Gender: Media, Myth and Reality - Essay Example

Gender Media, Myth & Reality In this paper I will explore how media uses or misuses the gender issue. Advertising does not create any societal ideal, but creates demand for a specific product and then tries to fulfill it. But, before going in to in-depth analysis, let us know - what the term 'gender' means Is 'sex' and 'gender' same or different In fact, both the terms are totally different from each other; sex refers to biological characteristics, that is, physical and genital features of a species. On the other hand, gender is social. Role of gender differs from society to society. For example, in western society gender defines a woman as soft, feminine and vulnerable, while male are strong, hard and masculine. But in some societies roles of both could vice versa. In modern society, media is the most powerful instrument; the advertisement is quickest and easiest method to reach a large number of targeted audience. People engaged in this industry are expert in manipulating the situation in their favor, be it political or commercial. The media constructs ideologies about gender consciousness and pinpoint specific features as masculinity and femininity, all for the sake of increasing consumerism or some other vested interest. The basic problem with these ideologies is that once internalized, individuals are forced to self-regulate and discipline oneself to maintain that abnormality, in spite of psychological disturbances. People become submissive to consumer capitalism, thus gradually creating an army of unsatiated individuals. Media people create 'normal' and 'abnormal' gender frames of reference. Advertisement is not just display of information; instead they are targeted towards potential consumers. They construct meanings for specific services or products and then link them to some cultural messages, which people can easily decipher. The Ads are injected with social values and roles. If we dissect the advertisement, we will find that they are separated in different sections - first is the 'surface meaning', it is usually listing of items. Next, is the 'intended meaning', it is about the service or product, but full of societal messages. Last step of the Ad contains 'ideological or cultural meanings', this implicitly tries to socialize the viewer. For example, if an advertisement is of home food product, it displays who is cooking and serving. This indirectly conveys the message to viewers about our social roles and beliefs. In fact, media do not create any social message but their orientation is 'persuasion-based'. They repeat them constantly, till it become true. According to Bordo, media experts construct unrealistic concepts about masculinity and femininity to widen consumer capitalism. The same is interpreted by Berger, they control our ways of knowledge. Bordo elaborates that these frame of references restricts our way of understanding for gender, thus making men and women objects of the gaze, thus people perceive skewed ideologies about masculinity and femininity. Further, Foucault's argument makes it more evident. According to him, as a result of these, people start self-regulating and disciplining their own normality, based on superficial judgments and so called people's standards. They self-impose so much of restrictions, as if some crime has been committed; more or less it is physical, like bulimia. Rightly, Bordo explains when she says, "Illusions set the standard for real women, and they spawn special disorders and addictions [she created] a mask so thorough, so successful in its illusionary reality that her own naked face now looked grotesque to her, mottled, pasty, featureless. (169)" Foucault contends that this self-regulating, like the disorders, restrains social agencies by suppressing them to abide by an unrealistic criterion of beauty. In order to regain happiness and have a natural life, people should change their frames of reference or shun such ideologies. The moment such thing happens people would realize nonsensical nature of these ideologies of masculinity and femininity. Media experts who create such ideologies would be compelled to create more realistic conceptions of people. Media has constructed such unrealistic frames of reference to increase consumer capitalism. They are generating abnormal imaginations to increase insecurity among people, this in turn fulfill their vested interest. To increase consumer capitalism, media creates unrealistic standards of masculinity and femininity and make people realize that they are abnormal. For example, let us take a famous Ad of 30s to 50s, titled - "Often a bridesmaid, never a bride". This Ad wants to create insecurity among women and allures them to consume specific commodities to maintain their body. This will make man fall in love and eventually woman will get married. On the other hand, men Ads are arousing. If you lack such rage you are incomplete. People need to understand the real intension behind these frames of reference. Jhally dictates that the media sells us gender ideologies, the same is argued by Bordo - they categorize gender and teaches them their supposed social roles. Further, Bordo elaborates that these images are profoundly engrafted with class-based and racial messages. These frames of reference inculcate negative connotations among people about themselves. Griffin observes that such imagination makes people feel shame about themselves and they want to hide the real persona. Bordo explains it more directly by saying that people wants to come out of such embarrassing situation by purchasing those products which are depicted like 'normal' conception of masculinity and femininity. Very much the same as has been defined by the media, thus upholding the cyclical cycle. When people spend their money under influence of media created gender ideologies, it directly benefits Ads creator and their associates. People may pretend to be satisfied but in fact they feel more uncomfortable and disgruntled. Berger and Bordo suggest that people should change their frames of references because those who are involved in constructing such ideologies have sole intension to give impetus to consumer capitalism. They just manipulate the psychological situation to fulfill their vested interest. Nevertheless, Berger dictates that it is not possible to change our frames of reference because people's observations are affected by their knowledge. If they are able to recognize the real intensions of these ideologies, they would feel contented and not indulge in self-regulating their own abnormality for sake of others' standards. Berger suggests that people should make such ideologies unambiguous, and then only they can understand that their energy should not get waste in unworthy involvement of masculine or feminine. Consumer capitalism always gives impetus to gender conceptions because the more people gets self-conscious and compare themselves with others perception, the more benefitted will be the Ads people and their surroundings. According to Bordo, gender insecurity will generate profit for media because lastly the money flows in to the pockets of media people. Media experts develop insecurity among people and indirectly advise to achieve intangible conceptions of masculinity and femininity. This is evident from Berger's explanation that source of inspiration for such ideologies are economic power. To control such behavior of media, people should limit their expenses on media created products. This will automatically force them to change their conceptions, because now they are no more money minting products. Media people constructs conceptions of masculinity and femininity to grow consumer capitalism, which only benefits people with economic status. Common people inculcate these gender ideologies and apply them to self-regulate and discipline their own normality and to achieve these unachievable conceptions of men and women. The basic problems with these ideologies are that they make a chain of cyclical cycle. People develop a psychology to perceive themselves with eyes of others, especially media created conceptions. They develop inferiority complex and in search of solutions to this inferiority feelings they purchase such products. The only way of coming out of this cycle is to decrease purchasing such ideological products and change of frames of references. Works Cited Jhally, Sut. (1991). Dreamworlds I: Desire, Sex, and Power in Music Videos, Media Education Foundation, Northhampton, MA. Bordo, S. (1993). Unbearable weight: feminism, western culture and the body, University of California Press. Read More