Traditional gender
roles are continued and learned through patterned and structured television
portrayal of content. These roles begin even before birth; there is no before
exposure condition of television since children can respond to what they hear
even inside the womb. Women are objectified and stereotyped through television,
specifically prime-time television and the Food Network. The majority of
learning is done through sight, and when gender roles are continually exposed
to children and adults, they adopt these perceptions as their identity and
reality. This paper analyzes this concept through cultivation analysis and
cultural theory. The purpose of gender roles is instilled by social and
economic institutions in order to cause humans to self-discipline themselves,
to separate individuals, to gain control through their division while
constructing and shaping identity, and to fuel capitalism enforced by the
dominant patriarchal society.
The topic for this paper, gender
slant on the Food Network, emerged from observation of married couples who
did or did not participate in viewing the content of the Food Network together.
Couple X watches the programs together regularly. Couples X both exhibit a
happy marriage of 40 years and share domestic chores because both are employed
outside the home. The husband cooks frequently and the wife cleans. Couple X
finds balance between the feminine and masculine qualities of themselves not
only in the kitchen but in other aspects of life. The results observed are
balanced individuals and an equal marriage.
In
relation to Couple Y, the female watches more Food Network content by herself.
Gender roles are traditional in the actions of their marriage; for example, the
wife stays at home with children, works at home, and tends to the domestics.
The husband works at a machine shop, fixes the cars, chops wood, tends to the
yard, and other tasks our society deems “masculine”. Couple Y currently
expresses extreme frustration, unhappiness, and constant stress in their
marriage. The couple claims if it were not for their children, they would no
longer be married.
PHILOSOPHY
OF GENDER ROLES
To offer of contrast of Western society, Eastern
philosophy instructs that to maintain a happy life, one must transcend traditionally
accepted gender roles of the time and embrace both yin (feminine) and yang
(masculine); this is the principle of dynamic balance within nature. (Dreher.
2000) For example, winter causes nature to die, while spring brings new life.
Neither is greater than the other, but both seasons are necessary in order to
achieve balance in the world. In the western world, women are expected to be passive,
dependent, nurturers, (yin) while men should be strong, aggressive, leaders
(yang). This western practice of imbalanced gender perceptions and applications
of feminine and masculine qualities may cause unhappiness in a marriage or an
individual. Writer and philosopher of the Tao
Teh Ching, Lao Tzu, cautioned against adopting extremities on either side
of yin and yang, and urges individuals to surpass the idea of adopting only yin
or yang qualities, but encourages one to carry both yin and yang qualities.
Then, one can be a step closer to becoming a balanced whole character. Lao Tzu
instructs too much yang would cause one to become uncentered, impatient, too
busy doing and not enough time listening; however, too much yin would cause one
to become shy, submissive, and weak. (Dreher, 2000)
SEX ROLES
A role is the
intangible idea of what is acceptable speech or appropriate behavior in
societal situations. When a child is born into the world, most parents begin
shaping their identity immediately. Even before a child is born, their identity
can begin to be shaped in the womb after the hearing capabilities are
developed. Babies can hear noises at 22-24 weeks and definitely respond in the
womb to any outside noises. (Anderson, 2012) Mothers have read stories or spoken to their
children while in the womb, and new-born babies were able to recognize their
mother’s voices. Mothers have also played classical music through headphones
that rested on their pregnant stomachs; the children developed musical
abilities later on in life. If babies can respond to the arts, food, or their
mother’s voices, they can also begin gender identity construction in the womb
as well.
Roles are learned
through interactions with their environments and gauging responses based on the
pre-conceived expectations of their observer. The child then finds their
identity in the persona they adopt based on the negative or positive responses
of their surrounding environment. Girl babies are born and immediately spoken
to in a softer tone of voice, frosted with lacey dresses, pink ribbons and
bows, and given dolls or teddy bears to eventually nurture—an early practice
for the anticipated maternal role later in female life. Parents and peers wish
for the women to be interested in family, the home, and the domestics; also,
encourage her to participate in an active social environment, because these
social and domestic skills are what will eventually “attract a husband”. Boys are
born, and the proud papa’s break out blue, bubble gum cigars, dress him in camouflage
attire, and gradually shower him with masculine toys like Tonka trucks or hot
wheels, sports and outdoor equipment. The boys may be called “sissy,”
“nancy-boy”, and “pansy” if they do not fit the pre-determined character traits
associated with their masculine gender. This applies to women as well as they
are called “tom boy “or “dyke” if they portray a greater side towards what
western society had labeled as masculine qualities. Language and gestures can
happen through generational learning and by repeating what is observed. (Purnell,
1976) Learning through mimicry takes place in
reality, and identities can be observed and repeated from the world of
television as well. Children who are still developing psychologically and
socially are exposed to traditional yet imbalanced portrayals of sexes.
