Modern media has a massive audience with more than 115 million American household families owning a television (NewsWire 2013). Everyday viewers devote huge amounts of time to watching TV programs and movies, and are intrigued by the attractive actors and the situations they encounter within these productions. Although these characters and their lives seem to be unbelievably glamorous, many of these productions exhibit commonplace gender stereotypes in both female and male roles. An excellent example is Regina George, a popular high school girl in the Paramount Pictures movie, Mean Girls. In the film, Regina portrays qualities that are often seen as ideal traits for adolescent girls to imitate, though a closer look reveals the limitations …show more content…
of these ideas. In the end, it is clear that Mean Girls is not supporting the gender stereotypes it presents, but is actually underlining how shallow and useless such behaviors truly are in the grand scheme of things. Mean Girls is a movie released in 2004 that chronicles the high school transition of Cady Heron, a home-schooled girl who lived her first 15 years in the African savannah with her zoologist parents. She finds a new urban jungle in an American high school featuring well-defined subcultures, cliques, and a social atmosphere that is riddled with revenge and jealousy. Many of the students tease her when she first begins her classes, but two “untouchables” — unpopular students who are low on the social ladder — are kind to her, and the three students quickly become close friends. One of the “untouchables” is Janis, a fallen “plastic” (the name for the popular girls) who hates her former leader, Regina George, because she started a rumor that damaged her reputation. The other friend is Damien, a homosexual who becomes friends with Janis after her fall from the popularity pedestal. The three friends make a pact to destroy Regina’s social status within the high school hierarchy. Mean Girls portrays high school as a place with many social cliques, each focusing on one stereotype like the “untouchables.” This focus is meant to show how certain stereotypical, gender-specific behaviors will not result in appropriate adult behaviors in the spheres of family and work life. The stereotypes often associated with popular high school girls, the “plastics,” are physical attractiveness, narcissistic personalities, monetary wealth, rudeness, designer fashion, and a preoccupation with gossip. Regina perfectly fits this persona. She is an immodest rich girl who has dominion over her family and friends: her mother waits on her like a servant and her friends seek her constant approval. She also drives a fancy car and lives in a mansion. When Gretchen, Regina’s close friend, believes Regina is mad at her for some unknown reason, she immediately takes action to impress Regina, causing the story narrator to comment, “It seems the more Regina hated her, the more Gretchen wanted to impress her” (Waters, Mean Girls). The few members that Regina allows in her social group are those girls that share the stereotypical popular girl traits: Karin, another “plastic,” is pretty, though academically weak, thus also portraying the “dumb blonde” stereotype. The other friend, Gretchen, comes from a wealthy family as well. One example of classic “plastic” behavior is Regina shows her egotistical, two-faced personality when she sarcastically compliments students’ clothing as she walks through the hallways, declaring, “Oh my God, I love your skirt! Where did you get it?” and later, and then secretly ridicules them when they are out of earshot, “That is the ugliest effing skirt I’ve ever seen” (Waters, Mean Girls). This demonstrates that there are also specific fashion rules the “plastics” abide by: pony tails once a week, sweat pants on Thursdays, and pink colored clothing on Fridays (Water, Mean Girls). Those who deviate from these arbitrary rules are socially punished with snide comments, or even completely ostracized from their clique, like Janis. Gender stereotypes persists in students outside of the “plastics” group, too. Regina’s own exclusive circle consists of a small group of girls who share the popular girl stereotype. Girls who attempt to penetrate this clique are ignored, or even physically attacked. Despite the bad treatment, many students still idolize Regina and crave her attention just as much as the “plastics” do. When students were asked to describe Regina, they all thought highly of her, even the ones she had hurt. One of the students that Regina had punched the day before said that it was the “best thing that had ever happened to her” (Waters, Mean Girls). Viewers who observe Regina’s behavior may be persuaded that it is acceptable and something to be emulated, not realizing the ideological limitations of this lifestyle and how it would fail in mature adult life. The popular girls portrayed in Mean Girls might at first seem to have wonderful lives, but the message the film actually puts forward is that such gender stereotypes are not workable in real society. These same girls may be struggling with low self-esteem, academic failure, and the general lack of direction in becoming prepared for adult life and responsibilities. In the end, these girls’ obsessions with their outward appearance and social status are ultimately inconsequential, and will only hurt them later in life. Often, society regards people with high social status as living optimal lives with few challenges.
