MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF GROUPS

DISTORTED SOCIAL MIRRORS

CHAPTER 5
 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

• Understand & identify portrayals of the Sexes,
Families & others
• Analyze influence of media to portrayals

© 2014 Taylor & Francis

 CONTENTS

I. Portrayals of the Sexes III. Portrayals of Minority

• The Four Stages of Minority Portrayals
• The View of Women
• African Americans
• The View of Men • Latino/as
• Other views • Native Americans
II. Families • Asian Americans
• Arabs and Arab Americans
• Family Composition and
IV. Others
Portrayals • Sexual Minorities
• The Influence of Media on • Older Adults
Family Life • Persons with Physical or Psychological
Disabilities and Disorders
• Portrayals of people of Fail and
Religion
• Portrayals of Occupations

© 2014 Taylor & Francis

Q: What percentage of teenage girls from Fiji
suffered from eating disorders in 1995, before
the advent of television in the island nation, and
how many after?
A: Three percent in 1995. Three years later, 15%,
with another 29% “at risk” of eating disorders.
Seventy-four percent of the teens said they felt “too
big and fat” (Becker, 2004 ; Goodman, 1999 ;
“Numbers,” 1999).
Q: How do today’s advertising models compare
in weight to real women?
A: The models weigh 23% less than the average woman,
compared to only 8% less in the 1970s. They are also taller and
generally of a very unusual body type (tall, thin, small hipped).
If they have large breasts, they are probably implants, since
women of that body type seldom have large breasts (Kilbourne,
1995 , 2010 ). All this is happening at the same time as the
average woman’s size has increased from 8 to 14 since 1985!
(Kher, 2003 ).
 I. PORTRAYALS OF THE SEXES

1.1 The View of Women

1.2 The View of Men
1.3 Some Overall Effects of
Media Gender Stereotyping
 1.1 THE VIEW OF WOMEN

1.1.1 Numbers
1.1.2 Physical Appearance
1.1.3 Concerns of Women
1.1.4 Women and Violence
 1.1.1 NUMBERS

• Fewer females than males throughout media.

• 1970s - 2000s: twice as many males as females in
prime-time dramas and up to three or four times as many
in children’s shows.
• 2011: Female characters: accounted for 33% of all
characters among the top 100 U.S. domestic grossing
films
 1.1.2 PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

• Portrayed as youthful beauties

• Duty: stay young and attractive in order to please their men.
⇒a woman is no longer so young and is therefore considered
less attractive, she becomes an object of ridicule
 a) Don’t look old!

Stereotype: No one would want to grow up and be like “old ladies”

b) Don’t get fat!

Women in media became slimmer.

 DISCUSSION

Read close-Up 5.1: Food, Sex, and Weight Loss in

the Ideal Woman (page 97)
c) Placement of Women’s Bodies in Ads

• Comparing how male and female bodies tend to be presented

in ads:

More passive poses than male models.

 d) Body Image and Media

Discussion:

What might be the effects of such

stereotypical images of women?
 CONCERNS OF WOMEN

• Still disproportionately seen as homemakers and

mothers
• Their business, professional, and community roles
downplayed or not represented at all.
 WOMEN AND VIOLENCE

• Women are subtly linked with violence

• Victims of sexual violence.
 1.2. THE VIEW OF MEN

1.2.1 Emotionless Beings

1.2.2 Physical Appearance
1.2.3 Male Friendships
1.2.4 Domestic Roles
The predominant image of men in our media
is as calm, cool, self-confident, decisive …
and totally lacking in emotion.
 1.2.1 EMOTIONLESS BEINGS
• Most men and boys: looking blankly at no one with a vacant
stare (often shielded by sunglasses)
• Whereas women and girls: often smiling or giving some
other hint of what they are feeling.
 1.2.2 PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

• Portrayed as young and attractive

• Well-developed upper-body muscles are an
important part of the male beauty ideal
 1.2.3 FRIENDSHIPS

• Friendship are common for both men and

women
• But different nature: Women characters tend to
show a greater degree of emotional intimacy in
their friendships than men do.
 1.2.4 DOMESTIC ROLES

• Portrayed as competent professional

• But: often seen as ignorant and bungling with
regard to housework and child care

• Ex: Do not know how to change a diaper; this is

unlikely to be true in even the most traditional
real families
 1.3 Some Overall Effects of Media Gender
Stereotyping
• Researches about Gender Stereotyping:

Discussion: What do you think about the following

conclusion?

Increasing exposure to gender stereotyping in media is followed by

increasing sex-typed behavior and stereotypical
 II. FAMILIES
Images of families in media:

• Family Composition and Portrayals

• Mom as Superwoman

• Dad as Buffon
• Family Solidarity
• The Influence of Media on Family Life
 FAMILY COMPOSITION AND PORTRAYALS

• U.S. network TV shows featuring families over 45

years (1950 – 1995): overall 55% were boys
• That families were almost exclusively White until
the 1970s.
• African Americans the only sizable ethnic
minority since then.
 THE INFLUENCE OF MEDIA ON FAMILY LIFE

• Do media enhance or detract from the quality of

family life?
• Some family TV viewing: positive time of family
discussion and interaction, including commenting
on the programs or laughing and crying together
• Some others: very negative
• Ex: conflict among family members over what program to watch or
whether to turn off the set.
 III. PORTRAYALS of MINORITY

• The Four Stages of Minority Portrayals

• African Americans
• Latino/as
• Native Americans
• Asian Americans
• Arabs and Arab Americans

(Student read textbook at home)

 IV. THE OTHER PORTRAYALS

• Sexual Minorities
• Older Adults
• Persons with Physical or Psychological Disabilities and
Disorders
• Portrayals of people of Fail and Religion
• Portrayals of Occupations
 TEAMWORK

• Group: 3-7 people

• Read & present one of the 5 contents below:
• Sexual Minorities
• Older Adults
• Persons with Physical or Psychological Disabilities and
Disorders
• Portrayals of people of Fail and Religion
• Portrayals of Occupations