Blog Assignment #1

Video #1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoXoCAJGz-g&feature=relmfu
Video #2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-HsfFbPYvk
Video #3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgUE4BeWM-g
Article: Media and Gender Stereotyping by Marla McConnell


The argument being made in these three videos and the article is that media has a bad effect on children, teenagers, and young adults because it uses stereotyping and sexism to make young people's underdeveloped minds view themselves in disillusioned ways. Media and advertising today looks deep into the thought process of their target audience. So when ads show up on a channel like MTV, the people in it will be seen as tall, attractive, skinny, "perfect" humans (video #3), which teenagers young minds cannot handle. This gives teenagers the idea that they need to be "perfect" or "ideal" humans, and these are unrealistic traits. These kinds of stereotypes can make young people do crazy things such as develop eating disorders or looking in the mirror and seeing themselves as twenty pounds heavier than they really are (video #3). Girls often times think they are larger than they really are, due to the effects of mass media (video #2). Disney movies often times portray strong, masculine men as popular and cool and weaker men as less popular outcasts (video #1). Overall, Media and advertising techniques in this day and age can have very negative effects on children and young adults.