Donating Netflix data
Maas emphasises that there is nothing wrong with being a dominant man or a more passive woman if that is how someone genuinely wishes to be. ‘The problem arises when we start to assume that all men and all women are like this or ought to be like this. It can lead, for instance, to slut-shaming of women who have a lot of sex. Still, it can equally contribute to men feeling additional pressure to have sex, or to male victims of sexual violence being taken much less seriously. In addition, there is a large group of people who do not identify as either male or female and therefore do not recognise themselves in most entertainment media.’
We all sense that media shape our view of the world, but scientifically studying exactly how this happens is much more difficult. ‘People do not live in a vacuum; they absorb all sorts of things every day, so the influence of a single film or series is virtually impossible to determine.’ To nevertheless gain insight into how media relate to people’s beliefs, Maas uses an innovative method. ‘I ask people to download their viewing data from streaming services such as Netflix and share it with me. This gives me an overview of how often people watch certain types of media. I then ask them about their views on particular issues.’
Oppressive control
Because the research is still ongoing, Maas cannot yet share results. However, earlier studies do show a correlation between frequently watching media with heteronormative standards, also known as scripts, and holding heteronormative beliefs oneself.
‘An example of such a harmful script is the idea of female token resistance: that women actually mean “yes” when they say “no”, and that a man should keep pushing after being rejected. This idea is strongly reinforced by entertainment media.’
The wrong norm
Maas’s research into entertainment media forms part of her doctoral thesis, in which she studies the sexual double standard in the Netherlands. ‘In short, this double standard expects men to be sexually active and to have a higher sex drive, while expecting the exact opposite from women, namely, that they should preserve their bodies until they are in a serious relationship.’ This research can be divided into two parts. ‘First, I look at individuals’ views. I ask them things like, “should a man take the initiative in a relationship?” or “should a woman preserve her body?”, and I examine to what extent people agree. The initial results seem to suggest that individual thinking is not nearly as stereotypical.’
‘Next, I ask people how they think most people in the Netherlands view these statements. Initial analyses show that many people believe their own views deviate from the norm.’ This leads to what scientists call pluralistic ignorance. ‘People have a mistaken idea of what others think, but because they believe there is a certain norm, they conform to it.’
Discarding the scripts
The result is that, collectively, we continue to communicate and reinforce the wrong norm. If there is one way to drive a different norm, it is through entertainment media. ‘And this certainly does not have to be done in a preachy way. There are far subtler methods. For example, by depicting the positive consequences when a woman takes the initiative, or by showing the negative consequences experienced by an overly pushy man.’
What would Maas herself do if she were asked to co-write a film or series? ‘Media often rely on the same scripts, for instance, the idea that men are always thinking about sex. That is recognisable for viewers and saves creators from having to explain too much. Nevertheless, I would discard those scripts, because they also reinforce an incorrect norm. It makes the task of the scriptwriter more challenging, but it does contribute to a more equal norm.’
Photo: Kevin Woblick via Unsplash
