(media) images creating/reflecting "reality"

Stereotypes are bad. Right? That's what I've always been told. However, the harsh truth is that stereotypes have to come from somewhere, and usually, they stem from some version of reality.

In our table group, we used the example of teachers. Common images of teachers portray women standing at the front of a classroom near a blackboard (or more recently, whiteboards). While I sit in a class with a woman at the front of the room by a whiteboard, can I really call these images inaccurate?

As for the career I've chosen to examine for this class, it's not so incorrect either. Almost all of the images of camp counselors I found from Google had young adults wearing shorts and t-shirts interacting with kids. Having been a camp counselor, I can say that while working, I wear shorts and t-shirts every day, and the whole point of my job is to take care of kids. Looking at these two examples, it seems pretty obvious that media images reflect the reality of different professions whether we like it or not.

As for creating reality, this part kind of scares me. I know that the media has an incredible power to influence the masses, but I think it would be pretty hard for a television show/movie/commercial/magazine to take a career and completely build an entirely new image for people in that profession. However, I do think it's possible that the media can emphasize certain aspects of a career or even just a stereotype of a career that can add to the reality of what people have in their minds for said career.