'' The film won eight Oscars out of 10 nominations in every conceivable category," he says. "Every category that is, except for acting ones." Which might have been a much stronger point were he not using Dev Patel and Freida Pinto. ’’
Despite the success of 'Slumdog Millionaire' why is it that there is still a lack of South Asian actors in Hollywood?
Cameos, cab drivers and criticism are what’s in store for South Asian actors in Hollywood today. As we enter the age of new and advanced digital technology, the stereotypes and representations of South Asians remain the same, despite director Danny Boyle’s record breaking, global blockbuster 'Slumdog Millionaire (2008)’ a story about a boy from the slums who defies all odds to become millionaire. The film was said to have changed the cinema landscape, opening the doors for South Asian actors wanting to break into Hollywood. The film was considered ‘‘as being a globalised movie...’’ as a result of its ‘‘meshing of western and eastern forms and locations, styles and sounds’’ and was clearly rewarded for its efforts scooping an amazing ten Academy Awards, seven BAFTAS and four Golden Globes. Although there have not been any signs of growth or change in Hollywood and the media since the film’s success. As its influence on the Hollywood industry has been minimal to none, with South Asians barely visible in American film and television. The industry remains dominated and majorly dictated by the American, middle class, white male.
Over the last decade there have been glimpses of promising change for South Asians as ''Examples of Bollywood slowly entering the western world..’’ such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘‘new musical Bombay Dreams..,’’ and ‘‘ Monsoon Wedding was a hit in western cinemas’’ showing a glimmer of hope for South Asians. Just like Slumdog Millionaire did at first, giving audiences from ethnic backgrounds optimism of change, something that is yet to occur. Despite the fact that since the film’s short success, members of cast from the film such as; Anil Kapoor has gone on to star in American television show 24, Dev Patel has had a cameo role in The Last Airbender and Freida Pinto has become the face of L’Oreal becoming ‘‘the first Asian spokeswoman for the Lauder brand’’. Changes that can be judged either as stepping stones to further success or just minute changes to the industry, through audiences perspectives.
Further developments in Hollywood do not seem imminent as ‘‘Ethnic minorities are continually misrepresented by racial (and racist) stereotypes.” ‘‘Rather than representing them as individuals,’’ the media identifies individuals by their ethnic groups to determined whether or not they are Hollywood material. As the industry plays upon moral panics such as the 9/11 incident to construct suitable roles for South Asians, racially profiling and grouping them as terrorists, when looking at recent films that have cast different ethnic minorities. For instance films such as Harold and Kumar; Escape from Guantanamo Bay; uses the stereotype of South Asians as being depicted as terrorists in a comic parody, mocking the American justice system. Whereas My Name is Khan; looks at the personal struggles of South Asians in America being negatively portrayed as terrorists and discriminated against despite the character having a disability and being far from it . Two completely different films, both that show South Asians stereotyped as terrorists, which would incorrectly deliver the message that South Asians are terrorists, when clearly they are not.
In relation to this South Asian actor Dev Patel ‘‘whose role as a young "chai-wallah.." in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire,’’ has found it hard to break into the industry due to the ‘‘stereotypical’’ roles that have been offered to him such as those of doctors, nurses, and computer nerds. As South Asian actors are unlikely to be offered roles that are of any significance or even remotely challenging. Whereas they are more likely to be ‘‘offered the roles of a terrorist, cab driver and smart geek...’’ All roles that are ‘‘constructed by media representations’’ which are racially discriminating against South Asians. This explains why it’s so difficult for south Asians to break into the Hollywood industry.
Although you could argue that there have been some breakthroughs into American television which is a start, as the likes of Parminder Nagra, star of British hit comedy Bend it Like Beckham was a regular on one of America’s longest running weekly shows ER. Also Sendhil Ramamurthy is another who has had a glimpse of success; he has been a member of the Heroes cast for 4 years and has starred in films like It’s A Wonderful Afterlife. Another South Asian who has had their success in both Hollywood and in American TV is Aasif Mandvi, who is a regular on The Daily Show and has had a few cameo appearances in films such as The Proposal and Spiderman 2.
Breaking into Hollywood is already tough for any new (aspiring) actor, as they have to overcome all the competitive audition stages against other actors. Even the well known South Asian director Gurinder Chadha feels it’s ‘‘not easy..’’ for South Asians ‘‘to break into Hollywood.’’ This shows that from a director’s point of view that chances of success in Hollywood may be slim to none for any aspiring actor, let alone one from an ethnic decent such as a South Asian. This would explain why more South Asians that have taken up roles in American television as it is easier to accept one of the many stereotypical roles that are offered, than to wait for a bigger role that may never come. As American TV producers look to introduce South Asian minorities into small roles to help promote equal opportunities, which is definitely a progressive step forward. This would defend the industry against the media’s perpetuated representations of South Asians, which may upset audiences and cause social issues in America. Although this could just be linked ideologically to ‘’legislation promoting equal opportunity’’ , stating how the industry simply uses ethnic minorities wherever possible simply to attract all audiences, in aid to gain more of the brown pound, as there is a large share of the population in America that is ethnic and wealthy.
