Film reviews Interviews Athletes and Gender Biased situations Gender roles in Films Gender stereotypes Gender roles in the superhero industry
INSIGHT A LOOK AT GENDER IN THE MEDIA
September/ October edition
JAMES WALLWORK - EDITORS ARTICLE
Magazine Article
Common stereotypes in adverts
Gender bias in advertisements
Females:
In todays time the media has a large effect on our society. The reason being, that we have access to so much information and media. Thus companies should be able to benefit from these technological advancements right?
-All products must be pink
Companies advertise over the media using various platforms such as television, social media and magazines.
-The product should contain a flower or ‘girly’ item on
The problem with all this advertising is that over time it has generated more gender bias and some new stereotypes. It’s not like these stereotypes are new, many of them are old but adverts maintain them and keep it within our society. Companies began to advertise differently when they brought gender into the campaigns to make more money out of one product.
-If not pink, soft colours -The product is better suited for girls with smooth edges
-Females are only sexual objects for males -Women should clean, stay at home and do domestic work -All woman look for attention from males -Women are only product users and not in power
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Males: -Blue products are suited for guys alone -Action products are only for guys -The product with a square shape is for a guy
While it seems wrong, these companies can now sell the exact same product but with a split market. It’s not like these techniques are used because someone is cruel or has an idea to separate society into male and female. No, it is designed to make more money, which it does. It is so obvious that adverts are designed for a specific gender, and generally, we can spot it out after the idea is brought to us.
-Darker colours are only for guys -Men cannot buy women products and must stick to the product ‘made for them’ -Men must be muscular -Men should do all the physical work and be in power.
For example, an advert selling food generally has a half-dressed female to sell the product. Another is a car advert; the main character will be male while the female is on the side as another object in the ad. In so many ads we see the female being constructed as the stay at home gender doing domestic chores.
In just a few examples of stereotypes we get an idea of gender bias in the media. The companies are actually benefiting hugely by separating products into gender-appropriate products.
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The media has contributed to woman paying more money for certain ‘women only’ products, while men get charged less.
It is obvious that adverts create the idea that men and woman need to be separated. The reason that a large part of the world believes this is because they are exposed to it daily. TV’s and social media are a big part of peoples lives today; this is why the influence is so great.The media is a big thing, make sure you can identify when and where gender bias is being used as a tool for extra profits.
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- FILM REVIEW Title: “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) By James Wallwork Beauty and the Beast is a film played by Paige O’Hara (Belle), Robby Benson (beast), Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts) and David Ogden Stiers (Cogsworth). Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise directed this Disney animated film from the 90’s.
In the film, a prince magically becomes a beast after his arrogance leads an enchantress to use her powers against him. The beast must find love and earn it back as well, to return back to normal again. In the castle are four enchanted characters; Cogsworth the clock, Lumiere the candlestick, Mrs. Potts the teapot and her son Chip. 4
A young village girl named Belle is brought to the Beasts castle where her father Maurice is staying. The beast tries to get Belle to have a meal with him, but she refuses. The Beast eventually frightens Belle to the point that she leaves the castle into the wood. It is here when the Beast develops feelings for Belle after he fought for her against a pack of wolves. Gender roles have been strengthened throughout Disney movies for kids to learn from. In Beauty and the Beast a few gender roles are challenged.
Scale: 0-10 : 7.5 James Wallwork is a critic from Melkbosstrand; James goes to Parklands College Secondary School in parklands. He enjoys going out, playing sports and racing mountain bikes. James also surfs, body-boards and cycles. He enjoys living a balanced life with many aspects.
Belle is a nerdy girl who shows an independent side when she leaves her village. She rejects a rich, muscular and well-respected man from her town. Belle also challenges the gender stereotype that all girls are scared. Belle goes looking for her father late at night. The man who is after Belle turns out to be the bad guy, while the Beast who is seen as ugly turns out to be the right man for Belle. This is the first time where Disney sends the message that what is inside is more important than appearances. The film challenges certain Gender stereotypes and ideas constructed by the film industry in the past. The musical, family feeling the movie gives is great. In this sense, it is a brilliant movie for all types of people to enjoy.
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-Interview (fictional Interview) James Wallwork interviews Kathryn Bigelow, American director, producer and writer, about how gender roles have different job titles in the movie industry. James:
Good morning, Kathryn. Welcome and thank you for joining us today.
Kathryn: Thank you, James. James:
Kathryn, I understand that you are a director? In your opinion where
do you mostly see men and women in the film industry?
