Kenzie Nix

GWSS 200
Section AB
Honors Ad Hoc-Media in Our Lives
Every American citizen sees an average of 3000 advertisements every single day
(Hynes, Patricia). When you walk to class, browse your Facebook, open a magazine, read
your email, or literally do just about anything, you are bombarded with advertisements.
The media is in your face 24/7 whether you realize it or not. This thought is a little scary
on its own, until you take the time to analyze the subliminal messaging and content that
lies behind the glossy finish of a magazine advertisement. The advertisement that youve
glanced over so many times of a woman in a bikini drinking a coke has probably never
seemed of any importance. Most people are numb to the medias representations of
women in these advertisements. But what these advertisements are doing are creating an
image of the ideal woman that is not only objectifying and sexualizing, but impossible to
achieve for anyone but the lucky 5% of women who are actually built like super
models. But even then, super models are photo shopped before they appear in the media.
It is important to realize not only that the representations that we are seeing are false, but
also what the consequences of regularly being surrounded by the medias ideal sexualized
woman. Young adults and youth are hit harder than anyone else when it comes to the
repercussions of the medias influence (Feinberg, Cara). In actuality, the media
drastically affects everyone though. The advertisements we think nothing of us control
almost every detail of our daily lives, and the worst part is that we dont even realize it. In
this essay I will argue that the media holds us in a static view of gender roles and

prevents society from moving towards an open and affirming construction of sex and
gender.
Teenagers today are put under more pressure then ever to be perfect (DavisLaack, Paula). Outside of academic, extracurricular, and family obligations, young adults
today are also concerned by the mass medias pressure to put on a certain face, look and,
outfit every day to fit into the social norm of what is male and female. These pressures
are especially difficult for children because the media are arguably the most powerful
forceskind of like a Superpeer in the psychosocial lives of adolescents (Feinberg,
Cara). The media drives the construction of men and womens appearance. A female has
to do her makeup, purchase the right beauty products, have her hair done perfectly, dress
the right way, talk in a certain way, and act in a certain manner in order to be the
stereotypical girl. On the flip side men have to hide their feelings, wear the right clothes,
talk in a certain way, and demonstrate the traits that society views as masculine. To be a
woman, you cannot show any traits that could be considered as masculine, or vice versa
for men and showing signs of femininity. Crossing these barriers leads to social
ostracism. If a person does not view himself or herself as fitting within the gender
categories, they have an extremely difficult time identifying to mainstream American
culture. Society as a whole struggles with fitting into masculine and feminine roles, but
since adolescents are so sculpted by media, they are affected most. In fact, American
youth takes in nearly eight hours a day of mediaor 10, counting the time spent using
more than one form at a time (Feinberg, Cara). With the constant bombardment of media
plus the additional factor that media for youth is viewed as such an important influence, it
is easy to see how society is shaped to view traditional gender roles.

In addition to the young adults of our country, grown women are put under an
enormous amount of pressure to be the perfect woman. Media representations of what
women should look like almost always paints the picture of a tall, very thin female with
perfect hair, complexion, and breasts. Whether its selling a watch, perfume, makeup, a
drink, or a car, a sexy woman in an advertisement is used. After all, sex sells. A study
analyzing sexualized images in popular media notes how intensely sexualized images of
women but not men have become (Nauert, Rick). The truth remains that no one
can attain this perfect image of what a woman should be. The few 5% of women who are
actually born with beautiful bodies still have to be adjusted before appearing in print
(Killing us Softly 3). Because of this we are telling the women of America that they arent
good enough, that they need to alter something, get bigger breasts, buy the perfect
products, and do everything humanly possible to attain the image of the ideal
sexualized woman. This has also been a factor in the 8 million cases of eating disorders in
America, 90% of which are women (Teen Health and the Media). When having the
perfect body simply isnt possible, women are left with low self worth, and a constant
desire to attain what society views as beautiful. But when did the definition of sexy
become stick thin and frail? When our parents grew up Marilyn Monroes size fourteen
body was perfection for a woman. Now it is desirable to look as if we could die of hunger
at any given moment. This is all due to the power dynamics within our country. Men are
strong and powerful and women are passive. I would argue that these dynamics have
actually gotten worse over time. Although we see women as more equal, the medias
representations of what we should be, is getting closer towards the silent housewife, as
sexualization of women notably increases (Nauert, Rick).