There is one South Asian actor who is considered a success in Hollywood by the name of Kal Penn, who has starred in many different films including the comic film franchises Harold and Kumar and National Lampoons Van Wilder, both films which portray him as a stereotypical south Asian in America, in oppositional forms. One character is shown as being rebellious and wild and more post colonialist, and the other role, being more racially discriminating and offensive; as that of an South Asian being ideologically ‘fresh’ and new to America. His résumé also includes him in the lead role in the intense drama The Namesake, along with having cameo roles in films such as; Superman Returns and Epic Movie as well as starring in American TV shows such as 24, House, and ER. Although even someone with his impressive résumé found it tricky to break into the Hollywood industry and was also offered questionable roles. When discussing his role in American TV series 24, Kal Penn stated he had a ‘’huge political problem with the role...’’ As ‘‘It was essentially accepting a form of racial profiling..’’ As a result of being offered the role of a terrorist because of his South Asian background.
It can be argued that the media uses Lasswell’s Hypodermic Needle model as it shoots its content at audiences ‘‘like a magic bullet, directly penetrating the viewer' mind’’ . As audiences have been ‘‘injected’’ by Hollywood’s star power making them less willing to accept new upcoming stars. As ‘’the media are highly selective in the way in which they construct and represent the world back to us” . Showing exactly how the media uses the industry to implement audience’s minds with the media’s ideologies of what is fair and true. This would link to the hegemonic theory which states that the majority of the media is ‘‘controlled by a relatively small group of people (who are generally male, middle class and white)’’ underlining the main reason for the media being biased in favour of the white, showing that even in a post colonialist society the media still remains colonialist through some aspects. It is also important to remember that ''Ethnicity is crucial to identity formation..’’ even though ‘‘it’s not something predetermined or complete,’’ this is what separates individuals and groups from being one. This is what the media uses against South Asian and other minorities to subordinate them from the upper ruling class. This is something that we can argue the media conglomerates and monopolys such as Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, use as it would sometimes seem they would look at anyone from an ethnic background and immediately place judgement on and stereotype them, such as South Asians being ‘’depicted as doctors, engineers and mathematicians.’’ This Justifies just how unfair it is that the media has the power to place judgements on ethnic groups such as South Asians. Although audiences have become more powerful within the media through their user generated content (UGC). It could be argued that with enough backing from audiences that ethnic minorities such as South Asians can eventually overpower the media’s ruling elite, to have their say and input into what is being produced. As audiences can create political and social campaigns rioting against the media, to help introduce more ethnic minorities onto the big screen in cinema as their voices are now more powerful and have the influence to make change.
Even when looking back historically South Asians were ‘‘invisible’’ as their roles in Hollywood, if any where minuet in the case that they were seen as a prop for ‘‘the background’’ to add colour to the room. For example the film Outsourced (2006) As in the promotional poster the South Asians are in the background, behind a white American male character, who is virtually an unknown actor. This Shows the extent to which the Hegemonic Media would go to, to subordinate South Asians. Also when looking further back to the 1970’s, where South Asians first became noticed in broadcast media, in programmes such as the British comedy series Mind your language; a show about teaching ethnic minorities english back in the 1970’s. Even then ethnic minorities such as South Asians were subordinate to the white. This fits in with the Ideologies of the media in using ethnic minorities as extras or as simply just fitting in with the background.
Even though South Asians have taken a step forward in gaining cameo roles, in both television and film they are still not seen to have any real significance or importance in most texts, underlining the reasons behind their very slim chances of success. Although the argument can be made against this as Slumdog Millionaire has showed us that South Asians can in fact act, and that audiences can relate to them, as they offer something new and fresh to the industry as well as providing the same attributes of any other actor, to be able to play any role of any character in any film.
To conclude, as more recently ‘‘South Asian stereotypes’’ have undergone many changes over recent years, reflecting various changes in society and the zeitgeist, fighting back against the ‘‘whitewashed’’ society which has been constructed through ‘‘Media stereotyping’’. ‘‘The representation..’’ of South Asians are ‘‘not fixed forever and its possible to observe how it changes over time.'' As the ways in which the media ‘‘portray minorities..’’ to ‘‘perpetuate particular stereotypes,’’ can be observed simply as entertainment, and can easily be adjusted and changed to suit audiences globally who may object to this. But things are changing through the ever growing power and voice that audiences have now days, and the changing society that has grown to accept ethnic minorities more equally.
Word count 2,200
Bibliography
Works Cited
Books -
Andrews, Maggie. Burton, Julia. & Stevenson, Elspeth. (2009). AQA A2 Media Studies: Student's Book (Aqa Media Studies for A2). Surrey: Nelson Thornes Ltd.
Creeber, Glen. (2008). The Television Genre Book (Second Edition ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan
Hartley, J. (2002). Communication, cultural and media studies: the key concepts (3. ed.). London [u.a.: Routledge.
Kruger, Stephen. Rayner, Philip. & Wall, Peter. (2004). Media Studies: The Essential Resource. London: Routledge, London and New York.
Laughey, Dan. (2009). The Media Studies Guide. Harpenden: Kamera Books.
Hartley, J. (2002). Communication, cultural and media studies: the key concepts (3. ed.). London [u.a.: Routledge.
