Filtering by
- All Subjects: Gender
- All Subjects: Stress
- Creators: School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Resource Type: Text
- Status: Published
The primary perspective from which people are depicted in media today is shaped by the male gaze. The male gaze is comprised of patriarchal ideals and relies on the understanding that the spectator or viewer is a standard human being, which heteronormativity tells us is a man. From this perspective, the scope of visual representations of men and women in media has been molded after the hierarchized gender displays within which masculinity has primacy over femininity. By presenting a limited spectrum of behavior acceptable for men and women, the media hegemonically manipulates the social constructs of gender and gendered behavior across all levels of society.
This honors thesis applies semiotic and feminist methodologies to engage visual forms of media through art, film, and social media to challenge the social constructs of gender perpetuated and reinforced by dated stereotypes of gender and gendered behavior. First, the theoretical foundation will provide a framework for semiotic and feminist analysis of visual representations of gender in media. Then, I will present data representing the real-world impact that this social construction of gender has on adolescents in America using The State of Gender Equality for U.S. Adolescents, published by Plan International Inc. I will then bring together the explicated methodologies and evidential data alongside my own experiences as a female consumer of visual media to reveal alternative practices of looking that do not revolve around patriarchal norms, looking for a female gaze. In doing so, I hope to present recourse in the face of persistent use of sexist imagery across all levels of our culture and every medium of visual self-expression by providing tools that can be used to interrogate gendered perceptions and inform self-examination in pursuit of a feminist practice of looking.
We have seen the joy pets bring into people’s lives, and the sadness that follows the loss of them. Many pet owners view their pets as more than just animals: they are family. They offer a level of love and support similar to friends and family, despite not being human. Some pets are also trained as service animals to assist humans who struggle with diagnosed physical, mental, and other disabilities. However, emotional support animals appear to lie somewhere between pets and service animals, as there are rules and policies still developing around them. With more and more college students requesting to bring ESAs on campus, the question of their effectiveness has been raised. The aim of this honors thesis study is to examine the effectiveness of ESAs in alleviating mental health symptoms in college students. More specifically, I wanted to evaluate students who currently live on campus (or have lived on campus in the past). The first aim will be to determine whether non-pet owners versus ESA owners (and pet owners in general) show a difference in their stress levels. The second aim is to examine if owning a pet or ESA predicts stress levels differently between genders. The final aim of the study is to determine if degree of attachment to pets predicts differences in stress in the owners.