Media's Impact on Gender Roles
By: Jackie Turner
The media plays a very influential role in the sexual aspect of American society today. Strict guidelines for what is socially acceptable for certain sexes is something that has been drilled into the ideas of Americans since before television was around. Male’s gender roles include characteristics that are socially defined as masculine. While female’s gender roles may be expected to be feminine. Parts of society in large numbers still defines mixed gender qualities are strange and incorrect. Beginning at a very early age children are expected to act out certain gender roles based upon their physical sex that is determined at birth. The media has reinforced this concept heavily through out the years. Commercials often show examples of men playing ‘typical’ masculine roles. Such as a man accidentally washing with a feminine soap product and in order to protect his manliness has to get dirty again and sweat like a masculine person would. While there are television shows that show representation of women being extremely feminine in unrealistic ways. Women are shown in laundry commercials washing the clothing. Women are shown in most family shows always being responsible for the children and other household duties and preparing food.
These roles are even clearly shown in children of the media. Little do they know the influence that they are setting. By creating a social guideline for a whole culture to follow they are identifying what American’s find to be acceptable and right. Due to the mass influence of the media on gender roles, there are socially defined roles for males and females to follow in order to be considered normal. Music even heavily exhibits strict gender roles for men especially. Songs throughout the decades have been written about men being manly men, men being in charge and the bread winners.
A modern form of music called hip hop and rap have become extremely influential and popular. It also exhibits very strict social guidelines of how all men and women should behave. Many times women are exploited in sexual manners and called trashy names. While men are predominantly represented as in charge and living luxuriously. We live in a culture where the people in media are idolized and their actions and ideas are shown on television and the internet. Their behaviors are even worships and followed in trends by today’s generation. They are given far to much attention for people who are mere entertainers rather than righteous role models and leaders. Not that some people in media are not good role models or promoting equality and fairness among people no matter what they have been labeled socially. Anything you can possibly want to find on the internet is there. With just the click of a button you can go to any website and find any information or picture no matter the rating. no matter how inappropriate and with little revolve around We are surrounded by examples of what is correct we grow up. All forms of media in America has socially defined and influenced the gender roles American people take on every day. But so many American’s support and publicize the popularity of media and it’s influence then is grown even more.
1 Blumenfeld, Warren. "Examining Media's Socialization of Gender Roles." The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/warren-j-blumenfeld/examining-medias-socializ_b_3721982.html (accessed April 22, 2014).
2 "The 10 Best Rock Songs About Masculinity." Flavorwire. http://flavorwire.com/198904/the-10-best-rock-songs-about-masculinity/2/ (accessed April 22, 2014).
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