Sexism and general discrimination based on gender are unfortunate realities that has become so engrained and common place in everyday society that most individuals rarely notice it anymore unless it is brought to their direct attention. For this project we aimed to highlight some of the everyday sexism that is often overlooked, show the difference between the treatment of men and women in the media and an extreme example showing how far some are willing to go to enforce gender roles. Drawing attention to overt sexism and institutionalized discrimination based on gender brings the problem to the forefront and can lead to change.
We chose a blog to create an artifact that would allow a continuous stream to document this as well as create an atmosphere that promotes reader involvement and feedback. Blogs facilitate dialogue and that’s exactly what we aimed to do. A video was also aimed to highlight to the ridiculousness that is found online, in papers and magazines every day while pointing out the sexism and then rewriting the article headline in an appropriate way. The video gives a face and tone to headlines and catches people’s attention.
Bruce Jenner winning the decathlon in 1976. Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair cover 2015.
Most people are known for one great accomplishment in their lifetime and only get to live one life. Caitlyn Jenner has been fortunate enough to both win gold in the Olympics as Bruce Jenner and be a crusader for trans gender rights as Caitlyn Jenner. But this case study is not to talk about her transition. Caitlyn is a prime example for how women are portrayed in the media, as well as how men are, which she experienced during her time as Bruce.
Bruce Jenner acknowledged for his athletic accomplishments.
Jenner after the Olympics and his move into motivational speaking.
Jenners most well known accomplishment, winning gold in the 1976 Olympics.
Bruce Jenner and overcoming his developmental disability.
Going through an archive of news articles on Bruce Jenner was ultimately surprising. He had numerous divorces, none of which were ever mentioned. His personal life seemed to be left personal and no attacks were made against him. He was praised for his accomplishments and the good he was doing. Most common were articles on his win at the 1976 Olympics, his rise to success, what he was doing with his life now and what charitable causes he was involved in.
This clip from the Daily Show highlights the major points of the gender inequality in the media. Before transitioning, Bruce received media attention for his motivational speeches, his Olympic victory and yes, being married to the Kardashians. While this last point may seem to undermine the argument that is about to be presented, remember that his Olympic status combined with a series of unfortunate events is what made the family famous in the first place. Upon revealing Caitlyn to the world, Jenner was at first met with praise for her bravery and courage. Soon after the media was quick to comment on her appearance. Speaking on how great she looks quickly morphed into speculation as to how much cosmetic work she had done and how much make up had been applied to make her look this good. Then came in the worst comment of them all, "Who looks better Caitlyn or her ex wife Kris Jenner?" Never once was it mentioned how Jenner won the games or public speaking or even how she was championing the transgender community. All that the media became focused on was her body, who she was dating and what she was wearing.
In reference to Caitlyn, the media is full of speculation into her personal life as well as a fixation on what she is wearing. Every outfit is documented and analyzed for trends and any hidden meaning. For example, Caitlyn wearing a skirt is often taken as her trying to attract men. Any man she is seen with is automatically a potential love interest and thus watched under a microscope. Is her most recent red carpet dress too revealing? Or is it too conservative? What does the color of her nail polish mean? These are serious newsworthy headlines for Jenner now. Rarely are her charitable contributions mentioned and her social activism within the transgender community is gone unacknowledged.
Obviously comparing the treatment of Bruce Jenner to that of Caitlyn Jenner is a bit of a stretch. The articles pulled about Bruce were in a time before tabloids, while the ones of Caitlyn are all from gossip magazines. However, Caitlyn has made a societal impact equal to that of the one Bruce made thirty plus years ago. And yes, Caitlyn is judged more harshly by the media and more speculations are made because she is transgender. Bruce however had many negative aspects to his life, such as divorce and bankruptcy, that were rarely mentioned and certainly never picked apart in a similar fashion as to who Caitlyn was spotted having dinner with. His age was never mentioned nor was he compared to other another man, except in a strictly athletic sense during the games. What Caitlyn is facing now shows the duplicity of the media in relation to gender as well as the misogyny that often goes unnoticed.
Looking forward, how can we combat this tendency in media? Treating women and men equally seems like an obvious solution, but this problem is societal. The media only magnifies this gender disparity and brings it to society's attention. Ending gender stereotypes and redefining gender roles sound like a good place to start but keep in mind that this is a huge undertaking. As far as celebrities and media goes, the more high profile stars who speak out against sexism in the media the less of a problem it will become.
Works Cited:
http://onmilwaukee.com/images/articles/je/jennercourage/jennercourage_fullsize_story1.jpg
http://access.newspaperarchive.com/us/illinois/arlington-heights/daily-herald-suburban-chicago/1996/07-06/page-36?tag=bruce+jenner&rtserp=tags/bruce-jenner?psb=relavance
