David Gauntlet : Media Gender & Identity Essay : Quotes

The traditional view  of a woman as a housewife or a low-status worker has been kicked out of the picture by the feisty, successful 'girl power' icons.
Changed perceptions

Magazines, bought on one level for a quick fix of glossy entertainment, promote self-confidence (even if they partly undermine it, for some readers at the same time) and provide information about sex, relationships and lifestyles which can be put to a variety of uses. Television programmes, pop songs, adverts, movies and the internet also provide numerous kinds of 'guidance'
Magazine uses. purpose. Women's appeal.

Your life is a project- there is no escape. The media provides some of the tools which can be used to make it work.
Media help.

the mass media has become more liberal, and considerably more challenging to traditional standards, since then, and this has been a reflection of changing attitudes, but also involves the media actively disseminating modern values.

we might expect role models to have an impact on individuals.
How they affect the consumers.

role models serve as navigation points as individuals steer their own personal routes through life.
The effect to role models.


women's 'you can be anything' ethos.
ideologies

women must do their own thing, be themselves, and/or be as outrageously sassy an sexy as possible.
ideologies, conforming and constraining.

women can be extremely tough and independent whilst also maintaining perfect make-up and wearing impossible shoes.
conforming, challenging and smashing the stereotypes.

It is impossible to say that women's magazines, for example always carry a particular message, because the enormous range of titles target and equally diverse set of female audiences. Furthermore, even one magazine will contain an array of viewpoints.
Appeals and audiences.

Popular culture offers a range of stars, icons and characters from whom we can acceptably borrow bits and pieces of their public persona for use in our own. In addition of course - and slightly contradictorily- individuals are encouraged to 'be yourself'', and be creative - within limits- about the presentation of self.
Contradictory - Role models.