Category: Gender Stereotypes

Media have a substantial impact on modern people; in particular, they create specific perceptions about genders. Often in ads, movies, and social networks, gender is portrayed vividly and exaggeratedly. These details are fixed in the minds of people, and as a result, any deviations from these norms are considered incorrect and are condemned by a significant part of society. However, undoubtedly, this process is fatal because it forces people to abandon their individual characteristics and follow the majority opinion.

For example, this is manifested in the development of the beauty industry, which is constantly changing but continues to flourish. Women all over the world spend money and time to match the ideal ideas of society. They use makeup, make hairstyles, wear high heels, and even if it causes them inconvenience, they continue to do so. Thus, they sacrifice their identities to meet beauty standards.

There are many examples of advertisements in which gender is stereotyped. One of them is the advertisement of Old Spice, whose protagonist is overly masculine (Old Spice, 2010). Undoubtedly, the public likes these videos because they are quite fun and dynamic. However, in this case, the problem is that because of such advertisements, men tend to achieve the shown kind of appearance and way of thinking.

Currently, the list of gender characteristics is changing with society. Many women like to wear pants and baggy clothes and cut their hair short. Men, on the contrary, calmly wear bright-colored clothes and make unusual hairstyles. Therefore, despite the abundance of stereotypes, people struggle with them and pay more attention to who they want to be. This is beneficial because it makes people feel more confident and comfortable.

In general, I cannot say that I possess any particular traits that usually belong to the list of the other sex. However, sometimes, depending on my mood, I want to dress unusually, which can be considered a manifestation of these features. In such situations, fortunately, I do not feel constrained by social stereotypes. My environment is calm about peoples appearance, so everyone always feels comfortable and safe.

Some of my friends, however, pay great attention to specifically challenging this list. One of them, for example, is actively advocating for womens rights. She cuts her hair short, does not use makeup and dresses unusually, because she likes this style. In addition, she writes about gender issues in social networks, drawing public attention to them. Although not everyone is ready to accept her as she is, she can be herself without being ashamed of it.

Similar examples can often be found in the media. For example, the Always ad campaign Like a Girl is interesting in this regard. It depicts women and girls not as weak and charming creatures. Many of them have great internal strength and can independently go through life and solve their problems (Always, 2014). Understanding this is important for society, which makes this ad quite popular.

In my opinion, gender is indeed socially constructed in many ways. This is manifested even in infancy, when parents use specific colors in the interior and clothes of the child, depending on gender. Even later, peoples attitudes differ according to gender: at school, at university, and also at work. Despite this, people have the right to be free and to feel comfortable in any condition and with any appearance.

References

Old Spice. (2010). Old Spice: The man your man could smell like [Video]. YouTube. Web.

Always. (2014). Always #LikeAGirl [Video]. YouTube. Web.

Such a problem as gender stereotypes is one of the most urgent in modern society. Despite many years of struggle for equal rights for both sexes, prejudices towards the female population still exist. In addition, they can often fail not only in communication but also in aspects such as advertising. This is especially dangerous because advertising companies are characterized by reaching a large population. Therefore, the more people see the picture, the more the idea that the manifestation of gender stereotypes is the norm will take root in society.

Furthermore, this work, as an instance of gender-biased advertising, explores the example of the add of the world-famous Calvin Klein company. It depicts a man and a woman and their remarks about specific actions (Fig. 1). Research states that females are shown as sex objects to promote the brand, while men are portrayed as athletic, strong male individual engaging in high status jobs (Heathy, 2020, p. 45). Hence, it may seem that only men can be successful and earn money, and womens desires are limited by seduction.

I believe that this advertisement only contributes to the development of gender stereotypes, especially when the statements of a girl are placed next to the statements of a man. In addition, I think that this example has a negative contribution and can become harmful for limiting gender stereotypes due to the downplaying of the importance of women. People may get the wrong impression that the prerogative of being successful may be inherent only to the male sex, which is untrue and contributes to the development of sexism in the society.

References

Heathy, B. H. (2020). Gender stereotypes in advertising: A critical discourse analysis. Language in India, 20(1), 45-56.

The most sexist adverts in history. (n.d.). Flora Queen.

Gender stereotypes are widespread in the media and often employed in commercials. They are especially noticeable in products that were traditionally seen as more popular among a particular gender. For instance, home appliances or makeup commercials are typically directed at women. Automobile advertising, on the contrary, tends to concentrate on the male audience (Sandhu, 2019). A good example can be seen in the BMW 5 Series 2017 commercial.

It is directed at men and relies on the stereotype that they are typically more interested in automobiles, in general, and BMW, in particular. However, it is not the only gender stereotype employed by this commercial. It draws on many clichés associated with hypermasculinity. The commercial provides an illustration of what can be seen as a model example of a successful, attractive young man (BMW BLOG, 2017). He keeps a busy schedule being engaged in various projects, working hard to eventually achieve great results  fame and recognition. He is also shown working out shirtless revealing his pumped muscles.

