The media tells we how we should dress, what we should look
like, and even how we should act. We see advertisements everywhere, on the television,
on the sides of busses, on billboards, and on the internet. It is easy to say
that they are unavoidable. We are told that women should be skinny, pretty
dainty creatures. We are told that men should be strong, emotionless,
providers. For a while these messages were only displayed in the magazines or
the newspapers, but now they are popping up on the sides of social media
websites. Since advertisements make money for their host websites, I do not
think that this will slow down anytime soon. There is so much conversation
around gender roles in today’s society. We need to limit or eliminate the types
of advertisements that send messages pin holing people. While some people can
glance at an ad and be unaffected, but over time those messages seep in. The
idea to be skinny goes from a picture of a model to an eating disorder. The
idea to be a strong man goes from a body builder to acts of violence. Films
such as Miss Representation further
discuss this point and even more ways that the media affects social and gender roles.
I feel that the internet has made these issues even worse.
Everyone uses the internet, all ages, all genders, and all personalities. The
internet is used a work, in school, and for leisure. This gives advertisements
multiple and frequent chances to get their message across. It worries me that
with the growth and multiple uses of the internet that the messages will
worsen. It is important to try and restructure the way we portray genders in
the media or else matters will worsen. If we can encourage the youth rather
than try to put them in separate boxes I think that the stereotypes and gender
roles can change.
I agree that gender roles are greatly affected by the internet. You see posts online about girls being too fat, or men being to feminine and that slowly creates ideas of what you shouldn't be. Society and the internet create molds for men and women and anyone who doesn't fit in this cookie cutter mold is an outcast. This being said, I feel as though women have it a lot worse then men. The expectation for women is so much greater than that of men. Not to say that their aren't expectations for men, but they aren't as dramatic as the ones women have to try to fill. As you said, women are supposed to look and act a certain way according to the internet. With constant exposure, as much as people say they do not look at ads, they subconsciously notice them. They see the thin model and think that is how they are supposed to look. I agree with everything you said in your post and think that the constant use of the internet, no matter where it is being used, just adds to the stereotypes people are supposed to try and fill. Who you are as a person should not be defined by anybody but yourself, and for the internet to advertise and contribute to these roles is somewhat of a shame.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are advertisements that portray people in certain lights, and I understand that it can affect some people negatively. However, I think that instead of thinking about how the advertisements could change we should be thinking about how we should change our reactions to the advertisements. There are so many different kinds of people in the world. In fact, there are 7 billion different kinds of people in the world. It is absolutely impossible to portray every single type of individual because people are just that.. individual. Let's say there's a commercial about a married couple. That couple could be heterosexual white, heterosexual black, heterosexual latino, heterosexual asian, homosexual, mixed race, different ages, different religions; one can have a disability; the mother can work; the father can work; they can have kids;l they can adopt kids; they can be foster parents... the list is literally endless. The fact of the matter is that there is no way for everyone to be represented by the media. So, they go with stereotypes. Pretty women, let's say. So the real problem here isn't that they are using "pretty woman" it's that the viewers feel like if they aren't THAT that they aren't beautiful. They think the media portrays the "haves" while viewers that dont fit that mold are the "have nots." I think the problem isn't who they portray it's how the people react to who they portray. In order to be an empowered woman, you need to realize that every individual, every SINGLE one, is beautiful. I dont think there are very many models out there with half black, half red hair, thick black glasses, acne, and big buck teeth... and yet I still consider myself a "have." And if you consider yourself a "have not," well, ..... there's the real problem.
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