- In male-female interaction, men are usually more dominant
- Men on television are rational, ambitious, smart, competitive,
powerful,
stable, violent, and tolerant, while women are sensitive, romantic,
attractive,
happy, warm, sociable, peaceful, fair, submissive, and timid.
- For men, the emphasis is on strength, performance, and skill; for
women, it is only on attractiveness and desirability.
- Marriage and family are not important to television’s men.
- Married women have less leisure time than men, thus less time to
watch
TV.
- Men usually control the remote control and choose the programs to
be watched.
- Television does not accurately reflect reality in terms of
gender;
there are more women than men living on earth,
yet—take
a look at these numbers: (male to female ratio)
- Women and men are watching
different programs. Women are currently watching more comedies
and newsmags during
primetime, while men are tuning into reality shows and some dramas.
WORLD OF NEWS AND SPORTS
Women
are
underrepresented
and misrepresented in the world
of
television. In the factual world of news it comes as little
surprise
that women are not fairly portrayed or equally employed. The
ideologies
that men are logical and rational, while women are emotional and
sometimes
"soft" are further enforced in the world of news. The reason these
ideologies
are reinforced by the world of news is the lack of women in the
business
of giving facts. Also, there is a huge lack of coverage in the
world of women's sports. In 1999, women composed 32% of the news
correspondence
delivering 26% of the news on major networks ABC, CBS and NBC. Also,
within
those same networks, when dealing with foreign affair and top stories,
out
of the 4,234 appearances, only 208 were women, totaling 5% (
mediareporttowomen.com).
This is not only
subject
to the news in the United States. In Australia a study was
conducted
in analyzing 450 news stories broadcasted by five Australian television
networks
in 2001. Women have substantially increased themselves in the
field
of news, but the ideologies that a man is needed for better ratings and
more reliability are still there, pushing women to the less
important issues
in the news. They found that male reporters dominated as
presenters,
reporters, and expert sources. Women were given the lower ranked
stories
(Cann, Mohr 2001). In Britain journalism, the amount of
women
in the field has doubled from the 1960s (from 17% to 35% in 1994), but
interestingly
enough, women journalists make up roughly half of the younger aged
group
(Turner 1996).
Is it all
about
looks? 
It is no secret that women
are
sexualized across all forms of media, and the news is no
exception.
One of the most blatantly obvious sexualization of women in the news
comes
from Moscow. M1, the Moscow based channel, does a program called "
The
Naked Truth." The news casters slowly
undress
throughout the unveiling of the news. By the end of the program
they
are naked, at least from the waist up. This coupled with the
treatment
of American women journalists further pushes the ideologies that women
are only sex objects or house wives. In the late 1980's Jane
Pauley was
replaced by a younger, blonder Deborah Norville on a morning news
program.
Much to the producers dismay, they had not realized Pauley's popularity
and
rating dropped. Why is it that a woman's age and beauty are so
important
in delivering news? "Age and sex have a lot to do with marketing
decisions
in the television news industry in general. The highly publicized
case
of Christine Kraft, anchor of KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Missouri
illustrates
the willingness of executives to dismiss women considered "too old" or
"too unattractive" to fill this highly visible role. Such
judgments are
rarely, if ever, made in cases involving male anchors, who are seen to
develop
"authority" and "gravity" as their physical glamour fades" (
Museum
of Broadcast
Communications).
News
coverage of Sports and Sports Shows
The the
world
of sports, men are seen as the dominating force, pushing the ideology
of
men needing to be physically dominant (Connell 1990). In 1971, 294,015
girls
played high school sports, while 3,666,917 boys participated.
Title IX
was passed in 1972.
By
1990 there were 1,858,659 girls in high school sports and 3,398,192
boys
(Duncan, Messner and Jensen 1993). With this drastic increase in
women
participating is sports, one would think coverage on women's sports
would
also be elevated. Unfortunately the media has not accurately
portrayed what has been happening in society. Not only do they
receive less coverage,
but the quality of their coverage is suffering. A quick visit to
ESPN's web page will illustrate the
lack
of coverage quit simply. You will notice the substantial coverage
of
men's sports and the lack of women's. This is an accurate
reflection
of what is going on in the television world of covering sports.
Women
are
also almost always marked as "other" in comparison to men. It's
the
Women's final four, NCAA Women's National Championship and just the
Championship
Game for men. This is part of using
hegemonics.
Because women are
defined
as the other, it is just assumed that the normal is men. If being
a
man is invisible and being a woman is very obvious, it perpetuates the
domination
of men over women ideologically. Along with labeling women as other,
television
often makes a mockery of women in sports.
A recent idea that got a lot of attention from feminists everywhere was
DaimlerChrysler's
idea to have "
lingerie
bowl" during half time at the
Superbowl
available on pay-per-view. This would show women in lingerie
playing
football for men's entertainment. Fortunately activist Ann
Simonton
got wind of it before it could air. She developed
Media
Watch which
challenges
stereotypes and biased images. These images not only sexualize
women,
but also continue the ideology that women should not play sports.
They
make women playing sports and being active something that should be
laughed
at and not taken serious.
Women
were
again trivialized as athletes at the World Cup Championship involving
the
U.S. team. Brandi Chastain tore off her jersey revealing
her
sports bra in the heat of the moment after victory. Instead of
her
being talked about as a star athlete on a winning team, everyone was
talking
about her sports bra. They called it a "strip tease" (Cooky,
Duncan
and Messner 2003). Once again, the ideology of woman as sex
object
surfaces in television.
What can be done?
