The Representation Of Women In Mass Media
Women are amazing. There’s no question about that. Think about all the influential female figures. Ada Lovelace, Audrey Hepburn, Hedy Lamarr, Margaret Hamilton, Rosalind Franklin and so many more. Women are a diverse group of people, each with individual cultures, skills, values and beliefs. See, we know that. We, real humans who live on this real planet and live real lives. We know that. But what of this is reflected in the media we consume? Do you really see women portrayed as the diverse, complicated, beautiful individuals that we are? Think about the movies you watch, the video games you play, the posters and advertisements you consume without a second thought. Are women in the media really women?
Well… of course they are? We’re not going into the Simone De Beauvoir spiel of what constitutes a woman. We don't have time. Let’s take a look at some of the women in films. Women in films are subject to stereotypes. And what do stereotypes do? They limit the portrayal of women, they limit women’s expression, and they serve to reinforce societal biases and contribute to gender inequality.
One of the most famous stereotypes is the “damsel in distress”. The story we all grew up reading, learning, loving, even. Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel. Damsels in distress. They wait by the window, fling themselves onto furniture and cry and do pretty much nothing with their lives until they’re rescued by a handsome prince and go to live in a castle. Happily ever after. What utter nonsense. Why are women depicted as helpless, waiting in earnest for ‘reliable’ male characters to come and rescue them? When you think about it, these women are side characters in their own story. Sure, things happen to them. But they don’t ever truly experience anything. They’re passive. And that reinforces the stereotype. Women are passive, submissive and need a man to rely on. Imagine being four years old and that’s the narrative that supposedly tells the story of your life. Why be a princess, waiting in a tower for a prince who may or may not come; when you can be the queen, bust out of the tower and fall in love with whoever you damn please?
Most media resorts to hypersexualised portrayals of women. Hence, we have the term ‘sex symbol’. Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Farrah Fawcett. All brilliant actresses, all, unfortunately, resigned to the place of a ‘dumb blonde’. They don’t do much to the story. They sit there being pretty and occasionally kiss hot guys. And you thought it stopped with the Western world? Oh no. Think about Anime, think about video games. All those women with skimpy armour that hardly covers their disproportionately huge chests, and accentuates their disproportionately tiny waists. You might say, “well Anime is one extreme end of the spectrum.” That extreme end of the spectrum is simply the extreme of a true expectation placed on women. Skinny, but not too skinny. Curvy, but only in the right places. Dress skimpy, but not too much. Then you’re a slut. This objectification commodifies women’s bodies and reinforces the idea that a woman’s worth is based solely on her physical appearance. These representations perpetuate unrealistic body standards, and beauty standards, and contribute to body-image issues from shockingly young ages. Look in the mirror. Go on, do it. You are beautiful. Just the way you are. And you don’t need to feel ashamed of the way you look just because some bored animator decided to mess with women’s proportions and the world went along with it. You’re real. You deserve to feel good in your own, real skin.
And don’t get me started on the one-dimensional sidekick or love interest. In so many stories, women are simply ‘accessories’ to male characters. They lack depth, agency and any story of their own. The best example here is the film franchise Dhoom. Believe it or not, Abhishek Bachchan’s character, Jai, has a wife. Her name is Sweety. (Honestly, I hate the way they name female characters, but what can we do?) In the first film, she’s shown as nagging and overbearing. For about ten minutes. In the second film, she’s pregnant and jealous. For about five minutes. In the third film, she’s not there at all. Now look at that. And it’s not just there. Lois Lane. She’s a reporter. Oh, and also Superman’s girlfriend. The girlfriend whose life we don’t know much about, but she gets kidnapped every once in a while. Then Mr. Muscles shows up, fights a bad guy, saves her, and they fly into the sunset. How romantic. Not. Princess Peach in the Super Mario video games. She’s a princess. She owns two castles for god’s sake. And Mario still has to come rescue her every now and again. These female characters are flat, plain and frankly, boring. This reinforces the notion that women are limited to specific roles and traits. Imagine these being the ‘role models’ you look up to. Imagine being subjected to a side role your whole life. Ladies, you are not an overcoat that can be discarded when the weather is warm. You are a person, with dreams and ambitions and aspirations, and you deserve to be the protagonist of your own story.
