Despite the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes and the resulting spread of misinformation that appears to plague many mainstream instances of asexual representation, the existence of more accurate representation in newer media seems to positively affect the perception of the asexual community and the mental health of those within it. One example of a positively received, explicitly asexual character in mainstream media is Todd Chavez from the TV series Bojack Horseman. Bojack Horseman is a Netflix-original TV series which follows an anthropomorphized horse as he deals with a washed out Hollywood career, addiction, and the responsibilities and pressures of upholding relationships. Many of the characters in Bojack Horseman are presented as such …show more content…
In a 2022 national survey conducted by The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization aiming to help support LGBTQ+ youth, it was found that “89% of LGBTQ youth reported that seeing LGBTQ representation in TV/movies made them feel good about being LGBTQ.” Amit Paley, CEO and Executive Director of The Trevor Project, held that “the fact that very simple things like.seeing LGBTQ representation in media.can have such a positive impact on the mental health of an LGBTQ young person is inspiring.” Paley goes so far as to advise that media representation of sexuality and gender should “command more around suicide prevention and public debates around LGBTQ inclusion” since it can play such a large role in validating the viewers’ identities. Representation, like Drea, can help people inside of the asexual community by increasing their self-esteem and bettering their perceptions of their sexuality, but how can representation affect those outside of the asexual community? As stated before, White’s study did not have any conclusive results regarding quantitative evidence backing up the influence of media representation on perception. This is not an unexpected result. Unlike homosexuality or bisexuality, asexuality is a relatively new topic in research and media, meaning that it is less likely that a member of the general public will have a particularly strong opinion on asexuality beyond possible minority discrimination. To get a better idea of how asexual representation in media may affect public perceptions as awareness and understanding of asexuality becomes more accessible, we may look at the results of a similar study conducted on the effects of LGBT-inclusive TV on attitudes towards lesbian and gay individuals. In this study, conducted by Harry Yaojun Yan, eight hundred and fifty six
Sex and Gender was the subject of the two movies Dreamworlds 3 and Further Off The Straight & Narrow. In Dreamworlds 3 Sex is portrayed as a status of life and happiness in the media. This media displays people as objects that can be manipulated for sexual pleasure. As the media is populated with sex it tiptoes around gender, specifically that of gays or lesbians. The film Further Off The Straight & Narrow emphasized the movement through media gay and lesbian topics. This text analyzes iconic television programs and how they reflect the societal stance during that time. As a member of a generation that has had the topic of these issues prominent I believe they are important but are banal. In this reflection I will be responding to two questions, what would woman driven Dreamworlds look like? And Do you agree with the statement that if you are not on television you don’t exist?
Kidd, Dustin. 2014. “Not that There’s Anything Wrong with That: Sexuality Perspectives.” Pp. 129-163 in Pop Culture Freaks: Identity, Mass Media, and Society. Boulder: Westview Press.
The Black Public Relations Society hosted a general body meeting titled, “Black Women in the Media” in the Tuttleman Learning Center. The meeting was conducted by two of the black female students one of which was the president. Going into the meeting, I felt eager to get talking about the negative stereotypes on women. Now that I look back, I didn’t even think about the black women of the LGBTQIA+ community and how they are portrayed in the media.
The individual desire to seek out a heterosexual romantic relationship is strongly shaped and reinforced by the dominance of heteronormative representation in mass media, which thus removes most personal agency from individuals who desire romance. Idealised notions of heterosexual romance are instilled as both descriptive and injunctive norms through their overwhelming portrayals in mass media, which then conditions individuals to internalise such notions as “socially approved and…popular” (Cialdini 2003, 105). Mass media thus serves as a pervasive social force with a wide reach that is capable of dictating acceptable and popular iterations of heterosexual love in society.
However there have been a variety of critiques regarding the media’s portrayal of same-sex couples and gay marriage. People who go solely off the media’s depiction of gay and lesbians could have a skewed view of what they are actually like. This could be detrimental for youth who are developing their ideas of what homosexuals are actually like and this is their only source of information on it. This leads to stereotyping different types of gay people. Also for young people, the media depiction of gay people has led to the idea that this is “cool” and treat their homosexual friends differently.
The depiction of transgender women characters in mainstream television has been offensive, insulting and derogatory. An article from GLADD called “Victims or Villains: Examining Ten Years of Transgender Images on Television”, examines 102 episodes and storylines on mainstream television that contained transgender characters since 2002. Of these, more than half were characterized as containing negative representations of transgender. In 2007 only 1% of television series had a recurring transgender character, which has slowly increased to 4% in 2013.
