Images in the Media & How groups are represented

Under Representation of Females In the 1990s, only 39% of characters on television shows were female The range of females in television commercials and movies range from about 20-45% In a study of 101 G-rated films, 3 out of 4 characters were male (2006) These trends are also present in children’s shows, video games, and computer clipart images

Under Representation of Ethnicity People of color (especially Latina, Asian American, and Native American girls and women) are under represented in television and commercials When people of color are featured, they are often highly stereotyped What movies can you think of?

Representation of Age & Sexual Orientation Older women are extremely under represented in the media  Women over 50 make up 12% of movie roles  Older women of color are rarely seen Lesbians and gay men are also under represented in the media  Initially they were only seen as psychopaths, suicidal, unattractive or isolated  This group is becoming more visible as acceptance as grown in our culture  What kinds of portrayals of lesbians and gay men do we most commonly see?

Gender Roles in the Media: Women Women are commonly portrayed in the family role (e.g. Homemakers) Women are less likely than men to hold powerful occupations There are few portrays of women successfully combining a career and a family Female athletes are rarely shown or their ability is well underplayed These trends can be found in TV shows, movies, Sunday comics, children’s books, etc.

Gender Roles in the Media: Women The female communion (personality traits associated with women such as sympathy, warmth and concern) stereotype is very common for women’s portrayal in the media This area is making progress, though, with movies like Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill, and TV shows like Survivor and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Gender Roles in the Media: Women Women are often defined by their attractiveness and sexuality 2/3 of ads in women’s fashion magazines and magazines for teens depict women as sex objects Many lyrics to popular music degrades women with explicit lyrics White, thin, able-bodied, young women are most commonly used in the media

Gender Roles in the Media: Women Gender roles are used to sell products Sarah Haskins: Target Women  Sarah Haskins is a writer and performer _sarah-haskins-in-target-women-lady- friends.htm 621_sarah-haskins-in-target-women-lady- friends.htm

Gender Roles in the Media: Men Men in the media are often times characterized by agency (concern about accomplishing tasks) Common traits for men in the media are violent, hypermasculine, powerful, athletic, and sexually assertive Ct35oFY&feature=related Ct35oFY&feature=related Tough Guise & The Mickey Mouse Monopoly

The Consequences Research has been done that shows the media reflects and transmits stereotypes and they have a socializing effect Media images emphasize the importance to females of physical attractiveness and sexuality Media images emphasize the importance to men of physical strength, power and invulnerability

The Consequences Yq_y8&feature=related Yq_y8&feature=related WJ4T8&feature=related WJ4T8&feature=related

Recommendations Women’s Studies classes Tough Guise (can be found on YouTube) Mickey Mouse Monopoly (can be found on YouTube)

Etaugh, Claire A., and Judith S. Bridges. Women's Lives: A Psychological Exploration. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, Print. Newton, Sanjay, writ. Sexism, Strength and Dominance. YouTube, Web. 18 May Onslaught. YouTube, Web. 18 May Sarah Haskins in Target Women. Narr. Sarah Haskins Web. 18 May Tough Guise. Narr. Jackson Katz. YouTube, Web. 18 May