Targeting Children as an Audience
Whether its movies or TV, the media
attempts to empower children when targeting them as an audience. By using females as lead protagonists or ethnic
characters it helps open a child’s mind to what is out there. But are popular
movies and television shows successful in doing so or does the idea backfire
and come off as racist?
In Sarah
Banet-Weiser’s article, “What’s Your Flava” she discusses the common ideals
that the media uses in their plots. She argues that gender and ethnic
representation help define children’s shows, especially on the channel
Nickelodeon. In a post feminist world, shows like Dora the Explorer on Nickelodeon
do help to promote “girl power” which is a theme frequently seen in today’s
media.
Disney is another company that
helps promote girl power. While in the
past Disney tended to rely on stereotypical pretty white princesses, they now have
broadened their horizons with movies like the Princess and the Frog and Brave. Tianna is Disney’s first African American
princess. In a NY Times article titled “Her Prince has Come, Critics Too” the
author delves into the possibility that the movie actually promoted black
stereotypes. While some critics said that “finally here is something that all
little girls, especially young black girls, can embrace” others said that
Disney should be “ashamed” and that while they did have a black princess the
majority of the movie she appeared as a frog and she was also a poor black
waitress living in New Orleans. In the
article, a psychologist Michael Baran pointed out, “People think that kids don’t catch subtle messages about race and
gender in movies, but it’s quite the opposite.”
While Disney did give children a black princess to look up to and
idolize did they also inflict stereotypes about black people on the young
susceptible minds of children? The movie
was set in New Orleans, which recently experienced tragedy and is home to many
poor African Americans as a result. It
even featured a white princess that was rich and was looking for a husband,
while Tianna was just her poor seamstress’ daughter that came to be her friend
when she was brought along with her mother.
Disney had more success with
empowering young girls in their movie Brave.
The main character, Merida, was actually Pixar’s first female
protagonist. Merida is very different from Disney’s typical princess with
perfect hair and perfect mannerisms – Merida has fiery red hair, which “came to
reflect her untamed personality” (Hollywood Reporter). In the movie, Merida defies her parent’s
wishes by sneaking off to play archery on her days off from princess
training. When her parents arrange for
Merida to marry one of three bachelors presented to her she chooses to pick her
own destiny and tells the suitors she wishes them to pick their own wives just
as she wants to pick her own husband.
Merida even beats all her suitors in an archery contest, proving her
strength is better than the boys’.
Disney’s Merida is a symbol
for feminism and girl power as she is a strong female lead with a free spirit
that teaches young girls they don’t have to always conform to society but
instead can challenge the stereotypes and norms that are set in place.
Not only
was Merida pictured as strong, but also she is relatable. In a NY Times article titled “Evolution of a
Feisty Pixar Princess” Brenda Chapman, the movie’s director said “I wanted a real girl not one that very
few could live up to with tiny, skinny arms, waist and legs. I wanted an
athletic girl. I wanted a wildness about her, so that’s where the hair came in,
to underscore that free spirit. But mainly I wanted to give girls something to
look at and not feel inadequate.” With
so many images of skinny perfect females that are already in place in the
media, it is progressive and positive for young girls to see a character like
Merida.
In today’s society the media
features more ethnic characters as well as more female leads but they still
have to be careful in the way they picture these characters. Do they help open
up the minds of young children that are so susceptible to the images they see
or do they just help reinforce stereotypes?
Works Cited
Barnes,
Brooks. "Her Prince Has Come. Critics, Too."
Nytimes.com. New York Times Company, 29 May
2009.
Web.
3 Mar. 2013.
Murphy,
Mekado. "Evolution of a Feisty Pixar Princess."
Nytimes.com. New York Times Company, 15
June 2012.
Web.
3 Mar. 2013.
"Pixar's
Braintrust on the Making of 'Brave' and the Studio's First
Princess."
The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar.
2013.
Sarah
Banet-Weiser, “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in
Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader, Laurie
Ouelette, ed.
(New York: Routledge, 2012), 379 - 393.
Tucker,
Neely. "A Fairy Tale Beginning." Washingtonpost.com.
N.p., 19 Apr. 2009. Web. 3 Mar. 2013.
