7. Screen Structure Images: Representations of Women in Advertisements

                   

For this assignment, I went out into the field to examine the concepts of gender roles and hegemony further. These results proved to be interesting! 

For the narrative screen structure, the photos were taken at La Cantera. I wanted to examine window displays and how various stores tried to capture female demographics. In particular, the image of female Halloween costumes was a very sexualized depiction of women. 

The documentary screen structure captured if girls at a young age confirm or neglect typical female gender roles. I followed my cousin around for the day and asked her to show me her favorite things that she loves to play with, what chores she does, and more. I found that there were many aspects of femininity that she has been socialized into but growing up with brothers she adopts aspects of masculinity. For example, she loves to play video games and football with her brothers. An interesting aspect was when I was documenting her playing a video game, she was playing a fighting game and chose the female player. The depiction of the female fighter was very hyper-sexualized. This is an interesting aspect because no matter how much her mother raises her to be a confident, strong and unique girl, these sexualized images of women in the media cannot be avoided and are even in video games!

The aesthetic screen structure showed how women are represented in advertisements. The photos confirmed that many of the women were depicted in a sexualized manner. However, some of the women that were depicted were very androgynous looking which I found to be rather interesting. 

"You Don't Have to Just Play With Easy Bake Ovens!" Examining the Depiction of Gender Coded Toys

Let me tell you, this little girl is putting the toy industry in its place! She is aware of how products are more geared towards girls than boys. I applaude this little girl and her parents for being aware of this issue and explaining to her that toys don't have to be gender specific. Another clip comes to mind, which is a Friends episode where the character Ross is really bothered that his son's favorite toy is a Barbie. His girlfriend and ex-wife argue with him that it doesn't really matter, while Ross is worried that his son will be seen as feminine. Ross tries to coax his son into playing with a G.I. Joe which ultimately ends in failure. It's apparent that toys are marketed to specific genders, I remember getting my first Easy Bake Oven and after many hours of my brownies cooking they were still mush. Looking back on it now, even though my mother was giving me one because she had one as a child, I am still bothered that these types of toys are training to bring out the homemaker in little girls. There was always this internal conflict I experienced in my household, because I always wanted to play with the toys my brother was playing. I remember that I wanted to be accepted by my brother and wanted to play videos games with him badly, but he would always be reluctant to let me play with him. He was a little selfish of his belongings but he saw that girls weren't supposed to play videos games and that it was a 'boy thing'.

Gender coded toys further reinforce group differention and gender roles. I would argue that at a young age we are given toys for entertainment and excitement and these toys may serve as symbols of what its like to be feminine and masculine. Toys geared towards boys are depicted as more masculine, rough, and are typically action figures. While female toys are feminine and reinforce gender roles such as being a homemaker and having the perfect appearance like a princess. Such as Barbies which depict the stereotyped female body type, play kitchens, and princess costumes. Sociological Images shows through images the group differentiation and color-coded aisles at a Toys-R-Us. Astuer & Mansbauch (2012), discuss how Williams (2006) suggested that "Adults choose gender-typed toys in hopes that this will allow the child to experience the pleasures of gender and pick up some lessons on proper stereotypical behavior” The little girl in that news clip brings an important comment to this discussion, in that toys that are geared towards girls isn't a bad thing, but there is nothing wrong if a little girl wants to play with a toy that is supposed to be for boys!

Resources: Sociological Images, Astuer & Mansbauch (2012), Williams (2006)

Lupe Fiasco's "Bitch Bad"- Challenging the Objectification Of Women In Rap Music

Lupe Fiasco's "Bitch Bad" conveys how powerful images that are depicted in the media have effect on society. In the music industry, especially in rap music, there is a strong use of the word 'bitch' and the objectification of females bodies.  The repeated use of the word has been accepted as the norm and the word is constantly used in our dialects. It is obvious that sex sells in the entertainment industry, but how does this effect the younger generation who watch these depictions of women? Fiasco states (see lyrics below), how this term has becomes ingrained at a young age as something as the norm. We seek entertainment as a form of escape and look-up to entertainers. But at what cost is this affecting young girls in our generation? 

