Top Model Thesis

Southville International School and 1
Colleges
Luxembourg St., BF Homes International, Las Piñas City 1740
Bachelor of Arts in Communication
Abstract
On this day and age, images of the Modern Filipina have emerged in
different media including the television (TV), which reaches a wide range of
social strata. So far, studies have focused on the general women
representations on these media without acknowledging the changing
perceptions of how a Modern Filipina is seen, heard, watched, and observed
on the television. Centralizing on the idea of the New Filipina depiction on TV,
this research will illustrate different nuances of a Modern Filipina and the
constructions of her new femininity as incorporated and modified through the
female body within the TV framework.

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Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
This chapter covers several background topics for the study on women
representations which contain information about the female stereotypes on
the television, the gender representation on the television, the history of
Philippine women, and the Pinays of today. This chapter also includes the
statement of the problem and what the study aims to answer, the study’s
scope and limitation, how the study is significant and why it should be
researched, definition of terms with import, and reviews of conceptual and
research literature related to the study.
Background of the Study
Women in history have been active in their roles in the course of

human civilization. They have been raising families, leading their own armies,
and contributing to the national constitutional laws. However, in spite of the
womens’ accomplishments, women have been lost from the history books,
have been represented as second to the male gender, and have been seen to
always play a minor role in media. Although media have released a number
of TV shows and films that represent femininity as a strong and powerful
gender, these are not enough. The society still looks at women in a certain
culture that has been instilled in the people’s mind.
According to Stacy Smith, a lead sociologist in a US Study of women

characters in media, “the researchers reported that they found a lack of
aspirational female role models in all three media categories, and cited five
main observations: female characters are sidelined, women are stereotyped
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and sexualized, a clear employment imbalance exists, women on TV come up

against a glass ceiling, and there are not enough female characters working
in STEM fields” (retrieved from huffingtonpost.com, 2012).
Stacy’s study (retrieved from huffingtonpost.com, 2012) showed that in
media, only 44.3% of women had a gainful employment whereas 54.5% of
men had good jobs. In different media forms, women roles appeared a certain
percentage in characters: 28.3% in family films, 38.9% on TV shows, and
30.8% in children’s shows. In relation to the media forms, women appeared in
a certain way of a façade in the said media. They were commonly “shown
wearing sexy attire or exposing some skin, and body size trends were
apparent: “Across both prime time and family films, teenaged females are the
most likely to be depicted thin” (retrieved from huffingtonpost.com, 2012).
This way of representation of women in media reveals a significant matter
about our current society. The Executive Director for the Center of the Study
of Women in Television and Film, San Diego State University, Dr. Martha
Lauzen stated: “The chronic under-representation of girls and women reveals
a kind of arrested development in the mainstream film industry,” Lauzen said
in a statement. “Women are not a niche audience and they are no more
‘risky’ as filmmakers than men. It is unfortunate that these beliefs continue
to limit the industry’s relevance in today’s marketplace” (retrieved from
indiewire.com, 2015).
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Rationale
Women have always been represented in various stereotypes in

different media. The Filipina, for one, has gained her own image in
advertisements, in movies, or on TV shows. By presenting this study, the
researcher aims to present the 21 st century context of gender representation
and the values, beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors that come with
the said representation on a local versus an international TV show set-up.
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Theoretical and Conceptual Framework
The theory used in this study is Symbolic Interactionism. As Scott

Plunkett aptly put it, “Symbolic Interactionism is the way we learn to interpret
and give meaning to the world through our interactions with others”
(retrieved from communications.org, 2010). In Behavioral Science, “ The
symbolic interactionism analyzes society by the descriptive meanings that
people have given to objects, events and behaviors. The behavioral
pattern of the people will be based on these descriptive meanings
because people behave according to their descriptive beliefs rather than
the objective truth. These descriptive beliefs and meanings are nothing
but interpretations given by the people thus the theory suggests that
society is based on the interpretations of the people. People interpret
each other’s behavior and a social bond is thus created which is grounded
on this interpretation. These interpretations are often called “definition of
the situation” because they just define the situations” (retrieved from
communications.org, 2010).
Statement of the Problem
The study aims to determine the difference of how the modern Filipina
is represented on a local versus an international TV show, and seeks to
answer the following questions:
1.) What common stereotypes of a Filipina are presented on Philippines’

