Read Playing With The Past: Post-feminism and the Media (MM40, page 64 - our Media Magazine archive is here). This is a great example of sophisticated media analysis and an indication of the level we want to be writing at by the end of the two-year course.
1) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?
Why don't you love me by Beyonce
Pan Am
Pan Am
2) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?
They show feminism needs to take a different form as companies still have a hard time explaining the presence of a woman on tv without relating it to a man. Women are not represented as their own people.
3) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.
dominant position over women.
Male Gaze – The gaze referring to Laura
Mulvey’s seminal article ‘Visual Pleasure and
Narrative Cinema’ which argues that main
stream Hollywood films subject female
characters to the ‘male gaze’ of the camera,
fragmenting and objectifying their bodies.
Feminism – A movement aimed at defining,
establishing, and defending women’s rights
and equality to men.
Now read The Theory Drop: Gender Performativity (MM69, page 25) and answer the following questions.
1) How does the writer suggest gender performativity is established from a young age?
Through what toys children are encouraged to engage with.
2) What does the phrase 'non-binary' refer to and how does it link to Butler's theory?
It refers to not conforming to one gender and instead engaging with items regardless of gender.
3) How and why does the media help reinforce gender stereotypes? The writer provides several examples in the final section of the article.
Sending gendered messages thr
Music video analysis
Finally, write up our analysis of the two music videos we studied in class. This is your opportunity to develop your own opinions on these crucial media debates.
Watch the Beyonce video for ‘Why Don’t You Love Me?’ again:
1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?
Beyonce is behaving like the typical representation of a woman, furthering the exposure to the stereotypical roles a female must undertake,to little girls. This could relate to Butler's theory as it perpetuates the performance aspect of femininity.
2) What might van Zoonen suggest regarding the representation of women in this video?
Beyonce's clothing (or lack there of) makes her body a spectacle for the male benefit.
3) What are YOUR views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ and oppression of women?
Beyonce is behaving like the typical representation of a woman, furthering the exposure to the stereotypical roles a female must undertake,to little girls. This could relate to Butler's theory as it perpetuates the performance aspect of femininity.
2) What might van Zoonen suggest regarding the representation of women in this video?
Beyonce's clothing (or lack there of) makes her body a spectacle for the male benefit.
3) What are YOUR views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ and oppression of women?
This video seems like it reinforces the male gaze as Beyonce doesn't empower herself through all her positives, instead choosing to focus on the man's reaction to them.
Watch Will Jay's video for ‘Gangsta’ again:
1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?
Men aren't expected to do traditionally male things in order to be considered men.
2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?
That male identity has evolved
3) What is YOUR view on the representation of men and masculinity? Are young men still under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way?
Although it's changing, men still have expectations placed on them. They have less give than women with dressing like the opposite gender. It's still uncomfortable.
