engleski

The Construction of Negative Gendered Stereotypes in the Media

This paper considers contemporary representations of gender in media discourses in Croatia, that is, how representations of femininity are constructed in relation to representations of masculinity. Specifically, focus is on the woman subject and how these subject(s) are represented in advertisements. This discourse has been chosen because advertising images are some of the most ubiquitous and influential elements in our everyday lives that express and model social representations of gender and unquestionably provide socially sanctioned models of gender for society to emulate. Analysis shows that in most cases the woman subject in advertisements is depicted in the following ways: i) advertisements redefine her beauty making it an almost unattainable goal towards perfection and suggest that it is the only way in which happiness and success can be achieved ; ii) emphasis is on her weaknesses, that is, she is shown as submissive, confused and in constant need of improvement and iii) she is often portrayed as a mere sex object, that is, as fragmented body parts. The implications of these depictions for both men and women are also discussed.

advertisements; stereotypes; representation of women

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