User:Jacob.hicks/sandbox

Effects of advertisements[edit]

Beauty can be defined largely as a perception. It is a group of social norms that interpret a particular form of appearance that is valued. Both men and women strive to achieve this beauty which influences them to shape themselves and alter their appearance in order to conform to those norms.^[35] These norms are largely derived from the medias presentation of models and well known stars through advertisements for products and magazine covers. As our society is now filled with these advertisements in all aspects of life, such as on TV, billboards, in supermarkets displayed with the products (particularly beauty products) and on social media, children are now viewing this material at a younger age and in turn creating the perception that this is the ideal appearance whilst they are still very impressionable.

In the early twentieth century, society began to pursue material goods with the goal of fulfilling a general desire to own the item rather than for later use.^[36] This is largely due to the use of advertising media and the perception, particularly with beauty products, that the models pictured obtain their looks buy using these products.

It is very common for young men and women to compare themselves to models in ads, in terms of their physical attractiveness.^[37] The appearance and body size of the models within the advertisements in the final image seen buy consumers are more often than not altered through editing programs such as Photoshop, in order to achieve the perfect (or impossible) desired look. The use of these images creates a false beauty ideal for both men and women to aspire to, as well as creating the use of extreme dieting and surgical procedures in order to resemble a similar image that is displayed in advertising. This emphasis on an ideal body appearance has been regarded as being psychologically detrimental to the well-being of many young men and women, and on their self-image.

Magazine advertisements highlighting a thin, attractive female model yield greater self-objectification and the process of inspecting this type of advertisement can encourage women to think about their physical appearance as if looking on as a critical observer.^[38] Images from the media are frequently exposed to Western women, and the usage of skinny idealized women in advertising is prevalent.

When sexuality is used in advertising, certain values and attitudes towards sex are 'sold' along with a product. The message may be that "innocence is sexy", that women enjoy being dominated, that the use of a certain product is naughty but legal, or that use of a certain product will make the user more attractive to the opposite sex, and many other messages. The way beauty is portrayed in the media causes dissatisfaction and negative thoughts about oneself when those results are not achieved. Sociocultural standards of male images are presented in almost all forms of popular media, barraging men with images that portray what is considered to be the "ideal body." Such standards of beauty are almost completely unattainable for most men; a majority of the models displayed on television and in advertisements are well below what is considered healthy body weight. Mass media's use of such unrealistic models sends an implicit message that in order for a man to be considered beautiful, he must be unhealthy. The mindset that a person can never be "too rich or too thin" is all too prevalent in society, and it makes it difficult for males to achieve any level of contentment with their physical appearance. There has been a plethora of research to indicate that men are negatively affected by constant exposure to models that fulfill the unrealistic media ideal of beauty.^[39]

On the other hand, back to our daily lives,from the minute boys enter our classrooms, masculine identity building is taking place in one form or another. At some level, teachers and students, both male and female, often act in accordance with a set of unspoken tenets that are subtly or explicitly reinforced through tacit approval, willing indifference, or a lack of awareness. William Pollack (as cited in Neu & Weinfeld, 2007) calls this set of culturally embedded expectations about masculinity the Boy Code. An examination of this "code" yields new insights about the troublesome behaviors exhibited by many struggling boys in our classrooms and reveals why boys with certain styles (SF/Interpersonal and NF/Self-Expressive, specifically) might experience its negative impact more deeply than their peers.^[40]

In the book Helping Boys Succeed in School, educators Terry Neu and Rich Weinfeld (2007) capture Pollack's Boy Code in the form of a "dos and don'ts" poster.

1.    Do not cry (no sissy stuff).^[40]

2.    Do not cower, tremble, or shrink from danger.^[40]

3.    Do not ask for help when you are unsure of yourself (observe the code of silence).^[40]

4.    Do not reach for comfort or reassurance.^[40]

5.    Do not sing or cry for joy.^[40]

6.    Do not hug your dearest friends.^[40]

7.    Do not use words to show tenderness and love. (2007, p. 24)^[40]

The research of Terry Neu and Rich Weinfeld shows that the process of developing ideal male images is taking place in our classrooms.

Much of the existing literature on ideal male images has either focused narrowly on the impacts of media on adolescents' views towards ideal male images or parental style on the impacts on this topic. As a result, it often lacks the information necessary to systematically compare different groups' cultural backgrounds.

