Representation of Gender in the Media - Essay Example

The negative influences of media on children such as explicit contents and unsolicited information which children are not supposed to know are being gotten through mass media. Also, media is often correlated with the increase in crime rates since there are claims that violence in media stimulates the same feeling in the minds of the viewers thus increasing the chances of crime and violence. These are just few of the detriments being brought about by media in the society but these days, many concerns are being emphasized on the effects of media on gender.

Gender is on of the most basic categories in classifying and sorting out human beings. It is through gender by which people identifies their social roles and characteristics. While the difference between a male and a female must be based on biological foundations, the way in which we comprehend their roles is based on culture and tradition (Brookes and Hebert, 2006). This process of social construction is greatly swayed by the media which in most ways leads to gender misrepresentation. Today, it is media which molds the notions about what a man and a woman should be, who they are and what they mean to the society.

The controversy in this misrepresentation is that through mass media, stereotyping is being promoted. The feats of mass media give millions of people representations of gender and resemble it to certain things which are not true to all. It is also contended that through representations of gender in media, the individuality of a person is hampered because of the social and gender constraints being brought to society. There are times when a person can not do what he needs to do because of the social expectations brought about by the gender-specific commercials, shows and the like.

The implications on male and female gender would be classified as we progress and we will come to see the similarities and differences; and the net negative effects of this not just to both sexes but to the society as a whole. As to the female gender, there are many feminists who are resenting media because of the inequality and misconception being formulated in the minds of the people. In some cases, black feminists lament on certain media advertisements and the like which shows more privilege on the white women than the other women, most especially the blacks (Hooks, 1990).

These black feminists resent the neglect that they experience on several visual representations in the media. Aside from neglecting their existence and giving more privilege on the whites, what they do not like are the instances of portrayal of these black women as maids, helpers, matriarchs and the like. This negative depiction of blacks has been much on speculations and criticisms in the world of media (Bobo, 1995). The same way that women who are Asian and Latino in race are also portraying the same characters in media is also a very pressing concern for feminists.

On the micro-effect of media on women, they are also viewed as dependent creatures and subordinates of the male race. They tend to portray the same characters mentioned above and are very passive in most cases. In truth, males are still the dominant persons who always take the lead in the media of movies and series. Women are also viewed as objects of physical beauty with less or no standards at all and exclude the