Miss Representation

During today's lesson, we started watching the documentary, Miss Representation. It's a really interesting film about the sexism in the media and the representation of women. Here are the questions we had to do after watching it:

1. "You can’t be what you can’t see.” What does this quote suggest about how representations of powerful women are, largely, absent from the mass media?

This quote suggests that all of the women shown in the media are made of the stereotypes that have been created for women; both appearance and personality-wise. It suggests that not enough women are shown to oppose the stereotypes and to have power, influence and be leaders. This implies that women are not capable of being leaders and showing individuality, and it encourages women to continue following the stereotypes already set. Because not enough women are shown to be successful and influential, women therefore do not think that they are able to do that, and it also encourages men to continue to be the more dominant gender.

2. What does Miss Representation suggest about the way women are represented in the media?

The documentary suggests that women are represented in the media in a sexualised and objectified manner, and that all of the women shown have the same, stereotypical characteristics. It creates an unrealistic representation of women in society. It also suggests that this has a negative impact on younger females sue to unrealistic expectations.

3. What is a stereotype? Which gender stereotypes are being repeated again and again in the media?

A stereotype is a common and widely-held preconceived idea of a particular group of people.

Women:

- Beautiful

- Skinny

- Submissive, quiet

- Weak

- Naive

- Able to cook, clean, etc.

- Undereducated compared to men

- Emotional

- All aspire to marriage and having children

Men:

- Muscular, well-built, strong

- Handsome

- Dominant, controlling, powerful

- Smart, educated

- Opinionated and loud

- Go to work while the wife stays at home

4. In terms of representation of women, what is the problem with mainstream Hollywood films?

The problem with mainstream Hollywood films is that women are represented to be appear only as the stereotyped woman is. There is no variety in the appearance of the women that appear in Hollywood films and this causes a negative impact on young girls as they have unrealistic expectations of themselves and their appearances, and it also causes boys and men to have an unrealistic expectation of women as they are only represented in a very specific way. 

5. What sort of stereotypes are used to represent female leaders?

The stereotypes that are used to represent female leaders include being extremely bossy and arrogant. There was a quote used in the documentary that explains the difference in representation of men and women leaders; men are assertive when they are leaders, however, women are just bossy.

Men & Women on the Red Carpet

Differences between men and women on the red carpet:

- Men all wear very similar looking suits

- Women wear a variety of different dresses that all look very different from one another

- Men do not receive any criticism from the media for their appearance

- Women receive a lot of criticism for their appearance

- There are always lists such as 'best and worst dressed' for women, but not for men

- Women often show off parts of their body such as their legs, chest, etc. in order to 'look good' whereas men do not show off any of their body

- The women who show off their body get a lot more attention and they are objectified

Gender in Media

For this activity, you need to work your way through the images and links that are posted and for each one list the things that you think it is saying about women. You could consider the way the woman/women look, how they are acting and/or what seems to be important to them. I have sorted them into advertisements, paparazzi shots, red carpet shots, catwalk shots and film trailers.

To help you, it may be worth copying the pictures onto your blog and then making your notes under each one. For the links, you can simply write the name of the advertisement or movie trailer and then put your comments under the name. 

Advertisements

The woman in this advertisement displays a lot of aspects of the stereotypical woman, appearance wise. She is beautiful with fair skin, long hair, her body is skinny and she has 'perfect' features. This image targets young women as the type of Coke that they are advertising is 'light' and this word and part of the packaging is in pink. The way that the man is looking at the woman also suggests that if you drink this, you are seen as more attractive, and this shows the idea that all women are looking for love.

Much like the advertisement above, the woman in this image has 'perfect' features and is a good example of the stereotypical woman's appearance. Her face and her body shape have been significantly photoshopped and this sets a high standard for women and girls. This advertisement is targeted at younger women and suggests that the woman's beauty comes from within this bottle of perfume. It gives women the idea that buying this perfume could potentially make them more attractive. Additionally, the snake represents temptation and control, and the colours used in the image are darker colours and are pink and purple.

