Research - Representation of Men and Women

By Emma Hall

I feel the physical representation of women has got worse, as women feel pressured into having the typical Keira Knightley thin figure. The news media tend to focus on the problem of this in film and television, but I think the same is true for the music industry, as there are rarely female singers who are plus sized, despite the fact they often can produce bigger voices (like Adele).I think that the representation of women has improved in terms of having more strong , independent role models in media, however, like in the new BBC One show 'Hunted', which boasts a strong female lead in a primetime TV spot. Although there are still a lot of sidekick, femme fatale females in this area, this is not true for the music industry. In the indie sector, there are few female bands, and more female solo artists, which shows that women are not always grouped together in the media, but can successfully go it alone.   In pop, there are still a lot of press for girl-bands, like the Saturdays, but this is equalled by the representation of boy-bands, so this is clearly a sector that isn't gender specific.

 Recently, men feel the need to go to the gym more, and advertising for male beauty products has increased, targeting the common man to aspire to have a movie-physique. In this way men are growing to be as pressured as women.I agree that men tend to be shown as isolated heroes and never realistic family men, like in 'House' where the male lead never accepts help, however, thin and intelligent men are slipping into the mix more often, like Ben Whishaw as the new 'Q' in James Bond. In Indie music, men have often been the thinner variety, as shown by the trend of wearing skinny jeans and chinos which showcase the fact. This is contrasted by the R&B scene, which is still orientated mainly around muscular men, though even in this area, rap artists like Plan B and Eminem are gaining popularity.

 On the whole I think indie music defies most stereotypes, and shows a range of different characters for each gender. In my magazine, I can show this by featuring a strong independent female solo artist, or a thin male band shown to be intelligent but also highlighting their everyday, family life, to show they are real people to.