It is easy to believe that the imagined “good life” is filled with physical attractiveness and prowess, few problems, financial security, and easy answers. In web journalist Agnes Repplier’s opinion, “It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves,[but] it is not possible to find it elsewhere [either]” (Repplier). Happiness is difficult to define and can seem impossibly elusive. All human beings have a natural desire for happiness, a good and noble pursuit. However, this desire is often distorted and misdirected, and causes confusion from the many messages promulgated by modern media and Western culture. People are not happy until they realize their origin and destiny. In her book, Susan Douglas speculates, “…The U.S. may be building up a new generation of ‘unhappy women’” (Douglas 179). In other words, those women whose ultimate goal is to become rich and famous — women who might have had similar high school experiences to those portrayed in Mean Girls — may fail at becoming …show more content…
happy. An abundance of money and fame does not add meaning to one’s life unless they are used for the purpose of helping others or the common good. A focus on making contributions to the community, working hard, and pursuing excellence add meaning and substance to life. Happiness presents itself differently in each unique life. Regina George’s life and goals revolve around seeking to rule and influence those in her social sphere. The stereotypical characteristics exhibited by her and her friends are not viable methods for a successful family life and positive workplace interactions where physical appearance is neither judged by narrow standards nor holds much importance, where wealth is achieved by hard work, and where rudeness, conceit, and gossip are frowned upon and things to be avoided. Mean Girls purposely shows many popular assumptions about high school girls that are not true in the actual world.
Rarely are such gender stereotypes successful modes of behavior outside of the world of television, causing author Jane Rosenzweig to candidly warn, “…Girls on television are not ideal role models” (Rosenzweig 194). The main characters in this movie lack the challenges of real life like serious financial, workplace, or familial hardships. Productions like Mean Girls show viewers that making unjust assumptions about others in spite of their individual uniqueness and dignity is a shameful, useless habit. Such movies like demonstrate the failure of contrived social circles and the silliness of closing oneself off from a wide variety of people and
ideas. Regina George’s life may look like an ideal way to live as a high school girl because of her excellent social status and financial privilege, but upon inspection, this is not actually the case. Those who are obsessed with becoming rich and famous only to benefit themselves will find it more difficult to achieve true happiness. Mean Girls shows its viewers through the use of satire and social commentary that an egotistical mindset actually hinders a person’s future happiness rather than helps to achieve it, regardless of whether that person is in high school, adult life, or the African savannah.
In this paper I argue that self-objectification is created and perpetuated by the mass media through the critiquing of mainstream films and television shows: Clueless and Gossip Girl. These forms of media glorify the dominant culture’s forms of capital that produce the thin, white, rich, feminine female protagonist. I will analyze how mainstream white male producers prioritize the white narrative and exclude girls of color from mainstream media through the internalization of the thin white image.
In this film we see many typical high school behaviors such as cliques, cattiness, and popularity (or lack there of) issues. Many scenes in this movie have an array of stereotypes. Sometimes they are clearly stated and others just seen through attitudes of the actors/actresses character. Also through out we follow the main clique “the plastics” and they have this image they have to uphold. Be perfect, skinny, the best at everything, and in sync with everything they do; or they wont uphold their status. I chose this film because I think it shows a lot of what we have learned in this course and how it is in real life. Clearly the film is exaggerated but much of
In our modern world, sociology has a tremendous impact on our culture, mainly through the processes and decisions we make everyday. For movies and television shows especially, sociological references are incorporated throughout the storyline. A movie which includes many sociological examples is Mean Girls. Mean Girls is a movie based on the life of home-schooled teenage girl, Cady Heron, who moves to the United States from Africa and is placed in a public school for the first time. Cady finds herself in many uncomfortable scenarios and has to deal with the trials and tribulations pertaining to everyday high school issues. Her experiences involve interacting with high school cliques, such as ‘the plastics’, weird high school teachers, relationships,
While some other shows attempt to present flawed female characters, they fail in making the viewer sympathize and understand them. Instead, the viewer sees these characters as “unlikeable” and often the women end up at the receiving end of a joke and then serve no further purpose. Alsop argues that newer television shows such as Transparent, Fleabag, and Girls have characters with multiple flaws, some that may even seem irredeemable, but the characters do not let those flaws define them. This causes the viewer to empathize with the characters on a deeper level. What the author of the article may not know is that of those three shows mentioned, the writing, directing, and producing credits go mostly, if not exclusively, to women. Perhaps this is the difference that makes these television shows stand out in today’s feminist dialogue and allows the viewer to empathize with the characters rather than judge
In American culture today, women continue the struggle of identifying what their roles in society are supposed to be. Our culture has been sending mixed messages to the modern day female, creating a sense of uneasiness to an already confusing and stressful world. Although women today are encouraged more than ever to be independent, educated, and successful, they are often times shamed for having done just that. Career driven females are frequently at risk of being labeled as bossy, unfeminine, or selfish for competing in many career paths that were once dominated by men. A popular medium in our culture such as television continues to have significant influences as to how people should aspire to live their lives. Viewers develop connections with relatable characters and to relationship dynamics displayed within their favorite shows. Fictional characters and relationships can ultimately influence a viewer’s fashion sense, social and political opinion, and attitude towards gender norms. Since the days of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeanie, where women were commonly portrayed as being the endearing mischievous housewife, television shows have evolved in order to reflect real life women who were becoming increasingly more independent, educated, and career oriented throughout the subsequent decades. New genres of television are introduced, such as the workplace comedy, where women are not only career oriented, but eventually transition into positions of power.
