Philippine E-Journals

Tear the Box: Deconstructing Sexualized Portrayals of Women in Idol Ko si Kap and Lagot Ka… Isusumbong Kita!

Joeven R. Castro

Discipline: Mass Communication, Sociology

 

Abstract:

Television situational comedies (more popularly known as “sitcoms”) have become a venue for blatant portrayal of women as sex objects. This article provides indicators of sexualized portrayals that can help in understanding the extent of women’s subordination to males on matters pertaining to sex and sexuality in the context of a genre that relies on repetition of plots to constantly glue the attention of its audience. It critiques, using a feminist reading, the patriarchal practice of creating a “box” of women’s identity in media texts to keep control of them. Advocated by a male researcher, this article values the need to recognize women’s other nonphysical and non-stereotypical traits.