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time off when a new child enters a family?
How do you think children would be affected if both parents took time off to care for
them and to participate in raising them?
How do you think fuller involvement of both parents in raising children would affect
society?
1.
Social media take up more of our time than mass media. Recent surveys
show the average person spends six hours online every day.
2.
We use social media to connect with others, organize our communities,
and find out what’s happening in the world.
1.
A primary impact of media is agenda setting, the process by which media
3.
Gatekeepers shape our perceptions by deciding which issues to spotlight,
1.
Underrepresent Women, Minorities, and LGBTQ People
a.
Although women outnumber men, media overrepresent cisgender
heterosexual white men.
b.
Males outnumber females in film, cartoons, and newscasts. The
majority of women characters on television shows are depicted in
interpersonal and secondary roles.
c.
The Bechdel Test assesses gender bias in film by asking: does it
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feature two women who talk to each other about something other
than a man?
2.
Portray Men Stereotypically
a.
Portrayals of men include depictions of males as independent, strong,
aggressive, and in charge.
3.
Portray Women Stereotypically
a.
Portrayals of women include depictions of females presented as
shopping, grooming, being emotional, being focused on men, being
sexual, and performing domestic activities.
b.
The most traditional stereotype of woman is sex object and continues
4.
Gendered Images in Advertising
a.
Ads also show these gendered portrayals of men and women. We are
repeatedly exposed to the same messages, ads feature visual images,
which we tend to analyze less critically than verbal claims, and we
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mistakenly think we’re immune to advertising.
b.
Ads typically portray men as independent, successful, engaged in
activities, and strong. Men’s dominance over women is emphasized.
c.
Men also serve as voices of authority. Even though women are seen at
being successful in the home, male authority is still seen in ads
through male voice-overs and male images like Mr. Clean.
d.
The sexual objectification of women is central to advertising.
There is a relentless emphasis on youth and appearance.
e.
Ads are more subtle when they are blurred with content.
i.
Complimentary copy is an article or two that appears in a
magazine to increase market appeal.
ii.
Product placement shows or mentions a particular brand or
product.
iii.
Contextual advertising is embedded in digital content and
tailored to specific individuals based on data mining practices.
iv.
Immersive advertising incorporates a product or brand into
an entire storyline; e.g., Prada in Gossip Girl.
f.
Women appearing as sex objects and men appearing as sexual
aggressors are common in popular music videos and video games.
5.
Motivate Us to Consume
a.
Some analysts argue that the primary function of media is to
encourage us to buy products and services.
b.
Advertising associates certain products and procedures with
happiness and success. Cosmetic surgery is popular to make
1.
One of the most popular uses of social media is social networking. Girls,
2.
Girls and women frequently use social networking for self-development,
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3.
Social networking technologies have been adapted by LGBTQ and gender
6.
Social networks can have a major downside in cyberbullying, which includes
actions meant to hurt another person and are circulated through email or social
media.
a.
Girls who are bullied tend to be more physically developed than
1.
The digital world offers boundless sources of information about gender
2.
College students have created informal online networks to share
information and strategize about sexual assault on campus.
4.
There are also online communities that provide information and support
5.
Social media allow ordinary individuals to document what’s happening
1.
Picking up on a function of traditional media, social media have emerged
1.
Social communities are frequently used for purposes of activism.
a.
Organizations can use social media sites to get their messages out to
1.
When we are exposed to the unrealistic images of men and women in the
media, we tend to see ourselves as inadequate.
3.
The availability of pornography creates unrealistic standards for sexual
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4.
Research suggested the unrealistic ideals in popular media do influence how
1.
There is evidence that violence in the media contributes to increasing
violence in real life.
2.
Video games invite players not just to watch violence but to engage virtually
in violence, including violence against women.
3.
Several theories of gender development show the relationship between media
violence and real-life violence.
a.
Social learning theory thinks about when boys and men watch
2.
Analyze gender stereotypes in a film or television show.
3.
Think of a television show or film that was not mentioned in Chapter 11 that
attempts to challenge traditional depictions of men or women. How does this example differ
from other media images you have seen? How do these alternative images challenge
prevailing norms of what women and men should be?
4.
Print out lyrics from your top 5-8 favorite songs. What messages do the lyrics send about
sex and gender? Do you support those ideas? If there are messages you do not support, why
do you listen to those songs? How do you think some artists are able to resist pressure to
sing songs that position men and women in limiting ways? (This is an individual version of
5.
Think about how you use social media. What are your most common purposes for using
social media? Does your usage match the gendered patterns explained in Chapter 11? How
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do you think social media affects your perceptions of gendered communication?
1.
Documentaries: Gender and Media: There are many different videos that can be shown to
examine sex and gender issues as presented by the media. We will include suggestions for
three different videos we have used in this section of the course. Bibliographic information
to assist you in locating these videos appears in the reference section of this resource book.
