Introduction:
Start with this quote-In 1970s action-adventure shows, only 15 per cent of the leading characters were women- talk about this quote suggests how rare it was for women to become leading roles in the 70s and therefore women were underrepresented.
Now days the figures are:
-In my introduction, I will make sure I write out clearly what the question is I am focusing on, and a quote from the movie/text I am going to be looking at. ‘mankind faces extinction, one women, is the final hope, for our survival'.· In the introduction, highlight the main points, in this case say how life was seen in the early days, such as women and representation, and introduce the text roughly to the examiner.
*Past- males were dominant protagonists Women were under represented
*Present- exceeding number of women in leading dominant roles- shows change in society.
*highlighting the amount of films that show female characters playing the main role and as dominant- women in these films oppose propp’s theory. Women not princess- women are hero’s
-Directors and writers being Male or representation of women being biased and non biased-new man.
Para 2
-Paragraph talk about old historical texts (in this include stuff like masculinity, femininity and how genders have changed and developed.
-Women in the Hollywood movie are more and more being portrayed as dominant instead of the “object of desire”. A brief outline the change in portrayal of women from past films and contemporary. Reference to films such as Kill Bill,
Para 3
-talk about political issue that are /were in the Media, and how it had brought a change in today’s generation. For example you can talk about the Women’s movement, and the Second World War, how women’s took over men’s job and war in the munitions.
Para 3
-bring in theorist and authors and start to make points and add quotes in the study. Mention stuff like how females were seen to be sex symbols in the early days (Laura Mulvey) link this to my study/text talk about Milla jovovich, how she is not seen to be a ‘sex symbol’- show both sides how she is not in para4. (Male gaze) refer to Gauntlett.
- Milla Jovovich kills lots of males showing her authority over the opposite sex and uses Struass-binary opposition as its women vs. men.
Para 4:
How milla jovovich is represented as a sex symbol.. and how...
Link this to the film having a male director- so biased opinion- we live in a patriarchal society.
Link to Mulveys theory and other quotes from david gauntlets book.
*Guns and knives- Phallic object
Para5:
Show the change of role of female characters. Link to films from the past and gradually become more contemporary. Films such as James bond and Kill Bill.
*Talk about society now how females are accepted as going to work.
Para6:
*Talk about gender as a whole. So how females were seen to be in the early days (Mulvey) how they are seen to be now (Independent)
* how males were seen in the early days (superior) how they are seen to be now (New Man)
Friday 26 December 2008
Monday 15 December 2008
Female directors
5 reasons why women directors are such a rare sight:
*Because mostly jobs that women prefer are quiet stereotypical they would either want to be a teacher, secretary, nurse or remain a housewife.
*Another reason is that after women get pregnant it is seen less likely that they would carry on with their profession as they now have a family to look after.
*It harder for women to enter this industry as it is male dominated
*Women could be discouraged because of the lack of women in that profession
*Men are more likely to be preferred then women to do the job
5 female Directors:
Penny Marshall-
Penny Marshall (born October 15, 1942) is an American actress, producer and director. After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley. A ratings success, the show ran from 1976 until 1983, and Marshall received three Golden Globe award nominations for her performance.
She progressed to directing films such as Big (1983), the first film directed by a woman to gross in excess of $100 million at the U.S. box office, Awakenings (1990), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and A League of Their Own (1992). In more recent years, she has produced Cinderella Man (2005) and Bewitched (2005).
Elaine May
Elaine May is a two-time Academy Award nominated film director, screenwriter and actress. She achieved her greatest fame, in the 1950s, from her improvisational comedy routines in partnership with Mike Nichols.
Rosanna Arquette
Rosanna Lauren Arquette is an American actress, film director, and film producer.
