STEREOTYPING IN MEDIA
We define stereotyping as a generalization about a group of
people whereby we attribute a defined set of characteristics to this group
based on their appearance or our assumptions.
Why do we form opinions about other people based on their appearance,
posture, language, and so on? We do this
because different factors contribute to why people stereotype each other. We stereotype people when we are unable or
unwilling to obtain all of the information we need to make affair judgement
about people or situations.
RACIAL STEREOTYPING IN THE NEWS
THE NEWS MEDIA have the power to be catalysts for positive
change in many areas of our culture . Among those areas is racial stereotyping.
Instead, the media often perpetuate stereotyping .Many of the images of
African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, American Indians, and other
"minorities" are shaped by the news media . It is my contention that many of those images
are based on stereotypes. A variety of factors promote this perpetuation of
stereotypic images . In this work, I hope to explore some of those factors and
offer some general semantics alternatives that could help journalists change
their role.
A recent study in the
Newspaper Research journal looked at
coverage of minorities-primarily African-Americans-in four major
newspapers in the country . I will use the findings for the New York Times as
an example . The researchers found that during the 1950s the Times devoted 6
percent of its coverage of minorities to what was termed "stereotypic
coverage . African-Americans in antisocial behavior or as athletes and
entertainers . During the 1980s, the Times devoted 12 percent of its coverage
to stereotypic coverage .
The conclusion reached by the researchers was that the
changes in "everyday life" coverage were a positive move . African
Americans were being portrayed more often as "regular people "doing
"regular things .
BEAUTY STEREOTYPE IN MEDIA
Advertisers promote
beauty standards which does not come naturally to some women. The beauty
industry promises that Long shiny hairs, Smooth glowing skin, Pearl white teeth,
plump full lips, all are within your reach. There is not a body part that cannot be improved. Or so say advertisers
with product to sell Enlarge your
breast, Even “rejuvenate” your virgina!
Even models aren’t perfect make up, fairness, lightning,
airbrushing creates fantasies we admirer. Because the main stream beauty
standard is so pervasive yet so unnatural advertisers know there products will
never be obsolete.
“Thin is in” has been official mantra from decades now .We
are bombarded with images of incredible
tall models ,flat stomach visible hip stomach and long slender legs .
Advertiser often presents women’s as sexual exhibitionist,
performing for the benefit for male gaze .Ending the tyranny of beauty
standards and sex stereotype’s would change women’s lives
Gender stereotype in
media
Talking of women in society; the male ownership of private
property in society transformed women’s social labour into labour for an
individual and ultimately served capital. The latent maleness that existed in
the vicious and brutal stage manifested as control of women’s labour, their
sexuality, and fertility also, which resulted in the oppression of women. The
patriarchal value system itself reveals the truth and oppression of women by
class, caste and gender. Media content creates needs primarily and then
transforms into consumer needs. Women are treated as consumers and as
commodities to be exploited in the advertising television, film and
pornographic industry. Women even have faced the marginalization in economic
labour force, in the post 1980s globalization women have been regarded as
subordinate classes who bears the onslaught of globalization. The media,
especially television reinforces the conservative and pathetic role of women as
the upholders of a value system by reinforcing consumer culture.
THE ROLE OF MEDIA
PORTRAYALS IN GENDER STEREOTYPES RELATED TO THE CULTIVATION THEORY AND THE
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
Those views reflect the writings of George Gerbner’s
cultivation theory. His theory claims that media creates false impressions and
stereotypes; it suggests that people might perceive the advertising content in
a positive way or in a negative way and most importantly, whether they permit
it to influence their lives. Also, those views point to Albert Bandura’s 4-step
modeling process, especially to the attention stage and the motivation stage.
People tend to pay attention to things that are attractive to them and are
positively reinforced by promised incentives. For example, a typical fitness
advertisement on television shows an overweight, flabby female in a bikini, she appears
sad and her general appearance is lifeless. Even the dimly lit camera casts a
darkened veil over her to intensify her sickly body. Then in just six weeks
from using the latest exercise machine, her body is miraculously transformed
into the body of an athlete with firm muscles. Her general appearance has
changed, her clothing is more vibrant, her hair is full and styled and she is
shown with a gleaming smile in a brightened room. Very few people have the
determination, the physiological make-up, and the time to change their bodies that
quickly, in fact, most people quit using the product before it begins to show
visible results. The public is duped into believing it is easy to change their
bodies because all they are shown in the advertisement is the end result of an
attractive, happy, fit, body gyrating on some space age-like device, Therefore,
the cultivation theory is once again proved to be true. Another little known
fact about advertising comes to us from Rajagopal and Gales (2002) “often what
we see are advertisements that are air-brushed or created from a database of
physical parts of various attractive human beings” and “only 5 percent of women
can look like models, so why do we rush around to look like something we cannot
be” . Advertising often depicts female models shown in poses or positions that
objectify their bodies or perhaps focuses on specific body parts, such as the
breasts and the buttocks rather than focusing on the product or service being
advertised. For men, they are more often shown in active roles, actually using
the product and less attention is given to their specific body parts since they
are not wearing revealing clothing compared to women. Because women are seen as
smaller and as less powerful than men, their bodies appear to be smaller in the
scene and men’s bodies because they are seen as larger are given more space.
That is a subtle, yet powerful signal of male hegemony. There are some gender
specific products advertised that are reminders of woman’s true place in
society is in the home rather than working for a corporation.
.jpg)
