Feminist Theory

 1) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?

Pan Am- Men stare at the female characters (stewardesses)

Beyoncé- rubs her body while looking at the camera which lead to objectification 

2) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?

I believe it’s still sexism as even though the women are seen to have more power they’re still be objectified by the men. 

3) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.

Male Gaze - The gaze referring to Laura Mulvey's seminal article Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema which argues that main stream Hollywood films subject female characters to the 'male gaze' of the camera, fragmenting and objectifying their bodies.

Feminism - A movement aimed at defining, establishing, and defending women's rights

and equality to men.

Patriarchy - An ideology that places men in a

dominant position over women.

Now read The Theory Drop: Gender Performativity (MM69, page 25) and answer the following questions.

1) How does the writer suggest gender performativity is established from a young age?

They get put into clothing with slogans that enforce everyday sexism which sets a standard for them and how they should behave. Boys are told they can be disruptive and wild whereas girls are taught to be kind and caring. 

2) What does the phrase 'non-binary' refer to and how does it link to Butler's theory?

Someone who is non binary doesn't associate themselves with either gender. This could link to Butlers theory as people who are non binary perform in a way to show that they are almost a mixture of the different genders by performing in ways associated with both.

3) How and why does the media help reinforce gender stereotypes? The writer provides several examples in the final section of the article.

Gender stereotypes are useful for simplifying narratives and making it easier for the audience to understand the characters. This helps make media successful as it aligns with audience expectations and allows them to relate to the product/characters within it.

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

This contributes to Butlers idea as in the video beyoncé uses stereotypical roles of a woman in the past and costumes which align with stereotypical gender roles which shows that gender isn’t something we’re born with it’s something that is taught and these behaviours are enforced by repetition through history. 

2) What might van Zoonen suggest regarding the representation of women in this video?

Van Zoonen might say that his theory about women being sexualised and objectified is true as in the video we see how beyoncé uses revealing clothing and movements to gain the attention of the viewer which also links to mulveys theory on the male gaze suggesting that omen in media are simply there to be looked at.

3) What are YOUR views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ and oppression of women? 

I believe beyoncé doesnt empower women in her music video as she still objectifies herself and makes it seem like she’s putting herself into jobs that’s align with common sexual stereotypes such as the stereotype that women are meant to stay at home and chase men because men are “breadwinners”.

1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?

In the video he uses humour/comedy to subvert from the long established stereotypes of “tough men”. He also shows confidence but in a way that doesn’t make it seem that he believes he is dominant or better than everyone because of his gender.

2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?

He says that over the last 20 years there has been an increase in the diversity of representation of men and the new idea of men being able to focus on their appearance without being attacked/judged by society. 

3) What is YOUR view on the representation of men and masculinity? Are young men still under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way?

I believe the media is still pressuring men to act/behave a certain way as they see videos of young men on social media which make them believe they need to act a certain way to fit into society which also leads to bullying. I do also believe that society and media is more accepting of men behaving in different ways and subverting from societal norms in their own unique ways. 

Introduction to Feminism

 1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?

Laura Bates started her program because she realised that the experiences she was having were not isolated incidences and they were common amongst other women, she rightfully believed this was wrong and wanted more women to be able to share their experiences and feel like they weren't alone and had a place to go to where they could see how other women felt and dealt with these situations.

2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?

The everyday sexism project disproves the idea that post feminism is currently happening. This is because if women have to fear what could happen to them every time they leave the house because of men then they haven't actually achieved all the goals of feminism as they're not being treated the same as men. 

3) Why was new technology essential to the success of the Everyday Sexism project?

New technology such as social media is key to the development and growth of the project as without social media it wouldn't have reached people globally and would be limited to only a certain audience so her message couldn't be amplified to the level it should be.

4) Will there be a point in the future when the Everyday Sexism project is not required? What is YOUR view on the future of feminism?

I don't believe so, every time I leave the house I witness a form of sexism and there have been numerous incidents which I've witnessed or had to get involved in where men were making a woman feel uncomfortable which I believe will never change because men are strange. I believe the project is needed not just for women but for men too. Men need to be educated as to why this behaviour isn't normal and how it can impact someone and hopefully some men will be inspired to step in and help in a situation where its necessary and potentially try and educate the man as to why what they're doing is wrong.

1) Summarise the questions in the first two sub-headings: What is networked feminism? Why is it a problem?