Filmography as director/producer:
Searching For Debra Winger (2002)
All We Are Saying (2005)
Jane Campion
Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954 in Wellington, New Zealand) is an Academy Award-nominated film maker and Academy Award-winning screenplay writer. She is one of the most internationally successful New Zealand directors, although most of her work has been made in or financed by other countries, principally Australia – where she now lives – and the U.S. Campion attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School early in its history, where she learned the craft that has resulted in a career that spans fourteen films as director, three as producer and eight as writer.
Directed films:
Sweetie (1989)
An Angel at My Table (1990) — based on the autobiography of Janet Frame
The Piano (1993)
Holy Smoke! (1999)
In the Cut (2003) — based on the novel by Susanna Moore
The Water Diary (2006)
8 (2008)
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola (born May 14, 1971) is an American film director, actress, producer and Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is the third female director, and only American woman, to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing, the other two being Lina Wertmüller and Jane Campion.
Lina Wertmuller
Lina Wertmüller is an Italian film director of aristocratic Swiss descent. In 1976, she became the first woman ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing with Seven Beauties.
THREE ways the number of female directors could be improved:
1. Female directors can try and do joint directing with males, to gain knowledge in the field.
2.When most women have become mature they stop acting in film therefore after they have stopped acting they should be encouraged to direct films.
3.Have more courses for women to do directing.
*Because mostly jobs that women prefer are quiet stereotypical they would either want to be a teacher, secretary, nurse or remain a housewife.
*Another reason is that after women get pregnant it is seen less likely that they would carry on with their profession as they now have a family to look after.
*It harder for women to enter this industry as it is male dominated
*Women could be discouraged because of the lack of women in that profession
*Men are more likely to be preferred then women to do the job
5 female Directors:
Penny Marshall-
Penny Marshall (born October 15, 1942) is an American actress, producer and director. After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley. A ratings success, the show ran from 1976 until 1983, and Marshall received three Golden Globe award nominations for her performance.
She progressed to directing films such as Big (1983), the first film directed by a woman to gross in excess of $100 million at the U.S. box office, Awakenings (1990), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and A League of Their Own (1992). In more recent years, she has produced Cinderella Man (2005) and Bewitched (2005).
Elaine May
Elaine May is a two-time Academy Award nominated film director, screenwriter and actress. She achieved her greatest fame, in the 1950s, from her improvisational comedy routines in partnership with Mike Nichols.
Rosanna Arquette
Rosanna Lauren Arquette is an American actress, film director, and film producer.
Filmography as director/producer:
Searching For Debra Winger (2002)
All We Are Saying (2005)
Jane Campion
Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954 in Wellington, New Zealand) is an Academy Award-nominated film maker and Academy Award-winning screenplay writer. She is one of the most internationally successful New Zealand directors, although most of her work has been made in or financed by other countries, principally Australia – where she now lives – and the U.S. Campion attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School early in its history, where she learned the craft that has resulted in a career that spans fourteen films as director, three as producer and eight as writer.
Directed films:
Sweetie (1989)
An Angel at My Table (1990) — based on the autobiography of Janet Frame
The Piano (1993)
Holy Smoke! (1999)
In the Cut (2003) — based on the novel by Susanna Moore
The Water Diary (2006)
8 (2008)
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola (born May 14, 1971) is an American film director, actress, producer and Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is the third female director, and only American woman, to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing, the other two being Lina Wertmüller and Jane Campion.
Lina Wertmuller
Lina Wertmüller is an Italian film director of aristocratic Swiss descent. In 1976, she became the first woman ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing with Seven Beauties.
THREE ways the number of female directors could be improved:
1. Female directors can try and do joint directing with males, to gain knowledge in the field.
2.When most women have become mature they stop acting in film therefore after they have stopped acting they should be encouraged to direct films.
3.Have more courses for women to do directing.
Contemporary adverts
Diet coke advert
In this advert the women are seen as independant. This is shown through as when the man comes down the lift instead of the male gaze their is the 'female gaze' as the women are gazing upon the men. However the use of the pepsi can suggest that it is a phallic symbol to the women. The women are dressed in smart clothes which also proves that they are independant as they have their own job and don't have to rely on the man.
