What men and women are actually watching

I was a little shocked after reading the Poniewozik and Rosenberg articles and the analysis of the Playboy Club and Charlies Angels. I am very surprised that anyone could have thought these shows to be geared towards men. Yes, there are women who are scantly clad, but more importantly they had leading roles that were filled with women and although I never watched either of these shows, they seemed to be strong female characters. As noted in the articles it might have been this confusion that lead to their almost immediate removal from the prime time line up.

There seems to be a disconnect in the greater audience and those who produce the media on what qualifies as t.v. for men and t.v. for women. This disconnect can also be seen in two other shows mentioned by Poniewozik and Rosenberg, New Girl and Whitney. The show New Girl was created and ideally marketed to men because of Zooey Deschanel's character. Ponziewozik describes it as the male fantasy character, "known as the Manic Pixie Dream Girl."However, this show is overwhelmingly viewed by women. This polarity in who was expected to view a show and who actually views it can be seen in Whitney. This show, like many of the other new prime time sitcoms and series, has a strong female leading character and was expected to be predominantly viewed by women, however, Ponziewozik points out that this is a show that is viewed by a large audience of men. The disconnect found between what is expected to be a show for men and a show for women, and what is actually viewed by men and women is so great due to the changing views of femininity and masculinity.

Are Shows That Know What Girls and Guys Like Possible?

The two articles, "What Makes a Show Aimed at Women?" and "Women Watch TV Like This, But Men Watch TV Like This", left me asking myself a lot of questions about what shows I see on TV and whether or not I think that they are targeted toward men or women.  Neither of the articles seemed to have clear assertions of what elements of TV shows attract men and what elements attract women.  It seems as though there are certain shows that are meant to be geared toward men, featuring 'scantily-clad' women and women as sexual objects.  As Poniewozik points out, these shows, like The Playboy Club, often do a poor job at attracting male viewers; many shows that you may think are meant to be aimed at men end up having majority female viewers.  It is difficult to decipher what makes a show liked by women or men.  One show that I thought of was 'Friends', because it has an equal male/female cast and every friend in the show plays has a male/female counterpart.  Does the fact that all of the men and women in the show are represented equally make it a men's and women's show?  Not necessarily. 

Is this show geared toward men or women and how can we tell?  I am still trying to answer the question myself. 

Where can I get a subscription to Bitch Magazine?

"I forced the angry Little Pam inside me to stay quiet and not get baited, not grab my nearest copy of Bitch Magazine, roll it up into a twat-baton..." (Pamie 2011)

The article "The Magical Vulva of Opportunity" was one of the most entertaining and informative articles I have ever read. When I was finished with the article I had to take a minute to consider everything: what we have discussed in class, what Pamie was saying, other fields where women might be placed in similar situations, and what exactly a "twat-baton" is...Throughout the article I found myself laughing, sympathizing with the author, and wondering if I would one day face the same fate in my own profession. This article, along with the Bielby & Bielby study, really lent some good insight into the world of media production and the implications gender may have.

I found the Rosenburg and Poniewozick articles to be extremely interesting as well, especially considering several of the shows they mentioned I really enjoy.  Both of the authors recognize that it is difficult to determine whether or not a show is targeted at a specific gender because there is not definite set of guidelines for MALE as opposed to FEMALE SHOW. Interestingly, both authors referenced the show “New Girl” which is one my favorite shows. Rosenburg argued that the show was geared more towards men than women because it “focuses on how the character is perceived…rather than who she is” (2011).  However, Poniewozick does not find this to be as clear-cut.  He cites statistics that indicate that more women watch the show and also speaks of anecdotal experiences that complicate the matter.

After reading these four articles my mind was very much in over drive. I was thinking about my upcoming internship at a media research firm and what implications my gender may have in that experience. I created a mental trailer for an action-adventure move written by a female writer (it was pretty awesome). Finally, I thought back of all the “New Girl” episodes and tried to come up with my own conclusion about whether the show is geared towards men or women. I ended up deciding that, in my perfect world, the show is gender neutral because it is able to cater to both genders. While it far from does this perfectly, if I were to make a boy/girl list I would hope the columns would end up being more even than not (content analysis much?).

I included this clip because it’s from my favorite episode of “New Girl” and I feel that it shows how the show caters to both men (enter hot model with sex appeal) and women (men making fools of themselves in front of said model).

Parenting With Style

Each article worked to incorporate how issues surrounding gender exist within all aspects of the media industry. Specifically, within “The Magical Vulva of Opportunity,” the reader is given a firsthand look upon how gender inequality exists among writers of television shows. Pamela Ribon describes her experience of being a minority in the television industry, solely because she is a woman, and how she must work extremely hard to overcome the stigma that surrounds her. When she is told that she is only a “mid-level female writer” it significantly affected her self-esteem, so much so that she felt the need to express her feelings through her blog. Through one individual’s comment to another person, it can significantly impact their self-confidence and self-esteem levels. This scenario made the “Sabrina, The Teenage…?” article resonate with me once again. It reminded me of how the media can have such a strong influence on viewers, and we as the audience are unknowingly affected by these messages every day. Though Sabrina may not have known she was impacting many teenage girls during the time of the show’s airing, she was a positive role model for many.

Within the article, “Women Watch TV Like This, But Men Watch TV Like This,” James Poniewozik discusses television shows that are created to be geared to one audience, yet instead attract a different demographic. Particularly, I found his opinion of Up All Night interesting that he believes it may speak to women more and appeal to a predominately female audience. He did not elaborate as to why he thought this, yet the “What Makes A Show Aimed At Women?” article picks up where Poniewozik left off. Alyssa Rosenberg believes the show will appeal to either sex, but mainly to women because many are struggling to balance a career and a family, making Reagan a relatable character. I argue that the show could relate equally to men because the character Chris could appeal to men like Reagan appeals to women. As seen in the image, Reagan is not playing a traditional female role, but instead is acting as a strong role model for women, much like Sabrina did. She is able to maintain her sense of femininity through her impeccable fashion sense, yet is able to dominate the corporate world by being a successful career woman. Chris acts as a stay-at-home father and supports Reagan from the home. He can be viewed as a role model for men by proving it is still a noble, enjoyable profession to raise children. Male audiences may be able to relate to the nontraditional role Chris plays, making the show desirable by both sex demographics. As Poniewozik notes, “It’s just worth remembering that when you assume that a show is ‘aimed at’ one gender, you may be pointing at the wrong target.” Though a show may be designed to appeal to more women than men, or vice versa, each article discusses that the media industry is highly unpredictable.