Margaret Atwood’s “Happy Endings” is an Author’s telling of societal beliefs that encompass the stereotypical gender roles and the pursuit of love in the middle class with dreams of romance and marriage. Atwood writes about the predictable ways in which many life stories are concluded for the middle class; talking about the typical everyday existence of the average, ordinary person and how they live their lives. Atwood provides the framework for several possibilities regarding her characters’ lives and how each character eventually completes their life with their respective “happy ending”.
Even as the media redefines the roles both genders play at home and in the workforce, a number of traditional stereotypes continue to dominate television screens. Despite the enormous progress society has made to empower women, traditional gender stereotypes continue to thrive in our culture today. This phenomenon is apparent in”Big Baby,” where all parties are represented equally by the dynamic characters of Dr. Cuddy, Dr. Wilson, and Dr. House . To choose to do otherwise would mean that the television show does not portray American pop-culture honestly.
In the film Mean Girls, teenager Cady Heron was home-schooled in Africa by her zoologist parents. When her family moves to the U.S., Cady finally gets a taste of public school and learns a vital lesson about the cruelty involved in the tightly knit cliques of high school. She eventually finds herself being drug into a group of “the worst people you will ever meet”, The Plastics; and soon realizes how they came to get their name.
Ideology is “a system of meaning that helps define and explain the world and that makes value judgments about that world.” (Croteau & Hoynes, 2014). According to Sturken (2001), the system of meaning is based on the use of language and images or representation. Therefore, media texts come along and select what is “normal” and what is “deviant” to the extent that this hegemony of constructed meanings in the viewer’s head becomes “common-sense” (Gramsci in Croteau & Hoynes, 2014). From this standpoint, what America claims to be pop culture which is omnipresent in media internationally, is a representation, through “politics of signification” of what is right or wrong (Kooijman, 2008). An example of America’s cultural ‘manifestation’ is Mean Girls,
Gender stereotypes and biasses exist in media. In most situations, women are associated with more negative stereotypes and their portrayals can “undermine their presence by being “hyper-attractive” or “hyper-sexual” and/or passive” (Smith, 2008). In The Wolf of Wall Street women are objectified. They are treated
The media, through its many outlets, has a lasting effect on the values and social structure evident in modern day society. Television, in particular, has the ability to influence the social structure of society with its subjective content. As Dwight E. Brooks and Lisa P. Hébert write in their article, “GENDER, RACE, AND MEDIA REPRESENTATION”, the basis of our accepted social identities is heavily controlled by the media we consume. One of the social identities that is heavily influenced is gender: Brooks and Hébert conclude, “While sex differences are rooted in biology, how we come to understand and perform gender is based on culture” (Brooks, Hébert 297). With gender being shaped so profusely by our culture, it is important to be aware of how social identities, such as gender, are being constructed in the media.
To most people the movie Mean Girls is simply a silly teen chick flick and is not good for anything but pure entrainment. Even though Mean Girls is slightly dramatized, high school in reality is perfectly portrayed through this movie. Every high school varies but there is always a domain group of students. The socially powerful are the rich and beautiful girls and everyone else are the loyal subjects to their castle. However, there is a twist in Mean Girls, the message is actually positive. Mean Girls is sending a message that women should not criticize one another to feel empowerment, it is unattractive to men to be mindless, and that White Americans have domains over other races. This movie also implies that nothing wrong with being different from what society accepts.
As more people are claiming their rights and being accepted by society, the media is forced to reach the obedience in a modern way. Women are fighting for they equal right and starting to play leading role in movie and TV shows. For example, not so long ago, I watched “She’s the Man” a movie played in 2006 by Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. Byrne’s character, Viola been playing soccer in place of his brother who didn’t want anything to do with soccer or any other sports for that matter. Bynes is really good at soccer and loves sport. She didn’t let herself brake by the tough guys in her team who think she was a man. She subsequently shows the absurdity of gender biases by being the best at what she loves. This type of movie prove there is nothing abnormal to our behavior and it do not make us less of a person when do not conform to norm of
Another major factor that influences millions of impressionable females and males is television. Not only does the television teach each sex how to act, it also shows how one sex should expect the other sex to act. In the current television broadcasting, stereotypical behavior goes from programming for the very small to adult audiences. In this broadcasting range, females are portrayed as motherly, passive and innocent, sex objects, or they are overlooked completely or seen as unimportant entities. Stereotyping women is not only rampant in the adult world; it also flourishes in the kiddie universe as well.
Gender stereotyping has been ongoing throughout history. The media has been distorting views by representing gender unrealistically and inaccurately. It created an image of what "masculinity" or "femininity" should be like and this leads to the image being "naturalized" in a way (Gail and Humez 2014). The media also attempts to shape their viewers into something ‘desirable’ to the norm. This essay will focus on the negative impacts of gender-related media stereotypes by looking at the pressures the media sets on both women and men, and also considering the impacts on children.