"Yeah now imagine a group of little girls nine through twelve

On the internet watchin' videos listenin' to songs by themselves

It doesn't really matter if they have parental clearance 

They understand the internet better than their parents 

Now being the internet, the content's probably uncesored

They're young, so maleable and probably unmentored 

A complicated combination, maybe with no relevance 

Until that intelligence meets their favorite singer's preference." 

The Sociological Cinema, discusses how the video's content embodies Freud's Madonna-Whore Complex in how men will either view women as promiscuous or saints. From my perspective, I think the lyrics try to address how the media primarily represents women as the whore and rarely the Madonna. How many music videos and movies show women as scantily clad, at the hands of violence, and much more? The Huffington Post Canada elaborates on how Fiasco used Freud's concept in the video. The article discusses how the boy identifies the word 'bitch' because his mother says she is, but is referring to herself a strong independent women. When the video cuts to the girls watching a music video, it shows how they view the term by watching a rap video where women are depicted as submitting to men and barely wearing anything. "But it's the contrast between how the two children interpret the work 'bitch' the delivers the true surprise--while the boy seems to associate it with the strong role model of his mother, the girls, on the other hand, attribute the term to an overly sexualized male fantasy that they later try to emulate." I can remember as a young girl reading Seventeen Magazine and seeing these advertisements of girls that were tall, thin and dressed in the latest fashions. Furthermore,  I remembered in the 90's there was a big trend of supermodels that looked as what was described as 'herion chic', in that these women walking down the runway looked like they were starving themselves or were on drugs. At a young age, girls absorb these images in the media as a depiction of what girls are supposed to look like and act. I remember questioning myself, "Okay is this how I am supposed to look like?" 

PBS' series The Independent Lens, released a documentary Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes by, Byron Hurt, which discusses the negative issues in hip-hop. Note, the documentary isn't available to watch on line, but there some great information on the history of hip-hop and the social issues that are apparent in the music genre. Information about the documentary provides commentary from actresses Sarah Fox on how these images are stereotypical and demeaning, "And the idea is, these men are so important and so powerful, and these women conversely are so dime a dozen...that they don't matter, they're just eye candy, they're worthless." 

Now I want to be honest, do I think that the use of 'bitch' and the objectification of women in rap music is going to stop anytime soon? Unfortunately, I don't think it will, but it still doesn't make it okay. I think this Lupe Fiasco's music video has something to say about how the media depicts women and how we continue to use this word in so many different contexts. I think its important with songs like these that bring to way a social discussion about how women are depicted in the media. Additionally, its important that parents  encourage young girls that being strong, confident, educated and live a healthy life is the most powerful thing a girl can do in this generation. 

The following video from Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes is great clip from the documentary, but at 3:00 the clip discusses the use of the word 'bitch' and objectification of women.

Resources: Lupe Fiasco, The Sociological Cinema, Wikipedia, Huffington Post, Hip Hop- Beyond Beats and Rhymes

6. 30 Rock Female Gender Roles and Hegemony: Video Clip as Representation of Key Concept

30 Rock is a comedy series on the NBC network that centers on the character Liz Lemon who is the head writer for the fictional show TGS. The show deals with the interactions between Liz’s boss, Jack Donaghy and co-workers. According to Artz & Murphy (2000), the media depicts men as the dominant class and women are viewed as the subordinate class. Artz & Murphy (2000) discusses how Antonio Gramsci argued that hegemony is viewed in two different ways, “It provides control through consensus but also can yield change if subordinate classes challenge these controls (Artz & Murphy, 2000: 2-4) Furthermore, they argue that hegemony only exists if the subordinate classes give into these roles, “Power is best secured if subordinates by into the arrangement, agree to the terms and make the relationship theirs. Hegemony is that system of support of the subordinate.” (Artz & Murphy, 2000: 3)

In the episode Jack the Writer (1.4), Liz confronts her assistant, Cerie about how her attire is becoming distracting for the other co-workers. The clip shows the characters viewpoints of gender roles in society. Liz’s assistant, Cerie agrees to the dominant-subordinate relationship between men and women. Rather than Liz, who provides a counterhegemonic discourse that a women’s role in society is not about just settling down and becoming a housewife. She tells Cerie, “You need to wear a bra if you want to be taken seriously in this business.” (Jack the Writer, 1.4) Cherie tells her that her job isn’t long-term and that she wants to settle down and become a mother. Liz argues that being a housewife isn’t the only occupation a women can do. 