Effects of advertisements[edit]

Beauty can be defined largely as a perception. It is a group of social norms that interpret a particular form of appearance that is valued. Both men and women strive to achieve this beauty which influences them to shape themselves and alter their appearance in order to conform to those norms.^[35] These norms are largely derived from the medias presentation of models and well known stars through advertisements for products and magazine covers. As our society is now filled with these advertisements in all aspects of life, such as on TV, billboards, in supermarkets displayed with the products (particularly beauty products) and on social media, children are now viewing this material at a younger age and in turn creating the perception that this is the ideal appearance whilst they are still very impressionable.

In the early twentieth century, society began to pursue material goods with the goal of fulfilling a general desire to own the item rather than for later use.^[36] This is largely due to the use of advertising media and the perception, particularly with beauty products, that the models pictured obtain their looks buy using these products.

It is very common for young men and women to compare themselves to models in ads, in terms of their physical attractiveness.^[37] The appearance and body size of the models within the advertisements in the final image seen buy consumers are more often than not altered through editing programs such as Photoshop, in order to achieve the perfect (or impossible) desired look. The use of these images creates a false beauty ideal for both men and women to aspire to, as well as creating the use of extreme dieting and surgical procedures in order to resemble a similar image that is displayed in advertising. This emphasis on an ideal body appearance has been regarded as being psychologically detrimental to the well-being of many young men and women, and on their self-image.

Magazine advertisements highlighting a thin, attractive female model yield greater self-objectification and the process of inspecting this type of advertisement can encourage women to think about their physical appearance as if looking on as a critical observer.^[38] Images from the media are frequently exposed to Western women, and the usage of skinny idealized women in advertising is prevalent.

When sexuality is used in advertising, certain values and attitudes towards sex are 'sold' along with a product. The message may be that "innocence is sexy", that women enjoy being dominated, that the use of a certain product is naughty but legal, or that use of a certain product will make the user more attractive to the opposite sex, and many other messages. The way beauty is portrayed in the media causes dissatisfaction and negative thoughts about oneself when those results are not achieved. Sociocultural standards of male images are presented in almost all forms of popular media, barraging men with images that portray what is considered to be the "ideal body." Such standards of beauty are almost completely unattainable for most men; a majority of the models displayed on television and in advertisements are well below what is considered healthy body weight. Mass media's use of such unrealistic models sends an implicit message that in order for a man to be considered beautiful, he must be unhealthy. The mindset that a person can never be "too rich or too thin" is all too prevalent in society, and it makes it difficult for males to achieve any level of contentment with their physical appearance. There has been a plethora of research to indicate that men are negatively affected by constant exposure to models that fulfill the unrealistic media ideal of beauty.^[39]

On the other hand, back to our daily lives,from the minute boys enter our classrooms, masculine identity building is taking place in one form or another. At some level, teachers and students, both male and female, often act in accordance with a set of unspoken tenets that are subtly or explicitly reinforced through tacit approval, willing indifference, or a lack of awareness. William Pollack (as cited in Neu & Weinfeld, 2007) calls this set of culturally embedded expectations about masculinity the Boy Code. An examination of this "code" yields new insights about the troublesome behaviors exhibited by many struggling boys in our classrooms and reveals why boys with certain styles (SF/Interpersonal and NF/Self-Expressive, specifically) might experience its negative impact more deeply than their peers.^[40]

In the book Helping Boys Succeed in School, educators Terry Neu and Rich Weinfeld (2007) capture Pollack's Boy Code in the form of a "dos and don'ts" poster.

1.    Do not cry (no sissy stuff).^[40]

2.    Do not cower, tremble, or shrink from danger.^[40]

3.    Do not ask for help when you are unsure of yourself (observe the code of silence).^[40]

4.    Do not reach for comfort or reassurance.^[40]

5.    Do not sing or cry for joy.^[40]

6.    Do not hug your dearest friends.^[40]

7.    Do not use words to show tenderness and love. (2007, p. 24)^[40]

The research of Terry Neu and Rich Weinfeld shows that the process of developing ideal male images is taking place in our classrooms.

Much of the existing literature on ideal male images has either focused narrowly on the impacts of media on adolescents' views towards ideal male images or parental style on the impacts on this topic. As a result, it often lacks the information necessary to systematically compare different groups' cultural backgrounds.