There
are
a handful of respected women in the news world. There are some
female
athletes that get respect. They may be few and far between, but
they
are there. The women already in the business can try to bring to
public
knowledge the discrimination in the world of television.
"What would
happen
if women's news roles expanded? Journalism professor Catherine
Covert
asked and has speculated that female values of "concord, harmony,
affiliation
and community" might make women less drawn to writing the news "as a
series
of conflicts" (medialit.org). They should also use their power to get
stories
out that matter to the feminist cause. Katie Couric is another
respected
news anchor. She is trying to do some feminist good with child
care.
She is doing a story on the underpriveldge children and how it is a
communal
problem. She said, "I think the sentiment in this
country
these days is that government can't do everything," Couric says, "and
that
it's up to individuals and private business to get involved at the
local
level in solving some of the nation's problems. "Maybe if people see
some
of the examples on this show, they might emulate them in their own
communities."
(
Today
Show). Star athletes like the
Williams
sisters of tennis could use their platform to also address the issue of
inequality
in the world of sports.
On an
individual
level, one could also have an impact. Because
ideology,
polity and economy are interlinked and one changing can change the
others,
just one step can help the cause. Writing congress, government
and
other officials about discontent over the images on television is a
small,
but important step. Joining organizations to fight for rights,
such as
NOW or
Media
Watch.
Boycotting products,
like Ann Simonton threatened to if the "lingerie bowl" was aired can be
effective.
The
most important step one can take is to become educated. Read
books,
journals or magazines about the issues are concerning. Education
is
empowering, and you should spread it.
For more on these images or information:
-Cann,
David J. and Mohr, Philip B. 2001. "Journalist and Source Gender
in
Australian Television News".
Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Vol.45.
-Cooky,
Cheryl, Duncan Margaret and Micheal A. Messner. Journal of Sport and
Social
Issues, Vol. 27, No. 1. (Feb., 2003), pp. 38-51.
-Duncan,
Margaret, Jensen, Kerry and Michael A. Messner. Gender
and Society, Vol.
7,
No. 1. (Mar., 1993), pp. 121-137
-Pollack,
Joe. 2000. "Sex Sells". St.
Louis Journalism Review,
Vol.30.
-Tunstall,
J. 1996. Newspaper Power: The New National Press in Britain.
Oxford:
Clarendon Press.
-mediareporttowomen.com
Gender
and Sitcoms
A Brief History
Gender
and
its stereotypes have often been the subject of television
sitcoms.
In the beginning, television was a tool used to reinforce typical
gender
roles such as the domestic wife and the bread winning husband.
The
traditional American family became an all too familiar staple of early
sitcoms
such as
Leave it to
Beaver,
The Dick Van Dyke Show, and
Father
Knows Best.
In 1970, in a ground
breaking
new situation comedy, Mary Tyler Moore made the jump from portraying a
traditional, domesticated wife to playing a character that was
beginning to step into
the spotlight of American society: the single career woman.
Ann Ciasullo states, "This premise, while seemingly simple, broke new
ground
for situation comedy by featuring an unmarried, professional woman as
the
central character and by shifting the setting of the sitcom from the
home
to the workplace" (
The
Mary Tyler Moore Show). Since
The
Mary
Tyler
Moore Show, female
characters
have experienced advances and setbacks in the world of television
comedy.
In the early 90's, America fell in love with
Married...With
Children. This
series
revolved around what Fox television thought to be the typical "white
trash"
family. Al Bundy, the lead character, even started his own
antifeminist
organization. He was the founder of N.O. M.A.'A.M.:
National
Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood. He used the
meetings
as an excuse to get away from his nagging wife, Peggy, and his two
children:
a promiscuous air head named Kelly and a perverted, over sexed virgin
named
Bud. The sad part is, even though the show was canceled in
1997,
N.O. M.A.'A.M.
still lives. Later into
the
90's, career women became more prevalent in sitcoms. The same
year
that
Married... was
canceled,
Ally McBeal was
introduced to television
audiences
across the nation. Though the show had high ratings and won
several
awards, the show's central character was not as loved by feminist
critics.
Jane Rosenzweig states,
"Ally has basically created a
new
category of women on television: pretty young things who, in the guise
of
successful career women, are actually completely defined by an
inability
to find a husband and have children" (Ally McBeal). Women
started to gain
power
in the world of sitcoms during the nineties. Courteney Cox and
Jennifer
Aniston of the popular NBC series Friends
are some of the highest paid
sitcom
stars ever. However, the show is criticized for its sexual
overtones
and the waif like bodies of its female stars. No show has gained
so
much praise and criticism from feminists as Sex and The
City. Some
call the show groundbreaking,
some believe it is working to reinforce traditional feminine
stereotypes.
Regardless of its nature in regards to feminism, the show brought many
issues
that women face on a daily basis to light.
Sitcoms
and
Body Image 
Research shows that the media affects the way youth perceive the
people
and the social situations around them. "Research on adolescent
media
consumption...suggests that young people look to the media messages for
information
about social role behavior, values, and beliefs" (Rouner, Slater, and
Domenech-Rodriguez
2003). The search for social norms through the media can be
detrimental
to youth in terms of body image. A brief session of channel
surfing
will tell you that the female body images presented in sitcoms are, by
far,
not normal. The women are thin, large breasted, and
flawless.
The men, however, appear on screen just as they do in real life.
Though
Ally McBeal was applauded for
featuring
a female lawyer as the central character, the show also caught harsh
criticism
for the stars appearance. Article after article appeared
questioning
whether Calista Flockheart was anorexic or not (Ally McBeal).
