Gender Inequality in Pop Culture
Written By by Lilia Slimane
A significant part of pop culture in our lives, especially as impressionable kids growing up, is the music videos, YouTube videos, and TikToks we watch, and the patterns we notice in terms of how the social construct of genders is represented online. We can’t help but blindly absorb the patterns we constantly see in the media when we’re still young and new to this world, trying to understand norms, conventions, and how we should carry and present ourselves.
This prompts us to raise questions like: How can we foster an equal and peaceful climate when there is a grave imbalance emulated into our social fabric and reflected in the media by socially-imposed/man-made hierarchies of gender, race, class (and so on), that we are exposed to and conditioned to since birth?
I had a moment of realisation a few weeks ago when I came across a video by the creator “IHeartMemphis” while scrolling through my feed on TikTok. If unfamiliar IHeartMemphis, he’s a rapper who rose to fame a few years ago with his song “Hit the Quan”, which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains a classic to this day.
Unfortunately, many of his newer songs were unsuccessful, thus it is unsurprising that he will try whatever it takes to stay relevant. And one of his favorite tactics is to use his 20 year-old girlfriend, Coco Bliss, to run up his views by having her twerk, bend down, and dance provocatively in as little clothing as possible, while he stands in the back and hypes her up.
(IHeartMemphis, n.d.)
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for women feeling empowered in their own skin and sexuality, but upon checking Coco’s TikTok account, she seems to focus more on what she has to say and in her beauty, rather than her body. And because the guys who are discovering her via IHeartMemphis’ account only want to see her dance in skimpy clothing, they choose to only watch her through his account, thus he’s the one profiting off of her sexuality.
Astonished at how he shamelessly uses his girlfriend and objectifies her to millions of people for his own gain, I opened the comments and began reading what others have to say because I wanted to see if I was the only one who noticed this pattern or if others could see what I saw beneath this layer of a “cute” couple joining in on TikTok dances and trends. I definitely wasn’t the only one, but people were so blinded by her dances that the majority of the comments were flooded with compliments. Now, I don’t blame them, she’s beautiful, and I might be overanalyzing it here but it makes me feel so uneasy that a boyfriend who is supposed to love, respect, and cherish his girlfriend, is degrading her for other men’s viewing pleasure and gaze. In each video, the repeated exhibition of inequality and power (where he parades her around like a trophy while she dances for the audience) made me so sad and disrespected, yet he’s making millions and receiving insane traction.
Why is it that women are so underrepresented in the media, but when they finally put us in the center stage, it’s to exploit us?
Pop culture is defined as the mass culture with the strongest influence on our everyday lives and experiences (Fedorak, 2009). It is all the performances, beliefs, and routines that we absorb through media, radio, TV, and other means in order to make sense of the world around us, and live it to its full potential (Fedorak, 2009). Though it is a very wide-reaching culture that may bring people together over shared interests and entertainment, it is also tremendously influential in terms of replicating societal values and processes and shaping our beliefs, behaviours, and norms (Fedorak, 2009). This can be a consequence of pop culture, where the masses are being exposed to stereotypes reinforced in TV shows and music videos using conventional and Westernized values (Media and Inequality, 2016).
In this blog post, I want to specifically discuss the relationship between the media’s objectification and underrepresentation of women, and its contribution to gender inequality.
Pop culture and the media are huge determinants in how we think about gender roles and norms, but their portrayal of women as inferior secondaries to the default man is not good for our societal structure and can lead to stereotypical and narrow-minded beliefs, as well as violence, and inequality (Wood, 1994; Horowitz, 2016). This image of women has been repeated to us since we were young and has created a dangerous climate for those who don’t fit the gender norm or are on the lower end of the man-made hierarchy (Horowitz, 2016).
Media and popular figures that have been the foundation of pop culture have played a significant role in propagating gender stereotypes to the masses and contributing to inequality (Stereotypes & Gender Inequality in Music Videos, 2016; Media and Inequality, 2016). Since the beginning of our lives, music, television, literature, and movies have all influenced our culture and perceptions of masculinity and femininity, dictating how we should act and be treated based on our race, gender, class, and in particular, the role of “women in society” (The crucial role of media in achieving gender equality, 2020; Media and Inequality, 2016; Stereotypes & Gender Inequality in Music Videos, 2016).
(Chesters, 2014)
More often than not, women are depicted in stereotyped, objectifying, and submissive ways to feed the male gaze, while men are staged to be the superior and stronger figure, demonstrating a grave power imbalance between men and women. For example, in the image above, the woman is submissively bent over in a mini dress, almost like she is about to be spanked by the more prominent and professional man, even though they are modeling for the same company (The crucial role of media in achieving gender equality, 2020; Media and Inequality, 2016; G., 2014). We generally have the small secondary roles to play that are only there to support the protagonist, but when we do, it’s just to sit there and look pretty as if we have nothing else to offer (for example, the damsel in distress trope that automatically sets men as the main protagonist trying to save a helpless woman in a secondary role, like Mario and Princess Peach) (Stereotypes & Gender Inequality in Music Videos, 2016). In instances when women are the protagonist, they tend to be paid less than their male counterparts. This continues to perpetuate and reinforce a false image of femininity, giving men the impression that women are nothing more than an accessory to them, like their cars, which is degrading, objectifying, and tarnishes their behaviour towards us (Wood, 1994; G., 2014).
