Hist 2480
Tracy Penny Light
November 20, 2017
Reading Analysis- Week 12
In film there has always been this continuous problem that seems to never stop. This is how women are portrayed in films. The issue has changed over time, but not matter what it has been an issue. Why is this?
The issue started with how the women could only be a wife at home who does the cooking or cleaning etc. Then it changed to how women were portrayed sexually. And it change again and many more times. With each change, something was brought up to the public’s attention that people felt the way these women were portrayed was wrong and it was giving off a negative message for all women watching it. Even when people made films to embrace women’s power there was some sort of negative context with it. For instance the main character may embrace her power and show that she is equal to man, but there could be a second character who still shows the stereotypes that were seen as negative in the first place still sending out this message that isn’t good. It’s wrong there are several movies that do this and in all of them there is a woman that is looked up to and then there is the woman that isn’t as liked. Now usually the message put out there in these is that the women who like to go beyond her boundaries is wrong for doing so and should therefore not be liked. This means that the woman character should not change as the way society feels women of that time should have the right to do. Why is this? It’s wrong and sets a wrong image for all people who are viewing this.
There is also the problem, when women do the same wrong that a man does the woman is hated for it and the man that did it is overlooked because the focus is on the woman that made him to do it. For instance cheating, in one film the man cheats but isn’t hated for it because the focus changes to the crazy mistress who tries to wreck his family. Whereas in another movie the woman cheats and she is hated because it ruins the family. So why is it that the man and woman don’t receive the same punishment from the audience? Could it be because the film industry is most ran by men and they are constantly trying to make men look better than women? Possibly, but it seems wrong. And if it is seen as a problem when will more people speak up to make it so this stops? Hopefully it’s soon so women all the time can be seen as equal to men.
Bibliography
Thomas, E., “Punishing Unfaithful Wives and Working Mothers: Messages of Postfeminism in
Contemporary Film,” in Ruggiero, A., Media Depictions of Brides, Wives and Mothers, New York: Lexington Books, 2012: 77-90.
Fairclough-Isaacs, K.,”Mature Meryl and Hot Helen: Hollywood, Gossip and the ‘Appropriately’ Ageing Actress,” in Whelelan and Gwynne (Eds.), Ageing, Popular Culture, and Contemporary Feminism, 2014: 140-155.