The
other female lead, Portia De Rossi, was tall, thin, and blond. So
if
the female cast was representing the "ideal" female body type, then the
male
cast should have been, tall, handsome, and have a body that takes years
to
achieve, right? Wrong. The male cast, such as Peter
MacNicol
and Gil Bellows, were not tall, did not have bulging muscles, and were
not
"handsome" by traditional standards. Martha Mauzen and David
Dozier
completed a study on gendered body images in sitcoms. The
findings
state, "These studies documented that female characters tend to be
rated
as more attractive and physically fit than male characters. In
contrast,
men on prime time television have been more likely than women to be of
average
appearance and physical fitness" (www.findarticles.com).
The highest paid men of sitcoms are Ray Romano of Everyone Loves Raymond and Kelsey
Grammer
of Frasier. 
The highest paid
women of sitcoms are Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox
(www.dailytitan.com).
These women also caught flack for the body images in the beginning
seasons
and have lost weight since. Aniston had to lose 30 pounds to even
land
the show (www.usaweekend.com).
Obviously, women need to look good to be funny. Men can just come
as
they are and the ratings just keep pouring in.
Sex and The City
The HBO
series
is nothing short of a phenomenon. The show brought the
conversation
that usually never leaves a circle of friends into the lime
light.
The show dealt with many issues that all women face: sex, love,
friendships,
funerals, weddings, divorce, baby showers, and breast cancer. The
show
was centered around a group of four single career women in New York
City.
Women cheered as Charlotte finally married the man of her dreams, a
short,
balding divorce lawyer named Harry. They gave a collective gasp
as
Miranda's water broke on Carrie's shoes and held their breath as
Carrie's
long time love, Mr. Big entered found her in Paris. Girlfriends
everywhere
cried as Samantha revealed to her best friends that she had breast
cancer. The show left many women feeling empowered. Many
feminists critics, however, were less than impressed
The show, while
unfolding a story of deep friendships between women, focused
on the characters' sex life. The women went through many
tribulations
with their endless amounts of dating partners. These women felt
they
were equating themselves with men by having high paid jobs and having
sex
like a man would: with whoever he wants and without getting
attached.
The women would meet and have candid conversations about their sexual
escapades.
Many female viewers felt this show was liberating for women. They
felt
like a sexual bar had been lifted. Many critics disagree.
Wendy
Shalit wrote in her article, "What went wrong, plainly, is that women
confused
sexual sameness with inequality and imagined competing with men in
debauchery
was part of their social emancipation. The early feminists never
wanted
to give up their moral power, and that's why they argued strongly
against
promiscuity" (www.city-journal.org).
Feminists that oppose Sex and the
City
feel that the show's sexuality is degrading for women, not
liberating. They see the characters not as heroines getting by in
a city run by men,
but as promiscuous whiny girls who have nothing better to do than talk
about
their love life.
Many look beyond the promiscuity into the heart of
the
show to find pro feminist messages. All of the women had high
paying
jobs that are usually held by men: Carrie was columnist for a
newspaper, Samantha was a Public Relations executive, Charlotte was an
art dealer, and Miranda was a corporate lawyer. Many women were
inspired by Miranda successfully struggling to raise a baby by herself
and make partner at her
law firm. Though all of the women were physically fit and
extremely
beautiful, they were often shown eating pizza and dessert and not
apologizing
for it. The characters also claimed to disagree with plastic
surgery. 
Women everywhere
breathed a sigh of relief when Samantha declared, "I'm
fourty-fucking-five and proud of it!" This was a sign that it was
time
for women to admit their age--and love it! Though many have
criticized
the bonds they create during their sex talk as petty, none have denied
that
women actually do talk about sex. Kim Akass wrote in her article,
"Sex
and the City changed huge amounts for women. Women now have a
language
with which to talk about their experience and their friendships.
It's
almost given them permission to have female friendships that are more
important
than anything else. It has given a respectability to something
that
previously was just about gossip--something less than a conversation" (www.guardian.co.uk).
Whether you think the show is empowering or degrading, you have to
admit,
Sex and The City put a
hilarious
spin on the trials and tribulations of single women everywhere.
For more on this information see:
www.cityjournal.org
www.dailytitan.com
www.eebell.net
www.findarticles.com
(body image)
www.findarticles.com
(Mary Tyler
Moore
Show)
www.guardian.co.uk
www.theory.org.uk
www.usaweekend.com
or
see:
Adolescent
Evaluation
of Gender Role and Sexual Imagery in Television Advertisements.
Donna
Rouner, Michael Slater, and Melanie
Domenech-Rodriguez.
Journal
of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Broadcast
Education
Association:
2003.
Images
provided by:
www.movies.yahoo.com
www.altotelevision.com
www.jenniferaniston.com
www.allposters.com
Gender
Representation in Television Commercials
Television
commercials are looked at for the type of product, gender of the
product
representative, and gender of the voice-over. There is much
gender
stereotyping in commercials because they are targeted at either males
or
females. Since men and women are represented differently in
society,
gender representation in commercials can have an affect on how people
view
a product (Geis, Brown, Jennings(Walstedt), & Porter, 1984; Mackay
&
Covell, 1997). Studies have shown that men are mostly used for as
voice-overs
in commercials and usually represent nondomestic products.
Whereas
women usually represent domestic products and are in three times as
often
as men.
Women in Commercials
Gender
role stereotypes in television commercials usually show women as
pretty,
domestic, having children, and taking care of the household.
Women
are also viewd as being more emotional, more easily flustered, more
fearful,
and more anxious. Women are usually less dominant than men are in
commercials.