Robert Ezra Sparks states, “We come into the world as
individuals, achieve character, and become person’s.”(Goffman, 1959) The word
person comes from the latin word persona
meaning mask. Adopted gender roles become masked
performances, and “social fronts become institutionalized based on stereotypes
and expectations.” (Goffman, 1959) Media institutions dominated by western
ideas produce television content with traditional gender roles. Men on
television are characterized as working outside the home, outnumbering women by
a 3-1 ratio, and women in prime time television are likely be “portrayed as
young, energetic, attractive, married, and displayed within the context of the
home.” (Signorelli, 1982).
CULTIVATION
A ‘before exposure’ of television does not exists; television
enters life during infancy. Out of all species, humans are the ones to “live in
a world erected by the stories we tell.” (Gerber 1998). Communication and
sharing experiences are necessary for continuation of a culture; however, stories
are now fabricated and mass produced by distant corporations and driven by market
value instead of being homemade and community inspired. Television content
follows narrative patterns; it has become the centralized theme of
storytelling, and the source that spreads images and messages to the masses.
These stories become a part of our symbolic environment from either the day we
are born or even during prenatal growth as some mothers read stories to their
children while in the womb. These structured stories have the ability to shape
the listeners identity or reality. Gerbner (1998) refers to the process of
cultivation, which means analyzing message content and context to discover a re-occurring
model that over long periods of time can influence perceived realities. Cultivation
analysis proposes that people come to accept the world as it is portrayed on
television and accept this view as an aspect of reality; furthermore, audiences
accept their fears, understandings, and hopes based on re-occurring themes on
television. (McQuail, 2012) The messages are formatted and patterned for
audiences; television content becomes systematic, constantly repeating
information that will inevitably embed within audiences over time. Theorist
James Carey refers to this process as the ritual model, a model that depends on
“shared emotions, experiences and requires some element of ‘performance’ to be
recognized, meaning messages reflect the collective and constructed cultural
identity instead of an individuated identity. (McQuail, 2012) Carey writes that
the same type of programs with the same type of characters are produced, maintained,
repaired, and transformed “overtime for purpose of control”. Goffman agrees as
he explains, “Through social discipline, then, a mask of manner can be held in
place from within.” Social philosopher, Foucault, speaks of this process as self-discipline
and the “primacy of practice over belief”. Foucault expands that bodies becomes
trained, shaped and stamped by continuing historical forms of identity, desire,
masculinity and femininity. The prevalence of these characteristics are
instilled through the disciplinary mechanism of social, political, or economic
institutions that organize and regulate time, space, and movements in our daily
lives. (Bordo, 2007) Aside from learning bodily functions, Carey’s model is
applied to the re-emergence of gendered and transformed television content that
is only different through genre or the title of series. For example, the
television show “The Honeymooners” is re-formatted to “The King of Queens”,
“All in the Family” has satirically transitioned to “Family Guy”, and it is not
coincidence that “Everybody Loves
Raymond”, “According to Jim”, and “My Wife and Kids” carry the same character
types and plot settings. Through
formulaic and patterned programming, both children and adults are exposed to
imbalanced gender portrayals on television. The heavy television watchers are
more likely to adopt the ideas presented in fictional television as reality,
and despite the progress of the women’s movement in recent decades, women on
shows such as dramas, daytime soaps, sitcoms or comedies, and music videos are
associated with images of traditional motherhood, devotion to family, and
displayed as sexual objects for the traditionally labeled “sexually driven
males.” (Morgan and Shanahan, 2010) “83% of learning is through sight…and 50%
of what an individual retains in based on what they see and hear”. (Cameron and
Wilcox, 2012) Adults are learning or reinforcing what they see and teaching it
to children alongside of their viewed media content. Mass media is guided by
audience interest and demands; however, “the audience is only known by its
television selections and responses to what is offered”. (McQuail, 2012) The homogenized culture that adopts and
practices gender roles and sexual objectification will continue to be a
self-perpetuating cycle until society relieves itself of being exposed to “7 or
more hours of television a day”, (Gerbner, 1998) or until media institutions
change the content or structure of its gendered messages. The change will most
likely not happen, because gender roles or women as objects preserves and
enhances the structure of western patriarchal society and capitalism.
