Media influences society through established norms and standards. Hegemony, the dominant beliefs and values that maintain the status quo, must be reinforced over time to resist change. However, meaning is derived individually rather than imposed, allowing for diverse interpretations. Advertisements often portray gender roles in stereotypical ways, with males depicted as strong, powerful, and in control and females as passive objects focused on beauty and relationships. This can negatively influence perceptions and limit representation. Critical analysis of media is needed to identify and challenge limiting gender portrayals.

1. By Dee Menear

3. “astheyconveymessagesthat
generatedemandforspecificproducts;
mediainfluencehowpeopledress,
whattheyeat,whattheylooklike,the
gamestheyplay,themusictheylisten
toandtheentertainmenttheywatch.”
(DeFrancisco,2014)

5. A system of customs perceived as normal or
standard. In media, this leaves little room for
individual interpretation.
Hegemony must be
‘maintained, repeated,
reinforce and modified in
order to respond to and
overcome the forms that
oppose it.’ (DeFrancisco,
2014)

6. Open to a wide range of interpretation.
‘Meaning is not determined by the media providers but
created individually by each person.’ (DeFrancosco, 2014)

7. Having many valuations
In the next slide, you will see a video which shows
polyvalence in a commercial aimed towards men. Chevy
depends on the desire of their target to be tough and
strong. But what makes a man strong? Is it his truck, his
morals, his family, his work? Is it different for every
man? ‘Strong’ may not mean the same to all men and
this ad covers a wide range of what it might mean to a
potential truck owner.

8. Males are
typically shown:
-Standing
-Head positioned
directly at the
camera
-Eyes are focused
-Hands are
controlling and
assertive
-Legs are straight
or solidly planted
-Mature and
manly
Females are
typically shown:
-Lying down
-Head is tilted or
angled
-Not paying
attention
-Hands are
passive
-Knees are bent;
legs are crossed
-Infantile, shown
snuggling into
men

9. - Objectification: women are idealized for how they
look, not for what they do, and always to be
"beautiful".
- Absence: women and girls are missing, they are not
as numerously or as diversely represented as men.
- Misrepresentation: women are represented very
narrowly, as wives, girlfriends, mums, preoccupied
with dieting and shopping.
- Exploitation: women's bodies and female sexuality
are used to sell products and sensationalize content.
- Distortion: unrealistic representations of "beauty"
are damaging body image and the way we value
women. (rowitm.org)

10. “When you see female guides in magazines, you
often see shapely young women with long flowing
hair. I want to see a woman like me.” Charity Rutter
The Real Fly Girls
“I want my two little girls to see a photo of a woman
fishing not because she’s wearing a bikini, but
because she’s awesome at what she does.” Kim
Bryant

11. Advertising media challenges manhood. Males
are dipicted as tough and ‘manly’. Any thing that
goes against the grain of society, even women
who are shown filling roles not typically reserved
for females, questions what it is to be a man.

13. Media, like art, is creative.
Readers, listeners, viewers of media need to be critical of
what they are digesting and react accordingly. Audiences
have the ability to alter messages by avoiding what is being
sold – be it body spray, prime time television or the latest
video game.

14. DeFrancisco, Victoria Pruin. Gender in Communication: A Critical Introduction.
Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc. 2014. Print.
"Gender Roles." . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.speakingplans.com/3/Gender%20Roles.pdf>.
"The Real Fly Girls." . N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.fieldandstream.com/>.
“Chevy Stronger Commercial.” . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
<http://video.search.yahoo.com>.
"Miller Lite Purse Commercial." . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
<http://video.search.yahoo.com>.
"Funny art pictures ...." . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
<http://funnyartpictures.com/>.