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Film and gender roles
Critical analysis of depiction of women in films
Critical analysis of depiction of women in films
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Women has greatly suffered in society from the beginning until now and no one seems to notice this prolonged issue that women have to endure in their daily lives. The media played a major role to how women are perceived in todays society. Nevertheless, in todays world more and more individuals are attempting to address the problem to solve this issue once and for all. Jennifer Newsom effectively convince her audience in an American documentary film: “Miss representation” to embellish the denigration of women in society and persuade the audience through the use of logos, pathos, and explicit visual images.
Is this a fair picture of how women are or should be? How does it differ from “normalized” views of women? Does it differ from other Disney interpretations of women? (1 – 1.5 pages minimum; value 20) Intertextuality Intertextuality is the way in which texts refer to other media texts that producers assume audiences will recognize.
Representation within media is a powerful thing and the viewpoint often differs with context, such as the gender of the storytellers and the time period in which a piece was written and/or published. William Moulton Marston, the mind behind iconic female superhero Wonder Woman (DC Comics), has once described a need for a new type of woman in comics. He found there was a need for one that defied the weaknesses we usually prescribe to females in general, stating that the female archetype lacks the force, strength, and power needed to make girls want to identify with female characters (American Scholar, 1943). Even then, his heroine could be described as modest and peace-loving, two characteristics he himself described as belonging to the aforementioned weaknesses.
In that past, women have had a false image of sexuality, weakness, and self- consciousness. Now, women in today’s culture have taken on a new role, a much stronger role. Countless movies and television shows have powerful and inspiring female roles who deviate from female characters in the past. For example, Rey, from “The Force Awakens” in the Star Wars franchise shows several traits of a strong, independent woman who is fully capable of getting every job done herself. Rey is the perfect illustration of being the opposite of what Jean Kilbourne said women are.
The topic of self confidence is a subject that is heavily discussed when it comes to girls of all ages. Journalist, Stephanie Hanes, examines the current trend of sexualization amongst young girls. In the article “Little Girls or Little Women: The Disney Princess Effect”, Hanes examines the current trend of sexualization amongst girls. She addresses the issue of desiring to become a women too soon. Hanes develops her article by using the literary techniques of pathos and logos to describe the emotions young girls feel when they see images of women with unattainable features.
This study displays the perception into the Disney princess films in conformity to the feministic ideologies that Disney would track. It started off with Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty. These films have parallel traits to how the heroines are portrayed. They are mutually a typical 20th century housewife in America.
Patrick Johnson Misrepresentation in the Media on mental Illness Professor Tyler D. Riggs Rowan University Fact or fiction - a big controversy between a lot of topics misconceived by the media. Between the media, the spread of fake news, and the over exaggeration by the press, editors, and everyday people, it can be quite hard to distinguish between what the rights and wrongs are within the media. For example, in an article by Kristin Fawcett she claims, “In real life, mental illness shows up differently in everybody. The media does not represent the complexity of mental illness in general. There’s this sense that it’s just a one-name-fits-everybody, or one-title-fits-everybody.”
The famous phrase stating, “You are what you eat” in terms is literally true. Many people might have heard it from a family member or perhaps from a local television channel. If this phrase is true then wouldn't everyone want to eat healthily? The surprising answer is a big no, many consumers just like me who think that we buy natural and healthy food are mistaken. Many people may not realize this but the food that we purchase at local grocery stores are genetically modified.
There is a lot of pressure on men in society to be manly; however, what exactly does it mean to be manly? Though many people have different opinions, a lot of them conclude that a man has to be strong and somewhat emotionless to be considered a man. This assumption can lead to Toxic Masculinity, which is “A false idea that men are expected to be as manly as possible” (The Hard, Adrenaline-Soaked Truth About 'Toxic Masculinity, 2017). Men are forced to face these assumptions not only from those around him, but also from people he might see in Media. Media reinforces Toxic Masculinity which in turn causes men to belittle women.
Have you ever thought about why women were depicted in media as those who wash clothes, do the dishes, clean the house, cook food, or were shown in any traditional female occupations? They were also objectified as material for sex because of their physical attractiveness and sex appeal, showing them wearing revealing clothes for cigarette and alcohol advertisements. How about men who were depicted as those who hold positions of authority, a hard worker or those who receive the attention of a woman? These were examples of gender depictions that we can observe every day in media, particularly on television commercials. Gender depictions, as one of the principal topics of this paper, are embedded in any context, particularly in media.
How many times have you seen a white person paint their face to be another race as a “costume”? How about a model wearing a Native American headdress? These are examples of cultural appropriation, an issue our society often pushes to the side. Cultural appropriation is the misrepresentation of a minority group by a dominant culture. It occurs in media, music, Hollywood, and everyday life.
One of the myriad key issues that have been historically tackled by women’s movements is related to the relationship between the images of women as presented in mass media and their social roles. The underlying assumption is that these images have some sort of detrimental impact upon both individual consciousness and collective social life. For instance, the very underrepresentation of women, including their stereotypical portrayal, may symbolically capture the position of women in society i.e. their real lack of power. This aspect throws light on their “symbolic annihilation” by the media (Gayle Tuchman 1979). According to Gerbner, just as representation in the media signifies social existence, so too underrepresentation and by extension,
A film may be considered as a commercial enterprise whose business is the selling of entertainment. However, certainly it offers more than that, it tells a story, a reflection of the way a society works and how its people function in relation to ideology and culture which are constantly developing and changing. Given that, Maleficent is one of the movies which show this shifting trend, it moves from an unrealistic plot of women waiting to be saved by a man to an era of portraying women as heroes. The film suggests the idea of female empowerment, in a general viewpoint; the female characters may be able to overcome obstacles and solve problems on their own. Nonetheless, this essay will discuss if that is in reality the case, what lies behind the idea and whether or not there is anything more complex than what may be seen.
Abstract: In most parts of the world, females have always been the victim of oppressive patriarchy and male chauvinism since ages. This problem has been represented by many people through various forms of creations be it art, literature or films. Films are the most popular visual mediums of entertainment through which a large segment of people can be approached. Like literature, a film is also a work of art which mirrors the society, it also depicts the reality of the society though it has some fictionality in it.
The representation of gender in mass communications has been a hugely debated topic for years and will continue to be one for many more years to come. The media plays a big role in how they want to portray a gender to the public. They create certain stereotypes through the role of a gender in order to attract a large audience and interest to sell a product, brand or image. Media is so important in today’s society, people spend hours and hours each day watching TV, browsing the Internet and reading magazines. There are so many images of men and women in the media today that it certainly has an impact on the viewer’s thoughts and sense of identity.