The narration is playing an important role in emphasizing the message. It is based on the character recalling his fathers advice (a nod to the widespread notion of a strong father figure teaching his son to be successful). It contains such statements as No matter what you do in life, always be best at it (BMW BLOG, 2017, 0:13  0:17). It aspires to be a strong motivational message. The creators apparently aim to establish associations between exaggerated masculinity and the automobile, trying to sell it to men who would like to see themselves as athletic and successful as the commercials character.

While, on the surface, there is nothing particularly wrong with this commercial, it contributes to the bulk of automobile advertisements that are based on similar stereotypes. Although some can, indeed, aspire to achieve similar accomplishments, not every man seeks fame or is interested in bodybuilding. And they should not feel as if they have to want these things or be like this in order to be a happy, successful human being. Therefore, I believe that modern marketing practices should not contribute to strengthening gender stereotypes in any way.

References

Sandhu, N. (2019). Fueling gender stereotypes: A content analysis of automobile advertisements. Business Perspectives and Research, 7(2), 163-178.

BMW BLOG. (2017). 2017 BMW 5 series commercial [Video]. YouTube.

Nowadays, studies regarding the topic of similarities and differences between men and women are becoming more relevant for social studies. Some of the most well-known facts about gender stereotypes usually relate to clothing. Even in the 21st century, there is a strong belief among people that real men should not wear outfits that are associated with femininity. For instance, such clothes include pink shirts and tight pants. However, the choice of what to wear should be free; therefore, modern society requires the rejection of such labels that discriminate against such a simple right.

First of all, it is important to define the reasons behind these beliefs. Some of the primary justifications for bullying men who decide to wear pink are common gender stereotypes. They are culturally and socially conditioned opinions about the qualities, attributes, and norms of behavior of representatives of both sexes. Stereotypes have always been playing the role of a certain program that dictates people how to dress, talk, or behave. Moreover, they are fixed in the collective consciousness and it is difficult to make a drastic change or discard them completely.

Since stereotypes have been present in societies for a long time, there is no doubt that they make life easier. The reason for this is the fact that for people it is more comfortable to rely on stereotypes due to the absence of their own knowledge and opinions. In addition, those who firmly believe in them are usually unwilling to enrich themselves with new information. Furthermore, it is argued that gender preconceptions can be justified. Researchers note that gender-dysphoria boys prefer pink and brighter shades of blue, whereas gender-dysphoric girls avoid pink and tend to choose the darker blues (Del Giudice 1558). For this reason, it can be argued that stereotypes are not necessarily harmful; however, in this case, simplicity can be considered a dubious merit.

Such beliefs can often distort the perception of reality and as a result, lead to an incorrect conclusion about a person. In the case where someone uses these simple methods to analyze and understand people, he or she deprives oneself of the opportunity to build the right judgment. In addition, the demands to follow the rules and possess certain characteristics can inevitably harm the self-identification of those who defy gender stereotypes. That, of course, includes men who choose to wear tight pants instead of loose jeans. The most famous example of gender separation in clothing is the distinction between blue and pink. In this day and age women borrowing items of mens wardrobe does not create controversy. Nevertheless, the mens use of clothing elements that are recognized as stereotypically feminine continues to look extraordinary. Researchers indicate that when there is a hesitance within the male sex to not wear pink due to it being too feminine, and men continually deal with the questioning of their masculinity (Almy and Sanatullova-Allison 3). The stereotypes indicate that the pink color has a negative connotation, indicating its femininity and associations with gay people.

Fortunately, at the present time, mens fashion begins to doubt such preconceptions and to look more androgynous. The current equality movements allow people of all genders to express themselves through any clothing. For this reason, demanding men to wear a particular set of colors or styles would be discrimination against identity. Sometimes color is just a color and it does not have to be related to societys beliefs.

Works Cited

Almy, Alexandria, and Elvira Sanatullova-Allison. Women are the breadwinners and men are the homemakers: Gender socialization in culture, society, and education. IAFOR Journal of Cultural Studies vol. 1, no.1, 2016.

Del Giudice, Marco. Pink, blue, and gender: An update. Archives of Sexual Behavior, vol. 46, no. 6, 2017, pp. 1555-1563.

Stereotypes for men still seem to linger around in todays society, even though the gender equity movement has made a pretty impactful mark on how we view genders now, the stereotypes for men still seem to have its way with society today. A film that breaks these barriers is a 2000’s film entitles “Billy Elliot”. Starring Jamie bell and Trevor Fox the story of an 11-year-old Billy Elliot, a coal miner’s son in Northern England, is forever changed one day when he stumbles upon a ballet class during his weekly boxing lesson. Before long, he finds himself in dance, demonstrating the kind of raw talent seldom seen by the class’ exacting instructor, Mrs. Wilkinson. With a tart tongue and a never-ending stream of cigarettes in her hand, Mrs. Wilkinson’s zest for teaching is revived when she sees Billy’s potential.

Billy Elliot is set in the 1980s, where homosexuality was still a fragile topic to discuss compared with today. Gender stereotypes are explored through homophobic comments by family members. The film stresses that Billy is not actually gay, like his family members think. With a short pillow fight with the dance teacher’s daughter we see Billy falling for the girl and proving to the audience that he is actually interested in girls. It is through Billy’s friend Michael that the homosexual topic is raised. He is not a ballet dancer himself, yet confidently cross-dresses and helps Billy with his dance routine.