There are some great series’ on cable that challenge hegemonic forms of female gender roles such as Parks and Recreation, Mad Men, and New Girl. It would be interesting to examine these current series that are on air and explore if there is a trend of women challenging a hegemonic structure for female gender roles or that these female characters give into it.

The following video shows clips of the Liz Lemon, and how these individuals find her to be a positive and relatable character:

Resources: Artz & Murphy (2000), 30 Rock- Carlock, R. (Writer) 2006, Rudúlph, H. W. (2011), 30 Rock- Scardino, D. (Writer), 2010

5. Defining and Visualizing Concepts: Gender and Cultural Hegemony

Gender roles can demonstrate how a society views what it means to be feminine or masculine and these roles are preformed through various interactions. The concept of cultural hegemony suggests that there is a power structure in society in which men are seen as the dominant sex and women are viewed as the subordinate.  Television is one of the many dominant forms of communication from which we seek for entertainment, information, and can be a reflection of how a society interacts with others. By examining the female gender roles in the media from a hegemonic standpoint, I will be able to address if there is or isn't variability in the representations of female gender in various television shows and film.        

Gender is culturally determined through social norms that address what it means to be masculine or feminine. Holmes (2007:2) defines gender as “Socially produced differences between being feminine and masculine.” Holmes (2007) takes a social psychology approach in measuring gender and argues that we are all social actors and what it means to be feminine or masculine has been socially constructed by our parents, friends, and the media. Buysee & Herbert (2004) define the concept of gender, and its differences in sport. They argue that specific types of sports are perpetuated and accepted in the media as more masculine or feminine, “Male athletes are portrayed by the popular media in terms of their physicality, muscularity, and superiority, while female athletes are feminized and their achievements as athletes are often trivialized” (Buysee & Herber, 2004: 4) They measured gender differences by examining cover photographs of sport media guides from two time periods: 1989-1990 and 1996-1997. Each photo was coded if they had the following representations: Was the male or female presented on or off the court, in or out of uniform, portrayed as active or passive positions or poses, and what was the theme of the photograph?

Cultural hegemony in the media typically shows men as the dominant class and women as the subordinate. Women are portrayed as the subordinate by their occupations, sexuality, dress and interactions with men. Crane defines the hegemonic structure in fashion magazines as, “Media images are constructed for the male spectator’s gaze and embody his expectations of women and of male-female relationships.” (Crane, 1999: 542). Crane measures hegemony by drawing a sample of 18 photographs from the February, March and September, 1997 issues of Vogue Magazine. Then the photos were coded into eight categories. Next, a focused group was administered a questionnaire and then asked their perceptions of the photographs. Kalof (1994) defines hegemony in the media as, “The portrayal of men as powerful and women as powerless and constantly trying to "entertain, please, gratify, satisfy and flatter men with their sexuality" (Kalof, 1994: 40) Hegemony was measured by examining the male and female representations in Michael Jackson’s video, “The Way You Make Me Feel”.  A sample of 80 respondents viewed the video and answered an open-ended questionnaire that examined their viewpoints of male and female interactions in the media.

It would be interesting to present the concept of hegemony by showing a chronological representation of women in the media and their interactions with male counterparts. I would display this concept by creating a video by ripping clips from various movies and television shows. Moreover, I would probably start from the 1960’s to present day. It would be important to start from the 1960’s because during that decade there was a lot of discourse that demanded change to how women were treated and represented in society.  As for gender, I would create a photo college through Picasa which would present what it means to be feminine. Some photos could show a woman at a vanity putting on makeup, being surrounded by children, or women in various occupations.  

