Stereotypes in the media
...ging attitude, these stereotypes have been toned down a degree, but they still exist. The media creates ideals in which women are flawless creatures who are either extremely thin or have a small waist and heavy bust. Lumby (1997) claims “Women’s bodies are misrepresented by media propaganda, separating real bodies from their fake media endorsed clones is not that easy”. The skin is blemish free, scar free and even pore free. It presents beauty that women try to emulate. An ideal that cannot be achieved. The women’s body is frequently dismembered and certain areas emphasised, the message is whatever you have will not do, you must change it. (INTEXT VID) Consequently, the products advertised are usually the means by which to do just that. These messages can be very damaging to adolescent girls. They often turn to each other and the media to find answers to their questions about how they can solve problems, how they should act, how they should behave with opposite sex, what they should wear and what they should look like. (Signorelli, 1997) The answers they find, usually in magazines, depict ultra skinny, blemish free and trouble free images of girls around their age. Once again they try to emulate these stereotypes, primarily through dieting, and become at risk of suffering psychological disorders. Men too are affected by female stereotypes and this ultimately creates the male stereotype. Advertising has shaped the view of men, as to what constitutes the perfect women. Throughout adolescence, young men are bombarded by the media, particularly advertising, with images of the flawless beauty. In order to obtain this type of women as a companion, the man must be of a certain stature, which is tall, well built, handsome, sporty, wealthy and successful. ( Lawlor, n.d.) For most men this too is unattainable. For most women this does not constitute the perfect man. Men are taught at an early age that they must be tough and brave and never show emotion. They are encouraged and expected to partake in male dominated sports (football, soccer and cricket) and male orientated activities (Fishing, hunting and going to the pub). In films and on television men are often portrayed as violent and dominating. This male stereotype has been part of our culture, and many others, for centuries. Gay men and women are also stereotyped. This is seen, for the most part, in imported sitcoms and usually the focus is gay men. They are portrayed as being feminine, bitchy and promiscuous. (Corner and Harvey, 1996) Lesbians are usually very masculine and are portrayed as violent as were the women in ‘Prisoner’. Gay characters in Australian film and television are quite the opposite of this for example Russell Crowe in ‘The Sum of Us’ and Spencer Maclaren in ‘The secret life of us’, however, gay characters are less co...