'There are limited representations of women available in the media. Discuss.'
You should write between 300-500 words on this blog (in the comments box) to show your understanding of this topic. You should make reference to a range of media texts, use media terminology and refer to articles that we have read. You should also aim to be independent and confident this year so do try to bring in examples or arguments from things that you have done/seen outside of the classroom. Remember that this is supposed to be a critical answer which brings in plenty of knowledge and understanding of feminism. Look back at your notes.
Due on Thursday 27th.
http://susiebeckmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/there-are-limited-representations-of.html
ReplyDeleteI have commented on your blog :)
DeleteJessica Platts
ReplyDeleteRepresentations of women in the media have been a source of long standing frustration for many feminists. They believe women are depicted as soft, domestic and passive and therefore believe that the representations are extremely limited. Their argument is supported by many cases, for example, cleaning adverts often only feature a woman. Dettol’s ‘All in one’ advert featured a woman voice over and a woman cleaning, with the ending showing a woman and her son in a kitchen. This clearly presents the stereotypical ‘domestic centred’ idea of women that feminists are against. Feminists would argue that this advert follows Laura Mulvey’s idea of the women in the media being portrayed through the male gaze. However, Post-feminists would see this advert differently. Due to the many facts on bacteria given, they may say that the woman is protecting her family. As this idea of protection is often stereotypically linked with males, they would argue that representations of women are therefore not necessarily limited in the media.
It can be argued that women are mainly represented in a sexualised way in the media. For example the Pussycat Dolls/Snoop Dog ‘Buttons’ music video begins with Snoop Dog in the centre with Nicole Scherzinger walking towards him. The low camera angle means that Snoop Dog’s whole figure can be seen whereas only Nicole’s legs are visible. This effectively objectifies her as it means she appears as less important than Snoop Dog and therefore suggests, from a feminist point of view, that men are portrayed as dominant in the media, leaving women to be portrayed as objects simply there for male pleasure. However, this music video, like many others, is actually conflicting. Although the women are always wearing little, they are often shown together as a united force. This connotes power and strength and therefore means the post-feminists, along with others, will see the women as being represented as in control. Post-feminists would also say that the group should be allowed to assert the right to dress and be sexually attractive without being accused of being there simply for male pleasure. They would therefore say that the representations of women are not limited.
This idea of music videos being able to be seen from both feminist and post-feminist points of views is shown by Alex Goodman in his article ‘Pop Psychology: Rihanna should lead new feminist movement in pop music’. He shows that Rihanna’s videos show her to be both dominant and strong, and passive and weak. Therefore highlighting the fact that it is difficult to say the representation of her is limited.
Overall I believe that, although women are often show in stereotypical adverts, such as cleaning products, there are now a wider range of representations of women in the media. For example, the current Neurofen advert contains a woman who wishes to break records by riding her motorbike across flat icy planes. This suggests that women are strong and also shows they are capable of doing the same things as men. Therefore I believe representations of women in the media are no longer as limited as they used to be.
Excellent answer, Jess! Confident use of media terminology, clear understanding of feminism and post-feminism and a well expressed answer. Keep it up!
DeleteThere are limited representations of women available in the media, discussion.
ReplyDeleteThere are multiple variables to consider when discussing the topic of women in media; you have to look at the general picture to get an idea of how women are represented. For a start the woman that are selected to do particular jobs will have to act/dress in a certain way, as an example a female news reader will be expected to speak clearly and dress in a more professional way than other woman in the media such as Katie Price who is represented as a strong independent woman, who can dress and say whatever she wants. This contrast between females in the media should show the extreme scale of how many different representations there are of females in the media.
On the other hand there are a lot less woman like Katie price in the media than there are say newsreaders, this shows that Katie Price may be an exception to the rule. Many people consider men to be at the top of almost all professions and would believe that the media is viewed through the male gaze meaning that woman are only really seen how men want them to be seen, for example pretty, and serving men. This would suggest that females can only be a certain way to fit in to the media as the males at the top of the profession will cherry pick the females that they redeem appropriate for them enforcing the male gaze theory.
There is another variable to consider and that’s the more outdated rule that women would be house wives and the men would go out to work, once a reputation has been given to a certain group it’s hard to not be judged and get out of that stereotype. As well as this men like to objectify females, and as they’re in charge this leads to a narrower road for woman in media. To conclude with a couple of exceptions women generally have a limited representation in the media, although this is currently changing and women are now becoming increasingly more powerful in most professions.
By Joe Keenan
Good effort Joe. It seems like you need to read through the notes again just so that your understanding (and then explanation) can become clearer. Try to show an understanding of the history of feminism and then you can commment on the way these representations have changed over time. Try to be more critical - is Katie Price really independent? Does she dress the way she wants or is it to impress men? Why are there less women like Katie Price? Is this true?
