Face-ism

Face-ism

Face-ism is where a proportion of the overall image as depicted in the media, for example, in magazine covers, is devoted to the face. According to studies, media portrayals of women tend to feature less of their face relative to the faces of men. Typical photographs of men feature two-thirds of his face, while for women, it features less than half of their face. This bias is further amplified for women of minority races who have the lowest face-ism in media portrayals. Face-ism is exemplified in politics where female politicians such as Hillary Clinton, whose time covers features images of her the lower part of her leg and a silhouette of her. Also, the former first lady was subjected to face-sim in her images on the Newsweek cover that also featured less of her face. In comparison, Bill Clinton, Obama, and President Trump images had more of their faces.

Face-ism is crucial because it has a significant psychological influence on the audience of the media. Studies show that people tend to associate a person’s “individuality, personality, and intelligence with their face” (Lecture Slides I). People generally highly rate people with a higher face-sim index, as they associate more face and less body in an image with exceptionality in both character and nous. Therefore, the fact that women have a lower face-ism index relative to men indicates a deliberate attempt to undercut the individualism and talent of women by the media hence reinforcing derogatory stereotypes about women.

2. Why do images matter in our consideration of gender equality? How do you think images in popular media impact social status today?

Gender perspectives for a long time have subordinated women to men. One of the reasons for this gender inequality has been popular media portrayals of gender that have portrayed women as weak, emotional, and inferior to women through images. Images are critical to understanding the world as they inculcate perceptions that people are likely to regard as the general rule of society. Images can covey either strength or weakness, character or ignominy, intelligence, or ineptness. Therefore, if images in popular media are skewed to insinuate the apparent strengths of men, it is likely that this notion will be implanted into society. Hence, men will be viewed as superior to women.

Contemporary popular media has contributed to gender inequality through biased face-sim against women, sexual objectification of women, the idealization of concepts such as beauty, and the encouraging distortion of natural bodies to pander to the idealized standards of beauty. This depiction of women in popular media affects the social status of society as women are tended to be valued for their looks. At the same time, their other traits, such as intelligence, competitiveness, and capability, are undercut. It also harms the financial situation of women who engage in self-surveillance hence degrading their social status.

3. In your own words, define:  Women and Gender studies  Feminism

Women and Gender studies is an academic discipline that started in the 1970s during the height of the Civil rights movement that was anchored on equality of all people. Women and gender studies analyse the essentiality of gender in human society and investigate the status of women in society. The discipline uses concepts and knowledge from other disciplines such as economics, history, sociology, and law to investigate a cross-section of inequalities such as gender inequality, racial inequality, sexual inequality, among others. Women studies have been the springboard of contemporary fields that focus on marginalized people, such as ethnic studies and Asian American studies.

Feminism, on the other hand, is a belief. The conviction that all the sexes should be socially, economically, and politically equal. Feminism attempts to deconstruct the systems of power that perpetuate inequality of race, class, ability, national origin, and sexuality. Therefore, feminism stretches far beyond the confines of women’s rights and is concerned with inequality of al forms. Indeed, feminism also challenges the norms and perceptions that limit men in contemporary society.

4. What do you think are the most damaging myths about feminism? Please explain why each myth continues to have so much power to disrupt action towards women’s equality, even though they are not true. How do these myths contribute to feminism being considered a highly charged and controversial term in our current society?

Feminism, being a belief that challenges the established norms and hierarchies of society, has been met with strong opposition from adherents and beneficiaries of the patriarchal society. Opponents of feminism tend to use myths that vitiate the reality of feminism and its societal objectives. Many myths have been perpetuated about feminism. The most dangerous myths about feminism are that feminism is; ideological; that feminists hate men and just want to be like them; that feminism is for white middle-class women; and that feminism only concerns women.

The myth that feminism is only ideological and not anchored in genuine scholarship hurts the cause because it dissuades people from actually doing further research into the concept, and learning the facts about feminism. This myth is perpetuated by some elements of popular media, under-informed people, and other hijackers of the movement who chose to use the concept to advance other selfish and pernicious concepts that are not anchored in scholarly work, which do a disservice to feminism. In this way it perpetuates the spreading of other myths about feminism to people who are not well versed in the concept of feminism. The myth that feminists hate men and want to be like men incites men who do not any better to be apprehensive towards feminism and thus makes feminism a polarizing movement when in reality, it is about equality for all. This myth is advanced by some men who naturalized to gender inequality, perceive the inclusion of women as a “potential threat” to their power (Lecture Slides II). The myth that feminism is only for white middle-class women dissuades women of other races and socioeconomic classes to engage and be involved with the concept, which hurts the cause. This myth is caused by the socioeconomic and media coverage disparity between women of different races, which tends to give white women more visible avenues to discuss feminism. However, this does not mean that women of other races are not part of the movement.

5. Define/discuss the concepts of Standpoint theory and Intersectionality theory, using your own words. How does the concept of intersectionality help you think about your own complex identity or the complex identity of others? Why is intersectionality an important central theory of women’s studies?

The standpoint theory is a theory in feminism that posits that the social position of a person is critical in developing knowledge. The theory argues that because that knowledge that stems from a patriarchal society or a male viewpoint ignores the reality of women’s social reality. The theory contends that research anchored on women and other marginalized groups’ perspectives is crucial for explaining societal issues. Sociology has generally ignored women and hence trivialized their activities and accomplishments, which have been pivotal to culture and history. It is only by starting from the viewpoint of marginalized groups that research can lead to knowledge that is self-critical and valid.

Intersectionality is also a concept in feminism that argues that because people possess different identities in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and socioeconomic class, they can be the victims of a combination of disadvantages and discrimination (Lecture Slides III). By understanding that people can be victims of a combination of discriminatory situations, inequality in the world can be better understood. For instance, in a racist and patriarchal society, a woman belonging to a minority race will face a combination of discriminatory acts because of her gender and her race. Therefore, this woman will likely suffer more than a white woman in the same society.