Perfume advert
In this advert the women is promoting a perfume however in the whole advert we see a middle shot used to show the women face all the time, this links back to mulvey's theory of the male gaze as the shot is focusing more on the women face than the perfume itself. In this advert it could be questioned that what is the point of the women not wearing any clothes in a perfume advert as it is totally not related and just shows that the women are there for the male gaze and to look good for them this is also reinforced as the women are young and good looking.
lip gloss advert
Vanish oxi advert
In a way this is the kind of advert that people may laugh at this is because the women is shown being domestic which is something women don’t tend to do that often anymore, however it could suggest that there are still women who don’t go to work and look after their family and house hold chores even though women nowadays are in control of their professional and social life, and a kitchen slave to no one. This stereotypical representation can reinforce that women are “symbolically annihilated” and reinforce what happened in the 70s that women are shown most often in advertising promoting kitchen and bathroom products.
In this advert the women are seen as independant. This is shown through as when the man comes down the lift instead of the male gaze their is the 'female gaze' as the women are gazing upon the men. However the use of the pepsi can suggest that it is a phallic symbol to the women. The women are dressed in smart clothes which also proves that they are independant as they have their own job and don't have to rely on the man.
Perfume advert
In this advert the women is promoting a perfume however in the whole advert we see a middle shot used to show the women face all the time, this links back to mulvey's theory of the male gaze as the shot is focusing more on the women face than the perfume itself. In this advert it could be questioned that what is the point of the women not wearing any clothes in a perfume advert as it is totally not related and just shows that the women are there for the male gaze and to look good for them this is also reinforced as the women are young and good looking.
lip gloss advert
Vanish oxi advert
In a way this is the kind of advert that people may laugh at this is because the women is shown being domestic which is something women don’t tend to do that often anymore, however it could suggest that there are still women who don’t go to work and look after their family and house hold chores even though women nowadays are in control of their professional and social life, and a kitchen slave to no one. This stereotypical representation can reinforce that women are “symbolically annihilated” and reinforce what happened in the 70s that women are shown most often in advertising promoting kitchen and bathroom products.
Historical adverts
Flash:
The women is seen as a typical housewife who’s role is to look after the house especially when the husband has probably gone to work and the kids at school she is kind of seen as a free women who can do whatever she wants and that is to clean up the house. The advert shows the women quite happy when she is cleaning letting the audience know that women are happy doing cleaning (it’s like their hobby). The advert reinforces what Bartsch said- ‘women were twice as likely as men to be in commercials for domestic products’. In the past women were expected to do such roles as that is what was going on in society as women did not have good jobs or even get out of the house much, it was like their house was their ‘comfort zone’ which they hardly ever got out of.
Peugeot 305 advert
The advert is related to a new car that has been released and to a certain extent if you think about it you will think that why on earth the woman even is in the advert as the car is aimed at men and the women has nothing to do with the car so why have her in there. This could suggest that men are reliant on women for things that they need. The actress is acting in a promiscuous way through the way she speaks and poses it suggests the idea of sex sells, in addition what she is saying is good about the car connotates what is believed that the women wants in her ideal man as she says it has "power" and "control" which further brainwashing males. The woman is acting in a very sexually promiscuous way which is once again re emphasizing the theory of the male gaze.
Flake advert
Cortese’s- women are often shown as the ‘perfect provocateur’. This is re-emphasised through the women eating the flake slowly and lusciously making her look provocative and as she is young, good looking which links back to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze as her acting in such a provocative way would make men gaze upon her and excite them as the flake can also be seen as a phallic symbol. He also says talks about “Symbolic and institutionalised Sexism” which says that the media is sexist and this was extremely true in the past as women were given certain roles that you would never see a man doing such as this flake advert for example.
