Misrepresentation of Women in Media - Literature review Example

Misrepresentation of Women in Media Misrepresentation of Women in Media The media derives significant impact on the social world where it makes subtle contributions in defining the modern social, political, and economic environment (University of Florida, 2012). As such, it is arguably true that media determines socialization in the community and influences the thinking capacity and way of living in the society. In this context, media refers to television, movies, videogames, radio, social websites, adverts, and print materials. Through the media, we can ascertain how the society understands itself and what it prioritizes as important (University of Michigan, 2014). Subject to these aspects, there have been numerous studies on the relationship between media and society as well as a research on whether the media fosters social change or reinforces the status quo in the society (Womens UN Report Network, 2009). The media is under the control of the ruling political and economic groups and hence many scholars feel that information presented by the media is seemingly unreliable since it lacks objectivity (Womens UN Report Network, 2009). As such, the media misrepresents women in diverse ways. This paper discusses how media effect and how media content misrepresent women in politics, sports, daily life, and work. In an ideal situation, the media should represent women in an all-inclusive and diverse manner. However, various studies confirm that the media fails to represent women in the most diverse and equitable manner. Specific cases and examples from China describe different ways through which the media misrepresents women in our society. Indeed, numerous problems define how the media misrepresents women in the modern society. As a result, various researchers and feminist studies on media and society seek to establish the correlation between social reality and women representation in the media (Womens UN Report Network, 2009). In doing this, the researchers have been focusing on the information that advertising, television programs, print media, video games, and films present with respect to gender roles (Womens UN Report Network, 2009). Such studies have established that the representation of women in the media relates to the economic, political, social, and cultural aspects of the society. The social-construction of reality derives representation of women in the media. Specifically, in a Chinese context, the representation of women by the media analyzes the correlation between the media and society. In fact, the media, consumerism, and the western dynamics influence the construction of a socio-cultural society in China. Worth noting is the fact that recent cultural, social, political, and technological changes in the global environment have influenced the media in diverse ways. As a result, there have been resultant changes in the media with respect to content and representation. Therefore, the media has consequently changed the role and representation of women especially in China where the media is so dynamic. In China, the media relies on communication and political controls to establish any social changes that may relate to women representation. Notably, the political, cultural, or economic influence on the media derives misrepresentation of women in politics, sports, work, and daily life. Today, most people in China and other democratic nations loath the media representation on women. In Hong Kong, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) established that most residents have a negative perception on how the local print media portrays women (Ho, 2008). Moreover, it is quite notable that the socio-economic and political-ideological changes in China influenced misrepresentation of Chinese women as seen in the covers of Women of China magazine. In fact, the communist party and state have established strict controls on the Chinese media where they use the media to promote communism and government policies (Womens UN Report Network, 2009). Subject to this political influence, the Chinese and Western media differ in how they portray women in the global society. The fall of the Chinese culture and religious influence have made Chinese women become representative objects for Western observers (George Mason University, 2014). The foreign influence jeopardized the representation of women in the Chinese media where the women lost their respectful position in the society. The western powers defined the gender norms that the Chinese women follow in the 19th century as seen in the media (George Mason University, 2014). As a dynamic country, China has been under the influence of Western powers where the media portrays the Westerners’ view of the Chinese. In this context, the media misrepresents women as people who should focus on obeying their parents and carrying out domestic chores (George Mason University, 2014). According to the media, women should not pursue education, take leadership positions, or become professionals. Specifically, various studies present an interesting view on the role of Chinese women in their society. They assert that the media misrepresents women as people who should always be submissive to men and who lacked legal rights in the society. This is a misrepresentation since we have Chinese women in great