My talk will center on the media as a mirror and how we--mga nagtatrabaho sa media at kayo bilang consumers-- paano makakatulong sa isa’t-isa para mabago o mapalitan iyong mga ipinapakita sa atin na hindi nakakabuti. Kaya magsasalita ako dito in a two-fold function first as a practioner in the industry. I am a columnist in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. I’ve been a journalist for more years than I care to remember.

But I am also a critic of the media especially of the images of women in the media, being an activist in the women’s movement. When people begin to criticize the media , the most common defense of those working in newspapers, film, advertising, is that the media are just a mirror. We only reflect kung ano ang reality. Kung ano ang nagaganap sa society at large and therefore walang kasalanan ang media. Kung puno ng violence ang mga sine, ang mga TV shows it’s because we live in a violent society. So kung ano lang yun nasa realidad, kung ano yung nangyayari sa atin araw-araw yan din ang laman ng media, because the media is a mirror, it merely reflects back at you the audience, the consumers, what you are and what you do.

So ganito din with the young people, with their values and attitudes. Kung ano kayo, sabi ng media practitioners, iyan din ang ipapalabas ng media. You are what you see in TV, in the movies, in songs, in advertising. But if the media is but a mirror, my contention is that the mirror is not passive. Hindi naman iyan nasa isang lugar lamang at hindi nagpapalit at nagre-reflect lamang noong mga images na dumarating lamang sa kamay na humahawak sa kanya. Depende iyan sa what I call the “hand that holds the mirror”. Depende kung paano mo hawakan iyan, kung ano ang hitsura niya, kung ano ang direksyon.

You can distort an image, make it seem bigger than what it really is. You can enlarge the image. You can diminish an image, you can make an image disappear or you can hide it. It depends on how you angle that mirror or how you use that media to reflect reality. A lot depends on the hand that holds the mirror.

Sino ba ang gumagamit ng salamin na ito sa ating lipunan? Kaninong kamay ito? If you try to see who are the people who have the real decision power in the industry, we see that the hand that holds the mirror is by and large-- male, middle aged, middle class. The values that we take with us come from a comfortable educated middle class position and traditional values, especially in terms of thinking on issues of gender and sexual behavior.

The images in media are reflected back to you, the audience and are determined by the thinking, the values, the feelings, the attitudes of men who are mostly middle-aged, who live a comfortable life and who are more or less very traditional in terms of thinking especially with regards to sexual behavior.

The mirror, as I said, can change the reality it reflects. But at the same time it can change that reality simply by the act of reflecting. What then is the relationship between media and society? I think the best way to describe it is as a circular relationship. The media affects your values, your attitudes and behavior. If it doesn’t affect you, if you are somehow not interested, if it doesn’t move you to buy shoes or to buy a certain brand of soft drink, the media wouldn’t be around and it wouldn’t be making the amount of money the industry makes today.

We know as media practioners that it affects your values and attitudes. Pero kasama rin kaming mga taga-media sa inyo. We, too, grew up with the media in our lives. I grew up with television already. I grew up with Uncle Bob. You grew up with Sesame Street. You were educated early on by Sesame Street. Kasama ang media sa audience, and we too have been shaped by the attitudes, by the values imbibed from the media. In growing up, we bring all these values and attitudes-some of which are taken from family and our peers.

I think with the prevalence of the media in our lives, sabi nga nila ang media daw ang the real schools, the real teachers. We bring these with us wherever we go. We as media people, bring these values to our work, and these values, attitudes and ideas are reflected in our work. Hindi natin masasabi na passive ang media, kasi kami rin naiba ang aming mga isip, mga damdamin tungkol sa mga bagay-bagay, sa mga issues at nadadala namin sa aming mga galaw.

Ako’y isang columnist. My attitudes and feelings are reflected in my column. So it is with producers of television dramas for instance. The character’s life experience will determine the way the show turns out. In advertisements, women are reflected as homemakers who wax the floor until it shines, these in part reflect the attitude towards women that the makers of these advertisements have. Simply by what it reflects and how it is reflected, the media affects the reality of its audience.

One example is the use of violent images-- images of violence in the news, in entertainment such as action movies, in detective shows. So many studies have shown that constant exposure to these images has led to a numbing effect. You get numbed by the images of violence you see. We get used to the reality of violence. Hindi man natin tinatanggap o sinasabi na ito’y tama, tinatanggap natin yung realidad and we begin to demand more graphic depictions of violence. Kung dati kontento tayo sa isang taong binabaril, sa susunod, kailangan ipakita na iyong dugo na tumatagos sa taong binaril. Later on we begin to demand more because we get so used to the violent images to satisfy us and keep us interested. This leads to an easier acceptance of reality if not the acceptability, of violence itself.

