Images of Women As Read and Heard

Thus, “the mother image portrays an independent woman… the mother is “life” and life is what she brings. (Aldrich, 1996).

Moreover, “women play a very important role in the family as caretaker of children and therefore men is the primary breadwinner to provide his family’s needs,” (Canfield, 1996).

Banner (1997)

“Social class played a role in defining the image of beauty for women… the idealized mainstream images of women have often been young, representing the stage of life associated with purity, innocence, and sexuality.”

De Beauvoir (1952)

“Women will always be women. Other prophecy that in casting off their feminity they will not succeed in changing themselves instead they will become monsters.”

Nowadays, women go through plastic surgery to enhance themselves-face lift, butt lift, liposuction and to name a few. Women, no matter how they are portrayed they will always be what they are.

Wood (1994)

 “There are two images of women: good women and bad ones. Good women are pretty, hard-working, focused on home, family and caring for others; bad women are portrayed as sex objects like prostitutes and whores.”

Israel (1999)

 “Taking back the music,” other songs refer to women as prostitutes and strippers, and women being roughed up and often called the names of animals… when it comes to lyrics of black women, they are nearly degrading and verbally abusive.

Cooper (1997)

 “Images of women in Popular Song Lyrics,” female in some popular song lyrics are lyrically viewed as beautiful, devoted and virginal… At other times women are cast as wily, wicked, lustful beings that are guilty of heartbreaking and all forms of lawless behavior. Many songwriters have excoriated popular song lyrics for too often imaging women as sex objects and passive playthings.

Baker (1999)

“Through many song lyrics women are portrayed as passive sex objects for powerful men to dominate… Examples are given that shows how powerful man are and how women are portrayed as something, which they are not. Sometimes it is the way women carry themselves that determines how men perceive them. Women have the tendency to carry themselves in a way where a lot of attention is brought upon them.”

Women are often depicted as sex objects to look at, not humans to be respected. Women will continue to be portrayed in bad ways as long as songs and any other sources are heard and read. There will always be a negative portrayal of women as long as women are put forth as being less competent than men, and judge based on appearance.