Applying This to the Workplace

Throughout this semester, we have looked at the various uses of stereotypes and misrepresentation of  different minority groups, and how to avoid using these.  These lessons are applicable to virtually every career, but are especially important for anyone looking to work in public relations or advertising, because it is imperative that you represent not only yourself but your company in a way that is not offensive to anybody, and inclusive of everybody and not just the majority.  Learning how to use language that is not stereotypical will benefit all of us greatly in our future career, whatever it may end up being.  We also learned how to look at different types of media with a more critical eye, which is something that everyone should learn how to do.  Often times in our media, women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and people of different sexual orientations are portrayed in ways that rely heavily on stereotypes and generalizations.  Being able to recognize that these stereotypes are often untrue is the first step towards our society becoming more equal and accepting of others.

Music Video Research Project

For my final project, I conducted a study that examined the difference between the way men and women were portrayed in music videos across four different genres, and if the genre of music had an impact on how women were depicted in the video.  The results of this study showed that the genre of music did indeed play a role in how women were portrayed.  In rap/hip-hop and pop music videos, women were significantly more often dressed in clothing that was considered suggestive or partially clad than men were.  The difference between genders was much smaller in country and alternative music videos, with alternative videos having the highest percentage of men and women dressed demurely, as well as the most equality between genders.  Similar patterns emerged when I looked at sexual dancing and behaviors as opposed to nonsexual dancing and other movements.

Above are screenshots from Nicki Minaj's music video for her song Anaconda and P. Reign's music video for his song DnF.  There is a clear difference between the way men and women dress in their music videos.  There is pressure from society for women in the entertainment industry to be not only talented at singing and dancing, but to also dress in a way that flaunts their bodies.  This pattern was most apparent in the rap/hip-hop genre, which is where both of the above songs fall.  

The music videos in the above screenshots were both from the alternative genre.  The women in these videos were dressed demurely for the majority of time, and the focus was almost always on their music and the story they were trying to tell, and not their body.  Even though this pattern was not universal, and there are still many music videos that objectify women and treat them as sexual objects, we can see that in some genres women are gaining the respect that is commonly given to men without having to show off their body in revealing clothes.

Listicle: American Apparel Adverstisements

The above advertisements for American Apparel women's clothing all employ one main marketing tool: sex.  The first two ads are both for shirts, yet what stands out most is the models' lack of pants and sultry gaze at the camera.  The third ad is for sweaters and socks, neither of which are known for being very sexy.  Yet the model is noticeably missing pants, which results in another extremely sexual ad.

These two American Apparel advertisements for men's clothing are significantly less sexual.  The man in the first ad is completely clothed.  The second ad, which is selling underwear, is less sexual than any of the women's ads, which were all selling shirts or sweaters.  One would expect some nudity in an advertisement for underwear, but the male model is pretty well covered, and is seated in a neutral pose, as opposed to the women who were often scantily clad and lounging in a bed or posed in an otherwise sexual position.

The billboards feature the same pattern.  The woman is clothed in very revealing clothing and appears to be lying across a bed.  The man is fully covered and this advertisement would in no way be considered sexual.  There is an obvious pattern of inequality in the portrayal of men and women in advertisements for American Apparel Clothing.

Waiting For Superman

amazon.com

I am currently enrolled in Introductory Sociology, and we often look at gender, race, and poverty as social institutions.  We watched a documentary, Waiting for Superman, which made the point that failing schools are often blamed on failing neighborhoods, when in reality, the failing neighborhoods may be a result of failing schools.  People living in poverty are often characterized as lazy and unwilling to work, which is why people who attended school in a poor neighborhood often receive a below average education.  This documentary pointed out that children who attend these schools do receive a below average education, and do not have access to many resources, which only serves to exacerbate the problem.  These children, who often have big dreams early on in life, are trapped in an endless cycle of poverty that they cannot escape because of the educational inequalities in our society.  These children want to become doctors, nurses, lawyers, and teachers, but are often times forced to drop out in order to finically support their families.  This film reminded me that it is important to understand people's stories before rushing to a judgement about them, because there are many uncontrollable circumstances that have huge effects on people's lives