The trivialization of sexual violence can be largely blamed on the medias careless
representation of violence in the public eye. A woman being hit on television or tied up in
a magazine is seen as no big deal. Americans are thus desensitized to violence against
women, making it more and more acceptable to inflict violence upon a woman (Tough
Guise). Women unfortunately often view violence or assault, both emotional and
physical, as a normal part of life. Unreported cases of assault or rape are not a rare
occurrence. In fact, 54% of rapes go unreported and 97% of rapists will never spend a
day in jail (Statistics RAINN). The worst part is that often times women internalize that
they were beat or raped because they deserved it, or because they did something that
caused their attack. Internalization of rapes or assaults causes permanent psychiatric
damage to a person. Feelings of self loathing or understanding where their attacker was
coming from are results of this internalization. In addition, women feel like if they do
leave than their children could be hurt or taken from them, or they could be killed in
retaliation (Stahly, Geraldine Butts). Domestic abuse is a rising issue in society, and the
media only reinforcing the construction of gender that makes sexual assault viewed as a
normal part of life. Rarely, you can see advertisements run that send a message against
domestic or sexual abuse. The anti-violence campaigns are usually published by nonprofit organizations rather than popular products or companies. The violent picture that
products run in magazines or on television that display a product being promoted with a
violent picture are much more likely to be seen by the public eye. Nonprofit organizations
dont get as much media representation largely because they dont spend as much money
on campaigns that large corporations can afford. But also, society is going to pay more

attention to what is popular in society, more often by a popular product, than by a

campaign against violence.
The media shows women in a variety of views that all reinforce male patriarchal
power dynamics. To begin with, women are often seen covering their mouths when
pictured in advertisements (Killing us Softly 3). This is referring to the idea that women
should be silent, and not speak up. Even as we see women gaining power in the public
eye, we still see any woman who speaks her mind as a man would as a bitch. A man
saying the same things would be viewed as powerful. A womans proper place is to keep
her mouth shut, according to the media. What average person would see an advertisement
of a woman covering her mouth and link this to women being silenced? Americas
numbness to the content within the advertisements we see everyday allows the media to
reinforce these ideas without us ever consciously realizing what we are being told.
Another thing we see in the media a lot is womens bodies used as physical objects
(Killing us Softly 3). Womens legs could be scissors or her breasts as food. While we
carelessly flip by this type of advertisement, women are being objectified and sexualized
because of our bodies. The image of women as objects reinforces traditional gender roles
of women as inferior to men, and as femininity as conforming to these images.
Even within the double standard of gender roles, there is a double standard within
the role of females. Women are supposed to be sexy and experienced, but they also have
to virginal and innocent. There is a constant need to be something else from what you are.
If you are sexy, you have to try and be innocent or vice versa. This idea is a continuation
of the stigma in society that a woman is never perfect. There is always something a
woman can do to change her appearance, personality, and education to make her

desirable to the opposite sex. An extremely educated woman is too smart; men feel
threatened by her intelligence. A woman who plays dumb isnt attractive either. They are
deemed as an airhead or a stereotypical blonde. Women who have strong personalities are
bitches; those who are not are flakes (Josefowitz, Natasha). There is a constant air of
negativity to everything that a woman does. There is always room for improvement, for
growth. Where is this criticism when it comes to men? You dont hear people bashing on
the old white bald men who are in power of our world. Because according to gender
roles, a womans job is to be a beautiful counterpart and asset to their husband, while they
worry about bringing home the bacon. With modern day gender roles, a woman will
never be perfect in her skin.
The largest portion of the media we see in our daily lives revolves around
promoting products that change a person, especially a womans, image. On a daily basis I
see advertisements for makeup, lotion, hair products, nail polish, perfume, body wash,
clothing, shoes, accessories, and weight loss programs. All of these products that are
viewed on a near daily basis by every American all are aimed at making a woman
beautiful. If your hair is frizzy, buy a new serum. If your face is ugly, buy this new
makeup. If you look frumpy, buy the newest styles. If youre body is unattractive, starve
yourself. There is always a solution to whatever womens self esteem issues are in some
sort of product. So, women cant just be happy with how they are born. With all the
products there are in todays world, it is possible for a woman to be perfect if they really
put in enough effort. Now you might notice that there are also tons of products aimed at
men. After-shave, Rogaine, deodorant, and body wash are all perfectly good examples of
advertisements that are seen for the males eyes. But what happens if men are bald or

