by A. South

Created on: April 14, 2008

The media is full of negative and unrealistic stereotypes of women and mothers. The most harmful aspect of these stereotypes is not their flagrancy, but rather their inconspicuousness. Most viewers don't recognize these stereotypes, much less how thy shape our thinking and the harm they cause to viewers and society.

The Superwoman
The Superwoman myth is perhaps the most pervasive myth about mothers and women in the media. This myth portrays the unrealistic woman. This woman appears to handle the demands of career, wife and parent with amazingly little stress and difficulty. While maintaining a high-stress job, raising beautiful children and attending to her husband's every need, the media-created superwoman maintains both her poise and appearance.

Breast-Feeding
This aptly-titled myth highlights the misconception and mis-representation of breasts. The breasts are presented on media as sexual organs, even in the context of their intended biological use. This does nothing but objectify women and needlessly sexualize motherhood.

Physical Appearance
In movies, television and in the media women are often portrayed as youthful beauties. Furthermore, their duty it is to stay young and attractive to please their men. Once a woman is no longer so young and attractive, she becomes an object of ridicule. In contrast, the men are commonly overweight and unattractive. This myth is particularly pervasive in sitcoms.

Concerns of Women
In mainstreem media women, are disproportionately seen as homemakers and mothers, with their business, professional and community roles downplayed or not represented at all. This is especially true of advertising. As a result, social concerns of women are likewise downplayed and not seen as important as the roles and concerns of their male counterparts.

Numbers
Another difference between men and women is seen in the simple number of male and female characters. There are far fewer females in the media than males; about twice as many men as women are in prime time dramas and three times as many in Saturday morning children's shows.

Women and Violence
In the media, women are consistently linked with violence, especially as victims of male violence. Though the link is often subtle, subtly linked with violence, the impact of this portrayal simply weakens the role of women and mothers.

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