Sex, Love and Romance in the Mass Media: Analysis and Criticism of Unrealistic Portrayals and Their Influence
This accessible yet research-based text offers both foundational theories and practical applications of analysis and criticism of mass media portrayals of sex, love, and romance in a wide variety of mass media, from entertainment to advertising to news. The multidisciplinary methodological perspective comes out of a media literacy approach and embraces a variety of traditions along the quantitative-qualitative continuum. Focused on portrayals of male-female coupleship, the book is centered...
Search in google:
This accessible yet research-based text offers both foundational theories and practical applications of analysis and criticism of mass media portrayals of sex, love, and romance in a wide variety of mass media, from entertainment to advertising to news. The multidisciplinary methodological perspective comes out of a media literacy approach and embraces a variety of traditions along the quantitative-qualitative continuum. Focused on portrayals of male-female coupleship, the book is centered around the 12 major myths and stereotypes of Galician's Dr. FUN!'s Mass Media Love Quiz©, each of which has a corresponding Dr. Galician Prescription® that encapsulates healthy strategies—rarely found in the mass media—to counteract that myth or stereotype. Readers learn how to identify, illustrate, deconstruct, evaluate, and reframe the mass media's mythic and stereotypic portrayals of sex, love, and romance. They also learn how to use their own formal critical evaluations to clarify their own values and—as media consumers or mass communication creators—to share their insights with others. Thus, the learning objectives encompass all three major educational domains: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. Part I of this book covers the five foundations: *myths and stereotypes of love and coupleship;*models of realistic and constructive love and coupleship;*mass media storytelling approaches, techniques, and devices;*research and theories of mass media effects; and*strategies and skills of media literacy. Part II is devoted to exploring the myths and stereotypes identified in the Quiz. Following several brief case studies and a summary of related research and commentary, each chapter focuses on analyses and criticisms of portrayals of sex, love, and romance in the content of news and advertising, as well as entertainment using Galician's Seven-Step Dis-illusioning Directions. Each chapter concludes with a "Dis-illusion Digest."While critical of unrealistic portrayals and the damage they can cause unsuspecting media consumers, Galician—a media literacy advocate—is not anti-media. Rather, her goal is to empower consumers to use these portrayals with more awareness of their possible consequences, to resist adopting them as models for actual behavior, and to consciously reframe them into more realistic, productive scenarios. This unique text is an engaging classroom resource for media literacy, media and relationships, and media and society coursework.
STOP! Before You Begin to Read This Book, Take Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love QuizDr. Fun's Mass Media Love QuizPreface: Why I Wrote This Book for YouAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: "The Romanticization of Love in the Mass Media"3Pt. IFoundations of Analysis & Criticism of Sex, Love, & Romance in the Mass Media13Ch. 1Key Foundational Terms & Concepts: What Do They Mean?17Ch. 2Ideals & Illusions (Unrealistic Models): Myths & Stereotypes of Love & Coupleship33Ch. 3Diagnoses & Dis-Illusions (Realistic Models): Designs for Rational Love & Coupleship53Ch. 4Mass Media Narrative Constructions: Mass Media Storytelling Approaches, Techniques, & Devices67Ch. 5The Influence of the Mass Media: Research & Theories of Mass Media Effects on Individuals & Society81Ch. 6Strategies & Skills of Media Literacy: Tools for Media Analysis & Criticism99Pt. IIApplications of Analysis & Criticism of Sex, Love, & Romance in the Mass Media115Ch. 7Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #1: Your perfect partner is cosmically predestined, so nothing/nobody can ultimately separate you119Ch. 8Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #2: There's such a thing as "love at first sight."127Ch. 9Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #3: Your true soul mate should KNOW what you're thinking or feeling (without your having to tell)135Ch. 10Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #4: If your partner is truly meant for you, sex is easy and wonderful145Ch. 11Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #5: To attract and keep a man, a woman should look like a model or a centerfold153Ch. 12Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #6: The man should NOT be shorter, weaker, younger, poorer, or less successful than the woman163Ch. 13Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #7: The love of a good and faithful true woman can change a man from a "beast" into a "prince"177Ch. 14Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #8: Bickering and fighting a lot mean that a man and a woman really love each other passionately185Ch. 15Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #9: All you really need is love, so it doesn't matter if you and your lover have very different values193Ch. 16Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #10: The right mate "completes you" - filling you needs and making your dreams come true201Ch. 17Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #11: In real life, actors and actresses are often very much like the romantic characters they portray211Ch. 18Dr. FUN's Mass Media Love Quiz Myth #12: Since mass media portrayals of romance aren't "real," they don't really affect you219Epilogue: Don't Stop! "The End Is Where We Start From"223App. ASample Completed Worksheet227App. BSample Analysis & Criticism231Index241
