David Gauntlett writes that there is a “decline of tradition”.
“The mass media is a force for change… The traditional view of a woman as a housewife or low-status worker has been kick-boxed out of the picture by the feisty, successful 'girl power' icons. Meanwhile the masculine ideals of absolute toughness, stubborn self-reliance and emotional silence have been shaken by a new emphasis on men's emotions, need for advice, and the problems of masculinity.”
Gauntlett highlights the differences in views on identity between young and old – e.g. on homosexuality or masculinity.
“The mass media has become more liberal, and considerably more challenging to traditional standards… and this has been a reflection of changing attitudes, but also involves the media actively disseminating modern values.
Idea 3: Things change over time
Gauntlett talks positively about the media and audiences changing over time.
“Views of gender and sexuality, masculinity and femininity, identity and selfhood, are all in slow but steady processes of change and transformation"
Read this extract from Media, Gender and Identity by David Gauntlett. This is another university-level piece of academic writing so it will be challenging - but there are some fascinating ideas here regarding the changing representation of men and women in the media.
1) What examples does Gauntlett provide of the "decline of tradition"? How can we link our advertising CSPs (Score hair cream and Maybelline 'That Boss Life') to this idea?
Today, it seems more appropriate to emphasise that, within limits, the mass media is a force for change. The traditional view of a woman as a housewife or low-status worker has been kick-boxed out of the picture by the feisty, successful 'girl power' icons. Meanwhile the masculine ideals of absolute toughness, stubborn self-reliance and emotional silence have been shaken by a new emphasis on men's emotions, need for advice, and the problems of masculinity.
2) How does Gauntlett suggest the media influences the way we construct our own identities?
This si because the media is constructing everyone to do the same thing and not giving them a chance to make decision on what they want to do.
3) How do the two CSPs reflect the generational differences that Gauntlett discusses? Is it a good thing that the media seems to promote modern liberal values?
They show the two different ideologies in sexuality for the audiences in the period of time that they are set in.
4) Why might Manny and Shayla be a good example of the role models that Gauntlett discusses - and also demonstrate how those role models have changed in recent years?
They have many followers in the digital world and are seen as opinion leaders for the target audience that mislabelling is targeting at which is good for them as more people will buy the product.
5) Why does the Score hair cream advert provide such a good example of traditional masculinity? How can you link this to Gauntlett's discussion of whether masculinity is in crisis?
This is because this shows the typical stereotype of women being subservient to men and reinforces gauntlet idea of how men are always shown like a tough guy who is dominant.
6) Gauntlett consistently argues that masculinity is not in crisis. Can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be used as evidence of this?
Yes because the way they have shown how people have been openly accepting that some people are homosexual and it links to his idea that men sexuality is shaking and they have a problem.
7) Does advertising still reinforce the "conventionally rugged, super-independent, extra-strong macho man" that Gauntlett discusses? Offer examples for both sides of the argument from the wider advertising industry.
an example will be the lynx advert which shows that by putting the product the men are attracting the women.
8) Gauntlett discusses the idea of 'girl power' and offers examples from music and film. Does advertising provide evidence to support the idea of 'girl power' or is the industry still reinforcing traditional representations of men and women?
No the industry has opened up to both the sexuality eually now by showing that women can also live independent and do everything what a man can do.
9) Do you agree with Gauntlett's argument under 'Popular feminism, women and men' where he suggests that younger generations are not threatened by traditional gender roles and are comfortable with social changes? Does advertising (and our CSPs in particular) provide examples either reinforcing or challenging this idea that younger generations are more comfortable with changing gender roles?
yes because the way they show the advertisement and media shows that people are not narrow minded these days and are now more open to other people's sexuality.
10) How do the two advertising CSPs show the changing 'diversity of sexualities' that Gauntlett suggests?
They show two different diversity as maybelline shows that homosexuality is openly accepted by the society and the score advert reinforces the typical stereotype of men being dominant than men.
11) What examples from advertising does Gauntlett provide for the changing nature of gender in society (from the section on Judith Butler's Gender trouble)?
the example of ck one advertisement which showed that the gender's are neutral.
12) How can the Maybelline 'That Boss Life' advert be applied to Judith Butler's work on 'gender trouble'? ("The binary division of 'male' and 'female' identities should be shattered, Butler suggested, and replaced with multiple forms of identity...")
This is because the main focus on that advert is manney who is a male digital influencer and not Shayla.
13) How can our two advertising CSPs be used to argue that power has shifted from media institutions to audiences? (Clue: how did Manny and Shayler from the Maybelline advert first become famous?)
The Maybelline advert became famous because Maybelline has the first male ambassador for the brand who is gay named manney on the advert. Furthermore the other advert showed the media that men are dominant which is set in 1960's but it shifted to show gay people on the advert like Maybelline as people have started to accept homosexuality.
14) Why is advertising such a good example of the 'contradictory elements' that Gauntlett discusses with regards to the mass media? In other words, how does advertising continue to both reinforce and challenge gender stereotypes?
This is because advertisement are very short so the characters they show are stereo typically built to the audience which can then easily tell the audience what the narrative is about.
15) Finally, Gauntlett makes a clear case that things change and modern identities are increasingly fluid. How do our advertising CSPs demonstrate the changing attitudes towards gender and sexuality in society?
They show that by showing how sexuality has changed from 960s o 2019 but at some aspects it is quite the same as in the Maybelline advert they still show the male manney to be the main focus than Shayla.
