Gender stereotyping is an old phenomenon in the world. In many centuries ago, women had limited opportunities in society, and they confine in the kitchen. Women had limited roles, which include domestic chores such as caring for the children and husband. It took grueling years of suffrage movements to struggle to free women from the chains of discrimination. In modern times, it is needless to assert that gender stereotyping is still far from over because the evidence is right within a touching distance ( Blau, 2016). In the four films reviewed during the lesson, numerous pieces of evidence suggest that gender stereotypes are over-amplified by multiple factors which should be championing for its end. The problem in modern society is that many people have grown in an environment where gender inequality is the norm. In this in case, therefore, it is difficult for such people to identify instances of gender stereotypes and even challenges the norm. The only way to change the situation is to challenge people’s attitudes and steer away from these stereotypes from the minds of the children while they are still young.
The media is a channel that perpetuates false identity. The media make people perceive women from a beauty perspective while ignoring the inherent capabilities they have that can make them powerful or resourceful in society. In the video Cover Model Makeover , this is the message that is apparent in the film. In this film, different women are prepared for a cover magazine photo. They made in a manner that disguise their identity. After some technological touch on their picture and numerous makeovers, non-of the ladies were satisfied with the resulting image. It was a fake person, and the identity was compliantly changed (“ 4 Ladies get the 'cover model' makeover of their dreams And then hate the results,” (n.d.). In the world of ladies driven by a thirst for beauty, women end up changing their identities and using numerous make-ups to make them look beautiful to please male gender. Society needs to challenge the notion of beauty and encourage women to look for other capabilities that can elevate them in the community. The idea that beauty and women achievements are interlinked is a notion that should be challenged to allow society has some form of gender balance. Through the use of media as in the case of this film, women should be made to understand that the beauty they see on the magazine covers, film and Television are unavailable and they are not achievable because they are fabricated ( Kleven, Landais & Søgaard, 2018).
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Undervaluing the capabilities and the potential ladies have is not an issue that was born yesterday, instead, it is a notion that has rich foundation and history that has clogged the mind of people until today. In past centuries, women had no place in the corporate industry, and they had to fight for their place, the same manner they fought the suffrage saga for their chance on the ballot. The war was partly won, with the percentage of women working in big companies increased. However, the challenge is far from over. In the same manner, the society also challenges the capabilities of women in every aspect. For instance, ladies acquire limited leadership positions because of the perception that they are less intelligent than men. It is because of this reason that women are less represented in the leadership positions in most industries in the world. The film, the mask you live in tries to challenge this notion.
The film describes that there is little difference in the intellect levels between men and women. For this reason, women can pursue the same carriers as men and become equally successful. For instance, it is the perception of most people that women cannot participate in men’s athletic activities. An example is gun shooting (“The Representation Project,” 2016). The message from the film is clear. People have the capabilities to do great and archives success as long as they believe in themselves, and also believe that the ground they stand on is strong enough to support them. The success and greatness are not in any way proportional to gender type.
The media has a role of shaping up the society. The media can either shape the community or ultimately destroy the beauty of society. Since people are living in a society where gender stereotype has become a norm, it has become challenging to realize how media perpetuate gender inequality and discrimination. It only takes the most sensitive individuals to gender matters such as Green Davis to understand that there is media misrepresentation of girls mostly among children's films. Green David, in the video, realizes that male gender dominates most of the children films (“ Geena Davis & Media's Portrayal of Women | Full Frame,” 2017). Additionally, the lady comes to understand that the male gender dominates most of the driving characters in such films. She is concerned because children tend to be keen on such matters and the image the film portrays about girls comes to reshapes the children's mentality about female gender in society.
The society must make children understand at the young age that gender equity is critical for proper social image and development. People should challenge the notion of a female being a weak creature by giving both boys and girls significant roles in different films. Further, the society needs to challenge the fact that women are incapable and thus, children film should be used as a platform to showcase girls' ability by assigning them roles that drive films to the right direction. In such a manner of representation, there will be a general perception among children that boys and girls are equal beings. In this manner, their society will be free from gender discrimination and stereotyping.
In society today, people tend to prefer attention than their personality, which is wrong because it sends a poor and discriminative message. Girls are the victim of dressing in a manner to please the male gender. In the film, Destroy the Female Stereotype , where the four girls destroy the stereotypes attitude by changing their identities to monsters, the message is clear. There is no need for ladies to choose clothes that make them appeal to the opposite gender. It is not only about ladies, all people should be free to act in a manner that is within their capabilities, and that also demonstrate or showcase their true identity (“Watch these four girls destroy the female stereotype like the monsters they are,” (n.d.) . Such an attitude should be destroyed or challenged in society, just like the four girls challenge them in the film. The community needs to be a place where instead of boasting about who we are, people should boast about their capabilities hat make them resourceful to others in the society ( Jayachandran, 2015).
In conclusion, society is at the center of perpetuating gender ideas that are discriminative to some genders. Some gender discriminative and stereotyping notions that the media spread and those that come due to technology must be challenged to create a society that is gender-balanced and sensitive.
References
4 Ladies get the 'cover model' makeover of their dreams ... And then hate the results. (n.d.). Upworthy. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.upworthy.com/4-ladies-get-the-cover-model-makeoverof-their-dreams-and-then-hate-the-results-11113?c=reccon1
Blau, F. D. (2016). Gender, inequality, and wages. OUP Catalogue .
Geena Davis & Media's Portrayal of Women | Full Frame. (2017, October 25). Retrieved from https://www.kcet.org/shows/full-frame/episodes/geena-davis-medias-portrayal-of-women
Jayachandran, S. (2015). The roots of gender inequality in developing countries. Economics , 7 (1), 63-88.
Kleven, H., Landais, C., & Søgaard, J. E. (2018). Children and gender inequality: Evidence from Denmark (No. w24219). National Bureau of Economic Research.
The mask you live in. (n.d.). The Representation Project. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://therepresentationproject.org/films/the-mask-you-live-in/
Watch these four girls destroy the female stereotype like the monsters they are. (n.d.). Upworthy. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from http://www.upworthy.com/watch-these-4-girls-destroy-the-femalestereotype-like-the-monsters-they-are-rw1-9b
