A Feminist Analysis Of Sexism In Media
Victoria Salis
Student ID#
RTA101/Section 11: Introduction to Media Theory
Final Paper: A feminist analysis of sexism within the media and its various platforms.
02/12/14
The media is one of the most influential, powerful and cultural economic forces in today’s society. The decision of who gets to talk, what is said, who writes, and what is crucial enough to announce is usually made by people themselves. Media shapes our perception of who we are and what we are capable of. There is a large problem when it comes to representation within the media. Today we live in a world that is ethnically and racially diverse and 51% female. Yet the media and most of the platforms within remain exceedingly defined and limited to a …show more content…
single demographic(1). What is sexism? The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology defines sexism as being “the unfair discrimination on the basis of sex” (2). This form of discrimination usually operates against women and in favour of men. Sexist attitudes can stem from traditional stereotypes that we have been programmed to believe, including the notion that one gender is essentially more superior than the other. This following essay shines a light on the ranking and status of females involved with the media and highlights the pressing need to determine and verify an equal voice and balanced cooperation within its platforms.
Sexism in the media has been such a prominent and overpowering factor for so long that it has been normalized over time, leaving us unaware of the problem. A study from the University of Southern California captures how women are still underrepresented in the media: “Only 1.9 percent of directors are female and 25 percent of all speaking roles in animated films are filled by women. Lastly, of 25,000 speaking characters in 600 top-grossing films between 2007 and 2013, only about 20-27 percent were women”(3). This is not surprising, women are usually only portrayed in the media as the passive, stay at home mom, entirely dependent on a man for financial, physical and emotional support.
It is very rare we turn on the television and see a strong, powerful woman putting a man in his place. This is not a new phenomenon, sexism in the media has been an ongoing crisis ever since the invention of media. A prime example is the music industry in the 1970’s which had perpetuated stereotypes towards women in many ways. During this time men had completely dominated over the music industry and this was making it almost impossible for women to express themselves musically. Not only were women pounded with harmful and degrading lyrics, women were also only shown in music videos as illiterate sex objects. Considering this, “Under My Thumb” written and produced by the Rolling Stones in 1971 is very demeaning in an outright obvious way. Throughout the entire song, the lyrics continue to show the disregard for the feelings of the woman that he keeps referring to. When he uses the metaphor “Under My Thumb” he is implying that he has complete control and supremacy over the female. This helps prove that the overall image of women was very stereotypical and music was only giving females a limited representation within the industry.(10) At the time, major record labels had only signed a few women’s bands. This lack of …show more content…
inclusion in the mainstream, made it necessary for women to create a separate space for music of their own. As women started to rise against and fight for their rights within the male dominated music industry, multitudes of women began to express themselves through their lyrics. Feminist music-making was not entirely focussed on sheer entertainment but encompassed a world shattering integration of politics into practice. “Women sought to do things differently, not only in terms of performance but by providing practical skill-sharing workshops for women and girls, demystifying musicianship and challenging male supremacy, sexism, heterosexism and stereotyped gender roles in every way possible. Their work reflected the values of the movement.” The Women’s Liberation Movement in 1970-1989, embodies how feminists used their music as an activist tool to captivate, inspire and empower women during the 1970s and 1980s(8). A prime example of this is, “Respect” written and sung by Aretha Franklin in 1972. This song is a perfect example of the breakthrough women had begun to achieve during this time. Her lyrics in this song show that no matter what gender, race or religion, everyone and anyone deserves to be treated equally. Despite the fact that women are continuously making strides towards acceptance and equality the music industry still remains a man’s world.(9)
In Gambia, "women do not battle the bulge, they celebrate it. A body is not something to be tamed and moulded." Writer Catherine Pigott found this out during an extended trip to Gambia to teach English. She wrote about her experience in The Globe and Mail (March 20,1991). The Gambian women thought Pigott was far too thin and called her "Chicken-hips.” Chicken Hips, is a personal essay where Pigott indirectly states that everyone is beautiful, but beauty standards are different in various cultures. In North America women constantly try to deprive themselves of food while striving for slender bodies while in Africa women put a large emphasis on their wide hips because being a thin woman in Africa is a reminder of the extreme starvation and poverty. North Americans are negatively influenced by the media surrounding them causing them to diet and starve themselves trying to imitate what they see. While on the other hand, Gambian women are under the impression that fat equals beauty and it shows status in their society. This is equally offensive due to the fact that these women are still conforming to their society’s image of beauty. With regards to this, we can see that every culture has their own standards, ideals, and stereotypes for what a woman should look like in order to be considered “beautiful”. These sexist stereotypes are portrayed and exploited throughout all media platforms each and every day.
