Granì (Oct 2014)
Gender in identification practices of mass culture
Abstract
This article aims to explore the trends that emerge in the practice of gender identity under the influence of mass culture. The realization of this goal involves the disclosure of the contents of the concepts of gender and gender identity; determining the place of gender identity in the structure of social identity; definition of the role of gender stereotypes in its formation; the elucidation of the features of practices of gender identification, formed by mass culture. Gender identity is a basic structure of social identity, which is formed in the course of socialization in the psychological assimilate male or female traits, and realized and experienced by the person as belonging to a particular sex. An important role in shaping gender identity belongs gender stereotypes are socially recognized and accepted notions of personal characteristics and behavioral patterns of men and women, and sexual specificity of social roles. Gender stereotypes perform a number of important social functions. In particular, cognitive function, value-protective function, function of social control. The integration function of gender stereotypes is to ensure unity of community and social stability and sustainability of the social system. Mass culture translates stereotipical images of masculinity and femininity, which, on the one hand, are related to cultural archetypes, on the other – indicate new trends in gender identification. In particular, this new trend is weakening of the bodily and spiritual differences between the sexes, which is a sign of becoming «one-dimensional» mass man. Creation and translation of normative gender images in popular culture through such discursive tools as advertising, glossy magazines, movies and TV series, literature. The dynamics of the images of masculinity and femininity in popular culture depends on shared cultural paradigm. However, these images not only reflect, but also construct social and cultural reality. Gender representation in popular culture activates the process of selecting, structuring and formation of values of a stereotype, its communicative refinement, giving it new meaning. It promotes innovative images, which play the role of landmarks gender identity.
