Now that we are toward the end of the unit, we will now discuss how the media constructs identities and influences relations between cultural groups.
In this discussion post, respond to the following questions in a comment, then reply to at least 2 other students, engaging in dialogue, and extending their ideas about the texts/questions in conversation. Be sure to include your ideas and thoughts about the specific Pozner and Alvarez texts in your responses.
- What/how
does patriarchy effect both individuals and large groups within societies?
- Are
femininity and masculinity real?
- How do both individuals and the media construct and/or influence gendered identities?
- In
what ways do stereotypes and external identity construction affect gender
relations?
- Is the media responsible for propagating and influencing stereotypes? And, if you believe so, what larger implications does that have on certain cultures and types of people?
- Should the media have a political and/or ethical responsibility in the way it represents groups of people?
- Any other reactions, observations, or personal experiences related to the above???
What/how does patriarchy effect both individuals and large groups within societies?
ReplyDeletePatriarchy affects people's individual lives by affecting relationships. A women can feel very pressured to be the traditional wife even if that's not what they want or are meant to be. Men are placed with enormous pressure from the public sphere to protect and provide for their family. It affects large groups by determining how society functions, patriarchy shapes society and creates those roles that individuals conform to.
is the media responsible for propagating and influencing stereotypes? And, if you believe so, what larger implications does that have on certain cultures and types of people?
ReplyDeleteYes, most young girls look up to idols they see on television or in the media. When the media improperly represents a certain group, stereotypes are reinforced. For example, if all you see are skinny, beautiful girls in the media, a young girl would assume that's the norm, which enforces unrealistic standards. People assume media is true and an accurate representation of society, though it is usually severely limited to beautiful white people, which implies they're the majority and makes everyone else a minority. When other races are represented they tend to strengthen stereotypes instead of trying to properly represent their culture.
I really like your description—the media is ultimately responsible for enforcing gender and power roles in society, and unless the media is held accountable for these often unfair stereotypes, the human race may never reach true equality.
DeleteI agree. To add on, the media often portrays POC in a negative light to reinforce sterotypes, which contributes to white supremacy in society.
DeleteThe media should have an ethical responsibility for representing all groups of people. Pozner's article argued that ANTM should be taken off the air for its portrayal of women of color. I think that since Tyra Banks has ultimately done disservice to other black women and women of color as a whole, that the media should censor the repeated incorrect representation of women and men (although not mentioned much in Pozner's article) of color to avoid further oppression in society. Maybe if such racist and sexist representations were not made, people of color could be significantly more equal to their white counterparts.
ReplyDeleteHailey, I really like your ideas on censoring representation of women and men of color and agree with your piece of evidence to support your reason why. Media generalizes groups of people and causes hostility in all groups even those not effected by the stereotype. Media plays a huge role in how people view others in our world.
DeleteI like how you elaborated on Pozner's argument and included men of color in your description as well as women.
DeleteI agree with this point that Banks degraded different cultures. Pozner also noted that Asian women are either masculinized or over feminized, which connects to Beyond Dualism. The media edits and chooses content that they know will give them greater profit and viewer interest, because they point out specific holes in societal ideologies and stereotypes.
DeleteI agree that Tyra has done disservice to women of color. This leads to further oppression and stereotyping that is unnecessary.
DeleteI agree with your points on how media and the show creates a vision of the ideal woman for society, does enforce unfair standards. However, I would like to just make clear that Tyra Banks is not to blame for ALL the unfair standards and stereotypes the media has created for woman. The media is a two way street, without an audience that is embracing what the media is doing, there would be no issue. Therefore I think the viewers who blindly support and idolize this show are more to blame than Tyra.
DeleteMedia does hold an ethical responsibility for how groups of people are represented. The media construct of groups of people leads to stereotypes being created. The media promoting stereotypes leads to daily, real life assumptions and treatment toward groups of people baised on appearance, like gender or race.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree that the media has a responsibility for what they're promoting. The media constructs one's identity, and once they construct it, that person's identity becomes a representation of his or her's whole racial background and people. In this way, the media creates and spreads the daily stereotype ideals.
