Gender violence and the representation of sexual and affective relationships: Reflections on cross-media research

Abstract

Here we reflect on the pervasiveness of a traditional model of gender relationships in media representations, considering the results of a cross-media project, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, which studies whether the media encourage or prevent gender violence. The traditional model, hegemonic in TV series and music videos, links violence and suffering to attraction and thus may promote the understanding of aggression and pain as constituents of desire and love. Moreover, especially in music videos, there is a growing amount of women’s post-feminist portrayals that reify classical femininity at the same time that they over-come traditional limitations of women’s characters such as passivity or martyrdom. Instead, (new) pop divas like Lilly Allen or Madonna engage in a violent curse of revenge against masculinity. Results gain further importance in relation with teenagers’ self-portrayals on the Internet, which strongly resemble the gendered representations found in the mainstream media.