The Influence of Mass Media and Stereotypes about Female Sexuality - Case Study Example

My interviewee is an acquaintance of mine, 23 years old, major in management. She is a Caucasian girl, with a nice face, big grey eyes, blond hair and a good figure. She considers herself plump, while she’s got wide hips. However, to my mind, she is very feminine. She has a good taste in clothing, though she doesn’t follow fashion. She likes to wear bijouterie and natural stones, and always looks very nice. She is easy in communication and quickly makes friends with people. She kindly agreed to give me an interview and we met in a café. My interviewee seems to have very sober views at the issue of sexuality. For her sexuality is expressed not through clothes or slim figure, but a whole complex of qualities. As she explains, sexuality is not about a perfect body or revealing behavior and clothing, but about something illusive, harmonious and natural, an amount of unique personal qualities. Sexuality includes not only physical attractiveness, but also character, tonus, knowledge of how to be feminine, health. Though it was difficult for her to put her feeling in words, she supplemented her speech with gestures and facial expressions, so that it was possible to understand the meaning. She was also constantly looking at women she considered attractive and explained to me that she always looks at nice people, admiring some particular features making them nice. She likes to look well herself and notices it in other people, able to enjoy it and make compliments, which makes her pleasant to communicate with. She underlines that sexuality is something different for each individual. Later, after the interview, she explained this point, adding that different people are attracted by different features. A beautiful girl is not beautiful for everyone. There are some people, who consider her simply nice, or even not nice at all, while a rather plain girl may have crowds of worshippers and friends because of her inner charm. It can be said that my interviewee doesn’t suffer of complexes or problems with sexuality. She knows the price of things and possesses common sense and understanding of how one should live. Answering to the third question she concludes that if she wants to be attractive she can do it very well. My interviewee believes that there are age frameworks for sexuality. It means that sexuality is associated with youth. When a woman gets older she is not considered sexual, so that we usually get surprised when see elder couples kissing each other. Answering to the next question, my interviewee says that her sexuality depends on her mood. When she is depressed she doesn’t feel sexy. The two observations on the connection of sexuality with youth and mood suggest an interesting idea that sexuality is associated with energy and fullness. My interviewee goes in for yoga. Though we didn’t touch this aspect of her life in the interview, it occurred to me later as I analyzed her answers. The interview brightly reveals the problem faced by many young girls – the influence of mass media and stereotypes about female sexuality. My interviewee repeats several times that she considers herself plump. Though realizing that it is foolish and feeling that it is a stereotypic view, she cannot overcome her fears entirely. She often keeps to a diet, trying to lose weight, though she has to make great efforts, while she likes to eat and enjoy food. As she told, even her notion of sexuality was received from TV. Like many girls, she believed that only a certain type of women can be sexual: those with long legs, beautiful faces and good figures, and always slim. She considers her figure “non standard” and “far from an ideal”, as if there are some dies fitting all. However, the very fact that she became rather popular with men points to the truth that there are no general standards. Her perception of her own figure contradicts her views on the sexuality. Though realizing that there is no universal recipe, she still tries to fit into some standards, dictated by mass media. She underlines this issue in her answer to question 5. Telling of the cultural patterns of sexuality, she emphasizes that in the Western world the notion of sexuality is imposed by TV, advertising and fashion industry. Describing the stereotypical image of a sexy woman, she suggests that her figure doesn’t fit into that image. The image imposed by mass media is perceived as artificial. “Today there is a tendency to return to a natural woman”, says my interviewee meaning herself. Ideals are unnatural and pervert the social perception of female sexuality. Girls and women are not only made to keep to dieting, but also behave and dress revealingly. My interviewee underlines that mass media make women reveal their sexuality through clothes and behavior. The clothes prescribed to women are often rather uncomfortable: mini skirts and high-heels and blouses with décolleté. Moreover, mass media demand women to betray themselves, breaking through limitations and having sex, sex and sex again. “Revealing clothes and numerous affaires are perceived as freedom and absence of complexes and limitations”, says my interviewee. Being young she is aware of the pressures of the mass media, though not following them and staying faithful to herself. However, she feels that the messages of the mass media cause the problems the society has to deal with. Rapes and sex under the influence of alcohol, occasional affaires are only some of the issues. Sexuality should be natural, states my interviewee. Several times during the interview she emphasizes the importance of harmony and naturalness in women. Her role-models are representatives of an older generation, whose charm is conditioned by their nature and combination of features and not affected behavior or reasoning. Aggressive or cold sexuality is not an example to follow. Interestingly, my interviewee names actresses who starred in films dealing with problems of sexuality. Their heroines suffered of the distorted perceptions of sexuality or made other people suffer, anyway, their behavior not being ecological. Feminity combines fragility and strength, yet this combination should be natural, my interviewee thinks. Besides, sexuality is not to be overwhelming, while it is also the way to spoil an impression of oneself and own life. My interviewee’s views on feminity are a bit unusual for the Western world. She thinks that feminity and sexuality are needed to get support from men. Though being independent and self-confident, she accepts help from men. This approach is very wise indeed. As my interviewee puts it, sexuality gives a woman “a lot of merits”. Feminity and sexuality is not simply a demand of mass media but a way to go through one’s life and develop, build relationships and create harmony. Notwithstanding the awakening feminity that can be seen in my interviewee, the topic of sexuality continues being not the easiest one for her. She thinks that it is not that easy to discuss this topic with anyone, especially when you have problems with your sexuality. However, then the circle remains closed. Many girls have to deal with their problems themselves, continuing getting the information form TV, mass media and papers. It is very good if a person is able to draw conclusions from personal observations of the life around her, like my acquaintance does. However, not everybody can do it, or acquire negative experience before having matured enough to make own decisions and judgments. That is why it is really very important that adults discuss the issue of sexuality with girls and young women. Many girls need guidance in the complex question of acquiring self-perception and finding own ways in life. My interviewee seems to stand firmly on her grounds. She has come to understanding of essential things about herself and her sexuality. Yet, she continues having some problems with her self-perception of body image. However, she is able to produce her own judgments and see the things as they are. It is possible to suppose that she will eventually come to harmony about her appearance and sexuality just like her role models. Read More