Gender definitions and divisions are shown in the gym scene where the boys box and girls attend ballet lessons. As Billy’s father simply puts it ‘lads do football, boxing, or wrestling, not friggin’ ballet!’ However, Billy wants to dance. Through a beautifully conducted tracking shot of the dancer’s feet, the different genders are clearly presented. Not only can we see his masculine, stumpy feet, but the choice of colour the pink ballet slippers for girls and the blue boxing shoes for Billy depicts the stereotypical colours of both genders.

Throughout this film we as the audience are presented with many stereotypes, victimising men and women. The way this was done is when we are introduced to Billy Elliots family. Billy lives with his widowed father, Jackie, and older brother, Tony, both coal miners out on strike, and also his maternal grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s disease and once aspired to be a professional dancer. Even while meeting new characters like Billys friend Michael, who is a homosexual in the film also seems to believe there’s a correlation between his interest in ballet and his sexuality.

The stereotypes presented in his father are his attitudes towards his activities. His father believes boxing to be more appropriate for men as it is a way of showing their manliness. Where as Ballet on the other hand is considered more feminine and something in which only women should participate in. Billy does not believe in this and he goes ahead to fulfil his dream (Ballet). Despite the fact that he is a male and that his father and brother believe that Ballet is inappropriate for men.There was a scene in which Billy eventually gives up on Boxing and gives Ballet a try. When he goes to attend his class his fathers sees him learning ballet and not attending his boxing lessons. Seeing this Billy’s father gets very angry, yells at Billy and tells him that Ballet is for girls. Even though Billy does not lose hope, he continues to take Ballet lesson without his father knowing.

However, through all the gender stereotypes being exploited, Billy Elliot still provides the audience with a sense of hope as even though Billy has a more direct view point on what men and women should do and with a brother much the same, Billy still continues to break these stereotypes and barriers and continues to dance. This act encourages audiences and hopefully gets a message across. Billy Elliot is able to shape societies knowledge on UK history from a working-class perspective. The film reflects societal values and attitudes of the miner’s strike, homosexuality and gender roles of the time in which the film reflects. Billy Elliot creates a source of clear understanding for the time, through Halls’ screenplay and Daldry’s directing, a clear projection of the UK in the 1980s is reflected in the film.

It has been pointed out in Mark J.P Wolf and Bernard Perron’s (ed) The Video Game Theory Reader of 2003, that images of women and girls in computer games emphasize stereotypes, paralleling more traditional media (2003, p.172). How would you account for this?

Computer games often come under scrutiny for what appears to be the persistent sexualization of female characters as Wolf and Perron said ‘Feminist researchers have started to systematically explore images of women in mainstream video games’ (2003, p.172), these images showed the emphasizing of stereotypes that are not only seen in video games however it is also something that can be seen in more traditional media. The purpose of this essay is to research the role of female characters within the gaming industry and to link this to more traditional media such as film and television, as well as give specific examples of how stereotypes of females are shown within video games as a result of the recent shift in stereotypes that have occurred, especially in more traditional media given the recent rise of feminism.

Traditionally in video games, stereotypes surrounding the role of a female character have always existed. For example, one of the stereotypes commonly used by video game creators is how a female character is often portrayed to be the damsel in distress who is awaiting a strong male lead character to come and rescue them from danger. Often these ‘damsels in distress’ are perceived to be weak and powerless (hence why they are reliant on a male savior). Females within video games often take the role of a secondary character in the plot of a game, for example in the popular platform game Super Mario Bros (Nintendo, 1987), not only does Princess Peach play the role of the helpless damsel who needs to be saved by the knight in shining armor (Mario), but she also presents herself as a background character who only features in specific parts of the storyline. This is very different however from the role of ‘Luigi’ in the Super Mario games, who features as the sidekick to Mario. Why was it not Luigi’s role to be abducted and then rescued by Mario? It could be that because of his gender he was automatically the sidekick rather than the one in danger. Another role that females take in video games according to Wolf and Perron is that of a love interest ‘One way it has been normalized is through media representations of the ideal heterosexual romance, shown as “the great female adventure, duty, and fulfillment”’ (2003, p.174). Not only in Mario but also in games such as Grand Theft Auto: Five (Rockstar, 2013) in which the roles of females are that of stripper, prostitute, or simply a bystander in the background of the game. Grand Theft Auto is the greatest example of how a stereotype for women is being emphasized within video games.

