Christensen “Unlearning
the Myths That Bind Us”
This author Christensen
argues that as children we learn through media, which teaches children all inaccurate
stereotypes. Christensen explains how usually books, movies, commercials, TV
shows, ADs etc. always play women as dependent, caregivers, emotional,
stay-at-home human beings, whereas, the men are strong, independent,
non-emotional, powerful human beings. They usually always play heavy people as
slow, less desired, with the minor roll, whereas, the main roll people are
thin, fit, center of attention, and always desired. The media usually portrays
the minority races and ethnicities, like African American or Asian people as
the servants, the black sheep, the outcasts, and weak, whereas, the white
people are strong, confident, and powerful headliners. Gender, appearance,
race, and ethnicity are just a few of the characteristics of people that media
corrupts and misguides the public, especially children about. Children learn
and connect about life through what they see in media. If they are continuingly
seeing an opinion about a group of people then they will believe it even if it
is not accurate. Stereotypes put everyone into one category even though each
individual is unique and different, this is why stereotypes are so wrong.
Christensen argues that children grow up believing these stereotypes because
it’s all they ever see in media and she believes media needs to change and be
more open minded to evolution, change, fairness, and equality.
I would like to share one
of my clips in class.
The link below is a
combination of movie clips, TV clips, advertisement clips, etc. that show how
the stereotypes of men and women roles are portrayed in so many ways throughout
all types of media, in the past as well as present day.
The link below shows the roles
reversed of men and women being portrayed in media. The clip ends by saying if
men look so ridiculous in the role reversal clips then why do woman do it? This
raises a great question.
The picture below
shows the Disney princesses, which almost all children watch, and their
characteristics and roles they portrayed in the movies. 