Paparazzi Shots

The woman in this image is perfectly done up, with a nice outfit, hair done, sunglasses on, etc. and this links with the stereotype that women are to have a perfect appearance at all times. The fact that this woman has so many men surrounding her, taking photos shows the objectification of women and suggests that she is just there for people to look at. 

 This image links with the stereotype that all women are emotional as it shows Lindsay Lohan crying whilst on the phone. It also displays the stereotype that women are to have a perfect appearance as she is still wearing makeup, has a perfect manicure, etc.

Bad headline example: 'Lindsay Lohan has a breakdown after best friend dies from a drug overdose'

This image shows Miley Cyrus wearing tracksuit pants and a comfy looking top, while talking on the phone. She looks very carefree and like she doesn't really care about looking 'perfect' like the women in the other images. This image doesn't really display any of the stereotypes unlike the other images and shows that women can still be beautiful without having to wear makeup and be dressed up, etc.

Example of a good Headline: 'Miley shares engagement news with her father'

Example of a bad headline: 'Miley forced into homelessness after spending all of her money on drugs'

Red Carpet Shots

 All of the women in this image and the image below are considered beautiful by the media and by stereotypes. They are all skinny, they have perfect features, they are all feminine because they are wearing dresses and heels, and they have their hair done up nice and are wearing lots of makeup. The fact that they all look good suggests that a part of the reason that they are famous is because of their appearance. None of the women on the red carpet are not beautiful and this shows that in order to be famous, you also have to be attractive and fit the stereotypical woman.

Catwalk Shots

The women in these images all display aspects of the stereotypical woman. To begin with, they are all extremely skinny and they have very defined features. These images objectify women as they are just used as objects to display the clothing on. As well as that, the clothing that the women are wearing are all very short and revealing dresses, most of them being very tight-fitted too. This does not give a good idea to young girls as they will grow up thinking that this is the way to dress, etc. when it is really just sexualising women and displaying them as objects.

Questions:

1. Look back at the comments you have made for each picture/link and make notes that indicate whether you have noticed any key similarities between the various images or clips.

The major similarities between the majority of the images include the fact that they all suggest that women should be skinny, have fair skin, perfect makeup, a perfect appearance at all time to be considered beautiful. It also emphasises the idea that women are objects and that they can only be successful and popular if they are beautiful and they match the stereotypes. 

2. Are there any comments that you can make about an image/clip that appears different to the others?

The only image that I found that is different to the others is the one of Miley Cyrus on the phone as it shows her as very carefree about her appearance, and not feeling the need to be 'perfect' and beautiful all the time, unlike the other images. It doesn't really display any of the stereotypes of women.

3. Do you think the overall representation of women is a realistic one? Explain your answer.

I don't think that the overall representation of women is very realistic as it suggests that women are only beautiful when they conform to certain expectations, and it suggests that they are to have a perfect appearance all the time. This is untrue as there are a lot of beautiful women who do not look like the stereotypical woman. 

4. Do you think these types of images, etc. influence the way women and girls think about themselves? Explain your answer. 

These images definitely influence the  way the girls and women think about themselves as they create extremely high and impossible standards. The images emphasise the idea that you are to have a perfect appearance all the time and that you are only beautiful if you look a certain way, and this is really hard on girls as everybody looks different, and not everyone conforms to those expectations. Instead of displaying women that all have the same features, the media needs to include a range of girls with different appearances and this would help women and girls love their appearance more and feel more happy about their appearance.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

1. After reading the story, make a list of all the qualities that the story is suggesting are important in women. When making your list, think about physical qualities and the personality qualities that appear to be important. 

