Proposal

For my project I decided to talk about how diversely women are portrayed in the television media, more specifically how different views of women are portrayed with regard to race, class, and sexuality. After picking a topic I decided to break up my project into separate categories, each of these categories addresses multiple media formats... such as: news, fictional series, reality tv, and animation television. This blog is targeted for individuals who interested in seeing the differences in the multiple television formats. Ideally this blog is mainly for people over the age of 17, because some of the issues being discussed involve sexual content, drugs & alcohol, violence, and crude humor.

In the shows I will be reviewing, I may be exploring the following questions throughout the blog:
-Are different races equally portrayed in each format?
-Are women portrayed as members of one or multiple classes in each program?
-Is sexuality an outward characteristic portrayed by females in the examined shows?
-Does race, class, or sexuality affect...
*viewers perception of character's importance within the show?
*the characters likeability, strength, knowledge, or power?

For each individual blog posting a different media format will be represented. However with each posting different issues may be explored, depending on how diversely the women are represented.

For example in the...
News:
-How many women are broadcasting on a given showing?
-Are they primarily of a particular race, class, age?
-How are the women who are broadcasting styled?
-What are the types of stories these women are reporting on: are they fluff stories, politics, weather, human interest, social, or technological stories?
-Does the location or size of the market of the newscast impact the way women are portrayed? For example: A Chicago Nightly Newscast vs Carbondale News

Fictionalized Series:
-Is there a diverse representation of race, age, style, or class?
-How do these series address issues such as sexuality with the different female characters within one of the given programs?
-Does the targeted audience affect how differently women are portrayed with regard to race, class, and sexuality.... for example: Disney Channel vs. Nickelodeon (for children's television) vs. Desperate Housewives or Samantha Who?

Reality Television:
-Do the different types of reality television show a diverse mix of women?
-Do particular channels tend to represent particular women of a given race, or class more than another?
-How do different channels target certain audiences?
-Does the targeted audience affect how differently women are portrayed with regard to race, class, and sexuality.... for example: public television vs. the food network vs. BET vs. MTV/Vh1

Animated Television:
-How the portrayal of women affects the outcome of the other characters? For example: Family Guy vs. American Dad vs. Futurama
-Is race, class and sexuality diversely represented within characterizations of women on animated television?

Note: the shows previously mentioned may or may not be the actual shows that end up being reviewed based on availability...

PROPOSAL SUMMARY:

I'm planning on exploring how women in the media are portrayed with regard to how diversely race, class, and sexuality are depicted on News, Fictionalized, Reality, and Animated television and if these portrayals affect the outcome or experience of the shows with respect to the other characters and the audience.

Respectfully submitted by: Mollie Stetter, group of ONE!