Lecture on Microfinance in Haiti

http://fonkoze.org

http://fonkoze.org

On November 3, I had the opportunity to listen to a lecture given by Steven Werlin and Bethony Jean Francois on their work with the microfinance institution in Haiti called Fonkoze.  This was interesting for me, because besides my limited knowledge about Haiti, I also knew nothing about microfinance before attending.  Even though everyone else in the room was a business major and completely understood the concepts he was talking about, I still very much enjoyed this lecture.  Fonkoze essentially gives small loans to women in the lowest level of poverty, and then teaches them basic business principles so that they can grow their assets, and eventually apply for larger loans as they continue to grow.  I think this lecture was extremely important for students to attend, especially those in the business school, as it illustrated that there are many different ways to apply what they are learning.  Many people assume once you get a business degree you have to go work in an office, catering to people who can afford whatever service they provide.   These men showed us that people all over the world, even the poorest women in a developing nation, deserve some attention, because the success of their microfinance and education program is a proof that when provided the resources, even minority groups that many would not think would be able to start a business to support themselves, are able to earn a living.

Marjane Satrapi Lecture

On November 4, 2014, Marjane Satrapi came to Texas Christian University to speak about her life and graphic novel, Persepolis, which incoming TCU first-year students read over the summer.  Persepolis was written and illustrated by Satrapi and tells the story of her growing up in Iran during the 1979 Revolution.

Before the interview began, Satrapi apologized in advance for her English, which she claimed was not very good, as English is neither her first or second language.  This was completely unnecessary, as she spoke nearly flawlessly in her third language.  For an hour, Satrapi eloquently answered questions about her work, as well as her opinion on many current issues, including prejudices against Muslim, stereotypes of Iranians in the media, and even the ban on smoking in many cities.  She shared her personal struggles with these issues, as well as her struggles with depression and feeling like an outsider in her home country.  Overall, Satrapi was not only extremely well-informed about current issues, but was able to boldly express her opinion while also remaining humorous and relatable.  What really stood out throughout the whole interview was her courage and devotion to what she loved.  Her passion for everything she does was evident, especially when she explained that even if being an artist meant she would have to live in poverty, she would still chose to do her art because she would rather be happy than have a well paying job that she didn't love.  Her appreciation for living a full and happy life was inspiring, because often people are focused on doing something they don't like just so that they are able to afford material goods.  As someone who has lived in multiple, very different countries, her view of the life and the world in general was quite interesting to hear.

The Life and Work of Marjane Satrapi

www.smith.edu

Marjane Satrapi, author of the graphic novel Persepolis, was born in Rasht, Iran in 1969.  She wrote this memoir about her life before, during, and after the 1979 revolution.  Growing up as a rebellious teenage girl during the totalitarian regime that was put in place was dangerous, but with the support from her progressive parents, Satrapi was able to leave for Vienna at the age of 14.  Escaping the patriarchal culture of Iran in which she grew up in, she now lives in France and is able to pursue her career as an author, illustrator, and director.  Constantly faced with labels, as a young adult she didn't feel that she belonged anywhere.  In Iran she was viewed as a westerner, but in western Europe, she was viewed as an outsider as well.

www.pitacocultural.com

She is very much an artist, and has the same rebellious attitude she possessed as a young girl.  What some people may find surprising about her is the fact that although she grew up in a society in which women were routinely oppressed, she does not identify as a feminist.  That being said, she believes that all human beings are equal and should be judged on their beliefs and actions instead of their gender, race, or other labels.  Similarly, she is not against any religion; she opposes fundamentalism.  "It is the use of an ideology to kill people that I am against."  With all of the adversity Satrapi has faced, she has been able to see that generalizations are not helpful, and there are forces of good and bad in everyone.

Avoiding Stereotypes In Writing

When writing for any sort of media, whether it be newspapers, magazines, advertisements, or another source, it is important to take care to avoid using common stereotypes of misrepresentations when discussing certain groups, especially minority groups.  Some stereotypes are so common that we don't even realize that we are using them, but nonetheless, they are damaging to those groups and their place in society.  A stereotype is defined as "a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing."  Similar to stereotypes, and equally problematic, are misrepresentations, which portray an individual or a group falsely or misleadingly.  There are many groups that are not portrayed fairly in the media today, including Latinos, Muslims, and the disabled.

