Preview

Female Stereotypes in the Media

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
9581 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Female Stereotypes in the Media
Media Portrayals of Girls and Women: IntroductionWe all know the stereotypes—the femme fatale, the supermom, the sex kitten, the nasty corporate climber. Whatever the role, television, film and popular magazines are full of images of women and girls who are typically white, desperately thin, and made up to the hilt—even after slaying a gang of vampires or dressing down a Greek legion.Many would agree that some strides have been made in how the media portray women in film, television and magazines, and that the last 20 years has also seen a growth in the presence and influence of women in media behind the scenes. Nevertheless, female stereotypes continue to thrive in the media we consume every day.This section of the site provides a snapshot of the issues around the media’s portrayal of women and girls—from effects on body image and self-identity to ramifications in sports and politics. It looks at the economic interests behind the objectification and eroticization of females by the media as well as efforts to counter negative stereotyping. And it provides the latest articles and studies that explore the ways in which media both limit and empower women and girls in society. | HOW THE MEDIA PORTRAY: Ethnic and Visible Minorities Aboriginal People Girls and Women
Beauty and Body Image in the Media | Sex and Relationships in the Media | Media Coverage of Women and Women 's Issues | Media and Girls | The Economics of Gender Stereotyping | Women Working in the Media | Resisting Stereotypes and Working for Change

Men and Masculinity Gays and Lesbians Whiteness and White Privilege Persons with Disabilities

www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls Media Portrayals of Ethnic and Visible Minorities: IntroductionAnyone who examines North American entertainment and news media will notice that members of ethnic and visible minorities are inadequately represented in entertainment and news media, and that


Cited: Jan 15, 2010 Brenna Coleman Positive Female Stereotypes Inspire Young Girls - JB London
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Gender Stereotypes In The Film Miss Representation
    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Gender Stereotypes In The Film Miss Representation

    In conclusion, through the use of statements claimed by highly educated, experienced cast members, emotional appeals, and remarkable statistics, Jennier effectively convinces the audience that the mainstream media contributes to the under-representation of women. The writer actually delivers a strong message to the whole American society that is media should “value women for more than their youth, beauty, and…

    • 580 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Miss Representation: Mainstream Media
    • 166 Words
    • 1 Page

    Miss Representation: Mainstream Media

    Miss Representation, the 2011 documentary about how the mainstream media depicts women negatively in the United States, educates the viewers on the harmful media representation that is brought upon women. Females who are featured in the media are often depicted as a sexual image to men. When the film states that “the media is selling young people the idea that girls’ and women’s value lies in their youth, beauty, and sexuality and not in their capacity as leaders.” it informs the viewer that the media is a dangerous tool used to explicitly demand what women should do, say, buy, and look like. The audience is directed towards anyone who is interested in learning more about the ways the media adversely portrays women. The tone of the film alters…

    • 166 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Tough Guise Gender
    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Tough Guise Gender

    The media has allowed others to expect that all women must have a perfect body. Young girls are seeing these messages and trying to mold themselves into these bodies. After this assignment, I was able to reflect how the media’s portrayal affects women’s self-esteem. We strive for unreachable expectations that aren’t real. They cause harm to a young girl’s self-image. I was also able to realize that ads and popular songs objectify women in a disgusting manner. It is upsetting to realize how many young girls listen and see these types of ads and songs. It is horrible that so many people are actually taking these fake images into consideration and striving for that type of body. By watching these films and applying them to real life examples, it has allowed me to understand that these issues are greater than we…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stereotypes: Black Women vs. White Women in the Media
    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Stereotypes: Black Women vs. White Women in the Media

    In today’s society, there are intricate and subtle racial patterns in the mass media that show how powerful images play a significant role in shaping the attitudes of Whites toward Blacks. White Americans, they show, learn about African Americans not through personal relationships, but through the images shown by the media. . In short, they conclude that although there are more images of African-Americans on television now than ever, these images are often harmful to the prospect of unity between the races. With the advancement of technology such as advertisement, there has always been a stereotypical view of how women are portrayed in the media. For hundreds of years, women have been viewed as sexual objects in the eyesight of many people. And for that women have fought for equality, recognition and an identity for them to prove that they are just as capable as any male. However, it seems to go even further when there begins to be a difference of how White women are viewed incomparably with Black women. There have been many opposing arguments of which race (black vs. white) has been more inferior of women being represented with both decency and respect.…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stereotypes Of Women In Australia
    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Stereotypes Of Women In Australia

    Harmful stereotypes placed upon women continue to thrive in the media we consume every day. There are many issues surrounding the media’s portrayal of women in regards to their exploitation and the harmful stereotypes which are becoming an increasing concern. The emphasis on women’s looks is often the focus within the media and the impact is often overlooked. The growth of media platforms in recent years has had an enormous impact on how women are represented in Australia’s society. The media does not only influence society but it also holds the current views held within it. Common stereotypes of. Advertising and marketing have created a new type of woman that does not exist in the real world. You may have seen her before, but if not these…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gender Stereotypes In Hollywood
    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Gender Stereotypes In Hollywood

    Hollywood is amongst the top in power of the media empire in the United States, the productions that come out, become believed representations of the audiences that watch them, bringing down many that are shown in those productions. With audiences that are more than majority a darker color, than what are represented in Hollywood films, it brings to attention just how much of a problem it comes be. Minorities should be just part of the Hollywood creation, holding a social responsibility to derail from creating unrealistic stereotypes of ethnic characters that pigeonhole them, due to reasons of not having enough diversity in films and TV shows, create unwelcome clichés, and whitewashing over others cultures.…