Kathryn: Well, James, in movies we see men playing the leadership roles while females play the emotional character. James: .
We all know about how gender roles are represented differently on TV but I want to find out more about what happens behind scenes? Do males dominate the filmmaking industry? Are women playing an active role in the production of films?
Kathryn: Men dominate the main jobs such as directors, writers and executive producers. We see women playing the more domestic roles off . scene. For example many women are hired for running kitchen tasks and being in charge of the food for staff. James:
So it is very obvious that women perform tasks suited for their gender stereotype of being the ‘mother’, am I correct?
Kathryn: That is spot on; it is rare to find women playing major roles in the filmmaking industry. James:
Would you say that overtime the situation has improved?
Kathryn: Yes, since movies started being produced in 1890 we have seen a big improvement. Over time we have seen a lot more women in movies and even creating films. James:
Thank you for joining us today Kathryn
Kathryn: Thank you James.
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Creative Work- Poem James Wallwork
Hey sexy Don’t you ever wear a smile With a rose on your lips That seducing frown in your eyes Such a mysterious beam I started to scroll down To know you even more Just to write this poem Something sexy about you Recently discovered What’s behind that glaring smile Nothing to be embarrassed Sexuality doesn’t matter Might hear a lot things Unfavorably unacceptable But nothing’s wrong So stay as you are- sexy! -Lei Strauss Throughout this poem we can see how women are portrayed as sexual objects to men. The poet states a gender stereotype that women always need to be happy and look good. “smile+rose” Men think they can have women when they want and that they sometimes are actually trying to “seduce” us by looking angry. Its shown once again that when a women says no men take it as a yes, a women playing hard to get. In the poem it then is said how the person looks down at the women and see her physical features which he can judge her off. What men see on the outside is how they get to know a women. 7
SEBASTIAN STEWART
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EDITORS ARTICLE
Gender bias in movies
Common stereotypes in movies:
In todays world we can see that media has a large effect on our worlds economy and society, due to the amount off access everyone has to social media, television, music videos etc.
Males
We can see that movies have broken down the barriers of stereotyping today, as it’s not only the girl who gets cheated on but also the boy who gets cheated on. It has improved a bit as not only young actresses are getting prominent roles but also the older and more experienced actors and actresses have roles to play in the movies. The movies though however do still show an unequal distribution of gender in today’s world as male actors still get the leading roles more than female actresses would. The role ratio in movies is unequal as there are more men to women roles or scenes during the movie.
•Most of the time is the leader/dominant in the movie. •A global fact ratio that for every 2.24 male characters there is 1 female character. •Play longer roles than women. The women either stand on the side or in the background. •The percentage difference of Men being employed behind the scenes is more than the women." •You’ll see that it’s always the man coming to save the women or the man helping the women. •More likely to be seen as judges, attorneys or doctors. •Want to be seen more as the stronger characters.
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Females •Younger, skinnier than older are chosen as to appear more appealing. •Some will have leading roles, but it will still end up where they’ll need the males help during the movie. •They play longer roles if they’re partially or fully naked.
We can see by these stereotypes that gender impurity takes place in films. Men are employed more than women, because they want to be seen as the stronger of characters and as leaders and dominants in movies. Not only for leading roles but to make money. We see in movies that men play longer parts or are seen either as doctors, attorneys or judges. The women either stand in the background or side.
•Women hardly get to portray hero characters as men always want to be seen as the stronger of the species for example batman, Spiderman, superman. •The movie avengers only contain one female character out of the 6 men. •Play a lot of plot roles in films but is still supported by a lot of men characters.
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mother. The brother then stays at his elder sister who moved out a while ago, but this supernatural entity still haunts and tries to torment the boy in the house of his sister. We can see by stereotypes, where men play a leading role in most of the times in movies, that the film lights out actually uses feminine lead roles throughout the movie as Teresa Palmer dominates most of the roles in the film.
