Media Studies OCR

1. REPRESENTATION OF
GENDER
KEY MEDIA CONCEPTS TV
DRAMA GR322
Jerome Solomon

2. SEX AND GENDER
Sex is whether someone is biologically and genetically born male or
female.
Gender is cultural and social codes and conventions which are
associated with either sex. This is where you portray yourself in a
particular way to the public (homosexual, heterosexual or bisexual).
The distinction between 'Sex' and 'Gender' has become increasingly
important as there is feminist and masculinist criticism today.

3. NORM MALE EXPECTATIONS
"A man must be a hero or he is nothing"
"Woman needs man, every man must have his mate"
"A man is naturally a hunter, warrior and a protector"
"A man is there for decoration, as objects for the attention and admiration of the
female gaze"
"A man's role is essentially that of pleasing and catering for the needs of women"
"Dependence in man is a evidence of a flawed character"
"Men must be vulnerable, compassionate, sympathetic and caring"
"Male sexuality is naturally predatorial"
"A man's first duty is to his wife and family"

4. NORM FEMALE EXPECTATIONS
"women have to be strong and courageous, but the nature of their strength and
courage is different to the strength and courage of men"
"women are respected for their intellect and powers of reasoning"
"a woman alone is a woman incomplete"
"women are there for decoration, as objects for the attention and admiration of the
male gaze"
"a woman can be friends with a woman, but she can rarely be friends with a man"
"a woman is naturally a mother and a wife"
"a woman can be respected firstly as a person, and secondly for being a woman"
"independence in a woman is a virtue"
"female sexuality is dangerous and destructive"

5. NORM MALE & FEMALE
The norm of a man is someone who is physically good looking and
built. They will possess confident and dominant attitudes to
everything. Obviously they are straight and find women attractive.
They will be normally the breadwinner of the family and even a
protector. These qualities are what is typically expected of the typical
normal man today
The norm of a woman is someone who is beautiful and possess an
attractive body type. They will have good fashion sense and wear
makeup. They will find men attractive and use them as their
protector. They are typically seen vulnerable, emotional and need to
rely on someone. The norm of woman today is domesticated house
wife. These qualities make the norm of women inferior to men.

6. OTHER MALE & FEMALE
Other norm of male are male that consists of female traits, shy,
homosexual, vulnerable, geeky, sometimes outspoken and lazy.
Other norm of female are that they are dominant, unattractive, old-aged
, hard working, mentally and emotionally strong, violent and
fem-fatal.
Laura Mulvey
1970’s she wrote about the Male Gaze
The Male Gaze:
Mother figure
Sexual Object
Threat or Femme Fatale