Williams, Kevin. (2003). Understanding Media Theory (Hodder Arnold Publication). London: A Hodder Arnold Publication
Newspapers and magazines –
South Asian Stereotypes
http://www.detoursmagazine.com/blog/2010/04/28/78-south-asian-stereotypes
How Slumdog Millionaire is changing film-making in India
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/jun/04/slumdog-millionaire-india
Go South and East, Hollywood
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/dec/22/south-and-east-asian-actors
Dev Patel attacks Hollywood over lack of roles for Asian actors
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/aug/11/dev-patel-asian-roles-slumdog?INTCMP=SRCH
The White Castle Ceiling
http://nymag.com/movies/profiles/28866/
‘It takes me back to my Punjabi roots’ -Gurrinder Chadha
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/interviews/2009/gurinder-chadha-interview-140509.html -
New Meera Syal film ‘Mad, Bad and Sad’ releases next week
http://www.asiansinmedia.org/2009/07/24/new-meera-syal-film-mad-bad-and-sad-releases-next-week/ -
Pinto Thinks L’Oreal Is Worth It
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/100775/Pinto-thinks-L-Oreal-is-worth-itPinto-thinks-L-Oreal-is-worth-it#ixzz1CaggvjVQ
Internet –
Top soaps Accused Of Stereotyping Ethnic Minorities
http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/passtheremote/2008/07/top-soaps-accused-of-stereotyp.html
The Hypodermic Needle Theory and The Mass Media
http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1708629.html
Bollywood - The History and Key Elements of Bombay Cinema; With an Excursus on Gurinder Chadha's Cross Cultural Film "Bend It Like Beckham"
http://www.hausarbeiten.de/faecher/vorschau/27389.html
Stereotypes of South Asians
http://www.enotes.com/topic/Stereotypes_of_South_Asians
What happened to all the South Asians in Hollywood
http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/006344.html -
All Snark, No substance
http://jedifreac.livejournal.com/
Representations of South Asians in popular media
http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/4/0/8/7/2/p408720_index.html
Moving Image Text –
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Danny Boyle, U.K
Bend it like Beckham (2002) Gurinder Chadha, U.K
Harold and Kumar (2004)
Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)
Danny Leiner, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schollsberg, USA
The Namesake (2006) Mira Nair, USA
National Lampoons Van Wilder (2002) Walt Becker, USA
My Name is Khan (2010) Karan Johar, India/USA
Outsourced (2006) John Jeffcoat, USA/India
Spiderman 2 (2004) Sam Raimi, USA
The proposal (2009) Anne Fletcher, USA
Its a Wonderful Afterlife.(2009) Gurrinder Chadha, UK
Superman Returns.(2006) Bryan Singer, USA
Epic Movie(2007)Jason Freidberg, Paul Schiff,USA
TV Programmes -
Mind Your Language (1977 - 1979) Vince Powell, U.K
ER (1994 – 2009) Christopher Chulack, Jonathan Kaplan, Richard Thorpe, USA
House (2004 – Present) David Shore, USA
24 (2001 – 2010), Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran, USA
Heroes (2006 - 2010)Tim Kring, USA
Works Consulted
Books -
Abrams, N., Bell, I., & Udris, J. (2001). Studying film. London: Arnold;.
Wiley-Blackwell. (2004). Asian American Youth: Culture, Identity and Ethnicity.
Hollywood Cinema. Malden, MA:
Newspapers and magazines
Now you see us, Now you don’t
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/dec/04/mondaymediasection32?INTCMP=SRCH
Katrina Kaif: How Bollywood fell in love with a British unknown
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/dec/19/bollywood-belly-dance-british-star?INTCMP=SRCH
Bachchan and Khan head Indian player list
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2003/dec/03/bollywood.news?INTCMP=SRCH
Go South and East, Hollywood
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/dec/22/south-and-east-asian-actors?INTCMP=SRCH
Slumdog Millionaire - Overview
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/126911/slumdog-millionaire
English is Recast in Indian Films
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/oct/17/bollywood-english?INTCMP=SRCH
Internet –
Bollywood Hopes Christmas Animation Is A Draw For Audiences
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/bollywood-hopes-christmas-animation-is-a-draw-for-audiences-2168547.html
Slumdog Millionaire
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1010048/
Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0481536/
Slumdog Millionaire - Reviews
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/slumdog_millionaire/
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Who are the major players in terms of news providers in the UK and what exactly do they own?
Who are the major players in terms of news providers in the UK and what exactly do they own?
Print
Newspapers such as The tabloid newspaper The Sun and The Daily Mirror have been the major players in the uk with The Sun being the biggest seller in the UK in 2010, selling nearly 3 million copies. The total daily readership is approximately 7,700,000.
It is the 10th biggest newspaper in the world, It reaches 2.9 million readers in the ABC1 demographic and 5.0 million in the C2DE demographic, compared to the 1.5 and 0.1 million respectively of its broadsheet stablemate The Times. It is published by News Group Newspapers of News International, itself a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.
The News Of The World is the biggest selling newspaper in the world and contributes alot to the UK. The News Of The World is reffered to the sister paper of the sun and is also owned by News Corp and Rupert Murdoch.
Broadcast
Tv channels 1- 5 all show the news at regular intervals and times
BBC News and ITV news are the major players in terms of news providers with Channel 4 News trailing them
The BBC is not only the largest broadcaster in the UK but also the largest in the world apparently. It is a public service provider that is government funded and run.
E- media
Online there are a variety of sources of news providers. The likes of MSN today, The Guardian online, The Sun online, BBC news online ofcourse.