The women in the mirror. What are the most common images of women in the media? Many studies have been conducted about media in the Philippines and in other countries. One of the things I find really surprising, in media studies regardless of culture differences, economic conditions, status of women, one singular theme runs through all of these studies--the images of women in the media are depicted as two polarities. On one side the image of the woman as a virgin, on the opposite side the image of the woman as a vamp.

Media scholars call it the “virgin and the vamp syndrome”. Either she is virtuous and vapid, shallow and subservient na walang ibang kaligayahan kung hindi ang kaligayahan ng kanyang pamilya, kalinisan ng kanyang bahay, mga labanderang naglalaba’t kumakanta, sumasayaw dahil napakaputi ng kanilang labada, who have shiny teeth, smooth hair and a healthy family. On the other hand, women are vamps: sex objects, temptresses, whores, whose main goal in life is to attract and seduce. Where lies the reality of women between the virgin and the vamp? It is undeniable that the great majority of women in real life lies somewhere between the two. No one is completely virtuous or virginal or domestic. We care for our family but we also enjoy our sexuality, we want to find fulfillment in our sexuality. We are happy with a clean home but we are also concerned with our careers and the affairs of our society.

Is that middle ground of that kind of a woman reflected at all in Philippine media? Sadly, there are hardly many examples. There are very few depictions of women who combine both happy home life and a healthy sexual appetite or driving ambition and personal intimacy. There’s no room for a woman who can combine both. In movies for example, many scripts depict career women that the husband separates for neglecting the family.

More and more we are beginning to see examples of career women in advertisements. For instance, if they’re depicted at all, they are shown as super women: mga babaeng nakakapag-manage ng eight-hour workdays, bibili ng pasalubong pauwi, uuwi sa bahay, magluluto ng instant mami bago pa makauwi ang asawa niya at sabi nga ng isang advertiser na kausap ko, ni hindi man nagugusot ang buhok!

As a career woman, I’m very pleased at the recognition of working women. Natatawa din ako sa image na ito kasi hindi naman ito totoo. At the very least nagugusot ang buhok namin at napaka-harassed din ang buhay ng career woman. What is the impact of these prevalent images of women in media on real women? The images of women in the media cause us some concern because they create or reinforce stereotypes of women.

I’m especially concerned about young women because if you are fed a steady diet of these images then we begin to think, “These are the kinds of women I have to be”. This is the kind of woman that I must be when I become an adult. Aside from giving you unrealistic role models, these images also impact on the status of women, influencing the attitudes and decisions of government officials, policy makers, legislators and other influential people to accept these images because they are part of the audience.

One example is how the impact of the negative or unrealistic images of women in media affects the lives of real women. One common concept is that women are poor financial managers. Hindi tayo marunong humawak ng pera. Is this correct? Ako lumaki sa bahay na ang humahawak ng pera ay aking ina. I think that is a fairly common thing in the Philippines. Women in comic strips and sitcoms are depicted as shop-crazed once given money. Ang message diyan ay hindi mo dapat pinapahawak ng pera ang mga babae dahil gagamitin lamang niya ito sa mga hindi mahalagang bagay at mas marunong mag-desisyon tungkol sa pera ang mga lalake. Ano ang mga nangyayari? Lahat ng mga programa na pautang ng gobyerno, mga credit programs na pautang lalo na sa mga rural areas dati rati lahat iyan para sa kalalakihan lamang. Binibigyan nila ng rural credit programs ang mga magsasaka. Lalaki lamang ang magsasaka. Mga babae sa rural areas asawa lamang ng magsasaka. Hindi sila dapat tumanggap ng utang o pautang dahil maybahay lamang sila. But sometime in the seventies, tiningnan at sabi nila bakit ang dami-dami na nating napapautang sa mga rural areas, wala namang nangyayari, hindi naman nagbabago ang sitwasyon, in fact nutritional levels in families fell. Sabi nila baka dahil pinapautang natin ang mga lalaki; saan ba nila dinadala itong pera? Nakita na kapag may sobrang pera ang lalaki nagagamit sa mga ibang bagay: tulad ng sabong, sigarilyo at inumin. Sabi nila bakit hindi naman natin subukan pautangin ang mga kababaihan.

