This task involves finding a text and analysing it in various stages. First, I have to skim read the text. Then, re-read the text, finding additional information that relates to my theme. Finally, I have to read the text thoroughly, and repeat these steps until I understand exactly what the author is trying to say.
One of the books I found in the library was titled "Women, Feminism and Media" by Sue Thornham. I decided to read the second chapter of the book, "Fixing into images" as this focused on how women have been portrayed in the media.
Step 1: Skim Reading
- exploitation
- the male gaze
- feminism
- two roles: sexy and mother
- women in advertising
- equality
- what is 'image'?
Step 2: Re-Read
I feel the author is trying to convey a sense of understanding for the lack of representation of women in media as these characters are often created by men to fulfil men's needs.
Step 3: Read Thoroughly
- "visions of women are contaminated by male-defined notions"
- "inaccurate stereotypes that damage women's self-perceptions"
- "entertainment programmes in all types of format emphasise the dual image of woman as a decorative object […] and marriage-oriented passive person"
- "their sense of identity bound up with a sense of 'woman as image', forever unattainable"
In chapter two of "Women, Feminism and Media" (2007), Sue Thornham, a British film professor, is arguably trying to communicate a sense of sympathy for the unrealistic standards women have been held to, by exploring the way in which women in media have been categorised, "inaccurate stereotypes that damage women's self-perceptions"(pg.23). An argument Thornham raises is how, due to the lack of representation of women in the industry in the past, men have distorted this idea of what the image of woman should be as the stories were told from their perspectives. Thornham quotes Rita Felski here, saying "visions of women are contaminated by male-defined notions" (pg.23). Thornham uses similar examples of this, to really demonstrate how women who look to these warped ideals as role models, may be left with a sense of unfulfillment, "their sense of identity bound up with a sense of 'woman as image', forever unattainable" (pg.43).
This theory surrounding the way in which women are portrayed in media has been explored before. Feminist and film theorist, Laura Mulvey named this concept 'The Male Gaze' and argued that as most films are told from a man's perspective, this could often lead to sexist overtones. A teacher on SlideShare called Mr Smith explains this by writing "events which occur to women are presented largely in the context of a man's reaction to these events" (slide.4). By exploring this concept, this may allow the audience to recall similar instances where the male gaze is present in day to day life, such as film posters. Many examples of movie posters have been shared when debating equality in media, particularly those that have been designed in a way that only the actress' body is shown, while her face is cut off. Comedian Marcia Belsky first brought attention to this when she made a blog on Tumblr dedicated to posters and promo art that featured women's bodies called "The Headless Women of Hollywood" in 2016.
Within animation, the same issues occur. In Thornham's book she references "Mass Media: The Image, Role and Social Conditions of Women" (1979), explaining "entertainment programmes in all types of format emphasise the dual image of woman as a decorative object […] and a marriage-oriented passive person" (pg. 24). As times have changed, women in animation have arguably become more diverse and inclusive, however there are still cases where young children are looking up to models with standards that are unattainable.
Part 2
Then in class we were briefed on the second part of this task, which was to write a summary or create a research poster relating to the themes of the text. As I had already written a summary, I decided to create the poster for this next task.
I looked at female designs from the 1980s to the 2010s. I also wrote a list of sources, such as: books, articles and films I could look into, as well as trips I could attend to gather primary research.
Overall I felt the first part of this task was more helpful than the second part as I prefer writing my thoughts down over creating something visual.
Bibliography:
BBC Three. (2019) These film posters of headless women are going viral, again. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/42cae8ac-5ca6-4672-93b3-d3235f0f384a (Accessed: 20 October 2019)
Ceulemans, M. and Fauconnier, G. (1979) Mass Media: The Image, Role and Social Conditions of Women: A Collection and Analysis of Research Materials. Paris: Reports and Papers on Mass Communication.
Felski, R. (2000) Doing Time: Feminist Theory and Postmodern Culture. New York and London: New York University Press.
Lanquist, L. (2016) Women's Faces Are Often Missing From Movie Posters. Available at: https://www.self.com/story/womens-faces-are-often-missing-from-movie-posters (Accessed: 20 October 2019).
Smith, M. (2009) The Male Gaze Laura Mulvey. Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/fleckneymike/the-male-gaze-laura-mulvey (Accessed: 20 October 2019).
Thornham, S. (2007) Women, Feminism and Media. Edinburgh University Press.
Tumblr. (no date) The Headless Women of Hollywood. Available at: https://headlesswomenofhollywood.com/ (Accessed: 20 October 2019).
University of Sussex. (no date) Prof Sue Thornham. Available at: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/166435 (Accessed: 20 October 2019).
Wikipedia. (no date) Laura Mulvey. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Mulvey (Accessed: 20 October 2019).
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