FILM REVIEW Film: “lights out” By Sebastian Stewart The movie lights out is based on a story where a supernatural entity haunts and torments a family, holding a mysterious attachment to the mother. A young girl, the daughter in the story grows up facing this supernatural entity that appears only in the dark, she then moves out at an elderly age to get away from this supernatural entity, but it still stays attached to their mother and continues tormenting the brother as well as the mother. The brother ends up in a state where he is too afraid to sleep in his own house with his
•The Director: David Sandberg, he is well known for horror short films •Genre: The movie is based on a horror and thriller •Setting: The movie takes place in Denmark •Characterization: 1.Teresa palmer: played a role as Rebecca, the sister in the film. 2.Billy burkes: as Paul, the factory owner in the film. 3.Maria Bello|: as Sophie, the mother in the story, who had a mental health history. 4.Gabriel Bateman: as Martin, the father in the film. 5.Lotta losten: as Esther, 6,Alexander Dipersia: as Bret, Rebecca’s boyfriend in the film. •Plot: consists of a family being tormented by this supernatural entity. •Conclusion and suitability: In the end the mother risks her life to keep the brother and sister safe as well as to let Diana the supernatural entity leave their family alone. My judgment and rating: I thought it was a very good thriller and horror as the trailer captured my attention and the film managed to scare me realistically. The scenes were very realistic and had a good story line towards the film. Rating 0-10 :7 10
Interview David Sandberg interviews Teresa Palmer the actress in lights out, about the typecast in the film. (fictional Interview) David:
Good day Teresa, how did the casting go about for the movie?
Teresa:
Good day David, it went well. I managed to be selected for many scenes in the movie as well as play a leading role.
David:
That’s good to hear. If I may ask, did you at any time feel that there was gender inequality used in this movie?
Teresa:
To be honest with you even though I played the leading role in the movie, I did feel that in this movie feminism was used more than masculinity, but most of the time we did experience fair gender roles in the film.
David:
All right fine, and what did you think about the atmosphere throughout the movie?
Teresa:
I thought the atmosphere was scary myself being in the movie and I think it actually attracted many people to watch the film, as it was a good movie from my perspective.
David:
I myself think it’s a great movie and would like to thank you for giving us Information about the film.
Teresa:
It’s a pleasure; I look forward to hearing from you again In the future. 11
Creative Work -Sebastian Stewart
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SKY JOHNSON
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EDITORS ARTICLE
Gender In superhero movies/series From a very young age I have always been a very big DC comic and Marvel fan. When I was younger I used to watch superhero movies because of the action and the cool costumes, but now, that I have matured I watch the movies because of the plot. As I matured I noticed a few things about the movies that have a lot to do with gender. I have realized that there are a lot more male superheroes than female superheroes. If you are a big DC comic/Marvel fan you would notice that all male characters wear costumes that are very tight and not revealing at all. This is because they are trying to keep their identity while still showing they have a lot muscle to implicate that they are very dominant. Have you ever noticed that all female superhero costumes are incredibly revealing? Unlike the male characters, the females portray a more sexual ‘vibe’ with them. Don’t misunderstand me though, the female superheroes still display women as being independent and strong and they still teach younger girls how to be brave.
Some will argue that they give the female characters those revealing costumes because it attracts more male attention. In my opinion it is actually a marketing scheme. Although brining in female superhero characters did help a lot with regards to gender equality, I still believe these companies can do a xiii
lot more to better the standard of gender equality in superhero movies. I strongly believe that DC comics/Marvel should show that a women can still ‘save the day’ without wearing something revealing. I also strongly believe that they should introduce a lot of new female characters, but characters that focus on gender equality, discipline, integrity and most importantly being independent and not so much on looking good. Some may argue that this will result in male fans not wanting to buy the movies but I argue that this will attract a lot more female fans of all ages.
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In the movie nearly all male characters are part of some sort of sport and all female characters are either very docile or submissive. Jake was previously a high school football player and is now an MMA fighter, Ryan is a MMA fighter and Charlie is a tennis player. Leslie hope (jake's mom) is a single mother who earns a very little income and is very domestic at home. Baja (jake’s crush) is a very attractive girl. You see in one scene where Ryan is very aggressive with her and she doesn’t stand up for herself but decides to be submissive instead. I don’t think the director of this movie meant for there to be so many different gender roles. To be honest I didn’t even notice it until I started to analyze the movie properly. rating: 0-10 :9
FILM REVIEW Film: “Never Back Down” By Sky Johnson Never back down is an action movie that was set in Orlando Florida and released in 2009. The movie involves a troubled teen by the name of Jake who moves to Orlando Florida where he meets the antagonist of the movie, an MMA fighter by the name of Ryan. After Ryan humiliates him in a fight, Jake joins a MMA gym where he learns many life lessons.
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Interview Sky interviews Margot Robbie who plays Harley Quinn from suicide squad about how her character is portrayed in the film. (fictional Interview) Sky: Margot:
Hello Margot Robbie thanks so much for coming in today! Hello there! Only a pleasure!
