2016

Author: Silvina B. Tamburini

Essay: According to the documentary “Miss Representation”, “we are socializing boys
to believe that being a man means being powerful and in control.” To what extent do you
think there is a burden for men as well as women when it comes to gender roles? Are men
also misrepresented in the media?

I Struggle, You Struggle, We All Struggle

During the last decades, women’s roles and representation in the media have
evolved due to rising feminist movements and the consequent awareness in society. It could
be claimed that feminism has been successful, as many men and women do; however, if
analyzed somewhat deeper, the current representation of gender in the media (and
everyday life, for that matter) can be considered far from satisfactory for both heterosexual
men and women, let alone for sexual minorities such as transgender, or even homosexual or
bisexual people.
Power relations as regards gender are strong and deeply ingrained in people’s life
goals, actions and, its subtle ways notwithstanding, also discourse. Media plays a relevant
part in the construction of this hegemonic discourse, since it does so in an insidious manner
that cannot be pinpointed unless it is looked at closely. These power relations take their toll
on both men and women’s psyche and subjectivity, although women tend to be the most
affected. The aim of this essay is to explore how the (mis)representation of both genders in
the media hinders healthy social relations in our culture.
There appears to be a strong tendency to believe that feminism is a fight against
hegemonic heterosexual male dominance as if it were a war and men and women, enemies.
Nonetheless, feminism adherents make emphasis on the fact that both genders should be
“saved” from this power network, since men can also suffer because of how they are
represented in the media and what they are expected to become. Masculinity tends to be
portrayed in movies, TV series, advertisement and other media devices as tantamount to
being strong, dominant, empowered, which could be claimed to be positive features in a
person. However, this is not a flexible structure; it rather is a rigid mold, a prescriptive
mandate imposed on men, which excludes any deviations, such as sensitivity or weakness.
How are men supposed to build their subjectivity in this context, when the expression of
emotions, a key aspect of a healthy psyche, is prohibited? This could be a reason why many
men inflict violence on others, especially women, which is an issue that arises worries
around the world. As actress and Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women Emma Watson very
well expressed in her speech for the HeForShe campaign:
I’ve seen young men suffering from mental illness, unable to ask for help for
fear it would make them less of a man. In fact, in the UK, suicide is the biggest
killer of men between 20 to 49, eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary
heart disease. I’ve seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of
what constitutes male success. Men don’t have the benefits of equality, either.
Men’s imposed dominance over women, albeit empowering at first sight, treats them
unfairly as well, since they have no right over their emotions. At the same time,
non-hegemonic expressions of sexuality in men, such as homosexuality, are also
repressed and condemned. This way, as Emma Watson states, nobody has the
benefits of equality.
Although nobody wins within this paradigm, the injustice men suffer is not
the one women do. Of course, as it has been expressed earlier in this essay, it can
2016
Author: Silvina B. Tamburini

be claimed that men are also victims of heterosexual male hegemony. Still, power
relations are marked and they play a part here. In order to find out that men are also
affected by male chauvinism, a deep analysis has to be made; at the same time, in
order to find out that women undergo difficulties because of power relations,
everyday reality alone is enough evidence. Gender violence is the most
self-explanatory piece of evidence there is. Men’s dominance is translated into
sexual harassment or violent relationships, and women are deprived of their
freedom to be what they are: women. They are not free to wear the clothing of their
choice, to fully enjoy their sexuality, to walk on the streets without being objectified.
The workplace is also a domain where male dominance is clearly shown. To
begin with, women are not paid the same for doing the same job as men, nor are
they able, in many cases, to reach high positions of power since leadership is
believed to be a male characteristic. In this respect, women are the ones who clearly
lose influence.
All things considered, it can be said that within the paradigm of heterosexual
male hegemony, nobody really benefits. Men are also victims of their
misrepresentation in the media as the providers, the strong, the dominant, especially
as regards a healthy construction of subjectivity. However, women tend to suffer
more because their position is established within a framework of submissiveness;
they are truly disempowered and affected. Awareness as regards this is necessary,
in order to liberate both men and women from the social mandates they are imposed
so as to build up towards a just society.

SOURCES

Newsom, J. S. (Director). (2011). ​Miss Representation​ [Motion Picture].