Language and Gender Representations in the Reality Television Show Survivor
Author | : Ho-Ying Holly Chung |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : |
Release | : 2017-01-26 |
ISBN-10 | : 1361238534 |
ISBN-13 | : 9781361238530 |
Rating | : 4/5 (34 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: This dissertation, "Language and Gender Representations in the Reality Television Show Survivor: the Amazon" by Ho-ying, Holly, Chung, 鍾可盈, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: Abstract of thesis entitled Language and Gender Representations in the Reality Television Show Survivor: the Amazon submitted by Chung Ho-ying, Holly For the Degree of Master of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong in August 2005 This thesis explores the revised representations of stereotypical masculinity and femininity in the American reality television show, Survivor: the Amazon (2002). Reality television has experienced an all-time high since its resurgence in the late twentieth century. Academic study of this genre is mainly found in communication studies, political science and sociology. Few attempts were made to discuss the relationship between language and gender representations on reality television. My study conducts a discourse analysis on how the images of a successful male and female survivor are created by Survivor: the Amazon. The data comprise the excerpted transcripts of the sixteen episodes. Gender representations in the modern media are far more complex and less stereotyped than in the past. The show's re-creating gender stereotypes, such as the men's having a better spatial sense and the women's being physically weaker, does not necessarily mean that conventional ideas of gender are being kept intact. My study argues that re-evaluations of masculinity and femininity can be done through examining the editing choices the show producers make. This thesis contributes to the study of language and gender representations in the media by opening the door to alternative interpretations of familiar gender stereotypes. It also conveys a message that watching television programmes with critical eyes is the current trend towards the complex media messages nowadays. The study analyzes gender representations in three aspects: survival skills, leadership and the forming of relationships and strategies. It shows that some very stereotypical gender representations are still used but the messages conveyed by them are being re-negotiated and re-constructed. The conventional ideas that masculinity was/is laden with positive attributes whilst femininity indicated/indicates powerlessness are being challenged by the show. Typical masculinity, with features like aggressiveness and competitiveness, is depicted as less favored no matter whether it is a man or a woman who shows such qualities. On the other hand, cooperativeness and the building of mutually-beneficial relationships, which are normally associated with femininity, are valued and propagated by the show as attributes suitable for the representation of a successful "survivor." The idea of typical femininity, traditionally loaded with weak qualities like subservience and weakness, is confronted by the show. Femininity is depicted in the show as a masquerade strategically used by the women who knows the skill of manipulation. This study suggests that conventional modes of masculinity and femininity may still be maintained in the media so long as they are adjusted to the contemporary ways of living. The meanings of gender and sexuality in the popular media nowadays are increasingly up for to change. (424 words) DOI: 10.5353/th_b3580934 Subjects: Sex role on television Language and sex