Author to speak at ISU about mass media’s portrayal of women
February 2, 2000
Perceptions of women created by the mass media will be examined tonight as part of the 2000 Institute on National Affairs.
Susan Douglas, renowned author and lecturer, will focus on the ways women have been portrayed throughout history in the mass media in her lecture, “Growing Up Female with the Mass Media.”
“I want to look at the mixed messages that the mass media gave to the women of the baby boom generation and link them to the mixed messages that today’s generation is getting from the mass media,” said Douglas, professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Women’s rights and the media’s portrayal of women sparked her interest, Douglas said.
“I became interested in the way that women were portrayed in the mass media because of the women’s movement, which targeted the way in which the mass media stereotyped women. I was really interested to see what impact this had on our culture,” she said.
Douglas said she hopes people who come to her lecture will think introspectively about the topic.
“I would like the audience to think about their relationship with the mass media, and the cultural impact that the media has on society,” she said.
Douglas has written three books, including “Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media,” which was chosen as one of the top 10 books of 1994.
Pat Miller, lectures coordinator, said Douglas was chosen to speak at this year’s symposium because of her vast knowledge of and research on women and the mass media. Miller said speakers for this symposium are chosen carefully.
“Our speakers provide a variety of perspectives so that students come away with their own opinions,” she said.
Douglas’s lecture will be at 8 tonight in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. It’s free and open to the public.