Essay on Media and Sexism

Published: 2021-07-07
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The two stories present a notion that women are different to men even in simple tasks such as writing. For example, the designing of the Bic for her pen that is thinner and with brighter colors plays into the notion that the females need special treatment to compete with men even it simple tasks such as writing. Critics of such marketing campaigns argue that they are sexist in the sense that they present a notion that women need more inducements to take certain roles. Therefore, it implies that in order for women to perform a certain task, they need customization to their needs such that if one is a mechanic, there should a spanner designed for the use by women. In the case of the Easy Bake Ovens, their designing in colors considered feminine promote the notion that the kitchen is a reserve for women and therefore men should avoid that space. It therefore makes even children who are boys perceive baking a girls task from an early age just because the color not gender neutral.

The sexism in the video is that masculinity consists of independence, strong will and the need to be in control. Therefore, there is no room for being interdependent and connecting ith other people as this regarded to be weakness in a man (Bell & Bayliss, 2015). Men as presented in characters such as Marlboro are fearless and show no vulnerability. There is also the sexualized violence from the notion that boys are supposed to have power and control over their female counterparts. There is also a perception that violence is a good characteristic masculinity.

The commercials in the media have to stereotype regarding gender because the aim of their adoption could be to a particular gender. In most cases women there is the use of women in the advertisements because of the perception that they make the most purchases at homes on especially for the daily goods (Attenborough, 2013). On the other hand, men usually advertise products such as cars, business or investment opportunities, and items such as cigarettes. There is a persistent use of women in the commercials to portray them in the home setting whereas the males are presented as the outdoor people. In most cases, the adverts portray the female gender as the homemakers whose chief problem is having no ideas to do with the house chores such as cleaning and cooking or as seductresses who are the desire of most men. When the males take part in such advertisements, the media portrays them as experts advising women on issues such as what makes the washing detergent superior to others. In this way, it promotes the perception of the place of women in the society is different from that of men.

The ideal male stereotype is a person who is thriving, athletic, an expert in a certain field and someone who can seduce, with an attractive lady in his company. By presenting men in such a manner, it propagates manhood as toughness, strength, independence, and ability to command respect (Royo-Vela et al, 2007). Therefore, everybody has to fit into the narrow box to be a real man. The continuous presentation of the images in the media that muscularity is about the ability to dominate, having power and controlling people or situations by any means leads to the escalation of violence. The tendency to become violent seems to be an accepted characteristic of being a man, and this explains the reason why most of the murders committed are by men. The males are the perpetrators of over 95% of the domestic violence.

References

Attenborough, F. (2013). Sexism Re-Loaded or Sexism Re-Presented?. Feminist Media Studies, 13(4), 693-709. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2012.700524

Bell, M., & Bayliss, N. (2015). The Tough Guise: Teaching Violent Masculinity as the Only Way to Be a Man. Sex Roles, 72(11-12), 566-568. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-015-0479-8

Royo-Vela, M., Aldas-Manzano, J., Kuster, I., & Vila, N. (2007). Adaptation of Marketing Activities to Cultural and Social Context: Gender Role Portrayals and Sexism in Spanish Commercials. Sex Roles, 58(5-6), 379-390. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9341-y

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