Gender Stereotypes and the Media

Consequences of the rise of the "body-as-self" paradigm

(1) The body is on display like never before (2) We are encouraged to buy things to fix/ transform our bodies like never before

Evolutionary theory

+differences that do occur are relative, not absolute +compared to other species, both men and women have high levels of parental investment in offspring, likely "smoothing" out further differences that do occur

Consequences of Self-Objectification for Men

-Negative body satisfaction -Negative self-esteem -Increased likelihood of experiencing negative psychological outcomes (including depression) & negative behavioural outcomes (including bulimia, excessive exercising)

Gender Segmentation

-Requires us to believe that men and women are very different -Promotes/maintains gender stereotypes to sell us products

3 Problems with Pointlessly Gendered Products

1. Gendered Products reinforce the idea that men and women are very different (Gender Differences Hypothesis) 2.Gendered Products reinforce stereotypes. They uphold the narrow media versions of how men and women are supposed to be. 3. Gender Pricing: Women and men are charged different amounts for similar products and services. Gendered Products frequently end up costing women more money

The 2 Main Trends in Contemporary Media

1. Males as perpetrators of violence 2. Women as objects of sex/desire

Gender Segmentation

Divide the groups by gender

Men's grooming products

One of the fastest growing new markets

less

A _____ rigid distinction between Masculinity & Femininity in our society would be bad for advertisers and others in the media & other institutions who rely on gender stereotypes

Objectification Theory

A framework for understanding the negative effects of objectifying men's and women's bodies in our society 2019

Men

A key occurrence happened in 2013 when, for the first time, ____ spent more cash on male-specific toiletries than on shaving products

Elizabeth Sweet's research

Ads from 1975, less than 2% of toys were explicitly marketed to either boys or girls... By 1995, gendered toys made up roughly half of the Sears catalog offerings

Ritualized subordinate

Also an increasing trend over time of females portrayed in ________ ________ poses

Mainstreaming

Described as the typical pattern of worldview change that cultivation, as a process takes

Market Segmentation

Divide a population up into smaller groups to sell us products and services

Subsistence

Division of labour in ______ tasks largely overlapping: horticultural tasks shared, hard work valued (Vanatinai)

Overlapping

Division of labour in ceremonies largely ______: (1) Youth: both sexes participate in ceremonies (2) Adults: Power/fame accessible to both sexes as "givers" of prestige and ritual feasts (giagia)

Advertisements [the media in general] depict for us not necessarily how we actually behave as men and women but how we think men and women behave. This depiction serves the social purpose of convincing us that this is how men and women are, or want to be, or should be, not only in relation to themselves but in relation to each other

Does repeated exposure to such narrow imagery affect us?

Degree

Even when men and women differ on traits, the differences are differences of ____ not kind

Harrison (2003) Hypothesis

Exposure to ideal-body television images will be positively associated with women's idealization of a slimmer female waist and hips, but not a smaller bust

Results of Harrison (2003) Study

Female students who watched shows with "curvaceously thin" female characters = were more likely to choose an "ideal" for themselves that had a smaller waist, smaller hips and medium-sized bust vs students who watched other shows

Market segmentation

Gender polarization allows marketers to segment the audience = "____________"

1. Reject body-as-self paradigm (sets us up to fail) 2. Gender polarization is a construction (men and women are MORE similar) 3. No innate standard of masculine or feminine (no one right way to be)

Gender stereotypes in the media are pervasive, polarizing and negatively affect us. So what do we do?

Type

Increasingly, due to mass media imagery/ stereotypes, both men and women are under intense pressure to look and be a certain ____ of man or woman

Self-objectification

Individual adopts an observer's perspective on their physical selves

Vanatinai

Largely egalitarian society

Increasing

Magazine advertising shows an _______ trend over time of more public role portrayals of women

Differences

Media reinforces the Gender ______ Hypothesis

Dubious equality

Men are falling into the same appearance-oriented cultural trap that women have experienced

Decreased

Men on average are still portrayed as dominant to women ("playing the executive role") in magazine advertisements; but this has ______ over time

Good

More and more men, it seems, are putting higher stock in looking _____

Increasing

Of people portrayed in a "sexually explicit/ suggestive pose," 88.4% were females and 11.6% were males; however the occurrence of men being displayed in suggestive positions shows an ______ trend over time

Increasing

Perfectionism is _____ over time

High

Sad event triggers _____ self focus

Diminished

Sad individuals experience a ______ sense of self

1. Shameful feelings about the body 2. Eating disorders 3. Depression

Self-objectification in women linked to?

