Representing America - American Literature AP - Blog

What If She Was Your Boss?

skip about 25-30 sec of the beginning of the video

 

The Movie Horrible Bosses is easily one of the best comedies of the year. The premise includes 3 middle-aged men working for bosses that they absolutely detest. One of the guys in particular, Dale (Charlie Day) works at a dental office with a hot,sex crazed boss(Jennifer Aniston). She tries to seduce him daily; knowing full well that he has a wife. But that's the fun in it all.

The film introduces the seductress social construct; the movie displays how women have the ability to use their attractiveness to bring men to their knees and the ability to harness physical, sexual and psychological power over them. What is interesting is that the boss is the head of the dental firm at which Dale works, so she can manipulate Dale into doing almost whatever she wants. Although he undergoes heavy manipulation throughout the movie Dale remains to be unswayed by her beauty and her psychological teasing.

In the interview Anniston, felt as if she just could disappear playing this role because she could be a different person. In society it seems like when women are viewed in a seductress P.O.V they can either gain power or class advancement. By toppling over the male sex , and having us beg for more; women ultimately create their own identity.

Women and the Ads Market

After many years of fighting to stop gender stereotypes ad makers are still using them. Everywhere in ads women are only seen by their stereotypes. For example they are seen as sex objects, seductresses, and have the ideal body image. This add by gucci employs all of these stereotypes. This add in fact targets women to buy this fragrance which is very interesting. This add reinforces the stereotypes of women as sex objects, seductresses, and having an ideal body image.

The girl in this add exemplifies the look of a seductress, as well as having the ideal body image. For one thing the look on her face says it all. Her eyes are glazed over and she is looking at the camera like she wants "you". Photographers today rely to much on the use of this seductress look. A woman who looks like this in an add just sells products in today's society. This add also reinforces the stereotype of the ideal body image. Today women are told that men will only like them if they are tall and skinny and dress certain ways. In this add the woman is wearing a short dress and has a perfect tan. This just shows woman that they need to look like this. This is simply not true. Also the woman in this add has a lot of makeup on. Woman today are told to wear a lot of makeup just by looking at this ad. Sadly this ad reinforces stereotypes that should have long been put to death many years ago.

Crazy Stupid Love

The movie "Crazy Stupid Love" was a recent comedy/romance movie. The movie starts off with a wife saying she wants to divorce her husband and then the husband goes through a series of problems throughout the movie.

When the husband is feeling down and in a bar, a "player" type character gives him a talk. He says he'll help the husband get women. Then he takes the husband out shopping to buy a new wordrobe and teaches the husband "proper skills" to get a girl each night.

When I was watching the movie I couldn't help but notice the role women and men were playing. The women, were basically just objects in these bars. A man approches, pleases the women, and goes home with the women.

In fact, in one part of the movie, the husband notices the "player" character often tells the women to leave with him instead of asking. She, won over and already submissive, follows happily.

At first the husband doesn't know how to win over these women and he scares them away but after a while he learns the skills and gets many women. This says that basically one can get with any women whenever if he knows how to play his cards right or in other words, women are just objects that any "skilled" man can purchase.

This movie also demonstates how men are just always looking for sex or women.

Although a part of the movie is like this, both the husband and the player realize that these actions are wrong and stop doing what they were doing.

If I Were A Boy

Beyonce Knowles is one of the most successful artists in music history. She has won 16 Grammy Awards, is one of three artists that has had their first 4 albums debut at #1, and was also the top selling artist of the 2000's. Along with her numerous musical accolades, Forbes magazine also rated her, in 2010, as the 2nd most powerful and influential celebrity in the world, trailing only Oprah Winfrey. One of her most well-known hits is the song "If I Were A Boy". In that song, Beyonce presents an interesting viewpoint of modern society and women. The music video for the song, and the strong lyrics, helps paint a picture of her own Feminist ideas.  In the song, she sings about what she would do if she acted like a man. In the music video, although she appears to be in control, she is showing all the power men have in reality. The message of Beyonce's video is demonstrating the submissive role of women in relationships, reinforcing the "player" stereotype of men, and reflecting a patriarchal/male dominated society. Even though Beyonce is in control in the video, dominating and "playing" her submissive man, Beyonce is trying, ironically, to portray how men treat women. 

"I'd put myself first/ And make the rules as I go/ 'Cause I know that she'd be faithful/ Waiting for me to come home, to come home" The idea that a woman should be submissive to her man is an ideology that has been present for centuries. Waiting for your man to come home, cooking for him, and believing his lies are all part of the idea that men are dominant. Beyonce uses this ideology in her music video to demonstrate a relationship with a dominant figure and a submissive figure, except in her video, the man is submissive. In the beginning of the video, Beyonce is shown walking downstairs to a very nice homemade breakfast, made by her boyfriend. The man looks excited she has awoken and ushers her to sit and enjoy her meal with him. Yet, Beyonce takes a bite out of her toast and walks away without saying a word. The look on the mans face describes how Beyonces unappreciative and rude nature has hurt him. However, Beyonce does not even notice as she walks outside to begin flirting with her police partner. This scene is showing how men are unappreciative of their women every day in many ways, but the women still put up with it and the men still don't realize their mistake. Beyonce is showing that if she were a boy, or the dominant figure in a relationship, the oppression of her submissive partner would be very sad. Beyonce is trying to show how a submissive figure is hurt frequently and unknowingly, and this submissive figure is most always a woman. 

"If I were a boy/ I would turn off my phone/ Tell everyone it's broken/ So they'd think that I was sleeping alone" A submissive figure is easily manipulated, and an oppressive figure uses this quality to an advantage. Beyonce takes a direct approach to expressing her views on the unfaithful nature of men. Beyonce sings about how she would "play" women if she were a boy. Turning off her phone so everyone would think she is faithful, yet it is the complete opposite. It is a complete manipulation. In the video, Beyonce is shown conversing with another man as her boyfriend calls. Beyonce, with the intent to "play" her boyfriend, is representing how men often selfishly avoid their girlfriends and wives so they can be unfaithful. They take this risk because they know that the submissive position of partner will not be able to confront the oppressive figure that has "played" them. The video constructs an idea that men, even though Beyonce is doing the "playing" in the video, are unfaithful, selfish, and manipulative figures that oppress faithful women. 

"If I were a boy even just for a day/ I'd roll out of bed in the morning/ And throw on what I wanted/ And go drink beer with the guys" Historically, men have always been the dominant figure in society; This still holds true today. Men are dominant and control the world around them. Beyonce reinforces this idea in her music video. Beyonce, representing men, is shown doing whatever she wants, thinking of herself first. She gets out of bed and does what SHE wants. She gets what she wants, from her submissive man, and then continues on her selfish way. Beyonce is constructing the idea  of a male dominated society in her song and music video. It is constructing the idea that men are first above all. 

Beyonce's numerous accolades are a small achievment compared to the complex ideas that Beyonce has developed in her songs. In "If I Were A Boy", Beyonce portrays an situation where she is the dominant figure in her relationship with her submissive man. However, Beyonce is more importantly constructing an idea that WOMEN are submissive in society and MEN are dominant "players". Beyonce's song and music video illustrate the unfortunate circumstances that many women are in. She paints a picture for society to show how a women is hurt whenever she is oppressed. Beyonce paints a picture of gender. 

