Abstract

The purpose of this study was to look at the portrayal of the sexual image of women on television from 1970 through 2000 by rating the main female character on an appearance and communication score, which was done by the two experimenters. We hypothesized that the stereotypical appearance and communication score would increase from 1970 to 2000. However, the trend analysis showed that the appearance score decreased, implying that the stereotypical appearance of women has lessened through the years. The communication score increased from 1980 to 2000, implying a more stereotypical portrayal of women. If future, more thorough research finds the same communication trend, then this could potentially imply that adolescent women’s self-esteem is negatively affected by the media.

Recommended Citation

Reed, Amanda and Rogers, Rachel (2007) "The Sexual Image of Women in Television: The Effect on Young Women in America," Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal: Vol. 1: Iss. 5, Article 8.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/psych_journals/vol1/iss5/8