In the shadow of stereotypes: from mother to sexy bomb. Representation of women in the Romanian press in 2024

Romania is still a society that considers that the woman who is the victim of a rape is partly to blame because she was under the influence of alcohol, because she was wearing a skirt that was too short or too tight, because she provoked the aggressor with her dance moves, because she showed too much skin, because her actions left room for interpretation, and the list goes on. And, most recently, for being beautiful.

We find this blame in social media discussions, in court decisions, in the discourse of the church.

In this context, the media has an extremely important role. It can contribute to the public discourse that blames the victim – or challenge it. Unfortunately, articles dedicated to femme fatales, articles in which women are called nuclear warheads, in which women allow themselves to be taken in by pimps, only add to the prejudices about victims of sexual crimes.

Articles in which women are called hotties, in which their bodies are mere objects for men to admire are an invitation to abuse, normalising forms of assault, street harassment. Why wouldn’t you whistle or touch a hottie on the street who is in good physical condition, because she wants your attention? In other words, the women thus described are the ones who no matter what happens to them they have asked for it. This kind of approach basically gives the perpetrators justification.

The press continues to see women’s roles stemming from private life – girlfriend, wife, mother. And when she is not in one of these three roles, she is a victim, a femme fatale, or a perpetrator. Although the role of mother is at the top, it doesn’t mean that the press coverage looks in depth at what motherhood means, at abuses in the maternity system, at mothers’ labour rights, at reproductive rights. The only publication, among those monitored, that approached these topics was Libertatea.

When the discussion turns to the professional area, a man has to be part of the equation – the star husband, the millionaire boyfriend, the businessman, the ex. When it’s not the man in the picture, it’s the physical qualities that are relevant, not the professional ones.

[…] The VIP woman still occupied a place in the rankings, but not a top one. It has been overtaken by sportswoman and politician. Although she has made it onto the political page, she is still not considered an informed voice. Apart from the six ministers and two or three MPs, the press continues to look for expertise in the area of male politicians.

Purses, shoes and references to physical appearance have disappeared from the content of news stories about female politicians. However, there is no guarantee that after the parliamentary elections in 2024 we will not have another top with sexy female MPs and senators in the Romanian Parliament. We had such tops after the elections in 2008, 2021, 2016 and 2020. And they were not made just by the tabloid press. 

In 2023, the tabloids are giving a lot of space to news about women, but we are talking about deeply misogynistic, sexist, instigating, and derogatory content. Beyond objectification, women are for the tabloids a source of gossip and scandal. The woman is hysterical, jealous, profiteering, kept. She is the accessory of the famous, rich man, the politician, the footballer,
and the list goes on.

The local press has less news dedicated to women than the national press. Timișoara has the fewest of the monitored publications, but the content, in most cases, is clean. Especially when it comes to sports. Although at national level, we still come across sports news where women are just someone’s girlfriends, especially in the TV area, in the online/written press, women in sport are increasingly treated as professionals. The local press is also doing a good job of portraying them. But it still has problems when it comes to tackling violence against women.

Despite some progress, we are still far from a fair representation of women in the press. A press that still believes in women’s traditional roles, that does not take women seriously when it comes to their profession, that still condemns women for the way they behave or dress, has a lot of catching up to do. What the last 20 years show us is that change continues to be a slow and arduous process. It is true, however, that it could be slightly accelerated if journalists were to consider a few issues related to the representation of women in the press.