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Effects of media on self - esteem
Effects of media on self - esteem
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The Female Role Models of Television
Did you know women were only allowed on stage after the year 1660. The idea that actors, or those involved in the theatre in general, are artists and persons worthy of respect. This being said, do you believe in the possibility that women on TV can be looked up to as role models? Women on TV are proof that no matter your gender, you can do anything--be anything you set your mind to. Many women on television manifest the idea that it is okay to act different then everyone else and that you shouldn't let what other's think of you effect your life in any way. Many of them are also great inspirations for people with, for example, weight issues or depression.
First, one of the reasons women on TV can be looked up to as role models is because, for women and girls of all ages, these women display the ability that no matter what your gender may be, you can become anything--do anything you set yourself too. Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson) from the hit series "Empire" as an
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Female role models are important because they’re inspiring – to so many people and for so many reasons. When you think about the people who inspire you, you probably think first about what makes them inspiring, not what gender they are, how old they are or what they look like. Just like their male counterparts, female role models – which by definition, regardless of gender, have shaped history and changed lives. "Jillian Michaels" is an American personal trainer, businesswoman, author and television personal from Los Angeles, California. Michaels is best known for her appearances on NBC, particularly "The Biggest Loser". This women is the a notorious motivator when it comes to assisting people with their physical health. One of the many inspiring female actresses out there thus
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.
When you think of American history, do you think of war, slavery, or segregation? Something that these have in common is gender equality. Gender equality is something that has been an issue in America since the first day it was inhabited. This is a problem in America. A more particular time period would be, World War II. During this time, women were being used to do men’s jobs and duties but, they still had to have a feminine aspect to them. While most men were at war, the women picked up jobs playing baseball, and working in factories to build the necessary items for war and daily living. During World War II, it was necessary for women to work. The government statistics prove this:
In her blog Bolick (2011) stated that “I grew up watching both I love Lucy and The Honeymooners and even as a child I always wondered why the wives on these shows didn’t have to work.” Women in television shows decades ago mirrored the roles women played in society. Yet, women in society, although they have made major progressions towards equality they are still portrayed as the housewife. For the first time, America has a woman running for President of the United States. But parents think that children do not have suitable role models because of what they see on television. Does that fault fall on producers of television shows and movies? Or on the parent for allowing the children to watch those shows? Children look up to people in their immediate presence the most, imitating what they see and are accustomed to the most. With the changes in of roles in television, however, society is still noticing the unimportant things. During a recent study conducted by “The Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film” Lauzen (2016) stated that “Moviegoers were more likely to know the occupation of male characters than female characters…… In addition, moviegoers were much more likely to see male characters at work and actually working than female characters.” What this shows is that people have become so accustomed to the way society ‘used to be’ that they pay attention to the details
I see the rattle and the hum of music television. Flash upon flash of sensory information lights the screen with sound bites, flashbulbs, sex and rock and roll. I am watching MTV in the semi-darkness of a friend's living room and it is easy for me to understand the attraction of this style of television. MTV is pure energy. It has vitality, powerful images, larger-than-life heroes, and the edginess that the best pop music always has. I find MTV strangely hypnotic. I could sit, entranced by the flickering images and incessant beats, for hours.
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.
On television today you will see stereyotypes of male and female roles in society. These stereyotyps are exemplified in many tv shows and even childrens cartoons. Some shows which stereyotype sex roles include, the flintstones, the jetsons, and almost every sitcom on television.
The documentary Miss Representation describes the struggle of female leadership. It is based on the way the women look, the way they carry themselves, and the way they brutalize themselves to fit in with others. This documentation allow different women to tell their ways that the media have slashed them, and allow others to stand up for women. Women portray themselves to fit as the image that has been altered with to get it to look that way. Margaret Cho explains that her show All American Girl was cancelled because she had problems with the network who aired the show because they constantly said was not thin enough. That is a prime example of today's problems with pursuing your dreams as an actor or pursuing your dreams as a model. You have to change your physical features to fit in, and if you do not you won’t get in.