Latinos

Latinos are a group that comes up in the news very often, especially in regards to the controversial issue of immigration.  Many of the terms that are used when discussing Latinos who have come to the country without documentation is inherently negative, which causes stories that may even appear to be neutral to have bias.  Using words such as illegal immigrant or illegal alien makes it easier for writers to dehumanize this group and take away their already quiet voice.  Even when discussing Latinos who live in the United States legally or were born in the U.S. and are rightful citizens, there are many stereotypes used.  Latino characters are often described as poor, dirty, uneducated, dangerous, and lazy.  This image of them in the media will only further the prejudice that faces minority groups everyday.

Muslims

Post-9/11, Muslims have been constantly stereotyped and misrepresented in the media.  Terrorism has become entwined in the media's coverage of Muslims, giving the public a very skewed view on these people.  Using language like "Islamic terrorism" implies that the religion is responsible for the actions of a relatively small group of people, which leads to the immediate association of Islam and terrorism.  Because the majority of media coverage involving Muslims is about terrorist groups and does not portray them as average citizens, the general population's view of Muslims is more negative.   In order to avoid this, it is necessary to avoid stereotypes when writing about Muslims, and to include stories on all sorts of people who practice Islam.

Disabled

A marginalized group that may not immediately come to mind when discussing stereotypes and misrepresentations are people with disabilities.  However, there are many common stereotypes that are used daily when discussing this group, in the media as well as in movie, TV shows, and books.  Some common portrayals include the disabled as pathetic, the disabled as evil, the disabled as a burden, and more.  Characterizing people with disabilities in negative ways is so prevalent in our society that many people do not even realize it is being done, and has serious impacts on how the population views people with disabilities.  These misrepresentations are fed to us from a young age; many children's books and movies illustrate the evil villain as having a physical deformity.  This teaches us to associate disabled people with bad things, and causes prejudice towards this group in our society.

Listicle: Sexualized Food Advertisements

http://www.esquire.com

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

http://www.celebrityendorsementads.com

http://www.msmagazine.com

plenteousveg.com

      All of these advertisements, featuring beautiful women or other suggestive ways of displaying the food product that is being advertised, are standard nowadays.  While a hamburger, bag of chips, or can of soda all have nothing about them that is inherently sexy, advertisers still turn to one of the easiest marketing strategies out there, which is to put the product next to a scantily dressed woman, or in an otherwise suggestive arrangement.  These ads are everywhere, from magazines to billboards on the street.  Through this, the general public is exposed on a daily basis to images that objectify women by using their bodies to sell a product.  The difference between companies using sex to sell clothes or makeup and companies using sex to sell food is that in the case of food or restaurant advertisements, the women and their bodies have absolutely nothing to do with the product being sold.  They are not claiming that buying their product will help you to look like these women.  They are simply using attractive women to grab consumers' attention, while furthering the unhealthy stereotype of women in the media as sex objects, and nothing more.

The Dangers of Misconceptions: Latinos

www.lostweens.com

Although Latinos are one of the fastest-growing and largest minority groups in the country, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, there are still a shocking number of misconceptions about this group.  One of the biggest misconceptions about Latinos in our society is that they all speak Spanish, and the only way to reach them is to do so in Spanish.  While many Latinos may have some level of proficiency in Spanish, there are many second-, third-, and fourth-generation Latinos who speak very little to no Spanish.  Bearing this in mind, it is necessary to attempt to reach Latino audiences through sources such as Mamiverse, a website focused on Latina mothers, which is entirely in English.  Additionally, a study has found that ads printed in English have a greater impact on Latinos than those written in Spanish.  Advertisers who feel that the only way to reach Latino audiences is by printing ads in Spanish only further perpetrate these stereotypes, while also alienating Latino audiences who do not speak Spanish.  If we as a society, and specifically the media, ever hope to become more inclusive of Latinos, it is imperative that we are not only able to identify and disregard misconceptions, but to do our best to reach them through channels that are effective.

