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Natalia Rubiano

Dr. Angela Mitchell

UWRT 1103-003

March 30, 2018

Stereotypes: The Means of Visualizing a Women

If society is constantly evolving to live up to current trends, why do stereotypes still have

a prominent influence on the interpretations of an individual? If the twenty-first-century society

is a part of the new diverse cultural changing-era, why do stereotypes still have a prominent

influence on the interpretations of an individual? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a

stereotype is a "preconceived or oversimplified idea" that labels and individual with certain

characteristics. These definite stereotypes where established over half a century ago yet are still

observed and illustrated in modern-day films, television series, and populous music albums. Pop

culture's abundance compared to the abundance of the people had disempowered society to for

their own individualistic characteristic instead allowing stereotypes to be the administrator that

determines the composing factors of an individual. Commented [G1]: Inserted: e

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A stereotype is an equivalence to visual literacy in the terms of the interpretations of
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visual images and their effect on the conscious minds in society. Visual literacy is one of the Commented [G4]: Deleted:y
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many essential components that augment an individual's learning process and skills of

interpretation. Since the technological advancements of radios and televisions, the visual and

auditory images portrayed are prominent interpreters of emotional and physical tendencies of an

individual. Images have adopted a greater power than that of the connotations of words, they

have allowed society to physically see the little details that words lack to prescribe. Majority of
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these labels established throughout the century have portrayed a negative impression of culture Commented [G6]: Inserted: o
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in society “[ignoring the] differences between individuals” (McLeod 2008).
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A woman's identity and culture are vulnerable to the victimization of stereotypes and the Commented [G9]: Inserted: A s
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emotional damage it initiates. For instance, in the African American community, the women Commented [G11]: Deleted:the
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population is labeled intro three separate categories: the Mammy, the Jezebel, and the Sapphire.
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The film industry is a common offender in generating the sense of victimization towards the Commented [G14]: Inserted: are
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community of women by emphasizing these roles with prominent actresses that are current role

models for society. Hattie McDaniel, one of the first African American actresses to win an Oscar

award, obtained a notorious role in the infamous film Gone with the Wind. She is identified as

“the Mammy” of the century for her physical characteristics of being an older obese caretaker for

white American families. This stereotype has been actively applied in today’s society with

injustice by identifying these women as the equivalence of maids or nannies during the harsh

time of slavery. These roles have caused women with the occupation of caretakers to become

unappreciated by families because that is what is depicted in films today.

Not only are older women affected by these stereotypes but so are young girls as they

mimic these roles that are currently available on their television screens. Young girls are the next

generation that will possibly end these stereotype or so various people believe so. The National Commented [G16]: Inserted: y
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Public Radio (NPR) published an article by Katherine Hobson that exposed a study that

demonstrated young girls tended to not label themselves as the intelligent gender. Some “might

think [that] stereotypes start in college but... children are incredibly attuned to social signals"

(Hobson 2017) therefore incredibly influenced by the visual literacy they see adapting on their

screens. Throughout television series, women are always overshadowed by the so-called

superior men and are not acknowledged for their actual intelligence that is purposefully hidden.
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For instance, The Big Bang Theory undermines one of their principle characters Penny Commented [G17]: Inserted: ,

Hofstadter by making her the stereotypical dumb blonde who has the incapability to learn.

Sheldon who is a brainiac tries to teach Penny the fundamental basis of physical as if she were a

kindergarten student yet, she still fails to capably understand. However, there have been a scarce Commented [G22]: Deleted:c

amount of breakthroughs in the modern-day society of the film industry. Hidden Figures, Commented [G18]: Inserted: s

directed by Theodore Melfi, is a 2016 drama of the African American women mathematicians

who influence the launch of a NASA space shuttle. This is one of the first films of the century

that omit the stereotypical norms of an unintelligent woman not being at the exact or greater

level of intelligence than a man. The stereotype of an unintelligent woman falsely portrays the

development of the female community and how these women are currently overpowering the

male community. Commented [G19]: Inserted: a

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The women community has become victims of the stereotypes produced by mass-media
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and heightened the injustices women have endured because of the requirement to follow the Commented [G24]: Deleted:e

labels produced by the industries. "The mass media promotes an obsessive feminine beauty

which limits women" (Coman 2016) to peacefully express their inner beauty and proudly accept

their body without judgment. Marilyn Monroe, also known as the Blonde Bombshell, became a

primary sec symbol during the sixteenth century and is currently the figurine every woman

dreams to be. Her lumpatious curves and substantial blonde curls caused women to alter

themselves to mimic the body Monroe upheld because that's what their husbands desired their

wives to characterize themselves as. Women had a strict image they had to uphold depending the

social class they were from. Either the woman had to be the submissive housewife or the
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desirable sex object that was portrayed in the media industries. The music industry also is a Commented [G26]: Inserted: x
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culprit of creating offensive rap music about a woman's body type and their sexuality. In
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infamous rapper, Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) women were titled as “a bitch, a Commented [G27]: Inserted: ,

ho, or a trick” in about eleven of his fourteen songs. Rappers were labeling women as these titles

because they finally fighting for their proper self-respect and were tired of being brought down

by the male population. These offensive comments are known as misogyny which is “a prejudice

against women” (Oxford English Dictionary) and intensified the necessity for the female

community to follow and believe these stereotypes if not there would be consequences of

humiliation and ridicule.