The women is seen as a typical housewife who’s role is to look after the house especially when the husband has probably gone to work and the kids at school she is kind of seen as a free women who can do whatever she wants and that is to clean up the house. The advert shows the women quite happy when she is cleaning letting the audience know that women are happy doing cleaning (it’s like their hobby). The advert reinforces what Bartsch said- ‘women were twice as likely as men to be in commercials for domestic products’. In the past women were expected to do such roles as that is what was going on in society as women did not have good jobs or even get out of the house much, it was like their house was their ‘comfort zone’ which they hardly ever got out of.
Peugeot 305 advert
The advert is related to a new car that has been released and to a certain extent if you think about it you will think that why on earth the woman even is in the advert as the car is aimed at men and the women has nothing to do with the car so why have her in there. This could suggest that men are reliant on women for things that they need. The actress is acting in a promiscuous way through the way she speaks and poses it suggests the idea of sex sells, in addition what she is saying is good about the car connotates what is believed that the women wants in her ideal man as she says it has "power" and "control" which further brainwashing males. The woman is acting in a very sexually promiscuous way which is once again re emphasizing the theory of the male gaze.
Flake advert
Cortese’s- women are often shown as the ‘perfect provocateur’. This is re-emphasised through the women eating the flake slowly and lusciously making her look provocative and as she is young, good looking which links back to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze as her acting in such a provocative way would make men gaze upon her and excite them as the flake can also be seen as a phallic symbol. He also says talks about “Symbolic and institutionalised Sexism” which says that the media is sexist and this was extremely true in the past as women were given certain roles that you would never see a man doing such as this flake advert for example.
Monday 8 December 2008
Analysis of movies from 1950s-1990s
1950s
High Noon
The Sound Of Music
In the 1960s the roles of geder had not really chnaged much from the last decade. The male characters were shown more intelligent, more assertive- and much more prevavlent. In the film Lawrence of Arabia you do not see any female characters which proves that women were not taken seriously and did not have much of a role in society this can also suggest that "Women have been 'Symbolically Annihilated" as Tuchman said.
In The sound of music we see that women of the 1960s were represented as housewives and caring. The female character in sound of music is shown as a mother like figure to the children and is portrayed as the Madonna who is pure, innocent and caring.
1970s:
Star Wars
Alien
In the 1970s we are introduced to the second wave femenism were women fought to work and become more independent. In the 70s it can be seen that the role of women in movies is increasing and becoming more stronger. In Star Wars the whole movie is revolved around the female character Leia, she is shown as pretty and good at shooting stormstroopers which makes her loo powerfull, however she is also the prized princess that the heroic boys had to rescue and win the heart of. We also see a powerfull female in the movie Alien; the fact that women are begining to be shown in action movies more often is a celebration for femenists. Ripley is presented as strong and independant, this proves that women are becoming more elivated and this time its the men who have to cross gender and identify with the female character.
1980:
Terminator
Three Men and a Baby
In the 1980s we see that women are still shown as strong and powerfull e.g. Sarah Connor in The Terminator, however although she is shown independant she is patronised as people from the future send a man back in time to save her.In the 1980s we were also introduced to 'The New Man' for example in Three Men and a Baby' as this was a fresh and different movie to what we were usually shown to as the men were dealing with a baby and have become more domestic showing the men beoming more femenine.
1990s:
Fatal Attraction
In the 1990s there was a male backlash as "faludi" found out that there was a backlash against women having careers and being independent on themselves and women liberation's. Fatale attraction is able to expolit the different roles in which the women play throughout the film, one being the Madonna in the film is the housewife shown to be caring and innocent and pure compared to the other female charcter who is the Whore as she is the one who uses her sexual appearence in order to get what she wants and comes across as sexual and sinful , the whore also relates to the femme fatale.
High Noon
Rear Window
In the 1950s the films almost always focused on male heroes. These men typically made the decisions which led the story, and were assertive, confident and dominant. High noon is a more western type of movie and mostly revolves around the men. The women are shown as frightened, in need of protection and direction, and offering love and support to the male character. In Rear Window the women hardly even have a role the whole movie is revolved around the male lead character, the women is shown a little bit and is shown as offering support and love to the male lead character. In these movies the female character had to cross gender and identify with the male characters.In the 1950s, especially, we witnessed an era of “reaffirming male dominance and female subservience; movies showed women as breasts and buttocks, again idealizing women who were ‘pretty, amusing, and childish,’” (Butler, 145).
1960s:
Lawrence of Arabia
The Sound Of Music
In the 1960s the roles of geder had not really chnaged much from the last decade. The male characters were shown more intelligent, more assertive- and much more prevavlent. In the film Lawrence of Arabia you do not see any female characters which proves that women were not taken seriously and did not have much of a role in society this can also suggest that "Women have been 'Symbolically Annihilated" as Tuchman said.
In The sound of music we see that women of the 1960s were represented as housewives and caring. The female character in sound of music is shown as a mother like figure to the children and is portrayed as the Madonna who is pure, innocent and caring.
1970s:
Star Wars
Alien
In the 1970s we are introduced to the second wave femenism were women fought to work and become more independent. In the 70s it can be seen that the role of women in movies is increasing and becoming more stronger. In Star Wars the whole movie is revolved around the female character Leia, she is shown as pretty and good at shooting stormstroopers which makes her loo powerfull, however she is also the prized princess that the heroic boys had to rescue and win the heart of. We also see a powerfull female in the movie Alien; the fact that women are begining to be shown in action movies more often is a celebration for femenists. Ripley is presented as strong and independant, this proves that women are becoming more elivated and this time its the men who have to cross gender and identify with the female character.
1980:
Terminator
Three Men and a Baby
In the 1980s we see that women are still shown as strong and powerfull e.g. Sarah Connor in The Terminator, however although she is shown independant she is patronised as people from the future send a man back in time to save her.In the 1980s we were also introduced to 'The New Man' for example in Three Men and a Baby' as this was a fresh and different movie to what we were usually shown to as the men were dealing with a baby and have become more domestic showing the men beoming more femenine.
1990s:
Fatal Attraction
In the 1990s there was a male backlash as "faludi" found out that there was a backlash against women having careers and being independent on themselves and women liberation's. Fatale attraction is able to expolit the different roles in which the women play throughout the film, one being the Madonna in the film is the housewife shown to be caring and innocent and pure compared to the other female charcter who is the Whore as she is the one who uses her sexual appearence in order to get what she wants and comes across as sexual and sinful , the whore also relates to the femme fatale.
Bibliography- 10 books
Hollows Joanne: Feminism, femininity and popular culture
* "second-wave feminism is seen as a product of the past." pg1
* "male character is presented as doing a favour for his wife by helping out in order to get in her good books, thereby confirming the nation that it is normal for women to be responsible for domestic labour." pg 23
Gauntlett David: MEDIA, GENDER AND IDENTITY
*"advertisers have by now realised that audiences will only laugh at images of the pretty housewife" pg57
*“She doesn’t lead the story, she doesn’t make the central decisions, she doesn’t repeatedly save her male colleague, and she’s not the star of the film.” (pg47)
*Sharon Smith Journal (1972): Women and Film
*"The role of women in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction, and the mating games she plays with the male character".
Jeffords Susan: Hard Bodies: Hollywood Masculinity in the Reagan Era (1993)
*“Good mother icons are pretty thin on the ground too; we’ve probably got more good fathers these days.”
Tasker Yvonne: Working Girls: Gender and Sexuality in Popular Cinema
*"there are only three ages for women in Hollywood:babe, district attorney and driving miss daisy."