 

House Bunny

The hilarious movie, House Bunny, is a humorous but accurate approach to sorority house drama. The movie begins with Shelley Darlington, who is a Playboy Playmate living in the Playboy Mansion. The day after her 27th birthday, she is tricked by a another Playmate who is jealous because of Shelley's success. She makes Shelley believe she is too old to be considered attractive enough. Because of this, she applies to be a house mother to the snobbish Phis sorority.However she is turned down and told to go to the less prissy Zeta's sorority house. They need 30 pledges or there house will be shut down.

This is the begining of the feminist problem because Shelly convinces the Zeta house they need to have more sex appeal by showing off particular parts of there bodies. During the car wash scene, Shelley dresses in really tight clothing with her clevage exposed and it attracts the men. It seems as if they only focus on her breast and not her as a person. Which makes her fall into the stereotype of a sex object.

After the car wash they receive a ton of new pledges after the car wash and the parties. Shelly gives the girls makeovers and they get even more pledges. I'm just a little befuddled because these girls were more intelligent than the Phis sorority house and they still had significantly less people in the house. It shows how incoherent people are when it comes to which values are essential. Trying to hold women in these stereotypes as the seductresses and sex objects. Its absurd. Women should not be judged solely on appearance but also on there intellecual abilities.

Pan Am: Feminim Critique

The TV show "Pan Am" aired this year on ABC. The show is about the Pan Am stewardesses and and pilots. The women all say they became stewardesses because they wanted to get out and see the world. The women had to be pretty, a unmarried, and wear the proper attire to be able to be on their plane. The women are breaking stereotypes by coming out the house and getting a job, but while doing that they have to become a stereotype to keep themselves where they are.

In the first episode, Laura, a main character, runs away from her engagement to join her sister as a Pan Am stewardess because she doesn't want to get ties down. She wants to see the world. Her sister Kate also left the house because she didn't want to be what her mother wanted her to be. By leaving their lives at home and becoming stewardesses they break the stereotype that all women are submissive housewives. However, to be a stewardess you must look, dress, and act a certain way. If you don't, you get fired. The women are leaving the housewife stereotype at an attempt to be free, but at the same time waling into the seductress/sex object stereotype because of the rules they have to follow.

Also, Kate becomes an agent for the government to spy on Communists and get inside organizations. Kate does this because she feels that she is doing something unusual for a women and that it will let her be able to do something important. Again, while she is breaking a stereotype, she is again fulfilling another one. During Kate's jobs she becomes a sex object to be able to find out her information. The government was using her and other women because they were easy to put into those stereotypes.

Overall, the show is promoting feminist views because the women are standing on their own with jobs and are able to show the world that women don't have to stay at home; but the women are also showing the world that even though you don't have to stay at home, you still have to fit into other stereotypes to keep from being a housewife.

A Critique of Prison Break

Prison Break is a show about a man that is trying to break his brother out of prison.  To do this, though, he has to go to prison himself.  This may not sound full of stereotypes but there is one big one that I do want to talk about.  The prison doctor in the show is a woman.  At first the show shows her as the one with power.  She is always businesslike and never takes crap from the prisoners.  This was breaking the submissive stereotype that is often shown about women.  Another woman character is the president of the United States.  That in itself is breaking a stereotype because there is a woman as the president.  However, as the show goes on, those stereotypes begin to show themselves again.

First of all, the doctor starts off as a figure of power that is always in control of any situation.  In one episode of the show, the prisoners take over the prison and she is in danger.  Then she becomes the damsel in distress until her "prince" who is a convict is able to rescue her.  From then on, she becomes more sterotypical.  She becomes submissive and needs men more.  This leads her to help him escape even though she knows she shouldn't because she is love-stricken.  This makes her seem weak because of a man.  

The president is another powerful woman. She is shown as very dominant, crushing anyone and anything that gets in her way.  She is the antagonist of the show.  She is the reason that the two men are in prison.  She breaks stereotypes because she does not use sex or any submissive actions to get what she wants.  She uses fear.  That is very unusual in an antagonist in a movie.  Usually the women are shown as sex objects.  

Prison Break is a good example of stereotypes.  It both shows many and breaks many.  It has many characters that break from the sex object or submissive woman stereotypes.  At the same time, many of its characters fit one or both of them.

it's a SMASH with feminism

the new NBC show smash gives a some what accurate depiction of the professional theater world. the story goes, there are two girls up for the part of Marilyn Monroe, in Marilyn Monroe the musical and they have to battle it out for the part. the fact that they are battling for Marilyn is the start of the feminist problem. from the moment the girls step into the audition room, they are being surveyed through the male gaze, just like Marilyn always was. it was all about who had her body and sex appeal. the two things men got to decide, so in that instance the men had the power, and the women have to play at their rules.

the second thing that smash does is project stereotypes, the stereotype of the seductress, the innocent, the mother and the power-women. first, we have Ivy Lynn, one of the girls up for the part of Marilyn. she ends up getting the part, after she sleeps with the director. this act makes her the seductress, and she is already being punished for it. second we have Julia, the writer of the show but also a mother and wife. what happens here is really interesting she brings home he bacon in her family and is the leader of the house, which challenges the stereotype that the wife is supposed to care hand and foot for her husband. in fact her character opposes this stereotype so much that she also becomes a seductress and cheats on her husband.  and finally we have Eileen the power-woman. She is trying to produce Marilyn, her problem is that after her divorce she has no money and all the big shot producers won't take on the project without her husbands approval. so she is being controlled by what her husband allows, not allowing her any freedom of her own.

Smash also in some ways supports a patriarchy. First Eileen can't do anything without her husbands  will letting her. her struggle slash conflict in the show is trying to over come the obstacles of being a women in a mans business. And Second, and my favorite, Ivy sees her worth only as derek sees her as, so if he thinks she is worthless, then that's how she feels. this thinking shows that ivy is not capable of being independent of a man,  and that she in fact needs a man to tell her what and who she is, that she needs a man to define her. i think this is the most powerful image the show gives off, and it does not support very feminist ideas. even though i love the show, to me it is not a feminist peice of work. 

Strajk-Die Heldin Von Danzing

 

The movie Strajk is about a woman, who many believe, couldn't find her place in the world. Agnieszka Walczak is a strong woman who raises her son by herself, due to the abandonment of her husband. She faces many obstacles in her path, but somehow manages to overcome them. By attempting to fight for the perfect childhood and future for her son, Agnieszka challenges the stereotypical image of a woman.

    Agnieszka works at a shipyard. That alone gives many upper class people a reason to judge her. Her life is centered around a constant battle, whether its with a disease, love, freedom or equality. -She conquers them all. Agnieszka's son is the only person in her life that she finds worth to fight for. Because she wants her son to have everything that she never did, she takes upon roles and jobs of men.

    The movie takes place in Poland, during the time when the citizens didn't have any say, and the government controlled everything. Agnieszka represents the role of a mother quite well in this film. Although, not a stereotypical one. A childhood is said to be the most important part of a person's life, and Agnieszka did everything she could so that her son could have one. She was able to compete against men in jobs unimaginable for a woman. To statements such as "This job is certainly not suitable for a woman", she'd answer with "Anything works as long as I have bread on a table, and a happy child". Agnieszka did it all. She battled cancer, fell in love, dealt with her husbands death, and fought for the well being of people. All her qualities certainly did not represent what a stereotypical woman should be like.

