Representation: Feminist theory

Media Magazine reading

Read Playing With The Past: Post-feminism and the Media (MM40, page 64 - our Media Magazine archive is here).

1) What are the two texts the article focuses on?

The two texts the article focuses on is Pan Am and Beyoncé.

2) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?

In Pan Am the women in the series use their looks and their bodies to attract the male gaze.

The text for Beyoncé while singing her song 'Why don't you love me?' "Beyoncé reinforces her 'credentials' by openly rubbing her chest and body, whilst playfully looking down the camera, clearly submitting herself to sexual objectification and openly acknowledging the 'male gaze'".

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

Texts such as these show that there is need for feminism because she is objectifying herself and a women should not be objectified in any way.

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

Patriarchy – An ideology that places men in a dominant position over women.
Nostalgia – A sentimental longing for the past, often only remembering the positives of the time.
Third wave feminism – Was a movement that redefined and encouraged women to be dominant and sexually assertive.

Music video analysis

Watch the Beyonce video for ‘Why Don’t You Love Me?’: 

 

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

Judith Butler has said that gender roles are a 'performance' and the different gender behaviour is socially constructed. In this video which from the warm colours and the costume looks to be in the 1950s and Beyoncé reinforces the idea of women only being housewives. Their job is to clean and cook and women do not know how to fix cars as seen in the beginning.

2) Does this video reinforce or challenge the view that women should perform certain roles in society?

The video reinforce the role of a women at that period of time in one of the shot beyoncé says "I gave you everything you want, everything you need" and then holds her chest she objectifies herself by doing that as this connotes that women are here for male pleasure and that is how to keep a man with you. this reinforces that idea of the 1950s.

3) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women? Why?

No because she is reinforcing the 1950s roles of a women staying home and cleaning as seen by the video.

4) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?

Beyoncé I think in this video does reinforce the ideas of what the females had to do in the 1950s as clearly shown in the video. She also challenges that idea in one of the scene as she is seen smoking and female smoking is not seen as a good thing at that period of time.

Watch Will Jay's video for ‘Gangsta’:

 

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

That you don't need to be strong and masculine to be a man in 21st century as in one of the song lyric is "I don't need to be a gangsta to be a man". Strong and masculine is one of the characteristics that are stereotyped for a gangsta.

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

David Gauntlett suggest about the representations of men in the media over the last 20 years is that men and women are still constructed within some of their stereotypical ideas in the media.

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?

Men are represented as same way as women in the media now they are also objectified and now the pressure of media is influencing young men to behave in a certain way.