Hello All!
The section I will be discussing and
the topic in which we will be opening up Monday’s class discussion with is the
sexualization of women through the institution of media. The selected reading
for this upcoming class can be found in the library database entitled Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on
Views of Gender, by Julia T. Wood. The article discusses the portrayal of
both men and women in media as well as the dynamic displayed between the two.
“Woven
throughout our daily lives, media insinuate their messages into our
consciousness at every turn. All forms of media communicate images of the
sexes, many of which perpetuate unrealistic, stereotypical, and limiting
perceptions” (Wood, 1994). Whether it is an advertisement, news story or even
just in the comfort of our homes, we see a demonstration of the sexualization
of women and the roles that have been assigned to them. Even the dolls children
play with possess the “ideal” body type and are dressed in “sexy” clothing.
Throughout
the article, Wood brings up three themes that I want you to be mindful of:
1.
Underrepresentation
2.
Stereotypes
3.
Roles
that have been enforced and normalized between women and men
Also,
the textbook discusses in depth the sexualization of women. After reading both
the chapter and the article consider these questions:
1.
When
does sexualization occur?
2.
Where
do we see this sexualization occur?
3.
What
are the results or consequences of sexualization?
4.
What
is self-objectification and in what ways do individuals self objectify?
5.
What
behaviors have occurred and been normalized due to sexualization?
I
look forward to discussing and exchanging ideas this Monday!
Hello class,
I thoroughly enjoyed our last discussion together. We talked a lot about the portrayals of women in media and how this affects our perception of women in the real world. The sexualization of women normalizes violence, reinforces gender expectations and limits women's individuality. Also, it was established that women of color are sexualized differently than white women and that men can also be sexualized. However, we agreed that media is an institution that benefits the white, heterosexual, male. With all of this being said, we seemed to spend the most time brain storming ideas on how to solve the gender inequality that exists in media and how to help prevent negative outcomes from the sexualization of women.
Continuing the discussion....
I would love to hear more opinions on how these issues should be approached. Also, we determined that this sexualization appears on various forms of media and that these messages are being fed to us constantly. What are some specific examples of where you all have seen sexualization? Approach this critically and explain the problematic details of this display.
Thank you all for an interesting semester!
Kait
Hello class,
I thoroughly enjoyed our last discussion together. We talked a lot about the portrayals of women in media and how this affects our perception of women in the real world. The sexualization of women normalizes violence, reinforces gender expectations and limits women's individuality. Also, it was established that women of color are sexualized differently than white women and that men can also be sexualized. However, we agreed that media is an institution that benefits the white, heterosexual, male. With all of this being said, we seemed to spend the most time brain storming ideas on how to solve the gender inequality that exists in media and how to help prevent negative outcomes from the sexualization of women.
Continuing the discussion....
I would love to hear more opinions on how these issues should be approached. Also, we determined that this sexualization appears on various forms of media and that these messages are being fed to us constantly. What are some specific examples of where you all have seen sexualization? Approach this critically and explain the problematic details of this display.
Thank you all for an interesting semester!
Kait
Hey Kait,
ReplyDeleteI found your portion of the presentation to be extremely interesting and feel that it pertained to topics that everyone, men and women, could relate to. On a personal level, I find that being a female in a country that thrives off of the sexualization of women is considered the "norm." Although this is sad, it is somewhat true. Specific examples of the sexualization of women? Hmmm, they are everywhere. Magazines, commercials, on the news, reality television shows, at school, at the bar, in class, the list continues. I actually did my final paper on gender inequality and touched upon Julie Wood's article. What she has to say is extremely interesting and I feel that she makes valid points in a unique way. The overall idea of women being oversexualized is such a major problem because it is so "normal" that it gets misconstrued with the idea of being acceptable.
thanks for a great presentation!
Taylor
Hi Kaitlyn! I unfortunately could not participate in your facilitation but I did enjoyed reading your post!
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned in my presentation, medias are now creating ideal images of both men and women. People are eager to be the people in the ads, dramas, movies, and other medias. They actually do not have to be but they are trapped to be like that. There is no correct answer to be beautiful or attractive, so people must keep seeking how to be attractive.
I usually do not desire to be the one in the ad, so let me talk about my friends. My friends are gossip girls, and they always talk about the celebrities of the U.S. They were eager to study about the lives of celebrities more than what they have to learn from the class. They just wanted to live like celebrities to be look like them. When Taylor Swift had painted her nails wine red, most of my friends did the same thing, and the kind of situation was repeated many times. After we get a little mature, we started caring about sexualization. More and more people started looking at the ads or magazines that had sexy pictures, and then next they tried to be like them to be sexy and attractive. Therefore, what I want to say is that in order to become attractive, people try to be the one in the medias because medias are the creators of images of ideal men and women. I think it is ridiculous and people have to notice that they are beautiful in any way.
Kaitlyn,
ReplyDeleteYour presentation was very informative and you led a great discussion!
It’s hard to ignore the sexualization of women and girls in the media these days; it’s everywhere. According to the American Psychological Association, sexualization occurs when a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics; a person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness (narrowly defined) with being sexy; a person is sexually objectified—that is, made into a thing for others’ sexual use, rather than seen as a person with the capacity for independent action and decision making; and/or sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person. With the growing media and advertisements around us, it is hard to avoid sexualization and self-objectification. The media presents its viewers with images of how they expect women to look and dress. Exposure to media images that sexualize girls and women affects how girls think about femininity and sexuality. Girls and young women who more frequently consume or engage with mainstream media such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, etc; these are outlets that offer content of sexual stereotypes that depict women as sexual objects. The more we see the media place and importance on physical appearance, the more likely we’ll psychologically think that our physical attractiveness are the center our value as women. These stereotypical sexualization of women can also cause mental health problems for young girls which could eventually lead to depression, eating disorders, and low self-esteem. Not all women look the same and that’s okay, however, that statement becomes difficult to really sink in because we are bombarded with aggressive objectified images of women everywhere we look.