Next Top Model as compared to Asia’s Next Top Model?
2.) What is the significance of the Modern Filipina as perceived on

Philippines’ Next Top Model as compared to Asia’s Next Top Model?
3.) What realities about Filipina women are depicted on Philippines’ Next
Top Model as compared to Asia’s Next Top Model?
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Scope and Limitation
This study is limited to the TV shows: Philippine Next Top Model Cycle 2
and Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5 only. The research is also limited to the
study of the Filipino women participants in the said shows. Lastly, this paper
is limited to only the television set-up as a form of communication.
Significance of the Study
Aspiring Filipina Models. This research will provide valuable

information to aspiring Filipina models about the modeling industry based in
the country’s metropolitan area. This study will serve as an academic
reference for the said group of readers about how Filipinas are treated in the
local TV show as compared to the international TV show set-up. Having said
this, this research will allow them to re-check their own values and principles
in comparison to the TV shows’ goal of representing women on TV.
Local Modeling Agencies. This study will bring awareness to the

local modeling agencies about the structure and atmosphere of the country’s
most sought-after TV modeling competitions, which will help the said
companies understand the competitions’ requirements from the companies’
aspiring models.
Philippine-Based Reality TV Modeling Shows. By presenting this

study, reality TV modeling shows, which are based in the country, will learn
about the current demands of the FIlipino participants who are interested to
join in their shows.
Filipina Women. This study will present different nuances of a

Modern Day Filipina as represented on TV, which will give knowledge to the
current Pinays on how both local and international TV viewers see them. Do
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the viewers see Filipina women as strong and independent or as a “Damsel in

distress?”
Communication Students. This study will benefit communication

students by making the research as reference for future studies on the same
subject matter.
Definition of Terms
Images. These are the photos of the Filipina women as presented in

the challenge photoshoots on both TV shows, Philippines’ Next Top Model and
Asia’s Next Top Model.
Representation. This “refers to the construction in any medium

(especially the mass media) of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places,
objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Such
representations may be in speech or writing as well as still or moving
pictures” (retrieved from visual-memory.co.uk, 2014)
Modern Filipina. This refers to the Filipina participants in the TV

shows, Philippines’ Next Top Model Cycle 2 and Asia’s Next Top Model
Cycle 5.
Philippines’ Next Top Model Cycle 2. This is the modelling

competition as shown on local television in 2017.
Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5. This is the modelling competition

as shown on local television in 2016.
Reception. This word refers to the factors that influence TV viewers

when they watch an image on TV.
Production. This word refers to the behind-the-scenes staff of the

TV shows. It is composed of the producer, the director, and the screen
writer.
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Reference. This word refers to the realities about women that are
depicted on the said TV shows. These realities are based on the
viewer’s world view as influenced by class, gender, age, and ethnicity.
Gender. This word refers to the two common sexual references,

male and female.
Stereotype. It is a form of an accepted thought and personality

judgement of a specific type of an individual or certain behaviour,
which intends to represent the entire group as a whole. These
behaviour and thoughts may not truthfully reflect reality, however.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Conceptual Literature
Women in the Culture and Customs of the Philippines
Women in the Philippines stand alongside men—maybe not so equally

but at least with equal respect in terms of each gender’s responsibilities in
the family and in the society. The Philippines is a patriarchal society, which
rooted from the country’s religious culture. As a “Folk” Christian country in
Asia, the Philippines were dominated by many missionary parish priests, who
were “the true authority figures at the local level, so too were their superiors
in Manila the masters of the colony” (Rodell, 32). However, despite this
patriarchal system, Rodell states that the Filipino kinship is basically
egalitarian. He states, “The basic egalitarian nature of Filipino kinship is
readily seen in the non-gender specific nature of kin terms in which there is
only one word for spouse (asawa),son or daughter (anak), sibling (kapatid),
cousin (pinsan),and so forth” (Rodell, 120).
In fact, for the author, women have a special role as they “have the potential
to play an active role in the family decision-making process and might even
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become involved in activities outside of the home. Visitors have long noted
the Filipina’s dynamism and how she is frequently treated more as a partner
to her husband than as a subservient appendage doing his bidding” (Rodell,
120). Furthermore, “the husband will surrender virtually all control of
household affairs to his wife who manages the family budget, raises the
children, and plays a strong role in creating social linkages with neighboring
households.“ (Rodell, 123).
The only fact about women’s power that has not changed is their power to
choose a husband. The power of choosing is still in the eyes of the husband
whereas the wife ensures that she is choice-worthy by remaining attractive
according to social standards. Rodell talks about how women make
themselves attractive when he states, “Instruction in food preparation and
household maintenance take on serious overtones, since it is believed that a
girl’s ability to attract a good future husband is dependent, at least in part, on
her domestic skills. Older female children frequently take on the role and
authority of a surrogate mother in managing the house and younger siblings”
(p124).
Moreover, “If the girl loses her virginity, her marriage possibilities will decline
dramatically; a girl of suspect morals is only sought after for sexual favors
and not potential marriage. Worse, the girl not only shames herself but she
also ruins the family name at the same time” (Rodell p125).
Overall, the Filipina is equally respected in the Philippine social context

because she is uniquely designed to do specific tasks that are not supposed
to be for men. Although she does not initiate the choosing of the husband,
her roles in the family and the workforce do not delineate her significance at
all.
Gender, Race, and Class in the Philippines

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Although the first literature review talks about women as equally

respected in the Philippines, the next literature contests the “extent” of the
word “equal.” Noelle Leslie dela Cruz and Jeane Peracullo (2010) write in their
book that their collection of feminist essays aims to “augur the renaissance of
feminist and gender studies in the Philippines, so that, once and for all, we
might overcome de Beauvoir’s diagnosis of her era, still true of our times, as
one in which “Woman is the Other” (from the introduction).
According to the authors, a “subvert oppressive sex-gender system” exists in

the Philippine society (from the introduction). For one, women and the
feminine are marginalized in the arts and media in two ways: They lack
representation in arts “because female artists have been traditionally absent
or excluded in the field of aesthetic endeavors” (from the introduction); and,
women have become subjects of representation of nakedness and nudity
“illustrating their submissive, sexualized position as regards their more
powerful patron” (from the introduction).
Another way of the “subvert oppressive sex-gender system” in the Philippines

is evident in the “discussion on matters affecting both women and men, e.g.
reproduction, housework, and sexuality, theorists had been silent on these
issues.” Issues of language and literature, theology, philosophy, psychology,
history, economics, and sociology had not been addressed as well. “Only
production, the visible and enduring works of culture and civilization, had
been studied and extensively discussed. Being on the underside of history,
the lives and contribution of women had disappeared” (from the introduction
xvii).
Overall, the authors present this book to show the Philippine society how
women are represented in the arts and media, and that the society has
moved forward on “women’s unpaid and unrecognized labor and sacrifice.
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Feminists have called our attention to this abuse, as well as offered

reconstructions of different domains of human life” (xvii).
The Industry of Reality TV
Although “the content is far from completely spontaneous, the appeal

lies to a large extent of voyeuristic expectation that we are going to catch
glimpses of ‘real life,’” reality TV shows have been regularly seen on both
domestic and international prime time television. The reasons behind the
stability of reality TV shows are simple: They are “low cost and high ratings.”
Since these shows present inexpensive labor and production cost, such shows
“fit the needs of producers, networks, and advertisers in an age of global
television” (455).
Reality TV shows are easy to proliferate in the local market. According to

