The Media, Collective Identity and the Feminism It Shuns

In today's age, the media can be seen to construct and make collective identities more so than in previous years.  Every day, we surrounded by the media, influencing our thoughts and the decisions we make.

In print media, we are bombarded with the images of sickly thin women posing in underwear, telling us that is what it means to be a woman and this is what men want. This could not be further from the truth. Magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Glamour and FHM create the identity of women- tall, thin, hot and preferably blond. In recent years, nameless cover models have been ditched for high-flying celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, Kate Moss and Megan Fox. The media depict these women as attainable, alluring sirens for men, who then project these unrealistic fantasises on real women. Not only do men want this, but it then provokes women to become these succubus-like creatures. Women  are misrepresented as being these 'people', when in fact these women are in the minority and tend to have had 'some work done' and now look like a Barbie, or have  had all humanity airbrushed into oblivion.  This change, or misrepresentation is known as 'mediation'- the lens of the media distorts the true image into something completely different.

The same goes for non-print media such as television, film and music videos. Women in mainstream television and film are forced to fulfil typical female roles: wife, mother, flirt/lonely and looking for love, femme fatale. Rarely is a woman seen in complete control without a man, examples being the film 'The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', 'Kick-Ass' and 'Stoker'
However, the main misrepresentation of women comes from mainstream music videos. Look at any Snoop Dog or Kanye or Lil' Wayne and I guarantee you will see a half-naked woman dancing or gyrating in front of the camera. This disgustingly inaccurate portrayal of women does not seem to offend the vast majority, it is totally, unquestioningly accepted.  Yet somehow, Robin Thicke's music video 'crossed a line.' Personally, I have seen far more sexually aggressive music videos. What may have pushed 'Blurred Lines' over the edge are the 'rapey' lyrics:

However, some argue that the media's influence on us is limited. We have the free will to disobey what the media tell us, we can wear striped jeans with a chequered shirt and flip-flops if we want to, we have the choice. Also, the media is run on money- if you don't have the cold, hard cash that the media thrive on, you won't be as affected. You may see elements on them in daily life, but you have the choice taken from them, their identity won't be as constructed/influenced. The only question with this is, how far does this free will go? And how do we know the media are not influencing us on a subconscious level? 

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