Throughout the course of this module we were asked to address the statement "Men are made, not born." I find this closely correlates with some of the assigned ethnographic films and clips I have recently viewed. For example, both Tough Guise: Violence, Media & the Crisis in Masculinity (ChallengingMind, 2006) and Sexism, Strength and Dominance: Masculinity in Disney Films (Sanjay Newton, 2007) represents the ideal concept of masculinity and how it is relayed in the media. However, after gaining more knowledge about the practices and ritual of other cultures, particularly those involving women I am inclined to argue that women are also “made, not born”.
All of the ethnographic/short films demonstrate the views of or on society 's perception …show more content…
There are also molds that define what is considered to be feminine as well. However I find the emphasis on what is considered feminine is based more on the physical appearance of a woman. When describing femininity the defining qualities are usually of a superficial nature versus other intangible qualities, whereas men are praised more often for qualities such as bravery, honorability and strength. Women are appraised by their beauty and bodies. The media is constantly dictating to women its concept of what I beautiful therefore setting the tone for what is feminine. The issue with this is the images chosen to set this tone. Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D explains the negative affect the media has had on women and their perceptions of themselves. The use of tools such as Photoshop by the media has perpetuates a false image of perfection.. The women we see representing what is considered to be the ideal image of beauty are false. The video clip Dove Evolution (Tim Piper, 2006) shows the process of an advertisement photo being created from start to finish with the assistance of makeup, hair and Photoshop. Her face has been slimmed, her eyes enlarged and nose altered among many other adjustments. By the end of the video the woman had been completely transformed. If it takes an entire esthetic and technological process to achieve this level of perfection, how is this to be achieved by the consumer? The media sets forth unrealistic expectations that are nearly impossible to attain because results have been
All of the ethnographic/short films demonstrate the views of or on society 's perception …show more content…
There are also molds that define what is considered to be feminine as well. However I find the emphasis on what is considered feminine is based more on the physical appearance of a woman. When describing femininity the defining qualities are usually of a superficial nature versus other intangible qualities, whereas men are praised more often for qualities such as bravery, honorability and strength. Women are appraised by their beauty and bodies. The media is constantly dictating to women its concept of what I beautiful therefore setting the tone for what is feminine. The issue with this is the images chosen to set this tone. Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D explains the negative affect the media has had on women and their perceptions of themselves. The use of tools such as Photoshop by the media has perpetuates a false image of perfection.. The women we see representing what is considered to be the ideal image of beauty are false. The video clip Dove Evolution (Tim Piper, 2006) shows the process of an advertisement photo being created from start to finish with the assistance of makeup, hair and Photoshop. Her face has been slimmed, her eyes enlarged and nose altered among many other adjustments. By the end of the video the woman had been completely transformed. If it takes an entire esthetic and technological process to achieve this level of perfection, how is this to be achieved by the consumer? The media sets forth unrealistic expectations that are nearly impossible to attain because results have been