Chris Jordan (2006), reality TV shows exemplify post-Fordism where the
marketing departments maximize their profits by making a certain
commodity appeal to “as many consumers as possible for as long as
possible.” It is also based on a post-Fordist system that locales are
incorporated in the marketing strategy wherein “capitalism transforms a
problem into an opportunity” (459). Since we are at the age of globalization,
every local culture now can become a part of the strategy. For example, one
US-based TV show entitled “Run’s House,” a TV show that focuses on the
portrayals of Black family life “from the perspectives of the new generation of
African American producers,” provides viewers the “much-needed visibility to
alternative constructions of Black fatherhood/family” (456). Such TV show
targets the African American market.
Another aspect about reality TV shows’ easy market-proliferation is that these
shows have become vehicles of culture transformation. In the reality TV show
“Extreme Nip/Tuck,” which shows various surgical realities, the American
society has somehow achieved a “cultural surgical turn—that is, the
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disappearance of prior negative associations with this radical approach to

improving one’s appearance” (457). Jordan (2006) further explains,
“Cosmetic surgery reality television is just one manifestation of the seemingly
insatiable appetite in media audiences today for the ‘makeover’ story, with
bodily ‘self-improvement’ front and center, especially for women” (458). This
idea of ‘self-improvement’ is supported by post-feminist groups that assert
women’s right to personally shape themselves according to their preference.
One last reason that reality TV shows appeal so much in the market is that
these shows have become the representative of minor voices. Tyra Banks in
her show “America’s Next Top Model” had an episode where she spoke
defiantly against her bashers about her gained weight and fat. Tyra Banks did
not only spoke for herself, but she also spoke in behalf of those “other women
who are built like me” (458).
The industry of reality TV shows, with its low cost and high rating production,
appeals to the market of prime time television in many countries because
these shows have been incorporated in the local culture, they have become
vehicles of culture transformation, and they represent minor voices in the
society. With these reasons, the industry of reality TV shows has been thriving
more than the context of boring TV segments from 1980 until the present
time.
Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media

Everette E. Dennis on her preface provides Walter Lippman’s definition
of “stereotype” as “pictures in our head that can simplify, distort, and even
do injuring to meaning. Stereotypes are a conventional, formulaic and
oversimplified conception, opinion, or image. They communicate dramatically
and without much subtlety or nuance” (Preface). Stereotypes are visual
images that can play a major role in the “construction of memory,” the
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construction of an individual’s reality, and the construction of a person’s

“first-sensory experience.”
With the staple images that have been proliferated in all types of media,
stereotypes have been able to construct a certain memory in a viewer’s
mind. For example, a video that captured the collapse of the Word Trade
Center towers in the US, which had been repetitively conveyed on the
YouTube channel, gives the world a bitter memory of terrorism.
On another hand, stereotypes construct the society’s “reality.” Since

stereotypes have been the default social images, which are easily understood
by the viewers, visual artists including the cartoonists, graphic artists,
filmmakers, designers, and photographers find stereotypes very useful. These
images “shape the way people see and understand their internal and external
realities” (Ross, 5). The process of image making happens in the choices of
“what is captured and what is excluded, the pathos of a moment cropped out
of its context and frozen forever, the seeming truth and transparency of 9/11
victims jumping to their deaths, and the speed and potency with which a
single image travels around the globe to be (mis) understood by so many
people in such varied settings” (Elliott, 6).
Lastly, stereotypes construct a person’s first-sensory experiences. According

to Elliott (2008), “children between the ages of 2 and 17 watch an average of
25 hours of television each week; adults are estimated to spend half of their
leisure time watching television or consuming other media; more than 52
million copies of the more than 1,400 daily newspapers in the US are sold
each day; more than 25 billion books are sold each year; 86 percent of US
homes have cable TV, and 61.8 percent of them have computers.” “Media
provide vicarious experience for us. They provide sensory experiences of
events. They virtually connect us and provide access to a world of issues and
differing opinions outside our personal sphere. Subtly, or explicitly, media
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presentations, both targeted and general, shape our perceptions of reality”

(10).
Pictorial stereotypes in media have great effects in how we conceive our

reality nowadays. Media alongside images have such power to communicate
directly through stereotypes as well as to give the society a worldview
according to what is appropriate based on what this specific society values
more than other factors.
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Research Literature
Commodification of the Body

