Essay #1 Gender Messages
We are bombarded everyday by thousands of messages from the media and as critical thinkers, we have the opportunity to analyze how they influence us. For this unit, we have been studying gender and how "maleness" and "femaleness" are perceived and defined in our culture. Many roles, activities, styles of dress and behaviors are culturally determined to be either suitable for men or women or occasionally both. And both men and women, boys and girls, are receivers of messages about what is appropriate behavior for each gender. "Acceptable" gender behavior changes from decade to decade and across cultural lines as well. Kuczynski claims that women's magazines like Marie Claire, Glamour and Cosmopolitan provide negative messages for women while Katz argues that as boys males receive negative messages via a "Code of Conduct," about how to be "male" (59).
Choose one of the following prompts and write a five to six page essay.
1) analyze either a woman's magazine (Cosmo, Marie Claire or Glamour) or a man's magazine (Maxim, FHM, Details, GQ) to determine whether or not it contributes negative messages about gender OR compare one of the woman's magazines with a comparable men's magazine (see below for ideas) to determine what the messages are for each gender and how they compare. Look at articles and images in the magazine in your analysis.
2) Based on a media sample of children's toys (print ad, store flyer, TV commercial) analyze the way toys are "engendered" (suited specifically for one gender) and what message the toy promotes in terms of gender expectations. Make sure to look at the role playing function of the toy and the ways in which the toy is made gender specific in your analysis.
For both questions: what is the message about gender that is being expressed in your sample of media? Be sure to explain how gender roles are being expressed in your analysis and what the expectations of each sex are based on the messages.
Comparable magazines for men and
women women's magazines Cosmopolitan Marie Claire Glamour men's magazines Maxim/FHM GQ Details