van zoonen

• Van Zoonen's key idea


  The display of women's bodies as objects to be looked at is a core element of western patriarchal culture
• Feminist perspectives on the media according to Van Zoonen


  • Liberal feminism
  • Radical feminism
  • Socialist feminism
• Liberal feminism


  Stereotypical thoughts about the roles that women play in society, especially the role as a housewife and mother, are all responsible for why women hold a "lower" or "unequal" position in society. In terms of media analysis, liberal feminists analyse "sex role stereotypes, prescriptions of sex-appropriate behaviour, appearance, interests, skills and self-perceptions".
• Radical feminism

  Patriarchy is the main point. "In radical feminist discourse 'patriarchy', a social system in which all men are assumed to dominate and oppress all women, accounts for women's position in society". Some radical feminists believe women must completely cut themselves off from all ties with men and "form their own communities". In this radical perspective, pornography has been closely analysed and the conclusion is that media greatly affects men's views and attitudes towards women and how women view themselves.
• Men are increasingly being objectified in the media too. However, they are rarely seen as passive and vulnerable.
• Socialist feminism


  Gender, class, and economic conditions each directly affect women's positions in society. The solution in terms of media representation of women is "reforming the mainstream media as well as producing separate feminist media". The negative perspectives of women in society need to be reformed, either by reforming media that exists today or through creating entirely new, feminist interpretations of the way women should conduct themselves in society.
• Fourth-wave feminism


  Often associated with online feminism, especially using social media to discuss, uplift, and activate gender equality and social justice. It is indicative of the continuing influence of the third wave, with its focus on micro-politics and challenging sexism and misogyny insofar as they appear in everyday rhetoric, advertising, film, television and literature, the media, and so on. The addition of more advanced technology along with broader ideas of equal rights set the newest wave apart from the former.
• Besides online feminism, the fourth wave has been associated with the increased focus on intersectionality, including the denial of trans-exclusionary radical feminism (i.e it must accept gender across race, class, sex etc…) and a focus on solidarity with other social justice movements.
• the media have their own interests which they pursue through their content
• the media do not simply reflect society but actively participate in its construction
• The media do not simply reflect what happens but actively shape our perceptions of reality