Body image[edit]

In today's society, the media and body image share close ties. 30 percent of all television time is directed towards advertisements. The media and body image share close ties due to the amount of time spent watching advertisements. The average fashion model wears a size 2 or 4, while the average women is a size 12 or 14. The body image portrayed by advertisements shows a "false body image" of the general population. "False body image" has become well known, as people portrayed in advertisements are often "touched up" and edited to be thinner and flawless. These representations are often not realistic images of the body.^[41]Through the media portraying these false body images, it has also impacted body dissatisfaction and disordered eating.^[42] It is common that these body images, ones that are often unrealistic, lead to anxiety, depression and inadequate feelings towards the ideal body image.

Current feminist studies are striving towards including heavier than normal models in high end, top selling women's magazines. In one study, including an editor of one of the top selling women's magazines, she claimed her view of feminism demonstrated an understanding that the issues revolved around women's bodies (8). In addition, she also claimed she understands the culture surrounding women's bodies is likely unchangeable as sample-sizes would not fit normal-sized models. Clothes hang better on thinner bodies, and photographers personal complaints when asked to shoot women who were not "conventionally thin" . These factors limit any efforts to lose the body image issue of "thinness" in society and advertising. Though the word "feminist" does not have a definition that is completely set in stone nor does it have a set standard of beliefs, a "feminist" would issue a larger sized model who represents, or nearly represents, the average woman.

Masculinity in advertising[edit]

In advertising, men are often portrayed in the following ways:^[12]

·      Alert and conscious of surroundings

·      Standing upright

·      Eyes open and looking around

·      Bodies are in controlled

·      Angry expression on face

·      Gripping objects tightly with hands

·      Serious

·      Strong body type

·      Physically active

"Bravery, adventurousness, being able to think rationally, being strong and effective, for example, are all "manly" traits that are usually encouraged. So also are the ability to think independently and take the initiative. Media images supporting these behaviors include the strong, silent Marlboro man and military ads telling young men to be 'all you can be'."^[13]

Gender stereotypes and roles[edit]

People organize their knowledge about the world around them by sorting and simplifying received information. (the principles of grouping? Needs source) Therefore, they create cognitive schemes, which are certain representations of the reality displaying its most typical and fundamental elements and properties. These schemes are responsible for defining the essence of our worldview and have a significant influence on social cognition – understanding, anticipation, situation and emotion control.

Gender roles have also been impacted by the media and advertising. SlutWalk is one phenomenon that emerges through in contemporary third-wave feminism. The SlutWalk movement helps increase victim visibility and reintroduce sexual violence issues to the public.^[43] Gender roles within media and advertising have also been impacted by sex and relationship commitments. Men have positive attitudes toward casual and recreational sex, whereas women value the emotional intimacy and commitment around a sexual relationship.^[44] Difficulties in differentiating gender roles in the modern societies can be a perfect example of the negative social effects of using stereotypes. A division of gender roles is deeply rooted in today's society. Through the ages men have been considered to be financial providers, career-focused, assertive and independent, whereas women have been shown as low-position workers, loving wives and mothers, responsible for raising children and doing housework. Nowadays a family model is based rather on a partnership than on patriarchy and women have more rights and possibilities on the labor market. Feminist environment had a significant impact on the change in this situation. Women's liberation movement fought for the rights of women and for redefining traditional gender roles.Although females and males are still not equal, the differences between gender are not so vast anymore. Nevertheless, many social institutions, such as mass media, still use gender stereotypes, basing on the assumption, that they are well known to everyone and help the receivers to understand the content of the message.^[45]

Gender roles in media and advertising is impacted by humor. Advertising frequently uses gender roles to promote products. There are various stereotypes in regards to humorous advertising with both males and females. Stereotypes can product oversimplified conceptions and misapplied knowledge evaluations. Humor is generated on two steps. First, some kind of incongruity that violates a predominating view has to be recognized and, second, if people cognitively resolve this incongruity, they experience humor. Humor occurs when it seems that things are normal, while at the same time something goes wrong that breaks our expectations. Men could be depicted in domestic roles doing chores, whereas women would be presented in independent roles. This would break our expectation and society norms that revolve around the gender roles. Exaggerating these gender norms would have a potential to be humorous.^[46]

Gender stereotypes and roles[edit]

People organize their knowledge about the world around them by sorting and simplifying received information.Therefore, they create cognitive schemes, which are certain representations of the reality displaying its most typical and fundamental elements and properties. These schemes are responsible for defining the essence of our worldview and have a significant influence on social cognition – understanding, anticipation, situational and emotion control.