The Use Of Gay-Vague Advertisements

http://www.styleite.com

Advertisers have been using sexuality in their ads for years, but in the 1990's a new trend appeared: what Michael Wilke referred to as "gay-vague" advertisements.  These ads, which we see most notably for brands such as Calvin Klein or Abercrombie and Fitch, include images that may appeal to both gay and straight consumers.  By encoding ads with visual cues so that gay individuals interpret the ad as gay, while keeping the cues subtle enough that straight individuals do not pick up on them, an advertisement can target two audiences at the same time.  This advertising strategy is based off of the idea that people see what they want to see, and even when presented with an image that appears gay, a straight individual will create a story in their head that aligns with their own beliefs and values.  The use of "gay-vague" advertisements has become a legitimate strategy since the 90's when the phrase was first coined, and used for all sorts of products, though most often for clothing brands.  While at first it seems a little far-fetched, that advertisers are hiding "codes" for the gay community to interpret while the rest of the population goes about their lives unaware, in reality this is an extremely effective strategy.  Just like politicians campaigning for election try to appeal to both parties without alienating anyone, clothing companies are able to market themselves to both parties while offending neither party.

Media Portrayal of the Disabled

http://comictrash.com

The biggest problem with stereotypes being used to describe people with disabilities in the media is that most people do not even realize when stereotypes are being used, and are wrong. Throughout literature, disabilities have historically been used to symbolize evil or malicious intent.  This leads to people, even subconsciously, associating negative emotions with disabled people.  This stereotype has been common throughout history, and shows up in much classic literature, such as Captain Hook in Peter Pan.  Because we are exposed to this idea throughout our lives in movies and books, it is only natural that it seeps into our media.  The difference between stereotyping a particular race or gender and stereotyping people with disabilities is that many times people stereotype disabled people without even realizing it.  Most people are able to recognize gender and race stereotypes when they come across them in the media, and hopefully realize these are wrong and one must not rely on stereotypes of groups of people.  There is less attention paid, however, to the dangers that accompany putting people with disabilities into stereotypes.  There are even films based off of common stereotypes, such as the disabled person courageously overcoming their disability or the disabled person portrayed as a victim or burden.  A movie maker would be very unlikely to make a film with a storyline based off of a stereotype of women or minorities, yet it is socially acceptable, even common, for movies to use stereotypes of disabilities.  Until people learn to recognize these stereotypes and try to avoid using them, our culture will continue to be one that, perhaps unknowingly, portrays people with disabilities in the media by relying on a handful of stereotypes.

Women in Politics: Media Coverage

http://gopthedailydose.com

The 2008 election brought the issue of women in politics to a whole new level, with  both Hilary Clinton running for president and Sarah Palin running with Joe Biden as his vice president.  More than ever before, the media focused on the personal characteristics of the candidates, namely gender, and with all of this attention came an abundance of stereotypes used when discussing both Clinton and Palin.  While it is true that women in politics is still a relatively new phenomenon, the glaring disparity in the way men and women are discussed in the media is still surprising.  If one was to compare the coverage men receive to the coverage women receive during a political campaign, it would be obvious that men receive more issue coverage, while women receive more attention for their appearance and personality instead of their political stance. 

www.dailymail.co.uk

     The difference in how Palin and Clinton were discussed is also interesting, because while they share the fact that they are both women, that is where the similarities end.  Palin’s physical attractiveness was the focus of the media’s coverage of her, with constant references to her past as a beauty queen.  On the other side of the coin, Clinton was often painted as the “anti-seductress.”  In both cases, the coverage of both women would occasionally cross the line from typical political attacks to rude personal attacks. Together, these two women almost perfectly illustrated the “double bind” that many women face.  A women who is considered attractive, or too feminine, will be thought of as incompetent and inferior to men.  Women who are less feminine, however, are not received any better, and are often judged by different standards than men of equal qualifications.  This problem is not limited to politics; women in all careers are forced to deal with this double bind.

