VivianDesperate housewife versus David Beckham
October 17th 2007 12:34
Desperate housewife versus David Beckham
“[N]ot all feminists think the same, but most agree that there is a problem with masculinity” (Van Zoonen, 2000). Following Van Zoonen's argument one can see that there has always been a class system for men and women in the mass media. Since the beginning of time men have been portrayed as the breadwinners, women as the housewives. Desperate housewife versus David Beckham. Even despite women receiving the privilege to vote in 1920s, the successes of the 1960s and 1970s liberation movements, and the first appointment of a women as Senior Commission Officer in charge of news and current affairs by Channel 4 in 1980, one could argue that the class system for men and women is still the same today. But it all turned into a fight for equality and the realization of one hindrance: masculinity. Although Channel 4's attempted failed miserably, the campaign against women's stereotypes in the media stayed and organizations like Media Watch were founded.
But what are the commonly accepted gender roles now in our society? Is there still a problem with masculinity, even in the year 2006? Celia Brayfield discusses this same question in her article “How feminism began – with shopping in the 17th century” (The Times, 2005). Subconsciously drawing a picture of the modern woman as a shopping queen and this her only economic and social power, I wonder if this is still the existing role. According to Helen Baehr and Angela Spindler-Brown (1996), males still outnumber females in high positions by far and people laugh about men who want to become a househusbands. On the other side though trends show that women prefer more and more a career over a family and are more willing to work their way up. Best example: Angela Merkel, not judging if this is an exclusively positive or negative argument.
If this is the case that in 2006 men are accept to be househusband and women tend to be more career focused, is it that television also recognizes this change and reproduces it on screen? “Woman can become lawyers. To retain its dominance, the hegemonic system must adapt”(Lont, 1995).
“[N]ot all feminists think the same, but most agree that there is a problem with masculinity” (Van Zoonen, 2000). Following Van Zoonen's argument one can see that there has always been a class system for men and women in the mass media. Since the beginning of time men have been portrayed as the breadwinners, women as the housewives. Desperate housewife versus David Beckham. Even despite women receiving the privilege to vote in 1920s, the successes of the 1960s and 1970s liberation movements, and the first appointment of a women as Senior Commission Officer in charge of news and current affairs by Channel 4 in 1980, one could argue that the class system for men and women is still the same today. But it all turned into a fight for equality and the realization of one hindrance: masculinity. Although Channel 4's attempted failed miserably, the campaign against women's stereotypes in the media stayed and organizations like Media Watch were founded.
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