Test Bank

Chapter 6: “Sexuality, Media, and Sport”

Multiple Choice

1. The hypersexualization of media engages in ______ by systematically ignoring, trivializing, or distorting them.

a. media literacy

b. symbolic annihilation

c. gender schemes

d. none of these

2. Sexual objectification

a. dehumanizes women by viewing them as passive and inactive rather than as complex, subjective beings

b. reinforces distorted and destructive ideals of femininity

c. informs and shapes women’s perceptions of and relationships with their own bodies

d. all of these

3. Sociologist Patricia Hill Collins (2000) describes the use of stereotypes in media as______, meaning these images are a major instrument of power as they work to make racism, sexism, heterosexism, and poverty appear normal and natural.

a. controlling images

b. symbolic annihilation

c. hypersexualization

d. structured absence

4. Next to parents and peers, mass media is the primary source of information for adolescents regarding

a. sexual norms

b. social norms

c. both a and b

d. none of these

5. Specifically gay-themed television programming in the United States began as early as the

a. 1960s

b. 1970s

c. 1980s

d. 1990s

6. The ______ describes the commercial and ideological interdependence of the institutions of sport, mass media, and advertising.

a. media institution

b. sports/media complex

c. sports industry

d. sports sex

7. Jock culture refers to

a. healthy behaviors amongst male athletes

b. gender equality in sports

c. hyper-competitiveness and male supremacy in sports

d. masculinity in sports

8. An extension of jock culture is

a. sports rape

b. sports sex

c. televised sports manhood formula

d. all of these

9. Because sport is a masculinizing agent in the lives of boys and men,

a. women athletes are perceived as trespassers on male terrain

b. women athletes are perceived as men

c. gender diversity is neutralized in sports

d. sport is a negative experience

10. The lesbian stigma in sports leads to some women’s collegiate athletic programs to practice

a. positive recruiting of lesbians to counter the stigma

b. the assumption that female athletes are heterosexual

c. negative recruiting by promising its team is free of lesbians

d. lesbian steering

True/False

1. Title IX limited opportunities for women in sports.

2. Some gay athletes are attracted to sports because it is a perfect cover for hiding their homosexuality.

3. The lack of media coverage of female sports is an example of structured absence.

4. Language in media is important, but does not shape our perceptions of reality.

5. Sexualization is when a person’s value is defined by sexual appeal.

Short Answer

1. Describe how sexualization occurs in music videos. Give an example of a video you have seen.

2. Describe a negative impact on women of sexual objectification in advertisements.

3. Provide two examples of how lesbian, gay, and bisexual images are represented in Hollywood movies?

4. Describe gay games.

5. Define minority stress and how it might impact athletes.

Essay

1. Describe how language is sexualized in media. How is imagery sexualized in media? What potentially dangerous impacts can these have on women and girls? What impacts do these have on men and boys?

2. Describe representations of LGBTQ individuals in media? How are stereotypes perpetuated? What messages do stereotypes send? What impact might they have?

3. Explain the intersection of masculinity and sport and the affect this has on gay and female athletes. What role does sports media play in reinforcing masculinity in sport?

4. Explain the two paths LGBTQ athletes have taken to enter the sports world: assimilating into mainstream sports organization and forming separate, gay sports spaces. What are the pros and cons associated with each approach? What affect does each approach have on the wider society? How is this similar to LGBTQ political activism described in Chapter Five?

5. How do the institutions of media and sport intersect to shape sexuality? Provide three examples of ways in which the sports/media complex promotes heteronormativity, homophobia, and sexism.