Jessa Bien (2016) discusses in her thesis that there are various
versions of the ideal body in accordance to the number of its beholders.
However, it is the media publications that “set the gauge as to what to
consider as the ideal body standards. By the simple act of citing celebrities
who they think exemplify the ideal body, the respondents of the study prove
that there indeed are constructed images of the ideal that society has
ingrained in their minds” (124-125).
The ideal body is a product of discipline, hard work, and perseverance as well
as the necessary financial aid to stay in shape. Consequently, the ideal body
“has become an instrumental investment in forging a sense of belongingness
not only between people who like to engage in different body-building
activities, trainings, and workout sessions, but also among people who brand
a social class based on the commodities they can afford” (Bien, 125).
According to Bien, there are three gazes in media: the female gaze, the male
gaze, and the homosexual gaze. The female gaze is the most unnoticed
because as a standard, females do not do the gazing. Rather, they are always
the subject of gazing. However, events like the Bench Body Fashion Show
have encouraged females to practice their power of the gaze. Furthermore,
the male gaze is the most known among the three gazes because this is an
innate act for the males. Males are visual creatures who like to see the
beautiful and acceptable according to their standard. Lastly, the homosexual
gaze is the newest among the three gazes, and such gaze has the highest
rating based on the Bench Body Fashion Show’s attendance (70%
homosexual, 15% female, 15% male) (127).
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Albeit, the power of the gaze is significant because it determines a person’s

standard of the ideal body, which is eventually expressed through his choices
of clothing brands. Through events like the Bench Body Fashion Show, society
becomes more conscious of their own body and of the brands they wear. This
example of a media event is how the ideal body is determined and expressed
in the Philippine society on this day and age.
Women Portraits on Prime Time TV

This study presents how the minority women are portrayed on prime
time reality programs. Based on the National Organization for Women
Foundation (2006), women were underrepresented and they need more
feature opportunities that portray them with respect and dignity. This
supposition on the portrayal of women on prime time reality TV was based on
the study of broadcast networks such as CBS, ABC, FOX, WB, UPN, and NBC.
As the same with other studies, Sheperd (2006) states that females are
usually portrayed based on their physical features, romantic success, and
sexual appeal, as mothers, housewives, or simply objects of desires (12). In
1950, TV portrayed gender based on the Hollywood ideology that
marginalized women—primarily homemakers who “yield to their husband’s
whims” (12). The 1960s as well as 1970s TV characters of women did not
change. They were still mothers who stayed in the comforts of their homes. It
was only in the late 1970s up to the early 1980s that these roles of women on
TV changed. Charlie’s Angels broke the traditional hapless women’s roles
from “the beautiful, contended housewife to the beautiful, smart, and athletic
private detective” (13). Furthermore, females became younger, independent,
single, and freer from their family responsibilities as well as work pressures in
the early 1990s.
Moreover, females have been on TV with an all-new identity in the 21 st

century. Based on Sheperd’s study (2006), “women were generally portrayed
as having a professional career and were thus less likely to be portrayed in
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domestic roles. Specifically, Asian females in the sampled TV shows were

“depicted as lawyers and business women, artists and students” (43). In the
question of authoritativeness and submissiveness, women in the sampled TV
shows performed a neutral role. “African American females, in particular were
more likely to be authoritative, while Hispanic females were the most
submissive” (44).
Sheperd’s study also summarized that “white women composed the majority
of females shown in this TV genre. Among the three minority groups studied,
African Americans were the most prominent, representing 14.2% female of
the population in these shows. The next most popular minority group was the
Hispanics, 5.9% of the total females. Asians were the least featured,
comprising of only 3.1% of the total females on reality TV” (58). Finally, the
image of sexiness in women’s role has also changed according to Sheperd.
Women and girls in reality shows were presented positively especially in the
way they looked. Their clothing was appropriate to every occasion; this
clothing is neither sexy nor alluring.
Synthesis
Women in the culture and customs of the Philippines are respected

