Male Gender Identity Through Films

Decent Essays
Week 7 Assign. 1 Sample Student Research Paper LEE (805-25)

In an observation study of male gender identity through films, Mrs. Clara Lee states that, "one must never underestimate the power of film makers in any era to interpret their material with their own contemporary vision" (812). I agree with this statement, as each person can pour their own views/emotions into the portrayal of a character. Humans are affected by their own experiences and environment, so I believe that no vision is the same. Say for example, a director does not know what it is like to throw a punch. Thus, the director might exaggerate the noise or the damage done by punching compared to someone that has experienced it. Mrs. Lee’s quote does not need rephrasing, however,

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The article “Poste-Princess Models of Gender: The New Man in Disney/Pixar” by Gillam and Wooden uses great examples to show how the views on masculinity is changing. In the article, they talk about ‘emasculation of the alpha male’, which is when you deprive a man of his role. In they describe a man’s masculinity using moves such as toy story, little mermaid, the Incredibles, etc. They talked about how Buzz Lightyear and his companion Sheriff Woody see themselves based “on a masculine model of competition and power” (Gillam and Wooden, 2008). They do this by using their desire to be the “favorite toy” (Gillam and Wooden, 2008).…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Masculinity In Superbad

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Superbad, one of the most iconic bromance films of all time. When asked what this movie is about, many say two things; at first glance, on the surface it seems like this film is all about going through hell just to get laid and to get alcohol, but I’d argue that there is a deeper part of the story, it is about two bros dealing with some “relationship problems”. Those two bros are Seth and Evan. Seth and Evan have been life long friends and are now coming to the end of their senior year of high school and are preparing for college life. The only problem is that they are both going to different colleges, and are experiencing some separation anxiety as if they were in a romantic relationship.…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In Understanding Film Theory, queer theory is defined as: ”An approach to social and cultural study which seeks to challenge or deconstruct traditional ideas of sexuality and gender, esp. the acceptance of heterosexuality as normative and the perception of a rigid dichotomy of male and female traits. ”1…

    • 47 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Binary gender roles, and their perceived differences, are very prevalent in most cinema, but perhaps none are so stark and telling as those in torture porn. In his article, “The Problem of Saw: ‘Torture Porn’ and the Conservatism of Contemporary Horror Films”, Christopher Sharrett describes the role of the predatory captor as it relates to gender.1 Males almost always occupy the role, playing the part of vigilante as a “cruel but necessary father” who believes it is his duty to teach his moralities to his victims (34). Lockwood also points out voyeurism as a key characteristic of male captors, drawing attention to the focus the films give to the captor spying on the intended victim before their capture in some torture porn films (43).2 When…

    • 228 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gender Issues In Film

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The law is a hot profession to depict in Hollywood. We can all recall countless movies focused on the legal field. Hollywood has a tendency to exaggerate situations and only cast the most beautiful specimen. However, films do have a tendency to bring to light the issues of a layperson. Films such as Legally Blonde, Erin Brockocich, and The Verdict feature women in the legal field.…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gender Roles In The Film '

    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This movie is about a teenage girl named Jess, short form for Jesminder, who grew up in England. She was always passionate in football since a young age, and David Beckham has always been her number one inspiration. Her number one dream is to become a well-known football player one day. Jess befriends a British girl named Jules. Both of them share the love of football in common, and they both have mothers who disapproves of them playing football.…

    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Title 1 Title 2 Disney movies are created to capture the imagination of kids. At a young age Disney movies are seen to be cheerful and inspiring, but as you get older, these movies seem to portray certain standards that they want all kids to meet. Deborah Ross states in “Escape from Wonderland: Disney and the Female Imagination” that Disney portrays a very sexist view against women in movies and seeks control to their imaginations.…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Growing up as a child, it is typical to be introduced to Disney movies early on. These films are fun, inspiring, musical, and often valuable when it comes to teaching certain lessons. However, these movies might not always display gender or culture the accurate way. In Disney’s movie Mulan, the song and footage “I’ll Make a Man Out of You,” depicts society’s views of masculinity. However, the film was released in 1998 and is based around Chinese culture during an early dynasty.…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Femininity In Films