Gender roles have been impacted by the media and advertising. The SlutWalk is one phenomenon that emerged through contemporary third-wave feminism. The SlutWalk movement helps increase victim visibility and reintroduce sexual violence issues to the public.^[43]

Gender roles within media and advertising have been impacted by sex and relationship commitments. Due to media influence, it is perceived that men have positive attitudes toward casual and recreational sex, whereas women value the emotional intimacy and commitment around a sexual relationship.^[44] Difficulties in differentiating gender roles in the modern societies can be a perfect example of the negative social effects of using stereotypes. A division of gender roles is deeply rooted in today's society. Through the ages, men have been considered to be financial providers, career-focused, assertive and independent, whereas women have been shown as low-position workers, loving wives and mothers, who are responsible for raising children and doing housework. Nowadays a family model is based rather on a partnership than on the patriarchy. Women have more rights and possibilities on the labor market. Women's liberation movement fought for the rights of women and for redefining traditional gender roles. Although females and males are still not equal, the differences between gender are not so vast anymore. Nevertheless, many social institutions, such as mass media, still use gender stereotypes, basing on the assumption that they are well known to everyone. Because of this, the gender binary has strengthened.

Gender roles in media and advertising is impacted by humor. Advertising frequently uses gender roles to promote products. There are various stereotypes in regards to humorous advertising with both males and females. Stereotypes can produce oversimplified conceptions and misapplied knowledge evaluations. Humor is generated on two steps. First, some kind of incongruity that violates a predominating view has to be recognized and, second, if people cognitively resolve this incongruity, they experience humor. Humor occurs when it seems that things are normal, while at the same time something goes wrong that breaks our expectations. Men could be depicted in domestic roles doing chores, whereas women would be presented in independent roles. This would break our expectation and society norms that revolve around the gender roles. Exaggerating these gender norms would have a potential to be humorous.^[46]

Gender displays in advertising[edit]

"If gender is defined as the culturally established correlates of sex (whether in consequence of biology or learning) the gender display refers to conventionalized portrayals of those correlates."^[10] Gender displays can otherwise be defined as rituals of gender behavior, and they are used to help interpret social reality.^[1] This is what advertising mainly borrows from, and for Goffman this is the reason as to why ads do not look strange to the public.^[1] Further, Goffman argues that there are codes which can be used to identify gender. These codes of gender can be seen in the portrayals of men and women in advertising. There are four categories under which we can see these codes of gender: the family, the feminine touch, the ritualization of subordination, and licensed withdrawal.^[10]

Gender displays in advertising[edit]

"If gender is defined as the culturally established correlates of sex (whether in consequence of biology or learning) the gender display refers to conventionalized portrayals of those correlates."^[10] Gender displays can otherwise be defined as rituals of gender behavior, and they are used to help interpret social reality.^[1] This is what advertising mainly borrows from, and for Goffman this is the reason as to why ads do not look strange to the public.^[1] Further, Goffman argues that there are codes which can be used to identify gender. These codes of gender can be seen in the portrayals of men and women in advertising and lack of advertisement of people who are transgender or do not identify on the binary. There are four categories under which we can see these codes of gender: the family, the feminine touch, the ritualization of subordination, and licensed withdrawal.^[10]

Research suggests that there are four different and independent components. They are trait descriptors (self-assertion, concern for others), physical characteristics (hair length, body height), role behaviors (leader, taking care of children), and occupational status (truck driver, elementary school teacher, housewife). Each component has a masculine and a feminine version. Stereotyping becomes problematic when stereotypes lead to expectations and judgements that restrict life opportunities for subject of a social category. This is the reason why public policy is concerned about marketing activities that promote stereotypes. Each gender stereotype component can lead to negative consequences that restrict life opportunities, particularly for women. Physical characteristics can lead to reduced self-dignity, role behaviors may lead to restricted opportunities of self-development, and stereotyping of occupational roles may lead to disadvantages in women's careers.^[48]

Research suggests that there are four different and independent components. They are trait descriptors (self-assertion, concern for others), physical characteristics (hair length, body height), role behaviors (leader, taking care of children), and occupational status (truck driver, elementary school teacher, housewife). Each component has a masculine and a feminine lens. Stereotyping becomes problematic when they lead to expectations and judgements that restrict life opportunities. In other cases, an individual can become harmed or feels unsafe because they are the subject of that social category. This is the reason why public policy is concerned about marketing activities that promote stereotypes. Physical characteristics can lead to reduced self-dignity, role behaviors may lead to restricted opportunities of self-development, and stereotyping of occupational roles may lead to disadvantages in people's careers.^[48]