Is there any potential new hegemony on the rise?

In the film titled 'The Rose' (1979), starring Bette Midler as the main character, Mary Rose encounters a young fan who idolizes her and wants to follow in her footsteps as a musician. Mary Rose warns her not to pursue a career in music due to the personal sacrifices and hardships involved for women. Essentially, she advises her that there is a lot of misrepresentation and a considerable negative side to almost everything portrayed on the screen.

Photo by US News

Since the inception of the movie industry, women have been consistently misrepresented as described by the module walkthrough. They have often been portrayed as objects of attraction, whether in advertisements, movies, or other forms of media. This portrayal involves dressing them in attractive attire, having them speak provocatively, and featuring seductive scenes in films, live shows, and cinema. Such depictions have a profound impact on consumers, especially young ones, who may grow up internalizing these distorted representations of sex and gender as normal. If this trend continues, can we expect a different form of hegemony in the coming generations?

Beyond the realms of the entertainment industry, media reporting on women in politics further exacerbates the feminist perspective. Instead of focusing on the political acumen and ideas of female candidates to address public challenges, media coverage sometimes emphasizes superficial aspects of femininity. The Utah Women and Leadership Project's report highlights how this biased reporting discourages women from entering the political sphere, dissuaded by the gendered lens through which their involvement is portrayed.

Moreover, within media editorial rooms, sexist stereotypes persist, ranging from humor and clichés in traditional media to the propagation of gender-based hatred and violence online, as documented by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. One of the multiple instances is Marc Rudov's statement that 'When Barack Obama speaks, men hear: "Take off for the future." And when Hillary Clinton speaks, men hear, "Take out the garbage."' It underscores the pervasiveness of these stereotypes. Regrettably, such actions are often tolerated, leaving lasting marks on the individuals targeted and serving as demotivating factors for future women in politics. Will the media renounce its tendency to stereotype women and perpetuate hegemonic ideals in pursuit of a more equitable world for all?

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Neo-Marxism in John Lennon’s Working Class Hero | By Kate Reiner

Image
Photo credit: Pixabay John Lennon statue at Hard Days Night Hotel in Liverpool, U.K. A neo-Marxist perspective in narrative criticism calls to our attention the complexities of class distinction, hegemony, and social struggle that are continuously reinforced or challenged in everyday popular culture (Sellnow, 2018). Popular culture is rich (…pun intended) with texts demonstrating how class distinction is perceived and managed in our culture. Sellnow (2018) describes these texts as sites of struggle that “reinforce or call into question taken-for-granted beliefs about what is normal regarding empowerment” (p. 119). And from a neo-Marxist critical perspective, that struggle typically pertains to materialism or wealth.  John Lennon’s (2016) song “Working Class Hero” is a good example of a site of struggle. Though originally released in 1970, its messages are still relevant today. The song describes the evolution of a working-class person who is born into an underprivileged situation,...
Read more

There Can Never Be Too Many Cats! Algorithms and Consumer Choice | By Kate Reiner

Image
Photo credit:  pikku_rotta Lately my social media feed, and consequently everyone in my household, is a compendium of cat memes, posts, and reels. And you know what? I’m fine with it. There can never be too many cat posts with which to fill a random dull moment of the day (or a meeting that’s just dragged on for too long!). Similarly, my sister recently showed me a message from her daughter, my 13-year-old niece, which read, “Mom, my phone is listening to you. All of my suggested videos are now about sourdough!" Now, one would think that those pesky content engagement algorithms would have caught on by now and we’d both be seeing all sorts of related product ads alongside these entertaining posts, but thankfully no.  However, buy one thing on Amazon and you can expect your social media feed to be instantly overrun by ads for the same thing you’ve just purchased. I often find myself thinking, come on algorithms, keep up! Show me something I don’t know I need yet, not what I jus...
Read more

Popular Music Hits Explained

Image
Pop ular Music Hits Explained MUSICAL AESTHETICS V.S. MUSIC COMMUNICATION Author Deanna D. Sellnow discusses the difference between "musical aesthetics" and "music as communication".  Based on my understanding of what I have read I interpreted "musical aesthetics" as appreciating the art of music objectively by genres, patterns, instruments, and tempo. Examples of this can be seen in something like the Opera of Classical Music. "musical aesthetics can also be someone that listens to music just because they enjoy it but do not analyze it in any way.  While "music as communication" is the basis of how most people listen to music, objectively connecting a type of emotional meaning to the art.  These are my interpretations of the two definitions. However, I believe these two definitions can be a hybrid or dynamic of some sort. For example, someone can critically analyze a song and it could be great but they have a deep connection to the art and ...
Read more