Corporations

The Illusionists is a 90 minute documentary about the body as the "finest consumer object" and the pursuit of ideal beauty around the world. Or: how ________ are getting richer by making us feel insecure about the way we look

Impatience

The authors' research suggests that sadness increases impatience/ made people more 'present biased' (i.e. wanting something immediately). In this case, ________= negatively influenced economic decisions.

Vanatinai

The rights, privileges, constraints and degrees of personal autonomy of both sexes are largely congruent throughout the life course, even though they are not perfectly symmetrical. This is a hallmark of a gender egalitarian society, a society that tends toward equality

Vanatinai

There is no principle of male superiority or female weakness

self-objectification

This leads to habitual monitoring of the body

Harrison (2003)

This was the first study to empirically link the "curvaceously thin" ideal to media exposure

Different

To manipulate us into believing we need these gendered products (thereby creating new markets) b/c we are convinced that men and women are _____

Commodities

Triggers increased valuation of new ________ (as a way to enhance self)

Business

Unattainable body = good for _____

Evolution of Male Body Images

Up to mid 1990s media images of men focused on face not body; or showed men in action shots or sports. Mid-1990s onwards: male body/physique starts to move to centre stage.

Qualities

Vanatinai women and men are valued for the same ______. The most admired individuals of both sexes were described to me as strong, wise and generous

Dominant

When a man and woman collaborate in an undertaking, the man is likely to perform the executive role" i.e. ______ role.

In recent decades, two conflicting images appear to have merged into a modern synthesis of what is considered beautiful: an almost unhealthily thin and bony frame, combined with a substantial bust.

Where do women in North America learn about the "curvaceously thin" ideal?

Because sadness arises from a sense of loss, which triggers an implicit goal of "reward replacement"/ "immediate gratification" . "Sadness makes one...prefer immediate gratification."

Why does sadness increase impatience?

Sadness

______ increases the amount of money that decision makers give up to acquire a commodity

Evolutionary

______ theory predicts few differences between men and men

Increasing

______ trend over time of males positioned in suggestive ways in magazine advertisements

Gender stereotypes

beliefs and attitudes about what activities/behaviours are appropriate for men (masculinity) or women (femininity)

"Misery is Not Miserly" + "The Financial Costs of Sadness"

compared the economic decisions of (1) sad condition participants vs (2) neutral condition participants (included both men and women)

Self-oriented perfectionism

increased by 10% (e.g. we set unrealistic expectations for ourselves)

Other-oriented perfectionism

increased by 16% (e.g. we set unrealistic standards for others, such as partners, children, co-workers)

socially prescribed perfectionism

increased by 33% (e.g. we experience external pressure to be 'perfect', believe others evaluate us critically)

Objectification

influences us to adopt a peculiar view of self—to treat ourselves as objects to be looked at and evaluated

Mainstreaming

occurs when groups who are initially divergent in their worldviews come to hold similar views with greater television exposure. Their views converge to reflect the "reality" that is most commonly presented on television

Market Segmentation

requires convincing individuals that they belong to a group & convincing us that the group has similar needs, desires, likes

In the Media

simplified, recognizable images of the dominant form of masculinity and femininity are constantly reinforced

Cultivation Theory

states that the more time people spend 'living' in the television world, the more likely they are to believe social reality portrayed on television.

Cultivation Theory

television exposure "cultivates" beliefs, attitudes, and ideals about the real world that match the media-depicted world

Assumption of Cultivation Theory

the mass media, and television in particular, present similar systems of stories

Mainstreaming

the outcome of cultivation theory

Misery-is-not-miserly effect

the tendency of sadness to carry over from past situations to influence economic decisions