The ambassador of United Nation’s Women society is an actress who was also a victim

of the stereotypes produced by the film industry. Emma Watson is an advocate for equality in

women’s rights who also obtained a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and her role as

Hermione Granger in the saga of Harry Potter. She provided a speech at the ambassadors

meeting in 2014 that reflected how just at the age of “fourteen she was sexualized by certain

elements of the media” causing her to be victimized for her physical appearance that did not

comply with the social norms. She was also victimized by her family when she was just eight

years old, she was labeled “bossy when she wanted to direct the plays [she] would put on for

[her] parents” (Watson 2014). Being a female in a male industry limited women as either stay at

home mother or doing a profession that did not overpass a man financially. Women have been

considered as domestic mothers who were only able to complete house chores and tend for their

families while men were the breadwinners and arrived home to be pampered by their wives. This

stereotype was created by society but was enforced by the movie industry, such as Paramount,

when these industries created films like The Stepford Wives. This film created the idea that

women needed to be programmed to be the perfect wife controlled by men to fulfill their manly
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needs at their desire. Women are portrayed not being able to accomplish their own goals and live

a successful life for themselves, they were unable to wear the pants in their relationship.

Stereotypes arose since the end of the World War II were women were fired from their

industrial occupations because their husbands have returned from war and needed the jobs more

than the women. Also, media was vastly growing after the war because the first video recorders

and movies were being created. According to a study conducted by Gaye Tuchman, she noted Commented [G31]: Inserted: ,

that "mass media [has] some sort of detrimental impact on both individual consciousness and

collective social life." Films have portrayed women as the sentimental and emotionally unstable

due to their biological aspects but also the stereotypes themselves influence that tendency to

easily break down. Women believe they are portraying what society wanted them to be however, Commented [G34]: Deleted:up

they are harming their emotional stability and truism to themselves through these stereotypes.

Every woman during the menstrual cycle is different depending on their personality but

television series and films had identified women to always be PMSing or having premenstrual Commented [G32]: Inserted: on

syndrome. Throughout high school dramas such as One Tree Hill or Gossip Girl, various of

these teens are developing as young adults and both shows involve an episode where the main

female character is being rude, emotional, or snappy, therefore they always assume the female is

at the time of her month. Therefore, whenever an angered woman is walking the streets for a

personal reason she is always assumed to be in her menstrual cycle because that is what the

screens demonstrate. Commented [G33]: Inserted: i

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Women have suffered for years to be granted the opportunity of equal rights that men

possess and the difficulty to prove themselves as worthy, yet still being ordered to perform a

specific way. The media industries have created a difficult road for women to walk on because of

all the negative and positive stereotypes that have limited them to a certain a perspective. Simply
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psychology identifies stereotypes as a “fixed, over-generalized belief about a particular group of

people or class” (Cardwell 1996). These industries have tried omitting these stereotypes but their

efforts have not done so completely, they instead created an identity for women that would

follow them for years. Women have completed breakthroughs that have lighten their paths and

have guided them through an easier lifestyle but the lack of artists, directors, and actors to

alienate themselves from these roles have diminished most of the light. I believe that stereotypes

still have a prominent influence on the interpretations of an individual because that is what

society believes is the norm and no one wants to break these norms because the evils in this

world would judge them.

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Works Cited

Coman, Alina. “A Broader Perspective of Gender Socialization Across Four Social Institutions.”

Bulletin of the Transylvania University of Brasov. Series VII: Social Sciences. Law, vol. 9,

no. 2 July 2016, pp.75-72. Academic Search Complete.

[Link]

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“Emma Watson at the HeForShe Campaign 2014 – Official UN Video.” Youtube, uploaded by

United Nations, 22 September 2014, [Link]/watch?v=gkjW9PXBRfk

Garcia Beaudoux, Virginia. “U.N Women Aims to Tackle Global Gender Stereotypes in Media.”

The Conversation, 24 Oct. 2017, LexisNexis Academic,

[Link]

J4V2&csi=297647&hl=t&hv=t&hnsd=f&hns=t&hgn=t&oc=00240&perma=true

Hobson, Katherine. “Young Girls Are Less Apt to Think That Women Are Really, Really

Smart.” NPR, 26 Jan. 2017,

[Link]/sections/healthshots/2017/01/26/511801423/young-girls-are-less-apt-to-

thinkwomen-are-really-really-smart.

McLeod, Saul. “Stereotypes.” Simply Psychology, 2015,

[Link]

"Misogyny, n." OED Online, Oxford University Press, March 2018,

[Link]/view/Entry/119829.

Puri, Lakshmi. “Countering Gender Discrimination and Negative Gender Stereotypes: Effective

Policy Responses.” UN Women, 31 July 2011,

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[Link]/en/news/stories/2011/7/coutnering-gender-discrimination-and-

negative-gender-stereotypes-effective-policy-responses.

"stereotype, n. and adj." OED Online, Oxford University Press, January 2018,

[Link]/view/Entry/189956.

Tuchman, Gaye. “Women’s Depiction by the Mass Media.” Signs, vol. 4, no. 3, 1979, pp. 528-

542. JSTOR, [Link]