Commercials sell values, images, concepts of success and worth, love
and
sexuality, popularity and normalcy (Kilbourne). Thus, women are
mainly
seen in television advertising either as housewives or as sex objects.
Women
seen
as housewives in television commercials make up as many as two-thirds
of
the commercials featuring women. More women are in these commercials
becuase
they are commercials that are that feature products in the domestic
realm
appeal more to women than men. Women dominate the domestic realm,
so
more commercials feature women when advetising
food
and
house
hold chemicals (
http://free.ngo.pl/temida/media.htm).
For example, the
Winiary
food commercials show females together preparing meals. Also,
women
are seen in these types of commercials because they are typically
placed
in the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, or stores. Because of
these
perceptions, women are also best suited for advertising laundry
detergents,
shampoos, and soups(
http://free.ngo.pl/temida/media.htm).
Commercials create
illusions
of happiness with women being beautiful and their household chores are
seen
as more beautiful. Commercials put attractive women in beautiful
homes.
These typed of commercials are going to attract women viewers more than
they
are going to attract men viewers.
Women
are
also seen as sex objects in commercials. Most women want to
conform
to the norm of being "beautiful" as seen in advertisements. Most of
these
beautiful women in commercials are represented by tall, thin, young
women
with no lines or wrinkles (Kilbourne). Because of the way women
are
portrayed in commercials, it only seems right to conform to these
norms. Females become more aware and self conscious of thier
bodies by watching
commercials of beautiful women. They become more dissatisfied
with
themselves if they do not look beautiful since many people expect all
women
to be thin and beautiful. Many women fell ashamed and unhappy if
they
are not as thin as women in commercails. Dr. Steven Levenkron,
author
of The Best Little Girl In the World, says that "If I had my own way,
every
on of them (little girls) would have to carry a line saying, 'Coution:
This
model may be hazardous to your helth'"(Kilbourne). A technique
that
is used in television commercials is dismemberment where seperate parts
of
the body are shown like just the legs. This technique is
frequently used with women and suggests that her body is seperate from
her mind, and
since she has good legs then that is all that matters. Whether
legs,
arms, brests, or thighs, dismembered bodies are commonly used in
commercials
and advertising. These type of commercials send out the ides of:
If
a woman has great legs, who
cares?(www.mediant.org/reading_room/article41.html).
Dr. Jean Kilbourne's book Killing Us Softly talks about how women are
used
in commercials for things like cars and liquor. Some examples of women
as sex objects in commercials is in beer commercials.
Miller Lite's
"Catfight" commercial with two beautiful
women
wripping each others clothes off and wrestling in cement and
Coors Lite's
"Love Songs" commercials with two beautiful,
busty,
blonde twins show the sexism in television commercials. They
percieve
women as being what men are thinking about and what they want.
One
posting from username "tjthresh" on
Realbeer.com
said that "these adds are
selling
beer to men. What's the quickest way to get a man's
attention?
T and A!!!!!"
Men
in Commercials
Men
are stereotyped as being more dominant and the head of the
family.
So, they are not seen in commercials that represent domestic
products.
Men are usually placed in commercials in the work place, outside, on
couches,
or in open spaces (
http://ngo.pl/temida/media.htm).
They are usually seen
in
more occupational commercials than women and with cars or business
products.
Men have more authority in commercials, and as they get older, are seen
as
having more authority as they age. Authoritive men can be shown
by
the male standing over the women to show their authority(
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/pth9601.html).
An example is a
Diet
Coke commercial that shows how a man makes women go 'weak at the
knees.'
Also, males make up ninety percent of the voice-overs in
commercials.
Another aspect of males in commercials has to do with favoritism.
Males
are favored in commercials and seen more as the cartoon characters,
spokespeople, and actors. These commercials use Boy Toys and are
targeted more towards
males. Tony the Tiger, Captain Crunch, the Keebler Elves and the Lego
Maniac
are all commercial that feature males as the main characters(
http://verity.ashland.k12ly.us/Portfolio/boytoys.htm).
For more on this information:
Geis, F.L., Brown, V.,
Jennings
(Walstedt), J., & Porter, N. (1984). "TV Commercials as Achievement
Scripts
for Women".Sex Roles, 10, 513-525.
MacKay, N.J., & Covell, K. (1997). "The Impact of Women in
Advertisement
and on Attitudes Toward Women". Sex Roles, 36, 573-583.
- or
visit:
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/pth9601.hml
http://free.ngo.pl/temida/media.htm
http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article40.html
http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article223.html
http://www.verity.ashland.k12.ky.us.Portfolio/boytoys.html
"His" and
"Hers"
Television
The development of television has provided us with much information
over
time. We can share news, theories, breakthroughs, stories,
events...
A limitless spectrum of knowledge to be shared. What is rarely
looked
at is the seperation of what is "male" television or "female"
television.
Television segments, commercials, and shows are gendered towards one
sex
or the other. Nowadays, that has been taken one step further to
create
entire channels geared towards one sex or the other.
In this
segment,
I am taking a look at the ideas behind such channels and televisions
shows
modeled under this theology and what these programs might say about a
certain
gender.