- Beautiful, good complexion, roast cheeks, nice hair, fair skin, skinny (physically perfect) as Snow White got what she wanted because of her looks
- Caring, kind, giving
- Feeble/weak
- Naivety

- Willingness to stay at home, cleaning, cooking and housekeeping instead of going to work, shown when the dwarfs allow her to with with them under the condition that she does these things
- Submissive because if they don't do what they're told, bad things will happen to them. This is shown by the dwarfs instructing her not to let anyone in, however, she does this and almost dies
- Emotional as this is what saved Snow White from being killed in the forest

2. Next, make a second list that identifies traits/qualities in women that appear to be undesirable in the story. When making this list, you can think about what the opposite qualities would be to the ones you listed in question one and you can also consider the wicked Queen. Like your first list, consider physical characteristics and personality. 

- Envy
- Ugly/not beautiful
- Overweight
- Old
- Different
- Short hair
- Self obsession, and competing to be the most beautiful
- Power and anger
- Opinionated
- Negative/pessimistic
- Cunning
- Smart
- Gullible as Snow White let the woman in multiple times, even though she had already been deceived and poisoned, and therefore, she almost died a number of times

3. Now, see if you can make a third list that identifies traits/characteristics (both physical and personality based) that appear to be important in the male characters of the story.
- Charming (attractive)
- Muscular, strong, athletic
- Wealth
- Dominant and controlling
- Assertive, head strong
- Choices governed by the beauty of a woman
- Heroic and protective
- Romantic
- Hard working
- Generosity and kindness
- Merciful

4. After looking over the three lists, are there any conclusions that you can make about what the story is trying to teach its audience about the roles of men and women? Explain in as much detail as you can. 
After reading the story and looking over the three lists that I have made, it is clear to me that the story is trying to teach the audience a lot about the stereotypical roles of men and women. It emphasises the idea that women have to be beautiful in order to get what they want and suggests that all women aspire to be the most beautiful. It also shows that women are to stay at home, cooking and cleaning, as apparently men aren't able to do that themselves, and that they should not go to work as that is the man's job. It stresses the importance of women doing exactly what they're told as the man is always right and bad things will happen if they don't abide to their rules. It also suggests that women should not be self-obsessed and envious of others. For men, it suggests that they should be dominant and controlling and shows that if they do this, they will always get what they want. It also displays the idea that men are only to choose their wife based on their beauty (linking back to the fact that beauty is an important quality for women to have), and that the man chooses their wife, it's not a mutual decision. As well as that, it portrays men as heroic and charming, generous and kind. Additionally, the men in all fairytales are portrayed in a positive light no matter what their appearance or personality is, however, the females are only portrayed in a positive light if they have specific qualities. All of the negative qualities in men are justified, covered over and hidden, however, not for the women.

5. How would you describe Snow White's relationships with: 
a) The Wicked Queen:
I would describe the relationship between Snow White The Wicked Queen as the complete opposite to a good relationship. The Wicked Queen is extremely envious of Snow White's beauty and hates her for it. She attempts to kill her numerous times just because of her jealousy and the fact that she wants to be the most beautiful. 

b) The Dwarfs:
Snow White's relationship with the dwarfs is quite good as they gave her a place to stay when she didn't have anywhere else to go and in turn, they ask her to just do the housekeeping. However, they are quite controlling over her which is not part of a good relationship.

c) The Prince:
The relationship between The Prince and Snow White is really odd. They hadn't even met before but The Prince somehow fell in love her, just because of her beauty. They don't really have any relationship at all because they hadn't met, but they end up getting married in the end due to The Prince's commands. Much like her relationship with the dwarfs, it is not the best relationship as The Prince is really controlling over her, as shown by the fact that he basically forced her into marriage.

6. Considering this story is still most often read to little boys and girls, do you think it provides a realistic view of men and women? Why/why not? 
This story does not give a realistic view of men and women at all. It places the idea in their head of the stereotypical man and woman and leads them to believe that this is reality and that this is how men and women are supposed to act. 

