Blog 13

Images of prison guards in popular media are male. They are often big burly men carrying batons or guns. These male officers are not afraid to use brute force when necessary and images of prisons in popular culture are violent. Women are not usually present as guards in popular media depictions of prisons. Masculinity is defined by being able to use violence, like a “real man”, when necessary. Women’s violence goes against all norms of popular views of femininity. The popularized views of prisons go against the realities of prisons today. Weapons are not permitted in the living areas of correctional facilities and violence is rare. Many people think that women cannot handle themselves in policing type jobs and it is more dangerous for them to be in those jobs than it is for men. The women depicted in popular media are usually “butch” looking women. They are not usually small women, but rather, strong and very masculine like. The promotional videos of women working in non-traditional jobs usually show a more masculine type woman, as opposed to a very feminine woman. The women in policing type jobs said that they like to be able to leave work and home life separate. One woman said that she never gets dressed in her uniform at home and always changes before she leaves work. She also said that she didn’t like to talk about being an officer because sometimes people would not want to be around her or associate with her because of her occupation. Her husband also did not like it in the beginning that she was going to be a police officer. He was afraid that she was not tough enough. She also explained that when she was considering becoming a SWAT officer, she was weary at first because she was afraid that the other officers would not want to be on the same team as a woman.