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis
    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis

    Every day, thousands of teenage and college-aged girls flip through the pages of tabloids and fashion magazines, admiring the glossy images of models and celebrities. While this habit is seemingly casual and innocent, for many it becomes an obsession that is interlinked with a struggle to attain an ideal yet unrealistic body image. In their articles, Meredith Baker and Walter Vandereycken discuss the media’s influence on young women, agreeing that media exposure has a strong negative impact on young women’s self-esteem.…

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Gender Stereotypes In Media
    • 1186 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Gender Stereotypes In Media

    Stereotypes are evident throughout all forms of media. Television shows and movies in particular use stereotypes to eliminate the details of a character, this allows the audience to know them without needing to spend vast amounts of time developing the character. However, stereotypes often create characters that poke fun or marginalize the group the stereotype represents. Since media stereotypes are used so often, the same stereotype being repeated over and over again, they become the only way an audience views the marginalized group. Stereotypes can have many different effects on the ways the real being marginalized in the stereotype live: they may feel ashamed to branch out from activities defined by their stereotype, they may be forced…

    • 1186 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mass Media Stereotypes
    • 204 Words
    • 1 Page

    Mass Media Stereotypes

    “Communication research and theory suggest that the mass media are an important source of information about African Americans and media portrayals contribute to public perceptions of African Americans” (Punyanunt-Carter 241). What we see about African Americans from television makes us to have certain images about them. TV became a common object that most people have in United States, and we get to watch and hear different kinds of contents from many broadcasting stations. TV now has become an object that most people in America have due to it is information and entertaining purposes. However, there is a problem. Some TV shows are creating certain images about certain races which make the public to have certain perceptions about certain races.…

    • 204 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gender Stereotypes In The Media
    • 1888 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Gender Stereotypes In The Media

    Staying true to oneself is a concept that most people continuously struggle with as they grow up. From the moment we are born, we are assigned a gender role based on our biological sex. We are then expected to conform to these sets of “rules,” these so called gender norms, that tell us how we should or should not act based on our sex. I believe that our society definitely exaggerates the stereotypical male and female behaviors not only in the United States, but also around the world. We see these stereotypes portrayed and reinforced everywhere, especially in the media. According to the documentary, Miss Representation, “American teenagers spend 31 hours a week watching TV, 17 hours a week listening to music, 3 hours a week watching movies,…

    • 1888 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stereotypes in the Media
    • 2436 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Stereotypes in the Media

    Over the past couple of decades the usage of offensive stereotypes have played a big role in popular films, TV shows, music videos, and comedy routines today. In fact one can only argue that these offensive stereotypes have increased considerably and will only continue to grow. There are many reasons as to why these stereotypes have only increased and have led to the creators of these films making millions and millions of dollars. The main reason behind this is making fun of race, color, poverty, and other cultures and using straightforward offensive words to do so is humorous to a large part of the US population. Although most of us would feel insulted if these offensive racial stereotypes were directed toward us. The purpose of comedy routines/films was to bring laughter for the media today, which was not the case decades ago.…

    • 2436 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Hunting Ground
    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Hunting Ground

    Gender roles are constantly changing, but there is not enough progress in the gender identity chosen by society for women. A woman being depicted in the media as weak or lesser than a man is not tolerable. Just because these femininity performances have been repeated for so long in history does not make it natural that women should act and be represented in that way. (Alberts, 2007) It is the twenty-first century and women should be considered strong, independent and equal to men. This is still not the case as women are often also over sexualized in the media, which causes real world…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Battles Of Body Image Compare Contrast Essay
    • 798 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Battles Of Body Image Compare Contrast Essay

    The first major or/One of the most important differences men and women run into in terms of body image is the disturbing pressure from social media networks on how they perceive an attractive body. The author contends, girls have become victimized by society’s hyper sexualization and are exposed to the idea that their value as female is closely related to their sexuality. (Heldman 65). In contrast advertising companies highly influence women over men because women spend more time obsessing over their physical attributes. Moreover the media exposes women as a sex character, which impairs their judgment towards their body image. For example author contends “it’s because U.S. residents are now being exposed to 3,000 to 5,000 advertisements a day- as many per year as those living a half a century ago would have seen in a lifetime” (Heldman 64). Also everyday men and women and bombarded with unrealistic images from media outlets that influence the human race to acquire unattainable bodies. In contrast men are not as influenced from television advertisements even though they spend more time watching television.…

    • 798 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stereotypes In Media
    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Stereotypes In Media

    In regards to the media, being Caucasian brings respect and authority. People are willing to hear what a Caucasian person’s opinion is. Whether it is in newspapers, magazines, films, radio, and television, Caucasians typically receive the most respect and are represented more. On the other hand, those who are not Caucasian tend to be shunned or silenced in the media. They are pushed to the background. They are barely seen and their voices aren’t heard as much. Non-whites are underrepresented in the media, especially in advertising and television. Non-white people are experiencing symbolic annihilation.…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    African American Stereotypes
    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages

    African American Stereotypes

    For many years the entertainment industry has been heavily criticized, particularly by groups representing various minorities, for the way ethnic groups have been portrayed in films and television programs. Although considerable progress has been made in the fight against unfair and unflattering portrayals based on false information, nevertheless the mass media is often still guilty of insensitivity in this area.…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics