Option 1:How do the media images & stereotypes of men & women impact how we view each other professionally (at school, at work, in politics, etc.)?Stereotypes like this one portrayed by the media affects the way we view each other. Those who don't know many pageant contestants may assume that all contestants are as unintelligent as Caitlin. The stereotype extends to blonde women in general. This causes unequal treatment of people due to hair color, gender, and countless other physical attributes. People view women as the inferior sex because of the stereotypes enforced by the media. In politics, people fear women are "too emotional" to be in a position of leadership. In the workplace, a driven woman is considered a..."b-word." At school, boys are smarter than girls.
Stereotypes also affect the way men are treated. In politics, men are the superior, because they have led the country from the beginning. This leads to the assumption that the man is always the better choice. In the workplace, the man is supposed to be paid more, because he is supposed to be the breadwinner. If he isn't successful, he's not a real man. At school, boys are either supposed to be smart or athletic, not both.
These stereotypes are scapegoats for the unknown and lead us to make assumptions and jump to conclusions. The media reinforce the stereotypes, making it harder for a person to break out of what is expected of them.
Do you think the media, and of course the public by a trickle-down effect, treated Caitlin unfairly, Jelly Cole? I, for one, do not think so. Caitlin had a completely incoherent and idiotic answer to the question. I don't think it's necessarily the media's fault that this answer supports the stereotype of pageant girls, I think it's Caitlin's. She knew exactly what she was getting into and should have been WAY more prepared. Sadly, Caitlin hoped aboard the train to Failville on this one though. I did not watch that particular pageant, but I'm sure the other contestants' answers were shown. I'm sure some of the ladies strung together some words into an acceptable answer, unlike Caitlin who just sputtered out an embarrassing abomination of the English language. I have ZERO sympathy for Caitlin and I don't think the media should take all the blame for this one.
ReplyDelete-Your friend,
Nic
I have to agree with Nic...sadly...and say that I also do not believe the media deserves all the blame for reinforcing this stereotype. Just A LOT of it. Yes she did quite a swell job of reinforcing it herself, but without the media to tell us about it and show us it so conveniently, we would be none the wiser.
ReplyDelete-Eddie :)
Very well put, Kelly. I will also add that boys, in school, are considered "perfect children" if they are BOTH athletic and smart, a rarity that does not come often. Rather than support both successes of the son, parents will often seem to "choose" which attribute they feel is more important, even if that means a "split decision" between parents: for example, we can say a father may choose to support a son in sports while a mother wants to see her son succeed in the classroom. This scenerio happens just as frequently with girls as it does with boys.
ReplyDeleteI especially enjoyed your use of the Miss USA Teen Contest blunder as an example of media-generated stereotypical images. That probably was the best way I think I could have answered that question. :]