When television first appeared back in the 1940's, times were very different. What we would consider completely normal today would have seemed quite taboo just a few decades ago. For example, in 1953, Lucille Ball was not allowed to say the word "pregnant" while she was expecting baby Ricky and it wasn't until the 1960's show Bewitched, that we saw a married couple actually sharing the same bed. Considering how conservative the television networks were back then, it is not hard to deduce that something as controversial as homosexuality would be far from discussed or portrayed at any level. It was only in 1973 that television premiered its first homosexual character. Over the next three decades the emergence of gay and lesbian characters in television has increased and decreased as the times have changed. Due to the resurgence of conservatism that came back in the early 1980's, homosexual topics were again reduced to a minimum. Since that time though, as many people can see, there has been a rise of gay and lesbian characters on television. One might think after a first glance at the previous sentence that there has been progress among gay and lesbian communities to have a fair representation in the media. However, if one looks hard at the circumstances surrounding their portrayal, many people may start to believe that if there has been any progress then it has been quite minimal.
Hannah Compton Ms. Finch 17 April 2024 Psychological Concepts Bojack Horseman The Bojack Horseman show on Netflix is primarily categorized as an adult animated tragicomedy or dark comedy. It blends elements of satire, drama, and existentialism, tackling heavy themes such as depression, addiction, and the pursuit of happiness in a satirical and often darkly humorous manner. The animated series dives into the life of the character, Bojack, a washed-up actor grappling with depression, addiction, and the consequences of his actions. Set in a world where anthropomorphic animals coexist with humans, the show follows BoJack Horseman's struggles with fame, relationships, and existential dread.
The media is a large part of our everyday lives; everywhere we go we can find a source of media. It influences our thoughts, feelings and behaviours every day as it is a huge influence in today’s society. Society heavily relies on the media to show them what is in the norm and what is going on in the world. The media also serves as another way to display the normative of the society. Sexuality is a big part in the media and what is appropriate sexuality. The media negatively affects the people who do not fit society’s ideal normative. This includes people with a sexuality that is not the normative of heterosexuality. In the media, these people of other sexualities are excluded and made to feel they do not fit into society. My pyramid shows how society classifies people by their sexuality in the media. This involves highlighting the normative sexuality and excluded any other sexuality from the mainstream media.
Viewing more bisexuals in the media gives bisexuals that are still finding themselves the comfort and belonging that they may not know exists. Up until now, this entire paper has been showing examples of media against bisexuals! How could a bisexual possibly feel content with their orientation, or even find it for that matter, with negativity like that all around them? It’s probably a safe bet to say that in today’s society we all know someone who is bisexual, yet it’s never spoken about. Perfectly worded by Nichole Richter, “Bisexuality seems to be everywhere and nowhere…”.
The 1990s saw surge of gay characters in both television and movies. From Ellen Degeneres and her character Ellen Morgan coming out under much scrutiny on the TV show ‘Ellen,’ to Julia Roberts and Rupert Everett comedically playing off each other in the motion picture ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding.’ Sure, gays and lesbians have been around forever, especially in Hollywood. But never has there been a time to be more out. With the popularity of shows like Will and Grace, which feature leading gay characters, as well as Dawson’s Creek and it’s supporting character of teenager Jack McPhee, we are slowly seeing gay and lesbian characters creeping into the mainstream media.
On television, I watched characters such as Marco del Rossi and Paige Michalchuk on the Canadian teen-drama Degrassi. These were the first positive experiences I had of what gay culture was like. Of what I saw, I did not feel like I fit into that lifestyle/group. On the other hand, the movie The Matthew Shepard Story shared the violent side of homosexuality’s history in the retelling of Matthew Shepard’s murder.
An article by Christina N Baker, Images of Women’s Sexuality in Advertisements: A content Analysis of Black And White Oriented Women’s and Men’s Magazine emphasizes on how women’s are portrayed in media such as advertisements and Magazine. The author analyzes how media has a huge impact in our society today; as a result, it has an influence on race and gender role between men and women.
From the youngest age I can remember, everything I had seen in the media, altered my perception on gender - what it was, what it meant, and what society saw as fit. Gender has often been confused with having to do with biology, when in fact, gender is a social construct. In today’s society, gender has mixed up the construction of masculinity and femininity. This plays an important role in many individuals lives because they define themselves through gender over other identities such as sexual, ethnic, or social class. Identity is shaped by everyday communications, such as what we see through the media, therefore as society continues to evolve, so does the way we perceive identities and select our own.
Adam Sharpiro, Megan Schultz, Christina Roush, Cassandra Schofar, Emily Shilling, Tawnia Simpson, Natalie Sampiller. Portrayal of Homosexuality in Media. 26 March 2014 .