Seeing Pink

Today's class discussion revolved around the media's portrayal of females and femininity, most notably in television shows and movies targeted at a young audience. As expected, the discussion was quite binary:

1. Some people believe that media negatively influences youth. They staunchly claim that media dictates how a child views himself of herself and that movies and television shows reinforce certain social stereotypes.

2. Others believe that television shows and movies are moving away from traditional portrayals of women and girls. They argue that new characters dismiss older stereotypes and emancipate the female gender.

My own stance on the topic is somewhat difficult to ascertain, and whenever I try to organize my thoughts on the subject, they become quite convoluted. I do appreciate the opinion that older films encouraged ultra-feminine roles. Disney's many princesses were rarely independent and perpetually relied on a strong male figure to save them from their dire situations. Cartoon women were not the only ones to be viewed in such a light- the damsel-in-distress saga is one that reveals itself in a plethora of other genres.

However, despite this recognition of a sexist past, I do believe advancements have been made for women in the movie/television industry. Women are now more often portrayed as clever, strong, and independent. Although a love story is usually still twisted into every plot, the relationship tends to more balanced, or at least not perceptibly patriarchal in nature. Nonetheless, if one really observes these new trends, one realizes something else... sex appeal is the handmaiden of being a clever, strong, and independent woman. I take the example of the movie Hitch (2005), starring Will Smith and Eva Mendes. I appreciate the fact that Sara Melas, played by Mendes, is a self-made woman who has made little time for men in her life. However, there is still this need to make the leading woman extremely attractive. Women cannot just be ordinary; they must be sexy and beautiful in order to be evidently successful.

The problem with addressing such issues is that these movies don't pull such themes and ideas out of thin air. The storylines are usually based to some degree of another in social realities. Attractive women are more likely to get ahead in life. So, the correlation between being pretty and well-off and independent isn't that far off... if off at all. What will happen first: A change in how the media portrays women or a change in how people view women in real life?