Gender Roles and Media

Okay, so this week is all about gender roles and family identity. Today, most people associate girls with the color pink and boys with the color blue. There are girls toys and boys toys, but it doesn't stop there. It goes much further than that.

One theory we have discussed in my class is the agenda-setting theory, and I believe this theory is one that has played a big role in the way we relate to  our genders. One classmate brought up Disney's princess campaign. Nearly every little girl (at least in the United States) is familiar with the Disney Princesses and is taught that she is a princess herself. With the overwhelming amount of products released by Disney, it's hard to give children other roles to identify with.

Then there's the hypodermic needle theory. We have been "injected" with the idea that the woman's place is in the kitchen and with the children. She stays at home while dad goes to work, but now more than ever, we are seeing a change in this idea. Women are becoming the head of household more and more, and it's not uncommon to see a single dad.

Lastly, let's talk about the reinforcement theory. I think this one was hit right on the nose my one of my classmates. People want to see what they believe is right or what they agree with. They want their beliefs, morals, thoughts, etc. reinforced. A strong correlation of gender roles can be seen everywhere, from the movies we watch, to the ads we see, the stores we shop at, and the books we read. Why? Because that's what we want. I think this theory may actually be the winner in the gender roles category, even over the hypodermic needle theory at this point in time. I think we have moved forward from the hypodermic needle theory when it comes to gender because it is such a large part of our society. You don't have to watch a commercial or read an ad to know what products are men and what products are for women, you just "know."

Now, I want to post some articles that illustrate  some interesting perspectives and conclusions about my gender, especially the term "beauty" and the role of women in the process of giving birth.

The first topic I want to touch on is what it means to be a woman. Women are told from the time they are young girls that being beautiful is important. An iconic model to all girls is the Barbie Doll. Every little girl wants to look like and dress like Barbie. What we aren't told ... IS THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! Literally impossible. Take a look at this interactive info graph about Barbie below:

 http://awesome.good.is/infographics/infographic-why-it-s-physically-impossible-to-look-like-barbie/463

And this is what we model ourselves after!

This image has become so iconic, in fact, that women have had plastic surgery to make themselves look like a "real life" Barbie. Probably the most famous is the Ukrainian model Valeria Lukyanova. Here are some pictures of the model (this is the Barbie obsession taken too far if you ask me):

In these pictures you can see Valeria Lukyanova (the real life Barbie).

This is the real life anime girl. She is also Ukrainian. Her name is Anastasiya Shpagina.

These pictures illustrate the extremes some girls and women are willing to go in order to obtain that "perfect" look. This is what we are taught is beautiful through the dolls we play with, but when seen in real life, what's your take on beauty? Here's an article and video from Huffpost about a Barbie doll with no makeup and dark circles under her eyes, what do you think of her?

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/01/barbie-without-makeup-before-and-after-pics_n_2991990.html

Barbie; however, is just one of the many images we are made to accept as the perfect image of women. Models on the fashion runway are very thin too, not all, but many. As if being skinny, having long legs, and symmetrical faces is not enough, their images are airbrushed as well! The models we see are touched up for their photo-spreads. Below are some new angles artists and the public have been taking on what it means to be "beautiful."

This first link is what a photographer made popular by taking shots of her body after giving birth to her baby. Every model you see on the billboards and in magazines has a perfectly glistened body that is free of marks. Her photography embraces the marks of motherhood. Let's be real though, no photospread can be perfect. Yes, there are women who have babies and they get no marks, good for them! But women should be proud of their bodies regardless.
http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/06/29/jade-beall-post-baby-body

Here's a link to an article about a teenage girl who demanded that seventeen start using photospreads of girls that are digitally unaltered. She got her wish! Her petition blew up instantly and Seventeen Magazine had no choice, but to fulfill her wish. You go girl!!

http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/07/05/seventeen-magazine-promises-photos-real-healthy-girls