Realizing The (Ruthless?) Representations Of Lesbians In The Media
The media is greatly biased due to the heteronormative and somewhat traditional society in which it is placed, greatly limiting the roles and representations of lesbians in the media. Because of this, depictions can often be incomplete, incorrect, extreme, or negatively influenced and can affect children, teens, adults, homosexuals, and heterosexuals alike. Understanding the role of portrayals of lesbians in the media and the restrictions placed on them can allow them to take on less negative influences and have a larger, more positive role inside and outside of the community.
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1. Looking Up to Lesbians
Against the desires of many opposing conservatives, representations of positive, stable homosexuals make their ways onto television shows, adding good examples for lesbian and gay teens to recognize, identify with, and appreciate, especially with more realistic portrayals. When these deprived teens do not see representations of themselves in the media, it implies that they do not exist and therefore do not count, as if they are not even human. It also does not allow them to identify with any characters or feel as if anyone understands any issues or trials they may be going through. It is important that they can see other versions of people like themselves besides what they have from friends, church members, classmates, or others in the community so they may gain other views that may not be as skewed or biased. Having more presentations of lesbians and gays on television, especially in shows that have younger audience, provides an imperative self confidence boost for young people, letting them know that they do matter and they are a part of society and its culture.
Epstein, J. (1999). "Prime time for gay youth: Lesbian and gay young people can finally see themselves on their favorite TV programs -- and that's exactly what right-wing activists want to prevent." The Advocate, 60.
2. Lesbian Media Coverage: Ridiculously true or shamefully inaccurate?
Lesbian and gay coverage in the ('90s) media ranged greatly from various extremes, none of which were entirely accurate. The media both shapes and reflects society's values and as lesbians (and gays) become more visible, their representations in the media should be a little less extreme, narrow minded, and ridiculous. As explained in "Lesbians and gay men in the media; From the sublime to the ridiculous" most of the representations given range from one extreme to another. They fail to find a middle ground as if one does not exist if a person is not heterosexual. On television and in movies nearly all lesbians are hate-filled men killers. In the news, lesbians are portrayed as greatly deserving of AIDS, and such diseases, for engaging in homosexual behavior (they brought it upon themselves, right?), and if someone who is heterosexual contracts the disease then they are just an unsuspecting victim because they did not engage in homosexual acts. Similar representations cast them in negative lights by few real life examples (some of which are exaggerated), that make it extremely difficult to shake those notions free and get rid of the negative associations, especially since the negative depictions are the only ones that light is consistently shed on. These trends transcend into television outlets, furthering the message. These portrayals do not lend notably positive representations, although there are people as such that do exist. Ultimately, the gross representation on the media is sorely skewed and inaccurate, and more accurate representation in the media should be provided, instead of perpetuating such drastic, flawed depictions.
Carton, E. (1992). Lesbians and gay men in the media; From the sublime to the ridiculous. Gay Community News, 19(25), 5.
3. Lesbian love on television: TV-Y or TV-M?
As television seasons continuously end and begin, the introduction of more (and better) gay and lesbian characters have inched their way onto the screen. This seems like a progressive move that shows that the acceptance of lesbians and gays is becoming more widespread with their depictions on television. However, the new rating system may just relegate them straight to the back line. The ratings range from TV-Y to TV-M. After the initial implementation of the new rating system, only one lesbian kiss made it onto the air, which was also edited from its original length. By giving lesbian and gay action on television higher ratings it restricts more viewers and audiences, and some providers and networks may even fear showing such scenes because of audience reaction and abandonment by other companies. It also distinguishes between heterosexual and homosexual sex, somehow ruling the latter more sexual and less appropriate. This shows the lack of acceptance still attached to those who are not straight and keeps these representations away from national media and encourages negative notions. "The Evolution of the Lesbian Kiss on Television" takes a second look at lesbian kisses on television as time has passed.
Pela, R. L. (1997). Rating TV ratings: Will the new television broadcast standards be used to censor gay and lesbian characters and content? The Advocate, (727), 33.
4. "Yes, lesbians are allowed - but we shouldn't be able to recognize that they are lesbian!"
