All types of texts today are used to inform, persuade and entertain us. This all has to be manipulated or trimmed to appeal to certain audiences and for companies to successfully complete their function of running a business (making a revenue). But how far are they going?
Recently the media and how it is run has been in spotlight. For example. The Rupert Murdoch incident and the pressure given to teenagers/ young woman in particular. It has shown and highlighted many of the under shadowing of how media is presented to the public which about 50 years ago was never a problem.
Around the time of World War Two many people believed that the media was a positive outlet and injected a sense of community and influenced many public moral to bring the country together rather than target individuals apart, this was due too there only being a male or female audience because society had not yet developed into teenagers and the other subcultures that come with them. Propaganda during World War Two is a good example of a more innocent type of media.The 60s is where media changed and sub-cultures such as Mods and Rockers came into play and this is where media had to change it's tactics and aim more specifically towards the stereotypes at the time. This is still a strong media ethic especially in music magazines where they use a particular genre and imply a fashion style then advertise that fashion so that teenagers can 'idolise' what they listen too. The media at this time also would emphasise the rifts between subcultures, suggesting 'rumoured' seaside fights between MODs and rockers which as a result would occur and give the media something to address to all types of audiences as either a "nuisance to others" or "a bit of a laugh"
There has been very little change in how teenagers have been marketed within the factors of subculture, gender and age range but the demand for a 'perfect' body and mind on boys and girls has increased heavily over the past 20 years that it has become an expectation that to go far in life you need the conventions that the media potray.
For example, young women magazines:
Already looking at the cover for Sugar magazine you can see everything is in a bold red colour which makes it very eye catching, (Especially with the contrast on Selena Gomez's yellow dress.) The left third has a obscure article, followed by a social articles which is also obscure but compared to the above one not as bad (possibly this is to suggest that everybody seeing you naked isn't as bad as it could be?) and then finally one directed at appearance, implying that natural hair is bad and these products will make you look more normal to society.The main cover line is on fashion, influencing the reader that this is what is acceptable to wear out, the price of the clothing articles also puts a sense of realism to the reader on it, that they can afford these clothes. The sense of realism is also followed on the article focus on Selena Gomez, suggesting that even though she's famous she still has these 'problems' with relationships.
The other articles are just to emphasis the role of the oppisite sex in a young woman's life but the one in particular which is interesting is the statement above the mast head. "Eek! The shock reason 31% of guys will dump you." If it was placed anywhere else it wouldn't have the same level of emphasis it has on top of the mast head. If you're looking at magazines in a shop the left third is usually covered up partially with the other magazines surrounding it, however the statement at the top makes the reader curious and plays on their paranoia and insecurities to make them want to buy the magazine.
The trends in Sugar magazine also link with all other female magazines which can be seen above. However this particular cover of sugar lacks the obsession with sex that many magazines use, a lot of the words in bold are sex related. It keeps the magazine curious and yet again plays on the insecurities many young woman have at that age. It also implies that woman aren't doing a good job in their relationship and these magazines will teach you to be amazing in every way.
Rather than just the articles magazines also use the images to justify their articles and usually using famous celebrities too create additional interest to the magazine rather than just the articles. This also includes the excessive use of airbrushing which is the use of photo-manipulation programmes such as Photoshop. The visual use of the 'perfect' body just reinforces the statement that magazines make to their target audience.
Men are also targeted in these types of magazines, as well as coming across as an object of desire the looks and conventions are very similar in women's magazines. Sexual stereotyping is a big part in both genders however in males it seems to be encouraged at an earlier age. Eg. Having sex makes you a man and these expectations are heavily suggested. Rather than females stereotypically having more emotional traits these are discouraged for men, things like being independent, brave and strong are one of the few things men should come across to woman. The look and interests of men are also generalized in all types of media, mainly relating back to the sexual themes and showing them as sex obsessives, these men are also shown as being well built with a very small range of interests such as technology, sport and cars.So, what effect does these techniques used frequently in media have on our youth culture today?
Take a look at this video:
The video addresses the biggest issue of eating disorders being linked by women being physiology influenced by the media, 80% of women are insecure of their looks due to how they are portrayed in the media and 34% will even go to the extremes of harming their own body with extreme diets to look socially acceptable to others. The sudden increase in eating disorders came in during the early 1990s when five million women in America had a recognized eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. (Source: http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall2000/Marcus/timeline2.htm)
Mental health is also a giant issue with people's obsession with the 'perfect' body, many but not all becoming obsessed with their weight to the point of low self-esteem and even depression. Usually this is more common in 13-29 year olds where they are still in education and are easy to mould into society's perfect' image. On top of the medias expectations there are also people who agree with the medias stereotypical image and bullying and other forms of harassment come out of these expectations, putting more pressure on society.
Health experts have also warned against sexualization in young girls, where the media dress them up to be objects of sex appeal and excluding any other characteristics and focusing simply on that area. The media has also influenced the clothing of young girls such as thongs being available in small children's sizes and how some toys such as barbie as being dressed in sexual clothing like tights.
Even though there are many campaigns against this exploitation of men and women alike it seems as if this will not change dramatically anytime soon because of how successfully magazines sell due to these sales points and how they are completing their function of business. However, the campaigns that are bringing these conventions into the spotlight have only just started within the past 2 or 3 years so there is still time to grow and develop and advance their awareness.
Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6376421.stm
http://www.mattbarton.net/tikiwiki/tiki-index.php?page=Effects+of+Media+portrayal+of+women
http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall2000/Marcus/timeline2.htm
http://en.articlesgratuits.com/the-effect-of-the-media-on-womens-personal-identity-id437.php
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/men_and_masculinity/masculinity_magazines.cfm
No comments:
Post a Comment