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that the media today strives to empower and dramatically influence children more than ever. While I do think it is important for children's TV networks, such as Nickelodeon and Disney, to include both genders and all races, they need to be careful so that what they do, does not backfire and come off as racist, as you have questioned.
Sarah Banet-Weiser, in her chapter, “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture” primarily focuses on how cultural capital Nickelodeon, has a mission to to respect kids and provide a safe and secure environment connects specifically to representation (Banet-Weiser, 388). It is obvious Nickelodeon abides by their mission, because Jeanine Poggi, in her article, “Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013” deemed Nickelodeon as a must watch TV network in 2013 (Poggi, 2). I understand and respect the breakdown of Nickelodeon’s positive gender and racial representations, but I do not believe all children's entertainment networks are like that.
Growing up as a child, I had extreme exposure to Disney, through its films and other collectable items. My sisters and I had a play room and looking back at it, it seems as if the room was structured around the Disney theme. To this day, we still have a wall full of the classic Disney movies in my basement. However, as I examine this media conglomerate more critically at the age of 20, I notice many subtle messages that I was blindsided to as a child. Yes, Disney movies now include female characters of different races, however, does this portrayal go deeper than just trying to empower their young female viewers? Sarah Banet-Weiser even states in her writing, “when a media audience is "empowered" by images of race and gender, there is no linear connection to empowering communities” (Banet-Weiser, 387).
The stories shown in Disney movies seem simplistic and entertaining to young children, but in reality, Disney subtly supplies negative messages within these classic stories. Misrepresenting gender roles, expressing unhealthy relationships, and diminishing different ethnicities are few major ways that Disney does this. For example, when referring to how Disney misrepresents gender roles, this movie pointed out that the depiction of females through Disney is a distorted view of femininity. Most of the classic female characters featured in Disney movies, also known as the Disney Princesses, have big breasts, a tiny waist, long luscious eyelashes, and the most perfect facial expressions. However, this is not how average women look in reality.
The deformed images can mislead little girls into believing that that is how they are supposed to look when they get older, so starting at a young age,we see how body image can become an issue. Also, for the most part, many of the Princesses also act in a very seductive manner. A perfect example of this is Princess Jasmine from the movie Aladdin. In one particular scene, Jasmine used her body as a distraction and manipulated a man to get what she wanted.
Another crucial example of how Disney supplies negative messages in its films, is through the misrepresentation of “others”. Whether this is done intentionally or not, the effect is still the same. This movie gave many examples to how all of the different ethnicities are falsified in Disney movies. For example, Latinos are represented as irresponsible chihuahuas in Lady and the Tramp and Oliver and Company; African- Americans as monkey’s or orangutan’s in Tarzan and The Jungle Book; and Arabs as strict merchants in Aladdin, yet whites are the primary characters in many of these movies and often viewed as the “controllers” of others. This idea reinforces cultural stereotypes about these groups and has a huge impact on how children begin to view “others”.
ReplyDeleteAs you can see, Disney is very good at subtly giving these negative messages and keeping its image. Much like other people, if I had never watched this film, I do not know if I would have ever noticed some of these major flaws of Disney. Sarah Banet-Weiser theorized how the contradictory media representations of girl power and urbanization function as a particular kind of politics and as such work to constitute audiences as particular kinds of cultural citizens, which is an idea that has become recently obvious to me (Banet-Weiser, 391).
As sad as I am to admit that my favorite childhood company, Disney does hide behind innocence, it is true, and the general public reacts by treating Disney as a fantasy.
Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in
Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader, Laurie Ouelette, ed.
(New York: Routledge, 2012), 379 - 393.
Poggi, Jeanine. “Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013.” Advertising Age. December 28, 2012.
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up interesting points in determining how the media strives to reinforce positive female stereotypes when displaying them to the younger generation. The release of the doll line, Flavas also showed improvements in feminism in the media. However, by giving the dolls the same neutral look, I feel like it almost tells girls that they have to be the same and cannot differ from what is “hip” or popular. In the article, “What’s Your Flava?” by Sarah Banet-Weiser, there is a press release that states, “Mattel has created a hot hip-hop themed line that allows girls to express their own personal flava.” I understand that the dolls are meant to let girls express their own individual “Flava”, but by them being dressed the same in the urban look, it might hold back some of the girls that can relate more to the classic Disney princesses. Yes, the original Disney princesses looked unrealistic, and in real life, most people will not end up with a fairytale ending, but there are some girls out there that want to be like princesses.
