Read the assigned readings below before proceeding with this assignment. You should always take notes as you work through the content, perhaps using a note-t

Read the assigned readings below before proceeding with this assignment. You should always take notes as you work through the content, perhaps using a note-taker like this oneLinks to an external site.. Save your notes in a dedicated folder for this class. 

• "Media"Links to an external site.from Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies by Kang et al.
• "The Bechdel Test for Women in Movies"Links to an external site. (video)
• "The Good Wife"  Download "The Good Wife"by Morgan Jerkins

Media Part 1: Mass Media (TV and Film)

The stories we grow up with play a huge part in how we see ourselves and the world, and how we see ourselves in the world. As an elder millennial, TV and movies of the 90s had an immense impact on my worldview–with all the Lisa SimpsonsLinks to an external site., Jessie SpanosLinks to an external site. and Kat StratfordsLinks to an external site. that I gravitated to in a media landscape where most female characters couldn't pass Kelly Sue DeConnick's "sexy lamp test"Links to an external site. and most movies didn't pass the Bechdel test. In other words, it was a mass media landscape full of female characters without agency, but with a few very strong female characters developed in response.

Above is a photo of comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick with a quote defining what she calls the "sexy lamp test": "If you can take a female character out and replace her with a sexy lamp and your plot still functions, then f*ck you."

These days, our media experiences are highly siloed by algorithms and personalized streaming recommendations, so there aren't as many shows/movies with such a wide audience, with everyone seemingly watching the same things. Now, there are many more options for people to see themselves represented, which is great progress! Yet, these silos may make it likelier that viewers will gravitate only to stories in which they already see themselves, perhaps limiting the scope of empathy that TV/movies have the opportunity to provide.

Representation Matters

If you can remember any character from TV and film, or even a video game or a book, who had an impact on you, then you know the power of representation. Representation matters. It's important for all of us to see ourselves represented (and represented positively, and with complexity) in the stories of our culture.

Here's a famous example of the lasting impact of media representation: Actress Whoopi Goldberg expressed this when she famously told the story about Nichelle Nichols as Uhura on Star Trek in the 1960s. Whoopi explained that she saw someone who looked like her on TV, and that was when she knew she could be anything she wanted.

If embedded images are not showing up for you, view the image of Uhura and Whoopi on this Google DocLinks to an external site

When Nichelle Nichols portrayed Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek beginning in 1966, it was a truly groundbreaking role. Just two years before this, racial segregation was legal in the U.S., yet the show portrayed a racially diverse utopian future that included a Black woman in a leadership role.

However, Nichols  considered leaving the show to pursue her dream of performing on Broadway, but she was famously persuaded to stay on the show by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr himself, who argued that Nichols was doing the work of the Civil Rights movement by continuing to portray the character. Nichols talks about the experience in this video; watching it is optional:

 A few years ago, comedian Leslie Jones famously told Whoopi Goldberg Links to an external site.of being influencedLinks to an external site. by her work–and it's very similar to how Goldberg was impacted by Nichols. Representation matters, and the impact of change has a snowball effect! 

 Objectification

In examining gendered portrayals in film, it's helpful to consider objectification–which is exactly what it sounds like: making someone into an object rather than a subject, a person. Often, female characters in media are objectified by being overly sexualized; they exist in media to look pretty and serve as objects of desire for male characters, and for the perspective of the (heterosexual, usually white) male gaze.

In Kelly Sue DeConnick's "sexy lamp test," above, what she illustrates is that female characters are often portrayed as objects, rather than full human subjects with agency of their own.

Of course, we live in an intersectional world, so there is a racialized component to this concept as well.

Kang et al describe objectification as follow:

"cutting apart their bodies with the camera frame and re-crafting their bodies through digital manipulation in order to create feminized bodies with characteristics that are largely unattainable by the majority of the population. Kilbourne shows how advertising often values the body types and features of white women—having petite figures and European facial features—while often exoticizing women of color by putting them in 'nature' scenes and animal-print clothing that are intended to recall a pre-civilizational past. The effect of this is to cast women of color as animalistic, savage creatures—a practice that has historically been used in political cartoons and depictions of people of color to legitimate their subjugation as less than human. In addition, media depict the world from a masculine point of view, representing women as sex objects."

The Male Gaze

Objects are passive, so objectification is often discussed alongside the concepts of the male gaze–being gazed at (or looked at), rather than doing the gazing, is also passive–a characteristic traditionally associated with femininity.

The male gaze is a term stemming from visual arts to explain the way in which women in visual media are often presented in a way that appeals to a (heterosexual, usually white) male perspective.

Kang et al. describe the male gaze as follows: "This kind of framing, what Laura Mulvey called the male gaze, encourages men viewers to see women as objects and encourages women to see themselves as objects of men’s desire; the male gaze is thus a heterosexual male gaze."