seats of power. In most cases, the media misrepresents women as sex objects who use their beauty and body to gain favors. For instance, the media portrays a Chinese woman as a prostitute who relied on her beauty and charm to achieve political and economic power. Indeed, past research establish that the media misrepresent women as subordinate to men where they assume submissive and dependent duties that define underrepresentation and stereotyping (University of Florida, 2012). The Western films present the image of an Oriental Chinese woman who was a concubine to many servants. This image related to the image of a modern Chinese woman, which is a clear misrepresentation of facts by the media. Though the Oriental woman may have undergone some transformations, the media portrays her as a person mandated to satisfy a man’s needs and sexual pleasures. The media continues to portray the images of stereotyped women, which derives significant effects that form daily mentality in the society. Indeed, the media misrepresents wealthy and celebrity women as the ones with tall and slim figures. As a result, most Chinese women are busy trying to lose weight with an aim of becoming stars and wealthy. This represents stereotyped women since the female images created by the media are temporary because they change often with respect to dynamics in the social environment and feminist movement (Womens UN Report Network, 2009). This is eminent in the representation of women in reality television shows in China, women in U.S (University of Florida, 2012). Notably, such shows define a new media category with a unique view of women. These shows equally misrepresent women as sex objects, subordinate characters, and entertainers. Such shows attract huge criticism since they misrepresent women and feature women. People only view such reality television shows to satisfy their entertainment needs since they are cheeky. The media features women in sex-oriented advertisements and news pictures. However, Western media portray women in working roles as business managers and responsible parents, the Japanese media portray women as entertainers in sex-oriented advertisements and news pictures. They also portray women as homemakers whose main responsibility is to cook, clean, and do household duties. Moreover, the Chinese government and other countries control the media where they force the media to portray women in a negative manner thus demeaning their contribution in social development. This is a misrepresentation since most women play significant contributions in nation building through leadership, business management, and formulation of strategies. This represents erroneous stereotypes of women in the media. Despite the continued efforts to eliminate stereotypes of women by the western media, sexploitation of Chinese females is still rampant in the society. Various examples in advertising, print media, and television shows can ascertain the misrepresentation of Chinese women as sex objects. For example, the video clip entitled “How many Asian American Actors can you name?” that challenged young American students to name Asian American actors manifested sexploitation of Asian females (University of Michigan, 2014). Indeed, the young American students could only name Asian American actors that assumed stereotypical roles offered to Asian Americans, which included sexualized females (University of Michigan, 2014). Moreover, other Chinese actors that depict Asian American Women as objects of eroticism and sexuality within modern media, Lucy Liu, plays sexually charged roles where she represents an addict of casual sex who uses sex to have her way with men (University of Michigan, 2014). This manifests how the media misrepresents sexploitation of Asian females especially in China. The video Ally McBeal depicts an Asian icon using sex to advance her intentions (University of Michigan, 2014). According to a study by the Equal Opportunities Commission, most Hong Kongers claimed that the appearance and “body figure” of female images shown by the media dominated advertising in China (Ho, 2008). The Hong Kongers had negative views on such female images presented by the local media since they had demeaning description of women by portraying them as sex or commercial objects (Ho, 2008). Indeed, the Equal Opportunities Commission established that the misrepresentation of beauty advertisements and magazine covers as sex or commercial objects is disgusting and demeaning (Ho, 2008). The images of half-naked or completely naked women who are seemingly making a sex appeal is a misrepresentation of the modern women who can do more than satisfy the sexual pleasures of women. As a result, many activists, gender studies, and media professionals have been calling for a correct and respectable representation of women in the media especially in China. Indeed, Chinese plays feature Asian American Women who act as objects of eroticism and sexuality. For instance, in the in the 2005 movie Memoirs of a Geisha, Ziyi Zhang acts as Chiyo, a young child who hopes to become a Geisha in 1930s Japan (University of Michigan, 2014). The movie portrays Chiyo as a woman who acquires many wealthy patrons with whom she engages in intimate relationships using her unique blue-grey eyes, her intense beauty, and her talents for entertaining and dancing (University of