Feminist theory: blog tasks

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

Pan Am and Beyoncé .

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

These texts prove that feminism still is needed and sexism is common .

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

Feminism – A movement aimed at defining,

establishing, and defending women’s rights

and equality to men.

Post-feminism – An ideology in culture and

society that society is somehow past needing

feminism and that the attitudes and arguments

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.

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?

She states that performability as a whole is established from a young age in all circumstances such as school . This links to his idea that : Children are taught to perform their gender from early on so that they align themselves with certain tastes and behaviours befitting their gender category.

2) What does the phrase 'non-binary' refer to and how does it link to Butler's theory?

Non-binary refers to gender identity and Butler states gender identity is established through behavior, there is a possibility to construct different genders via different behaviors.

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 display both genders in different lights and will commonly be forced to lead upon reinforcing stereotypes .

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

Beyonce is reinforcing female stereotypes as she is acting as if she is in need and also has efforts to display beauty as well as reinforcing traditions such as housekeeping . 

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

Van Zoonen may suggest the idea of objectification in order to state that women are to be objectified following Beyonce's act .

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

Beyonce seems to reinforce male gaze along with her way of dancing and the actions she undergoes within the video and may prove the oppression of women due to her having to act in this way in order for her music video to succeed .

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

The man is not afraid to displease and shows that he is not the typical masculine , strong man with muscles a ,  deep voice and opposes the representation of men as he displays a character with personality .

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

Gauntlett looked at men’s lifestyle magazines and found a new, quite different representation of masculinity (reflecting similar changes in women’s magazines as third-wave feminism took hold in the 90s). 

Importantly, he disagrees that masculinity is in crisis – a popular view in the media in recent years. 

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?

High changes in the representation and backlash upon men further proves that man have been reduced to the idea of acting in a certain way that they were formerly forced to act upon and now are given more freedom and the chance to express themselves .