Male
Television
What
shows
do you mean? (Some examples and summaries)
Dripping
with images of large busted women known as "Juggies" jumping on
trampolines
and silently, coyly smiling while serving the men on the show, this is
one
of the quintessential examples of "Male" television (Look at the title
of
the show!). The network that carries the show (Comedy Central)
prides
itself on pushing the bill of television before other shows along these
lines came out. Tony Fox (Comedy Central's spokesperson) claims
as one of
the first of this genre of T.V. show, the discomfort of a show
like
this might cause and the ratings it brings was a "dichotomy" for the
network,
but the show continues to run, with Comedy Central's viewership
reaching
about a 70% audience (Motavalli). The show portrays two hosts
(Formerly,
Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Corolla; Now, Doug Stanhope and Joe Rogan) in a
Frat
like setting.
The content
of
the show consists of sketches, contests, and discussion focussed on
beer,
women (the appeal of their physicality and the amusement of their
emotions
and thoughts), and "Man". It explains what it means to be a
"Man",
through all of this content - be funny, burp, fart, fix things,
dominate,
drink beer, be middle class, be heterosexual (a page on "The Man Show"
website shows scantily clad women next to a paragraph that reads "You
aren't reading
this right now. If you are, you lack testosterone and need to see your
doctor
immediately. You're only one click away from Juggy pics and you're
wasting
your time here? God, what a loser!"), laugh at women who want to be
taken
seriously, laugh at men who don't meet these standards, and follow any
other
masculine stereotype you know. The show features contests such as
the
"Hot Tubs For Humanity", in wich someone explains in ten words (or
less)
why they deserve to sit in a hot tub with three "Juggies". The
winner
gets to do just so.
These
"Juggies"
jump on trampolines for men's amusement, allow their bodies to be used
as
prizes for men (i.e. the "Hot Tubs For Humanity contest), and, overall,
make
fun of and exploit their sexuality (all the women are shown in
submissive,
passive positions (physical posture and jobs on the show), or if they
are
shown in positions thought of as male roles, it is considered amusing
(i.e. the image shown above)).
In response
to
shows geared towards telling women how to empower themselves, former
"Man
Show" host Kimmel said "We're the ones that are supposed to be telling
them
what to do, right?" (Pop Politics Weblog)
"The
Howard
Stern Show"
Image courtesy of
http://www.animaux.net/stern/beth.html
Pictured above is
the significant other of the self proclaimed "King of Media",
himself.
Yes, this is Howard Stern's girlfriend, and was at the time this
article
was published in June 2002 (Hayden). It seems appropriate that
the
quality referenced to the relationship between Stern and model Beth
Ostrosky
is her beauty. Stern's radio show, which is now shown on E!
television
as a program from within the studio, features women who show Stern
portions
(or all) of their bodies for criticism, contests, and the sheer sake of
being
naked. Stern analyzes little more than a woman's physicality in
his
shows, which are also filled with lewd discussions on racial issues,
fart
jokes, sex acts, etc.
On his
webpage
Howardstern.com, Stern
compares a conversation Oprah
has
on her show to one of his conversations. Oprah discusses the
"unknown
vocabulary" of sexual terms and what a few of them mean. Oprah's
guest
explains terms such as a "rainbow party". She says "a
rainbow
party is an oral sex party it's a gathering where oral sex is performed
and
rainbow comes from
all
of the girls put on lipstick and each one puts her mouth around the
penis
of the gentleman or gentlemen who are there to receive favors and makes
a
mark um in a different place on the penis hence the term rainbow"
(Oprah
and Howard Transcripts), using the vocabulary such as "puts her mouth",
"penis",
and "gentleman". Stern finds this comparable to his saying
explaining
terms such as "blumpkin", and "balloon knot". He says "Well, a
blumpkin
is receiving oral sex while you're sitting on a toilet bowl if you are
a
man. You're sitting on a toilet bowl and uh, while you're evacuating
you
receive your oral." and "A balloon knot is when you bend over and I can
see
up right up your old…Up the wazoo and uh, you know that's a balloon
knot
that you see." He finds terms such as "recieving your oral", and "wazoo" comparable
to
Oprah's guest using terms such as "puts her mouth" and "penis".
He, also, currently has a section on his site called
"The
Butterface Contest", in reference to the qualitative judgement of a
woman's
appearance, playing on the term "Butterface" which refers to a woman
who
is entirely attractive to a male "but-her-face".
Stern's use of lewd content, and commodifying
treatment of women attract this "masculine" audience, by encouraging
the
same ideas of what it means to be a "Man" as "The Man Show".
Spike Television
Image courtesy of
http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/2003/08_aug/features/replay.htm
Spike Television is
the
newest uproar in "male" television, which launched August 11, 2003 and
has
already reached an audience of 65%. Spike Television has dubbed
itself
"America's Network for Men", trying to reach the male audience between
the
ages of 18-34 (Motvalli). Spike TV features shows such as
"Striperella"
(promo image shown above) - a Pamela Anderson-voiced, female stripper
by
day and a scantily clad crime fighter by night, "Gary the Rat" - a
womanizing,
dishonest lawyer turns into a rat and carries on life, as usual, and
"Ren
and Stimpy: Adult Party Cartoon" - a less censored version of the
cartoon,
formerly shown on Nickelodeon, filled with overexaggerated images of
human
bodies, extreme cartoonish violence, and "fart"-type jokes.
Programs,
also, including reruns of "Baywatch", "Star Trek", "Miami Vice"
(Baird),
a show called "Trucks!" - guess what that's about, and "Most Extreme
Elimination Challenge" - a game show in which dubbed Japanese
contestants participate
in ridiculous, physical games (Coker). Fox News claims, "
So far,
Spike's
lineup is all over the map, ranging from shows for frat-boy
types to
those for 30-something yuppies with families." (Johno)
The feeling is that this channel is there as an
option
for men, to women's "Lifetime" or "Oxygen" (Coker). Kaye says
that
they will not be showing commercials involving feminine hygiene
products
(Baird). Rather Albie Hecht, the channel's president, says that
the
channel plans to put heavy emphasis on commercials for products such as
"Taco
Bell, General Motors, Old Spice, Heineken, Radio Shack, and Mike's Hard
Lemonade" (Motvalli). The channel's primary, ideal sponsors, in
short, would
feature food, beer, and "gadgets".