Riley Glenda:The Female Frontier
*"domestic service attracted a wide variety of women." pg 126
Rosen Marjorie: Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies and the American Dream (1973)
*"the Cinema Woman is a popcorn Venus, a delectable but insubstantial hybrid of culture distortions"
Gogerly Liz: 21st Century lives. Film Stars
Halle's Speech on Oscar Night 2002
*"Oh my God. Oh my God. I'm so sorry. This moment is much bigger then me. This moment is for...every nameless, faceless woman of colour that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened". (page 8)
Kaplan: Women in film noir (1978)
*"The film noir world is on in which women are central to the intrigue of the films, and are furthermore usually not placed safely in...familiar roles...Defined by their sexuality, which is presented as desirable but dangerous, the women function as an obstacle to the main quest. The hero's success or not depends on the degree to which he can extricate himself from the women manipulations. Allthough the man is sometimes simply destroyed because he cannot resist womens lures, often the world of the film is the attempted restoration of order through the exposure and then destruction of the sexual manipulating women. (page 2-3)
Jacobs Lea: The wages of sin: Censorship and the Fallen Woman Film 1928-1942
*"These films concern a woman who commits a sexual transgression such as adultery or premartial sex. In traditional versions of the plot, she is expelled from the domestic space of the family and undergoes a protracted decline". (page 107)
Neale Steve: Genre and Hollywood
*Thomas and Krutnick- the femme fatale tends to represent "conflicting elements within male identity"
*"A womans film is a movie that places at the centre of its universe a female who is trying to deal with emotional, social and psychological poblems that are specifically connected to the fact that she is a woman"-Basinger (1993:20)
Monday 1 December 2008
Representation of Gender today
*Media gender and Identity
*David Gauntlett
Gender in contemporary TV programmes:
*In prime time TV shows, 1192-1993 men took 61% of the total number of speaking roles, women having 39%.
*1995-1996 study found that men took 63% of the speaking roles, women having 37%.
*1992-1993- 18% of the female characters took the major role and more than two thirds were the stars of domestic situation comedies.
*1995-1996 43% of major characters were female, although still less than half.
*1992-1993- 3% of women were represented as housewives as their main occupation- massive decrease from the 1970. An additional 8% of women were shown as 'homemakers'
*1995-1996- On a character b character basis, females male were equal in these respects.
*Overall the 1992-1993 study found that ' the women on prime time TV in the early 1990s was young, single, independent, and free from family and work place pressures' (Elasmer, Hasegawa and Brain, 1999:33).
*1990s to a certain extent, programme makers arrived at a comfortable, not particularly- offensive modes of masculinity and femininity, which majority of the public seemed to think were acceptable.
e.g. Friends (1994)-
3 Men (Ross, Chandler & Joey) fit easily with convectional models of masculinity, but given some characteristics of sensitivity and gentleness, and male bonding to make things refreshing.
Similarly 3 women (Rachel, Monica and Phoebe) are clearly feminine, whilst being sufficiently intelligent and non housewifely to seem like acceptable characters of the 1990s.
-They were all Friends so it was a refreshing modern replacement for the traditional family.
-Not long of course before they spoilt this by having Ross and Rachel then Monica and Chandler fall in love.
*Some shows put successful professional women at the forefront, and are focused on their quets for sex, pleasure and romantic love e.g. Ally McBeal (1997) and Sex in the City (1998)- both do this in different ways.
-McBeal is a very good lawyer, but more stereotypically is quite desperate to find a husband.
-Calsita Flockhart, inhabits an alarming anorexic looking body- dependant on male, she wants to be gazed upon and look good for the men.
-However Allys colleagues Ling (Lucy Lui) and Nelle (Portia de Rossi) are tougher- both have been out with men from the law firm.
-The show sides with women and often shows them making fun of the men.
-Sex in the City male sexual performance is subject to laughter by women.
Madeleine Bunting (2001) notes:
-Characters in Sex and the City discuss every kind of sex- comparing experiences, offering advice and encouragement. Nothing is out of Bonds, Sex is an adventure playground which doesn't necessarily have much to do with love.
-Sex Stuff works because it turns on its head the old age female sexual victim hood.
- Buffy the vampire Slayer (1997)- Broke new ground by becoming hugely popular within the typically male dominated world of Sci-fi fans.
-Buffy has repeatedly won 'Best television sow' in SFX magazines annual readers poll.
