MissRepresentation
In the film industry, women are constantly objectified and sexualized. In the few lead roles that women are given, most often they are wearing revealing outfits and have rather shallow character. The focus remains on their exterior instead of a prioritization of character development and plot. However, most women never are able to reach the spotlight because they are swept into the roles of sidekicks or sexual satisfaction. Although I am not a woman, I understand the impact that representation can have on ones confidence and personality. Media images constantly showing women that they are not real people, but just sexual objects, creates a culture of sexism and unfair treatment.
Even certain franchises that began with good intentions have fallen into the cycle of misrepresentation. One example that illustrates this is Wonder Woman. The first movie was refreshing to watch - Wonder Woman was able to create an engaging plot line without romance or sex that resulted in a great movie. Sex appeal played a practically non-existent because she was clothed as a normal woman would be and the audience could tell that she wasn't wearing intentionally revealing clothing, like many other heroes. In her next DC appearance in Justice League, Wonder Woman's relatively normal costume turned into a low hung bra and short skirt. The message shifted from a movie of empowerment that showed how women could be heroes to to trying to appeal to sexual desires of the audience.
However, the movie industry seems to be making progress. In Marvel, Captain Marvel is a great example of how a movie can bring the spotlight to a powerful woman. Unfortunately, the plot line was really predictable and just bad, but the fact that they made it in the first place shows progress. In Avengers Endgame, there was a scene of all of the woman heroes coming together to fight off Thanos's Army. Although the history of women in media has been degrading, the future looks bright.
Even certain franchises that began with good intentions have fallen into the cycle of misrepresentation. One example that illustrates this is Wonder Woman. The first movie was refreshing to watch - Wonder Woman was able to create an engaging plot line without romance or sex that resulted in a great movie. Sex appeal played a practically non-existent because she was clothed as a normal woman would be and the audience could tell that she wasn't wearing intentionally revealing clothing, like many other heroes. In her next DC appearance in Justice League, Wonder Woman's relatively normal costume turned into a low hung bra and short skirt. The message shifted from a movie of empowerment that showed how women could be heroes to to trying to appeal to sexual desires of the audience.
However, the movie industry seems to be making progress. In Marvel, Captain Marvel is a great example of how a movie can bring the spotlight to a powerful woman. Unfortunately, the plot line was really predictable and just bad, but the fact that they made it in the first place shows progress. In Avengers Endgame, there was a scene of all of the woman heroes coming together to fight off Thanos's Army. Although the history of women in media has been degrading, the future looks bright.
I definitely agree with your opinion on how women are not treated as dynamic characters with an actual personality. Movies portray women as being sexual objects, focusing heavily on their appearance and their appeal to men. However, I think it's hard to predict whether or not women's role in the media is going to improve in the future since it seems as if not much progress has been made in the past century. Some companies in the film industry have definitely worked towards a more wholesome portrayal of women in movies, but I think that many companies and film producers haven't changed their mindset at all, continuing to use their same approach to representing women. I think that if any change is going to occur, it must come from more than just a few of the film companies.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said, except when you go down to Captain Marvel. You state that the industry is making progress and I strongly disagree with that. Captain Marvel was awful and hurt the progress. It left a bad impact on the media community because there were awful reviews and which is also why she got yeeted so fast in End Game. I personally feel as if the media is going down because of this new forced diversity in Hollywood. My cousin is a screenwriter and told me at Thanksgiving that all of these diverse characters are just being forced into roles, instead of given roles that fit them. I believe the most important thing to do is bring in more diverse minds and keep the reviews in mind.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that the few character were women are protagonists they are usually objectified with little clothes. I think that we should take certain steps to prevent this from happening. Something that I would want to do is start with educating the new generation on the issues with women and how they are portrayed in the media because this same mentality of women as objects will keep on progressing. I think we are making good steps now with educating the younger generation.
ReplyDeleteWeakening the prevalence of specialized female leads is something I can definitely get behind. It’s almost as if the two cancel out, since giving women. Giving a woman the importance of a lead role but also objectifying them more than other female characters in the same movie pretty much just cancels it out. It’s unfortunate that Captain Marvel was one of the less-well-written marvel movies, and as a result she is one of the least-liked marvel heroes, but her lack of sexualization is promising for the future of women in leading roles.
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