Lesbians have entered the mainstream media, but at the expense of cultural fantasies and notions. In some ways, they are seen only as fads or objects to be toyed with before being tossed away, heading once again in the direction of the heterosexual desire. This is the only case in which they are noticed, when they are sexual objects of desire that resemble that of the typical, desirable heterosexual woman, which completely "de-homosexualizes" her so that she does not even seem lesbian anymore and is stripped of her sexuality. If this portrayal is not accepted, then she must be the stereotypical butch who is not noticed by anyone but more noticeably absent from the media because, unlike her counterpart, she does not conform to the heterosexual ideal of the traditional, desirable woman. The lesbian that allowed is the safe version, the one that mainstream audiences can willfully ignore is lesbian. These feminine lesbians also often pursue other lesbians who are just as feminine as they are. "Lipstick Lesbians On Network Television - An Identity Crisis In The Making?" looks deeper into the portrayal of the "lipstick lesbian" and why this current representation is a much deeper, more complex issue.
Ciasullo, A. M. (2001). Making her (in)visible: Cultural representations of lesbianism and the lesbian body in the 1990s. Feminist Studies, 27(3), 577-608.
5. "What will it be today: coming out or going crazy?"
There are really only two types of lesbian films that reign supreme: coming out and going crazy. The article, "Coming out, going on screen: looking for lesbians at the movies" questions when films will be more accurate and inclusive. It is also explained that most films that are centered around lesbians revolve around the premise and representations very select archetypes: the lesbian who is revealing her sexuality and the lesbian who is revealing her craziness. And often times the women are sexualized or focused on romance, thus the films evade any chances at having real substance or significance, especially on the big screen. There is much more to lesbians than those portrayals and that should be depicted in the films. Now that the representation is there, it still does not suffice. There is more to lesbians than one-dimensional conflicts about to reveal themselves and psychological conditions – it just has to be shown.
Brownworth, Victoria A. "Coming out, going on screen: looking for lesbians at the movies." Curve July-Aug. 2014: 16+. Academic OneFile. Web. 6 Aug. 2014.
6. Lesbians are objectified, too...
The article "Liberated and inclusive? An analysis of self-representation in a popular lesbian magazine" provides a comparison a lesbian magazine to a heterosexual women's magazine, showing how much more diverse lesbian-controlled media is. Looking at a popular lesbian lifestyle magazine, it is clear that media that is controlled by lesbians has much more variety. Women are shown as more active, than passive. Women can be more masculine or more feminine. There is a much greater array of different ages, weights, body types, shapes, and sizes than in heterosexual women's magazine, providing more representations of not just "lesbians" but of women. Even the advertisements show women as less focused on beauty and appearance, and lend themselves more toward women being happy with themselves and being a part of the larger world in more significant ways. However, while the magazine provides more diversity, it also provides objectification, such as showing women in revealing clothing. Lesbians themselves objectify other women and are also still objectified in their media, with similar rates, in fact. However, the objectification is less severe and a little more sparing. This shows that while in the more lesbian oriented media there is more diversity and a better focus on women's lifestyles as opposed to materialistic longings, due to society and perpetuated ideals, the women are still objectified and overly sexualized. The notion of women has become so sexualized that even the lesbian controlled media has fallen victim to its clutches and fails uphold women higher than traditional standards.
Gonsoulin, M. E. (2010). "Liberated and Inclusive? An Analysis of Self-Representation in a Popular Lesbian Magazine." Journal of Homosexuality, 57(9).
7. ...and they fall victim to "The Patriarchy."
Sexism and unrealistic beauty ideals permeate the lesbian media when the it should foster self-love for women as well as healthy relationships between women. In "Self-Esteem in the Lesbian World or A Commentary on How Patriarchy Sucks Total Ass" it is explained that patriarchy is so prevalent and strong that it even made its way into the lesbian community, where women are supposed to promote love and acceptance for themselves and others, and still affects the women and their self esteem. Lesbian media should be a place free from such unrealistic expectations as perpetuated by the patriarchy, but it is not. Still they not only exist, but continue. These ideals have been so ingrained and perpetuated that they still reach the same communities that they have "outed" and continues to plague the community in other ways, such as the common portrayal of feminine, heterosexually ideal women who conform to the customary ideals of beauty. Such traditional representations in the lesbian media reveal how to difficult it is to reform and reeducate, and shows that they are still susceptible to and can fall in the trap of traditional views that they attempt to escape. This shows that there are similarities in the lesbian media and traditional, heterosexual media, further highlighting the fact that women, of various orientations, are still plagued by similar problems.