The website, guardian.co.uk, is one of the highest-traffic English-language news websites. According to its editor, The Guardian has the second largest online readership of any English-language newspaper in the world, after the New York Times. Its owned by the Guardian Media Group and its editor is Alan Rusbridger.
You must consider all 3 platforms (broadcast, print and e-media) and commercial and well as non-commercial institutions
Newspapers such as The tabloid newspaper The Sun and The Daily Mirror have been the major players in the uk with The Sun being the biggest seller in the UK in 2010, selling nearly 3 million copies. The total daily readership is approximately 7,700,000.
It is the 10th biggest newspaper in the world, It reaches 2.9 million readers in the ABC1 demographic and 5.0 million in the C2DE demographic, compared to the 1.5 and 0.1 million respectively of its broadsheet stablemate The Times. It is published by News Group Newspapers of News International, itself a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.
The News Of The World is the biggest selling newspaper in the world and contributes alot to the UK. The News Of The World is reffered to the sister paper of the sun and is also owned by News Corp and Rupert Murdoch.
Broadcast
Tv channels 1- 5 all show the news at regular intervals and times
BBC News and ITV news are the major players in terms of news providers with Channel 4 News trailing them
The BBC is not only the largest broadcaster in the UK but also the largest in the world apparently. It is a public service provider that is government funded and run.
E- media
Online there are a variety of sources of news providers. The likes of MSN today, The Guardian online, The Sun online, BBC news online ofcourse.
The website, guardian.co.uk, is one of the highest-traffic English-language news websites. According to its editor, The Guardian has the second largest online readership of any English-language newspaper in the world, after the New York Times. Its owned by the Guardian Media Group and its editor is Alan Rusbridger.
You must consider all 3 platforms (broadcast, print and e-media) and commercial and well as non-commercial institutions
Friday, 19 November 2010
Do alternative representations exist of male and/ or female roles in the hip hop genre?
Do alternative representations exist of male and/ or female roles in the hip hop genre?
Yes there are very much still alternative representations of both male and female.
There may not be as many alternative representations as there are dominant, but there are still role models and figures for both men and women, such as Alicia Keys, Missy Elliot, Justin Bieber, Sean Kingston, Neyo, Trey songs and more.
Alternative Female - Missy Elliot
Missy Elliot is an example of an alternative female in the hip hop genre as she’s not typically skinny, voluptuous, model like, such as Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. She’s more dominant in the way she portrays herself as she’s plus size and usually fully clothed or well covered in her music videos. She would not consider herself as a sex object, she may contain lyrics that are referenced to sex, yet she doesn’t degrade herself by showing her body and dancing seductively for men.
Also stereotypical females in hip hop usually portray themselves with a male figure who they either lust after or whom they dominant, where as Missy Elliot does not always have a lead male in her videos. In her video gossip folks She is wearing a full length tracksuit which would not be linked to or shown in any sexual way which is what stereotypically any female would try to do in her video. Although as the tracksuit is pink, it does show that she is feminine but not in any sexual objectifying way.
she also changes to a cheer leaders outfit which is usually part of the male fantasy (male gaze) for when they voyeur over women, although she doesn’t attempt to make it look sexy, she just simply uses it to connote the theme of the video. Also an interesting fact is that she still dances in her videos despite not being slim or fit as some would say. This shows her alternative side as she does break dancing and dances that would not be typical or seen as in any way seductive or alluring to men which other female hip hop artists do in their videos such as Rihanna – rude boy.
Also in her video of (Gossip Folks) she wears bling and jewellery which would usually be associated to males in hip hop, this shows her to be a role model as she is showing that females can wear jewellery and expensive items to show they too have power as well as men in hip hop. In her video ‘’pass that dutch’’ she begins the song dressed in all white connoting her innocence, and compared to how someone like lady gaga would dress, Missy Elliot doesn’t show off her body or use sex appeal to attract viewers, she instead uses powerful and meaningful lyrics. Another outfit in the video that she uses is a farmer’s outfit, which could be a male fetish for some viewers, yet she wears it in a manly and rugged way which would show her to be as dominant.
Also which is funny and ironic is in the same video She is in a car full of other plus size women who are enjoying themselves and having fun regardless of their image, and the pull in a male into the vehicle who they dominate and are portrayed to have eaten as the next shot is of them throwing out bones of a flesh. Which connotes to them being ‘’man-eaters’ and aggressive and domineering which is not what most females in hip hop would refer to themselves as.
Yes there are very much still alternative representations of both male and female.
There may not be as many alternative representations as there are dominant, but there are still role models and figures for both men and women, such as Alicia Keys, Missy Elliot, Justin Bieber, Sean Kingston, Neyo, Trey songs and more.
Alternative Female - Missy Elliot
Missy Elliot is an example of an alternative female in the hip hop genre as she’s not typically skinny, voluptuous, model like, such as Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. She’s more dominant in the way she portrays herself as she’s plus size and usually fully clothed or well covered in her music videos. She would not consider herself as a sex object, she may contain lyrics that are referenced to sex, yet she doesn’t degrade herself by showing her body and dancing seductively for men.
