Gender Stereotyping in the Media

It has been strongly evident that the media has played a large role in gender stereotyping for decades. Since the very beginning of film, movies and television shows have depicted men and especially women as lower or lesser beings. This “tradition” of sexism has of course, decreased since the 50’s but still lingers on in many of today’s television programs.

In the early 50’s, with television shows such as “I Dream of Jeanie” and “I Love Lucy, women were portrayed quite openly as being the server to their husbands, the men. They were considered to be lower than men or in other words of less importance. Many of the shows from this era showed a substantial amount of gender stereotyping. For example, the women were to do what they were told, they were the only ones who cooked and cleaned, and they were the primary caregiver for the children.

Of course, things have changed since the 50’s. Women have proven to be powerful and just as competent as men, thus, making it harder for television shows to portray them as lesser individuals. However, although the gender stereotyping has decreased, it is certainly still evident in the media.

There are several television shows being broadcasted today that do, in fact, show some form of gender stereotyping, particularly towards women. However, it is less out in the open and blunt than it use to be in the early 50’s and 60’s. One must read between the lines and pay attention to notice the stereotypic behavior being portrayed. While this behavior may be subtle, it does, in fact still exist.

There is a very well known show on MTV known as “The Real World,” which comes on every Wednesday. It is a reality based show which places seven strangers into one house for several weeks where they are to live together for the duration of the program. As many of us know, reality shows are not what they appear to be.

The directors and producers of such shows have the ability to crop and edit which specific clips of the film that they want to be premiered. Inevitably, they are able to portray the individuals on their show in any way that they want. For example, they may choose to only show clips of certain individuals where they are crying, fighting, or as “The Real World” often does, being promiscuous. This is a vital key in how this show can stereotype a specific gender.