The Evolution Of Female Images In Mass Media And Cultural Mirroring Function

Female always exist in a distinctive form during the development of human society, whose development not only determines but also attests social development. Among all the images constructed in Mass Media, Female image that exists complicatedly and delicately stands as the best representation of media. It serves as the spokesman for national ideology after it cruises at the political platform for a long time. Meanwhile, female image gradually walks out of the confinement of collectivism unconsciousness during the phase change and finally speaks for cultural values in different historical phases. During the process of being molded and propagandized, female image constantly changes and renovates, displaying the specific age’s popular narration and imagination about female image and constituting a basis for understanding humans themselves and the world. From 1960s to 1970s, the Mass Media has shaped the image of politicization for women, which is presented as asexual or neutral, expressing strong political demands. From 1980s to 1990s, alienation image of women reflects the reality of reexamining society’s attitude towards gender differences, which indicates female’s strong willing to be identified by selves and society. At the beginning of 21st century, diversification image of women reflects female’s puzzlements towards their identities and role expectations in social transformation, demonstrating the multiplication of value-orientation, mass mental characteristics and lifestyles. Following the track of female image constructed by the Mass Media in recent 60 years, we can find easily that it is closely related to the cultural morphology dominated by the country. The female and male relationship it transmits is the mass code for gender conventional construction, which is in the consistency with the present national mainstream and social ethics. The reason female image changes lies in the reform, opening and transformation of society. Women in the Mass Media gradually gain its individual liberation and self-identity is realized in the framework of social architecture, political systems, public opinions and the Mass ideas. From reasonable imagination alienation to identity, women have experienced a change from pursuing gender difference to identity difference. In practice the group of women stands in the gender inequality in reverse medium transmission. As a kind of powerful transmission way, the Mass Media carries certain cultural mirror function to be involved in the change of gender relations. It can’t just follow the trend of the time that shows women’s living circumstances from the surface. It should guide the relationship moving towards health, harmony and equality.