Impacts of the Increase in Media Usage Throughout the 21st Century on Gender: A Review of Current Literature

AUTHOR: Sophia Klar

Introduction: Stereotypes and Expectations

Gender stereotypes can be defined as beliefs about how men and women are perceived to act (Ward & Grower, 2020). Throughout the 21st century, there has been a significant growth in media usage, resulting in the broader dissemination of images and ideals, which are visible in advertisements and traditional media. These media commonly portray genders in conventional roles, often accompanied by unrealistic beauty standards. These portrayals are usually for the product's benefit, enhancing engagement. While there has been some increase in more realistic and less gendered portrayals (Plakoyiannaki et al., 2008), gender stereotypes are still prevalent throughout general media, and therefore are essential to study. 

Reasons for Objectification in Media

While it may seem that gendering in ads is an unintentional bias, Zayer and Coleman (2015) found this is likely untrue. They investigated how advertisement professionals believe gendered portrayals impact people, and how certain perceptions influence their choices, explaining that many advertisements play into traditional stereotypes, creating a prevalence of unrealistic ideals and objectification. A research paper by Bakir and Palan (2010) examined how gendered advertisements affect children's attitudes, as they become aware of differences between the sexes from a young age, contributing to the development of gender stereotypes. They hypothesized that children with higher gender flexibility would respond increasingly positively to gendered branding than those with lower flexibility. Through an experiment testing gendered content and products in advertisements, they determined that children were more likely to be drawn to specifically gendered ads, rather than mixed or gender-neutral ones. These findings suggest that children are drawn to those ads since they play into their early assumptions of how genders should act. 

Overall, Zayer and Coleman (2015) highlight why these gendered ads maintain popularity: they consistently receive positive responses, often from unsuspecting children (Bakir & Palan, 2010). This means advertisers will continue to create them, despite ethical concerns and lasting impacts. Those who do this are likely Silent Professionals (Zayer & Coleman, 2015). These research papers demonstrate why gendered content is likely to remain prominent in advertising, as it tends to attract large customer bases (Bakir & Palan, 2010). 

Gender Stereotypes in Advertising

Advertisements play a significant role in demonstrating gendered expectations; however, it is not always apparent where these stereotypes exist. Plakoyiannaki et al. (2008) analyzed multiple high-traffic web pages to find evidence of this, noting that increased media exposure expands the audience that internalizes the stereotypes displayed. They found that women are indeed portrayed as more submissive and dependent on men, increasing their sexualization, reiterating traditional stereotypes; also concluding that female-audience websites embrace conventional images. Although it is now clear where ads reinforce traditional ideals, it is still not easily understood how exactly this is done. 

Lin and Yeh (2009) analyzed portrayals of women in Taiwanese commercials, hypothesising that the portrayal of women characters in ads tends to align with the characteristics of the products they endorse. They highlighted that consumers often view the depiction of products as an extension of particular looks or standards, which impacts how women are portrayed. Through in-depth interviews and analysis of popular magazines, they concluded that ads link age, occupation, and characteristics with the products, and prefer more “fit” or conventionally attractive women. Both studies identify the presence of these stereotypes in the media and how women are portrayed, particularly in relation to beauty standards.

Rajagopal and Gales (2002) extend this research by examining how advertisements affect women’s self-images and how they shape societal expectations of beauty. They highlighted how advertisements perpetuate stereotypes, causing long-term health issues like bulimia, anorexia, and depression. Additionally, incorporating pop culture into ads and media makes it easier to shape someone's point of view, potentially pushing certain stereotypes, aligning with Plakoyiannaki et al. (2008) findings. This not only shapes women's self-value, but also limits which specific occupations or fields they feel are suitable. 

Gendered Content in Traditional Media

Beyond advertisements, gendered content is also prevalent in movies and music. Ward and Grower (2020) reviewed research from 2000 to 2020 on the media’s impact on gender stereotypes among children and young adults. They explained that mainstream media promoted gender norms due to the abundance of confident models and unrealistic beauty standards. Women remain vastly underrepresented, with men/boys being about 60% of characters, which may lead children to feel like they are less valuable in society. Within traditional media, women tend to be portrayed stereotypically, emphasizing physical traits and behaviors in relationships, as well as being shown as submissive (Plakoyiannaki et al., 2008). Combined with rising rates of technology use, these reinforce gender norms, specifically the idealization of women's beauty or men's dominance. Such patterns also have more severe effects on children and adolescents. Santoniccolo et al. (2023) examined how genders are represented in the media, their associated stereotypes, and their effects. They found that while gender stereotypes change with social progress, certain ideals, like the sexualization of women and high male representation, remain among media forms. This normalizes ideals of how men or women should act, their looks, and occupations, endorsing body shaming and harassment, with detrimental mental health effects (Rajagopal & Gales, 2002). 

Conclusion

Taken together, these articles display a pattern of media perpetuating gender stereotypes and beauty standards that spread across varying platforms. Advertisements and media outlets often use stereotypes to increase engagement and product success, with little regard for ethics and impacts (Bakir & Palan, 2010; Zayer & Coleman, 2015). It can be inferred from these seven studies that the increased media coverage has intensified the normalization of certain expectations, creating struggles surrounding self-image and self-worth. While research shows how ads and traditional media create stronger gender stereotypes, there is still little research on the impacts of social media on these issues. New approaches are needed to address how platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, reaching billions of people monthly in 2025 (Lee, 2025), reinforce beauty standards and gendered stereotypes.

References

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