As more and more technology is introduced to society the more unrealistic our ideas and perceptions of the “perfect” woman become. The “perfect” female is usually the idealistic woman image in the world of media and advertising. Sex is a basic requirement used in advertising to sell products and attract consumers. In such ads, the female bodies are being misused as a form of entertainment, when women are worth so much more than that. The media, which is mostly comprised of men, creates the image and women try to live up to it. Medias influence on a womans body image, self worth, and beauty has a tremendous effect on how a woman views herself. Conventional forms of beauty always fade, you are born with your looks. “from now on i 'll say things like you are resilient, or you are extraordinary, not because I don 't think youre beautiful but because I need to know you’re more than that” (4). This quote expresses that women should love who they are internally and express themselves from the inside out. It’s hard to imagine a world where we aren’t always attacked with beauty standards while female imagery surrounds us, but the current standards and sexist beliefs are the norm for the media in today’s society. With this is mind, photography had not been invented until 1839(5). Meaning that men and women were never exposed to images of one 's appearance, whether it be the curves of a body or the details on a face. Now that all of the platforms within the media (ex. Facebook, twitter, vine, television, games, music, advertisements etc.) are very prevalent in everyone’s lives we constantly look at the reflections of ourselves and those around us. Unconsciously we view everything with a critical eye and this causes us to form views on what a woman or man should look like in order to be beautiful. As a result we always feel like we aren’t good enough, and we never will be. “We use the word beauty in vain because we only know someone else’s definition and not our own. We shape ourselves to become the image that others want us to be and not who we truly are. But the second you release your worries of whether or not you’re good enough for others you will be that much closer to being your own image of beauty and perfection.” (6) The media and all of its platforms dominate perceptions of women and how they are looked at. Today’s youth are exposed to horrible sexist examples, and males are taking the degradation of women in the media to the extreme. We are all so accustomed this behaviour that it becomes an ongoing factor in our everyday lives. The way women are presented in the media leaves them looking like nothing more than objects meant for sex. Despite this however, females are proving to be worthy counterparts to men, or at least to a convinced degree. This mindset may take many years to dispose of, but the change is crucial in order for us to progress as a species. “I 'm tough, I 'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.”(7)
Works Cited List:
1.
Olsen, Deborah. "Women and Minority Faculty Job Satisfaction." Ohio State University Press. 1 Jan. 1955. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2943892?uid=3739448&uid=2&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=21105332426613>.
2. Sibben, John. "Media." The Exposed Problems Of Sexism In The Media. UK, 1 Jan. 2003. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ukessays.com/essays/media/the-exposed-problems-of-sexism-in-the-media-media-essay.php>.
3. Thornham, Sue. "Google Books." Google Books. Edinburgh University, 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://books.google.ca/books?id=JLHmYOUVJ9QC&source=gbs_navlinks_s>.
4. Kaur, Rupi. "Rupi Kaur Poems." Rupi 's Collection. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.rupikaur.com/post/78703591204/i-want-to-apologize-to-all-the-women-i-have-called>.
5. Blesing, Jo. "Image Shift." Image Shift. Jo Blesing, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.imageshift.info/blog.html>.
6. "Quotes About F." (5 Quotes). 1 Jan. 2000. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/f>.
7. Riley, Sarah. "Technologies of Sexiness." Adrienne Evans; Sarah Riley. Oxford University, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
<https://global.oup.com/academic/product/technologies-of-sexiness-9780199914760?cc=ca&lang=en&#;>.
8. Freeman, Jo. "The Origins Of The Womens Liberation Movement."Chicago Journals. 1 Jan. 1973. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2776604?uid=3739448&uid=2&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=21105342844813>.
9. "Respect." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect_(song)>.
10. "Under My Thumb." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_My_Thumb>.