Networked feminism is driving the new fourth wave of feminism, it is the idea that feminists are using social networks to promote feminist ideas and connect with women across the world to help share heir stories and realise that what is happening is not right. It is a problem as 

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave of ‘networked feminism’? 

The four waves of feminsim are: 

First wave-legal rights such as right to vote 

Second wave- equal rights and equal pay

Third wave- post feminism

Fourth wave- Digital feminism 

I agree that were in a fourth wave, the media is flooded with women sharing their experiences and using cancel culture to prevent sexism in the media or expose people for their sexist crimes/acts which is bringing light to the fact that were not in a post-feminist world and feminism is still necessary despite the major improvements made in the past.

3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a short summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.

Everyday sexism is a website created by Laura Bates who decided that there was still a need for feminism, people just didn't realise it enough as they saw sexist acts as just a normal thing that happens to everyone so they didn't want to question it. The website helped them realise these things were wrong and needed to be discussed more.

4) What is your opinion with regards to feminism and new/digital media? Do you agree with the concept of a 'fourth wave' of feminism post-2010 or are recent developments like the Everyday Sexism project merely an extension of the third wave of feminism from the 1990s?

16) Media Regulation

1) What is regulation and why do media industries need to be regulated?

Regulation is the rules that are put in place to make the media industry more fair and set standards as to what is permissible (e.g. ensuring people are paid for their work or ensuring the correct audience is being allowed to see specific products). This is necessary for media industries as it prevents the spread of harmful or misleading media. This was supported in the fact sheet by the video “Nasties” which was considered unsafe for children but was still accessible by them as the industry lacked regulation in 1984.  

2) What is OFCOM responsible for?

OFCOM is responsible for regulating media, providing licensing and handling complaints about broadcasting/programmes.

3) Look at the section on the OFCOM broadcasting code. Which do you think are the three most important sections of the broadcasting code and why?

Protecting children - Young children are easily mislead and seeing things unfit for their viewing can have a greater impact on their minds and possibly impact the way their brain develops.

Impartiality - Ensuring that the media is impartial is extremely important as it helps prevent bias/fake news which leads to misinformed viewers.

Harm and Offence - This is useful as we live in a society where people constantly look for reasons to be offended. This also prevents truly harmful/offensive content which is also extremely important as it could impact someone’s mental health if they saw something that impacted them.

4) Do you agree with OFCOM that Channel 4 was wrong to broadcast 'Wolverine' at 6.55pm on a Sunday evening? Why?

I disagree. Viewers have freedom of choice, if they saw the movie and deemed it to be too violent for them or for their children then they could switch to another channel. As Channel 4 never specified that this time slot was for family friendly movies, they had no obligation to meet this false expectation and they provided a warning before the movie started to inform people. They said there was violence, if a parent is concerned their child will learn violence from the media then they shouldn’t be giving their child access to view any degree of violence.

5) List five of the sections in the old Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice. 

Accuracy, Privacy, Reporting of Crime, Violence of SA, discrimination 

6) Why was the Press Complaints Commission criticised?

It was highly ineffective as they had no real power to enforce these rules and therefore they were still being broken constantly without companies experiencing any repercussions. 

7) What was the Leveson enquiry and why was it set up?

An enquiry in to the culture, practice and ethics of the press which happened as a result of a phone hacking scandal where a journalist was found to be intercepting calls regarding the royal family. This lead to privacy concerns and concerns about the ethics of news reporters. 

8) What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?

The Independent Press Standard Organisation (IPSO)

9) What is your opinion on press regulation? Is a free press an important part of living in a democracy or should newspapers face statutory regulation like TV and radio?

I believe there should be regulation as it’s important to keep hateful things out of the media. However, i believe excessive regulation should not be put in place as if someone is able to write about what they believe is happening and they can do it without creating fear and hatred, they should be allowed to but with a warning to make viewers aware that what they’re reading is not 100% fact and they should do their own research before consuming the information and immediately agreeing with it. 

10) Why is the internet so difficult to regulate?

The internet is almost impossible to regulate as it isn’t limited in any way as to who is allowed to post things or who is able to see them. People can spread false information on the internet or even hateful things that can be seen globally by other internet users which creates the problem of the level of regulation each country agrees with. There would have to be a mutual agreement among all countries to make this possible.