Sociological Film Analysis: Media, Culture, Socialization, and Gender (Movie Review Sample)

Sociological Film Analysis: Media, Culture, Socialization, and Gender
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Sociological Film Analysis: Media, Culture, Socialization, and Gender
The films “Miss Representation” and “The Mask You Live In” are directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and delve into the various ways that the media, gender, and culture influence the typical lives of individuals. In these films, Newsom highlights the difficulties that young individuals encounter when growing up due to the presumed codes of conduct and societal rules that they must conform to in order for society to accept them (Newsom, 2011, 2015). These films caused a significant stir in the media and general society; therefore, Newsom launched The Representation Project which is a non-profit entity whose primary objective is to transform cultures by using films and mass media. Afterward, Newsom directed the film “The Mask You Live In” in 2015 which majors on how the society’s description of masculinity negatively influences young boys, men, and the general society. This paper will analyze the sociological impact that is portrayed by the two films with regard to media, culture, socialization, and gender.
“Miss Representation” is a portrayal of the media’s influence on people’s social skills. The media often creates an ideal but unachievable image to define a woman in society. This push for female perfection causes a significant effect on young girls who gain access to this media content (Ceulemans & Fauconnier, 1979). The sexualization of women by the media dates back more than a century. Marketing agencies operate under the slogan that sex sells; therefore, these corporations use women with specific body types and beautiful faces that have been unblemished with makeup to showcase their products to capture the attention of the masses. Such advertisement campaigns lead to the objectification of women whose value is reduced to being subordinate to men and appealing sex objects (Gottschalk & Smith, 2015). Discovering that the media is the core point of reference for the modern era youth was enough motivation for Newsom to unveil this