IN THE MEDIA Women throughout history have fought for the purpose of earning independence and the same natural rights as men. The fact that women have come so far as to eventually earning the right to vote, the opportunity to work, and even holding a seat in congress, tells us that the world has really come a long way since. Even so, there is still a long way to go as far as being equal to men. The fact that women are not viewed as equal can lead to many consequences. They are treated less as if they were less of a person just for being female. Such consequences can eventually lead to stereotypes, sexual harassment, discrimination, and even rape. This is something that has been occurring for so long and it is something that has to change. A big example of what women have had to deal with and even now still face is sexism. According to the dictionary’s definition, sexism refers to the prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, on the basis of sex, typically against women. Such attitudes can happen either at the workplace, sports, media, and even social events. It basically happens everywhere and it can affect the lives of women whether it’s public and private, legal and economic, educational and social, and/or religious and psychological. Sexism is something that has existed since the very early of times. Sexism can be interpreted in many ways whether it be through a picture, film, or on a written post. The fact that it is everywhere can be damaging to women in many possible ways one can imagine be it mentally or physically. In order to understand sexism and decipher the many ways in which sexism is being used in advertisements four of the following questions must be considered throughout:
1. Does sexism exist in the media? 2. How is sexism interpreted or portrayed in the media? 3. How has sexism in the media affected women? 4. What can be done to eradicate sexism in the media or overall?
Does sexism exist in the media?
It is a fact that sexism towards women is real but in what ways are sexist attitudes expressed towards women? A big factor in which sexism has been present is in the media. According to a literature report, Images of Women in Online Advertisements of Global Products: Does Sexism Exist? sexism exists in Online Advertisements of Products and Television and “research has indicated that advertising in the media has rendered distorted body image ideals as valid and acceptable, contributing to gender inequality and the promotion of sexism” (Plakoyiannaki; Mathioudaki; Dimitratos; Zotos, 2008). This is an issue because as a result more and more females are being swayed by these media and it can be unhealthy. Advertisements have been throwing subtle messages to women on telling them how to look, feel, and/or think. Women are subjected to many stereotypes in today’s society. Movies and television shows suggest that all women are air-heads. Magazine and other advertisements push photographs of very slender and “sexy” women into the minds of children. Media has also portrayed a women as being less and inferior through television and has encouraged stereotypes among females. Women are very often shown as sex symbols. Women are on commercials and magazine advertisements dressed in skimpy clothing selling everything from tires to pizza. The women shown in most advertisements today are tall, very thin, and usually in some sexually suggestive pose (Senghas, 2006). According to Jean Kilbourne from the Youtube video called Killing us Softly, the average American is exposed to 3,000 ads per day and 3 years watching just the TV commercials. Advertising is the foundation of the mass media, and its prime purpose is to sell products, but it also sells more than that, it sells values, love, success. To a great extent advertising tells one who they are and who one should be. The hidden message of images in advertising say the same thing it did 20 years ago, that what is most important for a women is how they look (Kilbourne, 2006). Kilbourne also emphasizes on how women are taught since a very early age to spend enormous amount of time and money trying to achieve an ideal that is being presented through advertising. Movies, television, magazines, and almost every other form of media flash these racy pictures and sexist ideals.
How is sexism interpreted or portrayed in the media? According to the literature report, Images of Women in Online Advertisements of Global Products: Does Sexism Exist?, gender identities are socially constructed, and advertising proposes lifestyles and forms of self-presentation that individuals use to define their roles in their society (Plakoyiannaki; Mathioudaki; Dimitratos; Zotos 2008). “Advertising as a cultural form, displays a preoccupation with gender that is hardly matched in any other genre” (Jahally, 1990). In other words, advertising portrays sexism on women in a way that make them inferior relative to their capabilities and potential by applying to them clichéd traditional and decorative roles. To better understand how sexism is represented in advertisements an observation research was done on a media source. The research was led by examining a random television channel and counting the times a sexist image or commercial appeared while on television for 2 hours. The number of sexist ads that appeared was approximately around 12 throughout the 2 hours without changing the channel. The type of sexism encountered were primarily sexist ads that were mainly those whose target was to sell a product such as a perfume, jewelry, or
any other product. Other commercials included had shown women in a kitchen promoting mostly food brands. The way in which sexism was manifested was mostly by projecting traditional and decorative female role stereotypes. The messages were subtle but clear if very well analyzed, these ads were “suggesting” that a women’s position is in the kitchen in charge of cooking and concerned with an interest in food brands. The appearance of the female in that commercial appeared to be happy and concerned with food brands. Such stereotype has followed for generations now and is something that is still being depicted today in present times. Commercials that consisted of selling products for the most part showed a women with little clothing or sometimes over hypersexualized. The intentions are clear in which the brand wants to attract the audience by sexualizing the female who is promoting the product and in that strategy encouraging the audience to buy it. The appearance of the model was that of a thin body, tall, and one with “pretty face”. If the product be a make-up brand then perhaps the message could be that if you buy this you will be as pretty as the model. Thus creating ideal images that are being shown through advertisement (Lujan, April 2).
