Thursday, October 6, 2016

Natasha Sadek - Semester Project Proposal

For my semester project I will be focusing on the ways in which the media promotes gender norms.  Women are supposed to be dainty and feminine while men are strong and fearless.  We see it in ads, movies, video games, TV shows, etc.  We have preconceived notions on how we should or should not act in reference to our gender. 
            For women I will be focusing on the expectations of beauty.  Women are supposed to look up to models and actresses as role models because they are beautiful.  However, those women are constantly criticized on their outfits and makeup.  We see it in the current presidential election.  Hilary Clinton, as accomplished as she is, is constantly criticized for her clothing, her age, and her overall appearance.  I will explain how these types of criticisms not only affect those criticized but also affect women and girls reading and watching while the media rip women apart regardless of their accomplishments.
            For men I will focus on the way the media portrays the idea that men need to be strong, fearless, a breadwinner, and that they’re driven by their sex drives.  We always see the movies with the lady’s man.  He’s always tall, dark and handsome, always has a good job and drives a nice car, and is always strong enough to save the helpless woman.  Men are never allowed to show their emotions or they risk being seen as weak.  All that pressure can be emotionally straining on anyone. 

            The main idea I want to convey is that with gender equality, we can rid our society of these notions of how we should look, act or feel.  I will be writing up a blog post and using examples from ads, articles, television, and movies.  I may include video clips of television shows or clips of pop culture news shows. 

4 comments:

  1. Hi Natasha, perhaps you could include tv shows/movies that try to break those stereotypes. For example, many of the lead female characters on Game of Thrones are strong, intelligent characters with big personalities. Rey from Star Wars is another good example. Some people even think her character had it too easy, so this could even lead to a discussion on the idea of a "Mary Sue". Hope this helps.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Natasha. You could also discuss how the media's portrayal of men and women affects children as well. Some may grow up with the idea that they need to look or act a certain way in order to fit in with society. You picked a very interesting and important topic. Here's a study I found focusing on the matter: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792691/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Natasha!

    I love this idea, and I completely agree. To your point about Hillary Clinton- she is clearly far more qualified than Donald Trump yet she is constantly criticized for her appearance, that is interesting. I would suggest researching video clips and exploring the difference in language many journalists have when discussing the two candidates. You can also look a literature and how women are often portrayed as helpless damsels in distress, until a man comes along and rescues them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Natasha, I find your topic particularly interesting because of it's everlasting presence in our society and the way it shapes our culture. I think these gender norms are consistently interfering with individuals freely expressing themselves. More importantly, they set unrealistic standards for women subjecting them to objectification. A particularly interesting documentary, that addresses this topic is Miss Representation, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2UZZV3xU6Q here is a link to the trailer! Hope it helps :)

    ReplyDelete