GENDERED
TELEVISION
Again, gendered television is even
exposed to children in animated cartoons or movies. Disney is known for its
beautiful, yet submissive princesses. The father characters on children’s
cartoons or films are represented as “controlling, aggressive, protective
disciplinarians while mothers are “nurturing, affectionate, and
self-sacrificing.” Viewing such depictions at an impressionable age enforces
children’s attitudes and beliefs of gender roles, and children are more likely
to identify with the perceived behavior if the characters demographics relate
to the child’s or if the character is physically attractive. (Granados &
Smith, 2008).
Women are poorly represented on
various day-time television cooking episodes on Food Network; this time of the
day is usually geared to an audience of stay at home parents, particularly
mothers or housewives, and retired women. Some of the popular channel stars who
appear in the time slots are Giada de Laurentiis, Rachel Ray, Paula Deen, and
Sandra Lee.
Giada
exemplifies the idea of women as objects in the kitchen. Every episode she is
adorned in glamour hair and makeup, while dressed in a cleavage baring low-cut
blouse. Some would argue this is just the attire of show business; possibly so,
but even such an appearance gives the audience an impression that women should
meet these expectations of sexy mothers or housewives. In addition to sexy
housewives, women are taught now to double their roles as independent career
woman, yet still remain a nurturing, maternal, family care-giver. Women are
influenced to adopt these roles through this re-occurring pattern on several
Food Network viewings.
Rachael
Ray and Sandra Lee are both other hosts who portray beauty in the kitchen as a
commonly accepted expectation of women. Paula Deen also promotes the
commercialized beauty industry and cosmetic surgery. Instead of wearing her
true self, or aging naturally, the beauty corrections are the messages
transmitted to influence her viewers; thus literally molding or ‘masking’ herself
and constructing audience perceptions to fit what is considered pleasant or
attractive. Viewers may look up to these
Food Network stars, since they are a type of celebrity, and it is undeniable
Americans look up to and fantasize themselves being in the same position as
celebrities, a status of fame, wealth, youth, and beauty. Messages audiences
receive from Food Network celebrities are hardly more than beauty, buying, and
boobs. Feminist theorist, Susan Bordo, explicates that “historically the discipline
and normalization of the female body is perhaps the only gender oppression that
exercises itself.”(Bordo, 2007)
The television stations use of
commodification, product placement, and commercial products propose the idea to
audiences that they will achieve their ideal cultural or social status if they
participate in conspicuous consumption thus fueling our capitalistic society.
Viewers are not discovering the real self; however, they only gain a false
sense or false consciousness of their real selves and their relation to reality
because “media can never be a true account of reality.”(McQuail, 2012) Furthermore,
the appropriate presentation of self is only surface area and becomes a masked
performance. (Goffman, 1959)
Perhaps
the glamorous presentations of female appearance is another marketing tactic to
bring a male audience of non-chefs into the demographics; however, while
reaching to a new audience is a reasonable goal of marketing, the method Food
Network uses objectifies and stereotypes women as objects who should put on
something cute and cook. Women have historically been stamped with this role
due to various institutions dominated by the westernized patriarchal society;
because of this, women have become the credible source for knowledge of learning
to prepare food for male viewers. Men hosts on Food Network are not completely foreign,
but the gender roles carry over on the episodes geared for men as well. Bobby
Flay is grilling on “Throwdown” and Guy Perrelli is portrayed as a free man
driving his convertible, classic sports car and traveling to various “Diners
and Drives.”
MIXED GENRE
Despite the title of the channel, Food Network can no
longer be defined by a special interest television aspect, but mixed rather
mixed genres. Program features include drama from the personal story telling of
the cooking hosts, from contest shows like “Cupcake Wars” and “Iron Chef
America”, or “The Next Food Network Star.” Food Network also has become famous
for using persuasive message within the content of show in order to promote
consumerism and a production of false needs. Food Network stars like Rachael
Ray, Paula Deen, Giada de Laurentiis and Emeril Lagasse use product placement,
including their own lines of dishware, cookware, appliances, spices, or
cookbooks. Aside from encouraging audiences to buy their products, Food Network
also promotes consumerism through the kitchen designs of the stars. Not all of
the kitchens used on the show are sets; some of the episodes are filmed in the
homes of the stars. The possible reason for this excessive and overpowering
product placement is in line with the female audience, since women are the
biggest shoppers in America. Not only will females by the supplies needed to
duplicate the given recipes, but Food Network suggests buying unnecessary
cooking appliances and accessories while promoting them as “easier” and “convenient
cooking,” instead of giving supplementary tips to avoid excess consumerism. For
example, if a recipe calls for buttermilk, the host could give a help hint to
mix lemon juice with regular milk to give it the sour taste compared to buying
a whole gallon of buttermilk for one cup of use. Newer cookbooks call for more
exotic and expensive ingredients in contrast to grandmother’s cookbook which
most recipes call for five or less ingredients.
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