Week 7 Blog Post
Dec 2., 2025
Our media determines how society views specific social groups, which include women, people from different economic backgrounds and those with disabilities. Lind’s Positive Media Psychology demonstrates that media content with correct positive depictions leads to social benefits, but only when creators stop using stereotypes. The Bechdel Test and Finkbeiner Test serve as tools to analyze women's underrepresentation because their stories get drowned out in media. The Wolf of Wall Street demonstrates how it fails to meet the Bechdel Test criteria because women on screen participate in conversations that focus on men’s activities and sexual relationships. The women in the story function as objects, serving to support male characters and their achievements, and creating sexual interests.
The story describes and shows women as objects, supporting male accomplishments while showing sexual attractions to them. The way films reduce women to mere narrational elements prevents them from achieving their complete storytelling potential. The Finkbeiner Test reveals identical patterns which occur in journalistic content. The media often presents women scientists through introductory statements which describe their dual role as scientists and mothers of two children who manage their work and family responsibilities. Do we see them doing this to men? No….
The test opposes these stories because they use gender expectations, childcare responsibilities and emotions to present female success as an unexpected occurrence. A 2021 New York Times article about a female tech CEO dedicated multiple sections to her work life balance which media outlets do not typically discuss when writing about male CEOs; it’s usually all about the business. The way women appear through this perspective shows the current male-dominated social norms about which qualities make women valuable.
Media shows disabled people and homeless individuals through similar ways in their presentations, depicting them as helpless victims or as determined achievers. Media shows the homeless in tents contributing to crime, but fail to depict families, students and veterans who are living without permanent housing. Media representation about these groups reduces their human-ness, while hiding the root causes of their situation. This can include low wages, insufficient housing options, disability support services failing.
To change this, our media needs to show complete human beings instead of focusing on challenges or disabilities when it wants to create authentic and respectful portrayals. Storytelling enables people to tell THEIR stories, while building social connections between men and women, between people from different economic levels and those with various abilities.