed representations of relationships as well.
a. This can cause us to assess our own relationships unfairly.
b. People can become dissatisfied with real, healthy relationships as a
result of these images.
3. Pathologizing the natural body can be dangerous.
a. The emphasis on thinness can lead to eating disorders.
b. Men are increasingly affected by unrealistic body expectations as well.
B. Normalize Violence Against Women
1. There is evidence that violence in the media contributes to increasing violence
in real life.
a. Research shows that when men watch sexually explicit films that
degrade women, they become more dominant toward women around
them.
 b. Another study shows that men who watch music videos and pro
wrestling believe that forcing a partner to have sex is sometimes
acceptable.
c. When we see violence frequently in the media, we can come to see it
as a normal part of life.
2. Several theories of gender development show the relationship between media
violence and real-life violence.
a. Social learning theory would argue that when men and boys see
images of men being rewarded for engaging in violence against
women, they would be more likely to behave that way themselves.
b. Cognitive development theory would say that when women and girls
see women in the media inviting or allowing violence against them,
they might think such violence is acceptable.
c. Symbolic interactionism would say that social views of relationships
represented in the media can affect how we see our own relationships.
IV. Gender and Social Media
A. Our use of social media to communicate with others is closely related to gender
issues.
B. Gendered Use of Social Media
1. There are some gendered differences in how men and women use social
media.
2. Men and boys tend to be more instrumental in their use of these media, using
them to set up activities, for example. Men and boys also tend to use some
social media, such as games and virtual spaces, more often than women.
3. Girls and women see phone conversations and texting as ways to nurture
relationships.
C. Functions of Social Media
1. Social Networking
a. One of the most popular uses of social media is social networking.
i. Women and girls tend to use social networking as a resource
for creating and maintaining relationships.
ii. Girls and women frequently use social networking for self
development, talking about their experiences and thoughts and
incorporating others’ reactions to those ideas into their
identities.
b. Social networks can have a major downside in cyberbullying.
i. Cyberbullying is communication via a social network that is
meant to hurt or humiliate another person.
ii. LGBTQ teens, girls who are less physically developed, or
perceived as less or more attractive than their peers, and boys
(especially nonwhite boys) who are perceived as more
feminine than their peers are most likely to be cyberbullied.
iii. Cyberbullying has major consequences for its victims, ranging
from trouble sleeping and anxiety to suicide.
 iv. Cyberbullying is different than face to face bullying in that it
can be done anonymously, and that it has no boundaries,
following the victim at all times.
2. Learning and Sharing Information
a. The Internet offers an unparalleled sources of information about
gender issues.
b. Users can also find support and information related to specific issues.
3. Holding others accountable: Social media are frequently used to hold
organizations and powerful interests accountable for sexism and gendered
violence.
4. Activism: Social communities are frequently used for purposes of activism.
a. Organizations can use social media sites to get their messages out to
interested parties.
b. Social media also allow activists to organize fast responses to issues.