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In the media
Very few studies on the role of marianismo in the media have been conducted. However, in more recent years, researchers are beginning to explore this cultural phenomenon. Researchers Jorge Villegas, Jennifer Lemanski and Carlos Valdez conducted a study on the portrayal of women in Mexican television commercials. Often times with marianismo, women are polarized into those who adhere to the feminine ideal, and those who do not. These women are then categorized as good women and bad women, respectively. These "good women" are seen as nuturing, family-oriented, soft spoken, even-tempered and sexually naïve, whereas the "bad women" are often the sexual targets for men. Another dichotomy presented by this study is dependent women and independent women. The researchers found that "dependent women tended to display characteristics perceived as positive in marianismo (helpful, rewarded by their family) whereas independent women were more sexualized".

A similar study by Rocío Rivadeneyra examined the gender portrayals in telenovelas. The research found that in comparison to there male counterparts, women were seen as spending more time with children and either homemakers or unemployed.

Both studies, however, noted that women and men were portrayed in equal amounts in the media.