    Although Agnieszka was the one who had all the bright ideas in the work force, she was not the one credited. Her coworker, a male, is the one who receives all the credit, and Agnieszka, being a woman lets him. Many times she tells him to take her ideas, and speak them to the public, arguing that no one would ever listen to a woman.

    Agnieszka lead a very feministic life style. Even though she did not credit herself, she fought for rights of other women. For example, only the families of the men who have died in the ship yard were to receive a payment for the funeral and other expenses, Agnieszka fought for the widows to receive equal treatment.

She's Not the Stereotypical Girl

    She's the Man is a modernized version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.  When adapting Twelfth NIght the writers modernized the characters and the situation but also added a feminist viewpoint.  Instead of the using Viola's motive in Twelfth Night of wanting to be with the guy she likes, in She's the Man her purpose of dressing as a man is to achieve her own goals and prove that woman are just as good as guys at sports.  Society tries to force Viola into becoming a stereotypical woman but Viola objects to the role and breaks away from  the stereotype.  Viola's mother forces Viola into a Debutant ball to become a "lady" and the school she is at in the beginning forces her to not play soccer by canceling the girl's team.  However, Viola does not let herself be cast into those roles by not acting like a "perfect lady" at the debutant meetings and by dressing as a boy and moving to a different school.  

    Viola does not conform into the Debutant world that her mother wishes her to participate in.  When Viola is forced to go to a carnival and do the kissing both her ex-boyfriend and Duke, a guy who participates in the kissing both, get into a fight.  Instead of staying out of the conflict like a "proper lady" she tackles them and tries to break them apart.  This action gets her into trouble with both her mother and the leader of the debutantes.  At a debutant luncheon, Viola is in the bathroom with Olivia, who is talking about how she likes Sebastian. Monique overhears Olivia and since she still believes she is Sebastian's girlfriend starts to fight Olivia,  Again Viola joins in the fight and the leader debutant is very upset with her.  Viola does not act with the proper manners or that the leaders of the debutantes and her mother expect leading to anger from both of them for not fitting into the stereotype.  

    Viola is not the stereotypical girl that society wishes her to be.  These actions lead to many frustrations from society and her mother because she is not fitting into the box they have built for every girl to fit in.  But Viola still tries to be on her soccer team and not let what society thinks conform her.  In the end Viola dressing up as her brother to play soccer gets rid of the stereotypes people would think if she was herself.  When the school does find out she is really a girl that already know she is good at soccer and can play with boys.  The way that Viola does not conform to her mother or society's expectations allows her  talent to be accepted and the stereotype of girls not being good at soccer to not apply to her.  

Feminist Critique on Scarlet Letter

    According to author Karen Todd, "Your true character is revealed by the clarity of your convictions, the choices you make, and the promises you keep. Hold strongly to your principles and refuse to follow currents of convenience. What you do defines who you are, and who you are...you are forever." All of us encounter adversity at some point in our lives.  Whether it is the death of a loved one, disagreements with friends or paying the price for bad decisions.  How we deal with tribulations helps build our character. In the book The Scarlet Letter, the main character Hester Prynne’s sin forces her to be strong, independent and brave. Hester is an adulteress whose actions have lead her to become a symbol for sin in the Puritan community that she lives in. In 17th Century Puritan Boston, there were not many sins that would rival adultery. Hester Prynne’s sin of adultery made her a complete outcast. Her punishment included jail and public shaming. The public shaming included Hester wearing a scarlet letter "A" on her chest.  The "A" stood for adultery and the entire community would know of her sin.  Because of this sin, Hester had a difficult decision to make: either to leave Boston and run away from her mistake or remain and look adversity straight in the eye. Hester chose to stay. 

    Everyone has either already read The Scarlet Letter or is bound to read it at some point in their high school careers. One may ask, "Why are we reading a book whose setting is in the late 1840's? What does this book have to do with modern times?" The Scarlet Letter is completely relevant to modern times. The book is over 160 years old but yet it still sends a powerful message to readers today. The book shows the after effects of sinning. People now-a-days have to face their sins and mistakes, just as Hester had to. Everything you do is judged by others. People will judge you on how you dress, whether or not you're successful, and if you're considered 'popular'. Many people become jealous and obsessed and will try to do everything in their power to take someone down. 

    In my opinion, Hester’s decision to stay exemplifies courage, strength and independence.  Hester’s sin caused her hardship. How she handled that hardship inspired strength and a newfound self-respect. Hester had to stay in the wilderness for seven years. In those seven years, Hester learned to be strong, independent, courageous, and how to be a free thinker.  She did not rely on others and had to fend for herself. All the women in Hester's town are tied to a man, whether it is a father or a husband or a brother, who makes decisions for them, and supports them financially. Hester has no ties to a male figure, and can therefore make all her own decisions.

    Hester is still stuck in the "separate sphere" because even though she doesn't have a husband, she still needs to take care of her house and child. Obviously, she does not do a very good job of keeping religion alive at home, but she does her best at becoming a role model for her daughter, Pearl. Hester breaks all the stereotypes of women. Hester defies the stereotype of the wife/mother. She is not virginal or pure, she does not take care of her husband, and she does not stay in her place. 

    I find it ironic that Dimmesdale's secrecy was not reviled to the community during the corse of the novel. The affair was just as much Dimmesdale's fault as it is Hester's fault, yet Hester takes all of the blame for their shared sin. If the town knew that Dimmesdale was the father of Pearl, the community would have turned into chaos. Dimmesdale is supposed to be the town minister, who preaches these sermons, yet it is all one big lie. He does not live by the word of his sermons.  He is a phony for not admitting he is the father and he is putting Hester in a terrible situation by not speaking up. 

    The Scarlet Letter both reflects and criticizes the patriarchal structure of society. A patriarchal society is where men are the decision-makers and hold positions of power. Hester takes control of her life and in her adulteress situation, but fails to let the truth prevail to the community because of the two men in her life. She may be an independent woman, but she still is overpowered by men. Hester Prynne is objectified in this novel. At the beginning of the novel, she is turned into a walking symbol of sin. But by the end of the novel, she is a role model for women. Hester did have agency in this novel. Even though she was forced to go to jail, after she came out she had the ability to make her own actions and decisions. No one else had power over her actions. This work is without a doubt a feminist work. Hester rejected the role of femininity twice throughout the novel. She committed original sin and she completely twisted the punishment of her actions. She turned the scarlet "A" from a weakness to a strength, which is not what the community wanted. Hester's bold disobedience suggests that women should have equal rights.

    The Scarlet Letter is without a doubt a feminist work. The three main characters work off of one another. Hester is strong and Dimmesdale and Chillingworth are weak and corrupt. Hester clearly overcomes her sin and moves on with her life, while Dimmesdale can't even admit his sins and Chillingworth is trying to seek revenge on Dimmesdale. Hester has enough strength to over come what needs to be ended, while the men are still so tied up in the past. 

