Media Representations of Women and Men: Sex and Power

In my women's studies class today, we spent the whole hour and a half discussing media representation of women and men, specifically looking at the promotion of gender roles as well as class and race issues. The class started off with a boom because we were discussing how fat is represented in the media as always negative and how pioneers against obesity play the "health" card to attempt to defend their discrimination. From there, we discussed women of color in the media and the promotion of the west for non-white women to become more white, for example If anyone has seen Beyonce's cover girl ads, they are all touched up to the point that she is no longer black.

We also discussed the importance of such advertising and promotion in shaping society's perception of women and of gender, race and class. In almost all cases, women are shown in a place of submission in the media - if she's not sexed up, white and thin, she's not important. The only important aspect of a woman's life, according to the general media, is the way she looks and how well she fulfills her womanly duties.

Since we examined only one photograph from a magazine, an advertisement for Skyy vodka, I'd like to examine some more advertisements and use the same principles of analysis. In this post I will look at issues of sex and power in media.

So, let us begin, keeping in mind that everything done in these ads are ON PURPOSE.
So, this ad has a lot going on, most of it is completely irrelevant to the product, of course. First of all, what is this ad selling? Well, we know from the text that it's calvin klein jeans but would we know that if the text was not there? Doubtful. There's barely any jeans showing, just the top part, the rest is entirely focused on the nudity in the photograph.

How is this photo selling their product? By enticing male viewers, of course. What is an easier way to attract male attention to something? I mean, you have Eva Mendes naked, sweaty and caked in some sand (we know how dirty females are, especially their sexuality) being overpowered by what appears to be that beckham dude, but I doubt it. The most important thing in this photo is the way the bodies are positioned - dude is on top holding the woman's arm back, pinning her down. This shows us that the ad is intended to confirm masculinity, encouraging men to buy the product. By confirming the viewer's masculinity and authority, the company can expect more sales. It was not by accident.

Now we wonder, why is she only wearing jeans on a beach? Did he take her shirt off then pin her down? The photograph illustrates a power dynamic commonly seen in the world of heteronormativity - the woman is being dominated by a man, he is proving he is in control by restraining the woman physically.

lets move onto the next one...



Let's start again with the question regarding what the ad is selling. To be honest, i have no idea. I'm assuming it's for clothing, in general.

What is the most significant aspect of this photo upon first viewing? My eyes went directly to the fact that the man is sitting above the woman, suggesting yet again a power struggle with a sexual component. The power struggle is again the marketer's way to affirm the male viewer's masculinity - leaving gender roles unchallenged and promoted. Obviously, the woman has to have her upper thigh exposed while the male is fully dressed in a suit. Again, this suggests traditional gender roles and specific gender performances (women in dresses, men in pants).

Another component that is vital here is the way the man is looking down at the woman, in a very parental manner, suggesting authority and power. Since the woman has her eyes shut, it suggests a creepy scenario of a woman sleeping with a man sitting above her, watching her sleep.

The sexual component of this ad ties in directly with the power component, which is usually the case with most media representations of sexuality. Sexuality, power, control and male supremacy all tie together in ads, they are never separate. Women are not considered sexually autonomous, they need men to provide a packaged and sold sexuality for them, they are unable to be sexually free under masculine control. The media uses this to reinforce ideas about heterosexuality, power dynamics and gender roles. By promoting status quo behavior, they can make more money. Money, power, control and male supremacy is dominant in media representations, it's vital to critique these issues if we are to transform media and women's place in media.