C Neeki: STEREOTYPING IN MEDIA

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.