Sky:
I have recently just watched your new movie Suicide Squad, great movie! Can you tell us more about that?
Margot:
Glad you enjoyed it! It was great to star in such an exceptional movie, there’s just one problem. I don’t like how the director made me dress up in that very revealing costume.
Sky:
But its part of the character?
Margot:
You see that’s just why I have an issue with it. I want people to comment about how I portrayed the character not on how good I Looked. I felt more like a prostitute than a villain.
Sky:
I never thought of it from that point of view.
Margot: Sky:
It frustrates me because I worked so hard to play this character. I spent months researching and work shopping this role and after all my hard work I only got recognized for my revealing costume and my seductive approach to the film. You make a very valid point! That’s all the time we have today, thanks for joining us Margot Robbie.
Margot:
It was my pleasure being here!
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Creative Task -Sky Johnson Written Poem We’re all the same but we’re all unique in our own way why do men get a higher wage? why at the home is where the women must stay? society has us confused. they have made humanity change. There will be no freedom until we’re equal
The world is a mean dark place But us trying to discriminate another gender or race Is nothing less than a disgrace The world needs to wake up and try To understand the fact and come to realize That one day we’re all going to die So lets leave this world with love for everyone in our lives.
that fact will never change - Sky Johnson
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KEEGAN BARNARD
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EDITORS ARTICLE
GENDER BIAS AFFECTED ATHLETES? Champion athletes such as Caster Semenya and tennis super star Serena Williams have both been faced with scrutiny about their body image in the media. The terminology for gender is society’s view of how men and women should behave and look and what roles they should play so gender testing is not the term that should be used in this case. It should be a case of sex testing. Well known South African sports science expert, Professor Tim Noakes says the only thing that should be questioned is whether there is an “unfair advantage” so you should then ask whether the person concerned is a man masquerading as a woman or not and this could be established by a
simple physical examination in the usual Doctor / Patient domain and not within the public domain. Instead of questioning their testosterone levels, we should be celebrating the amazing athletes, which they are. Caster Semenya is an accomplished athlete not because of her testosterone levels but because of how extremely hard she works to achieve the best position she could possibly achieve. She is only seen differently from other peoples view and what they think of her there is nothing wrong with her body, shape or size. Tennis Champion Serena Williams is in the same situation as Caster Semenya both athletes just cant be accepted by the people for what they are, which is athletes! Serena Williams works extremely hard to get to where she is today and the people in this world don’t make their lives any easier by
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questioning whether they deserve what they have accomplished. They work just as hard as other athletes and deserve all the success they achieve! Unfortunately, the media breaks down a person with gender bias and makes everything they have achieved take second place. These woman are in fact winners and there must be no questions about these athletes. They should be applauded for what they have achieved already and be treated just like any regular athlete.
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He is portrayed as a washed up bum sitting around and drinking his way through each day. His main switch where he shows his true personality is when people call him an asshole this is when he really shows what an asshole he can be, He is portrayed as the strongest man that there is and he believes that he is the only one with this super hero ability until he discovers that this is in fact not the truth! He gets close to a family where the father believes in Hancock and knows that he can change for the better the son idolizes Hancock and loves anything he does, this is where the movie takes a turn for the worst when he realizes that the wife (Charlize Theron) has the same power and strength as Hancock but she is portrayed as much stronger more intelligent.
FILM REVIEW Film: “Hancock� By Keegan Barnard
We later find out that the wife and Hancock were once a couple but this had to end because when they were together both their powers would hurt each other and when they were together they would slowly but surely become weaker and weaker this is where the wife made the decision to leave Hancock forever to keep them both safe, this shows the audience once again that women are stronger than men and that they make all the decisions. Rating 0-10 : 8.5
Hancock is a 2008 superhero movie it’s a comedy drama film directed by Peter Berg and starring Will Smith as the main character Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman and Eddie Marsan. John Hancock being the superhero he is has his faults just as any regular person, he just happens to rely on alcohol.
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Interview (fictional Interview) Keegan Barnard interviews Caster Semenya in connection with Gender Media and it’s bias
Keegan: It’s great to see that you haven’t allowed gender bias to affect you and I wish you all the best in your sporting career. Caster: Thank you so much.
