Are females portrayed in the media as "sex icons"? More
and more teenagers are getting influenced with what they see in the media. The
dominant discourse is truly doing its job efficiently and is reshaping the
minds of many females. The media is portraying females as sex icons and it is truly
affecting females of all ages. Girls at a very young age are worrying about
what they are wearing and if they look pretty. When was this an issue when you
were growing up? That's what I thought! More and more females are worrying about
their physical appearance when they go out for coffee and etc. Media has embedded
in the minds of females that looks and physical appearance is important. Wait I
though being smart and intelligent was important. I guess I am wrong! For example in America mostly all of congress consists of men.
Why is that? I can probably answer that because all females believe, that looks
are more important and they don't strive to achieve their goals. In the link I
attached below, Marie Wilson said "You can't be, what you can't see".
What she has said is true on so many levels. A lot of females are trying to look pretty and try to display themselves as sex icons and to be like that you have to watch media that portrays that. They focus so much on how they look and forget about their life. Leadership roles of women are
decreasing. Females are being taught by the media like films, shows,
commercials and other forms of media that physical appearance is the key. Many
more females are blinded from their goals because media portrays them to be
only good looking and sex icons. Take for example a Victoria Secret commercial,
all of its women are skinny, good looking and young. Maybe the older women
aren't influence by the video but teenagers are greatly impacted. When was the last time you looked in the mirror said, "man I need to lose a couple pounds". The media portrays a
specific lens that females should act hypersexualized. And where else would you
get that perspective and get influenced is through the main stream media. Females are consuming different types of media portraying females as sex icons through viewing, reading, watching and listening to different types of materials.
Discussion Questions:
Who else can get affected by this?
Who else can get affected by this?
Can the same happen to males if we had
swapped every female for a male individual?
Do you think that females are forgetting to listen to themselves instead of what society expects from them?
Are Hollywood movies increasingly implying
that females should be more hypersexualized and look-a-like supermodels?
Have you ever led your physical appearance
influence your education and future goals?
More information (article):
Video:
Victory Secret Video:
Endrit, can you elaborate more on this example "For example in America mostly all of congress consists of men. Why is that? I can probably answer that because all females believe, that looks are more important and they don't strive to achieve their goals."
ReplyDeletethis is very true because a lot women are getting this idea from the media that they aren't beautiful if they don't wear provocative clothing, if they aren't skinny, and this is beginning to become a concern.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you Abdullahi. I think females are feeling insecure and uncomfortable because they don't look beautiful. The media is portraying that females need to be skinny, good looking, and sex icons. All media are constructions of some kind. The medias that females are consuming show them that physical appearance is key in the world that we live. The media constantly sends messages that females should be hypersexualized. Some medias that show that are films, commercials, magazines and other forms of medias.
DeleteI disagree. I believe that women leadership roles are increasing. There are more media out there today that sends the message that we are worth more that just looks.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's correct but I have to disagree with you too. Have you ever watch a Victoria Secret commercial? Has it ever made you think that you should be good looking as them? Many females feel uncomfortable and may have a low self-esteem because their physical appearance isn't the best. Media's are embedding in the minds of females that they should look pretty. It's sad because some females forget about everything and care about their physical appearance.
DeleteThis limits the abilities of females in the work force. Whether it being in the filming industry or just in the government! Yes, there are media's about female leadership and messages that say females are more then looks. In fact, there is a small number of those medias that send that message. Maybe it's a 1 to 5 ratio. So it's kind of hard to implement an idea when you have regular media's that provide a lens of how females should look.
DeleteYes, I agree that some females feel intimidated but, i was referencing this following quote: "Leadership roles of women are decreasing". Which I disagree with. Many women are rising up on social and business ladders and are continuing to increase in the years to come. We see women in the media obtaining CEO positions and surpassing men. I conclude by saying we as society are changing and women are now becoming more dominate than ever before.
DeleteYou think females are dominant because they have obtained or acquired a high position job. You have to look at it from a birds-eye-view. You are talking about a small number of females. Try to compare them to the males. You will see more males then females. You probably heard a few female leadership stories. If you were to compare both male and female cases, who would over take the other?
