constructing identity through role models and media messages

In Chapter 10 of Media, Gender and Identity, Gauntlett describes how role models and self-help books influence individuals' identities. He describes six types of role models, including individuals in the public-eye who are successful, have triumphed over difficulties, have challenged stereotypes, are wholesome, are an outsider, or are a family role model. One of Gauntlett's examples is the Spice Girls who were hugely popular during the 90's. Role models mainly for girls or female teens, the music group emphasized feminist ideas of freedom and self-confidence, emphacizing the term "girl power." He mentioned that their outspoken positions of empowering girls and women were more visible in their interviews than in their actual song lyrics, but they still made an impact on many fans. one particular example of a role model for male teenagers was David Bowie (and other musicians and musical groups this particular teen listened to) who made a positive difference in the life of a young teen who struggled with his realization of being gay and different from the guys he went to school with. Some "role models" are considered positive, while others are criticized by audiences, but nevertheless they can have an impact on the identities of their listeners, viewers, or fans. Gauntlett also discusses self-help books, pointing out that even though a majority of people do not necessarily read self-help books, "the ideas in self-help books 'trickle down' into popular culture" (237). A well-known example is the book 'Men are from Mars and women are from Venus,' which actually reinforced old gender stereotypes by insisting that the genders are not similar and are not equal. Gauntlett argues that self-help books are evidence of what a society believes the identities of individuals should be.

In chaper 11, Gauntlett summerizes the entire book, making the point that "mass media is a force for change" (248). In general, mass media has changed female identies by empowering them and has changed male identities by questioning traditional masculinity and encouraging emotions (for example). There are lots of contradictions throughout mass media and culture so that it is difficult to make sense of all the messages, but it also offers a wide range of options.

I agreed with Gauntlett's aside that the Spice Girls were outspoken in their effort to promote "girl power" but their message was less evident in their lyrics. I remember when they were popular with me and all of my girl friends, but I couldn't think of lyrics that were particularly feminist or empowering. For many of the songs, I didn't understand at the time what the lyrics meant but I just knew they were fun to listen and dance to (I was also about 9 or 10 when their CD's were coming out). This didn't stop me from looking up to them, in a sense, because they could wear funky clothes and crazy hair styles but be confident and talented (by my standards). In a way, their message was conveyed in how they carried themselves and expressed individuality. Before reading some quotes from the Spice Girls members, I had never heard one of their interviews, but I could have guessed the kinds of things they would say- like "be yourself," "you can do it," etc.

"you the man! well, sort of."

Katherine Bartnett criticizes the characterization of Disney's female heroine Mulan in her essay, "Destructive and Constructive Characterizations of Women in Disney's Mulan." One of Bartnett's main arguments is that Mulan depends on the dragon Mushu's assistance in everything that she accomplishes. She argues that Mushu's actions enable Mulan to enter the army, choose her "male" name, give their group the chance to fight a battle, light the canon that deterred the Huns, and destroy the enemy in one of the final scenes. Bartnett says, "When Mulan thinks independently and acts upon her ideas, that action is followed by or paired with some intervention by Mushu, thus making Mushu a necessary element for Mulan's success" (188). She questions Disney for not allowing Mulan to accomplish any of these tasks without the help of a male character. She does, however, praise Mulan for her creativity and ability to develop solutions to immediate situations. Mulan takes on the role of a leader in scenes such as where she and the men sneak into the palace. Bartnett emphacizes that the plotline of the movie begins because of Mulan's love and concern for her father and her decisions are based around this man. Bartnett would have liked to see Mulan's actions and abilities more set apart from a dependence on and a need to please men.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puMcKsXoWjc&feature=related

During this scene from the movie Mulan, Mulan starts an avalanche to over-take the Hun army. Bartnett critiqued this scene for allowing Mushu to light the canon with his breath instead of Mulan being able to light it with her own effort. However, I interpretated this scene as an example of Mulan's quick thinking- Not Mushu or any of the men in the army thought of a solution bigger than fighting the Huns with swords. Mulan saved their small army from the attack, and then (in this part of the scene in the YouTube clip) Mulan saved their Captain from the avalanche of snow. Although it's pretty unrealistic- her horse is running on top of the rushing snow and she lifts this man with one arm- the Captain would have died without her help. Mushu was a part of this scene as well, but he couldn't save anyone from the avalanche (except the cricket). Mushu is just a side-kick to the main character, he is always present in the scenes to move along the plot and to add comedic relief. I don't think Mulan is dependent on the men any more than the men are dependent on her!