How has sexism in the media affected women? Whether sexism is expressed in the workplace, school, magazines, or through a sexist comment it is nonetheless damaging to women both physically and mentally. According to the article, Negative effects of sexism, by psychcentral.com, research shows that women often experience a variety of negative emotions when they are the targets of sexism and other women who witness the derogatory remark can also be affected (Nauert, 2010). A negative comment, whether it’d be on her appearance, can affect how a women feels and make her feel less of value therefore mentally scarring her. Such attitudes can affect the way a women think, feel, or behave towards men in general. Also, women can be affected in a way that they have a less chance to succeed professionally when competing with men in a sexist world. Stereotypes of women that express them as dumb and incapable influences society to limit the chances and opportunities to a women with ambition and life goals. Women who face sexist words and treatment may feel physically threatened because the perpetrator may be in a position to physically harm them. Even if no physical harm is imminent, the language used may be forceful and threatening enough to create a feeling of significant unease at best, and fear at worst (John, 2007). Women and adolescent girls, in particular, are especially likely to experience the effects of sexism. The ideals for a woman expressed in the media makes it difficult for women to accept their own identities and bodies. It is a fact that sexist attitudes, both negative and positive, have been linked to numerous physical and mental health issues for women, including depression, anxiety, binging, purging, and anorexia. Young women are also heavily influenced by the opinions and judgments of those closest to them, including their family members, friends, and coworkers (A GoodTherapy.org, 2009). According to Kilbourne, One in five young women has an eating disorder, which comes in part from media images. The obsession with thinness” plays its part in cutting girls down to size and silencing them” (Kilbourne, 2006). Rader Programs, an Eating Disorder treatment center states that, when even young girls watch movies and look at magazines they have commonly think to live up to the super-thin look that most models today have if they are to be beautiful. The average age for a girl to start dieting is now eight, compared to the fourteen-year-old average of 1970 (Senghas, 2006). According to a research done, “81% of ten year old girls are afraid of being fat, and four out of five American women are unhappy with their body” (Senghas, 2006). The image of how woman should look is a powerful one, and failure for women is inevitable because the beauty is flawless -- done by computer techniques, etc. Computer graphics can now generate a perfect “real woman” (Kilbourne, 2006). Such ideals will never be reached as they are impossible and young women, especially, fall victims and damage their health in the process of becoming someone else instead of accepting their self-body image and self-worth. What is most important of this issue is how women are being targets of sexism physically. Kilbourne examines what’s the same and what’s changed from the earlier versions, which illustrate how women are objectified and presented as sex objects -- a portrayal which, cumulatively and unconsciously, leads a society to think it is acceptable to commit violence against women (Kilbourne, 2006). Advertising, for the most part exposes women’s body parts to sell products and this kind of image cultivates a climate in which there can be widespread violence against women. Focusing on only a part of a woman tends to make one think of the woman as less than human leading to objectification, and once a group is dehumanized, it is easier to justify violence against group members. Such sexist attitudes expressed in the media can influence certain thoughts that women exposing skin is “asking for it” and can eventually lead to “no means yes”.