and treated with dignity because they play a special role in the family. They
are active decision-makers alongside the father of the family. They also
control the family budget, raise the children accordingly, control household
affairs, and create social linkages in the neighborhood. However, according to
the Philippine culture and customs, women have no power over choosing
their husband. They can only remain choice-worthy and stay attractive
enough for them to be chosen as a wife.
On the contrary, dela Cruz and Peracullo (2010) argue that women still
remain as the “Other,” based on de Beauvoir’s word. These authors introduce
the phrase “subvert oppressive sex-gender system,” which is prevalent in the
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Philippine society. Some examples of this system include the fact that women
in the country are not visible enough in the arts and media sectors. They are
also represented as subjects of nakedness and nudity, and these subjects
usually illustrate a submissive and sexualized position.
A lot of studies have been made about gender representations and the
portrayal of women in media. One study of women portrayal was based on
the industry of reality TV. This industry has emerged as one of the long-
lasting media on TV because it is such a cost effective, high rating industry
even up to the present times. Apart from the production factors, reality TV
shows have become vehicles of market proliferation, culture transformation,
and voice representations of minorities.
Moreover, Reality TV and other media forms always carry stereotyped

images. Pictorial stereotypes have great effects in how reality is conceived
and portrayed. Stereotyped images are so powerful that they create a
person’s memory, reality, and first-sensory experience. As an example of this
conceived reality from media, Jessa Bien’s study tells us that there is such as
a stereotyped ideal body that everybody wants to have and to gaze upon.
Such body is a product of discipline and hard work, and it is eventually
defined by the clothing brand that it wears.
Finally, the stereotyped images of women have changed compared from the
1940s until today. Sheperd’s study presents that women are now portrayed
as beautiful, independent, smart, neutrally authoritative, neutrally
submissive, and career-oriented. Also, women are not depicted as sexy and
alluring anymore. Rather, they wear clothes appropriate for every occasion.
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Chapter 2
METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the research design of this study, which will
include the select type of research method. It also includes the content
analysis of each TV show, focusing on the representation of the Filipina
women participants.
Research Design
The researcher used content analysis as a qualitative research design
for her study of women representation on the television shows. This research
design is focused on the continuous process of developing meanings based
on new data discoveries. In this research design, the researcher frequently
revisited the study content to better understand the relevance of the study
elements in relation to the entire context of the research. As Krippendorff
(2013) put it, “qualitative content analysis puts the analyst in a hermeneutic
circle1 whereby interpretations are reformulated based on new insights
related to, for example, a larger context” (retrieved from
researchdesignreview.com, 2015).
Research Instrument
This study gathered images as well as scripts from the different

episodes of Philippines’ Next Top Model Cycle 2 and Asia’s Next Top Model
Cycle 5 based on the theory of symbolic interactionism. The researcher also
did a comparison of these representations.
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Administration of the Instrument
This study focused on the images of Filipina women during the TV

shows, Philippines’ Next Top Model Cycle 2 and Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5.
The researched captured these images and transcribed the dialogues that
pertain to her study. After capturing and transcribing, the researcher did a
content analysis of the data she was able to gather.
Data Analysis
This research analyzed the data using the classical content analysis as
developed by Philipp MAYRING in Germany (retrieved from qualitative-
research.com, 2006), “the main idea of the procedure of analysis is thereby,
to preserve the advantages of quantitative content analysis as developed
within communication science and to transfer and further develop them to
qualitative-interpretative steps of analysis.” This analysis is based on
recorded communication such as transcripts of dialogues, discourses, video
tapes, etc.
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Chapter 3
Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation of Data
Presentation
Philippines’ Next Top Model Cycle 2
Fig 1 & 2. Poster of the show and the list of the contestants in the show (retrieved
from wikipedia.com).
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Fig. 3 shows that the stereotyped Filipina is described in the Philippines’ Next Top
Model Cycle 2 as all pretty face, sexy, a shy woman, and inferior to men. On the other
hand, the modern Filipina is described in the said TV show as someone who has
commanding looks, confident with her body, has sophisticated femininity,
independent, and dominating men.
Asia’s Next Top Model Season 5
Fig. 4 shows the poster of the TV show (retrieved from wikipedia.com).

