AJBCOB | Mass Media Effects
How the Media Sexualizes Women in the News
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Public Relations
Minor
Legal Studies
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Bellarmine Ezumah
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
This paper looks at the relationship between the media and how it frequently portrays women as sexualized objects. The goal of this study is to prove that because women are shown as sexual objects, the standard they hold themselves to drops and their body image and self-esteem are lower. Furthering our research, a survey was used to collect data based on the public’s thoughts of women in the media. Participants’ thoughts and attributions were analyzed for several aspects: target of the thought and types of attributions made. Overall, the data suggests that women are primarily the main targets for sexual exploitation in various forms of multimedia. Due to this exploitation, women experience negative attributions and repercussions both mentally and physically, while in comparison men are seen as ‘strange’ if they are portrayed in the media in the same light as women. In particular, over 80 percent of study participants showed negative feedback when posed with questions inquiring about wanting to view men who were just as sexualized as women. Furthermore, the research presented in this study primarily aims to limit the number of people who continue to hold the belief that women should be mainly seen as sexual objects when cast into the public eye of today’s generation.
Keywords: women, media, sexual exploitation, men
Location
South Lobby, Waterfield Library
Start Date
November 2016
End Date
November 2016
Affiliations
JMC330
How the Media Sexualizes Women in the News
South Lobby, Waterfield Library
This paper looks at the relationship between the media and how it frequently portrays women as sexualized objects. The goal of this study is to prove that because women are shown as sexual objects, the standard they hold themselves to drops and their body image and self-esteem are lower. Furthering our research, a survey was used to collect data based on the public’s thoughts of women in the media. Participants’ thoughts and attributions were analyzed for several aspects: target of the thought and types of attributions made. Overall, the data suggests that women are primarily the main targets for sexual exploitation in various forms of multimedia. Due to this exploitation, women experience negative attributions and repercussions both mentally and physically, while in comparison men are seen as ‘strange’ if they are portrayed in the media in the same light as women. In particular, over 80 percent of study participants showed negative feedback when posed with questions inquiring about wanting to view men who were just as sexualized as women. Furthermore, the research presented in this study primarily aims to limit the number of people who continue to hold the belief that women should be mainly seen as sexual objects when cast into the public eye of today’s generation.
Keywords: women, media, sexual exploitation, men