She's the Man Feminist Critique

The movie She's the Man directed by Andy Fickman, highlights many unique situations where stereotypes about women are either challenged or highlighted. The main premise of the story is about a very talented female soccer player named Viola that lost the opportunity to compete on her schools soccer team because of budget cuts that the school made. So her other teammates suggest playing and trying out for the boys soccer team. The coach of the boys team immediately refuses and her soon-to-be ex boyfriend challenges her that no matter how hard she tries, she would never make a boys soccer team. So she decides that in order to prove him wrong, she will dress up as a guy and tryout for the rival school boys soccer team. She ends up making the team and then all the drama starts from there. The move is full of arguable moments it specifically diminishes the stereotypes of inequality within sports and highlights women do not need to conform to stereotypes in order to fit in with society.

Viola who is disguised to look like her twin brother makes the boys soccer team at the rival school and works as hard as she can to work her way up to the starting lineup. She becomes a big asset to the team, proving that she can compete along side and even better than most of the guys that she is faced up against. This situation is unique because although she is proving her old coach and boyfriend wrong, no one knows about it except the audience watching the movie. This is a very interesting aspect of the movie because it helps add emphasis on how ridiculous the female stereotypes are. Yet, it also shows how hard the stereotypes are to break. The fact that she was not allowed to play on the boys team without going through all the trouble to make herself look like a boy just shows how difficult it is for women to compete with men in society.

The movie ends with lots of drama and the big game between the two rival schools and after one half she has to reveal the fact that she is actually girl and challenges the other coach and referee to allow her to play the second half. After a long descussion, they let her play the rest of the game and the movie ends just as any other heartfelt movie does. She proves to all the people who doubted her, that she has the talent to compete in a game controlled by men and make herself known. The movie successfully breaks down these social barriers and makes it easy for women to created new views for themselves within society.

Desperate Housewives: A Feminist Critique

 

The ABC series, Desperate Housewives depicts the lives of five women struggling to maintain the stability of suburbia. Wisteria Lane, where each housewives lives may seem to be a prim and proper neighborhood yet is full of deep and dark secrets these women hide behind their conservative facade. Throughout the course of eight seasons, these women have proven that they are capable of anything ranging from being a nurturing mother, to murder. Though at first I did not notice, this show reinforces the stereotypes made through the media to an extreme degree.

If you haven't seen this show before, some of the main characters are Lynette, Gaby, Bree, and Renee. Lynette who is a mother of five children is a stay at home mother. Bree like Lynette is an accomplishes business owner who prides herself on her home and cleanliness. Both of these women represents the stereotype of the domestic wife and mother. Gaby, who is a former model prides herself on her personal appearance and her outward beauty. She represent the role of the sex object. Finally Renee, the newest character to the show is a New Yorker who has recently moved to the suburbs. She recklessly sleeps around with many men and is known to be a cougar. She represents the stereotype of a seductress. The show presents three stereotypes of women: the wife/mother, the seductress, and the sex object. Desperate Housewives reaffirms to its viewers the stereotypes that have been implanted in contemporary media and lacks to show the true agency women have over their lives.

Both Bree and Lynette are stay at home mothers, who face the challenge of balancing the task of maintaining their social status and the welfare of their children. They portray the roles of the wife/mother by sacraficing their individual dreams to support their families. Throughout the beginning seasons of the series, Lynette could be seen to challenge stereotypes through successfully attaining a high management position at her job by hard work. Yet, when her husband needs her to be more for their children she is faced with the desicion to give up all her hard work for her home. Instead of showing agency and  defending her years of hard work, she surrenders her achievements for a broom and an apron and leaves behind her job. 

Gaby and Renee reaffirm the stereotypes of the sex object and the seductress. Renee who constanly reciceves criticism for her promiscuious ways. As an older women she dresses provactive, and is not afraid to speak her mind. Unlike the other women in the community she is constantly bringing home different men from bar and various other places but never acheives to have a stable relationship with a man, until later in the show. Once Renee has tamed her ways, and the viewers might actually think that stereotype has been broken, it is once again promted when Bree takes on those qualities. 

Desperate Housewives is not a feminist show. Its characters strengthen societies views on gender roles and stereotypes. By captivating its viewers through a male gaze, women are further encouraged to sustain their gender roles. Even before a person views this show, the name Desperate House wives objectifies women. Unlike, feminist films the women in this show do now show the freedom of agency in their lives. 

Beauty and the Beast: The Disney Feminist Failure

Disney's movie, Beauty and the Beast, tells the story of Belle. She is a very family centered girl who loves to read and is well liked by everyone in the town. The movie has made $347,900,000 worlwide since it's release in 1991. It has become a classic Disney movie and was even rereleased this year in 3D for people to see again. Through the movie, Disney tries to break gender stereotypes in the beginning of the movie, it ultimately reverts back to a classic or in other words, sexist, ending. 

At the beginning of Beauty and the Beast, Belle is introduced as the odd girl out in the town. She loves to read and she wants to go on adventures away from her home town. She also refuses to marry the very handsome and masculine Gaston. These are examples of how the movie breaks the typical "princess" and female stereotypes. Under the stereotypes, Belle would not have an interest in books and her only desire would be to find a handsome man to marry and settle down. She is a strong female character because she breaks from this pattern. However, her love of books ultimately leads to her falling back into a typical stereotype. The Beast ends up giving her a library to apologize for his behavior, and she begings to lose all the qualities that showed she was breaking the stereotypes. Belle ends up falling in love with the Beast, and all of her dreams of adventures in faraway lands are forgotten. In this way, Disney supports the stereotype that true happiness lies in marrying a man.

Disney also attempts to break stereotypes with the male characters of the movie. At the beginning of the movie, the viewer is introduced to Gaston who is very handsome and masculine and strong. However, Disney shows how silly that stereotype is when Belle refuses to marry him. The male lead is also an animal. He's protrayed as the character that nobody likes, he is mean and ugly. But Belle still falls in love with him, and he falls in love with her, so the movie breaks the stereotype that every strong male lead has to be handsome and masculine. However right at the end of the movie, Disney reverts back to its stereotype and the Beast changes back to the handsome prince that he once was. So in the end the stereotype of handsome prince is restored. 

Disney's attempts to make stronger, less stereotypical characters are comendable, but it only works if the characters do not magically revert back to typical behavior.

"Family Guy", A Feminist Critique

American pop-culture Is often grotesquely inconsiderate when it comes to gender roles. The plethora of programs in just television can span from one extreme to another. Often times shows are canceled because of their vile nature and the extremely high amount of complaints a network receives. A perfect example of a show, which was canceled because of its extreme disrespect is "Family Guy". This program received a staggering number of complaints within it first few seasons because of its stereotypical content, but it was brought back after a very long hiatus because the true meaning of the show was revealed. Although the show "Family Guy" may seem vile and disrespectful the program actually challenges gender stereotypes by exemplifying the gender rolls within the show. By over exaggeratinggender stereotypes like, "the tough guy, player, seductress, and the wife/mother" the show actually challenges gender stereotypes.

