One of the most well-known entertainers of the world, Beyoncé, is part of the best singers in the music industry. She is, somehow, considered to be a great example of the Feminist movements for showing off the talents of the femininity. The Feminist Movement started in the 1840’s, but it didn’t really expand until the 1960’s after Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique was published. In that book, Betty encourages women to change the way society view them as the ideal employment for them is to stay at home mom and wife voice their opinions and fight for equality of the sexes.
Representation within media is a powerful thing and the viewpoint often differs with context, such as the gender of the storytellers and the time period in which a piece was written and/or published. William Moulton Marston, the mind behind iconic female superhero Wonder Woman (DC Comics), has once described a need for a new type of woman in comics. He found there was a need for one that defied the weaknesses we usually prescribe to females in general, stating that the female archetype lacks the force, strength, and power needed to make girls want to identify with female characters (American Scholar, 1943). Even then, his heroine could be described as modest and peace-loving, two characteristics he himself described as belonging to the aforementioned weaknesses.
Media has a significant effect on our culture and the direction our society is headed in. Miss Representation shows that
Lara Setrakian’s three-step program to a healthy media is very similar to what Cornia, Williams, and Stebleton have stated in their analyses, in which it allows for more cultural exchange and comprehension. To have a healthy media for all to enjoy, it must promote a deep understanding, pledge to do no harm or tear people down, and lastly, to embrace the complexities of this world (Setrakian). By having a deep understanding of all topics, it allows individuals to become more informed, accepting and even knowledgeable on foreign topics (Setrakian). When the media pledges to do no harm, freedom of self and press can be an attainable goal. This step is often something all forms of media try to do to create a safe community but gets forgotten to spread information and make quick money (Setrakian).
From magazines to advertisements, women are constantly being exposed to beauty ideals - many of which are unattainable. This results in women falling victim to the manipulations and lures of the marketing industry. Since its establishment in 1886, Cosmopolitan has been a popular source for women to turn to for advice on relationships, sexual activity and popular culture. During its inception, the magazine was published as a women's fashion magazine initially depicting articles on families, home decorating, and the progress of science and technology. However, while Cosmopolitan is still viewed as a magazine targeted towards women, the methods in which the magazine attracts women have dramatically evolved.
EXTENDED ESSAY- GENDER BIAS IN THE MEDIA TOPIC: How does Media portray gender, and the effects it has on the 21st century individual? By: Calvin Mends INTRODUCTION:
We all claim to be in 21st century where we don’t differentiate among boys and girls but still if a girl wants to ride a plane and a boy wishes to wear pink, we tell them to perform their stereotyped gender roles. It shows that gender discrimination still prevails. Moreover we are stuck in stagnant society which is resisting any kind of change. At the same time, many social institutions such as mass media are practicing gender stereotype. If media is gendered, how can we expect our society to behave in any different way towards gender?
The feminist movement has made many ground breaking accomplishments over the years however has it truly gone to the root of the problem. Pollitt states that, “The feminist movement ……… has hardly turned America into a playground free of sex roles.” Claiming in her article about how the feminist movement will be unsuccessful till people are able to fully practice gender equally from infancy. If people started to take what Pollute said to practice the overall beneficial effects would cause, there to be less gender inequality. There would be less discrimination because as it is now man still get paid more and are favored more over women in high level positions.
In this advance era, mass media plays a significant role towards all of us and we can truly admit that mass media is one of the basic essenssial that used by everyone in their daily life. Generally, mass media is a print and electronic means of communication that spreads messages to the audiences and carries out information to the people in the society. Mass media can be divided into two categories, which is the print media include like newspaper, magazines, and books. Another mass media is the electronic media include like radio, television, and internet which is used by most of the people nowadays. Media is one of the most influential aspects of our lives.
“Media has become as necessary as food and clothing. Media is a mirror of the modern society; in fact, it is the media which forms our lives. The principle of the media is to let people know about modern, new relationships and to tell about the most modern discussion and fashion. The media still very backward behind other economic sectors because international communication is closely bound up with culture, language and tradition” (Karachi, M.(n.d). Media has many important types we already use in our daily life such as the internet and TV also radio and print media like newspaper and magazine.
5.1 Feminist Media Theory In defining media studies, South African scholar Buiten (2010:80) states that, “broadly speaking, feminist media studies can be said to be the study of the media through a feminist lens.” Buiten’s definition suggests that feminist media studies can only be viewed through a “feminist lens” thus implying that feminist theory is used to analyse and question the media. However media has been viewed through various lenses such as race and class by media discourse scholars such as
Media are platforms of mass communication that can be categorized as either new of traditional media, with new media being forms of communication that make use of technologies such as the Internet, and traditional media being more conventional forms of media such as newspapers. Media, primarily new media, is getting more popular and influential, especially in today’s day and age since we are exposed to it a lot more than in the past and also since media is more easily accessible now. The media can shape our behaviours, perceptions and opinions, and it is important to know how people are influenced and impacted by it. The media can influence someone’s perception of social reality, or perceptions of beauty or even influence people’s behaviours and habits and therefore, the media does shape who we are. One way that the media can shape who we are is by influencing our perception of social reality.
The representation of gender in mass communications has been a hugely debated topic for years and will continue to be one for many more years to come. The media plays a big role in how they want to portray a gender to the public. They create certain stereotypes through the role of a gender in order to attract a large audience and interest to sell a product, brand or image. Media is so important in today’s society, people spend hours and hours each day watching TV, browsing the Internet and reading magazines. There are so many images of men and women in the media today that it certainly has an impact on the viewer’s thoughts and sense of identity.
Fifth, they persuade us to buy certain items or accept certain ideas, and sixth, they entertain us. The number of hours we spend consuming the media is mind-boggling. This amount is ever increasing. For better or worse, we are inextricably linked to the media. We are now living a media culture and its influence is becoming very pervasive (Mohd Hamdan Adnan 2003)
Over the years, technologies have been gradually advancing and have played an important role in today’s fast growing societies. It has become a major factor in the society as people are depending on it to accomplish specific tasks. For example, schools are using these technologies as an alternative way of teaching students. Business industries are using it to increase business efficiencies. Among all of the technologies, the one that has the most important aspect in people’s lives is the mass media. In general, the mass media simply means medium that gives out information.
