Exam Question

500 word illustrated essay

"Has the mediation of gender changed, does this reflect changes in society?"

http://www.slideshare.net/jphibbert1979/a2-media-exam?qid=518daa8c-62fb-41c6-a1b8-9abfb0618def&v=&b=&from_search=1

Mediation is the process of something being portrayed in a different light through the media that isn't true to reality. An example of this would be how women are edited through Photoshop for magazine covers, when in reality they do not appear as flawless and defined; they have been mediated.

Firstly, the mediation of gender has changed over time as men and women are adapting to the social changes that connect with their gender stereotype. Women used to be conveyed as housewives who looked after the children and completed all domestic tasks around the house whilst the men went off too work. An example of this would be the fairy liquid advert (1966) - Stereotypical mother figure, woman's placed in the kitchen (housewife), and the daughter is learning about it as the next generation will be doing the same things when she's older. In 1966 the use of maternal, domestic women - in an advert complies with patriarchal representations of a female as either the sex object or the domesticated woman. Patriarchy is a social system in which males hold primary power, predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property. 

Years ago, it would be seen as the social norm for women to act as the housewife at home with their children, preparing food for their husband's dinner when he returns home from a long day at work. This ideology has changed over time, as women have grown to become more independent and men have become more domesticated. In one of the most recent Ariel adverts, a man acts as the person who has just done the washing, conveying how easy it is to wash clothes by just 'chucking it in and pressing a button'. This is sarcastic humour, as it demonstrates how men take washing as a joke, whilst Ariel are advertising their product as being something that makes the washing easy, specifically for the men. Giddens talks about identity being a conscious activity. He says how traditionally we have found ourselves in clearly defined roles based on age, gender, sexuality. Nowadays, we have to work out these roles for ourselves. Society has therefore changed as a result of these types of adverts, because men are now undergoing activities that only women used to be a part of.

Gender

Males roles are changing over the years; they are embracing the roles that are more stereotypically associated with women such as cleaning and wearing aprons and drinking tea. The added cigarette could suggest that he isn't fully conforming to the roles of women, but is slowly adapting to the changes.

Women coming together and embracing their curves and their beauty, rejecting the stereotype of women having to be thin and toned and tanned to be worthy of being in an advert. Connects to the caption "real beauty" as there is no airbrushing or photoshop edits evident. 

This Nutella advert has changed over the 2 years from 2011 to 2013 - conveying how different ages are now embracing the spread, and it isn't just aimed at children.

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How men are represented in the media

Strong and masculine 

Father figure

Motivational role model

Masculinity is a concept that is made up of more rigid stereotypes than femininity. Representations of men across all media tend to focus on the following:

Strength - physical an intellectual

Power

Sexual attractiveness (which may be based on the above)

Physique

Independence (of thought, actions and finances)

How women are represented in the media

Beautiful and elegant
Housewives/independant
Submissive

Representations of women across all media tend to highlight the following:

Beauty (within narrow conventions)
Size/Physique (again, within narrow conventions)
Sexuality (as expressed by the above)
Emotional (as opposed to intellectual) dealings
Relationships (as opposed to indépendance/freedom)

Historically gender representations have been portrayed as binary positions.