Women And Popular Culture: Portrayal Of Female Athletes In Sport Magazines

Courtney RogersValerie CarrollWOMST 55011 May 2007The Construction of Women in Sports within the Mass MediaRecent studies involving the contribution of the commode media and gender particularly within the realm of women s sports has brought violent upon one of the most disturbing issues in society now : the under- image and misrepresentation of women in mass media . It can be cerebrate that womanly athletes , framed by the media as objects of sexual practice , or sports cuties atomic number 18 consistently stress for their sexuality instead of their athleticism p Not just now does this diminish their achievements in the sports field of honor , but it similarly systematically reinforces the thinker that sports ar a males-only realm . The mass media , using magazine covers , celebrity programs and intelligence age ncy articles , direction more on female athletes as emblematical models for female sexuality than as athletes . Constantly , female athletes are pictured in coy scenarios involving accentuated legs and breasts , or with pouting lips and scantily dress outfitsThis ordain highlight some subjects of research into symbolic representation of female athletes as passive , emotionally demonstrative and vulnerable objects of the sports land , whereby athletic merit is disposed(p) second groundwork to disrobe and sex . Furthermore , this forget base itself on the great suppositious standpoint of hegemony , citing such theorists as Louis Althusser and Antonio GramsciThe summary will also base itself on the work of Laura Mulvey , who presents the idea of the staminate Gaze whereby women are shown as sexual objects for the ocular goal of men s enjoyment . Through this analysis of women in sports and the medias reaction to female athletes it is postulated that women have been systematically moved from restless partici! pants as subjects , to a more passive role as objects .

This occurrence reinforces a particular hegemonic , patriarchal originator coordinate , and moreover , reinforces the cater roles of those who are responsible for such representationsTo determine the prat for the analysis , it is helpful to first consider the theoretical prat of Althusser and Gramsci . The theory of ideology and hegemony is particularly relevant for the afterward interpretation on the portrayal of women within the cultural spirit of the media . Althusser states that mendacious truths are used to maintain power . The assort with th e power (in this case one could take such an example as Time Warner , the owner or Sports Illustrated for Women ) defines the rules of the gameThis means that the assort in power creates media frames and representations of reality that further construct a worldview that is conducive for the maintenance of the present day structure . baron is given up to subordinate classes (the viewers of mass media ) by the persuasion power (Time Warner , in a guidance that makes it appear that they are given concessions ( We give the audience what they are asking for ) And as yet , as Gramsci outlines , these concessions are still a means of maintaining powerThe angiotensin-converting enzyme quarter such a set up lies in the particular that the ideology is created in such a way that the both(prenominal) the...If you want to get a full essay, request it on our website: BestEssayCheap.com

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