Also stereotypical females in hip hop usually portray themselves with a male figure who they either lust after or whom they dominant, where as Missy Elliot does not always have a lead male in her videos. In her video gossip folks She is wearing a full length tracksuit which would not be linked to or shown in any sexual way which is what stereotypically any female would try to do in her video. Although as the tracksuit is pink, it does show that she is feminine but not in any sexual objectifying way.
she also changes to a cheer leaders outfit which is usually part of the male fantasy (male gaze) for when they voyeur over women, although she doesn’t attempt to make it look sexy, she just simply uses it to connote the theme of the video. Also an interesting fact is that she still dances in her videos despite not being slim or fit as some would say. This shows her alternative side as she does break dancing and dances that would not be typical or seen as in any way seductive or alluring to men which other female hip hop artists do in their videos such as Rihanna – rude boy.
Also in her video of (Gossip Folks) she wears bling and jewellery which would usually be associated to males in hip hop, this shows her to be a role model as she is showing that females can wear jewellery and expensive items to show they too have power as well as men in hip hop. In her video ‘’pass that dutch’’ she begins the song dressed in all white connoting her innocence, and compared to how someone like lady gaga would dress, Missy Elliot doesn’t show off her body or use sex appeal to attract viewers, she instead uses powerful and meaningful lyrics. Another outfit in the video that she uses is a farmer’s outfit, which could be a male fetish for some viewers, yet she wears it in a manly and rugged way which would show her to be as dominant.
Also which is funny and ironic is in the same video She is in a car full of other plus size women who are enjoying themselves and having fun regardless of their image, and the pull in a male into the vehicle who they dominate and are portrayed to have eaten as the next shot is of them throwing out bones of a flesh. Which connotes to them being ‘’man-eaters’ and aggressive and domineering which is not what most females in hip hop would refer to themselves as.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Post feminism and popular culture
http://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/site/human/women/students/biblio/historiog/McRobbie%20-%20postfeminism.pdf
Bridget Jones Diary
Quotes :
- “well regulated liberty” can backfire (the source of comic effect), and this in turn gives rise
to demarcated pathologies (leaving it too late to have a baby, failing to find a good catch,
etc.) which carefully define the parameters of what constitutes liveable lives for young
women without the occasion of re-invented feminism.
- The backlash for Faludi was a concerted, conservative response to the achievements
of feminism. My argument is that post-feminism positively draws on and invokes
feminism as that which can be taken into account, to suggest that equality is achieved,
in order to install a whole repertoire of new meanings which emphasise that it is no
longer needed, it is a spent force. This was most vivid in The Independent (UK) newspaper
column Bridget Jones’s Diary, then in the enormously successful book and film which
followed.1 For my purposes here, post-feminism permits the close examination of a
number of intersecting but also conflicting currents. It allows us to examine shifts of
direction in the feminist academy, while also taking into account the seeming repudiation
of feminism within this very same academic context by those young women who are its
unruly (student) subjects.
- In this context it requires both imagination and hopefulness to argue that the
active, sustained, and repetitive repudiation or repression of feminism also marks its (still
fearful) presence or even longevity (as afterlife). What I mean by this is that there are
different kinds of repudiation and different investments in such a stance. The more gentle
denunciations of feminism (as in the film Bridget Jones’s Diary) co-exists however with the
shrill championing of young women as a “metaphor for social change” on the pages of
the right wing press in the UK, in particular the Daily Mail.
Bridget Jones Diary
Quotes :
- “well regulated liberty” can backfire (the source of comic effect), and this in turn gives rise
to demarcated pathologies (leaving it too late to have a baby, failing to find a good catch,
etc.) which carefully define the parameters of what constitutes liveable lives for young
women without the occasion of re-invented feminism.
- The backlash for Faludi was a concerted, conservative response to the achievements
of feminism. My argument is that post-feminism positively draws on and invokes
feminism as that which can be taken into account, to suggest that equality is achieved,
in order to install a whole repertoire of new meanings which emphasise that it is no
longer needed, it is a spent force. This was most vivid in The Independent (UK) newspaper
column Bridget Jones’s Diary, then in the enormously successful book and film which
followed.1 For my purposes here, post-feminism permits the close examination of a
number of intersecting but also conflicting currents. It allows us to examine shifts of
direction in the feminist academy, while also taking into account the seeming repudiation
of feminism within this very same academic context by those young women who are its
unruly (student) subjects.
- In this context it requires both imagination and hopefulness to argue that the
active, sustained, and repetitive repudiation or repression of feminism also marks its (still
fearful) presence or even longevity (as afterlife). What I mean by this is that there are
different kinds of repudiation and different investments in such a stance. The more gentle
denunciations of feminism (as in the film Bridget Jones’s Diary) co-exists however with the
shrill championing of young women as a “metaphor for social change” on the pages of
the right wing press in the UK, in particular the Daily Mail.
Sex and the city
Quotes:
- Thus feminism is invoked in order that it is relegated to the past. But this is not simply a return to the past, there are, of course, quite dramatic differences between the various female characters of current popular culture from Bridget Jones to the girls in Sex and the City and to Ally McBeal, and those found in girls’ and women’s magazines from a pre-feminist era.
- The new young women are confident enough to declare their anxieties about possible failure in regard to finding a husband, they avoid any aggressive or overtly traditional men, and they brazenly enjoy their sexuality, without fear of the sexual double standard.
Quotes:
- Thus feminism is invoked in order that it is relegated to the past. But this is not simply a return to the past, there are, of course, quite dramatic differences between the various female characters of current popular culture from Bridget Jones to the girls in Sex and the City and to Ally McBeal, and those found in girls’ and women’s magazines from a pre-feminist era.
