Written by Surabhi Pradhan & Tea Vasha
The media and entertainment industry has a wide and deep influence on society through the way that it represents different aspects of life. While media and entertainment often reflect societal values, they also have the power to influence and inform people’s perceptions by the narratives they choose to amplify. When looking at television, cinema, and video games, it becomes clear that the way in which a person or group is portrayed largely impacts the way they are perceived by the greater community; consequently, diminishing equal representation. Women continue to be marginalized from positions of leadership, power, and significance, with only 6.6% of CEOs worldwide being women as of 2019, only 24.9% account for the female parliamentarians globally, and 23% female protagonists in movies, similar to 21% of the filmmakers. The way women are portrayed in the media can either work towards maintaining the status quo or breaking it.
Bad representation for women in media and entertainment, specifically in television, cinema, and video games has led to the further marginalization of women from positions of power. Female representation in media perpetuates a demeaning image, as seen, for instance, in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. In the last rendition of the game, women are background characters with minimal lines, whose task is to be fragile and sexy, or if they are lucky enough to be given a name, they are only part of the story to further the plotline of the men in their lives. Women in this game are objects used for sex appeal, and trophies to flaunt at other men, with no purpose outside their relationship with the male protagonist. This franchise is immensely successful worldwide, and continues to be played by boys as young as four years old. At impressionable ages with little capacity to critically think for themselves, these boys may be inclined to believe what they see, and maintain these beliefs even once they grow up to become men.
In the field of cinema, when we look at movies like Wonder Woman (2017), we see a woman, who through her strength and love, defeats the villains in society, while actively working towards dismantling the patriarchy. However, in Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), we see a completely different story when another woman is added to the plot: the two compete for male attention, and the only “value” they hold is their good looks. It is not enough for a woman to be smart to be valued; women need to be appreciated by men to be worth anyone’s time, or at least this is the narrative the movie pushes. Introducing a scientist who is shunned by her peers for having frizzy hair, the movie establishes that women are only worthwhile when they wear high heels and have men ogling at them. The film also puts forth the idea that women cannot work together, as they have vested interests in being prettier than the other, rather than acknowledging their differences and valuing their individuality. The jealousy the “less attractive” woman feels pushes her into the antagonist role and turns into a literal catfight. In reality, women are supportive of one another, and need to continue to do so. When movies portray women as vain and insecure, the teller of the self-worth currency remains to be the male gaze.
While women are largely under- and misrepresented in the media and entertainment industry, some attempts have been made to ameliorate their portrayal. It is important for young girls to identify role models, and for boys to be raised understanding the importance of equality. We grew up watching Disney movies where the plot revolved around a fairytale powerful love story, which fought against all evil, following a patriarchal theme as it made the princess’s life dependent on her “Prince Charming.” However, more recent movies have demonstrated an attempt to move away from the importance invested in the main male character. Animated movies like Brave, Frozen, and especially Moana have focused on the importance of the female characters’ story, making the female lead her own hero. For example, Moana has been praised as the best Disney movie in terms of female representation. She is portrayed as a strong, independent and powerful woman who took her fate in her own hands and fought to save the people she loves. Even though Maui is also a main character in the movie, his role doesn’t overpower Moana’s and he is not a prince to whom she is dependent on to secure her future.
Representation of women in video games has also increasingly received attention. For instance, Horizon Zero Dawn has been commended for having a more accurate and empowering representation of female characters, putting them both in the main story and background in various roles, including “friends, antagonists, leaders, paupers and merchants,” and performing heroic acts, without compromising their integrity. In addition, representation of women is gradually growing as women in the entertainment industry are embracing their power and being more outspoken about their struggles. In a recent Netflix documentary titled Miss Americana, Taylor Swift shares her experience as a female in the music industry. This type of representation in TV and media is important as it gives voice to women’s struggles and raises awareness about the difficulties they face, while offering an opportunity for discourse and call to action in order to defeat the unfairness and inequality that exists in the society.
With the important role that the entertainment industry plays in our lives — spending more time in front of the TV compared to high school classes — the media can be perceived as an “educator” of the younger generation. Therefore, many of the misconceptions and patriarchal views people grow can originate from movies, TV shows or games. Accurate representation of women in the media is crucial as it not only introduces young people to social norms and concepts, but can also work as the first impression about girls, subconsciously altering the perception boys have about girls, and girls’ perceptions about themselves. The fault is not in the audience, but in the creators. Women are excluded from content catered towards boys due to the fear that “boys won’t watch shows about girls,” when in reality, these fears are unfounded, and only show the personal biases male executives hold. Consumers want good content, and interesting characters; these non gender qualifications are disregarded, and the stories of complex, strong and hard-working women are sacrificed for the sake of maintaining one dimension.