Seeing Gender

Immediately when I read about this topic, I thought about my AP Psychology class in high school.  We went through this lesson about the differences between gender identity, gender role and gender...well, there was a third term, but I can't remember now.  They were all different, showing how one identifies themselves, how others identify them, and how they externally depict themselves.  It was all very confusing, but very interesting.  They all had profound differences that were almost hard to see at first.  All of these psychological ways we identify ourselves and others is important to shaping a gender identity.

Now tying this into the media makes the gender question even more broad.  It includes all of these outside influences that help form the most basic kind of self-identification. One would think that it was something the media has no influence on, but it does.

The media is always challenging, questioning and shaping what it means to be a female.  Advertisers take stereotypical approaches to appeal to what many women have in common.  Whether it is shopping for the right clothes, or searching for the right cleaner, we are being told how to clean and what we should wear and how to do it.  Television shows like "What Not To Wear" focuses mainly on women showing what people should be wearing and what they shouldn't.  I agree with the show on a certain level because society wants people to look a certain way, but do clothes and makeup really matter? Why is everyone so happy when these ladies put on high heels, makeup and get their hair blow-dried.  Women need to dress to show off their figure and dress in the latest and classiest trends.  Why do we have to show off our figure?  Just so everyone knows we are women?  Is it really all based on appearance?  I would hope not.  But it is, and we have accepted it.

Speaking of society, the media has shaped what society should think.  We make a big deal when women preserve their youth, and tear them down when they wear "ridiculous" clothes. We, as women, see this and know what side of the society spectrum we want to be on.  We want to look young and we want to be applauded on such personal choices.  We have been trained that we should look young and glamorous because that is how females are supposed to look.  The media plays up these ideas with movies, magazines, shows, critics and more.  We have totally turned around how women are seen as and what it means to be female.  It seems to be more complex than ever thanks to the media.