-1990s Superman was relaunched (Louis and Clark, a.k.a The new adventure of Superman, 1993-1999) he was sweet & insecure and always consulting his small town parents.
-Buffy- confident assertive than either incarnation of the man of steel, whilst remaining recognisably human.
Polly Vernon (1999):
-"She's a girl's girl, at once hard as nails and physically confident in a way that's genuinely empowering, and yet women enough and scared enough not to become some kind of dumsy, shouting mutated Spice GIRL".
-Buffy is a Good role model for everybody, because she has to use her wits and physical strength to win.
-Male and female roles are often not exactly interchangeable.
-NYPD Blue. Sipowicz's partners are typically more sensitive but have problems of their own.
Gender in Contemporary Movies:
- Representations in the 1990s-
-Magie Humms Feminism and Film (1997) didn't seem to think that anything had changed.
-"Film...Often and anxiously envisions women stereotypically as 'good' mothers or 'bad', hysterically careists. In the past, and today, every Hollywood women is someone else's other. (1997:3)
-'Good Mother' icons are pretty thin on the ground too; we've probably got more good fathers these days.
Susan Jefford (1993):
-Arnold Shwarzneggers evil Terminator (1984) comes back in Terminator 2: Judgement day (1991) as a protective father figure to Ed Furlong.
-Jefford's sees this as part of 1990s trend of reinventing ,masculinity as fatherhood and caring.
-Hollywood culture is offering in place of bold spectacle of male masculinity and violence, is a self effacing man, one who now, learns to live instead of fighting.
- There are many other hit films where the male action hero works along side a more or less equally powerful female action hero.
-Men in Hollywood films today tend o be the seamlessly macho heroes which we saw in the 1980s; they more often combine the toughness required of an action hero with a more sensitive, thoughtful or caring side.
-Female roles have become tougher.
Charlies Angels:
-Those who publicly criticised it were not women and feminists, however they were the mainstream, mostly male, film critics.
-'Barrymore, Diaz and Liu represent redhead, blond and brunette respectively ( as David Poland has pointed out, T[its], A[ss] and Hair.
-Michael Thomson of BBC online- 'Women's glamour and pouting', saying that the film's message was 'by all means be feisty, but never forget to be feminine'.
-Complaints- including the occasional not that the women are 'Bimbos'.
-They defeat their enemies without guns.
-The film does knowingly showcase the women's physical attractiveness, but their success comes from their brains, and their fighting skills.
-Charlies Angels has an effervescent 'girl power' zing which had not been seen since the Spice Girls.
-Charlie- what does he do?- In other words, he's a Marxist and feminist.
*David Gauntlett
Gender in contemporary TV programmes:
*In prime time TV shows, 1192-1993 men took 61% of the total number of speaking roles, women having 39%.
*1995-1996 study found that men took 63% of the speaking roles, women having 37%.
*1992-1993- 18% of the female characters took the major role and more than two thirds were the stars of domestic situation comedies.
*1995-1996 43% of major characters were female, although still less than half.
*1992-1993- 3% of women were represented as housewives as their main occupation- massive decrease from the 1970. An additional 8% of women were shown as 'homemakers'
*1995-1996- On a character b character basis, females male were equal in these respects.
*Overall the 1992-1993 study found that ' the women on prime time TV in the early 1990s was young, single, independent, and free from family and work place pressures' (Elasmer, Hasegawa and Brain, 1999:33).
*1990s to a certain extent, programme makers arrived at a comfortable, not particularly- offensive modes of masculinity and femininity, which majority of the public seemed to think were acceptable.
e.g. Friends (1994)-
3 Men (Ross, Chandler & Joey) fit easily with convectional models of masculinity, but given some characteristics of sensitivity and gentleness, and male bonding to make things refreshing.
Similarly 3 women (Rachel, Monica and Phoebe) are clearly feminine, whilst being sufficiently intelligent and non housewifely to seem like acceptable characters of the 1990s.