DeleteAsk questions and explore ideas.
Within the media women often receive a limited representation across, television, film and advertising. This narrow set of representations is often caused by the usage of stereotyping. Within media, women are often portrayed through “ the male gaze” meaning that they are perceived through a man's viewpoint. This therefore leads to women being objectified or sexualised in favour of male entertainment. It also tends to create women's roles as inferior to men's adding further fuel to the stereotype of a “domestic” female e.g. housewife or mother. The “male gaze” highlights the patriarchal nature of our modern society and how although large advancement has occurred in terms of feminism, the stigma of women's inferiority has stayed, therefore to connect with an audience the media industry use this to their advantage in order to relate to the majority. For example in Britney Spears’s music video “ Slave 4 U” she conforms to the idea of “ideal beauty” by focusing in on traits such as her slimness, perfect skin, blonde hair, blue eyes etc. Although many feminists would argue showcasing her beauty is for her own empowerment, superficial issues being so prominent throughout the music video creates the effect to the audience that she is a “sexual object” as she conforms to society's idea of “perfection”. This therefore creates the the feeling of ownership over her as she also confesses in the lyrics that she is a “ Slave 4 U” as she talks about a man, further reaching out to a dominant male audience. Although the “ alluring” and “ attractive” woman is used primarily another stereotype is the “ maternal woman”. For example most household products will primarily be advertised by a woman, who is seen to be happy with her home life or household chores and motherhood. This maybe relates to societies issue with women in the workplace and the burning issue of the pay gap between men and women in the business sector. The media may be in reality just targeting their main audience, with many companies still refraining from hiring women of “childbearing age” perhaps the “ domesticated woman” is not a thing of the past and therefore media industries must work with stereotypes to sell themselves? Whatever the reasonings the evidence of objectification and exploitation is clear and i believe that without the destruction of male dominated society women’s representations will continue to be limited within the media.
ReplyDeleteA very confident answer, Alicia! You have a strong grasp of the central issues within feminism and can explore these ideas well. Great use of media terminology which has been well applied to the Britney video. Make sure you can apply this theory to a variety of texts. Keep up the good work!
Deletehttp://jackstaples.blogspot.co.uk my homework is on here. Nerded out a bit on the Game of Thrones part but hope it's understandable.
ReplyDeleteI have replied on your blog :)
Delete'There are limited representations of women available in the media. Discuss.'
ReplyDeleteIn the media, women have often had limited representations as either the domestic housewife or mother, or viewed as sex objects. Laura Mulvey suggested that women being represented as sex objects was for ‘male gaze’; the theory states that women are seen as objects of desire, so the audiences are viewing the female from a male’s point of view. The male gaze suggests that women are only there for males to look at, portraying them as weak and objectified. The male gaze is found in many music videos, for example Pussycat Dolls ‘Buttons’, throughout the video are close up body shots of the women dancing, wearing revealing, raunchy clothing. Straight on camera shots of Nicole Scherzinger looking into the camera is a prime example of the male gaze, suggesting she is enticing the audience in, and just performing to please the onlookers. Many people believe we live in a patriarchal society; this may be why there is increased usage of the male gaze. The domestic role or sex object role may also be seen as the Angel and Whore Dichotomy, as the angel in society is seen as a mother figure, pure, innocent, nurturer, for example Jennifer Lawrence, whereas the whore is seen as wild, dangerous, sexually available and seductive like Rihanna.
There may be limited representations of women in the media due to women not taking dominant male roles. Rihanna has tried to overcome the limited representations of women by taking on a dominant role, this is shown in her music video ‘S&M’, it features Rihanna walking a man on a leash, suggesting she is controlling and dominating him. The video Rihanna whipping tied up men, showing they are being taken over by Rihanna, portraying that she is taking the typical dominant male role and controlling those around her rather than her being the weak, objectified one. Although the video features Rihanna being dominant and controlling, it also contradicts that view point by her wearing seductive outfits and featuring scenes of her eating a banana and licking a strawberry and are suggestive of a sex act. This also occurs with Beyoncé, as she likes to set an example of being a strong, independent woman, shown by song titles like ‘Single Ladies’ and ‘Run the World (Girls)’, yet she named her recent tour ‘Mrs Carter’, giving the impression that she is owned by her husband. Britney also takes on both role in the music video ‘Toxic’, from a feminists reading she may be seen as sexually available by wearing provocative outfits promoting male gaze, acting as a server to an aeroplane full of males, and riding the back of a motorbike which is being driven by a man who is in control, yet also she is taking on typical female orientated roles like air hostess, secretary and waitress, suggesting weakness. But a post-feminist reading may suggest that she is promoting female gaze by using attractive men, and Britney is keeping control by stealing from, poisoning and bossing the men around, showing them she has the power.
