How are genders represented in the media?

How are men represented in the media?
1. Strong
2. Calm and Collected
3. Bread winner
4. Sexual
5. Smart

How are women represented in the media?
1. Emotional
2. Damsel in distress
3. Sex object
4. Mother figure
5. Delicate

This image shows a typical scene for a housewife in the 1960's. I can see this through the style of dress, setting and props as they were all fashionable in that time period. However the use of Brad pitt playing the role of the female shows that there has been a change of how gender roles are represented in the media due to the fact that a male would never have had been shown in this way in the actual 1960's. 

This advert shows women of different sizes and shapes looking confident and promoting the realistic body image of women through the use of different models. This is a revolutionised was for advertising as the models that mostly used have a body in which society deems as perfect to make the female audience want to buy the product more due to the thought of obtaining that beauty, where as this advert shows beauty in a completely different and more realistic way. 

Nutella clip1-2011

The 2011 version of the nutella advert shows a mother hastily rushing around in the morning looking after her kids in the kitchen while getting breakfast ready. This is trying to say that the product is perfect for fast paced lives mostly for women who stereotypically have to look after their children while spending their time preparing meals for her family. 

Nutella clip 2- 2013

The 2013 advertisement text for this product shows that everyone who has to rush in the morning can easily and quickly use nutella. It shows people with different preferences to cover wider audience and shows the different genders taking on various roles. 

I feel that there was a slight change in the way that gender roles have changed however still shows some of the usual stereotypes used in gender roles. 

Homewrok-

write a 500 word essay on "has the mediation of gender changed, does this reflect change in society?"

use source material in relation to your argument

add visual example of historical and contemporary media texts

You should access information from this presentation and the one called "exploring the female gaze and the body image"

What is your view on the male body image and what extent do you think that the representation of male body image is changing?

The representation of the male body in media texts has changed substantially in the last century. What is currently shown as a representation for men is as being very attractive with perfectly shaped bodies, an example of this is the recent film 'Magic Mike XXL' which depicts the male leads half naked showing their muscles and abs. This links with the female gaze where the use of sexualising men in media products is used to attract the female audience. In contrast to this the representation of the male body in the 1960's was very different. In most media platforms at this time the male body was shown as being strong and heroic while the female body was used as a sexual object, for example in the 1965 'James Bond- Thunder ball' film poster where the male is holding a weapon and is surrounded by half naked females. This shows that there has been a rather large evolution of how the male body image is represented within media texts.

In the television show 'Reggie Yates- Extreme UK' it shows how a healthy lifestyle can lead to addiction in many different ways including the use of steroids injections to wanting the perfect body through over exercising. Gauntletts theory that states "Identity is now consciously constructed, and the media provides some of the tools to help us contract our identity. The media contains a huge number of messages about identity and acceptable lifestyles. At the same time the public have their own diverse set of feelings. The media and media consumers are engaged in a dialogue in which neither over powers the other". This links with how the public/ normal people such as the ones in this television show are affected by how the male body is currently being shown in the media, as the message is that having a fit body is what is acceptable for men. This can also be seen in mens magazines such as mens health and in product advertisement for example the diet coke advert, both show attractive overly sexualised men which is leading the public to think that its the most acceptable form of identity for men.  

Personally, I believe that the representation of the male body image has changed dramatically to show men more as sexualised objects in todays media.

"Explain what is meant by 'Collective Identity' and the role of media in its construction"

Collective identity is described as "individuals sense of belonging to a group who share a set of traditions and values". The 'Collective identity' of a group must take into account the role representation plays in the construction of a media text. I will be focusing on the representation of gender in the media and how certain media products have been conducted to show a certain view. This is known as Mediation where the term that defines media as being made up and distorted to suit the viewers. It means that everything we see on TV is Mediated to alter real life and therefore the producers show us what they want too, which can be evident in the representation of Gender. In comparison Buckingham says that identity is complicated and complex, "A focus on identity requires us to pay closer attention to the ways in which media and technologies are used in everyday life and their consequences for social groups".

Media representations of Gender can show the use of Patriarchy, which ultimately means a society run by men for men. If the media is mostly run by men, which a 2011 survey states that the representation of women in news media is 22%, then the contents that is being shown will be mostly directed for men. The 1966 Fairy liquid advert shows a very strong patriarchy view as the advert shows a middle aged woman in the kitchen washing up and teaching her young daughter about the specific cleaning product. This advert displays the stereotype that women belong in the kitchen. In comparison, an example of how the use of domesticated women in household media products have changed today is the use of men in adverts such as the ariel liquid-tabs 2012 advert where it shows an adolescent male talking about how he washed his own top. The use of a male instead of a female in the advert shows how gender roles in the media are being shown, however the degree of this change is very slight as the advert portrays the message that 'even men can do it'. Giddens structuration theory states that changes in social structure such as an increase of women in the work place means that the idea of "domesticity" has to be restructured in society.