DeleteThe media should have an ethical responsibility in the way it represents groups of people. Instead of judging and characterizing people on the way they look or their culture, they should be focusing on the specific group or individual, not stereotyping them.
ReplyDeleteStereotypes are a very large thing when it comes to different ethnicities and or races (although, technically, they don't exist) these stereotypes effect both genders of that group in completely different ways. With these stereotypes sometimes genders in society have a harder time and are constructed and seen in a different light by other people. The more ethnicities, cultures or etc that a person contains the more stereotypes are placed on them.
ReplyDeleteMedia and politics also play a huge role on stereotypes and enforce new ideas. When children are growing up they tend to believe what the media constructs around them, being lodged into their subcnconcious and eventually shaping their perspective. Movies can shape ideas about stereotypes of all kinds and influence vehement behaviors towards certain groups of people.
I agree with what you said about media shaping people's views, especially political views. This can be proven through the current election and how so much went on with the internet and propaganda through social media
DeleteI definitely agree that the media is especially responsible for shaping young people because they are not aware that they are being influenced.
DeleteI agree with your points on the media influencing people especially the younger people. Teens are under pressure from society and their peers to fit in and be beautiful, all these standards that have been created by the media.
DeleteShould the media have a political and/or ethical responsibility in the way it represents groups of people?
ReplyDeleteYes. The media should not be so quick to jump to stereotypes. In Pozner's article, ANTM generalizes racial groups and purposefully portrays them in negative ways. For example, they try to highlight promiscuity in certain groups, instead of playing up their talents, like stunt work. By playing up certain negative aspects of various groups, the media disrespects many cultures.
Is the media responsible for propagating and influencing stereotypes? And if you believe so, what larger implications does that have on certain cultures and types of people?
Yes, the media is responsible for propagating and influencing stereotypes. Stereotyping and generalizing large groups of people results in their dehumanization.
The media is responsible for influencing stereotypes, and invokes feelings that a certain type of look is better than another. Specific traits such as ethnicity vs. nationality, material wealth, and education become the main sources of people's insecurities. Cultural aspects relating to similar ethnicities are put under a stereotype for one specific ethnicity. Dress and style specific to one's culture become ridiculed as being "overbearing". One's material wealth or poverty is used against them, and one's education is portrayed as showing off. People are led to believe that their personal beliefs and traits are not of the same value of that of the dominant culture.
ReplyDeletePatriarchy effects both groups because in both readings women are being put down in society because of the fact they are are women in America. Femininity and masculinity in these readings are a very real thing; all of the women in the readings face the problem of not coming across too masculine in a very much feminine setting. I believe that media is responsible in propagation these stereotypes and that because of this, people are forced to live their lives in somewhat of a bubble out of fear if being judged, or labeled as something that their not. These stereotypes can also be presented in not only gender, but also race and ethnicity.
ReplyDeleteI agree that [patriachy affects both factors in women and racial ethnicity.media is also responsible for this because they are the ones portraying editing and forcing women on how they should behave on camera
DeleteI agree that women in these readings are portrayed as being fairly feminine and are expected to act accordingly. However, I do not think that media, exactly, is responsible for these "stereotypes," but that society is responsible for these expectations because for the times before media was even around, these expectations were still relevant. This is due to society, the way society is constructed, and how much more these expectations become accepted throughout time.
DeletePatriarchy forces man women to play in different filed of work and sources of entertainment. But another bought role is the racial factor. In ANTM we see black females being portrayed ignorant an angry not embracing race. Another factor is because women are expressed more provocatively in media they them media should take responsibility for mental traumas people might have experiences.
ReplyDeleteAlvarez explains how boys are born men but girls turn into women. After their Quinceañera, the women become more sexualized, and men begin to "feast" on their prey of women, attempting to prove themselves as healthy men. In this way, patriarchy affects both individuals through creating stereotypes of what men should do and what women should do. Just like in Ispiritu, men are forced to become more dominant and manly over the women. Women are also "supposed" to have a quinceñera in order to develop properly into a woman.
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said about the patriarchy involving both men and women. This relates to the argument that feminism is not only a fight for men, but for woman too. One could argue that feminism breaks not only female stereotypes and expectations, but male ones as well.
