Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender - Essay Example This picture is not new to us as long as female representation is concerned. This kind of image building of women has been performed by our media. In contemporary society, media plays a very crucial role in shaping public opinions. With the advent of new media such as internet smart phones, media has now been constantly around us, drilling into our head with the messages, which sometimes are very damaging. The major target of media these days is the body of woman which is worst and perverse. The representation of women in media has always been stereotypical. They are always represented as sex objects. It is an opening dialogue from the documentary film Miss Representation, â€Å"There is no appreciation for women as intellectuals. It is all about the body and never about the brain...† If we peep into the history of English literature for example, many facts of gender issues appear in front of us. There was no place for women writers in literary circle. Bronte sisters published a volume of poetry by adopting male names such as Curre, Ellis and Action Bell. The one and only reason was to conceal their feminine identity. The social, intellectual and psychological suppression of Victorian women is portrayed by Alfred Tennyson in his poem â€Å"Lady of Shallot.† The contemporary society had a very biased attitude about the female writers. The society was not ready to accept that the women have intellectuality of being writer. Twentieth century witnessed the breakage of this bondage by rebellious feminists through their literary work. Many women writers carved a niche for themselves through their outstanding writing skills. The women have proved themselves, but still the society is not ready to accept their brains, their logical, analytical and intellectual capacity. When there is a question of choosing body or brain of the woman, it is always body which is preferred object. Right from video games or children’s cartoons, women are represented as inferior, always caught by the demons and then are rescued by a brave young gallant. In short the children grow up with the upbringing that women are always inferior sex and men have to protect them and impose authority on them. Miss Representation is the documentary, which throws light on how the image of the women is always spoiled by media. A UNESCO report describes the litany of common image of women in the media. Women are always sex object for media. â€Å"the glamorous sex kitten.† (World Savvy). Dietz (1998) made four possible female stereotypes, which were based on their appearance and their behaviour. 1. Female as a sex object 2. Females as victims 3. Females as heroic or action characters Dietz in his research found that 41% of women in video games were shown as a sex object, 21% were portrayed as victims or ‘damsel in distress’ and only 15% women were portrayed as heroes or action characters. The male dominated media is not ready to accept woman as wa rrior, saviour, and protector but they like to portray her either as a victim or sex object. This report is really benumbing. In India, there are vernacular daily soaps, where the women are shown as being victimized by the members of their in-laws house. They are either physically or mentally tortured by their husbands and family members. When asked producers and directors about it, they comment carelessly that we show whatever is the demand of the public. According to them the majority of viewers of these serials are women and