Michigan, 2014). The media seems to assert the idea that the appearance of women directly correlates with their worth in the society. Unfortunately, most media adopt this trend. However, this is a misrepresentation since achievements, responsibilities, and the level of education define the value of a woman in the modern society. Moreover, women who use their beauty, bodies, and talents to entertain many men for commercial purposes are prostitutes who are worthless in the society. The media also misrepresents women who win beauty pageants as role models in the society with reference to western beauty standards. Such standards include an object of beauty and superiority gained from having good looks over other women. As a result, women have been seeking to improve their looks and beauty through artificial methods for them to win pageants. However, many women have been objecting the idea of having beauty pageants winners as role models since beauty does not have the authority and value to develop role models for all women. As such, the representation of beauty pageants winners as role models for all women is a misrepresentation. The Chinese cinema has also been misrepresenting women. Indeed, the Chinese cinema represented women with respect to various social issues that defined Chinese modernization. In this context, the Chinese cinema represented women with reference to China and modernization where women encountered exploitation and isolation in films. This is a misrepresentation since women played significant roles in the Chinese cinema during this period. The media also restricts women to different gendered roles where the society struggles to identify her. Indeed, in early Chinese films, women assumed the role of a prostitute, which is a disgrace to the nation and the oppressive society. Notably, the character of a prostitute derives social and class criticism since prostitutes are commercial objects. The commercialization of women bodies and exploiting them as sex objects is a misrepresentation of women by the media. Women should act as moral characters that conform to the societal norms. The media misrepresents women’s inferiority and demeans their social dignity. For instance, the film, Goddess misrepresents women. In this film, women assume the role of a mother and a prostitute where she displays her body to expose social dignity and act as a righteous woman. This portrayal represented the state of the society at the time of economic hardship and women’s inferiority to men. In the recent times, women are adopting huge responsibility and have no inferiority complex. The magazines also depict women exposing their bodies for commercial purposes. Indeed, modern advertising depict beautiful young women. Such cover girls assumed desirable professions like flight attendants and office secretaries, which defines a revolution in representing women in the media. This derives the fact that the represented women define the modern capitalist commercial culture in the media. This misrepresents women as commercial objects that demean their social dignity. In the Chinese media, women wore “demure” dresses where they act as objects in Chinese adverts. The media presents Chinese women as victims of continued oppression and degradation where China had centralized discrimination against women in the political, cultural, education, and family settings (Womens UN Report Network, 2009). However, the media reckons that the focus on women oppression reduced with time due to modernization and revolution where women started to assume significant roles in the society. Nevertheless, the Chinese films continued to propagate negativity on female identity, which demeaned their social status. In these films, women were subordinate to men and continued to play the role of the oppression, which derived new feminist awareness in the cinema industry. However, this is a misrepresentation since Chinese women command moral authority where they stand out as ignorant characters that require some enlightenment and not oppression (George Mason University, 2014). Indeed, oppression against women has reduced in China contrary to the misrepresentations presented in the media. Indeed, the Women of China magazine written in English represents Chinese women at different times. The magazine advertises the achievements of Chinese women and promotes the gender ideology of the Communist Party to the world. Through the magazine, the world can understand the objective reality of Chinese women thus bridging the gap between Chinese women and the global environment (Womens UN Report Network, 2009). The content of the magazine correlates with the real representation of Chinese women in different periods. Moreover, the cover pictures of women on the magazine are consistent with the style and content of the Women of China magazine, which represents Chinese women in varied times. Indeed, the images of Chinese women portrayed in magazine covers have been changing with time despite the government’s controls on the media. Unfortunately, other magazines do not follow the writing style and content of the Women of China magazine and hence the misrepresentation of women in the media. For example, a content analysis of advertisements in Asian magazines established that the magazines presented women in traditional roles and exploited them for “sex appeal” (Womens