I would like to give an example of television series in America that seem to show increased awareness to the depiction of gender in popular culture, and efforts to help promote female empowerment. An example is the superhero series “Supergirl”. In the series premiere, the protagonist questioned her boss on why the superhero was named as Supergirl, and not as Superwoman; and got this response: “What do you think is so bad about girl? I’m a girl, and your boss, and powerful and rich, and hot and smart. So if you perceive Supergirl as less than excellent, isn’t the real problem you?” This points out that the mindset of being associated with the word “girl” are the enforcers of the wrong attitude the society have towards this word. It is to advocate
Similarly, she discusses how many female directors were afraid to even attempt to direct a Wonder Woman film (149). Altogether, Howell argues many valid points along with examples of the gender bias in popular culture. With her focus on DC Comics and their failed attempts to market and produce a film for a character, such as Wonder Woman, was a solid representation of the gender bias that has and continues to exist in popular culture. Charlotte E. Howell argued many great points in her article, “Tricky” Connotations: Wonder Woman as DC’s Brand Disruptor.” Just as DC Comics had
Be yourself! That is what I learned when I read the story Stargirl after comprehending the theme of staying true to oneself. In the novel Stargirl, the main character Stargirl came to Mica Area High School as a person whose personality was different from everyone else's. She refused to conform with the rest of her peers, which completely inspired me to not hide my true self at school. After reading this story, it seemed better for not only Stargirl but also the rest of the people in her life for Stargirl to remain true to herself and stay different.
Television is definitely a product of modern society that has great impact on our perception of many aspects of life and in different countries it reflects different cultures. Gender roles as socially constructed concept are very interesting indicator of it. Women are expected to be caring, emotional and dependent, while men should normally be dominant, courageous and aggressive. Since the 19th century, up to now, women have been taking over more and more jobs that were previously associated with men. Fighting for their rights for years, they slowly became householders taking an enormous burden on themselves.
In 1995, American journalist and political activist Gloria Steinem wrote the essay “Wonder Woman” and published it as the introduction to her book Wonder Woman: Featuring over Five Decades of Great Covers. Steinem wrote this essay to discuss the promotion of feminism in popular media, especially in comic books. She begins the essay with a tribute to William Moulton Marston’s superheroine Wonder Woman, recounting with a nostalgic tone the hundreds of languid afternoons hiding in a tree and restless nights swaddled in blankets during which her childhood self would eagerly pore over the pages of comic books she had bought herself. Then, she switches to a more earnest tone as she compares the adventures of Wonder Woman with the societal burdens
The female characters were weak, more concern about being attractive, not smart and they emotional during social situations. In regards, to female bias on TV, a 1977 Nancy Signorelli’s "study of Television Shows and Commercials, Movies, Music Videos, and Teen Magazine Articles and Ads,” shows that women play fewer and less significant roles in "television programs.” It further clams that females “are seen working... or cast as professionals" only in limited scenes. Instead, they are presented more as having no occupation and caring more about their relationships. The report further indicates that "women rely on their male… partner to help them solve problems and… achieve their goals;" and that "women in media” do things that describe them as "stereotypical females..., grooming or peering…" The findings by the report are convincing; especially when watching those episodes during the TV
Women has greatly suffered in society from the beginning until now and no one seems to notice this prolonged issue that women have to endure in their daily lives. The media played a major role to how women are perceived in todays society. Nevertheless, in todays world more and more individuals are attempting to address the problem to solve this issue once and for all. Jennifer Newsom effectively convince her audience in an American documentary film: “Miss representation” to embellish the denigration of women in society and persuade the audience through the use of logos, pathos, and explicit visual images.