The persistent sexualization of females within video games is not something that is new and has been prevalent within video games since their creation. A modern example of this is the presence of the strippers in Grand Theft Auto who embody this completely. In the video game that was released in September 2013, players can visit a strip club and receive lap dances and shows of a sexual nature. According to Rutter and Bryce, ‘Of course, just as media coverage of gaming shows differences in the way the different sexes are represented, so too there is the apparent encoding of gender in digital games themselves’ (2006, p.196). From this game one could assume that the role of women is simply to fulfill a man’s needs, this could be very influential on the audience’s actions as Behm-Morawitz and Mastro suggest ‘More specifically, we argue that exposure to sexualized female video games characters may promote more traditional, less egalitarian beliefs about women in the real world’ (2009, p. 811), this does not come as a surprise however as many people assume that the majority of gamers would be males due to the nature and themes of some games, however as Behm-Morawitz and Mastro state, ‘40% of gamers (i.e. game players) are female, meaning that digital games are played almost equally by both men and women.’ (2009, p. 808). Therefore, why is the constant sexualization of females still seen so frequently in video games? Well quite simply it is a way of selling video games: ‘Overall sex does sell in gaming. It brings loyalty, sparks interest when there is none, and it brings word of mouth to the table. People told others how hot this character is or there is a cheat code to see a character do that’ (Ecock, 2009). So, if this strategy has worked for video game producers and attracted a largely male audience in the past, then they will be reluctant to change a strategy that has worked for them thus far. It may not even be that the attractive female character has been at the forefront of the advertising but the mere presence of this attractive female within the game may be enough for some consumers to purchase and play the game

Not only does the principle that ‘sex sells’ only apply to video games, but it also presents itself within more traditional media, for example in film advertisements. An example of this can be seen when comparing two large superhero film franchises, DC and Marvel. Both companies have produced superhero films that star a female hero as the protagonist in recent years. Both Captain Marvel (Marvel, 2019) and Wonder Woman (DC, 2017) have empowered women through their strong and heroic displays in their films. However, when looking at the advertising and the outfit design of both characters, you can see some discrepancies between the two. For example, both superheroines are pictured in the center as the main focal point of the image, but when examining the costumes/suits that each heroine is wearing, there is a substantial difference. Gal Gadot who plays Wonder Woman is dressed in a strapless top and a short skirt with knee-high boots (Figure 1). In contrast to Captain Marvel who is wearing a long-sleeved suit which reveals no skin apart from her head (Figure 2). These disparities could simply be down to the differences in clothing design from the comics or a difference between the two film companies. When looking at other heroes within the DC franchise it’s clear that this is not a common feature amongst the male heroes, for example, Batman, Superman, and The Flash all feature an outfit that covers the full body with no skin on show. Therefore, it is clear that Wonder Woman and other female DC characters such as Harley Quinn can be seen as more sexualized through the choices of outfits alone.

From the rise of films that feature a strong female protagonist, we can see that the role of women within traditional media is being somewhat strengthened. Similarly, with the rise of new media and social media there has been an increase in feminism that has changed how some traditional media has operated, for example in the recent Marvel Avengers film after featuring an all-female battle scene, many on social media felt that this scene was too forced and felt slightly unnatural. This sparks a debate as to whether we are trying too hard to expel the stereotypes surrounding women.

One exception to the stereotyping that females receive within video games is Lara Croft. When creating the game Tomb Raider (Core Design, 1996), the game developers changed the gender of the lead character to become the iconic Lara Croft that we know today. We can see that this strong female lead is something that separates Tomb Raider from many other video games. Throughout the video game series, there have been multiple redevelopments of the character, however, the main message behind the character has remained the same and from the very beginning she established herself a network of fans ‘she quickly established herself as the go-to female gaming icon. Why? Initially, it was simply because of a lack of competition.’ (Reed and Hartup, 2018) The appearance of Croft has since been changed and ‘Some Tomb Raiders miss the point completely, overly sexualizing Lara and making her sassy’ but overall many people like and choose to continue playing Lara Croft as they admire her ‘mental toughness and drive’ (Reed and Hartup, 2018). So not only does Lara Croft provide an exception to the rule that video game protagonists have to be males, but she also empowers women by becoming a female icon of the video gaming world.

Lara Croft provides an exception to a norm that has been ever-present within video games for many years ‘Lara Croft has always been a cultural flashpoint, always in direct relation to her gender.’ (Romano, 2018) however, within the film industry, the number of strong female protagonists is also increasing. When the first Disney Princess film came out in 1937, they all followed a similar model that would often result in the female character (the princess) being caught up in danger and relying on a strong Prince or male character to come and save the day. The most famous example of this is in the film Snow White where the princess requires the male character to kiss her for her to avoid death. In recent films however and in recent years there has been a definite shift, for example with the recent Disney Princess films there has been a definite increase in the number of female protagonists. In the film Frozen (Disney, 2013) the main character, Elsa (Snow Queen) who has magical powers, does not rely on the help of a Prince to save her. In the 2013 film, the prince does become the enemy of the film which does challenge the idea that the Princess needs a man’s help to get her out of danger. We see this increase in strong female characters used in other Disney films such as Tangled (Disney, 2010) and Wreck-It Ralph (Disney, 2012).

A woman’s image within advertising is similar to that of video games and is often heavily reliant on the sexualization and objectification of these women. One problem that is further fuelling this problem is that with modern-day technology, it is very easy for companies and advertisers to photoshop or edit a woman to become more desirable to the consumer. Similarly, in video games, the producers and designers can manipulate and change the design of a character (especially female) to make the character more appealing. As previously mentioned, men do not necessarily buy a video game because there is an attractive woman figure within the game, however, it is something that may influence their decision.

