By: Sarah Selzer
The straight population within American media is known for gaining and maintaining its power within television and film, and therefore have the dominance to change the cultural flow of society. Unfortunately, heteronormative plotlines are continually produced, neglecting the accurate representation of lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, and queer individuals within the entertainment industry. Straight people have the privilege of never having to worry about how they’re represented, but negative stereotypes of other sexual identities are still working their way up to the point where their stereotype does not solely represent their entire essence as a character. This notion is supported by social theorist Gail Dines with quote from her book Gender, race, and class in media: A critical reader: “While the entertainment industry have on some level acknowledged that gender and sexual identities are more fluid than was once thought, film and TV representations of characters show there is a strong tendency to caricature and stereotype, and in general to reinforce gender rigidity,” (Dines, 2002).
Due to heteronormative favoritism catalyzed by the hegemonic tropes of society, the change in truly representing characters that are not straight in a way that strays away from their stereotypes will be difficult because the people who control the majority of narratives in the media today are straight. By adding diverse sexual identities within the writer's room of scripts, this could lead to thousands of marginalized bodies to be accurately portrayed with real characterization. Then, these marginalized bodies would not have to remain invisible within media because they are currently covered by a hegemonic blanket of tropes placed by only one sexual identity: the one of the straight person.
Another way to look at hegemony concerning straight sexual preference in the media is observing people's’ everyday social roles and routines. What we choose to watch, the public spaces we choose to enter into, and the social interactions we choose to encounter are dominantly shaped by “straight” media. For example, the TV show Friends project the kind of “ideal” life a young American would want/ is expected to live. The plot line and characters perpetuate the notion that being straight will lead you to your happiness and professional success and barely touch upon other sexual identities in the show greatly. There are a few times that the writers have Phoebe queerbaiting with Monica. But, this never progresses, and their small queer baiting interactions were meant to entertain heteroflexibility, further proving media caters to the straight person.
Breaking this down, what commercials and entertainment we choose to watch on the TV, like the seasons of Friends are all influenced by the hegemonic culture within our society. We want to watch the most popular things in order to make us feel like we are fully involved in pop culture, which gives meaning to our social lives. But with the dominance of “straight” culture in America taking over television and film, how can we achieve a holistic view of what American sexual identity really means, if we only focus on one? It’s now time for the straight communities turn to shut up and listen to the other sexual identities that have been wanting to write their own narratives within the media now.
References
Dines, G., Humez, J. M., Yousman, B., & Bindig, L. (2002). Gender, race, and class in media: A critical reader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
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Word count: 531
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your post and the light it sheds on sexual orientation in popular culture and media. After reading this, I realize how I am contributing to the issue by my lack of demand for better representation in the media I consume. Friends is one of my favorite TV shows and I have never once considered the lack of differing sexual representations. My oblivious nature towards this issue is just one of the many privileges I have due to identifying as a straight, cis-gender woman. Good job!
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThis has some promise, but falls short on several levels. First and foremost is the formatting. The post doesn't make use of our house style (Normal not small font size).
More substantively, you make use of a few concepts that readers are probably unfamiliar with. Terms such as "heteronormative narratives," "queerbaiting," and "heteroflexibility" require some "unpacking" for students who haven't been exposed to these concepts.
Then there are some issues with the clarity and concision of your writing. For example, in the first paragraph you write that straight people have "dominance to change the cultural flow of society." What, exactly, do you mean by this?
I get it, I suppose. But you can and should state this more clearly. Likewise, the first sentence of your last paragraph is hard to follow. Be sure to proof your work (and have others review it) with an eye on clarity and concision.
Finally, and perhaps more critically, the academic source you cite is an edited volume. A hefty one at that. I expect you are drawing on a specific chapter from that text. Cite that rather than the entire book. And always include a page reference so others can track it down.
26 pts.