How media makes girls hate themselves

Despite what they may be taught at home, adolescent girls soak up what the mass media reinforces as ideals for young women. According to Kilbourne in “The More You Subtract, the More You Add,” advertisements, especially in magazines targeting teenage girls, emphasize physical beauty and thin bodies and suggest that maintaining physical attractiveness will bring girls control and success in their lives. In “Who(se) am I?,” Perry explains that the physical standards for African-American women are different from the thin, pale models idealized by white Americans. African-American women are often compared to singers and celebrities with curvy hips and a round butt, big breasts, but thin arms and legs; It is a different body-type, but much of the same struggles exist for young women trying to emulate these models. Self-hatred is common among adolescent girls, and according to Kilbourne, some ads are “intended to arouse anxiety and affect women’s self-esteem” (262). On one hand, media is encouraging women to be independent, but at the same time they are restricted by their diets, exercise routines, and other efforts necessary to maintain their “ideal” appearances. Kilbourne described the effect of many ads that encourage women to stay quiet and let their appearances speak for them and have an impact on others. This idea is common in makeup ads, perfume ads, and clothing ads and it teaches young women that their thoughts and intelligence are insignificant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc-9fbrrHJ0&feature=related
I wouldn’t consider this Old Navy commercial a negative influence on adolescent girls, but it does reinforce certain ideals for young women. Each of the models in the commercial is slender and flawless, and they portray young women as delicate and innocent or playful. The models appear almost childlike as they hide in the curtains, skip up the stairs, and dance around the room. The commercial may encourage young women that to be feminine by being silly and flirty to attract attention, as well as to strive for the thin figures of the models.

women zero-in on the models- not the fashion

In Diana Crane's "Gender and Hegemony in Fashion Magazines: Women's Interpretations of Fashion Photographs," a study was conducted in which women responded to photos from fashion magazines. Interestingly, the women spent more time discussing the appearances of the models or their facial expressions and hardly took the actual fashion they were modeling into consideration. For the most part, the women were concerned with whether or not they could relate to the woman portrayed in the photo. If she was very tall, extremely skinny, and unhappy looking (for example) the women said they disliked the photo and could not relate to someone like that. The African Amercan women participating in the study were particularly turned off by certain models and fashions, saying that the fashion industry was targeting white women, and the styles and the models were not representative of the body-types of African American women. Based on comments made by the women, they did not take fashion magazines seriously- they did not base their own sense of fashion off of them, they found the images unrealistic, and as one woman said: "...It's not really a woman's point of view. It's what a woman thinks a man wants to see or something like that." Facial expressions and personalities of the models were important to the women; they admired photos that looked "like me", or if the model looked happy or confident. All the women came to the same conclusion when they saw photos of ambiguous-looking women (model with a manly-body type in a dress; model wearing a sloppy combination of men's clothing; etc)-- they hated it.

This is a photo from vogue that I found on google images- so I'm not sure what issue this would have been in- but the model's position, face, and porcelin skin really caught my attention. Her position lying on the bed is very submissive and suggestive- her eyes are barely open but looking at the camera and her lips are parted. Between her skin and her makeup, the model resembles a doll, suggesting a child-like image. I think the women in the study would see this photo and say that the model looks helpless and sexualized- even though the dress she is wearing is not revealing! Her body is mostly covered, but her attitude and body language are all it take to portray her as a sexual object.

cosmo girl

Helen Gurley Brown is the woman who was behind the image of the Cosmo Girl, an image she invented when she became Cosmopolitan’s editor-in-chief in the 70’s. According to Ouellette in “Inventing the Cosmo Girl,” Cosmo, which targeted white heterosexual women, mainly portrayed females as sexy, pink-collar workers. Generally a part of the working class, the female readers were encouraged to act the part of being in the upper class so they can become the kind of women that rich men are attracted to. If a woman wasn’t particularly attractive or socially savvy, Cosmo encouraged her to change her style and her image so she could impress people (namely these wealthy men). If the readers acted and looked a certain way, the idea was that no one would suspect they were from a lower, working class.


