Feminist theory: blog tasks

Feminist theory: blog tasks 

Media Magazine reading - two articles on feminism and 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)? 
The two texts that was provided was about Pan Am a new series that aired on BB2 and Beyoncé

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2) 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 there is no longer a need for feminism as it is about women who are stewardesses who have become an aspiration and allows the audiences have a real insight into the lives of these women  therefore creating a post - feminist environment. However, it can be also seen as they are simply being sexist in a different from as the stewardesses are highly constructed  and mediated, an image whose purpose is to visually attract men hence normalising women to be sexualised. 

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

Post-feminism – An ideology in culture and society that society is somehow past needing feminism and that the attitudes and arguments of feminism are no longer needed.

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. 

Third wave feminism – Was a movement that redefined and encouraged women to be dominant and sexually assertive.

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?

It is clear the gender performativity is established from a young age from the clothing children wear. Female and male clothing for little children have distinct difference of disruption, monstrous and pretty, sunshine.  

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. Butler wrote Gender Trouble in 1990, she used transvestism as an example of an identity which upsets the status quo of manly men and ladylike women.

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

The media helps to reinforce gender stereotypes for example men being more dominate over females can be seen in films, TV and online very often which the audience is more likely to be drawn to as they recognise it.

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’?

Butlers idea that gender is performed is evident in Beyoncé's music video as she is wearing 1950's female clothing which is seductive reinforcing that women are usually sexualised  and doing stereotyped activities which women normally do like cooking and watering the plants.

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

Van Zoonen believes the media portray images of stereotypical women and this behaviour reinforces societal views. This can be seen clearly in Beyoncé's music video as she does all the typical things female do instead of going work etc. 

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

Beyoncé does not empower women and instead reinforces the tradition male gaze and oppression of women as she is dressed with more revealing clothing and does the traditional on that all women do however it can be seen as a parody as an alternative reading.

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



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

The video suggests that masculinity has changed massively over the years as the singer identifies things that are not masculine however loves doing but it doesn't effect how he identifies as a man. 

2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?
Gauntlett believes that while everyone is an individual, people tend to exist within larger groups who are similar to them. He thinks the media do not create identities, but just reflect them instead.

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 I still believe that men are pressured to behave more masculine because the media hasn't completely changed in not reinforcing stereotypes and there isn't enough representation either. This is a topic spoken a lot in the media but hasn't made an impact to change. For example stay at home dads are still not normalises!