For this discussion, we will be looking at the ways in which media influence and shape the views we have on gender and the expectations that arise out of those views. In the 1960s, sociologist Erving Goffman developed a groundbreaking analysis of advertising in the contemporary commercial landscape to show how American popular culture reflects, and in turns shapes, normative ideas about masculinity and femininity.

To begin, read the two articles, “Gender & Gender InequalityPreview the documentView in a new window” and “Social Construction of GenderPreview the documentView in a new window” and write 1-2 paragraphs responding to the following questions: (be sure to use specific references to the readings – i.e. quotes, paraphrases, or summaries)

What in the readings was particularly interesting, surprised you, or was new information to you? What are some things that you agree with or identify with? Explain how and why. What are some things you disagree with? Explain how and why. In what ways might the information in the reading be useful to you? What questions do you have about the content of the readings and/or the conceptual terms or concepts presented in the reading?

In the following film, Communication professor Sut Jhally explores Goffman’s central claim that gender ideals are the result of a ritualized cultural performance, in covering a remarkable pattern of masculine and feminine displays and poses. Jhally looks beyond advertising as a medium that simply sells products, and beyond analyses of gender that focus on biological difference or issues of objectification and beauty, to provide a clear-eyed view of the two-tiered terrain of identity and power relations.

Watch the following film, “The Codes of Gender” and respond to the questions below: (Due to copyright issues, you will need to enter a passcode in order to view the film. The passcode is “hornbecksociology”)

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Here is the link to the film:

https://vimeo.com/113987260 (Links to an external site.)

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Your responses to the following questions should be 3-4 paragraphs and connect what you’ve learned from the two articles and what you learned about the media representations of gender:

Have you ever met someone whose gender you couldn’t immediately identify? How did you react? Did it make you uncomfortable? Whether you’ve had that kind of personal experience or not, why do you think some people might say they’re uncomfortable with androgynous people? Think it through: what might be the source of this kind of discomfort?

What are the codes of gender that Goffman refers to? What is “gender display”?

How do simple things, such as the way we walk and talk, communicate our gender to others? What are other examples of the ways we communicate our gender?

What does Goffman mean by referring to advertising as “commercial realism”?

What is a “canting” posture? What are some examples of canting postures and what larger cultural significance or meaning does Goffman ascribe to them?

Jhally asserts that it’s “only when you make something strange” that you have any chance of changing it. Do the gender codes in advertising need to be changed? If so, what are some of the ways we can make them “strange”?

Post your 1-2 paragraph reflections on the readings and your 3-4 paragraph analysis of the Codes of Gender in the discussion forum below