Media and gender
... Schmalzbauer asked me to look for real-life situations that have to do with media constructions of gender. ... What surprised me the most is that women are not the only ones who have been trapped by media to follow patterns of the “ideal body” or the need of having some sort of characteristics that Must go together with your sex in order to be a true man, or a true woman. ... In the contrary, mass media shows the “ideal man” as a physically powerful and strong individual. ... I mean, I always knew that media generalized the genders in a way. ... Media played—and are still playing—with all of us to make us believe the “ideal person” is what and who they want. ... Once there, I started to tell Burdo about my Sociology Paper, and the remarkable issues I observed regarding mass media constructing stereotypes for the genders. She was smiling throughout every single issue I pointed out, and then we analyzed together the extents of the consequences of media constructions of gender. ... Through media, the genders get some sort of constructed stereotypes that remain untouchable for lifetime. ... The main problem lies when one of the members of a couple does not want to follow the gender construction rule that society received from media… this could make up a fight being the cause media influences. ... If media influences would be direct and therefore having the same impacts on all humans, its consequences would be less severe since struggles will not happen. ... Something else I spoke with Susan Burdo is about media constructions of gender not being at all healthy for humanity, in fact, it’s being totally demolishing. Mass Media is presenting to the public specific representations of genders that just help tear down where we are standing. ... I also asked Susan Burdo how she felt so sure that media is responsible for all those women who are suffering from eating disorders. She explained me that if it wasn’t because of mass media, nobody in this world could have any perception of what kind of woman is the ideal one. ... However, when media come out, its messages suddenly began to go all over the world with great acceptance. And the acceptance got to a point where not only media viewers agree with its gender constructions, but where the viewers will do Anything possible to be and look like mass media represents idealism of the woman’s body. ... What impressed me the most is the fact that men are suffering as much as women from mass media constructions of gender. ... The theorists, with whom I had the opportunity to join for a talk, who play an important role in the studies of media constructions on masculinity are Harrison Pope, Katharine Phillips and Roberto Olivardia.