How Women are Portrayed in Other Texts

Nicki Minaj in 'Starships'

Many women are still being portrayted as being sex objects in any films, music videos and tv programmes, although some as shown as being the main protagonist in the text, showing they are the more powerful character within the text. In a lot of the music videos very are shown as being the target audience and also have some voueuristic characteristics put through it them. Such as specific camera angles to show their femininity and to act in a very sexual manner. This is used to create a male gaze to show off women femininity but also in ways it creates woman gaze in how other some women would like to look like her because she has men looking at her a lot. But not all music videos involve in women stripping down and dancing around in their underwear, there are videos of women singing in a dominant role such singers like this would be; P!nk, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift. These women use their music videos to act in how society would usually like to see them, so they are seen in the norm. Which is almost a direct binary to some other singers who act in total oppsites, some of these women would be; Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Jennifer Lopez.

There are many women in tv that are portrayed as being strong independant women who will do what they can like anybody else without using their femine traits. They can be found in a lot of the soap operas on the tv now, these soap would be; Coronation Street and Eastenders. One of the most memorable of strong independant women in the history of soap history would be the infamous 'Peggy Mitchell'. A little old ladie who had to grow up in a tough neighbour hood and bring up two sons and still get the respect from the whole street is not an easy feat but she was one of the only women to be able to do just that.

Linzey Cocker playing Jessica Fisher
in Waterloo Road

There is a large gap in representations of women that would be changed by one factor which would be age. Younger women are portrayed as being troublesome and 'sluttish' and older women are portrayed as being independent and innocent depending on whether they are with someone, have a family or are alone and single. Younger women in TV are seen in a voyeuristic view such as in Waterloo Road, they would always choose the most good looking or bustiest girl to be in the camera shots and play a main role in an episodes, they would be even be viewed in school uniforms and shot in scopophilic camera shots. they would also be shot in long shots to show their figure to show how feminine  they are and also in extreme close-ups of their faces to emphasize how young they are and their facial expressions of how they act. But it is also done so that younger women who watch the programme are able to connect with the actors so then they feel like they can relate to them. But this is still showing that they are being view in a voyeuristic way because there is a male gaze being produced with the way the women are acting, their stances, how they talk and also with the direct mode of address that is made. Depending on the age of the character and the actor most women will be shown to act in a very feminine/girly way. However in most TV programmes with young women in them acting in a sexual way, there will be a binary opposite of them such as either a older parent/guardian who is independent and protective of them or a man of similar age but acts in a innocent way towards her and all other women. This is used to create a situation for the character to overcome a personal quest to reach back into society.