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Fig. 5 shows a profiling of the Filipina participants in the Asia’s Next Top Model
season 5.
Fig. 6 shows that the stereotyped Filipina is described in Asia’s Next Top Model
Season 5 as all about pretty face only, a shy woman, sexy, and all about body only.
On the other hand, the modern Filipina is described in the said show as someone
who has commanding looks, is independent, has sophisticated femininity, and
dominates men.
Analysis and Interpretation of Data
Both shows, the Philippines’ Next Top Model Cycle 2 and Asia’s Next Top
Model season 5, presented a list of stereotyped description of a Filipina.
Based on the comments of the judges, the common words spoken for the
critique of the participants, a stereotyped Filipina is sexy, only all about her
body at times, only all about her pretty face at times, she is inferior to men,
and she is a shy woman.
In contrast, both shows have provided repetitive critiques of what a modern

Filipina should be. According to the TV shows, a modern Filipina has
commanding looks from her eyes. She has sophisticated femininity because
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she is confident in her body. She dominates men at times, and she is an
independent woman.
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Chapter 4
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
Major Findings-answers specific question
Conclusions-everything that doesn’t fall in specific questions
Recommendations
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Southville International School and 1

social strata. So far, studies have focused on the general women

representations on these media without acknowledging the changing

perceptions of how a Modern Filipina is seen, heard, watched, and observed

constructions of her new femininity as incorporated and modified through the

female body within the TV framework.

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

representations which contain information about the female stereotypes on

the television, the gender representation on the television, the history of

researched, definition of terms with import, and reviews of conceptual and

research literature related to the study.

Background of the Study

Women in history have been active in their roles in the course of

According to Stacy Smith, a lead sociologist in a US Study of women

and sexualized, a clear employment imbalance exists, women on TV come up

Stacy’s study (retrieved from huffingtonpost.com, 2012) showed that in

media, only 44.3% of women had a gainful employment whereas 54.5% of

percentage in characters: 28.3% in family films, 38.9% on TV shows, and

30.8% in children’s shows. In relation to the media forms, women appeared in

most likely to be depicted thin” (retrieved from huffingtonpost.com, 2012).

This way of representation of women in media reveals a significant matter

Lauzen stated: “The chronic under-representation of girls and women reveals

a kind of arrested development in the mainstream film industry,” Lauzen said

‘risky’ as filmmakers than men. It is unfortunate that these beliefs continue

to limit the industry’s relevance in today’s marketplace” (retrieved from

Women have always been represented in various stereotypes in

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

The theory used in this study is Symbolic Interactionism. As Scott

Statement of the Problem

1.) What common stereotypes of a Filipina are presented on Philippines’

2.) What is the significance of the Modern Filipina as perceived on

Scope and Limitation

Significance of the Study

Aspiring Filipina Models. This research will provide valuable

Local Modeling Agencies. This study will bring awareness to the

Philippine-Based Reality TV Modeling Shows. By presenting this

Filipina Women. This study will present different nuances of a

the viewers see Filipina women as strong and independent or as a “Damsel in

Communication Students. This study will benefit communication

Images. These are the photos of the Filipina women as presented in

Representation. This “refers to the construction in any medium

Modern Filipina. This refers to the Filipina participants in the TV

Philippines’ Next Top Model Cycle 2. This is the modelling

Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 5. This is the modelling competition

Reception. This word refers to the factors that influence TV viewers

Production. This word refers to the behind-the-scenes staff of the

Gender. This word refers to the two common sexual references,

Stereotype. It is a form of an accepted thought and personality

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Women in the Culture and Customs of the Philippines

Women in the Philippines stand alongside men—maybe not so equally

Overall, the Filipina is equally respected in the Philippine social context

Gender, Race, and Class in the Philippines

Although the first literature review talks about women as equally

According to the authors, a “subvert oppressive sex-gender system” exists in

Another way of the “subvert oppressive sex-gender system” in the Philippines

Feminists have called our attention to this abuse, as well as offered

The Industry of Reality TV

Although “the content is far from completely spontaneous, the appeal

Reality TV shows are easy to proliferate in the local market. According to

disappearance of prior negative associations with this radical approach to

Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media

construction of an individual’s reality, and the construction of a person’s