Representation of Women in Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Representation of Women in Media - Essay Example This follows a keen observation of how women and men are portrayed in most movies and music videos. The part that women have been known to play in such movies often portrays them as sexual objects. There has been a widespread debate concerning the kinds of costumes that both men and women play, in most videos and erotic films, their male counterparts, who have been cited as merely taking advantage of those women, usually use them as baits for sexual activities. In most of the music videos and erotic films, women play a very passive role; their male counterparts often dictate them. Women are usually presented as weak characters and have to play their part in order to please men (Akinfeleye & Amobi 2011, p. 5-6). When people watch these movies, it has been discovered that they are largely influenced by the experiences they saw, something that has led to increased cases of sexual violence and other forms of aggression to women by male people. For this films and music videos to make sense to people who make them, women have to be dressed in a manner that is scanty and very revealing. On the other hand, the male has always been seen as being formal and well dressed, something that has raised an issue about the aspect of such passivity and submission. Most of the feminist discussions have criticized this kind of portrayal of women as a sex object rather than important and valuable members of the society just like men. Over time, the role of the mass media as a reliable and essential agent of socialization has attracted several criticisms from different segments of our contemporary society (Baran, & Davis 2012, p. 100). The images that are usually aired in mass media about music videos, erotic films and other kinds of programs have been said to change people’s perceptions about social realities, this is according to the observations from social psychologists. According to these propositions, these images are believed to play an essential role towards stimulating certain kinds of behaviors that are highly undesirable (Marnie et al. 2005, p. 67).