Media Misogyny III

I did not wake up this morning thinking 'the effing misogynist media', you may or may not be surprised to hear. But the media had other ideas. While waiting for the coffee to brew I casually thumbed through the rarely-visited-these-days pages of the TV listings at the back of the NZ Listener the magazine that prides itself on being our country's top current affairs and lit review magazine, and with fairly good reason.

We have subscribed to this mag for more than twenty years and been more or less happy with its content throughout that time, give or take some frustration over the insinuation of increasingly populist items into its cover stories, which seems to be the price to pay for the internet. And as that service gives me this blog, I mustn't complain.

But... I will - and must - complain about the magazine's increasingly apparent misogyny that does not to me seem a fair or necessary price to pay for progress. There is no excuse for blatant gender discrimination, indeed less excuse today than ever there was as we are now that much more aware of the widespread and destructive nature of gender discrimination.

The anti-woman discrimination I refer to in this case is the selection of images for the ten-page TV guide that includes 27 pictures of men and only 5-6 of women, in three of which the woman is pictured with a man, and in one the woman's crutch is more of a feature than her face, in another it's her cleavage. This image above is the only image of a woman on her own and not looking ready for sex. As well, there is no picture of a woman doing anything other than smiling or pouting, whereas the men are mostly active. Even Craig here is mid stride and carrying something, even if he is pouting a little too.

Message: women are not nearly as interesting, entertaining and active as men. Indeed men are more than five times more interesting,entertaining and active, if this selection of images to promote next week's viewing in the comparatively gender-liberated New Zealand is anything to go by. I have included all the images so you can see for yourself and because I haven't got anything better to do. You're welcome.

Probably a woman - hence the need to cover her entirely lest we
glimpse a woman working or doing anything at all that
might be deemed productive and worthy.