Student ID#
RTA101/Section 11: Introduction to Media Theory
Final Paper: A feminist analysis of sexism within the media and its various platforms.
02/12/14
The media is one of the most influential, powerful and cultural economic forces in today’s society. The decision of who gets to talk, what is said, who writes, and what is crucial enough to announce is usually made by people themselves. Media shapes our perception of who we are and what we are capable of. There is a large problem when it comes to representation within the media. Today we live in a world that is ethnically and racially diverse and 51% female. Yet the media and most of the platforms within remain exceedingly defined and limited to a …show more content…
single demographic(1). What is sexism? The Oxford Dictionary of Sociology defines sexism as being “the unfair discrimination on the basis of sex” (2). This form of discrimination usually operates against women and in favour of men. Sexist attitudes can stem from traditional stereotypes that we have been programmed to believe, including the notion that one gender is essentially more superior than the other. This following essay shines a light on the ranking and status of females involved with the media and highlights the pressing need to determine and verify an equal voice and balanced cooperation within its platforms.
Sexism in the media has been such a prominent and overpowering factor for so long that it has been normalized over time, leaving us unaware of the problem. A study from the University of Southern California captures how women are still underrepresented in the media: “Only 1.9 percent of directors are female and 25 percent of all speaking roles in animated films are filled by women. Lastly, of 25,000 speaking characters in 600 top-grossing films between 2007 and 2013, only about 20-27 percent were women”(3). This is not surprising, women are usually only portrayed in the media as the passive, stay at home mom, entirely dependent on a man for financial, physical and emotional support.
It is very rare we turn on the television and see a strong, powerful woman putting a man in his place. This is not a new phenomenon, sexism in the media has been an ongoing crisis ever since the invention of media. A prime example is the music industry in the 1970’s which had perpetuated stereotypes towards women in many ways. During this time men had completely dominated over the music industry and this was making it almost impossible for women to express themselves musically. Not only were women pounded with harmful and degrading lyrics, women were also only shown in music videos as illiterate sex objects. Considering this, “Under My Thumb” written and produced by the Rolling Stones in 1971 is very demeaning in an outright obvious way. Throughout the entire song, the lyrics continue to show the disregard for the feelings of the woman that he keeps referring to. When he uses the metaphor “Under My Thumb” he is implying that he has complete control and supremacy over the female. This helps prove that the overall image of women was very stereotypical and music was only giving females a limited representation within the industry.(10) At the time, major record labels had only signed a few women’s bands. This lack of …show more content…
inclusion in the mainstream, made it necessary for women to create a separate space for music of their own. As women started to rise against and fight for their rights within the male dominated music industry, multitudes of women began to express themselves through their lyrics. Feminist music-making was not entirely focussed on sheer entertainment but encompassed a world shattering integration of politics into practice. “Women sought to do things differently, not only in terms of performance but by providing practical skill-sharing workshops for women and girls, demystifying musicianship and challenging male supremacy, sexism, heterosexism and stereotyped gender roles in every way possible. Their work reflected the values of the movement.” The Women’s Liberation Movement in 1970-1989, embodies how feminists used their music as an activist tool to captivate, inspire and empower women during the 1970s and 1980s(8). A prime example of this is, “Respect” written and sung by Aretha Franklin in 1972. This song is a perfect example of the breakthrough women had begun to achieve during this time. Her lyrics in this song show that no matter what gender, race or religion, everyone and anyone deserves to be treated equally. Despite the fact that women are continuously making strides towards acceptance and equality the music industry still remains a man’s world.(9)
In Gambia, "women do not battle the bulge, they celebrate it. A body is not something to be tamed and moulded." Writer Catherine Pigott found this out during an extended trip to Gambia to teach English. She wrote about her experience in The Globe and Mail (March 20,1991). The Gambian women thought Pigott was far too thin and called her "Chicken-hips.” Chicken Hips, is a personal essay where Pigott indirectly states that everyone is beautiful, but beauty standards are different in various cultures. In North America women constantly try to deprive themselves of food while striving for slender bodies while in Africa women put a large emphasis on their wide hips because being a thin woman in Africa is a reminder of the extreme starvation and poverty. North Americans are negatively influenced by the media surrounding them causing them to diet and starve themselves trying to imitate what they see. While on the other hand, Gambian women are under the impression that fat equals beauty and it shows status in their society. This is equally offensive due to the fact that these women are still conforming to their society’s image of beauty. With regards to this, we can see that every culture has their own standards, ideals, and stereotypes for what a woman should look like in order to be considered “beautiful”. These sexist stereotypes are portrayed and exploited throughout all media platforms each and every day.
