Influence Of Femininity In The Media

Media has a big influence on how femininity is constructed, particularly in South African magazines where stereotypes of race and sexuality are reinforced and maintained. Sanger argues that there are deeper patriarchal systems that uphold stereotypes around femininity, which are embedded into modern society. The use of language and the images are used reinforce ideas of what an ‘ideal’ body is, making it a normative option for women to try achieving this ideal. Drawing on binaries of race, sex and gender, we uncover how the portrayal of femininity differs depending on cultural expectations and how these expectations are unfulfillable and continue to remind women of their oppressed and undervalued nature in society.

Media is used as a tool

The second assumption is, that in order for them to be beautiful, they need to aspire to white hetero-femininity (Sanger, 2009). This notion of setting an example for all black women having to aspire to white women’s looks, links back to an old, racist colonial ideology (Sanger, 2009). Back in the 20th century, black women in advertisements were presented as hypersexual, that are presented only for the male is deeply related to the recent racist and colonial past of South Africa (Sanger, 2009). As is with the case of Sara Baartman, who was put on display like an object of interest, presented as a sexual product, purely for men’s enjoyment. She was presented as something other-worldly from the norm (coming from a western perspective), a South African women that would be presented as a standard for all black women, assuming that’s what all black women look like. So is the case with adverts today. They set the standards for all women in the similar context, depending on the culture in which it is presented (Jacobs & Tyree,

Even if it means to naturalise racist ideas of this hyper(hetero)sexual black woman just as is presented in the magazines. Gender as a concept is constructed by patriarchal constitutions which adds to a larger idea of what women must look like in order to please the male. Even though representation of white women differ from black women, we find a common theme of the women being a product of sexual interest. Looking at examples of South African magazines, we can see that black women aspire to white femininity, which has set the standards for all black women, even though this notion is highly problematic, it does so in a very passive nature, naturalising these racist ideals. Sanger argues that text is used to reinforce ideas around femininity, which subtly maintains these ideals because they can be seen as a ‘common’ nature. Still, even though women are pressured into buying into these ideals, to try become more desirable, these ideals stay largely