After conducting our research and posting on the blog we have come to some interesting conclusions. Websites that are designed to appeal to men or women work in a way that perpetuates stereotypes of femininity and masculinity, as well as the “physical characteristics, traits, behaviours and occupations” that make up gender stereotypes (Begley 2002). These stereotypes affect our performance, and encourage us to act in a manner that corresponds to our gender (Begley 2002 http://www.ablongman.com/
partners_in_psych/PDFs/Brannon/Brannon_ch07.pdf).
Websites tend to be a distortion of reality and give agency to the social institutions that mould people and culture. Dichotomies are a crucial aspect of and are consistently perpetuated through websites. In particular dichotomies involving gender and ‘what it means to be a woman’ are prevalent in pop culture. Women remain to be portrayed as either a Saint or a Slut. In dating websites women are represented as man eating sex addicts, using men merely as their props. Whereas laundry detergent, cooking and diet websites deliver the message that women’s femininity is constructed by cooking, cleaning and being thin. Hollows writes that “the processes and practices of representation work to produce ideas about what it means to be a woman” (Hollows, 2000), it seems that women must follow unrealistic social standards where “judgments’ about value have often been gendered” (Hollows, 2000) The dichotomies found in websites do not reflect reality, and their meanings are negotiated to conform to the mainstream stereotypical social standards. Distinctions between the Saint and the Slut are becoming increasingly blurred and femininity continues to be re-negotiated.
Two types of websites that are both gendered “saintly” feminine are parenting and cooking websites (since historically these duties have been deemed “Women’s Work”). These websites maintain these ideals by trapping and containing women further into the realm of domesticity. These types of sites perpetuate stereotypes of femininity, while at the same time reinforcing these stereotypes. It’s a cycle that works to control women: telling them how they should look and act, and what their responsibilities/duties are as women (Begley 2002). Contrast these websites with websites about parenting and cooking that are designed for a male audience. These websites are all reinforcing stereotypes of masculinity: that men don’t know how to be a parent (whereas it comes naturally for women), and that men don’t have to take on any of the domestic responsibilities.
The results were very interesting when comparing porn sites that are gendered masculine, and sites that are gendered feminine. There were distinct aesthetic differences between the sites as a whole. The male sites had predominately masculine colouring, whereas the women sites had more traditional feminine colours such as pink or purple. Also, the female sites seemed a lot less cluttered: the male sites seemed to try to cram as many naked ladies and advertisements onto the page, whereas the female sites seemed almost relaxed in its presentation. Other interesting differences were the content. The male sites were predominately thumbnail clips with links to videos, and the female sites had many personal stories, something that the male sites did not have at all. These sites perpetuate the stereotype that men are interested in the sexual connection of a relationship, whereas women should focus on the emotional connection. If women do show interest in porn sites, then immediately they are placed in the Slut category within the "Saint" vs. "Slut" dichotomy because they are expressing and exploring their sexuality (something society frowns upon), and deviating from the "pure" and "virtuous" position women historically and stereotypically are expected to have within society.
In conclusion, there are such discrepancies between the types of websites that appeal to men, and the types of websites that appeal to women. However, all of these websites perpetuate stereotypes of masculinity and femininity, maintain dichotomies involving gender, and work to keep men and women safely trapped and contained within the realm of stereotypical “femininity” and “masculinity”.
Danger Powers, Keekers and The N3rd
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