SEXISM IN MEDIA

AWFINI 208221411790
IKA FITRIANI 208221416616

Media can be defined as tools used to store and deliver information such
as news, entertainment, education, data, promotional messages. Media includes
newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax, and
internet.
Media are able to have and/or disseminate any information to public,
including the element of sexism. The term “sexism” which is also known as
gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the belief that a characteristic
inherent in one's sex necessarily affects one's ability even though that
characteristic does not necessarily have that effect (wikipedia.com). In other word,
sexism is a form of discrimination based on a person's sex, with such attitudes
being based on beliefs in traditional stereotypes of gender roles.
Then, the questions which come up in our mind is “Is there any sexism in
media?” and “What kind of sexism which is shown in media?” In line with those
questions, this paper try to answer those questions based on some real examples
about sexism shown in media. Furthermore, this paper will concern solely on
promotial messages or commercials which are shown in television.

Sexism in Television Commercials

Women are often represented in the media in roles traditionally assigned
by the society, portrayed as passive being, mother, or sexual object which is
reflected by their physical appearance and physiological behavior. These
portrayed can be seen on commercial that can be easily found in television. In
many beauty commercials, it seems that there are high need for women to take
care of her body from head to toes, her white skin, wrinkles, etc. Women are
portrayed to be the one who have high passion about beauty. Thus, most of beauty
products always show women as the model. For instance, pantene, ponds age
miracle, sabun dove, sabun citra-rumah cantik citra, and many others. On the
other hand, there are only a few commercials that relates on the men need to take
care of his body, and mostly related with his six pack body or deodorant such as
L-Men, Rexona Men. Even though there are also the men mkodel in body-care
product, the number of products which show women model is greater than men
model.
Moreover, phychologically, women are shown as the character which
always worried about everything. In the product of WRPdiet, it is portrayed that
women is worry about her body and good-looks. She is too worried if she is fat.
Then, in the product of Fren Cellular, a women, a housewife, is also portrayed as
an emotional person, cannot use rational thinking, to hurried in concluding certain
problems which leads to misunderstanding. Others, in Tropicana Slim, Hemaviton
Jreng, and Sariwangi, women are also portrayed to be spoiled person while the
men are portrayed as the one who are strong, full of love, protective, and helpful.
In fact, there are differences between men and women physically. This
condition cannot be changed since it is naturally taken for granted. However,
society still differenciate some aspects, particularly jobs. There is still big
boundaries between women’s field of jobs and vice versa, some jobs are in men’s
field and some other jobs are close to women’s field. Women are mostly always
represented in commercial products like detergent, instant spices, and so on.
These commercials often take the women roles as mother, especially housewives.
When men take a role in that commercial, they just wait for their wives or admire
the cleanliness of the laundry. These portrays can be seen in Kispray, Bumbu
racik, Tropicana slim, Rinso, and Surf.
While the women are portrayed as the housewife who do domestic jobs,
most of commercials show that men is as the bread winner for their families. They
have to work hard to earn money in order to fullfill all family’s needs. As we seen
in the Extra Joss E Juss, Hemaviton, Hemaviton stamina plus, Rinso, and so on,
men’s job are potrayed as mechanics, driver, merchant (jobs which need strength).
Then, many commercials also stereotype that professional jobs always
related to men. For instance in Lifebuoy, the men are potrayed as a professional
doctor who gives advice to the two women about the skin health. Other example,
in Rinso detergent, it is shown that the father is a businessman. He goes to the
office by car and wearing neat shirt, coat, and ties while his wife stays at home
only (housewife). In addition, the advertisement of Mie Sedap Ayam Spesial,
obviously portray the different field of men and women jobs. The
women/grandmother, in this advertisement, is only a housewife who are taking
care of her grandson. She prepares the meal for her grandson. Then, the men are
portrayed as an headmaster or teacher (professional jobs).
In conclusion, some domestics jobs which do not need muscle strength,
then, is alwayes related to the women. Most of women’s jobs in commercials are
housewife. They are cooking, washing clothes, washing dishes, ironing, shopping,
taking care the children, preparing husband’s needs, or Javanese said Manak,
Macak, lan Masak. Then, Most of women, then, are portrayed doing their work
only in the house (domestics area) or just like the Javanesse said Dapur, Sumur,
lan Kasur.