Women in the Media

Madeline Richards - University of Tennessee

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Am I A Feminist?

As I revisit my essay from the beginning of the semester, I am shocked at how much my answer has changed. I was totally against the idea of being labeled a “feminist” for a lack of education surrounding the topic. At the beginning of this class I assumed all feminists were really radical...could I be more wrong. I have learned that being a feminist just means that you believe in equality for all people, which is something that I can get behind. In addition, I have learned more about the lack of equality within our society and feminist agenda to end it. While I still don’t agree with really radical forms of expression, I stand behind the movement as the means for minority groups to gain equality. It was easy for me to agree with ending the wage gap, as that is something I am impacted by directly, but as I began educating myself on other minority groups and the inequalities they face in society I realized there is no difference between the inequalities I experience and those experienced by other groups. We are all fighting for equal treatment in every area of society and the feminist movement is the combination of those efforts, as they fight for equality for ALL. 

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The Color Purple By: Alice Walker

The Color Purple, a novel by Alice Walker, illustrates many of the themes we have discussed in class regarding feminism, sexuality, and race. The novel is an example of sex, race, and gender bias as seen through the life of the character Celie. One of the largest issues discussed in this novel surrounds masculinity, but more specifically how “Men s’pose to wear the pants” within both the family and society. One example of this is when Celie addressed the abuse she has suffered at the hands of bother her father and her husband, as well as the various other forms of exploitation she has experienced.The novel uses these points to encourage women to stand up against this mistreatment as well as the importance of women standing together to achieve total equality for all. Race is also discussed heavily in this novel, as it addresses the ways in which African Americans are put down in society. In addition, sexuality is mentioned as well as the importance of equality among individuals of all races and sexes. 

The various topics discussed in The Color Purple would make it an important read for the University of Tennessee community. Primarily because many of the “hot button” issues we face on campus are discussed within the novel. In addition The Color Purple introduces many issues that promote discussions on topics that are often ignored or seen as “non-issues” on our campus such as equality for all individuals regardless of race or sexuality. 

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Gendered Media Consumption is Post - Feminist Culture

Rosiland Gill in her article, Post Feminist Media Culture: Elements of Sensibility, describes post - feminist culture as a resurgence of ideas about natural sex differences, empowerment, individualism, and choice. She introduces the idea of the female body, and the way it is portrayed in an even more restricting view then before. Women are now held to a higher standard in terms of their appearance then they have been historically. This increase importance placed on appearance, can be seen in a variety of television shows that address “female unattractiveness.” 

What Not To Wear, was a popular TV show developed in the early 2000′s based on changing peoples appearance to fit social norms, specifically those assigned by gender. The majority of the participants are women and they are almost always put into the same outfit for the “reveal”.... a short dress or skirt, cute feminine blouse, high heels, perfect accessories, shoes, hair and makeup. They are told that this is how women should dress, and that wearing anything other then a dress or skirt covers up a women’s most valuable thing....her looks. Here are some examples of individuals they make over on the show.

Im sorry, I guess I did not realize that wearing jeans and a t-shirt is considered to be “unfeminine” and that by doing so I am not fulfilling my female role in society. 

Although this show did not really surprise me in terms of the way they were making all women appear to be essentially the same, TLC topped themselves in terms of shows that promote gender conformity. The network came out with a new show that combines the makeovers of What Not To Wear with social media, to create a show aimed at making peoples online dating profiles more attractive... appropriately named Love at First Swipe

This new show not only provides you with a makeover but then changes your social media presence to be one that “appeals more to individuals of the opposite sex” (almost exclusively referring to individuals in heterosexual relationships). One example illustrates perfectly the issues of this show. 

This women appeared on the show in 2015 and the hosts told her repeatedly that their goal was to create a “softer look.” Appearing less harsh and more feminine would surely increase the number of men interested in her online dating profile. Thus, by the end of the show, her profile was made to look like she had no tattoos, wore feminine clothing, yet still liked to experiment with makeup (in various shades of beige). 

These shows represent a lot of the continuous issues women face even in post - feminist culture. We advocate for choice, individualism, and sexual differences yet this has yet to be seen in our media outlets, specifically in regards to women's appearance. 

Why do you think women's appearance is held to a much higher standard then mens within our society today? 

As media consumers, have you noticed any positive post - feminist media changes?

