Gender has been a topic of interest of mine for a while because it really interests me how deep the ways that systems in place for oppression are rooted. In media, especially in television and movies there is a big discrepancy in positions filled by different genders. In movies there aren’t usually women in roles that don’t portray them in a sexual way or solely in the stereotypical nurturing type of way. These portrayals are what reinforce these roles in stereotypes. As these stereotypes are acted upon they become infused in culture and this keeps the cycle going unless people grow to change. As these walls of culture are torn down level by level the life of a woman will be different and they will start creating a different culture.
3 thoughts on “Gender- Thomas Takele”
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You bring up a really interesting point about character development in entertainment media and fictional situations that ultimately reflect a desired life or “happily ever after”. One student in my high school English class presented this idea and forced us to confront dangerous themes regarding gender in some of our favorite movies. For example, the sexual misconduct that is accepted in romance movies. Movies like “The Notebook” and “10 Things I Hate About You” present situations in which the aggressiveness of the male protagonist to the point of sexual harassment is justified because it ends in happy relationships. These beloved movies subconsciously present themes that are ultimately harmful to all genders and identities as they suggest that feeling uncomfortable is just flirting and not misconduct.
I agree that there is a big discrepancy between men and women’s roles in television and films. Something really interesting is the Bechdel test, which measures the representation of women in fiction. If the movie features at least two women characters with names who have a conversation about something other than a man, then the movie passes the Bechdel test. Alarmingly, there are a lot of movies that don’t pass, including a bunch of Disney movies. For example, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, Luca, Big Hero 6, The Lion King, and Mulan do not pass the Bechdel test. I think female representation in films is really important, especially ones with a young target audience. Most of the time, depictions of women on screen are dependent on the roles behind the scenes. Female directors usually depict women in a more positive light than men, which is a positive change towards gender equality.
I’d like to have seen you address in more details this statement: “As these stereotypes are acted upon they become infused in culture and this keeps the cycle going unless people grow to change.” What do you mean by “grow to change”? I think that’s a key to differentiating portrayal from performance, and may offer a clear way to address gender stereotyping.