Gendered Media & Consumerism

How has gendered media influenced your consumption?  In what ways have you conformed and/or resisted gendered media?  (i.e. dolls, movies, reality television, name brands, etc.

Media and consumerism has influence my life in many ways. When I was a child, I remember my brother and I were big fans of Disney movies and Disney cartoons. Every Saturday and Sunday morning we watched Disney movies and cartoons. One of our all-time favorite movies was the Lion King, Pocahontas, and Aladdin. For us, Disney became a fantasy, a magical world that we brought to life. What I mean by that is that my brother and I pretended to be Disney characters. He always wanted to be the hero; the problem was that I also wanted to play the hero too. This was the beginning of a revolution; I did not want to play the role of a princess. According to the article “Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on Views of Gender,” Female characters are portrayed to devote their primary energies to improving their appearances and taking care of homes and people (Woods 2). Unconsciously I wanted to be strong, powerful and be the hero. I wanted to feel empowered and not clean, cook or serve anyone. 

When I started elementary school, I traded my Barbie’s for cars, stuffed animals and video games. I was a bit of a "tomboy" and enjoyed playing with the boys. Once I started high school, I became interested in makeup, boys, fashion and Victoria secret products. Every girl in high school owned Victoria secret’s body spray, lotion and underwear. Back then, girls who used Victoria Secret products were considered popular, trendy and cool. But how did I suddenly start to buy all these products? Thanks to fashion magazines, TV advertisements/shows and commercials, the love for consumerism began. Magazines such as Seventeen, Teen Vogue, Cosmo and Elle influenced my sense of style and encouraged me to consume their products. Reality television shows such as American Next Top Model, Project runway, MTV and BET also encouraged me to purchase beauty/fashion products and inspired my love for fashion and beauty products.