Gender (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Media Studies): Revision Note

Gender representation

• Gender representation is about how males, females, and non-binary people are shown in the media

• It is also about what messages these portrayals communicate to the audience about gender roles, behaviour, and identity

• The representation of gender roles has evolved 

  • This reflects wider social and cultural changes, such as feminism, civil rights, and shifting family roles

How has gender representation evolved?

• Gender representation has evolved from passive women and dominant men in early media to independent, complex female characters and emotionally expressive males today

• Whilst some media strongly represent this shift in culture, there is still inequality

• Raising awareness that this inequality still exists in society is a strong message in itself in the media

  • Example 1: The # MeToo movement 

  • Example 2: The main message of Stormzy’s ‘Superheroes’ music video is intended to empower Black people who have historically been under-represented or misrepresented 

  • Example 3: Taylor Swift’s music video for ‘The Man’ highlights gender bias within society

• Gender representation has also evolved as society has acknowledged that gender is not simply about men and women

• Society has a greater acceptance of gender fluidity and self-expression

• New terms have evolved to help represent and identify this, such as: 

  • Metrosexual — heterosexual men represented as well-groomed, fashionable, and appearance-focused

  • Spornosexual — men who are athletic, muscular, physically “perfect” and often represented in a sexualised way

Feminism

• Feminism is a social and political movement that stands up for gender equality between men and women

• The movement challenges patriarchy and traditional gender roles

• Feminists seek to remove discrimination in places like work, education, and social life and promote positive representation of women in all areas of life, including media

Laura Mulvey - Male gaze theory

• Laura Mulvey is a feminist theorist

  • She argues that women are shown as objects to be looked at, rather than for audiences to consider their personalities

• Mulvey theorises that media is often created from a male point of view 

• The ‘male gaze’ emphasises media language such as camera shots, clothing and poses that focus on women’s bodies and appearance

• Mulvey argues this reinforces patriarchal power and gender inequality