MIGRAIN: Feminist 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)?

In Beyonce's music video, she is seen wearing revealing clothing and acting in a sexual manner. This is an example of the Maulvey's male gaze as it is all done to appeal to the males  However, it has been done intentionally by the directors.

2) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?

Sexist Attitudes still exist

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.

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

Patriarchy- a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is reckoned through the male line.

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?

 Gender is a social construction: it is taught to us by external influences and it’s ingrained at such a young age that we often mistake it as ‘nature’ rather than ‘nurture’.

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

Non binary is when you don't specify your gender.

3) How and why does the media help reinforce gender stereotypes? The writer provides several examples in the final section of the article.

Girls have to wear pink and boys have to wear blue.

Girls wear makeup and boys dont eventhough nowadays things like this are normalised.


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’?

This contributes to Butler's idea because she is displaying women stereotypes, we can see she is being a typical housewife.

 

2) What might van Zoonen suggest regarding the representation of women in this video?

Zoonen would say that the typical roles of each gender are being shown in the video. 

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

I think that Beyoncé empowers women as she is going against the stereotypes for women and she uses words to emphasise this as well as the performing. 

Watch Will Jay's video for ‘Gangsta’ again:

1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?

It presents that masculinity is not just about physicality, it can have other meanings such as emotions.
In the past, men were portrayed as strength and intelligent.

2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?

He shows that men have a more positive impact in media, they are different from 20 years ago...In the past showing men being strong and now it shows men in different perspectives.

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?

I think men and masculinity are presented in different ways