The Construction of Women in Sports within the Mass Media Essay Example for Free

The Construction of Women in Sports within the Mass Media Essay Recent studies involving the role of the mass media and gender, particularly within the realm of women’s sports has brought light upon one of the most disturbing issues in society today: the under-representation and misrepresentation of women in mass media. It can be concluded that female athletes, framed by the media as objects of sexuality, or â€Å"sports cuties,† are consistently emphasized for their sexuality instead of their athleticism. Not only does this diminish their achievements in the sports arena, but it also systematically reinforces the idea that sports are a â€Å"males-only† realm. The mass media, using magazine covers, celebrity programs and news articles, focus more on female athletes as symbolic models for female sexuality than as athletes. Constantly, female athletes are portrayed in coy scenarios involving accentuated legs and breasts, or with pouting lips and scantily clad outfits. This paper will highlight some examples of research into symbolic representation of female athletes as passive, emotionally demonstrative and vulnerable objects of the sports world, whereby athletic merit is given second seat to skin and sex. Furthermore, this paper will base itself on the greater theoretical standpoint of hegemony, citing such theorists as Louis Althusser and Antonio Gramsci. The analysis will also base itself on the work of Laura Mulvey, who presents the idea of the â€Å"Male Gaze,† whereby women are shown as sexual objects for the visual purpose of men’s enjoyment. Through this analysis of women in sports and the medias response to female athletes, it is postulated that women have been systematically moved from active participants as subjects, to a more passive role as objects. This fact reinforces a particular hegemonic, patriarchal power structure, and furthermore, reinforces the power roles of those who are responsible for such representations. To lay the foundation for the analysis, it is helpful to first consider the theoretical basis of Althusser and Gramsci. The theory of ideology and hegemony is particularly relevant for the later exposition on the portrayal of women within the cultural eye of the media. Althusser states that false truths are used to maintain power. The group with the 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 game. This means that the group 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. Power is given to subordinate classes (the viewers of mass media) by the ruling power (Time Warner), in a way that makes it appear that they are given concessions (â€Å"We give the audience what they are asking for. †) And yet, as Gramsci outlines, these concessions are still a means of maintaining power. The genius behind such a set up lies in the fact that the ideology is created in such a way that the both the ruling class and all other classes believe that such hierarchy of power is inherent or natural. In the case of sports, the watching public believe that women are naturally meant to be depicted as sexual objects, focusing on married life and vacation preferences, instead of the active subject such as a male athlete, where a more clearly demarcated â€Å"sports focus† is enacted. Herein lies a clear real-world metaphor for the theoretical models of Althusser and Gramsci.

Presidents :: essays research papers

With the United States economy in a state of recession from the empty promises brought forth by President George Bush, the country needed a change for the better. President Bush’s policies were not pulling through, and the American people were expecting results. Re-election was nearing for Bush and he really needed to get his act together if he wanted another term in office. Out of no where a former governor was leading the polls over Republican candidate, President George Bush. Clinton had focused a lot of his efforts towards the younger generation of 18 to 25 years. Bush was also behind because his programs created the present recession the nation was experiencing. Clinton spoke of new job opportunities and better wages, which appealed to the younger generation, because they were starting out in their lives and more jobs meant more options. Many people felt as though they were being betrayed by Bush, because of his empty "No New Taxes" policy. Another factor that swayed votes Clinton’s way, was the change in ideas of the "Reagan Democrats", who were registered Democrats which voted Republican. These voters realized that Bush was not following through with his promises and they wanted results. Families were being hurt because of unemployment and the "Reagan Democrats" needed to provide for their families. One major issue was the cultural conflict of welfare. Americans were becoming lazy and did not "need" jobs as long as they were on welfare. Bush just let this issue go, while Clinton made a plan stating that after two years of welfare, everyone capable of working would have to accept a job, or training for a job. This policy attracted voters of the working and middle class population. This policy also showed that the Democratic Party is a party of workers and doers as opposed to slackers. It says they will protect the workers of America. Because of all of these factors, Clinton has an astonishing lead over his opposing mate. This lead continues on and leads Clinton onto his election and the re-election. Clinton is a very well-liked president, as well as effective. Employment was steadily on the rise, and the inflation rate was lower than it had been in many years. Clinton was able to negotiate foreign policy, he was able to handle domestic affairs and he was liked by the people. He also looked good on camera which was another asset he had in his favor. Bill Clinton’s approval rating was very high and he was controlling the country with dignity and competence. The unthinkable then happened, he was caught having an affair with a White House intern, Monica Lewinski. This scandal plagued the White House for many months. Clinton was even put on trial, accused of perjury.

