A proactive approach is vital before it becomes too late to address the fact that new information technologies (internet), magazines, films, newspapers, billboards computer games and television offer access to prostitution and degrading images of women all over the world. The continuing negative and degrading images of women, gender stereotypes and violent and/or pornographic examples in the media have a negative impact and hinders women's full participation in society. The fact that women earn more money than men in only two job categories, those of modelling and prostitution serves to illustrate this point (Wolf, 1992). Women are restricted and relegated to substandard positions for an overwhelmingly male audience this backs up what Wolf says. Women and girls are also consistently taught from an early age that their self-worth is largely dependent on how they look this, being the reason they are forced into only two roles in society (as I have just stated), or they feel as if these are the only two options offered.
One in every three people that appear on European television is a woman. Women are less likely than men to be invited as experts; spokespersons on radio or TV programmes are as they are seen as not good or worthy enough to fulfil that kind of position. Recent studies confirm that common characteristics are put forward in the way women are portrayed in the media: they are married, generally young, often associated with fashion and / over-represented as victims of violence or half dressed in a very provocative manor. In other words, they appear as being powerless and sex objects. Furthermore a large number of advertisements still promote a very stereotypical and negative image of women in order to sell products and/or services. When looking through popular women’s magazines such as Good Housekeeping, Woman and Woman’s Own almost all of the advertisements for cleaning products and general household appliances used women to advertise them. Advertisers play on these traditional portrayals of gender because for the most part, they are fairly recognisable. The percentage of housewives to househusbands, for example, is greater and therefore for many household goods target audience has been women. This portrays them as the good little housewife that stays at home and runs the house and childcare. Also women are used to advertise diet regimes, which suggest that all women must be slim, and watch what they eat in order to be accepted and liked. This puts a great strain on women to look good, but not for themselves – for the males. My view is that it is magazines that make young women feel pressured into looking 'perfect', usually for men. Anorexia and eating disorders are said to be the result of these adverts in the media but would the role be reversed if it were males that advertised the diet products? Would men even agree to be pictured to advertise such things? Would men sell the products? It’s my feeling that they would not sell and feel that men would not like to hinder their macho masculine image. With women being used to advertise cleaning products, diet pills, does this say that we must fulfil this role in society or does it solely help sell the product, as they look good to the eye?
Open sexism is still a reality as the procedures against sexist and discriminatory advertising are very slow and the fines are not dissuasive.
This constant gender stereotypical portrayal is an important element of the continuing discrimination against women in all areas of life. The image of women in the media should therefore also be examined as a crosscutting theme in the field of health (eating disorders), employment (women on television usually have “traditional female” jobs) and others.
Although the younger generation of adults shares responsibilities, in a lot of households, the man is still seen as the breadwinner, and therefore the decision-maker. With the increase of women in full time work however, this may soon change.
While the role of governments is weakening, the media is becoming more powerful and complex; therefore, it is essential to re-establish a balance, in order to secure respect for women’s human rights and dignity. In order to impose restraints on sex stereotypes and sexist image in the different media and in the world of publicity, measures, mechanisms and bodies to regulate the content of media productions are essential. Currently, the media is auto-regulated which is often reduced to closed consultation with the managers and the proprietors of the media industry as they need women to sell their products and will do anything to succeed. (Whatever lengths they have to go to).
How do we tend to receive this information? Does the media condition women to accept and play out this role or is the media influenced by society? Because the media need to please the audience they will try to reflect the values and beliefs that are predominant in society. In other words, they give us what we say we want rather than telling us what to think and believe, in order to make us stay ‘in our place’. I feel that men receive these images of females in the media in a more sexual way as they are aroused by the opposite sex and have a greater need to have them around. Women I feel have come to accept that they are used to advertise and try to sell products but they would not act out this role or take part in the advertisement if they felt they were of less importance and value.
I think women may realised that they are needed in the media and society and have now taken full advantage and reap the benefits as after all, sex does sell. Advertisers use sex in a number of ways in order to sell products. There are adverts that portray sex in a straightforward way to sell products. This type of portrayal can be split into the portrayals using more sensual imagery and those showing a plain use of the human form. Advertisers know that men will be influenced to buy a product solely by its image and therefore, by using sex to promote the product, advertisers can take advantage of this. It is very rare to find a woman's product being promoted by a man. However, a lot of products for men use women. An example of this is shown in Gillette's adverts for their razors, where a woman is seen admiring how close a shave that the razor gives. Caressing & kissing the male body then smiling falsely.
I think advertisers are now beginning to pick up on changes of gender roles in society. The 'traditional' roles of men and women are disappearing. Women are becoming more powerful. They are getting the well-paid jobs, earning a lot of money, and attaining positions of power. Due to this, the numbers of men staying at home while the women are going out to work is increasing. The traditional roles are being reversed. Advertisers are using role reversal more and more in adverts to highlight these changes. These reversals are, however, often portrayed in a sarcastic or less serious than in other adverts.
Without these gender roles maybe society would have had an adverse effect on the media and what we portray as acceptable would in fact be outrageous.
Why is the media so important? —One may ask. More often than not, it’s the way we get most of our information. Information we tend to think of as the “truth.
Overall when looking at different types of media I got the general impression that women are portrayed in a worthless provocative manor. This was repeated in the same way across the whole range and always looked as if they were being exploited. Society have dictated to the media what they want to buy and see, all that’s left for the media to do is provide this product.