When I was little, I watched all the Disney movies, played with girly Barbie dolls, and even dressed up like the princesses for Halloween. In no way did it make me think any differently of women. I can respect wanting to create princesses that other people that do not feel like they relate to the girly girl image would like more. However, I feel like some people want that image removed all together. There needs to be a balance if we truly want girls to be able to make their own decisions on whom they want to relate to. I also feel that by creating the racially neutral doll is something that is preventing race and feminism from being more accepted in the media, and is not giving a good impression for children to look up to. How are kids going to love who they are if they are being taught that they need to be the same, even if this message is coming from a doll that looks the same as all the rest?
Not only does the media need to change the way they are portraying feminism to young children, they also need to change how they are showing it to adults. A great example of this is the MTV show Jersey Shore. Jeanine Poggi writes in the article, “Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013”, that “MTV has been attempting to find its next hit with scripted series such as ‘Awkward’ and ‘Teen Wolf,’ but none have captured the same attention as ‘Jersey Shore’ did at its height.” The fact that MTV cannot find a show with high enough ratings to replace Jersey Shore since it went off the air shows just how many viewers there were, the majority most likely being young women. Any teenage girl that watches that show is being shown what might be considered one of the worst ways for a woman to act. Yes, it is ok for women to do what they want when they go out, and many people are in relationships that are not perfect, but the way the women on this show were presented to the public seems to be more of an influential image to younger girls than cartoon princesses.
Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in
Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader, Laurie Ouelette, ed.
(New York: Routledge, 2012), 379 - 393.
Poggi, Jeanine. “Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013.” Advertising Age. December 28, 2012.
Television today attempts to show a variety of ethnicities especially in children’s programming. In society as we have become more and more accepting to diversity there is a push to show different races. However, in an effort to show different races, stereotypes can occasionally manifest though many shows attempt to do the opposite.
ReplyDeleteIn respect to the Disney film The Princess and the Frog, though the female protagonist fits some African American stereotypes, her characteristics stand not to create this image to be racist but to fit the time period. The film is set in the 1930’s and Tiana is an empowering character because she is an African American woman to achieve a grandiose goal of opening up a successful five-star restaurant that of that time period was quite inspiring. She shows girls it’s important to be strong minded, kind-hearted, and that hard work is what causes success. Her race gives children a visual that a heroine can be a woman of another race. This is similar to the Disney film, Mulan. Though the movie shows several stereotypes to reflect the time period, it depicts a young woman empowered and strong. Like your example of Merida from the film Brave, these women push to show power can come from all types of women.
The article “What’s your Flava?” discusses the children’s television program Dora the Explorer in which the main character, Dora, is both female and Latina. As suggested by the article, she is able to educate the masses with the help of her culture. “Indeed, the twenty-first-century context of postfeminism and the present celebration of urban images have encouraged a lineup of children's shows that feature strong, smart girls and multicultural casts,” (Banet-Weiser, 388). This is an active attempt to empower children of all races and genders, showing strong characters of diversity. The postfeminism era has created a time in which acceptance multiculturalism is something not forced in an aggressive manner but instead spoon fed from childhood so children see race and diversity as a positive. The article also mentions how Nickelodeon’s goal is to “serve all kids,” (Baret-Weiser, 388). This shows the networks aim to not categorize people but to instead show a variety of ethnicities so children have a variety of characters to identify with.
Another television program important to mention when breaking down stereotypical barriers is The Suite Life of Zach and Cody in which there is a young Asian heiress named London. She breaks the idea of stereotypes in children’s programming because her race is never discussed in the show and there is more of a focus of her as an individual. This program shows how the focus is not always on race and instead has a more subtle approach of embracing a variety races. The Disney television Victorious also has an African American cast member who they do not focus a plot on his race nor do they put him into racial stereotypes. He stands as an individual in the group. The article Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013 even highlights Victorious as one of Nickelodeon’s leading successful shows (Poggi).
Overall, children’s television and film media attempt to show all races in as much of a positive light as possible. They attempt to avoid stereotypes unless to aid in story line or character development. The individuals are depicted as empowering characters that all children will be able to look up to.
Sarah Banet-Weiser, “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader, Laurie Ouelette, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012), 379 - 393.
Poggi, Jeanine. “Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013.” Advertising Age. December 28, 2012.
As you express in your argument, media can be used to influence children positively and negatively. In your Disney example that compares the portrayal of Tianna and Merida, you suggest that children's programming can be used to reinforce stereotypes or encourage them to go against them. I feel that this notion is true with most popular children's programming. While the success of how well diversity is portrayed varies, children's media frequently features diversity because it is marketable and profitable.
ReplyDeleteIn Sarah Banet-Weiser's article, "What's Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture" she states "capitalism and brand culture...has provided for rather than prevented a kind of diversity". The diversity featured in such children's program is not necessarily meant to educate, or at least that is not the primary function of such programming. The main function is for the programming to be a successful product and make a profit for the company which owns it. So with Disney's creation of the first black princess, she may have only been created because Disney knew there was a market that could be explored and targeted. There was no African American princess in the Disney brand and there was some demand for it, and so Tianna was created and The Princess and the Frog was released. Banet-Weiser goes on to further say, "particular definitions of diversity are recognized as significant by media outlets such as Nickelodeon because diverse images, like images of girl power, sell well in a segmented political economy." Diversity is something that can be used as another way to market a product and could explain its current popularity in children's programming.
The success of how well the diversity is executed could play into how well a product performs in its market or how much it grosses. The Princess and the Frog made about $104 million domestically compared to a $105 million dollar budget, while Brave grossed $237 million compared to $185 million budget (Box Office Mojo). Brave has the better numbers in profit and therefore is seen as more of a success. Perhaps Brave's encouraging message of girl power helped make it more successful commercially. One could suggest that Brave was the better product and that is the reason why it performed better.
Looking at current children's programming one can wonder if the success that comes with content featuring diversity is dictating new lineups and programs. For example in "Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013" Jeanine Poggi mentions that Nickelodeon has a new show called "Sam & Cat" which features popular characters from past hit shows "iCarly" and "Victorious". These two shows express ideas about believing in yourself with two female leads who were following their dreams - one with a hit web show and one pursuing a professional acting/music career while attending an arts school. Both of these could be categorized as shows promoting girl power, which Banet-Weiser classifies as a type of diversity. With "Sam & Cat" it appears that Nickelodeon is trying recapture the girl power market that made "iCarly" and "Victorious" successful. If "Sam & Cat" presents the theme of girl power as expressed in the previous shows, then the show should be very successful. Not only will Nickelodeon be able to market it from a diversity niche, but from the already established "iCarly" and "Victorious" brands.
DeleteBanet-Weiser, Sarah. "What's Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture in the Media Studies Reader, Laurie Ouelette, ed. (New York; Routledge 2012), 379 - 393
"Box Office Mojo - Movie Index, A-Z." Box Office Mojo - Movie Index, A-Z. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. .
"Box Office Mojo - Movie Index, A-Z." Box Office Mojo - Movie Index, A-Z. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. .
Poggi, Jeanine. "Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013." Advertising Age. December 28, 2012.
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI’m actually not too sure where to start off with this topic. For me personally I don’t know whether or not this title depicts the meaning for your discussion. Your title “Targeting Children as an Audience” is vague and only focuses on female children.
You mainly discussed female children as an audience when Disney and Nickelodeon has tons of shows featuring dominant male characters as well. But in relation to the class readings this perspective on targeting female children as an audience is relevant. Now being that I am a mixed race, I believe that the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon has been successful with displaying diversity and different races on their networks. It may sound cliché but the children of today are our future and we have to shape their minds accurately at a young age. With diversity being more and more acceptable in today’s society these networks have jumped on the wagon and embraced the concept throughout their shows. From Disney’s show “Ant Farm” where there is an assortment of talented students that are different races to Nickelodeon’s “Big Time Rush” where the lead characters are dominant male figures fulfilling their singing dreams. Both channels feature dominant female and male characters. I must say there are more shows targeted to young females embracing the “girl power” that you mentioned, but let’s not forget about our younger male audience because there are shows that embrace “male power” too. For example, Disney’s” Phineas & Ferb “and Nickelodeon’s “Jimmy Neutron”.
Going back to your question”Do they help open up the minds of young children that are so susceptible to the images they see or do they just help reinforce stereotypes?” I believe children do know the difference between a Black, White, or Hispanic person but depending on the age kids do not see color or really even understand it. They are more focused on the storyline of the show and movie and not thinking about subtle messages going on. Children watch these shows and movies because it’s interesting to them, it’s not like they are just sitting there analyzing everything that is going on. For a child, these channels are introducing them to other races and ethnicities out there but I don’t think it is harming or putting a negative image in their minds.
I think for the most part these networks are being appropriate with their shows and how they are displaying characters. Especially the Disney Channel, yes it is fairly recent for a “black princess” to be advertised but Disney has always been diverse with their shows. In relation to what you said about “Disney giving children a black princess to look up to and idolize did they also inflict stereotypes about black people on the young susceptible minds of children?” I believe that Disney did depict a rather accurate image on the black princess. Like Kimberley stated above her characteristics were not featured to be racist but to fit the time period that she was in. The time period of the film was in the 1930’s where African Americans were going through a time of struggle and the film showed despite her struggles, she had a dream which she achieved and made it come true. For others the storyline may seem insulting or have a negative outlook on African Americans but the movie fulfilled its purpose showing how the “black princess” never gave up, conquered her enemies and believing that dreams do come true. I think this movie showed a little history to kids, making them understand not all princesses were born into royalty knowing that there are all types of princesses around the world.
ReplyDeleteAccording to “ Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013”, I found it interesting that Nickelodeon just lost their spotlight after a 17-year streak to the Disney Channel competitors. I realized all of the Nickelodeon shows are just lingering around. They haven’t really put out or produced any new shows for a while. Nickelodeon has just been on a standstill relying on their aging series such as “SpongeBob Square Pants”, “iCarly”, and “Victorious”. While on the other hand the Disney Channel is constantly producing new shows relatable to younger children and teens.
In addition to the article, “What’s Your Flava?” by Sarah Banet-Weiser also brings up some interesting points that relate back to targeting children as an audience. With this article I feel like it can be an ongoing discussion because its opinion based. I don’t’ necessarily agree with some points she mentioned but she is right about networks embracing the concept of girl power more in shows than embracing male power . The concept of “girl power” is identifiable in children networks like Nickelodeon and Disney. But they still do target the male audience as well just not as much. In today’s world there is always going to be someone that opposes or has something to say. I think these networks are doing the best they can with embracing diversity and the upcoming topic of “girl power”.
Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in
Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader, Laurie Ouelette, ed.
(New York: Routledge, 2012), 379 - 393.
Poggi, Jeanine. “Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013.” Advertising Age. December 28, 2012.
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI find this topic to be very interesting because we often forget that the media is targeting us right now but they also have been since we were young children. Every movie and television show has a deeper meaning behind it, which we would never guess at a young age sitting in front of the television but we now know this.
In the article titled, Whats Your Flava?, Sarah Banet-Weiser says that “Like race, gender identity is constructed in the present "postfeminist" cultural economy as a "flava," a flexible, celebratory identity category that is presented in all its various manifestations as a kind of product one can buy or try on”. I found this quote to be very intriguing because the act of ‘trying on or buying’ an identity category seems foolish to me but it is the reality of our society and where we currently stand in regards to gender identity in the media.
Banet-Weiser also states that “Within the world of children's television, representations of race and gender work as a kind of cultural capital, in terms of which it increases the political and social clout of a network to be able to claim that it is "diverse””. As TV networks become more and more competitive including race and gender within their programs becomes an incentive in some ways. The more a network incorporates the themes of race and gender into their programs, the more diverse they will be considered. A more diverse network means better ratings and higher quality shows and programs.
You make an interesting point from the New York Times article about Tianna being the first African American female character in Disney movies. Just because she is the first African American princess in Disney movies does not mean that the company is promoting black stereotypes. If anything I think that they are trying to create an even level playing field for all children. What did African American children say to their parents before the Tianna character came to Disney? These children should not be excluded just because of their race. I am surprised that Disney has waited this long and come this far without creating an African American character to be honest. I would expect such a family oriented company and brand to be doing anything and everything they need to obtain the best for the company and its audience.