Delete@Dharshiga. I was reading an article and it should how females make the majority (51%) of America but they only hold 17% of congress are females. The article quotes, "Statistics in the trailer point out that women make up 51% of the U.S. population, yet only 17% of women hold positions in Congress.I believe that the media is a strong instrument into changing the minds of females in American and around the world. Females are consuming more media at this time and it is truly taking a toll on their lives. Media texts reflect special interest and females who consume those medias believe that what they display is true. Additionally, going back to the topic that of congress mostly consists males. Maybe their a fewer females in congress because females are worrying about their physical appearance, and are gradually forgetting about their future goals. They feel uncomfortable when they don't look as pretty as they expect to be.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with that Endrit. Yeah, there might be more males than females in the congress but what does that prove? Nothing. Some females don't like to join the congress but that does not neccesarly mean that women are more into the media and appearance. I most definitely agree with Selina. There are many roles that women are increasing in. This streotype is just based on a very few women. In an article that I have read states, "The trend towards more women working is almost certain to continue. In the European Union women have filled 6m of the 8m new jobs created since 2000. In America three out of four people thrown out of work since the recession began are men; the female unemployment rate is 8.6%, against 11.2% for men." Therefore, not all women depend on the media, yes some might care on how they look but who really wants to look ugly and be unattractive?
DeleteEndrit, I'd like to address a quote from your post that ties into your third question. You said, "I can probably answer that because all females believe, that looks are more important and they don't strive to achieve their goals". Not all females are hypnotized by the media, and not all females categorize looks as their number one priority. I do agree that despite this, the media and society like to pressure women to look and act a certain way. Aside from the media, men also have a role in this, where they hold women to impossible expectations.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are correct that not all women are hypnotized by media. I have to agree with you on that. The other side to the story is that, the majority of the females are being reshaped on how they should look and dress. Each medium has its own language, style, forms and techniques which seem to convey females into believing that being half-naked and sex icons is the way of life. I can't blame the females of their actions but I can say that each person interprets media texts and their individual messages differently. Similarly, it is taking a toll on females of all generations, especially the younger ones.
DeleteNot all females believe that looks are more important than achieving goals.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't think that many women are influenced as much in today's society by media. Leadership roles for women are definetly not decreasing, more and more females are becomming presidents of companies, schools, and leaders in governement positions. For example, about half of the premeiers in Canada are females. So are leadership roles in women really decreasing? Females are feeling more and more comfortable in their skin rather than trying to reach the size 2. More than half the models out there are not even size 2. Hollywood movies are not implying females to look like super models. The females in movies are of different shapes and sizes. We are currently living in the 21st century where being your own individual person is the best person you can be.
On some level I do feel that physical appearance influences education and future goals but it's not to an extent where it stops you completely from achieving what you want. Yes you may feel like you can't fit in to a certain field or group but it all depends how well you can take that barrier and strive to be better.
The media portrays especially films on how females should look and act. If you were to ask a group of girls on how your typical girl will act and look, they will come up with an image that the media has painted them. Leadership roles are both increasing and decreasing but, if one nation has a females leaders increase, the next nation may have a decrease. Additionally, dominant discourse is reshaping most of the female minds like it or not, it's true. Physical appearance boost the confidence and ability to achieve more in life.
DeleteListen, the media portrays how every type of individual should act. Whether it is a male or female.It is whether we feel the need to consume what they portray or be our own selves. Not every girl you ask will explain how a female should act or look based on what media has influenced. Dominant discourse is reshaping so many things but you need to understand that these days people are influenced to be comfortable in their own skin.
DeleteYou can say that but then again you're constantly being bombarded by media that tells females how to dress, act and look. Yes, there is media that implies to its viewers to be comfortable in their own skin but do you actually think that it will be effective when those media quantities are so small in comparison to the others?
