Stereotypes in the Media Essay Example

A person's life in the current world is greatly influenced by the media. Marketing, which is a crucial aspect of media and regrettably contains many stereotypes, is a vital component. The negative impact is further amplified by the fact that individuals deal with it every day. It becomes an issue when certain ideas become ingrained in the collective mind as a result of the repeating of the same stereotypes. Because of this, individuals start to take these prejudices as true and to think of them as their own. These preconceptions, though, are not always accurate or even useful. 

There are two types of stereotypes; implicit and explicit stereotypes. Firstly, explicit stereotypes are the ones we are conscious of. They are the stereotypes we are conscious of and that we are actually controlling. Are the ones we know we are imposing, and we report them. For example, if someone’s friend’s girlfriend cheats on him, and this person tells his friend he will never get into a relationship, he is assuming all women are exactly the same. This stereotype is explicit because this is controlled, and this person is deciding, and consciously reporting this stereotype. Next, there are implicit stereotypes, which are the ones we operate unintentionally and the ones we automatically assume on a group of people. These might include, for example, believing men are better at sports than women, because we have the perception that women are delicate and weaker than men, so naturally people may assume that men are stronger and they are better at sports, or associate harder or more demanding sports with men being more successful at it.. Most of the time, we have no actual evidence right away that proves this right or wrong, so we can’t know if this is correct, hence it being an implicit stereotype that we automatically assume. This type of stereotype can still unconsciously influence someone’s behavior. 

Stereotypes are typically only bringing benefits towards the one establishing the stereotypes, which is mainly categorizing and systemizing people, as an inevitable cognitive process. It allows us to respond quickly to certain situations, and because we may have experienced something similar before, it helps us simplify social situations and decrease the amount of thinking we do during these situations. This allows information to be easily recalled and reacted to. 

However, one of the main negative things that stereotypes bring is pressure over this person or the group of people. This is because creating these assumptions and expectations as high or low as they might be, they create pressure over this person. This means that we are shocked when our stereotypes are proved wrong. We are overwhelmed by differences amongst groups, and we create a big separation between these, and the differences between people in what we classify as one group are underestimated. Meaning that the people we categorize in one group we believe are the same, so when we learn or acknowledge the differences between these people, we are shocked at these. 

The commercials for the Axe line of products are one example. Axe is a brand by the Unilever company targeted to young men. There is an overt objectification of women in these advertisements where women are shown as sex crazed beings who will be lured within no time by using the Axe products. The tag line of all these products are same of ' Boy gets Girl' if he uses the Axe products. (“Stereotypes” par. 7)

These commercials feature women as sex objects for male users. The idea that a man is only "complete" after he has "achieved" a woman as a love partner, as well as the paternalist ideology, which holds that women should be under the supervision of males, are the sources of this sexism. This perspective includes a romanticized picture of close connections with women and acknowledges men's dependency on women (i.e., women's dyadic power). It's significant that these sexists' favorable opinions incorporate sentiments of love and care for women.

Another great example is the 1992 release of the Walt Disney Pictures film Aladdin. The movie is a great watch until one discovers the hidden innuendos in the movie. The movie begins with a poor and dark Aladdin but ends with a rich and white Aladdin. It is not a mere coincidence that Aladdin 's skin colour changes from black to white and the Americans are fighting the 1991 Gulf war. (“Stereotypes” par. 6)

The film makes a strong effort to demonstrate the superiority of American beliefs and lifestyle. Aladdin and Jasmine, the main characters, are wholly Americanized; they have lighter skin tones, American accents, and values of freedom despite coming from an Arabian country. In contrast to the other characters, who are not only dark but also depicted as barbaric and vile, such as Jafar,. The majority of the ladies in the film are dressed as belle dancers, while some are fully garbed, which unduly eroticizes the portrayal of the women. The fact that the kids and even Aladdin, before he was made a prince, were walking barefoot suggested that the area was so desperately poor that it was impossible for anybody to afford to buy shoes. The film's central protagonists are revealed to have animal pals.All these misconceptions serve to emphasize that people in Arabia are really backward and archaic, and that they make animal friends. People have no freedom, and the film depicts a country populated by barbarians like Jafar who are just concerned with serving their own interests.

Finally, each one of us can fight these stereotypes by knowing that diversity is valued and not letting what you see in the media affect the way you see and feel about yourself or others. Also, it is important to be able to differentiate the content you consume from real life because, as we mentioned earlier in this essay, stereotypes are everywhere and you can not escape from them, but you can be conscious of them. Because we start viewing stereotypes from a very young age, which is when we are more receptive to new information, it is fundamental to speak to children about this topic to which they will be exposed as they develop and teach them to think for themselves. Teaching kids from a young age about this is what will really make a more significant impact and make big changes for a less-stereotyped society.