Language and ideology: gender stereotypes of female and male artists in Taiwanese tabloids

Abstract

This study adopts the Critical Discourse Analysis approach in order to examine gender stereotypes in Taiwanese tabloid culture. Focusing on a gossip-filled entertainment column in a tabloid, this study collected 111 news reports released in May 2008. All news entries were probed to discern pervading gender stereotypes held regarding female and male artists. A subsequent online survey investigated any stereotypical depictions that had been identified. Administered to 120 respondents, this survey attempted to evaluate how representative views held throughout society were pervading gender stereotypes in media discourse. Results showed that female artists, as portrayed in the tabloids, were commonly associated with belligerence, money worship, and social pressures with respect to marriage and sexuality. By contrast, portrayals of male artists focused on personal defects in physical appearance and love affairs, and invariably involved manipulation of how the private lives of these artists were viewed. Most stereotypical depictions were further shown to be highly defined beliefs shared among the survey respondents. This article concludes with a discussion on the close-knit nature of tabloid culture and social ideology.