The representation of woman in a sexualised way has also been an issue in the sense of Patriarchy. Woman have been used to sexualise products making it then more appealing for men. In an old advert selling Marlboro cigarettes it shows a half naked woman from the back, in this advert her face can only slightly be seen. The lack of facial features dehumanises the female by only perceiving her as an attractive body. The use of this Patriarchy style is still used in modern media products such as a recent links advert with the slogan "get dirty" showing the torso of a female in a bikini covered in mud. Her head and face are not included in the shot, this can give the idea that any feature not shown in the advert as unimportant and again dehumanises the female. Both examples are evidence that patriarchy is still highly used in modern media. These advertisement styles conform to Mulveys male gaze theory which is "the pleasure of looking a voyeuristic gaze directed at other people". The male gaze determines a fantasy of the female figure which is specifically styled in each product to attract male interest.

Feminism has influenced media products greatly by creating closer equality gender views within these products. Stratinati 1995 said "woman were usually shown as being subordinate, passive, submissive and marginal, performing a limited number of secondary an uninteresting tasks confined to their sexuality, their emotions and their domesticity. Due to feminism this has started to change and woman are being treated more equal with men. The female image is being changed by showing more positive and independent female roles as a results of the liberal feminists. Gauntletts theory that "identity is now consciously constructed, and the media provides some of the tools to help us contract our identities. The media contains a huge number of messages about identity and acceptable lifestyles. At the same time the public have their own diverse set of feelings. The media and media consumers are engaged in a dialogue in which neither overpowers the other." This supports the influence of feminism in modern media since an increase of strong female roles are being shown within media products after equal rights for male and females have been fought, making it more acceptable for females to be shown in this way. However, this does not immediately change all of the publics views on the subject although I do believe that the continuity of the perception of women in media products can result in  portraying women differently in the future.

The use of men in a desirable role has increased within media texts, this is to attract women to certain products using Hansons female gaze theory. The conscious decision to play with traditional gender roles and the presentation of gender by switching them round is evident in the diet pepsi advert where a group of women are enchanted by a very physically attractive male taking his shirt off. The use of female gaze during this also links to Gauntletts theory where he talks about identity and acceptable lifestyles. 

The medias representation of collective identity through gender still shows a significant amount of Patriarchy through ideas such as the male gaze. However, I believe that due to feminism the ideas and stereotypes of women being lesser than men will decrease. The changes in society will then influence the medias representation of gender according to Giddens structuration theory.

"Media representations of youth reflects societies concerns and fears" Bullet boy Homework

The representation of youth in the media has often been shown in a negative way, portraying them as violent and insubordinate towards society. The language, clothing and activities of the youths in these media texts are often primarily seen in certain parts of England where gangs and gang culture are highly active. This can raise concerns and create fears in society as this is the main representation of youth in modern media.

In the 2004 film Bullet Boy the young characters are shown in a dangerous and vicious manner through fighting, weapons, verbal abuse and the murder of two characters in the film. The main character Ricky is firstly shown leaving prison, this gives the viewer the idea that he has already been in some kind of serious trouble and during his first day out gets a hold of a gun. This representation of the main young character with a gun can link with recent events such as the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting (2012). The concerns of society are highlighted through media texts although what is being shown is part of a minority, this links with Giroux theory where "Youth becomes an empty category in representation- reflects adult concerns. Media representation of youth does not reflect reality of youth identity" which states that youth is only shown through what people fear the most instead of the majorities act. Youth in the 1961 film Wonderful to be young were portrayed in a completely opposite way, as being spirited and quirky through the musical song and dance scenes and by trying to save something that matters to them, whereas in modern films such as Green street (2005) and Ill Manners (2012) which depict youth as only conducting violence, sex and the use of drugs. The contrast between the illustration of youth in these media products are evidence to the change in how the media represents youth due to current events.

Another theory that can be related to the concerns and fears of society is Grebner's cultivation theory which states that the more time spent watching television the more likely they are to believe the social reality that is being portrayed. This theory states a different belief than Giroux, saying that the more television people watch the more they believe that what they are seeing as true, an example of this is the James Holmes mass murder where he shot a cinema full of people during the showing of the dark night film. Holmes was known for playing addictive violent role-playing video games and was also a huge batman fan, he also showed interest in the film The suffocator of sins which shows a vigilante who shoots criminals. All of these media products showed evidence during the massacre. This is an example of how people can start to believe that how they and characters act in video games and films as the way to act in the actual world.

In conclusion, the medias representation of youth reflects societies concerns and fears by using characters from whom show the most violence in todays society even though the amount of actual youths acting like this are a small minority. Therefore, enlarging societies fears and prolonging them. These fears however are not in all of society just the majority that only see what the media is displaying and because of this completely believe it.

