Portrayal of Women in Media- youtube style

The following clips were found on youtube while I was looking for how women were portrayed in the media. While many of the clips were short pieces from television shows, and music videos, there were a few that showed up that were more like short documentaries or commentaries on how the media thinks that women should be portrayed. The video that I think hit me the most was the one titled "Images of Women in the Media" (the 3rd video clip I have posted) and how for the longest time, there have only been two different representations of women in media: The Sex Symbol and The Homemaker. This 9 minute film goes on to compare and contrast these two representations and it's almost scary to see how similar the sex symbol ads are to the homemaker ads.

The fourth film I have posted goes with this quote from Richard Beach, "These representations have resulted in adolescent females engaging in unhealthy eating habits, anorexia, and bulimia, with long-term negative effects on their bodies" (Teaching Media Literacy, p. 48). In this short film, there are photos of super models on the runway, and photo shoots of stick-thin women that are made accessible to young girls in magazines and on television, and these representations of women make the girls believe that this is what they are supposed to look like, and that this is the only way that society will accept them. Film #8 also goes along with this as it shows images of sexy, ideal women, but you cannot see their faces. It shows young women that the only thing that matters, or what people care about is how your body looks.

1.) Desperate Housewives




2.) One Tree Hill


3.) Images of Women in the Media- site member


4.) Media and the Effects on Women- site member


5.) Pussy Cat Dolls “Buttons”


6.) Sexism Sells -- But We're Not Buying It


7.) Women and Media


8.) Women in Media- site memeber


9.) The representation of women in commercials- site member


This video is a compilation of many different commercials, and shows how women are viewed and idealized by members of society. Women are to be housewives, personal servants to their husbands, dress sexy, and be able to complete all necessary tasks with a smile.

10.) Banned Commercials - Beer Makes Women Beautiful