DeleteI partially agree with what you're saying that women nowadays just don't feel beautiful anymore, but men are also to blame. Boys/men are constantly drooling over models and it makes many females of today feel very self conscious about their figure. Of course not every male is to blame and not every female feels that way, but there are many who are like this. Society and media play a big role. For example, models are picked depending on their waist size and height. Being skinny isn't constantly on our minds as a female, but people need to appreciate the various sizes.
ReplyDeleteThat's true but many medias that are being consumed have told females that appearance should be their number 1 priority. If you look at media text, you will see a skinny and good looking female on newspapers, t-shirts, packages and other forms of media. It constantly attacks the females and they can't stop it.
DeleteOnce again I partially agree with what you have to say. Females are often represented as such in different forms of media, from things such as advertisements to music videos. While this is happening I think you're overstating the effect that it has on the minds of young females. Not quite all females would say that their looks are their first and foremost priority in their mind. To go along with that, I'd like to address what you said with " Leadership roles of women are decreasing". The reverse of that is true, in recent times you have started to see more and more women in positions of power and leadership. Overall I'm half and half on this matter.
ReplyDeleteYes, the media is portraying females as sex icons and so forth. Also, I wanted to address your opinion or fact that female leadership roles are increasing. I am not saying that they aren't, but fewer fewer females are getting those roles. It's safe to say that females are getting leadership roles but it isn't at the same rate as males. If you were to deconstruct any media and simply look into the message they are trying to get across, you would notice that their main message is that females have to be sex icons.
DeleteI partially disagree with you. Sure, the media has a great influence on the way women look and feel but it does not affect as much women as you are trying to make it seem. The number of women in positions of authority are steadily increasing. Hollywood movies aren't as focused on skinny women as icons of amazement. Take for example, Rebel Wilson and Melissa McCarthy, these women are very comfortable in their skins.Women today are striving to put out the stereotype of having to be a certain way to be considered beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYes, that is correct. For sure the media has embedded into the minds of females that looking pretty and acting a certain way is important. I just want to address your example about Rebel Wilson and Melissa McCarthy. They feel comfortable in their skin, sure you may say. You have to look at the other side of this argument. They are older women and don't get influenced by media literacy and text. These different types of medias simply target younger female generations. Those generations are simply being reshaped by dominant discourse.
DeleteI understand what you're saying but that brings up another topic; ageism. There you are assuming that younger females have weaker minds and therefore are easily manipulated into becoming the beings that the media is trying to embed into their minds. An older individual can be just as affected by something in the as a teenager is.
DeleteMore or less, but a older female will not dress or act like a teenager. Younger teenagers are easier to influence instead of the older women. I am not saying they too can't get influenced but the chances are really small in comparison to teenagers who consume multiple media daily through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and other social media sites.
DeleteI agree with this article because media is spoiling young teenage females. This media constructs a message of vulgairty and is highly influencing women to become vulgur and be nude to look good. The message is implied and it is that media is influencing girls to wear clothes 78 times smaller than their actual size to look beautiful Referring to the text, Victoria's Secret is another place where alot of young girls shop, and they are affected due to the type of branding it does which is to show sex icons and show partly naked women.
ReplyDeleteYes, Bilal I totally agree with you. The media texts contain beliefs and value messages which its viewers are taking to heart. Females particularly are being influence by multiple media. All media are constructions that interpret a message that being half naked and sex icons is the way to go.
DeleteThe article you have provided is quite interesting. But before i mention it's contents, i would like to strongly agree with a point Bryan made. He said, " I think you're overstating the effect that it has on the minds of young females." Now Endrit, while i do agree with you for the most part, i do think you're undermining the minds of young females. By young females i mean the ones in our age group, which is about 14-18. They are not as gullible as many think, and they do have the ability to think "outside of the box". However, with this point aside, i do agree that younger females under that age group may be negatively affected by this type of media. As a side note, i believe Endrit was referencing a point from the article when he said, "Leadership roles of women are decreasing". The excerpt from the article is, "The report draws attention to the striking underrepresentation of women who determine the content of news, literature, and television and film entertainment, as well as the negative portrayal of women in entertainment television and film. As a consequence, the role of women has had major societal effects, including gender inequity." Still, i agree with the previous commentators when they said that executive position for women are increasing, but in the same way i understand the point you, Endrit, are trying to make.
