Devaluation of the Feminine

Devaluation of the Feminine

The devaluation of women is built into the culture all through industry and popular culture. When a baby is born he/she is like a blank slate to be written on by his/her surroundings, including family and society. For example, I am a Christian, however I was not born a Christian, going to Church and being taught about the Bible by my parents and teachers brought me to identify myself as a Christian. There are certain gender roles that are set up in societies that limit males and females to certain behaviors they are “supposed” to portray. The media in many cultures, particularly American culture, continues make the devaluation of females more “socially acceptable”.

The stereotypes for the feminine role are, sensitive, beautiful, caring, weak, and a homemaker, according to a study done by Broverman and Rosencrantz. However, the role of the male, is to be aggressive, strong, athletic, not emotional, and a great achiever. The role of the male is considered to be more socially desirable. This forces both males and females to try to live up to these standards, sometimes even subconsciously. The social construction of what it means to be a woman has psychological effects on a woman that leads to low self-esteem. Society believes that it is good to be strong and to be a good leader, which is the opposite of how women are viewed.

Advertisements, as seen in Jean Kilbourn’s Killing Us Softly III, also portray women as sexual objects who are not concerned with anything that is not materialistic. Women are depicted as weak and lesser in strength and intelligence than men. A woman who is outspoken and strong-willed is said to be a lesbian or she may be considered to have a problem with authority. Males are also expected to live up to the standards of society, which can pressure them into trying to achieve goals which may be unattainable. Advertisements can also portray men in a negative manner. They are often represented as dominant, violent and controlling figures. If a man does not fit these masculine descriptions he is considered feminine or homosexual, which are negative connotations. Even children face these gender restrictions while they are growing up. For example, young girls are given dolls to play with or they are given tea sets to play with indoors. If a young boy so much as picks up a doll or tea set, it had better be to destroy it because any other reason would be unacceptable. When a young girl or boy starts to play with the toys or do the things that is for the opposite sex they are told by adults “little boys don’t play with dolls” or “little girls don’t roughhouse because they might get hurt and get scars.”

Besides the advertisement industry, other forms of current popular media, such as movies, magazines, and music videos, can be considered misogynistic. In all of the popular magazines, such as Glamour and Cosmopolitan, the women are all impossibly skinny, yet they considered to have “sexy” bodies, which makes any other body in comparison “un-sexy.” Although the models in magazines are naturally thin, that may not be enough, they still have to get their pictures airbrushed to get as close to perfection as possible. Every month, there are articles about make up, sex, clothes, and maybe an inspirational article about a rape victim or something. A specific edition of Cosmopolitan, has articles such as; “hot-weather beauty tips”, “5 ways to make him melt”, “how to build a wardrobe”, and “the surprising thing that can lead to rape.”

Often, women are viewed as individual body parts such as butts and breasts in music videos. In music videos, particularly rap videos, women are a certain size that is viewed as the “perfect” size and shape. Women are put on display as sexual spectacles. An example of a woman who was put on display for public entertainment is Saarjite Baartman, commonly known as Hottentot Venus. She was a South African woman whose body was exhibited at circuses, museums, and zoos. “The spectacle of Baartman’s body continued even after her death at the age of 26. Pseudo-scientists interested in investigating in “primitive sexuality”, dissected and cast her genitals (and buttocks) in wax. They concluded that her oversized genitals were physical proof of African Women’s “primitive sexual appetite (Thompson).” This is an example of the way a woman’s body was used to make a profit, similar to the way the women in the videos are exploited for ratings. As a black woman, I have begun to pick up the common theme that Kilbourne pointed out; black females are often depicted as animalistic, purely sexual, and non-human.

In movies, many women are given roles that require them to be nude for sex scenes. If they are not interested, either they are rejected for the role, even if they are very good