Abstract
The present chapter addresses how women are portrayed in media and discusses efforts to change the current state of today’s media environment. Specifically, I do the following: (a) briefly summarize the dominant ways women are portrayed in the media (i.e., sexy and skinny); (b) review my research on female athletes and other non-traditional media images of women; (c) describe advocacy efforts (national and grassroots) to address media’s treatment of women, and; (d) discuss how feminist psychological scientists can effect social change.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychological Association, Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. (2007). Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from www.apa.org/pi/wpo/sexualization.html.
Berry, G. L. (2003). Developing children and multicultural attitudes: The systemic psychosocial influences of television portrayals in a multimedia society. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 9, 360–366.
Bluhm, J. (2012). Seventeen magazine: Give girls images of real girls! [online petition]. Retrieved from https://www.change.org/p/seventeen-magazine-give-girls-images-of-real-girls.
Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
Burton, M., & Kagan, C. (2005). Liberation Social Psychology: Learning from Latin America. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 15, 63–78. doi:10.1002/casp.786.
Catalyst (2014). Percentage women in labor force in Australia, Canada, Israel, South Africa, and United States. Retrieved from http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-labor-force-australia-canada-israel-south-africa-and-united-states.
Christopherson, N., Janning, M., & McConnell, E. D. (2002). Two kicks forward, one kick back: A content analysis of media discourses on the 1999 Women’s World Cup Soccer Championship. Sociology of Sport Journal, 19, 170–188.
Clavio, G., & Eagleman, A. N. (2011). Gender and sexually suggestive images in sports blogs. Journal of Sport Management, 25, 295–304.
Collins, R. L. (2011). Content analysis of gender roles in media: Where are we now and where should we go? Sex Roles, 64, 290–298. doi:10.1007/s11199-010-9929-5.
Cooky, C., Messner, M. A., & Musto, M. (2015). It’s dude time!”. A quarter century of excluding women’s sports in televised news and highlight shows. Communication & Sport., 3, 261–287. doi:10.1177/2167479515588761.
Corbett, D. R. (2001). Minority women of color: Unpacking racial ideology. In G. L. Cohen (Ed.), Women in sport: Issues and controversies (pp. 291–307). Reston, VA: National Association of Girls and Women.
Cruz, C., & Stydahar, E. (2012). Teen Vogue: Give us images of real girls! [online petition]. Retrieved from https://www.change.org/p/teen-vogue-give-us-images-of-real-girls/.
Daniels, E. A. (2009a). Sex objects, athletes, and sexy athletes: How media representations of women athletes can impact adolescent girls and young women. Journal of Adolescent Research, 24, 399–422.
Daniels, E. A. (2009b). The invisibility of women athletes in magazines for teen girls. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 18, 14–24.
Daniels, E. A. (2012). Sexy versus strong: What girls and women think of female athletes. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 33, 79–90.
Daniels, E. A., & LaVoi, N. M. (2013). Athletics as solution and problem: Sports participation for girls and the sexualization of women athletes. In E. L. Zurbriggen & T.-A. Roberts (Eds.), The sexualization of girls and girlhood: Causes, consequences, and resistance (pp. 63–83). New York: Oxford University Press.
Daniels, E. A., & Wartena, H. (2011). Athlete or sex symbol: What boys and men think of media representations of female athletes. Sex Roles, 65, 566–579.
Daniels, E. A., Sherman, A. M. (2015). Model vs. military pilot: A mixed methods study of adolescents’ attitudes toward women in varied occupations. Journal of Adolescent Research. doi:10.1177/0743558415587025. Advanced Online.
Downs, E., & Smith, S. L. (2010). Keeping abreast of hypersexuality: A video game character content analysis. Sex Roles, 62, 721–733. doi:10.1007/s11199-009-9637-1.
Fink, J. S., & Kensicki, L. J. (2002). An imperceptible difference: Visual and textual constructions of femininity in Sports Illustrated and Sports Illustrated for Women. Mass Communication & Society, 5, 317–339.
Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T. (1997). Objectification theory: Toward understanding women’s lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 173–206. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00108.x.
Fredrickson, B. L., Roberts, T., Noll, S. M., Quinn, D. M., & Twenge, J. M. (1998). That swimsuit becomes you: Sex differences in self-objectification, restrained eating, and math performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 269–284. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.75.1.269.
Graff, K. A., Murnen, S. K., & Krause, A. K. (2013). Low-cut shirts and high-heeled shoes: Increased sexualization across time in magazine depictions of girls. Sex Roles, 69, 571–582. doi:10.1007/s11199-013-0321-0.
Grant, K. E., Finkelstein, J. A. S., & Lyons, A. L. (2003). Integrating psychological research on girls with feminist activism: A model for building a liberation psychology in the United States. American Journal of Community Psychology, 31, 143–155.
Hu, E. (2012, July). ‘Seventeen’ magazine takes no-Photoshop pledge after 8th-grader’s campaign. National Public Radio. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2012/07/05/156342683/seventeen-magazine-takes-no-photoshop-pledge-after-8th-graders-campaign.
Hyde, J. S. (2005). The gender similarities hypothesis. American Psychologist, 60, 581–592. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.60.6.581.
Kim, K., & Sagas, M. (2014). Athletic or sexy? A comparison of female athletes and fashion models in Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. Gender Issues, 31, 123–141.
Krane, V., Ross, S. R., Miller, M., Ganoe, K., Lucas-Carr, C., & Barak, K. S. (2011). “It’s cheesy when they smile:” What girl athletes prefer in images of female college athletes. Research Quarterly For Exercise & Sport, 82, 755–768.
