...The articles “Male-Bashing on TV’ by Michael Abernethy and “TV’s New Wave of Women: Smart, Strong, Borderline Insane” by Heather Havrilesky are articles that talk about genders being portrayal on television. In Abernethy’s article, he explains to his readers the problem with the portrayal of men on television and ads and gives examples towards his argument. As for Havrilesky’s article, she reveals to her readers the problem of women getting portrayed as “crazy” by television and also gives examples of different actors on different TV shows. In Abernethy’s and Havrilesky’s articles, they both argue about the media’s...
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...Examination of Gender Role Portrayals in Television & Commercials 2011 Examination of Gender Role Portrayals in Television & Commercials Examination of Gender Role Portrayals in Television & Commercials It is nearly impossible to be able to measure the impact television has had on our society and culture. Since its creation, the television has been a powerful medium of advertising and influence as its popularity and audience has grown at a tremendous rate. The influence of the television has continued to grow and has helped to formulate and mold our perceptions of society. One of those areas where it has had the most influence has been in aiding to set the perceptions of gender roles in our society. One of the points this article makes is that commercials aired on television sets across the world, have had a major impact on our perceptions of gender roles in our society. The persuasiveness of commercials has been evident for decades. From a very young age, we are subjected to norms and standards for how each gender should act. Advertisers carefully create their TV ads to send a particular message about gender, playing up the norms people have come to know and enforce. Even our values and beliefs are sometimes based on what is seen on television, commercials included. Without even being aware of it, our mind, and perception of what roles we should play, are influenced by the commercials and television shows that we watch...
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...2014 Abstract If a black man is mentioned in the news, newspaper, magazine ads, television shows, or internet blogs, it is usually related to a negative, stereotypical thought of black men as a whole. The media constantly produces images of black men as sexually-instable, violent, and unintelligent. Such portrayals ultimately influence the nation when it comes to what black men are thought to be like. If the media gave honest and positive portrayals of black men, less racism would exist because people would be able to see the black men of this world for who they really are. In this paper, I give examples of how black men are negatively portrayed in the media and suggest how such misrepresentation can be stopped; by positive portrayals of black men in the media. Over the decades, the media has become an extremely influential power tool when it comes to making assertions about certain groups of people. African-Americans are one of the media’s many victims of false generalizations that influence the world beyond the television screens. Black men are constantly depicted as sexually-instable, angry, uneducated criminals throughout the media, in which, has an ultimate effect on how these men are represented throughout this society. Such depictions are one of the reasons why racism and stereotypical beliefs continue to exist throughout this world. If the media gave honest and positive portrayals of black men, less racism would exist because people would be able to see the black...
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...Images of the unobtainable thin body can be seen anywhere. The media has many different outlets; television, movies, magazines billboards, and the internet. I myself can attest to watching television and thinking why isn’t my body like that. I know what it feels like to not feel beautiful because the image of beauty that the media portrays is the complete opposite of myself. The media portrays tall and thin as the “ideal” image of beauty. The National Eating Disorder Association (2012) reports that the media and its portrayal of beauty is acknowledged as one of the factors contributing to the rise of eating disorders. In our culture, the media portrays tall and thin as the ideal image of beauty. Magazines, television , movies, commercials, and more portray attractive women as being extremely thin. It is nearly impossible to escape the influence of the media and children today are being exposed to these portrayals earlier and earlier in life. Since we have immediate access to all sorts of media, could the constant reminder of the “ideal” body type cause a negative body image and low self-esteem? Body image as defined by Dina L.G. Borzekowski and Angela M. Bayer is “the internal representation of one's own outer appearance which reflects physical and perceptual dimensions.”(Borzekowski & Bayer, 2005) They also state that body image is closely related to self-esteem and self-concept. During one’s juvenile years, poor body image is especially harmful, because all of the rapid...
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...American Portrayal in Media As the day progresses into the late evening hour most of America sits in front of their televisions impatiently waiting to watch their favorite shows. From prime time television to viral videos on YouTube, media has become one of the most influential areas of life. The clothes we wear, slogans we say, and actions we portray are all influenced by media. For example, in 2012 “Ain’t nobody got time for that” became a popular slogan which transcended from a news interview that went viral. Although the slogan was catchy, it became famous more so for the way it was presented. The interviewee was an African American female who was a victim of a house fire. With the female being very passionate and animated while speaking in an urban accent, it provided for great entertainment. Sadly, that news interview lacked the appropriate representation of African Americans. The way media portrays a certain message “can have an inordinate influence on the public’s perception of blacks” (Holt 6). Audiences have been a witness to negative portrayal of African Americans since the days of “blackface”, where Caucasian American actors painted their faces black to depict African Americans. According to blog author Michelle Whalen, “now, more than ever, images of African Americans are transcending racial stereotypes and forging ahead into the fight for equality” (1). In the past two decades, media has been successful in providing positive progression in the portrayal of African...
