The article starts off with how Hollywood films are produced and re-produced due to commercialization and profit-making factors. Thus, stereotypes tend to be maintained and reproduced together with them. The article also described how representations of females have changed and attributed reasons to it being changes in society and the existence of social movements. Female are underrepresented in Hollywood films, portrayed as more “youthful”, and physically objectifised.

Question: Many research seems to have an “anti-male bias”. However, do representations of men in films face negative stereotyping as well?

On the other hand, this video shows how masculinity is being presented in old and modern films. Male protagonists often display characteristics like aggression, strength etc. which are often attributed to men in society. Men are also “expected” to protect the woman from dangers and/or other men, which implies that women are “weaker” than men.

Question: Are male stereotypes represented as more “positive” where else female stereotypes are more negatively associated?

This scene from the 1964 film, “My Fair Lady” shows how females are supposed to act in a certain manner in society, and if they were to show “masculine” characteristics like the female protagonist, they will be seen as a mockery to society. The scene also shows how females are expected to repress their emotions and not be overtly expressive.

Question: Does the historical timeline in which the film is set or produced in affect how females are being representated in society?

The ‘experience’ that has yet to be adequately formulated in Rocky
is a construction of masculinity that must adapt to, and reflect, the changing
cultural climate of working- and middle-class values in light of civil rights
and gender equality. In his struggle to achieve champion status, Rocky Balboa
navigates a new cultural terrain marked by a disruption of traditional gender
roles.

This quote sums out what the article is trying to address. The author uses “Rocky” as an example of a film that have complexities on how masculinity is being represented in it. There are counterforces in a changing environment, culture, and women’s influence in the protagonist’s life that complicate the notion of masculinity. In the film, masculinity is blended with emotions and relationships which are unconventional to other “masculine” films.

Question: Even though masculinity representation in films have not drastically changed, is it true that “vulnerability” in men are more evident in films today?

This article highlights many interesting points about representations of femininity in film and how it has changed over time. It also questions on how men can sometimes explore their femininity side as well and vice versa, and gender lines are often blurred. The authors suggested that femininity is a complex concept, and it actually does not change in itself. Instead, representations of it do.

Question: If femininity can be present in a man and masculinity in a woman, how have this dichotomy changed in how they are being presented in films and why?

1. Masculinity/Femininity

2. Femininism

3. Homosexuality

4. Social Roles

Through this research, we will identify how have these gender issues changed in their representations in films, and what are the factors or underlying reasons to this change (or lack thereof).

My task was to focus on searching for sources for Masculinity/Femininity representations in films.

This interesting video shows how the Blacks have been represented in early films/cartoons. The uploader mentioned that these clips were taken from filmic texts from the period where the discrimination against the Blacks were at its peak. The films are seen to portray the Blacks as a comical joke, with emphasis on their physical attributes.

Question: This video is almost entirely graphical, with little or no verbal cues. Will different people receive and internalize messages differently from each other?

This image shows the theoretical model of representation in general, which could be useful for us to see what factors underly any changes in representations in films. As shown, representation does not operate by itself. Rather, how the audience internalize these representations and how these representations are produced in the first place have to be taken into account when analysing representations in film.

Question: Are representations “reflections” of society or are they more of a form of “constructions”?

This video shows how Asians (in particular women) are being represented in Hollywood films. They are often exoticised, associating Asians with feminine attributes like sensuality and mystery. The speakers also mentioned that Asian females are often portrayed as being subserviant and passive, making them appealing to Westerners.

Question: East-West dichotomies seem to be present in many films, especially Hollywood. Do films tend to present the West as more “masculine” while the East as “feminine”?

http://www.mediaknowall.com/gender.html

Summary: This website starts off with gender construction, and later goes on to how theses gender constructs are being represented in media. It mentions that representations of women and femininity tends to be stereotypical, and that those that are out of the norm are seen as deviant. Representations of men are said to be even more fixed, putting pressure on men to live up to them, and that a new form of anti-male bias is emerging in media.

Question: The article mentions that females portrayed as dangerous do not conform to society’s expectations of women. However, there is a rise in the number of popular films with such female protagonists. What accounts for their popularity or is there a new female stereotype forming in recent films?