Introduction
Gender can be a social construct defined by one’s identity and expression of gender. As human beings, our thoughts, beliefs, and actions are heavily influenced by what we see in the world around us. Gender roles in the 21st century have become a larger part of the media torrent, and people are now more aware of them (Npr.org). For example, certain departments such as IT or engineering are thought to be primarily male, and stereotypically female jobs such as teaching or nursing have been seen on TV shows and in real life. We often base our ideas on how men and women should be treated because of the media we watch daily. This article aims to explore some examples of how media depict gender roles and how this impacts our understanding of gender as part of an individual’s identity and expression.
How Media Depict Gender Roles
One example of media that portrays gender is the new Playful Little Remix. It is a music video and song by the rapper TJ Eckleburg. The song has lyrics, but it also includes the theme of gender. It talks about how we should not care if someone’s eyes are on something; they can look away if they do not like it. People care so much about what others think of them, but they should not worry because most people want to be left alone with their thoughts and feelings. There are two different types of this song: TJ sings it with no background music, and another version has a rap added to it, including Tiara Thomas and Yung Dreyer. These rappers are both females, which shows that women can do everything men can for music (Elliott 17). Not all genres only have male artists, which gives women an advantage because they can show their talent that has gone underappreciated for years now compared to men who are seen as being better than women just because they are male.
The media’s portrayal of manliness has been shaped through the article showing only one way for a man to look, act and feel, a creation of a construct that reinforces gender roles. The Washington Post Article “What Does It Mean to Be Manly?” by Laura Sessions is another perfect example depicting the gender roles of both men and women in society. According to Laura Sessions, men are to be society’s provider, protectors, and leaders. As women become more involved in the financial realm, men are placed in a position of powerlessness, and their masculinity is threatened (Npr.org). This triggers an attempt by men to reclaim their masculinity through dominance over women by forcing them back into stereotyped roles of cooking and cleaning while they pursue their careers.
In the video game “BioShock Infinite,” gender is very present in the story and world. The game is centered around rescuing Elizabeth, who has been taken hostage by Zachary Comstock, the leader of the early 1900s American city in which she lives. Elizabeth, the female main character who plays a large role in the game, is shown to be very feminist in both her actions and dialogue (Perreault et al. 844). According to Perreault et al. (846), the producers of this game wanted to create a strong female character that would inspire other women and girls to feel empowered while playing as them. This problem is that it creates “tokenism,” where only one woman appears as an important character in his title, alongside many men (Perreault et al. 851). This means it has been implied that not many women play video games, but rather only men do. The strongest example of gender roles being challenged in this game comes from Songbird’s identity as a woman who has been tortured and transformed into this creature by Comstock, seeing that women have been one of the most exploited groups throughout history.
Another example is a music video by the French band “Orelsan” called “Haters.” The song is about people who feel that others are not motivated enough to do anything in their lives and sit back doing nothing. This song specifically talks about how people can be mean to those trying hard in life, such as women who play sports and go to school simultaneously (Elliot 38). The lyrics of Orelsan’s song “Haters” are meant to be taken as literally reflective of the artist’s sentiments. He speaks about how his perfect world would be one where he is not required to conform to other people’s expectations. He wants no part of the prescriptive gender roles expected of boys and girls in our society; this song details his anger towards people who try to tell him how he should act because society has prescribed roles for each sex.
Conclusion
In conclusion, gender is an integral part of human life, and one can say that it has always been so. In today’s world, people are freer to express themselves differently than a century ago. As society becomes more aware of the gender spectrum, there will continue to be an increase in the number and types of characters portrayed in mass media. This is typically considered a step forward in providing opportunities for people to represent themselves properly. However, this increase also brings a whole new range of issues that must be considered when creating characters and stories. It is important to consider how gender portrayal impacts our understanding of identity and culture both individually and globally, in our modern news cycle.
Works Cited
Elliott, Anthony. Routledge Revivals: Anthony Elliott: Early Works in Social Theory. Routledge, 2021.
Laura Sessions Stepp, What Does It Mean to Be Manly? Genderations. 2007.
Npr.org. Masculinity in the 21st Century. NPR Cookie Consent and Choices.
Perreault, Mildred F., et al. “Depictions of Female Protagonists in Digital Games: A Narrative Analysis of 2013 Dice Award-winning Digital Games.” Games and Culture. 13.8, 2018. p.843-860.