I think the records of all the credit-lending programs that have focused on women have shown that women are better creditors. Mga 90 percent ang repayment rate na ibang-iba doon sa mga traditional credit schemes. It shows that women are more responsible. Tinanong ang kababaihan: saan ninyo dinadala ang extrang kinikita dito sa livelihood fund? Unang-una, iniipon nila para sa pag-aaral ng kanilang mga anak. Pangalawa, to buy more and better food for their family. Sa tingin ng babae, iyong perang hawak niya, perang pampamilya.

Some studies have shown that ang perang hawak ng lalaki, pera niya, for his discretion. But for women, the money is always for the family. All these years it is shown that women are able to handle money and are good financial managers. However, women continue to complain about their lack of access to credit, and banks continue to demand the husband’s approval before a married woman can get a business loan. Many banks will still demand the approval of a husband. The stereotype of the woman as a poor financial manager still remains. Tumatawa pa rin tayo when we watch that in sitcoms and when we see it in cartoons.

Stereotypes are even more insidious when it comes to issues of violence against women. Reporting on rape, for instance, especially in the tabloids creates the impression that the victims or the survivors of violence are somehow to blame. It is their fault and they deserve to be raped because of their words and actions; they send out signals that they were asking for it or because they were wearing sexy clothes. As in the case of Aileen Sarmienta who was raped and killed in Laguna. Noong nag-guest sa isang TV show and kanyang nanay, ang tanong sa nanay ni Aileen, “Hindi ba totoo na naka-shorts ang anak mo noong siya’y lumabas sa UP Los Baños?” Pinapanuod ko iyon noong hapon at hindi ako makapaniwala. Ang mukha ni Mrs. Sarmienta parang bang, “Ano ito? Ano itong itinatanong sa akin?”. At sabi ng host, “Tinatanong ko lang iyan dahil sa she might have provoked the rapist”.

There is this prevailing attitude among media practitioners and reflected in our stories and our work that it is the woman’s fault she is raped or that she asked for it. Or because they were pretty. Nagsulat ngayon ng isang editorial yung kasama ko, the victims have one thing in common-- they were all pretty. Sinulat ko sa aking column, tigilan niyo nga yang kape-pretty-pretty niyo dahil wala namang kaugnayan ang chansa ng isang babae na ma-rape kung siya’y maganda o pangit, payat, mataba, bata o matanda. Sabi nila nilagay lang namin diyan so that the young women would be warned. Sabi ko kung pangit ang babae hindi na siya in danger ma-rape, you don’t think they need to be warned. The reality is any woman can be raped-- young or old. According to the records of the Supreme Court, females as young as nine months and as old as eighty are raped. Age has nothing to do with it; appearance has nothing to do with it. The way you dress has nothing to do with it. You can be the most conservatively dressed and you still face the danger of sexual violence.

Survivors of domestic violence who are battered by their husbands are frequently characterized as naggers, whiners. Ilang beses na nating naririnig iyan sa mga TV shows o sa mga tabloids: “Babaeng bungangera pinatay o binugbog ng asawa dahil hindi na matiis ang pagbubunganga”. Paano naman nalaman ito ng reporter? Kasalanan daw ng biktima, hindi kasalanan ng nambugbug, dahil may ginawa ang biktima.

These are the attitudes we have come to accept. Bago ako nakasama sa women’s movement at kahit pagkatapos; bago ko nakausap ang survivors of violence, part of me also accepted the fact that, naku kasi hindi siya nag-ingat kaya may nangyari sa kanya. We accept it as it is and we hold these attitudes. These are influenced in large part by the media.

All these attitudes towards victims of violence also create biases and prejudices in the minds of law enforcers, lawyers, judges and medical personnel-doctors and nurses. “Ano na naman ang ginawa ninyo, bakit kayo binugbog?” Lalagyan lang ng konting gamot yung pasa, at pauuwiin na nila. Ipasasama uli sa asawang nambubugbog para sa paglipas ng isang buwan babalik ang babae at bugbog sarado na naman. This is not just a funny thing or something that is interesting. The way the media reflects reality really has a serious effect on the lives of real men and women.
We also see its effects in the way the media tends to create or project images of sexuality. All around us we see billboards of men and women in skimpy outfits. Around us are images of sexuality and contradictory messages about relations between men and women. We are bombarded by sexually suggestive images. We see in photos of starlets almost in the flesh splashed across the front pages of tabloids. Images not just of nudity or flesh but also of romantic relationships.