Simultaneously, another issue is the media’s underrepresentation of women; on television and in the movies, women are consistently outnumbered, accounting for only 24% of persons in media and programming, further supporting the stereotype that men are the norm and standard (Wood, 1994; The crucial role of media in achieving gender equality, 2020). This could be because the same thing is going on behind the scenes where women only make up “about 5%” of writers, directors, and producers, thus it is unsurprising that women are depicted in such a wrong and negative light (Wood, 1994).
This is a major social issue because women all over the world are suffering as a result of the distorted way pop culture and the media portray women (The crucial role of media in achieving gender equality, 2020). When we see how we are represented in the popular media that surround women, we begin to accept this limiting view and lose sight of who we are, what potential we have, and what is considered standard for men and women (Wood, 1994). Because our favourite TV shows, songs, and movies display women as objects or accessories for men, they come to assume that our role is to serve men, always be flawless, and to strive to be less than them (Media and Inequality, 2016; Wood, 1994; G., 2014).
(IndiaToday, 2015)
This inequality is instilling in impressionable boys and girls the unhealthy belief that they must be a certain way to be accepted: boys must be strong, powerful, emotionless, and aggressive, while girls must be youthful, skinny, polite, attractive, and subservient (Wood, 1994). This is harmful to all genders because it is an unrealistic assumption and expectation that everyone will identify as either a boy or a girl and desire to abide by gender norms and restrictions, and thus creates a hostile culture for individuals who wish to explore their gender or style (Horowitz, 2016). It is constricting and sexist.
It also greatly impacts our self-esteem, making us think that our healthy bodies are too fat or ugly in comparison to those represented in films or magazines (Wood, 1994). Unrealistic body images in the media and pop culture are also what has given rise to the age of plastic surgery, diet culture, and eating disorders (Wood, 1994).
Accepting this image of men and women in the media and pop culture also has the consequence of contributing to the normalization and perpetuation of violence against women (Wood, 2013). As a result, there are more femicides, gender-based violence, sexual harassment, abuse, and other injustices that women must face in this world, because the more we are exposed to degrading and violent material against women, the easier it is to desensitize us into thinking it’s normal (Wood, 2013; Media and Inequality, 2016). Because inequality has become embedded in our pop culture and society, women are constantly disrespected and subject to violence at home, in public, at work, in school, and practically anywhere they go (G., 2014).
Despite the fact that times are continuously evolving and people are becoming more open-minded and flexible with gender norms and standards, it is still an issue that has gone unregulated in pop culture and the media that surrounds us and influences us for far too long (Media and Inequality, 2016). Pop culture is a huge determinant in how we carry ourselves and think about the world, but our favourite media platforms, television shows, movies, and music videos have all played a significant role in enforcing socially constructed stereotypes in terms of gender, race, and class that have all led to inequality, violence, unequal pay, and many other injustices (The crucial role of media in achieving gender equality, 2020; Fedorak, 2009; Wood, 1994). Meanwhile, it has been up to us to break out of this ignorance and normalization of treating people differently or less than because of their sex, skin colour, wealth, or other characteristics (The crucial role of media in achieving gender equality, 2020).
Thus, stricter regulations are needed to foster positive representation and gender-friendly content in the media to shatter these outdated stereotypes, as well as to ensure that nothing and no one representing discriminatory material may be called pop culture (Media and Inequality, 2016; The crucial role of media in achieving gender equality, 2020). We need to combat these norms and stereotypes about gender by casting more women in main roles that aren’t centered on sex appeal and youth, increasing diversity representation in film and tv shows, drowning out sexist content, and by challenging gender norms in general (Media and Inequality, 2016; The crucial role of media in achieving gender equality, 2020).
References
Chesters. (2014, April). The Gucci Gaze. Media and Cultural Analysis. Retrieved March 2022, from https://www.karanovic.org/courses/mca008/archives/1492
Fedorak, S. (2009). Pop culture: the culture of everyday life. University of Toronto Press.
G., A. (2014, November 24). Gender inequality in pop culture. Anthropology 2100. Retrieved December 6, 2021, from https://anthro2100.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/gender-inequality-in-pop-culture/.
Horowitz, S. (2016, April 3). Disney’s Influence on Gender Roles in The Media. Retrieved from https://mediainequality.wordpress.com/2016/04/03/disneys-influence-on-gender-roles-in-the-media/.
IHeartMemphis🔥 (@iheartmemphis). TikTok. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2022, from https://www.tiktok.com/@iheartmemphis
IndiaToday. (2015, March). Dolce & Gabbana Under Fire over 'gang rape' ad. India
Today. Retrieved March 2022, from
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/dolce-and-gabbana-under-fire-over-gang-rape-a d-244792-2015-03-18
Media and inequality. Media and Inequality. (2016, May 2). Retrieved December 6, 2021, from https://mediainequality.wordpress.com/.
Stereotypes & Gender Inequality in Music Videos. (2016, March 2). Retrieved from https://mediainequality.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/stereotypes-gender-inequality-in-music-videos/.
The crucial role of media in achieving gender equality. IMS. (2020, February 21). Retrieved December 6, 2021, from https://www.mediasupport.org/the-crucial-role-of-media-in-achieving-gender-equality/.
Wood, J. T. (1994). Gendered media: The influence of media on views of gender. Gendered lives: Communication, gender, and culture, 9, 231-244. Retrieved December 6, 2021, from https://www1.udel.edu/comm245/readings/GenderedMedia.pdf