There is another perspective that offers the opinion that females are being empowered through video games. Whereas in modern-day society sexual features of women can often be demeaning and can make a female be seen as less competent, one argument is that females simply are not considered that way within video games. ‘Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorite women in gaming. She is also one of the bustiest characters you’ll see outside of anime. This is never portrayed in a negative light in-game.’ (PlusMana, 2017). This is interesting as it shows that perhaps the sexualization of females within this video game is simply a choice of aesthetics rather than a way in which to sell the game. ‘Yet, in the context of the game, she’s just another human. She’s characterized by her kindness which contrasts with the common idea that beauty equals bitchiness. Tifa is shown to be a competent and loyal mother figure while also being badass and gorgeous.’ (PlusMana, 2017) from this, we can see that perhaps the character ‘Tifa’ is simply another character, and her exaggerated features may simply be a small decision that is not influenced by the consumer’s needs.

In conclusion, my evidence shows that there is a large majority of video games that promote the stereotypes of women and girls. Certain video games, in particular, promote women as less powerful characters, damsels in distress, and solely as a love interest for male characters. All of these stereotypes of females that are being used in video games are not new however and they could simply be mirroring what we see every day within traditional media, for example when we see the image of a ‘perfect woman’, advertising a beauty product it is clear to see that they are also promoting the stereotypes surrounding women and how this strategy helps them to sell their products. This is similar in video games, as Behm-Morawitz and Mastro suggest that ‘female sexuality [is] often accentuated with highly revealing clothing’ (2009, p.809).

In video games and more recently in traditional media, we have seen a new trend that empowers females rather than promoting these stereotypes. For example, the game Tomb Raider which features the strong female character Lara Croft, is a way in which the video game industry has empowered females. Similarly, the recent superhero films Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman they too, both introduce a strong sense of female power however this may not be as positive as it seems ‘Pennell and Behm-Morawitz thus speculated that while today’s powerful superheroines might elevate egalitarian beliefs about gender roles, their sexualized nature might simultaneously have destructive effects on body image and self-objectification.’ (May, 2015) also with these superheroines, Behm-Morawitz and Mastro suggested that ‘such female characters are strong, bold, intelligent, and independent, but on the other hand, they are ‘made-up’ (with makeup and clothing), sexualized, and objectified (Inness 1998)’ (2009, p.810). This is evident in the costume choices of DC compared to Marvel where one film production company still uses clothing to sexualize and objectify the female protagonist. So, to conclude it is clear that video games do promote and emphasize the stereotypes of women and this can also be seen on a similar level in more traditional media, however, there are exceptions to this rule that provide a more positive outlook for the representation of women within the video game industry and in more traditional media.

References

1. Behm-Morawitz, E. and Mastro, D. (2009). The Effects of the Sexualization of Female Video Game Characters on Gender Stereotyping and Female Self-Concept. Sex Roles, 61(11-12), pp.808-823.
2. Core Design (1996). Tomb Raider. [Video Game] Eidos Interactive.
3. Ecock, B. (2009). Does Sex Sell In Video Games? [online] DualShockers. Available at: https://www.dualshockers.com/does-sex-sell-in-video-games/ [Accessed 3 May 2019].
4. Etsy (2018). Wonder Woman Movie Poster. [Online] etsy.com. Available at: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/585263083/wonder-woman-movie-poster-home-decor [Accessed 6 May 2019].
5. IMDB (2019). Captain Marvel. [Online] IMDB.com. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664/ [Accessed 6 May 2019]
6. May, C. (2015). The Problem with Female Superheroes. [online] Scientific American. Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-problem-with-female-superheroes/ [Accessed 3 May 2019].
7. Nintendo (1987). Super Mario Bros. [Video Game] Nintendo.
8. PlusMana. (2017). How Video Games Are Empowering Women Where Feminists Aren’t. [online] Available at: http://plusmana.com/video-games-empowering-women-feminists-arent/ [Accessed 3 May 2019].
9. Reed, A. and Hartup, A. (2018). The 25 most inspirational female characters in games. [online] GamesRadar. Available at: https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/20-most-inspirational-female-characters-games/ [Accessed 3 May 2019].
10. Rockstar North (2013). Grand Theft Auto V. [Video Game]. Rockstar.
11. Romano, A. (2018). Why we’ve been arguing about Lara Croft for two decades. [online] Vox. Available at: https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/3/17/17128344/lara-croft-tomb-raider-history-controversy-breasts [Accessed 3 May 2019].
12. Rutter, J. and Bryce, J. (2006). Understanding Digital Games. London: Sage Publications, p.196.
13. Wolf, M. and Perron, B. (2003). The Video Game Theory Reader. London: Routledge, p.172, 174.