7. Can you think of any modern stories (film/TV shows/books) that you know of that promote similar messages about men and women as Snow White? 
- The Bachelor/Bachelorette
- The Big Bang Theory

Stereotypes in Sleeping Beauty

Over the last couple of lesson, we have been watching the film, Sleeping Beauty. We have picked up on a number of stereotypes in the film, especially, with the female characters and have discussed them in class. Here are some of the stereotypes used in the different characters of the film:

Princess Aurora is a character who is tall, skinny and blonde with an impossible waistline, which fits the stereotype that all women are to be of a particular look to be considered beautiful. She was also seen cleaning the house in the beginning of the film which ties in with the stereotype that women are to not go to work but rather stay home and clean/cook and that women are uneducated. The stereotype that women are weaker than men and are dependant upon men is also emphasised in Sleeping Beauty as she is saved by the man, and she is seen as overly emotional as she is seen crying multiple times, and the way that she cries is not realistic at all as she is still beautiful while crying. Another stereotype addressed in this film is the fact that women all aspire to marriage, etc. and this is shown as she falls in love with the prince the first time they meet.

Multiple stereotypes can also be seen in the character of Prince Phillip. Firstly, the idea that all men are to be strong is shown by the fact that he is well-built. Also, in the scene where him and Princess Aurora first meet, male dominance is shown as she was unsure of talking to him as he was a stranger, however, he convinced her to keep dancing and singing with him. This suggests that the men are to make all of the decisions and the women are to just keep quiet and agree.

The three fairies also display a number of female stereotypes. Firstly, the idea that women are weak, dependent on men and that they can't do things for themselves is shown by the fact that they are unable to do things without the help of magic. The idea that women are meant to house keep is also shown as their job is to look after Aurora and to look after the house, etc. 

Representation of Women in the Media

Today in class, we discussed as a class the representation of women and girls in the media and the various stereotypes that there are. We put forward our ideas and made a class mind map showing the different stereotypes that there are of women and girls. Here is what we came up with:

We also talked about how these stereotypes are included in the majority of advertisements made, for example, it is always women who are shown in advertisements for cleaning products which involves the idea that women are to stay at home instead of working, that they are uneducated, etc. 

For homework, we were asked to find an advertisement that incorporates some of these stereotypes and I found this advertisement from Victoria's Secret.

This is an advertisement for bras from Victoria's Secret and it includes the idea that all women are meant to be skinny. This image uses the words "every body" suggesting that all women have to look like the models in the photo.

I also found two other advertisements which are quite old, but I thought that they were both an effective example of sexism and the representation of women in the media.

The first advertisement is of a woman receiving a vacuum cleaner for Christmas and it suggests that men should buy their wives a new vacuum cleaner for Christmas as she would really like it. It emphasises the idea that women are to stay at home, cooking and cleaning, rather than going to work, and it suggests that women enjoy doing this too. The appearance of the woman in this image also shows the stereotypical woman in terms of appearance as she is skinny with a small waist and she is pretty.

The second advertisement includes the idea that women are weaker than men as it reads, "You mean a woman can open it?". The underline on the word woman suggests that it's unusual for women to be able to open a bottle as they are weak, and it kind of suggests that women are a bit useless and can't do anything for themselves. Much like the first advertisement, the woman displays the stereotypical appearance as she is beautiful.

First Lesson of Term 3 - Stereotypes

Today in class, we discussed our new unit of work which is gender representation in mass media, and we talked about stereotypes and judgement.

We started off the lesson by talking about how different stereotypes can be either positive or negative, however, most positive judgements/assumptions can be turned negative. We also talked about different stereotypes for our country and our school, then came up with a list of assumptions that have been made about us individually. Here is a list of couple of things that have been assumed about me:

- I am rude/angry and that I dislike them because of my RBF and facial expression

- I went to a makeup course over the holidays and it was assumed that I was bad at makeup and didn't know what I was doing because I was a lot younger than the rest of the group

- I am rude, stuck up, rich, etc. because I go to St Hilda's

Then, we split up into groups and thought about the stereotype of women and girls. Here is the mind map that our group created: