The Influence of Gender in American Popular Culture Essay

Popular Culture in the form of media does not always do a fair job of reflecting accurate characteristics of men and women. Society has added to this by creating what is known as gender roles among men and women. They are like a type of social guidelines which men and women follow in order to be accepted by todays society. Although this was designed with the best intentions it can have negative results. There are many examples of gender roles playing a part in our society. Television serves as one of the most common voices for the social guidelines; it reflects dominant social values to its audience which in turn reinforces them by presenting them as the norm. Television implies that its a mans world buy usually placing men†¦show more content†¦Reality TV has taken the gender roles to a new level. These shows are even more unrealistic and unachievable by todays young adults. Shows like MTVs My Super Sweet 16 a reality show about spoiled rich teens throwing over the top elaborate sweet sixteen birthday parties. The show creates an even bigger boundary between the average teen and these crazed rich kids. It reinforces this kind of behavior again as the norm. They also teach kids to have next to no respect for adults and make it seems as though adults get in the way of their lives. On one episode it stars a young girl who disobeys her parents wishes and sneaks to Malibu for the weekend even after she was told repeatedly that she was not allowed. When her parents found out she was there they cancelled her credit card. She was more upset that her card was cancelled then at the fact that her parents knew she was doing something she shouldnt. When her parents decided that she would not get the $75,000.00 Land Rover they promised her, she through a 3-years-olds temper tantrum and ultimately got her car in the end. These shows have a bigger influence on young girls making it seem like money is everything and you are not a women unless you have the stuff to prove it. They show case rare teens as normal everyday Americans which in turns make the actual normal teenager feel as though they are sub-par. Even theShow MoreRelatedGender Roles And Issues Regarding Feminisms And Masculinity939 Words   |  4 PagesGender in Popular Culture Gender is very crucial element in the American popular culture. What comes in mind when we talk about gender in the American popular culture so many questions go through the mind. The questions will go back to the gender roles and issues concerning feminisms and masculinity. One may question any advantage of being a male to a female because this is where stereotypes are arising especially in the American popular culture. 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