Task 4 - essay plan

Essay plan

To what extend does 'Fast and the Furious 7' reinforces gender stereotypes and how does this differ from Catwomen?

Introduction (250 words)

·         Question: Gender representation. Are they negative, positive or both?

·         Although feminists have progressed in society, the media still shows audiences negative representations for women, however are positive for men.

·         Clearly seen in Fast and furious 7 – audiences can be influenced by this

·         ‘Image is power, image is superefficient’ (Cameron Russel: looks aren’t everything believe me I’m a model) – refer to Catwoman. Her image is powerful etc.

·         FF7 – women are seen as sex objects – pleasure for men

·         Historical text

·         This essay will explore how gender representations are reinforced in fast and furious 7 and how this differs from Catwoman

Paragraph 2 (150 words)

First historical text – ‘The colour purple

·         In this paragraph I will talk about my historical text and how it has similarities and differences to my original media text – Fast and furious 7

·         What were the roles of women and men back then? How is this presented in ‘The colour purple’

·         This can be linked to feminism – say how

·         Some reference to Catwoman – say how she is seen as powerful but in a seductive way
      
      Theories:

·         Dominant representations                           

·         Patriarchy

·         Dominant ideologies

·         Male gaze – Mulvey

·         Levi Strauss – binary oppositions: Masculine VS feminine – Expectations of women in the past was to be feminine, however, the character of Letty in The fast and furious 7 challenges this dominate expectations by embracing her power

Quotes:

·         ‘Guardian research shows that many are over-whelming male dominated - http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/oct/23/women-media-representation-online-news

·         ‘Women have less power and control over things’ - http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/oct/23/women-media-representation-online-news

Paragraph 3 (200 words)

Second historical text – ‘All about my mother’

·         The representation of women and men is different in both media texts – say how

·         Textual analysis

·         Compare to fast and furious 7

·         Connotations & denotations?

Theories:

·         Stuart hall – Oppositional reading

·         Perkins: Stereotypes are not always negative – could use for FF7

Quotes:

·         “The empowerment of women is so important. World poverty, world hunger, health issues – all of this stuff lies within the empowerment of young girls and women” - http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/sep/30/female-leaders-gather-to-underline-importance-of-educating-girls

·         The glass ceiling preventing women from obtaining top job -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKqF0wcGhIE

·         Women being a caregiver, staying at home cooking and cleaning, whilst the husband – a breadwinner go to work and earns - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibiwHRVwCyc

Paragraph 4 – Primary text

Fast and furious 7

·         Textual analysis - paragrapgh on this

·       
            Another paragraph on this: Issues/debates: Representation and stereotyping, Ownership and control, Media technology and the digital revolution, The effect of globalisation on the media – expand on each point

Quotes:

·         Liberal feminists, those who believe that men and women are created equal and should be treated as such, would likely consider film franchises such as X-Men and The Fast and the Furious feminist as women fight alongside men, although they inhabit male dominated universes. https://blogs.wellesley.edu/cams20201fa13/2013/12/09/viewing-cams-202-through-a-lens-of-gender-and-sexuality/

·         ‘Previous research shows that few women hold positions of power and importance on screen’

·         Women’s faces and bodies have been advertised all over the media and is portrayed in a dirty way. For example, a woman is seen on the front page of a burger advertisement, her mouth is wide open and the long burger is opposite to her mouth, symbolising a male’s private part - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcpBFFClymY

·         women are often stereotyped and sexualized when they are depicted in popular content

·         ‘Rich, masculine, hot, sexy, Mac Mach, Perfect’

·         ‘In the media, they have become increasingly lean and muscular’

Paragraph 5 – Secondary text

Catwoman

The movie Catwoman contradicts my issue about how females are portrayed as sex objects in the media. Patience, the main protagonist, is seen as dominant and powerful; however she is represented in a seductive way, showing that the progress of feminism has not been that successful.

·         Textual analysis

Quotes:

·         "She spends her time using men as playthings in her scheme to better her life"  http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/34622682/the-dark-knight-rises-why-anne-hathaway-s-catwoman-is-the-best-one-yet?page=all

·         TV commercials, ads and billboards stereotype women as sexual objects - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibiwHRVwCyc

·         Women are expected to look and act a certain way in order to uphold a feminine beauty ideal. http://gas.sagepub.com/site/misc/Index/Classroom/Media_Representations.xhtml

·         Male and female bodies are portrayed differently, with women’s body’s often commented on and male bodies, when commented on at all.  Female characters also engage in showcasing their sexiness and men are seen gazing at these women, two stereotypical behaviours of femininity and masculinity - http://gas.sagepub.com/site/misc/Index/Classroom/Media_Representations.xhtml

Theories –

·         Male gaze – Laura Mulvey

·         Dyer – stereotyping and power – those with power stereotype those with less power

·         Medhurst – stereotyping – Shorthand – fighting scene

Paragraph 6 –

This section will answer the question - To what extend does 'Fast and the Furious 7' reinforces gender stereotypes and how does this differ from Catwomen?

·         Fast and the furious 7 reinforces gender stereotypes and does this negatively. Whereas Catwoman does not, although the main protagonist is presented seductively…. ELABORATE…..

Quotes:

·         Women are expected to look and act a certain way in order to uphold a feminine beauty ideal.  – use this to back up Catwomen. http://gas.sagepub.com/site/misc/Index/Classroom/Media_Representations.xhtml

Paragraph 7 – This paragraph will talk about the ideas of feminism

·         What they believe in

·         Are they progressing in society? Yes or no? Use quotes to back this up

Quotes to support - 

  "Female characters have slowly but steadily evolved beyond the universal hostage, victims or conquest archetype and became the heroine of their own action" http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/01/the-rise-of-the-female-led-action-film/251678/

Paragraph 8 – Conclusion

·         Sum up my argument – Are these stereotypes negative or positive? elaborate

·         How does this have an impact on audiences?

·         Are they being influenced by it? How?