Assignment 2: Application—Social Problem Research

Media and Sexism

Clarissa Harris

SOCW-6051

December 18, 2016

Dr. Renata A. Hedrington Jones

Media and Sexism

The media plays a significant role in promoting sexism. The images depicted in magazines, advertisements and movies lead to the creation of stereotypical attitudes and behaviors that are widely accepted in the society. The behaviors and attitudes grow to become social norms that eventually lead to discrimination. Media promotes sexism through the depiction of how individuals should act and what items belong to a certain gender.

There are various elements of sexism that are mentioned in the video. The sex of a man is defined by an individual’s ability to display qualities demonstrated by the dominant culture. In this case, a man is considered to be physical, strong, independent, intimidating, powerful, in control, muscular, and respected (“Challenging Media,” 2006). According to the video, it is clear that men in the society are aware of the stereotypical names that they would be associated with if they fail to achieve the above qualities. Men who fail to meet the qualities are considered wimps, fags, sissy and wuss (“Challenging Media,” 2006). The media plays an essential role in influencing male sexism through the images that reflect on men in a dominance, power and control perspective. On this note, this applies to all racial and ethnic groups. However, it is clear that this plays a significant role among the blacks.

The media influences sexism by displaying violence as a part of the masculinity nature. In this regard, the media fails to bridge the gap between being a man and exhibiting violent conducts. As a result, the media indicates that majority of murders are committed by men. The same case is evident in the cases of assault and domestic violence. According to the video, it is evident that there are men in society who are subjected to trauma due to their experiences during childhood. The same case is applicable to the men who play the roles of ‘tough guys.’ Their actions are influenced by their experiences while growing up. Media has influenced the ‘tough guy’ notion and attitude among men leading to its use as a survival mode. It is important to change the monopoly of institutions towards the representation of men in the society. As a result, the elements of sexism will be handled effectively.

The element of sexism in the Bic Cristal and the Easy Bake Oven occur through the use of colors and names that suggest that the products are only targeted towards women. For instance, Bic Cristal marketing and advertisement made it clear that the product mainly targeted women leading to the controversy (Vinjamuri, 2012). On the other hand, Easy Bake Oven faced petitions from the public aimed at eliminating the use of colors such as pink and purple in their products. Analytically, such use of colors in media advertisement depict the type of colors associated with both women and men (Strasser, 2012). In this regard, the media influence on sexism is visible when these colors to be associated with girls. Consequently, boys who play with the toys of feminine colors are restrained from such habits due to the sexist nature of the society.

The responses made towards the advertising and merchandising of these items was influenced by media sexism. Media sexism is the unfair discrimination on the basis of an individual’s sex (Hunt, 2013). Sexism as witnessed in the case of Bic Cristal and the Easy Bake Oven and the Tough Guise video is a set of behavior and attitudes towards people based on their gender. It is also a form of stereotypical assumptions that occur as a result of gender roles. The media promotes sexism and sexist behavior among male and female individuals. Sexist behavior is depicted through magazine content, advertisements, movies, and music videos. In this case, the various platforms display both men and women in different roles assumed to suite their sex. Male characters in most movies take up the important roles where they are depicted as the ‘strong guys’ and powerful while women are reflected on as sex icons. Arguably, such images play a major role in influencing individual’s behaviors and attitudes in the society. Sexism is used in nearly all media forms leading to an effect on the viewer’s minds since it changes how they view various aspects of life.

The media’s portrayal of sexism leads to the establishment of stereotypes that influence how women and men should act. Additionally, it influences the roles that they are expected to play in the society. Consequently, the media has the ability to influence masses through the depiction of sexist ideas. As a result, they lead to the creation of stereotypes that become a norm in the society. Advertising campaigns that are displayed in media dictate how individuals in the society should act. The same case applies to color. On this note, color is tends to play an essential role in determining the gender of an individual. There are colors that are specially designated for women while others are classified to be masculine in nature.

In conclusion, the media plays a significant role in promoting sexism. According to the YouTube video, being a man is defined by an individual’s ability to demonstrate qualities considered to be masculine by the dominant culture. Consequently, men who fail to meet the qualities are known as wimps, fags, sissy and wuss. The media influences sexism by enabling certain aspects to be considered as a part of an individual’s sex. Therefore, it is important to change the monopoly of institutions towards the representation of men in the society. As a result, the elements of sexism will be dealt with effectively.

References

Challenging Media. (2006). Tough guise: violence, media & the crisis in masculinity. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3exzMPT4nGI

Hunt, J. (2013). Is an end to media sexism in sight? Meeting the future of journalism. Huffington Lifestyle. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/jacqui-hunt/is-an-end-to-media-sexism_b_2645810.html

Strasser, A. (2012). 13-year-old girl asks easy bake oven to end sexist ads: ‘I want my brother to know that it’s not wrong’ to cook. Think Progress. Retrieved from https://thinkprogress.org/13-year-old-girl-asks-easy-bake-oven-to-end-sexist-ads-i-want-my-brother-to-know-that-its-not-wrong-98b5e69a969e#.hstakhxh7

Vinjamuri, D. (2012). Bic for her: What they were actually thinking (as told by a man who worked on tampons). Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2012/08/30/bic-for-her-what-they-were-actually-thinking-as-told-by-a-man-who-worked-on-tampons/#194413de270c