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...Images of the unobtainable thin body can be seen anywhere. The media has many different outlets; television, movies, magazines billboards, and the internet. I myself can attest to watching television and thinking why isn’t my body like that. I know what it feels like to not feel beautiful because the image of beauty that the media portrays is the complete opposite of myself. The media portrays tall and thin as the “ideal” image of beauty. The National Eating Disorder Association (2012) reports that the media and its portrayal of beauty is acknowledged as one of the factors contributing to the rise of eating disorders. In our culture, the media portrays tall and thin as the ideal image of beauty. Magazines, television , movies, commercials, and more portray attractive women as being extremely thin. It is nearly impossible to escape the influence of the media and children today are being exposed to these portrayals earlier and earlier in life. Since we have immediate access to all sorts of media, could the constant reminder of the “ideal” body type cause a negative body image and low self-esteem? Body image as defined by Dina L.G. Borzekowski and Angela M. Bayer is “the internal representation of one's own outer appearance which reflects physical and perceptual dimensions.”(Borzekowski & Bayer, 2005) They also state that body image is closely related to self-esteem and self-concept. During one’s juvenile years, poor body image is especially harmful, because all of the...
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...EFFECTS OF CABLE TELEVISION ON WOMEN IN PAKISTAN: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF HEAVY AND LIGHT VIEWERS IN LAHORE http://prr.hec.gov.pk/thesis/35s.pdf ABSTRACT This study investigates the “effects of cable television on the life patterns of women in Lahore, Pakistan” through survey using interviews’ schedule as a tool of data collection. It targeted 432 women aged 18-40 years and viewing cable television for a minimum two years. The study recorded the respondent’s consumption patterns, level of viewing, preferred channels and programs, favorite watching time, control over remote and restrictions on viewing. It crossed checked the above factors with the level of viewing alongwith demographic characteristics of the respondents. The major hypothesis studied was “greater the exposure to cable television greater the impact on the lives of women.” The sub-hypothesis included ‘heavy viewers have greater effect on their activities, family and social interaction patterns, cultural practices, domestic and personal expenditure, and they are more influenced by the television characters especially depicting western and urban Indian women than the moderate and light viewers. The data was analyzed through univariate and bivariate statistical procedures and the results are presented in two categories: i.e. general and major findings of hypothesis testing. The general findings revealed that the majority of respondents were aged 31 to 40 years, belonged to the middle...
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...The Image of Women in The Media Cheneka Wright PHI 208: Ethic and Moral Reasoning Instructor: Justin Murray June 7, 2016 We all seen the different stereotypes that the media has portray women to be from the femme fatale, the supermom, the sex kitten, the nasty corporate climber. Whatever the role, television, film and popular magazines are full of images of women and girls who are typically white, desperately thin, and made up to the hilt—even after slaying a gang of vampires or dressing down a Greek phalanx. There has to be said that there have been some strides that have been made in which the way that women are portrayed in films, television, and even in magazines, and this has been over the last few decades. The presence as well as influence of women behind the scenes has also grown in many ways that were not so before. But have we come far enough. So my question is Has the Portrayal of Women in Today’s Society Health Role Models to Our Young People of Today? With the television shows that are aired on a day to day basis it’s hard to expect the portrayal of women to be any less than what it is…..negative. Is there an obligation for the media to show young people a more positive image of women or is it a duty of the parents? The notion of common good does not just happen. Establishing and maintaining it is the responsibility of everyone. Maintaining the social conditions from which we all benefit requires the cooperative efforts of all citizens. These efforts pay...
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...R 7 Gender and Advertising How Gender Shapes Meaning The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, “It’s a girl.” —Shirley Chisholm Men are dogs and women are cats. Women are from Venus and men are from Mars. Writers, filmmakers, psychologists, and advertisers all have used the idea that men and women are different to develop stories, create conflict, and provide persuasive imagery. Not only do advertisers view men and women differently, but men and women also bring different perspectives to advertising. Thus, we can assume that men and women create dif-ferent meanings from the advertisements they see. Gender roles in our society have changed dramatically since the 1950s, and portrayals of men and women in advertising have been researched since nearly the same time. Researchers have consistently sought to evaluate these roles to examine whether advertising has kept up with societal changes. In this chapter, we examine the different ways men and women view advertising and mes-sages, as well as some of the ways that advertising portrays gender roles today. The last several decades have seen changes in the role of women in society, both as those who earn money and those who spend money. In 1940, women comprised about 20% of the workforce in the United States, while today that percentage reaches 50% (U.S. Department of Labor, 2000). In addition, the family structure in the United States has changed: smaller proportions...