I looked through this month’s Cosmo magazine, and I didn’t easily find what was described by Helen Gurley Brown. There wasn’t so much content on the social status or jobs of the women, but it is mostly sex, relationship, and makeup advice. I could hardly get away from all of the ads in Cosmo- probably half of the pages are ads- and this is opposite of Ms. magazine which is the only women’s magazine that I know of that is ad-free and supported by readers, because it was so challenging to find ads that did not demean women or companies who wanted their ad to target a female audience.
Cosmo didn’t necessarily address the topic of striving toward success or wealth, until one article that stood out to me titled, “Be the Smartest, Sexiest Girl in Town.” Based on an interview of the author of Sex and the City, it gives advice on how to look stylish and appropriate to impress people at work, how to move up in your job, and what to expect from romantic relationships. Hitting a few different topics, overall the three pages targeted an audience of working women who depend on their own confidence and ability to be successful, but who also need relationships in their lives. So, based on this article, the Cosmo girl is still a symbol for a sexy, working woman, but now she isn’t looking for a man to pull her out of the lower class but she can use her own style and attitude to impress her superiors in the workplace and be promoted.

male aggression and homosexual overtones

British football hooliganism became a trend in the 80’s and it involved the extreme violent behavior of groups of men who initiated riots at sporting events. This is one example of a category of men that supports hypermasculinity, according to “ ‘Hooligans, Studs, and Queers’: Three Studies in the Reproduction of Hypermasculinity.” Hooligans were white men, mostly targeting individuals of other ethnicities, and their dangerous behavior was knowingly the object of much media attention. Katz mentioned in section 24 of “Gender, Race, and Class in Media,” that having muscular strength and domination and exerting violence gives men a sense of confidence. Bill Buford in “Hooligans, Studs and Queers”, who studied this group of men, noted that their pre-riot excitement and energy during riots was comparable to sexual thrill. The men got satisfaction from the violence as well as the closeness with the other men in their group.
In sports, the black male athlete became an image of being “physically tough, socially stoic, and personally cool and detached” (203). Sexy, violent depictions of black athletes that became common were not supporting the black community who could have used encouragement of positive role models and help in moving away from racist stereotypes.
Coaches and athletes never expect anyone on their team to be gay, otherwise behavior like showering together, or touching each other wouldn’t be acceptable in the locker room or on the field. There are suggestions of homosexuality all throughout a sport like football, however. The players and coach use sexual metaphors and language in discussion of playing against the other team. They wear tight pants but aren’t afraid to touch each other’s butt. Men use violence, such as the violence against the other team during a football game, to “prove” that they are not homosexual or have any thoughts of it towards another guy. Even men who are homosexual began embracing the ideal of hypermasculinity by striving for muscular, athletic, and ultimately perfect bodies.

“Homoerotic” behaviors and attitudes become clear even in this short commercial for Iowa State football. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDK5PlXWpys It depicts common behaviors including getting dressed and undressed right next to each other and pulling each other’s face close to their own and patting each other. It also gives a glimpse of male narcissism by having a shirtless, muscular man standing and looking into the camera. None of these things seem out of place in a promo for football, and this emphasizes that these behaviors are accepted in this particular environment.

what men identitify with

Men’s magazines vary between Loaded or For Him Magazine which include seductive photos of women and topics like drinking and football, and Men’s Health magazine which writes about physical health, psychology, and relationship advice making it comparable to women’s lifestyle magazines. The different magazines are similar in the sense that a number of men’s magazines use irony and humor in their articles, so that it doesn’t scare readers off by taking itself too seriously. Irony can draw in readers who may have some insecurities and real questions about the topics without making them uncomfortable. A general problem with men’s magazines can be when they make a complete distinction between men and women, as if no similarities exist, and create broad generalizations. In some cases, these magazines are criticized for promoting the independence of men (like, we don’t need women-type attitudes), or for portraying semi-naked women on the pages. The funny thing, Guantlett points out in this chapter, is that women’s magazines can include all of these things without being criticized. Women’s magazines encourage readers to be independent and not depend on relationships with men, and the readers shamelessly admire photos of attractive, shirtless men.

