Representation Gender in Women's Mags; (Cosmopolitan magazine)

Coursework title-
How are gender roles represented in women's magazines. 

 

1.“Every women knows that, regardless of her achievements, she is a failure if she is notbeautiful… The UK beauty industry takes £8.9 billion a year out of women’s pockets.Magazines financed by the beauty industry teach little girls that they need make-up andtrain them to use it, so establishing their lifelong reliance on beauty products.”(Greer, 1999)

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Summary-
The representation conveyed of women by Cosmo is one were they are glamourous and beautiful. These is seen in these front covers, the encoders purposely choosing some of the most stunning women in the the world to be their cover girl. This image depicts a overhyped and unrealistic portrayal of women. This is talked about by Greer, 1999 in his study. He talks about how this representation of the ultimate female having the perfect hair, figure, clothes and makeup is an unhealthy role model for young girls. It causes the younger generation to have a warped image of this unobtainable beauty and creates a ridiculously high set of standards that young women then try to mimic. Cosmo thus perpetuates the representation of being an object for men to lust after with their use of attractive, and normally scantily-dressed, women as idol-like figures.

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Nick Lacey - Image and Representation
Representing Gender
Chapter 5

2. 'As Berger noted in his classic, Ways of Seeing, 'men act and women appear'

This is a good quote to explain how women are represented in magazines as passive in comparison to men.

3. Male and Female; gender oppositions
Male               Female
active (do)      passive (talk)
dominant        submissive
hard               soft
intelligent       intuitive
(hard) muscles   (soft) curves
rational             emotional
strong                weak

Summary-
The comparison between the gender oppositions is interesting in its portrayal of men. Males are described as being physically and mentally more competent than women. Females are shown to be the more emotional and softer sex and this is seen in their gender-relegated roles in magazines. According to many issues of Cosmopolitan magazine, a woman's role is to be domestically and sexually obedient towards her male partner. Despite the magazine claiming to be about and for women, a lot of its information is aimed at appeasing men. This can bee seen in headlines such as 'Give him the best sex of his life' or '100 ways to please your man'. Another case that Cosmopolitan is grooming women into being fetishsized for men is that many articles dedicated for beauty, to guide women on how to look their best aesthetically.

4.' the traditional image of the 'wife-mother-housewife' is now being replaced by images of sexually assertive, confident and ambitious women who express their 'freedom' through consumption.'

Summary-
This quote shows how the gender roles for women have changed through time. For example, during the 1950's women were always shown as being domestic housewives who were the homemakers whilst their husbands worked. As times and attitudes changed, women were shown in a more sexual image.

5.  “The exemplary female prototype in advertising, regardless or product or service, displays youth (no lines or wrinkles), good looks, sexual seductiveness, and perfection (no scars, blemishes, or even pores).” (Cortese, Provocateur, 1999)

6. "Analysis of ads suggest that gender is routinely portrayed according to traditional cultural stereotypes: women are shown as very feminine, as 'sex objects', as housewives, mothers, homemakers; and men in situations of authority and dominance over women. (Dyer 1982: 97-8)

7. 'In a word ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its phantasy onto the female figure, which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness. (Mulvey 1985:209)

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The Portrayal of Women in Magazine Advertisements
Across Four Different Women's Magazines
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Emily Blaha
College of St. Catherine

8.'Women were found to be portrayed differently throughout the four different types of magazines, which is important because the different portrayals may cultivate expectations about physical appearance, sexuality, relationships, or gender roles.'

9. 'Magazines like Good Housekeeping that were geared more towards middle to older women, portrayed women in a less sexualized fashion than those geared toward younger women like InStyle and Glamour. It also suggested that the models used in the ads were important to the audience's connection to the ads. It was interesting that the thin body image/weight was found in Fitness magazine, when it was predicted that it would be found in Glamour or InStyle. Fitness would stereotypically represent women with a healthy body image/weight.'

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Using Magazines to Explore Stereotypical Gender Roles
Joane Laguitan

10. The differences between men and women magazines are visible in appearance and in content. “The media contributes to the reinforcement of gender differences and inequalities in contemporary society,” as stated by Gough-Yates (2003, p.7). In this perspective, this view conspires in the advancement of capitalism and patriarchy (Gough-Yates, 2003). The media’s representations of women create the feminine identities and stereotypical roles we come to be familiar with. The recent covers of magazines create images of virtually flawless, beautiful, and content women. This happens to be the contrary to the existence of most women in the real world. Magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Marie Clare catalogue articles on diet recipes, ways to keep your man happy, and how to handle bad hair days.

11. Gough-Yates (2003) exclaims:
Women’s magazines are seen as a powerful force for the construction and legitimation of gender inequalities. In these terms, women’s magazines do not simply offer their readers innocent pleasures- they are a key site for the development of a self-identity that undermines women’s essential, real feminine identities. (p.8)

12. Since birth men are told they should portray an image of being strong yet emotionless. Sociological and cultural understandings of these representations have stayed constant. Men magazines have always been, past or present, for men but rarely about men. A man being interested in clothing and consumption, like a woman, is an uneasy tension. Men can only be interested in consumerism and style if they were heterosexually promiscuous and violent enough. For example a member of the mafia or a gang is permitted to be interested in style simply because they are thought to have these qualities.

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Extracts from the conclusion of Media Gender & Identity by David Gauntlett
Source:
http://www.theoryhead.com/gender/extract.htm

Key quotes:

13. 'Today, it seems more appropriate to emphasise that, within limits, the mass media is a force for change. The traditional view of a woman as a housewife or low-status worker has been kick-boxed out of the picture by the feisty, successful 'girl power' icons.

This is in contrast to the changing representation of men, for example; 14. 'Masculinity in a crisis' -

15. 'Meanwhile the masculine ideals of absolute toughness, stubborn, self-reliance and emotional silence have been shaken by a new emphasis on men's emotions, need for advice, and the problems of masculinity. Although gender categories have not been shattered, these alternative ideas and images have at least created space for a greater diversity of identities.'

• ((Talk about how the representation of gender roles have almost been swapped in recent years. For example, men taking a role more commonly assigned to women; emotional and reliant on others.))
• ((Use the quote - 'Modern media has little time or respect for tradition.' - To open this paragraph.))

Gender's new representation is conflicting with one another -

16. 'Contemporary masculinity is often said to be 'in crisis'; as women become increasingly assertive and successful, apparently triumphing in all roles, men are said to be anxious and confused about what their role is today.'

17. 'Magazines for young women are emphatic in their determination that women must do their own thing, be themselves, and/or be as outrageously sassy and sexy as possible.'

18.' Modern media has little time or respect for tradition.' - Gauntlett, David (2002), Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction, Routledge, London and New York

19. 'The continuous flow of lifestyle, health, relationship and sex advice, and the repetitive curiosity about what the featured females look for in a partner, point to a clear view that the performance of masculinity can and should be practised and perfected. This may not appear ideal - it sounds as if men's magazines are geared to turning out a stream of identical men.' - Gauntlett, David (2002), Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction, Routledge, London and New York 

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Gender and the Media by Rosalind Gill

20. "Relationships between representations and 'reality', and different understanding of how images relate to individuals' sense of identity and subjectivity."

How the way the media presents us with warped images that effect how the audience perceive gender roles in real life.