Feminist theory blog task
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?
it focuses on post-feminism and the media where it looks at Pan Am and Beyonce music video.2) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?
'visual pleasure and narrative cinema' - where it states that female characters are used as a 'male gaze' which objectifies their bodies. Females are highly sexualised through their dress code. (The dress code may be tight dress etc)
3) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?
i think there should be a need for feminism as Beyonce and Pan Am reinforces the fact that females are still objectified and that men are inferior.
4) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.
Third wave feminism – Was a movement that redefined and encouraged women to be dominant and sexually assertive.
Nostalgia – A sentimental longing for the past, often only remembering the positives of the time.
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.
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’
I believe that this video is backed up by Butlers idea that gender roles are a performance rather than being biological. Beyonce is shown to be fixing a car and working on the engine of it which indicates how she is challenging gender roles, as men were expected to fix the car as that was seen as more of a masculine job. Which reinforces how Beyonce is putting on an act. Throughout the video Beyonce behaviour is trying to reinforce how women were expected to behave, as she says "why don't you love me" indicates how she is doing everything around the house (house-wife) and that's how women were expected to be in society, which Beyonce is trying to show.
it some parts of the music video. it reinforces the views of a woman as it shows beyonce cooking and cleaning but on the other hand she also has been shown to be fixing a car which was generally approached as being a males job. This therefore challenges gender roles
3) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women? Why?
3) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women? Why?
Yes because there is clear visual evidence that beyonce is changing the views of woman and taking a different perspective to traditional feminists.
4) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?
I believe that Beyonce had empowered woman as she is very confident with what she does and what she wears and is trying not to show skin without it being for a 'male gaze'. But on the other hand due to how she is dressed, it maybe portrayed as a male gaze.
Watch Will Jay's video for ‘Gangsta’:
1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?
Men were portrayed as brave, masculine and shows no fear. This video states that you don't have to be masculine to be a man as he quotes ''You dont have to be a gangsta to be a man'' This there shifts the views of how men are portrayed.
2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?
David Gauntlett, similar to McRobbie he believes that the representations of men can be perceived in a different light. As the video shows that, men have can be seen as less 'masculine' from 20 years ago which shows how society has changed over the course of 20 years, shown by this video. This video backs up what David Gauntlett says: Gauntlett looked at men’s lifestyle magazines in the same way McRobbie looked at women’s magazines. He found a new, quite different representation of masculinity – reflecting the changes seen in women’s magazines. This indicates a different representation of men as Gauntlett suggests.
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, men are still portrayed to be a certain way. Social media is the biggest problem, for example if a man opens up to being gay they are labelled in a certain way, and this could lead to all sorts of things. Therefore I believe this video tries to portray a different perspective of men in society, I believe people are starting to accept different types of behaviour from men. But I believe men are still under pressure as the media moulds and expects them to be a certain way, which therefore doesn't allow men to be who they want to be.
4) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?
I believe that Beyonce had empowered woman as she is very confident with what she does and what she wears and is trying not to show skin without it being for a 'male gaze'. But on the other hand due to how she is dressed, it maybe portrayed as a male gaze.
Watch Will Jay's video for ‘Gangsta’:
1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?
Men were portrayed as brave, masculine and shows no fear. This video states that you don't have to be masculine to be a man as he quotes ''You dont have to be a gangsta to be a man'' This there shifts the views of how men are portrayed.
2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?
David Gauntlett, similar to McRobbie he believes that the representations of men can be perceived in a different light. As the video shows that, men have can be seen as less 'masculine' from 20 years ago which shows how society has changed over the course of 20 years, shown by this video. This video backs up what David Gauntlett says: Gauntlett looked at men’s lifestyle magazines in the same way McRobbie looked at women’s magazines. He found a new, quite different representation of masculinity – reflecting the changes seen in women’s magazines. This indicates a different representation of men as Gauntlett suggests.
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, men are still portrayed to be a certain way. Social media is the biggest problem, for example if a man opens up to being gay they are labelled in a certain way, and this could lead to all sorts of things. Therefore I believe this video tries to portray a different perspective of men in society, I believe people are starting to accept different types of behaviour from men. But I believe men are still under pressure as the media moulds and expects them to be a certain way, which therefore doesn't allow men to be who they want to be.
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