Posing, putting on make-up, cooking – when women and girls present themselves on social media, they are often based on role clichés that some people thought had long been overcome. This is the result of a study by the MaLisa Foundation by the actress Maria Furtwängler and her daughter Elisabeth. In a 2017 study, they showed that women are underrepresented in film and television and are cast in cliché roles.
The current study now shows something similar for YouTube and Instagram. As the graphic shows, women are overall underrepresented on the video streaming service YouTube. However, when they appear as the main actors in videos, it is mainly with their hobby activities, such as sewing, crafting or applying make-up. For male actors, it is much more often the professional activity that is discussed.
When it comes to topics, YouTubers are successful when they correspond to a role model that, according to Furtwängler, corresponds to that of the 1950s. The most common topic areas for women in the top 1000 channels in Germany: beauty, relationships, food, fashion and household. And even in music videos, which are now mainly consumed via YouTube, women are still portrayed as sexy and passive.
This stereotyping has little to do with free choice, as the study also shows. Interviews with 14 successful YouTubers show that it is difficult to break away from the topic of beauty: “Having a strong opinion reduces your financial value because then certain companies no longer want to show themselves to you,” said one respondent.
Posing, make-up, cooking – when women and girls present themselves in social media, they often orientate themselves on role clichés that some believed had long since been overcome. This is the result of a study by the MaLisa Foundation of actress Maria Furtwängler and her daughter Elisabeth. In a study from 2017, they already showed that women are underrepresented in film and television and are cast in cliché roles.
The current study now shows similar results for YouTube and Instagram. As the graphic shows, women are under-represented overall in the video streaming service YouTube. If, however, they appear as main actors in videos, it is mainly with their hobby activities, such as sewing, handicrafts or make-up. For male actors, it is much more often the professional activity that is the subject of discussion.
When it comes to the topics, YouTube women are successful if they correspond to a role model that, according to Furtwängler, corresponds to that of the 1950s. The most common topics for women in the top 1000 channels in Germany are beauty, partnership, food, fashion, and household. And even in music videos, which are now mainly consumed on YouTube, women are still sexy and passively staged.
This stereotyping has little to do with free choice, as the study also shows. From interviews with 14 successful YouTube women, it emerges that it is difficult to break out of the subject of beauty: “A strong own opinion diminishes your financial value because then certain companies no longer want to show themselves with you,” said one interviewee.
Keep in touch
