Contemporary Lifestyle Media Views Of Feminine And...

Contemporary lifestyle media reinforces traditionalist views of feminine and masculine social identities promoting a gender hierarchy. In a society that is meant to be revolutionary and making great developments with eliminating gender standards, this essay will argue that lifestyle media turns back the clock and reinforces these traditional ideals. Firstly, it will define femininity and masculinity for the relevance of this essay, and will then look at its place in the media today. Secondly, it will connect the notion of ‘sex sells’ with lifestyle media and expose how women’s magazine such as Cosmopolitan twists sex into pleasuring the man. Moreover, we will then look at Men’s Health Magazine and show how it too educates their readership on how to trick females into doing what men want sexually. This power play and gender hierarchy is also seen through their use of imagery and the way they portray the female body in relation to the male. Thirdly, the commo n theme of lifestyle media supporting the males desires and societies norms is then further exposed through the makeover television show ‘Snog, Marry, Avoid’, where it promotes women changing themselves to fit the perfect mold of femininity to pleasure and satisfy the man. Finally, this essay will seek to cement the notion of lifestyle media promoting feminine and masculine dominant ideals, thus leaving no platform that supports the woman and her individuality. This essay will define femininity and masculinity in aShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Media On Body Image1538 Words   |  7 Pageswith the development of modern social media, it has grown up to be an important element in affecting the perception of body image to shape the body image. The influence of mass media may be related to the social comparison process of appearance in female and male. The ideal media body image, it is easy to compare in everyday life, and that will result to dissatisfaction with people s body size. On the one hand, Orbach (1987) briefly posted that the western media produced a picture tender the idealRead MoreThe Importance of Television1632 Words   |  7 Pagesmass media communication and a means of managing and controlling to consume market at least cost (Bierley, 1995). Advertising hanged the world today as we see advertising industry has grown tremendously over these years. If we look around we will come to know that we are surrounded by advertisements and put a great impact these kinds of brands and items we use. Today Advertisements have potential to make or break any brands and therefore they are one of the important elements of our social life (WorldoffemalesRead More Teenage Girls, the Media and Self-Image Essay3098 Words   |  13 PagesTeenage Girls, the Media and Self-Image The beauty of the world has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder. -Virginia Woolf Youth is beauty, money is beauty, hell, beauty is beauty sometimes. Its the luck of the draw, its the natural law; its a joke, its a crime. -Ani Difranco The teen magazines began appearing in the fifth grade. They seemed to show up overnight, out of nowhere. At lunch or between classes, groups of girls would cluster aroundRead MoreGender Roles1881 Words   |  8 PagesGender Roles Gender role is a term used in the social sciences and humanities to denote a set of behavioral norms that accompany a given gendered status (also called a gender identity) in a given social group or system. (WHO, 2011) Gender roles are seen everywhere, everyday. There are many different ways to look at gender roles. Defining the terms that help you completely understand gender roles is necessary. Delving into the family aspect of gender roles gives you a better grasp on the differentRead MoreVisual Portrayals Of Female Media1772 Words   |  8 PagesVisual portrayals of females in mass media have been a focal point of discussion for many scholarly articles and debates for more than 5 decades (Mager Helgeson 2010). Earlier females were portrayed to play the roles that were more stereotypical representing a domestic field with weak and dependent traits (Easton Toner 1983). However with the progression of time, women crossed this boundary and earned the respect in professional arena (Thurm 2001) with attained traits of being strong and autonomousRead MoreRepresentation of Different Masculinities2539 Words   |  11 PagesRepresentation of Different Masculinities It is contended that elements of Rutherford’s statements are invalid when applied to contemporary media representations of masculinity. Rutherford’s argument is threefold. Firstly, he contends that his contemporary media portrayed two polarised images of men; they were either sensitive â€Å"new† men or they were more stereotypical, patriarchal â€Å"retributive† men, arguing that there is no grey area in between or overlaps apparentRead MoreFemale Role Portrayals Not Matching The Public Expectations2243 Words   |  9 Pageschanges were witnessed in both female traits and the visual aspects of the related advertisements. A further research done by Sullivan and O’Connor (1988) suggested that the advertisements reflected the actual diversity of female’s occupational and social roles and showcased the trend towards equality of gender (i.e., women and men participating in more similar behaviors and activities). However, it was seen as counteracted by an increment in women represented in purely decorative and sexualized rolesRead MoreFashion Advertising: The Price of Beauty5692 Words   |  23 Pagesa commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common. Advertising messages are usually paid for by sponsors and viewed via various traditional media; including mass media such as newspaper, magazines, television commercial, radio advertisement, outdoor advertising or direct mail; or new media such as websites and text messages. The main objective of commercial advertisers is to increase the consumption of their products or services through ‘branding or packaging’Read More Womens Liberation in the 1920s: Myth or Reality? Essay3466 Words   |  14 Pagesthan the advertising industry, which introduced new images while reinforcing traditional stereotypes. As speculation on women’s rights grew tiresome after suffrage had been won, women separated in search of their own individuality; however a woman’s identity was based on the sex-role stereotypes advertisements continuously portrayed which in turn transformed cultural expectations and thwarted women’s autonomy. The emergence of consumerism allowed advertisements to be viewed worldwide. Across theRead MoreExploring The Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Term Queer 2598 Words   |  11 Pagesused, and instead has been reclaimed in a positive light to describe the entire LGBT+ community. Coined from this comes ‘‘queer’ Theory’, which effectively reopened the links between gender and sexuality. With ‘‘queer’ Theory’ seeking to prove that identities do not determine who we are, with its constant fluidity, the term itself resides amongst previous gay and lesbian studies, but also looks at the sociological influences, which is what this essay will focus on. The non-binary term, ‘queer’, often