Overall I think there are limited representations of women in the media, as most women are seen as either sexually available or in domestic roles, in the more recent years women have tried to gain power by taking on the dominant role, yet this has been criticised as the male gaze is still used and the women are still trying to portray themselves as seductive and sexy.
Great answer, Becca! Clear understanding and application of Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory, examples given to evidence your points and you are beginning to question the theory. Make sure that you continue to use media terminology confidently and that you can be critical of a range of texts. Discuss the history of feminism in order to explain how representations have/have not changed. Keep working hard!
ReplyDelete'There are limited representations of women available in the media. Discuss.'
ReplyDeleteWithin media as a whole there are sources, which represent women in many different ways, some as de-personified objects looked at through the male gaze and others which represent women as independent and liberated.
Because the media we see is generally shown through the male gaze with the aim to satisfy men, the representation of women is mostly sexualized. The women picked are normally chosen for beauty and fit the stereotype of trying to impress through clothing and polite manners. This ideology limits the representations of women in the media because they are just seen as beauty objects instead of people with skills. An example of this is in science and nature programs where the intellectual has a tendency to be male (David Attenborough or Simon Cox) and when the intellectual is female it is seen as abnormal.
Companies often exploit female sexuality to sell products and sensationalise their brand. This shows women to be shallow and nothing more than a way to appeal to men, which again offers limited representations. Often in the media women are represented as being mothers, house wives, domesticated and girlfriends which all suggest them to just be shallow and practical. Nigella Lawson’s day time TV program is set in her home which represents her as a house wife. This view is also supported by the seductive manner that she behaves in which sexualizes her and creates a shallow image of women at home, only trying to please men by cooking and seduction.
The media could be said to be limited of representations towards women because of the way society views women as more of objects that can be sexualized than men. This is shown in the way that programs such as game of thrones succeed by sexualizing women to nudity as law says that as long as there is not an erect penis in a scene then it is not considered pornography. This example shows in part how it is more socially acceptable for females to be sexualized than men.
To conclude I think that because of the society we live in the sexualisation of women is the most represented aspect in the media, which limits their representation in the media as a whole.
Good work Isaac. Clear understanding. 'De-personified' isn't a word! Try to use media terminology more confidently throughout your answer and deconstruct texts in a little more detail.
DeleteThere are limited representations of women available in the media. Discuss.
ReplyDeleteIn the media, women are represented in a stereotypical light and very rarely equal to the roles men are shown to have.
A common example of the inequality with men and women are music videos. Within music videos we would usually see the women dressed in provocative clothing and acting in a seductive way, normally around the men, the ‘starring role’. Laura Mulvey discussed the theory of the ‘Male Gaze’; this is where women are seen from a males view, usually sexualized. This is a common theme in music videos as we see women with little clothing and being under control of men. The Pussycat doll’s video ‘Buttons’ shows Nicole Scherzinger and the group dancing around Snoop Dog, there are low angled shots of the women and close up shots of the Snoop Dog’s face. This almost shows that there is more attention paid to what the man is saying whereas with the women there is more attention paid on how they look. There are very little music videos in the industry that show the independent woman, the lack of inequality is most prominent in the music industry.
Another example of the limited representations of women available in the media is Nigella Lawson. Nigella is a very well known chef who shows independence and success through her cooking but also she is shown through the ‘Male Gaze’. She advertises her food, usually directed to men, through seductive body language such as licking her fingers and maintaining eye contact. This message and image are contradictory of themselves, she shows that she can be successful without needing male help but then also shows the need to be sexual and attract the attention of men. In recent weeks images have also been released of Nigella’s husband, Charles Saatchi, showing physical violence towards her, grabbing her by the throat. These images were all over the internet and on the front pages of newspapers with headlines such as ‘Police probe Nigella ‘choke attack’ ‘ this reinforced the image of men having control over women, showing women on the front pages of newspapers as being vulnerable and with a lack of control.
To conclude I believe there are limited representations of women available in the media because the same message is reinforced over and over again, until the image of equality is shown frequently between men and women the representations will remain the same, women being shown as sex symbols to men, also known as objectified and media products, such as music videos, shown through the 'Male Gaze'.
Great answer, Becca! Clear understanding of the male gaze and recognition of this within media products. Try to keep using media terminology confidently and apply to a variety of texts. Remember to be critical and question whether representations are fair, how they were created and who created such representations. Well done.
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