As more and more technology is introduced to society the more unrealistic our ideas and perceptions of the “perfect” woman become. The “perfect” female is usually the idealistic woman image in the world of media and advertising. Sex is a basic requirement used in advertising to sell products and attract consumers. In such ads, the female bodies are being misused as a form of entertainment, when women are worth so much more than that. The media, which is mostly comprised of men, creates the image and women try to live up to it. Medias influence on a womans body image, self worth, and beauty has a tremendous effect on how a woman views herself. Conventional forms of beauty always fade, you are born with your looks. “from now on i 'll say things like you are resilient, or you are extraordinary, not because I don 't think youre beautiful but because I need to know you’re more than that” (4). This quote expresses that women should love who they are internally and express themselves from the inside out. It’s hard to imagine a world where we aren’t always attacked with beauty standards while female imagery surrounds us, but the current standards and sexist beliefs are the norm for the media in today’s society. With this is mind, photography had not been invented until 1839(5). Meaning that men and women were never exposed to images of one 's appearance, whether it be the curves of a body or the details on a face. Now that all of the platforms within the media (ex. Facebook, twitter, vine, television, games, music, advertisements etc.) are very prevalent in everyone’s lives we constantly look at the reflections of ourselves and those around us. Unconsciously we view everything with a critical eye and this causes us to form views on what a woman or man should look like in order to be beautiful. As a result we always feel like we aren’t good enough, and we never will be. “We use the word beauty in vain because we only know someone else’s definition and not our own. We shape ourselves to become the image that others want us to be and not who we truly are. But the second you release your worries of whether or not you’re good enough for others you will be that much closer to being your own image of beauty and perfection.” (6) The media and all of its platforms dominate perceptions of women and how they are looked at. Today’s youth are exposed to horrible sexist examples, and males are taking the degradation of women in the media to the extreme. We are all so accustomed this behaviour that it becomes an ongoing factor in our everyday lives. The way women are presented in the media leaves them looking like nothing more than objects meant for sex. Despite this however, females are proving to be worthy counterparts to men, or at least to a convinced degree. This mindset may take many years to dispose of, but the change is crucial in order for us to progress as a species. “I 'm tough, I 'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.”(7)
Works Cited List:
1.
Olsen, Deborah. "Women and Minority Faculty Job Satisfaction." Ohio State University Press. 1 Jan. 1955. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2943892?uid=3739448&uid=2&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=21105332426613>.
2. Sibben, John. "Media." The Exposed Problems Of Sexism In The Media. UK, 1 Jan. 2003. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ukessays.com/essays/media/the-exposed-problems-of-sexism-in-the-media-media-essay.php>.
3. Thornham, Sue. "Google Books." Google Books. Edinburgh University, 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://books.google.ca/books?id=JLHmYOUVJ9QC&source=gbs_navlinks_s>.
4. Kaur, Rupi. "Rupi Kaur Poems." Rupi 's Collection. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.rupikaur.com/post/78703591204/i-want-to-apologize-to-all-the-women-i-have-called>.
5. Blesing, Jo. "Image Shift." Image Shift. Jo Blesing, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.imageshift.info/blog.html>.
6. "Quotes About F." (5 Quotes). 1 Jan. 2000. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/f>.
7. Riley, Sarah. "Technologies of Sexiness." Adrienne Evans; Sarah Riley. Oxford University, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
<https://global.oup.com/academic/product/technologies-of-sexiness-9780199914760?cc=ca&lang=en&#;>.
8. Freeman, Jo. "The Origins Of The Womens Liberation Movement."Chicago Journals. 1 Jan. 1973. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2776604?uid=3739448&uid=2&uid=3737720&uid=4&sid=21105342844813>.
9. "Respect." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect_(song)>.
10. "Under My Thumb." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_My_Thumb>.