- The new young women are confident enough to declare their anxieties about possible failure in regard to finding a husband, they avoid any aggressive or overtly traditional men, and they brazenly enjoy their sexuality, without fear of the sexual double standard.
- In addition, they are more than capable of earning their own living, and the degree of suffering or shame they anticipate in the absence of finding a husband is countered by sexual self-confidence. Being without a husband does not mean they will go without men.
L.A Law
Quotes:
- in the mid-1990s, and then to overtly unpopular feminism (new century), as though these charted a chronological “great moving right show” as Stuart Hall might put it (1989).
- Is this then the new deal for, in the UK, New Labour’s “modern” young women, female
individualisation and the new meritocracy at the expense of feminist politics?
Claudia Schiffer - Citeron xsara Advert (Sexist advert)
Quotes
- She seems to be doing it out of choice, and for her own enjoyment;
the advert works on the basis of its audience knowing Claudia to be one of the world’s
most famous and highly paid supermodels.
- This advert appears to suggest that yes, this is a self-consciously “sexist ad,” feminist critiques of it are deliberately evoked. Feminism is “taken into account,” but only to be shown to be no longer necessary. Why? Because there is no exploitation here, there is nothing remotely naıve
about this striptease
- in the mid-1990s, and then to overtly unpopular feminism (new century), as though these charted a chronological “great moving right show” as Stuart Hall might put it (1989).
- Is this then the new deal for, in the UK, New Labour’s “modern” young women, female
individualisation and the new meritocracy at the expense of feminist politics?
Claudia Schiffer - Citeron xsara Advert (Sexist advert)
Quotes
- She seems to be doing it out of choice, and for her own enjoyment;
the advert works on the basis of its audience knowing Claudia to be one of the world’s
most famous and highly paid supermodels.
- This advert appears to suggest that yes, this is a self-consciously “sexist ad,” feminist critiques of it are deliberately evoked. Feminism is “taken into account,” but only to be shown to be no longer necessary. Why? Because there is no exploitation here, there is nothing remotely naıve
about this striptease
lads magazines - female gaze
Quotes
- we are witness to a hyper-culture of commercial sexuality, one aspect of which is the repudiation of a feminism invoked only to be summarily dismissed (see also Rosalind Gill 2003).
- There is quietude and complicity in the manners of generationally specific notions of cool, and
more precisely an uncritical relation to dominant commercially produced sexual representations
which actively invoke hostility to assumed feminist positions from the past in order to endorse a new regime of sexual meanings based on female consent, equality, participation and pleasure, free of politics
- the ironic normalisation of pornography, where they indicate their approval of and desire to be pin up girls for the centrefolds of the soft porn “lad mags,”
Clarifying Concepts: Post Feminism
A more positive look at post-feminism:
In raising these questions, I am only at the beginning of figuring out what a more positive kind of post-feminist account of religion and family might look like, and so have no compelling summary to offer, let alone a call to a specific research agenda. In my own work, I do want to take some feminist insights for granted. But I explicitly reject the idea that strong feminist critiques have had their day and must now give way gracefully to approaches that favor a consensual and functional, or even communitarian, interpretation of the good society. I am feeling more combative, or at least constructively critical, about theories that neatly divide society into a “public” and a “private” realm, while systematically devaluing those feminine things (religion, family) assigned to the private (cf., Warner 1999). I am not sure where it will lead, but it feels right to begin pushing back the boundaries of post-feminism by asking a different set of questions.
Post-feminism as backlash to feminism:
What the hell is postfeminism, anyway? I would think it would refer to a time when complete gender equality has been achieved. That hasn’t happened, of course, but we (especially young women) are supposed to think it has. Postfeminism, as a term, suggests that women have made plenty of progress because of feminism, but that feminism is now irrelevant and even undesirable because it has made millions of women unhappy, unfeminine, childless, lonely, and bitter, prompting them to fill their closets with combat boots and really bad India print skirts.
The ambiguity of the prefix “post”:
I’ve come accross the term used in the way Lurker describes, similarly, in academic circles, and for academic reasons I don’t think anyone should use it. The problem lies in the ambiguity of the prefix “post”, because post can mean since something commenced OR since something concluded. So, while technically a “post-feminist society” could mean a society since feminism began to be an influence, there will always be people who think you mean since feminism ended.
Post-feminism as a colloquialism:
It’s about deeply held political convictions, not to mention strategy. If there’s a wad of people out there extolling postfeminism and meaning “I think feminism is flawed and I’d like to see some goal-shifting, fresh tactics, and revisiting of contentious topics,” this isn’t just an issue of what’s going on in a speech group that doesn’t overlap with mine. It’s about defending feminism’s ground. Feminism is already doing the work that these (as I have come to think of them) non-evil postfeminists think comes with their prefix. And it’s beyond obvious that feminism suffers from its terrible reputation and from the vast misunderstandings that stunning numbers of people still have about it (no matter how many times it happens, I will never, ever get used to being asked if I hate men). I can’t help but see even the non-evil usage of “postfeminism” as a rejection of and attack on feminism, and an implication that the movement is finished. And that means I need to challenge it at every turn.