Keegan: Good morning Caster, thank you for giving me your time today. Caster: Good morning Keegan, it’s a pleasure. Keegan: How did you get into running? Caster: I was training for soccer and started running to keep fit. Keegan: What have been your greatest achievements? Caster: In 2012 I was awarded South African Sportswoman of the Year Award at the SA Sports Awards in Sun City Keegan: That’s fantastic and what have you been awarded at the various events in which you competed? Caster : I won gold in the women’s 800 meters at the 2009 World Championships and the 2012 Summer Olympics. I also won a gold medal in the 800 meter event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. However, after my excitement at the 2009 World Championships, I was withdrawn from competition until 6 July 2010 for gender testing so this affected my career somewhat. Keegan: How did this make you feel? Caster: The gender debate is a joke. It doesn’t upset me. God made me the way I am and I accept myself. I am who I am and I’m proud of myself. 21
Creative Task -Keegan Barnard This poem is written by Dipiti Kulkarni. It is about forced abortion and gender bias in India as girls are seen to have a lesser value than boys. If a mother finds out that the baby is a girl she will either have an abortion or be forced to have an abortion. The poem “Save Girl” is about the depression a mother goes through when having to make the decision to abort her girl-child. The first four paragraphs are written from the unborn child’s perspective as she can feel her mother’s emotions. The last paragraph is the mother’s sad reply.
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Sources
Music videos
Articles on Gender bias in general
https://psupopculture.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/disc rimination-towards-women-in-music-videos/
http://msmagazine.com/blog/2011/02/10/why-theres-g ender-bias-in-media-and-what-we-can-do-about-it/ http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-exam ples-of-gender-bias-you-may-encounter-in-the-workpl ace/
https://prezi.com/v-h5gf0-9ydn/social-change-genderroles-in-musicmusic-videos/ http://www.aauw.org/2014/08/08/videos-battling-stere otypes/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/20-m ustknow-facts-about-g_b_5869564.html
https://www.buzzfeed.com/lilyhiottmillis/8-times-wom en-played-with-gender-roles-in-their-music-videos
http://www.vox.com/2016/4/9/11393674/gender-in-filmdialogue-survey
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/547787/is-music-s till-a-male-dominated-industry-we-ask-the-women-wo rking-in-it.html
Superheroes: http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/11/female-charact ers-superhero-films/ http://www.plarko.com/comics/female-superheroes-s uperpower-gender-gap/ http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Big-Problem-WithFemale-Superheroes-According-Jessica-Chastain-85 837.html https://netivist.org/debate/women-in-comic-books
Advertisements http://socialpsychonline.com/2015/08/culture-genderstereotyping-advertising/ http://www.genderfoodculture.com/tag/gender-bias-a nd-sexism-in-advertising/ http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/05/women-in-advertisin g-talk-about-gender-bias.html http://www.careerride.com/view.aspx?id=12311 23
Poetry http://www.poetrysoup.com/poems/gender Pictures https://www.google.co.za/search?q=gender+bias+in+ advertising&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=868&source=lnm s&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC5bCEoebOAhUsI 8AKHYMaDzgQ_AUIBigB&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=gen der+bias+in+advertising+stats&imgrc=G9jq7yVHl4xC _M%3A https://www.google.co.za/search?q=gender+bias+in+ advertising&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=868&source=lnm s&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC5bCEoebOAhUsI 8AKHYMaDzgQ_AUIBigB&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=gen der+bias+in+advertising+stats https://www.google.co.za/search?q=gender+bias+in+ advertising&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=868&source=lnm s&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC5bCEoebOAhUsI 8AKHYMaDzgQ_AUIBigB&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=gen der+bias+
https://www.google.co.za/search?q=gender+bias+in+ advertising&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=868&source=lnm s&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC5bCEoebOAhUsI 8AKHYMaDzgQ_AUIBigB&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=gen der+bias+in+superheroes https://www.google.co.za/search?q=gender+bias+in+ advertising&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=868&source=lnm s&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC5bCEoebOAhUsI 8AKHYMaDzgQ_AUIBigB&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=gen der+bias+&imgrc=TEw6si5xSBURmM%3A cover photo https://www.google.co.za/search?q=gender+bias+in+ advertising&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=868&source=lnm s&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC5bCEoebOAhUsI 8AKHYMaDzgQ_AUIBigB&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=gen der+bias+&imgdii=vitaHo3KUsg6NM%3A%3BvitaHo3 KUsg6NM%3A%3BoyLSaCQEAPJUvM%3A&imgrc=vi taHo3KUsg6NM%3A
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