Female Image Stereotypes?

Question

What are your views and opinions regarding consumerist images of women?
I am writing a paper and would like to get opinions, input, etc. on what you guys feel about the stereotypical image of females and how it affects women in today's society. My hypothesis is that the media projects an idealistic view of the feminine form and plays on the insecurities of modern-day women. What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Why or why not? Please voice your opinion!

Answer 1

If you haven't already found it, be sure to read "Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls" by Mary Pipher and Ruth Ross (see Sources field for link on Amazon.com). Mary Pipher is a psychotherapist who worked with something like 1200 girls and young women who were having severe emotional and physical problems (including STDs, drug addiction, unplanned pregnancies and more) due at least in part, in her estimation, to the consumerist images of women. It's a telling and compelling book.

I'd say your hypothesis doesn't go far enough. Yes, we see constant projections of an idealized female form, but it's more insidious than that -- we see projections of an idealized female form as a consumer object, and what's worse as a commodity object.

I recently described it by saying that the modern media treats women like Scooby Snacks: something to be purchased on impulse, consumed by habit, and replaced with the next flavor when one flavor gets old. It would be interesting to discuss which is more negative: the use of women's images in advertising, or the use of women's images in music videos.

(Now, lest anybody get the wrong idea, I'm a 50-year-old male who LOVES the shape, color, curves, highlights and textures of the female form. I'm not merely heterosexual, I'm an oversexed heterosexual well on his way to being a dirty old man. But I like women who can have interesting conversations with me -- and I have mastered the art of looking them in the eye, and not lower down the torso, when we talk. And more to the point, I didn't raise my daughters to be bling for some music video or to sell after-shave.)

I'd take your hypothesis down a level deeper as well, because modern media plays on women's insecurities both directly and indirectly. It plays on those insecurities directly through products and services marketed to women, but it also plays on them indirectly through products and services marketed to men, and which use images of women to catch the viewer's eye. Compare any Oil of Olay commercial to the Aqua Velva (and what does THAT sound like?) commercial where the guy rubs his face all over his girlfriend's, uh, curves. I think there's something for you to investigate there -- how does being used as a sales inducement for men's products play on the insecurities of women?

Great subject, BTW. Depending on your schedule, I'd be happy to review and offer suggestions on your paper as it takes shape.

Answer 2

I believe as you do that mass media/Madison ave tries to make women feel insecure and sell them products to fix them. The most intriguing one may be breast size. More and more females are getting enlargements when at the same time people when surveyed on their attitudes about pictures of women felt the bustier gals were less intelligent and more promiscuous. WOW! How could you gals know what to do.

Answer 3

Any TV show that has women being these all knowing beings that are always smarter then there baffoon of a husband and can juggle a job, kids, and extra's all without breaking a sweat (lets admit it, its impossable)

Answer 4

there are so many sterio type names for a woman and lots of bad thing to hear every day about them like there bad driving and constant whining all the time or even there lack of brains...well is any of it true or does the term there is no smoke without fire spring to mind.

Answer 5

1. I f your not rail thin your not attractive.
2. Models are always wearing revealing clothing.
3. Models are also very sexual.

No, I don't agree.

Answer 6

big women make me feel more at home

they dont turn me on.........but thats another story