The Periodic Table of Visualization Methods is a table that shows various ways to visually display information. The table breaks down visualizations into six categories: data, information, concept, strategy, metaphor, and compound. For the concept of gender, using concept visualization would be the most applicable way of presenting the concept. In particular, the clustering graph could display in the center ‘female gender roles’ and then break it down into various categories of how gender is displayed in the media. Then, provide examples for each category. Compound visualization would be applicable in conveying hegemony. A visual cartoon could be used showing a female in the workplace and her interactions with her male counterparts. I think clustering graphs is a great way of displaying a concept, because a concept can be open to interpretation in various sociological perspectives. For example, gender is addressed differently in criminology, social psychology, religion, and family. Another visual representation application is Visuwords, which is an online visual dictionary. When I examined the two concepts in the application, there wasn't a lot of results for hegemony, but more so for gender. I like how the application displayed each word in a cluster graph format and how other words are tied to the specific concept.

Sources:  Picasa, Visuwords, The Periodic Table of Visualization Methods, Vouge, Kalof (1993), Buysee & Embser-Herbert (2004), Holmes (2007), Crane (1999)

4. Illustrating Concepts: Dr. Phillip Zimbardo's The Secret Powers Of Time

Psychologist, Dr. Phillip Zimbardo delivered a speech at the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) on The Secret Powers of Time (2010), in which he discusses the concept of time and how it can demonstrate how we socially live our lives. Zimbardo states that individuals are past, present, or future oriented. Furthermore, how we view time can reflect our work, life, health, and relationships. I would say that I am a more future oriented individual. I am always thinking ahead because there are some many things that are going on in my life and if I didn't have some sort of plan I would feel like my life would be in disarray. 

I would say that the animated video that was created by the RSA was easier to understand for the mere fact that I am more of a visual learner. As for the content of the video, the implementation of visuals and the dialogue from the initial discussion truly captured what Zimbardo was trying to say. The video very much reminded me of the The Story of Stuff series, which through visuals and narratives discusses how products are made and the excessive consumption that takes place. I found that the ten minutes of visuals summarized and reinforced what Zimbardo was trying to demonstrate in the duration of over a half an hour. The conference was more so a platform to share many examples from his past research and other examples to reinforce what he was trying to say. Secondly, when he was trying to reinforce what he was trying to say in the initial discussion he would show PowerPoint slides to the audience, and it’s hard to read all that in information in a brief moment. I think both videos are equally important, but I thought the animated video successfully conveyed what Zimbardo was trying to demonstrate. 

Sources: RSA, Zimbardo's The Secret Powers of Time (2010), The Story of Stuff

3. Sociology Websites that Successfully Integrate Media

The Sociological Cinema  is a great website that successfully incorporates sociological issues and concepts with media. The website was created by three sociologists from the University of Maryland, who wanted to help other sociologists creatively use media in the classroom. I think it is vital to use media in sociology because it gives a real-world perspective of social issues rather than just reading statistics or a specific theory.

The website has an extensive archive and navigating the site is straightforward and easy to use. I like that there is a search engine at the main page, and you can type whatever topic you are interested in and will load video submissions that are related to the topic. For example, I typed 'inequality' in the search engine and found the submission titled, Single and Unequal. The Sociological Cinema gives a brief description of the video and pointers on how to start a class discussion from watching the video. The article was  originally published by Jason DeParle of the New York Times, which discusses the class inequalities that single parents face in this economy. 

Interestingly, the video compares the story Jessica Shairer, a single parent of three children and her boss Chris Faulkner. Schairer explains how difficult it is for her to raise her children and only makes about 25,000 a year which barely covers the bills. Then the video cuts to Faulkner’s, who's family environment is very different from Schairer's. She is able to have her kids in extra-curricular activities and can comfortably provide for her children. The fact of the matter is there are more and more single-parent households that are struggling to make ends meet. Unfortunately these inequalities can be passed down to their children, in that the children aren't able to participate in activities that can help cultivate and shape them as a student and citizen. Additionally these children miss out on a stable household with two parents guiding the children. Many families experience this every day, but it shouldn't be the norm.

Sources: The Sociological Cinema, New York Times.