Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Sorry about the late upload, I thought of something else I wanted to add!


''Consider the ideas expressed in the video - the medias manipulated influence over your morals-. To what extent do you believe the media directly influences female identity in society? Refer to specific media products and theories to support your view. {700 words maximum} Due dates; Wednesday.

In the video that was called 'the medias manipulated influence over your own morals' different ideas were expressed throughout the duration of the video to show how they felt about how women were treated in the media. Throughout this essay, I'm going to talk about how female identity in society is put across through different aspects of the media, such as adverts and films. In the video, we were shown how women were used very little in movies and adverts, and if they were used, it was only because they were 'good looking' and 'attractive girls' and it wasn't because they were just 'great actresses' and 'intelligent' and all other aspects. Throughout this essay, I'm going to look how females are presented and in what ways they are presented.

To begin with, I'm going to explore how the media directly influences female identity in society. In most movies nowadays, most leading roles are given to males. From doing some research, I've found out that only Angelia Jolie in 2013 earned $33 million in the top ten female incomes for Hollywood stars, and that she also earnt the same amount as the bottom of the top ten Hollywood male stars in 2013. The point I'm trying to make with this is that females and males aren't treated equally as in talent wise, if that were the case female role models such as Angelia Jolie would be earning the same amount as the men in the other category.  If women do happen to get a good role in a movie, such as Angelia Jolie in Tomb Raider for example many women believe she only got the role because she's an 'attractive women' that 'men' like to look out as she's pretty. Many women nowadays believe that to get a role as an actress or a model or jobs that involve themselves around this area, you have to look the part and not necessary be 'qualified' for the part. A lot of women nowadays believe that women get jobs because of the way they look. If someone doesn't 'look' the part, often some certain women believe they won't get the job just on the substance. Throughout the video 'the media manipulated influence over your own morals' this topic is constantly referred to. It's not just only older woman pointing this point through over and over again, it's also younger girls, who don't believe in themselves because they know they won't get anyway just because they way that they look. I believe how the media is portraying how women should look takes a big toll when it comes down to female identity in society. Some woman are degrading themselves just because they don't look like 'Angelia Jolie' or 'Mila Kunis' or other attractive women. The media is trying to force women into looking a certain way, whether that be how they look size wise, face wise, or clothes wise. I really do believe women are being told how to be, just so they can fit in society and be what 'everyone wants females to look like' even though, I disagree on this. I know the video that we were shown is biased and I know that because that's the whole point of the video, they are telling everyone that women shouldn't be treated like this and it should start changing, but I do agree with it to some certain extent.

If we look at a different approach now, this being adverts; we get a completely different side of the story. I'm going to look at the advertisements for the company 'Dove'. While the majority of films and adverts are telling women to have a certain 'look' to get in a particular job. The company 'Dove' are taking another approach by telling women that being who they are is good enough and they shouldn't have to change for anybody. The company dove are constantly making new advertisements whether that be printed or commercials. The commercials that Dove constantly create are products that tell women they should love themselves. When it comes down another idea being expressed, Dove is expressing that everyone is individual and everyone in unique. Here females are being manipulated as one way they are getting told that 'looking' beautiful is going to get them places and in this instance, Dove is expressing that you'll get by just fine looking how you are. The female society is getting told all different things and each thing being said is making women feel self-conscious about themselves because they don't know how to look because they are being told different stories by different products. The company Dove are biased, and the reason why Dove are biased is because they are telling women they are beautiful whatever they look like and whatever the size they just to increase sales, as sometimes someone telling you, your beautiful is uplifting. Dove gets thousands of sales and is one of the largest branches when it comes down to hair beauty and beauty skin care. The company Dove are an ethical group as they want to make women feel good about themselves and they do this by promoting that beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes.



The media theory which is being used I believe personally is the 'Uses and Gratification theory'. I believe this is the theory being applied, and what the media are taking on board because people are constantly judging others on the way that they look. The social interaction between humans is something which I believe that the media has taken on board. Online and Offline, the talk about how someone looks is talked about constantly and usually people join in because they want to fit in. So I believe the theory the media as a whole has taken on board is the theory that goes by the name of 'Uses and Gratification'.

In conclusion, I believe that the media directly influences female identity in society. Women nowadays feel that if they don't look 'beautiful' they aren't going to do very well when it comes down the careers. In films, women are treated like objects, and in adverts that I remember from previous lessons women are always seen as what stereotypical 'men' want to look at.

 In my own personal opinion, I believe the media is trying to degrade women in somewhat way because the 'expectations' of women aren't even reachable anymore. The media is determining what 'real beauty' is all about, but as I mentioned previously, the expectation can't be reached, because not even 'beautiful' women such as most singers and actresses can get away without Photoshop being applied.



No comments:

Post a Comment