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.

Old People Stereotype in the Media: Challenged

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2550800/Record-number-pensioners-seeking-help-drug-additions.html

In this article, the stereotype of younger people being drug fiends is challenged as it's showing that older people are suffering more and more from substance abuse and drug addiction.

Drugs are usually associated with a younger population and the fact that it's relating it to an older population juxtaposes with the stereotype of young people.

Old People Representation in the Media

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2550670/Over-50s-unhappy-sex-life-34-underwhelmed-bedroom-half-dont-want-discuss-problems.html

In this article, it represents the stereotype that old people either stop or begin having less regular sex. It's portrayed in the media that old people lose interest as they get older and are less likely to maintain a sex life past their 50s. According to this article, 4% of the people surveyed believed that having sex was of "paramount importance" reinforcing the stereotype because it is evidence of older people losing interest. Many of the people surveyed believed that being affectionate and loving towards their partner constituted for sex and it became of less importance.

Exam: How To Improve

Audience Question

• Be more confident with the use of theories.
• Expand on the point I'm trying to make and ensure I've justified each point I've made.
• Deepen understanding and knowledge of visual codes and how to apply them so I can better analyse media text.
• Case studies.

Representation Question

• Be more confident with the use of theories and include them in my work.
• Widen knowledge of how the various representations of men and women differ and how they apply to certain people.
• Include stereotypes in my representation answers and be specific with who they apply to and how.
• Give own detailed examples and research case studies.

Revision and Study

• Make a revision and study guide so that I do enough hours of revision a week.
• Find a way to revise effectively (e.g. visual mnemonics, hierarchy, etc.)

Coursework

• Always work to the best of my ability.
• Collect draft and receive feedback on it.

Sexual Attractiveness Representation of Men in the Media

This magazine represents the man on the front with sexual attractiveness. This is because he has a muscular physique and is emerging from the water with it dripping down his body.

This would appeal to men because men who read "Men's Health" would be people who are interested in getting fit and becoming muscular, maybe like the man in the main image. Men may aspire to be like him and also think that women will find them more attractive if they looked like he does and had the same sort of physique, however the man on the main image himself represents independence. 

He is portraying himself as a confident individual who is contented to be by himself, so this magazine and this image also appeals to those men who want to get fit and healthy for themselves rather than someone else. 

In terms of sexual attractiveness, the man in the main image emerging from the water the way he is has sexual connotations, because he's half-naked and the water would emphasise his body and the producer of this magazine has captured that in the lighting, making him look more chiselled and strong. This would appeal to men because it may make them believe that if they have the same sort of body and become to be fit/healthy, they'll be seen as more sexually attractive, too.

Sexual Representation of Women in the Media

This NME cover is of Lady Gaga portrayed in a sexual way. I know this because of how she is dressed and her stance. The stereotype of a picture like is that women are sexualised and women are sex objects. A picture like this doesn't help the portray of women.

A magazine cover like this wouldn't apply to women but more to mean because it looks like she is an easy target by what she wearing and where her hands are placed. People who are Lady Gaga fans who are women would buy this but if there didn't know who she was they would think something different as like i have said what she is wearing. 

The language that is used is colloquial language. The headline ' I am not full of sh*t are you?' This just shows what type of women she is. A sexual figure and not a good role model for the younger generation. 

Even though this photo is portrayed as a sexual women it does not show she is fragile in anyway and her beauty is distorted with what the outfit she is dressed in. Also the make up that she is wearing is bold and not natural which hides her beauty. This shows that she does not want to be known as herself but something she is made to be. Her facial expression is blank which portrays her more as a sex object than an actual women. 

The outfit she is wearing reflects the headline because of how bold the headline is the outfit matches. This shows what type of person she is but yet again her stance could of been different to make her look so much as a stereotypical sexualised women.

The picture itself could of been shot different to be portrayed in a different light.

Representation of Women in the Media

Prima magazine is aimed at an older audience and we can tell this because there's the subtitles 'food', 'home' and 'money'/'savings', which show that it's aimed towards an older target audience as they would be the age group that dealt with things like that.

The representation of the woman on the front of the magazine is a normal representation, however there's also an element of the domestic stereotype that's attached to females. The audience can tell this because the magazine boasts about how to "feed your family for £5" and also how to "grow your own veg". Stereotypically, it would be the woman who stayed at home, cooked for the family and cleaned the house, so in this being involved in the magazine it shows that they're transferring that stereotype across as these cover-lines wouldn't appear on a men's magazine.

It appeals to women because although there is this stereotypical element to the magazine cover, it would appeal to women because of how it provides tips and tricks for "cheap & chic fashion" and "budget beauty tips" and a woman who is of older age would maybe be enticed to buy the magazine so that they could continue to look good. The main image of the woman on the front cover is that she just looks like an average, domestic housewife, with natural makeup and normal clothes.

The cover-lines on the magazine are centralised around emotional rather than intellectual dealings which is a typical stereotype of a woman's magazine and the gender itself. This is because women are seen to be more emotional and emotionally insecure than men which is why magazines such as Prima emphasises how to look good and keep the reader's body in shape.

One thing about the magazine is that it doesn't hold the stereotype of women being fragile and dependent on a man or a partner, as there's no cover-lines or anything on the magazine that suggests this - it all points more towards independence and the woman looking good for herself rather than for a man. It shows that the woman has freedom and is handling the home and her money by herself, which conventionally goes against this specific stereotype.