http://www.menshealth.com/mhguys/matthew_mcconaughey.html

Men’s Health features the advice from its cover guys. Matthew McConaughey was featured on the cover of the March ’08 issue of Men’s Health, and he shares his perspective of what it means to be a man. He is 6 foot, in his late thirties, and unmarried. He talks about working out and hanging out with his guy friends. According to Men’s Health, he has the authority to tell other men what a man should be like: “McConaughey admires men who don’t fear scrutiny over the things that ought to come naturally: wooing beautiful women, partying, surfing, even kicking around with your friends.” This promotes an ideal man as heterosexual, athletic, fun and sociable. McConaughey also suggests that the ideal is to be both physically in-shape and mentally confident and down to earth.

male shoppers

Breazeale describes Equire Magazine’s efforts to create an identity for men as consumers, in the article “In Spite of Women.” When women began taking on jobs and earning a living for their family, male identities were changed. Esquire attempted to create a place for men in the markets of food, home décor, and liquor. Criticizing female approaches to these things gave men an incentive to do it their way, to buy the food for a satisfying meal, add comfortable furniture to their living room, or buy drinks for parties that will be enjoyed by their friends. Esquire included seductive pictures and drawings of women to their pages to maintain a heterosexual image of their male readers- they were wary of the shopping and decorating implying that the readers were gay.
I saw a commercial on t.v. this week of a man eating soup in the kitchen when his wife walks in (but the clip is not on youtube yet…). It came to mind while I was reading about consumerism and targeting male shoppers. In this case, the man in the commercial is eating Progresso soup and saying that it is so chunky and meaty – it’s manly! And his wife, the knowledgeable shopper, points out that it is actually only 1 point on Weight Watchers. He’s a little thrown off by this, but he insists again that it is a manly soup to be eating. The hope is, I suppose, that a man who sees this commercial will think about Progresso if he’s doing a little shopping in the grocery store, and he’ll think, “This is something I can buy, and it has meat and it’s not wimpy like Italian Wedding soup (for example)”. I think this was an attempt by the advertisers to reach out to men and encourage them to shop, instead of leaving that to their wives.

the new man

The 80’s were the true beginning of media affecting men through representations and commercialism, according to John Beynon in “The Commercialization of Masculinities.” Beynon goes on to describe how the “man” changed through the decades, from around the 50’s until the 90’s (as current as this article goes). Before the 80’s, men were typically understood to be hard-working men supporting their family, with whatever appearances and clothing choices went along with that. The 80’s, however, introduced the yuppie when men were portrayed fashionably and attractively through media. An “ideal man” image emerged, but by the 90’s “Loaded” magazine came out and men were depicted as just looking to have a good time. It was a casual, we’ll do whatever we want, kind of emphasis and many young men could relate to the magazine. Beynon emphasized points made by writers such as Mort, Nixon, Edwards and Christian, but overall a single description of what media’s “new man” has become over the years cannot be pinned down.



I might as well stick with the “King of Queens” theme and describe how Doug is an example of ‘the new man.’ Beynon points out that there is no real agreement on what the new man is, but I’ll go ahead and say that there are a bunch of different “new men” portrayed in media. Doug is an example of a 90’s type of man who doesn’t necessarily care about how he looks, he has a sense of humor and likes to joke around, he likes hanging out with his guy friends and playing sports, and some of his hobbies include watching t.v. and snacking. He has an attractive wife, a job, and a house. It pretty much seems like he has everything a “new man” could want- which, in his case, definitely does not include fancy clothes or other things suggested by the media of earlier years. Doug is also similar to the men that Christian studied who live non-sexist lifestyles. He is pretty contemporary in his view of women and in the way he treats his wife Carrie. This new man seems like someone who a number of men in his generation could relate to.