Krane, V., Ross, S. R., Miller, M., Rowse, J. L., Ganoe, K., Andrzejczyk, J. A., et al. (2010). Power and focus: Self-representation of female college athletes. Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise, 2, 175–195. doi:10.1080/19398441.2010.488026.
Labedz, E. (2012). Powerful poster project [crowdfunding campaign]. Retrieved from https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/powerful-poster-project#/story.
Levine, M. P., & Murnen, S. K. (2009). “Everybody knows that mass media are/are not [pick one] a cause of eating disorders”: A critical review of evidence for a causal link between media, negative body image, and disordered eating in females. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28, 9–42. doi:10.1521/jscp.2009.28.1.9.
Lopez-Guimera, G., Levine, M. P., Sanchez-Carracedo, D., & Fauquet, J. (2010). Influence of mass media on body image and eating disordered attitudes and behaviors in females: A review of effects and processes. Media Psychology, 13, 387–416. doi:10.1080/15213269.2010.525737.
McCabe, J., Fairchild, E., Grauerholz, L., Pescosolido, B. A., & Tope, D. (2011). Gender in twentieth-century children’s books: Patterns of disparity in titles and central characters. Gender & Society, 25, 197–226. doi:10.1177/0891243211398358.
Medin, D. L. (n.d.). A dangerous dichotomy: Basic and applied research. APS Observer. Retrieved from https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/powerful-poster-project#/story.
Messner, M. A., Duncan, M. C., & Cooky, C. (2003). Silence, sports bras, and wrestling porn. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 27, 38–51.
Miller, C. C. (2014, February). LeanIn.org and Getty aim to change women’s portrayal in stock photos. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com.
Moradi, B., & Huang, Y. (2008). Objectification theory and psychology of women: A decade of advances and future directions. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 32(4), 377–398. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.00452.x.
Murray, R. (2014, October). How this girl called out a giant sports brand. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/girl-12-takes-sports-catalog-gender-equality/story?id=26101590.
Papadopoulos, L. (2010). Sexualisation of young people. UK Home Office. Retrieved from http://www.ncdsv.org/images/Sexualisation-of-young-people-review_2-2010.pdf.
Patten, E., & Parker, K. (2011, December). Women in the U.S. military: Growing share, distinctive profile. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/12/22/women-in-the-u-s-military-growing-share-distinctive-profile/
Rothenberg, B. (2015). Tennis’s top women balance body image with ambition. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/sports/tennis/tenniss-top-women-balance-body-image-with-quest-for-success.html.
Rush, E., & La Nauze, A. (2006). Corporate paedophilia: Sexualisation of children in Australia. Canberra City, Australia: The Australia Institute. Retrieved from http://www.tai.org.au/node/1286.
Saelinger, T. (2014). ‘Strength is beautiful’: Harvard women’s rugby team spreads inspiring body image message. Retrieved from http://www.today.com/news/harvard-rugby-teams-photo-project-spreads-inspiring-body-image-message-1D79949713.
Schultz, J. (2005). Reading the catsuit: Serena Williams and the production of blackness at the 2002 U.S. Open. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 29, 338–357.
Schumacher, C. (2013). Roxy: Stop your “all sex, no surf” ads! [online petition]. Retrieved from https://www.change.org/p/roxy-stop-your-all-sex-no-surf-ads.
Sherry, E., Osborne, A., & Nicholson, M. (2015). Images of sports women: A review. Sex Roles. doi:10.1007/s11199-015-0493-x.
Shugart, H. A. (2003). She shoots, she scores: Mediated constructions of contemporary female athletes in coverage of the 1999 U.S. Women’s Soccer team. Western Journal of Communication, 67, 1–31.
Smith, S. L., Choueiti, M., Prescott, A., & Pieper, K. (2012). Gender roles & occupations: A look at character attributes and job-related aspirations in film and television. Retrieved from http://www.thegeenadavisinstitute.org.
Smith, S. L., & Cook, C. A. (2008). Gender stereotypes: An analysis of popular films and TV. Retrieved from http://www.thegeenadavisinstitute.org.
Tuchman, G. (1978). Introduction: The symbolic annihilation of women by the mass media. In G. Tuchman, A. K. Daniels, & J. Benet (Eds.), Hearth and home: Images of women in the mass media (pp. 3–38). New York: Oxford University Press.
Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport & tptMN. (Producers). (2013). Media coverage and female athletes [DVD]. Retrieved from http://www.cehd.umn.edu/tuckercenter/multimedia/mediacoverage.html.
Ward, L. M., & Harrison, K. (2005). The impact of media use on girls’ beliefs about gender roles, their bodies, and sexual relationships: A research synthesis. In E. Cole & J. H. Daniel (Eds.), Featuring females: Feminist analyses of media (pp. 3–23). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Women in Board & Action Sports. (2015, March 8). Our letter to the boardsports industry [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.womeninboardsports.com/our-letter-to-the-boardsports-industry/
Women’s Sports Foundation. (2015). Her life depends on it III: Sport, physical activity, and the health and well-being of American girls and women. East Meadow, NY: Women’s Sports Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/en/sitecore/content/home/research/articles-and-reports/mental-and-physical-health/her-life-depends-on-it-iii.aspx.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Daniels, E.A. (2016). Replacing Sexy and Skinny with Strong and Powerful: How Feminist Research on Media Depictions of Women Can Effect Change. In: Roberts, TA., Curtin, N., Duncan, L., Cortina, L. (eds) Feminist Perspectives on Building a Better Psychological Science of Gender. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32141-7_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32141-7_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32139-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32141-7
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)