Questions from class

1. Is the media Islamophobic?
I would say that they are, this is due to the fact that the majority of newspapers, roughly 91%, only show negative views on Islam and muslims.

2. To what extent can/does the media influence public perception of Islam?
A large percentage of the pubic is influenced by the media, firstly the media is the biggest generator of news and opinions on certain events. Secondly newspapers such as The Sun are very popular and have millions of readers, this shows that a large amount of Britain can be influenced by them and their views.

3. What is Islamophobia?
Googles description on Islamophobia is "dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force". This is basically saying that Islamophobia/Islamophobic is when people have a negative view on Islams and Muslims.

4. Does the public accept negative media representations of Islam?
I wouldn't say that all of the public accept negative media representations, however a mass of the public will because of how the much the media show them in these ways. The representation is scaring and shocking people but also allowing them somebody to blame which I think will make them accept what the media is saying.

5. How might Gauntlett's theory apply to media representations of Islam?
This theory states that the media shows messages about identity and acceptable lifestyles which is applied in this situation as the media is blaming terrorist attacks on a specific religion which is telling the message that being muslim or following the Islam religion is not an acceptable lifestyle.

Post 9/11 representation Homework

Since the attack on the Twin Towers in America on the 11/09/2001 muslims and the Islamic religion are viewed and presented largely in a negative way by the media.

These newspaper clippings is a start to the media presenting muslims as terrorists. Since 9/11 Islamophobia has risen and the media has a strong role in showing islamophobic ideas.

These newspaper front covers are extremely clear with their negative views. The most resent article is The Suns from Monday 23rd Novemeber 2015 stating that 1 in 5 British muslims show sympathy for Jihadis, this media example is trying to get the reader to support its views and believe the same statements. A large portion of Britain reads the sun newspaper, this means that this view will be supported and read by a lot of people who may not have enough information to have any other opinion which will lead to islamophobia increasing due to fear.

David Gauntlett's theory-

• Identity is now consciously constructed, and the media provides some of the tools to help us construct our identities. The media contains a huge number of messages about identity and acceptable lifestyles.
• At the same time the public have their own diverse set of feelings. The media and media consumers are engaged in a dialogue in which neither overpowers the other.

This theory is linked with islamophobia because in Gauntletts theory it says that "the media provides some of the tools to help us construct our identity". I think that our thoughts and opinions are part of our identity and these newspapers are influencing what we see and think about Islam and muslims. However it also says "the public have their own diverse set of feelings"which is true as we have the power to think what we want about the subject, a lack of education on this subject is why a large sum of the public agree with these certain newspapers, this statistic shows this "4% of the British public admit to knowing nothing or next to nothing about Islam" and "64% of the public claim what they know is acquired through the media".

Other statistic about Islam-
-91% of Islam coverage is deemed negative.
-84% of press coverage presented Islam and muslims either as 'likely to cause damage or danger' or as 'operating in a time of intense difficulty or danger'.

Post 9/11 representation on islam and muslims by the media show a lot of negative aspects.

Media Representation Homework

Gender-






Shows that men and woman are conveyed and subjectified in different ways. Tinie Tempa is presented smartly in a suit,  standing broadly and confidently, where as, Lana Del Ray is completely naked and contracted into herself to cover her body. In this example the media has shown that men can be confident and strong compared to women who they show as weak and ashamed.













In this magazine cover the difference between gender is shown in a very clear way. The cover is quite obviously stating that the importance in each gender is divided 1:4, I think this because there are four scarcley dressed woman clinging onto the males arm.



Conclusion-
 Even though the equality in gender has progressed in time, the male gender is still being  shown as the dominant sex.



  Youth and Youth Culture-













In this one image it shows how the media in newspapers shows youth. Only negetive facts and opinions are being portrayed and they create the image that the whole youth right now are violent "yobs". The statistic "35 million yobs" is extremely high and leads to the readers endinng up stereotyping young people in that catagory.



The clothing that the characters have been placed in and the setting of this photo is suppose to make the viewer feel unsteady  or unsafe as it is usually associated with violent/troublesome teenagers. The fact they have chosen to present the t5he youth in this way shows what they want people to see the youth as overall.

Conclusion-
The  media often represents youth and youth culture in this manner, giving people the stereotpe of every young person to be "out of control" and "criminals".


Post 9/11 representation of islam-
















This photo shows the labels that have been placed on muslims post 9/11. The words that are showing  the stereotpes including "terrorist" and this is the media blantantly calling all muslims terrorists and radicalists.




 Again this photo is the media blaming islam for for the deaths at 9/11. This photo is placing the blame upon a whole gorup of people instead of the actual terrorists who was to blame.

Conclusion-
Islam and muslims were all catagorised under the title terrorist after 9/11. The media shows a biased opinion to further their own opinion.