Gender Roles

Gender Roles

Gender Roles

• Last class we went over Gender, and started to talk about Gender roles.

• Today we will be examining the media, and how the media perpetuates gender role stereotypes.

Media

• As we have learnt from previous classes in this unit, media has a huge affect on our everyday life.

• We previously examined how the media affects our views and attitudes towards ethnicity and race- today we will explore how the media perpetuates gender roles.

Gender Roles

• For the first half of the class, we will be exploring the world of media, and different examples of gender stereotypes that the media perpetuates.

• For the second half of the class we will be doing an activity with your advertisements you brought in.

Female Stereotypes

• Feminine associated traits:• Emotionality• Innocence• Co-operation• Pretty• The 'dream-girl' stereotype is gentle,

sensitive, submissive, sweet- natured and dependent.

• Sex kitten- white, skinny, blond, made up• Example: Barbie, cheerleaders

Male Stereotypes

Masculine: Rational ,Efficient, Competitive, Ruthless• The “male hero” tends to be physically strong,

assertive, aggressive, in control, independent, and competitive.

• Example: GI Joe, JockLazy: Men are also portrayed in the media as being

lazy. - Couch potatoes, beer drinkers

Here is just a few examples

• The media has perpetuated gender stereotypes since the 90’s.

• In the media, women have always been depicted as the stay-at-home figure, ever since television and Radio shows started.

Examples• Shows such as I Love Lucy, or Leave it

to Beaver.• In both television shows, the lead

female roles were portrayed as the average woman.

• The shows perpetuated the notion that it was “normal” for women to be to such a way and act a certain way.

I Love Lucy

Gender and TV

• Even in modern day television shows, we still see women portrayed in a certain way

• Whatever the role, television, film and popular magazines are full of images of women and girls who are typically white, upper class, desperately thin, dressed up to the nines and hopeless romantics.

• "When I was born, they looked at me and said: 'What a good boy, what a smart boy, what a strong boy!' And when you were born, they looked at you and said:'What a good girl, what a smart girl, what a pretty girl!”– "What A Good Boy," The Barenaked Ladies

Example

Friends

• Monica is kind of neurotic, like some women have the reputation of being.

• Phoebe, who is really ditsy.

Example

The OC

• The women in The OC adhered strictly to stereotypical norms within Western society.

• Most of the women were of “higher class”, were white and stayed at home to raise their children.

• Most of the women who were of any color were seen as maids or somehow employed by the white upper class citizens.

• The ”cleaning lady” in The OC is a Hispanic woman that spoke little English which is a racial stereotype our society.

The OC

• One of the women on The OC even stated that her husband and her had an agreement, she stated “my domain is the kitchen and the bedroom, his is the office”.

• This demonstrates that she is fulfilling the domestic role of women in our society while her husband is working to pay the bills. This is also the stereotypical role of males in our society.

Examples of male stereotypes

The Fast and the Furious

• Vin Diesel is portrayed as the typical masculine man– Strong– Aggressive– Assertive– Loves danger

Male stereotypes

Men In Cartoon

• The Simpsons and Family Guy are both prime examples of Lazy men on television.

• Both characters:– Couch potatoes– Heavy– Beer drinkers– Clueless– Not very involved in children’s lives

Image

• Young adults in our society who are displeased with their appearance more likely then not can trace those feelings directly back to images from the media.

• The unrealistic representations of women that the media bombards young women with indicates that the media has become a key source for a distorted understanding of gender roles among adolescent women.

• These images take over young women's views of their own gender identity and self image.

Image

• Images of female and male bodies are everywhere.

• Sexy bodies sell everything from food, cars and even vacations.

• Mainstream film, TV actresses are continually becoming taller and thinner.

• Women’s magazines are full of articles pressuring young girls that if they lose weight, they will have it all— men, popularity, attention.

Image

• In the media, men are stereotyped as big and strong, which results in men feeling the pressure to look and be that way.

Image

• Research shows that exposure to images of young, thin and air-brushed male and female bodies causes depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in both girls and boys.

• There is so much pressure for girls to be thin and men to be big and buff.

Image

• One out of every four high school-aged girl uses unhealthy methods of weight control, including fasting, excessive exercise, laxatives, and self-induced vomiting.

• Even weight control measures are now being taken by girls as young as 5 and 6.

• Studies have shown that nearly half of all preadolescent girls wish to be thinner, and as a result have engaged in a diet or are aware of the concept of dieting. 

Image

• Why are standards of beauty being imposed on women when the majority of whom are naturally larger and more mature than any of the models?

Self Image

• My fellow colleague, and friend , Jen Udashkin, has done a great deal of research on the media’s influence on women.

• She created a video about it and I would like to share it with you all.

Unattainable

• Perhaps most unsettling is the fact that media images of female and male beauty are unattainable for all but a very small number of men and women.

• The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate to you all that the portrayal of men and women by the media is unrealistic.

• We do not need to look like Barbie and Ken to be beautiful.

• Love yourself for who you are. Do not try to be someone your not.

• What is the point?