In raising these questions, I am only at the beginning of figuring out what a more positive kind of post-feminist account of religion and family might look like, and so have no compelling summary to offer, let alone a call to a specific research agenda. In my own work, I do want to take some feminist insights for granted. But I explicitly reject the idea that strong feminist critiques have had their day and must now give way gracefully to approaches that favor a consensual and functional, or even communitarian, interpretation of the good society. I am feeling more combative, or at least constructively critical, about theories that neatly divide society into a “public” and a “private” realm, while systematically devaluing those feminine things (religion, family) assigned to the private (cf., Warner 1999). I am not sure where it will lead, but it feels right to begin pushing back the boundaries of post-feminism by asking a different set of questions.
Post-feminism as backlash to feminism:
What the hell is postfeminism, anyway? I would think it would refer to a time when complete gender equality has been achieved. That hasn’t happened, of course, but we (especially young women) are supposed to think it has. Postfeminism, as a term, suggests that women have made plenty of progress because of feminism, but that feminism is now irrelevant and even undesirable because it has made millions of women unhappy, unfeminine, childless, lonely, and bitter, prompting them to fill their closets with combat boots and really bad India print skirts.
The ambiguity of the prefix “post”:
I’ve come accross the term used in the way Lurker describes, similarly, in academic circles, and for academic reasons I don’t think anyone should use it. The problem lies in the ambiguity of the prefix “post”, because post can mean since something commenced OR since something concluded. So, while technically a “post-feminist society” could mean a society since feminism began to be an influence, there will always be people who think you mean since feminism ended.
Post-feminism as a colloquialism:
It’s about deeply held political convictions, not to mention strategy. If there’s a wad of people out there extolling postfeminism and meaning “I think feminism is flawed and I’d like to see some goal-shifting, fresh tactics, and revisiting of contentious topics,” this isn’t just an issue of what’s going on in a speech group that doesn’t overlap with mine. It’s about defending feminism’s ground. Feminism is already doing the work that these (as I have come to think of them) non-evil postfeminists think comes with their prefix. And it’s beyond obvious that feminism suffers from its terrible reputation and from the vast misunderstandings that stunning numbers of people still have about it (no matter how many times it happens, I will never, ever get used to being asked if I hate men). I can’t help but see even the non-evil usage of “postfeminism” as a rejection of and attack on feminism, and an implication that the movement is finished. And that means I need to challenge it at every turn.
What are the different representations of women in adverts and how are they signified?
The representation of women can be positive: challenging the roles and expectations of women or negative: reinforcing a patriarchal society. This essay questions how and why these representations are constructed in an advert for Gucci Guilty Perfume and Stella Artois beer.
Firstly the Gucci advert is in widescreen which connotes a dramatic cinematic experience to engage its audience. More attention is gained by the female character first seen in the text and her protagonist is signified through this. The protagonist has female dominance which is signified through the use of colour- everything is in black and white while her hair is gold/blonde. This colour connotes gold, power and divinity signifying her importance in the text.
The use of intertextuality in this text will appeal to a particular audience. The film references a great deal to the neo film noir Sin City, with the use of colour and the female dominant femme fatale character. Sin City appeals to a male audience due to the action genre, this trailer could also appeal to the same audience due to the intertextuality. In terms of the Uses and Gratifications theory, a female audience might realise and accept the protagonist in the text is a form of escapism and also a male gaze, by theorist Mulvey, and therefore might aspire, from Young and Rubicam's 4Cs, to be the object of male gaze too.
Though the protagonist is an object of male gaze, it could be suggested that she sexually objectifies herself to tease the audience. The protagonist puts her leg into the frame of the shot. As she puts into the frame, it signifies self objectification, allowing the audience to fetishise her body. Another shot, a high angle, of their sexual activities signifies CCTV and spying which is voyeuristic. The fact she is on top signifies her control of the situation for both the male character and the audience.
Not only does the protagonist exert her feminity through self objectification she also presents herself as an anarchic character signified by adopting male stereotypes. The advert begins with a long shot of an unknown character speeding down the motorway, which stereotypically would be expected to be a male character. However, the audience's expectations are challenged when a medium shot of the driver shows to be a female.
In contrast, women are negatively represented in the Stella Artois text. The most obvious editing technique used in the advert is the split screen: one side shows the female getting dressed and the other side is of the beer getting "prepared". This use of split screen signifies that neither the beer nor the woman know they have been placed side by side. This puts the audience in position of control as they can voyeur the woman, in a socially acceptable way. Audiences may identify this control as patriarchy, and also identify with the unknown male character whose presence is felt within the text. This text then reinforces the idea of a patriarchal society and that women are subordinated by men.
Not only does the female share the screen with the beer, but the screen is split equally between the two "objects" which connotes the woman is equally objectified to the status of beer. It is suggested the audience is male due to the female and beer subject. Though the advert is targeted at men, it also negatively stereotypes men as people who have little respect for women which however is a dominant representation.
A range of close up shots of the female are used to fetishise her body. There is a close up shot of the female's leg slowly and elegantly rising from the bath tub. On one hand this could signify femininity and her control over it which is the oppositional reading. However, the more dominant reading is that her legs are an important part of the female body and connotes a male audience who can voyeur her body.
The text near the beginning of the trailer says "the preparation" which is an enigma code as the audience question "what event is the preparation for?". It is signified through the shots that the woman and beer preparation is for the male through the use of action codes. Action codes of both the preparation of the woman and the glass of beer are the same.