    • 1330 Words
    • 6 Pages

    For this paper I am going to be discussing gender in the institution of films. Specifically I am going to be discussing masculinity and femininity in coming of age films. I am going to discuss how gender is represented in coming of age films and what it means to “come of age “ in regards to both masculinity and femininity. Coming of age movies set an expectation for teens and young adults it lays out what they should fear and what they should thrive to be in order to transition to adulthood successfully. The media defines cultural and gender norms that are often very stereotypical ().…

    • 1330 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Over the years, Disney has shaped and reshaped the image of masculinity through its films. Disney’s portrayal of what masculinity should be has shifted from “knights in shining armor” to “scoundrels turned hero”. The manly, tough “alpha male” has been replaced by the sensitive and considerate “beta male.” “The phrase ‘alpha male’ may stand for all things stereotypically patriarchal: unquestioned authority, physical power and social dominance, competitiveness for positions of status and leadership, lack of visible or shared emotion, social isolation” (Gillam and Wooden 472). Values, morals, and integrity have become the new focus of masculinity, which are all the basis of the “beta male.”…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    ‘Where woman are investigated, men are tested. Masculinity, as an ideal, at least, is implicitly known. Femininity is by contrast a mystery” ( Neale,1993:19) Neale suggests here that there is a norm male perspective and look in visual media, that we have become so accustom to that we don’t question or explore the idea that masculinity is a construction. When is comes to discussing gender as a construction in visual media the female image which has been the main topic investigated by academics, the constructed norm of what it is to be masculine both inside and outside of visual media is rarely discussed.…

    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Media And Gender Identity

    • 1764 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Media plays a vital role in todays society .It serves the masses with the information that is political,social and economic,helps to shape our point of view of the deepest values : tells us who we should consider as positive or negative,good or bad. Media too plays an indispensable role in educating the masses on the important issues that happens nowadays all around the world. They are partly responsible of how we behave ,think,feel,of what we fear and what we think is right or wrong ,and for that media are powerful and unavoidable. In the middle of all the information and misinformation provided by the media ,one notably harmful representation is that of female and male roles in everyday life. The power that media has when in comes to shaping…

    • 1764 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hey guys! Diana here, and today I want to discuss the importance of representation. Only in recent years have queer characters and relationship wiggled onto the big screen. After decades of the queer community being shoved aside for straight story lines, we are finally starting to see our own blossoming in the limelight. But it isn't all sunshine and rainbows (pardon the pun).…

    • 1564 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The article, ‘Film Bodies: Gender, Genre & Excess’1 by Linda Williams explores whether the forms of sex, violence and emotion found in the genres of pornography, horror, and melodrama (specifically the woman’s weepie) respectively, are as gratuitous as my film scholars and critics believe them to be. Setting out to disprove this idea, Williams’ investigates and compares the form, function, and system of the three genres. Ultimately, William’s central claims reveal the value in the supposed excess of these three genres that benefit a spectator in a variety of ways. Seeking to argue her idea, Williams’ firstly uncovers why elements of these genres are regularly deemed as excessive. This is presented with the contrast of Classic Hollywood and…

    • 1465 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    In Mardistan, filmmaker Harjant Gill presents what it is like to be male in Indian society. The men in the film live in a patriarchy, defined by Dr. Conrad Phillip Kottak as a “political system ruled by men in which women have inferior social and political status” (Kottak, p.168). Whereas patriarchal thought is still prevalent in numerous aspects of Western culture, it is made more explicit in India, where males are given preference in education and family responsibilities, and families have the option to abort female babies. In such a society, male supremacy embodies the power of men over women, as well as older men over younger men. Furthermore, society expects men to be alpha men, and the smallest thing can shake the fragility of the alpha…

    • 1529 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays