Has the Portrayal of Women in the Media
Changed Enough Since the 1950’s?
By Caressa Pittman
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for a Degree in Writing
Journalism/ Freelance
December 08, 2011
Professor Briggs
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My project emphasizes the comparison of women’s portrayal in the media from 1950’s to
present and showing that women are still oppressed through body image, sexism and gender bias.
The three different sections, highlights the media’s continuing patriarchy. After the feminist
movement, society was convinced that women achieved social equality, but the noticeable
underlying theme of oppression still lingers. Barbie, the popularity of breast enlargement, eating
disorders, Hilary Clinton bashing, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and pornography provide
evidence that sexism and gender bias are still alive and well in U.S. culture.
Introduction
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Society has used the media to define a woman for years. Media images have also been
the most common instrument for teaching many young girls how to be a woman. It is safe to say
that the media is a very influential aspect of everyone’s mind: how to perceive things, how to do
things and most importantly what to think of them. In the 1950’s, the media made it their mission
to perceive a woman as having one place in this world, the kitchen. Because of this, society
believed that it was all women were good for. Now in the 21st century, women have emerged in
provocative clothes, frighteningly slim physiques, and air balloon breasts, fooling everyone into
believing the media’s perception of them has changed, when in fact it hasn’t. Societies
underlying view of women continues to be just as oppressive, if not much worse than in the
1950’s- but different.
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Part I: Body Image
4
Did you know that the average U.S. resident is exposed to approximately 5,000
advertising messages a day?1 Before a TV set became common in most households, an image of
society’s ideal woman took the industry by storm and displayed it daily. Her name was Barbie.
Ruth and Elliot Handler, husband and wife, created Barbie in the late 1950’s. Ruth’s inspiration
for creating the doll was said to be a German doll called “Lilli,” who was described as being
made of hard plastic with molded shoes and earrings. After conceiving this idea, the Handler’s
and Mattel Toys began building the masterpiece that would soon inspire every young girl to
believe “We girls can do anything.” Barbie quickly became the most sold toy in history.
Statistics show that two Barbies are sold every second somewhere in the world.2 Barbie, the
make-believe figure of girl power for women abruptly became a popular item amongst young
girls, as well as a controversial topic, not because of her enthusiastic spirit, but her scanty attire
and oversexed body. Emily Prager, author of the book Our Barbies, Ourselves, says in regards to
the voluptuous silhouette, “I used to look at Barbie and wonder, what’s wrong with this picture?
What kind of woman designed this doll? Let’s be honest. Barbie looks like someone who got her
start at the Playboy Mansion.”3
It is no surprise that Prager compares Barbie to a Playboy bunny, given they have many
similarities; their huge D cup breasts, ditzy blonde hair, and believe it or not, they were both
“The Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders.” National Eating Disorders Association. 08, Dec. 2011.
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/.
2
How Toys Like Barbie Influence our Body Image, Find Your True Beauty. 26 Sept. 2011. http://www.teen-beautytips.com/barbie-body-image.html.
3
Prager, Emily. Our Barbies, Ourselves, In 40 Model Essays: A Portable Anthology. New York: Bedford/ St.
Martin’s, 2005.
1
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created lustful devices for men. Many are unaware that “Lilli,” the German doll that inspired
Handler was initially sold as a sex doll for men. The irony of it all is that many of Barbie’s
characteristics were inspired by a German sex doll, and marketed to American girls everywhere
as the role model of femininity. She has been conditioning young girls to have a warped body
image since the very beginning.
“There are millions of women that are subliminally sure that a thirty-nine inch bust and a
twenty three inch waist are the epitome of lovability. Could this account for the popularity of
breast implant surgery,” said Prager in essay Our Barbies, Ourselves. 4 And as Barbie’s
popularity began to grow, so did her breasts.
In 1975, Mattel pushed the standards of what is acceptable for young girls when they
released a new edition of dolls called “Growing Up Skipper.” This 9” doll with reddish blonde
hair taught girls everywhere about puberty. When you turned her left arm, she grew big breasts
and her waist shrank, then when you turn the arm back she lapses back to her old shape. Since
Barbie caters to an audience usually much younger than a pubescent teenager, the idea of
Barbie’s instant puberty instills in them that they may one day grow big breasts and a small
waist, just like Barbie. Ten years earlier, in 1965, Sleepover Barbie was a new edition to Barbie’s
controversy and an even greater loss of self-esteem to young girls everywhere. Unlike Skipper,
this Barbie came with a permanent set of full breasts, a full size scale stuck at 110 lbs, and a
book entitled How to Lose Weight. The contents of it shocked the world when it gave “Don’t
Eat” as advice to her young consumers. The gender bias began to kick in when you took a
glance at the Ken doll, which came along as an accessory while carrying a plate of cookies. The
4
Prager, Emily. Our Barbies, Ourselves, In 40 Model Essays: A Portable Anthology. New York: Bedford/ St.
Martin’s, 2005.
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message is now so blatantly clear: women should be consumed with their body image, while men
eat a plate of cookies in front of us.
The Barbie motto “We Girls Can Do Anything” proved to be nothing more than weight
loss motivation to many in the 1960’s, but one woman took it a little too seriously. At six years
old, Cindy Jackson discovered Barbie at a toyshop, and since then her life was never the same.
Another contribution was the death of her father, and the $100,000 he left for her that contributed
to making her over and giving her the reputation of “human Barbie,” as well as a spot in the
Guinness Book of World Records. Jackson earned the spot of “World Most Plastic Surgery.”
“I wasn’t that good looking” said Cindy Jackson in regards to her natural appearance
before the surgery.5
Jackson is an example of just how powerful the appearance of a Barbie can be to an
impressionable young girl. According to Shelley Hitz from Find Your True Beauty, “The more
time we spend with anything, the more influence it has on us,” in other words, Barbie should
take the blame for at least some of the millions of girls who are saving every penny for plastic
surgery or vomiting over the toilet at this very moment?
A study of 4,294 network television commercials revealed that 1 out of every 3.8
commercials, send some sort of “attractiveness message” indicating to their audience what is or
not attractive. 6“
Since America is a culture so obsessed with materialism and perfection, it’s only natural
that artificial procedures such as plastic surgery have become common. Cindy Jackson, a Barbie
Jackson, Cindy. “Women Who Had the Most Plastic Surgery.” ABC. 08 Dec. 2011.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/05/cindy-jackson-woman-with-most-plastic-surgery_n_844927.html
6
“The Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders.” National Eating Disorders Association. 08, Dec. 2011.
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/.
5
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obsessed woman, and Guinness World Record champ for the most surgical procedures describes
going under the knife as nothing serious,
“I have no problem messing with nature,” said Jackson gladly in her interview with
CBS.7 She has undergone fifty-two surgical procedures – some of many were liposuction, eyelid
surgery, and five face-lifts!
“It was like being in the wrong body, wrong face, and I wanted to change it,” said
Jackson explaining why she decided to get surgery in the first place.8 Visual perfection
everywhere has an impact on females, which explains why we are the ones to most likely go
under the knife.
As a result, Susan Douglass, author of Where the Girls Are states, “In a variety of ways
the mass media helped make us the cultural schizophrenics we are today, women who rebel
against yet submit to prevailing images about what a desirable, worthwhile woman should be.” 9
This ties into a woman’s everyday lives as they watch television and see the many yogurt
commercials of malnourished woman telling them their yogurt promotes weight loss. It is over
bearing to continually see skinny woman on television who are insisting women are overweight
in order to sell a product, but when it is repetitive it becomes brainwashing and America feeds
into it. This is a prime example of how the media oppresses; they play on a woman’s insecurities
to sell products, leading them to form some type of eating disorder, or go under the knife.
7
Jackson, Cindy. Women Who Had the Most Plastic Surgery. ABC. 08 Dec. 2011.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/05/cindy-jackson-woman-with-most-plastic-surgery_n_844927.html
8
Jackson, Cindy. Women Who Had the Most Plastic Surgery. ABC. 08 Dec. 2011.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/05/cindy-jackson-woman-with-most-plastic-surgery_n_844927.html
9
Douglass, Susan. Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media. New York, NY. Three Rivers
Press. March 28, 1995.
8
Another media image that appears to be very persuasive is the television show, America’s
Next Top Model. Show host and former model Tyra Banks, who began this show during a period
of harsh media criticism regarding her weight gain, chooses fourteen contestants to live in a
home to eat, sleep and breathe modeling. Along with Banks, her two judges J. Alexander, and
world renown fashion icon Twiggy critique the models pictures and appearances.
One of the many episodes that reference plastic surgery and specify imperfections of
these aspiring models was entitled “The Girl Who Got a Boob Job.” Before the photo shoot even
began, all girls were directed to pick a model and identify their flaw. During the actual shoot, all
models were given criticism from Banks and her affiliates as to what they believed their flaw
was, and plastic surgery themed pictures were then taken. Ironically, some of the most popular
surgery procedures amongst women were demonstrated as one model was captured with getting
breast implants, another was seen modeling lip injections, and another was getting butt implants.
The controversy lies in a manner that this modeling show depicted their imperfections, and
subliminally implied to their audience that plastic surgery can unnaturally fix you.
According to a study by The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, females make up a
whopping 91 percent of all cosmetic procedures. 10
Like Growing up Skipper, most young girls long to grow breasts, and there’s a lot of
pressure to grow them, from friends, and the media. With their growing popularity, it should be
no surprise that breast implants are one of the leading procedures done by plastic surgeons,
“Report of the 2010 Plastic Surgery Procedures.” American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 19 Oct. 2011.
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/.
11
”Report of the 2010 Plastic Surgery Procedures.” American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 19 Oct. 2011.
http://www.plasticsurgery.org/.
10
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followed by buttocks, nose and abdomen. 11 It has gotten so out of hand that parents are now
offering their children breast implants as a high school graduation present – maybe we should
search further into why big breasts are so important to woman.
Let’s take a look at the word feminine. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, it
means characteristic of or appropriate or unique to women. 12 The term feminine derives from the
Latin word femina meaning woman and roughly translating to “one who suckles.” 13 In order to
suckle, or breastfeed, you’ll need breasts, which make it obvious that the gender’s name already
defines woman to have this characteristic.
Why do big breasts exemplify femininity? The image goes back to the late 1960’s when
The Sexual Revolution emerged and sex and body image was in, along with that made the
illusion of sex. During this era, woman questioned their traditional roles in sex and wanted to
exhibit sexual liberation, by wearing provocative clothing. Unfortunately, men enjoyed the view
of cleavage, so much that they just perceived breasts as sex objects, and continued to keep their
sexist ideologies, forming the stereotype that one of the most important assets to a woman are
her breasts.
“Feminine, a.” Def. 2. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary. 08 Dec. 2011. http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/feminine.
13
“Feminine, a.” Def. 1. Online Etymology Dictionary. 08 Dec. 2011.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=feminine&searchmode=none.
12
10
According to 10 Most Popular Plastic Surgery Procedures by CBS News, breast
augmentation is the most popular cosmetic surgery in the United States, with 296,203 procedures
in 2010. 14
Popular media such as videogames, magazines, and television shows tend to confirm this
by exploiting these desired features every chance they get. Games like Tomb Raider use a female
as the central character, yet depict her as nothing more than a sex object, queuing in on her
digitally plump breasts, and shapely body as she is walking and running. Another very popular
videogame in the 21st century was Grand Theft Auto, and in all of the editions released they
sexually exploited woman by putting virtual prostitutes in the game, who appear to be walking
and yelling obscenities to sell their bodies. Throughout the game, most of the women seen are
prostitutes, or sexually exploited women who are topless or in revealing bikinis, or strippers –
they serve one purpose and that is to sell the illusion of sex. Studies show that 38 per cent of the
female characters in video games are scantily clad, 23 per cent baring breasts or cleavage, 31 per
cent exposing thighs, another 31 per cent exposing stomachs or midriffs, and 15 per cent baring
their behinds. 15 On July 11, 2004, one of the most controversial shows aired on E! Television
called Dr. 90210. The shows central focus is plastic surgery stories along with mild footage of
their surgeries and interviews with both patients and doctors. As a viewer witnessing the
excruciating procedures, and seeing the successful outcome, it is very easy to misconstrue the
concept of this reality show –which is a behind the scenes view of plastic surgery, the good and
bad.
“10 Most Popular Plastic Surgery Procedures.” CBS News. 08 Dec. 2011. http://www.cbsnews.com/2300204_162-10007103.html.
15
“Media Stereotyping, Sex and Relationships in the Media.” Media Awareness Network. 08 Dec. 2011.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_sex.cfm.
14
11
Did you know that approximately 7 million girls and women struggle with an eating
disorder? 16 In a country where most people are considered “obese,” and the average size of a
woman is a 14, the media doesn’t reflect it at all. Constant images of skeletal women are
surfacing televisions, and since TV has always depicted women superficially, it is obvious there
has been no improvement.
According to a recent survey of adolescent girls, their main source of woman’s health
issues comes from the media.17 In comparison to the early 1950’s, thin women were everywhere
on TV, but the message they aim to display wasn’t that they were skinny- but that they were
dumber than men. Nowadays, almost every commercial involves a thin model wearing barely
clothed, and her body image is the center of attention, despite what she’s trying to sell. Most of
the women in these commercials, magazines, and advertisements don’t even look the way they
are perceived; many smoke mirrors, make-up sessions, and even Photoshop is responsible for
their unhealthy looking appearance, but it is quite difficult to see size 0 women advertising
everything without questioning health.
It is primarily advertisements that are pushing the message of skinny, but without the
skinny models themselves, it wouldn’t be possible. As a model in the fashion industry, regardless
of the demandingly strict rules on weight, wouldn’t you have to believe yourself that skinny is
beautiful in order to sell it? As a model, their jobs are to remain thin, and along with the idea of
thinness, there ads subconsciously sell the idea that one body image is the right one.
“Eating Disorder Statistics” National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. 08 Dec. 2011.
http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/.
17
“The Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders.” National Eating Disorders Association. 08, Dec. 2011.
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/.
16
12
Model Kate Moss, made a very disturbing comment during an interview with Women’s
Wear Daily in 2009 when asked if she had a motto.
“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels,” said Moss, sharing her warped perception of
dieting. 18
Although Moss attempted to make it clear that she was referring to an inspirational diet
motto, it can very well be mistaken for the statement of a women struggling with Anorexia
Nervosa. This is an extremely dangerous eating disorder in which a person intentionally deprives
herself, or himself of food and can literally starve to death, in attempt to be their perception of
thin.19
Another common eating disorder among young girls and models is Bulimia nervosa, or
episodic binge eating usually followed by behavior designed to negate the calorie intake of
ingested food, most commonly purging behaviors such as self induced vomiting or laxative
abuse, but sometimes other methods such as excessive exercise or fasting.20
Some of our favorite celebrities have admitted to suffering from eating disorders; former
American Idol judge and dancer Paula Abdul, child star and twin Mary Kate Olsen, television
personality/ reality star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, singer/songwriter and fashion icon Gemanotta
Stefani, or Lady Gaga, who is still coping with her body image. Another celebrity who came
Costello, Brid. “Women’s Wear Daily: Interview With Kate Moss.” 08 Dec. 2011. http://www.wwd.com/beautyindustry-news/beauty-features/kate-moss-the-waif-that-roared-2367932?full=true.
18
“Facts and Information about Eating Disorders”. Eating Disorders Treatment. 08 Dec. 2011. http://www.eatingdisorder.com/Eating-Treatment/Eating-Disorders/anorexia-nervosa.htm
19
Bulimia nervosa, n.” Def. 1. The Free Dictionary. 08 Dec. 2011.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bulima+nervosa.
18
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forth about her illness was one of the most influential people of our time, and the Richest African
American Woman in the World, Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey claims her reason for gaining weight to
begin with was the rape and sexual abuse she suffered as a child as well as a lack of good men in
her life.
“I just needed approval so much. I needed everyone to like me because I didn’t like
myself much,” said Oprah in regards to her weight struggle. 21
The irony of our role models struggling with eating disorders themselves, says something
about our society as a whole; it doesn’t matter who you are, your appearance matters.
In the words of Jean Kilbourne, author and feminist speaker, “What does advertising tell
us today about women? It tells us just as it did ten and twenty and thirty years ago, that what’s
most important about woman is how we look.”22
“Celebrities with Eating Disorders.” Caring Online. 08, Nov. 2011. http://caringonline.com/eatdis/people.htm.
Kilbourne, Jean. “Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising’s Image of Women.” Top Documentary Films. 08, Nov. 2011.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/killing-us-softly-3/.
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Part II: Sexism
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Did you know that women weren’t able to vote until the Nineteenth Amendment was
passed on August 20, 1920? How about that the first woman admitted to Yale University was in
1969? These are both strong examples on how women have won over society throughout the
years. But do you feel as if these triumphs should change the sexist perceptions of women in the
media? In 1969, ironically the same year the first woman was admitted to Yale, a commercial
was aired by United Airlines promoting a spousal discount. In this commercial, wives are doing
a dance number and begging their husbands to take them along on their business trips. United
Airlines then advocates to their audience that if they bring their wives along they will receive 1/3
of a discount. Despite the fact that a woman just made history, they are still advertised as old
housewives who have no education, job, and seem to be nagging their husbands in order to tag
along during business trips.
In the 1920’s, women weren’t able to vote until the Nineteenth Amendment, which
prohibits voting discrimination everywhere in the United States when it comes to gender. 23
Eighty eight years later, men and women were voting with the option of choosing from a list of
all male candidates, until Hilary Clinton, wife of the 42nd President, and Yale Law School
Graduate ran for office in 2008.
Clinton attempted to make history as United States first female President; instead her
presence made it known that sexism still exists in the media. On January 4, 2008, Mark Rudov,
Spencer, Kappie. “Women Still Excluded.” The Equal Rights Amendment. 08 Dec. 2011.
http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/states.htm.
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author of Under the Clitoral Hood: How to Crank her Engine Without Cash, Booze, Jumper
Cables was invited to the Fox News show, “Your World” to speak on his thoughts of Hilary
Clinton. Rudov insisted that men wouldn’t vote for Hilary Clinton because of her “nagging
voice.”
“When Barack Obama speaks, men hear, “take off for the future.” When Hilary Clinton
speaks men hear, “take out the garbage,” said Rudov in a high pitch irritating voice. 24 His
message was quite clear; men cannot take Clinton seriously as a President, not just because
Rudov claimed she sounded like “their mothers,” but because a strong female voice is something
a misogynist place such as America can’t manage to tolerate. Acts such as this are considered the
glass ceiling effect, or an invisible but real barrier through which the next stage or level of
advancement can be seen, but cannot be reached by a huge section of qualified and deserving
employees, who happen to be women. Such barriers exist due to implicit prejudice on the basis
of age, ethnicity, political or religious affiliation, and/or sex. 25
It is obvious that the manner in which the media chose to cover Clinton’s campaign
differed from the way they’ve covered any other competitor in history. In fact, most media
stories about Clinton were centered on the fact that she is a woman. Her short blonde hair and
pant suits caused men to identify her with names such as masculine and others went as far as to
call her a ball buster.
Rudov, Mark. “Your World”, Fox News. 08 Dec. 2011. http://mediamatters.org/research/200801050004.
“Glass ceiling.” The Business Dictionary. 08 Dec. 2011. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/glassceiling.html.
25
O’Brian, Conan. “Hilary Clinton Jokes.” Encyclopedia of Humor. 08 Dec. 2011.
http://www.smilespedia.com/glossary/celebrities/hillary_clinton_jokes/
24
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"A new novelty item is now being sold. Get this; it's a Hillary Clinton nutcracker that
cracks nuts between its legs. 26 Yeah, Hillary calls the nutcracker silly, and Bill Clinton calls it
chillingly lifelike,” said Conan O'Brien in regards to The Nutcracker, a controversial kitchen
device made to poke fun at Clinton. The Nutcracker was a nine-inch mold made to impersonate
Clinton, its legs wide open and razor sharp spikes located on her inner thighs. In reference to her
“ball busting behavior,” a pun was made in regards to the Clinton and her nutcracker.
“I have often said when she comes on television, I involuntary cross my legs,” said
Carson Tucker. In retrospect, a submissive woman who stands in the shadow of her husband is
considered an ideal woman, while a woman with a powerful voice that speaks her mind to make
a difference is considered a ball buster. If being a ball buster signifies a woman trying to make a
difference in a patriarchal economy, society should take a look at the male dominating nature of
our vocabulary.
According to Urban Dictionary, a ball buster is a woman, who is also affectionately
called a bitch) who challenges the virility and dominance of a man by utilizing verbal abuse
and/or by controlling social situations usually controlled by the men.27 Fitting its context,
Clinton, who has challenged the patriarchal tradition of politics, appeared as a threat to men
everywhere and using sexist remarks like these are all they can do to keep women down.
Believe it or not, there are many more sexist terms found in American culture than you
might imagine. Many aren’t even aware on just how offensive these terms can be. For example, a
“Ball buster, n.” Def. 2. Urban Dictionary. 08 Dec. 2011.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ball+buster.
27
“Bitch, n.” Def 13. Urban Dictionary. 08 Dec. 2011.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bitch&page=2
27
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common term that has been used to oppress women for years is bitch, denoting a domineering,
spiteful female.28 The act of being domineering signifies that something is dominant or highly
controlling. A woman who does anything remotely close to exceeding the accomplishments of a
man can be considered a bitch, in hopes that it will morally offend her enough to back down,
which is why a person who backs down is sometimes considered a bitch.
“I posit that we’re free to seize a word that was kidnapped and co-opted in a pain-filled,
distant, past, with a ransom that cost our grandmothers’ freedom, children, traditions, pride, and
land,” said Inga Muscio in regards to ending the “B” word. 29 Muscio is not the only one who has
been active in abolishing this oppressive term, along with her third wave feminists, have also
been active in taking back the word bitch. During third wave feminism, feminists have been
fighting to erase all of the negative backlash from second wave feminism, one of many words
they wished to change the connotation of was the word bitch, as blacks have changed the
connotation of the word nigger. Another word that derived from the sexual liberation of second
wave feminism and women wanted to change was the word whore, or a promiscuous or immoral
woman. 30 This word became very popular during the Sexual Revolution, a time when women
were fighting for sexual freedom. As a result, the 21st century is filled with sexism and women
are the victims.
Sex sells, which is why the media continues to use this mechanism in TV advertisements,
billboards, magazines, and even television shows. On September 22, 1976, a show about three
attractive women who work for a private investigator named Charlie came onto the scene.
.
King, Kristen. “Calling Yourself “Bitch” Is Not Empowerment.” Kristen King. 08 Dec 2011.
http://kristenking.com/2010/08/calling-yourself-bitch-is-not-empowerment/
30
“Whore, n.” Def. 1. Merriam -Webster Dictionary. 08 Dec. 2011. http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/whore.
29
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Disregarding that there were three women as main characters, the show was appropriately named
Charlie’s Angels. In this successful show, all three woman were scantily clad while performing
high karate kicks, and running in low cut shirts, while taking orders from a man who was obeyed
and never seen. Thirty- five years later, a new series emerges on television with a similar theme;
provocatively dressed women obeying the orders of a man called The Playboy Club. This show
is based off of the multi-million dollar empire created by Hugh Hefner that sexually exploits
woman by emphasizing their sex appeal and minimizing their brainpower. In The Playboy Club,
the main character Nick Dalton is the club key holder, and the only man in his female Bunny
cast. The rest of the cast consists of women called “bunnies” or women who are dressed in
lingerie and a pair of rabbit ears that serve the men at this club.
Both television shows exemplify women who work under men and serving as puppeteers.
It promotes the idea of sexism, by making women appear inferior and sexually exploiting them
for men. Although the shows were created during two completely different time periods, they
both use oversexed women to exemplify that woman are servants, and accessories, not the main
characters.
Surprisingly, TV sitcoms aren’t the only ones that are using oversexed woman in order to
portray a woman’s place in the world; very popular cartoons are doing it as well. One very
popular example is Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Ariel, a fiery crimson redhead who wears a
tiny seashell bikini top to cover her massive breasts, and a bare stomach that is followed by a
green mermaid bottom half longs to find love. Like most women in Disney movies, she was a
Princess; her father was King Triton, King of the Sea, and even that didn’t stop her from falling
in love with a human and selling her voice to an evil villain in exchange to be human and meet
him. Voiceless, she emerges onto bare land with a small amount of time to attract her man with
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nothing but her looks. Unlike Ariel, Ursula, the villain is a powerful and overweight woman who
lives alone. The concept of Ursula being a powerful and lonely evil villain goes to show the
dualist stereotypes that Disney is imposing on children; the submissive, skinny, and attractive
woman must give up her existence for love, while the overweight, powerful woman who remains
as a threat to men will be loveless and lonely. After Ariel falls in love and marries the Prince, she
is granted to live on dry land and he whisks her away from her life, family and all of her friends
under the sea. Why is it that a Princess who has lived in the sea all of her life is willing to
sacrifice everything she knows to live with a man in a place that’s unfamiliar to her? The answer
is obvious; she met a man and for him she’s willing to do everything to keep him. Ariel, like
many Disney Princesses serves as a bad example to young girls, and even though she was
created in 1989 this show possesses many of the same traditionally stereotypical roles that were
believed in the early 1950’s.
Did you know that the first magazine for women was created in 1830? 31 It was called
Godey Lady’s Book and Magazine, and its context was everything women – from stories about
domestic subjects, and love poems, to corn muffin recipe’s Godey Lady’s Book published it and
became one of the most influential books for women. It is now the 21st century, and there are
millions of women’s magazines on the market, one particularly popular is called Cosmopolitan
Magazine. In this magazine, a strong female voice is publishing all things female– Recipes for
Seducing your Man, Five New Ways to lose Weight, Sex Positions that Help You Orgasm and
much more; there is only one problem with this. Most articles revolve around men. Does being in
“Godey’s Lady’s Book 1830 – 1898.”MLibrary. 27 Nov. 2011. http://www.lib.umich.edu/database/godeys-ladysbook-1830-1898.
31
“Portrayal of Women in the Popular Media.” World Savvy. 27 Nov. 2011.
http://worldsavvy.org/monitor/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=602&Itemid=1049.
31
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a relationship mean that it is no longer about the woman anymore? In the 1950’s that may be
true, now advertisement is at its worst and targeting women and teaching them to appeal to men.
“Popular magazines aimed at male and female audiences are a prominent culprit, tending
to feature women with bodies that are unattainable for the average woman, and to focus on
stories related to catching or pleasing a man as a route to success and happiness.”32
It isn’t just magazines and television selling sexism, but billboards as well. In 2007, a
billboard for Alpine Plastic Surgery was placed in Salt Lake City, Utah. It displayed an animated
pair of breasts that appeared to be tied up in a red bow. On the right sides of the billboard was the
slogan:
“Finally, a gift you can both enjoy!”
On the lower left-hand corner were the company’s name and phone number. Pushing the
sexist agenda as far as it can go, Alpine Plastic Surgery exploited female parts with no intentions
of appealing to a female, but a male audience.
Companies are well aware of their suggestive advertising; it is families, woman, and
children who are caught by surprise. The perpetual shoving of information to women about who
they should be, what they should like, and how they should look has made facing society an
everyday struggle for woman.
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Part III: Gender Bias
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According to website Legal Explanations, the definition of gender bias is the prejudice in action
or treatment against a person on the basis of their sex.33
Many remain unaware of how to be gender bias, yet this unfair treatment is flooding our
culture. A perfect example of gender bias is pornography. There is still a very great debate over
what legally constitutes as pornography, and according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, it is the
depiction of erotic behavior intended to cause sexual excitement. 34 The typical set up of a
pornographic film consists of women who are usually fully nude, and cameras are observing
every aspect of their anatomy while a man violently penetrates her vagina. In porn, they have no
actual control over what is done or said to them, even when it is obvious harassment or assault.
The gender bias found in porn can be described as severely shocking and even
disgustingly oppressive. In a New York Press article entitled, “I Guest Directed a Porn Shoot,”
author Jonathan Ames gives us a much deeper vision of a typical day behind the scenes of a
porno.
“Hours before the sex scene, Steven keeps going down on Cheyenne while they are shooting
some dialogue. Robby D, who has been trying to set up the action, says, "What are you doing?
Do you know how many dicks have been up there today?" The whole crew laughs at Steve, but
“Gender bias, n.” Legal Explanations. 25 Nov. 2011. http://www.legal-explanations.com/definitions/genderbias.htm.
34
“Pornography, n.” Def. 1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 25 Nov. 2011. http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/pornography.
33
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he smiles and keeps licking her. I happen to be standing right behind Cheyenne and can’t see her
face, but from her posture she doesn’t seem offended by Robby D’s remark.” 35
In this scene, the director along with the male porn actors are blatantly exploiting while
openly humiliating this woman by referring to the number of penises that have entered her. The
writer of this article felt that she should be offended and searched for her reaction, but the overall
theme of this quote is to demonstrate how in the porn industry women have no rights, in
comparison to the men who do.
Did you know that the term nymphomaniac can only be used in reference to a female?
But why would a sexual term be created solely for a female when it has been established that
over 70 percent of men are viewing porn sites per month? 36 In pornographic films, women are
often portrayed as sexual deviants who initiate and plead for sex. In this case men are usually the
target audience, and behavior such as this is necessary to fulfill some type of male fantasy. The
actresses in these porn films are serving as lustful models to men, and the more they view this
violent, and degrading behavior, the more they will refer to women as hoes, sluts or any other
derogatory term. Porn is just a way of making this language acceptable because women in these
films are perceived in this manner, and sometimes even refer to themselves as these names. It has
Ames, Jonathan, “I Guest Directed a Porn Shoot.” New York Press. 27 Nov. 2011.
http://www.nypress.com/article-5720-i-guest-directed-a-porn-shoot.html.
35
Roach, David. “Pastors Say Porn Impacts Their Churches, But Many Are Not sure to What Degree”, LifeWay. 27
Nov. 2011. http://www.lifeway.com/ArticleView?storeId=10054&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&article=LifewayResearch-Pastors-say-porn-impacts-their-churches.
37
“The Story of a Rape Victim.” Here 4 Victims. 27 Nov. 2011.http://here4victims.tripod.com/rape/.
35
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been said that one of the main issues in a feminist perspective is that it is a denotation of violent
acts in porn will promote crimes such as harassment and rape. Rape statistics suggest that it
already has. According to website, “The Story of a Rape Victim, “In the United States, 1.3
women are raped every minute. That results in 78 rapes each hour, 1872 rapes each day, 56160
rapes each month and 683,280 rapes each year.” 37 Women should ask themselves, why has
pornography continued to affect one gender and not the other? The answer is very clear; it is a
gender bias business.
Have you ever noticed that there is an ongoing pattern in pornography? Many films
contain a victim and a pursuer, and despite the countless porn films it appeared that women were
the initiators, two main victims in this industry are women and animals. It is obvious that there is
a major connection between the two. Three major similarities they play in society is that they
both don’t have any rights, freedom of speech, and lastly both objectified for the satisfaction of
men. In a book entitled The Pornography of Meat, Carol J. Adams states,
“Inequality is clearly a part of our relationship with the other animals; otherwise we could not
experiment upon them, display, hunt, kill, and eat them. The presence of animals in pornography
and advertisements is a reminder of a basic inequality-but whose?” 38
She goes on to say that “clearly someone consumes something and that someone is men”
making the link between the two perfectly clear; they are both victims of sexual abuse, rape, and
dehumanization because they are both inferior to men. Like humans, animals have become an
“active” part of the porn industry appearing in crushing films, in which they are stomped to death
38
Adams, Carol J. The Pornography of Meat. Continuum. New York, NY. 14 Oct. 2004.
26
by a woman. It’s impossible to believe that neither woman nor animal get pleasure from taking
part in crushing films.
Similarly in I Guest-Directed a Porn Shoot, the writer believed that April, one of the
adult models had the same issue.
“The sex didn’t affect me at all. I just felt bad for April. There was nothing erotic about it
for me. But if it was my penis going in April, then that would have been erotic. Then I would
have gotten wood. At least I hope so.”
Women are victims in this industry, for they must endure pain and anguish to the point
that it’s even obvious to viewers behind the scenes that they cannot be enjoying themselves.
In her book, Adams explains the significance of pornography, once stating that it is used
to distinguish a man from a women and next says, “Pornography uses butchery to say something
about a women’s status as mass terms: women are as meat, not only that, women deserve to be
treated as meat-butchered and consumed.” 39 In this case you can compare how women in porn
are limited to body parts [i.e. breasts, rump, thighs] almost as a piece of chicken out of a KFC
Bucket is chosen.
“When asked about sexual fantasies, many men describe ‘pornographic scenes of
disembodied, faceless, impersonal body parts: breasts, legs, vaginas, buttocks.” Meat for the
average consumer has been reduced to exactly that: faceless body parts, breasts, legs, udders,
buttocks,” said Adams. 40
39
Adams, Carol J. The Pornography of Meat. Continuum. New York, NY. 14 Oct. 2004.
Adams, Carol J. The Pornography of Meat. Continuum. New York, NY. 14 Oct. 2004.
40
Adams, Carol J. The Pornography of Meat. Continuum. New York, NY. 14 Oct. 2004.
40
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Sadly, society has established violence as acceptable, which is why pornography has
become a biased norm in American culture. There are ratings on television shows, and rights to
alcohol but once you hit eighteen, you are free to watch women and animals sexually abused,
raped, and molested. American culture is filled with derogatory name-calling, rape and hatred for
women and even killing them. Adams states, “According to Kaschsak, a man experiences
himself as superior to women and as entitled to them. The man experiences sex as power, which
can be manifested as sadism, violence or domination, which they name as sex.”41 Given that
superiority is involved, you can conclude that society’s mentality toward women is that they are
servants and merely inferior to men.
Just as pornography exemplifies how woman are inferior to men, an old text that has been
used for years to oppress women is another form of gender bias, the bible. It begins with the
“Book of Genesis,” in which a man and woman become the first two people God creates, and
live in the Garden of Eden. Once introduced to these characters – Adam, the Christ devoted man
who God made first and his woman Eve, who was created from Adam’s rib and was depicted as
a villain, you get the idea that their names may be allegorical. Adam, a man dedicated to what’s
right could be an allegorical way of indicating he is adamant, as Eve, the woman who obeyed
God’s word and ate from the Tree of Knowledge, can be viewed as an allegorical way to call her
evil.
28
According to Ecclesiastes, women are evil and because of them men become corrupted. It
states this by saying, “And a man will choose...any wickedness, but the wickedness of a
woman...Sin began with a woman and thanks to her we all must die.”42
Another way the bible has oppressed women is by creating the gender bias that men
aren’t limited to their amount of sexual partners and women are. In Deuteronomy 22:13-21, it
states, "If however the charge is true and no proof of the girl's virginity can be found, she shall be
brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to
death."43
This double standard remains active in the 21st century, the same way it always has in the
bible, sexually liberated women are incriminated and referred to as names like whore, the same
way they were in the bible. If a man has more than one sexual partner, he is considered a
“player” or according to Urban Dictionary, a male who is skilled at manipulating ("playing")
others, and especially at seducing women by pretending to care about them, when in reality they
are only interested in sex.44 On the other hand, a woman who possesses similar qualities is
considered a vamp, or a beautiful and seductive woman who uses her sensuality to entrap and
exploit men.45 Unlike the word player, vamp usually has a negative connotation.
Robinson, B.A. “The Status of Women in the Bible.” Religious Tolerance. 28 Nov. 2011.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/fem_bibl.htm.
42
Papas Voula. “Women in the Bible.” Atheist Foundation. 28 Nov.
2011.http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au/articles/women-bible
43
“Player, n.” Def. 1. Urban Dictionary. 07 Dec. 2011.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=PLAYER.
43
“Vamp, n.” Def. 4. Urban Dictionary. 07 Dec. 2011. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=vamp.
43
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In conclusion, a woman’s role in society has not changed; it has been altered into another
form of oppression towards woman. Figurines like Barbie, will continue to be popular among the
female community, because just like in the 1950’s, the old fashioned views Barbie tends to
represent is still hidden in culture today. Unlike the past, women are now a part of politics, yet
the manner in which they are perceived on shows like CNN’s “Your World,” indicates that there
is still an ample amount of sexism in today’s society. In terms of a traditional gender bias like the
bible, slight improvements have been made, such as a the fact that a woman’s role is no longer
limited to a wife, but has developed into roles such as being a bitch, a whore, or most
importantly a ball buster, indicating that in terms of providing women with equality to men in
the media, there is still a lot of work to do.
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