These stereotypes and problematic representations have a profound negative impact on women’s self-esteem, body image, and overall perception in society. When women are constantly depicted as passive, one-dimensional or hypersexual, it sends a message that their worth lies in their physical appearance. This physical appearance is used to garner audiences for films, to sell products for stores. These women are being used. And this reinforces harmful societal expectations, limiting women’s aspirations. These stories and stereotypes have been ingrained into our minds since we were impressionable little girls. It’s going to be hard to get them out. But we need to try, nonetheless.
Mass media isn’t all that bad, though. In recent years, there has been delightful representation of women in the media. These representations offer a more accurate reflection of the diverse experiences and capabilities of women, breaking away from traditional gender roles and harmful stereotypes.
In the realm of film and television, there are now so many strong, independent female figures to look up to. One of my personal favourites is Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, portrayed by Reese Witherspoon. The film defies stereotypes by proving that intelligence and femininity are not mutually exclusive. Elle, initially seen as a "dumb blonde," demonstrates her intellect, determination, and legal prowess, challenging societal expectations and empowering women to embrace their ambitions. And who could forget the iconic quote, “What? Like, it’s hard?” Boys do it, how hard can it be? Go conquer the world.
Another empowering film is "Hidden Figures," which tells the true story of a group of African-American women who played pivotal roles at NASA during the space race. The film portrays the intelligence, resilience, and groundbreaking contributions of these women, highlighting their abilities and breaking down racial and gender barriers. Through their stories, "Hidden Figures" celebrates the achievements of women in STEM fields and inspires future generations. This is such a beautiful film. It’s not focused solely around these women’s careers. It talks about womanhood, sisterhood, personhood, and never giving up on yourself. Next time round, we need a movie about Rosalind Franklin against Watson and Prick.
At some point, Mulan was every girl’s favourite film. Why swoon over Shang, when you have MULAN. Her journey of transforming herself into a man, fighting in a war and defying gender norms by literally leading the army showcases bravery, determination, and the strength to challenge societal expectations. Mulan didn’t allow herself to be limited because of her gender. Why should you? I’m not saying you should run away from home and join the army. You could. I guess. But take that leap of faith. Do the things you’ve been told that you can’t do. Sign up for that computer science class, participate in that Hackathon, run a mile, swim a lap. You can do anything you set your mind to. So go, do it.
And lastly for today, I want to talk about Barbie. I know you’re going to say, “but Barbie sets unrealistic expectations for women’s body image.” I’m talking about the film, not the doll. We start off in Barbieland, a place of paradise. A place where women can walk alone at night without fearing for their safety, or their lives. A place where “every night is girls’ night”, and women lift each other up. And then we step into the real world, where women are sexualised, objectified and made to feel utterly, completely worthless based on their looks, their race, and just about anything else. That film healed my inner child in many ways. But it also shared a very important message. No matter who you are, or what you do, or where you come from, the world will always find fault with you. Because you’re a woman.
Womanhood is diverse. It’s messy. It’s beautiful. It’s complicated. Women are diverse, messy, beautiful, and complicated. And they should be loved for it. Not despite it. For it. But look at the society we live in now. America Ferrera’s iconic monologue will explain this better than me.
It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we're always doing it wrong.
You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can't ask for money because that's crass. You have to be a boss, but you can't be mean. You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas. You're supposed to love being a mother, but don't talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people.
You have to answer for men's bad behaviour, which is insane, but if you point that out, you're accused of complaining. You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.
But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful.
You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It's too hard! It's too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.
I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don't even know.
I have never heard truer words. Reading this again, I grieve. I grieve for the little girl inside me, who lamented the beauty she was born with. I grieve for the woman I will become, near-alone in a world that will judge her almost entirely on her outer appearance, without ever considering who she is inside. I grieve for the person I am now. A girl on the cusp of womanhood. Unsure of who she is, and who she will become and who she should be. But most of all, I grieve for all the brilliant women I know, all of whom face the same struggle every single day. They were born women. And every day, I cheer on the experiences of these women, the goals they’ve achieved and the obstacles they’ve shattered. Hopefully, someday, we will be seen for who we really are. Until then, all we can do is hope.
(*Record Screech*)
Hope? Hope! HOPE! Nobody in their right mind is going to hope that society will change. Because let’s face it. Society will not change until we change it. Be the change you want to see in the world. Every single day, make the effort to make the change. Be at the forefront of change, and you will soon live in the world you dream of.
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