Still Showing: Sex Sells

-
While it is true that both men and women in general go to the movies to be entertained, it is equally true that in the search for entertainment there are some amount of gender and racial dynamics at play. Over the years much have been said and written about how Hollywood portrays women as sexual objects in movies for the sexual gratification of men. We tend to ignore the fact that the sexualisation of men in movies and film have worsen over the years.  According to data from the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California, since 2007 the hypersexualisation of men on film has increased. In 2014, 8 percent of male characters were cast in sexualized attire up from 4.6 percent in 2007.  The Annenberg Report also found that there has been an increase in male nudity scenes.
We live and operate in world where sex sells and this age old saying is so true in the world of entertainment. Many women are attracted to strong male characters. Many women are also attracted to male characters who are scantily clad. The recently released Hollywood blockbuster movie Batman versus Superman sees both leading characters in tight fitting costumes  which undoubtedly has been a major pulling card for movie goers especially women.
Notwithstanding this women still face ageism and sexism in Hollywood. Additionally, female actors are still required more than males to expose more of their body parts on cameras.  Gender disparity is alive and well in Hollywood as females continue to be underrepresented behind the camera.  According to data from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media across 1,565 content creators, only 7% of directors, 13% of writers, and 20% of producers are female. This translates to 4.8 males working behind-the-scenes to every one female.
The roles for minority actors are usually stereotyped and are not as widely available as roles for other ethnic groups. African Americans are usually cast to play supporting roles of a domestic type on a plantation somewhere serving white folks. Where are the black super heroes?
According to the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, messages that devalue and diminish female characters are still rampant in family films.  Clearly more research and advocacy are needed to dismantle gender biases in Hollywood. 
While we should not rush to shed tears for the sexualized male character we need to have an honest discussion on how Hollywood select characters for the sake of raking in big bucks.
#sexuality #Hollywood #gender #movies
Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Insecticides, Air Travel And Safety

-
Image
We are not insects, we are human beings. To travel by air is a privilege. Air travel is a costly adventure as well.   Those of us who have been fortunate to travel oftentimes experience some amount of excitement leading up to that moment. This heightened sense of emotion happens to almost all of us irrespective of whether we are a frequent flyer or a first timer. This buzz never goes away regardless of whether you travel economy or first class. However, for some folks there is a sense of nervousness during travel. There are numerous lessons we can learn whenever we travel. For example, our outlook on life is often altered due to the interaction with other peoples and cultures. Once the airplane takes off and you begin to ascend into the clouds, sometimes of altitude unbelievable to those without this experience, one can feel like someone who is imprisoned until your flight lands and you disembark. It is usually at those altitudes that the airline crew informs you that they are going to
Read more

Vessels of Honour: Celestial Treasures

-
Image
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”- Psalm 51:10. Many of us have a skewed understanding of God our creator. In many instances we believe or are led to believe that in order to be used by God we must be pure and sinless. This tainted view undoubtedly also impacts our relationships we have with God. Having such a distorted view of God and what God demands from us oftentimes lead us into disobedience. The same is true concerning the weight of condemnation. It is for this reason why it is critical for us to spend time in the Word of God which is the Bible. We all need to know God for ourselves. We often make excuses to study the Bible, yet, we will spend hours on social media or hours gossiping people’s business. Nowhere is gossiping more pronounced than in the church. The church as we know it is not a place of honesty. Why do I say this? Oftentimes we turn to the church in our moments of weakness and vulnerability yet, the solace and compassion that
Read more

Interrogating Black Fatherhood

-
Image
“What I've realized is that life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children all of our children a better world. Any fool can have a child. That doesn't make you a father. It's the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.”- Barack Obama. Fatherhood, especially black fatherhood oftentimes is not as celebrated as it should. As a result we continue to hear of the arguments surrounding my mother who fathered me. There are specific roles concerning the sexes and frankly speaking mothers cannot father children, likewise fathers cannot mother children. Indeed as a society we need to move the discussion away from these examples of oxymoron. This flawed premise has been around so long and unfortunately has become normalized in many societies. However, the time has come for us to have a serious and honest discussion as this argument must be interrogated and replaced with a sense of responsibility. In fact, there is one m
Read more