Film References

1. Captain Marvel (2019) Directed by Anna Boden, and Ryan Fleck [Film]. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
2. Frozen (2013) Directed by Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck [Film] Walt Disney Pictures.
3. Harley Quinn (2016) Directed by David Ayer [film] Warner Bros. Pictures.
4. Justice League (2017) Directed by Zack Snyder [Film] Warner Bros.
5. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) was Directed by David Hand, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Ben Sharpsteen, William Cottrell, and Perce Pearce [Film]. RKO Radio Pictures
6. Tangled (2011) Directed by Byron Howard, Nathan Greno [Film] Walt Disney Pictures.
7. Wonder Woman (2017) Directed by Patty Jenkins [Film]. Warner Bros.
8. Wreck-it Ralph (2013) Directed by Rich Moore [Film] Walt Disney Pictures

The term popular culture refers to practices, beliefs, and objects in a society that represent anything that is considered fashionable, popular, or dominant at any given time (Ashby, 2010). Fiske defines popular culture as “a culture of processes rather than of products”. It is the accumulation of cultural products such as music, art, film, literature, dance, cyberculture, television, and radio that are consumed by a majority of society’s population (Crossman, 2016). On the other hand, stereotypes are prejudices about the qualities or characteristics that members of a certain social group should possess. Stereotypes play an important role in categorization and thus in cognition, and serve as an important tool for processing information about the surrounding world. Stereotypes are used widely in various forms of popular culture such as series, comic shows, commercials, memes, magazine articles, video games, etc. and this has accelerated an unconscious bias. For example, the messages from advertisements pretty much say that people are equivalent to the products they purchase. This puts people at risk because society sees them as absolute truths rather than the culturally established standards of what it means to be successful (Murray, 2015). Although popular culture targets every individual, the level of exposure is determined by gender, and many of its messages are harmful to women as they create negative perceptions of women.

Like other businesses, popular culture seeks to make a profit, but the problem lies in the way people, especially women, are treated by the media as products, not as beings worthy of honor and respect. The result of some methods used by the media is low self-esteem among women, dangerous body modification procedures, violence, and sometimes death. For example, in media such as magazines, where a person relies on an image to convey an emotion, girls are often made to appear inferior. Jean Kilbourne notes that “girls’ body language is often passive, vulnerable, and very different from the body languages of boys”. This perpetuates the idea of weakness in women while “men are given dignity and power”.

In addition, the system aims to categorically dehumanize women. One of the most relevant examples today is when a woman is fat. Not only is fat a direct determinant of ugliness by the media, but it also causes one to be stripped of one’s identity. This leads most women to get rid of embarrassment and therefore decide on body modification solutions such as dieting, weight loss pills, and cosmetic surgery procedures to achieve a figure acceptable to the media. Finally, popularity alienates women from their power. Women’s voices are constantly silenced because the responsibilities portrayed in the media are not worth the dignity of a voice.

Social norms have created stereotypes for male and female that have a significant influence on health outcome. Men are expected to be brave, tough, resistant to pain and not showing their emotions. Women, on the other hand, are very emotional, sensitive and in need of protection. Men will not seek help immediately if they feel tired, overworked and stressed or if they feel pain. Social norms of masculinity encourage them to overlook their symptoms and perceive them as unthreatening. Consequently, they will delay any treatment necessary to deal immediately with a potential disease and increase their chances of healing successfully. It is not manly to go to the doctor for any minor injury or pain.

I have personally seen how gender stereotypes can affect our opinions and behaviors. I was raised believing that men are strong, brave, resilient and almost invulnerable. That’s the way I used to see my father for example. He never complained about anything; he was tough and refused to go to the doctor for little pains. When my brother had his first depression, I was in shock and didn’t know how to react. I used to think that depression was a woman illness. For me, being depressed meant being weak and I believed that my brother was physically and mentally strong. When I asked my brother why he didn’t share his feelings with me from the beginning, he confessed that he felt ashamed and feared my reaction. I saw distress and isolation in his eyes because I understood that he didn’t consider himself a “man” anymore and he felt exposed emotionally. Women longevity is more extended than men, but yet men suicide rates are higher than women (Ogden, 2017). Those differences may find their sources in gender stereotypes and behaviors such as a man doesn’t share his emotions and mental issues.

With my mentality, I was convinced that with my support and a lot of talking, I could heal him without going to the doctor. I must confess that I felt ashamed and tried to conceal this situation to the rest of the family and our friends. In brief, we delayed help-seeking, we delayed medical treatment, and my brother suffered bravely for six months because of our beliefs.

This experience with my brother’s depression made me aware of my own biases, and I had to reset my way of thinking to help him. The first time I saw him cry, I understood that a man could be sensible and cry without losing his manhood. Getting rid of all those prejudgments are essential to counteract those biases. We have to rethink man and women characteristics and beliefs. The first step is to be aware and accept that we have biases, pay attention to the way we speak to avoid passing them on our children. We wouldn’t want our boys to be raised to the sound of “boys don’t cry,” “boys are tough,” and other similar statements, so we have to talk about those stereotypes at home and break them (Shafer, 2018).

References

1. Ogden, J. (2017). The psychology of health and illness: An open access course. The psychology of health illness.
2. Schaffer, L. (2018). How parents and caregivers can work to counter stereotyping and discrimination — starting in early childhood. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved from https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/18/11/preventing-gender-bias

For much of history, men have predominantly controlled societies. In recent years many people have attempted to ameliorate this imbalance in power. Nevertheless, many cultures kept these misogynistic traditions through generations. The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston, is a five-part memoir narrated by Kingston. Throughout the memoir, Kingston interweaves her own experiences with talk-stories told by her mother. In The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston explores traditional gender roles in her life. Kingston does so by employing the use of story-telling to both reinforce and question stereotypical gender roles within traditional Chinese culture.