In teenage TV shows, everyone has to be paired with someone. The story revolves around each of the pairs, around the search for the ideal person or soul mate. The implicit message is that kung wala kang partner sa buhay ay kawawa ka naman. You cannot walk through life without a partner or without someone being interested in you. It is of primary importance. I wrote a critique saying there should be more images of boys and girls together having fun. There should not necessarily have any romantic link or some kind of sexual tension between them instead they simply enjoy each other’s company. Sexuality is a desirable trait. You should be attractive. Your life should be directed towards the search for a mate. With all of these around you, what messages do you receive? These images about how sexuality sells to enhance your desirability toward the opposite sex.

Ano ang maaari ninyong gawin, mga kabataan? What do you do with these contradictory images: what men and women are, what sexuality is. Do you young people feel that the media accurately depict your actual concerns, your aspirations, your reality? How can they do a better job? How do you think you can influence the media? That is the message I want to leave with you this afternoon. It is that you can change the media, meron kayong “say”. Hindi lamang kayo ang audience o consumers. Kung hindi man kayo nasiyahan, ang option lamang ninyo ay patayin ang TV o kaya’y lumipat sa ibang channel, at huwag bilhin ang dyaryo o tabloid.

Ano ang magagawa natin, kasama na ako, bilang mga consumers at bilang audience ng media? Kailangan alam ninyo kung kailan mina-manipulate, kung kailan hindi ito totoo. You need to be aware that media may seem to reflect reality but many times it is not real. In investigative shows we see what we call reenactments. At the intellectual level, we know it as reenactment but at the feeling level we think that it is what actually happened. Many people say the character is guilty dahil doon sa reenactment iyon ang ipinakita. We have to be careful and critical of messages. Dapat nating tingnan kung totoo ba ito o nilalaro lang ang ating mga nararamdaman.

TV is not reality, we have to train ourselves--to be aware, to be critical consumers. And if we are not happy about something we read or hear or see, we have to realize that we can do something. Puwede tayong sumulat sa estasyon, sa dyaryo at sabihin natin kung ano ang hindi natin nagustuhan. The media people, the managers and owners are very conscious about audience feedback. The common wisdom is that one letter represents ten people. Kung nakatanggap sila ng sampung sulat na sinasabing, “Hindi ko nagustuhan ang palabas niyo kahapon”, they will think one hundred people dislike the show and most probably it is true. They will not know about how you feel unless you tell them. So you write, call, give them feedback. Especially to the advertisers. They are very conscious about their image. They are very conscious about campaigns against a certain ad. You can effectively act against that. In the women’s movement we’ve had some successes against certain advertisements.

I know that the media are very much a part of your life. I know my children, nakababad sila sa TV. Alam nila lahat ng bawat show on a certain channel kahit 30 channels on cable. Laging naka-on ang radyo sa favorite station nila. Young people are increasingly very conscious of current events. Especially now that we have the internet.

The media are already part of our lives and somehow even if you’re not conscious about it, --the media are changing you-- they’re changing your attitudes, your values. Your family, friends, teachers, your peers influence you but the media does the same thing. It is part of your life. But don’t let it change you without your consent. You’re not helpless, puwede niyong baguhin iyan. Even if you think you are young people, ano ba naman estudyante lamang kami. You can do something if you get together, especially if you are in large numbers. You can begin to change what the media says about you.

There is also one thing I’d like to leave with you. We at the women’s movement, we’ve began to fight to change the image of women. I think young people should also begin to say, kami ito. Image namin ito. Ito ang aming buhay. Reality namin ito. Huwag kayong magsisinungaling tungkol sa amin, tungkol sa buhay namin, at tungkol sa mga values at attitudes namin. Don’t tell lies about us. Don’t give us unrealistic pictures, heto kami at hindi namin gusto iyong ginagawa ninyo and you can do it as young people. (video shown)

You learn. I’d like to know what you learned from it, what you think of it. Did it reflect you, your concerns? What are your impressions? Did it move you? Did you get the message? How did it make you feel? I’d like to hear from you. Thank you very much.

A paper presented during FAD’s First Student Congress
November 20-21, 1998 held at the University of the East, Manila
Organized by the Foundation for Adolescent Development, Inc.