One example of an over exemplified gender role is the character Lois. In her life she most often plays the role of the "mother/wife" by cleaning and cooking all day. However she often breaks out of this role and becomes a "seductress" by seducing men other than her husband and even much younger men. The fact that Lois jumps from one extreme to another pokes fun at gender roles instead of conforming to them. Another example of a completely ridiculous way of portraying a gender role is the character who plays the "tough guy". The character Joe would seem very stereotypical because he is aggressive, a cop, and tries to act like a very insensitive man. However what makes him ridiculous is the fact that he is paralyzed from the waste down. By still acting as a "tough guy" despite his disability Joe challenges the idea of gender roles. An additional example of an over exaggerated gender stereotype in the show "Family Guy" is the "player". Quagmire, the character who acts as a "player", is always either having or talking about sex.  In almost every episode he goes through mutiple women and never seem to feel any regret, but what makes him challenge gender stereotypes is how he truly feels. In a few episodes he reveals that he secretly longs for a lasting, stable, relationship with a woman he truly loves. The irony is the fact that the way he feels is the opposite of what a "player" is. Thus he is yet another character who challenges gender roles. What the show boils down to is that it is merely poking fun at gender stereotypes by over exaggerating them. The program is absolutely not enforcing gender stereotypes.    

 

Feminist critique on Commercials

There is a common thought in everday society that women and men are different. While this is true biologically it is not necessarily true physically and emotionally. I was watching tv one day saw this ad for dr. Pepper. The next day I saw an ad for Lipton energy. The two commercials couldn't be anymore different. While both commercials show different stereotypes for women and men the message is still conveyed that one sex is the weaker tuan the other.

 

The dr. Pepper commercial has the slogan that it's not for women. They say this because the drink is ten calorie and usually women drink and eat things low in calories. This implies that women are constantly aware if how the world sees them and that they strive to fit this image. Another aspect to the commercial is that it supposedly feature things that only men are supposed to like. Consequently, this puts stereotypes on men as well as women. Stereotypes such as women can't like car or dirtbikes. Women aren't supposed to like adventure ans action movies and men are supposed to like all of these things. Men are even supposed to have their own catchphrase. but reality is that many women enjoy these things as well as men. An underlying point to the commercial is that you can still be manly while you drink somehting that is only 10 calories. My initial reaction to this that feminist all over the wield are going to sue dr. Pepper and mr. Heidkamp's friend is not going to like this at all.

 
Seeing the Lipton energy commercial was like seeing te feminist version (okay extreme feminist version) of th dr. Pepper commercial. All of a sudden this women drink an energy drink and she magically can chase after two guys driving away on a moped? And of course she gets the purse back and the male police officer can't find the two thieves anymore. Sometimes I really can't believe these commercials. The message in the commercial is that women are strong. This is shown through the exaggerated moped chase where the woman chases the two men on the moped for like sixty miles. The fact that there were two men doin the robbing shows that the men are too weak to attack women by themselves. Another example of their weakness is that they were on a moped which is considerably faster than a human being running on foot. This is meant to show that women can do anything by themselves while men just struggle to do achieve anything with help.

These messages are meant to show that in their own way each gender is strong. of course, each commercial shows us how we percieve the other gender to be different.

The "Clueless" Life of Women

The movie Clueless follows the life of a teenage girl who does not have the much poise or elegance when she enters her new high school but Cher, the most popular girl in school, feels that it is her duty to transform Ty, the new girl, into a stereotypical popular figure. As displayed in the trailer, Ty has no sense of style and not even a sense of speech when she first enters her new school but as Cher takes on her mission, Ty slowly morphs from a tomboy to a preppy, pretty, well-liked girl. Through Ty’s transformation and the duration of the movie, including moments of Cher and some other females, the roles of women are very obviously portrayed as inaccurate, specifically in physical and mental aspects of their character. The roles of men are also falsely displayed in the movie, giving a strong emphasis on only two types of guys: the cool guy and the outcast, no middle ground. The artifact of our generation shows a general interpretation of what men and women are expected to be like in society.

Clueless begins with Cher in the classroom and while she presents her project, the writer of the film made it very clear that she was supposed to portray a very ditsy and superficial girl who cares more about her appearance over anything else. This stereotype gives a false impression that women are not as intelligent as men and only care about the feminine things in life. In addition to the false claim that, mentally, women are inferior, the physical appearance of the women in the movie comes to be one of the most significant topics. From the close they wear, to the make up the put on, to the perfume they put on, everything in the film is carefully dissected. The movie even goes as far as to incorporate a vast majority of the girls at Ty’s new school have plastic surgery. The skimpy outfits the girls are put in reflect the opposite of the potential lingering attachment to “separate spheres” by making the ideal of “pure” to be unheard of. The scandalous outfits in the film give women a stereotype of being seductresses and sex objects.

Men have a great deal of stereotypes in this film as well. The two main men are the ex-boyfriend of Cher and the potential boyfriend of Ty, only if she was to choose him. Cher’s old boyfriend displays the definition of a jock and a player who gets all the ladies and is a strong, attractive figure. Ty’s crush is the outcast in the movie, but he does have a lot of friends. This boy is a skateboarder and a pot head who seems to be the polar opposite of Cher’s ex. These stereotypes reinforce the societal view on the typical man, or the typical outcast.

The movie mostly takes on the gaze of a man, shown by the filming of the women and the emphasis on their physical appearance. The movie does give women agency by giving Ty the ability to choose if she wanted to become popular or not, and by women being able to push men around in subtle ways throughout the movie. I would not consider this piece of modern culture feminist because of the derogatory view it has on women and the stereotypes that it reinforces for both genders show its overall intent to exaggerate “typical” high schoolers.

More Than Meets the (Doll) Eye

Not only is this picture incredibly creepy, it also says a lot more than what one might first notice. When one initially looks at this advertisement, they see an advertisement for eye makeup. This is fairly obvious from the caption in the bottom left corner and even the remarkably unnerving photograph. These women literally look like dolls. Based on this idea of women looking like dolls, this ad constructs gender by enforcing stereotypes and shaping the ideal body image for women.

Because this advertisement depicts women as dolls, it enforces the stereotype of women as an object. Dolls, being the epitome of an object, have absolutely no say in what they do, they just go along with whatever is playing with them at the time. This is a horrible idea, especially when translated to be applied to women. Women just sitting there limp, waiting on their man and having no say whatsoever, is a sad, sad ideal that this advertisement is trying to get the viewer to buy into.

Furthermore, this ad, playing off of the idea of women as lifeless dolls, shapes the way women feel about how they look. Dolls, often considered to be flawless in beauty, have a sense of perfection that go along with them. Also, this idea of physical perfection goes back several decades to the invention of the Barbie doll. This revolutionary and iconic doll shaped millions of girls' self esteem around an impossible, stereotypical image. However, no woman could ever have perfect looks, even with the dieting, the makeup, and the clothes. When this dream falls short of becoming a reality, the results of the emotional states of these women could be catastrophic. As a matter of fact, almost all eating disorders are developed from a poor self body image.

Based on the fact that it portrays women as a stereotypes of sex objects and creates an unhealthy body image, this ad praises the regressive ideas that women have fought so hard to get rid of. As about as anti-feminist as something can get, this image truly constructs gender in a negative way.