Throughout The Woman Warrior, Kingston’s mother uses story-telling to enforce gender stereotypes built by traditional Chinese culture. During the first chapter of The Woman Warrior, Kingston’s mother reinforces traditional Chinese gender norms through the story of the No Name Woman. The No Name Woman was one of Kingston’s aunts who killed herself and her child after being tormented by the villagers for supposedly committing adultery; however, it was never explicitly told whether or not adultery had occurred. The No Name Woman is the first example the reader sees in Kingston’s memoir of the inequities bestowed upon women. “To be a woman, to have a daughter in starvation time was a waste enough.” (Kingston 6). Kingston introduces the idea, alluded to by her mother in the story of The No Name Woman, that women are of less value than men in Chinese culture. This concept of disparaging the women and girls in China is exemplified by the selling of daughters on the side of a Chinese street; a vivid picture told through one of Kingston’s mother’s talk-stories. In chapter three, Kingston’s mother tells of subservient girls eagerly being sold by their parents or professional sellers. “Among the sellers with their ropes, cages, and water tanks were the sellers of little girls.” (Kingston 79). Within this talk-story, Kingston’s mother uses the juxtaposition of inanimate objects with the young unwanted girls being sold. The juxtaposition further shows the inequities bestowed upon girls and supports the cultural norm. Although Kingston’s mother is one of the only feminist models Kingston has to look up to, Kingston’s mother still allows herself to be indoctrinated in a predominantly patriarchal Chinese society.

Contrariwise, Kingston challenges gender roles through stories both she and her mother tell. Kingston uses a story similar to the legend of Fa Mulan in order to represent herself as a warrior fighting against tyrannies and injustices in China. In her story of Fa Mulan, Kingston impliments role reversals to challenge stereotypical gender roles. “Then I gave my husband the baby and told him to take it to his family, and I gave him all the money we had taken on raids to take to my family.” (Kingston 40-41). The role reversal in Kingston’s story of Fa Mulan counters stereotypical parental roles, associated with gender. Traditionally, parental roles are identified as women caring for the kids while men go off to work. These gender roles were challenged through Kingston’s fictitious story of becoming a warrior as Kingston becomes the provider and head of the family. Kingston’s mother further pushes against the traditional gender customs in her story of medical school. Education for women during the time in which Kingston’s mother went to school was rare. Kingston’s mother not only broke traditions by attending school but additionally posed as a brave woman for the other scholars in her interaction with a ghost. “‘I do not give in,’ she said. ‘There is no pain you can inflict that I cannot endure.’” (Kingston 70). Kingston’s mother poses as a strong, resilient woman when fighting the ghost. This resiliency and strength demonstrate Kingston’s mother’s ability to break the mold for traditional women in Chinese culture. Through this story, Kingston’s mother is able to share with Kingston that women can be both strong and powerful within Chinese culture.

Kingston uses her own stories to support stereotypical gender roles. During the second chapter of the novel Kingston tells the story of her fantasy of fighting corruption and tyranny in China. While at face value this story seems to be one which supports feminism, after further analysis this story can be seen as one of self-loathing. Kingston is envious of those similar to Fa Mulan and self-deprecates herself, saying she is not loved enough to be supported. (Kingston 48). Moreover, Kingston follows stereotypical gender roles even when fantasizing about the story of Fa Mulan. “Now my public duties are finished… I will stay with you, doing farmwork and housework, and giving you more sons.” (Kingston 45). While the story of Fa Mulan was one that promoted feminism, at the end of the story Kingston still must return to following the gender norms set by a traditional Chinese society. Through the ending of Kingston’s story the reader can witness how even when living her fantasy, Kingston still results in going back to traditional gender roles that have been instilled into her by society. Later in the memoir, Kingston uses a tangible story to display paradoxical roles which women must abide by in Chinese culture. “The other Chinese girls did not talk either, so I knew the silence had to do with being a Chinese girl.” (Kingston 166). Through Kingston’s story of her silence during her primary and later years of education, the reader conceptualizes the role of silence that women in Chinese tradition must conform to. Kingston adheres to this role of silence throughout the majority of the book, listening to her mother rather than speaking herself.

Kingston utilizes The Woman Warrior to explain the complexities of sexism within Chinese culture. These complexities include stereotypical gender roles that are placed upon women and continued through tradition. In order to question and reinforce these gender roles, Kingston utilizes story-telling as a medium to share the information she has gathered from both her experiences and her mothers. While many sexist traditions have been stopped or forgotten, there is always more to achieve towards the next step to equality.

