The Construction Of Female Image In Mass Media

The media image of females is a reflection of the respect for women in society.It is an important symbol measuring a country's development in human rights and fairness.Women are eager for the media right to present their real life and work,so as to obtain a cordial public environment and equal public discourse with men.The study of female images in media is of great value to social development.Taking a departure from the cover of Global People magazine,this paper studies the following three issues:1.The female image constructed on the cover of Global People and its characteristics;2.Changes of the female image constructed on the cover of Global People in the past 13 years;3.The cultural connotation of the female image presented by the cover information and special reports in Global People.This study constructs a coding table of 20 indicators from three aspects,namely body image,professional image and social image,which provides a new perspective for magazine cover research.By studying the female images on the cover,it is possible to understand the value orientation and mainstream consciousness behind the magazine.The objective presentation of the problems in the report can also provide reference for the media to help them report the female images more objectively and authentically.Through the method of content analysis,this paper explores the characteristics and changes of female images on the cover of Global People and draws the following conclusions:1.The women on the cover of Global People are mainly middle-aged and mature women,constructing the body image of clean and shrewd women,confident,cheerful,and downplaying the importance of appearance;capable and positive professional image;highly educated and family-friendly social image.But at the same time,there are still some problems in the report,such as ambiguity in female subject status and stereotypes against women.2.In the past 13 years,the female image constructed in Global People has changed dramatically,which can be mainly summarized in the following aspects:education level of women is gradually rising;female subject status is becoming increasingly significant;women tend to be of younger age;women's inner temperament is apparently different from the past;female characters and their internal images show more diversity and less stereotyped impressions.3.Different social,political,economic and cultural environment shape different female images.The variety of female image together with stereotypes and prejudices against women existing in media both reflect the changes in the development of the state,society as well as feminism.