DeleteThe media is definitely responsible for propagating stereotypes. We are surrounded by images on a daily basis that push us to conform to a mold based on our races and gender. From a young age, we are subconsciously aware of how we are supposed to look and eventually begin to try to fit this mold. By conforming, we too play a role in the construction of stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that the media influences what we like and not like - we gradually begin to fit the mold that society want us to portray as individuals.
DeleteI agree to the extent that media influences stereotypes of how people should act, say, look, and do. The media adds on to existing stereotypes and also creates new ones that become the social norm.
DeleteThe debate that femininity and masculinity being real is complicated because in most interpretations it is seen as being real, but in others it is not. I believe that it is not because the feminine or masculine perception is based on society's standards, expectations, and stereotypes. Femininity and masculinity is not real, rather it is a social construct, similar to race, and is still used universally.
ReplyDeletePatriarchy affects individuals through its effects on personal relationships. Men are taught to flaunt and emphasize their masculinity, whilst women are taught that they fragile and need protection. Patriarchy affects large groups within societies through the influence it has on a specific race, culture, or ethnicity. Femininity and masculinity are only real through stereotypes. Because gender is a social construct, and therefore does not really exist, we cannot define femininity and masculinity, or know what they look like. Individuals construct their own gender identity, however, the media does have a strong influence. The media influences gendered indentities through the potrayal of male and female characters as only what they are stereotypically thought to be. Stereotypes are one of the biggest influences on gender identities, for example, if a girl dresses/acts more stereotypically masculine, or a boy dresses/acts more stereotypically feminine, it is assumed that they are gay. The media does not give nearly enough representation to the heterosexual feminine male, or the heterosexual masculine female, much less the homosexual feminine female or homosexual masculine male.
ReplyDeleteTo respond to Olivia's, Sophia's, Miranda's, Hailey's, Bellamy's, Illiyani's, Jessica's, and Lexi's response, I say that this argument is very complicated. The media is responsible for what they share because that, as a result is what they promote to the public, especially to developing, and *naive* minds of the young people. However, the media essentially is a business and needs to succeed financially, similar to any other business. Therefore, they analyze their audience, the audience's preference of what is seen in media, and the audience's reaction to what is promoted and spread by the media. So in other words, the viewers can also be seen as partially responsible for encouraging and implicitly requesting more of what the media provides, because in today's society, the media is essentially also a major form of entertainment; the public feeds on what the media offers. So, overall, my argument would be the that media is responsible for what they promote, and they are aware of what they are doing, so they therefore are strategical because they know that the response would ultimate benefit and bring themselves more profit. We, the viewers, do have a responsibility in how we react to these reality tv shows by either ignoring it, responding angrily, or encouraging it. If enough negative reaction is extracted, the show, like ANTM, could get shut down, but, referring back to what Gabby said in class, the media has many other ways to depict certain images of people of certain cultures, races, and ethnicities. I believe the media has an ethical responsibility and does promote stereotypes, but does not always get held accountable for doing so. However, the entire argument is complicated because some can argue that although the media records and shares this sensitive material, which can be interpreted negatively, but ultimately the people who act this way should be held responsible for promoting behavior such as this; the focal point can be changed to the people actually acting this way instead of those who share it. Overall, these images can be seen as stereotyping, but in the defender's eyes, it is simply just depicting "random" people's actions, behaviors, and personalities.
ReplyDelete*could not find a better word
You made a lot of really good points here. I definitely agree that while the media may be unintentional in any offensive representations, it is a business that feels that it needs to be entertaining, and that the source of entertainment tends to come from stereotypes.
DeleteI believe that the gender debate is a bit confusing because while sex is real, gender is more of a unknown quantity. Stereotypes are created by all of us and cause us to create associations between imaginary things, but they also cause tensions to arise where there should be no tensions. The media is very responsible for these stereotypes because they haven't done anything to stop them, and in many ways, created them. Gender was originally a way to sell toys to certain demographics and gender was among one of the things that men could use to assert themselves. However, that said, I do believe that the media has an ethnically responsibility to how it represents people. BUR media fees off of entertainment and nowadays that's more evident than ever.
ReplyDelete