Gender and the Media

by Rosalind Gill

How have advertisers responded to feminism? What should we make of the popularity of ‘lad mags’? Is news a gendered product? Are men’s bodies -- as much as women’s -- now objectified in the media? Do shows like Oprah or Jerry Springer redraw the boundary between public and private? Is chick lit rewriting the romance? These are just some of the questions addressed in Gender and the Media. Written in a clear and accessible style, with lots of examples from Anglo-American media, the book offers a critical introduction to the study of gender in the media, and an up-to-date assessment of the key issues and debates. Eschewing a straightforwardly positive or negative assessment, Gender and the Media explores the contradictory character of contemporary gender representations, which sees confident expressions of girl power sitting alongside reports of epidemic levels of anorexia among young women; moral panics about the impact on men of idealised representations of the ‘sixpack’ but near silence about the pervasive re-sexualisation of women’s bodies; and the growing use of irony and playfulness that render critique extremely difficult. The book looks in-depth at five areas of media -- talk shows, magazines, news, advertising, and contemporary screen and paperback romances -- to examine how representations of women and men are changing in the 21st century, partly in response to feminist, queer and anti-racist critique. Gender and the Media is also concerned with the theoretical tools available for analysing representations. A range of approaches from semiotics to postcolonial theory is discussed, and Gill asks how useful notions such as objectification, backlash, and positive images are for making sense of gender in today’s Western media. Finally, Gender and the Media also raises questions about cultural politics -- namely, what forms of critique and intervention are effective at a moment when ironic quotation marks seem to protect much media content from criticism and when much media content -- from Sex and the City to revenge adverts -- can be labelled postfeminist.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Gender, School, Gender Studies

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 16, 2006

Reviews

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although presumably intended for students, as a non-student, I found this book an easy and enjoyable read. Those reading for fun may want to skip the rather exhaustive chapter devoted to theory. (I, personally, do not think you need any in-depth knowledge of Foucault or Althusser to appreciate Gill’s arguments.) This book helped to clarify the previously rather vague feelings I had on postfeminism. Gill looks at things like chick lit, lad mags and ‘empowering’ advertising. Correspondingly, she considers the rise of satirized (‘nostalgic’) sexism, ‘girl power’ and other distortions of feminism.

Gill is not the most concise writer (the chapter introductions/conclusions have a clunky quality that echoes a poor undergrad essay). I also think there are any number of avid TV viewers who could do a more incisive feminist analysis of Sex and the City. Broadly, however, Gender and the Media provides a meaty and thought-provoking read.

[walmsie101 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Useful for diss but nothing on a CoHo 🙈💅

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

dis

[Yuni]

I want read this book

[Keso Gagoshidze · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great reference to my recent qualitative semiotic report of beauty advertisements.

[Robert Bone · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up on this one - whilst the examples are utterly incredible and really bring the theory's described to life...there's simply not enough, and so the constant drool of description with millions and millions of constant references make learning about my FAVORITE subject a chore. There's so much repetition, really feel like there's no need for the intro or 1/3 of the book. The examples are in fact all you need: really recommenced finding the one about the interviews with male radio presenters. But then again, even that may be a chore in itself.

[Rut · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will just leave you with a quote:

"Two things are clear, however: fist, that postfeminism constructs an articulation or suture between feminist and anti-feminist ideas, and secondly, that this is effected entirely through a grammar of individualism that fits perfectly with neoliberalism" (Page 270)

Good book.

You might also be interested on: Postfeminities in Popular Culture.

[Tahmina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting perspectives. Last chapters are the best.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book but it drags a bit.