ABSTRACT
Any trip to a local video rental store reveals the complexities of individuals' enjoyment of media entertainment. The videos are neatly arranged according to genre, and the customers wander around the aisles, much like in a grocery store, in search of that morsel of cinematic pleasure that will satisfy their entertainment needs. What type of media programming best serves these goals? The possible answers to this question are seemingly endless, as illustrated throughout the chapters in this book. However, a cursory observation of video seekers often reveals a common "he said-she said" debate concerning the evening's entertainment choices. Whereas "he" drifts toward the action movies and horror films, "she" pores over the romances and tearjerkers. Although this picture is admittedly simplistic in its stereotypes, the frequency with which this sort of scenario occurs serves as an illustration of the important role that gender plays in viewers' responses to entertainment. This chapter first reviews several types of media portrayals that appear to be differentially appealing to male and female audiences: melodramatic teatjerkers, sporting events, violent content, horror films, and pornography. Subsequently, this chapter explores possible explanations for why these gender differences may exist.