Dbq Mechanization of India and Japans Cotton Industry

Trevor Olds DBQ During the period of time from the 1880s to the 1930s, Japan and India both were beginning to mechanize their cotton industries. Both of these countries had similar recruitment techniques, but differed when it came to who the workers were and where they came from, and the working conditions they had in the mill. Documents 1, 2, and 6 all show the increased usage of machines in Japanese and Indian cotton factories.The chart in Document 1 that details the production of cotton yarn and cloth in India shows how India utilized more machines to create more yarn and cloth in 1914 than in 1884. The chart shows how machine spun yarn was surpassing the amount of hand-woven yarn, as well as how the amount of machine-made cloth is quickly catching the amount of hand-woven cloth, which shows the mechanization of India’s cotton industry. This document is reliable because it is data collected from British colonial officials who would have no benefit of altering the data in an y way.The Indian economist Radhakamal Mukerjee who wrote â€Å"The Foundation of Indian Economics† (1916) in Document 6 talks of how handloom cloth weavers cannot compete with the machines in the factories and are rapidly declining. This shows India’s step towards a more mechanized cloth industry. The document is not completely reliable because as an economist, the author may have overemphasized the decline of India’s handloom weavers to show economic growth. Comparable to India’s increased production of machine spun yarn is Japan’s outlined by the chart in document 2.Japan’s incredulous increase in machine spun yarn from five million pounds in 1884 to 666 in 1914 dwarfs India’s growth that was 151 million pounds in 1884 to only 652 in 1914. Document two may not be completely reliable because the data may have been altered to make Japan’s Industry is improving just a bit faster than India’s. Though Japan and India were s imilar in their implementation of machines in the cotton industry, Documents 7, 8, and 10 show that the workers in these factories are different.Documents 8 and 10 are pictures of an Indian and a Japanese textile mill. The photo of a Japanese cotton mill in document 8 is not reliable because it is from an official company history, that means that the company could only be showing the nicer part of the factory where the labor environment is not that bad. The same goes for the picture of an Indian textile mill in document 10. Moving on the Indian textile mill in Document 10 shows all male workers, indicating that many more men worked in Indian textile mills than women did.However, in contrast to India, the Japanese mill in Document 8 shows quite a few women with several men here and there, which indicates that Japan was different from India and had more women workers than men. The comparative chart of female workers in Japan and India in Document 7 shows that less than a quarter of In dian textile laborers were female and that over three-fourths were women in Japan, which is directly opposite in Japan and India.The chart also shows how the percentage of female workers goes down while the equivalent Japanese percentage rises slightly. This shows the difference of workers between Indian and Japanese textile mills. Document 7 is not very reliable though considering the chart was taken from a dissertation of which we have no knowledge of the author. Document 4 is a written source pertaining to the high percentage of female workers in Japanese mills. This document explains the reason for the increased number of women working in textile factories.The reason is that since the farmers are so poor the money made by their daughters is often more than the farmer’s annual income and that they virtually provide for the family. Of course, since the document is written by a Buddhist priest the document is not completely reliable, his idea would be that these girls in the factories are the families’ salvation, so he pays no attention to the negative aspects of the girls leaving home because Buddhism places individual meditation and salvation over family bonds.A useful document would be a journal entry by one of these girls talking about how they felt about being sent away to work in the textile mills and how her absence would affect the family. Even though the people that worked for the mills were of different nationalities, the systems that textile mills used in India and Japan were similar. Documents 4, 5, and 9 talk about how workers were taken from peasant families. Document 5 talks about how the â€Å"cheap† workers came from rural farming communities.In Japan, the person who leaves their family is no longer a financial load for the family, which explains why families sent workers to the mills. Document 4 basically explains the same ideas, but adds the factor of extra income that can come from the workers in Japan that supports th e family. Document 9 states that the Indian mills also sent people from rural farming communities. Most of the workers are peasants from agricultural villages and earn low wages, resembling the systems of the Japanese mills.Documents 3 and 9 show one of the most important differences between the countries: their respective working conditions. The story of the Japanese mill worker in Document 3 talks of long working hours, no heat, and little food. There are also low wages, with the possibility of no pay for the first year. When the high amount of sick people at the factory who no one will go near is added, we learn that the working conditions in the Japanese mills were terrible.This document also shows the truth because it is a personal recollection from a female worker in one of the mills. People also had to sleep together at the factory. This last fact by itself is directly contrasted by document 9 because the huts Indian workers lived in when working in the factories. Indian work ers lived in their own hut and only worked at one factory for two years, as opposed to the Japanese worker who is only likely to get paid starting their second year. This shows that the Indian workers had better living conditions than the Japanese workers.Since the Indian document is written by a commissioner and not a worker, the author could have altered the information that was presented affecting the reliability of the document because of his bias. Two extra documents that would be helpful would be an account from an Indian worker and a report from a Japanese official to provide an all-around comparison of the countries. In conclusion, the mechanization of the textile industry saw a great rise from 1880 to the 1930s in both Japan and India, who both found the majority of their workers from farming peasants to work in the mills.Japan used mainly female workers with worse working conditions than Indian workers, who were mostly male. An additional document would be a comparison of machines used in India over this time compared to those used in Japan to determine the importance of mechanization in the textile industry of the two countries comparatively to properly examine the similarities and differences of the mechanization of the cotton industry in Japan and India.

The Lgbt Court Involved Youth - 770 Words

There a number of factors that contributes to the negative experiences of the LGBT court-involved youth. The root is the lack of understanding and bias against the LGBT community. These issues seize the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system in working to assist with the LGBT youth community (Majd, Marksamer Reyes, 2009). There is a huge lack of acceptance and misconceptions about the sexual orientation and gender identities of juveniles. It is myth that youth cannot be LGBT and that they do not exist within the juvenile detention centers. There are approximately 13 percent of LGBT youth in detention facilities across the United States (Majd, Marksamer Reyes, 2009). When professionals fail to realize the existence of LGBT youth, it leaves them ill equipped to serve them and meet their needs (Majd, Marksamer Reyes, 2009). According to Majd, Marksamer Reyes (2009): Another harmful myth is that sexual orientation and gender identity are matters of personal choice and therefore can be changed. This myth is refuted by the scientific research that finds sexual orientation and gender identity are deep-seated, inherent aspects of personal identity. Attempts to change either are futile and dangerous (p. 2). It is shocking of how there is such a lack of understanding about LGBT youth. There are some professionals who don’t understand the difference between lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (Majd, Marksamer Reyes, 2009). Lesbian is a female with interest inShow MoreRelatedMy Operational Definition Of Social Justice1263 Words   |  6 Pagesdisadvantage within a society) is controversial to my social justice (LGBT Liberation) because they have a disadvantage in today s society. It s controversial because people today are afraid to come out because they re afraid of other people s reactions. 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