Judith Butler: gender roles
Butler believes traditional feminists are wrong to divide society into ‘men’ and ‘women’ and says gender is not biologically fixed. By dividing men and women, feminists accidentally reinforced the idea of differences between the two genders. Butler believes gender roles are ‘a performance’ and that male and female behaviour is socially constructed rather than the result of biology.
Butler and the media
If gender is a ‘performance’ rather than biological, we then need to think about what is influencing that ‘performance’. And that’s where the media comes in. How might the media influence our behaviour in terms of gender roles?
Angela McRobbie: empowering women
McRobbie is a British cultural theorist known for her work analysing magazines aimed at women and teenage girls in the 80s and 90s. McRobbie highlights the empowering nature of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour, taking a different perspective to traditional feminists. This idea of ‘popular feminism’ fits into the idea of post-feminism and challenges the radical feminism of the 1970s.
Gauntlett: feminism & masculinity
David Gauntlett wrote extensively on gender representation and the importance of role models in the media in the late 1990s – early 2000s. He looked particularly at theorists such as Butler and McRobbie: “Although the popular remix of feminism is accepted by young women, it remains the case that most women and men remain somewhat constricted within particular gender roles.” 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 changes in women’s magazines. Importantly, he disagrees that masculinity is in crisis – a popular view in the media in the last 15 years.
Feminist and gender theory: blog tasks
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?
The new series, Pan Am which is an American period drama television series created by writer Jack Orman. Named for the iconic Pan American World Airways, the series features the pilots and stewardesses of the airline as it operated in the early 1960s at the beginning of the commercial Jet Age. Also, the article looks at Beyonce's retro, satirical music video 'Why Don't you Love Me?' which parodies gender stereotypes.
2) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?
The male gaze is the act of depicting the world and women in the visual arts and literature from a masculine and heterosexual point of view, presenting women as objects of male pleasure. In Pan Am, the show In the pilot episode of Pan Am we first meet the stars of the show – the stewardesses – through an image of Laura, one of the main characters, on the front of a magazine cover. It is interesting to note that this first image of the Pan Am stewardesses is one which is highly constructed and mediated, an image whose purpose is to be admired and aspired to by women, and visually enjoyed by men. In Beyonce's music video, she is heavily objectified throughout the video such as the revealing clothes, makeup, posture etc. This all serves as presenting her as an object of male pleasure visually, therefore the entire video is an instance of where the male gaze can be applied.
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 feel that these videos undeniably show that there has been huge developments in society, most likely a result of feminism but then again, these videos clearly show light to an issue. Women are still heavily objectified and seen as existing only in the shadow of men, serving as only visual pleasure to them.
4) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.
1) What are the two texts the article focuses on?
The new series, Pan Am which is an American period drama television series created by writer Jack Orman. Named for the iconic Pan American World Airways, the series features the pilots and stewardesses of the airline as it operated in the early 1960s at the beginning of the commercial Jet Age. Also, the article looks at Beyonce's retro, satirical music video 'Why Don't you Love Me?' which parodies gender stereotypes.
2) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?
The male gaze is the act of depicting the world and women in the visual arts and literature from a masculine and heterosexual point of view, presenting women as objects of male pleasure. In Pan Am, the show In the pilot episode of Pan Am we first meet the stars of the show – the stewardesses – through an image of Laura, one of the main characters, on the front of a magazine cover. It is interesting to note that this first image of the Pan Am stewardesses is one which is highly constructed and mediated, an image whose purpose is to be admired and aspired to by women, and visually enjoyed by men. In Beyonce's music video, she is heavily objectified throughout the video such as the revealing clothes, makeup, posture etc. This all serves as presenting her as an object of male pleasure visually, therefore the entire video is an instance of where the male gaze can be applied.
I feel that these videos undeniably show that there has been huge developments in society, most likely a result of feminism but then again, these videos clearly show light to an issue. Women are still heavily objectified and seen as existing only in the shadow of men, serving as only visual pleasure to them.
4) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.
- 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.
- Third wave feminism – Was a movement that redefined and encouraged women to be dominant and sexually assertive.
- 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.
1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?
By Butler claiming that gender roles are a 'performance', she is suggesting they are entirely socially constructed. Beyonce's video revolves around her intentionally showing how scripted, constructed and false her overly exaggerated femininity is. Moreover, the music video itself is a parody, with highly satirical undertones - again making the idea of gender roles seem like a 'joke' - as if they are all a 'performance.'
2) Does this video reinforce or challenge the view that women should perform certain roles in society?
The answer to this questions depends on the viewers reading of the video. It is clear that this music video is a parody on gender roles and therefore, she is challenging the idea that each gender should conform to their gender role. However, personally I feel that perhaps this is overshadowed by how she is perpetuating gender stereotypes and arguably inadvertently reinforcing them. we see that the character is pining over a man and could highlight that at the base of everything a female does, it is done to impress a man and to appeal to the male gaze. Regardless of whether this is ironic or not, this still happens in the video. Moreover, there is a chance many viewers do not realise this is a parody at all, making this video's representations even worse.
By Butler claiming that gender roles are a 'performance', she is suggesting they are entirely socially constructed. Beyonce's video revolves around her intentionally showing how scripted, constructed and false her overly exaggerated femininity is. Moreover, the music video itself is a parody, with highly satirical undertones - again making the idea of gender roles seem like a 'joke' - as if they are all a 'performance.'
2) Does this video reinforce or challenge the view that women should perform certain roles in society?
The answer to this questions depends on the viewers reading of the video. It is clear that this music video is a parody on gender roles and therefore, she is challenging the idea that each gender should conform to their gender role. However, personally I feel that perhaps this is overshadowed by how she is perpetuating gender stereotypes and arguably inadvertently reinforcing them. we see that the character is pining over a man and could highlight that at the base of everything a female does, it is done to impress a man and to appeal to the male gaze. Regardless of whether this is ironic or not, this still happens in the video. Moreover, there is a chance many viewers do not realise this is a parody at all, making this video's representations even worse.
3) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women? Why?
McRobbie is a British cultural theorist known for her work analysing magazines aimed at women and teenage girls in the 80s and 90s. McRobbie highlights the empowering nature of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour, taking a different perspective to traditional feminists. I feel that she would find this video empowering as Beyonce is represented in a very powerful way due to the strong emphasis placed on her sexuality and femininity.
4) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?
I feel that she does both. The parody style music video brings attention to how ridiculous the way gender roles are so restrictive are and how women are expected to satisfy the notion of the male gaze. However, this video does arguable and inadvertently reinforce gender roles because of the content presented.
1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?
This music video subverts a lot of typical, traditional male stereotypes and attributes associated with masculinity. It shows the main actor/dancer/singer engaging in a variety of movement and engaging with a variety of props, some of which subvert typically masculine behaviour. This video alone suggests how much our society has developed and progressed in its attitudes and expectations. We no longer place so much importance on restrictive gender roles and behaviour - as expressed by Will Jay who demonstrates no constraits in his behaviour because of his gender.
Gauntlett is a British sociologist and media theorist who looked at men’s lifestyle magazines, analysing the representation of the men within them. He found a new, quite different representation of masculinity – reflecting changes in women’s magazines. Importantly, he disagrees that masculinity is in crisis – a popular view in the media in the last 15 years.
3) What is YOUR view on representations of men and masculinity? Are young men still under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way?
I feel that to me it is very clear that men are under pressure by the media and this issue is underrepresented and dismissed often. The media puts a strong emphasis on men needing to conform to a breadwinner role. They are commonly presented as strong, big, domineering - which presents as daunting to men struggling to live up to these idealised representations.
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