Misconceptions In Magazines

Admit it; we have all been guilty of uttering a sexist remark once or twice in our lives. But when a person hears that something sexist was said, it is often assumed that the remark was towards a woman. Yes, women are often the target of sexism, but men are not left out of this category. It is also important to note than many girls and women alike fan the flames of sexism for both genders, with their consumptions of popular “girly” magazines, as illustrated in this article on Alternet.org.

According to the article, the media loves sending the message that men are rude pigs who only think a certain way and act a certain way. And you know what? We as consumers literally “buy” into it. These messages are often the topic of many articles in magazines whose demographics are adolescent girls all the way through to young adults. So these misconceptions are introduced to people very early in life, by so called “experts” in the field. But just like reality television is edited to produce an interesting story, magazine articles are just as easily edited to produce interesting facts from said experts. This sort of editing is something psychologist Dr. Marty Klein has come to despise; since he was often an expert quoted in such articles. Klein stated that his issues with these articles include:

• “They stereotype men and women: men are like this, women are like that

• They ignore the reality that “men” and “women” are heterogeneous categories: they claim that ALL men are like this, and ALL women are like that

• They perpetuate inaccurate information: men do and think and feel this, women do and think and feel that."

Many girls and women often go to these magazines to find advice about the opposite sex, when really they are just warping their perception even more. The same can be said about popular men’s magazines and websites. How about we stop this so called “research,” and just reach out and get to know one another and communicate who we really are. I know, easier said than done.