So where is this market coming from to encourage
these
shows?
Maxim editor,
Charles
Cox explains this marketing strategy these creators having "caught a
wave
of a lot of guys getting fed up with the idea of p.c. going too far."
(Hinds)
Jane Clifford writes "
This wild
man
is
the "new post-sensitive male," according to a recent issue of Newsweek
magazine, or the "alpha male," as Esquire magazine labeled
him.
So, who is he? He wants to be the leader
of
the pack, which is where "alpha" comes from -- a term used by animal
behaviorists
to describe the dominant member of a pack of dogs or wolves or ...
well,
you get the picture. He wants to be in charge.
The new "post-sensitive man" sounds a lot
like the old insensitive man -- best seen, some say, by viewing this
fall's TV series "Men Behaving Badly," whose characters make other men
laugh and
most women cringe.
But, what happens in TV land is generally
just
a reflection of what happens out here, so we took a look around San
Diego for this new man who apparently is a combination of "Beavis and
Butt-head,"
John Wayne and cave man.
He may smoke cigars, wear a three-piece
suit
and drink martinis, or wear work boots and never miss a day at the gym,
but the most common trait is that he wants to be top dog in his
relationships with women." (Clifford) Men are struggling with
being this "sensitive,
new age male" and being told their not doing it "right", so they are
expressing
these frustrations by reverting to their past personas.
Clifford
quotes Warren Farrel, an author on such male behavior, as saying
"...we've
entered the era of the multi-optioned woman and the no-option man."
How does this pertain to me?
As a Woman:
These portrayals of women convey ideas that women should be
dominated.
It commodifies them, and an object is much easier to be violent towards
than
a human being of equality. They, also, encourage an ideal beauty
that
is unattainable by most women. There is a claim that this is an
expression
of appreciation for female beauty, it is "the young, thing,
long-legged,
large-breasted woman - dominating all forms of media" (Turner).
They
encourage an idea that women are only sexual creatures, validating
sexual
crimes against women.
Melissa Turner's essay on cultural ideals women
includes
a quote from Jeffret Murray's, who did studies on these ideas, in which
Murray
says "the construction of
women
as objects of sexual desire through discourse -- both linguistic and
imagistic
- often result[s] in or contribut[es] to oppressive or violent actions
against
women - such as sexual harassment, domestic violence, or even rape."
As a Man:
These portrayals of men encourage ideas that men only care about
certain
mascuiline things, such as heterosexual sex, dominance, and getting
drunk.
If men are to be taken seriously in the feminist movement, they have to
know
and portray themselves as deeper, stronger individuals. Men have
more
interests, and vary more in characteristics than the media allows them
to
think that they can be. (Turner)
Tina Potter, Spike TV's vice president of Brand
Central
Creative Group says herself "Men are about more than beer, babes, and
sports".
Kaye, himself, says "When
we
talked
to guys in focus groups, one thing they said is, 'Don't stereotype us.
We
don't just want T & A. We're better than that,'" Kay said. "We have
to
be smarter, deeper and appeal to guys with interests across the board."
(Perfidy)
What creators of these programs don't understand is
that
"each objectified display of women becomes an action, the action of
subordinating
women and preventing the equality of women in our culture." (Turner)
Female
Television
What shows
do you mean? (Some examples and summaries)
Lifetime:
Television for Women
Image courtesy of
http://www.lifetimetv.com/lrw/shows/twdfl.html
Self
proclaimed-female
television is has been around since Lifetime launched in 1984
(Stelly).
Lifetime's dynamic is a bit more complex. Lifetime is a channel
filled
with programs portraying women overcoming strong obstacles and
succeeding.
It is very empowering for women. Programming includes shows with
women
as competent doctors (i.e. "Strong Medicine"), women who own their own
businesses
(i.e. "Designing Women), and independent elderly women (i.e. the
infamous "Golden Girls"). Programming also includes shows such as
"What Should
You Do?" - a show that looks at dangerous situations, and shows the
viewer
(defaulting that it is a woman) what to do to remedy the situation
without
panicking, "Lifetime's Speaking of Women's Health" - a program on
women's
health issues, and "Things We Do For Love" - a program about women and
the
things they do to show love for the people that have made differences
in
their lives. (Lifetimetv.com) Programming has been geered towards
"health
professionals and women", and in 2001, had the highest ratings of any
other
channel on television. (Bauder)
Lifetime also pushed for an anti-rape legislation in
2002,
which would require DNA samples of victims of rape crimes to be tested
within
10 days of acquiring the samples (Dollarhide). The channel's
advocacy
for women's rights is brazen and outspoken, proclaiming many of the
things
about women that women are, often, afraid to say.