"John Tucker Must Die" Feminist Critique

In John Tucker Must Die, we meet three girls who team up with the help of the new girl in town to destroy John Tucker - the popular guy who played them all and broke their hearts. The three girls use the new girl (Kate; played by Brittany Snow) to trick John Tucker into liking her so she may break his heart right when he falls in love. They are very consistent with their plan because they have experienced the tactics that John Tucker uses to woo girls. John Tucker is viewed as a player and the girls even use a few "slutty" plans to appeal to him. I believe that Jeff Lowell (the film's writer) wanted to make a statement on gender roles specifically in the teenage life. 

The main focus of the movie is John Tucker himself. John tucker pushes the ideologies regarding the cult of domesticity. He attempts to show girls that he is superior to them when he uses them. John Tucker mainly reinforces the stereotypes with himself as a tough guy, player, and a jock. When he is at practice, he uses his "bulk-up" powder to get ripped for his appearence. He even doubles his dosage to get faster and improved results. He is a player when he dates three women at a time. He dates different girls from different cliques so they never find out that he is dating more than one person. Finally, he is a jock because he is captain of the basketball team and brings the school to a championship every game. His athletic skills contributes to most of his popularity.

Primarily, the film does reflect the patriarchal structure of society. John Tucker is filling stereotypes of the average teenage boy with his manipulation and pretentiousness. As the movie progresses, we see it criticizing society when the women do all the manipulation and try to sabotage John Tucker's life. The stereotypes start to fade when John Tucker's constant gaze at Kate is explaining how he is respecting women little by little. If you were to only watch the first 45 minutes of this film, you would only say that this objectifies women. As it goes on, the women claim their superiority, and the by the climax of the film, the roles of men and women level out confirming equality. Because of the ending result of equality that this film has, I would label this as a feminist movie.

A Feminist Critique of Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby is a film that received widespread critical acclaim and won the 2004 academy award for best picture. In the film Hilary Swank plays a boxer who seeks out a trainer so that she can become a successful boxer, she works as a waitress to supplement her income. She initially seeks out the help of a marginally successful boxing trainer played by Clint Eastwood, he initially rejects the offer to train her saying he doesn’t train girls. Over time she is able to convince him to train her and they grow to have a bond (not romantic just a bond).

She uses the funds of her boxing in order to buy her mother a house, her mother is by no means grateful and complains that having a house with threaten her reception of welfare payments. Her mother also says that everyone in her old town is laughing at her for trying to become a professional boxer. In her first big fight she is knocked down and her neck lands on a stool, after this she becomes paralyzed from the neck down. She asks Clint Eastwood to end her pain and he reluctantly agrees. This film is definitely a feminist film as the main character exhibits agency, and does not fit into any typical stereotypes.

 In choosing to go into professional boxing, which is typically considered to be a masculine sport, the protagonist is defying typical stereotypes of women. The film shows the difficulty in her participating in the sport and defying stereotypes as Clint Eastwood’s initial reaction is one of hostility to the idea of her boxing and according to her mother, everyone in her hometown mocks her. There is no lingering attachment to the separate spheres ideology as the main character does not have a domestic role, is not submissive, is not particularly pious and does not strive for purity.

Clint Eastwood’s character is initially that of a stereotypical “tough guy” he is unsympathetic to the main character’s cause, and as usually the case when Clint Eastwood is in a film, he is rough around the edges. As the film goes on though Clint’s Character eventually develops a heart and toward the end he is emotionally attached to his trainee, and in doing so he breaks out of his stereotype.

Throughout the film the main character shows agency in her actions and is thoroughly determined to become a successful boxer. She combats obstacles in her way to becoming a successful boxer and is not swayed, by the opinion of others, from her goal.

The film is a feminist film because it’s characters are not confined to typical gender roles. Hilary Swank’s character is not stereotypical in her desire to become a boxer and Clint Eastwood’s character is not stereotypical in that he eventually breaks out of the “tough guy” role. 

Pepsi Keeps Women Young and Attractive

 

"I mean, I feel like a 50's housewife right now. Like my dreams don't count," (Jonah Hill, Get Him To The Greek). In the movie Get Him To The Greek, Jonah Hill and his girlfriend were arguing and his girlfriend was being insensitive to his wants and needs in their relationship, which he then made the comment about the 1950's housewife. This shows that the common stereotypes in the 1950's were based around the ideology of the women being domestic and submissive. In the Pepsi Cola advertisement I chose to analyze, it does the exact same thing that Hill was describing. It displays the young and beautiful girl getting married and becoming a stay-at-home mom. The commercial was made in 1957 and in the 1950's, it really was like the housewives' dreams didn't count. The women had to fulfill the role of pleasing her husband because he was the sole provider for their family. This ad also stresses the fact that the woman was beautiful -which is why I bolded it before- and how if she drank the Pepsi Cola it would keep her young and attractive so she would be more appealing to her husband. This work of culture portrays women as submissive, domestic, pure, and it explicitly objectifies them. 

In our present day of 2012, women still have similar stereotypes surrounding them as they did in the middle of the 20th century. Women were expected to be thin, pretty, and most important, loyal and submissive to their men. Today, it is the same in some aspects in that they are still expected to be thin and attractive, but one thing that has changed, is their inferiority to men. Now, we still do live in a patriarchal society, but by no means compared to how it was when this ad was produced. Today, it is very common for women to provide for herself, and just as common for them to support their family. But again, in the 50's, it was different. Females were expected to grow up and get married, then depend on the man to provide for her. It was uncommon for women to provide for herself back then, but to provide for her family was unheard of. What girls were expected to provide for their family was to work around the house: cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. "They fell in love, were married, and they lived happily ever after. In real life however, a girl has to work at living happily ever after. First off, our heroine decided to stay beautiful, slim, and attractive." Along with the house duties that women were accustomed to, they also had to stay attractive for their husband. This was the typical gender role for women back in the day, to be domestic and a housewife. The mans gender role back then, and still pretty much is now, was to work and pay the bills. This goes to show that this ad supports all of those stereotypes and they do it very obviously, almost satirical.

After the ad exhibits women as just about useless outside of domesticity and attractiveness, it almost seems as if they use sarcasm, "And she engaged in competitive sports. Very competitive sports." While the narrator is saying this, the woman in the ad is fighting another woman for a purse! That is supposed to be the women's competitive sports. The person who wrote this ad had to have known how stereotypical and how sexist this ad was. It also has a male gaze, (the most "male" you could get in the 1950s) which I have neglected to comment on previously. This ad almost has no stereotypes of men, because the target audience is for women. Every character is a woman except for the husband, and all he does is go off to work and look at how beautiful and thin his wife is after drinking the soda. Now, I said that this commercial reinforced many stereotypes about women, and the commercial used satire. It seemed to use satire when it showed the women fighting over purses and saying it was their competitive sports. That seems to be a contradiction, but after analyzing it more, the satire is used to submerse the women and make them underneath men, because men have "real" competitive sports such as profession baseball. All in all, this ad supports the stereotypes that women are depicted as domestic, submissive, and again, inferior to men. 

