Prejudice & Gender Discrimination against Women and Minorities in the film: Imitation of Life by John Stahn, 1934 & Douglas Sirk, 1959
The film Imitation of Life is anything but a domestic melodrama or romantic story that is portrayed in the article of Imitation of Life (John Stahl, 1934. Douglas Sirk, 1959: Style and the Domestic Melodrama, by Jeremy B. Butler. To begin, the film is a prime example of sexism and racial prejudice that ignited a political and social war between the sexes during the 1950s in the United States of America. Consequently, a representation stereotypical characters that commonly exist are featured in the film. The film features characters such as, the uneducated single black woman with an illegitimate, fatherless bi-racial child that refuses to acknowledge her black heritage, the glamorous, beautifully "talented" damsel in distress who suffered the death of a husband and is forced to raise her daughter alone and the dominating white male who rules over everything in the corporate and domestic world. Imitation of Life is a distinct representation of sexism and prejudice that is discretely among …show more content…
The film illustrates issues among the citizens in the country that lead to the beginning of the women’s rights movement in 1948. The first women’s right act occurred at a convention held in Seneca Falls, New York. Consequently, after two days of debate, 68 women and 32 men signed a Declaration of Sentiments which is described as twelve resolutions for equal treatment of women and men under the law and the voting rights of women. Contrary to belief, women in the past, present and future are essential to the change in the nation. Their opinions, inventions and ideas are just as, if not more important than the men in this country. Even today, women are the majority in earning degrees in higher education and are also leaders in religion, government, and the
The film Imitation of Life is anything but a domestic melodrama or romantic story that is portrayed in the article of Imitation of Life (John Stahl, 1934. Douglas Sirk, 1959: Style and the Domestic Melodrama, by Jeremy B. Butler. To begin, the film is a prime example of sexism and racial prejudice that ignited a political and social war between the sexes during the 1950s in the United States of America. Consequently, a representation stereotypical characters that commonly exist are featured in the film. The film features characters such as, the uneducated single black woman with an illegitimate, fatherless bi-racial child that refuses to acknowledge her black heritage, the glamorous, beautifully "talented" damsel in distress who suffered the death of a husband and is forced to raise her daughter alone and the dominating white male who rules over everything in the corporate and domestic world. Imitation of Life is a distinct representation of sexism and prejudice that is discretely among …show more content…
The film illustrates issues among the citizens in the country that lead to the beginning of the women’s rights movement in 1948. The first women’s right act occurred at a convention held in Seneca Falls, New York. Consequently, after two days of debate, 68 women and 32 men signed a Declaration of Sentiments which is described as twelve resolutions for equal treatment of women and men under the law and the voting rights of women. Contrary to belief, women in the past, present and future are essential to the change in the nation. Their opinions, inventions and ideas are just as, if not more important than the men in this country. Even today, women are the majority in earning degrees in higher education and are also leaders in religion, government, and the