For an example, consider the two images below that portray gazing vs. being the object of someone else's gaze. Batman on the left looks straight into the camera. He is centered in the frame, and he looks strong and powerful. We see him looking at us, the viewers, and we can see that he has determination and strength. Batman on the right is portrayed the way female superheroes have often historically been portrayed: he is presented as an object to be looked at, rather than as a subject with goals and desires of his own. His costume is impractical for fighting crime, instead showing off his body to viewers. The leaning, off-center stance makes him look like he could easily fall over, rather than grounding himself for strength or preparing to take action. Batman on the left exhibits active agency–the ability to make things happen, to be the catalyst of the action. Batman on the right, while probably perfectly capable of active agency, is presented in a way that centers the viewers' desires, rather than his own. Thus, he is presented as a passive recipient of the viewers' gaze, rather than looking like he is preparing to take action.

If embedded images are not showing up for you, find the Batman images on this Google Doc.Links to an external site.

Hegemonic Masculinity and Emphasized Femininity

The male gaze thus reinforces gender expectations, or what we could call hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity. Kang et al describe how we internalize messages about gender and sexuality from Disney films and other media representations from our childhood.

They also note that: "specifically, [these media portrayals] teach children to value hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity. Hegemonic masculinity refers to a specific type of culturally-valued masculinity tied to marriage and heterosexuality and patriarchal authority in the family and workplace, and maintains its privileged position through subordinating other less dominant forms of masculinity (i.e., dominance over men of lower socioeconomic classes or gay men). Emphasized femininity, meanwhile, refers to a compliance with the normative ideal of femininity, as it is oriented to serving the interests of men (Connell 1987)."

In reinforcing these gender expectations, media representations can also influence our understanding of sex and sexuality through sexual scripts, or cultural guidelines about how people are "supposed" to think and feel in regard to sex (as in sex acts and sexual desire). You'll learn more about sexual scripts in a later lecture.

Symbolic Annihilation

With the camera lens focused on the (white, heterosexual) male gaze, identities who don't suit that narrative are often left out completely–or portrayed only through the lens of the male gaze. Kang et al call this "symbolic annihilation."

They note that: "Symbolic annihilation refers to how social groups that lack power in society are rendered absent, condemned, or trivialized through mass media representations that simultaneously reinforce dominant ideologies and the privilege of dominant groups. For example, as we argued earlier, gay and lesbian, as well as transgender and disabled characters in mass media are often few and when they are present they are typically stereotyped and misrepresented."

Media Recommendations

This is optional, but if you'd like, share a movie or TV show that you believe positively portrays gender or defies stereotypes of a particular group. Write a few words about why you like it.

You can share on this Padlet Links to an external site.(again, this is optional):

Media Part 2: Social Media

These days, the media landscape is heavily influenced by social media, even for those who don't use it, as it influences which TV shows and films become popular (and even which news stories get traction). It has even become a form of entertainment on its own, with many of us experiencing entertainment primarily as a solitary experience on our phones, rather than the shared experience of watching TV or a movie together, and that solitary experience is particularly tailored for each user, as algorithms feed us content to keep our attention as long as possible.

It is difficult to analyze gender on social media in a class like this, as trends move fast and users experience it differently based on their age and other factors. However, the "trad wife" trend has become so popular that it has made its way outside of social media and into the culture.

Reflect on how the article, "The Good Wife,"  Download The Good Wife,"illustrates how the trad wife trend reinforces emphasized femininity and hegemonic masculinity.

Key Terms/Concepts

As you move through the course, take notes on your copy of the Key Terms/Concepts spreadsheetLinks to an external site..

Key Terms/Concepts in this lecture or readings:

• objectification
• the male gaze
• hegemonic masculinity
• emphasized femininity
• symbolic annihilation

Engage in Discussion

First Post – Due Wednesday

Answer one of the questions below in a response of 200 words or more. Make sure to use the key terms in your analysis.

1. Consider a character you've observed and analyze their portrayal of gender. It can be a character from a TV show, a movie, or even a video game, comic book, or book. Apply at least one of the key terms from this lecture in your analysis. For example, you could discuss how a character was portrayed for the male gaze (or challenged it by exhibiting agency), or how a character was or was not objectified. Other examples: You could discuss how a male character challenged hegemonic masculinity by being portrayed outside of traditional masculine expectations, or how his portrayal reinforced them. Or, you could discuss how an LGBTQ+ character's portrayal did or did not challenge symbolic annihilation. You'll need to describe the character and be specific about how the character illustrates the concept you are analyzing.
2. Choose a social media trend you've observed, like trad wife, or another trend you've noticed or come across. Discuss how this trend does or does not reinforce hegemonic masculinity and/or emphasized femininity, or gender expectations more generally. (It's ok if the trend doesn't have a name; you can just describe what you've noticed. For example, I have a young child, and I've noticed a trend where moms portray boys as rambunctious and girls as quiet and well-behaved.) Be specific in describing what you see and how the concept applies.