-They were all Friends so it was a refreshing modern replacement for the traditional family.
-Not long of course before they spoilt this by having Ross and Rachel then Monica and Chandler fall in love.
*Some shows put successful professional women at the forefront, and are focused on their quets for sex, pleasure and romantic love e.g. Ally McBeal (1997) and Sex in the City (1998)- both do this in different ways.
-McBeal is a very good lawyer, but more stereotypically is quite desperate to find a husband.
-Calsita Flockhart, inhabits an alarming anorexic looking body- dependant on male, she wants to be gazed upon and look good for the men.
-However Allys colleagues Ling (Lucy Lui) and Nelle (Portia de Rossi) are tougher- both have been out with men from the law firm.
-The show sides with women and often shows them making fun of the men.
-Sex in the City male sexual performance is subject to laughter by women.
Madeleine Bunting (2001) notes:
-Characters in Sex and the City discuss every kind of sex- comparing experiences, offering advice and encouragement. Nothing is out of Bonds, Sex is an adventure playground which doesn't necessarily have much to do with love.
-Sex Stuff works because it turns on its head the old age female sexual victim hood.
- Buffy the vampire Slayer (1997)- Broke new ground by becoming hugely popular within the typically male dominated world of Sci-fi fans.
-Buffy has repeatedly won 'Best television sow' in SFX magazines annual readers poll.
-1990s Superman was relaunched (Louis and Clark, a.k.a The new adventure of Superman, 1993-1999) he was sweet & insecure and always consulting his small town parents.
-Buffy- confident assertive than either incarnation of the man of steel, whilst remaining recognisably human.
Polly Vernon (1999):
-"She's a girl's girl, at once hard as nails and physically confident in a way that's genuinely empowering, and yet women enough and scared enough not to become some kind of dumsy, shouting mutated Spice GIRL".
-Buffy is a Good role model for everybody, because she has to use her wits and physical strength to win.
-Male and female roles are often not exactly interchangeable.
-NYPD Blue. Sipowicz's partners are typically more sensitive but have problems of their own.
Gender in Contemporary Movies:
- Representations in the 1990s-
-Magie Humms Feminism and Film (1997) didn't seem to think that anything had changed.
-"Film...Often and anxiously envisions women stereotypically as 'good' mothers or 'bad', hysterically careists. In the past, and today, every Hollywood women is someone else's other. (1997:3)
-'Good Mother' icons are pretty thin on the ground too; we've probably got more good fathers these days.
Susan Jefford (1993):
-Arnold Shwarzneggers evil Terminator (1984) comes back in Terminator 2: Judgement day (1991) as a protective father figure to Ed Furlong.
-Jefford's sees this as part of 1990s trend of reinventing ,masculinity as fatherhood and caring.
-Hollywood culture is offering in place of bold spectacle of male masculinity and violence, is a self effacing man, one who now, learns to live instead of fighting.
- There are many other hit films where the male action hero works along side a more or less equally powerful female action hero.
-Men in Hollywood films today tend o be the seamlessly macho heroes which we saw in the 1980s; they more often combine the toughness required of an action hero with a more sensitive, thoughtful or caring side.
-Female roles have become tougher.
Charlies Angels:
-Those who publicly criticised it were not women and feminists, however they were the mainstream, mostly male, film critics.
-'Barrymore, Diaz and Liu represent redhead, blond and brunette respectively ( as David Poland has pointed out, T[its], A[ss] and Hair.
-Michael Thomson of BBC online- 'Women's glamour and pouting', saying that the film's message was 'by all means be feisty, but never forget to be feminine'.
-Complaints- including the occasional not that the women are 'Bimbos'.
-They defeat their enemies without guns.
-The film does knowingly showcase the women's physical attractiveness, but their success comes from their brains, and their fighting skills.
-Charlies Angels has an effervescent 'girl power' zing which had not been seen since the Spice Girls.
-Charlie- what does he do?- In other words, he's a Marxist and feminist.
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