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Desperate Housewives and Gender

Desperate Housewives portrays the life of 4 very different “housewives,” Lynette, Susan, Bree, and Gabrielle. Each character represents one side of a traditional housewife, and through that portrays many of the stereotypes attributed to women. 

Lynette, represents the stereotypical working mother who is constantly at odds as to how to work and maintain her role as a traditional housewife.

Susan, represents the stereotype of women as emotional and weak. She struggles in her relationships with men, and leans on her young daughter support. 

Bree, represents the homemaker. She cooks and cleans with perfection, and on the outside is what every women should strive to be. Yet, she struggles with her relationships with her husband and children. 

Gabrielle, represents the idea that women strive to marry rich, however she also portrays the ability for women to be powerful within romantic relationships.

Although these characters are all dynamic in there own way, the way gender relationships are portrayed remains consistent with the traditional stereotype. Each woman is portrayed in very limited roles and they rarely challenge gender role norms. The one bright light for this series in terms of breaking traditional gender constructs, is in the portrayal of Gabrielle’s character. In which she is the dominant one in her marriage relationship; yet, even then she is still marrying for money, which is a very stereotypical view of what women want in a marriage. Overall, Desperate Housewives sticks to the traditional portrayals of women, which each of the main characters fulfilling at least one stereotypical female role. 

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Intersectionality: A Positive View

Intersectionality is at the core of Shona Rhimes’ identity as a screen writer. Rhimes has been regarded as the queen of diversity and intersectionality in the world of television writing. Matthew Fugel from the New York Times regarded her as “having created one of the most colorful backgrounds in television.” Not only is intersectionality at the core of her identity is is at the core of her shows and characters. Grey’s Anatomy is a prime example of intersectionality within the media, as evidenced by consistently passing the Bechdel test since its airing in 2005. 

The Bechdel Test was originally intended to measure the presence of women within Television and Film. However, various other tests have branched off of the Bechdel Test specifically the Vito Russo Test. This test analyzes the presences of LGBTQ characters within those same media outlets. Grey’s Anatomy has passed all of them.

Original Bechdel Test: The movie/TV show has to have at least two women in it, who talk to each other, about something besides a man. 

Vito Russo Test: The film/TV show contains a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender. The character must NOT be solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity. The character must be tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect.

Shonda Rhimes has made immense strides toward total equality in terms of media representation. Not only has she broken through the barriers of women in writing and production in her own career, but she has embraced the diversity within our world and strives to portray that through each of her characters. She faces issues relating to gender, sexuality, and ethnicity head on and often shows how all of the aspects of are interconnected and aid in developing our identity. As a result, Rhimes has been praised for her intersectionality in media. She won the Directors Guild of America award for diversity in 2014, in which she surprised many with her response. She states that although she was extremely honored to have been recognized for her efforts to create equality she was “a little pissed that there still needs to be an award. Like, there’s such a lack of people hiring women and minorities that when someone does it on a regular basis, they are given an award.” This introduces many interesting questions:

Why do you think people are still scared to include minorities within their television programs, even after seeing the success of Shonda Rhimes? 

What other examples of intersectionality have you seen within TV shows? Are they successful? 

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Media Consumption

In this day in age is it not difficult to have a pretty complex relationship with media. Media is everywhere in our world and as a result we become pretty constant consumers of some form of media. My biggest form of media consumption is in the form of TV....reality TV to be exact. 

I know, I know “reality TV” is so far from actual reality...but for some reason I get sucked right into the “not so reality” reality TV shows. The more and more I watch these TV shows, I begin to see the many ways I compare myself to these “characters”....who are depicted of having it all, and often are able to accomplish every task with ease and juggle thousands of responsibilities at one time with little to no stress. This altered version of “reality” is what I find myself believing I should be able to accomplish...without really taking into account that these characters have a chef, nanny, tutor, trainer, and stylist who all contribute to their “success”... not to mention pretty large paycheck they receive just for “living life.” Although, this is the area of Media that I consume the most, I also feel that it is the area that impacts me the most. 

Although, I am a huge media consumer I also contribute to media through various forms of social media accounts. I am by no means am an expert on any form of social media, but I turn to social media primarily to catch up with family and friends. Social media fits into my daily life the most because it is undoubtedly the most accessible media form at any given time.

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Influence of Media

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Miss Representation