Media's Role, continued

It is no secret that misogyny is a widespread problem in the media today. A specific example of this can be seen with women’s athletics. Very rarely are women’s sports televised, and when they are, it is usually on secondary channels and not during prime time. However, when women athletes are given media coverage, it is almost always highly sexualized. When ESPN the magazine puts a female athlete on it’s cover, the athlete is usually scantily clad or in a promiscuous pose. This is especially highlighted by Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit edition, which is the magazines highest selling issue annually. Women’s athletics is just one specific example, however, as there are many, many other instances of misogyny in today’s media. As we discussed in class, rap and other types of music are often frequent perpetuators of misogyny and heteronormativity. Considering that millions of young people could be listening to any given song at any given time, one can easily see how influential the song’s message could be. When women are constantly being highly sexualized or viewed as objects, heteronormative ideas only gain a stronger foothold in the minds of young people. But this is only part of the equation. While not as common as misogyny and heteronormativity, male bonding rituals are also perpetuated by the media. Television shows such as Friday Night Lights, which heavily feature sports such as football, help to make ideas like “not throwing like a girl” or “don’t cry like a girl” seem commonplace. Now, to adults, who can probably tell what is morally right or wrong, these media portrayals may not be that large of a problem. The real problem lies in the young people, who haven’t seen much of the world yet.