UN Report Network, 2009). This misrepresentation extends to movies, TV shows, music videos, video games, and even news segments where women conduct their sex appeal. The explicit dressings that women adopt in these media confirm that they depict a lesser character in the society. Notably, the social-cultural influences in diverse societies determine how the media misrepresents women in a given society (Womens UN Report Network, 2009). For example, although the media in both Asia and America represent women by assigning those nonworking roles in commercial advertisements, the Asian media is likely to misrepresent women in middle and low-income roles and in decorative roles (Womens UN Report Network, 2009). Indeed, many print media portray female workers working in the people’s communes, which define a misrepresentation since women have the capacity to adopt high-income roles. In the Asian context, the number of women in leadership positions in corporate boards is seemingly lower while compared to Europe and the United States (McKinsey & Company, 2012). Nevertheless, the media establishes underrepresentation of women in Europe and the United States. Moreover, the number of female laborers in West is equally larger while compared to Asia (McKinsey & Company, 2012). As such, the media seeks to confirm that the women in Asia and specifically China will take longer to ascend to positions of power in various companies. The media portrays another misrepresentation of women through the Global Media Monitoring Project 2010 (Jing, 2012). According to this report, the news media coverage has an underrepresentation and misrepresentation of women. This emanates from the fact that females working in news media coverage amount to only 25% of the workers in the media, which relates to a reinforcement of gender stereotypes (Jing, 2012). Furthermore, women account for only 20% of the professional commentary in the media (Jing, 2012). With reference to China, we have stereotyped and discriminated women since the awareness of gender roles is very low (Jing, 2012). It is thus clear that the Chinese media misrepresents women by developing an unequal gender relationship and establishing a male-dominated society (Jing, 2012). In fact, a study on the position of women in advertisements reveal that while men take up professional roles as doctors, lawyers, and managers, most women are housewives (Jing, 2012). The media misrepresents women as wives and mothers who should only focus on traditional roles while men enjoy their comfort at home (Jing, 2012). This is a misrepresentation since we have women with career goals who will claim that any media portraying the stereotyped commercials undermines their value. In fact, the modern society accommodates reverse roles where women can make huge economic contributions to a family. The misrepresentation is also alive in television shows where a woman cannot become the main character of a movie without the audience calling it a flick show. More so, the media misrepresents the western beauty that all women in the media should possess. This discourages women of color from joining the media as such women in the media experience the pressure to change. For example, a Chinese woman, Julie Chen who hosts the "Talk" show had to undergo cosmetic surgery to widen her “Asian eyes” for purposes of advancing her career in the media. In sports, the media misrepresents women by presenting men dominating the sporting industry like in Kung Fu, Taekwondo, and indoor games in China. In politics, the media misrepresents women by failing to mention them in an environment crowded by men. Furthermore, the appearance, errors, and emotions may expose female politicians in a large extent thus jeopardizing their political survival. Ideally, the political environment is very unfair to women since the media exposes the incompetence of the women’s sex and their failure in case female politicians fail in a political contest. As such, the roughness of the media with reference to politics demeans and misrepresents women. References George Mason University. (2014). Western views of Chinese women. Retrieved from: http://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson10/lesson10.php?s=0 Ho, L. (2008). Media portrays women negatively: study. Retrieved from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2008-10/04/content_7076239.htm Jing, J. (2012). Misrepresented Women. Beijing Review. Retrieved from: http://www.bjreview.com.cn/culture/txt/2012-12/17/content_507513.htm McKinsey & Company. (2012). Women Matter. Retrieved from: file:///C:/Users/Acer/Downloads/Women_Matter_An_Asian_perspective.pdf University of Florida. (2012). Hegemony, Discourse and Gender in Reality Television Shows a Critical Reading of Gender Discourse in if You Are the One and Only You. Retrieved from: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UFE0044149/00001 University of Michigan. (2014). Sexploitation of the Asian American Female Body. Retrieved from: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/psy457_tizzle/asian_american_women Womens UN Report Network. (2009). MEDIA PORTRYAL OF WOMEN AND SOCIAL CHANGE: A CASE STUDY OF WOMEN OF CHINA. Retrieved from: http://www.wunrn.com/news/2009/02_09/02_16_09/021609_china_files/Media%20Portrayals%20of%20Women%20&%20Social%20Change-China%20Case%20Study.pdf Read More