Women are represented as people who prioritise their looks and appearance, and this ad reinforces this ideology. Action codes including close ups of her: brushing her hair, doing her make up and putting on heels strongly represent women as image conscious. It could be said that the advert reinforces this representation, which is always seen in the media. Funnily enough, it could also be said that the media itself is the cause of this representation as this ideal, perfect woman is always represented in the media, and women feel they have to aspire to it.
In conclusion, both texts females are the protagonists and are sexually objectified for male audiences to fetishise and vouyer their bodies. However, while Gucci’s advert’s protagonist controls her sexuality through self objectification, the Stella Artois’ protagonist is objectified by an unknown but present male character.
In the Gucci’s ad, there are many examples in the text that signify the protagonist’s female dominance, but it is arguable whether this could be seen as a positive representation. The dominant reading is that the protagonist exerts her female dominance over the male challenging the historical patriarchal society and even subordinating males as easily manipulated and easily tempted by women and sex and this would favour feminism. However the oppositional reading which would favour the ideologies of the Stella Artois advert, might be that females can control their sexuality, but it is still for the male gaze and male dominant society.
GUCCI GUILTY OFFICIAL COMMERCIAL
STELLA ARTOIS - BATH COMMERCIAL
The representation of women can be positive: challenging the roles and expectations of women or negative: reinforcing a patriarchal society. This essay questions how and why these representations are constructed in an advert for Gucci Guilty Perfume and Stella Artois beer.
Firstly the Gucci advert is in widescreen which connotes a dramatic cinematic experience to engage its audience. More attention is gained by the female character first seen in the text and her protagonist is signified through this. The protagonist has female dominance which is signified through the use of colour- everything is in black and white while her hair is gold/blonde. This colour connotes gold, power and divinity signifying her importance in the text.
The use of intertextuality in this text will appeal to a particular audience. The film references a great deal to the neo film noir Sin City, with the use of colour and the female dominant femme fatale character. Sin City appeals to a male audience due to the action genre, this trailer could also appeal to the same audience due to the intertextuality. In terms of the Uses and Gratifications theory, a female audience might realise and accept the protagonist in the text is a form of escapism and also a male gaze, by theorist Mulvey, and therefore might aspire, from Young and Rubicam's 4Cs, to be the object of male gaze too.
Though the protagonist is an object of male gaze, it could be suggested that she sexually objectifies herself to tease the audience. The protagonist puts her leg into the frame of the shot. As she puts into the frame, it signifies self objectification, allowing the audience to fetishise her body. Another shot, a high angle, of their sexual activities signifies CCTV and spying which is voyeuristic. The fact she is on top signifies her control of the situation for both the male character and the audience.
Not only does the protagonist exert her feminity through self objectification she also presents herself as an anarchic character signified by adopting male stereotypes. The advert begins with a long shot of an unknown character speeding down the motorway, which stereotypically would be expected to be a male character. However, the audience's expectations are challenged when a medium shot of the driver shows to be a female.
In contrast, women are negatively represented in the Stella Artois text. The most obvious editing technique used in the advert is the split screen: one side shows the female getting dressed and the other side is of the beer getting "prepared". This use of split screen signifies that neither the beer nor the woman know they have been placed side by side. This puts the audience in position of control as they can voyeur the woman, in a socially acceptable way. Audiences may identify this control as patriarchy, and also identify with the unknown male character whose presence is felt within the text. This text then reinforces the idea of a patriarchal society and that women are subordinated by men.
Not only does the female share the screen with the beer, but the screen is split equally between the two "objects" which connotes the woman is equally objectified to the status of beer. It is suggested the audience is male due to the female and beer subject. Though the advert is targeted at men, it also negatively stereotypes men as people who have little respect for women which however is a dominant representation.
A range of close up shots of the female are used to fetishise her body. There is a close up shot of the female's leg slowly and elegantly rising from the bath tub. On one hand this could signify femininity and her control over it which is the oppositional reading. However, the more dominant reading is that her legs are an important part of the female body and connotes a male audience who can voyeur her body.
The text near the beginning of the trailer says "the preparation" which is an enigma code as the audience question "what event is the preparation for?". It is signified through the shots that the woman and beer preparation is for the male through the use of action codes. Action codes of both the preparation of the woman and the glass of beer are the same.
Women are represented as people who prioritise their looks and appearance, and this ad reinforces this ideology. Action codes including close ups of her: brushing her hair, doing her make up and putting on heels strongly represent women as image conscious. It could be said that the advert reinforces this representation, which is always seen in the media. Funnily enough, it could also be said that the media itself is the cause of this representation as this ideal, perfect woman is always represented in the media, and women feel they have to aspire to it.
In conclusion, both texts females are the protagonists and are sexually objectified for male audiences to fetishise and vouyer their bodies. However, while Gucci’s advert’s protagonist controls her sexuality through self objectification, the Stella Artois’ protagonist is objectified by an unknown but present male character.
In the Gucci’s ad, there are many examples in the text that signify the protagonist’s female dominance, but it is arguable whether this could be seen as a positive representation. The dominant reading is that the protagonist exerts her female dominance over the male challenging the historical patriarchal society and even subordinating males as easily manipulated and easily tempted by women and sex and this would favour feminism. However the oppositional reading which would favour the ideologies of the Stella Artois advert, might be that females can control their sexuality, but it is still for the male gaze and male dominant society.
GUCCI GUILTY OFFICIAL COMMERCIAL
STELLA ARTOIS - BATH COMMERCIAL
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