ReplyDeleteYes, this argument has two sides to it. The article that I have attached contains more in depth details and statistics about how females are affected by media. We can say that females consume a lot of media and by deconstructing each media you can see what their main message is about in this case, physical appearance. You have a great comment Mr. Habib.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do agree with Endrits point since the media is shaping our society .In other words, many teenagers across North America absorb 10 hours and 45 minutes of media in just one day (as mentioned in the article Endrit put up) which comes in different forms such as TV, magazines, music and the internet. Within all these forms of media, women are influenced by what they see on ads or the internet and decide to follow it. For example, a 16 year old girl watches a Victoria's secret commercial, this commercial may influence her decisions on how to dress, and how to look. I am not saying that all girls are influenced by what they see on TV, however most of them might tend to follow this trend since their friends are dressing like this or they believe it is the latest fashion trend. Also, I do agree that some woman being hypnotized by media may give up their goals just because they believe their looks are not as good as the models they see in commercials. Yet not all females give up their goals just because of their looks since we have many woman that are politicians, doctors, engineers, lawyers and some who even work with the media (news anchor ,producer ,broadcaster). Therefore, some woman decisions may be influenced by the media while others tend to continue their goals they have in life.
ReplyDeleteKulvir great comment. You are one of the few people including Mr. Habib to read the article that I have attached. It's sad to see females get lost over their physical appearance and dominant discourse is to blame. We can't blame the viewers for gaining a specific perspective from the media through the lens of its creator. Media text and literacy has greatly taken a toll on females. Good thing each person interprets media text and their messages differently. Additionally, that's why we have females that are doctors, journalists, teachers, engineers, and etc.
Deletealmost any female can be effected by this, and i do think that if male were in the positions as females that this would effect them too
ReplyDeleteThat's so true. Men can get affected as much as females can. If it's possible for females, it's possible for males too.
DeleteI strongly agree with Endrit. As media continues to portray women in provocative clothing, it is influencing more females especially adolescences to start paying more attention to appearances than anything else. In some cases, the method of using provocative women can benefit the manufacturer in selling products however, it can unintentionally send messages to women about body types and looks. All in all, i do believe that women have a sense of what media is trying to do.
ReplyDeleteGreat comment Philip. The media has changed the minds of females into believing that appearance is key.
DeleteI completely agree with your post Endrit, I find it shows how media has helped to embed in female minds that beauty and being sexy matters, and females should strive to fit the cookie cutter image given. I find that media has influenced this idea so strongly that if a female was to listen to themselves, and most likely seek advice from their family and friends; chances are, they are feed the same expectations and influences the media gives. I do believe the same would happen for males considering media already convinces males being tough, muscular and avoiding all things feminine is what a male should be, and these ideas have been taken up by the vast majority of males.
ReplyDelete-Lydia
Great post Endrit, I believe that woman are being affected by this dominant discourse where they are seen as sex icons. It is very inappropriate to advertise woman who are close to being nude. Also, I believe that if the gender was swapped, males would be affected by this issue since it is wrong to show genders being portrayed as sex icons. Moreover, i have to say that media is responsible for this since we watch hours and hours of TV and consume information, therefore people get used to what they consume. Therefore, because of all the advertisements and movies, woman being portrayed as sex icons has become a dominant discourse. The only way we can change this dominant discourse up is if we portray woman in media in a a more positive manner.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say that the same can go for males. Especially those boxer/briefs advertisement with the man almost naked and all buff and handsome. This intimidates many males (or maybe just me) on our looks and our body. The advertisements sets a bar in which many male cannot compare too. Me being skinny, makes me insecure of wearing those boxers/briefs while posing like those guys in the advertisement.
ReplyDeleteMedia has implanted into people's mind that in order to be handsome you need to have a nice body therefore making many males out there just working out because they want to fit in the category of being "an attractive person."
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