As a women’s studies enthusiast, my “Images Of Women In Film” class was my favorite course last semester. Often, when it comes to feminist discussions, we don’t pay attention to the representation of women in film as we were taught that films are solely for “entertainment consumption.” Films are a medium that serves as a social institution that shapes people’s ideas, thoughts, and perspectives from a young age.Â
Despite the progress made toward women in the industry, the representation of women still upholds many harmful narratives that impact women, not just in the industry but everywhere. Even worse, this can be one of the reasons why progress toward gender equity will continue to advance at a slower pace.Â
- Male Gaze
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The “male gaze” is one of the most misused terms that get thrown around easily, specifically when it comes to situations when a woman dresses beautifully or what society may claim is “attractive to the male gaze.” The term has nothing to do with women wanting the male gaze. The term is coined by a feminist film theorist, Laura Mulvaney, to describe the portrayal of women and girls in film through the lens of a heterosexual male in multiple ways.Â
The costume of Harley Quinn, along with the camera movements and frames of her body compared to her male peers, is a perfect example of how the male gaze objectifies women. In conservative countries, the male gaze is approached differently but still in the objectification category by censoring women’s bodies, faces, and hair on the screen. Â
Through the male gaze, women are nothing but body parts that should be either pressured to be shown or hidden.
- Final girl theory
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Since the slasher films of the 1970s, there has always been that one girl who makes it to the end of a horror movie, facing the killer and outsmarting them alone. She is known as the “Final Girl,” a term coined by Professor Carol J. Clover in 1987. While each final girl deals with their killer in different ways, they share the same traits, like not partying, being socially awkward, and, most importantly, never having sex.
Most of the time, women are the victims of danger and murder on the screen unless they are saved by a man. For some reason, the final girl may seem empowering as she survives and outsmarts the killer herself without any assistance, but the theory and representation still raise some issues.Â
Some would argue that the theory is rooted in misogyny as it promotes the “good girl” ideology. In patriarchal societies, the so-called good girl is the one who submits to society’s expectations and rules of what it is to be a good girl, and those who don’t shall face consequences. The final girl survives since she embodies the good girl arch while her other female friends do not.
- Oppositional gaze
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When it comes to great representation of women on the screen, some characters may be at the top of your mind, like Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, Natasha Romanoff from Black Widow, or Diana Prince from Wonder Woman. Don’t get me wrong; these characters are great, but when you think of the representation of Black women, the first woman who pops into your head is the lady from The Help or nothing at all.
The oppositional gaze, coined by intersectional feminist theorist Bell Hooks, explores the representation of Black women on the screen through the white male gaze, which is usually filled with stereotypes, anti-blackness, and misogyny.
Black women are represented in many archetypes on the screen, such as the maid, the side character support, the Jezebel, the mammy, and the angry woman. In Wonder Woman, for example, all the leads of Amazon were white women, and the side support was Black women. The mammy describes a Black woman, usually an enslaved one, who does domestic work for the family. The lady from Tom and Jerry can be a great example of the stereotypical “angry Black woman.”
- Princess Phenomenon
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Many of us grow up admiring Disney princesses, and they are one of the first film archetypes young girls are exposed to at a very young age. While Disney princesses may be inspiring, they still promote many gender stereotypes and patriarchal expectations of women and girls.
Cinderella embodied the female stereotypes of being a people pleaser and submissive. Her step-sisters and mother mistreated her, and instead of trying to find a way to escape herself, the prince came and saved her. Jasmine had the same issue; she was controlled most of her life and was pressured to get married. When Aladdin marries her, she escapes the controlling environment. These narratives remind young girls that the key to freedom and happiness is securing a relationship with a man, preventing them from exploring their independence and having full agency. This is not to say that searching for love or companionship is terrible, but movies like this condition women as the only way to find happiness is in a relationship, which is far from true.
Mulan was a strong warrior who rebelled against gender norms to save her dad and excelled in the army more than her peers, but she was only respected when disguised as a man. Later, when her identity is revealed in the movie, she loses all respect from her peers. When she was offered an excellent position to save China and prove herself, she refused so she could return to her domestic life and escape. This narrative teaches women that domestic life will always be more rewarding no matter how significant their accomplishments are.
Tiana is a dedicated woman who built her own business, but throughout the movie, she is presented as a frog, not a Black woman.Â
If this class taught me one thing, it’s to be more than just a film consumer — be a film critical thinker. I truly recommend that every woman take this class here at UCF. Stay tuned for part two.