"Loose" Laura? - The Slanted Media Portrayal of Women
Late last week, a friend of mine shared the photo above on her Facebook, questioning how does it matter that Ms Laura Ong was seeing another man besides Mr. Michael Palmer.
My on-the-spot reaction was to comment: "Hmm, seems like the media is trying to portray Ms Ong as 'loose' and reduce the guilty factor of Palmer."
Sadly, my snap assessment was, in a way, proven right. Earlier today, when I was discussing with others about this incident, there were remarks made about how Ms Ong was perhaps not really a "proper" woman, in view of how she was separated from her husband, having an affair with Mr. Palmer and having a boyfriend all at the same time. One even commented how Mr. Palmer should have known what sort of woman Ms Ong was and not be entangled with her.
Indeed, it is amazing how easily the media can frame and slant people's perspective of an issue. Well, in the end, as the saying goes: "It takes two hands to clap".
Ironically enough, six days before the Straits Times published the article in question, it published this commentary by Susan Antilla on the media's biased tendency to portray women involved in extramarital affairs with married men as sluts, seductresses or mistresses. Oh, the irony!
My on-the-spot reaction was to comment: "Hmm, seems like the media is trying to portray Ms Ong as 'loose' and reduce the guilty factor of Palmer."
Sadly, my snap assessment was, in a way, proven right. Earlier today, when I was discussing with others about this incident, there were remarks made about how Ms Ong was perhaps not really a "proper" woman, in view of how she was separated from her husband, having an affair with Mr. Palmer and having a boyfriend all at the same time. One even commented how Mr. Palmer should have known what sort of woman Ms Ong was and not be entangled with her.
Indeed, it is amazing how easily the media can frame and slant people's perspective of an issue. Well, in the end, as the saying goes: "It takes two hands to clap".
Ironically enough, six days before the Straits Times published the article in question, it published this commentary by Susan Antilla on the media's biased tendency to portray women involved in extramarital affairs with married men as sluts, seductresses or mistresses. Oh, the irony!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment