Research Paper on:
Today's Media Send Messages That Perpetuate Traditional Definitions Of Women

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great deal about the messages todays media send to perpetuate traditional definitions of women are founded within centuries-old patriarchal influence. The image of power and gender roles in popular  culture reflects significant patriarchal control, with the manipulation of the female gender a pertinent component of its objective. However, others contend that the  Buffys and Felicitys of todays media are far better gender representations than the oppressed, motherly types of the 1950s and 1960s. A perfect example of this improvement is with  womens magazines. Helen Gurley Brown, the longtime matriarch of Cosmopolitan magazine, worked diligently to place women in a better light throughout the publication industry. Her efforts, along with  similar magazines, have proven effective in establishing women as independent thinkers who can contribute more to society than merely looking pretty. By contrast,  one of the many subplots that permeate through weekly television shows that feature female leads is how women are objects to be beheld and appreciated for their beauty. Some  of the issues brought forth by this reality deal with the portrayal of women and how patriarchy serves to corrupt the moral fiber of society; that women are given the  wrong perception of how they are supposed to look, act and feel; and that the infiltration of sexual content gives children the wrong impression with regard to morals and values.  Indeed, it can readily be argued how the overwhelming presence of gender bias in todays media plagues women who have attempted to escape the stereotypical connections associated with their  body image. Women who aspire to be just like the gorgeous, long-legged, slender, bikini-clad models they see in print and on television are only setting themselves up for disappointment,