Media Blog: sexual construction in the media

The five media artifacts I collected below are representative of the ways sexuality is constructed through the media. In culture's like ours, that are inundated with media, the media serves as a teacher and representative of what is socially acceptable and attractive in that society. Media plays a huge role in the determination our own ideas as we construct our sexuality, in this way media constructs our sexuality. The media we are exposed to outlines what it means to be sexy, what is considered (and what we should consider) attractive or not attractive, and what roles are appropriate for our gender, among others. The first example, a recent music video by Snoop Dog, shows the rapper surrounded by bikini and lingerie clad women who are all of super model beauty status. He is shown in bed with multiple women, all of them aiming to please him and get his attention. This sends a message to women about how they are supposed to look and what they are supposed to do to get a man's attention. It also sends a message to men about how the women in their lives are supposed to act and look to be considered attractive. The title of the song "Sensual Seduction" was changed from the cd title track labeled "Sexual Eruption" because it was seen as too sexually explicit for MTV.

The second artifact is a music video parody from Mad TV featuring sexy interactions between running candidates Barak Obama and Hilary Clinton. The artifact nicely portrays the sexual tension the media is creating around having both a female and male candidate running together. I chose the third artifact, a Sasson jeans commercial from the 80's, as an example of the difference in the way sexuality is constructed now compared to almost 30 years ago. While the woman is portrayed as an object of desire for men in the commercial, she is also fully clothed (not even any cleavage showing!) and also shown as active, versus the following Calvin Klein billboard showing a young girl passively and submissively laying down. The Sasson commercial also does not use extended camera shots to the bust or butt of the model as is commonplace in more modern advertising. In contrast, the Calvin Klein billboard shows a topless and very young model in a passive position. This sends messages to the viewer about the role of women and also about the age it is appropriate to view nude, or partially nude women. The last ad, for Diesel clothing company, shows a black woman and a white (or mulatto?) man together in sexually suggestive postures. The woman, shown in a receiving position with a very phallic cactus between her legs, again sends a message about the role of women (passive, receiving, submissive). The man, shown with his mouth open and apparently kissing (or eating?) the cactus, takes the more active role.

1. Snoop Dog "Sensual Seduction" video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKz-RXSeIYA

2. Mad tv hilary and Obama parady