However, Lifetime programming also includes the
notorious
Lifetime movies, and other programs, which often portray women as some
sort
of victims of male crimes. The channel has been critically
referred
to as "Television for Victims". (Orecklin) Other programs the
channel
includes, also, play into "feminine-ideal" stereotypes, such as the
shows
"Party of Five" - often portraying its female characters as
backstabbers,
seductresses, and manipulators, "Head 2 Toe" - a makeover television
program
for women (which, while a makeover can be seen as empowering, can,
also,
feel demeaning in telling a woman "The way you look now is not good
enough and can be improved".), and "The Nanny" - portraying a woman
whose lack of
sense, and body (unachievable to the average woman) are the subject
matter
and butt of many jokes. (Lifetimetv.com)
"Oxygen"
Image courtesy of
http://www.aavc.vassar.edu/vq/summer2000/Laybourne.html
Above is the founder
of
the Oxygen network, Geraldine Layborne. (Winum) Layborne's
project
was to create a more modern, hip version of television for women.
Oxygen,
after a three year struggle, has found an audience in the more "breezy"
shows.
(Yahoo! TV) It still also geared towards professional women, but
the
program has changed its method of reaching this audience by putting
more
these more "breezy" shows on, instead of what Layborne called
Lifetime's
movies where women are in "jeopardy", coping with "diseases", and
tugging
on "heartstrings". (Yahoo! TV) Some programs include "Oxygen
Sports"
- featuring a variety of sports varying from boxing to rythmic
gymnastics,
"Bliss" - a program about a spectrum of female sexuality, and "Women
and
the Badge" - a program about female police enforcers, and the trials
they face. (Oxygen.com)
However, the popular programming includes shows like
"Girls
Behaving Badly" - a show where an episode featured a sketch in which "A
woman
walks down a California street, seemingly oblivious that her thong
underwear
is visible above her low-slung, hip-hugging pants. Hidden cameras catch
the
swiveled necks of passing men," and "an actress, supposedly shopping
for
a new chair, who asked strangers for help so she could see what it
would
be like sitting on it with her boyfriend. She sat on the lap of
one wide-eyed volunteer and dangled her breasts inches from his face."
(USATODAY.com)
Debby Bece, the network's programming chief, claims "She doesn't worry
about
the mixed messages from Oxygen's smarter shows." (USATODAY.com)
Other
programs include "Absolutely Fabulous" - a program in which the self
centered
hijinks of two British women, one of the character's disdain for her
daughter,
and their negligent behavior are the cause for comedy, "Xena: Warrior
Princess"
- the program which features a legendary, heroic woman who fights her
battles
in a tight, scanty leotard type armor, and "Debby Travis' Painted
House"
- a program on home decorating. (Oxygen.com)
What's
wrong?
These programs tend to send mixed
messages.
Women are told that men are the enemy, but are still forced to face
stereotypes
of themselves. Women are continuing to be their own worst
enemies,
and shows like these only enfoce those ideas. Women are made to
believe
that, despite shows on makeup, decorating, and their sexuality as a
topic
of humor, it is the aforementioned programs on men that are the enemy,
continuing
to create this seperation and making it "Us vs. Them".
How does this pertain
to me?
As a Woman:
Sexism is detrimental towards any sex.
"Getting
even" will only create a bigger problem, creating more of a division
between
the sexes. Many of these programs stereotype women as victims,
creating
this anger towards men, who are not always the "bad guy", and often
simply ignorant of the effects these ideas enforce. Other
programs make jokes of female sexuality or enforce ideas that women are
selfish, vain, or manipulative.
While women need to feel empowered and strong, demeaning men,
objectifying
them, or belittling them simply puts men in the place that women
have
been in for years, creating the aforementioned backlash and adding fuel
to
the fire of networks, such as "Spike TV.
As a Man:
Men are made to be victims of this angst towards
them,
without even knowing where it comes from. They are objectified
and
made to be sexual jokes by these programs.
References
Motvalli, John. "
Spike
TV: Pushing the Limit;
Edgier Content, Sexy Women, Rough Language Take Aim at Young
Guys".
Television Week.http://www.tvweek.com/topstorys/090103testingbasic.html.
Crain Communications. 2003.
Clifford, Jane. "New "Rules"? New
Male -- Let Him Take Charge".
http://www.users.cts.com/crash/s/stephen/gop/NewMaleDontCallHimSensiti.html
Union-Tribune Publishing Co. December 17, 1996.
Baird, Kirk. "Male delivery: Its
lawsuit
resolved, the man-oriented Spike TV readies its debut".
Las Vegas SUN. http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/text/2003/jul/28/515400073.html.
Las Vegas SUN Inc. July 28, 2003.
Hinds, Julie. "
IT'S A GUY THING:
Spike TV -- or whatever it winds up being called -- is the latest grunt
of
manliness in popular culture". Detroit
Free Press. http://www.freep.com/features/living/guy16_20030616.htm Detroit Free Press, Inc. June
16, 2003.
Turner,
Melissa. "Cultural
Ideology
and the Objectification of Women". Expository Magazine. http://www.expositorymagazine.net/cultural_ideology.htm
Tina Coggins and Expository Magazine. 2001-2001.
Pop Politics Weblog.
"A
dam to hold back the tidal wave of feminization ..." Pop Politics Weblog. http://www.poppolitics.com/articles/printerfriendly/2000-09-01-weeklyweblog.shtml
August 27-September 1, 2000.
Coker, Matt. "It's a Man's
World".
http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/03/49/remote-coker.php
OC Weekly.
August
8-14, 2003.
Dollarhide, Maya. "Cable Network Pushes
Anti-Rape
Legislation".
Women's ENews.
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/900
Women's News Inc. April 12, 2004.
USATODAY.com "'Girls Behaving Badly' On
Oxygen."
USATODAY.com.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2002-12-29-girls-badly_x.htm.
The Associated Press. December 29, 2002.
Bauder, David. "Network Competes For Female
Audience".
http://myadvertiser.com/2001/Feb/22/222islandlife19.html
Island Life. Honolulu
Advertiser.