What can be done to eradicate sexism in the media or overall? Sexism is an issue that has negatively affected the lives of women and on part men. It is a delicate topic that causes uproars and clashes among sexes. Sexism is real and while there has been struggle to end it, somehow it is still a problem. Although the truth is that perhaps women are still far away from being viewed as equal and a complete solution to this issue seems questionable there are ways to prevent it. Some ways to help eradicate sexism is to bring a level of understanding to any discussion involving sexism, both sexes should unite instead of creating barriers in between, and finally society could forget certain myths about women that have stayed throughout generations. It appears that throughout history reports on women’s history have shown to be very little and that is something that has to change. Historians need to address women more for the fact that not many people are aware of women’s history. It seems that not everyone is well informed of the struggle and harsh life women have gone throughout history. Also people need to be more educated of what sexism really means so that the word itself does not lose its definition. If one plans on ending sexism, one needs to combat sexism after they’ve educated themselves as best as possible, one needs to first define it. Then, one needs to explain what it does to people, to show how bad it can be. It seems that through time the word feminism has lost its meaning, it has become a misunderstanding of what it should really stand for. There is shown to be a clash of some sort between feminists and men when in reality it shouldn’t be something that drives them apart rather something that unites them together. According to recent studies there has shown to be a rise in men being victims of sexism as well. This proves that sexism can affect both women and men. While men are beginning to experience sexism too it is necessary that they unite with the opposite gender to end it once and for all. Eradicating sexism seems quite hard to achieve perhaps the world is still far from reaching that point. Gender inequality will not end if discrimination and prejudices among people still exist. It is questionable whether there really is a way for women to find liberation from the constraints of sexism but not impossible.
Conclusion It is a fact that sexism exist in the media and can be expressed through advertisements. Advertisements are mainly for selling products though too often women are used as objects to promote a product. Ways in which it does that is by objectifying women and focusing on only parts of her body instead of her intellectuality or capability. Ways that women are portrayed in the media is by using stereotypes that have followed through years such those that a women is dumb, weak, and incapable of doing a man’s work, and should belong at home taking care of the household. Such ideas influence the minds of the audience to make them believe that women are as such. Not only does the media portray stereotypes of hyper sexualize the body of a women insinuating that women are only useful through their bodies. Such messages affect women both physically and mentally.
Objectifying a women can lead to sexual harassment and even rape putting a women in a harmful situation in which they are victims of violence. Not only they are exposed to harmful and dangerous environments but are also affected mentally. Body ideal types portrayed through advertisements can play with the mind of young females by making them think they will only will accepted in society if they look a certain way that is overly thin, tall, light skin, with no imperfections. Such ideals are impossible and cause young girls, especially, to harm their bodies and health in the process of becoming this “ideal type”. Sexism in the media is perhaps difficult to completely eradicate but there are steps one could follow to lessen sexism and perhaps women will have a better environment and equal opportunities in the future.
RAPIST
MEN’S MAGAZINE?
From Men’s Magazines Are Indistinguishable From Quotes By Convicted Rapists, Study Finds, Showing Just How Messed Up The Way We Talk About Women Is
While most people look down upon advocating sexual assault, there are some places where such speech gets written off as merely a joke (or “locker room talk,” as Donald Trump would call it). New research on sexism in men’s magazines published in Psychology of Men and Masculinity shows that these magazines are one such place where misogyny is frequently made light of. A series of three experiments found that sexist jokes found in “lads’ mags” are not merely ironic, men who read them exhibit more sexist attitudes, and some excerpts from them are actually indistinguishable from things said by convicted rapists. For the first experiment, the researchers asked 81 men ages 18 to 50 in the UK how they interpreted jokes within and outside the context of lads’ mags — that is, men’s magazines featuring erotic photographs of women. They found that people didn’t take them any more ironically when they were in magazines than they did otherwise. However, they did consider them less hostile, which means including sexist jokes in magazines may lead them to slide under the radar. The second study also supported the idea that men’s magazines could encourage sexism. 423 men ages 18 to 30 in the UK were asked about their consumption of lads’ mags and their attitudes toward women. The more sexism they displayed, the more likely they were to buy these magazines. But the third study was perhaps the most disturbing. 274 U.S. college students were asked to classify which quotes were from men’s magazines and which came from convicted rapists. They were only able to guess correctly about half the time. To give you an idea of what the quotes from men’s magazines sounded like, they included statements like, “You do not want to be caught red-handed … go and smash her on a park bench. That used to be my trick,” “If the girl you’ve taken for a drink won’t spread for your head, think about this mathematical statistic: 85 percent of rape cases go unreported,” and, “The possibility of murder does bring a certain frisson to the bedroom.”
