Feminists and gender theory

 

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)?
Beyonces music video where she objectifies herself on camera intentionally for the male gaze. And the show 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?
Beyonce presents herself like that in order to empower women and express her sexuality. Some people, as an oppositional reading, may see it as sexist but many see it as empowering. This presents sexism in a different way but feminism is still necessary.

3) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.

Feminism – A movement aimed at defining, establishing, and defending women’s rights and equality to men

Nostalgia – A sentimental longing for the past, often only remembering the positives of the time.

Patriarchy – An ideology that places men in a dominant position over women.

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?

All of us are ‘performative’ at times in our own lives. Maybe your teacher spots you talking during some group work so you ‘perform’ good student. 

2) What does the phrase 'non-binary' refer to and how does it link to Butler's theory?

The phrase ‘non-binary’, referring to someone who doesn’t define themselves as either wholly male or female, is increasingly in common usage. The younger generation are

gradually becoming more comfortable using the gender neutral pronoun ‘they’ to refer to people who do not identify as either ‘he’ or ‘she’ and increasingly media products made for the younger generation deal more openly with LGBTQ issues with more variety in the representations of multiple genders.

3) How and why does the media help reinforce gender stereotypes? The writer provides several examples in the final section of the article.
Men are described as over masculine, aggressive and powerful/dominant. Women are described as innocent and nurturing while also being oversexualised for the male gaze

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. If you're not sure on any of these theories, look at the theory notes above to help you.

Beyonce

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?
She is showing a version of women that was the expectation and how they acted back in the 50's or 60's because of social norms, but because social norms are different now women are not the way women beyonce is representing them in the music video.

2) What might van Zoonen suggest regarding the representation of women in this video?
In the 60's the social expectation of women are for men and now in the 21st century women's social epection is more independent.

3) What are YOUR views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ and oppression of women? 

Beyonce reinforces the male gaze in this music video through the time line the video is set in also with the clothes that are revealing and "house wife like" clothing. Also within the lyrics she speaks about being good for the man and not for herself which is part of women oppression.

Jay

1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?
He is acting a lot more feminine than the traditional man expectations therefore subverting stereotypes. This suggests that, because of feminism, men are able to comfortably act more feminine and be more comfortable with their masculinity. The title and message of the song is that they dont have to be a gangsta to be a man so it shows the social norms and expectations have changed.

2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?
Gauntlett suggests that media representations of men have become more diverse, moving away from rigid stereotypes to include portrayals of men as emotionally open, caring, and multifaceted.
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?

In my opinion men are still under pressure to act a certain way by few women but mainly their own gender. Men mock and shame eachother for doing anything considered "feminine" and get called gay or a sissy. Despite people being more aware of toxic or secure masculinity there is still bias on how men should act.