Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

I argue that as women’s roles in American culture and society have been transformed, we have witnessed a shift from sexist images of political women on television, print media, and social media to outright misogynistic portrayals. Public reaction to changes in women’s roles in the wake of the Women’s Movement in the 1960s and 70s, and in particular, women’s entry into the American workforce in unprecedented numbers, created a cultural backlash that was reflected in how political women were written about and portrayed in both mainstream, alternative, as well as social media. As part of this phenomenon, Hillary Clinton was demonized to a degree seldom seen in American political history. The treatment of her by her opponents as well as by their supporters and the media representation of her in right wing and social media created an opportunity to lash out and gain exposure by demonizing her. On the one hand, Clinton was thought of as a castrating woman, while on the other she was treated as a grandmother figure who was too weak physically to be President of the United States. Both of these images have contributed in turn to the normalization of female portrayals that in an earlier era would have been considered profoundly demeaning. This paper will explore the ways in which different media encouraged and reproduced these images as well as the reaction to them. I will conclude by asking how these images can be challenged moving forward.