Hegemonic Masculinity Within The Bond

Within the Bond franchise exists a conventional hegemonic masculinity, which is depicted through the interactions between men and women, specifically in Goldfinger (1964), directed by Guy Hamilton, and Skyfall (2012), directed by Sam Mendes. The clothing worn by women in the films, either exaggerates their powerlessness to male characters or exhibits their positive values, typically associated with men. Some of the women enhance Bond’s masculinity by being only seen as attractive foils for the ‘male gaze’ and constantly being degraded by the men around them. The films were produced five decades apart, meaning that there are dramatic differences in the way that women are treated and the roles they are provided with, but also demonstrates the

Dink’s main purpose in Goldfinger was to entice the ‘gaze’ of heterosexual males, which objectifies women and empowers men. This is portrayed when Bond forces her to say goodbye to Felix because it is ‘man talk’ and he slaps her on the bum, which symbolises the grander concept of hegemonic masculinity throughout Goldfinger. This further emphasises that the women in the Bond franchise are marganlised, which exaggerates Bond’s masculinity… Just prior to Severine’s death, blood is coming from her mouth, which symbolises her weakness and that she can’t protect herself without Bond, and this is reinforced by her petrified body language and exposes her as a subordinate and helpless victim. Severine is also wearing a short dress and high heels, which emphasises that these ‘Bond Girls’ are present in the films to emphasise Bond’s masculinity and to appeal to the ‘male gaze’. Even though Pussy Galore states she is “immune” to Bond’s flirting, and it is insinuated she is a lesbian, it is portrayed that she can be easily seduced by Bond, which emphasises the present hegemonic masculinity. This juxtaposes when she first meets Bond because she is conveyed as independent, but the more time she spends with Bond, the more her character is broken down until she is seduced by him, because of her insinuated inferiority. The

In Skyfall, Moneypenny’s original role of participating in fieldwork with Bond, emphasises the idea that the women in Skyfall are initially allowed the equivalent opportunity as men, due to the deviations of female depiction in the 21st century. This juxtaposes Moneypenny in Goldfinger, as she was positioned in the stereotypical substandard desk job throughout the entire film, although there are subtle hints that she could be a field agent, like her throwing the hat onto the hook. Moneypenny’s desk, in Goldfinger, symbolises a barrier that prevents her from reaching their full potential and having the same prospects as men are given throughout the entire text. Although M, in Skyfall, is a powerful female in the highest position of authority, the hegemonic masculinity is emphasised by her poor decisions that portray her to be inept and unqualified for her status. This is reiterated in M’s final scene, where an extreme high angle is utilised to convey M’s weakest point, and insinuate that Silva gained power from killing M. This is reinforced by M in Goldfinger as he is positioned in the main patriarchal role, that is reinforced by constant low angles. These low angles highlight to the audience that because the film was created in the 1960s the major roles can only be fulfilled by men. As the treatment of women improved throughout the