The audience, consisting of children's movie enthusiasts, are persuaded by Stefan Babich to accept the fact that females lack importance in family-friendly films. Stefan Babich, throughout his article, “The Fall of the Female Protagonist in Kids’ Movies”, recognizes and proves through strong supporting evidence combined with pathos and logos, that women do receive less recognition and positivity than their male counterparts. Purposefully, the article criticizes the motives of companies and producers, which reinforce negative representations of women. In Culture: A Reader for Writers, the article, “The Fall of the Female Protagonist in Kids’ Movies”, written by Stefan Babich, argues female protagonists in children’s movies faced a tragic
The topic of self confidence is a subject that is heavily discussed when it comes to girls of all ages. Journalist, Stephanie Hanes, examines the current trend of sexualization amongst young girls. In the article “Little Girls or Little Women: The Disney Princess Effect”, Hanes examines the current trend of sexualization amongst girls. She addresses the issue of desiring to become a women too soon. Hanes develops her article by using the literary techniques of pathos and logos to describe the emotions young girls feel when they see images of women with unattainable features.
Amanda Putnam’s essay, “Mean Ladies: Transgendered Villains in Disney Films”, is a compelling piece on gender portrayal and views in Disney films. Putnam opened the essay with a personal anecdote about her daughter. Her daughter wanted a Disney movie without a “mean lady”, as in most Disney films the villains are scary, evil women. The real life evidence strengthened her claim that children are noticing the characterization of female villains in Disney films. The antidote was brought fill circle when she referred back to her daughter in the final paragraphs of her essay.
In “William Marston’s Feminist Agenda” Michelle Finn claims that Wonder Woman is not, as Marston might have intended, a superhero free of gender stereotypes and typical feminine ideals. On the contrary, she argues that he ultimately imposes his own beliefs on gender roles onto the character: “Although Marston aimed to elevate women, arguments that base women’s right to power on a set of assumptions about ‘the female character’ ultimately reinforce the idea that women must adhere to the standards identified by the dominant culture as appropriately feminine” (Finn 15). In addition to that Marston continues to picture the dominant feminine ideal as a white middle- or upper-class woman. The comics often disregard women of color, women with a lesser social status, or women with a different sexual identity. The character still adheres to traditional concepts of femininity imposed by her male creator.
Fearless girl inspires women In New York, it has very few female statues, but recently the most famous statue is a fearless girl who facing Charging Bull. The article claims the controversy of Fearless Girl and Charging Bull. There have been mixed views on whether it is a symbol of the power of feminism or questionable corporate marketing.
If you are a woman, then you were probably deeply offended in one way or another by the title of this essay. Sadly, this is the way that some people still think in this day and age. The essay “Learning to be Gendered,” by Eckert and McConnell-Ginnet, at one point states “Gender is the very process of creating a dichotomy by effacing similarity and elaborating on difference, and where there are biological differences, these differences are exaggerated and extended in the service of constructing gender” (Eckert). Today, gender bias has become a disease throughout society. We say we want to cure ourselves of it, yet very little is actually being done, especially with television and media.
Superhero movies such as The Avengers, The Batman, and The X-Men all have pull record breaking box offices on their first week of release, influencing millions upon millions of viewers worldwide. In these movies, women are heavily sexualized; usually being seen as a sex symbol wearing very revealing articles of clothing, acting a certain way to their male counterparts, and talking a certain way that seems very sexually seductive. There is no gender equality in these movies and this is why I believe directors of these superhero movies should stop portraying women as a sex object in there film, since it only influence sexism onto our culture impacting beliefs about gender roles and creating an unrealistic expectation of how women are supposed to look and behave. Many of the female characters in the film are regularly represented wearing outfits that sexualize them in order to garner an interest for male viewers.
Top 7 Ways Of Becoming A Fun, Fearless Femme Fatale – Let The Games Begin! Want to be femme fatale, which literally means “fatal woman” in French? What are you waiting for then? Dig in for some sure fire tips!
Merriam Webster defines the word “role model” as, “someone who another person admires and tries to be like” page 517.In reflecting what I would classify a role model to be, in my life, it would be someone who is respectful, confident , and a cheerful person. My role model is Sabrina Carpenter. Sabrina Carpenters talents are singing, writing songs, and acting. She was born on May 11, 1999. Her age is 18.