Gender roles in the media influence society greatly. Media has the ability to portray genders in ways that they really do not act in real life and American society. Even with reality shows, individuals in the shows put on an act in a way to persuade the audience’s mind to keep them watching. For this assignment I chose to watch two different shows that were on ABC Family. I was quick to learn that the “family channel” is not so much for the family. Things such as sex, power, health, parenting, work, and relationships were portrayed in negative ways throughout all three shows that I watched. The shows I decided to watch were Chasing Life and Melissa & Joey. The intended audiences for both shows are young women and teenage girls (Wikipedia).
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One difference is that in Melissa & Joey, because the two are married, different things could be interpreted about their relationship unlike in Chasing Life because no one is married on there. For one, during the episode “Thanks, But No Thanks” Melissa is cleaning out the closet when Joey enters the room. She explains to him that she is cleaning out the closet but when he gets to looking at the things she is getting rid of; it is all of his things. Anyone could analyze this situation to it looking like Melissa is the one with the power in the relationship. In American society, men like to be known as “head of household” and the person in the relationship with the power to give the final say so. However, in Melissa & Joey, it is in fact Melissa with all the say so and it makes that very clear throughout both episodes I watched. In the episode “Face the Music”, the show opens up to the couple in the kitchen going through the wedding gifts they received. Joey sees that a fancy wine bottle opener was given to them and Melissa says that she would like to try it out. Joey makes sure the audience knows that it is only 10 a.m. in the morning and tells her that and she gets cranky and says “you say no to everything, wine in the morning, sex in the car, everything.” He comes back with the remark, “It’s difficult to have sex in the car when I am the one driving” …show more content…
Because we have become such a technology based society, people live and breathe social media daily. Media has the ability to change someone’s entire lifestyle and make them into someone they are really not. I feel like more shows than not often portray negative aspects of women and their sexual life. From the documentary we watched in class, it is important to note when Jane Fonda says, “The hyper-sexualization that occurs in Hollywood, it’s toxic, there’s no question. It affects all of us, including young girls who are seeking an identity” (Miss Representation). Fonda clearly states that sex in the media is causing issues with girls today and is actually affecting all of us. Commercials, shows, and even movies encourage weight loss and the idea of the “perfect body” when actually many things we see on television are
One difference is that in Melissa & Joey, because the two are married, different things could be interpreted about their relationship unlike in Chasing Life because no one is married on there. For one, during the episode “Thanks, But No Thanks” Melissa is cleaning out the closet when Joey enters the room. She explains to him that she is cleaning out the closet but when he gets to looking at the things she is getting rid of; it is all of his things. Anyone could analyze this situation to it looking like Melissa is the one with the power in the relationship. In American society, men like to be known as “head of household” and the person in the relationship with the power to give the final say so. However, in Melissa & Joey, it is in fact Melissa with all the say so and it makes that very clear throughout both episodes I watched. In the episode “Face the Music”, the show opens up to the couple in the kitchen going through the wedding gifts they received. Joey sees that a fancy wine bottle opener was given to them and Melissa says that she would like to try it out. Joey makes sure the audience knows that it is only 10 a.m. in the morning and tells her that and she gets cranky and says “you say no to everything, wine in the morning, sex in the car, everything.” He comes back with the remark, “It’s difficult to have sex in the car when I am the one driving” …show more content…
Because we have become such a technology based society, people live and breathe social media daily. Media has the ability to change someone’s entire lifestyle and make them into someone they are really not. I feel like more shows than not often portray negative aspects of women and their sexual life. From the documentary we watched in class, it is important to note when Jane Fonda says, “The hyper-sexualization that occurs in Hollywood, it’s toxic, there’s no question. It affects all of us, including young girls who are seeking an identity” (Miss Representation). Fonda clearly states that sex in the media is causing issues with girls today and is actually affecting all of us. Commercials, shows, and even movies encourage weight loss and the idea of the “perfect body” when actually many things we see on television are