Throughout history the portrayal of gender roles have been maintained by a specific standard, specifically where the man is the main figure, and the woman is the submissive figure that is being acted upon. However, lately, specifically the last ten or so years, many movies have shifted this ideology. These movies in modern times show increasingly more women in positions of power, as well as in marriages where there is an equal amount of power between both the husband and wife. There are also more movies showcasing non-traditional relationships, such as, domestic partnerships and LGBTQ+ relationships. One movie in particular that showcases a shift in the status quo, in terms of the masculinity and femininity expected from individuals especially that of a relationships, is Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? Before delving into why this movie goes against the status quo an a multitude of levels, I must first give some background to the movie. The movie centers around a friend group of four couples, each possessing their own unique traits, and facing their own individual personal and relationship problems. The group includes Diane and Terry, Angela and Marcus, Sheila and Mike, and Patricia and Gavin. For Diane and Terry, Diane is a lawyer, and Terry is a pediatrician. …show more content…
Each of these concepts are utilized at the advantage of men, and the disadvantage of women, and has shown to provide detrimental consequences and results for women in society. However, in this film, and other films by Tyler Perry, appear to take the added step to combat these aspects that are present in the media’s portrayal of women. While these are present in the movie, he often makes a point to combat it with an inverse portrayal of each
Feminist Criticism examines the patterns of thought, behavior, and relationships between gender values, enfranchisement, and power in relations between and within the sexes.(Literary theories ppt) Madea goes to jail highlights the relationships between genders in a matriarchal society that develop influential effects. In Madea Goes to Jail, Tyler Perry, conveys the power of women in their
In that past, women have had a false image of sexuality, weakness, and self- consciousness. Now, women in today’s culture have taken on a new role, a much stronger role. Countless movies and television shows have powerful and inspiring female roles who deviate from female characters in the past. For example, Rey, from “The Force Awakens” in the Star Wars franchise shows several traits of a strong, independent woman who is fully capable of getting every job done herself. Rey is the perfect illustration of being the opposite of what Jean Kilbourne said women are.
She discusses misrepresentation with a list of “ten enlightened sexism…pretense of simple, depicting reality.” (198) which reinforces these pop culture into own ideals of what gender roles should be in our society.
In this essay, my research will be based on Tyler Perry’s life. Tyler Perry, American playwright, actor, screenwriter, producer, and director, was born as Emmitt Perry in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 14, 1969 to Maxine and Emmitt Perry. He changed his name when he turned 16 because he did not want to have any connection with his abusive father. He also dropped out of school when he was 16 but he later got his GED later in life.
The themes of masculinity and American ideals heavily influence this film. Men are presented to be powerful in this film, and that power derives from the fact that they carry guns and commit acts of violence. In the film, almost all of the males have either a pistol or a shotgun. This depiction is inaccurate, as most people in the west didn’t own a firearm. In contrast, women in the film are portrayed to be the weaker gender, being present only to take care of their partner.
Actor, comedian, and producer Tyler Perry exemplifies grit through both his perseverance and his stamina. As a child, Tyler grew up in New Orleans where neglect and severe physical abuse surrounded him. His father would constantly brutally beat him and his mother. Tyler endured through the pain and soon learned that this abuse was not at his fault, after several years of thinking he was to blame. He also forgave his father even after all the trauma he had put him through, On the Oprah Winfrey show where he got discovered he said “It 's not an easy journey, to get to a place where you forgive people.
Women has greatly suffered in society from the beginning until now and no one seems to notice this prolonged issue that women have to endure in their daily lives. The media played a major role to how women are perceived in todays society. Nevertheless, in todays world more and more individuals are attempting to address the problem to solve this issue once and for all. Jennifer Newsom effectively convince her audience in an American documentary film: “Miss representation” to embellish the denigration of women in society and persuade the audience through the use of logos, pathos, and explicit visual images.
In contrast to the twentieth century we still see some of this in our current day and ages. Contrasting portrayals of men and women in films leave us with the fact that we haven’t changed. Men and women are sought to have different gender roles within
Cultural theories by Kathleen Rowe, Laura Mulvey and Stuart Hall can help the audience seek an explanation to how these stereotypical gender roles are portrayed in the movie and how it can create power for the specific
Black women are treated less than because of their ascribed traits, their gender and race, and are often dehumanized and belittled throughout the movie. They are treated like slaves and are seen as easily disposable. There are several moments throughout the film that show the racial, gender, and class inequalities. These moments also show exploitation and opportunity hoarding. The Help also explains historical context of the inequality that occurred during that time period.
Ridley Scott’s ‘female buddy movie’ Thelma and Louise centres around issues of male dominance and the freedom of release from society. Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) are women suppressed by the men in their lives. They take a vacation to escape for a few days and after an attempted rape and murder they end up fugitives on the run for their lives. This unintended event ends up being for them the best adventure of their lives, as they are able to divest from the rules of society and become the independent women they are. By subverting the traditional role of gender in the genre, the film shows how feminism impacted the film industry by challenging Hollywood and the gendered myths and social patriarchy, providing women with a voice, and changing how spectators view how women are looked at through women’s eyes and their experiences.
Gender roles and stereotypes are commonly known throughout society and continuously demonstrated as film as well. Through the work of director Judd Apatow, we can compare these stereotypes to the portrayal of gender in Knocked Up and identify how this film pokes fun at gender stereotypes. As we watch this film and follow the story line of Allison and Ben, we can see how Apatow reversed the gender roles of the two lead characters, Ben and Allison and how this effected the films meaning. In romantic, geek centered comedies such as “Knocked Up”, the roles of men and women are often reversed.
Amanda Putnam’s essay, “Mean Ladies: Transgendered Villains in Disney Films”, is a compelling piece on gender portrayal and views in Disney films. Putnam opened the essay with a personal anecdote about her daughter. Her daughter wanted a Disney movie without a “mean lady”, as in most Disney films the villains are scary, evil women. The real life evidence strengthened her claim that children are noticing the characterization of female villains in Disney films. The antidote was brought fill circle when she referred back to her daughter in the final paragraphs of her essay.
Throughout the years femininity in Hollywood cinema has changed quite drastically. The industry has gone through several phases that changed how femininity was viewed. This paper will address the postfeminist phase in Hollywood, while focusing on the film Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001). It will show how postfeminism is viewed in cinema as well as the characteristics that make a film considered to be postfeminist. Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001) showcases all the characteristics needed in a postfeminist film which makes the film a great representative of postfeminist attitudes in media.
Abstract: In most parts of the world, females have always been the victim of oppressive patriarchy and male chauvinism since ages. This problem has been represented by many people through various forms of creations be it art, literature or films. Films are the most popular visual mediums of entertainment through which a large segment of people can be approached. Like literature, a film is also a work of art which mirrors the society, it also depicts the reality of the society though it has some fictionality in it.