Male and Female Representation in the Media

Female Representation in the Media

1. Sexualised/objectified female example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C97G0On8OnY

In this advertisement, the main actress who's demonstrating the product is being sexualised because she's seen in the shower and also appears naked in nothing more than a bath of pink water and flower petals. From this the audience get the impression that to be considered attractive and to be wanted by the opposite gender, a female must appear in this way and present herself in a sexual way for that to be achieved. At the end of the advertisement, it's clear that her partner is suddenly more interested because he finds her more attractive, reinforcing this point of to be found attractive, a woman must be sexualised. This meets Laura Mulvey's theory that was proposed in 1975 of Sexual Objectification and the Male Gaze because the actress in this advertisement is there solely for display purposes and is appealing to 'the male gaze'. The actress, however, isn't trying to fight this sexuality, she instead adorns it.

2. Domestic woman:

 Cinderella is an example of a domestic woman because she's constantly dressed in ragged clothing and caters to the ugly step-sisters and evil step-mother's needs. She is always pictured cleaning, cooking, doing washing, etc. This shows she's domesticated because these are stereotypes of a domestic woman. Cinderella initially isn't considered to be beautiful, however after she transforms for the ball, she is fawned over by a prince. This reinforces the idea of The Male Gaze because when Cinderella is considered attractive, she is suddenly wanted by a male, whereas she never received that type of appreciation when she was merely cleaning. This representation shows women as not only there to satisfy other people but also there as an object to be looked at.

Another example of a domestic woman is Marge Simpson. The purpose of  Marge in The Simpsons is the play the role of the housewife, meaning she cooks, cleans and caters to Homer's needs. This is a prime example of a domestic woman, with Marge not working and staying home, taking care of the children and keeping the house intact.

3. Post-feminism:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBmMU_iwe6U

Run The World by Beyonce represents post-feminism because the song is about women ruling the world, showing how they aim to surpass men in every aspect and become more dominant than the male species. This is a key characteristic of the post-feminism movement. During the video, Beyonce appears in minimal clothing occasionally and also provocative, however classy clothing; this shows that the singer is asserting her right to be sexually attractive and not be objectified for that. She is showing that just because a woman appears to be sexually attractive, it doesn't mean that that should be glorified to the extent of objectifying, and that there are much more to women than their appearance. This is the message Beyonce is trying to portray, however I believe that equal rights should be empowering for every individual who feels oppressed, not just women in particular. I believe that in order for Beyonce to better educate her audience, they must become more aware of the situation and whilst Beyonce is trying to assert her power as a woman in this video, the way it's portrayed lacks the education the audience needs.

Male Representation in the Media:

1. Dominant/aggressive male

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9jeU76Y9E

In this music video by Chase and Status, it represents the view that males are dominant and aggressive. It holds the stereotype that they're physically superior than women and they hold more control and power over them than women do over men. This is portrayed in 'Time' because the man is seen to be slapping his wife, showing how he holds disrespect for her but also holds himself in a higher regard due to overpowering her. The woman is seen to be weaker than the man, and cowers down to him. At the end of the video, he is seen to be pushing the woman down the stairs, further emphasising the fact that men are more dominant, controlling and aggressive - a stereotype that is widely recognised in today's society.

2. Male stereotype, such as: geek, jock, action hero, joker (tv show/film)

In Superbad, there are many stereotypes that are represented. In conjunction to the dominant/aggressive male, there is also the stereotype of boys being geeks/jocks; both stereotypes of which appear in this movie. The geeks are seen to be of lower social standard than the jocks, who are held in a higher regard. This is usually due to them being considered more attractive and having a bigger hold over other people due to this. The geeks in Superbad try and build a reputation that deems them to be 'cool', by buying alcohol for people they're attending a party with, and buying a fake I.D.

The jocks in the movie are the ones who are seen to be constantly consumed with female attention, whilst the geeks are trying to figure out how to attract them. This shows the difference in the social classes of geeks and jocks, and that a lot can be determined or pre-judged by a person due to the stereotype they're categorised them into.

3. Metrosexual/new man

On this magazine cover, it's photographed Will Smith and his son, Jaden Smith, together. This represents the stereotype of the 'new man' because it's showing that Will is taking an active part in raising Jaden whereas it was considered many years ago that it was always the woman's role to rear their children. This was because there was the stereotype of the man being the breadwinner, who went out to work and provided for the family whilst the mother stayed home, looked after the children, cleaned and cooked. The 'new man' is showing a detachment from this stereotype and many images of Will Smith feature his son with him. This represents Will as a father figure, showing that men are taking a bigger stance in their role as father and encouraging other men to, too.

It's also showing a detachment from the stereotype of the 'domestic woman', because men are now portraying a more active role.