Females and the Role of Media

    Today there are many influences on teenagers that come from video games, music, television, movies and magazines. Concentrating on women and girls, advertising, fashion magazines and celebrities play a large role in shaping female body perception and mind. There have been many pop icons that young girls find are able to relate to. Britney Spears falls into this category. The once viewed innocent pop princess has become a topic of discussion regarding her sexuality and life choices. Melanie Lowe conducted a study of adolescent girls and there reactions to singer Britney Spears and the relationship that they had formed with her. She spoke with girls about their values and found these girls were worried about the constant message of sex, the objectification of women’s bodies and the impact of media images and the messages it sends to younger girls. These younger girls were aware of Britney’s attempts to break out of her innocent shell and become a ‘women’. They recognized her outfit changes in her music videos and how they have become sexier and sexier and how they don’t cover much of her body. The girls in the study were conflicted. They disagreed with the way that Britney used her body to sell her music but they also felt a connection to her because she is a woman that began her career at a young age and it must have been hard to deal with all that pressure. Overall young teenage girls are aware of the media’s role on consumer sales. They are able to identify how celebrities like Britney Spears play down to the stereotypes imposed by the media. These girls are smart and aware of what the media is trying to do.
     I feel that celebrities like Britney Spears play the role of innocent girl and then sexy women. In Britney’s case she has evolved into the sex image she portrays in order to sell more of her products and appeal to a larger demographic. The media has a large role in the mass consumption of products. Britney Spears is an example of a singer who made her fortune appealing to specific demographics. She began with the younger girls and teenagers and now has evolved to not only appeal to these girls but also appeal to males by being provocative. The media influences audience beliefs and behaviour. Girls, like those in the study, need to keep questioning the actions of the media and celebrities about sexuality and mass consumerism in order to try and break the chain and work to dissolve the present stereotype about women.

Watch this Britney Spears video for an example of how she uses her sexuality to sell
PLAY VIDEO