SOC 301 AU Sociology Identity and Social Inequality Discussion

The mass media act as an agent of socialization, teaching individuals the social and cultural ideals of their society. As individuals, the media not only teach us about society’s expectations and desired behaviors, but we also learn which social identities our society values the most and which are seen as less desirable.

For this discussion, you will examine what role the mass media play in replicating and reinforcing the stratification systems connected to a variety of social identities.  Read the article, The Objectification of Women in AdvertisingLinks to an external site., and review The Role of the Mass Media in Representations of Age, Social Class, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality, and DisabilityDownload The Role of the Mass Media in Representations of Age, Social Class, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality, and Disability to address the following:

For the first part of this discussion, select two of the following social identities: age, class, physical ability, body size, sexuality, and/or ethnicity. For each of the two identities you select:

Describe the system of stratification for that identity in the United States.  

How do the media generally portray this identity group? In particular, do the media representations convey any messages about which members of this group society values most?   Please provide an example for why or why not.

Explain how the media representations either reinforce or challenge the associated stratification system.

Next, consider gender and beauty ideals.

Your initial post should be at least 600 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or scholarly resources, and properly cite any references both in textLinks to an external site. and in a references listLinks to an external site. at the end of the post.

Newman, D.M. (2016). Identities and inequalities: Exploring the intersections of race, class, gender, & sexuality (3rd ed.). Retrieved from https://redshelf.com/

Chapter 3: Portraying Identities: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality in Language and the Media

• Chapter 4: Learning Identities: Families, Schools, and Socialization

Bennett, J. (2010, July 18). Poll: How much is beauty worth at work?Links to an external site. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/poll-how-much-beauty-worth…

• This article discusses the ways in which individuals that meet society’s ideal beauty standards, as perpetuated in the media, benefit in the workplace. Read this article for additional assistance completing this week’s discussion, Media, Socialization, and Identities.