Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on The 'Smurfette Principle' & Today's Gender-Biased Media. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
Nearly three decades after the 'Feminist Movement' and the initiation of the Equal Rights Amendment, much of the entertainment media is still reflecting lower-level roles, even subordinate roles for women. This 4 page essay explores 'The Smurfette Principle' in terms of various preschool television shows. The similarity of today's storylines to those of 25 and more years ago is astounding. . . a rather incredible fact in light of the feminist movement. Gender bias is alive and well in entertainment media. No bibliography.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Smurfett.doc
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
subordinate roles for women. This becomes even more distressing when one reviews the movies and television shows intended for the young audience. There are many possible reasons for this situation:
the entertainment industry is controlled primarily by males, very few women occupy the highest positions in programming; in terms of movies, different reviews have indicated that films with a young
girl are typically box-office flops and offer My Girl as an example; television shows find the same fate -- those starring young girls are watched less than those starring young
boys. One must wonder if this is true or a supposition since there are television series starring and about adolescent girls or who depict an adolescent girl as the heroine
that are extremely successful such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina and The Baby-Sitters Club. What is there for the very young
child, the preschooler? The most popular preschool television shows feature mostly male characters. Consider these show: the Muppets main characters boasts one female character -- Miss Piggy; Sesame Streets main
players are all boys. Even Blues Clues, which seems to be one of the least gender-oriented preschool shows, has a male host but "Blue," the dog is a female. The
Smurfs have a cast of all males except for one Smurfette. The roles these characters have send some clear messages to the
young childs mind. Miss Piggy, for example, is vain, screeches a lot, and is always chasing after Kermit the Frog. Kermit, of course, is usually trying to evade Miss Piggys
affections. In Blues Clues, it is inferred the clues were set up by Blue and the host must think about them and decide what they mean. At least, here, the
...