Psychologist Michael Baran in the New York Times article states, “People think that kids don’t catch subtle messages about race and gender in movies, but it’s quite the opposite.” I do not agree with Baran in his statement. Although children are susceptible to the messages they see on TV I do not believe that the new African American Disney princess, Tianna, will have a negative impact on those African American children watching the movie. I think her character will empower girls. You talk about how the movie was set in New Orleans, which recently experienced tragedy and is home to many poor African Americans as a result. And how It even featured a white princess that was rich and was looking for a husband, while Tianna was just her poor seamstress’ daughter that came to be her friend when she was brought along with her mother. I have never seen this movie but it is my understanding that every Disney movie depicts a princess who is in some state of economic struggle and turmoil. For instance Princess Belle, she had to live with a stranger and could barely afford her food for her and her father. Cinderella was treated poorly by her family and not allowed to do anything that her stepsisters did. It is not a surprise that the new princess Tianna is under some less favorable conditions but it is not new to the Disney princess movies.
Works Cited
Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in
Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader, Laurie Ouelette, ed.
(New York: Routledge, 2012), 379 - 393.
Barnes, Brooks. "Her Prince Has Come. Critics, Too."
Nytimes.com. New York Times Company, 29 May 2009.
Web. 3 Mar. 2013.
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteYour post touched upon several compelling points on the medias portrayal on women to the yunger generation of children. I cannot lie im not well versed on Flava line of dolls that has recently dropped, but after some minor research I can add my input. The dolls are different than the traditional Barbie doll which is a positive. I believed that those dolls gave young girls an unrealistic idea of what a women should look like. The flava dolls from what I saw toned that down, but all still have the thin waste and athletic build. I like how they are trying to branch off and grab a different demographic. I see the flava dolls as trying to reach a more urban group of people who I believe were left out when the barbies came into fashion.
Oddly enough I never played with barbie dolls much in my childhood, but I had several female cousins who were very much into them at the time. back then I didn’t see any issue with the doll ( except that it was lame and for girls) but now I can see some adverse affects that it could have. The original babrie doll if a real girl would have been 6 foot tall probably weighing 105 pounds with the smallest waist known to main. This gives younger girls an unreachably high stabdard for what “beauty” is. This can lead to self steam problems in the future. With the Flava dolls the girls can now pick what they want the girls to look like within reason.
The Disney shows that are on air now I can not relate to or speak on because I haven’t seen any of them, but my little brother watches Nickelodeon almost everyday. One of his favorite shows is iCarly. I have seen many episodes of this show and I think it does a great job of showing young women how to look and act. I don’t believe that we had as many empowering tv shows starring women when I was younger. One example of a strong women figure in a show I used to watch was “reggie” from rocket power. She was a tom boy who played all sports and surfed and was just one of the guys. Characters like this have a larger effect on young women than most people think. It shows the, that its ok to be different and to be themselves.
The shows that are on other networks that kids watch are much different and show an entirely new image of females. The top two networks that hsow young girls the wrong image are MTV and VH1. I believe more and more young people, not just girls, are watching these shows and taking the wrong message from them. one great example is the jersey shore. The jersey shore is MTVs best reality tv show according to an article by Jeanine Poggi. MTV has been looking for a new show to take over but has been unsuccessful. Preteens and up from a female demographic could be seriously influenced by these shows and the way the characters act. It promotes drinking and materializing women. The women on the show who have great amounts of “self respect and pride” parade around half naked completely wasted making out with which ever meat head is closest. Drugs and alcohol use are on a steady rise in middle school and highschool aged teens. Its because of shows like this that promote a heavy party to be accepted.
Poggi, Jeanine. “Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013.” Advertising Age. December 28, 2012.
Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in
Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader, Laurie Ouelette, ed.
(New York: Routledge, 2012), 379 - 393.
Quinn Kolbe
ReplyDeleteRebecca,
I think that when children are young, the stereotypes that may be criticized in the media may not be seen by children. They may be subliminally exposed to the stereotypes portrayed in the films that they see. But while watching them, that is not the message that they are getting. For example, Hyenas are savage animals on the plains of Africa. In The Lion King, the hyenas in the movie contained African-American and Hispanic characterizations. The voices of a black and Latino actors were used. These animals resided in a part of the jungle that was equivalent of an inner city ghetto. Their behavior and environment reinforced stereotypes of these two races. But children don’t see the film in that way.
