Title: Messages From TV Land: The Influence of Media on Our Thinking About Gender
Topic: I am working on the topic of 1950s television because I want to find out how gender roles are influenced by television to help my reader better understand what role society plays in our perception of ourselves and each other.
Description: My project will address the topic of gender roles and how our thinking of gender roles is influenced by outside sources, such as television and society. This is important to think about because gender roles is part of our everyday lives; gender roles influences many aspects of our lives whether we are conscious of it or not. The American culture places a heavy influence on gender and gender roles. A person is succumbed to being exactly what society makes them out to be because of this. It is important to understand how our thinking is shaped and to understand that we are a product of our environments. To fully understand ourselves and others, we need to know how we are thought of/think of each other.
This topic has been an interest of mine since learning about gender roles and stereotypes in AP Psychology in high school. What truly sparked my interest was learning that children start learning about gender roles and stereotypes at three years old. From such a young age we are making judgments about people based on gender, something that is necessary, but that is also socially constructed. My interest was further sparked when piecing together that people can be of a different gender and of a different sex at the same time.
To fully understand a person, you have to know how he or she views themselves and what she or he thinks of gender roles, and also what you think of gender roles and gender as a whole. This becomes important when a person's biological sex does not match up with his or her perceived gender. Knowing the aforementioned will foster an understanding of how the person views his or her place and others' place in society.
Joan Scott's essay, "Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis" will be and has been beneficial in my thinking of gender and of my topic. From this essay, I can see how people have already thought of gender and where it has been studied, which can give me a starting point or base for my topic and research.
Context Description: The 1950s decade was the time when television started making its debut in the household as the "dominant mass media" source ("1950-1959"). Television had such an influential role in the household and on families because "what was portrayed on television became accepted as normal" ( "1950-1959"). People mimicked the lives they saw on television, implementing the roles and personas they viewed (ibid). Television was used as a "family medium," meaning it brought the family together while simultaneously teaching gender roles ("Family on Television"). From this, people learn their roles in society and in the household. This then influences how they view themselves, how they view others, and what they teach their children. Because parents teach their children what gender roles they have learned, the cycle is perpetuated. Gender roles are necessary for societal organization, but they are obstructions to how a person is truly viewed. When you are born, you have a tainted slate, not only because of your gender and the influence of that by society, but also because of your race, socioeconomic status, and the intersectionality of all the other roles a you play.
Though television has been a leading contributor in teaching the "most fulfilling way to live one's life, its programs have often presented multiple and contradictory messages" ("Family on Television"). Television shows are limited in the amount of racism and homophobia they present ("Family on Television"). Shows often do not portray the realities of people's lives, thus people are skewed to believe one thing is true and make generalizations for everyone, such as heterosexuality. Further with my topic, gender roles only work if a person's biological sex matches with the gender he or she perceives as his or her own. Television's display of solely heterosexuality is exclusive to a section of people who do not meet society's criteria for specific gender roles.
Works Cited.
Bradley, Becky . "1950-1959." American Cultural History. Lone Star College-
Kingwood Library, 1998. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.
Spigel, Lynn. "Family on Television." The Museum of Broadcast Communications. 2011. The Museum of
Broadcast Communications. MBC, 2001. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.
I think you have some really great sources that are an asset to your research topic. I like that you discussed the fact that people can be of the same sex but have different gender roles. You also expressed that gender roles don't work unless people's sex and gender match. I think these are two very important, yet often forgotten, points to make.
ReplyDeleteI probably said this in the last blog I commented on, but I really think this topic needs to be brought into mainstream view. In High School, I knew a physical girl who was mentally a male. Since High School I have heard they were able to work and get enough money for a sex change and are in that process. Also, the TV show Degrassi in its more recent seasons has a student who knows she is supposed to be a guy and tries to convince her mom to let her get a sex change.
ReplyDeleteI like that you're looking at 1950's television because gender roles were very much cookie cutter men and women. Are you going to show how historically from the 1950's to present day the idea of gender roles has taken on a new meaning and television shows reflect it?
I think gender roles are definitely influenced by television. It gives youth a false idea of how the world works. My godbrother is only 5 years old, and he already thinks that girls can not do everything boys can. I look forward to the rest.
ReplyDeleteI love your topic. I think the 1950s are a great place to base your research just because that was a time when men and women had set gender roles that they basically had to live up to. And I agree that television plays a HUGE role in teaching kids, as well as adults, gender roles. It is obvious that men and women are portrayed certain ways. And television from the 1950s varies greatly from television today. Some people long for the 1950s while others embrace the way gender roles have changed since then.
ReplyDeleteI think this is great. Talking about stereotypes on one hand, and how people view themselves on the other is really awesome. Almost all of the time people do not view themselves 100% the way the stereotype would lay it out for them to. Gender roles are very important and it is great that you took it to the mental state of gender and not just the physical.
ReplyDeleteThe context description was great! It really conveyed the importance that television had in the 1950s as an emerging medium. The stereotypical June Cleaver character definitely shaped the ideas of how a mother should be.
ReplyDeleteI love the topic. By looking at the past we see how far we've come and how much more we need to progress to achieve a world where gendered roles are one in the same or if they remain it's to no offense or leads to ignorant assumption.
ReplyDeleteThe 1950s is the perfect timeframe to work with because that was when gender roles were the most strict, yet most skewed in society. The expectations were totally unrealistic! I think you are definitely on the right track with this, keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteTelevision is interesting because it is not necessarily a reflection of society, but instead a reflection of what is currently acceptable in society. I think then it would be interesting to understand where the gaps are in television as a method for cultural study.
ReplyDeleteI just recently did a small project on this kind of thought. I found several clips on Youtube from "Leave it to Beaver" which would probably help form your case.
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ReplyDeleteYou got some great research already done. I like the incorporation of psychological theory, the specific time frame, and the pieces you've chosen for literary analysis.
ReplyDeleteI say find some facts about the producers and creators of these programs for historical context. After all, the owners, producers, and writers were trying to write an idyllic and or relatable family setting, but written through their eyes as white male professionals.
October 24, 2011 9:18 PM