February 22, 2001.
Yahoo! TV. "Oxygen Cable Channel Finds Its
Feet
After Stumbling".
http://tv.yahoo.com/news/va/20030813/106081060500p.html
Yahoo! TV. Yahoo Inc. 2004.
Fowler, David. "Mr. Lee and 'Spike TV' Do the
Right
Thing".
http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/2003/08_aug/features/replay.htm
Broadcast Newsroom. PBI Media, LCC. 2003.
Winum, Jessica. "Pure Oxygen".
http://www.aavc.vassar.edu/vq/summer2000/Laybourne.html
Vassar Online.Vassar Quarterly. 2000.
Johno. "From the 'Missing the Point'
Department".
http://perfidy.org/comments.php?id=A84_0_1_0_C
The Ministry of Minor Perfidy. July 24, 2003.
Stelly, Michelle. "Lifetime 'Television For Women'".
http://hss.fullerton.edu/womens/news/TVForWomen/Lifetime.htm
Orecklin, Michele. "What Women Watch".
http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1101020513-235455,00.html
Time. Time, Inc. May 13, 2002.
THE
USE OF SEX APPEALS IN PRIME TIME TELEVISION: CREATING A STEREOTYPE
A
recurring theme in prime time television
is a prejudice against heavyweight people. In a culture that values
hard work
and self discipline, heavyweight people are seen as lazy and
unattractive
individuals who lack self esteem and willpower. Other downfalls
associated with
a heavyweight person are social ineptness, and lower intellectual
capacities.
There
are a variety of facts associated
with overweight people in prime time television. Some of these are
including
but not limited to:
The
appearance
of heavyweight men significantly outweighs the appearance of
heavyweight
women.
· Only
5-7% of
all prime time television characters are overweight where as almost 61%
of real
life individuals are overweight.
·
Heavyweight
people are portrayed in a more negative light than thin people and are
often
the
butt of
many jokes.
Researchers
have found that television reflects society’s widespread prejudice and
discrimination against heavyweight people.
Along
with prime time television are the
commercials aired during prime time. These commercials also capitalize
on the
ideology that fat equals bad. Recent studies have shown that attractive
persons
are seen as more desirable, socially acceptable, respectable and
influential.
Marketers realize this fact and understand that the use of a sexually
attractive individual greatly increases the viewers influence and
ultimately
determines the sale. In a world almost governed by media, it seems that
prime
time television, commercials and all have created a universal
stereotype of
acceptable.
SELLING
A STEREOTYPE
Television suggests that all women should exhibit three main criteria.
These
three criteria are as follows: (1) Being domestic, (2) Being sexually
attractive and available, and (3) Being thin. Paid infomercials exploit
this
ideology by selling products to women with promises of achieving and
maintaining these three criteria.
A research study done by a group of Hofstra undergraduates unveiled the
appalling
truth about infomercials. Their discoveries listed below:
· The
length of
weight loss infomercials far exceeded the length of both beauty and
body
shaping infomercials as well as some others.
·
Women were seen as the exclusive of dominant target for
these
infomercials
·
The infomercials indicated to the researchers that
marketers felt
that issues of beauty, weight loss, and a youthful appearance are the
most
prominent and important issues to a woman.
·
The hosts and satisfied customers of weight loss
infomercials
were predominately
women suggesting that weight, and weight loss are solely a woman’s
concern.
·
The fact that the majority of women in weight loss
infomercials
were thin suggest that also the majority of women dieters are not
actually
overweight
·
Infomercials contain subtle messages alluding to
happiness. (i.e.
“weight loss makes you happy”, and “if you are overweight, you must not
be
happy)
Ultimately
paid programming, more specifically weight
loss paid programming, sells to the viewer a sex role expectation. If
you are a
woman, you should be thin.
THE
STEREOTYPE AND ITS ROLE AMONG ADOLESCENTS AND EATING DISORDERS
25% of
an adolescent’s awake time is spent in front of
the television. The same television that is constantly projecting
images of the
“thin ideal”. Television not only models thinness, but reinforces it by
associating positivity with thin characters and negativity with
overweight
characters. Television also has a way of promoting male attention. What
primetime television suggests to young girls is that men only pay
attention to
thing women. 25% of a female adolescents time spent awake is viewing
images
that tell her she must be thin in order to be well liked and most
importantly
desired. Studies have proven that constant exposure to the thin
stereotyped
woman produces, overtime, distorted body images, excessive dieting, and
eventually eating disorders. It is no wonder than that 90-95% of
individuals
diagnosed with an eating disorder are females.
REFERENCES:
Lin,
Carolyn A. "Uses of sex appeals in prime time television comercials". Sex roles: a Journal of Research.Http//www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m2294/n5-6_v38/20749200/pl/article.jhtml
.
March,1998.
Blaine,
Bruce. "Selling Stereotypes: weight loss, sexism, and weightism." Http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m2294/2002_May/94407545/pl/article.jhtml
. Jennifer McElroy (Brief Report). May,2002.
Murnen,
Sarah K. Thin Sexy Women and Strong Muscular Men: Grade-school
Children's Responses to Objectified Images of Women and Men". Http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m2294/9-10_49/110813265/pl/article.jhtml
.Linda
Smolak, J.Andrew Mills, Lindsey Good. November, 2003.
Vaughan,
Kimberly K. "Changes in Television and Magazine Exposure and Eating
Disorder Symptomology". Http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m2294/7-8_49/109355375/plarticle.jhtml
. Gregory T. Fouts. October, 2003.
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