However, I do feel that it is important for children to have strong role models in the shows that they watch and the films that they see. Young girls have a lot of shows that they can relate to in terms of female empowerment. In the article, “What’s Your Flava?” by Sarah Banet-Weiser, she notes that Dora the Explorer shows a young female protagonist of Hispanic descent. This opens doors for children watching these shows to feel like they can relate to her. When I was younger, the two shows that featured strong female empowerment came from Cartoon Network, a very male dominated channel, and the Disney Channel. The Power Puff Girls was a television show about three girls who fought crime. The other show Kim Possible was about a girl in high school, who was also a spy and fought crime. Though neither of these shows took place in an urban setting, the protagonists of the show all came from average middle class families, it did appeal to the overall sense of “girls rule.”
Nickelodeon has tried over the years to reach out to its female audience and attract them to shows that they can relate to and enjoy. In 2008, Nickelodeon aired a show in which the protagonist was an African American female who was juggling her life as a high school student, but also as the Vice President of a fashion company. These shows proved that a stereotype did not exist and that any young female of any race or background could be discovered for her talent.
Television networks and films that are geared toward younger children need positive role models for themselves. The networks need to work hard to provide shows that not only encourage children to learn about the people and the world around them, but to try and do away with the negative stereotypes that are so often portrayed.
Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader. Laurie Ouelette, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012).
DJ Mahoney
ReplyDeleteRebecca-
I really enjoyed reading your post and thought that you discussed a very interesting topic that is prominent in today’s media. Before reading these postings, I hadn’t thought of a niche being as broad as children; however, the large audience of kids tends to be affected by the same information. Focusing on women and minorities was a wise decision because I feel these people are commonly portrayed ineffectively in the media.
Children are easily absorbed by their surroundings, especially at an early age. They take the information given to them from their parents, their peers, and their environments and find it all to be true and a way for them to live their life. You specifically mentioned Nickelodeon from the “What’s Your Flava” article as a channel that defined ethnic and gender roles in their shows. Looking back, I think this has been a common theme from our childhood as well. The popular shows during the mid to late 90s on Nick were Rugrats, Hey Arnold, and, Doug.
In Rugrats, all of the main children were white and got along even though the male roles were the lead characters and the girls were seen as irrational. When the black girl, Susie, came in she was seen as “the other” and competition for the current alpha girl, Angelica so she was shunned from the group most of the time. There was also Kimmy, an Asian girl whose mom was going to marry Chuckie’s dad. This was seen as not an opportunity but a threat to not only the family dynamic but also the friend group and Chuckie’s personal sanity. Hey Arnold was a popular show for adolescence about life of kids going to school and living in New York City. Arnold was the main character and his best friend, Gerald, was African-American. Although the two were friends and had fun together, when the show depicted Gerald’s home life, it was never ideal: they were poor, the parents were having problems, and Gerald never seemed particularly happy to be in his situation. The creators of Doug took a different approach by making almost all of the supporting characters different colors, except for the leading male and female who were both white. While the show never directly connected individuals to a certain ethnic group, they had characters personify stereotypes that existed in ethnic and cultural groups.
Nickelodeon has been consistenly ranked as one of the top networks to watch according to the Poggi article, “Five Cable Networks to Watch in 2013.” The article talks about networks who have dealt with battling rating problems and the moves they are taking to remedy this situation. Specifically to Nickelodeon, they lost a battle to Disney channel as the top rated show. This is mainly due to them being reactive to their audiences and relying heavily on three main shows, ones that are either extremely dated or ones that are currently ending their run. To combat this, they are investing in new television shows that have positive messages towards their audience and keep them interested to watch throughout the season.
Regardless of what year it is, children are going to be heavily influenced by the television shows they are able to watch. While the shows should have entertainment value, it is important for the creators to keep in mind the message they are sending to today’s youth.
Banet-Weiser, Sarah. “What’s Your Flava?: Race and Postfeminism in Media Culture” in The Media Studies Reader. Laurie Ouelette, ed. (New York: Routledge, 2012).
Poggi, Jeanine. “Five Cable TV Networks to Watch in 2013.” Advertising Age. December 28, 2012.