Young, A. (Aug 2001). "Self-esteem in the lesbian world or a commentary on how patriarchy sucks total ass." Off Our Backs, 18-19.
8. Hot. Curious. A Heterosexual Male's Fantasy.
Due to the sexual nature of portrayal in the media, many young people often find lesbianism to be "hot" or "curious." In "'Hot Lesbians': Young People's Talk About Representations of Lesbianism" it is shown that there are few, very exclusive, representations of the lesbian in the media: the one that is unattractive and masculine, and the one who has a sense of freedom that she exercises through her sexuality, but also employs a sense of traditional femininity. And also times lesbian interactions are either staged to project the interaction to someone else, or reminiscent of a heterosexual male's fantasy. Even if "girl on girl" action was not used for the males within the show, it would certainly work for the ones watching from outside. Many participants in the study expressed the "hot lesbian" as something used as an object for males in one way or another and described the idea as unreal. The participants were 25 high school students (16-18 years of age) and provided an often supported insight of many of their peers and teens around that age, showing the effects of lesbians in the media to this age group, which grows into a larger, more representative base. Ultimately, it reveals how heteronormative and traditional ideals have affected the idea of the lesbian in the media and transformed her into a concept that has been stripped and redone to be accepted into those same ideals. It takes away her idea of her sexuality and gives her one created by society that charades as her own.
Jackson, Sue, and Tamsyn Gilbertson. "'Hot Lesbians': Young People's Talk About Representations Of Lesbianism." Sexualities 12.2 (2009): 199-224. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 6 Aug. 2014.
9. Now You See It
While some aspects of the media portray lesbians and gays completely inaccurately, some avenues do not portray them at all or do so very carefully. Marketers, often times, think that heterosexuals may react negatively to advertising messages that are homosexual. However, as shown in "Targeting a Minority without Alienating the Majority: Advertising to Gays and Lesbians in Mainstream Media" that it is more complicated than that and depends on type of imagery used and the orientation of the consumer. Marketers typically view homosexuals as a desirable part of the market because they have a disposable income and are a substantial portion of the market, but it is difficult to reach them because homosexuals and heterosexuals respond to homosexual and heterosexual ads differently. The best way to incorporate these messages to the audiences is to incorporate such lesbian symbolism and subculture in a subtle manner, which this ad attempts to do by featuring the implication of lesbianism but not having it be the main focus of the ad. This dilemma illustrates the difficulty of portraying lesbians and gays in the media in a way that they will be accepted by homosexuals and heterosexuals alike. Even in the field of advertising the topic must be treaded lightly and most lesbianism in advertisements is approached quite carefully with very deliberate and safe representations in the media.
Oakenfull, Gillian K., Michael S. Mccarthy, and Timothy B. Greenlee. "Targeting A Minority Without Alienating The Majority: Advertising To Gays And Lesbians In Mainstream Media." Journal Of Advertising Research 48.2 (2008): 191-198. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 6 Aug. 2014.
10. In front of the media and behind it.
While the showcasing of lesbians in the media is important, so is their role in the output and control of information. Lesbian and gay media often talk about visibility but hardly ever showcase it in actually. As shown in "Lesbians last: does queer media conglomeration affect diversity and lesbian visibility? Stephanie Schroeder investigates" lesbian publications are rarely, if ever, referenced in mainstream press and only very few lesbian intellectuals who are "out" write for the mainstream media currently, showing just how relevant and included they may not be on the larger scale. Having more important roles behind the scenes gives lesbians a larger platform to work with. Larger companies affect the visibility of the lesbian community, making them less noticeable. While there are some writers and creators who are known as lesbians, very few are out or have these positions. Although the community has a strong voice, it sometimes cannot be heard. This represents how difficult it is for the lesbian community to make it on and off the screen and papers, raising the issue of their importance on a larger scale.
Schroeder, S. (2007). Lesbians last: does queer media conglomeration affect diversity and lesbian visibility? Stephanie Schroeder investigates. Curve, 17(5), 58.
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