Fortunately, though, when people took part in this task and observed how similar these two kinds of quotes sounded, they were less likely to take the magazines seriously. So, perhaps by educating people on how the way we talk about women — even in seemingly unimportant places like lads’ magazines — really does contribute to sexism, we can make them less likely to consume this kind of media. We saw something similar happen when a Society Pages post by Sezin Koehler pointed out the similarities between things people’s rapists had said to them and lyrics from the song “Blurred Lines.” Once people can see the connection between words in jokes or song lyrics and words that actively promote sexual violence, they’re less likely to dismiss them. While it might not be direct or tangible, there is a connection between what we hear, see, and read in the media and what sorts of behaviors are considered socially acceptable. Through this connection, magazines and songs can contribute to rape. And considering the words they contain merely ironic or humorous only serves to push their impact under the rug.
DRESS CODES, DOUBLE STANDARDS, & FOUR OTHER SUBTLE WAYS
FACE SEXISM AT WORK
When Ellen Pao, a California business woman, faced gender discrimination at work, she decided to do something about it.
She made headlines for bringing a high-profile lawsuit against her employer, a Silicon Valley-based venture capitalist firm, alleging that they had discriminated against her and retaliated when she tried to do something about it by firing her. But Pao lost her suit, because like so many of us already know, sexism in the workplace is often a lot more subtle and difficult to prove than one might think. In the wake of the case, Pao’s story inspired women across the country to speak out about their own run-ins with discrimination. In an article for New York Magazine, Annie Lowry explained that, what women most often deal with at work is “sexism you can’t quite prove” — a casual decision by your male boss to criticize your assertiveness (and come on now, is that actually something a man would ever be criticized for?), an expectation that as a woman you’ll be the one in charge of refilling the coffee, or even a passing comment from a colleague at an office party that assumes you’re more concerned with family than your job. “It is pervasive. It is persistent. And it is so, so exhausting,” Lowry explained, “all those subtle hints that you are a little different and that your behavior is being interpreted a little differently. On top of that, it does have profound consequences, if made through a million tiny cuts.” Pointing to a Harvard University study, Lowry noted that researchers have found a measurable negative impact from gender discrimination in the workplace: “Subtle sexism results in women getting fewer opportunities at work. It hurts their performance. It results in them receiving worse evaluations. It even opens them up to ‘aggression’ in the workplace.” Speaking to my own friends and colleagues about Pao’s case prompted a flood of similar stories. Although there were certainly many who had dealt with big issues of gender discrimination at work — problems with equal pay, discrimination based on pregnancy, etc. — most of what I heard showed that sexism is usually less obvious. The sexism and discrimination women face in the workplace is often a compilation of little acts; subtle things that, on their own, seem insignificant, but when taken as a whole, point to how our culture (and corporate culture in particular) still enforces outdated stereotypes and social norms. One friend confided that her male colleagues often talked down to her, telling her that it was difficult for other men in the workplace to follow her leadership because she was a young woman. Another friend pointed to a seemingly constant desire by her male colleagues to explain (read: mansplain) to her what “women care about” and why that might be. And the examples go on and on.
Here are four more common ways women are subtly discriminated against in the workplace.
Descriptive And Prescriptive Bias
Before you even walk into a new job interview, your potential boss might have some preconceived notions about how you’ll do the job or how you’ll interact with your coworkers. And those notions will likely be based on your gender presentation and whatever assumptions they have about that presentation.
