That’s an excellent question. I think, broadly, we can see the media as having both positive and negative effects on young women and girls.
On the one hand, the media are perpetuating gender inequality that is already existing in society. They offer a platform for sexism, misogynism, the objectifying of women and their bodies etc. So media can work as tool that reinforces and consolidates patriarchal structures (that is, relationships between genders whereby men are considered to be superior to women and thus have more power).
On the other hand, media can provide a platform for us from where we can expose, and challenge these inequalities and ultimately change the society we live in. Take for instance websites like Everyday sexism or podcasts like The Guilty Feminist. These are spaces for women’s voices that we wouldn’t have been able to hear otherwise. Take the movement against sexual violence which gained visibility, materiality and a virtual space through hashtags such #metoo and #timesup. So there are ways in which media can help shed light onto the problems young women and girls are facing everyday.
Now to your second question: what can we do about it? First, I think (and I hope I don’t sound like a pessimist) that there is no one-step solution. Changing society is a marathon not a sprint. I think it’s important to know that because, when we see that women still earn less than men, when we hear in the news about what’s happening in the US at the moment (women’t rights to decide about their own bodies are being rolled back) we might feel that there’s not way forward. So, I think what we can do, as individuals, is find one aspect that we can affect though our behaviour, one cause we strongly believe in, and work towards that. It might be intervening when our friends say something sexist, volunteering at a women’s shelter, giving money to a women’s charity, joining a women’s march, educating oneself and others about feminism. Every little step forward counts.
I agree with Bogdana that the media’s effect on young women and girls is both positive and negative. There is no question that there is tremendous pressure on young women to be and look a certain way. At the same time, the same media has investigated and reported on sexism and misogyny in all of their horrible manifestations. I have two grown daughters and, therefore, have had three decades to see the effect of media up close. What is most damaging to young women is not so much the relentless focus on appearance, but rather the unconscious bias in the media about the expected roles of young women. What is particularly depressing is that the bias exists both in men and women. When a TV show or a movie portrays “strong women” it can be argued that the mere fact of these portrayals is a good thing and empowering for young women. I agree. But, I fear, however, that these portrayals can, if not done well, inadvertently send the message to young women that if you’re not a “super woman” then you’re not going to be taken seriously and worse. It is bad enough that young women are taught to fret constantly about their looks; it becomes a crushing burden if, in addition, young women are taught they can only overcome sexism and misogyny and succeed if they become “superwomen”. That is grossly unfair to women. Men are not taught: “you must become a superman if you wish to be taken seriously”; we men are taken seriously simply because we are men. So what is to be done? A great deal is now known about unconscious bias not only in the media, but throughout society. We would all benefit from being taught how to recognize such bias in ourselves. We should also implement some simple reforms, such as eliminating identifying information in test papers, job applications, and promotion documents. It is shocking that both men and women grade the test papers of women harsher than those of men. When the names are blotted out this bias disappears.
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Harrison commented on :
I agree with Bogdana that the media’s effect on young women and girls is both positive and negative. There is no question that there is tremendous pressure on young women to be and look a certain way. At the same time, the same media has investigated and reported on sexism and misogyny in all of their horrible manifestations. I have two grown daughters and, therefore, have had three decades to see the effect of media up close. What is most damaging to young women is not so much the relentless focus on appearance, but rather the unconscious bias in the media about the expected roles of young women. What is particularly depressing is that the bias exists both in men and women. When a TV show or a movie portrays “strong women” it can be argued that the mere fact of these portrayals is a good thing and empowering for young women. I agree. But, I fear, however, that these portrayals can, if not done well, inadvertently send the message to young women that if you’re not a “super woman” then you’re not going to be taken seriously and worse. It is bad enough that young women are taught to fret constantly about their looks; it becomes a crushing burden if, in addition, young women are taught they can only overcome sexism and misogyny and succeed if they become “superwomen”. That is grossly unfair to women. Men are not taught: “you must become a superman if you wish to be taken seriously”; we men are taken seriously simply because we are men. So what is to be done? A great deal is now known about unconscious bias not only in the media, but throughout society. We would all benefit from being taught how to recognize such bias in ourselves. We should also implement some simple reforms, such as eliminating identifying information in test papers, job applications, and promotion documents. It is shocking that both men and women grade the test papers of women harsher than those of men. When the names are blotted out this bias disappears.