Face-ism in the media

Face-ism, or facial prominence, is the tendency of the media to show the face of men and the body of women in still or moving photographic portrayals. Our textbook defines face-ism as “the tendency to represent people in terms of their face or head as opposed to their body.” The researchers who have conducted research in this field have found that the higher the facial prominence, or the more the face is focused on, the more positive the perceptions of the person in photo are.

I agree with the text that this may be because photos with high facial prominence focus on the head, where the brain is, which makes people believe that the individual is more intelligent. I think this may also be due to the fact that women’s bodies have always been the focus in advertising in the media, causing the perception of the full body photo to change.

Obviously, the groups that have the lowest facial prominence are African Americans and other minorities including women. This is documented in art, photographs, moving pictures, and even postage stamps. Women and Blacks are more often depicted with less facial prominence, i.e. more of their body is shown. Research has indicated that the photos with higher facial prominence signify more dominance. This means that in a very subconscious and sneaky way, the media is telling us who is dominant and who to like more by simply deciding how much of a person’s body to show.

What consequences that could result from using this technique in political advertising? What about in advertising different medical treatment options, or even in choosing a doctor? Without being aware of the ways in which media is used to manipulate society, then we have no way to protect ourselves from that exploitation.

Below are photographic examples of face-ism in the media.

Head to hips Hayden

Magazine cover 1947 (Full body woman)

Current magazine ad (Head to thigh photo)

Another head to thigh shot

Retro women's fashion ad (full body)

MEN'S PHOTOS

Head shots of men like Andy here illustrate the intelligence and prominence of the man pictured. I just so happen to love all of Andy Samberg, not just his lovely noggin.

Current men's fashion ad (head only)Retro men's ad (head only)

Examine the difference in this men's cover and the women's covers from earlier.

Even in this Calvin Klein ad that was shot around the same time in the early 90s shows signs of face-ism even though the photos are almost identical. Kate brings her foot into frame, exposing more of her body, while at the same time Marky Mark's head is about twice the size of her's. This is a minor alteration that helps to maintain the prejudices set forth in the face-ism theory.

Mmmmm, Marky Mark....

Mass Media Case Study 2

Video

http://youtu.be/Ec7b7Wwe4kA

Swiffer's interpretation of a "Film Star"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_HGWwYL-Ww&feature=related

Swiffer - Girls looking for love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IQlpPUELtw&feature=related

Swiffer- A piece of dirt looking for love

When thinking about media that strikes emotions I am reminded of many images from my childhood from my favorite television show, "Are you Afraid of the Dark?" This television was obviously supposed to give kids a sense of suspense and fear and since I was left feeling terrified, this effect was exaggerated for me.

Thinking back, I can see that the show used excitation transfer from one suspenseful event to another to keep kids engaged and on the edge of their seat. There would be an eerie sense from the beginning of the episode as the kids were sitting around the campfire. There would then be a scary event at the beginning of the episode with subsequent events feeding the adrenaline from the initial event.

The show was also playing off the curiosity and the sensation seeking desire of children. The shock of the images have stuck with me to adulthood. This shows that the images that the media use to evoke emotions, especially from children, has the potential to stay for longer than intended. Children today see much more violence and horror in television and in video games than ever before. Here is a website that article that discusses the reason why children are less affected by horror shows than they were before. The writer cites Dr. Aviva Briefel who likens the desensitization of kids to media violence to a vaccine. This is because they are slowly introduced to an increasing number of scary images so that eventually they are not affected by those images. I can agree that they are less sensitive to these images that my generation was, however I can't agree that these kids aren't affected by the images they see.

The intersection of Media and Politics

One interesting example of the intersection between politics and the media is an ongoing event that is called Occupy Wall Street. This movement started on September 17th, according to a report by NPR, and the protest plans to march on Wall Street and camp out all week. There is no official leader of the movement, they simply operate on the principle that, "the one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%." The one percent that they mention also happens to include several media moguls who own news media outlets. Since the group also pushes for the end of big bonuses for executives and an increase in labor, many outlets have yet to take the movement seriously. This event receives a lot of criticism in the news and rarely is discussed with a serious tone.

This is an example of how the media can frame issues in the media to alter public perception of the issue. Talking about the event as a joke makes people take the event as a joke rather than a serious movement. The difference with this event is that the issue of the down turning economy is a highly prevalent issue that is difficult for the public to take as a joke. This is seen through the tremendous growth of this event.

This event also lends itself to the DailyKos article that we read about Millenials and Activism. This movement affirms Logothetis claim that our generation does meet the “activism standard of the previous generation.” It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the media since it is something that they are trying to shrug off as it gains support from citizens. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=141073203

Sex in Media

The effect of media violence and sexualized content is an prevailing issue with media content. Since I was young, I feel like this is a debate that has been on going and pervasive throughout American society. Many times, people argue that in other countries, sexualized content is normal on television. So what is the issue in America? In the video that we watched in class, we were able to examine the use of sexual content to attract viewers. I feel that most of us already know and understand this concept. What was new however, was the real world effects that these now mainstream images have on real world events.

The problem with these sexual images is that they are typically from the eyes of a male dominated media culture. Women are reduced to their body parts and become ‘sex objects,’ rather than having an opportunity to present themselves as an entire person with thoughts and feelings.

I can’t see what real value these images have to us as a society as a whole. We have taken something as natural as our own naked body, and turned it into something taboo and something to hunger for. I think that these sexual images have more of a triggering effect rather than the safety valve effect discussed in the book.

The Puerto Rican Pride Parade in 2000 was an atrocious example of this. Many of the obscene actions these men took on the women in the crowd were seen as perfectly fine in the men’s eyes. An 18-year-old who was arrested for violating women at the parade maintains that he was just “having fun.” This is not surprising when one thinks about the kind of messages that music videos and television portray.

In music videos and sexualized television content, women are objectified and are seen to have one purpose- entertaining the men. The men demean the women in any way possible, throwing money or drinks on them, ripping off their clothes, even when the women protest they are shown as secretly ‘wanting it.’

Since much of what we learn about how to conduct ourselves in polite society comes from what we see on television, why then are we surprised when young men see no problem dousing women on the street with drinks and tearing their clothes off? As the Social Learning Theory (SLT) states, having this male fantasy played out so frequently in videos can have a disturbing effect on the psyche.

We are sexual beings by nature, and it is natural to see some level of sexual content in life as well as in media. However, when the media perpetuates the same misconstrued ideals, our sexuality becomes something unnatural. In this article, they highlight the ‘hottest’ music videos. They are filled with the sexual exploitation of women and all kinds of disturbing things. Try to listen to them on mute so that you aren’t distracted by the music (which is how these images are so invasive). I also found a interesting study on the effects of sex in the media.

Becoming a more observant media consumer relies on critical examinations of media and society like this. If we don’t examine our actions and the motives behind them we cannot progress and grow.

Infotainment...is this REALLY news?!

Lets face it, most people would rather read the National Enquirer than the NY Times. Soft news sells better than controversial or influential stories. When Beyonce Knowles became pregnant with her first child, it was, and continues to be, the talk of the town.

Not to say that I don't care about Beyonce's baby-- wait... I don't. With all of the social issues facing us today, I understand the need for a break from stories about corrupt politicians, robberies and murders; but at some we have to say enough is enough. If people had given half of the energy to actual social issues that they give to celebrities, we could actually make social change and progress.

This decline in news quality content is attributed to the concentration of media ownership in a select few hands. In an attempt to attract more news media consumers, advertising rates are distorted which effectively forces smaller outlets to either cease programming or assimilate their format to a more profitable one resulting in less diversity in programming. Also, there is a less critical coverage of the media industry because of the interests of maintaining a corporate image and in favor of self-promotion and because reporting the news has ceased to be a public service and has become another product that brings in profits. On page 240, Bennett notes that, “news content shifts to infotainment formats,” because of the economic effectiveness of soft news.

While the merging of news corporations diluted the news, Bennett points out on page 229 that the merging of entertainment and news has brought key issues to groups that are otherwise closed off to politics and news. Unfortunately, the information may be so fragmented that it is difficult to understand in terms of the big picture.

So go ahead and indulge in trivial mindless 'news' drivel, just make sure to read some hard news as well. :)

Journalistic Bias effecting News Content

In chapter 4 of our text by Lance Bennett, NEWS Politics of Illusion, he discusses 4 very important biases that effect the way in which our news content is delivered to us. He notes that the news is no longer about providing an important pubic service; rather it has become a packaged consumer product. Because of this, the quality of the news that we receive is has been reduced to what is commonly referred to as infotainment.

Next, he explains the preference to dramatize events and, “emphasize crisis over continuity… downplay complex policy information, the workings of government institutions, and the bases of power behind the central characters.” This is mainly seen in local news like many of these stories from the AJC. Rather than focusing on the quality of life and how to improve it, the media looks for every tear jerking, heart wrenching story that ensures you will pay to find out more.

The most harmful bias is what Bennett refers to on page 45 as the personalization bias. He notes that there is a tendency to downplay the big picture of an event to focus on the human trials and tragedies. The reason is because human interest pieces are easier to sell than hard news that analyzes the political system and potentially alienates people.

Media also has a tendency to take stories out of context so that the big picture is hard to see. This is what Bennett refers to as fragmentation on page 47. For example, in the two articles that are linked in the previous paragraph, rather than focusing on the social issues that are causing the ever increasing robberies, we look at fragmented events (and are shocked every time it happens!).

On the same page, he also remarks that there is an obsession with “authority disorder.” That is to say, the news is preoccupied with order and whether or not authorities can restore or establish it.

To become a more observant media consumer, rather than another mindless drone, it is important to be aware of the biases in the news media. Unlike most consumer products, our choices don't drastically effect our quality of life and that of our nation. Since this is the case with the news media, it is imperative to be aware of the ways in which we are manipulated by the news media.

Do you think that the news media's many biases have a negative effect on people, or is this all malarkey?