For example, if you’re a mother and soft spoken, they might assume you’ll be kind, non-aggressive, nurturing, and quick to care-take folks in the office. And they might use those assumptions to assess whether you’re appropriate for the job — without referencing or considering your actual qualifications. When they use those gender-based assumptions to make decisions about you, that’s descriptive bias. Descriptive biases are the prejudices you might encounter based on the stereotypes created by our culture to describe your identity. They are the words society uses to describe a group of people that are then used to inform decisions about them, regardless of if they have any truth to back them up. Describing the phenomenon in an article for Fast Company, Eric Jaffe explained that for women these assumptions often rely on the notion that “They are caring, warm, deferential, emotional, sensitive, and so on – traits consistently used to describe women for decades. Left alone those traits aren’t bad, of course, but when a woman performs a job traditionally held by men they can become incredibly harmful.” Jaffe went on to point out that this often leads employers to judge women on whether or not they “fit” or perform well in a given position based on sexist stereotypes that inform how they perceive women in general, rather than accessing a unique person’s actual ability. That might mean your boss passes over you, as a woman, for a math-heavy promotion that is seemingly in the bucket, deciding to chose a man for the spot instead because men are just more math oriented. Similarly, you may not get a promotion for a competitive business position because women aren’t perceived as aggressive – so the hiring manager assumes you won’t be either. On the flipside is prescriptive bias, which occurs when you possess traits typically not associated with your gender. For women, that means facing opposition for being assertive, possessing leadership qualities, or being blunt. Although these traits are highly valued amongst men, especially in the workplace, when women exhibit them they’re often criticized for being too harsh, too pushy, too bossy, or even “bitchy.” Many are advised to tone down these qualities — encouraged to smile more or couch their thoughts inside praise to make them easier for men to take. It also means that, as a woman, if you don’t bring qualities to your job people identify with femininity or if you bring qualities that are heavily associated with femininity – you may be penalized for it. You’re criticized based on the qualities societal norms dictate you should have, not on what it takes to do the job or how well you accomplish goals.
Most of us have probably heard at least one of the following things at work: •“You’re really good at [insert skill typically associated men] for a woman!” •“Wow, I can’t believe you were able to lift that on your own! •“Could you bake cookies for the party this week?” This is the type of subtle sexism most of the people I’ve spoken with have experienced. It encompasses all of those things you can’t believe a man actually said to you at work yet couldn’t fully put your finger on why it was inappropriate. These small acts of sexism are called microaggressions. Defined as “small, subtle, often unconscious actions that marginalize people in oppressed groups,” these acts are typically the result of internalized stereotypes, norms, and assumptions, and you often don’t even realize you’re doing them.
The thing about microaggressions is that they’re often well-intentioned. They aren’t meant to be offensive or hurtful — they may even be meant as a compliment. But for women at work, they add up, and the end result is often a hostile work environment. That’s because these “compliments” or statements are often loaded with coded meaning just under the surface that demand women behave and perform in certain ways. When you tell a woman she did a great job coding that website for a woman, you’re telling her that this isn’t something women are good at it and reminding her that she is in constant competition with other women in the office. When you ask her to bake cookies for the company party, you’re implying that this is the sort of task a woman is expected to take on. Everytime I hear one of these passing microaggressions, I’m reminded that part of how I’m being evaluated at work, even if it is not intentional, is based on my gender.
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Much like schoolroom dress codes, what is considered workplace “appropriate” is often structured around cultural norms where the ideal is based around the white male gaze.
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I’d be willing to bet that most women in almost any workplace could tell you a story about being made to feel uncomfortable based on their professional attire. Whether you wear a uniform that just so happens to show off your body (because you have a body and you can’t help how it looks in that uniform), or you face a highly critical level of scrutiny based on how you’re expected to dress — you probably know the feeling all too well. What we wear to work is so embedded in our company cultures that it is easy to overlook how the outfits and appearance many are expected to have could be sexist. They are often just another aspect of our professional lives in which women face a double-standard and unrealistic expectations. Women in an office environment may be expected to don any combination of heels, makeup, pulled together hair absent of gray, and fitted outfits (but not too fitted, or else be deemed “slutty”). Because of racism, Black women have even higher expectations — often their natural hair is deemed “inappropriate” or “political” and shamed by their peers. Men on the other hand often just need to throw on a suit and head into the office. As Carmen Rios explained for Everyday Feminism, “queer people, women, people of color, working-class people – aren’t supposed to be comfortable when we’re being professional… All of the standards of appearance being pushed on employees in office environments are, essentially, strongholds of white, male standards of power.” Much like schoolroom dress codes, what is considered workplace “appropriate” is often structured around cultural norms where the ideal is based around the white male gaze. Anything that doesn’t align with it is considered inappropriate, so womens’ attire is expected to conform or else the wearer faces the consequences. Those could include comments behind your back and to your face, less opportunities, or even formal complaints. In a less subtle form of discrimination, dress codes can go beyond unspoken rules and even be codified in employee handbooks and policies. Legally, dress codes cannot impose a greater burden based on gender identity – so if your workplace is reaching beyond and forcing you to don an expensive skirt or heels, you may have legal reason to take action.
Dress Codes
(And the Comments That Accompany Them)