You may also want to consider showing a recent episode from one of the season’s hot new
way. We encourage you to discuss the nature of the film in advance with your students
and allow them to leave the viewing if they so choose. We provide an alternate
assignment to students who choose not to watch the film, such as a reading from Naomi
Wolf’s (1991) book The Beauty Myth.
After your class watches Dreamworlds, be prepared for several moments of silence from
2.
Gendered Messages in Magazines: Another activity we frequently bring into the
classroom asks students to clip and examine advertisements from popular magazines.
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Assign students the task of bringing in three print advertisements, or other forms of media,
3.
Gendered Messages in Commercials: Record several commercials during an evening
television show. (If students do not have cable, they can look up recent commercials on
4.
Gendered Messages in Songs: Ask students to bring in a printed copy of lyrics to some of
their favorite songs. Ask them to examine the lyrics in small groups to determine what
5.
What You’re Watching: This exercise requires advanced planning and can take several
days of class time. You may find it to be worth the time investment for several reasons: It
requires students to analyze critically television programs they watch and enjoy.
Additionally, students often are able to incorporate material from earlier chapters – verbal
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2.
Consider the plots and subplots of the episodes you viewed. Are sex and/or gender
central to these plots and subplots?
3.
Consider the gender roles played by each character. Do they conform to the patterns
discussed in Chapter 11? If so, how so? If not, how not?
4.
Consider the relationships between characters. Do these reflect gendered themes?
5.
If advertisements are shown with the program, consider the questions as they relate to
the ads.
Toward the end of the unit, devote part of or a whole class period for students to meet in small
groups. Each small group should be composed of people who have watched the same program.
Have students compare notes. Based on their discussions and notes, each group should prepare a
short presentation (10 or more minutes, depending on the size of the class and time available).
The presentation should take into account issues that arise from the questions posed on the
handout and that intersect with ideas presented in Chapter 11. Devote one or two days to student
presentations. If possible, ask students to illustrate their arguments with clips from the program
they are discussing. (Some students will own the DVDs of their favorite programs; others can be
streamed instantly. Even if full episodes are not available online, shorter clips oftentimes are.)
Although groups are asked to make connections between the material in the textbook and the
programs on which they are presenting, the instructor will want to be prepared to help make
those connections, too. Additionally, it’s a good idea for the instructor to take notes during the
presentations and to formulate test questions based on what is presented. Alternatively, the
instructor might ask each group to compose two or three test questions based on the material they
presented and include some of those on the exam. Students often take this exercise more
seriously if they are given a grade on the group presentation that counts toward their course
grade.
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JUDGMENT CALL 11: WERE MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF
BRANDI CHASTAIN SEXIST?
In July of 1999 the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team won the World Cup. In the moment of
victory after kicking the winning shot, U.S. player Brandi Chastain ripped off her shirt and
waved it at the crowd with a black sports bra as the only clothing above her waist. Photos of
Chastain in her sports bra were featured on the covers of Newsweek and Sports Illustrated, as
well as many newspapers. Chastain was the player who captured media’s attention—not
teammates Briana Scurry whose magnificent work deflected one of the Chinese kicks or Mia
Hamm who is the highest scoring woman in the history of international soccer. Chastain was the
media’s pick.
Many people regarded the photos of Chastain as showing a superb athlete in the flush of
victory—exhilarated and impulsively celebrating. But others thought the photographs reflected
media’s intent to portray women as sexual objects. Columnist G.D. Gearino (1999, p. 1E) wrote
that Chastain wasn’t on the cover because of her athletic skills but rather “because she kicked the
winning goal and then ripped her shirt off to scamper about in her underwear.” Gearino argued
that the media “love photographs and videotape of women in their underwear.”
Do you think media were sexist in choosing to feature photos of Chastain in her sports
bra? If possible, view the cover of Newsweek’s July 19, 1999 issue. The following prompts may
be useful in thinking through the question.
Is it different for a woman athlete to rip off her shirt in the throes of victory than for a man
athlete to do so? Tennis star Pete Sampras removed his shirt on the court, and nobody
commented.
Does it matter whether Chastain ripped off her shirt because of “momentary insanity,” as she
claimed, or as a calculated move to seize media’s attention, as Gearino and others imply?
Is an athlete whose muscles and strength are visible and who is wearing a sports bra a
sexualized image? Is it the same kind of image as a woman wearing a lacy bra?
Aside from the fact that cover photos of Chastain showed her in the sports bra, was the shot
of her a better symbol of the victory and the success of the women’s team than shots of
Scurry deflecting a ball or Hamm playing in field would have been?
19). Cover. Sports Illustrated (1999, July) Cover.