Stereotypes in 1965 Newspaper Articles

  When reading the front page of a southern newspaper from July 23, 1965, one would certainly expect to find certain stereotypes more abundant than nowadays.  In the case of the Southern Courier, a newspaper based out of Montgomery, Alabama and written by journalism students from Massachusetts, there were definitely stereotypes present, most notably when describing race.  Civil rights issues were central to pretty much every story in the newspaper, so obviously the way race was addressed is important to look at.  While this newspaper was based in the South, the authors were from the North, so there was less racism present in the writing than in other papers that were published in the area around the same time.  The being said, there were still quite a few stereotypes used when describing people, most often when depicting African-Americans.  All of the articles referred to African-American men and women as “Negros,” and one headline included this term.  While the writing contained language that we would probably not see published today, the stories themselves were presented in a somewhat equal way.  The most prominent story is a somewhat unbiased piece about a man who was shot simply because he was African-American.  The authors interviewed people of both races to comment on the story; however the Caucasian interviewees were all introduced by name and in some case, title while the African-Americans interviewed for the article were in most case not identified by name, and only described, such as the “elderly Negro woman” who commented on the case.  In addition, the white sources that were quoted tended to be men of status, such as a policeman or a reverend.    The African-Americans quoted in the story were often regular men, women, and even children.  This inequality in presenting black and white community members illustrates how pervasive racism was at this time, even among writers who were attempting to give an unbiased report of what happened.  This pattern, present in most articles in the newspaper, assisted in perpetuating the idea that whites held higher positions in society than minorities.

http://www.southerncourier.org/archives.html

The Use of Sex in Selling Magazines

     It does not really come as a surprise to anyone who has ever passed through the magazine aisle at their local grocery or convenience store that magazines, whether targeted at men or women, usually use a thin, beautiful, often sexualized woman on their cover.  The study performed by Lambiase and Reichert, Sex and the Marketing of Contemporary Consumer Magazines: How Men’s Magazines Sexualized Their Covers to Compete with Maxim, confirms what we see everyday.  This study, which analyzed the covers of men’s general interest magazines from the years 1995 to 2000, links the increase in sexualized women as cover women to Maxim’s American debut.  While scantily clad women gracing the covers of magazines has become an accepted reality during my lifetime, the statistics are still staggering.  According to the study, “images of women on covers increased from 25% to 56% from 1995 to 2000," and of the men who were featured on covers, 84% of them were dressed in everyday clothes as opposed to provocatively, while only 7% of women were dressed demurely.  This dramatic change over such a short period of time illustrates how society has fully embraced the usage of women, and specifically their bodies, as a marketing device.  While this study focused mainly on Maxim’s affect on other men’s general interest magazine, it was also pointed out that many “lad mags” copied their formula not of Maxim, but of women’s magazines such as Cosmopolitan.  The fact that magazines targeted at women as well as magazines targeted at men promote unrealistic standards for women’s bodies is worrisome.  In addition to leading to body image issues, especially in young girls, this also gives young boys an unrealistic expectations for women.  This marketing trend, while proven to be successful, is definitely not healthy for our society as a whole.  Unfortunately, it has been proven to be very successful, because as the well-known saying goes, “Sex sells,” and for that reason, I believe it is unlikely that we will see a marked change in this phenomenon any time soon.

Stereotypes in Media Portrayal of Murder

The story of Heather Mack and her boyfriend, Peter Schaefer, murdering Mack’s mother, Sheila von Weise Mack, and hiding her body in a suitcase in Bali certainly lends itself to some eye-catching headlines, and the media lost no time in broadcasting the story in all of its dramatic glory.  Sounding like the plot line to a movie, the riveting story of a potentially psychologically unstable teenage girl and her delinquent boyfriend brutally murdering her innocent mother was played up by the media.

The initial stories, which detailed the 86 police visits to the Mack home between 2004 and 2013 and the cryptic Instagram and Facebook posts foreshadowing foul play from Heather and her boyfriend, painted Heather Mack as a crazy teenaged killer that drew the public’s interest.  A friend of the victim was quoted saying “[Heather] could be as charming and self-effacingly sweet one minute, and then a vicious little monster the next.”  These potentially exaggerated facts all played a part in portraying Heather Mack as a typical teenager who got in with the wrong crowd, which eventually led to her committing a grisly crime more suited to a Hollywood film than privileged Chicago suburb.

In later coverage of the story, the reports were less focused on the shock value of the story and provided more details into the lives of both the victim and the suspect.  Heather Mack’s father was a prominent Chicago composer who had died in 2006.  Police reports suggest that Mack suffered from depression after his death, which led to some of the altercations with her mother.  As the shock value of the story wore off, the media started giving more accurate representations of everyone involved.

To read articles covering the murder of Sheila von Weise Mack, visit the following links:

Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Guardian
New York Post
Daily Mail