Keith Davis defines leadership as “the ability to persuade others to seek defined objectives enthusiastically. The human factor binds people together and motivates them towards goals. ”Leadership thus defines the difference between success and failure. According to Carlyle (Carlyle, 1841/1907), Leadership is a person endowed with extraordinary qualities that are the source of his or her influence. These internal traits and situations are the factors that Carlyle based his great leadership on. However, since then there have been many studies on the subject to refute the fact that great leadership is based on one factor. Some of the traits that are noted by a majority as very essential to leadership are Honesty, Decisiveness, Organization, and Intelligence. However, these studies had to be disregarded due to several flaws. Does gender matter when it comes to leadership positions and the success affiliated?

Gender stereotypes are sets of cultural expectations popularly adopted by the mass majority. These roles and expectations are maintained partially because of the human need to belong. Some cultures have restricted gender stereotypes, while others have become more lenient and accepting of deviation from gender roles. Stereotypes are often created about people of specific cultures or races. However, these are not just focused on different races and backgrounds, there is also the existence of gender stereotypes in the workplace and these usually have long-term detrimental effects on the workforce of an organization.

Women’s gender stereotyping is more discussed when gender stereotypes are mentioned in the workplace. Many believe that the gender stereotyping of women has been a huge disadvantage to the advancement of women socially, through education, and in the workforce. Common gender-stereotypical qualities of women are submissive, quiet, neat, weak, clean, clumsy, incompetent, and motherly. These prevent them from speaking their minds, becoming active in strength-related sports and not progressing especially well in the workforce because of insecurity and the pressure to become a mother. Those who do not conform to gender roles are often considered harsh, controlling, or manly.

According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted on the question of what makes a great leader, and does gender matter? A significant majority agreed with the fact that based on the traits mentioned earlier, men and women leaders display these traits equally. When it comes to intelligence, 87% of the survey participants agreed that men and women share this trait equally, for honesty it was 68%, and then it was 61% for decisiveness and finally, for organization, it was 62%. The picture is not so different when the survey targets specific segments of the population. On the political scene, the results were even higher for those in agreement with the fact that men and women are equal when it comes to leadership traits that are essential and affect the success of the role. The segments were divided into Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. The outcome of the survey was 75% Republicans, 74% Democrats, and 76% Independents all agreed that when it comes to leadership traits, men and women exhibit the same degrees, and therefore women can make great political leaders just like men. On the business scene, however, there is a divided share of opinion on the topic, but this is only true when it comes to specific male-dominated sectors. Sports, Oil industry, and gas industry are some of the sectors where 54% of adults interviewed were of the view that men would do a better job at managing companies in these sectors. In the same way, some sectors are stereotyped as women leaders and will be better managed by women, some of these sectors are hospitality and retail.

Even though most of the public believes that gender does not matter when it comes to leadership, there is still a lot of stereotyping when women are leaders in institutions. In the states, although women make up 45% of the workforce, there are only 7 head Fortune 500 companies and 10 head Fortune 501-1000 companies. Stereotyping usually has a perception about women even before they are given the chance to prove themselves. These perceptions are based on the fact that men and women are different. Apart from it being difficult to even climb up the ladder because senior managers have the perception that women are not as good leaders as men. It usually takes women to work twice as hard to be noticed and promoted to managerial positions. Even when they do climb to the top the workers under them have similar perceptions and therefore behave differently towards women leaders than they do towards men leaders. Stereotyping women in corporations prevents women from climbing the corporate ladder.

According to Hofstede, Countries such as Hungary, Japan, Austria, Slovak Republic, Italy, and Canada, just to list but a few are recorded as countries with between 80 to 100% high Masculinity when it comes to Power systems. With this, they believe that work prevails over family and that since in the social cycles, the male is seen as the head of the home; it should be the same in the work field. Women are thus seen as weaklings and not capable of taking charge of high management positions since in this system, it is believed that men deal with facts and women deal with feelings. A preference for heroism, assertiveness, and material reward for success is what is mainly targeted and thus there is a larger wage gap between genders.

Several feminist theories such as Walby’s theory, Catherine Hakim’s theory, and Radical, Marxist, and Liberal feminists’ theories affirmed that one’s biological sex is different from their gender. Although these theories might be vital for feminist analysts, has been criticized for not being able to deal with historical and cross-cultural variation in the forms of women’s subordination. One can depict whether or not there is gender inequality in the workplace and whether should it be eliminated or not. While masculinity was seen as a socially constructed personality type and the source of social ills and women’s oppression, feminist theories defined femininity as a personality type that is forced onto girls through socialization and, for adult women, required and enforced by men to serve men’s interests. One cannot thus be judged on whether they can fully function in an institution based on their gender or their sex.

Although there seem to be several successful men out there in high management positions, there are also an amazing number of women making history through huge wins in the working field as leaders of their institutions. Examples of such are Sarah Breedlove (An American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and apolitical and social activist), Liliane Bettencourt, Oprah Winfrey, Njeri Rionge, Isabel do Santos, J.K.Rowling, and Vera Wang, amongst others who cut across several industries. Besides these, even the life expectancy surveys contradict the belief that males function better than females in institutions. A country like France records an average of 74 years for females against an average of 69 years for males.

According to Chemers, 2000 explanations for stereotypes can be explained by three theories namely biological, structural, and cultural. These explanations show the differences between men and women, biological deals with hormones and temperaments. Culturally males and females are socialized for different roles in life.