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...The media as a whole has many hidden messages or ideas that the entertainment world wants to get across. The media uses subliminal messages through radio, television, and advertisement. “A subliminal message is a signal in the form of a picture or sound that is designed to pass the normal limits of perception,” which means when people receive images or ideas consciously they also receive it subconsciously in their mind (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). There have been many controversial issues concerning the usage of this technique (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). There were rumors stating that Bush has used subliminal messages in some of his campaign speeches in order to deliver hidden messages to the world (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). One example of this would have been when; “A similar accusation was made against a promotional film of the Liberal party of Canada, where after dissecting their ad, one could clearly see a gun being fired at the viewer” (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). The Bush promo is rumored to be filled to the brim with subliminal images of a disturbing nature: fire, explosions, terrified children, mutilation, ghost-like figures and several acts of violence” (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). In the manipulation of many viewers, it was first to be just a tested experiment that could determine the facts of subliminal messages (Subliminal Messages in Movies and Media). A movie theatre in New Jersey did an experiment...
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...There have been many different studies that have focused on the portrayal of African Americans on television. Many studies particularly focused on women or some only focused on men. This paper will mainly focus on the portrayals of African Americans as a whole. It will also focus on the influence of television and how it plays a role in portraying these images. This paper will not only point out the negative stereotypes of African Americans on television, but it will focus on the positive ones as well. The Role of Television Television is known to be one of the most influential resources used for information in today’s society (Isaacs, 2010). According to Pernicova (2014) television has the power to shape the world around us and the perceptions of individuals. According to Peffley, Shields, and William (1996), television is known to be different from other types of media because it provides visual communications to the...
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...Taylor Barto English 101 Holman 4/4/2012 Portrayal of Women in the Media In society today attractiveness can be the base of the empire that one builds. A certain look could be the entire reason someone gets a role in a movie or television show. Everything today is flashier, bigger, better, and more glamorous than before so why would women fall to any exception? These women on television can all play different roles, for example, the corporate climber, the supermom, the social butterfly, the ruthless villainess, but they all have one common denominator; their attractiveness. The women seen on television are beautiful, thin, and primarily white. These are the types of women the media wants us to strive to be like because it boosts their ratings. How many people would watch a television show about someone’s life that was less successful and less attractive? Many would agree that the last 30 years some progress has been made in how the media portray women in film, television, and magazines and there has also been a growth in the presence and influence of women in the media. Nevertheless, female stereotypes continue to thrive in the media we view every day. The media’s portrayal of women plays a significant impact on the effects to body image and self-esteem to implications in sports and politics. One current popular show that many young adults watch on television is a show, Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl follows the lives of Manhattan’s Upper East Side socialites. Each show...
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...Mass media is constantly being used to communicate to a broad audience. A common form of mass media is television. Television has some positive and some negatives, just like any form of media. Television shows give their audience different point of views from different types of people, but shows can make a habit of repeating story lines. Certain social groups, in television, get stuck with playing the same type of character, with the same characteristics, and with the same problems over and over again. Because of this endless cycle, these actors are reinforcing these ideas that everyone in that specific social group acts that way in real life. Actors in television are reinforcing these hegemonic ideas and thoughts to new generations. Women in television have been slowly overcoming the stereotypes of only good for housework, taking care of the children, and not being strong, powerful, or confident without a man by their side. New stereotypes have evolved over the years, that has caused certain women in television to be misrepresented by actors. Plus size women have become a group of people that have been sidelined from important roles, and even television altogether, because of their size and shape. The generic...
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...COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE REPRESENTATION OF FAMILY IN THE TELEVISION SHOW WEEDS Name Instructor Introduction For some time now, different faculties on human psychology, sociology and cultural studies have been investigating the effect of media artifacts in influencing and dictating ideologies and perceptions in the societies that consume them. Contemporary findings indicate that media artifacts such as television shows, movies, and books, directly influence the behavior of individuals within their different social groups and determine the type of interpersonal relationships one forges with other people, relative to their role in their lives. In addition, media affect the expressions of social class and socio-economic stature through the encouragement of the consumer culture and individualism. This paper analyses the television series Weeds, seeking to highlight how the portrayal of a single-mother family mirrors the literature on single-parent families in terms of perceived structures, financial challenges, academic achievement of children and the emotional and psychological health as well as the challenges specifically affecting single mothers. Weeds is an eight-season television show depicting the character of Nancy, a recently widowed woman who struggles to a means of mitigating the growing financial problem she faces following the death of Judah, her husband. She eventually opts to expand small her marijuana retailing enterprise to make ends...
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...This paper is being written to identify the importance of representation in media by examining the effects of it on the world we live in today. It will not only discuss one group of people (such as just people of color but many groups such as women and people of a certain age range. Studies will be shown to convey the possible connection between how long children are involved in some form of media and the way certain demographics are depicted in the media children watch. Considering the fact that children, and people in general, spend a lot of their time involved in some form of media there is some sort of correlation between media and perception. An answer will be given on whether traditions and customs depicted have can have an possible...
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