dont shave? It is common to think of a man with scruff as attractively rugged. Male
politicians who are balding still win elections, yet a woman has yet to win president of
the United States. A woman who doesnt wear makeup, shave her legs, do her hair is in
fact punished for her undesirable appearance. It is much more difficult for an unattractive
woman to be successful, not only in the social realm, but in the business world. Women
find it far more difficult to advance especially in female dominated professions in
comparison to men. The idea of the glass escalator promotes men into management
positions without even trying (Williams, Christine L). The difference is that men have the
option of using a product, but it doesnt really matter if they do. Women are held to the
standards that they must maintain their appearance to even remotely compete with men.
After all, a woman is just a pretty face, and men have so much more to offer in modern
day gender roles.
When did it become attractive to be passive? A woman who makes herself
vulnerable is seen as desirable to men. Why? Vulnerable women are easy to control and
manipulate. Ideally, a woman should listen to what a man says and follow their direction.
Men take the active and powerful roles. In media we see this as a man and woman in the
same advertisement or picture, as a man standing in a stance superior to the woman,
looking down, or standing taller. It is also common to see a womans body language
reflect vulnerability and a mans stance reflect that he is powerful. This idea is also seen
within minorities. A black man and a white woman would show the same roles as
discussed but the black man would then take the place of the woman (Killing us Softly 3).
Minorities and women are both seen as inferior to the white man. Unfortunately, this
phenomenon is not just something we see portrayed in the media. As a result, women

feel like they must take a passive role in their daily lives. It has become okay to take
orders from a man, and stand down to them because of their gender. It is much more
common to see a male in a management position, because they are seen as powerful
leaders (Williams, Christine). In the past it was more common to see a housewife as
someone who stayed at home and did domestic work while a man left the home to work
and bring in the family income. That image is much less common these days as most
women work in todays families, because they want to, or need to in order to make
enough money to sustain the family. Even with more women in the work force, women
are still seen as weaker than men. I blame the media for reinforcing gender roles that
would otherwise be left behind. There is no way to begin changing these roles until the
media changes its portrayal of gender roles.
Today, our society is moving closer towards the idea of a gender spectrum. By
this I mean that a person can fit themselves anywhere on a spectrum between male and
female without feeling like they must place themselves in one or the other category. The
rising acceptance of those individuals who are gender queer is a huge change in society.
At Brown, and other universities, transgender individuals are creating change by allowing
transgenders to choose the sex of their dorm and using neutral pronouns (Bernstein, Fred
A). For once, individuals who have felt silenced and alone for their entire life are able to
find a place. We dont think about how hard it would be to be completely rejected by the
social norms. The average American citizen takes for granted that their worries dont
consist of death threats and hatred towards what we cannot help but to be our selves. I
can be myself without hiding any part of my identity, and I dont think about it as
anything special. But for those people who have felt the hatred of homophobia and

discrimination against their identities, the rise of the gender spectrum means getting
closer to leading a normal life. When individuals dont have to worry about their sexual
orientation or identity, the world will be able to focus on things that actually matter, like
the content of someones character instead of their gender. Unfortunately, although
society is moving closer and closer towards the acceptance of a gender spectrum rather
than two rigid roles, the gender portrayal in the media is far from representing anything
but the gender binary system of males or females. Until the media represents an idea that
being gender queer is normal in society, it will be difficult for mainstream society to
accept the idea completely.
The media holds an extremely big responsibility in todays world. What they
choose to show the world controls us all. In todays age, the media has chosen to
reinforce negative stereotypes of what makes a man and woman, rather than
progressively changing the way that society views gender. Through the products we see,
the body language or the images themselves in the advertisements, women are
continually seen as inferior to men, sexualized, objectified, and lowly. Sexual and
domestic violence is represented as an acceptable behavior, and men as powerful and
superior is drilled into our minds. The day that the mass media chooses to portray women
as something other than sexualized objects, society may begin to view them as such.
Even as our society moves towards more progressive constructions of gender roles, the
medias cooperation in displaying the new construction is essential to the acceptance of
such ideas in mainstream culture. In order to invoke this change we must either wait for
the eventual change of the media, or find a way to disregard the images that we cant help
but see. We have a long road ahead of us, but the world is up for the change.

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