Women have always been oppressed and in a way, media is oppressing us even more. If women are only being viewed as sex-icons and property for domination we will never be able to achieve the greatness most women aspire to. If young women are being taught that we need to look a certain way and portray ourselves as objects of sex for men then we will never have the equality we deserve. Celebrities especially need to take into consideration the fact that they have millions of eyes observing them every day and replicating their actions. If these celebrities are changing themselves personally and are allowing themselves to be technologically altered to fit the social norm, it will cause young women to do the exact same thing. Assuming that celebrities have that great of an effect on their viewers, they must live and teach the concept of loving yourself for who you are and not conforming to society's ideal beauty
My chosen scene is from a popular T.V. show called How I Met Your Mother. This show goes with gender stereotypes and goes against gender stereotypes. The show is about a group of friends, Lily and Marshall being an engaged/married couple, Barney the single “player”, Robin a Canadian tomboy, and Ted the main character, who is a hopeless romantic trying to find true love in New York City. Ted, over the past couple episodes meets a girl and she becomes his girlfriend. In the meantime, he’s spending all of his time with her, Lily and Marshall have a romantic weekend planned leaving Barney and Robin to hang out together, they decide to have a “Bro” date. Robin and Barney do typical guy things, such as; smoking cigars, playing laser tag, and making fun of their other friends for being in relationships, particularly Ted. They make jokes like, “Ted’s to busy being in a lesbian relationship”, and “Ted can’t drink because he’s pregnant, because he’s a girl.” However, Barney praises Robin for being an awesome bro. Robin is a gun enthusiast, hockey loving Canadian, and an expert on cigars. Throughout the series, Ted looks for love as his friends make fun of him, and Robin continuously gets praise for her tomboyish ways. The show uses gender stereotypes for comedy, showing that it’s more socially acceptable for a woman to have more masculine hobbies but a man can’t have “feminine” qualities without being rebuked by his friends. My goal is to look at these studies to determine whether males and females are socially rebuked for being “sissies” and “tomboys” on equal levels, or if their gender makes a difference in how severe the consequences are for not being in the norm.
Throughout history when we think about women in society we think of small and thin. Today's current portrayal of women stereotypes the feminine sex as being everything that most women are not. Because of this depiction, the mentality of women today is to be thin and to look a certain way. There are many challenges with women wanting to be a certain size. They go through physical and mental problems to try and overcome what they are not happy with. In the world, there are people who tell us what size we should be and if we are not that size we are not even worth anything. Because of the way women have been stereotyped in the media, there has been some controversial issues raised regarding the way the world views women. These issues are important because they affect the way we see ourselvescontributing in a negative way to how positive or negative our self image is.
Throughout society, men and women have been expected to live by guidelines consisting of media generated ideas and ways of living out life. Both men and women’s thinking process are being altered the negative effects of society’s mass media. For both sexes, this repeating negative exposure causes a constant downfall in self-image and creates media influenced decisions that lead to unhealthy lifestyles. The media effects the thinking process of both men and women in negative ways therefore media needs to be heavily regulated.
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.
course the way a female is seen in eyes around the world. Television itself dates back to the 1920’s
The media and television broadcasting of women is not all negative. But current culture is constantly taking the easy way out. It refuses to explore different ways in which women can be represented. That is why for years to come women will still be seen as motherly, passive and innocent, sex objects, or they are overlooked or seen as unimportant entities. Whether it’s motherly birds on kids TV shows or scantily clad dancers on Monday Night Football, the portrayal of women has yet to catch up with what real life women are like. There are single women, obese women, and smart women. Women who are single mom’s, lesbians, or don’t have any children at all. Women are able to do the same type of work as men without being manly. The day that women are treated as equals on television will whole new level of success for feminism.
Many people find someone in his/her life to look up to, a role model. There are many different kinds of role models; they can be singers, public speakers, a parent, or even a friend. Role models also are not determined by certain criteria. A role model can be a role model just because they are a leader or have a great talent. Oprah Winfrey is considered a role model to many individuals because of her tough childhood, wonderful charity work, her schools, and the true relationships with her fans. Oprah stands out among many people on her ability to feel others’ pain and help those people get through their troubling times.