Legally Blonde: A Feminist Critique

The film Legally Blonde, starring Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, is on of the best examples of the idea of feminism in the modern world. Starting as a soroity sister whith hopes of becoming engaged, Elle Woods is the "perfect" girl. She has everything she needs to be happy in life, but when her boyfriend dumps her on the night she thinks he's going to propose, Elle vows to do whatever it takes to get him back. His excuse for breaking up with her is that he can't be taken seriously in the law school world with her by his side, so, sticking to her vow, Elle applies for law school, and, to everyone's surprise, gets into Harvard. As time goes on, Elle matures and buckles down on her work, eventually forgetting about her ex, and focuses on becoming something she can really be proud of: a lawyer.

The beginning of the film gives into the idea that women need men to complete them and that men have women completely under their spell and can manipulate them any way they want. When she is dumped, Elle wants nothing more than to get back the man who broke her heart because she feels incomplete without him. Her determination to get him back leads her to Harvard Law where she spends her time trying to juggle her classes and impressing her ex. The film shows women as completely dependent on men and men completely independent from women, giving the idea that men can discard one woman for another and be just fine, while the woman who was discarded will wollow in depression for weeks.

As the film goes on, Elle begins to focus more on her school and less on her ex, though he is almost always in the back of her mind, since he's started dating her "worst enemy". Even more determined to win him back from her, she studies harder and becomes more serious about her work so she can become a successful lawyer and he will want her back. With this, the film gives the idea that women use their manipulating skills to make men want them or make men notice them. It also makes women seem completely desperate when they are threatened by other women.

Towards the end of the film, Elle becomes completely independent from her idea that she needs to get her ex back after meeting Emmett, another law student who she begins to fall for. By this time, Elle has become a new person from the sorority queen she started out as and turned herself into a successful lawyer who even won a case for her university firm. The end of the film sends the message that women can be successful without a man and can be free to achieve whatever they want, even in the least likely circumstances.

Mean Girls Critique

Mean Girls is a movie about a girl from Africa named Cady who comes to America in her teenage years with no exposure to American Culture. She doesn't know about the many gender roles, and other stereotypes that define high schools at the time. So when she arrives at the high school her mind is a blank, impressionable slate. 

She quickly meets two different groups of people. One group is against the social norms and is seen as outcasts. The other group is the most popular girls in the school, who got that way because of their obsession with their own looks. Cady starts out being friends with the outcasts because she herself is an outcast. Yet when the time comes to choose between the two groups, Cady chooses the popular, stereotypical "sex object" group, because it is easier and fits more with the social norms of the high school, although she picks them at first to prank them, she eventually starts to enjoy their company more and more and finds herself becoming one of them.

The movie is feminist because, while it starts out with the message that fulfilling stereotypical roles is beneficial, it turns this message into one about how fulfilling a stereotype just to fit in has its' downsides. We quickly learn that the popular girls are single minded idiots who cannot function outside of their normal routine. When one thing goes wrong, everything happens in a chain event. In the end, the outcasts win as the popular girls' are brought down off their pedestal. 

 

The Vision of a Real "Black Swan"

Side Note: There are a lot of spoilers in this critique of Black Swan. Sorry for those who haven't seen this awesome film yet.

In the "Black Swan", Natalie Portman (the main actress) plays Nina who's a ballerina at a very well-known Balle Company. Thomas (the company's artistic director) gives Nina a very important role by casting her as the black and white swan in "Swan Lake", but he gives her the role after he sexually assaults her. In the film, the relationship between the male ballet leaders and their female dancers is pretty strange (seriously, It's strange!) For example, Thomas always have a creepy look when he's challenging Nina, including when he attempts to give up Nina's pursuit to happiness and perfection. Thomas (I forgot to mention, his name is pronounced "Tomah") that uses his own body against Nina's to force her to find her strength is part of what Aronofsky’s film wants to critique, but also partly what makes watching it uncomfortable and kind of explicit. The fact that Nina wants this role so badly, Thomas would do anything to have it his way, which sexually assaulting her over and over. As her relationship with Thomas gets more strange, she begins to suffer from Stockholm Syndrome.

Beth (another main character) is known to be one of the best dancers in the company and she is also a fan favorite. However, she is forced to retire so that Nina can take over her spot. Due to Beth's success with the company, I would assume that Nina was really jealous. As a result, she steals Beth’s lipstick, a pack of cigarettes, and a letter opener, totemic objects that Nina carries as talismans for her own benefits (Jealousy a huge factor in this situation.) Beth doesn't want to retire, but her fame and fortune went completely down hill from there on. Due to her large slump, Beth decided to cause a scene at a benefit party and then throw herself into New York City traffic, landing in a hospital where she is left with scars. She remains in the hospital, in a wheel chair, with her head down as it shows how her career also decided her fate. Nina visits Beth from time to time, but relaizes that the frequent trips to the hospital are completely and she begins to break down.

Darren Aronofsky(The author of Black Swan) signals his vision of his own leading lady with heavy-handed shots of Portman(main actress) fragmented and multiplied by the various mirrors in which her life is continually reflected.In the claustrophobic apartment she shares with her equally insane mother, Erica, a mirror by the front door is cut into pie-shaped wedges that breaks Nina’s image into pieces, and the three-sided mirror in which she practices and obsessively laces and re-laces her toe shoes ensures that even at home, she’s always onstage.

Erica was a corps member herself before she stopped dancing to raise Nina. There is no father (This is where things got awkward to me)  just the two women who represent different generations of the same dream. Erica both wants Nina to succeed and desperately needs her to fail, so that her daughter will cling to her, imprisoned in the child-like state Erica insists on preserving. Nina’s bedroom is lined with rows of white and pink stuffed animals that stare down at her bed, and every night, she goes to sleep with the tinny music box sounds of “Swan Lake” that her mother sets in motion to soothe her. Erica intrudes on Nina’s privacy, checking the rash that appears across her daughter’s back, stopping her for mutilating herself and at the same time, helping Nina hide her wounds. When Nina is cast in the lead role in Swan Lake, Erica doesn’t set out to sabotage her success, but willingly abets Nina’s fast downward spiral when it begins.

The real agent of Nina’s downfall is the woman who might otherwise be her savior. Lily (played by the lovely Mila Kunis) arrives in the company from LA full of self-confident sexuality.  Nina catches a glimpse of her first on a subway, distracted from her own image in its Plexiglas windows by Lily’s hair and the headphones she wears. Lily makes her first appearance at the studio by banging open and closed the door while Nina is dancing, causing her to stumble in her audition for Swan Lake. But Lily’s dtermination proves a refreshing counter-balance to a ballet world in which young women are wound tight, can’t eat, throw up what they do get down, and like Nina, are so disciplined to be perfect that they have no lives outside their dancing.

(I've decided to fast forward a little in order to get to the important parts of the film.)

Ever since the beginning of Black Swan, moments that seem true are suddenly proven false. In the bathroom of the ballet benefit party, Nina’s ragged cuticles begin to bleed and she can’t get them to stop, eventually peeling a three-inch strip of flesh from her finger. But when she’s interrupted by, as it happens, Lily knocking on the door, Nina looks down to see her finger suddenly healed. This girl bleeds terribly and her toenails break from dancing on them, her back bleeds from scratching, and blood continually reddens the water in which she bathes and washes. But we’re never sure if her wounds are real, and neither does Nina seems to be healed either.

 In the climax of the film, Nina allf of sudden kills Lily due to serious anger. She also smashes everything in the room (including the mirror) and hides Lily body. She then goes on to finish the Second Act to Black Swan where her performance as the Black Swan including both rage and anger. (How Ironic!)

 

What can we make out of the Black Swan is that Nina is slowly becoming a monster, unable to distinguish what is real from what is not. Her anxiety drives her to scratch herself until she bleeds, and from her wounds, feathers emerge.  As she dances, she spreads her wings, but the wings are black.  She is a good girl gone bad.

 Her flirtation with darkness is accompanied by crippling paranoia.  Nina witnesses self-mutilation, passionate sex, and even murder-- but her eyes cannot be trusted.  From a first-person perspective, the audience is left to feel as helpless and confused as their hero.

Initially, the producer calls her frigid.  But he is magnetically drawn to her after witnessing her transformation.  Unfortunately, this triumph is short-lived.  Nina experiences the duality she always yearned for in her final moments, but it's too late. To end this analysis, all I can say is that Darren did create a film that mostly focused on excessive violence and artistic cruelty. Even as Aronofsky dismantles the foundation of Nina's world and her sanity/insanity, it keeps the viewer equally unable to distinguish fantasy from reality. To conclude this, Portman (Main actress) holds the audience in such a way to remain on Nina’s side, hoping that she’ll be victorious against all the forces that lined up against her.

The Help: A Feminist Critique

It seems like in the past year everyone's been talking about The Help. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and Octavia Spencer won for best supporting actress. The most obvious themes in the movie are centered around race and class, and the film, while garnering mostly positive review, has received criticism for using racial Hollywood stereotypes like "Mammy". While it's not really gotten a lot of attention for its focus on women, the film also has a lot to say about gender roles and stereotypes.

If you haven't seen it, The Help centers around the lives of two women (Aibileen and Skeeter) and their friends. The movie is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. Aibileen is black and Skeeter is white, but they face similar struggles as women. The film presents three stereotypes of women: the wife/mother, the seductress, and the old maid. The Help dares its viewers to criticize these stereotypes by creating likeable characters that do the same.

Celia Foot, Skeeter's friend, challenges both the wife/mother and seductress stereotypes. Celia is new in town and, according to the other women, comes from "white trash". She dresses provacatively, bleaches her hair, and wears lots of makeup. Most of the women in the town shun her and feel threatened by her sex appeal. Celia is also child-less; she has suffered many miscarriages and is consequently depressed. When asked if she will have children, she says "Oh, we're gonna have some kids... I mean kids is the only thing worth living for". The women in the town are valued solely on their child-producing capabilities, so not being a mother brings Celia a lot of embarrassment and distress.

By the end of the movie Celia has successfully overcome these stereotypes and expectations. She has made new friends (namely Skeeter), she's embraced her appearance, and her husband told her that he loved her for her, not her baby making abilities. Throughout the movie, viewers are touched by Celia's charm and kindness. We are rooting for her to come out ahead, and she does. 

The Help presents another female character who dares to break the mold: Skeeter. Skeeter overcomes the old maid stereotype. Unlike most women her age, she is single, has a college degree, and wants to start a book. Her mother is constantly encouraging her to find a husband, even going as far as to suggest that she must be lesbian since she hasn't settled down yet. Skeeter is an old maid at 28. She does not give in to the pressure, though. Skeeter successfully writes a book and leads a happy and fulfilled life without a man. She is strong, capable, and independent, something not many women were in the 1960s. 

The Help is a feminist movie. Its characters defy traditional gender roles and stereotypes, and it presents these characters in a way that is inspiring and fun. The Help criticizes traditional patriarchal structure and employs a female gaze. Unlike many films, the women are not objectified and have agency. While The Help has recieved a lot of attention for its racial themes, it should also be viewed as feminist film.

The Game's Heroine

WARNING: If you haven't read the Hunger Games there might be some spoiler alerts in this blog, they are marked in parenthesis before the sentence containing them.

The Hunger Games is a popular book series in our modern day culture. When one takes a first glance at this all they see is a story about 24 kids fighting to the death, an entertaining plot. But if one would look closer they would notice that there is an underlining feminist argument.

Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games trilogy, uses the primary character, Katniss, to present her feminist argument. Katniss is the heroine of the story. She is put into an arena to fight to the death, and is motivated purely on returning to her family.

When we first meet Katniss, although she is not a mother, she has many characteristics described in The Cult of Domesticity. Katniss strives to take care of her little sister, due to her mother's absence, and take care of the house. This shows Katniss's domesticity aspect, she is the caretaker of her home. While Katniss takes up the role of the stereotypical "mother" in our society, her real mother fails to do so. Thus, Collins is making Katniss a stronger character than a women is expected to be, beginning her female empowerment plot. 

Although Katniss does posses the domesticity values, she is nothing similar to the rest of the ideologies in the cult. Katniss is the farthest thing from submissive, with her relationships between men Katniss is not afraid to speak her mind and challenge them. In the novel Collins uses the area of the Capitol to show the norm of women. Women usually are extremely submissive to men, especially President Snow. The Capitol is also an extremely patriarchal structure of a society. No women are in any position of major power, and if they are in some position they are under the rule of a man. 

But in the Capitol women are not the only submissive ones. Due to the extreme stratification, the lower your district (class) the more submissive you are to the Capitol and the men in charge of it. For example, (spoiler alert) in the end of the first novel Katniss stands up to the Capitol's rules of the Hunger Games when she and Peeta almost kill themselves at the same time.

Another example, (another spoiler alert) is when Rue dies Katniss decorates her body with flowers and sings her to her death to show respect to her life. Katniss ends her song with kissing three fingers and raising them to the camera, an old symbol from district 12 to say goodbye to someone you love. This symbol is unwelcome by the Capitol and especially the games because it defies the brutal image that the Capitol wishes to get from the games. This displays the overall agency that Katniss has in this patriarchal society. Although this action came with major consequences, Katniss stood strong like a true heroine. 

Katniss is also empowered when she defies the expectations of purity and piety in the Cult of Domesticity. Some might say that the Hunger Games world could not expect the women to be pure when they put them in an arena to fight to the death, but if one focuses on the pre-game interviews of the tributes they can see how purity is still expected. When other women go up to the stage they have an image. Glimmer is the "seductress" and captures the audience by being blatantly against purity and piety.

Although this captures the viewers attention, the viewers do not gain respect for this tribute. Unlike Glimmer, the youngest tribute Rue plays the innocent pure little girl for her image. This makes her extremely loved by the audience but she also looks weak to the other tributes. Thus, (spoiler alert) when Peeta declares his love for Katniss, she is angered because he made her look weak. 

Katniss's lack of desire to be the perfect woman is the base of Collin's feminist empowerment. In the beginning of the book Katniss seems powerless, just another pawn in the Capitol's games, but by the end of the novel she is holding all the cards. Collins makes sure to make the main aspect of the book to be Katniss and her heroine aspect rather than the men. The strength of Katniss's character makes this feminist argument strong. Every little detail that Collins puts into the female characters, especially Katniss, is to defy the norm of the Cult of True Womanhood. The stereotypical hero is finally, and successfully, portrayed as a woman.